VUVULANE  It is a face-off. Following the liquidation of Vuvulane Irrigated Farms (VIF) (Pty) Ltd, approximately 304 Vuvulane farmers want to take over the administration.

On the other hand, Tibiyo TakaNgwane, the owners of the defunct VIF, believe that will never happen.



VIF is the company that ran most agricultural operations at Vuvulane until it was liquidated in November 2005.

In an interview on Monday, the farmers alleged that they had information that Tibiyo TakaNgwane was on the verge of introducing another entity to run Vuvulane.

Their representative, Mpisi Dlamini, said they were ready to counter this move.



Dlamini, who was in the company of some farmers, said they already have an entity in place. Ngeke basiphindze (They cannot do this to us again), Dlamini said when referring to the takeover of VIF from the farmers.

He also used the adage, lightning cannot strike the same place twice when describing their tactic.



Farmers instructed us to establish our own entity. We do not want an entity that will take the farmers land. This establishment will develop the farmers, he said.

He stressed that it was registered with the sole purpose of developing and assisting the indigenous farmers.



Pausing a few seconds, Dlamini revealed that the name of the new entity was CDC Vuvulane Irrigated Farmers. CDC stands for Commonwealth Development Corporation.

Asked to elaborate on the name, Dlamini said they decided to include CDC because it originated from the co-founders of Vuvulane.

Initially, the founders were the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

The elderly Dlamini explained that the new entity constituted approximately 304 farmers.



Children



In fact, the membership is more than the 304 because the organisation will also cater for the farmers children and generations to come, he elaborated.

Further, Dlamini pointed out that the land owned by the farmers was approximately 20 000 hectares, but they were being confined to about 1 200 hectares.

Also, Dlamini mentioned that CDC Vuvulane Irrigated Farmers would be taking over the offices which were used by the liquidated VIF.



Adding, he said they were currently trying to raise funds to buy furniture and also do renovations.

In fact, the furniture that was inside formed part of the liquid assets. We believe it was wrong to auction the furniture and other equipment because these things belonged to the farmers not VIF.

These things were left under the care of the farmers by CDC, Dlamini alleged.

Asked to give a brief background on how the farmers acquired land from CDC, Dlamini recounted that the British acquired Farm 860 during the colonial era. He said it all started in 1946 when King George came to the country accompanied by Queen Elizabeth II.



Around 1957, Dlamini recalled that the British government then settled at Vuvulane and started to develop the area. They started with farming rice. A year later, they then informed the rice farmers of their intention to establish a sugar cane growing scheme, he said.

He went on to state that the people were introduced to the scheme in small numbers, starting with those in 1963.

When the farmers were introduced into the scheme, Dlamini said CDC drew an agreement with them.



Part of the agreement, Dlamini recounted that these farmers were labour tenants.

Explaining this point, Dlamini said it meant the farmers were paying for their farms through their labour. That is why even if you can go to the Deeds Office, you will find that the farmers have notarial deeds, he said while showing this reporter one of the title deeds.



Around 1965, Dlamini said the British came up with new guidelines which stated that once a farmer passes on, his family was expected to vacate the land.He mentioned that the farmers refused to sign the new regulations because they believed their next of kin should benefit from their toil.



Standoff



As such, Dlamini said there was a standoff between the farmers and the corporation. This, according to Dlamini, led to a strike, with the farmers refusing to harvest the sugarcane.

Towards the end of 1967, he said the farmers sent a delegation to report the latest development to King Sobhuza II.

He said the King instructed Prince Makhosini, who was a member of the Swazi National Council to handle the matter.

Further, he said the King also instructed one Douglas Lukhele to engage the British on their behalf.



He described the meeting with the corporation fruitful because the agreement reverted to the original, which allowed the next of kin to inherit the farm.

He pointed that this was not just a mere verbal agreement, but it went through the courts.

Dlamini stated that CDC was represented by a lawyer known as Oxfort while the farmers were represented by Lukhele (Douglas).

Further, Dlamini said it was agreed that the CDC would deduct a certain percentage of their earnings, which would be saved in a certain account.

He recalled that these savings would be handed over to the farmers after 20 years.



When the country gained independence in 1968, he said they went back to the King to request that the land should be handed over to the farmers.

In turn, he said the King assigned Dr Sishayi Nxumalo to engage the British government.

The British said Nuclear Estate and Nokwane would be sold to them for E3 million, which was to be paid in instalments over three years. Around 1981, the King called the farmers to a meeting where he informed them that the land had been handed over to them, he recounted.



He also said the King informed them that some officials from Tibiyo had approached him with the intention of taking over the land. The MD at that time was Sipho Dlamini.

In 1982, King Sobhuza II passed on.



The following year, Dlamini said the British government represented, by Van de Vaart, came to bid the farewell.

He recalled that the meeting was held at the incumbent Vuvulane Farmers Association premises.

Parked outside, he said were 18 brand new tractors. Speaking on their behalf was the late Prince Lokhakhi.



money



When passing a vote of thanks, Prince Lokhakhi enquired from Vaan de Vaart about the whereabouts of the money that had been saved on behalf of the farmers.

He said the money had been given to the then Tibiyo MD Sipho Dlamini and Prince Mfanasibili. Prince Mfanasibili, who was present at the meeting, pointed at a white envelope he was carrying money inside. He advised that we must appoint two people they would engage about it. We then appointed Prince Lokhakhi and Simon Mabuza, he said.

Instead of getting the money, Dlamini said their representatives were informed about the establishment of a company known as Swaziland National Agricultural Development Corporation (SNADC) whose patron was the Queen mother.

The company was to run the affairs of the farmers.



We did not want to hear anything about that. We then decided to have an audience with the Queen Regent. She was shocked about the development, Dlamini alleged.

Years later, after the coronation of His Majesty King Mswati III, Dlamini alleged that the King advised them not to be affiliated under any organisation.



Substantiating his claim, Dlamini said the King commissioned SWADE to educate the farmers on how they would manage and also develop their business.

He then alleged that they were shocked when VIF was introduced to run the affairs of Vuvulane farmers.

From the time VIF was introduced, we have been at loggerheads with them. We have been in and out of courts. And in most instances, we have come out victorious, he said.




New South Wales recorded 15 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, including eight associated with the growing Thai Rock cluster in Sydney's west.

The figure is off the back of NSW recording seven new COVID-19 cases on Friday and 19 new cases on Thursday.

Of the 15 new coronavirus cases, six are returned travellers in hotel quarantine, eight are associated with the Thai Rock restaurant cluster and one is under investigation.

In the Thai Rock cluster cases, NSW Health confirmed two attended Cerdon College in Merrylands and were close contacts of a confirmed case who attended Our Lady of Lebanon church.

The 15 additional COVID-19 cases is off the back of NSW recording seven new COVID -19 cases on Friday and 19 new cases on Thursday (pictured, testing at Bondi Beach on Wednesday)

The total number of cases in NSW is now 3,465. There are 97 cases being treated by NSW Health, including four in intensive care (pictured, registered nurses at the COVID-19 drive-through testing clinic at Bondi on Wednesday)

Six are contacts of existing cases linked to Thai Rock cases, including two students of Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School in Bossley Park and Freeman Catholic College at Bonnyrigg Heights.

These schools have since closed as a result, NSW Health said.

NSW Ministry of Health Dr Jeremy McAnulty said four additional cases of COVID-19 were associated with a series of funeral gatherings and a church service attended by a woman in her 40s, who tested positive to the virus on Thursday.

The additional cases include a couple in their 60s from the north coast, and a couple in their 50s and 60s from southwest Sydney.

NSW Ministry of Health Dr Jeremy McAnulty (pictured) is urging attendees of the funeral and other church services are now urged to get tested for COVID-19

'Attendees of the funeral and other church services are now urged to get tested for COVID-19, regardless of any symptoms, and continue to self-isolate for 14 days even if it is negative,' he said.

The services attended include:

St Brendans Catholic Church Bankstown for one hour from 6.30pm on July 16

Ausia Funeral Services at Fairfield East between 1pm and 8pm on 17 July

Funeral service at St Brendans Catholic Church Bankstown for one hour from 10am on July 18

Burial service at St John of God Lawn at Rookwood between 11.30-1pm on July 18

Our Lady of Mt Carmel at Mt Pritchard for one hour from 7.30am on July 19

The 15 new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday, Dr McAnulty said.

'The total number of cases in NSW is now 3,465. There are 97 cases being treated by NSW Health, including four in intensive care,' he said.

New COVID-19 cases have been linked to a woman attending St Brendans Catholic Church Bankstown (pictured) for one hour from 6.30pm on July 16

She also attended Our Lady of Mt Carmel at Mt Pritchard (pictured) for one hour from 7.30am on July 19

'We want to thank the community for supporting the 30,535 tests reported in 24 hour period, compared 36,169 the previous day.'

Dr McAnulty said there were no new cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster.

'There are now 56 cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster, 60 cases associated with the Thai Rock restaurant - including 9 associated with Our Lady of Lebanon Church - and eight cases associated with the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club,' he said.

'While most cases have been linked to known clusters, community transmission continues and NSW Health is calling on people across the state to re-double their efforts to stop the virus spreading'.

Dr McAnulty said 'attendees of the funeral and other church services are now urged to get tested for COVID-19, regardless of any symptoms' (pictured, cars queuing at the Bondi Breach COVID-19 testing zone on Wednesday)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 19:46:44|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government has decided to extend the existing restrictions on limited domestic flight operations and caps on air fares till November 24.

Currently, domestic flight operations are allowed to function at 45 percent of their total capacity.

Media reports quoted a senior official at the civil aviation ministry as saying that "We will be extending our capacity of flight operations."

Last month the ministry had cleared an increase in capacity of flight operations to 45 percent from 33 percent.

On May 21, it capped domestic flights to a third of their approved summer schedule.

The country's aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation had in May imposed fare limits for different bands. Domestic flights of less than 40-minute duration are supposed to have lower and upper limits of 2000 Indian Rupees (around 28 U.S. dollars) and 6000 Indian Rupees (around 85 U.S. dollars).

Flights of 150-180 minutes have 5500 Indian Rupees (around 78 U.S. dollars) and 15,700 Indian Rupees (around 224 U.S. dollars) as the lower and upper limits, respectively.

According to the ministry's directive, the airlines in the country should adhere to these upper and lower fares limits during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 02:03:59|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Any attempt to reverse the historical trend against the Chinese and American people's aspiration for greater exchange and cooperation will never succeed, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made remarks when responding to a query about a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that the United States should abandon its past policy of blindly engaging with China.

In his speech, Pompeo maliciously attacked the Communist Party of China and China's social system, and wantonly criticized China's domestic and foreign policies. His baseless, fact-distorting speech is full of ideological prejudice and a Cold-War mindset, a hodgepodge of China-related political lies recently fabricated by senior U.S. politicians, said Wang at a press briefing.

"China expresses indignation and firm opposition to it," said Wang. "We have lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side."

For some time, in order to deflect attention with slanders against and oppression of China and score some political gains, several U.S. politicians have been drumming up ideological rivalry, blabbering about changing China, rejecting China-U.S. relations and driving a wedge between China and other countries, said the spokesperson.

"Their petty tricks will not fool the American people and the international community," he said.

China noticed that Pompeo chose the Richard Nixon Presidential Library as the venue to deliver his speech. President Richard Nixon started the process of normalizing China-U.S. relations and made contributions to the development of bilateral relationship.

"But for those U.S. politicians who fabricate China-related lies and spread anti-China fallacies, we believe that history is just and any attempt to reverse history will not succeed if it goes against the wishes of the Chinese and American people to strengthen exchanges and cooperation," the spokesperson said.

China's foreign policy on the United States is consistent and clear, said Wang. "We are committed to developing a China-U.S. relationship featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. In the meantime, we firmly uphold our sovereignty, security and development interests."

"We urge the United States to reject its Cold War mindset and ideological bias, view China and China-U.S. relations in a fair manner, refrain from those negative words and deeds, and create conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track," Wang said. Enditem
As the number of U.S. COVID-19 cases has spiked in recent weeks, several national retailers with locations in Jacksonville have announced that customers will be required to wear masks when inside their stores.

Walmart, Aldi, Home Depot and AT&T all have announced a mask rule  on top of state guidelines that mandate the use of a mask in any public place, including groceries and other essential businesses, where a 6-foot social distance cannot be maintained.

But a handful of assessments of compliance with mask-wearing guidelines in west-central Illinois have turned up mixed results.

Mickey Bourne, manager at the Jacksonville Ace Hardware Store, said signs at the business notify customers that masks should be worn. Bourne said most of Aces customers  she estimated between 95% and 97%  have been good about wearing masks. Customers who come to the store not wearing a mask can be asked to wear one and masks are available at the register, but employees are not tasked with removing from the store those customers who continue not to wear a mask, Bourne said.

My boss would say that we are not the mask police, Bourne said.

An informal survey of mask-wearing of customers at three Jacksonville and South Jacksonville businesses turned up mixed findings. Over a 30-minute time period at each location, more customers who entered Loves Travel Stop and Home Depot were spotted wearing masks than not. A total of 29 Loves customers were counted; 19 were wearing masks when they entered the business and 10 were not. At Home Depot, 35 customers were counted. The vast majority, 29 customers, wore masks as they entered the building.

At Caseys General Stores on East Morton Avenue, customers who entered the store without a mask on far outnumbered those who wore one. Of the 39 customers who were counted, 26 did not wear a mask while 13 did.

It is unknown if any of the customers who entered a business without a mask were provided one inside.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear face masks to protect others from the spread of COVID-19. According to the CDC, wearing a mask is the best protection against the transmission of COVID-19. In July, the CDC cited a study of two Missouri hairstylists who showed symptoms of the coronavirus, noting how their adherence to mask-wearing prevented their clients from being infected.

The New York Times published a nationwide survey of mask-wearing habits with interviews conducted by the global data and survey firm Dynata. The New York Times provided a map with areas shaded based on the chances in each area that everyone is masked during five random encounters.

In west-central Illinois, the recorded likelihood that everyone is masked in five random encounters varied from around 10% to 40%. Results were higher in areas closer to the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area and Greater St. Louis. The northwestern portion of the west-central Illinois region reported the lowest likelihoods that everyone would be masked in five random encounters.

Masks have become a divisive political topic during the pandemic. Illinois Democratic governor, J.B. Pritzker, referred to people who refused to wear masks as the enemy in the fight against the pandemic.

Until recently, President Donald Trump, a Republican, resisted wearing a mask in public; he disparaged mask-wearing at the start of the pandemic. Georgias Republican governor, Brian Kemp, sued the city of Atlanta over the citys mask requirement.

While mask-wearing is seen across the political spectrum, The New York Times found that Republicans report they are less likely to wear masks than Democrats by about 20% in most surveys. Areas where there have been larger COVID-19 breakouts also tend to report more mask-wearing, according to the New York Times.
In an incident of fratricide, a sub-inspector (S-I) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) shot his senior dead before training the gun on himself and took his own life.

The incident occurred inside a safe house of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in south Delhi on Friday night.

Police said the two men, who were posted at the IBs safe house and belonged to CRPFs 122 Battalion, had a tiff over an issue that is yet to be ascertained, after which the S-I used his Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK)-47 rifle to shoot the inspector dead.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the two CRPF personnel shared the same room as their office space in the safe house.

Police said that the incident occurred at around 10 pm on Friday, when employees of the safe house heard a loud gunshot from a room.

They rushed inside the room and found that the CRPF inspector had been shot in the head.

Witnesses said the inspector was having his dinner, when he was shot at. In less than a minute, another gunshot was heard at the guards room near the main entrance of the safe house. The staff reached the guards room to find that the CRPF S-I was lying dead with a gunshot injury in his head. The incident was reported to CRPF officials immediately, said a police official, requesting anonymity.

The AK-47 was issued to the CRPF S-I that he had used to fire upon his senior colleague and also to take his own life. The two bullets were fired from the same rifle. Both men were involved in a tiff over an issue that is yet to be ascertained. A murder case has been registered and a probe is on, said Eish Singhal, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), New Delhi.

M Dhinakaran, spokesperson, CRPF, said: The fratricidal event is an aberration and could have happened at the spur of the moment. An investigation has been ordered to establish the facts. The probe will be taken to its logical conclusion.
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CID probes oil refinery project By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):

The Criminal Investigation Department has started a probe on the Yahapalana administrations controversial US$ 3.85bn (nearly Rs 700bn) oil refinery project in Hambantota.

It was announced in March last year that the Omani Ministry of Oil and Gas would have a 30 percent stake in this project. But it later emerged that Oman had no shareholding in the project which was mooted by a Singapore-registered entity called Silver Park International.

Silver Parks four directors were named as Jegathrakshagan Sundeep Anand, Jagathrakshakan Sri Nisha and Jagathrakshakan Anusuya. They are the son, daughter and wife of S. Jagathrakshakan, a controversial Indian politician from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)

While hundreds of acres of land in Hambantota were allocated for the project, there was no environmental impact assessment and still no investors.

The Sunday Times filed a request to the Board of Investment under the Right to Information Act earlier this year for information regarding the current status of the Silver Park oil refinery. The Sunday Times asked whether the Oman Government or any Omani entity (public or private) had invested in the project or signed any form of agreement to invest or be involved in any way in the project.

Other information was also sought, such as how much land had physically been allocated so far; what the company would do under the project; whether supplementary agreements were signed; who the share holders were and if there was a joint venture; how much investment had been brought in; and whether the lease premium and ground rent had been paid.

The BOI issued a blanket refusal for information on the basis that there is an ongoing investigation at the Criminal Investigation Division [sic] (CID) regarding the proposed Silver Park Oil Refinery.
Many of us could cite examples of things that have always been done in a certain way, even though we believe there could be a better way.

But when we get around to asking that business manager, relative or co-worker why they keep performing the activity in this manner, they often will provide this answer  or a similarly worded reply  which is not very insightful: Thats just the way its always been done.

We were reminded of this reality after reading a recent News-Herald story about the Mentor administration agreeing to look into alternate funding methods for the citys street lighting program.

Some City Council members recently addressed this topic while considering the annual electric street lighting legislation.

Supplying street lighting has always been paid for by the residents who benefit through a special assessment on their property tax bill.

The money is used to pay FirstEnergy for the cost of the lease on the light fixtures as well as the electricity. The rate has remained at $1.20 per $1,000 of assessed property value for several years, officials said.

This years aggregate assessment is more than $1.5 million. The remainder of the cost of the improvements is paid out of the citys general fund, which provides about $50,000 annually.

Per the (Ohio Revised Code), the city can assess no more than 98 percent of the total cost incurred for street lighting, and none of the cost of lighting intersections, Mentor Finance Director David Malinowski said.

Ward 4 Councilman John Krueger asked whether any other ways of assessing residents had been explored.

I know its based on the assessed valuation, but a $200,000 home doesnt get any more light with a street light in front of it than a $500,000 home, he said. I dont see why that person has to pay just that much more for having a streetlight in front of him.

City Manager Ken Filipiak called it a great question. He said the current method of assessment dates back many years.

Its just the policy that the city adopted decades and decades ago, he said. We would be happy to, if councils inclined to do so, look at some different options and provide you with a few to consider.

Krueger suggested potentially dividing the cost equally among the number of dwellings or structures in the city.

Councilwoman at large Janet Dowling concurred with Krueger.

A number of years ago, we tried a petition on our street to get street lights, and the valuations between the houses are so disparate that people wouldnt sign the petition for exactly that reason, she said. The same light  shined right there on the house across the street and they were paying over double for the assessment, so I agree, its time. Try to come up with a more fair way.

We hope government leaders in Mentor take Dowlings suggestion to heart and diligently seek a better alternative.

When it comes to street lighting assessments in the city, theres got to be a better approach than doing it the way its always been done. So we hope some Mentor administrators will step up and provide some new and bright ideas.
An online mini-series, starring actors in their homes during COVID-19 lockdown in Ireland, UK, Spain, France, Germany and the USA, is due for release on August 1.

The DeCameraOn Project, brainchild of multi-award winning Drogheda writer and film maker Declan Cassidy, was inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio's medieval novel, The Decameron - a work of 100 stories that were told by ten young people, cocooning from the 'black death' as it swept through the Italian city of Florence in 1348.

"I was about to start work on a Broadcasting Authority of Ireland-funded tv series when the pandemic shut everything down and I found myself, like most other people, stuck at home instead," explained Cassidy. "I'd read the Decameron at Trinity but, for the first time, I really got a sense of Boccaccio's parallel situation, almost 700 years ago, and the idea for a modern take on his original concept started to grow.

'I put up a post on Facebook, looking for other creatives who wanted to do something while we were all in lockdown and the response was phenomenal."

The newly formed group met on Zoom video chat and Cassidy explained his idea. Each would play a character who was taking part in a fictitious story-telling competition with an equally fictitious grand prize of 100,000.

It would be up to the actors, however, to develop their own characters and to come up with their own stories.

The filming would take place with the Zoom meeting as the 'main camera' with actors having to set up their own second cameras at home.
We need to talk. Its not that we dont appreciate being appreciated. We do. But this healthcare heroes nonsense is actually killing us. All over the world, people have clapped for healthcare workers, banged pots and pans out of their windows, praised us to the heavens and its not like there isnt a roll call of the fallen to justify it all.

The Hippocratic Oath is not the same thing as a death wish. Credit:Nic Walker

In Britain, there is even a clamour to award us medals, as if we are soldiers in some kind of war. But we didnt sign up to defend our country, come what may. I dont recall pledging to unhesitatingly sacrifice my health or my life to protect my patients, when that risk was entirely due to organisational incompetence and negligence.

We are not soldiers. We are workers in what has suddenly become a very dangerous workplace, just like miners, farmers and steeplejacks have been for hundreds of years. If you have visited the Line of Lode Memorial to the 800 miners who have lost their lives in and around Broken Hill since mining began in the late nineteenth century, you will have been struck by how the long lists of fatalities from the early years have now dwindled to one or two some years and most years none at all.

People like to laugh about "the absurdities of OH+S", but in my seven years as an emergency doctor in a remote hospital which is the first port of call for casualties for a major set of operations in the offshore gas industry, I cannot recall seeing a single industrial injury. Not a single one.
Ashok Gehlot has declared on today that the Congress Party will go to Rashtrapati Bhawan and meet the President and organise a dharna outside the residence of Prime Minister if absolutely needed. A five hour sit-in protest was held in the lawns of Raj Bhawan.

Ashok Gehlot has claimed on Saturday that the Congress Party will go to Rashtrapati Bhawan and meet the President and organise a protest outside the house of Prime Minister if necessary. A five hour sit-in protest was staged in the lawns of Raj Bhawan. Slogans like Inquilab Zindabad were shouted by the MLAs in support of the Chief Minister.

The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) held a meeting at the Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur. Several party MLAs attended the same. Ashok Gehlot will also be meeting the Governor Kalraj Mishra soon later today to discuss the matter of convening an Assembly session.

The Rajasthan cabinet has not provided a scheduled date for on which the convening of Assembly is supposed to happen, revealed the Governors Secretariat. The approval for the same is pending as well.

The state government has been playing crude politics by presenting a paper to convene the session on the night of July 23. The paper was also said to have been consulted by the legal experts. The secretariat hit back through a press release claiming that a period of 21 days is necessary for calling a session and it will not be possible to hold it at such short notice and without a proper agenda.

Ashok Gehlots son Vaibhav Gehlot has criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for curating a conspiracy to dissolve the Congress Government states in India. The BJP leader of the State Satusg Punia and Opposition leadee Gulab Chanfra Kataria are supposed to meet today with Governor Mishra over COVID-19 matters.

State-wide protest against the BJP party has been going on in Jaipur area and in the surrounding districts.

Rajasthan has been the talk of the nation after the political differences between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot led to the former being removed from the position of Deputy Chief Minister on 14 July.

More than 15 legislators in the State have received disqualification notice by the Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi.

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THEREs been wide welcome among the business and political community to news of a proposed massive arena development at Thomond Park.

In news exclusively revealed by the Limerick Leader, stadium bosses have teamed up with council management to seek funding for the development, which would also bring a 150-bedroom hotel.

Its anticipated the arena, if developed, could hold up to 5,000 people, and is modelled on the Bonus Arena in Hull.

Limerick Chamber chief executive Dee Ryan said many big conferences would not come near the city centre, because there has not been the capacity to hold large scale events.

Its hoped this will change things.

People don't realise it but we do get good traffic for conferences to Limerick relatively speaking. We have great facilities. But the bigger ones which spend the most money are generally held out in Castletroy at UL. It's the only place at present which can facilitate them, she explained, I'd love to see a greater presence of those conferences.

Fine Gael councillor Olivia OSullivan pointed to the job creation  potentially up to 300 positions  which could be created from this scheme.

The project has been compared to the Bonus Arena in Hull which opened in 2018 and in its first year saw 200,000 people buy tickets or visit the venue, with 22% coming from international visitors. The Thomond Park project will have even greater capacity. It will benefit not just businesses in its vicinity, but throughout the entire region, Cllr OSullivan said.

On a recreational level for Limerick people, this will open up so many new event experiences that we just don't have the capacity to cater for right now, so instead of having to travel to Dublin or elsewhere, we will have them right here. O'Sullivan added.

Fellow northside councillor Conor Sheehan of Labour has also welcomed the potential job creation, but said its important positions like these are filled locally.

I'm conscious of the fact it is in one of the biggest unemployment blackspots in the country and I'd hope that if this convention centre is built, I'd hope there is a concerted effort to link in with local people to provide secure employment for the people of Moyross, Ballynanty and Kileely. It's important they feel connected and their concerns are taken on board, he said.

Limerick Council and Thomond Park are teaming up to source regional development funding for the project.

But matched funding will also likely need to be in place.
Few details were immediately available, but Maryland State Police said they responded to a call at 12:30 p.m. and found both occupants of one car dead at the scene. The driver in the other vehicle, the sole occupant, reported no injuries. He is under questioning at the state patrols Forestville headquarters, police said.
France advised its citizens on Friday not to travel to Catalonia in neighbouring Spain following a spike in cases of COVID-19 in the region.

The advice, announced by French Prime Minister Jean Castex, dealt another blow to Spains beleaguered tourism sector after Norway announced on Friday that travellers returning from the country would have to undergo a 10-day quarantine.

The French border with Spain remains open, but Castex said he was in talks with the Spanish government to reduce traffic flows.

Concerning the situation in Catalonia, which is displaying worsened indicators for infection, we strongly encourage French citizens to avoid going there until the health situation improves, Castex told reporters.

Catalonia reported 8,563 new cases of COVID-19 in the 14 days up to Thursday - almost half of the 17,842 detected throughout Spain during the period - despite guidelines for residents of regional capital Barcelona to stay at home.

In an effort to contain the epidemic, all discos will be shut for the next 15 days, the Catalan government said on Friday, and bars, restaurants and casinos must shut by midnight.

A source in Catalonias regional government said that the region, where wearing a mask is mandatory in public, was taking more stringent steps than France.

We are holding everyone to a much higher degree of security than is asked elsewhere in Europe, such as in France, the source said.

The Spanish prime ministers office declined to comment.

Castex, who was speaking on the sidelines of a visit to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, north of the French capital, also said the French government planned to reinforce controls at borders.

From Aug. 1 people arriving from 16 countries outside the European Union where the infection rate is deemed to be high will be subject to compulsory testing on arrival at French airports and sea ports, Castex said. Those who test positive will be required to enter quarantine.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, Samsung India, today, announced its unique #AddMoreMithas social media contest.

To celebrate the incredible bond of love between brother and sister, Samsung has launched #AddMoreMithas social media contest on their social media platforms, inviting entries via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To participate in the Contest, participants need to take a screenshot of their brothers favourite dessert from the contest video post and upload it in the comments section using the hash-tag #AddMoreMithaas and tagging @SamsungIndia. One can submit their entries from July 26, 2020 till July 28, 2020.

Additionally, as a tribute to celebrate the unifying and ever-lasting bond of love, care and respect between brothers and sisters, Samsung will announce two winners who will receive SlimFry Smart Ovens from Samsung and enjoy their favourite desserts. The winners will be announced on August 13, 2020.

The Samsung Slim Fry Microwave Oven, through its SlimFry Technology, allows the users to enjoy healthier fried food without a deep fryer. It combines a grill with warm air circulation, so food is cooked crispy inside and out using only a touch of oil. Enjoy guilt-free indulgence this Raksha Bandhan with no greasy pans or splatters! Not only is the Microwave oven packed with powerful Make for India features like Roti & Naan Function, it also allows the customers to choose from a wide variety of pre-programmed local recipes on the Samsung app and enjoy familiar flavours with the simple touch of a button. Additionally, it is durable, easy to clean, hygienic and 99.9% bacteria free and comes with 10 year warranty.

This Raksha Bandhan give yourself an opportunity to revive the fun moments shared with your brother and also a great chance to create fresh memories.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Warsaw, Poland  Sat, July 25, 2020 11:05 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669369a4 2 Environment Sumatran-tiger,Poland,zoo,tiger,conservation Free

A Sumatran tiger -- a critically endangered species -- was born in a zoo in Poland, officials said on Friday.

The female cub was born during the coronavirus lockdown on May 20 at the Wroclaw Zoo in the southwestern city by the same name, but news of her arrival was only made public now.

Her seven-year-old mother Nuri and 11-year-old father Tengah are part of a global breeding program aimed at saving the species from extinction.

"We were nervous as this is Nuri's first cub, but she's proving to be an expert mum," zoo director Radoslaw Ratajszczak told AFP.

The zoo is inviting internet users to its Facebook page to help find a name for the cub.

Read also: Birth of baby tiger 'Covid' brings hope to Mexican zoo

"We'd be pleased to find an Asian name reflecting the origin of the species," Ratajszczak said, adding that "zoo staff, especially the tiger-keepers, will make the final choice."

Sumatran tigers usually live around 30 years, with females giving birth to some 10 cubs over the course of their lives, according to Ratajszczak.

Native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the tigers are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with fewer than 400 believed to remain in the wild and under 300 in captivity.

Rampant poaching accounts for almost all Sumatran tiger deaths, according to TRAFFIC, a global wildlife trade monitoring network.

Tiger parts are widely used in traditional medicine -- particularly in China -- despite overwhelming scientific evidence they have no beneficial value.
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) strongly condemned, in a statement issued on Friday, the one-year jail sentence, with immediate execution, of writer and journalist Taoufik Ben Brik, for comments made on a local TV station
America is staring down the barrel of martial law as it approaches the presidential election, a US senator from Oregon has warned as Donald Trump cracks down on protests in Portland, the states biggest city.

Related: This is what happens when the War on Terror is turned inward, on America | Hamilton Nolan

In interviews with the Guardian, Democrat Ron Wyden said the federal governments authoritarian tactics in Portland and other cities posed an enormous threat to democracy, while his fellow senator Jeff Merkley described it as an all-out assault in military-style fashion.

In the early hours of Saturday, thousands of protesters gathered again outside the federal courthouse in the city, shooting fireworks at the building as teargas, dispensed by US agents, lingered above. Protesters and agents used leaf blowers to try to redirect the gas. At around 2.30am, agents marched down the street, clearing protesters with gas at close range. They also extinguished a fire outside the courthouse.

The independent watchdogs for the US justice and homeland security departments said on Thursday they were launching investigations into the use of force by federal agents, including instances of unidentified officers in camouflage gear snatching demonstrators off the streets and spiriting them away in unmarked vehicles.

But Trump this week announced a surge of federal law enforcement to Chicago and Albuquerque, in addition to a contingent already in Kansas City. The move fuelled critics suspicions that the president was stressing a law and order campaign theme at the expense of civil liberties.

Wyden said in a statement: The violent tactics deployed by Donald Trump and his paramilitary forces against peaceful protesters are those of a fascist regime, not a democratic nation.

Speaking by phone, he said: Unless America draws a line in the sand right now, I think we could be staring down the barrel of martial law in the middle of a presidential election.

Story continues

Military control of government was last imposed in the US in 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In current circumstances it would entail trashing the constitution and trashing peoples individual rights, Wyden warned.

The senator recalled a conversation with a legal adviser for the head of national intelligence.

I asked him again and again what was the constitutional justification for what the Trump administration is doing in my home town and he completely ducked the questions and several times said, Well, I just want to extend my best wishes to your constituents.

After I heard him say it several times, I said my constituents dont want your best wishes. They want to know when youre going to stop trashing their constitutional rights.

The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, began a briefing on Friday with a selectively edited video depicting protests, flames, graffiti and chaos in Portland.

The Trump administration will not stand by and allow anarchy in our streets, she said. Law and order will prevail.

Trump has falsely accused his election rival, Joe Biden, of pledging to defund the police so violent crime will flourish. Democrats condemn Trump for a made-for-TV attempt to distract both from Black Lives Matter protests and his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, now killing more than 1,000 Americans a day.

I wish the president would fight the coronavirus half as hard as he attacks my home town, Wyden said. I think hes setting up an us-against-them kind of strategy. Hes trying to create his narrative that my constituents, who are peaceful protesters, are basically anarchists, sympathisers of anarchists and, as he does so often, just fabricate it.

Federal police under the orders of Donald Trump launch teargas after a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Trump knows that his [coronavirus] strategy has been an unmitigated disaster. The coronavirus is spiking in various places and hes trying to play to rightwing media and play to his base and see if he can kind of create a narrative that gives him some traction.

The Portland deployment, Operation Diligent Valor, involves 114 officers from homeland security and the US Marshals Service, according to court documents. Local officials say their heavy-handed approach, including teargas and flash grenades, has merely enflamed demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. The justice department-led Operation Legend involves more than 200 agents each in Kansas City and Chicago as well as 35 in Albuquerque. It is targeted at violent crime.

Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago, has vowed to resist the federal intervention.

Its very clear what the president is trying to do is incite violence and then display that violence in campaign ads Senator Jeff Merkley

Were not going to allow the unconstitutional, state-sanctioned lawlessness we saw brought to Portland here in Chicago, she said on Thursday.

Merkley offered words of advice.

I would say that you probably dont believe that these federal forces will attack protesters if the protesters are peaceful and you will be wrong because thats exactly what theyre doing in Portland, he told the Guardian.

This is an all-out assault in military-style fashion on a peaceful-style protest. The way to handle graffiti is put up a fence or come out and ask people to stop doing it, not to attack a peaceful protest but thats exactly what happened. Its very clear what the president is trying to do is incite violence and then display that violence in campaign ads. And I say this because thats exactly what hes doing right now. This is not some theory.

The senator added: This is just an absolute assault on peoples civil rights to speak and to assemble.

Related: Chad Wolf: who is the Trump official leading the crackdown in Portland?

Merkley argued that with past targets such as Islamic State and undocumented migrants losing their potency, Trump has settled on African Americans in inner cities to be his latest scapegoats.

I think its also important to note the president weve always known has this intense authoritarian streak, he said. He loved and had so much affection for the leader of North Korea, Putin in Russia. Just admiration for some of the tactics in the Philippines with Duterte and Erdogan in Turkey, by the crown prince in Saudi Arabia.

On Friday the United Nations warned against the use of excessive force against demonstrators and media.

Peaceful demonstrations that have been taking place in cities in the US, such as Portland, really must be able to continue, UN human rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell told reporters.
Chattanooga firefighters stopped flames from spreading through a duplex on W 37th Street on Saturday afternoon.

The Chattanooga Fire Department received a call about a residential fire in the 1000 block around 3 p.m. and units found smoke and flames coming from the structure when they arrived.

They had a quick knockdown on the fire and it was under control in 10 minutes.

The cause is under investigation. There were no injuries.

Squad 1, Ladder 1, Quint 1, Ladder 5, Quint 3, Engine 9, Engine 14, Squad 20, Battalion 1 and 3, CPD, EPB and HCEMS responded.

The impacted side of the duplex sustained extensive damage. The residents were not home at the time and the unit was unoccupied. On the other side of the duplex, two adults and two children were home and escaped the burning building. That side does not have any fire damage, but power had to be cut to the entire structure for safety reasons.

As a result, the American Red Cross is assisting a total of five residents.

There were temporary assignments for mutual aid. Signal Mountain Fire Department and Red Bank Fire Apartment were going to Station 1 and East Ridge Fire Department was going to Station 9.

CFD officials said, "We appreciate the assistance of our neighboring agencies in making sure that theres continued coverage when we have multiple companies on the scene of a fire."
NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean has broken ranks with his federal Coalition counterpart and backed the creation of an independent regulator to oversee compliance with national environmental laws.

The establishment of a so-called "green cop" was one of 10 recommendations in the interim review of the federal Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act released this week by former competition regulator Graeme Samuel. Federal Minister Sussan Ley rejected the proposal.

Matt Kean, NSW Energy and Environment Minister, says he supports a key finding of a review into Australia's main national environmental law calling for an independent national "green cop" - a recommendation rejected by the Morrison government. Credit:Nick Moir

Mr Kean, who has previously challenged the Morrison government over climate and energy policies, said it had taken a Liberal-led government in NSW to set up that state's Environment Protection Authority.

"I think it should be a Liberal government in Canberra that establishes a strong environmental cop on the beat as well," he told the Herald. Thats what the NSW government established and I think thats exactly the type of legacy the federal Liberal government should be looking to have."
Woolworths customers have been urged to wear face masks when visiting its supermarket and chain stores in parts of western Sydney.

The caution applies to all Big W, BWS and Dan Murphy stores located in the local government areas of Liverpool and Fairfield.

CEO Brad Banducci made the announcement on the Woolworths website on Saturday.

'With face masks fast becoming part of everyday life in Victoria, it feels prudent to prepare for the same in NSW,' he said.

The caution applies to all Big W, BWS and Dan Murphy stores located in the local government areas of Liverpool (pictured) and Fairfield

'With face masks fast becoming part of everyday life in Victoria, it feels prudent to prepare for the same in NSW,' Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci said (pictured, shopper wearing face mask at Woolworths)

'With that in mind, we have updated our advice in all our stores in the Local Government Areas of Fairfield and Liverpool with a close eye on other areas as the situation evolves.'

A number of COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the area over the past few days, including the Thai Rock Restaurant cluster, in Wetherill Park, which has been linked to 52 cases.

A woman in her 40s also tested positive to coronavirus after attending five different church services around the area.

She visited Ausia Funeral Services, in Fairfield East, Saint Brendan's Catholic Church, in Bankstown, St John of God Lawn, at Rookwood Cemetery, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, at Mount Pritchard.

'In these areas, we strongly encourage customers to wear a face covering when coming into any of our stores,' Mr Banducci said.

'This is the same guidance we have given to our teams working in store in these areas, and we have provided them with masks to wear.

'We fully support all customers and team members who choose to wear a face covering.'

Suburbs that fall under the Fairfield local government area includes Abbotsbury, Bonnyrigg, Bonnyrigg Heights, Bossley Park, Cabramatta, Cabramatta West and Canley Heights.

The Liverpool local government area includes suburbs Ashcroft, Austral, Badgerys Creek, Bringelly, Busby and Carnes Hill.

A Woolworths spokesperson said while face masks were optional they would be strongly encouraged in 'hot spot' areas.

A Woolworths spokesperson said while face masks were optional they would be strongly encouraged in 'hot spot' areas (pictured, a customer wears a face mask while grocery shopping at Woolworths)

'While wearing masks is not mandatory in NSW, we strongly encourage both our team members and customers to wear face coverings in our stores situated in identified 'hot spots' areas,' they said.

'We continue to be vigilant of the risks of community transmission and are taking all necessary precautions to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

'These include health screening and temperature checks of team members, social distancing prompts, the provision of hand sanitiser and enhanced cleaning services across all our stores situated in 'hot spot' areas.'
By PTI

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that he was not in favour of complete lifting of the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state only to address the economic concerns.

He said there was a need to strike a balance between the issues related to health and economy considering the challenge posed by the pandemic.

"I will never say that the lockdown will be lifted completely. But I have started reopening a few things gradually. Once reopened, it shouldn't be shut again. Hence, I prefer taking steps in phases. You can't just think about economy or health. There needs to be a balance between the two," he said.

Thackeray made this statement in an interview published in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Saturday.

The ongoing lockdown in the state will continue till July 31.

From June onwards, the government had started lifting the restrictions in phase-wise manner under its 'Mission Begin Again' initiative.

ALSO READ | Uddhav Thackeray dares Opposition to topple his government

"This pandemic is a global war. It has affected the entire world. Those countries which had lifted the lockdown in haste thinking that it was over, were again forced to impose it to curb the spread. In Australia, they had to rope in Army," he said.

"Many people are opposing lockdown. They say that lockdown is affecting the economy. To such people, I would say that I am ready to lift the lockdown, but if people die due to it, would you take the responsibility? Even we are concerned about the economy," he said.

On the restarting of the suburban railway network in Mumbai, he said, "What if families fall ill and their houses are sealed? Therefore, everything would be done step-by-step."

Speaking about his government which has completed six months in office, Thackeray said that he was leading a three- party alliance government supported by some independents.

"This is not just Thackeray sarkar, but everybody's sarkar, especially that of the citizens of the state, who have accepted this experiment," he added.

After the assembly polls last year, the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress came together to form the government in the state.

Thackeray said the six-month period has been full of challenges like the coronavirus pandemic and Nisarga cyclone, which hit the coastal parts of the state on June 3.

"I am not bothered about the political challenges. People have faith in me," he said.

Talking about the coronavirus situation in Mumbai, he said, "There was never a need to call the Army in Mumbai. I am proud of the administration which rose to the challenge and set up jumbo field hospitals for treatment of coronavirus patients in the city."

Speaking about the criticism that he has not been to the Mantralaya, the state secretariat, during the pandemic, the chief minister said that technology helps people in doing all the work and there was no need to travel.

"I can be at home and cover the entire state with help of technology and take quick decisions. I am not saying one shouldn't move out. But when you go out, you are at one place only while through video-conference you can go everywhere," he said.

"I am not bothered what critics say till people trust me. I am honest with my work," he added.

On starting the academic year during the pandemic, Thackeray said e-learning was the only option.

When asked about Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis's recent visit to Delhi, Thackeray said sarcastically that he might have gone there to take stock of the coronavirus situation in the national capital.

"He goes to Delhi and speaks about Maharashtra's COVID-19 situation since he has given his MLA funds in Delhi," the CM said in an apparent reference to BJP MLAs donating to PM Cares Fund and not to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

"Recently, a survey listed Maharashtra chief minister as the best CM in the country. This caused stomach pain to many," he said.

"Coronavirus has many symptoms. Stomach ache may be one of them. Loss of taste is also a symptom," he said sarcastically when he was asked if life has become tasteless for some since the MVA government came to power.

Thackeray also rejected the criticism that his government had hidden the number of coronavirus victims.

"The WHO and Washington Post have taken note of the state government's efforts," he said.
July 25 (Reuters) - Iran's judiciary said on Saturday that passengers of an airliner that Tehran has said was "harassed" this week by an American fighter jet over Syria can sue the U.S. military for damages in Iranian courts.

Iranian media said on Friday that several passengers on the Mahan Air flight heading from Tehran to Beirut were injured on Thursday after the pilot rapidly changed altitude to avoid collision with the U.S. jet.

The U.S. military said its F-15 was at a safe distance and the fighter was conducting a visual inspection of the airliner as it passed near the Tanf garrison in Syria, home to U.S. forces.

All passengers on Mahan Air Flight 1152, Iranians and non-Iranian, can sue the terrorist U.S. military - commanders, perpetrators, supervisors and deputies - in Iranian courts for moral and physical damages, Ali Bagheri-Kani, head of the judiciary's human rights office was quoted as saying by the semi-official ILNA news agency.

He said complainants could also take an international legal route through the International Civil Aviation Organization, the U.N agency that oversees international civil aviation agreements.

He said Iranian courts follow laws that deal with human rights violations and adventurist and terrorist acts of the United States in the region.

It was not clear if any passenger would sue the U.S. military.

Iran said on Friday it had lodged a complaint with the ICAO.

The incident was the latest in tensions between Tehran and Washington since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States in 2018 from Irans nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have battered Irans economy.

Footage of the inside of the airliner broadcast by Iranian state TV on Friday showed a passenger lying immobile on the floor and another with a wounded nose and forehead. (Editing by Frances Kerry)
Former President John Mahama has committed to providing leadership that will promote peace and unity among Ghanaians and set the country on the path of restoration.

In doing so, he pledged to see to it that justice was served to all persons irrespective of their ethnic background and political affiliation.



"I stand today before the tomb that holds the remains of the Asomdwehene The King of Peace; and I pledge that I will continue to fight for the peace and unity of this country," he stated at a wreath-laying ceremony held in Accra yesterday to mark the eighth anniversary of the passing of former President John Evans Atta Mills.



The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer further assured all Ghanaians that he would provide leadership that created an opportunity for all citizens without being selective.



Wreath-laying



Prof. Atta Mills passed away on July 24, 2012, and was laid to rest at the Asomdwe Park on August 10, 2012; and in memory of the man, who was fondly known for peace and unity, three separate wreath-laying ceremonies were held yesterday to mark the eighth anniversary of his passing.



The Atta Mills Institute, a foundation established in honour of the former leader, organised a separate ceremony to mark the day after which the NDC also held a similar event to commemorate the day.



Earlier in the day, the first President of the Fourth Republic, Jerry John Rawlings, had separately laid a wreath for the man who served as his Vice-President from January 7, 1997, to January 7, 2001.



The wreath-laying event was attended by kingpins of the NDC such as the running mate for this year's elections, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang; the National Chairman of the party, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo; former Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho; the Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, and other Members of Parliament.



Members of the late former President's family including his sister, Mrs Mercy Quarshie; his brother and MP for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA), Mr Samuel Atta Mills, and his son, Kofi Atta Mills, were all at the ceremony.



Representatives of other political parties also attended the event.



It was a solemn ceremony laced with soothing words in eulogy of the law professor and revenue expert who earned the accolade of a promoter of peace and corruption fighter.



Mr Mahama was joined by Prof. Opoku-Agyemang to lay the first wreath in memory of President Atta Mills while Mr Ofosu Ampofo laid the second one in the name of the NDC.



The Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, led the minority caucus to lay the third wreath, with the family of the late President and his son, Mr Kofi Atta-Mills, also laying their wreaths.



Better leadership



Mr Mahama said the country currently needed the kind of leadership that would break cultural and ethnic barriers and channel the diversities into national development.



He said it was worrying that ethnic and political sentiments had crept into the country and eroded the gains made during the tenure of his predecessor who he described as "a unifier and father" who fought for the peace of the country.



"Prof. Atta Mills was a believer in peace and unity and he fought for it. Today, Ghanaians are crying for such a father who will see everyone as one; they are crying for a country where opportunities will be opened to all and not just a select few; a nation where there will be justice for all; a country where all of us shall be equal before the law.



"As a party, we shall win power and restore the peace and unity that is desired in this country," he said.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Suspect in police custody after standoff on north side of town

The homeowner was able to get out of the home safely, but Aberdeen police are now negotiating the surrender of the suspect.
Posted on Friday, July 24, 2020

KINGSVILLE (July 24, 2020)  Dr. Fernando Hernandez, assistant professor in the teacher and bilingual education department at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, was recently honored with membership in two reading associations.

First, Hernandez was accepted into the Reading Academies Pilot where he would participate in and provide feedback on draft Reading Academies modules prior to full implementation. The program is part of the Texas Education Agency.

Second, he applied to and was selected to serve as an at-large member of the Texas Association of Literacy Educators (TALE), an affiliate of the National Literacy Association. This is an elected position and he will serve a two-year term.

TALE is dedicated to promoting literacy in the education sector and consists of professional members that are committed to serving the leaders in the state of Texas.

Hernandez has been at Texas A&M-Kingsville for a year. He worked as a lecturer in the bilingual and literacy studies department at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for two years.

He earned a bachelor of business administration in finance from Southwest Texas State University; his masters degree in reading from University of Texas Pan American and his doctorate in literacy from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

-TAMUK-
Democracy and decency By Chris Patten, exclusively for the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka View(s): View(s):

LONDON  We have long been dangerously slow to recognise, let alone resist, the undermining of liberal democracies by Russian President Vladimir Putins post-KGB thugocracy and Chinas more economically successful version of aggressive Leninism.

I saw the Russian side of the problem up close when I was the European Unions commissioner for external affairs from 1999 to 2004. Too many European countries, led by Silvio Berlusconis Italy, thought that they could do business with Putin, and perhaps even turn him into a geostrategic ally. Meanwhile, Putin was presiding over a regime that sought to overturn the post-World War II international order and to fracture both the EU and the transatlantic alliance. Putins regime bullied neighbors, invaded other countries, and murdered its critics even on foreign soil.

Moreover, Putin and his cronies understood very clearly liberal capitalisms weak spot: the greed of those who were usually already rich. Just consider how much of London  property, businesses, and members of the political elite  Russian money bought in the 1990s and the aughts of this century. And Russian cyberwarfare and money have recently distorted both American and British politics, the latter most egregiously during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign.

Until recently, the Chinese threat was less widely noticed. But since the novel coronavirus began its deadly global rampage, President Xi Jinping has led a bruising campaign around Asia and the world to impose his regimes interests on the rest of us. Asserting this plain truth does not amount to Sinophobia, as apologists for the ruling Communist Party of China want people to believe. The problem is the CPC itself, which currently has its most aggressive and hardline leaders since the Mao Zedong era.

Xi expressed his hostility to liberal values in the instructions he issued to party, government, and military officials back in 2013. His Communique on the Current State of the Ideological Sphere itemised everything, from press freedom to parliamentary democracy, that could undermine communist rule.

Unhappily for Hong Kong, the city exemplifies most of the values that Xi hates. Despite Chinas promise to respect these values after it regained sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, Xi has now caged the territory with a rule of fear, maintained by what Winston Churchill called the odious apparatus of a police state. The great China scholar Perry Link has compared the CPCs control mechanism to the anaconda in the chandelier: at any moment it can drop and throttle you, but you never know when this will happen.

The assault on Hong Kongs autonomy and rule of law, embodied in the hastily adopted security legislation that China imposed on the territory at the end of June, is only one of Xis recent transgressions. In the last few months China has wielded its cosh from India to Australia, Canada to the South China Sea, and from Japan and Taiwan to Europe.

Of course, some who live in the worlds free societies  including the United Kingdom  claim that this isnt happening, or that China is too important for us to stand up to it. The excuses for kowtowing come thick and fast. Because we cant change China from the outside, why bother to denounce human-rights abuses like the regimes eugenic barbarity toward Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang?

Other CPC apologists warn us not to poke the Chinese dragon at a time of worldwide economic distress, because we need its market. And what about Britains own behaviour toward China in the nineteenth century, or the other nasty regimes that we still do business with today? In fact, some of these useful idiots often seem to define our national interest by how much we accept its subordination to Chinas.

But what will happen to the values that form the core of our political and cultural identity if we do not stand up for them? And is the UK still strong enough, on its own, to do so?

Here, I cannot recommend strongly enough Anne Applebaums recent book Twilight of Democracy: The Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends. Advancing her arguments with eloquence and personal testimony, Applebaum passionately decries the corrosion of liberal, open-society values in the last three decades. Her book is a practical reminder of what all democrats should have learned from reading Karl Poppers magisterial The Open Society and Its Enemies, itself written in liberal democracys darkest hours during WWII.

By allowing Britains political identity to be subsumed in a narrow nostalgia for a nonexistent past  an inward-looking worldview nurtured by a ragbag of social media paranoias  many Brexit supporters have lost sight of the difference between right and wrong in world affairs. They have also cast aside our understanding that we need to work together with other liberal democracies to deal with bullies like China and Russia.

We must unite to defend the values that made the second half of the twentieth century so much better than its blood-soaked first half. Liberal societies  the United States under a president who believes in alliances, our EU allies, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and our Asian friends, including India, Japan, and South Korea  should be partners in defence of what we know is right.

In another extraordinary essay in The Atlantic criticising senior US Republican Party politicians collaboration with a leader whom we know is wrong  President Donald Trump  Applebaum recalls the great Pole Wadysaw Bartoszewski. Imprisoned by both Nazis and Communists, Bartoszewski later served as foreign minister in two democratic Polish governments after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

What had guided Bartoszewski through his brave and honourable life? It was not, he said, some big, abstract idea. It was a simple credo accessible to everyone: just try to be decent.

That seems to me pretty good advice for all democrats. It may be especially useful to heed it in the turbulent times that lie ahead.

Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong and a former EU commissioner for external affairs, is Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

Copyright:

Project Syndicate, 2020.

www.project-syndicate.org
As the prospect of canceling the convention looked more and more likely to the small group of aides clued in, over the past few days, one White House official raised the question of sending inconsistent messages, asking how the president could continue pushing for schools to reopen if he was backing down from holding his own convention. Other aides, however, said opening schools was essential, and a mass gathering of Trump supporters  the majority of whom would be over 50  was not, the people familiar with the discussions said.
Washington, July 25 : The United States will hold talks with Russia next week in Vienna on nuclear arms control and space security, US State Department said.

A US delegation of staff members from the departments of State, Defence, Energy, and the National Security Council will hold a US-Russia Space Security Exchange in the Austrian capital on July 27, US State Department said in a statement on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The upcoming meeting would be the first formal bilateral talks between the United States and Russia on space security since 2013.

US Space Command said Thursday that Russia had conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon on July 15, but Moscow rejected the allegation.

US and Russian representatives would also gather in Vienna for nuclear arms control working group meetings next week.

The United States and Russia had consultations on arms control and strategic stability in Vienna last month, with no tangible progress made on the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).

In 2010, Washington and Moscow signed the New START, which stipulates the limits to the numbers of deployed nuclear warheads and strategic delivery systems by both. The New START, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty in force between the two nuclear superpowers, will expire on Feb. 5, 2021.

The agreement can be extended for at most five years with the consent of the two countries. Russia has expressed willingness to extend the treaty, while the Trump administration has yet to officially reply.
A woman has filmed herself going on an extraordinary rant at police after she was asked why she was out in Melbourne without a mask.

The woman posted three videos of the confrontation on social media in which she threatened to sue the officers for $60,000 after they arrested her when she refused to tell them her name.

She started filming the incident after police approached her and her male friend and asked why they weren't wearing masks.

The officers are heard telling the pair that it is now illegal to be outside without a face covering in the Victorian capital.

She begins filming the two officers from Victoria police - Senior Constable Phil Gibby and Constable Jared Cavanagh (pictured) - as she questions why they have stopped her

The woman launches into an extraordinary rant lasting several minutes in which she berates police while yelling 'I do not consent' when they try to issue her with a $200 fine.

She even demands the names of the two officers - Senior Constable Phil Gibby and Constable Jared Cavanagh - who appear shocked at her aggressive behaviour.

After being asked why she isn't wearing a face mask, the woman states she doesn't have to give them a reason before refusing to hand over her name or identification.

Senior Constable Gibby tells her she is committing a crime but she continues arguing her case.

'It's actually not Commonwealth law, you don't know what you're talking about right now,' she says.

When she continues to ignore their orders, the policemen say she could be arrested if she doesn't give them identification.

Senior Constable Gibbt tells the irate woman she is committing a crime but she continues to argue

She then demands the two police officers hand over their badge numbers and names, which are clearly written on their stab vests.

One of the exasperated officers then says he will be issuing her a fine for disobeying health orders.

In the next video, Senior Constable Gibby explains that new laws came in force from midnight on Wednesday that mandate the wearing of face masks in public.

But when she is told once again she will be arrested if she fails to hand over her name and details she continues arguing.

'We don't consent and if you do arrest us we will be suing you for armed kidnapping,' she said.

She then demands officers 'prove' the offence has been committed and asks if exceptions can be made for issuing fines.

Senior Constable Gibby tells her police can 'use discretion' when issuing fines but because of their 'horrible' attitude they won't be doing that.

The blameless officers write down their names and badge numbers to give to the woman

In the third video Senior Constable Gibby tells them they are under arrest for failing to obey police orders.

The officers tell her they will be required to take them back to the police station but the woman refuses to accept that she has committed an offence.

'I don't have to give you my details, I'm just a citizen walking around and at this point your job is to make sure we are safe,' she said.

'I can see you're carrying guns, both of you, so I'm fearing for my life.'

Senior Constable Gibby advises her he will be taking the pair back to the police station to confirm their identification.

'I do not consent to that and I will be suing you personally. Not your department. You will be personally sued for $60,000 each,' she said.

The videos have attracted thousands of comments online condemning her behaviour.

A second post on her page hours later defending her right to freedoms attracted a similar reaction.

A post on her Facebook page defending her freedom has attracted widespread criticism from the public

The videos have attracted thousands of comments online condemning her behaviour

A new law mandating the compulsory wearing of face masks in Melbourne came into effect on Thursday.

Police have the power to issue $200 on the spot fines for anyone who breaches the new rules.

The changes are part of an effort to slow community transmission of COVID-19 as Victoria struggles with soaring case numbers amid a second wave.

A spokesman for Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia they are aware of videos circulating online but wouldn't comment on specific breaches.

'We understand that the vast majority of Victorians are trying to do the right thing and our exercise of discretion will reflect that,' the spokesperson said.

'That said, we do expect people to follow the Chief Health Officers directions and will not hesitate to issue fines to people who are obviously and blatantly showing a disregard for community safety by failing to wear a mask.'

'This is a critical measure designed to reduce the spread of coronavirus.'

Victoria Police and Australian Defence Force members (pictured) were seen patrolling the streets of Melbourne to enforce coronavirus rules on Saturday morning

The videos are the latest confrontation between citizens and police over COVID-19 restrictions.

A Melbourne man filmed his incredible 22 minute argument with police after refusing to wear a face mask in public.

The pedestrian was stopped by the two police officers on Thursday after they spotted him in the street without a mask.

In footage captured by the pedestrian, the officers can be seen politely asking him why he is not wearing a mask and even offering to give him one.

But instead of complying with their request, the man went on a 22-minute rant where he complained about his 'lack of freedom'.

Prior to this, Eve Black, from Melbourne, filmed herself driving past an officer at a police barricade on Thursday.

Eve Black, from Melbourne, shared footage on Thursday of herself driving past an officer at a COVID-19 police barricade

When the officer asked her where she was headed and why she was attempting to leave, Ms Black simply told him she didn't need to share that information.

The officer eventually waved her through as she sped off laughing and celebrating.

Ms Black has been widely condemned after posting the video, and could now find herself in trouble with the law after catching the attention of Victoria's assistant police commissioner.

'Our members are out there all day and all night working incredibly hard to keep our community safe,' Assistant Commissioner Rick Nugent said on Friday.

'This was a selfish and childish act... it was ridiculous, it was unnecessary.

'If that woman lived in that area or had a good reason to be in that area, she would be allowed through.

'If not, she's breaking the law.'

Victoria has announced 357 new coronavirus cases (pictured) after clusters in aged care facilities continue to grow and at least 313 health workers have been infected

In the past 24 hours Victoria Police issued 97 fines for COVID-19 breaches. 11 of those were for failing to wear a face covering.

Victoria recorded five deaths and 357 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday out of a total of 3,995 active cases.

Of the new cases 37 have been traced to existing outbreaks while 320 are still unknown.

Police have been working alongside The Australian Defence Force to enforce stay at home directives for people who have tested positive for coronavirus.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews urged residents to abide by the new mandatory rule to cover their faces while out in public

'Masks are effectively our stage four,' he said.

'If they are worn by everybody, we may not need to go further. We can't rule out going further with rule changes, but it's a big game changer,' he said.
25.07.2020 LISTEN

The nemesis of Mr Martin Alamisi Amidu Kaiser has nothing to do with systemic failure or self-inflicted corruption in Ghana, but it has all to do with his self-hate, empty bitterness and a lone man wandering in his own world which doesnt exist.

A man who will ever live to be praised even in a failed state like Ghana, will live and die by his consistency and principles. Any man who changes his principles depending upon the situation, person, place or existing condition, is a tainted man with corrupt sight. The reformed Martin Amidu under Nana Addo is the man in the second context.

Of a man who patronized the sentimentalities of the unsuspecting Ghanaian; of a man who got the Ghanaian trapped in the empty obsession of the name Mahama and corruption, the least he can deliver to us is to chase, catch and retrieve our GHC 51m from Woyome for us. At least we could use that to prepare the one hot meal for the vulnerable Ghanaians suffering in the wake of this covid19 pandemic. He did promised us that anyway.

Strangely but expectedly, Amidu Kaiser keeps changing his colors; from a citizen vigilante who rode on the back of Woyome to light and fame; to the lead campaigner of Nana Addo who spewed baseless allegations against John Mahama; to an appointee who instead of working rather resorted to writing several epistles to explain his ineptitudes.

Owing to this, the confidence and respect most people especially those in the middle class had for Amidu is waning faster than lightening from an irregular rain pattern. His hatred and bitterness for John Mahama became too visible that a vindictive but desperate Nana Addo saw and exploited same. This marks the reason Nana Addo offered Amidu a job in the NPP manifesto even before winning power in 2016.

Less than six months of his appointment, the already tired Amidu couldnt find his legs to stand on, so he started complaining about everything. First, it was a faulty law that established his office; he then zoomed into lack of personnel, office space and budget to work with; and then to government officials stifling his efforts. A strong but promising Citizen Vigilante has been turned into a chained dog who gets commission to bark at some intervals.

Our hard-earned taxes have been invested in Amidu which he cant repay. The Ghanaian is suffering from abuse of power by this vindictive President. We are indeed suffering from insecurity, high taxes, arrogance in its new form, but in all these, we still have the hope that Martin Amidu will one day collect our money from Woyome for us. We are hoping that our barking dog will come home one day with a catch from the bush. For we are tired of his barking without biting.

Even when hes being used and exploited, he cant see and feel same because of his inbuilt hatred for John Mahama. And due to this, he is bent on proving a point where there is none.

Anytime the government back is against the wall, they throw a pound of flesh at their barking dog and release him from his cage and commission him to bark in order to divert attention and change the tone of the national conversation.

We are all aware that yesterday, 23rd July, 2020, an empty mid-year budget was presented to the parliament of Ghana. Amongst the many biblical quotations and slogans were the expenditure lines for the COVID funds. Ghanaians at large were outraged by the figures, and more especially the over GHC 54m supposedly used for food for the vulnerable within the 21 days lockdown period. Ghanaians took to social media and mainstream media to express their disappointments over this broad day robbery.

Just when we were about to settle, today 24th July, 2020, we are having to deal with yet another ego-driven-two-paged letter written by our Special Prosecutor (Martin Amidu) to the Foreign Affairs Minister, supposedly meant to request the Ministry to facilitate one Samuel Mahamas coming to Ghana to help in some blind investigations into the NPP planted Airbus scandal. Coincidentally, the release of the letter came on the day the NDC was commemorating the 8th Anniversary of the passing of Prof JEA Mills, the man who gave Amidu his political life in NDC 2.

All these while, I thought Interpol had issued a red alert for the arrest of same Samuel Mahama some two weeks ago. What happened to that red alert? Indeed a sinking government will struggle to hold on to a the weakest straw it can find. Amidu has no credibility left in eyes of the Ghanaian.

Airbus or whatever wont bring back the stolen 500 excavators which Nana Addos own appointees have admitted of stealing. Airbus or whatever wont reduce the port charges or the talk tax by even a 0.001%. Airbus or whatever wont reduce fuel prices from the current GHC 26 to the GHC 15 Mahama left in 2016. Airbus or whatever cant engineer the dying Cedi to appreciate even by an inch to the US Dollar. Airbus or whatever wont bring back the stolen 700 tricycles belonging to the Northern Development Authority. Airbus or whatever wont bring back the $1m Kroll Associates scandal. These are the raging issues bothering the suffering Ghanaian now and not this fruitless fishing expedition engaged in by Nana Addo and his chained-barking-dog.

Nothing of Airbus had and will ever have direct negative bearing on the lives of Ghanaians. COVID has ravaged lives and businesses, and the government is struggling to contain this and just fix the businesses. All of governments attempts mile back to nothing but thievery and more suffering for the Ghanaian.

Frontline health workers are complaining of common PPE to work with. Doctors are dying; nurses are dying; government officials are dying; students are dying; these are the issues the confused Ghanaian is worried about and not some government engagements in a decade ago.

Between Martin Amidu and Mr Daniel Domelovo, the sacked Auditor General, who should have gone on leave? Is Woyome in jail as promised? Where is our money? The best Martin Amidu can do is to work to prove a point to his employer. He has to ensure Mahama is still tied to corruption whether it can be proven or not. But the best I think should do is to get himself out of the solitary confinement hes been kept by Nana Addo and his NPP government since assuming power in 2017. Hes chained in the cage to watch while they (NPP government) loot and share. Amidu in chains can never catch a helpless pregnant mouse. It is not a curse but a prophecy.

I dedicate this epistle to Father Lion Ohenenana Obonti Krow. May his humble soul rest with his maker.

By Issifu Seidu Kudus Gbeadese

(Loud Citizen from Laribanga)

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The arrests came this week during clashes with specially equipped federal police agents sent to Portland, where 56 straight days of anti-racism demonstrations have captured national attention

US prosecutors on Friday unveiled charges against 18 Portland, Oregon protesters ranging from assaulting police to arson and trespassing, a day after the Trump administration expanded the deployment of tactical police to Seattle.

The arrests came this week during clashes with specially equipped federal police agents sent to Portland, where 56 straight days of antiracism demonstrations have captured national attention.

The federal forces have drawn criticism from Democrats and civil liberties groups who allege excessive force and federal overreach by President Donald Trump.

The deployment of federal officers has also drawn the scrutiny of the Justice Department inspector general, who announced an investigation of their use of force, and prompted a federal judge to issue a temporary order limiting their use of force and blocking them from arresting journalists and legal observers of street protests.

The Trump administration sent a tactical team to Seattle on Thursday in anticipation of protests this weekend despite the objections of the Seattle mayor and Washington state governor, who warned of a Portland-like escalation of tensions.

US Attorney for the Western District of Washington Brian Moran said in a statement that federal agents are stationed in Seattle to protect federal properties and the work done in those buildings.

"Let's not let the violence that has marred the Portland protests damage peaceful movements here for a more just society," Moran said. "My hope is our community will speak with one voice to discourage those who seek to hijack peaceful protests with damage and destruction."

The Trump administration has also sent federal police to Chicago, Kansas City and Albuquerque over the objections of those mayors.

Trump, who is running for re-election on 3 November in part on a campaign of law and order, has threatened to deploy federal forces in more cities run by Democratic mayors, who he accuses of being soft on crime.

The Portland team of tactically equipped, camouflaged officers fired tear gas canisters at Black Lives Matter demonstrators in central Portland early on Friday, taking on a policing role typically reserved for local law enforcement.

"I made clear to Acting Secretary (Chad) Wolf that deployments in Seattle - like we have seen in Portland - would undermine public safety and break community trust," Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said on Twitter late on Thursday, referring to the acting secretary of Homeland Security.

Washington state Governor Jay Inslee warned that federal officers might "make the thing worse and throw gasoline on a fire".

Portland has been rocked by nearly two months of demonstrations for racial equality and against police brutality, part of a movement that has swept the United States since the 25 May death of George Floyd, an African American, in the custody of Minneapolis police.

The Justice Department said all 18 of those charged in Portland had made a first appearance in federal court and were released pending trial or other proceedings.

Five people were charged with suspicion of assaulting a federal officer, trespassing and creating a disturbance during protests on the night of 20-21 July, said Billy Williams, the US Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Seven people have been charged in connection with criminal conduct during a 21-22 July night protest, including one person charged with arson. Another six were charged over events from the night of 22-23 July.
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Since its inception as Southern Illinois Normal College in 1869, Southern Illinois University continues its commitment to preparing successful leaders in education.

Steeped in this deep tradition, the newly established School of Education is poised to expand on its innovative research contributions and partnerships. A few examples illustrate the School of Educations leadership at regional, state, national and international levels.

Nationally and internationally, School of Education faculty have served as the presidents of professional organizations that influence research, policy and practice in higher education and public schools. Examples include the Association of Teacher Educators and the International Philosophy of Education Society. In addition, faculty serve as editors and reviewers of journals that impact educational reform, and secure research and education grants from institutions that range from the National Science Foundation to the Library of Congress.

This experience and expertise has helped attract graduate students from around the globe over the past 25 years. International students take what they have learned at SIU and apply this knowledge to bringing important educational changes in their own countries. School of Education faculty continue exploring ways to expand these opportunities and partnerships so that students from Illinois and throughout the United States can broaden their understanding of educational systems in other countries.

Statewide, the School of Education has the unique position of being the sole host of four major professional organizations for public schools. The Executive Directors for the Illinois Association of School Administrators, Illinois Association of School Business Officials, Illinois Principals Association, and the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools call SIU their home. This distinction sets apart the School of Education from all other Illinois colleges and universities and provides our students and regional partnership schools with unique learning and leadership opportunities.

Further, School of Education faculty have been leaders in significant educational reform. For example, SIU has led Illinois new initiative to develop statewide science assessments that evaluate inquiry skills that are critical for understanding  rather than merely memorizing scientific ideas, principles, and facts.

The School of Educations success also benefits our Southern Illinois partners through collaborative projects including after-school programs, development of future teacher clubs in area high schools, professional development for local educators, and research opportunities. The Teacher Education Program (TEP) reflects SIUs commitment to producing teachers who are thinkers, learners and leaders, who are well prepared to teach students in their licensure area from preschool through high school. The TEP has achieved national accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, receiving high marks in meeting all standards. This distinction is a hallmark of outstanding program quality, achieved with ongoing and essential collaboration with school partners. Education graduates teach in schools throughout the region and are ready to meet the issues and challenges facing schools  to change lives!

Meera Komarraju is the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

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She is set to is jet off to Turkey with her middle children Junior and Princess a week after her eldest Harvey was discharged from the ICU.

And Katie Price showed off her incredibly plump pout as she stepped out of the LA Studio in Shoreham after an appointment on Thursday.

The former glamour model, 42, was sure to turn heads in her hot pink ensemble that saw her pair a comfy Ralph Lauren jumper with matching jogging bottoms.

What a pout: Katie Price showed off her VERY plump pout as she left a beauty salon in a hot pink ensemble on Thursday, as she prepares to jet off on family holiday to Turkey

Katie could be seen chatting with a staff member as she left the hair and beauty salon, and her lips looked noticeably plumper.

The TV personality brushed her ombre locks into a sleek, straight style for the outing, and she used a light palette of make-up.

The beauty salon regularly work with Katie on transforming her hair and showed off her new extensions via Instagram earlier this week.

Completing her look, Katie stepped out in a pair of white trainers and carried a chic white handbag with her.

Chatting away: Katie could be seen chatting with a staff member as she left the hair and beauty salon, and her lips looked noticeably plumper

Stylish: The TV personality brushed her ombre locks into a sleek, straight style for the outing, and she used a light palette of make-up

Striking: The former glamour model was sure to turn heads in her hot pink ensemble that saw her pair a comfy Ralph Lauren jumper with matching jogging bottoms.

Katie is said to be 'heartbroken' that her son Harvey, 18, cannot come with her, her boyfriend Carl Woods, 31, and children Princess and Junior to Turkey as planned.

Harvey was rushed to hospital last week leaving Katie and the family deeply concerned, but was given the all clear to return home.

However, he is not allowed to travel, and a source told The Sun: 'Doctors told Katie it would be better for Harvey's health if he stayed at home. She's heartbroken but of course she'll take doctors advice.

'Harvey will stay at home with his carer and Katie will still go - she's taking Princess and Junior and some of their friends and she didn't want to cancel their holiday and let them down, especially as Princess's birthday party was disrupted by Harvey going to hospital.'

Great service: The beauty salon regularly work with Katie on transforming her hair and showed off her new extensions via Instagram earlier this week

Ensemble: Completing her look, Katie stepped out in a pair of white trainers and carried a chic white handbag with her

Harvey fell ill when the family were celebrating Princess' 13th birthday at home, with Katie having to leave the party to be with her eldest child - who suffers from autism, blindness, septo-optic dysplasia and PraderWilli syndrome.

A rep for Katie told The Sun: 'Katie has had to make the heartbreaking decision to keep Harvey at home after doctors advised he should remain in the UK after his most recent hospital stay.

'For Katie this past week has been a traumatic one. Spending time now with both Princess and Junior is just as equally important as the time she has spent dedicated to Harvey.

'As a mother of five, Katie has learnt that she must divide her love five ways - not any easy task - but still she remains focused on being the best mother to them all.

Jetting off: Katie is said to be 'heartbroken' that her son Harvey, 18, cannot come with her, her boyfriend Carl Woods, 31, and children Princess and Junior to Turkey as planned

Recovered: Harvey was rushed to hospital last week leaving Katie and the family deeply concerned, but was given the all clear to return home

Mother and son: Katie was by her son's side as he fought for his life over a 10-day period in intensive care before he was discharged on Tuesday

'Harvey will remain in the wonderful care of his carer and with his youngest siblings Jett and Bunny.'

MailOnline has approached Katie's rep for further comment.

Katie is said to believe that her boyfriend Carl is 'the one' after he supported her while Harvey was sick in hospital.

She was by her son's side as he fought for his life over a 10-day period in intensive care before he was discharged on Tuesday.

Illness: Harvey fell ill when the family were celebrating Princess' 13th birthday at home, with Katie having to leave the party to be with her eldest child

Gruelling fight: Katie's eldest offspring spent several days fighting for his life in intensive care

According to The Sun, Katie has told her friends that Carl is her 'rock' and he has been keeping her spirits up during Harvey's stay in hospital.

A source said: 'The past week has been one of the worst Katie has ever gone through in her life. But Carl, from the very first moment, has been amazing.

'Hes been there for Katie to cry her heart out to and hes always made sure she's OK. Katie knew Carl was an amazing guy but shes seen a very different person this week.

'In her eyes he is absolutely a keeper and Katie is looking forward to what she thinks will be an amazing future.'

For the kids: Katie is said to not want to cancel the holiday to Turkey as she didn't want to let Princess and Junior down 'especially as Princess's birthday party was disrupted'

After news of Harvey's recovery, a source told MailOnline: 'Katie is delighted, the call was made this afternoon shortly after lunch to discharge Harvey.

'She has been overwhelmed already by well wishers, the staff, doctors and nurses are delighted but sad to see Harvey go - he is such an amazing spirit and character.

'Katie can breathe a sigh of relief and will no less be showering him with cuddles tonight.

'Katie would like to again thank all staff, the doctors and nurses at Epsom hospital and for all the wonderful, kind, ongoing support, Harvey, herself and her family have received.'

Tagging along: Also joining Katie, Princess and Junior is Katie's new boyfriend, Carl Woods
Somalia's parliament ousted Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire in a no-confidence vote on Saturday, the speaker of the house said, due to criticism of his efforts to tighten security in the country.

The vote also followed a dispute over the timing of a national election. Khaire, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and the heads of regional governments have been in talks this week to try to agree if it should go ahead in February 2021.

Lawmakers voted 170-8 to remove Khaire from office, parliamentary speaker Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman said.

"The prime minister failed to establish national security forces to tighten security for the federal and state governments," he said.

Khaire, a former oil company executive, was not immediately available for a comment.

President Mohamed, said in a statement carried on state radio that he had accepted the decision of lawmakers to remove Khaire, citing the need to preserve the unity of the various arms of government.

"He will soon appoint a new prime minister," said the statement posted on the state radio's website.

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WASHINGTON  As then-Vice President Joe Biden left the West Wing each evening to head home, he often popped his head into national security adviser Susan Rices nearby suite of offices to check in  sometimes on pressing foreign policy matters, sometimes just to shoot the breeze.

My favorite unannounced visitor was Vice President Joe Biden, Rice wrote in her book Tough Love.

In those casual visits, as well as in daily national security briefings, Biden and Rice forged an easy working relationship, according to people who worked alongside them during their eight years in the Obama administration. Its that personal relationship, and Bidens firsthand knowledge of how Rice would operate in close proximity to a president, that are now seen as among her strongest attributes as Biden considers her to be his running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket.

Rice was initially seen as a surprise candidate for the role. The 55-year-old has a long pedigree in foreign policy, but has never held elected office. She is close to former President Barack Obama and his network of policy and political advisers, but has a lower public profile than other women Biden is considering. She has also been a lightning rod for criticism from Republicans, who contend she put politics ahead of national security.

Yet Rice has quietly gained support among some Democrats in recent weeks as Bidens advisers grapple with the enormity of what he would inherit if he defeats President Donald Trump in November. Rice is seen as a No. 2 who could shoulder much of the early workload on foreign policy while Biden focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and reviving the economy.

And though Rice briefly flirted with running for Senate from Maine this year, shes seen as less likely to be eyeing the presidency herself  a bonus among some Biden advisers who worry about speculation that the 77-year-old Biden might only serve one term if elected. Some of Rices supporters also note she didnt challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2020, drawing a pointed contrast with Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, who have also been vetted for the No. 2 spot.

But its the close working relationship Rice forged with Biden during the Obama administration that is seen as a key intangible that other contenders simply dont have.

His entire theory of politics is personal relationships, Ben Rhodes, who served as Obamas deputy national security adviser, said of Biden. The idea of him taking a leap of faith on someone he really doesnt know because it seems to check a political box seems very unlikely to me.

Biden is in the final stages of selecting his running mate, and is believed to soon be holding in-person conversations with a short list of contenders. Hes said his running mate will be a woman, and is considering several women of color. Rice, who is Black, is among them.

Rice spent the first four years of the Obama administration as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She commuted to Washington on weekends to be with her family, and sometimes offered the luxury apartment set aside for the UN ambassador to Biden and his wife, Jill, when they were in New York.

Rice was on track to become Obamas second term secretary of state, but became ensnared in the political controversy over the administrations handling of the 2012 attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya. After Republicans vowed to fight her confirmation to the top State Department job, Rice bowed out of contention.

Obama instead named Rice his national security adviser, a powerful position that gave her regular, high-level access to both the president and vice president. She briefed Obama and Biden together in the Oval Office most mornings on the most crucial aspects of their daily national security briefings, and advised Biden on the foreign policy matters he led, including Ukraines efforts to combat Russian aggression and instability in Iraq.

Theyve worked together closely on some of the most delicate issues a president has to deal with, on literally war and peace, said Denis McDonough, who served as Obamas chief of staff.

People who worked with Biden and Rice, some of whom insisted on anonymity to discuss private meetings and conversations, described them as something of an odd couple. Rice is seen as highly disciplined and can be brusque in meetings and deliberations. Biden, a lifelong politician, is verbose and more likely to make emotional connections even with strangers.

They were sometimes on opposite sides of foreign policy debates within the Obama administration, including during the Arab Spring. Rice advocated aggressively at the United Nations for authorization to stand up a no-fly zone and launch airstrikes in Libya; Biden has said he argued strongly against the campaign.

Both prided themselves on their willingness to give Obama blunt, unvarnished advice  and respected that about each other, according to the people who worked with them. But Biden and Rice also developed a lighter relationship, bantering back and forth in meetings and in the after-hours visits in Rices offices.

They developed this kind of mutual respect, but also casual nature to their relationship that he didnt have with everybody, Rhodes said.

Biden and Rice got to know each other in the mid-1990s, when she was nominated to serve as assistant secretary of state for African Affairs in President Bill Clintons administration. At 32, Rice was one of the youngest people to reach that level of the State Department, and she was also pregnant with her first child.

When she arrived at her subcommittee confirmation hearing with her infant son in tow, Biden  then the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee  showed up to vouch for her and wish her well. They also worked together when Rice served as a foreign policy adviser to the 2004 presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, one of Bidens longtime Senate friends.

Biden hasnt mentioned Rice as prominently in public as he has other potential running mates. He holds regular policy talks with Warren, and has headlined online fundraisers with Harris. Hes also singled out Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Georgia voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams as rising Democratic stars.

But Democrats say Biden has kept an eye on Rice in recent months. In public appearances last year, she defended Bidens work in the Obama administration on Ukraine at a time when it was under vigorous attack from Trump  and at a time when Bidens candidacy appeared to be on shaky ground.

Biden, according to people with knowledge, took notice.

___

AP writer Bill Barrow contributed to this report.

_

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
It looks like Premier Investments Limited (ASX:PMV) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 30th of July, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 30th of September.

Premier Investments's next dividend payment will be AU$0.34 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed AU$0.71 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Premier Investments has a trailing yield of 4.0% on the current share price of A$17.57. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Premier Investments's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

See our latest analysis for Premier Investments

Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Last year, Premier Investments paid out 96% of its income as dividends, which is above a level that we're comfortable with, especially if the company needs to reinvest in its business. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 46% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

It's good to see that while Premier Investments's dividends were not well covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a cash perspective. Still, if the company continues paying out such a high percentage of its profits, the dividend could be at risk if business turns sour.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Premier Investments earnings per share are up 9.6% per annum over the last five years.

Story continues

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Premier Investments has delivered an average of 7.3% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

Final Takeaway

Is Premier Investments worth buying for its dividend? Premier Investments has been steadily growing its earnings per share, and it is paying out just 46% of its cash flow but an uncomfortably high 96% of its income. To summarise, Premier Investments looks okay on this analysis, although it doesn't appear a stand-out opportunity.

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A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
The stories showed up in Shamann Waltons social media feeds with alarming regularity: An 8-year-old selling water to raise money to go to Disneyland. A family barbecuing food on a charcoal grill near Lake Merritt. A man bird watching in Central Park. A woman sitting, leisurely, on a public bench in Manhattan. All of these activities  and several more like them  had been reported to law enforcement, often by strangers passing by.

In elementary school, these 911-dialers might have been labeled a tattletale. Today, a more widely used term is Karen: Its internet shorthand for a white woman who embodies entitled Can-I-speak-to-the-manager? energy, cloaking prejudice in feigned innocence and concern.

Walton, who is a Democrat on the San Francisco board of supervisors, is well aware that this behavior can lead to real consequences for Black Americans: They are disproportionately likely to be killed by the police, according to analysis by the news media and academic research.

Enter Karen. Or CAREN. Walton recently proposed a new ordinance, named the CAREN Act, to discourage and penalise people for making racially motivated 911 calls without reasonable suspicion of a crime.

Most municipal bills are a little less catchy, burdened by phrases like planning code. But Waltons proposal speaks to the meme-ified trope those who are online can readily identify.

He wouldnt comment specifically on the ordinances wink of a name  which stands for Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies  or talk about how many drafts he went through before landing on this acronym. He did note the dangers represented by the Karen meme, and this ordinance certainly gathered more national attention than other board of supervisors business, whether that was the intention or not.

Its one of several examples across the country of local political leaders trying to limit racially motivated calls to the police. Last year the City Commission in Grand Rapids, Michigan, unanimously approved an ordinance against discrimination in city housing and employment programs. The statute also bans racial profiling in 911 calls. Similarly, in Oregon last year, the Senate passed a bill that allows people to sue if they have had the police called on them as a result of discrimination.

Though critics say this type of legislation runs the risk of deterring people from calling law enforcement even in the face of real danger, supporters of the bills say they are designed to make crime reporting more accurate and fair  which ultimately saves officers time and the city money.

Beyond the CAREN Act, Waltons office is introducing several other pieces of legislation focused on equity, including a charter for independent oversight of the citys Sheriffs Department. The nonemergency calls ordinance has nine sponsors, which means it will almost certainly be endorsed by the board and make its way to Mayor London Breed, which could happen within the next two months.

The Times recently spoke with Walton about his hopes for the piece of legislation and how it could help reduce the number of frivolous 911 calls and resident-officer interactions that result in brutality and death. The interview has been lightly edited and condensed.

What motivated you to propose the CAREN Act?

People have to understand that if you call a police officer on a Black person or a person of color it could lead to harm and possibly death. So we need to make sure that if youre going to contact police its because you really are being threatened, but we should not be calling police because someone is writing Black Lives Matter on their own home, we should not be calling police because a Black person is watching birds and you dont feel they belong and shouldnt be there, or because someone is barbecuing in a park and thats bothering you.

In terms of getting this to gain traction, did you feel that it was helpful to play off the popularity of the term Karen that were seeing all over social media? Im curious about that tongue-in-cheek approach to naming the issue.

Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies" calls to law enforcement is just that. Its not directed toward any person or any human being, we just came up with the acronym that worked for the type of law that we think needs to be passed.

Do you think people are making more unnecessary emergency calls than they previously have?

Ive experienced people calling the police on me for things that were not worthy at points in my life. Its not new, its just being caught on camera and people are embarrassed about the things that theyve done. And I dont even think its the embarrassment, I really think it's the fact that people are losing their jobs because theyre trying to weaponize police officers against the Black community and people of color.

Its a phenomenon thats been going on for a while. We can go back to Emmett Till to see how false reporting can lead to death for Black people.

What legislative progress do you hope to make in this moment?

Weve proposed a resolution with the district attorney here in San Francisco that says our civil service commission should never hire anyone in law enforcement from another city that has a lot of excessive force complaints and racial profiling complaints. The mayor and I and all my colleagues are redirecting resources from the police department and investing in the Black community so we can address some of the systemic issues that have led to negative outcomes.

What do you hope to see come from this bill?

In San Francisco the penalty is: if you contact law enforcement and theres some harm brought to somebody they can file civilly and reap the benefits for at least $1,000  and it could be more than that based on the type of damage and whats awarded. But we are also focusing on some type of fine for folks who make those phone calls arbitrarily.

My ultimate goal is to make sure we have ordinances like this on the books across the country, and to make sure that people dont do this because, again, this is not a joke, its not a game, people have literally been killed by police officers because of arbitrary calls to law enforcement.

Evan Nicole Brown c.2020 The New York Times Company
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San Francisco's KZV Armenian School and the adjacent Armenian community center were vandalized with hateful graffiti and discovered by appalled community members on Friday.

"As I came today at 8 this morning, I saw the graffiti on the walls. I was shocked. I was appalled," school principal Grace Andonian told KTVU. "The community is in shock. Our families, students, alumni, they were all in shock to see these hate messages on the wall."
ADF (Australian Defence Force) personnel assist with a COVID-19 testing at Melbourne Showgrounds on June 29, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Australian Defence Force to Come Knocking on Vic Doors

Victorians who test positive for COVID-19 could get a knock on their door from the military if they dont pick up contract tracers phone calls.

Contact tracing will be dramatically expanded with the help of the Australian Defence Force to ensure all positive cases are contacted within 24 hours of receiving their test result.

Those who have tested positive to COVID-19 will receive two telephone calls in a two-hour period and if they dont pick up, ADF personnel and members of the health department will arrive at their door to undertake contact tracing in person.

This is about going that extra step to make sure that we cannot just call, but we can connect and have that meaningful interaction, Premier Daniel Andrews said on July 24.

Fines will likely be issued to people who are not at home.

Victoria recorded 300 new COVID-19 cases on Friday as well the death of seven people aged in their 80s and 90s.

Andi Yu in Melbourne
Accepting defeat gracefully is not Cynthia Brehms style.

So there was a sense of inevitability to the news release that the lame-duck Bexar County Republican Party chair sent out Thursday afternoon.

Brehm proclaimed that the local July 14 runoff had been severely compromised by the Bexar County Elections Office, and, as a result, she was refusing to certify the results of the election.

A few hours later, the Bexar County GOP held their canvassing meeting. Normally, its a perfunctory gathering that enables the partys county chair to sign the vote canvass and make the election results official.

Nothing is ever perfunctory, however, when it comes to Brehm. She conjures conspiracies out of thin air and turns rubber-stamp gatherings into Dada theater.

Brehm recited a litany of alleged violations that her presiding election judge, science-fiction writer Douglas Stearns, observed during the runoff.

The chief allegations were that the county elections office failed to produce an official chain of custody for early vote data from 31 election centers and that the county did not provide a guard to secure the early vote data.

(Stearns) was so troubled by what he saw that he called the secretary of state and the attorney general to report it, and they were appalled with what he reported, Brehm said.

None of the 40 or so precinct chairs in the room seemed to buy it, and for good reason.

State officials were not, in fact, appalled by what Brehms sidekick reported. If anything, they were appalled at having to deal with the latest in a long line of Brehm tangents. If they maintained the veneer of politeness, just to make the whole issue go away, Brehm didnt recognize it.

She also didnt recognize the validity of a runoff election in which John Austin, a self-effacing real estate appraiser, defeated her by a margin of nearly 2-1.

When I was elected (in 2018), I was asked to True the Vote, to maintain the integrity of the election, Brehm said. We have literally been handing our votes over to the Democrats. Thats why Bexar County is blue.

Many of the 27,804 people who voted for Brehms challenger would counter that it was Brehms organizational ineptitude, rather than any fraud by the county elections office, that contributed to a disastrous 2018 midterm in which 55 of 60 local Republicans who faced Democratic opposition lost their races.

The precinct chairs at the Thursday meeting unanimously voted, by voice vote, to certify the runoff results.

Deana Abiassi, a former party secretary, asked Brehm when she planned to sign the vote canvass.

Im not definitely signing anything, Brehm shot back.

Thats how the meeting ended.

The next day, Abiassi emphasized that Brehm stood alone in her refusal to accept the validity of the election results. Abiassi also praised the work of Jacque Callanen, the county elections administrator.

Ive been an election judge for years, and Jacque is wonderful, Abiassi said. She is a straight arrow, she runs a tight ship, and she is amazing.

Callanen likewise dismissed Brehms allegations.

The documents that we have for the chain of custody are as strong as anything that we possibly have, Callanen said. But the people that she hired and she gave some kind of training to were looking for a document that had big block letters that said, Chain of Custody. And thats not what its called.

The Texas Election Code gives canvassing power to the county chair or the county chairs designee. The code also states, however, that the state chair of the party (or the state chairs designee) may perform any administrative duty of the county chair.

Thats what happened four months ago, when Brehm pulled a similar stunt after the March 3 primary election.

Already, Allen West, the newly elected Texas GOP chair, has selected a designee, State Republican Executive Committee member Marian Stanko, to conduct a re-canvass Monday afternoon of the Bexar County runoff vote.

Brehm cant stop the certification process. She only slowed it down and complicated it.

This was her last act as a political player.

It was the final breath of a runoff campaign in which she alleged that the COVID-19 pandemic was being promulgated by the Democrats to undo all of the good that President (Donald) Trump has done for our country, and suggested on Facebook that the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer was a staged event.

The latter comment prompted Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn to call for her resignation.

Cynthia Brehm doesnt step aside for anyone  even the runoff voters who emphatically told her they wanted her out.

Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Gilbert, become a subscriber. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
St. Catharines resident Jane Farah-Smith said her 25-year-old daughter spent 13 days waiting for COVID-19 test results, worrying that she might have been infected with the potentially deadly virus.

She said her daughter was tested for the virus on July 8 after learning her roommate was in contact with someone who was diagnosed with the virus.

She didnt learn her test results were negative until July 21.

While getting tested, Farah-Smith said her daughter was given paperwork that told her she would be sent a log-in code in three days that would give her access to her test results, and advised her to contact public health if she didnt receive the information after 10 days.

She said her daughter, who asked not to be identified, sent out emails on July 17 asking the status of her test, but no body actually got back to her.

It wasnt until after she visited her family doctor on Monday this week that she finally received the information a day later.

As you can well imagine, 13 days is utterly ridiculous, Farah-Smith said.

She said her daughter needlessly self-isolated for nearly two weeks, unable to go to work during that time.

But in addition to the inconvenience and concerns caused by the delay, Farah-Smith was more concerned about the potential for continued spread of the virus if asymptomatic people arent staying home while awaiting results.

The exposure rates that are coming from that type of a delay are enormous, she said. With us opening up to Stage 3 and schools going back into classrooms in September, were in for a very rude awakening if something doesnt change.

Farah-Smiths daughter isnt alone.

In the past week, St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens and Niagara-Centre MPP Jeff Burch said they have received about a dozen complaints from people who have been waiting weeks for test results.

Its crazy. Two weeks is far too long, Burch said. All the science tells us that getting test results in a timely manner so we can track and isolate is crucial to controlling the spread of COVID-19. Its pretty scary that people are waiting that long for test results.

Stevens said the provincial government needs to give public health the tools they need to ensure residents receive the test results as quickly as possible.

More resources for public health, faster test results and contact tracing is whats really needed here, she said. This is going to help us be a safer community going into Stage 3.

Her office staff have also heard from a personal support worker who had been waiting for six days.

Stevens said provincial Health Minister Christine Elliott has repeatedly said test results should be available in a maximum of 48 hours.

Were hearing one thing from the government but then were hearing another from the community.

RELATED STORIES Niagara Region Expanded COVID-19 testing causes positive case reporting backlog

Niagaras acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, said there has been some delays in getting COVID-19 test results quickly because of the significant increase in testing across the province in recent weeks.

The volume of tests have overwhelmed laboratory capacity to process them, leading to delays in reporting results to patients.

The speed with which results are reported improved last week, over the previous week, according to Niagara public health metrics. About 54 per cent of test results were reported within 24 hours, and while 74 per cent of them were reported in two days.

But testing demand continues to rise.

At Niagara Health testing centres in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland a new record for single-day walk-ins was set Friday. More than half of the 451 people tested for COVID-19 at the sites were walk-ins, according to a Niagara Health news release.

Since opening the first centre in St. Catharines in March, Niagara Health has tested more than 30,000 people. As of Friday, 819 Niagara residents have been infected with the novel coronavirus and at least 64 of them have died.
VANCOUVER  Legal experts say Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhous latest challenge to her extradition case  arguing the charges against her are politically motivated  would be better put to the federal justice minister than the court.

This week, Mengs lawyers filed documents in B.C. Supreme Court, alleging that she is being used as a bargaining chip by the United States against China.

But Errol Mendes, a constitutional and international law professor at the University of Ottawa, said making the argument to David Lametti would make more sense.

I think thats the only hope they have of basically getting Meng not to go back to the U.S., Mendes said.

The documents say U.S. President Donald Trump has used Mengs case to further his trade negotiations with China and that he intends to use her for leverage, which is unrelated to the fraud charges against her.

The filing alleges the extradition judge is therefore entitled to find there has been an abuse of process and stay the case.

Chinas government has also alleged the arrest is political.

The U.S. seeks Mengs extradition to face fraud charges. It alleges Meng lied to HSBC, one of Huaweis bankers, about the companys relationship with its Iran-based affiliate Skycom, putting the financial institution at risk of violating U.S. sanctions against the country.

Meng was arrested in December 2018 on a warrant from the U.S. while she was transiting through Vancouver on her way to Mexico. She has been under house arrest in her Vancouver home since being released on $10 million in bail shortly after her arrest.

Mengs argument the case is political is her third attempt to halt proceedings.

The first time, her lawyers suggested a stay of proceedings on the grounds the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency violated the Extradition Act when they questioned her and nearly gave details about her devices to the FBI upon her arrest.

Though B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes ruled for the two Canadian agencies to disclose documents over the complaint, a stay of the case was not granted.

Two months ago, Holmes dismissed an application over double criminality, arguing the crimes of which Meng is accused in the States are not crimes in Canada. Had Holmes accepted the argument Meng could have been released.

In the ruling, Holmes effectively ruled the key allegations against Meng are not political in nature, because they focused on bank fraud, which if committed in Canada would also be considered crimes here, thereby satisfying the double-criminality threshold, Mendes said.

Trying the political argument again is essentially making an argument Holmes has already ruled against, Mendes said, but its after the trial where the argument could gain traction.

Once a decision on Mengs case is made in court, it is up to attorney general Lametti to approve or deny the final extradition. Its at this point Mengs defence could make the political argument, according to Mendes.

I think its at stage two where the minister has to make a decision, Mendes said. And thats where I think this will come back into play again.

Gary Botting, a Vancouver extradition lawyer, agrees. Botting said it is the job of the justice minister to stop any alleged political abuse of the extradition treaty.

Arguing the case against Meng is political would be more appropriately put to minister Lametti, he said.

The minister can make that decision whenever he wants, Botting said.

He said putting forward the arguments in court likely wont affect the ministers opinion when it becomes his time to make a decision, but it would apply some political pressure.

Taking the argument through the courts will also make the case last longer, he said, reasoning for some people delaying is better than being extradited. Theres also the chance laws could change in the meantime, Botting said.

Shortly after Mengs arrest, the Chinese government arrested two Canadians in China, businessman Michael Spavor and consultant Michael Kovrig. The men were charged with espionage offences shortly after Mengs last court lost. Observers have described the actions taken against the Canadian men as retaliation by the Chinese government.

With files from The Canadian Press

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13 Catholic sisters killed after coronavirus sweeps through Mich. convent like wildfire

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An outbreak of the new coronavirus swept through a Michigan convent like wildfire, killing 13 of religious sisters who lived, prayed and worked together in a matter of weeks, a Global Sisters Report said Monday.

"I get chills thinking about that," Sr. Mary Andrew Budinski, the superior of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary convent in Livonia, where the women lived communally, said in the report. "The raw grief is yet to come, I think."

The Global Sisters Report, which is a nonprofit project of the National Catholic Reporter publishing company, said all of the women who died were members of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice, or Felician Sisters. St. Felix was a Franciscan friar.

Between Good Friday on April 10 and May 10, 12 of the sisters died after battling the coronavirus. Then on June 27, one of 18 other sisters who initially survived the illness died from its effects to become the 13th fatality. Obituaries provided by Suzanne English, executive director for mission advancement for sisters to The New York Times, show that the women were all members of the Felician congregation for at least 50 years and ranged in age from 69 to 99.

In a statement to The Christian Post provided by English on Friday, Sr. Noel Marie Gabriel, CSSF, director of clinical health services for Our Lady of Hope Province, said more than half, 30, of the 57 Felician Sisters who were living at the Livonia convent prior to April were infected.

Some 44 sisters as well as five international students from other congregations studying at Madonna University, founded by the Felician Sisters, remain at the convent.

After so many deaths many of those who survived are facing a different reality that sometimes is challenging for their faith.

"The faith we share with sisters as they are dying, the prayers we share with sisters as they are dying: We missed all that," Sr. Joyce Marie Van de Vyver said in the Global Sisters Report. "It kind of shattered our faith life a little bit."

English told CP the sisters in Livonia have very deep ties to the community.

In a square-mile block in Livonia, the sisters founded Madonna University, a Montessori School, St. Mary Child Care Center, Angela Hospice and Marywood Nursing Care Center, as well as the all-female Ladywood High School (1960-2018), so their collective impact on the community has been, and continues to be, very deep, she said.

As the coronavirus began sweeping the U.S. in March, and people made adjustments to their lives, the convent started making changes, too, and the sisters who were very involved in public life as librarians, academics and a host of other roles began pulling back. They also stopped having mass and started having communion in their rooms alone. By Holy Thursday on April 9, however, the sisters on the 360-acre campus of the convent ended communion too.

Visitors had also been prohibited but the convent still had essential staff working such as nurses, nurse's aides and dining hall workers. The trouble started with the workers.

"I first heard two aides had contracted the virus," Sister Andrew said. "We don't know who they are, and we don't want to know. Then it hit sisters on the second floor, and it went through like wildfire," she added in the Global Sisters Report.

Sr. Mary Luiza Wawrzyniak, 99, was the first to die on April 10.

"We all knew if it hit the place, it would be bad," Sr. Mary Ann Smith said in the report. "But we never anticipated how quickly it would go."

Sr. Nancy Jamroz, a table companion of Sister Luiza's at meals, said Sister Luiza went to the hospital for heart palpitations. No one, she said, knew she had the virus.

"Everyone said, 'She'll be back in a few days,'" Sister Nancy said. "She never came back."

Four other sisters would die in that first week: Sr. Celine Marie Lesinski, 92, and Sr. Mary Estelle Printz, 95, died on Easter Sunday, April 12; Sr. Thomas Marie Wadowski, 73, followed April 15; and Sr. Mary Patricia Pyszynski, 93, died on April 17.

The community lost three sisters in three days in mid-April: Sr. Mary Clarence Borkoski, 83, on April 20; Sr. Rose Mary Wolak, 86, on April 21; and Sr. Mary Janice Zolkowski, 86, on April 22.

At the end of April, three more sisters died: Sr. Mary Alice Ann Gradowski, 73, died April 25; Sr. Victoria Marie Indyk, 69, died April 26; and Sr. Mary Martinez Rozek, 87, died on April 28.

Later, on May 10, Sr. Mary Madeleine Dolan, 82, died. On June 27, Sr. Mary Danatha Suchyta, 98, died after initially surviving the virus.

"We couldn't contain the grief and the sorrow and the emotional impact," Sr. Gabriel told the Global Sisters Report. "We went through the motions of doing what we had to do, but that month was like a whole different way of life. That was our most tragic time. It was a month of tragedy and sorrow and mourning and grieving."

Mary Christopher Moore, who oversees the more than 400 Felician sisters in North America, said in a statement to CP on Friday: We grieve for each of our sisters who has passed during the time of the pandemic throughout the province, and we greatly appreciate all of those who are holding us in prayer and supporting us in a number of ways. Our ministries across the continent continue to serve those most in need and provide education and care for people from infants and children to our elderly.

Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan told The New York Times that the communal living arrangements of convents and their close pastoral care in communities made them particularly susceptible to infections like the coronavirus.

It is a great canary in a coal mine, Dr. Markel, who studies epidemiology, said. Even with the best kept measures, communal living at this point is high risk, especially for the elderly.

Sr. Andrew, who battled the virus from mid-April to mid-May, said she thought she was going to die and had resigned herself to meet God, but she lived. The virus has changed her life forever.

"I really thought I was going to die," she told the Global Sisters Report. "I surrendered to that. I said, 'God, if you're going to take me, I'm ready.' Then I woke up the next morning and I was still alive. Then somehow, I got better."

Sr. Gabriel said in her statement to CP that she is grateful to God and the faithful convent staff for helping them become COVID-19 free.

We have become COVID-free and have not had any recurrence of infection since that first infection event in April. We thank God, and we thank our loyal, faithful, dedicated staff for their service to us during these times, she said.

We also thank the sisters for their level of cooperation in infection control protocols that continue to sustain us and have resulted in a COVID-free environment in our convent without recurrence of the virus. Every one of us is a COVID survivor; every one of us focused on praying, helping, sacrificing our accustomed way of living so our sisters, our employees, our local community, our state, our country can survive. This has become our corporate ministry, our way of service to others; this became our pro-life movement, Gabriel added.
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The Terminal Decline Of USA By Finian Cunningham July 24, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - President Trumps U-turn admission on the coronavirus pandemic, acknowledging that its going to get worse before it gets better, could be applied to the general condition of American politics. It can only get worse under present circumstances. Thats because there is no way to solve deep-seated problems in the US system under the prevailing bipartisan framework. It is delusional for Democrats to blame Trump and the Republicans for all the woes of that nation. The notion that America can be returned to some kind of presumed normality if Joe Biden is elected to the White House in November is a fantasy. Likewise it is delusional for Republicans to scapegoat Democrats for tearing up the social fabric. Trump and fellow Republicans in Congress and in rightwing media are casting all the upheaval of protests and street violence on radical left Democrats. Thats just a preposterous denial of how deeply entrenched problems are in the US, from poverty, police brutality and racial discrimination. As well, the notion of radical left Democrats is a complete misnomer. For the US system is fundamentally broken. That is the legacy of the two-party system, both of which are dominated by, and servile to, the corporate power of Wall Street, big business and the military-industrial complex. Right and Left are superficial meaningless American political adjectives. They are both centrally corporate vehicles. The two parties, Republican and Democrat, are just two sides of the same coin. That coin is corporate power. The US is not a democracy in practice. The voting cycle is just a chimera of democratic rights amidst a plutocracy. The idea of voting out one party to be replaced by the other in order to manifest meaningful change is simply wishful thinking. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Both parties whether they control the executive in the White House or the legislative branch in Congress have presided over endless overseas wars and foreign aggressions, while domestically both parties have overseen massive, relentless impoverishment of the majority of working Americans for the obscene enrichment of a ruling elite. That is the essential function of American capitalism and its imperialist bullying. And neither of the two parties have shown any will or cognizance of opposing that fundamental function. Barack Obama, the Democrat who extolled hope and change brought nothing of the sort. He oversaw more wars and more bombing and killing in foreign countries. Donald Trump, the Republican maverick, promised to drain the swamp and end endless wars. He did nothing of the sort. Nothing changes in the two-party system that defines American politics because the duopoly is designed to ensure that there is precisely no change. American corporate capitalism and its oligarchy is an entity wired for war. The intrinsic injustice of the system, from its genocidal foundations to the contemporary drive for global dominance, necessitates that violence and war are constant concomitants. Republicans or Democrats dont change that endemic condition. They merely deliver it with different accentuations. Take the present reckless escalation of tensions with China by the Trump administration. There seems little doubt that Washington is seeking to corral China for its global ambitions under a range of pretexts, from the corona pandemic to allegations of espionage, which also serves to distract the US public from its massive internal failings as a fractured society. But Democrat rival Joe Biden is not offering anything different. He is engaging in mindless provocations with China too, trying to outdo Trump as to who can sound more bellicose towards Beijing. Biden is also posing as the would-be new sheriff in the White House, vowing to get tough on Russia over alleged meddling in US politics. The posturing is an empty, futile fabrication. Meanwhile Trump asserts that no-one is tougher on Russia than him. And so down the proverbial rabbit hole we go, never emerging. Both parties play the foreign bogeyman game as a way to justify American imperialism in the service of corporate capitalism. Thats why nothing ever changes for the benefit and progress of ordinary Americans, or indeed for the rest of the world which has to endure US aggression over and over. What needs to change is the entire paradigm of American politics. The two-party system is obsolete. The nation needs to organize political representation to defend and progress the interests of the majority working people. That requires a head-on challenge to the vested corporate powers of Wall Street, big business and its media and the military-industrial complex. In short, American capitalism has to be reckoned with. Can it be reformed root and branch? Or does it need to be abolished, supplanted altogether by genuine democracy? Thats up to American people organized for their rights to determine. But one thing is certain. There are no answers for progress under the present corrupt duopoly. As it is, America is in terminal decline. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. - " Source " - Post your comment below See also Lest we forget Joe Biden Was Instrumental in Launching the Iraq War Uncovered: The War on Iraq  FULL DOCUMENTARY The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
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A hurricane that is expected to dump as much as 18 inches of rain in parts of Texas is about to make landfall in Corpus Christi on Saturday while Hawaii geared up on Saturday to face a similarly menacing storm hurricane that threatened to pummel the islands with dangerous surf, strong winds and flash floods.

Hurricane Hanna rumbled toward the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, lashing the shoreline with wind gusts, rain and storm surge, and even threatening to bring possible tornadoes to a part of the country trying to cope with a spike in coronavirus cases.

The storm, which is the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, was expected to make landfall late Saturday afternoon or early evening south of Corpus Christi, the US National Hurricane Center said.

As of late Saturday morning, it had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was centered about 85 miles southeast of Corpus Christi and was moving west at 7 mph.

Many parts of Texas, including the area where Hanna was expected to come ashore, have been dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, but local officials said they were prepared for whatever the storm may bring.

People walk along the seawall at Whitecap beach to watch as Hurricane Hanna approaches land on Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas

Tides rise at Bob Hall Pier as Hurricane Hanna approaches land in Corpus Christi on Saturday

As of late Saturday morning, it had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was centered about 85 miles southeast of Corpus Christi and was moving west at 7 mph

Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb said Saturday that he had seen some residents doing last-minute shopping for supplies, but he warned that if that hadnt been done already, people should stay at home and ride out the storm.

'Weve been staying at home for five months because of the corona(virus). ... So staying home doesn't sound real popular, but right now this is a real important matter,' McComb said adding that residents should remember to wear masks if they have to evacuate their homes.

Judge Barbara Canales, Nueces County's top elected official, said officials were highly concerned about storm surge that was already moving inland.

Live webcam footage showed waves sweeping over popular Whitecap Beach near Corpus Christi hours before the hurricane was expected to make landfall.

First responders in Corpus Christi proactively placed barricades near intersections to have them ready to go if streets began to flood, McComb said. More than 9,100 people in the Corpus Christi area were without power early Saturday afternoon, according to AEP Texas.

Corpus Christi is in Nueces County, where health officials made headlines when they revealed that 60 infants tested positive for COVID-19 from July 1 to July 16.

Hanna has been upgraded to a hurricane and is moving toward Texas, which has been dealing with a surge of coronavirus cases in recent weeks

A man stands at the top of a dune at the end of Access Road 5 and watches as Hurricane Hanna approaches land in Corpus Christi

The National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning that Hanna's maximum sustained winds had increased and that it was expected to make landfall Saturday afternoon or early evening

A man stands on the seawall at Whitecap beach while watching the waves as Hurricane Hanna approaches land on Saturday

The Corpus Christi Channel experiences wind and choppy waters ahead of Hurricane Hanna in Port Aransas, Texas, on Saturday

People walk with groceries and supplies ahead of Hurricane Hanna in Port Aransas on Saturday

Kip Kruger (right) looks at the beach before Hurricane Hanna makes landfall in Port Aransas, Texas, on Saturday

A mattress is seen in the storm surge on the beach before Hurricane Hanna arrives in the area of Port Aransas, Texas, on Saturday

A pirate flag is seen on the beach ahead of Hurricane Hanna in Port Aransas, Texas, on Saturday

Trash cans are seen along the shoreline before Hurricane Hanna makes landfall in Port Aransas, Texas, on Saturday

Farther south in Cameron County, which borders Mexico, more than 300 confirmed new cases have been reported almost daily for the past two weeks, according to state health figures.

The past week has also been the countys deadliest of the pandemic.

The main hazard from Hanna was expected to be flash flooding.

Forecasters said Hanna could bring 6 to 12 inches of rain through Sunday night - with isolated totals of 18 inches - in addition to coastal swells that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Coastal states scrambled this spring to adjust emergency hurricane plans to account for the virus, and Hanna loomed as the first big test.

South Texas officials' plans for any possible rescues, shelters and monitoring of the storm will have the pandemic in mind and incorporate social distancing guidelines and mask wearing.

Governor Greg Abbott said various resources to respond to the storm were on standby across the state, including search-and-rescue teams and aircraft.

As of mid-afternoon on Saturday, the hurricane was a few dozen miles off the shore of Corpus Christi

The hurricane was moving west at 8mph and packing wind gusts of up to 85mph, according to meteorologists

The hurricane is expected to whip up strong wind gusts throughout the region encompassing southern Texas

Forecasters said Hanna could bring 6 to 12 inches of rain through Sunday night - with isolated totals of 18 inches - in addition to coastal swells that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions

The forecast calls for rain that could dump as much as 18 inches in some parts of the state as well as the border region of Mexico

Flood watches are in effect for the area stretching from Houston to the border town of Brownsville

Corpus Christi is likely to see devastating storm surge, according to the latest data from meteorologists

In the Mexican city of Matamoros, located across the border from Brownsville, volunteers were keeping a close eye on Hanna, worried that the storm could affect a makeshift migrant camp near the Rio Grande where about 1,300 asylum seekers, including newborn babies and elderly residents, have been waiting under the US immigration policy informally known as 'Remain in Mexico.'

Tornadoes were also possible Saturday for parts of the lower to middle Texas coastal plain, forecasters said Friday.

A hurricane warning remained in effect for Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay, which is north of Corpus Christi, and a tropical storm warning was in effect from Port Mansfield south to Barra el Mezquital, Mexico, and from Mesquite Bay north to High Island, Texas.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Gonzalo was still on track to move across the southern Windward Islands on Saturday afternoon or evening.

Chris Headen battles with his umbrella as Hurricane Hanna begins to make landfall in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday

Two men walk on a flooded road as Hurricane Hanna makes landfall in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday

A woman takes photos as Hurricane Hanna makes landfall in the south Texas town of Corpus Christi on Saturday

The National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning that Hanna's maximum sustained winds had increased and that it was expected to make landfall Saturday afternoon or early evening

A man jumps from a wave as Hurricane Hanna begins to make landfall in the south Texas town of Corpus Christi on Saturday

A man walks on a flooded road in Corpus Christi, Texas, just hours before Hurricane Hanna is expected to make landfall on Saturday

Two men walk on a flooded road as Hurricane Hanna approaches the south Texas town of Corpus Christi on Saturday

Onlookers gather on a road beginning to flood as Hurricane Hanna makes landfall in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday

Two men walk along a flooded road just hours before Hurricane Hanna makes landfall in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday

The two man stand near a seawall as Hurricane Hanna bears down on Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday

A man takes photos of a road beginning to flood as Hurricane Hanna makes landfall in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday

Gonzalo was moving west near 18 mph with maximum sustained winds at 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning.

Gonzalo is forecast to bring 1 to 3 inches of rain, with isolated totals of 5 inches.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Tobago and Grenada and its dependencies. The storm was expected to dissipate by Sunday night or Monday, forecasters said.

Authorities issued a hurricane warning Friday for residents along the coast after record-breaking Tropical Storm Hanna gained strength as it hurtled through the Gulf of Mexico.

Hanna was expected to make landfall in Texas as a hurricane at the same time as Hurricane Douglas is forecast to descend on Hawaii.

Hurricane Douglas was 440 miles east of Hilo early Saturday It was packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane.

The National Weather Service forecasts Douglas will weaken as it passes over cooler waters and encounters wind shear closer to the Hawaiian Islands.

Meteorologists predict it will be near-hurricane strength as it nears the Hawaiian Islands Saturday and Sunday.

This image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Douglas as it approaches Hawaii on Saturday

The system was approximately 400 miles east of the Hawaiian Islands as of mid-afternoon on Saturday

'The current path of Hurricane Douglas is going to be really close to the islands and it may make landfall,' National Weather Service meteorologist Vanessa Almanza said Saturday.

'So at this moment, we still dont know if theres going to be a direct hit. Either way, impacts will be felt.'

The coronavirus was complicating preparations for the American Red Cross, which operates emergency shelters on behalf of local governments.

Many volunteers who normally staff the shelters are staying home because they are older or have pre-existing health conditions that put them at higher risk of getting severely sick if infected by the virus.

At the same time, each shelter will have less capacity because of the physical distancing requirements to prevent the spread of the disease, and more shelters (and workers) will be needed to accommodate people.

Shelters will need 60 square feet per person or family instead of the 10 square feet per person needed in the past.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said his county wont open as many shelters for Douglas as a result of the staffing situation.

But he still expects to have enough room for those who need to evacuate because there are so few tourists visiting during the pandemic. Travelers are normally some of the biggest users of Mauis shelters during hurricanes.

The CEO of the Pacific Islands region of the American Red Cross was understanding of those uncomfortable about volunteering during the pandemic. Diane Peters-Nguyen put out a call for others who might be able to help.

'We do ask people to think about that and take care of themselves and their family first. But if theyre able, we really appreciate those that can, to respond,' she said.

Hawaii has some of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the nation, but COVID-19 numbers have been rising in recent weeks.

As of mid-afternoon on Saturday, the hurricane was about 400 miles east of the Hawaiian Islands

The storm is expected to reach Hawaii sometime within the next 24 hours, according to the latest data

The Category 2 hurricane is currently packing wind gusts of up to 105mph, according to meteorologists

Tropical storm warnings and a hurricane watch remains in effect for the Hawaii as of mid-afternoon on Saturday

The storm is expected to bring a few inches of rain to the Hawaiian Islands, according to the latest data

The storm was moving west-northwest at 18mph and appeared on course to hit Honolulu, the state capital

On Thursday and Friday, the state reported 55 and 60 new confirmed cases, both of which were record highs.

At Pearl Harbor, the Navy began moving ships and submarines out to sea where they will stay until the threat from the storm subsides.

The Navy will either secure its aircraft in hangars or fly them to other airfields.

Hawaiian Airlines canceled all Sunday flights and some Saturday flights between Honolulu and the other islands.

Hawaii is used to stocking up on food and other essentials to ride out hurricanes.

Yet in one sense it is ill-prepared for the storms because so many of Hawaiis single-family homes are older structures built before building codes were changed in the 1990s to take account of hurricane hazards.

A 2015 state report warned that these homes 'will be vulnerable to structural collapse under a hurricanes high wind pressures and wind-borne debris' unless they have been retrofitted.

Hawaii has been spared the worst in recent years as major hurricanes either weakened as they approached or skirted the main islands all together.

In 2018, Hurricane Lane came toward the state as a Category 5 storm and dumped more than 50 inches of rain on the Big Island, which is mostly rural. Forecasts had called for Lane to slam into Honolulu but strong wind shear largely broke up the storm just south of the states biggest city.

Hurricane Iniki made landfall on Kauai as a Category 4 hurricane in 1992. More than 41% of the islands homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm.

The storms come as both Hawaii and Texas are grappling with a rise in coronavirus cases, with officials branding the oncoming dangerous weather systems as 'a potential disaster inside of a current disaster'.

Employees with the City of Corpus Christi in Texas load sandbags in to peoples cars as Tropical Storm Hanna approaches

People wait in line to receive sandbags in Texas. Forecasters issued a hurricane warning for parts of the Texas coast Friday afternoon as Tropical Storm Hanna threatened to bring heavy rain, rough waters and strong winds

Texans prepare for Hanna to hit this weekend. Residents are being urged by local authorities to see if friends and family have extra space to shelter before going to a storm shelter because of the risk of spreading coronavirus in the state

A Galveston Island Beach Patrol lifeguard walks along the rock groin at 39th Street in Galveston, Texas, as waves kicked up by Tropical Storm Hanna wash over. Forecasters said Hanna could bring 5 to 10 inches of rain and coastal swells

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said that in 'non-pandemic world' the city prepares 10 square feet per person at shelters.

But in order to have 6 feet of physical distancing between people, it must allow 60 square feet per person or family.

'We need more shelter space. And with more shelter space, we need more people to staff those shelters. And we're working on that right now,' Caldwell said. The city plans to announce a list of shelters later on Friday.

Hawaii leaders have been talking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency about potentially housing evacuees in hotels, but nothing concrete has been decided yet. Caldwell said such an arrangement may not come together in time for Douglas arrival but might be in place for the next storm.

Many of Hawaii's hotels have empty rooms or are completely closed because the pandemic has shut off most travel to the islands.

State officials in Hawaii also have been urging residents for months to incorporate hand sanitizer and face masks into their usual emergency kits containing two weeks worth of food, water, batteries and other supplies.

Caldwell urged people to get groceries for those who can't afford to go shopping for 14 days of food at once when so many residents are out of work because of the pandemic.

'It's the time to look at ourselves as one big ohana working with each other,' Caldwell said, using the Hawaiian word for family.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hundreds of armed, predominantly Black, activists demanded justice for Breonna Taylor during peaceful demonstrations Saturday in her Kentucky hometown that drew counter-protesters from a white militia group.

Police closed streets and set up barricades to keep the two groups apart as tensions remained on edge in Louisville, where protests have flared for months over the death of Taylor, a Black woman killed when police busted into her apartment in March.

By the time Black activists dressed in black fatigues arrived in the heart of downtown Saturday afternoon, most of the white militia members had already left. Police in full riot geared looked on.

Earlier in the day, three people were accidentally shot at a park where Black activists had gathered, police said. The victims, all of whom were members of the militia group, were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

This is a tragic situation that could have been much worse, Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert Schroeder said in a news release. I encourage anyone choosing to exercise their Second Amendment rights to do so responsibly.

The Black activists had converged on Louisville to demand justice for Taylor. Calls for a national reckoning over racism and police brutality intensified following the deaths of Taylor and George Floyd in Minneapolis.

This is something that has been happening around the country for years and years and years, said Brianna Wright, who joined in the demonstrations Saturday. This is nothing new. The justice we get for her will influence justice around the entire country. And if we dont get justice ... it will also influence the entire country. Because theyll think, Its OK, we can get away with it. But we need to show them that Black people are not going to stand for this anymore.

The only confrontation among the competing groups appeared to occur earlier Saturday when white militia members and Black Lives Matter activists yelled at each other over the police barricades.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Camerons office is heading an investigation into Taylors death.

Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was fatally shot when police officers burst into her Louisville apartment using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. The warrant to search her home was in connection with a suspect who did not live there and no drugs were found.
Oregonians deciding whether to decriminalize small amounts of all illicit drugs in the November general election will see some new information in their voters pamphlet this fall: the potential impact to different racial and ethnic groups.

State lawmakers have had the option to request the analyses of how ballot measures and bills might change the involvement of people of color and white people with the criminal justice system since 2014.

But after seeking the Criminal Justice Commission analyses on a handful of bills in 2015, lawmakers stopped seeking the reports, according to the commissions interim Executive Director Ken Sanchagrin. Until now, they have not requested a racial and ethnic impact analysis on a ballot measure.

Sen. Lew Frederick, a Portland Democrat, is one of the two lawmakers who requested the impact statement for Initiative Petition 44, which would also redirect most recreational marijuana tax revenue to pay for drug abuse treatment.

Although it was available, people didnt know about it, Frederick said in an interview Thursday. Frederick, one of the chief sponsors of the 2013 law to create the process, said he could have done more to make lawmakers aware of the tool. The drug decriminalization campaign asked lawmakers to request the analysis and Frederick said he is glad they did so.

It is the kind of (measure) that really needs to have that kind of attention given to it, he said.

Under state law, a lawmaker from each major political party, effectively a Republican and a Democrat, must request the impact statement. Rep. Cheri Helt, a Republican from Bend, worked with Frederick on the request.

When were voting on measures, I believe its very important that we are as informed as possible and this is a really important lens that we need to be looking through when were making decisions on policy, Helt said.

The draft racial and ethnic impact statement prepared by the Criminal Justice Commission suggests there would be a significant decrease in misdemeanor and felony drug possession convictions across demographic groups, if voters decide to decriminalize possession of small amounts of all drugs. Total convictions for Asian Oregonians could fall by 82.9%, for Latinos by 86.5%, for whites by 91.1%, for Blacks by 93.7% and for Native Americans by 94.2%.

White people account for around 75% of the states population according to the U.S. Census and had by far the most misdemeanor and felony drug possession convictions in figures from the state Criminal Justice Commission, roughly 82%. With decriminalization, whites could drop down to 78.3% of total drug possession convictions. Black people, who are 2.2% of the states population according to the U.S. Census estimate, had 4.6% of drug possession convictions in 2019. The Criminal Justice Commission predicted that would decrease to 3.2% if voters decriminalize possession of small amounts of all drugs.

In a public hearing on the draft impact statement Thursday afternoon, supporters of the ballot initiative pressed for the Criminal Justice Commission to add information about arrest rates and other impacts to people taken into custody on suspicion of drug possession.

Most important are the disparities in arrest, said Anthony Johnson, a chief petitioner on the initiative. He said there were nearly 9,000 arrests in Oregon in 2018 for which drug possession was the most serious alleged offense.

Bobby Byrd, an organizer with the campaign, said the impact statement needs to be expanded to more fully capture the potential impact of decriminalization, including on the type of racial profiling by law enforcement that he has experienced that as a Black man. Ive been pulled over more in one month than the majority of you guys have been pulled over in your lives, Byrd said.

Oregons former U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall also spoke at the hearing about her personal experiences with substance abuse and how she and her family benefitted from being white. Marshall said she grew up in a family with addiction issues and used cocaine in her early teens, which she said was a story most of you dont know because she wanted to be a lawyer and believed that sharing her drug use could jeopardize that.

Marshall stepped down in 2015 when she came under review by the U.S. Department of Justices Office of the Inspector General after reportedly behaving erratically toward a subordinate. Marshall said Thursday that she secured inpatient treatment in another state for post traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. Im still an addict, Marshall said, even though I havent had a drink or a drug in almost 5 1/2 years.

More recently, Marshall said she saw how race and financial resources can lead to different outcomes when her son and his best friend, who she said is Black, broke into their high school and damaged property while drunk and high. The difference in outcomes was stark, she said. Marshall said her sons friend was quickly expelled, while her son went to a treatment program in California and then returned to school.

Marshall said that decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs takes away the police ability to racially profile people.
Dil Bechara subtracts from the positives of the original with its slipshod rewriting, sloppy editing, and ordinary production quality.

Earlier this week, I wrote an article about the little-discussed vein of communal harmony that ran through Sushant Singh Rajput's seven-year-long Bollywood career. My research for that piece included rewatching Kai Po Che! (2013), PK (2014) and Kedarnath (2018).

I had found all three films moving back when I first saw them, but this time the viewing experience had an added layer of sadness that was inevitable, I guess, since their young hero left us prematurely and so tragically just weeks back.

With Dil Bechara there is only sadness - not because it is poignant cinema (it's hardly that) but because it is Rajput's last.

Dil Bechara is based on the American novel The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, which was made into a Hollywood film of the same name. The Bollywood version marks the directorial debut of ace casting director Mukesh Chhabra.

The story is about two cancer survivors in the US who meet in a support group, fall in love and struggle to cope with the burden that emotion carries when you know that your days on Earth - and therefore, your days together - are numbered.

Rajput here plays Immanuel Rajkumar Junior aka Manny, a rich kid in Jamshedpur whose defining characteristics are that he is a diehard Rajinikanth fan, he is popular, he keeps flunking college and he lost a leg to cancer. Manny's carefree nature is a sharp contrast to the perennially sombre mood of his collegemate Kizie Basu (played by Sanjana Sanghi) resulting from her years spent battling a form of cancer that has left her weak and with an oxygen cylinder as a constant companion.

Let me clarify right at the start that I am not entirely enamoured by The Fault In Our Stars. That said, that film may not have been the most profound or beautifully written treatise on death, but it was certainly poignant in its own way, had an energy you would not expect from such a morbid theme and it had the charismatic Shailene Woodley as its protagonist. Dil Bechara (translation: The Hapless Heart) is a shoddily produced film that, far from building on the positives of the original, subtracts from them with its slipshod rewriting, sloppy editing and unremarkable production quality.

Rajput and Sanghi are sweet, and AR Rahman's lilting soundtrack deserves every bit of the applause it has received since it was released earlier this month, but that is pretty much all that Dil Bechara has going for it.

The film has a hurriedly-put-together feel to it. For an example, watch that passage in which Kizie's mother demands to know if her daughter's virginity is intact, once it becomes evident that the girl is romantically inclined towards her older friend Manny - trust a conservative Indian parent to focus on the preservation of her female child's hymen despite knowing that her lungs are giving way and life itself may leave her any moment. The value of that highly believable scene is lost though when, much later, the same mother teases that same daughter with leading questions in that same boyfriend's presence, in a seeming effort to sportingly get them to admit that they have slept together. There is no natural progression towards this episode, nothing until then to indicate that Mom has become less stiff-necked about sex, but the scene is thrown in there anyway. Just like that.

Manny is also an over-cutesified character who does ridiculous things that we are clearly expected to find attractive - such as throwing eggs at the house of a girl who rejected his best friend (a scene poorly borrowed from the original) and yelling out inappropriate information at a random person's funeral. These elements appear to have been written to drive home the message that he is full of life and his life, therefore, deserves to last long.

The result of this lackadaisical scripting and equally lax direction is that Dil Bechara lacks zest and depth. Despite this, I admit there were moments when I found myself tearing up, not because of the content of the film but because of the real-life story running parallel to it. Dialogues about death coming from Manny and especially that final scene take on a whole new meaning since Rajput is now gone.

The actor's innate charm is on display throughout Dil Bechara. He is in good form during Manny's early encounters with Kizie and when Manny performs the title track on stage. The film is however overly reliant on his charisma and after a while he is over-stretched. To see him at his best, watch that scene when he visits a cave with Sara Ali Khan's character in Kedarnath, or the expression on his character's face early in PK when he realises that the cute Indian girl he just met on the streets of Europe is probably prejudiced against him because he is Pakistani, or the utter despair he managed to convey throughout Sonchiriya.

Sanghi is pleasant-looking and seems nice, but Kizie - the less flashy character of the two leads - bears the brunt of Dil Bechara's overall dullness.

One unexpectedly impressive aspect of the film is that it normalises the Indian Christian. For many decades, Hindi cinema portrayed this minority community as a hyper-Westernised, almost-alien lot. The Bollywood stereotype had no place for sari-wearing, Hindi-speaking Christians, and when the 2000s came around, the community more or less disappeared from screens. Manny is Christian, a big deal is not made of this fact, no reason is dredged up to 'justify' his religious identity and the film's Christians are the way Jharkhand's Christians are in reality - minority communities deserve to be represented in cinema because they happen to exist, and for this, kudos to Team Dil Bechara.

I wish I could report to you that there is more where that came from, more thoughtfulness and more heft. The truth though is that Dil Bechara is too ordinary to rise above being anything more than the film that stirs up emotions because it is "Sushant Singh Rajput's last film".

Potential unfulfilled, a song left unfinished (to borrow a metaphor from the film), a book left mid-sentence (this metaphor from Dil Bechara's Hollywood precursor) - there is so much material that Chhabra & Co had to work on but failed to carry forward beyond the promising concept. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in the casual writing and direction.

Dil Bechara is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Rating: **

All images from Facebook.
Harry and Meghan were then understandably left furious when details of their plans appeared on the front of The Sun newspaper on the morning of January 8, declaring the couple were "orf" to Canada. As extracts published on Sunday from a new biography of the couple are expected to reveal, Harry's anger predominantly lay with what his mother famously described as the palace's "men in grey suits" rather than his own royal relatives. Loading "He would get so frustrated when he was told he couldn't do something," revealed one insider. "The palace approach would always be - how did we do it last time? He wanted to do things differently and I think Meghan was the catalyst for him, but also gave him the confidence which he lacked to change things." As Finding Freedom, the book by royal press journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, is set to lay bare, the royal family had plenty of notice of the couple's intentions - even though the Queen was genuinely "blindsided" when Harry and Meghan pushed the nuclear button at 6.30pm on the evening of January 8 by releasing their bombshell statement on Instagram.

The swiftness with which Buckingham Palace responded, issuing a terse reaction at 8.13pm saying "these are complicated issues that will take time to work through" took the couple somewhat by surprise, following what they perceived as weeks of unwillingness to engage. The Queen, meanwhile, was said to be "disappointed and hurt" by the couple's "suboptimal" behaviour. Determined for the situation - and accompanying press coverage - not to be dragged out, it was the monarch who insisted that aides should come up with a solution within 72 hours - the Sandringham summit was promptly scheduled for the following Monday. Prince Harry and Meghan's Christmas card, featuring son Archie. The family spent Christmas in Canada. Credit:Twitter/@SussexRoyal Arriving on the 8000-hectare estate in Norfolk two hours early, Harry immediately sought out his grandmother in her private apartments on the first floor and the pair spent more than an hour alone together before being joined by Charles and William, who arrived just 15 minutes before the 2pm meeting. According to one well-placed source: "The most important thing the summit achieved was putting the brothers back in the same room. They were finally back on speaking terms."

It is no secret that "really damaging things were said and done" in the run-up to the Sussexes' wedding, but tensions undoubtedly first surfaced when a concerned William took his occasionally impetuous brother aside around the time of the engagement in November 2017 and said: "Are you sure about this?" Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, reads 'Duck! Rabbit!' to son Archie. He turned one in May. Credit:AP Insiders have also suggested that the Cambridges "did not make Meghan feel particularly welcome" when she first moved to Britain - although sources close to the couple have stressed that they were simply looking out for Harry's best interests. "You have to remember that Kate and Harry were always very close, too," said one insider. Even before he met Meghan in the spring of 2016, Harry was growing increasingly frustrated by being in William and Kate's shadow. "It wasn't a rivalry between the brothers but more a sense that they would be competing over who would lead on their various issues," said one source.

"Harry felt awkward as a plus one. They'd turn up at premieres and there was this sense that he felt a bit like a spare part. "Long before Meghan, he wanted to change things. He wanted to control his own narrative. He would say, 'Why can't we use social media or record videos and cut out the press?'" Although the Sussexes certainly felt "pushed out" by the Cambridges' supremacy in the pecking order - their vastly different approaches to the media also drove a wedge. While William and Kate were happy adopting the palace's "never complain, never explain mantra", the Sussexes seemingly wanted to react to practically every negative headline - much to the chagrin of their closest advisers. According to one former aide: "They wanted to change things and do things differently, but it went wrong when it became us against the rest of the world. They didn't seem to understand that they had started spinning a negative message. The attack on the press, the preaching while taking private jets, it was all so self-damaging."

With Meghan still in constant contact with her US entourage, palace staff including their former private secretary Samantha Cohen and their former communications secretary Sara Latham soon started feeling frozen out. "They realised the couple weren't going to take their advice," added the aide. A string of staff departed under the pressure, including assistant private secretary Amy Pickerill and Meghan's PA Melissa Touabti. According to one source: "Meghan is clearly someone who knows what she wants and is very self-assured. But that made her very difficult to work for. At times, she could show extraordinary kindness and be very sweet but at others she was very self-centred and lacking in any self-awareness. She would say: 'Why do we have to do this?' or simply: 'I'm not doing this'. "She didn't understand that there were not just jobs she had to do but that she should do. She was behaving like a celebrity in firing off early-morning emails and making huge demands of staff." That staff were always so fiercely loyal to Harry may also have posed problems for Meghan, as an outsider. "There were employees who worked for Harry expressing relief that they weren't working for her," added a source.

Hence the row over Meghan's wedding tiara - during which Harry is alleged to have told one of the Queen's closest aides, thought to be her dresser Angela Kelly: "What Meghan wants Meghan gets," prompting fury "below stairs". Staff appeared to turn their nose up at the idea of kowtowing to the demands of "an actress on a cable show" when they had "signed up to serve Queen and country". News that Meghan had made Kate cry during a bridesmaid's dress fitting for Princess Charlotte hardly endeared her to Cambridge loyalists either. "There was certainly this growing unease among staff, thinking - they are acting as if they are bigger than this institution, who the hell do they think they are?" said the source. As far as Harry and Meghan are concerned, however, the stuffy, outdated and ultimately "discriminatory" palace missed out on a golden opportunity to change for the better, supported by prejudiced media armed with a vendetta against them. Yet while Finding Freedom may accuse both courtiers and the press of being motivated by racism, anti-Americanism - combined with a refusal to see the monarchy overhauled on the whim of the sixth-in-line to the throne - it may emerge as a more accurate description.
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Linkedin Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 12:49 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066938e4f 1 National PTUN,KPU,elections,Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,general-elections Free

The Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) has granted a lawsuit filed by General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Evi Novida Ginting Manik against President Joko Jokowi Widodos approval for her permanent dismissal.

Jokowi issued Presidential Decree No. 34/2020 regarding her dismissal in late March after the Election Organization Ethics Council (DKPP) discharged her for falsifying the 2019 regional election results in West Kalimantan.

The ruling ordered President Jokowi to revoke the decree, to rehabilitate Evis name and restore her position in the KPU, as well as to pay the court fee of Rp 332,000 (US$22.68).

The President may submit an appeal, but until then, he must restore [Evis] position by delaying the implementation of the decree as the object of the dispute until it is legally binding, Evis lawyer, Hasan Lumbanraja, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Hasan said legal considerations taken by the PTUN included serious juridical defects by the DKPP during the decision-making for Evis dismissal.

The defects included the non-fulfillment of Evis right of defense as the DKPP was proven to discharge Evi from the KPU without having previously questioned her, he explained.

He further claimed another defect was that the DKPP was proven to continue its decision-making process even though the plaintiff, Gerindra Party candidate Hendri Makaluasc, had withdrawn his complaint.

Read also: KPU commissioner Evi Novida dismissed for manipulating vote results in West Kalimantan

Moreover, the plenary decision was taken by only four out of the required five DKPP members, Hasan added.

Hasan emphasized that, although Evi was suing the President and not the DKPP, the PTUN had regarded that legal decisions taken by both parties were inseparable.

The presidential decree that follows up on the DKPPs decision is two sides of the same coin, meaning that juridical defects in one of them will result in the nullity or invalidation of the other, he said.

Evi said she was grateful that all of her requests had been granted by the court, hoping that the President would accept the verdict.

DKPP chairman Muhammad said the next steps for the case would all depend on the President.

The defendant is the President. What the PTUN corrected is the Presidents decision., he said.

However, he said the DKPP, as formulated in the Election Law, was an ethical institution tasked with overseeing alleged violations of ethics among election organizers. A DKPP verdict, he argued, should be binding and final.

Presidential expert staffer for law Dini Purwono said the President would study the PTUN verdict before deciding the next step.
Manufacturers oppose lifting of temporary ban on footwear imports By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

Expressing concern on the governments recent decision to lift the temporary ban on all footwear and component imports at the behest of a few local industrialists, Sri Lankas footwear manufacturers have urged the President to stick to his policy of protecting local industries.

The government has issued new regulation dated July 16, 2020 in a special gazette notification cancelling the previous regulation published on May 21, 2020 of suspending imports of all kinds of footwear.

This will be a severe blow to local footwear manufacturers who were struggling to survive with COVID-19, a spokesman of the Sri Lanka Footwear and Leather Products Association told the Business Times.

Local manufacturers who account for 75 per cent of the countrys requirement breathed a sigh of relief following the temporary ban imposed on imports and announcement of government strategy to facilitate domestic import substitution industries.

The need of the hour is to impose a complete ban on such imports and not lifting it for the benefit of the segment of legal and illegal importers as well as assembled footwear industrialists, he pointed out.

This sector comprises 10 large companies, 30 medium scale companies and around 3000 small scale footwear manufacturers employing 300,000 people directly and indirectly. Value of this industry is in the region of Rs. 60 to 70 billion.

The Governments initiative during COVID-19 period to temporary suspend the imports which can be manufactured locally resulted in the rise in market demand and local manufacturers were on the verge of expanding their productions.

Some of these manufacturers have purchased new machinery also to cater to this vacuum created by the imported shoes in the local market, he said.

Under this set up the Additional Director Ministry of Industries and Supply Chain Management convened a meeting of the Footwear Sector Advisory Council and the Sri Lanka Footwear and Leather Products Association to discuss this issue, he disclosed.

At this meeting, 99 per cent of the members vehemently objected to lifting the ban, he added.

In the latest gazette notification not only shoe uppers and uppers attached to inner soles have been lifted but also all footwear and components under HS code 64 were completely removed.

Hence now anyone can import even finished footwear, he said adding that lifting the ban on import of footwear (under HS 64) will create an adverse impact on the industry and it is against the Presidents strategy to strengthen the local industries.
Polish justice minister says European treaty contains elements of an ideological nature, which we find harmful.

Poland will take steps next week to withdraw from a European treaty on violence against women, which the right-wing cabinet says violates parents rights by requiring schools to teach children about gender, the justice minister said.

Zbigniew Ziobro said his ministry would submit a request to the labour and families ministry on Monday to begin the process of withdrawing from the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention.

It contains elements of an ideological nature, which we consider harmful, Ziobro told a news conference on Saturday.

Zbigniew Ziobro says his ministry would move on Monday to begin the process of withdrawing from the treaty [Kacper Pempel/Reuters]

Polands governing Law and Justice (PiS) party and its coalition partners closely align themselves with the Catholic Church and promote a conservative social agenda.

Hostility to gay rights was one of the main issues promoted by President Andrzej Duda during a successful re-election campaign this month.

On Friday, thousands of people, mostly women, protested in Warsaw and other cities against proposals to reject the treaty.

Protesters hold banners reading Let us live and Womens Strike during Fridays demonstration in the capital, Warsaw [Wojtek Radwanski/AFP]

The aim is to legalise domestic violence, Magdalena Lempart, one of the protest organisers, said on Friday at a march in Warsaw. Some protesters carried banners saying PiS is the womens hell.

PiS has long complained about the Istanbul Convention, which Poland ratified under a previous centrist government in 2015.

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The government says the treaty is disrespectful towards religion and requires teaching liberal social policies in schools, although in the past it has stopped short of a decision to quit.

Ziobro represents a smaller right-wing party within the ruling coalition.

A government spokesman was not available on Saturday for comment on whether Ziobros announcement of plans to quit the treaty represented a collective cabinet decision.

The World Health Organization says domestic violence has surged this year in Europe during months of lockdown aimed at fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Q: I live in a large Manhattan co-op where, before the pandemic, apartment renovations happened almost constantly, with crews of workers showing up early in the morning and spreading out to different floors in the building. Now that workers are returning again, Im concerned about my health and safety. How can we be certain that someone wont bring Covid-19 into the building? Does our co-op really have to allow all this work to happen again?

A: Since the city entered Phase 1 of its reopening plan in early June, your co-op has been allowed to resume residential construction. It is still bound by state and city guidelines  meaning workers must practice social distancing, wear masks and be screened upon entry to the building  but can also enact stricter rules than those the state and city mandate, and many buildings are. Some co-ops and condos arent moving forward with any new projects, only allowing ones that were halted during the shutdown to resume. Others are limiting the size and scope of projects.
An armed California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officer escorts a condemned inmate at San Quentin State Prison's death row in San Quentin, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2016. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Orange County Officials Concerned About Early Release of Inmates

The Orange County Probation Department announced July 23 that they are concerned about their ability to handle an influx of prison inmates likely to be released early by the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Orange County Chief Probation Officer Steve Sentman said that at least 176 of the California state prison inmates scheduled to be released early in an ongoing effort to reduce the spread of the disease are likely to return to the county.

Some released inmates have been exposed to COVID-19 and may in fact test positive for the disease, Sentman said during a press conference.

The Probation Department is working closely with the Orange County Health Care Agency to manage any public health concerns, Sentman said.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced earlier this month that an additional 8,000 inmates statewide could be eligible for accelerated release by the end of August.

Since the start of the pandemic, the CDCR has already reduced the prison population by approximately 10,000 inmates to prevent overcrowding in an aggressive action to slow the spread of the disease in its facilities statewide.

The Probation Department has had to rely on existing limited resources, previously allocated staffing, and realignment funding to provide the release coordination, transportation, and supervision of these releases, Sentman said.

After witnessing the deadly effects of COVID-19 inside Californias dangerously overcrowded prisons, Governor Newsoms plan is the right decision to help protect the lives of people living and working inside prisons and in surrounding communities, said Anne Irwin, director of Smart Justice California.

Orange County officials expressed concern for the potential threat released inmates could have on public safety.

This is a matter of public safety. By releasing violent criminals, pedophiles, and sex offenders, @Gavin Newsom is putting our communities in danger, Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel said in a July 23 tweet.

According to the CDCR, inmates must meet certain factors to be considered for early release, which include having 180 days or less to serve, not serving time for violent crimes, and having no current or previous sentence requiring them to register as sex offenders.

In institutions identified as high risk for COVID-19, inmates who have 365 days or less remaining to serve their sentence and fall under the previous stated requirements are also eligible for release.

Too many people are incarcerated for too long in facilities that spread poor health. Supporting the health and safety of all Californians means releasing people unnecessarily incarcerated and transforming our justice system, said Jay Jordan, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice.

According to the CDCR, 7,692 state prison inmates have tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus as of July 27. There are currently 1,801 active cases in custody, and there have been 47 inmate deaths as of July 27.
U.S., Russia To Hold Space Security Meeting Amid Alarm Over Anti-Satellite Weapons

By RFE/RL July 24, 2020

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. delegation will meet with Russian officials on July 27 to discuss security in space for the first time in seven years amid alarm in Washington over Moscow's latest test of an anti-satellite weapon.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in Vienna during the next round of U.S.-Russia talks on nuclear arms control, the State Department said in a statement on July 24. The last bilateral meeting between Russia and the United States on space security took place in 2013.

"Our hope is that this meeting will allow us to explore ways to increase security and stability in outer space as well as to advance the cause of developing norms of responsible behavior," Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford told a press conference.

Ford likened the purpose of the U.S.-Russia space dialogue to attempts to create acceptable rules of behavior in cyberspace.

Just a day earlier the United States and Britain accused Russia of having tested an anti-satellite weapon in space on July 15.

Moscow denied the accusation, describing the event as an inspection of one satellite by another and said Washington and London were engaging in anti-Russia rhetoric.

The United States and Britain, however, said a Russian satellite fired a projectile which Ford described as the space equivalent of "a bullet."

Russia has now carried out such a test for the second time, Ford said. The first test took place in 2017.

He accused Russia and China of fielding new anti-satellite weapons "to hold U.S. and allies' space services at risk" and said Moscow is developing such weapons "at a very fast pace."

Russia, in return, accused the United States of developing its own space weapons program.

Objects in space are moving at fast speeds, meaning any collusion between a small projectile and satellite will cause major damage, Ford said.

"There is no such thing as a fender bender up there," he added.

Satellites are critical not only for defense but many aspects of everyday life and their destruction could cause major disruptions.

Ford said it is necessary to develop accepted rules of conduct or risk having things "get out of hand."

The United States has also been holding bilateral meetings on space security with China, Ford said.

He said space security meetings in the future could be trilateral or include even more countries.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia- space-security-satellite/30745861.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu called on compatriots to observe Russian laws and regulations.

"You live in Russia, many of you are citizens of this great country" he noted asking to abide by the laws and regulations of this country.

"Our struggle should be conducted exclusively within the legal framework," the ambassador said in an address that came to the disposal of RIA Novosti.

The police had earlier detained 13 participants in a fight in Moscow, in which one person was injured. The conflict took place on the evening of July 23. According to RIA Novosti source in law enforcement agencies, the matter concerns a conflict between groups of Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Foreigners who participated in the mass brawl in Moscow may be restricted from entering Russia.
A top opposition figure in Azerbaijan has been arrested on charges of seeking to overthrow the government -- allegations that his party says are politically motivated.

Fuad Qahramanli, an executive member of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), is under investigation in connection with events that occurred during a July 14 rally in Baku -- a demonstration in support of the country's armed forces amid an escalation of military tensions with neighboring Armenia.

Late in the protest, a group of people briefly stormed into the parliament building in Baku before they were removed by police.

In the wake of that incident, prosecutors launched a widening criminal investigation against some alleged participants.

Critics claim that the case is part of an effort by the authorities to eliminate political dissent in Azerbaijan.

Altogether, about 30 activists from Qahramanli's AXCP have been detained or arrested on administrative or criminal charges.

On July 24, a Baku court remanded Qahramanli in pretrial detention.

The formal charges against him essentially amount to staging an attempted coup by causing damaging property, violating public order, using force against a government official, and trying to take over the government by force.

Other opposition figures in Azerbaijan say the charges could pave the way for the authorities to target more members of his AXCP -- including party leader Ali Karimli.

Speaking to RFE/RL, Karimli said Qahramanli had not even participated in the July 14 rally.

Karimli said that the government was engaging in "political repression."

"Ever since President Ilham Aliyev declared the AXCP an enemy, the security forces have taken that as an order," Karimli said.

Qahramanli has previously been imprisoned twice in cases that Human Rights Watch has described as politically motivated violations of his rights.

His last previous arrest was in 2015, when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in March 2019 after receiving a presidential pardon.
A former Conservative Party campaign manager is facing jail after admitting a string of online sexual abuse offences involving over a thousand indecent images of children.

Mark Lerigo, 49, pleaded guilty to making, distributing and possessing child abuse images as well as having extreme pornography involving animals.

The sick paedophile admitted a total of seven counts including possessing a prohibited image of a child and one of publishing an obscene article.

On Friday Lerigo appeared at Warwick Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to the offences, which took place between April 2017 and November 2018.

The disgraced former Tory official was told to expect jail and was granted unconditional bail ahead of his sentencing next month.

Undated handout photo issued by National Crime Agency of Mark Lerigo, a former Conservative Party campaign manager who has admitted distributing indecent images of children

The court heard Lerigo was found with an iPad containing a total of 1,005 illegal images including 146 category A (the most serious) abuse pictures of children.

Following his arrest in November 2018, investigators also found a WhatsApp chat with another offender discussing the sexual abuse of children.

He also had a laptop which contained evidence of a total of 414 illegal images - including 59 category A images as well as 258 images of extreme pornography.

The former Tory regional press officer was suspended by the party after allegations came to light following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.

He had been campaign manager for the Conservative Party at the 2017 General Election and for the Britain Stronger In Europe group during the EU referendum.

Judge David Potter imposed an interim Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which means he must make any internet use available for authorities to check.

The judge told Lerigo: 'The 21st of August is the date that I will fix for the sentence.

'I see there is also an application for Sexual Harm Prevention Order. It seems to me from what I've read of this case, that will almost inevitably be imposed.

'What I propose to do is make an interim Sexual Harm Prevention Order on the terms proposed.

'You'll be free to make any submissions as to the proportionality at the sentence.

'It seems to me looking at them they're not so wide-ranging or unspecific as to be inappropriate for a relatively short period of time.

'It's quite possible police officers will visit you in the next three weeks or so to check whether or not you are observing.

File photo dated 25 June of Mark Lerigo, a former Conservative Party campaign manager who admitted yesterday to distributing indecent images of children

'I'm going to bail you so that reports can be furnished on your behalf and so that probation could also meet with you.

'It's important, though, that if you are not contacted by probation within seven days you don't, as it were, hide your head in the sand.

'You become proactive because if there isn't a report on August 21 because you haven't been seen, I anticipate that any judge will lay the responsibility for that at your door, no one else's.

'You've been on bail and I believe it's been unconditional. I'm not going to impose any conditions but as I say if you don't cooperate with probation there won't be a report.

'The fact that I'm bailing you today is absolutely no indication of the sentence that's likely to be imposed.

'What you must do in advance of August 21 is make some arrangements so that if a custodial sentence is passed on that date, and it seems to me that's a very real possibility looking at the guidelines, that there are some provisions for the care of your mother.

'If it's suggested that you can't go into custody because there's no care in place for your mother that is unlikely to be a profitable line of mitigation.

'That's one of the major factors that has led me to bail you today.

'If you don't turn up on August 21 I'm sure you will, but if you didn't you would be committing a criminal offence and would undoubtedly attract a custodial term.

'So with those warnings, you're free to go and you know of course that I've imposed an interim sexual harm prevention order.

'The conditions broadly they are, if you use the internet, you have to make available your use of the internet for inspection by the authorities and not seek to hide it.

'If you do, that's a criminal offence. You'll also be subject to the notification requirements and those will be explained to you and you will have to wait for a notice.'

Lerigo, of William Bristow Road, in Coventry, will next appear for sentence at Warwick Crown Court on August 21.

Graham Ellis, NCA operations manager, said after the case: 'Offenders who view indecent images are fuelling more and more sexual abuse of children.

'Every time an abuse image is shared or viewed the child is revictimised.

'Child sexual abuse is a priority threat for the NCA. It doesn't matter what walk of life an offender is from, we will do everything in our power to catch them.'

An NSPCC spokesman said: 'By accessing and distributing this terrible content, Lerigo was helping to sustain a trade that thrives on children's suffering.

'Children often endure appalling abuse for these kind of images and videos to be created.

'But law enforcement cannot solve this problem alone - big tech must be made to use their expertise and resources to quickly remove them from their platforms and identify who put them there in the first place.'
By Trend

Azerbaijanis living in Praque held a rally, with the support of the "Azerbaijani Community in the Czech Republic" organization, against the aggressive policy of Armenia and Armenian armed forces recent provocations made in the Tovuz direction of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, Trend reports on July 25 referring to the State Committee for Work with Diaspora.

According to the organization's head Eldar Valiyev, the Azerbaijanis, being informed about Armenians gathering in front of the Azerbaijani embassy in Czechia, also went there to express support to the Azerbaijani state.

The Azerbaijani participants of the rally chanted slogans in Russian and Czech.

After the end of the rally, the Azerbaijanis held an authorized peaceful procession in the center of Prague.

Following continuous ceasefire violations of Armenia's armed forces, the country launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan on July 12. Grossly violating the ceasefire regime, Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district.

As a result of the appropriate measures, the Armenian armed forces were silenced. The tensions continued on the border, July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, army vehicles.

As a result of the shelling, many houses in the Tovuz district's border villages were damaged.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. However, after investigating Ashtead Group (LON:AHT), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Ashtead Group:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.13 = UK1.2b  (UK11b - UK737m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to April 2020).

Thus, Ashtead Group has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Trade Distributors industry average of 12%.

Check out our latest analysis for Ashtead Group

roce

In the above chart we have a measured Ashtead Group's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Ashtead Group.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Ashtead Group Tell Us?

In terms of Ashtead Group's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 16% over the last five years. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.

Story continues

The Key Takeaway

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Ashtead Group is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. And long term investors must be optimistic going forward because the stock has returned a huge 187% to shareholders in the last five years. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we would look further into this stock to make sure the other metrics justify the positive view.

On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Ashtead Group that we think you should be aware of.

While Ashtead Group may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
What the inking of the India-Sri Lanka currency deal means

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 25: India has inked a currency deal with Sri Lanka and extended 400 million USD currency swap facility with Colombo.

This was done to help Colombo tide over the economic crisis it is facing in the wake of COVID-19. This deal inked between the Reserve Bank of India and Central Bank of Sri Lanka would help Colombo mitigate the risk of further fluctuations on the rates of interests from loans from India.

Officials of the two sides had held discussions on rescheduling repayment of around 840 million USD debt by Sri Lanka to India. The Indian High Commission in Colombo said that it would continue to facilitate such engagement as party of New Delhi's overall commitment to work with Sri Lanka to counter and mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive for Coronavirus | Oneindia News

Cipla to soon launch COVID-19 drug Ciplenza at Rs 68 per tablet

This is an important move as China looks to expand its footprint in Sri Lanka. Recently the Sri Lankan government had constituted a panel of give officials to review the deal it had inked with India and Japan in 2019 for the development of the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port.

The government also accepted the demand of the agitating workers to install in the ECT three cranes imported from China for the adjacent Jaya Container Terminal. This New Delhi believes was orchestrated by China.
This was evident from the just-concluded 36th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi on June 26th, where Vietnam demonstrated its mettle as a 25-year-old member of the regional bloc.

The newspaper quoted a Vietnamese diplomat as saying that Vietnam had not only hosted a historic summit during the challenging times, but successfully lived up to the summit's theme of Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN.

"The summit brought ASEAN members together towards achieving a progressive regional comprehensive economic recovery plan post-COVID-19.

"Vietnam shared its precious 25 years experiences as an ASEAN member in containing and combatting the pandemic with other members, representing a coordinated effort to ensure global and regional resilience and sustainability," said the official.

The official pointed out that Vietnam had made significant contributions to ASEAN since joining the fold on July 28, 1995, in terms of ensuring regional peace and stability, promoting intra-bloc cooperation and providing more opportunities for investment and economic growth.

And over the past decades, Vietnam had emerged as an active and responsible member, wielding enormous influence upon ASEAN's structure, while contributing to maintaining unity, peace and security in the region.

Meanwhile, Professor Tran Viet Thai from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam said that its priorities included support for a sound regional security architecture, according to the article.

At the ASEAN Leaders' Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Business Advisory Council within 36th ASEAN Summit (Photo: VNA)



"This can be achieved by helping ASEAN to be united, to maintain its centrality in facing so many packs of wolves, and in handling the pull-and-push of major powers in the region," said Tran, who is deputy director-general and director of the Centre for Regional and Foreign Policy Studies, at the academy's Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies.

He added that Vietnam, which occupied an increasingly important geo-political and geo-strategic location, was considered a bridge between the mainland and insular Southeast Asia.

The article said among Vietnam's milestones were in successfully organising the 6th ASEAN Summit in 1998, just three years after becoming a bloc member.

The Hanoi Action Programme at the summit helped maintain cooperation and strengthen ASEAN's position during the challenging times of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.

Vietnam also achieved successes as the Chair of the ASEAN Standing Committee in 2001 and ASEAN Chair in 2010. Both positions helped promote the enforcement culture and towards a great leap forward in establishing an ASEAN Community by 2015, thus, enhancing the bloc's international role and position.

Other achievements are Vietnam's constant support for the expansion of ASEAN's cooperation with the East Asia high-level cooperation mechanism with the participation of Russia and the United States, the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting and for ASEAN to be represented at the G20 Summit.

Then there are the "Vision 2020 and implementation plans", "ASEAN Declaration 2", "ASEAN Charter", "Roadmap for the ASEAN Community Development (2009-2015)", "Initiative for ASEAN Integration" and the "ASEAN Master Plan and Connection".

The article cited Vietnam's former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan as saying that his country had actively participated and played a dynamic role in promoting intra-bloc cooperation as well as ASEAN's cooperation with other partners./.






WMCC conference sets stage for another round of India-China military commander talks

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 25: The military commanders of India and China are to meet again in a bid to end the stalemate in disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Senior diplomats of both countries held talks through video conference. India's primary concern was that the Chinese PLA had not yet withdrawn troops from several stand off points, including the northern bank of Pangong Tso lake.

On Friday, New Delhi conveyed to Beijing that the PLA should speed up pulling back from the face off pits and also should withdraw the large number of troops deployed in the depth areas.

India, China agree on 'early and complete' disengagement from eastern Ladakh: MEA

The video conference of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination of India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was attended by Naveen Srivastava who heads the East Asia Division at the MEA. The Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, the director-general of the Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive for Coronavirus | Oneindia News

Both sides agreed that it was necessary to sincerely implement the understandings reached between the military commanders. Both sides also agreed that another round of military-level talks should be held. The talks should focus on complete disengagement and de-escalation and also the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas, the MEA said in a press statement.

The diplomats of the two sides agreed that "early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for the smooth overall development of bilateral relations", the MEA also said.
If you own a business that hires a workforce then there is always a chance you might face a personal injury lawsuit. If youre part of a team and hurt yourself during working hours then you might be entitled to claim a personal injury lawsuit. But what can a business be liable for when it comes to these personal injury lawsuits?

Duty Of Care

When anyone walks into a place of business there is a code upheld by the owners that states they have a duty of care for their wellbeing. Whilst this code is thorough, it doesnt cover all injury within the workplace as it would be impossible to prevent every accident happening. The courts also understand that this would cost an astronomical amount of money so instead, there are some guidelines to follow.

When it comes to these guidelines there are many for a business to follow and if any of them are broken its cause for a personal injury lawsuit. The professionals from Mass Tort Law Firm explain that a company have to create and follow certain procedures to regularly inspect the premises for any defect that could potentially cause harm to workers or customers. This includes regular cleaning to prevent slips and falls and if the floor is wet a sign should be placed out to warn anyone walking by. Even if its raining outside, there should be a mat on the floor for anyone to wipe their feet on entry.

There are many more examples of the procedures that should be followed by every business to prove a duty of care and if youre setting up a business, or even joining a new one, take the time to research these key points.

Breaching Their Duty

When a business breaches their duty of care, its when they have failed to uphold their own code. A good example of this is a customer slipping and falling over in a supermarket. That supermarket could be liable for a number of different breaches. There should have been a cleaning schedule in place to ensure there werent any spillages, even if one accident happened there should have been a sign in place to warn everyone walking by.

Each breach corresponds to a different duty of care, the key to proving the breach is first proving there was a duty of care in place at the beginning.

Proving Harm

For someone to prove their case and win a personal injury lawsuit, they might have to prove harm which comes in many different forms. First and foremost if the breach of care has caused you any pain or suffering. If this is severe enough then medical bills might be quite high which has caused a loss of earning due to being in a hospital. There might even be some cases of people losing the ability to enjoy things outside of work, or lifes pleasures, the same way.

These are all ways of showing how a personal injury claim can affect your life and businesses should be wary of following their own code of conduct. As long as their codes are all up to date then there shouldnt be any cause for concern. This does include the training of staff to ensure they also know the duty of care. A business can be liable for many different reasons, dont let it be yours.
A consortium of Flight Simulation Technique Centre, Big Charter and Imperial Capital Investments LLC has reportedly secured $100 million that will be pumped into Jet Airways in order to revive the grounded airline. This consortium is one of the two bidders that submitted resolution plans for Jet Airways earlier this week. It was shortlisted along with three entities by lenders for Jet Airways' insolvency process back in June.

Biraja Jena, Chairman of Dubai-based Imperial Capital, told Moneycontrol that they have secured $100 million from their partners. The investment banking and wealth management firm has also roped in Middle Eastern business house Taha Group as one of the investors in the consortium.

The second consortium that has submitted resolution plan for Jet Airways was the consortium of London-based financial services firm Kalrock Capital and entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan. Both parties had submitted their bids on July 21.

The deadline for corporate insolvency resolution process of Jet Airways was extended by more than two months to August 21 to exclude the duration of coronavirus lockdown that began on March 25. This happens to be the fourth round of bidding for the defunct carrier.

The deadline was extended after Jet Airways' Resolution Professional applied to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), seeking a 90-day extension for the resolution process of the airline light of COVID-19 pandemic.

India's oldest private airline Jet Airways stopped operations on April 17, 2019 after it ran out of funds and was admitted for insolvency on June 20. It has been grounded for over one year now and the slots allotted to it have been re-allocated to other airlines. Financial creditors to Jet Airways have filed Rs 8,232 crore worth of claims, while operational creditors owed more than Rs 7,300 crore, as per details available on the airline's website.
WATERLOO REGION  The officer who left his police vest in his personal vehicle could face disciplinary action after the vest, and two magazines with 30 rounds of ammunition, was stolen.

Waterloo Regional Police said an internal review will be conducted to see if any policies or procedures were breached.

Officers must follow rules related to safe storage and handling of firearms and police-issued equipment, said police spokesperson Cherri Greeno.

We are currently conducting an internal review of this incident to determine if these procedures were adhered to, she said.

Its the second theft of police equipment within two weeks. A police badge was stolen from a vehicle in Cambridge after a rock was used to smash the vehicles window.

On Thursday morning at around 6 a.m. the officer reported the theft of the police-issued ballistic vest and ammunition.

It is believed the theft occurred overnight as the vehicle was parked in the officers driveway in the Stanley Park area of Kitchener.

The stolen vest also contained handcuffs, a flashlight and a tourniquet. A red, black and white mountain bike that was not police-issued was also stolen.

Last week, a police badge and identification was stolen from a parked vehicle in the area of Black Bridge Road near Townline Road in Cambridge.

A rock was thrown through a window of the vehicle. The thief stole a purse, along with the police badge and warrant card identifying the officer. Police were told about the robbery on July 13.

Police want to speak with a man seen in the area at the time. He is described as white, in his 20s, with dark hair that was short on the sides and slicked back in the middle. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and grey pants, and was driving a dark-coloured car, possibly an Infiniti or Nissan.

Many residents have voiced their concerns on social media, asking how police equipment can be left in a car overnight and how stolen equipment could be used to impersonate the police.

Greeno said additional training will be given to officers on proper storage and use of police equipment.

We are concerned with the fact that there has been two incidents of stolen police equipment recently and do apologize to the community for any public safety concerns this may pose, she said.

Greeno said police do not believe the two incidents are related or that someone is targeting officers for theft.

Anyone with information can call police at 519-570-9777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Police said anyone concerned that someone may be impersonating an officer should ask for further identification or contact police dispatch at 911 to confirm the identity and presence of an officer.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 17:27:19|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, July 25 (Xinhua) -- An official of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government condemned discriminatory trade policies and called for joint efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic at an international meeting on Saturday.

"During this crucial time, we urge all economies to keep their boundaries open to ensure the smooth functioning of the supply chain and refrain from erecting trade barriers or resorting to irrationality in trade policies," Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau of the HKSAR government said at a virtual ministerial meeting of APEC.

Yau said that the COVID-19 is the common enemy of the world's economies and trade is a vital part of the solution to current difficulties, stressing that "only by working together we stand to win."

Hong Kong, as a founding member of the World trade Organization (WTO) and a separate customs territory, remains committed to maintaining a free market policy and supporting progressive trade liberalization, Yau said.

Any unwarranted restrictive and protectionist measures at this critical juncture will only make the pandemic more lethal and detrimental to the region's long-term recovery, he said.

He reiterated that a well-functioning and effective multilateral trading system is needed more than ever to mitigate the enormous economic challenges and sustain a dynamic but stable international market environment.

During the meeting, ministers exchanged views on concrete initiatives that APEC can undertake in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and charting the path for economic recovery in the region.

The meeting concluded with the issuance of a statement, in which ministers reaffirmed their commitment to effectively mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and promptly steer the region towards a path of resilient, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery. Enditem
BOTTREL, ALTA.Three teens are recovering from injuries after an intense storm tore through a campground northwest of Calgary and knocked a tree onto their tent.

EMS spokesman Adam Loria says four ambulances were dispatched to the campground in the hamlet of Bottrel on Friday afternoon.

Loria says all of the teens were boys and that one of them suffered multiple serious injuries, although he adds the teen is expected to survive.

Duane Needham, owner of the Bottrel General Store, which operates the campground for Rocky View County, says hail was so intense he couldnt even see the campground from the store and dozens of trees were toppled.

Needham says his brother and niece were the first to arrive at the tent where the three boys, aged 16 and 17, were staying.

He says they had to remove a branch that was pinning the boy who was most seriously injured, noting the boy was speaking and was able to move his hands and feet.

It was the weirdest storm Ive ever seen, Needham said. It was quite a mess. It was something you had to see to believe.

Loria said one of the teens was taken by ground ambulance to Foothills Hospital in Calgary in stable, non-life-threatening condition. The remaining two were taken to Alberta Childrens Hospital in Calgary with minor injuries, Loria said.

Needham said that when his brother and niece made it to the tent, the boy that was stuck under a branch was having trouble breathing because of the pressure.

They snapped the branch and took the pressure off, he said.

Needham said he didnt know where the boys were from but believed they were local, noting their parents arrived at the scene within 20 minutes.

Needham suspects it may have been a tornado.

Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Sara Hoffman said the weather office issued a severe thunderstorm watch for a large area of southern Alberta on Friday. She said she has seen pictures of accumulated hail, but said an investigation into the weather event is still ongoing.

Hoffman said major damage doesnt necessarily mean there was a twister.

Severe wind gusts can be more damaging than a tornado, she said.

Hoffman said investigations strongly lean on pictures as well as witness accounts, and that she encourages people to email them to

Alberta frequently experiences intense summer storms with hail, and the Insurance Bureau of Canada says one last month in the Calgary area that pounded homes, vehicles and crops caused almost $1.2 billion in insured damage, making it the fourth most expensive insured natural disaster in Canadian history.

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Joe Giudice may be a home renovation TV star in the making!

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star  who is living in Italy following his release from ICE custody late last year  has been hard at work renovating an old Italian villa owned by his estranged wife Teresa Giudice's father for their four daughters.

Joe, 48, has been documenting the home rehab with a new YouTube series, This Old Villa with Joe Giudice, which premiered in May.

"Me and the old man [Teresa's father] were very close and it goes to the kids, so I am finishing it," Joe recently told Extra. "I started filming it and they came up with 'This Old Villa.'"

Joe told the outlet he also planned to live in the home "when the kids come, when I'm there." He shares daughters Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14, and Audriana, 10, with Teresa.

This Old Villa/Youtube

This Old Villa/Youtube Joe Giudice

RELATED: Joe Giudice on Daughter Gia's Nose Job: 'Whatever Makes Her Happy'

In a trailer for the series, fans are shown snippets of the remodeling and renovation process, all of which appear to be filmed by Joe himself.

The clips are edited together with text setting up how the unique project came to be: "Life for Joe Giudice had gotten crazy. There was only one thing to do. Get out of New Jersey," it reads, seemingly referencing Joe's deportation.

"Watch out Italy," it continues. "Joe Giudice arrived. Be afraid Italy, very afraid."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories

Joe has since uploaded 18 videos that vary in length from around 10 to over 20 minutes in length.

In the first episode, he gives fans a brief history lesson about the area the villa is located in, before diving into the cleaning process of the seemingly long-uninhabited property, which has bare, crumbling concrete walls.

Story continues

In the most recent episode, having made some progress stabilizing the structure and creating interior walls, Joe meets with an interior designer and the pair go to a furniture store to begin picking out pieces for the updated home.

RELATED: Joe Giudice Celebrates First Fathers Day from Italy: 'Far or Near You Will Always Be My Babies'

Last month, Joe celebrated his first Father's Day since moving to Italy. His family sent him heartfelt messages from afar on social media.

"Happy Fathers Day @joe.giudice The girls miss you today & every day!" Teresa, 48, wrote alongside a throwback photo of Joe with their daughters.

In her own post, Gia paid tribute to both her father, as well as her late grandfather, Giacinto Gorga, who died in April.

"Happy Fathers Day to the most amazing people in my life and souls who keep me going every single day! Dad thank you for showing me how to show strength, Nonno thank you for always pushing me to be my best self, and Zio Joe thank you for being there when I always need you," she wrote, alongside a series of family photos.

Joe has been trying to get his deportation case appealed, but it was denied for the third time in April.

"We have always maintained that Joe Giudice belongs in the United States with his family, not in Italy," Joe's attorney James J. Leonard told PEOPLE. "The immigration laws in our country are both draconian and antiquated and need to be revisited by forward-thinking members of Congress."

Joe Giudice/Instagram Teresa and Joe Giudice with their daughters

As for whether or not Joe will appeal the decision again, Leonard said at the time, "That will be discussed with Joe and his immigration counsel in the coming days."

Despite the news, Leonard reveals Joe is "very positive about life."

"He's in Italy doing everything he can to keep busy, and stay healthy. I know he's working on some projects that I'm sure you will hear about soon," he added at the time. "For now, it's a day at a time like everyone else."

Teresa and Joe separated after 20 years of marriage in December 2019 amid the deportation process, a source close to the couple confirmed to PEOPLE. According to the source, they agreed that each had to move on and are doing so amicably and very slowly.
Justin L. Fowler | AP

Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis has joined others  mostly Republicans  calling on House Speaker Michael Madigan to resign after his implication in a bribery scheme involving utility giant ComEd.

Davis said Madigan, who is a Democrat, must be held to higher standard as an elected official.
INDIANAPOLIS (US):Drug manufacturers representatives from AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Merck, Moderna, and Pfizer.Daccine have expressed confidence to develop COVID-19 vaccine by either the end of 2020 or beginning of 2021. These representatives met this week members of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The members heard directly from representatives of five companies developing a COVID-19 vaccine at an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing entitled, Pathway to a Vaccine: Efforts to Develop a Safe, Effective and Accessible COVID-19 Vaccine.

The hearing examined the current state of research, development, and manufacturing of potential vaccines for COVID-19, according to information provided by Congresswoman Susan W Brooks.

Representatives from the companies provided a promising update on when a vaccine may be available. The development efforts for a COVID-19 vaccine are truly unprecedented and represent the exemplary work of pharmaceutical companies around the globe.

 Every witness expressed their intent to develop a safe and effective vaccine to combat this virus. Each company is on track to set a record-breaking pace for developing a vaccine by either the end of 2020 or beginning of 2021,  said Susan W. Brooks.

Each witness in the hearing expressed that the American public should take great confidence in the FDAs guidance. The FDAs safety and effectiveness standards are the result of years of rigorous research into infectious diseases and represent the gold standard world-wide.

Right now, the companies are scaling up manufacturing at risk, by laying the groundwork to produce millions of doses of vaccines before they have proven the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. If the vaccine is not proven to work, then the candidate wont be brought to market. If, however, the vaccine candidate is successful they will have millions of doses ready to be distributed immediately upon approval.

Just this week, HHS and DOD announced an agreement with Pfizer Inc. for large-scale production and nationwide delivery of 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. following the vaccines successful manufacture and approval. The agreement also gives the U.S. government the option to acquire an additional 500 million doses, if needed, disclosed Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks.

The Federal Government is helping pharmaceutical companies bring COVID-19 vaccines to market. For example, last month the FDA released guidance for development of COVID-19 vaccines, which noted that companies need to run clinical trials large enough to demonstrate to the agency the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine. Further, the FDA set a minimum efficacy floor of 50%, meaning any vaccine candidate must be at least 50% effective in order to be brought to market. The agency may also require post marketing studies to further assess known or potential serious risks.

In addition to the FDAs efforts, the U.S. Government is supporting several initiatives to help accelerate the development of vaccines for COVID-19. The Administration established Operation Warp Speed on May 15, 2020, to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. This public-private partnership aims to facilitate, at an unprecedented pace, the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID -19 countermeasures.

Each witness at the hearing this week spoke about building public trust with a vaccine by being transparent with the public, especially the communities who are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. They are running clinical trials with a diverse set of participants, including individuals from a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds. For instance, AstraZeneca, a global bio and pharmaceutical company has committed to running clinical trials not just in the U.S., but also in the U.K, South Africa, and Brazil, to ensure the clinical trials represent folks from a diverse set of racial backgrounds. AstraZenecas development program will include a Phase III clinical trial with 30, 000 participants and a pediatric trial, that will ensure the vaccine is safe for children.

For distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, Operation Warp Speed is building the requisite plans and infrastructure to distribute it to hundreds of millions of Americans in a timely manner. Once a vaccine candidate is ready for distribution, the Department of Defense will help with logistics, while the CDC and Operation Warp Speed will make important decisions about allocation. This effort also includes reinforcing supply chains to ensure the US has enough distribution supplies including injection devices, glass vials, and syringes.

It is our hope that all the vaccine candidates work, though the government is casting a wide net to ensure that if any one or two candidates fail, we still have multiple back up alternatives.

It is my hope that once a COVID-19 vaccine is proven safe and effective, and is authorized by the FDA, Hoosiers will feel confident in getting a vaccine.

One item of concern for the House Energy and Commerce Committee is vaccine confidence in this country. A recent poll showed that as few as 50 percent of people in the U.S. are committed to receiving a vaccine, with another quarter wavering. This is alarming, given a safe and effective COVID-19 will save lives. It is even more concerning given that according to Johns Hopkins University, depending on how contagious an infection is, 70-90 percent of a population needs immunity to achieve herd immunity.
MAU FOREST, Kenya - The two women were born in the forest more than 70 years ago, when it covered much of Kenya's highlands.

Over the years, successive waves of people with their axes and plows came, from British colonists to other Kenyans in search of fertile land, and the expanse of green shrank to just a few small patches of untouched woodland: the Mau Forest. Now tens of millions rely on the water that flows from its springs and live in houses built out of its wood.

The women's people, the Ogiek, claim to be the indigenous inhabitants of the Mau, and with the felling of the trees came the felling of much of their way of life: hunting tree hyraxes and antelope for meat and fur, and harvesting honey and medicinal herbs. A landmark 2017 ruling by the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights affirmed the Ogiek's right to live in the forest.

Kenya's government, which owns the forest, has barely acknowledged the ruling. In late June, it began evicting hundreds of Ogiek families from the Mau in the name of conservation. Ogiek leaders say the government has promised to allow them back into the Mau when non-indigenous settlers in the forest have been cleared out. But powerful Kenyan officials said in interviews that they have no intention of permitting the Ogiek to return.

"By evicting us, we hope that our land will become ours again," said Raeli Nalotwesha, one of the two women.

She and Agnes Tapkili were rendered homeless this month, in the middle of the cold and rainy season and as a pandemic that seems to target the elderly spreads. They were sheltering in a shuttered school. It was the fourth time in their lives they'd been evicted.

Kenyan governments have been trying to kick the Ogiek and other settlers out of the Mau for more than 40 years, ostensibly to conserve its resources, even as they have allowed countless thousands to encroach on the forest and convert it into farming and grazing land. In many parts of the Mau, the Kenya Forest Service has transformed the land into a commercial timber operation.

Since 2018, over 50,000 people - mostly non-Ogiek settlers - have been evicted, often violently, from the Mau, Human Rights Watch says.

Amid cries from rights groups that the Ogiek are being abused, the community's leaders and many of its 30,000 to 50,000 members are putting faith in a long-shot plan they believe the government is enacting.

"Over 300 families have been evicted, even from deep into the forest since June," said Daniel Kobei, an Ogiek activist and the tribe's most prominent public figure. "In most cases, we are complying voluntarily. We want the evictions completed and, after, we want implementation of court rulings."

The gambit relies on the Kenyan government's respect for the 2017 ruling by the Tanzania-based court, which doesn't have enforceable jurisdiction in Kenya. It's an even riskier strategy considering the government has evicted thousands of poor people from their homes during the coronavirus pandemic despite a self-imposed moratorium on doing so.

Although Kobei said he has regular and constructive discussions with government officials that lead him to believe in their intention to respect the ruling, officials painted a different picture in interviews with The Washington Post.

"You tell me that people can survive on honey and herbs. What a nonsense story. Nobody dwells inside a forest," said George Natembeya, an Interior Ministry official in charge of security for a large part of Kenya that includes the Mau. "There is no such thing as a forest-dwelling person - these are misnomers. The forest should not have people residing there. With the evictions, what we are stopping is destruction, by Ogieks, and by other Kenyans, and we make no distinction."

Meanwhile, some Ogiek families have razed their houses in hopes they will be resettled in the forest. Daniel and Lilian Tuimising now sleep in a cramped shack with their seven children after Daniel took a hammer and posthole digger to his house and shop, reducing it to rubble.

"Even if we suffer now, it is good for the Mau," he said. "We want to show that we agree with forest protection so they will allow us back."

His optimism was echoed by others who yearn for non-Ogiek settlers to be banished from the Mau and were willing to pay what they hope is the temporary price of their homes for it. "We support it 100 percent. We have no choice but to trust," said Dominic Letuya, 23.

But the Kenya Forest Service doesn't see the Ogiek as the forest's protectors. Officials see that as their own role, and one they can carry out only if the forest is void of people.

"It's an issue of people understanding that they are in the wrong place and upgrading themselves, moving to another, safer place so they do not have to spend my time fighting with the owner of the forest," said George Njenga, the service's top official in the Mau.

The Ogiek and the Kenya Forest Service say they are both trying to return the Mau to its natural state, but to many Ogiek, that includes their living there again, using the forest's bounty responsibly.

"We want this land to be how nature created it, with services that allow us to live," said Joseph Kipkemoi Lesingo, 55, adept in hunting, foraging and beekeeping. "We need to start from scratch again."

On a recent day, Lesingo went into the forest with his two hunting dogs to survey beehives he'd made out of hollow logs from trees of the Dombeya genus. He'd fastened the hives into the canopies of the same trees, which he says yield the sweetest honey.

He vigorously rubbed two specially carved pieces of wood together - without any flint - to create an ember, which he placed into a ball of moist moss, creating a smoker. He placed it in a satchel made of hyrax hide, warding away the bees while he gathered golden hunks of honeycomb so flavorful they left a burn in the throat like whiskey.

"That stuff you get in the city - it's all mixed with sugar," he said. If a newly pregnant woman eats a full honeycomb in April, it is potent enough to give her twins, according to Ogiek legend. "This is the strong stuff."

After holding on to his culture despite the government appropriating the forest for its own purposes and encroaching farmers and herders using it for theirs, Lesingo is happy to coexist with the newcomers as long as they leave the Ogiek to restore not just their homes but their traditions and the forest itself - as they believe is their right.

"If - and it is all about if," said Lesingo. "If they listen to us."

- - -

The Washington Post's Rael Ombuor contributed to this report.
The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari since inauguration May 29, 2015 till date has said it several times that the economic diversification remains one of its focal points and now with the dwindle oil prices in the international market, so seeing innovative technology mechanization for an improved farming activities can be one of the ways to cushion the impact of COVID-19 pandemic that is still ravaging the world socially and economically.

With the three Months lockdown imposed on the nations workforce orchestrated by the novel pandemic which has changed mindset of many Nigerians particularly public servants who have resorted to engage in one Agro business and others in order to leverage on the opportunity that have naturally avail itself to support themselves economically but the farming activities must be supported with at least the best ways of doing from reputable institute like the Collage of Forestry Research and Mechanization Afaka Kaduna, Kaduna State to learn some basic fundamentals in modern days farming with the innovative technology which the Collage of Forestry and Mechanization which the College is well positioned and fully prepared to do the needful in this regards.

With the avowed commitment of the Director-General of the Agency under the able leadership and supervision of Prof. Adeshola Adepoju, Director-General of Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) Ibadan, who has been adjudged by both students and members staff and most especially the Provost of the College of Forestry and Mechanization Afaka, Dr. Usman Muhammad who also attested to the ingenuity of his Director-General who has performed creditably well since taken the mantle of headship with the grandiose of Objectives the provision of trained manpower in Engineering, applied science, technology and commerce at all professional grades. The provision of technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development. The provision of qualified and well equipped personnel to apply scientific knowledge to the improvement and solution of environmental problems for use and convenience of man. The introduction of professional studies in engineering and other technologies. The provision of trained manpower in Engineering, applied science, technology and commerce at all professional grades. The provision of technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development. The provision of qualified and well equipped personnel to apply scientific knowledge to the improvement and solution of environmental problems for use and convenience of man. The introduction of professional studies in engineering and other technologies. We train the best students, large scale farmers, individuals, private and public entities in Forestry Mechanisation for utmost performance in Agro-forestry model better for farmers, environment

The monumental turnaround at the College of Forestry and Mechanization Afaka under the supervision of Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) headed by a Director-General, is no doubt is as the result of purposeful leadership exemplified by the erudite Prof. Adeshola Adepoju and his team hence, his recent statement on the sundry issues in order to take the College to next level of economic prosperity and job creation is most paramount as the changing narrative of the College is indeed a cheering news as the College of Forestry and Mechanization has produced notably individuals in all facet of life and there is no gain-saying that the College deserves more funding due its multipurpose activities in the areas of Agro-business , environmental and so many others.

As a nation, most especially the Federal Government of Nigeria, who must take College of Forestry and Mechanization Afaka Mando Kaduna, Kaduna State seriously by promptly making policies and programme aiming at improving on its Vision and Mission of establishing the College many years ago and truly speaking, if we are serious about Agro business, wealth and job creation then, is the way to go as a nation because in the developed nations or clans where similar Colleges provide adequate funding based on its robust activities and plans. The adequate funding and political will is all that the College as the HND awarding institution.

According to the DG, Prof Adeshola Adepoju who said recently that, the agency is working on its contributions to the agricultural sector and the economy, here we are practicing agro-forestry and we came up with this because, Agriculture is also seen as a contributor to land clearing activities which are inimical to the ecology, contributing negatively to the climate change. In Africa, we practice extensive farming, not intensive one.

As an Institution charged with the responsibility to train the best students, large scale farmers, individuals, private and public entities in Forestry Mechanization for utmost performance in Agro-business model better for farmers, environment and the best way to go about it is to reach out to the farmers and educate them about the technologies the researchers have developed, in terms of inputs, varieties, timing, techniques and others that should go into the farm practice. It is better to combine arable crops with trees that are not arable. Arable crops are annual crops like cereals, beans, and so on.

Nigerians should be rest assured the mission and vision of establishing the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) will be achieved as Adepoju and his management teams are capable of distinguishing themselves through hard work, honesty and commitment to the service of the country. An administrator par excellence and a patriot, Adepoju is selfless, humble even to a fault, and a team player. It is his philosophy that managers, lecturers and Provost should at all times be exemplary. He is focused on ensuring that the members of staff work towards the actualization of the College of Forestry and Mechanizations core mandate, which is necessary for any Institution to thrive. In fact, he strongly believes the Institute has a serious role to play in helping the government implement its policies and programmes of economic diversification of this present dispensation through Agro-business etc.

Mohammed Dauda Eibo a media and communications specialist sent in via [email protected] He can be reached on 08168127030 sms only
Asia

India: Karnataka contract health workers protest

Nearly 600 contract health workers from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bangalore demonstrated on Monday against workplace bias and poor facilities. The health workers allege that they are denied treatment at the hospital if any of them contract COVID-19 whilst working the facility. Permanent workers, however, are treated at the hospital if infected with the virus.

The contract health workers also complained that some of those unable to get transport to the campus hospital during the coronavirus lockdown are banned from joining the 500,000-rupee Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan health insurance scheme. Around 40 health workers at the Victoria Hospital also protested on Monday demanding to be included in the health insurance scheme.

Doctors at Karnataka government hospitals resign

About 2,000 AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) contract doctors at Karnataka state-run hospitals resigned on July 16 over long-standing demands for permanent jobs, salary increases, social security and the provision of personal protection equipment which had not been fulfilled.

Their resignations followed a threat a week earlier to take stronger action if the government continued to ignore their demands. The doctors returned to work after the government committed to increase their salaries.

Municipal sanitation workers in Odisha strike over outstanding pay

Seventy contracted sanitation workers from the Jagatsinghpur Municipality in Odisha struck on July 18 over non-payment of their salaries. The workers claim they have not been paid their daily 280-rupee ($US3.7) wage for the last two months.

They also said they had carried out all their duties during the coronavirus pandemic, without any days off, but were not provided with gloves, masks or sanitisers by the municipal body.

In response to the strike, a municipal official assured the workers that their salaries would be paid on the fifth of every month and that this months wages provided on July 20. Following this assurance the strikers returned to work.

Tamil Nadu munitions factory workers protest over discrimination

Cordite Factory workers in Aruvankadu, Tamil Nadu demonstrated outside the factory on July 17 to defend their right to speak Tamil at the facility. The protest erupted after a manager allegedly asked employees not speak in Tamil when he was approached with concerns over COVID-19 issues.

The protest was organised by the Cordite Factory Labour Union, the National Employees Union and the Defence Factory Labour Union. There are 1,700 workers at the state-owned ordinance factory.

Bihar health workers strike over COVID-19 discrimination and unpaid wages

Nurses and sanitation workers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Patna walked out on July 18 over two months of outstanding pay and against health treatment discrimination. AIIMS Patna is one of four specialised COVID-19 treating hospitals in Bihar state.

Striking workers and other staff allege that they and their family members have been banned from receiving treatment at AIIMS Patna, despite having worked day and night since the outbreak of COVID-19.

According to the media, the hospital has become a hub for economically better off COVID-19 patients in the past week, with common people have been refused admission if infected. The press claims that the majority of the isolation and ICU beds with ventilator facilities have been occupied by governing National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders, ministers and legislators, as well as judges and businessmen.

Telangana contract nurses demand pay rise

Contract nurses from the government-run Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad protested outside the directors office on July 17 to demand a wage increase.

In 2012, around 450 contract nurses were hired as interns at the hospital on a 9,000-rupee monthly salary. Sometime last year management assured the nurses salaries would be increased to 25,000 rupees for those with less than five years of experience and 30,000 rupees for those with over five years.

The nurses, however, are currently paid only 17,000 rupees ($US227), far below what hospital authorities promised, with no decision made at several board meetings on the issue.

Hyderabad doctors strike to demand new hospital infrastructure

Doctors and interns at the government owned Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad began limited strike action on Monday to demand a new hospital building. Government Doctors Association members decided to stop work for an hour each morningfrom 9.30 to 10.30until their demand is granted.

The doctors said the more than century-old main building is in a run-down state and that rains last week had left the building flooded with knee-deep water and patients left sitting helplessly on their beds.

Bangladeshi workers protest over unpaid wages and loss of jobs

Workers organised by Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity, the United Front of Workers and Employees, the Trade Union Centre, and the Dhaka Taxi Car Drivers Union demonstrated in Dhaka on Tuesday to demand the Eid festival allowance and unpaid wages and in protests against lay-offs and job cuts. They demanded that owners of mills and factories pay outstanding amounts before July 25.

The demonstration followed a similar protest outside the National Press Club on July 17 over the same issues.

Bangladeshi sugar mill workers and farmers demand overdue payments

Workers from the state-run Rangpur Sugar Mills struck on Monday and demonstrated on the rail tracks at Mohimaganj, Rangpur district, demanding four months outstanding wages. They were joined by sugarcane farmers from the mill zone in Gaibandha district who were demanding overdue payments from the mills.

Sri Lanka: Public health inspectors strike over COVID-19 infection procedures

Around 2,000 Public Health Inspectors (PHI) began a national strike on July 17 in protest against the governments failure to implement adequate legal procedures to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Their walkout erupted after the Sri Lankan minister for health described the health inspectors work as harassment of people.

The inspectors also denounced the government for not gazetting health care guidelines or giving the PHIs sufficient legal authority to conduct COVID-19 pandemic procedures.

The Association of Public Health Inspectors has claimed that the work of its members is severely limited by a lack of proper legal authority. The union said PHIs are carrying out all basic activities related to the control of the pandemic but that the government was openly breaking health rules in public campaigns leading up to the general election scheduled on August 5.

Australia

Western Australia: Caterers and cleaners strike at offshore LNG platforms

Caterers, cleaners and cooks working on Shells giant Prelude offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) platform in north Western Australia began industrial action this week in their dispute for a new enterprise agreement. Workers stopped work between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday and placed indefinite bans on baking, preparing hot meals, laundry and other services.

The workers are employed by Sodexo, a food services and facility management company headquartered in Paris. The company employs over 60 workers on five LNG platforms off northern Australia. The Prelude floating platform is owned by Royal Dutch Shell, KOGAS and Inpex, and managed by Shell.

The Offshore Alliance, a coalition between the Maritime Union of Australia and the Australian Workers Union (AWU), claims that Sodexo had agreed to a new work agreement but that Shell Australia management had pressured the contractor to abandon the deal.

The current agreement, which expired in October 2017, pays annualised salaries of $85,000 to $95,000. The AWU want pay increases of up to $25,000 to bring their members into line with most other offshore employees. The union has now scaled the claim back to between 6 and 10 percent.

According to the AWU, Sodexo in early negotiations wanted to be able to force cooks and caterers on the offshore facilities to work an extra five weeks a year at no extra pay, an effective pay cut of 20 percent.
Turkey and Greece exchanged harsh words on Saturday over the conversion of Istanbul's Hagia Sophia into a mosque, a day after Islamic prayers were held at the ancient site for the first time in nine decades.

Greek criticism of the move to convert the site from a museum has been scathing, underlining tense ties between Greece and Turkey. Church bells tolled in mourning across Greece on Friday as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan joined prayers at the building.

"Greece showed once again its enmity towards Islam and Turkey with the excuse of reacting to Hagia Sophia Mosque being opened to prayers," Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a written statement on Saturday.

The ministry strongly condemned hostile statements by the Greek government and parliament members to stir up the public, and the burning of a Turkish flag in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, it said.

>> Turkey challenges allies and enemies alike in quest for 'larger role on world stage'

Hagia Sophia was opened to prayer as a mosque in line with the will of the Turkish people and belonged to Turkey like all cultural assets in the country, it added.

The Greek Foreign Ministry responded with its own statement, saying "the international community of the 21st century is stunned to observe the religious and nationalist fanatic ramblings of today's Turkey."

Friday's ceremony sealed Erdogan's ambition to restore Muslim worship at the site, which most Greeks view as central to their Orthodox Christian religion.

On Friday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Turkey a "troublemaker", and the conversion of the site an "affront to civilisation of the 21st century".

Greece and Turkey disagree on a range of issues from airspace to maritime zones and ethnically split Cyprus. This week they also exchanged barbs over the delimitation of their continental shelves in the eastern Mediterranean, an area thought to be rich in natural resources.

(REUTERS)
Evangelical Christian minister Kristi Stokes is setting up a straw dog in her lawsuit arguing her right to say I dont to same-sex weddings (July 24). The fact is that every single minister, rabbi, or imam of any religious background has always had the right to refuse officiating the marriage of any couple who approaches them for such service.

In my 40 years of active ministry, there have been straight and same-sex couples whose marriage I was not comfortable in officiating. A religious leader has the obligation of offering premarital counseling to help a couple discern their readiness for marriage. If a couple is not healthy together, we have the authority to say no or not at this time.

Minister Stokes is already well within her rights as a religious leader to say no to a couple she deems unfit for marriage, even if her reason stems from a religious belief that their unfitness is due to being same-gendered.

The Rev. Don King,

Cleveland Heights
The centenary celebrations of the father of India's economic reforms in 1991, PV Narasimha Rao, were kicked off today with two surprising additions to the chorus of praise for the former Prime Minister.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul have rarely been the most enthusiastic voice acknowledging the contribution of Rao to India's economic growth story. But on Friday, she said that the grand old party takes pride in Rao's accomplishments and contribution.

The Telangana unit of the Congress has launched the centenary celebrations of the former Prime Minister, who hailed from Vangara in Warangal district.

"PV Narasimha Rao's tenure was also marked by a number of political, social and foreign policy achievements that have endured. Above all he was a dedicated Congress man who served the party devotedly in various capacities," she said.

Congratulating the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee for having organised the year long celebrations, she said, "PV Narasimha Rao was a very respected national and international figure. The Congress party takes pride in his many accomplishments and contributions."

The birth centenary of Rao is an occasion to recall and pay tribute to a most scholarly and erudite personality who after a long career in state and national politics, the Prime Minister of the country at a time of "grave economic crisis", she added.

Interestingly, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had missed mentioning Rao's contribution while launching the year-long celebrations to mark 125 years of Congress in 2009.

Rahul, on the other hand, commemorated Rao for his role in the 1991 economic reforms.

"July 24 marks the 29th anniversary of the 1991 budget. On this day, India embarked on a bold new path of economic transformation. PV Narasimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh played a pivotal role in ushering in the era of liberalisation," Rahul Gandhi wrote in a letter congratulating the Telangana unit.

He further hailed Rao -- a former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, foreign minister and Union home minister -- for his grit and determination and said that his journey from teenage worker to the premiership was a remarkable one.

Political observers have noted that Rao has been a "great unmentionable" within the Congress party due to his apparent failure in stopping the demolition of Babri Masjid and his sidelining of the Gandhi family after the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

The Congress' first family recalling the contributions of Rao, who was the first non-Gandhi PM to complete five years in power, comes at a time when there have been speculations that the BJP at the Centre and TRS in Telangana want to appropriate the legacy of Rao.
The coronavirus continued to pummel San Antonio and Bexar County as local officials reported 299 newly diagnosed cases and 15 more deaths Friday.

A total of 34,932 residents have tested positive for the virus since the first cases surfaced here in mid-March. The local death toll now stands at 313.

Fridays 15 deaths matched the record for a 24-hour period, set Thursday. The latest victims were 10 men and five women ranging from their 40s to their 80s. They included whites, Hispanics and people whose ethnicities werent immediately known, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.

The 1,059 patients with COVID-19 being cared for in San Antonio hospitals was 15 fewer than the day before. Among them, 430 were in intensive care units, while 294 were on ventilators to help them breathe, Nirenberg said.

Local hospital systems remain under severe stress, with 11 percent of staffed hospital beds available, while 44 percent of ventilators are ready for patients to use, he reported.

Nirenberg said the coronavirus accounts for 30 percent of patient admissions at San Antonio hospitals.

County Judge Nelson Wolff was encouraged by the improved hospitalization numbers, which have dropped by more than 200 in less than two weeks. Thats a hopeful sign, he said.

But he expects that fatal outcomes will continue, citing the high numbers of patients still in ICUs and on ventilators.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio paramedics often are the first and sometimes last medical workers to treat COVID-19 patients

Youre going to still see more deaths occur in the next several days, I think, Wolff said.

He also cautioned that South Texans evacuating from Tropical Storm Hanna  which is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall Saturday afternoon  may travel to the San Antonio area to seek shelter. Because of the serious outbreak in the Corpus Christi area, some evacuees who might come here could very well have COVID, Wolff said.

Local officials plan to direct any evacuees to rooms at several specific hotels rather than trying to house them all in the same space.

Nirenberg urged everyone to remain vigilant in protecting themselves against the virus if they want to resume school and other normal activities in the fall.

The work that we do now, together, with regard to stopping the spread of coronavirus will show up around the time that people want to be getting back to school, he said. So if we have interest in getting things back on track for the fall, we really have to buckle down now.

On Friday evening, nearly 8,000 newly diagnosed cases of the virus and 181 more COVID-related deaths were reported across Texas for the previous 24 hours, according to an analysis by Hearst Texas Newspapers.

Bexar County ranks third among Texas counties reporting the most diagnosed cases. Harris County, where Houston is located, continues to have the highest number of cases statewide, with nearly 63,000 people testing positive so far. Dallas County is ranked second, with nearly 45,000 testing positive.

Among Texas counties reporting the most COVID-19 deaths, Bexar County ranks fifth. Harris County leads the state, with 614 fatalities, followed by Dallas, Hidalgo and Tarrant counties.

Children are less likely to become infected with the coronavirus than adults but can still fall seriously ill, said Dr. Jonathan Crews, a pediatric infectious disease physician for Childrens Hospital of San Antonio, joining other medical and public health experts at a Facebook Live event earlier Friday to answer questions about the disease.

It is important to remember that children do get severe disease, Crews said. Although its uncommon, it has been seen that throughout the pandemic there are children that are being hospitalized, and there are children who are requiring ICU levels of care.

COVID-19 cases have now been reported in all but four of Texas 254 counties, the states COVID-19 dashboard shows. Deaths stemming from the virus have been reported in nearly two-thirds of Texas counties.

On ExpressNews.com: During COVID-19 spike, Valero requires employees to work at San Antonio headquarters

Comal County, the home of New Braunfels, reported its 44th COVID-related death and 49 newly diagnosed cases Friday.

The latest victim to succumb to the virus was a man in his 90s who lived at the Heights of Bulverde nursing home and died in a San Antonio hospital. He is the ninth resident of that nursing home to die from the virus since the pandemic began.

So far, 1,880 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Comal County. Among those sick, 77 are hospitalized.

In Guadalupe County, the home of Seguin, six residents have died from COVID, while nearly 1,700 people have tested positive for the virus, state health officials reported. More than half of those diagnosed with the virus have recovered.

Guadalupe Countys Emergency Management Office reported on its Facebook page Thursday that 27 patients have died at Guadalupe Regional Medical Center since the pandemic began and that most of them  22  were Guadalupe County residents, while five were from elsewhere.

Peggy OHare covers demographics, the census and occasionally crime and general assignment stories in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Peggy, become a subscriber. pohare@express-news.net | Twitter: @Peggy_OHare
Every business, every worker, every investor, every family wants to see a purposeful national government with a credible and cohesive plan for recovery. There isn't one. The government has a bucket of bits and pieces for patching things up but lacks a structured recovery plan. A reporter on Friday asked Frydenberg what he could do to encourage people to have more babies. With immigration effectively suspended and a poor economic outlook, the government projects that population growth next year will be its lowest in a century: 0.6 per cent. Frydenberg said that the solution was "to create a strong economy for them to be born into". He pointed to policies to support families, too, including funding for child care. While those conditions are necessary they are, again, insufficient. The decision to have children overwhelmingly depends on confidence. Confidence in the future of the country, the society, the economy, the household. Fertility rates depend ultimately on the same magic elixir as economic growth itself  confidence for the future.

Labor's critique of this week's economic statement was effective. "The defining feature was the fact that the government expects an extra 240,000 Australians to lose their job between now and Christmas but there wasn't a single element of any kind of plan to respond to that situation," said the shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: "Today was a missed opportunity. The Australian people already know that things are grim in the economy. People are worried about their jobs. They have a right to expect from their government a plan to respond to that and didn't get that today." Loading To now, the opposition has been largely irrelevant since the pandemic struck. Partly that's because, to Anthony Albanese's credit, he's chosen to be a responsible political leader. He's not exploited the coronavirus crisis or fearmongered but he has made constructive criticisms. He was well ahead of the government in calling for a wage subsidy, what we now know as JobKeeper, for instance.

And partly Labor has been irrelevant because as long as the government has been observing the expert medical advice, the opposition is hardly better qualified than the epidemiologists. Labor has been wise to respect medical expertise, too. But the economic situation is very different. It opens the first real opportunity for Labor to make some political inroads. And the criticism that the government has no plan for the future is a potent one. Illustration Jim Pavlidis Credit: The government shouldn't get too cocky about the Prime Minister's current standing in the polls. Scott Morrison has an exceptionally high approval rating. But the percentage of people saying they'd vote for the Coalition is not exceptionally high. In fact, it's not budged since last year's election. Why the disparity? It's because the people are cheering, not voting. Australians appreciate that Morrison is handling the crisis well and they are cheering him on  keep going! They have not reconsidered their voting intentions. That is a verdict for another day. And it's that day that Morrison and Albanese need to have in mind.

The next federal election day could be anything up to two years away. The state of the economy will weigh heavily on voters' minds. We know from long experience that the electorate doesn't vote according to gratitude for past events but on expectations of the future. So a plan for the future is a vital national necessity as well as a political one. The risk here is that, now that the urgent crisis is in hand, Morrison will allow the pollsters and political consultants to wield veto over the policy process. If he wants to consign the nickname "Scotty from marketing" to the dustbin of recent history, he will not do this. He will develop a fair dinkum plan, not one designed as an election slogan. Build the policy first; the election slogan can follow. It's a historic moment for Australia. A 30-year boom has ended in shattering collapse. Morrison can allow political timidity to take over and consign Australia to a second-rate future, or he can seize the opportunity to set the country up for a golden era. No prime minister will ever get such a good opportunity again. Loading Relapsing to a pre-COVID agenda  a tinpot political agenda of focus-group-tested tax cuts and deregulation  would be a betrayal. The governor of the Reserve Bank helpfully has explained why  pre-COVID Australia was already running itself slowly into the ground and will again. Australia was lacking "economic dynamism" before anyone had heard of COVID-19. "Unless we change something," Philip Lowe explained last month, "we're going to have a world of lower growth in Australia. And if that's the world we're in, we can't just resolve that problem by continuing to borrow. Borrow to build the bridge, but we can't borrow to address a slower growth world.
Sucking the marrow out of the bones of life is the mantra intrepid and eccentric renovators Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree have followed for years.

Since 2015 the couple have enthralled us after upping sticks from a two-bedroom flat in Essex and moving into a dilapidated 18th-century French chateau in the Pays de la Loire, which they bought for 280,000.

They painstakingly transformed it into a family home, and wedding and holiday venue, in the Channel 4 series Escape To The Chateau.

There have been six series that have pulled in almost 3 million viewers per episode. And the spin-off Escape To The Chateau DIY, in which they advise Brits whove bought French manor houses, had the highest daytime ratings for a new launch in a decade.

Dick Strawbridge, 60, and Angel Adoree, 42, share their DIY tips in new show Escape To The Chateau: Make Do And Mend. Pictured: Dick and Angel at the chateau with their children Arthur and Dorothy

Now their philosophy is seeing them through the Covid crisis. The can-do Strawbridges werent going to sit around their ballroom whining that theyd had to cancel 15 weddings due to coronavirus.

Theyve seized on the surge in lockdown DIY to make new show Escape To The Chateau: Make Do And Mend, offering tips to families trying to solve DIY dilemmas using what they have to hand.

Were never short of ideas. Sucking the marrow out of the bones of life. Thats us, laughs Dick, 60, a cheery former Army colonel, Celebrity MasterChef finalist, Scrapheap Challenge presenter and engineer.

The show capitalises on their DIY knowledge. Weve never said were experts, says Angel, 42.

But we give things a go. We get hundreds of emails a week asking, What would you do with this? How did you do that? In lockdown, the emails went through the roof.

In this series, we see them filming themselves at the chateau, helping others make do and mend.

One family wanted to create a room from an air-raid shelter, so we made that space in our lounge to help design it, says Angel.

We advised people on how to strip doors, upgrade a drinks trolley, revive a Queen Anne chair and create a smoker for cheese with an old toolbox and Champagne crate.

Dick and Angel have penned a book about their 2015 home transformation, titled A Year At The Chateau. Pictured: Angel hard at work

Theyve also written a book  A Year At The Chateau  about their original 2015 adventure, which is out later this year.

On arriving, they found fly-infested bedrooms, turrets inhabited by bats, the wind rattling through windows and just one working toilet, which flushed into the moat.

With a monumental effort they renovated the chateau in just nine months, ready for their unforgettable wedding there.

When we finished writing we thought, Bloody hell! says Dick. On TV you see a bit, but not the sheer quantity of work. We were in tears remembering it all, and laughing hard at parts.

The couples love for each other is as much a part of the original shows success as the chateau.

Speaking to them over Zoom, theres butting in and roars of laughter. We relived every nuance, says Angel. And weve included letters we wrote to each other when Dick was away filming other shows.

The overheads on a 45-room chateau are huge  100,000 of roof work is pending and a similar sum is needed for windows and shutters.

So the Strawbridges value manpower as a gift  when guests arrived for their wedding, they all rolled up their sleeves to make the chateau presentable.

In the book we talk for the first time about the Baglionis, who are key  we bought the chateau from them and theyre our neighbours, says Angel.

As a wedding present, they mowed the lawn with their tractors and helped lay the gravel. Theyve always been there for us.

But going to theirs for the first time was a baptism of fire  we met lots of people who owned chateaux. Theyre a different set.

We were like fish out of water, agrees Dick. Were in a chateau because its a dream to live in a castle. That is very different from people who were raised in one.

Dick hopes their new show is a winner, revealing they have enough material for 50 shows. Pictured: Dick in chateau grounds

'We have to work to pay for it. We need every generation to keep it alive.

Dick has two grown-up children from a previous marriage, and Angels parents live in a converted outbuilding at the chateau. But Dick and Angels kids, Dorothy, six, and Arthur, seven, have plans of their own.

Arthur wants to open a restaurant and Dorothy wants to raise her family in an outbuilding, says Angel, who won a 100,000 offer from Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis for her Vintage Patisserie idea, a cafe offering themed tea parties, on Dragons Den in 2010.

That venture did not go ahead, but she now runs one at the chateau.

It sounds like the Strawbridges are on to another winner with their new show. We hope so, laughs Dick. We have 50 shows worth of material!

Escape To The Chateau: Make Do And Mend, Thu, 8pm, Channel 4.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-24 23:23:14|Editor: huaxia

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CHANGCHUN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has stressed sticking to China's new development philosophy and further implementing the strategy of revitalizing northeast China.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in northeast China's Jilin Province from Wednesday to Friday.

He urged efforts to ensure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eradicating poverty.

Xi underscored the great importance of China's 14th five-year plan, which will start next year, as it is the first five-year period after the country embarks on a new journey to fully build itself into a modern socialist country.

Xi noted that the internal conditions and external environment for the country's development are undergoing profound and complex changes.

"We must maintain sustained, healthy economic and social development," Xi said, stressing the need to strengthen study and assessment, deepen research, and conduct sound policy-making.

Xi called for careful planning of the development goals, ideas and measures for the 14th five-year plan.

Visiting Lishu County Wednesday afternoon, Xi was briefed on agricultural development and mechanized and large-scale farming.

"I care very much about grain production and food security," Xi said, demanding that Jilin should make efforts to ensure food security, accelerate the transformation of agricultural development, and provide more experience in developing modern agriculture.

Walking into a cornfield, Xi stressed the integration of agriculture and technology, noting that farmers should be able to use the best technology to grow top-quality grains.

He also demanded effective measures to protect and utilize the high-yielding black soil.

Support should be given to new types of agricultural businesses such as family farms and farmers' cooperatives, Xi said during a visit to a farmers' cooperative, encouraging the development of specialized cooperatives suited to local conditions across the country.

During a visit to the memorial hall for the Siping battle of the Chinese People's War of Liberation, Xi demanded efforts to earnestly study the history of the CPC and that of New China, uphold the great socialist cause founded by the Party and the people under the Party's leadership, and carry the cause forward from generation to generation.

On Thursday afternoon, Xi inspected a residential community in the provincial capital Changchun to learn about primary-level governance and community services.

He spoke of the importance of improving community governance in promoting the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance.

Xi also toured a planning exhibition hall of Changchun New Area, stressing the importance of infrastructure planning and construction, as well as better-connected industry and supply chains for high-tech development zones, so that they can play leading roles in boosting regional economic development.

While visiting the R&D headquarters of automaker FAW Group, Xi chatted with employees who have recently graduated from universities. He said the Party committees and governments at all levels should pay very close attention to the employment of college graduates.

In the automaker's exhibition hall, Xi learned about the company's development and its latest automobile products.

Xi highlighted strengthening the independent development of core technologies and components to promote the high-quality development of China's automobile manufacturing industry and build strong domestic automobile brands.

Noting the fierce competition in the global manufacturing industry, Xi called for vigorous efforts to advance the development of emerging industries with strategic importance.

On Friday morning, after hearing the provincial Party committee and the provincial government of Jilin report their work, Xi affirmed the accomplishments made by Jilin and encouraged the officials and people of the province to achieve more.

To promote high-quality economic development, efforts must be made to strengthen the competitiveness of the economy, as well as its capabilities to innovate and fend off risks, Xi noted.

Xi stressed efforts to develop the real economy, especially the manufacturing industry, to upgrade the whole industrial chain and to stimulate the vitality of various market entities.

Xi encouraged Jilin to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, and to develop itself as a major window for northward opening up and a hub for cooperation in Northeast Asia.

Xi urged efforts to consolidate the position of agriculture as the foundation of the economy and deepen rural reforms, as well as to develop family farms and farmers' cooperatives and new forms of the collective economy.

He also called for consolidating the achievements in poverty relief and preventing relapses into poverty and new poverty cases, as well as the effective implementation of major ecological projects.

Xi stressed giving priority to employment for key groups, including college graduates, demobilized military personnel, rural migrant workers, and urban residents who have difficulty finding jobs.

Efforts are needed to promote the integrated and balanced development of compulsory education in urban and rural areas and safeguard fairness in education, he said.

Xi demanded efforts to improve the system and mechanisms for the prevention, control and treatment of major epidemics.

He also underlined flood control and relief work.

Efforts should be made to consolidate, develop and give full play to the Party's organizational advantages, Xi said, stressing fully strengthening primary-level Party organizations and exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party. Enditem
Srinagar, July 25 : Two terrorists have been killed in an encounter with the security forces at Ranbirgarh Panzinara on the outskirts of Srinagar on Saturday, officials said.

IG Police Vijay Kumar told IANS that two terrorists have been killed in the encounter.

The identity of the killed terrorists has not been ascertained yet.

Earlier, the security forces launched the operation on the basis of a specific intelligence input.

As a joint party of the Police, CRPF and the Army zeroed in on the spot where the terrorists were hiding, they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.

Arms and ammunition have been recovered from the slain terrorists.
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Laser Therapy Market Research Report, By Type (Diode Lasers, Solid State Lasers, Gas Lasers, Dye Lasers, and others), By Application (Dermatology and Aesthetics, Surgery, Dental, Urology, Ophthalmology, and others) - Global Forecast from 2017 to 2023

Market Research Future (MRFR) anticipates strong CAGR of 9.2% in the global Laser Therapy Devices Market over the forecast period of 2017-2023. The expansion of the global laser therapy is the result of various market dynamics, out of which, the surging prevalence of diseases such as cataract and arthritis bears profound weightage. Laser therapy is the standard line of treatment in cases of cataract. Laser-based ophthalmology is highly preferred over other methods of treatment. YAG LASER, excimer LASER, femtosecond LASER, and others are the most commonly used lasers in ophthalmology. The widespread prevalence of cataract, as well as arthritis, promote the growth of the global laser therapy market. Expanding base of old population complements this factor since the elderly populace is more prone to acquiring diseases such as arthritis and cataract which induces additional demand for laser therapy.

Heightened demand for minimally-invasive and non-invasive procedures is a major drive behind the growth of the market. Consumers are highly inclined towards medical procedures which do not involve incisions and cuts. Additionally, laser therapy is extensively used in dermatology and cosmetology. Skyrocketing demand for aesthetics also encourages the growth of the global laser therapy market. Use of laser therapy in dentistry is also a key market influencer. On the contrary, the growth of the global laser therapy market might be impeded by high costs associated with laser therapy.

Segmentation

The global laser therapy market has been segmented based on type and application.

By type, the global laser therapy market has been segmented into diode lasers, solid state lasers, gas lasers, dye lasers, and others.

By application, the global laser therapy market has been segmented into surgery, dermatology and aesthetics, dental, and others. The surgery segment is further segmented into urology, ophthalmology, and others.

Regional Analysis

The Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, and The Middle East & Africa (MEA) are the key markets for laser therapy.

The Americas is at the forefront of the global laser therapy market. A robust healthcare sector, high expenditure on healthcare, and widespread prevalence of chronic diseases in the region spur the growth of the global laser therapy market. In addition, the regions propensity to incorporate new and advanced technologies in the healthcare sector acts as a plus for the growth of the market. Other factors boosting the growth of the Americas market include growth in a number of aged populace and the presence of key players in the region.

Europe holds the second most significant share of the global laser therapy market. The region invests substantially in R&D activities which coupled with the availability of funds creates a conducive environment for the growth of the laser therapy market in Europe. A broad base of the patient population, well-developed healthcare sector, and high government support contribute to the growth of the market.

APAC is the fastest growing market for laser therapy. Expanding patient pool, development of the healthcare sector in the developing countries of China and India present growth opportunities to the APAC market. Also, increased affordability due to rising disposable income, government endeavors towards the modernization of the healthcare sector are other boosting factors.

The MEA market is likely to exhibit the least share of the global laser therapy market. Limited availability of healthcare facilities, lack of funds, and lack of awareness and dearth of skilled medical professionals constrain the growth of the market over the forecast period, especially in the Africa region. The Middle East accounts for the foremost share of the MEA market and is driven by high healthcare expenditure in the region.

Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/laser-therapy-market-3812

Competitive Landscape

The key players in the global laser therapy market include Biolase Inc. (U.S.), Alma Lasers (Israel), Cutera (U.S.), IRIDEX Corp. (U.S.), Valeant (Canada), Coherent, Inc. (U.S.), and Angiodynamics, Inc. (U.S.).

Industry Updates

In December 2018, TRUMPF GmbH, a company involved in laser technology, announced the acquisition of Photonics GmbH from Philips. Through the acquisition, TRUMPF intends to expand its foothold in the growing markets in the photonics and digital products sectors.

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About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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You tell me that people can survive on honey and herbs. What a nonsense story. Nobody dwells inside a forest, said George Natembeya, an Interior Ministry official in charge of security for a large part of Kenya that includes the Mau. There is no such thing as a forest-dwelling person  these are misnomers. The forest should not have people residing there. With the evictions, what we are stopping is destruction, by Ogieks, and by other Kenyans, and we make no distinction.
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We finally have some final outcomes from the pandemic primary. Election officials were overwhelmed with mail-in ballots for last months Democratic Primary. The counting is taking place very slowly, and just in the past week, a clear picture of the victors on election night began to emerge.

In the 65th Assembly District, incumbent Yuh-Line Niou declared victory on Wednesday, noting in a press release that she claimed about 64% of the vote. Niou said:

After a long process and a few weeks of waiting, I am humbled and honored to announce that we have widened our margins and have decisively won this primary election. We won the democratic vote in every neighborhood and nearly every election district, showing that New Yorkers of all walks of life believe in our bold vision and fight for progressive values. We built a movement driven by the belief that together, we can create a fairer, more just, city and state.

Meanwhile, challenger Grace Lee put out a statement, as well, acknowledging the outcome:

As our election cycle comes to a close, I want to thank the nearly 5,000 voters across Lower Manhattan who believed in our vision for new leadership, and to congratulate my opponent and thank her for a spirited race. I am proud of the movement our supporters built to elevate the critical issues our community faces by calling for real relief to all residents during the pandemic, supporting our small and immigrant-owned businesses, fighting for the safe remediation of the toxic site next to two elementary schools on Water Street, and being the first to call for the cancelation of NYCHA rent Elections like ours are an essential part of maintaining an active democracy that lifts up the voices of our communities and that centers on their needs. I look forward to working alongside our community toward these goals.

The general election will take place Nov. 3, but the primary was the decisive event. In the Lower Manhattan Assembly district, the Democratic nominee is virtually assured of victory.
Protesters clash with police during a rally against the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, in Union Square, New York City, on May 28, 2020. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Teaching Toxic Topics on the Taxpayers Tab

Commentary

It is clear we have real racial problems in this country, problems that need to be worked through as we try to restore some semblance of harmony and understanding among the population.

National healing starts with meaningful conversations, devoid of angry rhetoric and criminal reactions, and needs to include everyone studiously listening to opposing viewpoints. It is the old idea of walking a mile in someone elses shoes and understanding their pain.

What we dont need now are diversity racketeers making a buck off racial turmoil. Unfortunately, that is what is happening, and taxpayers are often footing the bill.

Profiteers calling themselves anti-racism trainers have been hired to lecture white federal employees about their racist attitudes at several agenciesthe Treasury and Justice Departments, the Federal Reserve, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the National Institutes of Health, to name a few. The training sessions start from the premise that virtually all white people contribute to racism, and they dont support doing away with racist institutions. Session leaders insist that all whites must be reprogrammed to rid themselves of their ingrained racial biases. At the core of these diversity lessons is the stated condemnation of an entire race of people: whites.

Wait a minute. Isnt that the exact attitude these trainers say they are trying to combat? How can vilifying an entire race of people to elevate another race ever result in a positive outcome? How can these tactics ever possibly bring us together?

Documentary filmmaker Christopher Rufo has reported extensively about this disturbing trend of anti-racist training. He says there are now dozens of private firms currently offering racial diversity training to government agencies, corporations, and universities. Rufo reports that the tragic death of George Floyd at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer has sparked an uptick in interest in these politically correct, high-cost seminars.

The question, of course, is do they help soothe race relations, or are they simply a feel-good measure that does more harm than good?

The latest course for federal workers is called Difficult Conversations About Race in Troubling Times. White government supervisors are instructed to provide safe spaces where black employees can be seen in their pain explaining what it means to be black to their white counterparts. Whites are instructed to sit in silence and in the discomfort of their individual racism. Whites are told they cannot protest and dont get to decide when someone is being too emotional, too rash (or) too mean. Whites are not allowed to protest if a black colleague responds to their oppression in a way (they) dont like.

Call me crazy, but this doesnt sound like a positive tactic to bring about racial harmony among employees. This approach doesnt help us reach the promised land of a harmonious society or contribute to colleagues understanding the content of their co-workers character. Making whites sit in humiliated silence, atoning for the sins of unidentified bigots, doesnt reveal anything about their true mindset on race relations. This methodology seems tailor-made to instill bitterness and divisiveness.

Also, consider whats happening within the U.S. Army. Recently, the Armys Equity and Inclusion Agency held race-based reeducation seminars for both uniformed and civilian personnel at a facility in Alabama. The idea behind Operation Inclusion was to expand the program to all Army Four-star commands.

Again, it sounds like a good idea to hold sessions designed to foster better race relations. But according to material included in the Operation Inclusion session, whites are never to mention certain ideas and phrases considered racist. Included: the concept that there is only one human race, that blacks can be racially prejudiced against whites and that America should celebrate Columbus Day. Also labeled racist in the Army seminar were the phrases All Lives Matter and Make America Great Again, and if one believes in the concepts of colorblindness, then you are deemed to be no better than a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

I, for one, am mighty tired of self-appointed Speech Police and being told Im an automatic racist when I know in my heart I am not.

Defining an entire race of people as something reprehensibly offensive is not a way to build racial rapport. And paying for such damaging teachings with taxpayers dollars is inexcusable.

Diane Dimond is an author and investigative journalist. Her latest book is Thinking Outside the Crime and Justice Box.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A local councillor has slated what he called the 'total lack of commitment' by Irish Water to invest in water infrastructure in the North County, where villages appeared to be operating at 'full capacity' and a local family was being serviced 'by a portaloo.'

Independent councillor Cathal Boland, speaking at a recent meeting of the council, asked if the local authority was 'satisfied' with the performance of Irish Water's waste water treatment upgrades, which he said were set to cause the county to 'stagnate' in the years ahead.

Cllr Boland pointed to instances in Naul where he said storm water was flowing directly into the Delvin river, and to the case of a family who had moved to rural Fingal who were currently being serviced by a portaloo.

He said there was a 'the lack of commitment' by Irish Water to provide the foul water drainage requirements of the county.

Cllr Bolands sentiments were echoed by a number of local councillors, including Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF), Cllr Paul Mulville (SD) and Cllr Brian Dennehy (FF).

Chief Executive of Fingal County County Council, Ann Marie Farrelly, responding to Cllr Boland, said a key role for the local authority was in identifying 'any constraints' in the county that might prevent development.

The Chief Executive, she said, met with the Managing Director of Irish Water on a regular basis, to try to ensure 'there's full awareness of what is needed in Fingal.'

The local authority was dependent on decisions made by Irish Water to invest, but it 'isn't from lack of information coming from ourselves' as to what was needed, she said.

Investment could be carried out by the council, but it also came from other agencies of government to deliver.

The council, Ms Farrelly concluded, will be lobbying Irish Water in relation to its capital investment, but 'excepting that we'd like it to be a little quicker than it has been up to now.'
BSE Odisha 10th Result 2020: The Board of Secondary Education which conducts the Class 10 examinations of the schools in the state would reveal the date of result announcement on July 27.

BSE president Ramashis Hazra told The Hindustan Times that the results would most likely be announced by July end. A total of 5.6 lakh students had appeared in the class 10 exam held by Board of Secondary Education that ended on March 2. Last year, the class 10 results were announced on May 21.

Though the examination was not affected by the Covid lockdown, the evaluation had to be postponed, he said. The evaluation of the answersheets of was stopped midway as Odisha announced lockdown to stop the spread the Covid-19 virus. Hazra said the Board had to engaged 6000 more evaluators in addition to the 17000 it had initially decided for the evaluation of the answer papers to make up the lost time. The board completed the evaluation process in June.

Officials said the students can check the results through the websites- bseodisha.nic.in, orissaresults.nic.in.
On Thursday, the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) appealed the July 8 decision of Judge Sean F. Cox of the Eastern District Court of Michigan denying the partys lawsuit against the states ballot access requirements during the coronavirus pandemic.

In their comprehensive 64-page opening brief to the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, candidates Joseph Kishore for US President and Norissa Santa Cruz for US Vice President put forward a powerful argument that Coxs ruling is wrong and should be overturned. Cox agreed with Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmers argument that the SEP should have collected signatures on nominating petitions throughout the pandemic in Michigan.

There are thirteen circuit courts in the US. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has 28 judges and covers the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Sixth Circuit Court sits in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The SEP candidates originally filed their lawsuit in federal court in Detroit on June 19 against Governor Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Director of the Michigan Bureau of Elections Jonathan Brater, calling the physical signature-gathering requirement impossible. The lawsuit alleged the requirement left socialist voters like Plaintiffs and their supporters, who for reasons of political principle are unable to vote for non-socialist candidates, unable to vote at all.

The defendants responded to the lawsuit on June 29 and argued that the SEP and it supporters should have been collecting signatures during the pandemic as well as during the state of emergency declaration and stay-at-home orders by Governor Whitmer that began on March 10, 2020. Ten days later, the Republican-appointed Judge Cox issued his ruling on July 8, essentially endorsing the arguments made by the Democratic Party defendants.

In the introduction to the appeal brief, the SEP candidates state that any attempt to collect signatures of voters under the unique circumstances of the pandemic would have constituted a grave risk to the health and lives of their supporters and that Michigans ballot access laws operate as an unconstitutional restriction on their core democratic rights and an effective bar to their participation in the November elections.

Asserting the core democratic rights at stake in the case, the appeal states, Unless this Court intervenes, these core democratic and constitutional rights of Kishore and Santa Cruz and their supporters will be violated, as their campaign will be effectively excluded from the ballot in a critical election year.

The introduction further states that Judge Coxs decision effectively ignores this requirement by glossing over the dangers posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby downplaying the risk to Kishore and Santa Cruz and their supporters. The significant health risks of petitioning during the pandemic are then elaborated in a description of the devastating impact of the coronavirus on the Michigan population with 6,300 deaths and over 75,000 positive cases since the crisis began.

The appeal brief states that Michigans ballot access requirement combined with the pandemic and the ongoing stay-at-home order severely burden the Appellants First and Fourteenth Amendment rights as candidates and as voters. The SEP candidates state that the appeals court should impose an injunction on the Michigan government officials and Kishore and Santa Cruz should be placed on the ballot or provided with a procedure for gaining access that does not involve a risk of death or serious illness.

The SEP brief presents a detailed review of the election campaign from the initial announcement of Kishore and Santa Cruz as the partys candidates on January 21, 2020 through to the cancellation of all campaign activities in early March due to the pandemic. The SEP decided to suspend all subsequent public events, including future plans for ballot gathering initiatives, in order to protect volunteers, staff and the public at large from spreading the coronavirus, the brief states.

The appeal quotes several statements by Governor Whitmer that directly contradict the position being argued in court that the SEP should be collecting signatures to be placed on the ballot. One of these was a press conference on July 9, where the Governor focused on the increasing spread of the virus in Michigan during June and July, saying, If we let our guard down, we could see a rapid increase in cases and deaths here in Michigan.  Weve got to all work together to protect one another.

The appeal brief also reviews in detail the history of the SEP (and its predecessor the Workers League) in Michigan, including the relocation of the partys center to Southeast Michigan in 1978, the large readership in Michigan of the World Socialist Web Site, the numerous elections in which the organization has achieved statewide ballot access going back to the 1984 presidential elections and many other campaigns and initiatives of the party in Detroit and surrounding areas over the past three decades.

The candidates noted the growing support for the SEP over the years and argue that, had they been able to run a ballot drive statewide this year, the total number of required signatures was certainly well within their reach, especially in light of a rapid leftward shift in the population and the growing popularity of socialism.

Specifically addressing Judge Coxs ruling, the SEP appeal points to the significant fact that the Eastern District Court of Michigan took no interest and failed to even mention either the virus death toll or to the rapid spread of the disease throughout the state, or the objective risk of death to the SEP members, their supporters, and the general public, referencing only health concerns.

In one particularly notable section, in exposing the absurdity of the states arguments for petitioning during the pandemic, the brief describes a hypothetical interaction between an SEP campaigner collecting signatures and a Michigan voter. After the campaigner asks for a signature explaining that Joseph Kishore is running for president to warn the working class about the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic, the voter asks, If you care so much about my safety, why are you standing so close to me and spreading your droplets all over me?

After the campaigner explains that the SEP has to gather 12,000 signatures to get Kishore on the ballot, the Michigan voter says, So you are willing to sacrifice my health and the health of tens of thousands of others just to get your own candidate on the ballot? I will not vote for someone so selfish. If you think socialists are better than the two parties, why dont I see any Democrat or Republican candidate violating social distancing by shoving a clipboard in my face?

In summarizing its argument before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the brief states that the review of the past six months shows that the SEP was forced to abstain from signature gathering because doing so would have caused death and alienated their supporters. The U.S. Constitution protects them from deciding between exercising their rights and saving their lives and the lives of their supporters and voters.

A major argument made in both recent rulings against the partys lawsuits in Michigan and California is that by refusing to petition during the pandemic, the SEP lacked diligence. This argument is dealt with in some length in the appeals brief by turning the whole issue around and stating, no reasonably diligent candidates can or would comply with Michigans requirements under conditions of the coronavirus pandemic and that the SEP, in fact, exercised reasonable diligence, by conscientiously abstaining from signature gathering during the pandemic.

In summing up, the appeal returns to the topic of diligence, stating that the Michigan government officials are telling the SEP that the only way they can exercise their fundamental rights is to violate the law, violate their principles and risk their lives and the lives of their potential supporters in the public. However, the candidates state that there is nothing reasonable about the states definition of reasonable diligence, especially when the Democratic and Republican parties are allowed to hold their nominating conventions virtually in August, without any health risk to their candidates or supporters.

With this argument, the SEP is making clear that the ruling against the Michigan ballot access lawsuit is fundamentally to keep socialists and working-class candidates off the ballot for President of the United States and protect the two-party monopoly of the capitalist class under conditions of rapidly growing interest in and support for socialism.
Keep following this logic, and you might conclude that if Planned Parenthood really took anti-racism seriously it would repent of its support for abortion, and devote itself exclusively to helping support African-American pregnancies instead.

Are you convinced? I expect not. Maybe you think the decline of the two-parent family is strictly about de-industrialization. Maybe you believe the benefits of abortion access for minority women outweigh whatever power lower birthrates cost the African-American community writ large.

Maybe you think the nuclear family was itself a form of white or Western oppression, and any anti-racism that requires its revival isnt worthy of the name. (This appears to be the position of the official Black Lives Matters organization.) Or maybe you simply think abortion is an absolute human right, which must be defended even if, as policy, it appears to have a disparate racial impact.

Each of these claims could spin out another column in response. For now, I just want the skeptical reader to consider, through the case of Planned Parenthoods history and abortions social consequences, just how complicated the questions opened up by concepts like structural racism and the racism/anti-racism binary can become.

Followed rigorously to their conclusions, they may lead to surprising or inconvenient ideological conclusions, to intersectional dilemmas no doctrine can resolve, or just to a deep uncertainty about the best path to racial redress.

Or they might even lead to a creeping sense that Clarence Thomas has a point: that at the very moment that America finally granted African-Americans full citizenship, it also embarked on a separate social revolution, whose most ruthless feature  the belief that equality and liberty require removing protections from unborn human life  left a specific stamp on the African-American experience, just as the most ruthless features of our history always do.
European Foundation for South Asian Studies has reported against the preliminary analysis of weapons found along Myanmar-Thailand border region, indicated that China may be funding insurgents in India's North-East region in a new "diplo-terrorism" strategy, bid to expand influence in the region.

The recent seizure of a large quantity of illegal Chinese weapons in Mae Tao region, which is on the Thai side of the Myanmar-Thailand border, has given rise to Indias fear of another attempt to reignite insurgency in its North-East region, a European-based think tank said.

Citing a June 23 report published in The Irrawaddy, the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said, While preliminary investigations have suggested that the weapons may have been destined for insurgent groups in Myanmar, the development has nonetheless raised antennae within security circles in New Delhi. It has also reignited the serious questions that had existed for long about the scope and depth of Chinas support to terrorist groups in the region in pursuit of its policy of what a Thailand-based organisation termed  diplo-terrorism.

While confirming the report that the weapons seized from the Myanmar-Thailand border belonged to China, The Irrawaddy quoted a source from an ethnic armed organisation based on the border, as saying, They are not the weapons currently used by the AA (Arakan Army). The weapons manufactured by the Wa (United Wa State Army) and the KIA (Kachin Independence Army) are not up to much. They cannot fire on automatic. The seized weapons are original and Chinese-made.

Also read: US inaugurates China Working Group to counter threats from CCP

Also read: The truth behind Chinas Ladakh Spy sats and how it planned Galwan heist

Indian insurgents from the countrys North-Eastern states who have been sheltering for years in Myanmar, as well as the AA that has its roots in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, both present security challenges for India. In addition to being threats to national security, they are also irritants that impact Indias Act East Policy. The Indian suspicion, not without basis, is that impeding the progress of Indias Act East projects has assumed weight in Chinas strategic thinking. The influx of Chinese weapons is, accordingly, in tune with such thinking, the EFSAS said.

With regard to this matter, on July 20, Indias Ambassador to Thailand, Suchitra Durai, held a meeting with Unsit Sampuntharat, Governor of Tak province of Thailand in which Mae Sot is located. Meanwhile, the Indian security agencies have also been in touch with their counterparts in Myanmar and Thailand to get further details about the seized consignment.

Citing a study titled Chinas diplo-terrorism in Myanmar by Anders Corr, a former civilian worker for the United States military intelligence, that appeared in the Bangkok-based LiCAS.news, EFSAS said, China was supplying funds and sophisticated weaponry to the AA, a terrorist organisation, in a bid to expand its diplomatic influence in Myanmar.

An object lesson in diplo-terrorism is the leverage over Myanmar and India that China gained by arming the Arakan Army, operating in the corridor from North-East India over Myanmars Chin and Rakhine states to the Indian Ocean. The evidence of China using violence by ethnic militias in Myanmar against its competitors demonstrates the violent side of its Belt and Road development project, which not only ensnares recipients in debt traps, but seeks to bar competitors through violent means deployed by criminal sub-state actors, Corr was quoted as saying.

Sadly, Chinas conception of its role in the world seems to be guided by exactly the zero-sum conflict over territory and influence that it accuses others of fomenting. It does not limit itself to soft power. Rather, Beijing associates with the lowest-level forms of terrorist and gangland violence in order to attain its diplomatic objectives, Corr said.

The Amsterdam-based think tank recalled US Senator Larry Pressler as saying, during his visit to Kolkata in 2002, that China was the worlds major source of small arms proliferation that was fuelling conflicts from Morocco to Malaysia.

Similarly in 2015, strategic analyst Wasbir Hussain said, China, in fact, holds the key to the availability of weapons and ammunition among the terror groups in North-East India that is actually keeping insurgency alive in this far-eastern frontier.

The EFSAS opined that while Chinas acts of violation of the international order are increasing since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, it is high time that state sponsorship of terrorism by China is acknowledged, exposed and accorded the serious corrective attention that it eminently deserves.

Also read: India must speak up on CCPs expansionist policy: Report

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Even in the best of times, there's always an element of political risk when a minority government calls a snap election. That risk is exponentially greater in the midst of a pandemic  and yet, some governments across the country may be tempted.

But not one of them has been bold enough to pull the plug yet.

The temptation is understandable. Across the country, parties in power are seeing a surge in support over their handling of the pandemic.

A bump in the polls is often the root cause of early elections. Minority governments tend to end for one of two reasons: a popular governing party believes it can turn a minority into a majority, or the opposition believes an unpopular governing party is ripe for replacement.

Fixed election date laws in most provinces prevent majority governments from cashing in on newfound support. While these laws can be bypassed easily, voter revulsion usually has kept majority governments from trying it.

But these polling surges could make some minority governments think about rolling the dice  unless COVID-19 makes them think twice.

Speculation about the possibility of a late summer election in New Brunswick was feverish just recently. Premier Blaine Higgs has presided over a fragile minority government since 2018. The most recent big survey, conducted by Narrative Research in May, put his Progressive Conservatives 18 percentage points ahead of the opposition Liberals. That's quite a swing from his party's six-point deficit in the popular vote in the last election.

But this week, Higgs voiced some doubts about holding an election in the short term. While he didn't rule one out entirely, he said it wasn't his preference and he acknowledged "there's mixed feelings, because many people would say, 'Is there a need? Is there a bigger concern around the health risks?'"

Asked this week about the possibility of an early election, British Columbia Premier John Horgan said that a vote is "mandated by next October. So, there's an opportunity this fall. There's an opportunity next spring. There's an opportunity next summer.''

Story continues

It's the first inkling Horgan has given that an election is on his mind.

His statement was denounced by B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson. It also drew fire from B.C. Green Leader Adam Olsen, with whom Horgan's New Democrats have an agreement to keep their government running.

With only a year left before the clock runs out, B.C.'s minority government has been remarkably stable. Most minority governments fall within two years. But Horgan's poll numbers are up significantly. The most recent survey by EKOS Research puts the gap between the NDP and the Liberals at 17 points  enough to deliver the widest margin of victory of any B.C. election since 2001.

Chad Hipolito / Canadian Press

In Newfoundland and Labrador, an election must be held within a year of a new premier being sworn in. The governing Liberals will name their new leader next month  at which point the clock starts ticking.

But not all minority governments are eyeing the exits. There has been little talk of an early election in Prince Edward Island, where one poll suggests Dennis King's PC government enjoys a 32-point lead over the opposition Greens and Liberals.

In Ottawa, the federal Liberals are still leading in the polls by a significant margin. It is unclear what impact the WE contract controversy will have on Liberal support in the longer term; in the meantime, the opposition Conservatives appear content with extracting their pound of flesh from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

Despite the Liberals' sudden vulnerability, the Conservatives have not threatened to bring down the government (though the Bloc Quebecois said on Friday it would try to defeat the government in September if Trudeau and Morneau do not resign). But because of that vulnerability, it appears unlikely the Liberals will take the risk of calling an election on their own  something which seemed plausible (if risky) just a few weeks ago.

COVID-19 makes no exceptions for democracy

There's one very good reason why minority governments  even popular ones  ought to think twice before kicking off an election campaign right now: the global pandemic that has killed over 600,000 people, including nearly 9,000 Canadians.

After dropping to an average of some 270 cases per day in early July from 1,800 or so at its peak in May, the country is now averaging about 500 new cases per day. There have been spikes in Alberta and Saskatchewan and rising trend lines in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.

Canadians are increasingly worried about pandemic. The weekly tracking survey from Leger shows the percentage of Canadians afraid of contracting the disease increased 10 points over the last few weeks to 61 per cent  the highest level since April. The same poll found that 82 per cent of respondents believe there will be a second wave of infections.

Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press

That would make an early election call perilous. The rising caseload  along with the cautionary tale offered by the uncontrolled spread of the disease in the United States  means the political blowback against any party seen as responsible for forcing a dangerous early election could be ruinous.

Risking people's lives for the sake of political gain is something most voters would find appalling. It also would make a four-week campaign unpredictable. The COVID-19 situation in Canada a month ago looked much different than it does now. How it will look in another four weeks is anybody's guess.

That might be enough to hold governing parties back from the brink. Opposition parties also need to be careful not to engineer  or allow themselves to be blamed for  a government's defeat.

That's a particularly acute risk for parties without leaders. The federal Conservatives and Greens, as well as the P.E.I. Liberals and the B.C. Greens, are all in the midst of their own leadership campaigns.

Voting in the time of COVID

Elections officials still have to be prepared for an early election, even if it's not likely to happen.

Canada will get its first taste of pandemic campaigning in Saskatchewan in just a few months. The province is scheduled to hold its fixed-date provincial election on Oct. 26. The province's electoral authority is building up its stocks of masks and hand sanitizer and is planning to implement physical distancing measures in polling places and encourage voters to bring their own pens or pencils.

But it's the situation south of the border which could shape many Canadians' views of what an election looks like in a pandemic climate.

As the number of new cases and deaths continues to rise in the United States, the country is still going ahead with its constitutionally-required election on Nov. 3. It might not go well.

Evan Vucci / Associated Press

Most states will allow Americans to vote by mail, but a few states might still require voters to state a reason for requesting a mail-in ballot. Fear of contracting a deadly disease in some of these states will not fit the bill.

Mail-in voting is also not without its issues. Not every voter has equal access to reliable postal service. Voter registration rules will differ from one state to another  unlike federal elections in Canada, U.S. federal elections are run at the state level  and the validation measures for every ballot will not be uniform.

For many Americans, in-person voting will be their best or only option and long lines at a reduced number of polling locations  such as the ones we saw in a few states during the presidential primaries  could discourage turnout.

In a country with a history of legislated attempts to disenfranchise Black and other minority voters, the potential for entire swathes of the electorate to struggle to have their ballots counted is huge.

It also doesn't help that U.S. President Donald Trump has actively tried to undermine the legitimacy of the result in advance, making unfounded claims that mail-in voting will be rife with voter fraud. Complicating things further is the fact that, with so many mail-in ballots to count, the results could be unclear for a few days.

It all could be enough to put any Canadian voter off the idea of an election until the pandemic is well behind us. But the timing of that election could depend in part on whether Canadian politicians believe the rewards might be greater than the risks.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has forced change upon businesses across the world.

The tourism industry has taken a massive hit, with virtually no visitors travelling anywhere for a number of months.

The Irish government still recommend against non-essential overseas travel, meaning that the tourism industry here has had to turn its attention to attracting domestic tourists.

For some businesses, this is not ideal. But for some, it has given them a chance to focus on domestic tourism.

For Dermot Mooney of Ox Mountain Adventure Camp at Masshill, things are looking up.

"We're very happy with how the next few months are looking for us," he told The Sligo Champion.

"We're pretty much all booked up until September. It's all domestic tourists that we have staying, people are travelling from all over Ireland."

The Ox Mountain Adventure Camp sits in, as the name suggests, the Ox Mountains. It's largely self catering, with a treehouse, log cabin, a bus that has been converted for people to stay in, and accommodation for tents.

All of their bookings and enquiries coming in are from tourists based in Ireland, which is a change, but the Mooney family are pleased with this.

"I'd say about 90% of our visitors normally are from overseas. We would usually have people coming from as far away as Spain, Italy, America. This year it's all people living in Ireland and they are taking short breaks. And we're OK with that."

In terms of changes they have had to make to comply with guidelines for accommodation providers, Dermot says there is less interaction with guests. But they are continuing to take care with regards to thoroughly cleaning each area of accommodation before new guests arrive.

"We're doing exactly what we were doing before. Each unit is cleaned thoroughly after each visit anyway. There's not much more that we can do.

"There's no shaking hands, that's gone. There's no reason for people to see us at the minute so that's OK. People don't have to meet us."

This year, the adventure camp opened a semi-open bus which has been converted into comfortable accommodation. It's been a big hit so far.

With Irish tourists looking for somewhere different to stay, you can see why bookings are filling up fast for Dermot and his family.

"We're close to Lough Easkey, Mass Rock, the Wild Atlantic Way and Enniscrone is on the doorstep.

"It's nice to see local people staying too. We've had families from only down the road staying with us, we have some rabbits and hens and children love that.

"One of our biggest things is that we have no internet, no WiFi. We don't promote mobile coverage, that seems to work because people have to get back to basics and play cards or go for walks."

With business looking up for the rest of the year, Dermot ends on a positive note.

"We have bookings now starting to come in for short breaks in October. Other years winter would be quiet. I think we are all in for a good year."
Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to hit the southern Texas coast as a hurricane on Saturday afternoon or early evening, forecasters said, all while another tropical storm approached the Caribbean.

Hanna was centered about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, the US National Hurricane Center said early Saturday. The storm had maximum sustained winds around 65 mph (100 kph) and was moving west at 8 mph (13 kph).

A hurricane warning is in effect for Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay, a span that includes Corpus Christi. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Barra el Mezquital, Mexico, to Port Mansfield, Texas, and from Mesquite Bay to High Island, Texas.

A storm surge warning is in effect for Baffin Bay to Sargent. Storm surge up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) was forecast for that area. People were advised to protect life and property from high water.

Forecasters said Hanna could bring 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain through Sunday night  with isolated totals of 15 inches (38 centimeters)  in addition to coastal swells that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Hanna broke the record as the earliest eighth Atlantic named storm, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. The previous record was Harvey on Aug. 3, 2005, Klotzbach tweeted.

Tropical Storm Gonzalo was also the earliest Atlantic named storm for its place in the alphabet. The previous record was held by Tropical Storm Gert, which formed on July 24, 2005. So far this year, Cristobal, Danielle, Edouard and Fay also set records for being the earliest named Atlantic storm for their alphabetic order.

Gonzalo was moving west at 17 mph (30 kph) while its maximum sustained winds held at 40 mph (65 kph), according to the National Hurricane Centers update early Saturday. It was centered about 240 miles (390 kilometers) east of Trinidad.

Officials said that those in the Windward Islands should monitor the storm as it is expected to approach the islands Saturday afternoon or evening. The storm is expected to weaken as it moves into the Caribbean Sea.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tobago and Grenada and its dependencies. Forecasters said GUS

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San Francisco, July 25 : Google has launched a new Lacuna Fund which is the worlds first collaborative nonprofit effort to directly address the missing labeled data in the field of languages to health and agriculture and more.

There is currently a lack of relevant, labeled data to represent and address the challenges that face much of the world's population.

"To help close this gap, Google.org is making a $2.5 million grant alongside The Rockefeller Foundation, Canada's International Development Resource Center (IDRC) and Germany's GiZ FAIR Forward to launch Lacuna Fund," said Daphne Luong, Director, Google AI.

The fund aims to unlock the power of machine learning by providing data scientists, researchers, and social entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income communities around the world with resources to produce labeled datasets that address urgent problems, Google said in a statement this week.

Machine learning has shown enormous promise for social good, whether in helping respond to global health pandemics or reach citizens before natural disasters hit.

But even as machine learning technology becomes increasingly accessible, social innovators still face significant barriers in their efforts to use this technology to unlock new solutions.

Labeled data is a particular type of data that is useful in generating machine learning models.

Google said that the fund will provide resources and support to produce new labeled datasets, as well as augment or update existing ones to be more representative, relevant and sustainable.

To create a labeled dataset, example data is systematically "tagged" by knowledgeable humans with one or more concepts or entities each one represents.

For example, a researcher might label short videos of insects with their type; images of fungi with whether or not they are harmful to plants around them; or passages of Swahili text with the parts of speech that each word represents.

In turn, these datasets could enable biologists to track insect migration; farmers to accurately identify threats to their crops; and Swahili speakers to use an automated text messaging service to get vital health information.

"Thanks in part to the rise of cloud computing, in particular services like Cloud AutoML and libraries like TensorFlow, AI is increasingly able to help address society's most pressing issues," said Luong.
<! Dr Aliyu Sokomba NARD President >

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors(NARD) on Saturday has given the government another warning to resume its suspended nationwide strike.

In a fresh ultimatum, it said the government has three weeks to meet its demands.

President of the Association, Aliyu Sokomba, gave the new strike threat at a news briefing in Abuja on Saturday.

The association on 22 June, suspended its nationwide strike, after a virtual meeting of over 300 of its members.

Sokomba said the suspension, which came after one week of work boycott, was to enable the Federal and state governments meet its demands.

Some of the demands of the association are:

* provision of adequate PPE for all healthcare workers

*Immediate reversal of the disengagement of 26 resident doctors at the University Teaching Hospital in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

*Universal implementation of the Medical Residency Training Act in all Federal and State Hospitals

*Pay parity among doctors of an equal cadre.

*Implementation of the revised hazard allowances

* payment of COVID-19 inducement allowances

*immediate refund all cuts in salaries of their colleagues in Kaduna and other states.

Related
After eight years of the construction of the Asomdwee Park, the burial place of former President John Evans Atta Mills, the place is to be developed into a befitting national monument.



In line with that, the sod was yesterday cut for work to begin immediately to transform the park into a place befitting the status of the late President, who ruled Ghana from January 7, 2009 until his sudden death on July 24, 2012.



The GHc4.4-million Asomdwee Park Redevelopment Project, which is expected to be completed within the next six months, will involve general maintenance of the park, refurbishment of dilapidated buildings and the provision of drainage infrastructure.



Other works include the construction of a mast and a protective wall and the laying of new pavement.



The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Coastal Development Authority (CODA), Mr Jerry Ahmed Shaib, announced this at a commemorative event by the Atta-Mills Institute to mark the eighth anniversary of the death of the former President in Accra yesterday.



President direction



Mr Shaib said the decision was a directive from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



"I have been directed by President Akufo-Addo to fund the redevelopment of the Asomdwee Park to transform it into a national monument befitting its status as the final resting place of former President Mills.



"The government will continue to support the Atta-Mills Institute in recognition of the late Professors invaluable contribution to the development of this country," he said.



The CEO also gave an assurance that the government would protect the legacies of the late former President.



Ceremony



The solemn wreath-laying ceremony, held on the theme: "8 years on ...: Still in our hearts", was attended by a Presidential Advisor in the Office of the President, Mr Ken Amankwa; a former Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho; the CEO of the Atta-Mills Institute, Mr Koku Anyidoho, as well as some family members of the late President.



Mr Amankwa laid the first wreath on behalf of President Akufo-Addo for the people of Ghana, while the son of the late former President, Mr Kofi Atta-Mills, and Mr Koku

Anyidoho laid the second and the third wreaths for the family of Prof. Mills and the Atta-Mills Institute, respectively.



President eulogise Atta-Mills



In a speech delivered on his behalf, President Akufo-Addo described the late President as "selfless, a fighter for social justice, an anti-corruption crusader and peace-loving leader who was committed to national duty.



The President also eulogised the former President for remaining committed to the peace and unity of the country even when there were moments of extreme political pressure on him.



"Let us appraise ourselves of the exemplary leadership of Prof. Mills and make conscious efforts to live his good life," he said.

President Akufo-Addo urged politicians to learn from the good leadership example of Prof. Mills by putting the country first in everything they did.



He described the former President as a peace-loving person who built bridges across the political divide, adding that people who wielded power should use their offices to promote peace and unity in the country.



Appreciation



For his part, Mr Anyidoho described former President Mills as a teacher and mentor whose memories would remain with Ghanaians forever.



He expressed gratitude to the government for taking the bold step to transform the Asomdwee Park into a national monument, saying the gesture by the government was an indication that the late former President lived a life that focused on national unity and development.



He urged people to put away their political colours when dealing with key national issues and rather focus on matters of national development.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Quan talks about measures to keep workers employed amid difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many workers have been put on leave due to difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Photo for illustration Vietnamplus

The third quarter is thought to see peak unemployment due to a drop in export orders. What do you think about this?

The trend to cut jobs will depend on each occupation, sector and business. In this situation, businesses often classify employees in three categories. The first group includes workers who will have their contracts terminated immediately to help businesses cut costs. The second group includes workers who will be furloughed or put on leave so that businesses still keep these workers. This group of workers is often hard to recruit while costly to train. The last group includes key employees.

The drop in employment in July and August will primarily affect workers who are easy to employ and train. Businesses will cut jobs when they do not have orders. When a pandemic happens, this group of workers is the most vulnerable.

What policies does the Government have to support workers?

The plan to support businesses in the last six months of the year will be built based on the real employment situation.

Those workers who lost jobs because their businesses are encountering difficulties due to COVID-19 will get unemployment allowance.

The Government will have policies to encourage businesses to get loans to pay furlough grants for workers who were furloughed or put on leave following Government Resolution No42 on helping individuals and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of July 16, only one business has received credit to pay furlough grants to their workers. What has the ministry done to deal with this problem?

It is forecast that more businesses will encounter difficulties in the last six months of the year. As a result, businesses are allowed to borrow money to pay salaries for their employees for a maximum of three months. The time for workers being put on leave is counted between January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, instead of only April, May and June as regulated before.

We have also loosened some regulations for business to get loans. Previously, only businesses who suffered financial difficulties could apply for the loans but now all businesses who have workers put on leave can get the loans.

The ministry is adjusting loan conditions towards removing difficult conditions and will consult the Ministry of Finance, the State Bank of Vietnam and the Bank for Social Policies before submitting to the Government for approval.

The ministry supports loosening loan conditions because when a business gets a loan to pay for workers, the workers will not lose their jobs which means the State will not have to deal with unemployment and the Fund for Unemployment Insurance will not have to pay unemployment allowance for workers. So when we earmark the State budget to provide loans for businesses to pay salary for workers, we will get other social benefits.

What measures are needed to minimise the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market?

An economic development cycle has an average of 3-5 years. So it is necessary to abide by the regulation to fully pay unemployment insurance within the three years of good development of the economy. As a result, when the economy enters a recession period and the number of unemployed workers increases, we will use the fund for unemployment insurance to pay workers to ensure their minimum living standards. Apart from paying allowance for workers, we can also use the fund to train or change jobs for workers.

During the recession period, both employees and employers need to prepare for the new development cycle so training and re-training for workers are very important.

The COVID-19 pandemic does not follow any development cycle but has created a crisis that has left many workers unemployed. However, if we can put the pandemic under control and have proactive preparation, we can have appropriate human resources for the next development period when the economy is forecast to boom again after the pandemic ends. VNS

Covid-19 affects 30.8 million employees in Vietnam Some 30.8 million employees aged over 15 in Vietnam had been left reeling from the coronavirus pandemic by June, with roughly eight million being laid off or having their working hours reduced and 17.6 million given salary cuts.
University Grants Commission (UGC) told the Bombay Court that the govt of Maharashtra cannot decide on its own upon cancelling the university exams. UGC said that not holding exams and promoting students without conducting the exams will affect the standards of higher education in the country.

University Grants Commission (UGC) stated before Bombay High Court that state governments do not have the authority to cancel university exams after UGC guided them to hold the exams. UGC said that the decision of Maharashtra government of not holding exams and promoting students will affect the quality of higher education in the country. Maharashtra government is in the favour to defer exams to avoid the spread of coronavirus, while the UGC thinks that doing so will affect the standards of higher education in the country.

UGC made this remark in reply to a PIL that was filed challenging Maharashtra governments decision of June 19 to pass over 10 lakh undergraduates and postgraduates. The state government decided to confer degrees to both traditional and professional courses by internally assessing the students based on their previous marks. On July 31, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipankar Datta will conduct a hearing on pleas and PIL for and against the conduct of the exams.

In an affidavit by UGCs education minister Dr Nikhil Kumar, he mentioned that the universities in the country were instructed to hold semester/final exams by September end. The affidavit further said that the decision of Maharashtra govt opposed UGCs revised guidelines that were released on July 6.

Also read: Stay in India, Study in India: HRD Ministry forms committee to further education opportunities

Also read: Gujarat Board postpones GUJCET 2020, know new date here

Kumar said that it was a matter directly affecting standards of higher education in the country and will be an encroachment on the legislative field of coordinating and determining standards of higher education which is exclusively reserved for that parliament.

UGC said that the revised guidelines took care of the pandemic as it allowed universities to conduct exams in online and offline, both modes. States were also allowed to conduct exams in a blend of both online and offline manner. The UGC also said that the universities were given enough time till September end to hold exams with all the safety protocols.

Also read: HP SOS 12th result 2020 declared: Only 28.95% students pass

For all the latest Education and Jobs News, download NewsX App
The Roanoke Times

Republicans who are worried that the District of Columbia might become the 51st state are worried about the wrong thing. They ought to be worried about finding the 54th state. Wait, what happened to the 52nd and 53rd states? Be advised: History is coming.

The argument for making the District of Columbia the 51st state  as Douglass Commonwealth, a nod toward Frederick Douglass that nicely preserves the D.C. address  is a simple one thats as old as the republic. No taxation without representation.

D.C .  whatever it stands for  has more people than some states, those states being Vermont and Wyoming. The argument advanced by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, that D.C. doesnt deserve statehood while Wyoming does because Wyoming is a well-rounded working-class state sounds like the dog whistle that it is. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, had the best retort to that: Lets rank the virtue of every profession and if your state has too many workers in the bottom 20% you get kicked out of America. Yes, D.C. is a city  and Wyoming is a vast stretch of mostly empty land. Are we saying that rural areas are morally more deserving of statehood than urban ones? Cottons better argument is that D.C. statehood is a naked power grab by Democrats to pick up two additional U.S. senators. That skips over the taxation without representation argument but does put us onto territory that Americans have argued over before. Namely: Should we admit this particular state because it would benefit that particular political party?

Politics have often factored into which states got admitted and when  and the solution has been an easy one. The two parties compromised and admitted multiple states at once to balance things out. We learned in school about the Missouri Compromise of 1820  Maine and Missouri were admitted the same year so that the balance of free states and slave states could stay the same. When California was admitted in 1850, there was the understanding that it would send one pro-slavery and one anti-slavery senator to Washington.

Even after the Civil War, states were often admitted two-by-two in Noahs Ark fashion to preserve political equilibrium. Or something like that. In 1888, Democrats proposed admitting four states  Montana and New Mexico were presumed to favor Democrats, Dakota and Washington were counted in the Republican column. Unfortunately for Democrats, Republicans that year swept the congressional elections. Democrats worried that Republicans might admit only two Republican states, so they agreed to a lopsided deal: Congress would admit one Democratic state (Montana), and three Republican ones (Washington, and the Dakota Territory split into South Dakota and North Dakota). Republicans basically gamed the system to squeeze more senators out of the Dakotas. Poor New Mexico would have to wait until 1912. Even the dual admission of Alaska and Hawaii in 1959 was politically driven. Alaska was presumed Democratic and Hawaii was presumed Republican.

Sharp-eyed readers already know how wrong these calculations were. Today Alaska is quite Republican and Hawaii is very Democratic. And while Republicans were right about the Dakotas, both parties were wrong about the other states: Montana today is pretty Republican and Washington is Democratic. Things change. Hold that thought.

Still, its hard to see D.C. ever voting Republican under todays politics, so Republicans can either oppose that  or find a new state to counterbalance it. The obvious choice is Puerto Rico, which has its own claim to statehood. Its already bigger than 20 states. Language isnt the real obstacle; we have no official language. Politically, its the assumption that Puerto Rico would vote Democratic. Whether it really would is unclear. The current governor identifies as a Republican. So does the islands non-voting representative to Congress. Its entirely possible that Democrats could vote to admit Puerto Rico and find that theyve admitted a swing state at best. Republicans ought to see Puerto Rico as an opportunity, although they probably dont.

So where can they go to find two new states that would be reliably Republican? Guam is a wild card. Its incredibly small  about 166,000 people, so even smaller than Wyomings 579,000. Politically, it swings both ways. Its governor and territorial legislature are currently Democratic but overall Republicans have won 8 of the islands 13 gubernatorial elections. Guam could well be a Republican-leaning state.

Still, Republicans need one more state to balance D.C. and Puerto Rico and even Guam. Are there states theyd want to split in two the way they did the Dakotas? There have been multiple attempts to split up California; northern California is mostly red. You cant split a state without its permission, though, and California seems unlikely to give that. Is there a Republican state that would give such permission? Heres a suggestion, one rooted in history: Revive the State of Franklin.

In 1784, North Carolina gave up some of its land west of the Blue Ridge  what we now call eastern Tennessee  to Congress to help pay war debts. Except Congress didnt want the land. The short version: The settlers there decided to form their own state  the State of Franklin. It elected a governor, a legislature, set up a court system and applied for admission under the Articles of Confederation. Seven states voted to admit Franklin  but that wasnt enough. For a few years, Franklin existed in limbo  essentially an independent republic that made its own treaties with native tribes. Eventually, North Carolina reclaimed the territory, and even more eventually, Tennessee was formed. But theres a historical precedent here. Bring back the State of Franklin. You say its too small? Then all those people who earlier this year were clamoring for Vexit  for Southwest Virginia to join West Virginia  should look south and not west. Draw a new state that runs from Knoxville to Roanoke. Put the state capital in between  Franklin had its capital in Greeneville.

Now, Republicans in Virginia may not like this  they have a hard time winning now; theyd have a harder time without Southwest Virginia. And this may not be good for the people of Southwest Virginia, either. Our school systems are subsidized by the state government, which means theyre subsidized by Northern Virginia. We wouldnt like having to pay for them on our own. But if Republicans ever need to find a new state, Franklins been there all along.
Photo: Getty

Broadcasters have brought into question Boris Johnsons alleged junk food advertising ban, claiming they could be forced to make cuts of more than 200m ($255.8m) to programme budgets.

The government is rumoured to be launching an aggressive strategy restricting how unhealthy food is sold in efforts to combat obesity in the UK.

If brought into play, junk food ads before 9pm would be nixed.

ITV would be in line to lose about 100m of income if a pre-watershed ban is implemented, according to television industry estimates reported in The Guardian.

Channel 4 would also suffer an estimated 40m annual blow, which is nearly a tenth of its programming budget for the year.

READ MORE: Junk food ad ban speculation rattles UK food industry

The governments full plan has not been released, leaving broadcasters guessing in the meantime.

This move may leave channels vulnerable to losing out to Netflix, which relies on subscription fees rather than advertising revenue.

Yesterday, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has called the plans a slap in the face after the industrys hard work to keep the UK fed during COVID-19.

If measures go ahead hard-pressed shoppers could see their weekly shop costs rise at an average cost of 600 per family, it said.

Alongside this, UK TV ad spend has already seen record rates of decline since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

An annual report from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising found that UK ad budgets have contracted at the quickest pace since data collection began 20 years ago.

It also found that 50.7% of UK companies slashed their budgets between March and June.

Recent NHS studies have shown that a large proportion of adults in the UK are overweight. Research also suggests that being overweight puts you at a higher risk from coronavirus and can put you at greater risk of serious illness or death.
January 15, 2011, was a Saturday. It was snowing in New York, but I perked up when I was told that the United Nations (UN) undersecretary-general for political affairs wanted to speak to me. Being new on the UN Security Council (UNSC), I braced myself to deal with a matter of grave importance for international peace and security. The call was about jeeps.

India served on the UNSC from 2011 to 2012, a time which saw much happening on the world stage including the Arab Spring and the start of the conflict in Syria. Indias first major act as a part of the UNSC was to end the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). I was Indias deputy permanent representative to the UN at the time.

In November 2006, the Government of Nepal and the Maoists signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end a civil war that had wracked the country for over a decade. To disarm the rebel army, on Nepals request, the UNSC established UNMIN.

This was a political  not peacekeeping  mission to monitor the disarming of the rebels and help with elections for a new constituent assembly. As a goodwill gesture, India provided many jeeps (Tata vehicles, Mahindra Scorpios etc) to help UNMIN with its transport needs along with containers for arms storage.

UNMINs mandate was extended several times  UN officials with peacekeeping and political mandates have a tendency to find new reasons to stretch their mission, often believing that they are responsible for running the country. In Nepal, this mission creep was restrained, as all sides agreed that UNMIN succeeded in its mission. And so, in 2010, the Government of Nepal made a strong case to the international community to end UNMIN. The UNSC adopted a resolution ordering the winding up of UNMIN by May 15, 2010 (the operations ended only on January 15, 2011).

The surrendered weapons were to be handed over to the Nepal Army, which irked UNMIN for it was seen as a force supposedly representing the status quo. Indeed, I recall at least two visits by UNMINs head of mission to see me in New York and repeatedly emphasise the unsuitability of the Nepal Army as a monitor for the arms and the need for its size to be cut.

The idea of closure did not go down well with the UNMIN with the head of the mission in her report noting possibilities of renewed civil war, presidential rule and even a military coup in Nepal once UNMIN left. This doomsday conjecture was roundly criticised by all parties in Nepal.

Through 2009 and 2010, India had also been active with important governments on the Nepali interest to wind up UNMIN. We were happy to see its winding up as one of the first acts of the UNSC during our term. The Hindustan Times reported this as a major victory for India.

Back to the jeeps.

As UNMIN wrapped up, the UN was keen to ship the Indian jeeps to another UN mission in Africa. We were clear: These should be handed over to the Nepal Army as they would continue to deal with the rebels and carry on the arms monitoring work of UNMIN.

The undersecretary-generals call to me that Saturday in January 2011 was a last-ditch effort to retain the vehicles with the UN, even choosing to give me a small lesson in the ways of the world: Gifts are not returned.

Years later, I was posted to Nepal as Indias ambassador. Imagine my surprise when I found a few UNMIN jeeps in the embassy compound. Apparently UNMIN returned these to the embassy in 2008  after the elections; years before the mission wound up, finding them surplus to their need. So much for the ways of the world!

(This is the first in a series of monthly articles till the end of the year on India at the UNSC and stories of high diplomacy)

Manjeev S Puri is former ambassador and Indias Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN

The views expressed are personal
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Several West Michigan organizations joined for a protest against police brutality in downtown Grand Rapids on Saturday.

The event, described on its Facebook page as a call to action, was took place July 25 at Rosa Parks Circle near the corner of Pearl Street and Monroe Avenue.

The event was done in solidarity with protests happening around the nation, as well as with Portland,Oregon, where federal agents have been deployed to suppress protesters, said Chelsea Douglas, Justice For Black Lives marketing director.

Related: Council member wants to ensure whats happening in Portland never happens in Ann Arbor

The event was also in support of the family of Breonna Taylor, a Black emergency medical technician and former Grand Rapids resident who was shot and killed in her home by Louisville, Kentucky police officers.

Were organizing with a bunch of different organizations in West Michigan ... its basically about coming together, Douglas said.

Family Over Everything, Black Lives Matter Grand Rapids and Minorities Movement 2020 came together along with Justice for Black Lives to organize the event, said Alyssa Bates, Justice For Black Lives founder.

A crowd began to gather at 4 p.m. as the community groups took the stage. Several organizers and community activists addressed the crowd, including Tawanna Gordon and Erica Eaves, both cousins of Taylor.

Related: Louisville police officer fired in death of Breonna Taylor, Grand Rapids native

Eaves thanked the crowd for fighting for justice for Taylor, saying were still here and were still pissed while Gordon called on the Grand Rapids Police Department and Chief Eric Payne to reform.

Every time I talk about this it takes another piece of my soul ... (the police) will shoot you now and ask questions later, said Gordon. Chief Payne, just because you look like me doesnt mean youre for me.

DeeDee Chaunte, an organizer with Family Over Everything, urged those in the crowd to apply pressure to bring about change.

Were going to continue to apply as much pressure as it takes to break the bonds of oppression ... we will not stand for this injustice, Chaunte said to the crowd.

Several other speakers called for defunding police and reinvesting those funds into communities of color.

Organizers urged those in attendance to wear masks and practice social distancing when possible.

More on MLive:

Jenison students lead peaceful march for Black lives

Rescuers perform CPR on brothers shocked when boat mast strikes power line

10-year-old Michigan girl killed, mother injured after crane falls from trailer
Lucknow, July 25 : Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday wrote to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, raising the issue of rising coronavirus cases and low testing in the state. She said state government seems to have adopted 'No test, no corona' policy which is scary. Priyanka Gandhi said that 2,500 cases of coronavirus were reported in the state on Friday and almost all metro cities have been flooded with new cases.

Even the countryside is not being spared by the coronavirus. Priyanka Gandhi said, "It is clear that your government has adopted the policy of low testing following 'No test no corona' as your mantra. Now there is an explosion of corona cases in the hinterland. Until the tests are conducted in a transparent manner, the fight against the virus is incomplete and the situation may become even more frightening." She wrote that the condition of quarantine centres and hospitals in UP is pathetic. In many places, the situation is so bad that people are afraid of going to the hospitals due to poor arrangements. This is why people are not opting for the test. The letter added, corruption is also rampant and if not curbed on time, the battle agaimst corona will turn into a disaster.

Priyanka Gandhi wrote that the UP government had claimed that 1.5-lakh beds are available but it seems that there is shortage of beds at only 20,000 active coronavirus patients. She advised the government to set up temporary hospitals on the lines of Mumbai and Delhi. Getting medical facility is the fundamental right of every citizen, she said.

"The Prime Minister is an MP from Varanasi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from Lucknow, and many other Union ministers are from Uttar Pradesh. Why can't temporary hospitals be opened in Varanasi, Lucknow and Agra? Sir, the situation is getting serious. I urge you that the battle against coronavirus cannot be fought alone," Priyanka Gandhi said.

She wrote that the central facilities set up in Delhi can also be used for the border districts. The hospitals there are still not used to full capacity. Home quarantine is a right step, but it should not be implemented halfway.

"Let me once again assure you that we have the greatest feeling in protecting the health and life of the people of Uttar Pradesh. In this war against pandemic, the Congress party stands with the people of UP and is ready to give full support to your government as well," Priyanka Gandhi added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The body of a 26-year-old man was discovered Friday. It was determined to be Francisco Vasquez, a Portland man who went missing after crashing into the Columbia River in May.

Vasquez, was last seen May 17 driving on the 9000 block of Northeast Marine Drive.

Multnomah County Sheriffs Office River Patrol deputies responded to a report of a body just after 10 a.m. Friday to the 6000 block of Northeast Marine Drive, officials said. The medical examiner later determined it was Vasquez.

Vasquez was driving to work at United Salad Co. around 5:30 a.m. May 17 when, for an unknown reason, his SUV left the road and crashed into the river near Northeast Marine Drive in Portland.

Officials searched following the accident. The car was initially recovered, but Vasquezs body was not.

Francisco Zacarias, Vasquezs brother-in-law, said in May that he and his family were initially concerned with the search, and felt they had to apply some pressure to law enforcement to continue searching.

In a GoFundMe page set up, Vasquezs family said they have also used outside help to find his body. Zacarias said family members have tried to search on their own, taking boats out onto the water and searching on the riverbank for any sign of Vasquez.

Vasquez had moved to Oregon a few months prior to the accident, Zacarias said. He is survived by his wife, a 7-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.

--Alex Hardgrave | ahardgrave@oregonian.com | @a_hardgrave

Jayati Ramakrishnan contributed to this report.

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
On Friday, Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned of further deaths across the state. "Im afraid we will see that and I expect that to occur. That is very tragic." Victorian aged care services have raised concerns about "unacceptable delays" in personal protective equipment being delivered and a shortage of nursing home staff. They are also pushing for all aged care residents who test positive to be transferred to hospital or another facility. "Transfers are critical to reduce the risk for others in an aged care home," said Leading Age Services Australia acting chief advocate Tim Hicks.

Mr Vasilakis said St Basils contacted him on Friday to say his mother had COVID-19. On Sunday he was told she was dying. He said when he visited his mother on Sunday, nurses from Northern Hospital told St Basils staff they were not adhering to protocols around contaminated protective equipment. "They just had different levels of understanding of how serious the situation was," he said. "Maybe the staff were overwhelmed because most had already tested positive and were out of the place." On Tuesday, St Basils manager Vicky Kos sent an email telling families there were 47 infected residents including 15 out of 18 from the dementia wing. "We have been advised that the remainder of our staff who remain on site are also probably contaminated and need to isolate," Ms Kos wrote.

Christine Golding, whose mother Efraxia is at St Basil's has become very frustrated by the lack of communication. Credit:Justin McManus She said authorities had advised that staff must vacate their positions on Wednesday morning and isolate until they were cleared by further testing. "We resisted that direction as much as we could but unfortunately Victorian public health experts, who are doctors, said this is a course we MUST follow." St Basils did not respond to questions from The Age. Loading

On Wednesday, staff were replaced by a Commonwealth team including experts from Aspen Medical - the health provider brought in to contain the COVID-19 cluster at Newmarch House in Sydney, which killed 19 residents. Federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck said on Friday any residents requiring hospital care would be transferred and that addressing the concerns of families was a high priority. However, some family members said they still felt left in the dark. Sophia DAlberto, whose 81-year-old mother Anna Barboussas has been diagnosed with COVID-19, said nobody was picking up the phone. "We havent seen her, we dont know what state she is in," Ms DAlberto said. "Its been an absolute nightmare. The lack of communication has just been unbelievable."

Sophia DAlberto and her mother Anna Barboussas, who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. And Christine Golding, whose mother Efraxia is at the home, said she was asked what her issue was when she finally got through on the switch board on Friday. "I said I want to know if my mother is alive or dead. This is unbelievable." Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson said the commission was closely monitoring the situation in Victoria. "Since June 2020, 66 residential aged care services in Victoria have had at least one confirmed COVID-19 case (in a staff member or resident), she said. "We are using the full range of our regulatory powers to ensure that providers meet their obligations with respect to the Aged Care Quality Standards, and implement all necessary steps to mitigate the risks of transmission of the virus consistent with the advice of health authorities." The commission said that in order to avoid having its licence revoked, Estia Health in Heidelberg West, which is linked to 35 cases, must appoint an adviser and not admit new residents until it is cleared of COVID-19.
Many OPW sites will be free for the remainder of 2020. Photo: Naoise Culhane

Ever been to the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre?

What about the Neolithic Ceide Fields in North Mayo, the Rock of Cashel or the cliff-edge Dun Aonghusa on Inis Mor?

Well, with staycations the order of the day this summer, you can not only catch up on those visits - but do so for free or half-price.

Over 30 heritage sites will be free to visit for the rest of the year as part of the Government's July Stimulus Plan, to encourage domestic tourism.

The initiative will offer "a different holiday experience" and allow people to relive childhood memories, said Patrick O'Donovan, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW).

The measure will run from Monday, July 27, through the rest of 2020.

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Other sites waiving their entry fees entirely include Castletown House in Co Kildare (normally 10/5pp), Rathfarnham Castle in Dublin and Ormond Castle in Co Tipperary (both normally 5/3pp).

Covid-19 restrictions are in place at many of these, however - meaning the visitor experience is substantially different.

There is no access to internal spaces at Charles Fort in Kinsale, for example, and visitor centres remain closed at sites like the Hill of Tara and Jerpoint Abbey. Visitors should check what is open at heritageireland.ie before travelling to manage expectations and avoid disappointment.

In fact, of the OPW's 70 visitor sites around the country, more than 20 remain closed either wholly or in part due to Covid-19 (the visitor centre at Glendalough is closed, for instance, but the monastic site is open).

More visitor centres may open in the coming months, of course.

Read More

Several of the sites reducing charges include Clonmacnoise and the Rock of Cashel - both now half-price (normally 8/4pp and 4/3pp respectively).

Others will maintain their normal fees to control numbers.

These include Kilkenny Castle, Kilmainham Gaol (8/4pp) and Bru na Boinne (12/8pp), the newly refurbished visitor centre serving as a staging post for visits to Newgrange and Knowth.

"There are concerns that they might be overwhelmed with large numbers of visitors and create a significant Covid-19 risk," the OPW said in a statement.

"As a society, we have all endured a huge amount in the past few months and Im hoping with this measure to remind people of whats on their doorstep here in Ireland and encourage them to help Irelands tourism industry to make it through 2020 and come back with a real bang in 2021," Minister O'Donovan added.

A full list of the OPW sites and charges is at OPW Heritage Sites.

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Shuttering businesses, grounding airlines and ordering people to stay home was hard enough the first time. The thought of having to do it all over again is something world leaders dont want to even contemplate.

From Italy to New Zealand, irrespective of how well the virus was contained, governments acknowledge that fresh waves of the deadly coronavirus are likely and that the policy tools to mitigate the damage are limited. The hope is that localizing quarantines to towns, cities and regions will be enough to snuff out bouts of infections as they come.

UKs Boris Johnson was reluctant to order a lockdown and then ended up in intensive care fighting for his life after contracting Covid-19. Yet he finds the idea of isolating the nation again so off-putting that he compared it to a nuclear deterrent: I certainly dont want to use it. French Prime Minister Jean Castex, was equally blunt: We wont survive, economically and socially.

Also read: No Covid-19 herd immunity yet, says WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan

At the other end of the globe, New Zealands Jacinda Ardern has warned that it just takes one mistake to be exposed to the virus again. But even for her, reverting to a nationwide lockdown would be a measure of last resort.

It all speaks to the great elephant in the room: while scientists warn it could take years to control a deadly virus that has killed more than 630,000 worldwide, there is no appetite to sustain the hiatus on travel, work and leisure that has upended everyones lives in 2020.

With the world facing its worst recession since the Great Depression and U.S. President Donald Trump fighting for re-election in November, voters are on edge. Politicians of all stripes are looking for ways to ease the painnot add to itas fear morphs into anger and discontent.

Populations can be summoned to heroic acts of collective self-sacrifice for a while, but not forever, political scientist Francis Fukuyama, author of The End of History and the Last Man, wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine. A lingering epidemic combined with deep job losses, a prolonged recession, and an unprecedented debt burden will inevitably create tensions that turn into a political backlashbut against whom is as yet unclear.

The political calculus is to try it and ride it out. Yet while efforts to get people back to stores, restaurants, bars and hairdressers demonstrate the urgency among governments of reviving economies, they also show the risks.

Also read | Covid-19: Finally, some good news from Delhi, writes Karan Thapar

Europes hardest-hit country, Britain, reopened pubs and is now finding spikes in virus cases. Johnson, who aims to return to significant normality by Christmas, on Friday said his government is preparing the health service for a second wave of infections over the winter.

Countries around the Mediterranean Sea pray a glimpse of tourism will get them through the summer before the cold snap drives people indoors and ushers a second chapter to the pandemic.

Italy was the first Western democracy to quarantine the entire population as it became apparent its death toll was going to overtake that of China, where the virus originated. A person close to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte described that decision as shock therapy that cant be repeated. The euros weakest economy this week became the biggest beneficiary of the European Unions $860 billion rescue package.

Populations have already shown they are restless. Spain had a similar trajectory to Italy and in Madrid the resentment spilled into the streets. In Serbia, a jump in cases prompted President Aleksandar Vucic, just re-elected in a landslide, to try and impose another curfew only for him to reverse course in the face of violent protests.

The situation is so desperate in Croatia, which relies on tourism more than any other country in the EU, that it pivoted from lockdown mode to embracing the Swedish model that allows bars and shops to stay open and there is no limit to size of public gatherings.

At one point the government considered banning all wedding celebrations after a cluster of cases were traced to one event. All it took was some bad press from prospective brides for the plan to be dropped.

Nowhere is the disconnect between the health risk and reticence to lock down more pronounced than in the U.S., the worst-hit nation with more than 140,000 dead and the number of infections soaring in battleground states Trump needs to win. But as far back as May, the president made his priorities clear.

Will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes, Trump said during a factory visit in Arizona, a crucial swing state, that month. But we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon.

The approaches have been so different its impossible to predict what governments will do when there is an agonizing trade off between deaths and the economy.

In places like Singapore or South Korea, mass testing and heavy fines were the strategies successfully deployed to stop the spread. By contrast, in the U.K., there was until recently no mandatory use of masks to go into a shop. It was left to basic good manners.

However unpalatable, the need to shut everything down may ultimately be forced upon leaders.

In Australia, residents of Melbourne have been ordered to stay home for six weeks and South Africa ordered schools to be shut again. Israel declared victory over the virus only for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn another shutdown could be inevitable.

New Zealand is unique in having eradicated the virus within its borders. Now its on high alert to keep it that way. Ardern, herself up for re-election this year, has deployed the military to enforce a quarantine on anyone entering the country.

Back in the U.S., Trump has resurrected his White House briefings on the virus in an attempt to reassure Americans he has the pandemic under control and life is going back to normal. On Thursday, though, he scrapped the highly attended Florida convention for the Republican Party he had been keen to hold for 20,000 ardent supporters.

The country is in very good shape, other than if you look south and westsome problems, he said. That will work out.
Dr. Chinary Ung is an internationally-celebrated composer who has recently earned one of the highest honors in the United States, a lifetime membership to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The 77-year-old, Cambodian-American musician and professor began in May his membership in the 250-person society of architects, artists, composers, and writers. The group administers awards and prizes to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence in American literature, music, and art. In 1964, Dr. Ung was a high school student in Phnom Penh when he won a scholarship to study clarinet at Manhattan School of Music in New York. Since then, he has found his place at the heart of American freedom and creativity. He says he owes his success to his Cambodian identity and a childhood on rural farms. Its the Khmer culture. Its what I learned from the rice field that I spoke of; what touched me the most. And Im proud to say that Im a Cambodian. A formal induction ceremony in New York will take place in May 2021, delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. VOA has recently visited Dr. Ung's San Diego home to talk with him about his award-winning compositions, the Cambodian soul and Khmer culture, and what it means to pursue the art.
YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (PRCIO) Andrzej Kasprzyk released a statement over the recent clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Armenpress presents the text of the statement:

The Co-Chairs and PRCIO welcome the relative stability along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border since 16 July. The Co-Chairs appeal to the sides to take advantage of the current reduction in active hostilities to prepare for serious substantive negotiations to find a comprehensive solution to the conflict. The Co-Chairs stress once more that refraining from provocative statements and actions, including threats or perceived threats to civilians or to critical infrastructure, is essential during this delicate period.

The Co-Chairs note that recent public statements criticizing the joint efforts of the co-chairing countries, and/or seeking unilaterally to establish new conditions or changes to the settlement process format are not conducive to resuming a constructive dialogue. The Co-Chairs reiterate that political will to achieve a lasting peaceful settlement is best demonstrated by refraining from maximalist positions, adhering strictly to the ceasefire, and abstaining from provocative statements and actions.

The Co-Chairs and PRCIO express appreciation for the strong engagement by leaders of international organizations including the United Nations, OSCE, and European Union, whose calls for strict adherence to the ceasefire and renewed dialogue under the auspices of the Co-Chairs have aligned with and supported the Co-Chairs own intensive mediation efforts. We note as especially positive the impartiality of such interventions, which have urged the sides to focus on reducing tensions rather than on assigning to others the sole responsibility of causing the recent escalation. The Co-Chairs welcome the growing international consensus calling for de-escalation and a swift return to negotiations in good faith without conditions.

The Co-Chairs reaffirm that the principles and elements as laid out in their statement of 9 March 2019 continue to form the basis of their mediation efforts. The Co-Chairs are prepared to meet with the leaders or their designees at any time. The Co-Chairs also emphasize that OSCE monitors should return to the region as soon as possible.
Relatives and friends of a Bronx man who died of COVID-19 have told of their agonizing five weeks trying to find a way to dispose of his body - which at one point went missing, and was found decomposing in an unrefrigerated U-Haul outside a Brooklyn funeral home.

Nathaniel Hallman, 72, deacon of Church of the Meek Baptist in Harlem, died on April 17 amid New York's coronavirus peak.

His wife of 42 years, Mitzi, 63, told the Wall Street Journal that her husband, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, caught the virus while at a rehabilitation center in the Bronx.

He had been taken there in February, after a hospital stay for pneumonia.

Nathaniel Hallman, 72, deacon of Church of the Meek in Harlem, died April 17 from COVID-19

Nathaniel and Mitzi Hallman were married for 42 years, and were devoted to their church

She was told on April 8 that he had tested positive for coronavirus, and the following day he was moved next door to St. Barnabas Hospital.

The entire hospital had been converted into an intensive-care unit for coronavirus patients, and the city's emergency-management office had dispatched two refrigerated trucks to store overflow from the hospital morgue.

When Mitzi Hallman reached her husband on the phone, he said, 'I love you. Don't worry about me. Take care of yourself.'

He died on the single worst day of the pandemic in the U.S., with 2,614 deaths nationwide.

In New York City that day, 3,580 people were diagnosed with COVID-19, and 903 checked into hospitals.

Hallman was one of 384 who died, and the city's funeral homes were overwhelmed.

His goddaughter, Hope Dukes, took charge of the funeral arrangements.

She called more than 20 funeral homes, but found that every one was filled to capacity.

Hallman suffered from Parkinson's in the later years of his life, which weakened his body

Dukes, 37, called an old friend of the family, Rev. Marshall Morton Sr., pastor at Unity Baptist Church in Norwalk, Connecticut, and asked for advice.

Rev. Morton put her in touch with James Robinson, who runs a funeral home in Neptune City, New Jersey.

Robinson, Dukes said, asked the reverend to hire a New York funeral director willing to transport the body from St. Barnabas Hospital to the mortuary in Neptune City.

Hallman's body was collected on April 23 and driven to Robinson's funeral home in Neptune City, but Robinson was not there and another funeral director at the home said he could not accept the body.

Robinson, finally reached by phone, told Rev. Morton and Dukes to take the body to Brooklyn, where it ended up in the Flatlands neighborhood, at the Andrew T. Cleckley Funeral Services.

Robinson worked out of both the Cleckley office and in New Jersey.

Hallman's body was taken from the Bronx to New Jersey to this funeral home in Brooklyn

Bodies were left to decompose inside hired U-Haul trucks, or piled on the floor of the home

The night after Hallman's body was delivered to Brooklyn, Robinson sent a text to Rev. Morton, which the WSJ viewed.

'I cant take on no more Bodies we have 124 bodies in a refrigerated truck cant do it,' wrote Robinson.

Rev. Morton, alarmed, replied: 'But I brought the body to Brooklyn already you should've told me that upfront. I know you're busy I know you have a lot of bodies but once you told me you can help me I'm taking you at your word please the family is depending on me.'

Robinson responded: 'Ok leave the bodie there I'll take care of him send some money for the Cremation were is the permit.'

Rev. Morton sent him $500 to pay for the costs.

Six days later, on April 29, police raided the Brookly funeral home and found dozens of bodies decomposing in unrefrigerated U-Haul rental trucks and on the floor of the nearby funeral home.

Workers at the funeral home are pictured on April 29 moving the bodies out of the U-Hauls

Hallman's body had been left inside a U-Haul for six days, and his family are now suing

Hallman's widow and Dukes had no idea whether he was among them. But Dukes, worried sick by the reports on the news of the grim discovery, became suspicious.

The city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had removed 61 bodies from the Cleckley funeral home, but found no record of Hallman being among them.

Eventually they located Hallman's body, which had been wrongly labeled.

Hallman was cremated on May 26, some 39 days after his death.

Hallman was finally cremated after 39 days

Last month, Mitzi Hallman and Dukes sued Robinson and Cleckley in New York state court, seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Hallman's body, the complaint said, was 'left there to rot and decay.'

The plaintiffs demanded a jury trial in the Bronx.

Robinson insisted to the paper that he was not responsible.

'I never had possession of that body,' he said. 'I am not on any paperwork pertaining to that body in any capacity.

'Rev. Morton is lying. I never told him to bring no body. I told him to change the paperwork and then you can bring the body to me.'

Robinson said he plans to 'sue the s*** out of' Rev. Morton and Dukes, and said he would seek compensation from newspapers that print his name.

'You're going to build me a new funeral home,' he said in a telephone interview with the Journal.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 20:06:30|Editor: huaxia

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A Long March-5 rocket blasted off Thursday at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site (WSLS) in south China's Hainan Province, carrying the country's Mars probe, Tianwen-1. It is the first time that the Long March-5 carrier rocket, currently China's largest launch vehicle, is put into practical use after a series of trial launches. It is also the first time the Long March-5 exceeded the second cosmic velocity, the fastest China's carrier rockets have gone to date, said Li Dong, the rocket's chief designer at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT).
The chief minister said that in his absence, Home Minister Narottam Mishra will be conducting the meetings to review the coronavirus situation in the state

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said that he has tested coronavirus positive. Chouhan, 61, shared the news on Twitter in the early hours.

He was admitted to a COVID-19 designated private hospital in Bhopal, a BJP leader said. "I had symptoms of COVID-19. In the test report I was found positive. I appeal to all my colleagues that whoever has come in my contact to get tested for coronavirus. My close contacts should move to quarantine," Chouhan said in a tweet.

In another tweet, the chief minister said that if detected and treated on time, COVID-19 infection can be cured. "I have been reviewing the status of coronavirus infection in the state every evening since March 25. Now I will try to review the situation through video conferencing as

much as possible," he said.

Chouhan also said that in his absence, the meeting to review the coronavirus situation will be held by Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Urban Development and Administration Minister Bhupendra Singh, Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang and Health Minister Prabhuram Choudhary.

Talking to PTI, state BJP's media in-charge Lokendra Parashar said that Chouhan was shifted to COVID-19 designated Chirayu Medical College and Hospital in the state capital. "The CM has said that no special treatment should be given to him. He said that he should be treated like a common man. Therefore, he decided to get admitted to Chirayu Medical College Hospital, where other COVID-19 patients are being treated," Parashar said.

Meanwhile, state Congress chief Kamal Nath, in a tweet, wished Chouhan a speedy recovery. Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh said, "It is sad that Shivraj ji was found corona positive. May God cure you soon. You should have maintained social distancing, which you did not. Take care in future," Singh said.

"Bhopal police had registered an FIR against me, but how would (the police) have done that against you?" Singh said further. The Congress leader was referring to a case filed against him last month for allegedly flouting social distancing norms during a protest held in Bhopal.

BJP leader and former union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also wished him a speedy recovery. Chouhan took oath as the state chief minister on 23 March after the Congress government led by Kamal Nath collapsed following resignations of 22 MLAs.

Chouhan is back as the state CM for record fourth time.
By ANI

STOCKHOLM: Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg will donate a portion of USD 1.14 million prize to fight coronavirus disease outbreak among the indigenous tribes of the Brazilian Amazon, CNN reported. This week, Thunberg won the very first Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, launched by Portugal's Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, for her environmental activism.

In a Twitter video accepting the honour, she said the winning prize was "more money than [she] can even begin to imagine".

So she is giving the money away. Through her eponymous foundation, Thunberg said she will donate USD 114,000 to SOS Amazonia, an environmental organisation working to protect the rainforest that also works to fight the pandemic in indigenous territories of the Amazon through access to basic hygiene, food and health equipment.

Starting with giving 100.000 to the SOS Amazonia Campaign led by Fridays For Future Brazil to tackle Covid-19 in the Amazon, and 100.000 to the Stop Ecocide Foundation to support their work to make ecocide an international crime. @fcgulbenkian 3/3  Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) July 20, 2020

CNN reported that the 17-year-old Swedish teen will also donate USD 114,000 to the Stop Ecocide Foundation, which aims to make ecocide or environmental destruction, an international crime.

Thunberg will donate the rest of the prize money through her foundation to causes that "help people on the front lines affected by the climate crisis and ecological crisis especially in the global South," she said on her Twitter page.

Thunberg was selected among 136 nominees from 46 countries for the first-annual prize for her ability to "mobilize younger generations for the cause of climate change," Chair of the Grand Jury Prize Jorge Sampaio said in the winner's announcement.

She received a separate award in May for her activism and she donated all $100,000 of it to UNICEF to protect children from the COVID-19 pandemic. The charity that awarded her the prize, Denmark's Human Act foundation, matched her donation and launched a campaign to safeguard children's welfare during the pandemic.

Thunberg was 15 when she first began holding climate strikes and eventually, she mobilised thousands of young people across the world to skip school on Fridays to protest the climate crisis. In August 2019, she sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from the UK to New York in a zero-emissions sailboat to speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit.
Don Caple sells face masks from the Trump Trailer outside Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. (Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)

Don Caple won't wear a mask.

He doesn't think they actually stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, and he's pretty sure mask mandates are a "communistic move" by the government to see how much people are willing to give up their freedom.

But if you're in the market for a mask, does he have a deal for you. For only $10, he'll sell you a face mask with a muscly President Trump depicted as a machine-gun-clutching Rambo. Or one with a Trump 2020 campaign slogan. Or one with the coiled rattlesnake from the Gadsden flag and the words "Don't tread on me" replaced with "Don't cough on me."

"They're a hot-ticket-selling item," said Caple, who sells masks from a Trump-themed trailer near the famed Cadillac Ranch art installation in Amarillo. "I don't agree with it. But if they want to buy them, I'm not gonna argue."

Mask mandates are in effect in more than half of U.S. states, and facial coverings are required in many major chains such as Walmart, Target and Starbucks. So, like it or not, most Americans who want to leave their homes must possess some kind of mask  leading even the biggest cynics to try and make a buck off of them.

On Etsy, online shoppers can choose from scores of homemade cloth facial coverings that say, "This mask is useless!" Sellers on Amazon hawk masks reading, "Wake up, sheeple!" And on Ebay, the skeptical masker can purchase one that says "Scamdemic."

Public health experts say masking is essential for the U.S. to climb out of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 145,000 people in the U.S., where cases of the coronavirus have climbed past 4.1 million while crippling the economy and throwing the upcoming school year into chaos.

But broad skepticism of masks remains, largely along party lines, with polls showing that Republicans are less likely to wear masks than Democrats or independent voters. Officials in red states that swiftly reopened their economies and are now hard-hit by the virus have said Trump helped seed suspicion about mask-wearing among his supporters.

Story continues

Trump refused to wear a mask in public for months, despite his own administration's guidance that face coverings help slow the spread of the virus. He has mocked presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for wearing one, held campaign events where facial coverings were not required, and told the Wall Street Journal in June that he believed some people wore them to show their disapproval of him.

Amid a summer spike in cases, Trump this month called on Americans to wear them, after donning one himself during a July 11 visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. On Monday, he tweeted a photo of himself wearing a mask with the presidential seal, writing that "many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can't socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President!"

The Trump Trailer outside the famed Cadillac Ranch art installation in Amarillo, Texas. (Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)

Anything that will encourage people to wear facial coverings  even if it's making a mask that feels like a fashion statement for the anti-mask crowd  is a good thing, said David Aronoff, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. And every little bit of money that can be made in this pandemic-wrecked economy is important, he said.

The virus spreads through people's breath, so the best ways to stop it are creating distance between people or using barriers, like face masks or shields, to physically stop the virus from transmitting from person to person, Aronoff said.

Aronoff said it is not entirely surprising that Americans have been resistant to wearing masks in public because "there's this idea that if you're wearing a mask, you're sick or vulnerable." But masks, he said, are effective.

"The reality is we really need people to buy into the idea that we can protect each other from this pandemic."

There is mounting evidence that silent spreaders are fueling the transmission of the highly contagious coronavirus, making universal masking essential to slowing its spread, experts say. Aronoff said infected people can transmit the virus for days before symptoms begin, and even if they show no symptoms at all.

"Nobody wants to think of themselves as being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, capable of killing somebody, especially when they feel normal and have zero symptoms of infection," Aronoff said. "It is very hard for people to imagine that they could essentially be a lily pad for this virus hopping from person to person, but this is the absolute reality of the situation. Silent transmission events are fueling this pandemic."

Back in Amarillo, Caple, 38, said he sells anywhere from 50 to 250 masks a day from the Trump Trailer, a rolling shop that was chilled on a recent sweaty Saturday by a swamp cooler standing in front of a Confederate flag affixed to the back wall.

With cases spiking in the Lone Star State, Gov. Greg Abbott in early July ordered Texans in all counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases to wear a mask in public.

In reality, though, it seems like "nobody in Texas is enforcing it," said Caple, a father of nine who works as a painter when he's not manning the Trump Trailer. Caple said the only problem he has run into is when he went into a local Toot'n Totum gas station maskless and was told to leave. He simply went to another Toot'n Totum a few blocks away, where it wasn't an issue.

These days, even the cynics are gritting their teeth and buying masks  lots of them  because they're now required in so many places, Caple said after handing a complimentary Pocket Constitution to a man with the words "We the People" tattooed on his right arm who had just bought a "Trumpinator" T-shirt.

"I think it's pointless," Caple said of the masks. "But as a salesman? I'm gonna sell them."

Thunder-Rode motorcycle accessories store in Kingman, Ariz., advertises "scamdemic masks." (Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)

Outside the Thunder-Rode motorcycle accessories shop on Route 66 in Kingman, Ariz., owner Jack Alexander displays a yellow sign touting "Kung-Flu Commie Virus Scamdemic Masks" that are "locally hand made" with "designer fabrics." The president has used the phrase "kung flu" and other racist language in reference to the deadly virus.

Arizona has surpassed 152,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 3,000 people in the state have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. But Alexander contends that's a small number in a state of 7.3 million people and that the odds are in his favor.

"The chances of me or anyone getting or dying from the commie virus scamdemic are microscopic," he said.

Alexander won't wear a face covering. But he sells a variety of cloth masks, ranging from about $5 to $15. He sews them himself, with double fabric layers, elastic ear bands or tie strings, and filter pockets "so you can put your coffee filter in there, or whatever." He said he gives a quarter of each sale to a charity that benefits homeless veterans.

Asked why he sells masks when he doesn't believe they work, Alexander said: "Demand."

Alexander said he does not believe that facial coverings that are not hospital-grade masks fully filter out "coronavirus cooties" and that people's immune systems are designed to fight illness. But people want them because they are increasingly required, he said.

"People are going to buy these stupid things anyway," he said. "I personally would never wear one. I don't want to re-breathe my bodily discharge."

Alexander, who described Trump as a great president who "doesn't take any bull crap," said he had no issue with him now promoting mask-wearing  as long as it is his own preference and not being done to satisfy the media. Seeing the president in a mask, Alexander said, would not influence him to wear one himself.

In Southport, N.C., Mike Howard started selling masks from his screen-printing and graphic arts shop, Brandall, as a way to recoup some of the money he's lost this year. He usually makes T-shirts and banners for big annual events, like the Fourth of July festival and a kids' fishing tournament. But they all were moved online or canceled, dealing him a big financial blow.

North Carolina's Democratic governor issued a statewide mask mandate last month. A few days later, Howard posted a black mask to his company's Facebook page aimed at "those who don't like masks" with the words "This Mask Is as Useless as Our Governor."

Howard said he has sold quite a few, but some customers were offended. Frankly, he said, he'll print anything on a mask or shirt if someone wants to buy it.

"In North Carolina, it's a big debate ... people feel so strongly about it on both sides of the aisle," Howard said. "We try to stay neutral, but it's hard. You don't want to turn any of them down."

Howard said he personally doesn't mind wearing a mask. He usually opts for one with the mouth of John Finlay, who was featured in the Netflix series "Tiger King" as a longtime love interest of the former zookeeper known as Joe Exotic. (Finlay, who was missing front teeth in the show, has since had extensive dental work to get them fixed.)

"The more you can make the masks stand out, and the more funny they are," he said, "the more likely somebody's going to buy it."
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Cuddling six adorable puppies with his French fiancee, James Middleton looks every inch the happy dogfather.

Sadly for the Duchess of Cambridge's brother, however, he will soon be saying goodbye to his canine crew.

The six black and brown spaniels are going to new homes.

James Middleton, 33, and his fiancee Alizee Thevenet (both pictured), have been happy dogparents to six black and brown spaniels

The Duchess of Cambridge's brother has six other dogs including Luna, whose puppies are pictured above

But he will not be left alone. He has six other dogs  including Luna, whose puppies are the ones pictured here with Mr Middleton, 33, and his fiancee Alizee Thevenet.

Mr Middleton wrote on Instagram: '56 days ago you were born, 56 days of early starts, lots of poo and half eaten socks but 56 days of pure joy watching you grow. But now it's time for you to go.

'I am sad to see you go, and yes I might cry, but it will be with happiness as each of your new homes are bursting with love.

'You might be scared at first, that's OK. Just be yourself and you will never understand how much happiness you will bring to your new families and all the people you meet.

Mr Middleton is rehoming the dogs and will give the money from the sale to Pets As Therapy, who he volunteers for. The charity provide therapeutic dog visits to hospitals and care homes

Mr Middleton has credited dogs with playing a 'vital role' in helping him to find love, as he met Miss Thevenet for the first time when his spaniel Ella bounded over to her during a walk

'Make me proud and remember to write. Lots of love.'

The money from the sale of the pups will go to Pets As Therapy, a charity for which he volunteers that provides therapeutic visits of dogs to hospitals and care homes.

Mr Middleton has credited dogs with playing a 'vital role' in helping him to get out of depression  and find love.

He met Miss Thevenet for the first time when his spaniel Ella bounded over to her during a walk.
Newly Commissioned USS Tripoli Departs Shipyard for San Diego

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS200724-06

Release Date: 7/24/2020 5:56:00 PM

From Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs

PASCAGULA, Miss. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's newest amphibious assault ship, USS Tripoli (LHA 7), departed Huntington Ingalls Industries-Ingalls Shipbuilding Division's shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., July 24, for its San Diego homeport.

USS Tripoli was administratively commissioned July 15 and is the third ship to bear the name Tripoli in commemoration of the U.S. Marines and approximately 370 soldiers from 11 other nationalities who captured the city of Derna, Libya, during the 1805 Battle of Derna.

Tripoli's design features an enlarged hangar deck, realignment and expansion of the aviation maintenance facilities, a significant increase in available stowage for parts and support equipment, and increased aviation fuel capacity. The ship is the first LHA replacement ship to depart the shipyard ready to integrate the entire future air combat element of the Marine Corps, to include the Joint Strike Fighter.

Along with its pioneering aviation element, LHA 7 incorporates gas turbine propulsion plant, zonal electrical distribution, and fuel-efficient electric auxiliary propulsion systems first installed on USS Makin Island (LHD 8). LHA 7 is 844 feet in length, has a displacement of approximately 44,000 long tons, and will be capable of operating at speeds of over 20 knots.

USS Tripoli is assigned to the Pacific Fleet battle force and will operate with Expeditionary Strike Group 3.



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A Bergen County woman was struck and killed by a car in Fairview on Friday night, police said.

At 7:24 p.m. Friday, Fairview Police received a call of a woman hit by a car at Bergen Boulevard and Kamena Street, Fairview Police Chief Martin Kahn said in an email. First responders arrived moments later at the scene and the 79-year-old Fairview woman was pronounced dead at the scene, Kahn said.

The road was closed in both directions for four hours as Fairview Police and the Bergen County Sheriffs Offices fatal investigation unit investigated.

As of Saturday morning, police were still investigating the fatal strike, but there did not appear to be any criminal element, said Kahn.

Editors note: This story was updated on July 27 to correct information about where the woman was pronounced dead.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com.
Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) handed over 50 motorcycles to Congo on Friday to boost the capacities of health districts in the implementation of vaccination strategies to reach all residents, public radio announced on Saturday
Related Egyptian army continues Hasm 2020 military drills

Egyptian and French naval forces have carried out a drill in the Mediterranean Sea with the participation of Egypts Tahya Misr frigate and Frances ACONIT frigate, the Egyptian army said in a statement on Saturday.

The official spokesperson of the Egyptian Armed Forces said that the drill comes within the framework of the general command of the Armed Forces plan to enhance the level of training and the exchange of expertise with the armed forces of friendly countries.

The naval training also aims to support the pillars of cooperation between the Egyptian and French armed forces, enhance the skills and capabilities of participating forces, and maintain maritime security, stability and peace efforts in the Mediterranean.

The drills focused on organising cooperation in carrying out maritime combat missions against hostile naval formations, the statement said.

The naval drills, the spokesperson said, demonstrated the professionalism of the frigate crews in carrying out combat missions with precision and high efficiency, focusing on common coordination points between all the participating elements.

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The year was 1945, and a baby boy was born to Martha and Robert Selleck in Detroit, Michigan. At the time, not many would suspect this newborn would grow up to be a successful Hollywood actor. However, this baby was none other than Tom Selleck.

Selleck is now a household name and has been gracing the screens of millions since the late 1960s. Selleck has had an amazing acting career, but is he finally ready to hang up his acting hat? Read on to learn the whole scoop surrounding Sellecks future plans for his role in Blue Bloods and the Hollywood scene in general.

Is Tom Selleck walking away from Hollywood again?

Star magazine recently ran a front-page story about Tom Selleck walking away from Hollywood. While this wouldnt be the first time the veteran actor took a break from acting, it doesnt appear the scoop has any truth behind it.

The magazines source stated, At his age, Tom wants to do more outdoorsy things like to do on the ranch. And he wants to spend more time with his family. It sounds like this insider needs to do some more catching up with Selleck because this information is in direct contradiction in statements Selleck has recently given to the press.

This wouldnt be the first time that Star magazine or its affiliates published false claims. In 2019, the Stars sister publication, the National Enquirer, published a story claiming that Selleck was leaving Blue Bloods because he was dying. Of course, this story turned out to be phony, much like the latest article looks like it will turn out to be. Gossip Cop has been all over this story and whats really going on.

Despite Selleck taking a break from acting during the 80s, nothing seems to be pointing to Selleck leaving Hollywood in the immediate future.

Is this the end of Blue Bloods?

Blue Bloods fans dont need to worry either. There is nothing to suggest Selleck is ready to depart from the series. Blood Bloods first aired in September 2010, and Selleck has been a staple character from the beginning. From his recent statements, it doesnt sound like Selleck is anywhere near ready to walk away from the show.

Selleck recently discussed the show with People Magazine. He told the publication, I dont think there is an endpoint. I think there is a lot of life in the show, as long as you let your characters grow and get older.

From Sellecks point of view, Blue Bloods has a lot of life left in it. Selleck is currently working on Blue Bloods and just signed on for another season too. Hopefully, fans will see Tom Selleck grace their screens as Frank Reagan for many more years to come.

Sellecks plans for the future

RELATED: Blue Bloods: An Episode From Season 2 Is Facing New Scrutiny

Despite false headlines, Sellecks future plans dont include leaving Hollywood behind. Even at 75-years-old, Selleck has plans to remain in Hollywood for as long as he can. For over a decade now, Selleck has enjoyed his time on the Blue Bloods set and even hopes to make it a decade more. Season 10 of Blue Bloods was halted due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, fans can rest assured that the series is still going strong. The filming of the series is scheduled to resume once it is deemed safe for all production members.

Ultimately, it looks like Sellecks future plans definitely include Blue Bloods and the Hollywood lifestyle. While he took a small hiatus from Hollywood in the 80s after Magnum P.I., it doesnt look like Selleck has any plans of walking away from acting for a second time. Selleck told Deadline, regarding Blue Bloods, I love the show. Dont tell CBS that because I got to be a good negotiator. Luckily for fans, it looks like Selleck isnt ready to give up acting or being a tough negotiator quite yet.
Photo: The Canadian Press Meng Wanzhou

Lawyers for a senior executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei say her extradition hearing should be ended because comments by U.S. President Donald Trump reduce her to a pawn in a political-economic contest.

Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huaweis founder, at Vancouvers airport in late 2018. The U.S. wants her extradited to face fraud charges. Her arrest infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent Chinas rise.

The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It says Meng committed fraud by misleading the HSBC bank about the companys business dealings in Iran.

In recent court filings Mengs lawyers argue the United States is using the extradition to secure a trade advantage and say that is undermining the integrity of Canadas judicial proceedings. They say the foundation of the judicial process in Canada has been destroyed and request a stay of proceedings for abuse of process.

The filings point to an interview with Trump two weeks after Mengs arrest in which he was asked if he would become involved in the case if he thought it would secure a trade deal with China.

I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary, Trump said.

Mengs lawyers say the U.S. isnt interested in justice.

The president and his administration have no real interest in the merits of the criminal proceeding ... but are intent on using her case as a bargaining chip in a trade dispute, the filings say.

A key part of the U.S. case against Meng deals with a Aug. 22, 2013, meeting at a Hong Kong restaurant at which she is accused of using a PowerPoint presentation to give misleading information to HSBC executives about Huaweis relationship with Skycom.

The filings say U.S. officials selectively summarize information from only a few slides and omit "highly relevant information that was on two slides.

In May, Meng failed in a bid to end the extradition process when a Canadian judge ruled the allegations against her could constitute a crime in Canada as well.

Mengs arrest has soured relations between Canada and China. In apparent retaliation, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor. China has also placed restrictions on various Canadian exports to China, including canola oil seed. China also handed a death sentence to a convicted Canadian drug smuggler in a sudden retrial.

Meng remains free on bail in Vancouver.
A growing coronavirus cluster in western Sydney is responsible for more than half of NSW's15 new cases announced on Saturday, with concerns for attendees of five funeral and church services who may have been exposed to a woman who tested positive during the past week.

Eight of the 15 new cases in NSW were linked to the cluster associated with the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, near Fairfield, which at a total of 60 cases is now larger than the Crossroads Hotel cluster at Casula.

The source of the ninth case was still under investigation and the remaining six cases were among returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

NSW Health also identified four cases associated with funeral and church gatherings in Bankstown, Fairfield East, Rookwood and Mt Pritchard attended by a Fairfield woman in her 40s who tested positive on Thursday, with concerns more churchgoers may have been infected.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 22:51:11|Editor: huaxia

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NINGBO, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The China Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI) reported a soar in freight indices in the east South America routes.

The NCFI, reflecting freight rate changes of 21 routes departing from the Ningbo-Zhoushan port, stood at 779.2 points Friday, down 0.6 percent compared with last week.

The sub-reading for the east coast of South America quoted 527.4 points, up 88.7 percent from last week.

According to the Ningbo Shipping Exchange, as last week's freight rates hit a new low since 2019, liner companies plan to push up the freight rates in August, causing a significant rise this week.

Reported every Friday (except Chinese holidays), the NCFI was first published in September 2013. Enditem
By PTI

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government will employ a female family member of anganwadi workers or assistants who succumb to COVID-19 after contracting the infection on duty.

State Minister for Woman and Child Development Imarti Devi said a family member of anganwadi workers or assistants, who die of the infection after performing their duties as "corona warriors", would be appointed to the same post.

If an anganwadi worker or assistant is on duty under the national or state Disaster Management Act and contracts the infection and dies of it, then her female family member will be appointed to the same post, Devi stated in a release.

However, kin of deceased anganwadi workers must fulfil prescribed qualifications to be directly appointed, she said.

As on Friday, the COVID-19 case count in Madhya Pradesh reached at 26,210, while the toll went up to 791, a health official said.
The COVID-19 pandemic rocked television productions across the country - and Australian Ninja Warrior was no different.

Footy legend Shane Crawford revealed to the Sunday Herald Sun how he was given just six hours notice, ahead of hosting the show filmed at Melbourne Showgrounds.

With co-host Rebecca Maddern having to undergo a COVID-19 test and await the result, Channel Nine contacted the 45-year-old around 1pm on the first day of filming back in March.

'I was thrown right into the deep end': Footy legend Shane Crawford (pictured), 45, revealed to the Sunday Herald Sun how he was only given SIX HOURS notice, ahead of hosting Australian Ninja Warrior

'I was thrown right into the deep end and I loved it. It is the most fun I have had since the early (AFL) Footy Show days,' Shane said.

The retired AFL star hosted with Ben Fordham for 'the first couple of nights', and then replaced Freddie Flintoff as sideline commentator.

Freddie, 42, returned to his family back home in London due to the pandemic.

Last minute: The retired AFL star (pictured with Channel Nine colleague Lauren Phillips in 2016) was contacted by Channel Nine around 1pm on the first day of filming back in March

Rebecca was forced to miss out on a few days of filming after she was tested for the virus.

The 42-year-old went into self-isolation after her Weekend Today colleague Richard Wilkins was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March.

Thankfully, she tested negative and was able to return to the Ninja Warrior set.

This season is set to introduce a brand new obstacle called The Power Tower, which will see contestants compete head to head in a Ninja Warrior first.

Health scare: Co-host Rebecca Maddern (pictured), 42, had to undergo a COVID-19 test and await the result, causing her to miss out on filming for the first few days

Presenters: Shane hosted with Ben Fordham (right), 43, for 'the first couple of nights', and then replaced Freddie Flintoff (left), 42, as sideline commentator

However, Ben Fordham, 43, has accused her of 'stealing' his idea for the new Power Tower obstacle.

'This year there's this thing called the Power Tower. I'm pretty sure it was my idea. I had a dream about it and then I told people about the dream,' he told News.com.au.

'What Rebecca has then done is she has heard that and then gone and pitched it officially to producers and they've run with it.'

But Rebecca has denied stealing Ben's idea, telling Daily Mail Australia: 'It's typical of him to want to put his name to a winner but it's mine,' she said.

Australian Ninja Warrior starts Sunday at 7pm on Nine.
Breanna Chachere has wanted to be a doctor since she was 8 years old, sensitive even in her youth to health care inequities that beset people of color.

The anticipation built as Chachere was selected in June as part of the inaugural class of the University of Houstons new medical school, focused on training primary care doctors to practice in underserved areas. It culminated last Monday morning with the simplest of actions: Chachere walked to her living room and logged on to her computer.

Thats how I started medical school, she said at the conclusion of the UH medical schools last day of orientation Thursday. It felt extremely surreal.

Houstons first new medical college in nearly half a century begins classes Monday, faced with all the usual challenges involving a school started from scratch  plus a pandemic. Like all schools since the spring, it will offer instruction remotely until COVID-19 subsides to a point that administrators deem it safe enough to teach on campus.

It might sound like just the new normal in higher education, but such challenges carry particularly heavy burdens given first-year medical students typically require hands-on instruction to learn gross anatomy and how to take physical exams. Moreover, its a key time for team building, considered essential to the sense of community the profession stresses.

The challenges have required UH to adjust and improvise, something that wont stop anytime soon.

Were building the airplane as were flying it, Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the UH College of Medicine, told the inaugural class last Monday, the first day of orientation. This requires flexibility, adaptability, tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty and patience, all key attitudes and skills required of great physicians.

The same phenomenon is occurring in Conroe, 40 miles north of Houston, where Sam Houston State University also is about to launch a new medical school. Its school of osteopathy will begin classes online on Monday, Aug. 10.

The two colleges are among just four new U.S. medical schools  the others are in California  starting amid the pandemic.

Spann, a longtime Houston medical educator who attended orientation as a first-year Baylor College of Medicine student 48 years ago, was recruited by UH in 2015 to develop a different kind of medical school. The idea was a school dedicated to training doctors interested in overcoming the social determinants now believed to contribute to 80 percent of preventable death and serious disease.

Nothing has shone a spotlight on health disparities like COVID-19, Spann told students at the orientation, a fact much of his audience of new medical students knows all too well  almost three-quarters are Hispanic and African American. The two populations have been hardest hit by the disease.

The pandemics effect at UH hit at the least opportune of times  after medical school leaders began considering applicants for the first class. It interviewed 48 of 170 applicants in person, then had to switch to remote interviews. School officials scrambled to develop a virtual tour of the school and mini-interview sessions with multiple officials.

In the end, the majority of students UH ended up selecting accepted without ever setting foot on campus.

It would have been easy to say, Perhaps we should hold off a year because of all the difficulties, said Dr. Ruth Bush, the UH colleges associate dean of medical education. But its more important now than ever that we contribute to the population of physicians.

The pandemics medical school disruptions also included orientation, one of the signature events for first-year medical students. UHs plans evolved from holding all of it on campus to bringing students in person for some events to making it all remote. The last was decided at the 11th hour.

Dr. Sue Cox, chair of medical education at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, said UHs task will get even more challenging after courses begin. She remembers the benefits of face-to-face conversations when Dell opened four years ago, the ease of walking to a colleagues office to discuss issues.

You just dont feel the same connectivity, the same energy on Zoom, Cox said.

UH student David Jacobson already laments the lack of such connectivity with teachers.

My favorite part of class is the part after the lecture where you follow up with the professor about a question, said Jacobson, an Arizona State University graduate who worked in EMS before applying to UH. I had an online conversation with one of the teachers and that was her favorite part, too, the time when you really build relationships.

UHs plans call for students to come on campus in coming weeks for limited, creatively staged instruction  namely, that of gross anatomy and physical exam taking, basic skills for which remote learning is no substitute. Under the plans, for instance, no more than two students will be stationed at one table during dissections on cadavers, a far cry from the traditional model.

Spann acknowledges that instilling team building virtually will be one of the new schools greatest challenges. How, after all, do you duplicate exercises such as one schools use of zip-lining as part of orientation or spring-break trips taken by the majority of the class?

UHs efforts include students developing their own version of the Hippocratic oath, to be displayed on campus and recited together at the schools upcoming white coat ceremony, a ritual in which the apparel is placed on each students shoulders. The ritual signifies students entrance into the medical profession.

The students, 30 in all, have acted on their own as well. Chachere, who got her bachelors in psychology from Rice University, then a masters in public health at Boston University, started a group chat in which all introduced themselves, became acquainted and pledged to be collaborative, not competitive.

After the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, the class drafted a pledge of unity and solidarity, including principles to uphold throughout their careers, such as speaking out against injustice and using their voices to work towards health equity in marginalized communities like the Third Ward and East End.

Spann downplays the special work the pandemic required, noting UH had almost four months to prepare, during which time officials have held virtual meetings, conferences and even classes in other colleges.

Challenges come up, Spann said. Thats life. Thats what the practice of medicine is about.

todd.ackerman@chron.com
Rajnath Singh believes it would be naive to see disengagement of the armies from the LAC as the end of the trouble.

The defence minister has urged the defence forces to be ready for a long haul, reveals Aditi Phadnis.

IMAGE: Watched by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, fourth from left, and army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, second from left, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inspects a Pika machine gun used by the armed forces in combat during his visit to Ladakh, July 17, 2020. Photograph: @DefenceMinIndia/Twitter

A certain kind of politician has no hesitation in rushing in where angels fear to tread.

'Banning Chinese apps was India's digital strike on China,' IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad crowed triumphantly, offering visions of border crossings with bombardment that vaporised targets, a la surgical strikes on Pakistan.

One wonders about the parallel.

But then, words come easily to him.

General Vijay Kumar Singh went a shade better to claim China had lost 40 soldiers.

How could he possibly have known that? No authoritative claims were made on Chinese death tolls by the Indian side and the minister had to face the ignominy of being contradicted by China.

By contrast, the ministers who knew a lot more were measured and careful in what they chose to say -- and not say.

Home Minister Amit Shah told ANI in an interview he'd rather say nothing at all on China at this point (June 28).

And after the first statement, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been remarkably measured in his comments.

Singh took the country into confidence via a video interview on June 2 where he said: 'It is true that people of China are on the border. They claim that it is their territory. Our claim is that it is our area. There has been a disagreement over it.'

'A sizeable number of Chinese people have also come (aur achchhi khasi sankhya mein Cheen ke log bhi aa gaye hain). India has done what it needs to do.'

This was not an off-the-cuff comment, but factual and well thought through, frenzied interpretation notwithstanding.

Few know that soon after, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed to Foreign Minister S Jaishankar his gratitude for Rajnath Singh's restraint.

This was repeated to India's ambassador in Beijing, Vikram Misri.

For most politicians, even if they are not elected to office like the national security advisor, a crisis is an opportunity, especially once it has blown over.

What man in his right mind wouldn't like to take the credit for managing it?

Rajnath Singh had so many models of defence ministers before him who had handled similar crises.

Like V K Krishna Menon, he could have manipulated the senior army leadership to his advantage.

Like George Fernandes, he could have written letters to sundry world leaders explaining who India's number one enemy really was.

Like A K Antony, he could have done nothing at all.

Rajnath Singh opted to speak little and only where it mattered.

He was in constant touch with the top leadership of the armed forces and he was already in possession of the information that the Chinese had started withdrawing from Galwan, conveyed to him that morning on July 5 by Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane, when the rest of the nation heard in the evening, how talks between NSA A K Doval and Wang Yi had saved the day.

Twice, the Chinese defence minister made overtures for a meeting when the tension was at its height: Once, before Singh went to Russia for the Victory Day parade and the Chinese suggested a meeting in Moscow; and once while he was in Moscow and a message was sent via interlocutors.

Singh declined both, suggesting diplomacy should be allowed to play out.

This was a strategic move -- if there was military escalation, India needed to be ready.

This is not to say Singh has ever underestimated the challenge from China.

Far from it. In 2014, he was home minister when Xi Jinping and Modi met in Ahmedabad.

A build-up on the border (Chumar) was happening while Xi was in India.

Singh alerted the PM who, sources say, asked the Chinese leader artlessly: 'Is there some dissonance between the military and political leadership in China? Because while the highest political leadership of China is in India with promises of deep friendship, there seems to be a buildup on the border...' Xi said he would check and revert.

The leaders were scheduled to talk it over after the Hyderabad House lunch the next day.

But Xi got back before that and assured that things would be soon be in order.

For the rest of Xi's Delhi stay the issue was not mentioned.

A PLA pullout from Chumar began soon after Xi returned to Beijing.

His statement in China upon returning, that the People's Liberation Army should prepare itself to win 'regional wars', was interpreted by Delhi as Xi's attempt to consolidate his control of the PLA (correcting the 'dissonance'/ the PM referred to), rather than sabre rattling aimed at India.

Rajnath Singh believes it would be naive to see disengagement of armies from LAC as the end of the trouble.

On the contrary, he is believed to have urged the defence forces to be ready for a long haul.

But he also knows that braggadocio in such tense times would be harmful.

Others might feel compelled to show they are wielding the stick. He just needs to show he is carrying one.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Panaji, July 25 : The Goa government's nod to hold elections to 11 municipal bodies on October 18, at a time when the state administration is battling to keep in check the sustained spike in Covid-19 cases, has attracted ire from the Opposition.

With nearly 30 persons dying following infection by the deadly virus and nearly 1,500 active cases reported in the country's smallest state, the Opposition has now accused the ruling BJP-led coalition government of being affected by "election fever" in the times of a pandemic.

The controversy erupted after State Election Commissioner R.K. Srivastava proposed October 18 as a date for holding of elections to 11 municipal councils in the state, which the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led government has accepted.

According to Srivastava, the Commission had to recommend a date to the government before the expiry of the five-year tenure of the elected council of the 11 municipal councils, in sync with the law.

"We had proposed October 18 as the date for holding elections to 11 municipal councils. The government has approved and agreed to that date. Elections have to be held 15 days before expiry of their tenure by law," Srivastava said.

The State Election Commissioner also said, that in its proposal to the government, it had also included a rider related to the pandemic.

"We hope the pandemic situation improves by then. If it does not normalise, then the Commission will take a call at an appropriate stage (vis-a-vis cancellation of polls)," Srivastava said.

This is not the first time that the medical emergency triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, has threatened to disrupt poll schedules in Goa. The state government was forced to cancel the Zilla Panchayat polls in March, after the central government ordered the Janata Curfew across the country in its bid to arrest the spread of viral infection.

The Opposition however has criticised the state government of trying to "impose" an election in a state, whose people are busy battling the pandemic.

"This government is suffering from election fever. All they think about are elections and not the suffering of the people due to the Covid-19 pandemic," opposition party Goa Forward president and former Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai said.

"Even the last Zilla Panchayat elections which the ruling party was keen to hold in March, just as the pandemic was starting, had to be cancelled by the government after the intervention of the High Court," the Opposition MLA also said.
My preference has always been to put them in context, Bolling said of the monuments. Do we remove these monuments because they make us uncomfortable? Lets explain them, and erect a monument in their midst to Doug Wilder, the first African American governor in the country, to Barbara Johns, who as a teenager led a student walkout that became one of the cases that made up Brown v. Board of Education.
Vietnam has suspended all international flights to and from Da Nang International Airport in the namesake central city from Friday evening after a local Vietnamese man had tested positive for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) three times.

The suspension took effect immediately after a request from acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, who is also deputy head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Vo Huy Cuong told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on the same day.

Meanwhile, the operation of domestic flights is still permitted at the airport.

One special flight carrying international experts that had been arranged in advance was allowed to land at the airport on Friday night as an exception.

Other repatriation flights that were scheduled for the airport after Friday will have to land at other airports in Vietnam.

In the past few months, only domestic flights and repatriation trips have been carried out at Da Nang International Airport.

The suspension of repatriation flights came after a local 58-year-old man has tested positive for the novel coronavirus for at least three times since Thursday.

His fourth test was conducted by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi on Friday.

The institute is set to announce the result of a fifth test on Saturday before any confirmation of infection is made.

The Da Nang health departments deputy director Nguyen Tien Hong said that the patient is currently on a ventilator.

If confirmed, it will be the first case of local transmission of COVID-19 in Vietnam in more than three months.

Vietnam has registered 415 COVID-19 patients as of Saturday morning, according to a healthy ministry website dedicated to keeping track of the pandemics developments in the country.

Two men who returned to Vietnam from Russia on a repatriation flight on July 17 are the latest patients.

Both men were immediately quarantined upon their arrival at Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

They are being treated at Cau Yen General Hospital in Hoa Lu District of Ninh Binh Province in northern Vietnam.

A total of 365 patients have recovered from the disease in Vietnam, with zero deaths documented.

The Southeast Asian nation has logged no locally-transmitted infection over the last 100 days.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The stand of Boehringer Ingelheim during an import expo in Shanghai. [Photo by Ma Jian/For China Daily]

Foreign businesses are stepping up their investment and forming more local partnerships to reinforce their strong commitment to China and cash in on the country's vast market potential and dynamic growth momentum, experts said.

Dassault Systemes, a French industrial software company that creates 3D models for multiple industries, said it has been strengthening its "In China, for China, with China" strategy since the COVID-19 epidemic, especially as the Chinese economy has shown strong resilience.

The company, which relocated its Asia-Pacific headquarters to Shanghai, is looking to triple the number of employees in China to around 2,000 over the next five to 10 years, according to Sylvain Laurent, executive vice-president of Dassault.

"We are now definitely in an acceleration phase, as the demand from customers across China is huge,"Laurent said. He noted that the dynamism from local partners such as the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China and Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard is fueling their capacity and pace for growth.

"Shanghai has recognized the value of Dassault and the role of technology as a key enabler for growth. They also recognize our capacity and our (role as) a catalyst to attract new companies for the future," he said.

The Rockefeller Art Foundation of the United States announced recently that it would set up its China headquarters in Shanghai, just a year after the organization's debut in the country. A grand investment of $2 billion over the next four to five years is also in the pipeline. The investment amount does not include the industry-related investments upon project completion, said Hui Xin, China CEO of The Rockefeller Art Foundation.

"The pandemic or the current turbulence in Sino-US ties has not shaken our resolve to (invest here)," said Hui. "We are still firmly committed to having our roots in China and serving Shanghai. As China's economic development reaches a certain stage, people will naturally seek high-quality art and cultural works, and that's where we perceive our opportunities are," he said, adding that foreign businesses also need talent from China for promoting a "benign mutual cycle" for information flows.

Hui's remarks come on the heels of 54 foreign-invested projects being inked in Shanghai on Wednesday, suggesting a fresh vote of confidence in China even as the global economy has taken on a grim look.

Boehringer Ingelheim is investing 450 million euros ($519 million) in China over the next five years, a move that the pharmaceutical giant considers is "a good moment", said its China chairman and CEO Felix Gutsche.

"We will continue to invest in China and for China ... It's a good moment to reconfirm our presence in China, and in Shanghai," he said.

The company is also driving innovation in a "in China for China" manner, and believes that "domestic industries in combination with international industries" are the right way of doing it.

Appen, an artificial intelligence company headquartered in Sydney, Australia, is doubling down on its $200 million investment in Shanghai largely on the growing prospects of AI development in the country, according to senior vice-president and China general manager Tian Xiaopeng.

"The best things about investing in Shanghai are that we are able to collect, train and speed up training of the data to ensure the accuracy, reliability and safety of data and better adoption of AI in China," said Tian.
As tensions between US-China have grown more intense with the closure of Houston consulate over fears of espionage, a Singaporean man has pleaded guilty to spying for the Chinese intelligence in the United States. The US Department of Justice said in a statement on July 24 that Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo entered a plea of guilty today to one count of acting within the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign power without first notifying the Attorney General.

According to Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's National Security Division John C Demers, it is another instance of Chinese government exploiting the openness of US society. Meanwhile, Michael R Sherwin, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia noted that Yeo's case highlights the ways in which the Chinese government continues to target the US by accessing sensitive government information.

John C Demers said, The Chinese Government uses an array of duplicity to obtain sensitive information from unsuspecting Americans. Yeo was central to one such scheme, using career networking sites and a false consulting firm to lure Americans who might be of interest to the Chinese government. This is yet another example of the Chinese governments exploitation of the openness of American society.

Todays guilty plea underscores the ways that the Chinese government continues to target Americans with access to sensitive government information, including using the Internet and non-Chinese nationals to target Americans who never leave the United States, said Michael R Sherwin. We will continue to prosecute those who use deceptive practices on the Internet and elsewhere to undermine our national security.

Read - After China Consulate's Closure In Houston, Group Of Men Breaks Into Building

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R Slater said that Yeo admitted to providing valuable information to Chinese intelligence and knowingly recruiting others in the U.S. to do the same. This comes in the backdrop of US officials announcing in a press briefing that even though consulates are the base of operations for the foreign governments in the US, some can be used for exploitation and espionage activities.

The official also said, The Houston consulate was also implicated in an investigation of grant fraud at a Texas research institution. Consulate officials were directly involved in communications with researchers and guided them on what information to collect. However, the US government order of closing one of the six Chinese missions has been severely criticised by China who reportedly said that malicious slander was behind it.

Read - 'Millions In Camps, Abortions, Genocide': EU Asks UN To Probe China's Xinjiang Atrocities

China on Houston consulate closure

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the order to close the consulate violates international law and basic norms governing international relations, and seriously undermines China-U.S. relations. He told the reporters that this is breaking the bridge of friendship between the Chinese and American people. Meanwhile, according to the witnesses of international media agency, the consulate staff had left the building after the order came into after at 4 PM (central time) after which the door was forced open.

Read - Australia Joins Nations In Rejecting China's South China Sea Claims, Writes To The UN

Read - US: Homeland Security Inaugurates China Working Group, Will Tackle Threats From China
Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, on media and publicity has lashed out at Nigerians who pitch the Nigerian leader against his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.

In an article titled GEJ meets PMB: A lesson for bitter-enders, Adesina stated that Buhari and Jonathan are like brothers even though Jonathanians and Buharists are spitting in one anothers eyes round the country, abusing one anothers father and mother at the same time.

He also affirmed that the meeting between between Buhari and Jonathan on Tuesday at the State House was calm, friendly, characteried by absolutely no tension. No animosity.

In the build-up to the 2015 general elections, the country was divided right down the middle. On one side were the Jonathanians, who supported the then incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan, and wanted him to continue in office for another term of four years.

On the flip side were the Buharists (I was one, and remain one of them) who wanted the then former military head of state, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, elected civilian President. It was a pitched battle. O le ku, ija Ore (apologies to non-Yoruba speakers.

The war was robustly fought, and won by the Buharists. That was over five years ago. But you know what? Most of the gladiators are still in their entrenched positions. Most of the Jonathanians, not able to live with the reality of defeat, turned themselves to people who cavil, finding fault with the government of the day at the slightest drop of a hat. They became wailing wailers, and whenever they began to ululate, you would think raw pepper had been inserted into their tender and sensitive parts. Or that their lollipops had been taken away. They throw tantrums.

In history, such people are called Bitter-Enders, who fight to death. What is the etymology of the expression?

The Boers of southern Africa had gone to war against the British in 1899. The Boers were being beaten black and blue, battered on every side. At a point, they found it difficult to get food, ammunition and clothing. They would take uniforms from captured British soldiers, and wear them, minus the military insignia, yet they refused to give up.

The Boers were suffering terribly, but they shunned all peace initiatives. They were fighting all the way, to the bitter end. Till 1902, when the war eventually came to an end, after almost three years.

Anyone who today persists in a cause or action despite difficult or hopeless circumstances, is called a Bitter-Ender.

There was one such legendary soldier under French Emperor, Napoleon Buonaparte. His name was Nicolas Chauvin. He was so fanatical, that he became a byword for excessive fervor, bigotry and bias. Wounded 17 different times, till he became badly disfigured, he refused to surrender, even when Napoleon had been defeated. His cry was The Old Guard dies, but does not surrender. Well, he died. And the English language inherited the word chauvinism  from his name.

What of during our own unfortunate war in Nigeria? If my memory serves me right, I read My Command by Olusegun Obasanjo nearly 40 years ago. He wrote about some young Biafran soldiers, who continued fighting, even when Gen. Philip Effiong had surrendered to the Federal Forces. They were eventually cut down. Bitter-Enders.

The fissure among most Nigerians today is sustained by primordial loyalties, and by who they supported in the 2015 presidential election. But I have news for the Bitter-Enders.

On Tuesday, this week, former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, was at State House, along with President of Ecowas Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou.

Dr Jonathan had been appointed Ecowas Special Envoy to Mali, to intercede in the crisis rocking the West African nation, after disputed parliamentary elections. Many lives have been lost, and the opposition members, under an umbrella called M5, are sticking to their guns that President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, must leave office.

I was privileged to sit in at the meeting between our former President and the incumbent. And I took away some lessons, which should really be for everyone.

President Buhari and his guest came into the diplomatic room of the Presidential Villa together. Our President ushered Dr Jonathan to the visitors seat.

A while back, Jonathan was the host in that very same room, ushering visitors to their seat. Now, he is in that same seat. If President Buhari visits the seat of power after May, 2023, he too would be ushered by somebody else. Such is life. Are you holding tight to anything today? Vanity of vanity. We are all birds of passage. Nothing lasts forever. Not power. Not position. Not any office. Not even life. A vital lesson Ive learnt from President Buhari is his constant realization that he would not be in State House forever. He would often tell in private conversations: While we are here, we shall do our very best.

Gen Yakubu Gowon was in Dodan Barracks for nine years. He left. Olusegun Obasanjo was there, left the first time, came back again, left willy-nilly after eight years. Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Chief Ernest Shonekan, and all former living leaders use the visitors seat, if they come a-visiting today. The only thing permanent in life is change.

How was the atmosphere between President Buhari and Dr Jonathan? Calm, friendly, characterized by absolutely no tension. No animosity. While uncountable Jonathanians and Buharists were spitting in one anothers eyes round the country, abusing one anothers father and mother at the same time, here were the two men, the perfect picture of geniality. I say again, no tension, absolutely none. They were both perfect pictures of civility.

Dr Jonathan gave a rundown of the situation in Mali.

When he concluded, and made his recommendations, President Buhari was full of praises for him, saying he had elucidated clearly the Malian conundrum.

Thank you for updating me so effectively. I have a very good brief of events now,  President Buhari said. He promised to wade into the Malian situation, along with some other key Ecowas leaders.

With the briefing concluded, Dr Jonathan went into other issues. He thanked the President for giving him an official jet to make his travels convenient, and equally expressed appreciation for the Itakpe-Warri railway complex named after him last weekend.

Its a big present for me. Thank you so much, he said.

Time to go, and the former President made a move for the visitors exit door. But President Buhari would have none of it. He led him through the exit exclusively meant for a sitting President. Very impressive.

Meanwhile, out there, the Bitter-Enders are knocking their heads against the wall, sitting on the complaint counter and wailing endlessly. But here are the two main men, treating each other like brothers.

May the wailers stop wailing. May the Bitter-Enders be purged of bitterness. Amen, somebody!
After a request from the World Health Organisation, India has extended medical assistance worth $1 million to North Korea. Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said, "India is sensitive to the shortage of medical supply situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and decided to grant a humanitarian assistance of USD 1 million in the form of anti-tuberculosis medicines"

According to reports, India decided to help North Korea with the much needed medical assistance for WHO's ongoing anti-tuberculosis programme. The consignment of anti-tuberculosis medicine worth $1 million was handed over to North Korean authorities by Indian Ambassador to DPRK Atul Malhari Gotsurve in the presence of a WHO representative.

Read: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un's Sister Kim Yo Jong Being Probed By Seoul Prosecutors

North Koreas Hospital Project

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is said to have criticised several construction managers who are responsible for the construction of a showpiece hospital in the country. The problems with the construction remain unspecified but reports have indicated that this may be a sign showcasing that the DPRK is struggling to secure resources and supplies under severe US-led sanctions.

As per reports, while visiting the site of the hospital Kim Jon Un remarked that his ambitious project was being handled in a careless manner. The construction managers of the hospital have been reportedly using people unrelated to project which has caused distress among the people who were forced to mobilise for the hospital construction.

Read: North Korea's Kim Talks 'war Deterrent' At Military Meeting

North Korea has repeatedly claimed that no one in the country has been infected by COVID-19, a claim that has been doubted by experts. To date, there has been no indication that the new general hospital under construction has anything to do with the pandemic.

As per reports, severe sanctions by the US and its allies have created several restrictions for North Korea and the country sought sanction relief during talks with the United States in 2018 and 2019 but the dialogue failed to provide a concrete solution.

(With agency inputs)

Read: Trump Wants North Korea Summit Only If 'real Progress' Possible, Says Mike Pompeo

Read: North Korean Leader Berates Officials Over Hospital Project
Marking the start of operations at companys new Regional Air Hub, Amazon Prime Air completed its first cargo flight from Sacramento, California and landed at Amazons new air cargo complex at Lakeland Linder International Airport on July 24. The 285,000-square-feet facility is specifically designed to serve the Amazon Airs greater regional; needs and the company announced that it is ready to take off. Amazons new air hub contains an onsite area to sort out packages for several destinations along with a seven-jet hanger. According to reports, its estimated cost was more than $100 million.

The vice president of Amazon Global Air Sarah Rhoads said while referring to the airport by its navigational code that the company is excited to launch Amazon Air operation at Lakeland so that the capability of the company to deliver fast is enhanced. This would now enable Amazon to deliver fast and free of cost for the customers in Florida and across the United States so that people can depend on dring these times of COVID-19 pandemic. Even Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expressed his delight with the Amazon Air beginning its operations at the new facility.

We're ready for takeoff as Amazon Air operations began at Florida's Lakeland Linder International Airport yesterday! @FlyLakeland, welcome to the #AmazonAir network.  pic.twitter.com/a8V9oTjv2I  Amazon News (@amazonnews) July 24, 2020

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Amazon Air prioritizes sustainability

Amazon Prime Air lies in synergy with the companys the Climate Pledge and therefore, Amazon Air has secured up to six million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplied by Shell Aviation and produced by World Energy. The company said, Air cargo is an important part of Amazon operations, but also a highly carbon-intensive part of the global supply chain. Finding sustainable alternatives and working with all industries to accelerate the transition to more sustainable products and services is one of the most important, yet challenging, elements of our work to meet The Climate Pledge.

The statement said, With this twelve-month deal, Amazon Air, in our short history, is prioritizing sustainability by bringing SAF into our air operations. This commitment also makes Amazon Air a key enabler of SAF production, building demand as the fuel industry seeks to increase access to low-carbon aviation fuel.

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Image: @amazonnews/Twitter






Parents not only give us the gift of life by bringing us into this world, but continue to care for and nurture us until we get old enough to fend for ourselves. In some lucky instances, like most desi households, children are lucky enough to be able to spend even their adulthood in the company of their parents. Our parents can go above and beyond to ensure our happiness, that all our needs and wants are satiated, that we get whatever we dream of, and when our hearts break, theirs break twice as hard. It is this dedication and commitment of parents towards their childrens well being that deserves to be celebrated, not on just one day but every day of the year. After all, we give our parents the hardest time, take them for granted, fail to take care of them the way they take care of us, but they continue loving us unconditionally, and such love, dedication and kindness deserves to be celebrated.

ALSO READ: Parents Day 2020: When is it and why do we celebrate this day

Parents Day is observed on different days in different parts of the world, in South Korea it is celebrated on May 8 and in the United States on the fourth Sunday of July (which falls on July 26 this year). The Parents Day celebrations in the United States day were founded in 1994 under the then President Bill Clinton. The United Nations has also proclaimed June 1, which is celebrated as Global Day of Parents, as the day to celebrate parents and mark their commitment to their children. The international agency proclaimed that this day is to appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship.

Here are some wonderful parents day wishes, quotes, poems and images for you to share with your beloved parents, grandparents and parent-like figures in your life and make them see how much they mean to you. Read on:

*You two have always been my source of inspiration and my motivation. I love you, mom and dad. Wishing both of you a happy parents day!

*I will never take for granted how greatly Ive been blessed; For when it comes to parents, Mom and Dad, you are the best! Happy Parents Day!

*I have a heart full of love and respect for you two. You made my childhood awesome and my life wonderful. Thank you for always putting me before everything! Happy Parents Day!

*Dear Mother and Father, Happy Parents Day! Thank you for guiding me through my life like a mentor and supporting me like a true friend!

*Mom and Dad, you both are special in every way, Your love enlightens and encourages me every day, Though I rebel, words cant describe how I love you two, Happy Parents Day to both of you!

*You bring a smile on my face when Im sad, you set my spirits high when I feel low, but you just make my day brighter with your love and care. Happy Parents Day to the best parents in the world!

*My lovely parents, it is a blessing to be born in this amazing family and having you two in my life. Happy Parents Day to you!

*The biggest blessing for a child is his parents. I feel lucky all the time for having such amazing parents like you! Happy Parents Day!

*Love and support of parents can get a child anywhere and everywhere in life. Thank you, mom and dad, for always supporting me and believing in me. Happy parents day!

*Mom and Dad, good thing that I was born to you because it takes such awesome parents to raise an awesome kid like me! Happy Parents Day!

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New Jersey is suing to stop President Donald Trumps plan to not count undocumented immigrants in the process that decides how many representatives each state sends to Congress.

A total of 20 states and several local governments from around the country filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The Presidents plainly illegal action not only dehumanizes members of our community but also seeks to punish states like New Jersey with larger immigrant populations, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement.

The U.S. Constitution says the number of people states send to Congress is based on the whole number of persons in each State.

On Tuesday, Trump wrote in a memorandum that he could define what a whole person was. Since the U.S. doesnt count international tourists during a census, for example, a president should be able to exclude other groups of people, even if theyre long-term residents, he said.

States adopting policies that encourage illegal aliens to enter this country and that hobble Federal efforts to enforce the immigration laws passed by the Congress should not be rewarded with greater representation, Trump wrote.

That rational was a blatant disregard of an unambiguous constitutional command, the suing states wrote. No previous president interpreted the Constitution this way, they said, and the change would hurt the federal governments ability to care for everybody within its borders.

It was not immediately clear how Trump would count undocumented immigrants, since the U.S. Supreme Court blocked him from asking residents about their citizenship status on the 2020 Census, which is ongoing.

The almost 8.8 million people recorded in the 2010 Census gave New Jersey a dozen representatives in the House of Representatives. The year Trump was elected, the Pew Research Center estimated that about 5% of the states population, or 475,000 people, were undocumented.

Each member of Congress represents an average of 747,000 people, according to Pew.

The lawsuit targets Trump, the commerce department and census bureau. Messages left with representatives for each were not immediately returned.

Grewals office has sued Trumps administration dozens of times, and the federal government sued the state over restrictions on how much information local cops can share with immigration officials.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The coronavirus pandemic has turned our world upside-down. We need information like we never have before.

How many new cases were there on Staten Island today? How many deaths? How many people have been released from the hospital?

What did President Donald Trump say about the pandemic? What about Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio?

More importantly, when is this pandemic going to be over? When are we going to get back to normal, whatever normal is?

Its almost too much to keep up with.

So twice a day, Mark Stein and I take to Facebook Live to give you all the Island information you need. Look for us around 2 p.m. and again at around 5:30 p.m. Then look for this wrap-up on SILive.com at the end of the day.

Well give you the numbers and all the latest news. Well answer your questions. Well follow up on your news tips.

Well share the good news too, the way that the Staten Island community is coming together in this time of crisis. Or well just share this strange and unique pandemic moment with you, as fellow Staten Islanders.

On Friday, we talked about the CDC issuing school re-opening guidance, as well as the fact that the public school principals union head said that New York City was not prepared to re-open schools.

We also talked about how Cuomo said he would launch a crackdown against bars that do not enforce social distancing rules.

See the video above for those conversations.

In the video below, Mark and I spoke about the delay in people getting COVID test results from private labs.

Were all in this together. Well all get through this together.
Ms Tickler Asante, the Kwahu South District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged Ghanaians to accept and show love to recovered COVID- 19 patients.



She gave the advice when she visited some deprived communities in the district to create awareness on the coronavirus pandemic and its implications.



Among the communities visited were Pitiku, Nkyenenkyene, Asikam, Asakraka, Ntomem, Kwahu Praso No.1 and 2 and Kwahu Besease.



Ms Asante said there was the need to create awareness among the people especially those living in hard to reach areas, hence, the tour.



She said the NCCE was working to educate the people especially market women on the need to observe the safety protocols of COVID-19 to help minimize the risk of contracting the coronavirus disease.



She said the NCCE had also been using information centers, the NCCE information van where necessary, and visiting market centers and shops with the education.



Ms Asante expressed worry at the rate at which most of the inhabitants in areas visited by the NCCE were not observing the COVID-19 safety protocols to help minimize the fast-spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The waiting game is on in the treacherous heights of Eastern Ladakh. Every day trucks carrying rations, warm clothing, kerosene, medicines and every item of daily need you can think of are making their way up to the area of conflict. This is where Indian and Chinese troops have been involved in a tense face off for the last 12 weeks. This is where 40,000 Indian troops are preparing to spend the winter when temperatures will go down to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

After 12 weeks, four rounds of Army Cdr level talks, two rounds of WMCC meetings and one virtual meet between Special Representatives of India and China, Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, one question remains: For how long will the standoff last?

Speaking exclusively to CNN-New18, Lt Gen YK Joshi, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, says troops will continue to be deployed on ground till status quo ante is achieved, that is, till the Chinese go back to their pre mid-April positions.

What I can tell you in simple words is that we shall continue all efforts to restore the status quo ante along the LAC. I believe the negotiations and process of this engagement and the commitment of both sides to adhere to the laid down methodology would dictate the timeline of the standoff.

The process of this engagement is currently underway in Eastern Ladakh. While the Chinese and Indians have stepped back in Galwan Valley and Hot Springs as agreed upon, the other two friction points Pangong Tso and PP17 Gogra  have seen minimal progress.

When asked about the situation on ground, Lt Gen Joshi, the man in-charge of Indias northern borders, said, There is a method to every process. And our ongoing military engagement with the PLA to diffuse the situation is no different. There are certain commitments required from the two sides which are essential for the process to move ahead positively. There are certain factors though such as territorial integrity of the country that are not negotiable. While we are investing sincerely in this ongoing endeavour to bring about peace along the border, we also remain prepared at all times for any eventuality.

Lt Gen Joshi has spent half his professional life in the cold desert of Ladakh. He has Commanded an Infantry Battalion, an infantry brigade and an infantry division here. He was the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps before taking over as the head of the Northern Command. Lt Gen Joshi speaks Chinese and was the defense attache in Beijing from 2006 to 2009.

A Kargil War Hero, Lt Gen Joshi spoke to CNN-NEW18 ahead of the 21st Kargil Vijay Diwas. When asked if Kargil was a bigger challenge than the current standoff at the LAC, he said, Its like comparing apples with oranges. The challenge of Kargil and the present situation are in a completely different domain. Yes, Point 4875 was a challenge then. In the given circumstances, the LAC in Ladakh is a challenge today. As an organisation, we concluded the situation in 1999 to our satisfaction and so will be the case in Ladakh.

There are questions that have been raised about how the Chinese PLA moved in troops and arms into the Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, Gogra and Pangong Tso, taking the Indian Army by surprise. There are also questions on where exactly the process of dis-engagement is headed given that the Chinese have reportedly dug in their heels at Pangong Tso and PP17 Gogra.

When asked how he saw the next six months pan out for him, Lt Gen Joshi said, We are living in challenging times and the situation will continue to be so. We will do whatever it takes to maintain the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation. The faith and trust the nation has reposed on us has to be honoured and hence we shall stand steadfast in efforts to do the same.

These come as reassuring words from the man who is on the hot seat.
Unregistered Opposition Presidential Candidate Tsapkala, Children Flee Belarus

By RFE/RL's Belarus Service July 24, 2020

MINSK -- Valer Tsapkala, the opposition politician whose candidacy election officials refused to register for an August 9 presidential poll, has fled Belarus for Russia with his children for safety reasons.

Tsapkala told Russia's Dozhd television channel on July 24 that his wife Veranika remained in Belarus to join his campaign's forces with those of the officially registered opposition candidate, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

He said that he and his children left the country after "reliable sources" informed him that Belarusian authorities planned to arrest him.

Tsapkala's statement came three days after a court in Minsk held an initial hearing into a lawsuit filed against him by a Turkish businessman residing in Belarus, Sedat Igdeci, who accused Tsapkala of bribery.

The hearing was held in Tsapkala's absence.

On June 29, the Interior Ministry announced that it had started preliminary investigations into what it called "facts of illegal activities" committed by Tsapkala.

Veranika Tsapkala confirmed with the Tut.by online newspaper on July 24 that her husband and their children were now in Russia.

"Two days ago, prosecutors came to the school where my children study and asked teachers to write complaints about us. As far as I understood, they have launched a process of depriving us of the custody over our children," she said.

"Because of that, we decided that Valer and the children must leave Belarusian territory as we face a real danger and threat here."

The August 9 election comes as Lukashenka faces mounting public opposition after 26 years in power.

Hundreds of people, including activists and bloggers have been arrested as the government has cracked down hard on rallies and demonstrations supporting opposition candidates, who were not registered by the election officials.

Western governments and international institutions, including the United Nations, have called on Lukashenka's government to stop the crackdown.

Veranika Tsapkala along with Maryya Kalesnikava, a coordinator of the campaign of another potential presidential candidate, former Belgazprombank head Viktar Babaryka, joined Tsikhanouskaya, who unlike Tsapkala and Babaryka was registered as a presidential candidate.

Babaryka is currently in jail facing embezzlement charges, which he and his supporters reject as politically motivated.

Tsikhanouskaya became a presidential candidate after her husband, well-known vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, was incarcerated for openly expressing his intention to run for president.

It became known on July 20 that Tsikhanouskaya also moved her two children to an EU country out of concern for their safety after receiving threats ahead of the election.

Last month, the authorities detained at least 14 journalists for allegedly participating in unsanctioned protests, and in May, five journalists covering opposition candidates were detained, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

With reporting by Dozhd and Tut.by

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/unregistered- opposition-presidential-candidate-tsapkala- children-flee-belarus/30745527.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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High Quality- Low Prices - Charitable LAMO have it covered.

By Christine Peake, Peake PR Group

Lamo Footwear has been in the news a lot lately, especially throughout the horrific and uncertain five months of Covid-19. And yet, they continue to strive, thrive and give back.

The charitable footwear company, is soon approaching its 25th Anniversary with yet another giving back project, for which the brand is becoming known.

Based in California and founded by philanthropic business man Joseph Li, LAMO has more than stepped up in generosity during these hard times.

The footwear company are fast being compared to TOMS shoes, who came up with the buy one donate one to charity campaign many years ago, which was unheard of at the time.

LAMO have taken a different path in their approach but have had a massive impact in spreading awareness for causes as they continue to support charities on many different platforms.

For example, a couple of months ago you may have seen Marketing & Digital Director of LAMO, Mark Sweetser on the news talking about LAMO supporting the overworked nurses in these trying times.

LAMO donated hundreds of pairs of shoes and slippers to grateful healthcare workers all over the country, simply as a thank you for their service. As news spread of the plight of exhausted healthcare workers, LAMO stepped in and suggested everyone needed a little something to ease their aches and pains.

They have also been working on creating a few unique styles to benefit pediatric cancer charity http://www.savingsophie.org

The secret, much anticipated new styles will be available in October with a percentage of all proceeds being donated to the charity, which was founded by Tracy & Josh Ryan and named after their brave and vivacious daughter Sophie, who starred in the Netflix documentary, Weed The People.

About the actual brand?

The LAMO brand has a unique style that is high quality, comfortable and stylish.

They also have styles for ever age, and the good news is there is something for every family member. The best news is LAMO are also known for their high quality footwear without breaking the bank. They have managed to keep their prices low and workmanship high, which is a welcomed at these uncertain times with unemployment at an all time high.

"We stay focused on the consumer and their needs at all times and do our best to help in anyway we can" said Sweetser.

"These are tough times so we do what we can do to help."

LAMO are also always on the pulse when it comes to being socially aware and conscious, they supported both the Bring Back Retail Campaign and most recently were one of the first companies to support the controversial yet correct 'Stop Hate For Profit' Campaign, joining huge companies such as GAP, Disney & Coca Cola in withdrawing their Advertising dollars from Facebook.

A Time For Celebration! To celebrate their upcoming 25th August Anniversary, LAMO are gifting to 25 philanthropic individuals who care about a charitable cause as much as LAMO does.

They will feature these individuals in their media platform as a way to thank them for being an asset to their community and charity.

"It's just our way to recognize them with a LAMO thank you gift - although it's technically LAMO's birthday, we like to give more than receive." Said Sweetser.

And who can argue with that?

To shop LAMO and learn more about Saving Sophie, go to http://www.LamoFootwear.Com
(Photo : REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool) Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seen during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (not pictured) at Downing Street in London, Britain, July 21, 2020. (Photo : Jeremy Selwyn/Pool via REUTERS) Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Tollgate Medical Centre in Beckton, London, Britain July 24, 2020. (Photo : REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff) A person wearing a protective face mask sits at a bus stop, following a local lockdown imposed amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Leicester, Britain, July 4, 2020.

While the Prime Minister previously said he took the "right decisions at the right time," he has recently admitted the government miscalculated the extent of COVID-19 pandemic. He also warned the public coronavirus may stay until next summer.

"We didn't understand [the virus] in the way that we would have liked in the first few weeks and months," the Prime Minister told BBC's Laura Kuenssberg in an interview on Friday, July 24. He also pointed out they initially did not see the possibility of asymptomatic transmission between individuals. The interview marked the first year since Boris Johnson was elected as Conservative Party leader and the British Prime Minister.

However, as the Daly Express reported, Johnson denied being too slow to act against the disease that killed more than 45,000 people in the UK with nearly 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The government was also criticized for "mishandling" the pandemic.

Johnson told Kuenssberg during the interview that the crisis was something new, yet the government took all the advice from their advisers for each step they did to manage the crisis. "We stuck to that advice like glue," he said.

The prime minister also clarified that it is difficult to keep the virus under control, particularly with the economy. "I do still think that we have tough times ahead." However, he is optimistic that the U.K. can "bounce back stronger than ever before."

Read also: WHO Breaks Hopes for COVID-19 Vaccine Within This Year

Currently, the government is trying to strike a balance between reopening the economy without triggering a second wave of the pandemic.

Johnson proposed to keep wearing face masks in shops and enclosed spaces could for at least a year, although he did not mention when the new facemask rule charging a 100 fine for not wearing facemasks in all shops will be lifted.

Instead, the prime minister said using face masks and following social distancing measures depend on the collective ability of British people and the government to dropping the coronavirus rate and keeping it down. "I'm not going to make a prediction about when these various social distancing measures will come off," said Johnson adding it would probably be "the middle of next year."

Read also: Coronavirus-Hit British PM Back to Work; Boris Johnson Warns Against Easing Lockdown

He finally admitted mishandling the pandemic

After hearing the prime minister's interview, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said this refutes Johnson's earlier claim that the government made "the right decisions at the right time."

"Boris Johnson has finally admitted the Government has mishandled its response to the Coronavirus," Ashworth noted. He criticized the government for being was too slow to acknowledge the threat of the virus, enter lockdown, and even take this crisis seriously.

Last week, Johnson vowed to have an "independent" inquiry about how the pandemic was handled, although he rejected an immediate investigation as assigning large numbers of staff on it would be untimely. He did not discuss any details when the probe will begin.

For weeks, the PM receives continuous criticisms as to whether the lockdown came a little late after Sir Patrick Vallance, U.K.'s chief scientific adviser, told members of the parliament they wanted it applied a week before March 23.



Read also: Even 26 Feet Away; You Can Still be Infected with COVID-19, Says New Findings

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Like other realms, American intellectual life has been marked by a series of exclusions. The oldest and vastest was the exclusion of people of color from the commanding institutions of our culture.

Today, theres the exclusion of conservatives from academic life. Then theres the exclusion of working-class voices from mainstream media. Our profession didnt used to be all coastal yuppies, but now it mostly is. Then theres the marginalization of those with radical critiques  from say, the Marxist left and the theological right.

Intellectual exclusion and segregation have been terrible for America, poisoning both the right and the left.

Conservatives were told their voices didnt matter, and many reacted in a childish way that seemed to justify that exclusion. A corrosive spirit of resentment and victimhood spread across the American right  an intellectual inferiority complex combined with a moral superiority complex.

For many on the right the purpose of thinking changed. Thinking was no longer for understanding. Thinking was for belonging. Right-wing talk radio is the endless repetition of familiar mantras to reassure listeners that they are all on the same team. Thinking was for conquest: Those liberals think theyre better than us, but we own the libs.

Thinking itself became suspect. Sarah Palin and President Donald Trump reintroduced anti-intellectualism into the American right: a distrust of the media, expertise and facts. A president who dispenses with the pen inevitably takes up the club.

Intellectual segregation has been bad for the left, too. It produced insularity. Progressives are often blindsided by reality  blindsided that Trump won the presidency; blindsided that Joe Biden clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. The second consequence is fragility. When you make politics the core of your religious identity, and you shield yourself from heresy, then any glimpse of that heresy is going to provoke an extreme emotional reaction. The third consequence is conformity. Writers are now expected to write as a representative of a group, in order to affirm the self-esteem of the group. Predictability is the point.

In some ways the left has become even more conformist than the right. The liberal New Republic has less viewpoint diversity than the conservative National Review  a reversal of historical patterns. Christopher Hitchens was one of the great essayists in America. He would be unemployable today because there was no set of priors he wasnt willing to offend.

Now the boundaries of exclusion are shifting again. What we erroneously call cancel culture is an attempt to shift the boundaries of the sayable so it excludes not only conservatives but liberals and the heterodox as well. Hence the attacks on, say, Steven Pinker and Andrew Sullivan.

This is not just an elite or rare phenomenon. Sixty-two percent of Americans say they are afraid to share things they believe, according to a poll for the Cato Institute. A majority of staunch progressives say they feel free to share their political views, but majorities of liberals, moderates and conservatives are afraid to.

Happily, theres a growing rebellion against groupthink and exclusion. A Politico poll found that 49 percent of Americans say the cancel culture has a negative impact on society and only 27 percent say it has a positive impact. This month Yascha Mounk started Persuasion, an online community to celebrate viewpoint diversity, and it already has more than 25,000 subscribers.

After being pushed out from New York magazine, Sullivan established his own newsletter, The Weekly Dish, on Substack, a platform that makes it easy for readers to pay writers for their work. He now has 60,000 subscribers, instantly making his venture financially viable.

Its possible that the debate now going on stupidly on Twitter can migrate to newsletters. Its possible that writers will bundle, with established writers promoting promising ones. Its possible that those of us at the great remaining mainstream outlets will be enmeshed in conversations that are more freewheeling and thoughtful.

Mostly Im hopeful that the long history of intellectual exclusion and segregation will seem disgraceful. It will seem disgraceful if youre at a university and only 1.5 percent of the faculty members are conservative. (Im looking at you, Harvard.) A person who ideologically self-segregates will seem pathetic. Im hoping the definition of a pundit changes  not a foot soldier out for power but a person who argues in order to come closer to understanding.

Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times.
Two terrorists affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in an encounter on the outskirts of Srinagar on Saturday, officials said.

Police officials said that a joint cordon and search operation was launched following information about the presence of militants in village Ranbirgarh in Panzinara area of Srinagar.

During the search operation, as the presence of terrorists got ascertained, they were given opportunity to surrender. However, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter, the spokesman said.

One of the two terrorists eliminated was Ishfaq Rashid of Sozeith, Srinagar  a top LeT commander who was active since 2018 and wanted in many cases of violence. The other killed terrorist, Ajaz Bhat was in the LeT cadre from Pulwama district.

Incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site of encounter, the spokersperson said. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crimes. There was no injury to civilians or loss of property during the said encounter.

Bodies of the deceased militants have been sent to Ganderbal for last rites after conducting medico-legal formalities, the official said.
Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah has returned to office after working from home for 14 days while isolating from the public.



The two weeks self-isolation was in compliance with Covid-19 Protocols.



A circular dated July 7, 2020, signed and issued by the Judicial Secretary, Ms Pamela Cynthia Addo and circulated to all High Court judges had said His Lordship Chief Justice from 6th July 2020 on the advice of his doctors, embarked on a fourteen (14) day self-isolation in compliance with Covid-19 protocols.



It had stated further that the Chief Justice was to be working from his official residence at Cantonments in Accra.



The CJ has since returned to office and made his first public appearance after taking delivery of some 100 pieces of waste bins donated by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources on Friday.



The Deputy Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah presented the items on behalf of the Ministry.



Receiving the items on behalf of the service, the CJ thanked the Ministry for the gesture and said this is the second time they (Ministry) have come to our rescue and we are pleased these have arrived at the right time.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Jammu:

Nine-year-old Khusbhoo, haunted by the memories of the horrific day when six persons of her village were killed in cross-border firing by Pakistani troops, has not slept a wink for the last 18 days.

On November 1, she saw her family having a close shave as bullets and shells rained down on her village in Samba district. This shocking scene is etched in her memory.



She is unable to sleep and cries most of the time. She has lost appetite too. She gets out of her bed in the middle of the night and starts running toward the door, crying, her mother said.



The girls family initially thought her condition will improve over time, but she showed no signs of recovery. Later, her mother was advised to take her to Psychiatric Disease Hospital in Jammu.



Rakesh Banal, who is treating Khushboo, said the cross-border firing was severely affecting the mental health of those residing in border areas that witness death and destruction.



People who witness life-threatening events, suffer injury, subjected to sexual violence or are related to victims, suffer from psychiatric disorders, he said.



Mukesh (32), a resident of R S Pura sector, is also undergoing treatment at the hospital. He complains of insomnia and rapid heart rate.



I cannot sleep. On hearing a sound, my heart rate increases. The doctors are treating me for stress and anxiety, he said.



Some studies show that eight per cent of the population in the conflict area suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).



Jagadish Thappa, former head of Psychiatric Disease Hospital, Jammu, said, There has been an increase in the number of patients, especially from the border areas, who suffer from psychiatric diseases.



If children see violence, firing, they are most likely to play with toy guns. It is a psychiatric disorder. And, I have seen that in Kashmir, he said.



We get patients who complain of anxiety, panic attacks, palpitation, irritability, loss of appetite, sleep disturbance etc, the doctor said.



The diseases can be cured if the patient gets medical attention before the symptoms worsen, Thappa said.
If Twitter has an obligation to unilaterally take down tweets without an order, then the SC must not just state the source of this obligation but also spell out when this obligation is activated

Twitter has "withheld" in India two tweets by advocate Prashant Bhushan as they are allegedly contempt to court. This has happened without an order from the court to delete these tweets. The court had "suggested" on 22 July that Twitter ought to remove the tweets itself without waiting for a formal order.

This whole Prashant Bhushan contempt saga was something that carried a stench from the beginning but now the stench appears to have become a rot. What were so offensive about Prashant Bhushan's tweet that the Supreme Court had to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings against him? The tweets have been reproduced in the order of 22 July 2020 and they are quite self-explanatory.

SC says it prima facie is of the view that the two tweets by adv. #PrashantBhushan have brought disrepute to the administration of justice and could undermine, in the eyes of the public, the dignity and authority of the Supreme Court in general and the CJIs office in particular. pic.twitter.com/tvEEM1gilk  The Leaflet (@TheLeaflet_in) July 22, 2020

Bhushan, someone this author seldom finds in agreement with, made two comments about the Supreme Court. One was about the impropriety of the present Chief Justice of India being seen riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle belonging to a BJP leader in Nagpur and the other was about the fact that there was an undeclared emergency in India and the Supreme Court had a role in ensuring it stayed that way.

To quote from the Supreme Court order, these two tweets have brought the "administration of justice in disrepute and are capable of undermining the dignity and authority of the Supreme Court in general and the office of the Chief Justice of India in particular, in the eyes of the public at large".

The actions of the Supreme Court of India, in not just the last few years but in the last couple of decades have ensured that the administration of justice in this country has no reputation to speak of, and consequently, its reputation may in no manner be undermined.

At Common Law, where there is a Crown, the judges, act as advisors to the Crown, judgements are issued in the name of the Crown after the advice of the courts. Complaints against judges may directly be made to the Crown which is why till the evolution of the Supreme Court in the UK, the House of Lords (the Crown in Parliament) was Englands highest court. Judgements delivered by courts carried the weight of impartial advice, the same way a counsel would give impartial advice to their client.

The legislature makes the law, the executive enforces the law and when there is a doubt, the courts clarify what the position of the law is. In such a system, judges carried dignity as they were professionals and their advice/judgements had an air of professionalism. It was clear the loyalty was to the law not justice. No matter how distasteful the public may have found it.

This is clearly not how the Supreme Court has been functioning at least in the last decade. Unbridled expansion in the Supreme Courts writ jurisdiction (funnily enough, lauded by lawyers like Bhushan himself) has resulted in the Supreme Court moving from a dispenser of justice to a vehicle of administration. This does not impute that this vehicle is aligned to any political party, but by being a vehicle of administration, the Supreme Court has turned itself political. This being the case, the Supreme Court can no longer be placed above and protected from public critique by invoking the law of contempt. Like any other political institution in the country, the Supreme Court can and should be subject to criticism.

Why do I say the Supreme Court has become a vehicle for administration rather than a dispenser of justice? It is best illustrated in the suggestion that the Supreme Court put to Twitter asking it to take down the tweets on its own.

The Supreme Courts job is to state the law and clarify it where it is in doubt. If Twitter has an obligation to unilaterally take down tweets without an order, then the Supreme Court must not just state the source of this obligation but also spell out when this obligation is activated. What the Court instead did, was avoid this question all together, consciously by asking for the tweets to be taken down without an order.

Twitter for its part, expressed less spine than a two-month-old puppy and tucked its tail between its legs and complied. This is maybe what Bhushan meant by an undeclared emergency. There is censorship of speech without formal orders.

The second aspect of this is that there is already a statutory mechanism under the Information Technology Act, 2000, to take down offending content on the internet. Companies that are active in India, rely on the certainty of our laws.

If companies may face sanction for not following a suggestion by a court, then it means that our laws are not certain. Why will someone invest in an environment where not just the government but even the court may exercise administrative muscle to tell a corporation what it can and cannot do?

Twitters case is not the only case. Through this lockdown, we have seen the Supreme Court being the forum to try and decide whether people should be charged for COVID-19 tests, how migrant workers should be repatriated, even get permission for large religious and public gatherings.

The Judiciary today has become everything from the District Magistrate to the Prime Ministers Office in terms of the powers of decision making it wields. This is not what courts and judges are supposed to do. If a court oversteps in one case, it will automatically become a question when it fails to overstep in another. By overstepping over these decades, the Supreme Court has created political expectations by itself. Is it any wonder then that someone would find it dodgy to see a photo of the Chief Justice riding an expensive motorcycle belonging to a BJP Leader?

Of course, a judge is entitled to his personal life. Our current Chief Justice may be a fan of motorcycles. Who wouldnt be? They are ridiculously cool things. But when there is a photo such as that in public circulation, then people have a right to pass comment on the same. All sorts of comments are fair game. In some circles, this photo has also become a meme.

The Chief Justice of India is now a meme on the internet. If this is the situation, then where can be the question of lowering the dignity of any institution or office? Is there any dignity left to lower? When people poke fun at their judges in the same manner as they do their politicians, it means the judges have become political. If the judges are political, then any speech about them is political and is protected speech under Article 19 of the Constitution.

At least the Supreme Court once upon a time used to think so. Now we do not know how the Supreme Court would react, cause the way the law in India is frequently unsettled, it appears there is no legal certainty anymore when it comes to most matters. Todays Supreme Court may take another view and tomorrows will take a third view. Precedent and judicial discipline have become archaic terms in this grand judicial system of ours. Take out a procedural point and you are denying substantive justice, but without procedure, can there even be an institution?

Even in this case, the contempt petition was lodged without the permission of the Attorney General for India. This permission is an important procedural safeguard to make sure frivolous cases do not make it there. But this safeguard was also ignored.

The author is an advocate in the Mumbai High Court. Views are personal
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Linkedin Sudibyo M. Wiradji (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25 2020

Many of us are well familiar with plastic sachet waste. We eat instant noodles, drink coffee sachets, clean our hair with shampoo and buy snacks in plastic packaging. We may ask where the plastic waste ends up.

Commonly, plastic sachet waste is burned, thrown into a landfill or ends up littering the environment or the ocean. Is there any other way of treating discarded plastic sachets so they do not damage the environment?

Obsessed by this question, Novita Tan and Ovy Sabrina, whose father is in in the building materials business, conducted a literature study and consulted with a civil engineer lecturer in 2018.

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Controversy surrounding reports of an Iranian airliner being intercepted by U.S. fighter jets over Syria on Thursday, 23 July continued on Friday with many questions raised that have yet to be answered.

Some of the questions asked include: Have the Iranians tried to provoke U.S. forces by flying over their base in Tanf at the border with Jordan?

If the Mahan Airline plane headed to Damascus or Beirut was on a routine flight from Tehran why did U.S. forces choose to intercept it? Certainly, Mahan airlines must be conducting other flights, at least to Syria. Why did U.S. forces feel the need to make a visual identification of this particular flight?

Having regard to Mahan Air's background and its links to the Revolutionary Guard, did U.S. forces have possible information that a military or a Hezbollah figure was on board the plane?

Did they suspect the passenger aircraft was carrying weapons and ammunition, as Mahan Air has a track record of doing that?

Hasn't the Beirut airport been closed for some time? Why and how did the aircraft land in that airport?

Why Syria's flight control did not direct the aircraft to land in Damascus where it was possibly supposed to land in the first place? Although there were initial reports by Iranian sources that the plane first landed in Damascus, there has been no official statement about its initial destination or a landing in Damascus.

The pilot of the airliner told Iranian media that he got so scared he suddenly reduced altitude and some passengers were injured. Iranian journalists said to be on board immediately produced films of injured passengers.

An Iranian activist in the Netherlands, Ammar Maleki said in a tweet that the plane was probably carrying weapons or terrorists on board and that is why the pilot panicked as soon as he saw the U.S. jets and maneuvered to land at once.

Why there were Iranian State TV reporters on board, ready to report the incident? Wasn't this a pre-planned provocation to overshadow the case of the downing of a Ukrainian airliner by the IRGC? The case of the Ukraine airliner is once again in media spotlight as its flight voice recorder was read and handed over to Iran which is still silent about the matter while Ukraine's officials say they have access to evidence that proves "interference" with the flight.

On the other side of the story, the U.S. military says it was a routine inspection carried out within a safe distance according to international standards: The visual inspection occurred to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at Tanf garrison, U.S. Central Command spokesman Bill Urban said. Once the F-15 pilot identified the aircraft as a Mahan Air passenger plane, the F-15 safely opened distance from the aircraft.

Foreign Policy Analyst Jason Brodsky, who is Policy Director at the United Against Nuclear Iran, highlighted the controversy and conflicting remarks about the cause of the incident in a tweet saying that "Iran says US jet came within 100 meters of the Mahan Air flight, whereas US is saying its jets flew within roughly, 1,000 meters," adding that according to Mehr news agency, Iran is waiting for radar transmission data to come in from Syria.

During the past year, Israel and the United States have accused Mahan Air of shipping weapons and fighters to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran-linked groups in Syria and the region. The United States imposed sanctions on Mahan Air in 2011. But it is not only accusations. In interviews with Iran's state-owned television and IRGC-linked media outlets, Mahan Air pilots at different times have spoken about how they breached passenger airliners' safety standards during flights to Syria and Yemen.

On a recent occasion, a Mahan Air pilot told an IRGC-linked website in Tehran that he once carried seven tons of "prohibited cargo" to Syria in 2013 with former Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani also on board. Amir Assadollahi, the Mahan Air pilot, says he carried the prohibited cargo, most probably weapons and ammunitions on board a passenger aircraft with some 200 people onboard. He added that the pilots hid Soleimani in the cockpit during inspections in Iraq as he was dressed as a flight engineer.

On Friday, Iran lodged a complaint with the Civil Aviation Organization about the case. Iran's UN envoy Takht Ravanchi said the previous day that he would file a complaint with the UN later.

In the meantime, some Iranian officials tweeted threats against foreign leaders. Presidential adviser Hesamoddin Ashna tweeted: "If you like your leaders' you wouldn't play with the lives of our passengers!"

An Iranian twitter user wrote that this is a death threat against Trump or Netanyahu.

Iranian lawmaker Ardeshir Motahhari also threatened that "those who threaten Iranian airliners should wait for Iran's hard revenge where and when we decide."

On the other hand, another Iranian twitter user, posted a map of U.S. bases surrounding Iran and asked: "Where could our airliners fly to avoid U.S. bases?"
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a million more visitors than usual over the past two months at Pennsylvania state parks, and officials are making changes at popular Beltzville to address some of the growing concerns.

The changes will not include limiting visitors to only Pennsylvania residents, which some locals and at least one state legislator have proposed.

Changes at the park and lake in Carbon County include new gates on certain access roads and barriers to restrict parking, as well as using staff from other state parks and increasing law enforcement patrols on the busy weekends and holidays.

Pennsylvania state parks, including Beltzville, are intended for high-density recreation, which does present some challenges during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we are seeing significant increases in visitors looking to stay cool and enjoy the health benefits of the outdoors, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a news release.

Trash dumped around the park is a recurring problems after the crowds leave. The department is adding additional dumpsters and giving trash bags to visitors.

Officials began using electronic signs on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to warn potential visitors if the park closed or near capacity.

The land and lake at Beltzville are owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and managed by the DCNR and Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The lease and the federal money used to buy the land require that no one be excluded from public use of the premises, officials said.

A visitor impact study with Penn State University researchers, looking at issues related to increased busy holidays and weekends at Beltzville, is almost done.

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.
Photo: Contributed Marc Fawcett-Atkinson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Last year, B.C. farmers saw record sales. But it's an increase that wont feed British Columbians.

Thats because two-thirds of those sales were inedible.

The bulk of that increase comes from cannabis, said Lenore Newman, Canada Research Chair of Food Security and Environment at the University of the Fraser Valley. Since it was legalized in 2018, it has become B.C.s most valuable crop, ahead of other key products like peppers and blueberries.

That rise reflects deeper issues around farmers access to land that concern Newman and other food security researchers.

Agricultural land is scarce in the province. While 4.6 million hectares are arable, merely 0.8 per cent of the province is active farmland.

Most of the cannabis operations displaced existing food production. In some cases, we lost food security with the arrival of this new industry, said Newman.

Cannabis production grew by $300 million in 2019, the crops first full year on the legal market, according to provincial farm sales data.

Food sales saw significantly lower growth. Dairy and chicken, the provinces first- and second-most valuable products last year, accounted for an increase of $62 million combined, while sales of peppers and other greenhouse vegetables saw minimal growth.

We should be making sure things like cannabis production, greenhouse production, are on lower-quality soils in the (Agricultural Land Reserve), she said because converting soil-rich fields into greenhouses doesnt improve food security.

Most of B.C.s arable soil is protected under provincial legislation dating back to 1976. At the time, urban growth and other industries were rapidly occupying farmland. Alarmed, the B.C. government created the Agricultural Land Reserve to protect farms, ranches, and other agricultural land from development. Land in the reserve may be farmed, forested, or left vacant.

We need to produce more locally in the future, especially with COVID, said Newman.

That includes developing more greenhouses and policy solutions that allow for more efficient use of the provinces agricultural land base, she said.

Agricultural Land Reserve land is expensive. Without policies in place to support farmers to grow food  the average annual income for Canadian farmers sits around $30,000  farmland will be increasingly used for more lucrative crops like cannabis.

While agricultural land is important for food security, cannabis and other inedible crops have brought new economic opportunities to B.C. farmers and farming communities, said the provincial Ministry of Agriculture in an email.

But Ian Paton, the agriculture critic for the B.C. Liberals and a farmer, thinks the province should offer more support to help farmers diversify.

For the most part, farmers can only sell raw products (an exception is made for farmers markets), limiting their ability to increase farm income through value-added products. That means a raspberry grower, for instance, couldnt sell home-processed jam  a reliable way to increase the farms revenue.

Changing policy to allow farmers to sell homemade value-added products off farm is essential, said Paton. Other policy changes and programs are also needed to support farmers in all aspects of production, he said.

They need low-interest loans. They need grants. They need insurance programs... We should be providing the kinds of basic economic tools they need to succeed.

Still, thats not enough for Kent Mullinix, director of Kwantlen Polytechnique University's Institute for Sustainable Food Systems. Increasing local production will take more than grants or finding more efficient uses for the provinces agricultural land, he said.

In fact, he sees the replacement of food production by cannabis as the symptom of agricultural and land use policies that will eventually reduce British Columbians access to local food.

Its very easy for competing economic interests to grab up farmland and use it for other purposes because you can make more money at it.



Agricultural Land Reserve sites cannot be developed and turned into houses or shopping malls. Still, this level of protection alone will not guarantee increased food production in B.C., said Mullinix. Owners of arable land in B.C. are constrained in how they can use their property, but there are no limitations on who can purchase these acres.

Investors  people and companies able to pay millions of dollars  can purchase Agricultural Land Reserve land, increasing its value beyond what most farmers can afford, and then use it to maximize profits.

Cannabis production is an example. It does nothing to increase food production. But it has been defined as a crop by the federal government, meaning it can be grown on agricultural land.

Food-producing agriculture increasingly wont be able to (compete). They already struggle without the cannabis.

The numbers released last week also dont show a full picture, Mullinix explained.

Farm sales receipts only show the amount of money flowing into a farm. They do not take into account the costs of production  mortgages, fuel, insurance, veterinary bills  that farmers must cover before they make a profit. Farms can have record sales without making profit.

In 2019, B.C. farmers carried $7.2 billion in debt. Thats more than double their total sales that year.

This issue isnt as acute on dairy and chicken farms because both industries are regulated through a supply-management system that ensures farmers profits and expenses are more balanced.

Which makes cannabis  not food  the most profitable use of B.C.s arable land last year.

Its a situation that Newman said needs to change if the province wants to increase its ability to feed itself.

We dont need to produce increased dollar value. We need to increase calorie production and food production. And thats not what were doing.
County officials are continuing to take preventative measures as the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb in the area, mandating that public and non-religious private schools delay in-person instruction until at least Sept. 8.

A letter sent to Harris County educators by Harris County Public Health officials states the decision was made based on COVID-19 transmissions, hospitalization data and concerns from school staff, parents and community members.

In-person classes delayed: Hidalgo, health officials order Harris County schools to start school year virtually

I am not going to raise false hopes, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Friday at a press conference announcing the order. Even if we do meet benchmarks that tell us its safe to resume in-person instruction, its not going to be all students back all at once. We have to work with the reality of the situation.

Cy-Fair ISD announced Tuesday they would be pushing their school start date back to Sept. 8, the Houston Chronicle previously reported.

COVID-19 cases in the Cy-Fair area continued to climb this week. As of 4 p.m. Friday. Harris County Public Health counted a total of 4,787 total cases in the area, 2,186 active cases and 45 deaths. Thats an increase from last week, which reached 1,866 active cases and 39 deaths. The total number was compiled using ZIP codes in the Cypress Creek Mirrors Cy-Fair distribution area: 77040, 77041, 77065, 77070, 77086, 77095, 77429 and 77433.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Harris County, Houston order schools to delay in-person classes until at least Sept. 8

Testing is still being provided at Pridgeon Stadium from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, as well as from 7 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Walmart is still offering testing at three locations in the area: 11425 Barker Cypress Road, 8208 Barker Cypress Road and 12353 FM 1960 W. An appointment is required and can be scheduled at www.doineedacovid19test.com.

CVS Pharmacy is still offering testing as well at 6089 S. Hwy. 6 N., 11600 FM 1960 W. and 19715 Tomball Parkway. Those interested in getting tested must schedule an appointment at www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing.

For more information on testing, visit publichealth.harriscountytx.gov.

paul.wedding@hcnonline.com
More than 6,000 tenants across Ontario could face eviction over rent that wasnt paid during the pandemic, despite Premier Doug Ford promising that no one would be kicked out of their rental for nonpayment during COVID-19.

Between March 17 and July 19, Ontarios Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) processed 6,083 applications to evict tenants for not paying their rent and to collect any money thats owed  an application known as an L1, according to Tribunals Ontario. Another 481 of what are known as L9s, which solely aim to enforce missed payments, were processed in the same period.

More tenants may have been given a notice of eviction by their landlords, but the LTB says its unable to track those cases unless the homeowner follows up with an L1 application.

Eviction hearings have been halted for the last few months in Ontario, unless the case was deemed urgent. Between April and June, 282 such hearings were held: its unclear how many resulted in eviction orders. But the province is lifting its moratorium at the end of July, as the state of emergency has come to an end. That decision means the LTB can resume its operations whenever its ready.

In a typical year, the 6,083 applications wouldnt be shocking: the board reported receiving 46,043 L1 applications in the 2018-19 year. But in a period where evictions were deliberately stopped, the figures alarm Geordie Dent, the executive director of Torontos Federation of Metro Tenants Associations.

Youre talking about 6,000 landlords that are trying to evict people as fast as possible coming out of a pandemic, which is absurd, Dent said.

Landlords also have financial obligations, he acknowledged, but he fears a tidal wave of evictions once the board catches up to hearing the pandemic cases.

Renters, advocates and legal experts have warned about a mass of evictions following the end of the moratorium  particularly in light of a change to Ontarios housing rules.

Bill 184, which became law this week, was presented by the Ford government as an effort to protect tenants. But advocates have warned about changes in the legislation around rent repayment plans that now allow landlords to apply for eviction orders without a hearing if the tenant doesnt meet the terms of a repayment agreement. The changes apply retroactively, to the start of Ontarios state of emergency in March.

Cole Webber, who works at a legal clinic in Parkdale, believes politicians like Mayor John Tory must now act to halt what Webber fears will be a mass of tenants being turfed.

Webber was among protesters who disrupted a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Tory on Thursday. The protesters said they wanted Tory to halt evictions in the city using his emergency powers, if the province wouldnt extend its own suspension.

If we consider ourselves to have a housing crisis and a homelessness crisis now  I think the level of destitution and homelessness thats going to be unleashed by mass evictions is going to be like nothing weve seen before, said Webber. And those costs are borne by the city.

Tory said Thursday that legal staff had advised him that the city didnt have the authority to impose an eviction ban of its own.

When asked about the LTB figures on Friday, Torys spokesperson, Lawvin Hadisi said the mayor had publicly expressed concern with Bill 184 numerous times  and pledged that he would continue to bring those concerns to the Ford governments attention.

Ford spokesperson Ivana Yelich responded to the mass of applications by pointing to Bill 184, which she said means the LTB must now consider whether landlords tried to negotiate repayment plans. This reinforces to landlords the necessity of exploring repayment agreements and maintaining tenancies  rather than resorting to evictions, she said.

We also want to underline the fact that no tenant can be evicted on the grounds of refusing a repayment agreement. We continue to urge tenants and landlords to work together to maintain tenancies, Yelich added.

Vinson Salim, who rents a two-bedroom unit in a Parkdale building with his roommate, is among tenants in Toronto who have been threatened with eviction for withholding their rent since the pandemic started.

Salim told the Star hed been working in maintenance at a hotel, but was laid off in March, and hasnt made rent payments since April 1.

He has been receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, but said that it was unreasonable for him to redirect a significant portion of the emergency payout to his landlord. The rent for his apartment was $1,600 per month between the two tenants, he told the Star.

Ford said in March that no one would be kicked out of their homes for not being able to pay rent during COVID-19  Its just not going to happen, we wont allow it to happen, he said at the time. But he recently expressed frustration with individuals collecting the $2,000 a month who werent paying their rent. It was kind of an honour system, he said this month.

Salim shared several letters with the Star, which he said hed received from his buildings management, including a note that they were proceeding with an application for eviction, as well as later letters that stated a preference to settle this amicably and urging Salim to pitch a repayment agreement.

But some tenants have hesitated to sign repayment plans, in light of Bill 184 and fears that Ottawa might terminate the CERB after its latest extension into October.

Shahana Masrur lives in Scarborough, where shes been renting a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, who recently retired, and university-aged daughter for several years. Laid off from a job at a day care before the pandemic, she applied for employment insurance.

But her job search has been stunted by the closure of schools and day cares. When her EI payments came to an end in June, she went onto CERB.

Masrur told the Star shes been in talks with her landlord, but is unsure what will come next after she rejected a repayment plan that would see her paying around $2,000 per month.

Slightly more than $1,400 of that amount would cover her usual rent payments on an ongoing basis. But if the CERB program ends, Masrur fears that she and her family wont be able to meet that kind of financial commitment.

I dont know, next month, what will happen, she said.

With files from Jennifer Pagliaro
Tripadvisor Is a Media Business So Why Did It Unload These 8 Brands?

To the uninitiated, it might be easy to miss the fact that Tripadvisor, with all its click-based advertising, is essentially a media company. Why then did it dispose this week of eight of its Smarter Travel Media brands?

The transaction took place without an official Tripadvisor press release, let alone a financial filing. There will be no countdown to await regulatory approval. Thats because the asset disposal, which involved no employees because they had already been transferred within the company or furloughed, was inconsequential to Tripadvisors financial results. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In the deal, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Hopjump, a marketing company offering travel deals, acquired eight of Tripadvisors less-well-known travel-oriented media companies, including Smarter Travel, Airfarewatchdog, BookingBuddy, OneTime, Oyster.com, Family Vacation Critic, What To Pack, and Holiday Watchdog.

Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer had announced to employees in April that its Smarter Travel Media umbrella would be eliminated in a bid to simplify the companys management structure.

Register now for Skifts Online Travel Summit on July 23

Hopjump, which offers wholesale rates to travelers and has a subscription service, will use the assets as the foundation for its next stage of growth, said its president, Jordan Staab. A spokeswoman said the startup could hire furloughed Tripadvisor employees, as needed.

Strategy Pivot

Whats behind Tripadvisors asset disposal?

With the exception of Oyster.com, which Tripadvisor acquired in 2013 when the startups existence was in jeopardy, most of these brands joined Tripadvisor in the 2007-2008 period when Tripadvisor was still an Expedia subsidiary.

The bulk of these were so-called tuck-in acquisitions, geared to build Tripadvisors media business or contribute content, which was the case with Oyster.coms image library. The standout in the group might have been BookingBuddy, which helped transform the way people booked flights in the early days of online travel.

Story continues

But by the end of 2019, Tripadvisors media business  excluding its core click-based hotel auction  was relatively small. For its quarterly financial results, Tripadvisor lumps its media business into a segment called Other, which also includes rentals, flights, cruises, cars and Tripadvisor China. In 2019, the entire Other category generated only 10.5 and 12.5 percent of revenue and adjusted earnings, respectively.

So Tripadvisor has started to retool its media business, which it considered under-monetized, over the last year or so. Instead of pursuing consumer-oriented advertising on non-Tripadvisor branded sites, the company is emphasizing business-to-business advertising such as hotel and restaurant sponsored placements. It is also pursuing non-endemic advertising opportunities, such as a running a recent sweepstakes for Stella Artois.

We are going out to target non-endemic clients, which weve never done in the past, Tripadvisor Chief Financial Officer Ernst Teunissen told a Morgan Stanley technology and media conference in early March. We signed up 200 new clients at the end of last year that we can now market to in brands like luxury goods or transportation that we havent targeted before.

In years past, Tripadvisor tried to diversify from click-based advertising toward turning itself into a hotel booking site, but abandoned that effort for the most part. Now, the company is intent on exploring opportunities in business-to-business and other advertising opportunities to supplement its core hotel business.

Its collection of Smarter Travelers Media brands, most of them anyway, had became largely superfluous.

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Coast Guard rescues fisherman: The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a commercial fisherman who was clinging to a cooler in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida after his boat capsized, the day after evacuating a boy and his father from the same vessel. The agency received an emergency alert at 8:56 a.m. Thursday from the Jenny Lynn, broadcasting its location. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew dispatched from Air Station Clearwater found Robert Heart, 48, clinging to a cooler in 3- to 4-foot seas. He was still near the 36-foot boat, which was almost entirely under the surface.
The Annual General Meeting of the Anguilla Fisher Folk Association will be held onvWednesday 29th July, 2020 at 7:00pm in the Conference room of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).

Agenda Items
By Shamsher Alam

Veteran leadership is considered a hallmark of political discourse. However, a political party cannot be run only by the old leaders. New leadership has to inevitably elevate the same. If the old leaders have decades of experience to run their parties, at the same time, the new generation leaders have energy and enthusiasm to uplift the party to new heights. The emergence of new leadership is necessary not only for the flourishing of political parties but also to carry forward their ideologies. This article is an attempt to shed light on new generation of Muslim leadership of important political parties, particularly in northern India.

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The unprecedented upsurge and popularity of right-wing politics attracted various political leaders to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It also fascinated youth to join the same. However, when it comes to the youth leaders or new leadership from the Muslim community in BJP  it shows a very dismal picture. BJP vociferously argues about its inclusive character and gave a famous slogan Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas (Collective Efforts Inclusive Growth). Later on, it also included Sabka Vishwas, which culminates into Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas (Together with All, Development for All, the Trust of All). However, as far as the inclusion of new Muslim leadership is concerned, the situation is known to everyone. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Syed Shahnawaz Hussain are the two Muslim leaders of the party. It is an open secret that these two leaders are just Muslim faces of the right-wing ideology. Except for these two Muslim figures, there is absence of new generation Muslim leadership. To put it differently, their presence in the right-wing camp could not persuade other Muslim youth or leaders to join the party. This suggests that they do not have potential to gain the support of the Muslim community, particularly Muslim youth. The invisibility of new Muslim leadership can also be understood by the absence of Muslim Members of Parliament (MPs) from this party. Therefore, it can be argued that there is a difference between their idea of inclusion and its actualization.

Salman Khurshid, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel are the trinity of Indian National Congress (INC). To some extent, they have important and influential positions in the party. Among these, Khurshid is from the northern part of India.

However, nowadays, there is an absence of new generation of Muslim leaders. Imran Pratapgarhi is the face of Muslim youth and an emerging leader in northern India, particularly in UP. He fought the 2019 general election. He was accommodated through parachute entry in the same, because of his fan following as an Urdu poet. Had he not been Urdu poet, an eloquent speaker and large fan following, his parachute entry in the same would not have been possible. Although Congress party is being considered as a secular and representative of various marginalized castes, its character can be deciphered from the number of Muslim MPs in Lok Sabha, which is four. Moreover, there has always been a lack of influential new leadership from the Muslim community in this historic political party. Henceforth, it can be argued that the Muslim leadership of the new generation is not visible and satisfactory.

There are other political parties such as Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), which ardently adhere to social justice principles. These two political parties have a very important place in the political discourse of northern India, particularly in UP. These parties are known for the representation of marginalized Dalit and backward castes. They also manage to form the government in UP with the support of Muslim voters. However, when it comes to the representation of influential and important Muslims leaders, they can be counted on the tip of fingers. Nasimuddin Siddiqui was one of the important leaders of BSP. However, he was expelled from the party. Although he was enjoying a very significant position in the party, his removal from the same makes BSP without well-known Muslim faces. There is utter lack of Muslim leaders of such swagger in northern region. There are three Muslim MPs (2019 general election) from the same party. Among these, only Kunwar Danish Ali is in his early 40s. This indicates that Muslim leadership is in the hand of old politicians. The new leadership is not emerging from the same.

The new Muslim leadership is also not visible in SP. Azam Khan is one of the important figures of this party. Later on, he introduced his son into politics and managed to make him a lawmaker in the UP assembly. Expect Azam Khan, there is a total absence of Muslim leaders of similar position and power. However, Nafees Ahmad, a youth leader had been elected as an MLA in 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly election. Similarly, only three Muslim MPs (2019 general election) are being elected from SP. They are veterans. Young MPs are not being selected from the same, which indicate there is no growth of new Muslim leadership in the party. The representation of Pasmanda (combination of Backward and Dalit Muslims) Muslims as an old or new leader from these parties is invisible. In this context, it can be vehemently argued that these parties do not acknowledge the Pasmanda politics. They do consider Muslim as a monolithic category. The representation of backward and Dalit Muslims is not being addressed in these camps. Henceforth, marginalized Muslims are being relegated to the periphery as far as their political representation is concerned.

The Pasmanda Muslim leadership emerged in northern India, particularly in Bihar. Maulana Ali Hussain Asim Bihari and Abdul Qaiyum Ansari were important ideologues of Pasmanda politics. These two leaders were active on the issues facing backward Muslims during the freedom struggle. In post-independent India, Ali Anwar Ansari and Ejaz Ali are two significant leaders of Pasmanda discourse. They emerged from the second phase of Pasmanda movement, but later on, they were co-opted by Janata Dal (United) in Bihar. Their association with JD (U) caused the loss of an independent outlook of Pasmanda politics. However, time and again, they have raised issues of Backward and Dalit Muslims. Except these two leaders, there is an absence of new Pasmanda leaders who command the same respect as these two. This political discourse is in crisis. In recent times, it has been in the dwindling stage. It is deteriorating because of the invisibility of national leadership from an autonomous viewpoint. It is also declining because the first generation Pasmanda leaders were not able to persuade, train or support the Pasmanda Muslim youth to join the movement, which would have culminated into the emergence of new Pasmanda political leaders.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is known as a Muslim party. To put it differently, it is a mediatized discourse, which brands this party as a Muslim political party. This media discourse is trying to expand its contour in northern India. This led to the recruitment of many Muslim youths or new leaders in the same region. However, there is lack of any well-known Muslim face of AIMIM in the northern part of India.

Therefore, it can be safely argued that the current Muslim leadership is getting old and there are no new emerging and dynamic Muslim leaders. The old leadership are just Muslim faces of their respective parties. There is a lack of new generation Muslim leadership across all political parties in India. New faces are not adequately represented or having an important position in the political discourse. In other words, they are not sufficiently represented in parliament and state assemblies. Moreover, the Pasmanda Muslim leadership is dwindling. There is a lack of new faces in Pasmanda leadership at the state and national level. The key Muslim political leaders are not able to motivate, socialize and train young minds from the Muslim community to join their political parties and to become new Muslim leaders. What they have done instead is that they have encouraged their relatives to join their parties. They have parachuted their kith and kin into politics. In the name of youth and new leadership, the political parties are trying to put forward their sons, daughters and relatives. And this trend is a handicap to the emergence of new Muslim leadership in India, and especially so in North India.

Shamsher Alam is a PhD Scholar at Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
The first of six days of celebration to honor the life of "The Boy from Troy," Rep. John Lewis began on Saturday in his hometown of Troy, Alabama.

PHOTO: Pallbearers carry the casket with the body of Rep. John Lewis during The Boy from Troy service celebrating Lewis' life on July 25, 2020, in Troy, Ala. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The civil rights and voting rights icon died on July 17 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 80.

Lewis, who is also known as the "conscience of the U.S. Congress" and affectionately called "Robert" by his family, was remembered during a public funeral service inside Troy University where attendees wore face masks and practiced social distancing.

The funeral was in true "homegoing" style -- a word used to describe African American funerals celebrating the life of the deceased which often includes heartfelt remembrances.

PHOTO: Mourners sing during the service for the late Rep. John Lewis at Troy University on July 25, 2020, in Troy, Ala. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

PHOTO: Rev. Darryl Caldwell speaks as the casket of the late Rep. John Lewis lies in repose during a service celebrating 'The Boy from Troy' at Troy University on July 25, 2020, in Troy, Ala. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

The day before Lewis' passing, his brother Henry "Grant" Lewis said he had their usual late night conversation where the congressman asked about the well-being of family members by name.

MORE: 6-day celebration of life for Rep. John Lewis begins Saturday

"That's the John Lewis we grew to love ... He worked a lifetime to make sure the world was a better place for everyone," said Henry Lewis, adding, "Before he passed, he was at peace and ready to meet the Lord."

PHOTO: Rep. John Lewis speaks at the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, July 26, 2016. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Four of John Lewis' other siblings remembered their brother by echoing his iconic phrases like "good trouble is necessary trouble" and "See something. Say something. Do something."

PHOTO: Rosa Mae Tyner, sister of late U.S. Congressman John Lewis, speaks during his memorial service, at Troy University's Trojan Arena in Troy, Ala., July 25, 2020. (Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters)

"It's up to us to keep his legacy alive," said Jackson Lewis, a great nephew of John Lewis.

MORE: House holds emotional moment of silence to honor John Lewis

The civil rights leader served 17 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives serving the 5th Congressional District of Georgia.

John Lewis marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other voting rights demonstrators as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965. Despite conducting a peaceful demonstration, the peaceful protesters were beaten by police in an event deemed "Bloody Sunday."

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MORE: The life of civil rights leader, John Lewis

PHOTO: People pay their respects to the late Congressman John Lewis, a pioneer of the civil rights movement and long-time member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who died July 17, at Troy University's Trojan Arena in Troy, Ala., July 25, 2020. (Christopher Aluka Berry/Reuters)

PHOTO: Titus Sizemore, wearing a face mask with the words 'John Lewis, Keep the Faith' at the memorial service for the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis at Troy University's Trojan Arena in Troy, Ala., July 25, 2020. (Christopher Aluka Berry/Reuters)

Following the Saturday morning service, a private ceremony will honor John Lewis at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma ahead of another public viewing.

PHOTO: Members of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity pay their respects to civil rights leader and Democratic Rep. John Lewis, at a memorial service in his hometown of Troy, Ala., July 25, 2020. (Dan Anderson/EPA via Shutterstock)

On Sunday morning, a procession from Brown Chapel will take place, making way to the Pettus bridge where Lewis will cross for the last time.

Over the next week, Lewis will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, Alabama State Capitol and Georgia State Capitol.

'The Boy from Troy': Funeral services begin for the late Rep. John Lewis originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The West Bengal Health Recruitment Board (WBHRB), under the Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal, has called for online applications from qualified and experienced candidates for filling 105 vacancies to the post of Assistant Superintendent (Non-Medical), Grade II through direct recruitment on a fulltime basis. The application-cum-registration process towards the same started on July 24, 2020 and closes on July 30, 2020 by 8:00 pm.

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Assistant Superintendent (Non-Medical), Grade II Organisation West Bengal Health Recruitment Board (WBHRB) Educational Qualification Degree (any discipline) and Post-Graduation/Postgraduate Diploma in Hospital Administration or Hospital Management Experience Desirable Job Location West Bengal Salary Scale Rs. 40,200 per month Industry Health Application Start Date July 24, 2020 Application End Date July 30, 2020

Age Criteria And Fees

Candidates interested in applying for Assistant Superintendent post through WBHRB Recruitment 2020 must not have exceeded 36 years of age as on January 1, 2020 with relaxation (upper age limit) for reserved candidates as applicable.

Candidates must pay a prescribed amount of Rs. 210 as application processing fee through net-banking mode only.

DRDE JRF Recruitment 2020 For Research Fellows And Research Associate Through 'Walk-In' Selection

Educational Criteria And Eligibility

Desirous candidates applying for Assistant Superintendent post through WBHRB Recruitment 2020 must possess a Degree (any discipline) and Post-Graduation/Postgraduate Diploma in Hospital Administration or Hospital Management from a recognized University/Institution with desirable years managerial or administrative experience in any reputed medical care facility.

Candidates must have knowledge of Bengali language - spoken and written

Selection And Pay Scale

The selection of candidates as Assistant Superintendent through WBHRB Recruitment 2020 will be done through Shortlisting through Preliminary Examination and Document Verification.

Candidates selected as Assistant Superintendent through WBHRB Recruitment 2020 will be paid an emolument of Rs. 40,200 per month.

DRDO Recruitment 2020 For Junior Research Fellowship Posts Through 'Walk-In' Selection In Mysore

How To Apply

Candidates applying for Assistant Superintendent post through WBHRB Recruitment 2020 must register online on the official WBHRB website at https://wbhrb.net.in/reg-form/T0RBMU53PT0= and submit their applications on or before July 30, 2020 by 8:00 pm at http://www.wbhrb.in/

Read the detailed notification about WBHRB Recruitment 2020 for Medical Officers (Specialist) post here
Russell Yip/The Chronicle 2020

San Francisco fire officials announced Friday that the June 23 burning of the San Francisco Spire sculpture was human-caused, but they could not confirm if it was arson or accidental.

An early morning 911 call first alerted authorities to the fire, reporting that the 100-foot sculpture near Inspiration Point in the Presidio Trust national park was ablaze. Over several hours, it spread to surrounding trees before it was contained to one acre, and badly damaged the famous installation created by British artist Andy Goldsworthy in 2008.
Controversial criminology professor Mike Adams died from a gunshot wound, according to dispatch records obtained by Port City Daily.

Deputies discovered Adams' body while performing a wellness check at his home in Wilmington shortly after 2pm on Thursday.

Earlier in the morning, a friend called 911 saying that the 55-year-old professor had recently been 'erratic' and 'under a lot of stress' and had not been seen in several days.

Adams, who was a tenured professor at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, had been forced to take early retirement following two student petitions to have him ousted for posting inflammatory remarks on social media.

Adams recently reached a $504,702 settlement with UNCW for lost salary and lost retirement benefits, and was due to officially cease his association with the university on August 1.

The right-wing professor had a history of making misogynistic and racist comments.

He once referred to transgender people as 'mentally ill' and mocked students who accused him of harassing them as 'weak pansies'.

Back in May, Adams sparked outrage among students and faculty once again after he penned several inflammatory tweets.

UNCW denounced his comments as 'vile' and 'inexcusable', and two petitions to have him removed from the college garnered 88,000 signatures.

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University of North Carolina-Wilmington professor Mike Adams, 55, was found dead inside his home on Thursday - a week before he was set to take early retirement. Police have not officially released a statement, but dispatch records obtained by Port City Daily reveal he died from a 'gunshot wound'

Police cars are seen outside Adams' Wilmington home on Thursday. They arrived at the residence to perform a welfare check after being alerted by a worried friend who had not been able to get in contact with the professor for several days

On May 28, he wrote: 'Don't shut down the universities. Shut down the non essential majors. Like Women's Studies.'

The following day he posted a tweet in which he compared North Carolina's coronavirus restrictions to living 'in a slave state'.

He tweeted: 'This evening I ate pizza and drank beer with six guys at a six seat table top. I almost felt like a free man who was not living in the slave state of North Carolina. Massa Cooper, let my people go!'

'Massa', which means 'Master', was used in literature and representations of black people during the slave era as the way they referred to their owners.

Adams had tried to defend his post to WECT, saying the analogy he used was to do with the Gov Cooper's oppression during the shutdown, not race.

However, the tweets prompted two online Change.org petitions to have him fired from his job. Combined they received more than 88,000 signatures.

Medics are seen wheeling a gurney into Adams' home on Thursday after deputies discovered his dead body

The university subsequently released a statement on June 1, which read: 'We are listening to the outrage being expressed regarding the vile and inexcusable comments made by a UNCW faculty member.

'However, we are not just listening; we can confirm we are very carefully and assertively reviewing our options in terms of how to proceed. We are not able to comment further at this time, as this is a personnel matter'.

Later, Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli, Adams posted a statement on the university's website saying that Adams would retire on August 1.

Adams responded with a Twitter post which read: 'Many young people are depressed because they have been taught to be offended constantly.'

Adams also regularly critiqued his colleagues, as well as the students he taught.

Referring to Black Lives Matter protests, he wrote on Twitter: 'The violent outrage of white liberals taking to the streets is brought to you by your local university. None of this would be possible without the encouragement of academic extremists who have hijacked the system of higher education.'

Professor Adams is seen speaking at a Conservative Political Action Conference several years ago

PROFESSOR ADAMS' MOST CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS 'The only thing more disgusting than a jihadist Muslim is a pro-choice Muslim' (April 2015) 'A black man's biggest obstacle to success is not white racism. It's black culture' (July 2016) 'Transsexuals in the military. Now we know what Obama meant when he promised to radically transform America' (July 2016) 'A nation that allows the mentally ill to serve in combat is not far from extinction' (July 2016) 'I wonder whether LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Thespian. So much drama, so few letters in the alphabet' (September 2016) 'We could have had a woman president. Unfortunately, radical feminism aborted 28million "potential" candidates' (November 2016) 'Presently a woman can get her baby cut out of the womb in North Carolina. But she cannot go to a salon to get her hair cut' (April 2019) 'I almost felt like a free man who was not living in the slave state of North Carolina. 'Massa Cooper, let my people go!' (May 2019) Advertisement

Adams had never been far from controversy - and he appeared to relish in making provocative remarks.

Back in 2016, Adams was the target of another Change.org petition after he suggested a Muslim student was a terrorist and that gay marriage was bad as rape.

That petition, which garnered 5,600 comments, claimed Adams had a history of 'spewing misogynistic, xenophobic, transphobic, homophobic, racist rhetoric'.

The petition said: 'Adams has disrespected the university's promise to provide a safe environment for all individual student[s], and instead has mocked and ridiculed not only individuals, but entire groups. These actions are not acceptable, and no university should make a student feel unsafe.'

In September 2016, Adams wrote an article condemning student Nada Merghani - a self-described 'queer Muslim social justice warrior' - after she wrote on Facebook: 'Expect to see me at the Trump rally... y'all are not prepared for what I'm about to do. All I can say is pray I make it out of this alive.'

Responding to that, Professor Adams said: 'That sounds like a suicide mission for those who have never met Merghani.'

He added: 'In my view, she simply lacks the intellectual coherence to form any sort of rational plan  including, but not limited to, killing a presidential candidate.

'She comes across sort of like Squeaky From me minus the handgun and resolve.'

Merghani told the Daily Beast she felt personally threatened and unsafe on campus after that attack.

She said Adams 'suggested I was a terrorist without a hint of truth or any regard for my personal safety.' She then left the university.

At the time, UNCW said that, whilst they did not agree with Adams' comments, they were 'expressions protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.'

'Dr Adams' conduct and written material do not contain any evidence of a true threat toward this or any other student,' the university claimed.

Two online Change.org petitions to get Adams fired from his job garnered more than 88,000 signatures collectively

Meanwhile, Professor Adams continued to write provocative comments on social media.

Later in 2016, he wrote that 'students who make false claims of harassment to silence others should also be deported'.

He also claimed the argument '"you're racist" usually means "I have no argument"'.

In a separate post following the November 2016 election loss of Hillary Clinton, Adams sniped: 'We could have had a woman president. Unfortunately, radical feminism aborted 28 million "potential" candidates.'

He also unleashed an attack on the LGBT community in a piece for right-wing publication Daily Wire.

'I wonder whether LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Thespian. So much drama, so few letters in the alphabet.'

Meanwhile, Adams had successfully sued the university for religious and speech-based discrimination when he was not promoted to full professor in 2006.

He was a tenured sociology and criminology professor and had authored a number of books.

Titles included: 'Feminists Say the Darndest Things: A Politically Incorrect Professor Confronts 'Womyn' on Campus'; Letters to a Young Progressive: How to Avoid Wasting Your Life Protesting Things You Don't Understand; and 'A 'Queer Muslim' Jihad'.

The Office of University Relations on behalf of the Division of Academic Affairs at UNCW released a statement Thursday night.

'It is with sadness that we share the news that the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office is conducting a death investigation involving Dr. Mike Adams, professor of criminology. Please keep his friends and loved ones in your thoughts.

'Students may call the University Counseling Center (910.962.3746) for grief support; faculty and staff can seek support through the Employee Assistance Program.'
Shahid Buttar (far right), Sarah Ellison, Brian Knappenberger, and Nathan Wessler seen speaking onstage as Maggie Gyllenhaal hosts a screening and panel discussion for Brian Knappenberger's new series "Truth and Power" on Pivot on Feb. 4 at the Paley Center in New York City. Buttar, who is challenging fellow Democrat and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for a seat in Congress, has been accused of sexual harassment. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Pivot)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 18, in this photo provided by the North Korean government. AP





The United States and 42 other countries have accused North Korea of importing more than the U.N.-permitted volume of refined petroleum, calling for a halt to deliveries until the end of the year, according to a news report, Friday.







In a complaint to the U.N. Security Council North Korea Sanctions Committee, the group said they estimate that Pyongyang imported more than 1.6 million barrels of refined petroleum via 56 illicit tanker deliveries in the first five months of the year, Reuters reported.







Under U.N. sanctions, North Korea can only import 500,000 barrels annually. The sanctions aim to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.







The countries asked the committee to make an official determination that North Korea had exceeded the limit and "inform member states that they must immediately cease selling, supplying, or transferring refined petroleum products to the DPRK for the remainder of the year."







DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.







The complaint also alleged that while China and Russia collectively reported 106,094.17 barrels of refined petroleum product transfers to North Korea from January through May, "The official accounting of the DPRK's imports vastly underrepresents the volume of refined petroleum products that actually enter the DPRK."







The countries urged the committee to call on member states to exercise enhanced vigilance regarding the North's attempts to procure additional refined petroleum products and to prevent their illicit transfers at sea, Reuters said.







The U.S. and 20 other countries filed a similar complaint in June last year, but faced resistance from China and Russia, which argued that more information was needed on North Korea's imports of refined petroleum products.







The sanctions committee is made up of the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council and makes decisions by consensus.







South Korea signed on to the complaint in both cases. (Yonhap)


Pippa Hackett has had a short but very charmed political career. This time last year, she was an Offaly county councillor after getting just 584 first preference votes in the local elections.

It was a good day for the Greens and Hackett sneaking in on the seventh count in a rural constituency was one of the more notable results of the day.

If she had hung around in the council long enough she would have earned around 17,000 a year along with a generous expenses regime.

But she was never destined to be a councillor for long.

Another big win for the Greens last May was the election of Senator Grace O'Sullivan to the European Parliament.

O'Sullivan's move to Brussels meant there was a Seanad seat to be filled and the other parties agreed to allow the Greens choose a new senator rather than a hold an election. They're a magnanimous bunch in there. Eamon Ryan decided his rising star was the ideal candidate for the Seanad where she would be entitled to a 68,111 salary.

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Naturally, she snapped Ryan's hand off with the offer and headed for Dublin. While serving in the Seanad for the three months before the General Election in February she also claimed around 2,900 a month in travel and accommodation allowances.

Happily, the council seat which Pippa vacated stayed close to home.

Her husband Mark Hackett was co-opted into the taxpayer-funded role without having to convince the people of Offaly to elect him to the position.

On February 8, the General Election rolled around and Pippa Hackett was the Green Party's candidate in the Laois-Offaly constituency.

But things did not go according to plan and the Green star's ascension in Irish politics hit a road bump.

Hackett did win 3,494 votes but would have been disappointed after she was eliminated on the 11th count despite the wave of support behind the Greens on the day.

But during the months of interregnum that followed the election, Hackett remained a senator and was entitled to keep drawing down her salary.

Once the Government was formed she decided to run in the Seanad elections for the first time after landing the gig unopposed in her first outing. She received 76 votes from a combination of TDs, senators and councillors to get elected on to the Seanad's agriculture panel.

There were around 62 eligible Green Party votes for each Seanad seat and if they all voted for her she would have needed another 14.

Either way she won and returned to Houses of the Oireachtas and her 68,111 salary and almost 3,000 a month in expenses.

But, again, she wasn't long for the Seanad.

Eamon Ryan ruffled some feathers in his party when he decided to use a clause in the party's constitution that allows the promotion of senators straight to Cabinet and so Hackett became what they call a super junior minister.

The job automatically entitled her to a 38,787 salary top-up which meant she would now be earning 106,898 a year. Not a bad return for 76 votes.

She wasn't the only politician appointed as a super junior minister. Fianna Fail TD Jack Chambers was to be Chief Whip and Fine Gael's Hildegarde Naughton was appointed Minister of State for Transport . Both were entitled to the minister of State top-up and with their 96,189 TD salary will be earning 134,976.

But there's also piece of legislation which entitles two of the three junior ministers to additional 16,288 allowance for sitting at Cabinet. But who should get it? Should they draw straws or maybe cut a deck of cards? Nope, they decided to change the law of the land so all three could top up their six-figure salaries.

This would be shameless at the best of times but it was even more brazen that Fianna Fail Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath brought the legislative amendment to Cabinet just a few years after his party publicly stopped its new government buddies Fine Gael from doing the same.

Yesterday, McGrath claimed not to even remember Fianna Fail preventing former higher education minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor from receiving the allowance.

On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney claimed he did not remember the legislative change passing through a Cabinet meeting he was sitting at only hours earlier.

All the while we are being told we are facing into economic ruin, welfare rates are being cut and businesses are wondering if they are going to survive until next week.

But we're not supposed to complain because we voted them in there.

Well, apart from Pippa Hackett who the vast majority of us did not vote in there.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty ImagesBy BOBBY GEHLEN, ABC NEWS



(WASHINGTON) -- Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has introduced legislation to prohibit federal funds for public schools to teach The 1619 Project, an initiative from The New York Times Magazine that aims to teach Americans about the history of enslaved people in the United States.



Cotton, a strong ally of President Donald Trump, drafted the "Saving American History Act of 2020", claiming that America was founded on the ideals of the Declaration of Independence rather than on the history of enslaved people which began more than 100 years before the Declaration was signed. His bill would also make schools that teach The 1619 Project ineligible for federal professional-development grants.



"The New York Timess 1619 Project is a racially divisive, revisionist account of history that denies the noble principles of freedom and equality on which our nation was founded. Not a single cent of federal funding should go to indoctrinate young Americans with this left-wing garbage," Cotton said in a release.



Launched in August 2019 on the 400th anniversary of the first ship carrying enslaved Africans to land in the colony of Virginia, The 1619 Project puts the consequences of slavery and legacy of Black Americans at the forefront of American history.



The Pulitzer Prize-winning collection is currently part of the curriculum in schools in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Newark, New Jersey, and Buffalo, New York, and its creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones, recently announced a partnership with Oprah to bring the lessons of The 1619 Project to film and television.



In the first essay, Hannah-Jones writes, that "it would be historically inaccurate to reduce the contributions of black people to the vast material wealth created by our bondage. Black Americans have also been, and continue to be, foundational to the idea of American freedom."



Hannah-Jones retorted on Twitter following the bill's release, saying Cotton's effort "speaks to the power of journalism more than anything Ive ever done in my career."



Cotton received criticism from some historians on social media as well.



The bill and the criticism it is based on follows similar attacks from Trump.



In an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace, Trump brought up the project when pressed on his claim that school children are taught to hate their country.



"Now they want to change -- 1492, Columbus discovered America. You know, we grew up, you grew up, we all did, thats what we learned. Now they want to make it The 1619 project. Where did that come from? What does it represent? I dont even know," Trump said.



"Its slavery," Wallace replied.



"Thats what theyre saying, but they dont even know," Trump claimed. "They want you to believe America's institutions continue to reflect the country's acceptance of slavery at our founding. They want you to believe that Marxist ideology that America is only the oppressors and the oppressed.



Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also accused The New York Times of "Marxist ideology" that makes the Chinese Communist Party "gleeful" with its 1619 Project.



The legislation is unlikely to gain significant traction on the Senate floor.



ABCs Elizabeth Thomas and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Meghan Markle's treatment by the royal household was partly influenced by racism, one of the authors of an explosive new book has claimed.

Omid Scobie, who co-wrote upcoming biography Finding Freedom, claims the Duchess faced racism from royal courtiers.

He argued Meghan's mixed race background had proved problematic for some within the royal household which he claimed 'lives by hierarchy'.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's final royal engagement was the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, in March before Harry and Meghan quit royal life

Harry and Meghan, pictured, were unhappy with royal life according to an explosive new book

'She was a biracial woman stepping into the House of Windsor. That was going to ruffle feathers,' he told The Times.

While Scobie denies that the household itself is racist - although he has had a first hand experience of one racist member - he dropped a hint that there was a more subtle problem with people's attitudes.

'I would say that there are certainly individuals there who may like to take a look at how they view the world,' he added.

The revelation comes as it is claimed the Duchess of Cambridge snubbed Meghan during the Sussex's final royal engagement on Commonwealth Day.

It is claimed the Duchess of Cambridge, pictured, snubbed Meghan during the engagement

The Royal editor of Harper's Bazaar, who has accompanied Prince Harry , 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, on a variety of royal tours, announced the release of Finding Freedom last month, which he co-wrote with Carolyn Durand

During the engagement he told the newspaper: 'Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her.

'To purposefully snub your sister-in-law . . . I don't think it left a great taste in the couple's mouths.'

Scobie said those working for royals 'might throw a nugget' to stop negative media attention.

'You've got Clarence House, Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, and the different offices within Buckingham Palace. They're very loyal to their principals but that often means throwing others under the bus,' he told The Times.

'Let's say, for example, hypothetically, a negative story about Prince Charles is about to run. Perhaps someone working for Charles might throw a nugget about the Cambridges or another member of the royal family, to keep that story out of the press.'

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were smiling as they left the ceremony on March 9

He added: 'There's a lot of bargaining on behind the scenes. Harry and Meghan have been victims of that.'

Mr Scobie, 33, stressed the book had 'no interviews with Harry and Meghan', although he hopes it will 'correct the record' about the pair.

'It's not all from Harry and Meghan's perspective, but I do think that for the first time we do actually get to hear what's been going on in their minds,' he added.

Mr Scobie spent two years writing the book with American journalist Carolyn Durand, beginning shortly after the Sussexes' wedding.

'The book doesn't claim to have any interviews with Harry and Meghan. And nor do we,' Scobie told The Times. He also said there were no off-the-record talks, saying 'my time around the couple is enough for me to know my subjects'.

The Sussexes made a last-ditch attempt last night to distance themselves from the book

The Sussexes made a last-ditch attempt last night to distance themselves from the book.

The authors have boasted of it being written 'with the participation of those closest to the couple' and of having spoken to members of Harry and Meghan's 'inner circle'.

The pair are believed to have instructed members of their staff to find out what the writers were planning to include and a number of meetings and dinners were held.

But a spokesman for the couple said last night: 'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps.'

Scobie, the royal editor of US magazine Harper's Bazaar, met Durand while she was working for US news network ABC.

They hope the book puts the focus back on the couple's charity work and social activism, such as Harry's Invictus Games involvement.
BURLEIGH FALLS  Despite being closed due to overcrowding and littering, Peterborough County OPP and Ministry of Natural Resource and Forestry officers have had to charge individuals for trespassing into the Burleigh Falls Crown land area.

While some people have just received warnings, between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and Peterborough County OPP, several have been charged, according to ministry Staff Sgt. Paula Norlock.

Both the water and roadside are being used as access points to the Crown land, she said.

Theres been reduced traffic at the site since the signage and fencing was put up, but of course there are still people that are travelling there that are unaware of the closure, and thats where I think weve had some of the issues, Norlock said.

Burleigh Falls Inn manager Jennifer Craig said she thinks the power of social media has had an influence on the influx of people coming to visit Burleigh Falls, in addition to other areas throughout Peterborough County, such as Sandy Beach in Trent Lakes and Mississauga River tubing area.

If you hashtag Burleigh Falls on Instagram, theres all these wonderful, beautiful images. In normal circumstances Id be overjoyed, but I think people are just grasping at finding spots and green spaces to get out, Craig said.

OPP announced Friday that the Burleigh Falls Crown land remains closed to visitors and will remain closed until it is deemed safe to reopen.

Craig, who lives on Northeys Bay Road, said theres similar issues going on at High Falls.

Everyday its packed full of cars, and youre like, How did these people find out about it? And then you go onto social media and hashtag High Falls and here are thousands and thousands of photos taken. It actually proves the power of that platform, she said.

As other regions begin to move into Stage 3 of Ontarios gradual reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic and more restrictions are lifted, Craig said she hopes less people will flee to these hot spots in the county.

But until some of those larger, populated areas reopen, were going to continue to see the influx of people into these smaller areas, she said.

Leah Bulger, who lives on Old Burleigh Road, said its disheartening to see people disregarding the signage and the fence that have been established. However, Bulger believes people arent respecting the closure because theyre likely the ones who caused the problem in the first place.

They didnt respect it before, and thats why were at where were at, so why would they respect anything further. And thats all most of us are asking for in this area. Respect, she said.

There needs to be some solutions put in place before the area should reopen, Craig said.

Id rather see it closed and continue to be closed until theres solutions, and at the different levels, there are still no solutions, she said.

Even if the site reopens with recommendations to solve the issues of parking congestion, restroom use and littering, Bulger said she still has some concerns, as garbage cans can invite further dumping.

When you put a garbage can out, people tend to empty their entire cars. Think about when Tim Hortons took away the garbage cans from their drive-thrus. People werent throwing away a coffee cup, you would see bags of household garbage going in there, Bulger said.

Bulger said the presence MNRF and OPP officers have had at the falls has been amazing. However, with the area being closed, many local residents, including Bulger, are disappointed.

Craig said local residents would use the Crown land area to bring their kayaks or canoes into the water. Since theyre no longer able to, Craig is permitting these residents to use the inns water access and is even allowing them to leave and lock up their kayaks and canoes at the inn.

Bulger said, Its our neighbourhood, but because of the lack of respect of a few people, its ruined it for an awful lot of people.

Hal Leadlay, the ministrys Peterborough district manager, said the ministry, Selwyn Township and the OPP will only consider reopening the site when its safe and when officials are certain it wont go right back to where it was prior to its closure.
treet fight in south-east London at the same time left two stabbed and one dead

Two men have been arrested after two 15-year-old boys were stabbed in a mass rave in Westcliff, Essex, last night, according to police.

Essex Police were called at around 7pm yesterday to reports of a large group of people fighting, including some with weapons, in Chalkwell Esplanade near Chalkwell train station.

A police helicopter assisted officers and colleagues from British Transport Police in carrying out searches and dispersing the crowd.

During their search officers found two boys suffering from stab injuries.

One of the 15-year-olds was injured in the head and leg while the other was stabbed in the arm. Their injuries are categorised as non-life threatening.

Police said an 18-year-old man from Basildon was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and possession of drugs, while a 20-year-old man from South Ockendon was arrested on suspicion of affray.

They remain in custody for questioning.

It comes as reports from a street fight in Chislehurst, south east London, confirm a pedestrian was killed by a van fleeing the scene which resulted in a double stabbing.

Essex Police were called at around 7pm yesterday to reports of a large group of people fighting, including some with weapons, in Chalkwell Esplanade near Chalkwell train station

One of the 15-year-olds was injured in the head and leg while the other was stabbed in the arm. Their injuries are categorised as non-life threatening

Police in Southend-on-Sea were granted a section 60 order allowing for additional stop and search powers until 6am this morning.

Chief Inspector Ashley Howard said: 'Officers were quickly on scene to deal with the disorder and continue to work throughout the night investigating the initial incident and patrolling the area to ensure our communities are safe.

'The additional stop and search powers will help prevent further offending and disorder, keeping people safe.'

One nearby resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the PA news agency she was in Chalkwell park with friends at around 7pm when she saw crowds of teenagers.

She said: 'They were screaming and shouting and kept vanishing throughout the park, the police and an ambulance turned up and a helicopter was circling above for a couple hours.

'A group of around 70 came back and a girl got beaten to the floor just over the bush from us, at that point we had stood up to look and so did some of the adults in the park near us because there was just so much noise.

'More police had turned up and two police officers ran after the teenagers that ran out of the park.

Essex Police tweeted out a message to say that officers 'have been authorised to use additional stop and search powers' following the incident, while sharing a map of the area

Locals, including an Independent councillor in Southend, tweeted their dismay at the fights

'One of my friends went with three others to walk and find out what had happened, and one elderly man turned round and said people got stabbed, which then obviously worried us.

'Even more police turned up, dog units, cars, ambulance van and cars were everywhere.'

She added: 'It was very scary, we are all fine as a group as we were sat in the same place away from all the chaos but teenagers were constantly running through the park.

'Thankfully they didn't come into the field we were sat but it was horrible to see.'

Speaking to Essex Live, Jim Watson - a resident on nearby Kent View Avenue - said that 'it has been building up for five or six weeks now.

'Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, all these young kids come down here with their bottles and cans of booze and party it up down at the beach. They will be partying hard down at the beach until midnight every week,' he said.

'Its been bad since lockdown. We have never had this problem before lockdown it was always quiet, but because kids have no where to go and nothing to do they come here.'

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to phone Southend detectives on 101 quoting reference 1144 of July 25.




Haiti - Diaspora : 25 schools under construction financed by the FNE





Friday July 24, Joseph Frantz Nicolas, the Director General of the National Education Fund (FNE), began a tour of various school infrastructure projects in the departments of Nippes, South and Grand'Anse.



It was in the town of Arnoux that Frantz Nicolas began his tour with the construction of a new 14-room school which must be completed in 6 months according to the engineer in charge of the work.



The Director of the FNE then visited the site of the future national school of Fonds-des-Negres, where work began on July 13, then the sites of the national schools of Melonniere (South) and Cap-a-foux (Grand'Anse)



Since mid-July, 25 school infrastructure projects have been launched, the keys to which will be handed over to the FNE in early 2021. It should be noted that these new schools are all financed by the National Education Fund, as required by the law on creation, organization and functioning of the autonomous body.



Frantz Nicolass tour will end on July 27th.



Recall that the FNE launched in 2011 under the Martelly Regime is mainly financed by the diaspora https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3034-haiti-education-launch-of-the-national-fund-for-education-fne-by-martelly-update-1h03pm.html by a levy of 0.05 US dollars on each incoming phone call minutes https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2993-haiti-education-it-s-not-a-tax-but-a-surcharge-on-the-tariff.html and others by a levy of 1.50 US dollars, on money transfers entering or leaving the country https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3027-haiti-education-the-tax-on-money-transfers-comes-into-force-on-june-1-2011.html



To be continued



HL/ HaitiLibre


















PRESS STATEMENT:

Maltiti Foundation Calls on Authorities to Arrest and Prosecute Persons Involved in the Lynching of Old Woman in Kafaba

Non-governmental organization Maltiti has called on law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute persons involved in the lynching of an old lady in Kafaba, a town in the East Gonja Municipality in the Savannah Region.

A press release by the organization signed by the Executive Director Mr. Ewura Adams Karim condemned the act in its entirety saying that we are very shocked that in the 21st Century there are still people with such barbaric tendencies who will go to the extent of labelling their fellow human a witch and torturing her to the point of death. We condemn the inhumane act and we call on the Ghana Police Service to take the issue up and ensure that justice is delivered by bringing the perpetrators of this heinous crime to book.

He also emphasized on the readiness of the organization to closely monitor proceedings to ensure that no one is left unpunished.

On Thursday, July 23, 2020, a video footage showing two women lynching an older woman believed to be in her 90s surfaced on social media. The old woman whose body has since be deposited at the Tamale Teaching Hospital Mortuary has been identified as Akua Denteh. She was accused of being a witch by a fetish priest in the area. She was subjected to severe beatings by one Tanko and his accomplices until she became unconscious and died.

Maltiti Foundation is one of Ghanas active NGOs known for its numerous social interventions and swift response to social challenges particularly relating to girl child development, women empowerment, rural and community development, education, healthcare and dignifying economic opportunities.
Federal District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein, in a slap at President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr, ordered the release of former Trump confidant and disbarred lawyer Michael Cohen from Otisville prison July 23.

Cohen was arrested by US federal marshals at a Manhattan federal courthouse on July 9 after refusing to agree to last minute stipulations, seemingly inserted at the last minute into his furlough release by the Bureau of Prisons. The terms, which appear to have been dictated from the highest levels of the executive branch, would have barred Cohen from publishing a tell-all book and prohibited Cohen from any engagement of any kind with the media, including print, TV, film, books.

This clear violation of his First Amendment rights was rejected outright by Cohen and his lawyers at the time. In an interview for the New York Post, former lawyer and friend of Cohen, Lenny Davis, recalled that after Cohen rejected the marshals request they left for approximately an hour and half only to return with prison shackles. Cohen, according to Davis, quickly backtracked, frantically pleading with the marshals that he would sign anything you want as long as he didnt have to go back to prison.

Per the judges ruling, Cohen is to serve out the rest of his three-year prison sentence in his luxurious Upper East Side apartment, to which he returned Friday afternoon. Cohen was originally released in May because of the COVID-19 outbreak, and sent to home confinement, but only seven weeks later home confinement was revoked and he was returned to prison.

On Monday, July 20, Cohen and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), sued Attorney General William Barr and the Bureau of Prisons accusing them of retaliating against him over his plan to publish his upcoming book, tentatively titled: Disloyal: The True Story of Michael Cohen, Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.

If the book, which is set to be published in September for maximum political effect before the election, is anything like his more than six-hour testimony in front of the House Oversight Committee last March, it will be filled with unflattering revelations about the inner workings of the Trump Organization, which Cohen served for decades.

In issuing his ruling, Judge Hellerstein made it clear that the terms dictated to Cohen by the Bureau of Prisons were highly unusual: Ive never seen such a clause in 21 years of being a judge and sentencing people and looking at terms of supervised release.

Hellerstein questioned prosecutors on Thursday, asking: Why would the Bureau of Prisons ask for something like this ... unless there was a retaliatory purpose? Hellerstein continued, its retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his first amendment rights to publish a book and to discuss anything about the book or anything else he wants on social media and with others.

Prison officials insisted throughout Thursday's hearing that the officers didnt know about Cohens plans to publish an upcoming book, which Cohen publicly announced he had been writing from inside the prison since his incarceration.

The Bureau of Prisons released a statement following Hellersteins ruling, rejecting the judges assertion that the reimprisonment of Cohen was a retaliatory action instead stating that, Mr. Cohen refused to agree to the terms of the program, specifically electronic monitoring. In addition, he was argumentative, was attempting to dictate the conditions of his monitoring, including conditions relating to self-employment, access to media, use of social media and other accountability measures.

Cohen pleaded guilty in May 2019 to tax evasion, lying to Congress, and bank fraud. He, along with several other non-violent federal prisoners were released on May 20 to serve out their sentences at home after a judge ruled that the inmates faced legitimate safety concerns due to the coronavirus unchecked spread throughout the US prison system, the largest in the world.

Danya Perry, Cohens lawyer, issued a statement after his release calling Hallerstiens ruling a victory for the First Amendment. The ACLUs Vera Eidleman echoed Perrys sentiments writing: With this release, the Trump administration would do well to remember that it cannot put someone in prison for writing a book critical of the president.

Earlier this year Trump, through the Justice Department, attempted to block the release of John Boltons book The Room Where It Happened, which detailed Boltons frustrations with Trumps occasional hesitations when it comes to prosecuting US imperialist wars around the globe. The Democratic Party wholeheartedly embraced Bolton and the revelations within his book, using the arch-warmongers words to attack Trump from the right as part of their Russiagate impeachment campaign which centered around Trump's temporarily withholding of $391 million in US military aid, directed for the ultra-right Ukrainian government.

Donald Trumps younger brother, Robert Trump, also sued the president's niece, Mary Trump, on behalf of the Trump Organization to block the release of another tell-all book: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the Worlds Most Dangerous Man. This revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him is set to be released on July 28, and has already been widely reviewed.

These continuous efforts at suppression and censorship only underscore the right-wing authoritarian character of the Trump administration. In seeking to silence exposures of his crimes, of course, Trump is only following in the footsteps of his predecessors. Barack Obama filed more criminal cases against whistleblowers and leakers than all previous US presidents.

Trump represents the further slide by the American ruling class into authoritarian rule. At the same time that Trump continues to deploy federal agents around the country, with the full support of the Democratic party, he is also cultivating a personalist and highly politicized use of the justice system. Unable to adhere to any semblance of democracy or egalitarianism, the ruling class is rapidly shedding democratic principles in anticipation of violent class struggle in order to maintain their outlived social order.
The Jammu & Kashmir police have arrested a 26-year-old post-graduate Kashmir University (KU) student in a 2018 case filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), two officers said on Saturday.

It was not immediately clear why was UAPA slapped on Aqib Ahmad Malik even as his family said they suspect the case related to a protest he had held on the campus in 2018 against poor food quality served in hostels.

Malik, who had been home in the Shopian district since the universitys closure because of the Covid-19 pandemic, was summoned on Friday to Srinagars Nigeen police station near the university and arrested immediately.

We have arrested him in a 2018 case under UAPA, said station house officer Gowhar Ahmad. He refused to provide more details of the case.

Officials aware of the matter said Malik has been booked under UAPAs section 13, which deals with a person who advocates, abets, advises or incites the commission of, any unlawful activity.

Police superintendent Sudhanshu Verma said they arrested Malik after collecting evidence in the case. Without evidence, we could not have arrested him. Besides due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it [arrest] took some time. That is why he was arrested now, said Verma. He did not also provide further details.

Maliks family cited the protest and added they suspect he has been arrested because of it. He was home for three months and was called to reach the police station where he was arrested. He had protested against the bad quality of food in 2018, said Faizan Mushtaq, Maiks brother. He had raised a voice against corruption in the varsity and that is why things went bad against him.

Nisar Ahmad Mir, the Kashmir University registrar, said they have nothing to do with the case. The university has been closed because of Covid-19 and no classes are going on. He is our student and has appeared in a recent exam. It is a 2018 case in Nigeen police station and we have not filed any case against him. Issues in hostels are a part of the University life, said Mir.
Europe has suffered as tourism vanished during lockdown. Now its back  and so are some incredible bargains, as airlines struggle to fill seats.

Year-on-year fares in August are as much as 81 per cent off. Heres our guide to some of the best deals

ROME FOR 51 RETURN

Bargain: Ryanair return fares from Stansted to Rome cost from 51

Have the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps (almost) to yourself in Rome  for a song. Queues are short for the Colosseum, and the Pantheon is just about empty. Check out the masterpieces at Galleria Borghese (visitor numbers are limited to 80). The Vatican is quieter than ever, too.

WHERE TO STAY: Princeps Boutique Hotel in the central Monti district has smart doubles from 73 (princepshotel.com).

HOW TO DO IT: Ryanair (ryanair.com) return fares from Stansted cost from 51, down from 173 last August  a saving of 70 per cent.

60% CUTS IN DUBROVNIK

Take in Dubrovnik's medieval monasteries, churches and palaces, and the harbour (above)

When gigantic cruise ships dock, Dubrovnik can be overrun. But now cruise holidays are on hold, its a ghost town. Take in medieval monasteries, churches and palaces, and the harbour. Walk the walls. Subathe on the beaches. Go on a boat trip to the picturesque island of Lokrum.

Where to stay: Hotel Ivka costs from 73 B&B (ivkahoteldubrovnik.com).

How to do it: Easyjet (easyjet.com) has returns from Gatwick from 83, down from 206 last August  a 60 per cent saving.

HALF-PRICE LANZAROTE

It's quiet amid the dormant volcanoes in Timanfaya National Park, usually full of buses  and theres no need to book for the fabulous El Diablo restaurant. Check out the Jardin de Cactus, and artist Cesar Manriques home in an old lava flow.

Where to stay: Hotel Lancelot in Arrecife has a rooftop pool and smart rooms from 61 B&B (lancelothotelarrecife.com).

How to do it: Jet2 (jet2.com) has Manchester returns from 137, down from 264 last August  a saving of 48 per cent.

63 FLIGHTS TO NICE

Enjoy the green spaces of Promenade du Paill, above, without the crowds

Enjoy the peace of the Promenade des Anglais, and the green spaces of Promenade du Paillo. Expect few queues at Musee des Beaux-Arts and Musee Chagall.

Where to stay: La Villa Nice Victor Hugo has stylish doubles from 89 (hotelvillanicecentre.com).

How to do it: Ryanairs Stansted returns cost from 63, down from 169 last August  a saving of 63 per cent (ryanair.com).

CRETE TWO THIRDS OFF

August sees daily highs of 29c  perfect beach weather. Its quiet at the Palace of Knossos (built by the Minoans) and the Preveli monastery. Hire a car to explore Samaria National Park with no traffic jams.

Where to stay: The Capsis Astoria Heraklion has a great roof terrace and costs from 61 B&B (capsis-astoria-heraklion.h-rzn.com).

How to do it: Easyjet returns from Gatwick cost from 94, down from 276 last August  a saving of 66 per cent (easyjet.com).

SAVE 66% IN TURKEY

Fly to Dalaman and bask in the beauty of the Turquoise Coast. There are beaches galore: Icmeler Beach near Marmar is; the fine sands by D-Resort Gocek; the lagoon at Oludeniz; Iztuzu Beach, with its turtle nests; and the pebble beach in Kalkan.

Where to stay: Sunset Apartment IV in Kalkan sleeps six. A week costs from 1,050 (kalkana.co).

How to do it: Easyjet returns from Stansted cost from 114, down from 338 last August  a saving of 66 per cent (easyjet.com).

AMSTERDAM 60% OFF

Wheelie good deal: Easyjet offers Luton returns to Amsterdam from 47

Queues are down at the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum, Enjoy the Heineken Experience at the brewery without the bustle, and expect a bargain at the floating Bloemenmarkt flower stalls.

Where to stay: Generator Amsterdam has doubles from 32 (staygenerator.com).

How to do it: Easyjet (easyjet.com) offers Luton returns from 47, down from 117 last August  a saving of 60 per cent.

BERLIN AT 44 RETURN

Germanys capital is perfect for a long weekend in August, with average daily highs of 23C. Wander along the Berlin Wall at the open-air East Side Gallery, visit Museum Island, and walk by the River Spree to Schloss Charlottenburg, Frederick Is rococo palace, crowd-free.

Where to stay: Grimms Hotel at Potsdamer Platz has rooms from 72 (grimmshotel.de).

How to do it: Ryanair returns from Stansted cost from 44, down from 130 last August  a saving of 66 per cent (ryanair.com).

FLY TO SEVILLE FOR 75

Ryanair has Stansted returns to Seville from 75. It's hot in August, with daily highs of 36C

It's hot in August, with daily highs of 36c. The lanes full of tapas bars near the cathedral and Alcazar are quieter. Enjoy Parque de Maria Luisa, or see a flamenco show; tickets are easier to get.

Where to stay: Airbnb has apartments in Triana from 74, sleeping five (airbnb.co.uk).

How to do it: Ryanair has Stansted returns from 75, down from 140 last August  a saving of 46 per cent (ryanair.com).

All prices are for returns in August. See skyscanner.net and Google Flights.
What does it mean to have freedom of speech? Naively, it means that you have the right to express ideas without fear of governmental retaliation or censorship. But thats not worth much in a vacuum. Free speech is valuable when you are communicating with others: abstractly, freedom of speech means the right to distribute information to an audience.

If you frame freedom of speech not in terms of what comes out of your mouth, but in terms of the interaction between yourself and another party, then edge cases rapidly emerge. For example, suppose that you are on the street, lawfully raising a protest sign supporting X. You are hoping to persuade passers-by. The government sends in five hundred counter-protestors, peacefully raising not X signs. Your voice is drowned out in the crowd. You are unable to reach the passers-by; its as if you were not there. Is this censorship? I am no constitutional lawyer, but the effect is undeniably censorious  it is practically as if you had been sent home by the police.

Historically, I havent seen this type of scenario give rise to much concern among constitutional scholars  perhaps for reasons of practicality. Perpetually mobilizing the astroturf brigades to drown out individual voices is hardly practically feasible.

However, this has dangerously changed as discourse has moved online. The real-world constraints to astroturfing do not exist online. With GPT-3, the marginal cost of distributing astroturfed propaganda online has firmly hit zero. GPT-3 represents the newest generation of text-generating AI, and it is extremely good  perfectly indistinguishable from a human in short form, articulate, detailed, and capable of infinite variety in style and tone. Now it is actually possible for any online group discussion to be brigaded by thousands of automated users  indistinguishable from real humans  twisting the conversation, while drowning out the voices of real humans.

This will become common in no time. Its too effective a weapon for malicious states to pass it up. Manual online astroturfing is already widespread. Both China and Russia pay thousands of state employees to spread propaganda online. As Russiagate and the now widespread conspiracy theories on Antivax, 5G, COVID-19, etc. show, its very effective: social media platforms have enabled divide-and-conquer strategies at unprecedented scale and granularity. They have become a battleground for the opinions of people in the West, and these people havent realized it yet. Using fully automated, infinitely scalable tools to infect the minds of your opponents with malicious ideas and sow discord offers an unprecedentedly high ROI to the villains of the world.

Thus, we are moving into a world where bad actors can interfere with free speech with a new form of censorship: the use of automated voices, indistinguishable from real ones, to overpower genuine voices online, and to shape the appearance of public discourse according to their goals. If you believe, as many scholars do, that democratic societies are critically reliant on your freedom to distribute information, then this poses a severe threat.

The abstract problem is that on the internet, we dont have a good way to tell real humans from fake ones. The current state-of-the-art tests are CAPTCHAs with challenges that only humans could pass: read the word, click all the squares with traffic lights, and so forth. Obviously these arent going to resist automation for long. They will be useless across the board in a few years, once general image recognition tools are as good as some substantial minority of humans.

In the long term, AI will be effectively impossible to distinguish from humans online. The only solution is to use what we have and they dont  real-world identification. A real-world ID could correspond to some set of private keys, so you could sign your online actions to prove their human authenticity. You could have a large number of private keys, so as to enable ample pseudonymity. However, true anonymity  not leveraging real-world identity in some sense  becomes impossible without opening up the possibility of mass creation of automated trolls.

In conclusion: free speech is not just about freedom from straight-forward censorship, but about your ability to participate in discourse without state interference. GPT-3 marks a new generation of tools enabling states to interfere in online discourse with unprecedented scale and persuasiveness, enabling great damage at low cost. It is clear that on the internet, AI will become indistinguishable from genuine humans in the next few years. To that extent, we have to protect our freedom of speech. It seems like requiring real-world IDs and coupling them with public key cryptography is the only way out, which keeps pseudonymity but loses anonymity.

Losing anonymity to protect free speech is counter-intuitive and somewhat repulsive. I believe in individual freedom as the highest ideal. I used to think anonymity was one of the greatest values provided by the internet. And I acknowledge that eliminating anonymity to protect free speech comes with its own issues in the long run: for example, a malicious government could abuse the real-world-ID-to-private-key link to very effectively crack down on free speech. I dont like the solution I am advocating, but its a difficult trade-off.




Britain's biggest steel producer is encouraging the government to take a big stake in the company as part of a plan to preserve the long-term future of the vast Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales.

Sky News has learnt that Tata Steel has presented proposals to Whitehall in recent weeks aimed at securing a state injection of close to 1bn into its UK operations.

In return, the company's Indian parent would hand an equity stake of up to 50% to UK taxpayers - amounting to a semi-nationalisation of Britain's largest steelmaker as it battles the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

A source close to Tata Steel said the proposal - which is just one of the options the company is examining - would involve its parent company writing off an equivalent quantity of debt owed to it by the UK business.

This weekend, it was unclear whether the plans presented by Tata Steel had been well-received by the Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The talks are at a tentative, rather than concrete, stage, and the structure of any deal, as well as the size of any financial contributions, remain far from being finalised.

Analysts said it was unlikely that the government would want to inject new capital into any company applying for emergency aid unless its shareholders were also willing to do so.

The latest overture from Tata Steel comes three months after it requested a 500m loan from the government.

That plan is said to have been rejected on the basis that it was not accompanied by credible proposals for a transformation of the perennially struggling UK operations.

One company insider said the government's response had spurred Tata's Indian parent to draw up a comprehensive blueprint for modernising Port Talbot.

The Sunday Times revealed last weekend that Tata Steel was exploring the closure of the plant's two blast furnaces and replacing them with electric arc furnaces - a move that could spell job losses for some of Port Talbot's roughly 3,500 workers.

Story continues

The discussions between Whitehall officials and the company form part of Project Birch, the existence of which was revealed by Sky News soon after the UK-wide lockdown sparked chaos for millions of companies in sectors including aviation, hospitality, manufacturing and retail.

Since then, the bespoke financial support programme created by the government for companies of strategic national importance has extended only one loan: to Celsa Steel, a Cardiff-based subsidiary of Spanish steelmaker Celsa which is a major supplier to the UK construction industry.

Under that deal, the UK government extended a 30m loan in exchange for warrants that could be converted to an equity stake before the end of 2023.

Other steel producers, including British Steel, which is now owned by China's Jingye Group, have also sought financial help from the taxpayer since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

Last month, the Financial Times reported that the government was days away from extending a loan to Tata Steel, raising the hopes of thousands of steelworkers, but it was rapidly dismissed by insiders

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has indicated that taking large equity stakes in distressed companies would be an undesirable outcome of the pandemic, but it is conceivable that he would make an exception for a company that occupies such an important role in British manufacturing.

In total, Tata Steel employs about 8,000 people in the UK, having undergone a series of earlier financial restructurings, including one in 2017 which gave the Pension Protection Fund a 33% stake in the company.

It is unclear how any further realignment of the shareholder structure would impact the pension lifeboat's interest.

A spokesperson for Tata Steel Europe said: "We are in active discussions with the UK government on several options for the future of our UK operations, including potential co-operation and participation from the government to create a sustainable decarbonised footprint for the future.

"Given prevailing market conditions and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that our UK operations face structural challenges that need to be urgently addressed.



"Discussions with the Government are constructive and ongoing, and at this stage no decisions have been made.

"It would therefore be inappropriate to comment on unsubstantiated speculation about the outcome of these discussions or the potential impact of any changes to secure our sustainable long-term future.



"If and when we do have progress to report, we will first inform our employees and consult with our employee representatives."

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A government spokesperson said: "The government has put together a far-reaching package of support to help businesses through the coronavirus pandemic.

"We continue to regularly engage with businesses across all sectors, including those in the steel industry."

It declined to comment specifically on its talks with Tata Steel.

Tata has been wrestling with the future of the Port Talbot plant for years.

In January, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Steel's parent company, said: "I need to get to a situation where at least the [Port Talbot] plant is self-sustaining.

"Whether it is in the Netherlands or here, we can't have a situation where India keeps funding the losses just to keep it going."

The lobbying group for the industry, UK Steel, has pleaded for government support to see it through the crisis.

"Whether it is constructing HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail or providing the steel for our new hospitals, the steel industry stands ready to support the national effort as well as the Government's infrastructure revolution and levelling up agenda," Gareth Stace, its director, said.
HANOVER TWP., MI  Two Republicans are running for Hanover Township supervisor.

Incumbent Jeffery Heath is competing against Mark Nastally on the Aug. 4 primary ballot. The winner likely will be the person winning the four-year seat as there is no Democrat running in the November general election.

MLive Media Group has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to readers ahead of 2020 elections.

Each candidate was given a list of questions relevant to the office for which they are campaigning. The voter guide can be accessed at vote411.org.

All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for a necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations.

Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered an endorsement. The league never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

Here is how each candidate responded to the questions.

Describe your qualifications and experience for this office and explain your reasons for running. How would you be an asset?

Heath: 30 years of service to the Hanover Township Fire Department. Elected 3 times as a Trustee to Hanover Township Board. Served as Fire Chief for 6 years and currently an Assistant Chief. Township Supervisor for the last 2 years. Served on the Township board during the formation of the sewer district around the lakes. That knowledge has become an asset working with the 13 governmental agencies attempting to create a sewer authority to run the Leoni waste water treatment plant as a business and not a political body. I currently serve on the financial sub-committee. For 20 years being involved with the formation of the townships budget, first as a trustee and also as a fire department administrator, remembering the revenue sharing cuts from 2007 and 2008, that experience will be valuable during this period of revenue sharing cuts from the state.

Nastally: I am running for the office of Township Supervisor for Hanover twp. I am lifetime member of this community 67 years. Have worked in this community for 50 years as a automotive technician and a carpenter. Built my last three homes. Taught Hunter safety for 45 years. Lifetime member of the Red Fox sportsmans club. Longtime member of The Horton Masonic Lodge. I am also a member of the township planning commission.

Due to our current circumstances, what are the most important challenges facing our community, and how do you propose to address them?

Heath: Fear of the unknown. Not sure of what the next Executive Order will say. What is law and are executive orders in a state of emergency laws. We all need encourage our law makers to learn for this and when this is over, not argue who is to blame, but use this experience to prevent the same mistakes if we ever have another state of emergency

Nastally: #1 Try and procure internet and cellular service that is reliable and economically feasible for all the citizens of the community. The current services that are available are semifunctual at best and are expensive. #2 Set up regular Town Hall meetings to make myself and the rest of the board members available for the community members to voice their concerns in an informal manner. #3 Make use of a common sense approach to governing a small rural community. #4 Plan to use tax revenues for the best and most needed ways to benifit all the members of the community. #5 Bring a sense of harmony and trust back to the governing body and to the community members.

How well is our community meeting the needs of people facing economic challenges and what more needs to be done?

Heath: I believe the Jackson area as a whole has done an excellent job meeting those needs so far. The schools distributing food and the local food banks have done an excellent job. Just concerned about how much longer this will continue.

Nastally: Candidate has not yet responded.

What kinds of policies will you pursue to promote social and racial justice in our community?

Heath: Every American should be treated to the same opportunities. Regardless of who you are laws should be equally enforced. There should not be laws that only certain people have to follow, while others get a pass.

Nastally: I am unaware of any racial injustices in this community at the present time. I will support law and order for all equally.

What do you see as the most pressing issues with the police and fire departments?

Heath: Funding. Revenue sharing cuts from the state will reduce funds available to both departments. If your department doesnt have a dedicated millage for funds, cuts will have to be made. The largest expense to any department is usually personnel costs, unfortunately that will reduce staffing levels. Reduced staffing levels will result in more aid being sent into the City, or larger township departments from more rural departments. Mutual aid agreements insure help is there when someone needs it, but if aid is only going one way, the smaller townships are subsidizing the larger departments.

Nastally: As far as the fire department and police force, I dont see any problems with response times as these two organizations do a fantastic job for us. Would appreciate your vote in august.

Read more Jackson County election news:

Incumbent Jackson County Commissioner has competition for District 6 seat

Three Republican contenders seek win in August primary race for Jackson County sheriff

Four vying to be judge in Jacksons 12th District Court

Two Jackson County Democrats vying for spot on November ballot in 65th District House race
A security analyst, Adam Bonaa says it is welcoming, the news of the polices invitation of Mavis Hawa Koomson to interrogate her for discharging a firearm at a registration centre although he believes the invitation is late.

He said the police should have acted more urgently in taking action on the matter.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, Adam Bonaa said the failure of the police to act timeously in connection with the incident could lead to the loss of important evidence.

The police should have acted early. When it comes to issues about firearms or ballistics, it is just like murder or kidnapping, the longer you wait before you start the proper interrogations and investigations and gathering of evidence, the more you miss crucial evidence that you could have picked up earlier, he said.

If they had acted quickly, properly they would have had a lot of informationWhen you fire a firearm, immediately it leaves a lot of traces in its way, he added.

The Central Regional Police Command on Friday interrogated the Special Development Initiatives Minister and MP for Awutu Senya East over her firing of warning shots at the Step to Christ registration centre on Monday, July 20, 2020.

Her firearm was also retrieved by the police.

The development comes after public criticisms over her actions with many accusing the police of bias and urging the minister to resign.

The minister in media interviews claimed her action was in self-defence amidst confusion at the centre.

But Adam Bonaa said the ministers excuse is untenable and calls for her resignation are not out of place.

Responding to suggestions that by virtue of her position as a minister of state and legislator, she cannot be immediately arrested, Adam Bonaa said the law that grants legislators some immunity from arrest only relates to when they are on their way to or from Parliament hence does not apply to her.

---citinewsroom
Marriott on Wheels has opened up a new F&B revenue stream for Marriott.

Q: As we open up, can you look in the rearview mirror and tell us how the business of hospitality has changed?

A: These are challenging times, completely unprecedented, and the situation is in a constant state of evolution and fluidity. This is the first time the impact has been felt with such force across the globe.

Neeraj Govil.

We are currently in a deep contingency, survival modewe are in for a rough ride for 12 months and maybe even longer. While we expect the occupancy rate to return to around 50 percent across the country by year-end, things are volatile. For every few steps we take forward, there are a few we take back. It is a very tentative approach.

There is a transformation happening at several levels. The way we live, the way we work will go through a transformation. More people will work from home. Pretty much, how we run hotels will change.

I see the emergence of an entirely new category: shorter road travel and destinations you can reach on shorter flights.

JW Marriott New Delhi.

Domestic travel has been picking up over the last few years and a lot of it has to do with more airports and better connectivity in the form of the road network. Over 90 percent of leisure travellers at our resorts across the country are domestic travellers and we only see that number increasing post the return to normalcy.

I see a lot more people travel for personal wellbeing and the environment. Cities such as Bangalore and Kochi had opened up and we got quite a few lessons on the ground. We expect the Tier-II market and resort locations to rebound first. Destinations that allow people to drive in will do well, such as resort destinations.

Q: There is a huge crisis of cash flow in the market. Do you see pent-up demand for travel in this situation?

A: Whilst we do expect some pent-up demand for our resorts, we should expect a gradual increase since this crisis has had an impact on cash flows. The business in the domestic market will depend on two crucial factors  the prevalent demand and economic conditions of that market. A full rebound will take time as assessing the impact is a challenging proposition, given the global scale of this crisis.

There will be an indirect impact on the amount of discretionary spend that the leisure customer will be willing to make, especially in the next six months. International travel will take longer to get back on track. Geographies have to first lift their restrictions and even when that happens, the willingness of people to travel recreationally will have certain psychological barriers.

Q: What are the innovative solutions you have implemented during the lockdowns and plan to continue even after the crisis is over?

A: This is a unique situation where everyone has to act with tremendous speed and agility. We have reviewed all our cost heads. Some measures and methods that we deem are relevant to our operations will now be a part of our standard operating processes with no compromise to execution. Self-hygiene has been important learning and we will continue to reiterate and reinforce the same.

I see a lot of transformation happening in the hotel space. Restaurants, for instance, will have less seating and extended timings.

JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru.

The WeCare programme hygiene programme we launched has put elevated protocols and processes in place to maintain enhanced hygienic standards across our hotels in the region. The emphasis is on creating the right environment that will help guests to feel safe about coming back to the hotel. Most of the transactions have been digitized and technology has been used to minimise contact across all operations.

There will be transformative changes in the way we travel and holiday, which will reflect in the hotels. Hotels will also rationalise their supply chain and run far more efficiently. There will be a bigger deployment of technology and automation. It is an area we have focused attention on earlier too, but the process has got intensified now. Guests will be able to check into their room using their phone as a key. The touchpoints are all equipped with a QR code.

Q: Have you done any retrenchment yet? Or salary cuts?

A: We endeavour to ensure that we protect the jobs of our associates as an organisation and to ensure we take care of our associates. While certain measures are required to be taken to tide over these challenging times, we have to ensure that we mitigate any long-term effects of this by undertaking temporary measures to sustain the business.

Q: What is your strategy to garner business?

A: We have a robust hotel specific recovery plans in place that leverage our loyalty programme and our relationships with our partners and our customers. These plans resolutely focus on growing market share for our hotels by building back our occupancy levels at acceptable average rates.

Increasing local F&B business is another key component of the recovery plans. We have focused quite a bit of attention on our Marriott on Wheels project, a service available in 40 cities across India via the Swiggy platform. We also have launched some corporate deliveries to offices around JW Marriott Aerocity.

We are leveraging our Marriott Bonvoy programme members, who comprise 60-70 percent of guests that stay at our hotels, by offering flexible booking policies to incentivise them to stay at our hotels. The reservations policy is flexible; the expiration of points has been paused till 2021.

Q: What are you expecting from the government?

A: We strongly believe that the government is doing everything it can to manage the crisis and control the situation from worsening. The safety of citizens is paramount and the response to a pandemic of this nature requires measures at both a national and regional level.

Tourism as an industry contributes about 9% of GDP and is a major job creator. From an industry standpoint, various hotel association bodies have made representations that include financial incentives that can offer respite to our business and ensure continuity, especially in the short term, easing of fiscal policies, facilitating the rebound of travel and collaborating to support destination marketing.

Ritz Carlton Bangalore.

Q: Every crisis has its cons but also its pros, or learning for the industry. For a situation like this, what would the cons be and what are pros.

A: Several learning will emerge and collectively these will form the backbone of the new normal of travel and hospitality as we know it. For starters, hotel operators must seize the opportunity to rethink the core of our business operations and where the business comes from. Segment strategies will be relooked at, as will manning levels at our hotels. Fixed costs will be closely scrutinised and deliberated over. There will be a renewed vigour in embracing the use of technology to amplify operational efficiencies. As we collectively weather this storm, we must reemerge wiser for the wear.

Q: What sort of changes do you see yourself making in the way you live life?

A: I have not experienced a professional crisis of this magnitude at any point in the past. I believe every such event has its impact on an individual. The extraordinary events that we are witnessing around the globe as we deal with this crisis do throw the spotlight on how we currently go about our lives. On a personal and professional level, its a time to stop, take stock and reflect. For starters, I dont see myself travelling as much as I used to before this. I suspect I will be adding a lot more to this list over the next few weeks.

Deepali Nandwani is a journalist who keeps a close watch on the world of luxury.
Kelsey Grammer's actress daughter has been rushed to hospital after having her arm slashed by a knife-wielding drunk man in New York City on Friday night.

Spencer Grammer, 36, was dining with a male companion at The Blank Ant in the East Village when the intoxicated male wandered onto the premises and demanded a table around 11.30 pm.

The man reportedly began arguing with employees when he was rebuffed, and the incident soon turned physical.

Spencer - who is best known for voicing the character Summer Smith in the popular animated series Rick and Morty - then jumped in to try and diffuse the situation.

At that point, the drunk man pulled out a knife and slashed the star down her arm.

'Everyone jumped out of their seats. About 15 people maybe. Everyone was trying to pull them apart, It looked like there was a full on brawl,' one eyewitness told The New York Post.

Spencer's dinner date, Jan Phillip Mueller, was also injured after trying to pull the knifeman away.

The pair were taken to Bellevue Hospital where they were treated for their injuries before being released. Their attacker is still at large after fleeing from the scene.

Kelsey Grammer's actress daughter, Spencer (left) has been rushed to hospital after having her arm slashed by a knifeman in New York City on Friday night

A group of mask-clad diners are seen outside The Black Ant shortly after the fight

One witness recorded the aftermath of the incident and shared it online

The suspect is described as 'buff, bald and wearing a white shirt'.

Another witness claimed the man used a 'pocket knife' to attack Spencer and her dinner date.

The witness says the pair both suffered 'deep' wounds.

Several NYPD squad cars were filmed on the scene shortly after the attack.

Spencer has not yet publicly commented on the incident, but has turned Instagram account to private.

The violent incident comes as New York City struggles with a shocking surge in violent crime after Mayor Bill de Blasio cut the NYPD budget by $1 billion.

Last week, shootings were up of 253 percent in comparison to last year. Among those hit by bullets was a one-year-old boy in a stroller who was killed.

For the month of June, murders were up 30 percent year-on-year, while robberies rose 118 percent.

Spencer Grammer - who is mom to an eight-year-old son named Emmett - is reportedly enrolled as a film student at Columbia University on Manhattan's Upper West Side

Spencer - who is mom to an eight-year-old son named Emmett - is reportedly enrolled as a film student at Columbia University on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

The actress is the oldest of Kelsey's Grammer's seven children.

Kelsey - who is best known for starring in Cheers and it's hit spin-off Frasier - has been married four times.

In addition to Spencer, 65-year-old Kelsey is father to Kandace Greer, 28; Mason, 18; Jude, 15; Faith, eight; Kelsey, six; and Auden, three.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has begun online registration of Kashmiri migrants and displaced persons of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) living outside the Union Territory, more than two months after reopening fresh registration for inclusion of bonafide people who migrated from the UT, officials said on Saturday.

Over 120 applications for the registration of Kashmiri migrants living outside the UT have been received on the first day of the registration.

"We have launched an app for the registration of Kashmir migrants and displaced persons on Friday. The registration application process has begun", Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner J&K, TK Bhat told reporters here.

Bhat said that over 120 applications have been received so far. "Of these, over 40 applications have been received online today", he said.

Any Kashmiri Pandit and displaced person, who may have left Kashmir in 1944 before Independence and has any proof of owning or possessing immovable property in any part of Jammu and Kashmir on or after 1944, is entitled to domicile of the Union Territory.

On May 16, the L-G's administration took a historic decision by reopening "fresh registration" for Kashmiri migrants and displaced persons, that paved the way for inclusion of bonafide people who migrated from the UT.

"Bonafide migrants and bonafide displaced persons who are not yet registered with the relief and rehabilitation commissioner (migrant), Jammu and Kashmir, can apply before the competent authority for registration for purpose of issuance of a domicile certificate only," an order issued by Additional Secretary, Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, S P Rukwal, said on May 16.

The opportunity of registration for the purpose of obtaining a domicile certificate shall be open only for a period of one year from the date of issuance of this order, Rukwal said.

The relief and rehabilitation commissioner (migrant) of Jammu and Kashmir shall be the competent authority for the purpose of registration of displaced persons, besides Kashmiri migrants to issue domicile certificate, he said.

For this purpose, migrants and displaced persons can apply online with one of the proofs, including a copy of permanent resident certificate, name in electoral roll of 1951 and 1988, proof of working in an autonomous body or entity before 1.11.1989, proof of owning immovable property in J&K on of after 1944, among others.

"In order to facilitate such bonafide migrants, the relief department has made a special and limited provision, which will enable such bonafide persons to apply to the relief commissioner for registration of domicile certificate through production of various documents," Principal Secretary, Power, Rohit Kanal said.

We are conscious of the fact that there are a large number of bonafide migrants and bonafide displaced persons who are not registered with the relief department, he said.

They can show proof through a permanent resident certificate (PRC) or registration as migrant, besides names in the list of 1988 and 1951 electoral rolls, Rukwal said.

Kashmiri Pandits welcomed the decision of the launch of online registration for the KPs and displaced persons living outside Jammu and Kashmir and said that justice has been done by the Lieutenant governor Girish Chander Murmu.

"We welcome the decision. It is a historic decision. Those KPs, who shifted to various places in India and outside will get justice. We thank L-G Murmu sahib for this historic decision", All Party Migrant Coordination Committee (APMCC) Chairman Vinod Pandit told reporters here.

Panun Kashmir Convener Dr Agnishakher and Chairman Dr Ajay Chrungoo also praised the L-G for the historic step and said that such initiatives are steps to correct historic wrongs and provide justice to the community.

All State Kashmir Pandit Conference (ASKPC) General Secretary Dr TK Bhat also welcomed the decision and said that credit of providing justice goes to the L-G. "It is a confidence building measure for the community", Bhat said.
Actor Amitabh Bachchan, who is currently admitted at Mumbais Nanavati hospital after his Covid-19 diagnosis, tweeted on Friday to thanks millions of his fans for their continued support. He called it his strength.

He tweeted to say: The hands that you raise in love and support are my strength .. this I shall never ever allow to vanish from my system .. so help me God! The picture was a collage from his weekly Sunday meet with his fans outside the gates of his Mumbai home.

T 3604 - the hands that you raise in love and support are my strength .. this I shall never ever allow to vanish from my system .. so help me God !  pic.twitter.com/RstlJBttsr  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 24, 2020

His fans sent him good wishes and prayers; one replied: Prayers. Get well soon sweetest Amit ji and all your charming family Many Love always . Another fan said: God will be there for all who need - Allah bless you shahinsha allah make you. Stronger than virus allah make you back home. With your family with heather & happy days amen. A third Twitter user said: Quiek Recover and Good Health. Get well soon. Love and respect.Take care dear my God. And Bachchans family.

Amitabh has been fighting Covid-19 since earlier this month. On Thursday, a news channel had reported that he had tested negative for the virus. He had written: This news is incorrect , irresponsible , fake and an incorrigible LIE !!.

The actor, his son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya and granddaughter Aaradhya had tested positive for the virus. While Amitabh and Abhishek were immediately admitted to the hospital, Aishwarya and Aaradhya too got admitted after they reportedly complained of breathlessness.

Amitabh is, nonetheless, active on social media from the Covid-19 ward. Couple of days back. He had felt overwhelmed on knowing that his late father and celebrated Hindi poet Harivanshrai Bachchans poem Madhushala had been recited at a function at Polands Wroclaw city.

Also read: Anurag Kashyap explains nepotism using Tiger Shroff and Taimur, Ayesha Shroff says dont involve my kid in this

Amitabh, who is one of the most active senior actors on social media, shares a video of the recital of the poem which took place in Wroclaw after it was termed the UNESCO City of Literature. I am moved to tears! Wroclaw, Poland was awarded UNESCO City of Literature, today they organised a recitation of Babujis Madhushala by University students on the roof of the University building, he tweeted.

They pass the message Wroclaw is a City of Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan, his tweet further read. Earlier in December 2019, the 77-year-old actor had gone to Poland for attending a prayer ceremony which was held in one of the churches to honour the celebrated literary figure.

(With ANI inputs)

Follow @htshowbiz for more
(Natural News) In response to a circulating petition calling on the company to alter its racist packaging, Trader Joes has announced that soon there will be no more Trader Mings or Trader Joses ethnic food offerings at its stores.

Even though the companys fun and clever packaging for items plucked from around the world was merely meant to make the shopping experience for customers more enjoyable, we all know that liberals hate everything that might inspire a little bit of humor.

According to the petition, which was signed by about 1,800 people before TJs took notice, calling Italian food items Trader Giottos and Japanese food items Trader Joe San is racist because it belies a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes.

For example, Trader Mings is used to brand the chains Chinese food, Arabian Joe brands Middle Eastern foods, Trader Jose brands Mexican foods, Trader Giottos is for Italian food, and Trader Joe San brands their Japanese cuisine, it went on to complain.

A female high school student from the San Francisco Bay Area of California who goes by the name of Briones Bedell reportedly got the campaign going, falsely accusing TJs of setting up Joe as the default normal' and the other characters as falling outside of it.

This is nonsense, of course, as Joe is merely a generic reference to food from English-speaking countries, while the others are generic references to food from non-English-speaking countries. But to Bedell, who was presumably indoctrinated at her progressive high school to think like this, everything is racist and needs to change in order to make her happy.

While this approach to product naming may have been rooted in a lighthearted attempt at inclusiveness, we recognize that it may now have the opposite effect  one that is contrary to the welcoming, rewarding customer experience we strive to create every day, reads a statement from TJs spokesperson Kenya Friend-Daniel, capitulating to the Bedells nagging concerns.

To Americas public school-indoctrinated children, everything is racist

The move follows numerous other large food companies that have likewise agreed to phase-out potentially offensive characters such as Aunt Jemima, a real black person after whom the famous syrup was named. Uncle Bens rice also has to go, as does Eskimo Pie ice cream.

Bedell, your typical white, liberal, American female, contends that these longtime fun-loving names represent microaggressions that if left to persist will cause deranged people like herself to accept larger transgressions down the road.

Many Trader Joes customers say that they see absolutely nothing wrong with the stores packaging, including Jim Xiao, an Asian man from China now living in America who told local media outlet NBC Bay Area that he personally does not really see [anything] racist on those packages names.

And of course Jim does not see anything racist about them, because only white liberals  and more often than not white female liberals  identify this type of thing and raise a needless ruckus about it, ruining for everyone anything that might be fun or enjoyable in daily life.

Suppose I opened a store and called it White People Brand Market,' joked one CBS Los Angeles commenter about the lunacy of Bedells little crusade. It would carry stuff like White People Brand Pancake Mix, White People Brand Rice, White People Brand Ice Cream Sandwiches, etc. Yknow what would happen next? Theyd say it was racist for only carrying White People Brand foods.

Where the hell did all the adults go? asked another. Someone needs to just tell these offended woke snowflakes NO! They need to be told NO and to go sit the hell down.

For more related news about white liberals like Briones Bedell, be sure to check out Libtards.news.

Sources for this article include:

LosAngeles.CBSlocal.com

NaturalNews.com

NBCBayArea.com
85-year-old 'Warrior Aaji', who became an internet star after her video of performing 'Lathi Kathi' went viral, opened up about the lessons she had inherited from her father.

Speaking to ANI, Shantabai Pawar from Pune said, "Im doing it since I was 8. My father taught me to work hard. People mostly remain indoors due to #COVID, so I clang utensil to alert them when I perform."

In another statement Pawar also said that by Gods grace she was still able to perform at her age and sustain the livelihood. "My grandchildren are pursuing their studies and we are happy," she added.

#WATCH 85-year-old Shantabai Pawar performs 'Lathi Kathi' on streets of Pune to earn a livelihood. She says, "I'm doing it since I was 8. My father taught me to work hard. People mostly remain indoors due to #COVID, so I clang utensil to alert them when I perform." #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/NCI7kcbKxT ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2020

#WATCH 85-year-old Shantabai Pawar performs 'Lathi Kathi' on streets of Pune to earn a livelihood. She says, "I'm doing it since I was 8. My father taught me to work hard. People mostly remain indoors due to #COVID, so I clang utensil to alert them when I perform." #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/NCI7kcbKxT ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2020

The viral video of Pawar was shared on Twitter by Chandro Tomar but it was originally filmed by actor Aishwarya Kale.

As the video reached a wider audience, Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh came forward to offer help to the elderly performer. Sharing her video, Deshmukh wrote, "Warrior Aaaji Maa...Can someone please get me the contact details of her..."

Thank you so much -we have connected with this inspiring warrior Aaji Maa - incredible story. https://t.co/RuCfoZIi7M Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) July 23, 2020

He soon received a reply from Aishwarya Kale, who said, "Hello sir... this is Aishwarya Seema Kale... by Gods grace I could film this video in Pune near Salunkhe Vihar road... 85-year-old, Smt. Shanta Balu Pawar, a resident of Hadapsar, Pune. An exceptionally motivational and a strong woman even in the difficult times of Lockdown"

Hello sir ...this is Aishwarya Seema Kale..by Gods grace I could film this video in Pune near Salunkhe Vihar road....85 year old, Smt.Shanta Balu Pawara resident of Hadpsar Pune.An exceptionally motivational and a strong women even in the difficult times of Lockdown... pic.twitter.com/Y94BRV2K6u aishwarya kale (@aishwarya_kale) July 23, 2020

A lot of netizens came forward to share the details and information about Warrior Aaji, some also took the responsibility of her and her grandchildren.
The former congressman and civil rights icon died on July 17 at the age of 80.

A memorial service for former Congressman John Lewis in Troy, Alabama kicked off a week of tributes and services for the civil rights icon that will include lying in state on Monday in the Rotunda of the US Capitol.

Lewis, the senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a man known as the conscience of the Congress whose activism was anchored in a belief that good trouble could change the world, died of cancer on July 17, aged 80.

On Saturday, members of the public gathered to view Lewiss body as it lay in state in an arena at Troy University in Alabama, the state of his birth, in a service titled The Boy from Troy, the nickname Reverend Martin Luther King Jr gave Lewis at their first meeting in 1958 in Montgomery.

Lewis was born on a farm outside of Troy, the son of sharecroppers, and attended segregated schools.





In keeping with coronavirus precautions, the number of visitors was limited to 800, physical distancing was enforced, and masks required  a far cry from pre-coronavirus practices when a memorial for an icon like Lewis would have drawn many thousands from across the country.

At the service, his brothers and sisters recalled Lewis  who was called Robert at home  as a boy who practised preaching and singing gospel songs to the farm animals.

I remember the day that John left home. Mother told him not to get in trouble, not to get in the way  but we all know that John got in trouble, got in the way  but it was good trouble, his brother Samuel Lewis said.

And the troubles that he got himself into would change the world, he added.

After the ceremony on Saturday in Troy, commemorations will move to Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama for a private remembrance followed by a public viewing.

John Lewis, left, was the youngest of the so-called Big Six activists who organised the 1963 March on Washington where King gave his iconic I Have A Dream speech [File: Harry Harris/AP]

On Sunday, a procession will escort Lewiss coffin from Brown Chapel to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which many have called to be renamed in honour of Lewis. It was there that Lewis, during an historic 1965 civil rights march that came to be known as Bloody Sunday, had his skull fractured by police, one of many times he suffered such beatings.

Searing TV images of that brutality helped galvanise national opposition to racial oppression and embolden leaders in Washington, DC to pass the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act five months later, which removed some voting barriers for Black Americans.

On Sunday afternoon, events will again move to the city of Montgomery, where the public has been encouraged to line sidewalks as the procession travels to the State Capitol.

US Capitol memorial

On Monday, Lewis will lie in state in the Rotunda of the US Capitol for viewing, initially, by a small, invitation-only group.

The coffin will then be moved to the top of the steps at the Capitols East Front for public viewing on Monday evening and all day Tuesday, according to the Washington Post.

John Lewis was the youngest of the so-called Big Six activists who helped organise the march on Washington where Reverend Martin Luther King Jr gave his infamous I Have a Dream speech [File: Yuri Gripas/Reuters]

Out of concern for the pandemic, the Lewis family has asked that people not travel from across the country to pay respects, and instead post virtual tributes.

The week of solemn commemorations will end on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia, where Lewis will be laid to rest after a private service in the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King once preached.

During Saturdays memorial, Lewiss sister, Rosa Tyner, recalled asking the civil rights icon a week before his death if he wanted to see another doctor.

He said, No, Im at peace  and Im ready to go.'
A small aircraft crashed into a residential building in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia, killing three people and injuring a child, police said on Saturday.

The roof of the apartment building in the town of Wesel caught fire after the microlight plane crashed into it, a police spokesman said.

Witnesses told local media that the aircraft had collided with a hot-air balloon shortly before the crash.

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North Korean defector and lawmaker Thae Yong-ho of the main opposition United Future Party asks Unification Minister nominee Lee In-young, a four-term lawmaker with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, questions during Lee's confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Thae's questions related to Lee's career as a student activist caused controversy as it appeared Thae was trying to verify Lee's political ideology. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho



By Jung Da-min



North Korean defector and lawmaker Thae Yong-ho of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) has come under fire for causing an outdated ideological dispute during the confirmation hearing of Unification Minister nominee Lee In-young.



Members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), to which Lee belongs, denounced Thae's remarks as insulting.



The controversy erupted during the hearing, Thursday, for four-term lawmaker Lee who was the inaugural leader of a now-defunct association of university student representatives, a pro-unification group that was part of the pro-democracy movement in the 1980s. The group has been called "pro-Pyongyang" by conservatives, and since his nomination, the conservative UFP has expressed concerns that the politician could push for a North Korea policy in terms of possible violations of international sanctions on Pyongyang that the U.S. may not agree with.



Thae, a former North Korean diplomat who fled to the South in 2016, claimed the group members were followers of Juche, the North Korean regime's official ideology which is described by the country as founding leader Kim Il-sung's "original, brilliant and revolutionary contribution to national and international thought."



"When I was in North Korea in the 1980s, the North Korean regime believed that there were a lot of followers of Juche ideology in the South. They said the members of the student organization reaffirmed their determination to liberate their country from U.S. imperialism every morning, in front of a portrait of Kim Il-sung," Thae said.



On Thae's question as to whether Lee was also a follower of Juche and whether he had clearly showed that he had converted from Juche to South Korean ideology, the nominee said the North Korean regime had the wrong information and he had no such memory of swearing loyalty to Kim Il-sung or following Juche.



"I think I have to say that Rep. Thae lacks understanding of South Korean democracy," the former floor leader of the DPK said. "I can make it clear that I was not a follower of the Juche Ideology at the time and I am not now."



The DPK and other liberal minor opposition parties criticized Thae for resurrecting an outdated dispute by demanding Lee verify his ideology.



"We express deep concerns over UFP members who pose outdated and ungrounded questions without hesitation. Are they living in the 21st century?" DPK spokeswoman Heo Yun-jung said in a statement. "People won't accept that Thae, who defected to the South in August 2016, tried to verify a Republic of Korea lawmaker based on the education he received at the time of his defection."



Rep. Yoon Young-chan of the DPK also wrote on his social media, "A former North Korean diplomat who was born and lived in North Korea for 54 years and defected to the South, pushed a four-term lawmaker who was a ruling party floor leader, to answer whether he converted his ideology. This situation makes me have a bitter smile."



Kim Dong-gyun, deputy speaker of the liberal minor opposition Justice Party, criticized Thae for trying to verify Lee's ideology when such verification is a form of suppression used by the country's former totalitarian governments before its democratization.



"It is absurd that Thae, who fled from the North Korean dictatorship, is wielding the sword of dictatorship in South Korea where he settled down," Kim said. "We call for Thae to have the right attitude to respect the people's rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution."


A 44-year-old Gering woman has pleaded to charges that she illegally used funds as a power of attorney for her grandmother.

Melody Marsh had been charged in June 2019 with abuse of a vulnerable adult, a Class IIIA felony, and faced trial on that charge. However, Marsh has now entered into a plea agreement, pleading to a lesser charge of theft by taking, a Class I misdemeanor. The charge is punishable by up to a year in jail, a $1,000 fine or both.

The change of plea was entered during a hearing on July 1 and Marsh is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 4.

Charges stem from an investigation done by Gering police and police accused Marsh of writing more than $70,000 in personal checks and also using funds from a vehicle purchase. Gering Police investigator began an investigation in October 2018 after being notified by an adult protective services caseworker with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The caseworker was able to provide financial documents from US Bank for a 94-year-old woman, according to affidavits filed in Scotts Bluff County Court.
The cheery municipal sign is designed to bring a splash of colour, a frisson of optimism, to the inner-city gloom. Its upbeat slogan: HOLBECK  where families and communities bloom.

But this grim area near Leeds city centre is, perhaps, not blooming as well as it might.

Thats because its the first legal red-light district in the country. And if some of its advocates get their way, it will be the first of many.

Less than a mile from the heart of Britains third-largest city, Holbeck is an area in which prostitutes  and the men who buy and sell them  are encouraged by the local authority and police to operate with impunity.

There is one run-down cafe, no pubs and no shops. But one thing certainly is for sale: sex, on every street corner  and at very low prices. As night drew in, girls began to emerge into the half-light, alone and in pairs

There are no sanctions and no risk of conviction. Widespread drug-taking  sadly an integral part of the lives of many of these women, who have often been abused as teenagers and are subsequently used by pimps who see them as no more than a commodity  is also tolerated, under a scheme that costs local taxpayers 200,000 per year to run.

Most controversial of all, the clients, who travel into the area in search of paid sex  are welcomed all night, every night, between the hours of 8pm and 6am.

The police do not trouble them, unless officers suspect the women are in danger.

It is a bold  some might say reckless  experiment that has caused deep divisions both here and among those with clear views on how prostitution might be better policed.

Yet now, following a new report, it is set to become a permanent fixture on this benighted stretch of land.

This week, I travelled to Holbeck with a Daily Mail photographer. During the day, much of this area functions as an industrial estate.

In darkness, it seems very different. The business premises have shut down, the only noise coming from the cars cruising around.

The square mile or so of the zone designated as a red-light district has become a dark sexual dystopia. Inside its boundaries, it is very difficult to buy a cup of tea or a pint. There is one run-down cafe, no pubs and no shops.

But one thing certainly is for sale: sex, on every street corner  and at very low prices.

As night drew in, girls began to emerge into the half-light, alone and in pairs. Some would position themselves in dark places waiting for the approach of a potential buyers car.

The square mile or so of the zone designated as a red-light district has become a dark sexual dystopia

Others were more brazen, waiting determinedly on street corners. Many looked very young, perhaps even under 18. (I later reported this to the police, who said they would investigate.)

Over a three-hour period, the women would get into smart saloons  Audis, Range Rovers, some with blacked-out windows  and then be dropped off back at the same spot.

Some girls didnt even get into the cars  going about their work in full view on squalid bits of wasteground.

The atmosphere was thoroughly depressing, many of the girls vacant-looking and walking unsteadily (suggesting they were on drugs), with haunted eyes and emaciated faces.

It was striking that no one else was on the streets  apart from ourselves, the girls and, from time to time, a few skinny young men, all wearing hoodies, looking shifty and seedy in the artificial light.

Pimps? Dealers? Whatever they were here for, it wasnt a romantic stroll in the moonlight.

Underneath a bridge, two women  in their early 20s but looking older  were waiting. I approached one and explained I was from the Daily Mail.

I asked her why she was here and where she was from. Im from Burnley and Im trying to get money for my daughter, she said.

She told me she charged just 30 for full sex and oral sex together: less than the price of the pub dinner Id had with the photographer a couple of hours before.

As we spoke, several cars drove past, much to the annoyance of her friend. We could have got some business if she wasnt talking to you, she snapped at me.

I was aware of a low-key police presence and we watched a different girl, whom we believed to be a prostitute, being spoken to by the occupants of a marked police vehicle.

But I thought of those unsavoury-looking men buzzing around the zone  and I had the sense it was all too little, too late.

This controversial experiment, which is run jointly by West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council, has a bland and euphemistic title: Managed Approach (MA).

No doubt deliberately, that phrase means precisely nothing: it carries no reference to kerb-crawling, drug-taking, pimping, intimidation or any other aspects of the anti-social and criminal behaviour that blights the lives of those who live, work or go to school near the zone. Primary schools are less than a mile away.

This month, a glowing and supposedly independent review of the scheme has been published, claiming the Managed Approach has been an emphatic success.

It was carried out by the University of Huddersfield and published by the Safer Leeds Partnership, a conjunction of Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Police.

A success? Well, perhaps. I found plenty of locals who believe otherwise.

During the pandemic, the city council said it was suspending the MA for the duration of lockdown. That is meant to remain in force.

But this week, the rules were being flouted  and neither the council nor the police appeared to be doing anything about it.

Even as lockdown eases, when we have only just been granted the right to visit our relatives in care homes and where extensive rules on social distancing remain in force, Holbeck is a sexual free-for-all.

A council spokesman explained this by claiming the council no longer had emergency enforcement powers. He added: While the number of women seeking to [do] street sex work is still relatively low, we have seen a recent increase coinciding with the relaxation of social distancing.

Since the MA was introduced in 2014, it has divided local opinion, bringing into focus wildly differing views about how prostitution should be looked upon by the state.

Holbeck is now a magnet for creepy men from all over the north of England and even further afield who crawl the streets in their cars, leering at women and girls, says Anna Fisher of sex-trade law campaign group Nordic Model Now.

Here in Britain, it is not illegal to be a prostitute, although kerb-crawling by clients, soliciting, pimping and running a brothel are crimes.

And thats what makes this area such a political hot potato  its now one of the easiest places in the country to buy sex.

The police and the council have effectively granted an amnesty not just to the prostitutes who are, most people believe, the ultimate victims of the sex trade. But, far more controversially, also to the kerb crawlers, pimps and human traffickers who maintain the supply of women.

Its upbeat slogan: HOLBECK  where families and communities bloom. But this grim area near Leeds city centre is, perhaps, not blooming as well as it might. Thats because its the first legal red-light district in the country

The feminist writer Julie Bindel, who has visited Holbeck, has said punters are able to buy a woman with the same ease with which they might pick up a burger.

Bindel spoke to one Holbeck prostitute who told her: Because [the men] cant get arrested, they think they can do anything they like. Ive been raped, and one man urinated on me once and then took a photo.

Supporters of the MA claim it is best to keep the women in one area where they will not trouble residents  and give them access to various welfare services.

But many families are concerned the sex trade is spilling over into the streets on which they live. Less than a year after the MA started, one prostitute, Daria Pionko, from Poland, was battered to death in the zone.

Her attacker, Lewis Pierre, was jailed for 22 years. Other serious assaults have taken place more recently.

One mother, Nikki Hayes, has had enough. They stand on this corner, that corner. They stand on that road up there, she told me.

My five-year-old daughter says to me, Whats that lady doing, Mummy? How am I expected to explain to her that shes a prostitute? Its just impossible . . . Even my 13-year-old son was propositioned by one of the girls.

Like many residents, Ms Hayes is concerned that prostitution is spilling out beyond the zones borders.

Soon after I spoke to her, I found debris, including condom wrappers, left outside on Holbeck Moor, a park used by school children.

Other residents are concerned that houses on the edge of the zone have become brothels.

Karen Cuthbertson owns and runs Christines cafe, serving fry-ups to construction workers. Occasionally, she says, some of the prostitutes come into her premises. She sees them as victims.

She says: If they want to do it, they need a place to go. The problem is that its all coming out of the zone. One of the blokes from a local hostel was caught just near here on CCTV with a woman down on her knees. You just cant have that.

The Rev Rolf Mason is curate of St Lukes in Holbeck. He chairs a community group and is preparing an alternative report to the one just published

Rev Mason firmly believes the prostitution zone has had a detrimental effect on many of the residents living nearby.

Weve had problems with sex litter, kerb crawling, he says. This litter might include used condoms and syringes, womens clothing and vomit  much of which can carry the risk of disease.

Rev Mason adds: There are other problems  among them women approaching men, asking for business. And women causing fights. It will be in the middle of the night, screaming at punters because they havent been paid.

Or a pimp getting into a fight with a punter because theyve not agreed to certain terms. What we underestimate is how many of the women actually live in Holbeck  and operate out of their homes.

He is particularly concerned about how these women at the edge of society can be exploited by cruel and merciless pimps. Unfortunately, with many of the women, there is going to be a history of trauma and child abuse, he says. Youve definitely got sex trafficking going on.

Some defenders of the MA argue that many of the prostitutes might be doing the work anyway, so it is better to keep them in one place.

However, the many residents opposed to the zone believe the MA acts as a perfect haven for traffickers.

The new independent report into the zone is a mealy-mouthed affair, couched in corporate gobbledygook. Its verdict, which some believe to be a whitewash, is that the council and the police are doing a good job and that progress has been made in reducing the number of prostitutes in the area.

It is very short on specifics  and, oddly, neither the council nor West Yorkshire Police were prepared to discuss its findings in detail.

This curious reluctance to answer questions even extended to the reports principal author, Prof Jason Roach of Huddersfield University. He told me simply: The report speaks for itself.

Similarly tongue-tied was Paul Money, Head of the Safer Leeds Partnership, who also refused an interview.

The review cost 50,000 to produce  on top of the estimated 200,000 per year that the Managed Approach costs.

One politician who would talk to me was independent Cllr Sarah Field. She said: I am appalled at this so-called independent review . . . Just 30 people were interviewed and fewer than half of those had no vested interest. A whole neighbourhood of Leeds has been given over to prostitution.

We see academics enthralled by sex positivity while they would never live in Holbeck, nor entertain the notion of themselves, their daughters or their wives working there.

Another critic, independent Cllr Mark Dobson, says the scheme was poorly thought-out.

Whatever the report says, it has done nothing to help residents or vulnerable women. If the scheme is a success, why wont anyone from the council talk about it? he asks.

A pertinent question. And though a similar scheme in the Netherlands was dropped after its backers admitted it failed, this report has just rubber-stamped the councils scheme  and the Managed Approach is set to continue.

This is bad news for so many of the nearby families whose lives have been blighted by the project. But its good news for those seedy men in hoodies shuffling around these streets after dark.
The claim: South Dakota took minimal government action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and yet had the lowest spread of coronavirus while losing the fewest jobs.

A meme that brags on South Dakota related to coronavirus that was widely shared on social media weeks ago is popular again. It reads: South Dakota never did lockdowns. Four cases per 100,000 ppl, lowest in nation and lowest job losses in nation. Feel lied to?

The meme appears to have its roots in May posts, one of which, posted in mid-May by LaDonna Holt Hollander-Forbes, has more than 46,000 shares and 660 comments. USA TODAY has reached out to her for comment.

It is true the governor of South Dakota did not issue stay-at-home orders to contain coronavirus, and any restrictions on businesses were relatively lax and short-lived. In fact, a WalletHub analysis found it had the fewest government restrictions of any state.

Want more fact checks?: We'll send them right to your inbox. Sign up to get them here.

And while the states coronavirus infection and unemployment rates are low compared to many states, they are not nearly as low as the meme says.

So one could feel lied to.

More: Fact check: What's true and what's false about coronavirus?

South Dakota's infection rate

South Dakotas population is 884,659, according to the Census Bureau. It had a total of 8,200 cases as of July 25, according to the state health department.

Four cases per 100,000 South Dakotans would mean the state had seen only 36 cases since the pandemic started, and not one of the 50 states has been that lucky, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There have been 932 diagnosed cases per 100,000 people in South Dakota since the states first diagnosed COVID-19 case March 17. And looking at mid-May numbers to correlate with the initial appearance of the meme, there were 3,887 diagnosed cases as of May 15, or 439 cases per 100,000.

So the meme is off by hundreds of cases per 100,000.

Story continues

Lowest infection rate in the nation

South Dakotans dont have to look far to find a state with a lower infection rate. North Dakotas rate  723 per 100,000  is lower than South Dakotas. Vermont had the lowest rate, according to the CDC, with 218 cases per 100,000. Still, South Dakota is in much better shape than hard-hit states like New Jersey, with 2,021 cases per 100,000 people in the state.

More: Those face masks with breathing valves? They aren't effective, doctors say

In 26th place, South Dakota came in right in the middle of the pack for pandemic-related deaths per 100,000 people with 14, according to health care business website Beckers Hospital Review.

South Dakota's job losses

The Mount Rushmore State has suffered lower unemployment than most states during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's not the lowest. Its June unemployment rate was 7.2%. Last June it was 3.3%  thats a difference of 3.9 percentage points, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers released July 17.

President Donald Trump at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on July 3, 2020, near Keystone, South Dakota.

That puts South Dakota behind eight states and Washington, D.C.

Utah actually had the lowest percentage change of 2.5 points to 5.1%.

South Dakota is still much better off than Massachusetts, with a June unemployment rate increase of 14.5 percentage points to 17.4%  the highest in the country.

Our ruling: Partly false

It is true that South Dakota did not have lockdowns. But other claims made about the infection rate and employment impact of the virus in South Dakota in the meme are not supported by information available from the state health department, the CDC and BLS. We rate this claim as PARTLY FALSE.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: South Dakota's COVID-19 stats aren't as good as claimed
Did Moores execution result in unusual pain and suffering, which our Constitution bans? Nebraskans may never know, but we must, as a state, prevent secrecy from occurring in future executions.

The Nebraska Legislature repealed capital punishment in 2015, but Nebraskans voted in 2016 to reinstate it. If our state intends to employ the ultimate punishment, then every step in the process must be done openly and by the book. Use of the death penalty should be scrutinized more than any other state function. Taking a human life is a grave, irrevocable act. Mistakes and secrecy at each step must not be tolerated.

Encouraging sign

Leading indicators rose 1.72% during June, the second consecutive month in which Nebraskas economy signaled it is rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic. The gains in May and June follow sharp declines in March and April. Locally, retail activity in those months was off about 15%, and it was down only 5% in May, according to Kearney sales tax collections.

With businesses reopened and cleared to operate at full capacity, were hoping to see more progress when Julys figures are known. While were encouraged by the economy, there still is reason for worry about health and safety. As case numbers rise, Nebraskans need to be watchful and not to allow a COVID-19 outbreak to stall or reverse our economic progress. Please, wear a mask and follow all health and safety recommendations.
Saudi Arabia records lowest temperature in 30 years

Erdogan's visit to Ukraine scheduled for February 3

Russian peacekeeping contingent establishes order of passage through Lachin corridor

French Senate votes to ban hijab at sporting events

Armenian FM: All necessary conditions to be created for Demarcation Commission work

Olaf Scholz: Borders in Europe cannot be changed by force

Lavrov presents Armenian Ambassador to Russia, with the Order of Friendship

Bill Gates warns of pandemics far more serious than COVID-19

Macron: EU countries must work together on agreement for stability and security

Turkey Central banks and UAE sign agreement worth almost $5 billion

Blinken: Western countries need unity to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine

Iranian President performs evening namaz in Kremlin after talks with Putin

Turkish police detain women protesting price hikes in hygiene products

Delegation headed by Chief of the Cypriot National Guard General Staff has meetings in Armenia

Merkel refuses job in UN structure

Greece receives the first batch of French Rafale fighters

NEWS.am daily digest: 19.01.22

Azerbaijan hopes Pope to mediate in relations with Armenia

Talks between presidents of Russia and Iran start in Kremlin

Armenian FM: This is not first time Baku makes nonconstructive statements

Ombudsman: I urge not to give in to Azerbaijani manipulations, to visit Artsakh

Armenian FM: Armenia passes a package of proposals to Azerbaijan

France names the main favorite of presidential election

Garo Paylan concludes address in Turkey parliament in Armenian

Russian Foreign Ministry believes there is no risk of large-scale war in Europe

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Sharmazanov: Armenia ex-President Sargsyan did not decide to hold press conference, he did not change his mind

Blinken: Russia has plans to increase force on Ukraine borders

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Azerbaijani military participate in Turkish drills

Taliban say all conditions for recognizing legitimacy of government are met

Azerbaijan MFA statement distorts events of Armenian massacres in Baku 32 years ago

Karabakh ombudsmans office: Azerbaijans anti-Armenian, genocidal policy has clear chronology

US official, Barzani are photographed against backdrop of Greater Armenia and Kurdistan map

Armenia ex-defense minister, army General Staff chief, some others criminal case court hearing kicks off

FM: Most important direction continues to be international recognition of Artsakh

Armenia revenue committee chief on opening of Turkey border: Shall we live with closed borders? In fear?

US selects Los Angeles to host Summit of the Americas in summer 2022

Karabakh Foreign Minister: Return of refugees can only be like mirror

Iranian president arrives on official visit to Moscow

All CSTO peacekeepers leaves Kazakhstan

Artsakh Foreign Minister: Unacceptable to bracket NKAO and NKR together

Karabakh FM: Format of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs' visits needs to be restored

Media: Air communication between Turkey and Armenia will start on February 2

Artsakh FM: Azerbaijan attack on Karabakh will mean attack on Russia

Gold prices hardly change

American professor angers Erdogan's son-in-law

Hovhannes Khachatryan is elected Armenia Central Bank Deputy Governor

15 years pass since Hrant Dink assassination

563 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Guterres offers Merkel job at UN

Armenian church revamped in Iran

World oil prices going up

Newspaper: ECHR rulings increase after Armenia revolution in 2018

Newspaper: Armenia ex-President Sargsyan to give interview instead of press conference

Azerbaijan MFA falls into hysterical rage by France FM statement

The Pope to donate 100,000 to help migrants on border of Belarus and Poland

Fourth vaccine against COVID-19 is not enough for Omicron

World is on verge of country defaults

French Foreign Ministry considers unacceptable Azerbaijan statements about Pecresse

US to return two valuable artifacts over 4,000 years old to Iraq

Germany may consider halting Nord Stream 2 if Russia attacks Ukraine

Israel successfully completes test of anti-ballistic missile system

Plane landing in Sochi struck by lightning

Putin and Aliyev discuss Ukraine situation

Greek PM Mitsotakis threatens Turkey with sanctions

Handelsblatt: US and EU abandon idea of disconnecting Russia from SWIFT international payment system

Artsakh President meets representatives of non-governmental organizations

Avalanche kills person in Iran

Erdogan says he is pleased with decline in volatility of lira

NEWS.am daily digest: 18.01.22

Turkey and Azerbaijan to start laying gas pipeline to supply Nakhichevan

UK begins to supply Ukraine with anti-tank weapons

Armenian PM holds meeting on Armenia's Transformation Strategy until 2050

Nagorno-Karabakh: Remains of another Armenian soldier found in Jrakan region

Tehran to not accept any border change in South Caucasus

Dollar holding relatively steady in Armenia

Armenia special representative: Future process depends on Turkeys constructiveness degree

Erdogan: Gas from Mediterranean to Europe can only be pumped through Turkey

Iranian Consul General discusses customs cooperation in Nakhijevan

Inecobank brings Apple Pay to customers

Parliament vice-speaker says he is familiar with Armenia proposals on border demarcation commission work

US Secretary of State to visit Kyiv

Russia, Iran and China to hold joint naval drills

OSCE Chairmanship on Aliyev statement: We reiterate our full support to Minsk Group Co-Chairs

Artsakh NSS denies rumors about penetration of Azerbaijanis into Karabakh villages

Indonesian parliament approves bill to relocate capital

Armenia PM to Bulgaria colleague: Our interstate relations are marked by continuous development of cooperation

Armenian President meets Abu Dhabi Crown Prince

Azerbaijan to ban foreigners from visiting Nagorno-Karabakh occupied part

European Parliament new speaker elected

Armenian National Interests Fund participates in Abu Dhabi Sustainable Development Week summit

North Korea fires missiles for fourth time this year

ECHR recognizes violation of Armenian PM's rights after 2008 elections

Turkey reveals plans to produce combat aircraft

Karabakh official: Azerbaijan presidents impudent behavior is due to OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs silence

Azerbaijan special services force Artsakh resident to intelligence work

Copper price is stable

Minister of State: OSCE MG Co-Chairs must accept exercise of Karabakh people's right to self-determination

Armenia President, UAE Minister of State discuss possibilities of cooperation in science and technology
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.  A search and rescue crew on Friday discovered the body of a missing photographer along a hiking trail in western Colorado, authorities said.

The Mesa County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that the body of Conrad Earnest, 62, was found near Glade Park, south of Colorado National Monument. An autopsy was pending.

The cause of death was under investigation but wasnt considered suspicious, authorities have said.

The announcement came after Grand Junction police reported that a missing person report had been filed for Earnest on Thursday.

Earnest specialized in nighttime photography, and The Associated Press recently published a photo hed taken of the comet Neowise above Colorado National Monument.

Searchers discovered the body after locating Earnests vehicle in Miracle Rock campground.
RTHK: Mystery men enter China's closed Houston mission

Staff departed China's Houston consulate to a jeering crowd on Friday after the US government ordered the building closed, calling it a hub for spying on American companies and researchers.

Shortly after the deadline to close the consulate, a group of people were seen by a journalist using power tools and a crowbar to force open the rear door. They declined to identify themselves to reporters.

After the men went inside, two uniformed members of the US State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security arrived to guard the door. They also did not respond to reporters.

About 100 protesters shouted "take back China," denounced the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and waved flags as consulate workers loaded belongings into rental trunks.

The five-storey building this week became the latest flashpoint between Beijing and Washington over trade, the novel coronavirus pandemic and military maneuvers in Southeast Asia.

The Chinese embassy in Washington and the US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Among the protesters, Zhony Yi Ma, 34, traveled to Houston with a group from New York to heckle consulate staff. Police kept the crowd away from the building.

"We want to end the CCP, take back China and build a nation like America," he said.

Senior U.S. officials said on Friday that the consulate was one of the worst offenders in terms ofespionage in the United States and linked its staff to China's pursuit of a vaccine for the new coronavirus.

Nhat Nguyen, 58, praised US President Donald Trump and accused Chinese communists of spying around the world. He wore a Trump 2020 campaign hat and waved the former flag of the South Vietnamese government that was backed by the United States in the Vietnam war.

"The vaccine is the latest," he said. "They lie, they take," he said.

Earlier on Friday, Beijing ordered the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2020-07-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A Chinese and U.S. flag at a booth during the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai, November 6, 2018.

A Singaporean man who set up a fake consulting site to solicit information from U.S. government and military workers has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of Chinese intelligence, the Justice Department said on Friday.

Sentencing for Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, will be in October, according to the department. The U.S. is cracking down on Chinese spying, with the FBI having interviewed dozens of visa holders about their possible ties to Chinese intelligence.

On Friday a Chinese researcher who took refuge in the San Francisco consulate was expected to appear in court on allegations she lied about her Chinese military service, while the U.S. counterintelligence agency chief warned China and other nations could interfere with November elections.
A rare frog has been found beyond its known range in the Southwest.

A U.S. Forest Service volunteer recently photographed a Chiricahua leopard frog in an earthen stock tank near the town of Camp Verde in central Arizona, the agency said Thursday. Biologists later confirmed that at least 10 of the frogs were living there.

The aquatic frogs were thought to be only in eastern Arizona, western New Mexico and northern Mexico but historically were more widespread. The frogs numbers have declined because of habitat loss, disease and predators.

Audrey Owns of the Arizona Game and Fish Department said the frogs could have moved into lower elevations in Camp Verde because they were seeking protected habitat or warmer temperatures that guard them from fungal disease.

The rare frog has been found beyond its known range in the U.S. Southwest. A U.S. Forest Service volunteer recently photographed a Chiricahua leopard frog in an earthen stock tank near the town of Camp Verde in central Arizona. (AP)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the frogs as threatened in 2002. Part of the recovery efforts have included rearing the frogs in captivity and releasing them into stock tanks. A recovery team also has been supplementing water amid a prolonged drought, removing livestock, deepening stock tanks and controlling erosion.

Large-scale and varied recovery efforts, such as those carried out in the Fossil Creek watershed, are vitally important since biologists do not know exactly which efforts will be successful, or how frogs will adapt to changes in natural conditions, such as disease and long-term drought, said Janie Agyagos, a wildlife biologist for the Coconino National Forests Red Rock Ranger District.

Biologists plan to visit aquatic areas near Camp Verde to determine the extent of the frogs. The male frogs are distinctive for the sound they make during the breeding season, much like snoring.

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(TNS)  The Bitcoin scam that hackers deployed while breaking into the Twitter Inc. accounts of political leaders and business titans last week closely resembles similar schemes used previously on YouTube.In the July 15 Twitter attack, hackers hijacked accounts belonging to Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Joe Biden and Jeff Bezos and asked their followers to send Bitcoins to their crypto wallet with a promise to double the amount. In a matter of hours, the hackers had accrued more than $100,000.But before compromising those accounts, the hackers targeted the Twitter accounts of popular cryptocurrency exchanges such as Coinbase Inc., Gemini Trust Company LLC and Binance Holdings Ltd. In this case, the attackers tweeted a link to a website dubbed CryptoForHealth, which also promised to double donations made to a crypto wallet.The move caught the attention of computer security researchers, who say similar scams were perpetrated in recent months on Googles YouTube. One of the researchers, who like his colleagues requested anonymity because he isnt authorized to speak publicly, said it isnt yet clear who was behind the Twitter hack but said that the YouTube scams appeared coordinated.The earlier attacks make clear that stealing user accounts to perpetrate cryptocurrency scams isnt a problem unique to Twitter. The possibility that the incidents are connected may give investigators additional ways to identify the perpetrators, people familiar with the scams say. In online forums, several people have claimed to know the identity of the person behind the CryptoForHealth websites.One website used as part of the apparent YouTube scams, btc-gemini.info, looks almost identical to the CryptoForHealth site. Beyond the visual similarities, the sites share technical details, such as IP addresses and website code, according to a Bloomberg review of the data.The links between the schemes on Twitter and YouTube arent definitive, according to the researchers and Bloombergs analysis. But at the very least, it shows how easily they can be duplicated, they said.Alex Joseph, a YouTube spokesman, said the company takes account security seriously by automatically protecting users and notifying them when suspicious activity is detected. If a user has reason to believe their account was compromised, he said, they can notify us to secure the account and regain control.YouTube declined to address whether the alleged crypto scams on its site were related to the Twitter hack. On Tuesday, Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak filed a lawsuit in state court in California alleging that YouTube has for months allowed scammers to use his name and likeness as part of a phony Bitcoin giveaway.In the alleged YouTube scams, a hacker typically gained control of an account and made it look like an official page of a cryptocurrency exchange or celebrity. Taking over a YouTube account with an already established following lets the hackers reach a wide audience. That was the same goal with last weeks Twitter hack, which hijacked accounts with tens of millions of followers.After gaining control of an account, the hacker typically live streams an interview with the likes of Bill Gates and runs information about the fake cryptocurrency giveaway alongside it. The alleged scam has been used with video interviews of the Winklevoss twins (who founded popular cryptocurrency exchange Gemini), and Vitalik Buterin, the creator of the Ethereum cryptocurrency.In June, cybersecurity blog BleepingComputer reported three YouTube accounts were hijacked to run a crypto giveaway scam, this time live streaming an interview with Musk, Tesla Inc.s chief executive officer, next to fake information about the scam. In this instance, the perpetrator raked in more than $150,000.The live streams tend to attract a large audience for the alleged scams before theyre detected by YouTube. In some instances, the perpetrators skip stealing an account altogether and simply purchase YouTube ads promoting the alleged scam.The cryptocurrency company Ripple Labs Inc. filed a lawsuit in April against YouTube over the so-called giveaway swindle. For every scam, giveaway, fake conspiracy that is taken down, multiple more pop up nearly immediately, the company wrote in a blog post. The reality is that big technology and media companies need to take responsibility and be held accountable for protecting consumers.In one case, a YouTube user with 282,000 subscribers was hacked and had his account edited to appear as if it was representing the Ripple Foundation, according to the lawsuit. The attackers then began posting videos from the hacked account promoting the cryptocurrency scam. The user, Mesa Sean, who makes videos of himself playing videogames, didnt respond to a request for comment.According to the lawsuit, YouTube accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers are targeted with email phishing attacks, where hackers trick the account owner into giving up their password. Ripple estimates that hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Ripple cryptocurrency have been stolen as part of the illicit operations.The string of high-profile scams makes it harder for cryptocurrency companies to persuade consumers that their operations are secure.Last weeks Twitter hack is just the latest dramatic example of an ongoing and widespread problem with social media platforms  malicious scams on Twitter, YouTube, Medium, Instagram and others have proliferated for years with no real solution, Ripple Chief Executive Officer Brad Garlinghouse said in a statement.In a motion to dismiss Ripples lawsuit filed on Monday, lawyers for YouTube said its not liable for the scams under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields platforms from potentially illegal activity by users.
The lake is also facing another threat of climate change.

As the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam nears completion, some communities in Sudan are concerned about the potential effect on their livelihoods.

Al Jazeeras Hiba Morgan travelled to Lake Nubia, which is shared by Egypt and Sudan, to speak to farmers and fisherman about their concerns.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in the outskirts of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday.

An army official said that acting on specific information about presence of two militants, police, CRPF and army launched a joint search operation in Ranbirgarh area in the outskirts of Srinagar in the early hours today to track down the militants hiding there.

During the search operation, militants hiding in the area fired at the troops. The fire was returned by the troops and in the ensuing gunfight, which continued for a few hours, two militants were killed.

An army man sustained bullet injuries in the encounter and has been hospitalized. The army official said that encounter has ended and both the militants have been killed.

He said the identity of the deceased militants and the outfit to which they owe allegiance was being ascertained.

Security forces have intensified anti-militancy operations in the Valley.

About 140 militants have been killed in over two dozen encounters in Jammu and Kashmir this year so far as against 150 militants killed last year.
Federal police stand guard on Salmon Street after pushing protesters away from the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 21, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Federal Judge Rejects Oregons Efforts to Block Federal Arrests of Portland Protesters

A federal judge denied an effort by Oregons attorney general seeking to prevent federal law enforcement agents from making arrests amid violent rioting in Portland.

Oregons attorney general, Ellen Rosenblum, filed a lawsuit against several federal agencies last week alleging that their officers have engaged in policing tactics that have violated the constitutional rights of residents in the state. In particular, she accused the officers of allegedly detaining protesters on the streets of Portland and placing them in unmarked vehicles without probable cause.

Rosenblum asked the court for a temporary restraining order to block the officers from using such tactics, to prohibit arrests that lack probable cause, and to order the agents to identify themselves and their agency before arresting an individual.

U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman rejected the request on Friday, saying in his 14-page ruling (pdf) that the state lacked the ability to bring a case on behalf of the protesters, also known as standing, partly because Rosenblum failed to show that the interest of the state had been harmed.

In the first place, although it involves allegations of harm done to protesters by law enforcement, no protester is a plaintiff here, Mosman wrote in his ruling. In the second place, it is not seeking redress for any harm that has been done to protesters. Instead, it seeks an injunction against future conduct, which is also an extraordinary form of relief.

Rosenblum said she was disappointed by Mosmans decision but vowed to continue fighting.

While I respect Judge Mosman, I would ask this question: If the state of Oregon does not have standing to prevent this unconstitutional conduct by unidentified federal agents running roughshod over her citizens, who does? Individuals mistreated by these federal agents can sue for damages, but they cant get a judge to restrain this unlawful conduct more generally. Todays ruling suggests that there may be no recourse on behalf of our state, and if so that is extremely troubling, she said in a statement.

The Trump administrations decision to surge federal forces to Portland, Oregon, to protect federal buildings and monuments has drawn widespread scrutiny. The city has seen over 55 consecutive days of rioting and violence. Rioting began in the city since late May in the wake of George Floyds death, but local and state officials said the unrest further escalated after federal forces were dispatched to the city.

Local and state officials and congressional lawmakers have strongly criticized the Trump administration over allegations that the federal agents were engaged in unconstitutional tactics to arrest protesters. These protesters alleged that federal agents wearing camouflage and tactical gear without identifying insignia are detaining individuals and placing them into unmarked vehicles without stating the basis for an arrest, according to various accounts made to media outlets.

The accuracy of these reports has been disputed by acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, who says the federal officers wear multi-camouflage that have insignia that read Police and that the operations only target and arrest individuals who have been identified as committing criminal acts.

These reports have sparked several lawsuits filed against the Trump administration, including Rosenblums suit.

A federal judge in a separate case on Thursday granted a temporary restraining order requested by a group of journalists and legal observers. That lawsuit accuses federal law enforcement agents of assaulting and intimidating journalists and legal observers, and suppressing them from reporting on the events amid the Portland protests and riots.

The judge in that case, Judge Michael Simon, ordered federal agents to cease arresting, threatening to arrest, or using physical force against journalists and legal observers. They are also blocked from seizing property and equipment from journalists and legal observers such as photographic equipment, audio- or video recording equipment, or press passes. Simon also ruled that journalists and legal observers do not need to follow orders to disperse.

Without journalists and legal observers, there is only the governments side of the story to explain why a riot was declared and the public streets were closed and whether law enforcement acted properly in effectuating that order, Simon wrote in his order (pdf).

That order is expected to expire after 14 days.
BGR

Our Sun isnt quite as old as other stars out there. However, scientists are already trying to pinpoint exactly when the Sun will die. Of course, it isnt as simple as throwing out a date. After all, were working with a massive ball of energy that weve still barely managed to scratch the surface of  The post Scientists think they figured out when the Sun will explode and kill us all appeared first on BGR.
By PTI

CHENNAI: Southern states continued reporting high Coronavirus caseloads on Saturday with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka seeing biggest single day spikes yet again, while there was no sign of the pandemic abating in Andhra Pradesh, which recorded yet another day of 7,000 plus cases.

Incidentally, Tamil Nadu crossed the grim milestone of two lakh cases, although cured persons outnumbered the active cases.

Kerala witnessed its highest single day spike so far, recording 1,103 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the infection count to 18,098.

Over 1.5 lakh persons are under observation.

Karnataka's single day tally on Saturday stood at 5,072, with nearly half of the cases coming from capital Bengaluru urban alone.

Second after Maharashtra in the total number of cases, Tamil Nadu on Saturday breached the grim milestone of two lakh Coronavirus cases, coupled with its biggest daily spike of 6,988 fresh infections that pushed the tally to 2,06,737.

The state's first COVID-19 case was reported in March, a 45-year-old man from Kancheepuram who had returned from Oman.

Tamil Nadu crossed the one lakh mark on July 3 and sailed past 1.50 lakh positive cases on July 15.

Though the state had initially reported low numbers and even seemed to be heading towards flattening the curve, two clusters led to fast spread of the pandemic, putting Tamil Nadu among the worst affected states.

The death toll climbed to 3,409 with 89 fatalities.

Karnataka saw 5,072 cases and 72 related fatalities, pushing the total beyond 90,000 while the casualties stood at 1,796, the health department said.

Out of the 5,072 fresh cases, 2,036 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone.

The previous single-day spike recorded was on July 23 with 5,030 cases.

Bengaluru urban district tops the list of positive cases with a total of 43,503 followed by Dakshina Kannada at 4,607 and Kalaburagi with 3,712 infections.

In its highest single day spike till now, Kerala on Saturday reported 1,103 fresh infections, even as the cumulative tally stood at 18,098.

As many as 9,420 persons are under treatment.

Thiruvananthapuram, where the government had declared two regions with community transmission, has 2,666 COVID-19 patients, the highest in the state.

In Andhra Pradesh too, the upward spiral of virus cases continued as another 7,813 were added in a day to take the overall tally to 88,671 on Saturday.

The total number of COVID-19 patients discharged so far touched 43,255 and the gross toll was 985.

The state now has 44,431 active cases, according to the bulletin.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Lima, Peru  Sat, July 25, 2020 18:02 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066944eb7 2 News machu-picchu,Peru,travel,tourism,archeology,coronavirus,pandemic Free

Peru's former Inca citadel Machu Picchu on Friday marked 109 years since it was rediscovered by US explorer Hiram Bingham -- but the iconic site stood empty of tourists after plans to reopen for the anniversary had to be scrapped.

The jewel of Peruvian tourism closed to visitors in mid-March as the country locked down to combat the coronavirus pandemic -- and a recent surge in infections led authorities to shelve its reopening plans, indefinitely for now.

"Last year many people came for the anniversary, but unfortunately this time we won't have any visitors because we still don't have a reopening date for Machu Picchu," Darwin Baca, mayor of the nearby Machu Picchu settlement, told AFP.

"It might be in August because cases are still increasing in Cusco."

The former Inca capital of Cusco is the nearest big city to the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Cusco governor Jean Paul Benavente announced earlier this month that visitors could return to Machu Picchu on July 24 if sanitary conditions permitted -- but five days later he contracted the coronavirus as cases soared in the region.

Read also: Machu Picchu to sharply limit visits after July reopening in Peru

When the site does eventually open it will be restricted to 675 visitors a day, Baca said -- compared to up to 5,000 during a normal peak season.

Peru is one of the worst affected countries in Latin America by the pandemic with more than 370,000 cases and over 17,000 deaths.

COVID-19 shutdowns have decimated Peru's tourism industry, with losses of $3.3 billion this year -- and the Cusco area, where some 100,000 people earn a living from tourism, has been especially hard hit.

Machu Picchu, which means Old Mountain in the Quechua language that predominated in the Inca empire, was built for the Inca emperor Pachacutec in the 15th century on the peak of leafy mountain at 2,400 meters altitude.

It was a ceremonial center but there were also areas dedicated to agriculture and living quarters.
In May, she introduced her 3.7million Instagram followers to her family's newest addition, a puppy named Endicott.

And Jordana Brewster was spotted with her precious pooch on Friday morning as she grabbed coffee to-go near her home in Los Angeles.

The 40-year-old actress maintained a tight grip on her coffee cup as Endicott excitedly led the way back to their parked vehicle.

Caffeine fix: Jordana Brewster was spotted with her precious pooch Endicott on Friday morning as she grabbed coffee to-go near her home in Los Angeles

Jordana kept the majority of her famous mug concealed behind a yellow, patterned face mask and a pair of chic shades.

Her raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she appeared to be wearing a single chain around her neck.

With gloomy weather currently plaguing LA, Brewster layered up her athleisure look with a longline Nike windbreaker.

The rest of her errand run ensemble consisted of a white tank top and a pair of black drawstring shorts.

Concealed: Jordana kept the majority of her famous mug concealed behind a yellow, patterned face mask and a pair of chic shades

She trekked through the coffee shop's parking lot in a pair of grey New Balance sneakers with red detailing.

Endicott was attached to a neon orange leash and looked eager to reunite with Jordana's son Rowan, four, who had been waiting patiently in the car for his mom.

Brewster shares Rowan and six-year-old son Julian with ex Andrew Form, whom she filed for divorce from on July 1.

The former couple 'quietly' separated earlier this year, a source told People in June.

Life in quarantine: Jordana has been keeping fans up to date on her quarantine antics on Instagram; Jordana pictured on Instagram on Thursday

Motherhood: Brewster shares Rowan and six-year-old son Julian with ex Andrew Form, whom she filed for divorce from on July 1; Jordana and her sons pictured on Instagram on July 14

'They have the utmost respect for each other. They remain committed to lovingly co-parent their two children as a team,' explained the source.

Jordana and Andrew married in 2007 after meeting on the set of the 2006 horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

Days after filing for divorce, Brewster was spotted locking lips with her beau Mason Morfit.

Divorce: Jordana and Andrew married in 2007 after meeting on the set of the 2006 horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning; Jordana and Andrew pictured in 2019

Mason is the President and Chief Investment Officer of ValueAct Capital.

As for Jordana's professional life, the actress' impending film in the Fast And The Furious franchise, titled F9, had its release date postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

F9 - which stars franchise alums Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Tyrese Gibson - will now hit theaters in April of 2021.
The move follows a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases recorded in Spain in recent days.

All travellers to the United Kingdom from Spain arriving after midnight (23:00 GMT) on Saturday will have to quarantine themselves for 14 days to ensure they do not spread coronavirus, Scotlands government said.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that he has tested negative for the novel coronavirus after weeks quarantined in his residence due to the infection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases, with the total rising by 284,196 in the past 24 hours.

Some 15.7 million people around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19, while more than 638,000 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 8.98 million people have recovered.

Here are the latest updates:

Saturday, July 25

23:28 GMT  US state of Arizona reports over 3,700 new cases

The Arizona Department of Health Services says the state has 3,748 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bumping the total to 160,041, according to AP news agency.

Health officials also reported that Arizona saw an additional 144 coronavirus-related deaths.

More than 3,200 people have died from the virus in the state.

Among the tests given statewide, 12.6 percent of them are showing positive for COVID-19, the state said. A week ago, 12.2 percent of statewide tests showed positive.

20:21 GMT  South African trade minister tests positive for COVID-19

South Africas Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel tested positive for COVID-19, the cabinet said. He is the fourth minister to contract the virus in Africas hardest-hit country.

Cabinet spokeswoman Phumla Williams said in a statement that Patel, 58, received his results on Saturday.

Minister Patel is in good spirits and is in self-quarantine, and will continue to work from home, Williams said.

Those that have been in contact with the minister are also in self-isolation and have been encouraged to get tested, she added.

19:16 GMT  Spain says it is safe, with localised outbreaks

Spain said it was a safe country with localised, isolated and controlled outbreaks of the coronavirus, after the United Kingdom indicated it would force all travellers arriving from Spain to quarantine for two weeks.

A Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said Spain respects decisions of the United Kingdom and was in touch with the authorities there.

18:58 GMT  Kuwait to lift lockdown in Farwaniya on Sunday

Kuwait will end the strict lockdown imposed in Farwaniya governorate from 5am (02:00 GMT) on Sunday, the centre for government communication announced on Twitter.

Farwaniya was the last area to be effectively isolated in the country, which has reported 63,309 coronavirus cases and 429 deaths.

18:16 GMT  Scotland confirms all travellers to UK from Spain to face quarantine

All travellers to the United Kingdom from Spain arriving after midnight (23:00 GMT) on Saturday will have to quarantine themselves for 14 days to ensure they do not spread coronavirus, Scotlands government said.

Spain will be removed from the list of countries exempt from quarantine requirements due to an increased number of cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the last few days, Scotlands government said in a statement.

The decision, also made by the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Wales as well as the UK Government, has been made to reduce the risk of the transmission of the virus by those travelling from Spain, it added.

Passengers arrive from international flights at Heathrow Airport in London, the United Kingdom [File: Toby Melville/Reuters]

17:50 GMT  UK to quarantine travellers from Spain, says The Sunday Times

Britains government is set to announce all travellers from Spain arriving after midnight (23:00 GMT) on Saturday will need to spend two weeks in quarantine in case they are infected with coronavirus, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.

If true, the reported announcement would deal a major blow to Spain, which is trying to recoup its tourism season after the sector took a battering from coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions earlier in the year.

Second wave of Covid-19 there has prompted decision to kick Spain off the safe country list, the newspapers political editor, Tim Shipman, said on Twitter.

BREAKING: Govt to announce shortly that tourists in Spain will have to quarantine for two weeks when they return (unless they're back by midnight tonight). Second wave of Covid-19 there has prompted decision to kick Spain off the safe country list  Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) July 25, 2020

16:48 GMT  Xavi tests positive for coronavirus ahead of Qatar league restart

Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez, the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, said he had tested positive for COVID-19 but was asymptomatic.

The 40-year-old, who renewed his contract with the Qatari football club on July 5, said he will self-isolate as his team prepare for their first match on Saturday after the Qatar Stars League was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more here.

Former Spanish football professional and World Cup 2022 ambassador Xavi Hernandez in Doha, Qatar [File: Alex Grimm/Getty Images]

16:17 GMT  Lack of childcare found destroying UK mothers careers amid COVID-19

Almost three-quarters of mothers in Britain have been forced to cut work hours because of childcare issues under COVID-19 lockdowns, according to a survey by a maternal rights group that warned more action was needed to protect womens careers.

More than eight in 10 employed mothers said they needed childcare to be able to work, but fewer than half said they had enough childcare to let them do their job during the pandemic, showed the survey by Pregnant Then Screwed.

This lack of childcare is destroying womens careers, said the campaign groups founder and chief executive Joeli Brearley.

They are being made redundant, they are being forced to cut their hours, and they are being treated negatively all because they are picking up the unpaid labour.

15:10 GMT  Brazils Bolsonaro says new COVID-19 test came back negative

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that he has tested negative for the novel coronavirus after weeks quarantined in his residence due to an infection.

In a photo posted to social media, Bolsonaro appeared with a box of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug he credited for his recovery despite a lack of scientific evidence about its effectiveness. In an accompanying text, he said his RT-PCR test for Sars-CoV-2 was negative.

He did not say when he took the test, nor did he provide any further details.

Bolsonaro reported testing positive three times this month, including an initial diagnosis on July 7 for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

 RT-PCR para Sars-Cov 2: negativo.

 BOM DIA A TODOS. pic.twitter.com/CkdV59yGXP  Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) July 25, 2020

14:27 GMT  Iranian president urges coronavirus caution during religious festivities

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged people to observe health protocols and practice social distancing during upcoming Muslim festivities, as a health official said there had been a surge in coronavirus infections in a major holy city.

Muslims around the world mark the Eid al-Adha feast, due to start at the end of the month. Most Iranians are Shia Muslims, who also mark their most significant mourning ceremonies of Ashura in September.

Let glorious festivities be held in mosques and religious centres by observing health protocols and social distancing, Rouhani said in a televised speech.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, Let masks this year be part of the glorious mourning of Muharram, referring to Ashura [File: Anadolu]

14:06 GMT  Germany considers compulsory coronavirus testing for holidaymakers

Germany may introduce compulsory coronavirus testing for holidaymakers returning from high-risk destinations after the number of new infections in the country hit a two-month high, the health minister said.

Health Minister Jens Spahn told Deutschlandfunk radio the government wanted to do everything possible to stem the spread of the virus while also respecting peoples basic rights.

We are also checking whether it is legally possible to oblige someone to do a test, because it would be an encroachment on freedom, Spahn said.

13:34 GMT  Hong Kong reports 133 new coronavirus cases as local transmissions stay high

Hong Kong reported 133 new coronavirus cases, including 126 that were locally transmitted, a record for a daily increase, as authorities warned that the city faces a critical period in containing the virus.

The Asian financial hub reported 123 new cases on Friday, after it extended strict social distancing measures this week.

Since late January, more than 2,000 people have been infected in Hong Kong, 18 of whom have died.



Hi, this is Arwa Ibrahim, taking over the live blog from my colleague Umut Uras.



12:25 GMT  Malaysia says APEC leaders may still meet despite coronavirus

Malaysia said a November summit of leaders from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) nations might still go ahead in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

New Zealand, which is hosting next years APEC summit, has said already that it will use virtual platforms to conduct the meeting due to travel restrictions and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

But Malaysian Trade Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said the government has not cancelled the meeting of the 21 leaders of the APEC countries that it is due to host in November, even though meetings of other officials will be held virtually.

11:45 GMT  WHO reports highest daily number of cases globally

The number of new coronavirus cases in the world has risen by 284,196 on July 24, the highest tally since the pandemic started in December, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The number increased 36,972 compared to the day before, the WHO data showed.

11:00 GMT  Filipinos crammed into baseball stadium amid coronavirus risks

Thousands of Filipinos were crammed into a baseball stadium in Manila, breaking social-distancing rules despite coronavirus risks, after people wanting to return to their home provinces flooded a government transportation programme.

Officials had reserved the stadium as a place to test people before transporting them back to their home provinces under a programme to help people who had lost their jobs in the capital return to their families elsewhere.

Officials had planned for 7,500 people to arrive at the stadium from Friday, but were caught out when another 2,000 people who were not yet scheduled to travel headed there anyway.

10:40 GMT  Xavi Hernandez tests positive for coronavirus

Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez, the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, said on Saturday he had tested positive for COVID-19 but was asymptomatic.

Xavi, who renewed his contract with the Qatari football club on July 5, said he will self-isolate as his team prepares for its first match on Saturday after the Qatar Stars League (QSL) was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xavi said in a statement: A few days ago, following the QSL protocol, I tested positive in the last COVID-19 test. Fortunately, Im feeling ok, but I will be isolated until I am given the all clear. When the health services allow it, I will be very eager to return to my daily routine and to work.

Xavi : Today I wont be able to join my team on their comeback to the official competition. David Prats will be there on my behalf as head of the technical staff  coach to the @alsaddsc reserves. pic.twitter.com/HDvRd9ZN46  Al Sadd SC |   (@AlsaddSC) July 25, 2020

10:10 GMT  Russia reports 5,871 new coronavirus cases in past 24 hours

Russia reported 5,871 new coronavirus cases and 146 more deaths from the respiratory disease.

The nationwide tally of infections has risen to 806,720, Russias coronavirus crisis response centre said. The death toll now stands at 13,192, and 597,140 people have recovered.

The death toll now stands at 13,192, and 597,140 people have recovered [Reuters]

09:40 GMT  Indonesia reports 1,868 new coronavirus cases

Indonesia reported 1,868 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, bringing the total to 97,286, data from the countrys COVID-19 task force showed.

The number of deaths in the Southeast Asian nation related to COVID-19 rose by 49, to bring the total to 4,714, the data showed.

09:15 GMT  Singapore PM Lee flags delay to retirement due to coronavirus

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 68, said he may have to delay his plans to step down as leader by the time he is 70 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

I had expressed a hope that I would be able to hand over by the time I celebrate my 70th birthday, but I do not determine the path of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Lee, son of Singapores modern-day founder Lee Kuan Yew.

A lot will depend on how events unfold, and all I can say is I will see this through and I will hand over in good shape as soon as possible to the next team.

Lees Peoples Action Party has ruled Singapore since independence in 1965 [Reuters]

08:45 GMT  Ukraine reports highest daily cases in a month

Ukraine reported 1,106 new cases of the coronavirus in 24 hours, the highest daily toll since a record on June 26, when it reached 1,109, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said.

The number of new daily infections has increased sharply in the past two months following the gradual lifting of restrictions that began in late May.

Stepanov said 205 people had been admitted to hospitals. It means their lives are under threat and we have to understand that this disease is very serious, he told an online briefing.

08:15 GMT  Boeing 737 jets idled during pandemic must be inspected: FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday issued an emergency airworthiness directive for 2,000 US-registered Boeing 737 NG and Classic aircraft, warning of possible corrosion on parked planes that could lead to a dual-engine failure.

Inspectors found compromised air check valves when bringing aircraft out of storage following four recent reports of single-engine shutdowns on planes that had been parked, prompting the directive for aircraft not operated for seven or more straight days.

Read more here.

A Boeing 737 MAX aeroplane lands after a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle [Reuters]

07:30 GMT  Mainland China reports 34 new coronavirus cases

China reported 34 cases of the new coronavirus in the mainland for July 24, up from 21 cases a day earlier, the National Health Commission said.

Of the new infections, 20 were in the far western region of Xinjiang, according to a statement by the NHC. Nine were in the northeastern province of Liaoning, while the remaining five were imported cases. China reported 74 new asymptomatic cases, up from 43 a day earlier.

As of Friday, mainland China had 83,784 confirmed coronavirus cases, health authorities said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 4,634.

06:50 GMT  South Korea reports 113 new coronavirus cases

South Korea reported 113 cases of the new coronavirus, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, the largest one-day increase since March, bringing the countrys total to 14,092.

Of the new cases, 86 were imported and 27 were domestic infections.

South Korean health authorities on Friday said novel coronavirus infections among people arriving from abroad could drive the number of new cases above 100, the first time since the beginning of April that daily cases hit triple digits.

Saturdays tally of 113 infections was the highest since March 31, when 125 cases were reported [Getty Images]

06:30 GMT  Bulgarias coronavirus case tally passes 10,000

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Bulgaria passed 10,000, as the Balkan country reported 270 infections in the past 24 hours, official data showed.

Eight people had died from the virus overnight, taking the official death toll to 337. Total infections stand at 10,123. Some 5,252 people have recovered, data from the official coronavirus information platform showed.

06:00 GMT  Germanys confirmed cases rise by 781

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 781 to 204,964, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.

The reported death toll rose by seven to 9,118, the tally showed.

Germanys reported death toll rose by seven to 9,118 on Saturday [Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters]

05:20 GMT  Vietnam reports first local coronavirus infection in three months

Vietnam reported its first local coronavirus infection in more than three months after a man in the central city of Danang tested positive four times for the virus, a government statement said.

Thanks to strict quarantine measures and an aggressive and widespread testing programme, Vietnam had kept its virus total to an impressively low 415 cases, and had reported no locally transmitted infections for 100 days.

04:20 GMT  Vietnam bans wildlife imports, markets

Vietnam announced that it was banning wildlife imports and would close wildlife markets in response to renewed concerns about the threat from diseases that can jump from animals to humans.

An order signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc bans all imports of wildlife dead or alive and includes eggs and larvae. It also merits tougher penalties for crimes involving the trade in wildlife.

Steve Galster, the director of Freeland, a group working on ending the wildlife trade, said, COVID-19 elevated the issue of wildlife trade, so Vietnamese lawmakers got involved with the issue in the past few months and helped push the directive forward.

03:09 GMT  Beijing partly reopens movie theatres

Chinas capital, Beijing, reopened movie theatres in parts of the city deemed at low risk of cross infection.

Under new rules, tickets must be booked in advance, attendance is capped at 30 percent of the capacity and no eating or drinking is allowed during the show.

A temperature check and online travel record are required for entry.

People wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus watch the film Dolittle at a movie theatre in Beijing [Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo]

02:33 GMT  S Korea reports biggest one-day jump since March

South Korea reported 113 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours  its first daily jump above 100 in nearly four months.

But the rise was expected as health authorities had forecast a temporary spike driven by imported infections found among cargo ship crews and hundreds of South Korean construction workers flown out of virus-ravaged Iraq.

(LEAD) New virus cases spike to over 110 on cases coming in from Iraq, Russia https://t.co/XuzRX3AOun  Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) July 25, 2020

02:07 GMT  US records 1,000 deaths for fourth day

The US recorded more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 for the fourth straight day on Friday. But a top White House adviser on the pandemic said she saw signs that the worst could be past in hard-hit southern and western states.

At least 1,019 deaths due to COVID-19 were confirmed nationwide on Friday, following 1,140 on Thursday, 1,135 on Wednesday and 1,141 on Tuesday. Total cases across the US rose by at least 70,000 to more than 4.1 million, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.

The numbers have been driven in large part by a surge in infections in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.

Were already starting to see some plateauing in these critically four states that have really suffered under the last four weeks, so Texas, California, Arizona and Florida, those major metros and throughout their counties, Dr Deborah Birx told NBC News in an interview.

01:46 GMT  Chiles Pinera signs pensions withdrawal into law

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera signed into law a plan to allow citizens to withdraw 10 percent of their pension savings.

The legislation, approved by two-thirds of the parliament, was created to give quick cash to millions of Chileans who lost jobs because of the economic shutdown aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

Opinion polls indicate nearly nine out of every 10 Chilean planned to tap their funds. Most said they would use the money to pay for basic goods and services, but others said they planned to invest the money elsewhere.





01:38 GMT  US court turns down church challenge to Nevada rules

The US Supreme Court declined to lift a 50-person limit on religious services adopted by the state of Nevada in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

By a 5-4 vote, the justices denied a request by Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in rural Nevada for an interim order that would have allowed it to host services for about 90 congregants.

The majority did not explain its reasoning.

01:07 GMT  New foreign students cannot enter US if courses are online

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced new guidelines that will block new foreign students from entering the country if they plan to take their classes entirely online in the coming school term.

In a memo to college officials, ICE said new students who were not already enrolled as of March 9 will likely not be able to obtain visas if they intend to take courses online.

The policy strikes a blow to colleges a week after hundreds united to repel a Trump administration policy that threatened to deport thousands of foreign students.

That rule sought to bar all international students in the US from taking classes entirely online in the new school year, even if their universities were forced to switch to fully online instruction amid an outbreak.

Read more here.





00:17 GMT  US health agency urges schools to reopen

The top health agency in the US issued new guidelines on reopening schools, stressing the need for children to get back into the classroom despite fears about safety as coronavirus cases surge across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added the documents, titled The Importance of Reopening Americas Schools this Fall, after President Donald Trump called earlier recommendations too tough, impractical and expensive.

Trump sees reopening of schools as important to boost the economy as he seeks re-election in November.

Dr Robert Redfield, CDC director, said the additional documents were all put out with the intent to help facilitate  the full reopening of schools for face-to-face learning.

Read more here.

Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Im Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives.

You can find all the key developments from yesterday, July 24, here.
Ottawa, July 25 : Canada's opposition Conservative Party has asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign over granting a student volunteer program of millions of dollars to a charity group that has close links to him and his family members.

"Are they (ruling Liberals) prepared to sacrifice their personal integrity to protect their scandal-plagued leader, and to cover up corruption? Or are they willing to take a stand and demand that Trudeau step aside?" outgoing Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer said on Friday at press conference.

Trudeau and his government have been under fire since announcing on June 25 they were granting WE Charity group a sole-sourced contract to run the now-halted student volunteer summer program of C$900 million ($664 million), reports Xinhua news agency.

Due to public outcry over the contract, the WE Charity and the Trudeau government announced on July 3 that they were ending the contract.

On July 13, at a press conference, Trudeau said he made a mistake in not recusing himself from cabinet discussions about granting the program to the charity group.

"I made a mistake in not recusing myself immediately from the discussions, given our family's history, and I'm sincerely sorry about not having done that." The Conservative Party and other opposition parties are continuing to push for more answers and have launched three separate parliamentary probes.

They have also prompted the Parliamentary ethics commissioner to launch conflict of interest investigations into both Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau's dealings on granting WE Charity group a sole-sourced contract to run the now-halted program.

Earlier this week, Morneau said he had just paid WE Charity back C$41,366 in outstanding expenses that the organization covered for two trips his family took in 2017, and that his wife has reportedly made C$100,000 in donations to the organization in recent years.

"Normally, these would be fireable offenses. In the past, ministers have been forced to resign for much less. So why hasn't Bill Morneau been fired? Why haven't Liberal MPs demanded that Justin Trudeau step down as leader of the Liberal Party?" Scheer asked.

Although the Conservative Party demanded the resignations of both Trudeau and Morneau, it has not indicated any desire to push for a confidence vote and snap election earlier than mid- September when the House of Commons is scheduled to reconvene.
Indias central Reserve Bank has concluded the necessary formalities to extend a $400 million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka under a regional framework with another $1.1 billion currency swap facility on a bilateral basis between the two countries still under consideration, two people familiar with the developments said on Saturday.

The $400 million currency swap arrangement between Indias RBI and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka will remain available till November 2022, a statement from the Indian High Commision in Colombo said. This has been negotiated under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework.

It follows a request from the Sri Lankan government given that the countrys economy, greatly dependent on tourism, has taken a beating following the embargos on international travel with the spread of the covid-19 pandemic. It also comes close on the heels of Indias strategic rival China offering Sri Lanka $500 million in loans at concessional rates from its central bank. China is already one of the biggest investors in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka. But there has been criticism, both locally and internationally, and growing concerns that China has lured Sri Lanka into a debt trap.

The (Indian) High Commission has conveyed this information ( about the $400 million currency swap arrangement) to senior officials in the Government of Sri Lanka and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Earlier, on 14 July, Deputy High Commissioner Vinod K. Jacob had met and discussed the currency swap arrangement with the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Prof. W.D. Lakshman," the Indian high Commision statement said.

 The High Commission has remained closely engaged in fruitful bilateral cooperation with Sri Lanka on all matters of mutual interest. It would be recalled that on 22 July, High Commission facilitated constructive technical discussions on rescheduling of bilateral debt repayment by Sri Lanka," the statement said.

These positive developments illustrate active implementation of the leadership-level commitment to work together for addressing the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and further the mutually beneficial India-Sri Lanka partnership, including in the economic domain," the statement added.

The signing of the currency swap agreement with Sri Lanka also illustrated Indias commitment to assist its friendly neighbour on its economic revival during the time of Covid-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said. India will continue to support Sri Lanka on its efforts for economic revival, the person said adding that New Delhi has also sent four consignments of essential medicines and equipment in the months of April and May to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, another Sri Lankan request for a $1.1 billion in currency swap at the bilateral level, which was discussed during a telephone conversation between Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on 23 May, was being considered, one of the people cited above said.

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, seen in 2018, recently announced a recurrence of her cancer on her liver. (Stephan Savoia / Associated Press)

To the editor: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a heroine among feminists, likely did a great disservice to women by remaining on the bench before Donald Trump was president despite her long history of fighting cancer. ("What would Mitch McConnell do if Ginsburg's seat became vacant? You know perfectly well," Opinion, July 18)

In 1999 she was diagnosed with colon cancer, then 10 years later she received her first diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Lung cancer followed in 2018, and recently the disease was found in her liver.

Given that Ginsburg has been one of the most important supporters of women's rights of her generation, I often wonder why didn't she retire under the Obama administration, when the likelihood of being replaced by someone with similar priorities was quite possible.

I wish Ginsburg well, but it is unsettling now to have to worry about her deteriorating health, women's reproductive rights and the possibility of a new justice who might reverse years of gains.

Berta Graciano-Buchman, Beverly Hills

..

To the editor: I share columnist Nicholas Goldberg's deep concern regarding Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) publicly stated and Machiavellian intention to seat a Supreme Court justice up to and including Nov. 3. I pray daily for the health and recovery of Ginsburg.

However, might there be an escape hatch if Goldberg's and many others' palpable fear comes to be? What if there is a third-quarter or even fourth-quarter Supreme Court vacanacy?

The final step to being appointed onto the court is a formal investiture ceremony during which the chief justice administers the judicial oath. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. could, ostensibly, delay or outright refuse to administer the oath citing "precedent" (albeit congressional or legislative versus judicial)  that is, McConnell's own precedent of refusal to permit the Senate even to hold hearings on President Obama's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland.

Ged Kenslea, North Hollywood
Vineet Upadhyay By

Express News Service

DEHRADUN: To tackle the language barrier while dealing with the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has launched a full-fledged course of Mandarin language for officers and soldiers of the border police force.

"The aim is to train our officers and soldiers efficiently in the language. This will be helpful in bridging the communication gap will help forces tackle the situation efficiently," said PS Papta, director of the academy. The officials of the academy added that Mandarin is being taught to the ITBP officers and soldiers since last four years including Tibetan language. This includes mostly signalling them to return to their land or stating they have entered Indian land.

Established in Mussoorie in 1978, the academy has upgraded the course to equip the force with the language so that they can efficiently deal with the Chinese at the line of actual control (LAC).

Chinese Language Department of the academy has revamped the course to upgrade it for all soldiers and officers of the border police force.

Earlier, the training of the language was provided to the selected ones in the force but after the Galwan incident, changes have been added to many areas of the forces involved in the patrolling along the LAC.

On July 17, ITBP chief S Deswal met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to discuss issues related to infrastructure and others in border areas of the state.

The ITBP has its presence on forward posts in Badahoti and Mana Pass. Uttarakhand shares 350kms border with China.
In the April to June quarter this year, two of the biggest challenges before Indian businesses were non-existent sales and earnings drying up. As a long and hard nationwide lockdown started at the end of March, companies struggled with prolonged business closures and had to find never-before solutions to stay afloat. But the situation has somewhat turned on its head now, as the festival season nears.

Typically, festive season sales are multiple times those of other months for many product segments, including cars, bikes and jewellery. This is the also peak season for air travel and travel by road and rail. During this period, some fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies also witness manifold jump in sales of soft drinks, biscuits, sweets, and even juices.

The festival of Teej was celebrated on Thursday across north India; Eid al-Adha and Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated in the first week of August, followed by Ganesh Chaturthi later in the same month. Of course, peak festivities will happen in late September and October.

This year, while businesses will anyway face a fallout of the pandemic, Covid-19 may not be the only party pooper. Several other issues have also cropped up.

Take the case of Bajaj Auto, the two-wheeler maker which has consistently been in the headlines for opposing all forms of lockdown and continuing to produce vehicles at its various factories. Analysts now say that motorcycle inventory for Bajaj is less than a month away and supplies are in a hand-to-mouth situation across the two-wheeler industry as a whole. Put simply, this means that in case there is a surge in demand -- which is what the industry is hoping for during the festival season around Dussehra and Diwali -- vehicle supplies will be unable to keep up.

Nikunj Sanghi, Past Dealerships of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) said, The 32 days of festival season typically bring twice the sales volumes vehicle dealers see in any other month of the year. This year, too, festival season will see doubling of sales though we may fall short of the numbers seen last year, due to the Covid-19 fallout. This year, supply chain continues to be the weakest link for automobiles because no manufacturer has achieved full production. That is because component makers -- especially those in auto clusters -- are facing problems. Also, there is no clear-cut order book with manufacturers due to Covid-19 uncertainty. Retailers build inventory each year during the shraadh paksh when retail sales dwindle. But will such build-up happen this year, with supplies still constrained?

Another industry veteran pointed out that restrictions around import of components from China have also hurt the auto industrys revival prospects. Nearly 26% of the industry has been dependent on imports from China and it is rather tough to immediately replace Chinese imports with indigenous spares. So dealers across vehicle categories are forced to operate on 3-4 day inventory versus 45 days earlier. They may be ill-equipped now to handle a rise in demand during the festival season.

While car and bike dealers are facing low inventory issues, airlines are saddled with so much excess inventory -- seats -- that they are faced with unprecedented challenges in just staying afloat. After severe capacity limits placed by the government, airlines have now been allowed to offer up to 50% of their capacities on domestic routes. But low demand has meant not all airlines have deployed even this permitted capacity. Discretionary travel is still affected severely due to intensity of the pandemic, staggered lockdowns by several states and continued decline in overall business activity.

The upcoming festival season -- the peak season for the airline business -- is also unlikely to bring much relief. In these circumstances, Indias airlines are looking to delay scheduled deliveries of new aircraft, reduce existing fleet sizes through different means and even return aircraft already taken on lease.

According to global aviation consultancy CAPA, the industry could be saddled with a surplus of 200-250 aircraft this year and airlines may return more than 100 aircraft.

For the jewellery sector, the challenge has become attracting buyers as prices of the yellow metal touch record highs. For at least one day this week, gold prices touched the Rs 50,000 per 10 gram mark. Potential buyers have already been singed by income disruption and fear of loss of livelihoods, but with record gold prices, jewellers do not foresee any surge in demand this festive season.

The FMCG industry has been an outlier since the nationwide lockdown, with sales of biscuits, milk and milk products etc. surging as people stayed indoors. RS Sodhi, MD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (which sells the Amul brand of products), said that while there were no issues in either milk procurement or production, OOH (out of home) demand is definitely going to be impacted this festival season.

Sodhi said a considerable part of industry sales comes from restaurants, marriages and the catering business, and all these have been severely impacted by the pandemic. Ice cream sales were down to almost half this summer due to the pandemic; demand for milk has reduced in certain cities because of rising number of containment zones and intermittent lockdowns. So the issue plaguing the otherwise robust FMCG sector is the distribution problems that crop up as states announce unilateral lockdowns.

Sodhi gave the example of Kolkata, where milk supplies by Amul were disrupted even on Friday morning as the city was under a lockdown between 6-10 am. All in all, demand in the festive season could fall by a fifth due to the combined effect of intermittent lockdowns, reduction in out of home consumption and distribution problems.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Two years ago, Matthew McLaughlin dodged a bullet intended for him that instead killed an innocent bystander on a New Brighton street.

But the Stapleton resident couldnt avoid a prison sentence in an unrelated gun case.

McLaughlin, 21, was sentenced Wednesday to two to four years behind bars for gunplay on a busy Stapleton street.

The events unfolded around 2:45 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2018, near the intersection of Targee Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, said a criminal complaint.

McLaughlin and Anthony Robinson tacitly agreed to engage in a gun battle in an area occupied by numerous bystanders, said court documents.

The location is near a deli and across from a row of stores often bustling with customers and area residents.

A criminal complaint for McLaughlin said he fired in the direction of heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

A separate criminal complaint for Robinson said surveillance videotape showed multiple people running for cover.

Fortunately, no one was hit.

McLaughlin was busted just over a week later on Oct. 11.

He was indicted on charges including first-degree assault, criminal weapon possession and criminal firearm possession.

Robinson, who is also known as Quashawn Stephens, was arrested two weeks after McLaughlin on Oct. 26, said court records.

He was indicted on a number of charges, including attempted murder, assault and criminal weapon possession.

In March 2019, Robinson, 26, pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to second-degree criminal weapon possession to resolve his case.

He was sentenced the next month to 42 months in prison and an equal amount of post-release supervision.

In February, McLaughlin pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to third-degree criminal weapon possession to satisfy all charges against him.

Court records said McLaughlin has a prior felony conviction for attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession.

He was sentenced in August 2017 to a year in jail, said those records.

My client is such a young man, defense lawyer Mark J. Fonte said after McLaughlins plea hearing. It is my hope that he has learned from this and will use the remainder of his life to be a productive and law-abiding citizen.

In a statement then, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said the resolution of the case ensures that this defendant will serve many years in prison and while doing so the people of Staten Island will be safe from his dangerous and senseless conduct.

This office will continue to hold those who carry illegal firearms and endanger the safety of our streets accountable, said McMahon.

The D.A. also praised Assistant District Attorney Arda Ozdinc for his work on the case.

ESCAPED PRIOR SHOOTING

While McLaughlin twice escaped being shot that year, Frances Williams, an innocent bystander struck during one of those incidents, wasnt as lucky.

Williams, affectionately known as Miss Franny, was fatally struck on July 10, 2018, while standing at a bus stop on Jersey Street near Pauw Street.

At the time she was hit, Isaiah Kelson, an alleged West Brighton gang member, and another man were firing at McLaughlin, who was running down Pauw toward Jersey Street.

McLaughlin, an alleged rival gang associate known as Fiji, managed to run away unharmed.

In February, Kelson was convicted at trial of murder and other charges stemming from Williams death.

Justice William E. Garnett sentenced him the next month to 35 years to life in prison.

Kelson is appealing.
Bengaluru, July 25 : Asserting that she was committed to the future of Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd (CDEL), its director and founder V.G. Siddhartha's widow, Malvika Hegde has said that she will work to bring down its debt to a manageable level by sale of some more investments.

"I am resolutely committed to the future of Coffee Day as a going concern... We think that we can bring that (debt) to a more manageable level with our plans to sell a few more of our investments shortly," said Hegde in an open letter to the company's 25,000 employees on Friday.

According to Hegde, the company's debt has been brought down from Rs 7,200 crore to Rs 3,200 crore.

Hegde said the CDEL board had, on Friday evening, submitted a report on the circumstances which led to her husband's death to the authorities concerned.

"The report also highlights certain transactions between his publicly listed companies and his private entities. I am fully aware of the requirements... and will fully cooperate with the board and the concerned authorities for a corrective course of action," she said.

Hegde has also admitted that she is a novice to the industry and her journey started with The Serai resort chain started by her late husband, but reminded the employees that her husband had left the job to her.

"He has left me a job to do, to settle every lender to the best of my ability, to grow the business and to enthuse and foster our employees," said Hegde.

As the late businessman's wife, she said that she also has the mission to uphold his legacy and was proud of it, telling she knew him for nearly 32 years.

According to her, great brands and companies like Cafe Coffee Day, Mindtree, Global Village Tech Park, Way2Wealth, Global Edge and The Serai Resorts wouldn't have happened without Siddhartha.

"Yuva, a fully funded residential course in Chikmaglur which skilled thousands of disadvantaged rural youth to make them employable, may not have happened. The 12,000 acre coffee plantation division put together, the second largest holding in Asia, may not be around," she pointed out.

Recalling the time of her husband's suicide in July 2019, she said it was the most tragic circumstance and thanked her family, friends and employees for standing with her.

"At this point, I would like to say thank you to each and every one of you and convey my deepest appreciation for the positivity and the hard work you have put in during these tumultuous times," said Hegde.

The report of the probe panel, headed by the CBI's former DIG, Ashok Kumar Malhotra, was released on Friday and gave a virtual clean chit to private equity investors and the Income Tax Department who were named in Siddhartha's last letter.

It held that Siddhartha may have experienced "aversive behavioural stimulus" due to persistent reminders from the private equity investors and other lenders.
by Nirmala Carvalho

The Syro-Malankara Church protests against the Turkish governments decision. Conversion destroys the very message of tolerance that Hagia Sophia represented. The sacred place should continue to be a symbol of peace and coexistence.

Mavelikara (AsiaNews)  Indias Eastern Churches responded with a day of mourning to the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, marked yesterday by the first Friday prayer.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is a sacred place of great importance for the Orthodox Church, in particular for the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The Byzantine-era building was a Christian basilica for 916 years. It became a mosque in 1453 until a 1934 decree turned it into a museum, which is what it was for the past 86 years.

The Syro-Malankara Orthodox Church joins the world to protest against the Turkish government's decision to turn one of Christianity's most historic masterpieces into an Islamic place of worship.

The benevolence of the Turkish government has ensured this sacred place to be preserved as a museum for all generations, irrespective of faith to enjoy, reads a statement issued by the Syro-Malankara Orthodox Church.

The recent decision to convert Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque destroys the very message of tolerance which it stood for.

The diocesan clergy and the Indian Orthodox believers oppose what they consider an act of religious aggression, and hope that clear minds will prevail.

Our Church requests President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reconsider his painful decision, and return to the status quo so that Hagia Sophia remains as a museum.

This is a place to celebrate religious pluralism in Turkey, and as a wonderful example to the world. The Malankara Church prays that this symbol of peace and co-existence will be permitted to continue, so all people can celebrate the rich history of Hagia Sophia.
It was an interesting experience, especially during the period when a lot of employees were out because they had school-age children, Riley said. We never shut down, some had to come back in, it was so labor-intensive.

She said her office could have used more time to prepare for the mailings required but feels she could handle another mostly vote-by-mail general election in November.

For this particular one, sending out applications (to register as a party member) to unaffiliated voters killed most of us, Riley said. We were inundated by applications.

Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship at Rowan University in Glassboro, said the primary went more smoothly than many feared it would.

There didnt seem to be as many egregious problems as we saw in previous municipal elections, Dworkin said, referring particularly to Patersons May election, after which the state attorney general filed fraud charges. Thats a tribute to the county clerks and boards of elections.

The state does need to learn lessons from this election, Dworkin said.
TORONTO, July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blueberries Medical Corp. (CSE: BBM) (OTC: BBRRF) (FRA: 1OA) (the Company or "Blueberries"), a Latin American licensed producer of medicinal cannabis and cannabis-derived products, is pleased to announce call-in numbers and webcast link for the Annual General and Special Meeting of the shareholders of Blueberries Medical Corp. (the AGM).



The AGM will be held on Friday, July 31, 2020 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time at 82 Richmond Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1P1.

In response to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, the board of directors of Blueberries is advising shareholders not to attend the AGM in-person. After considering recent Provincial and Federal guidance regarding public gatherings and to proactively protect the health and well-being of Blueberries shareholders, employees, and service partners who participate in the AGM, the AGM will also be hosted in a virtual setting via webcast and teleconference.

In order to streamline the meeting process, the Company strongly encourages shareholders to vote in advance of the meeting using the Form of Proxy or Voting Instruction Form mailed to them with the meeting materials. Comprehensive information with respect to how registered and beneficial shareholders may vote in advance of the meeting is available in Blueberries Management Information Circular, also filed on SEDAR.

The deadline to vote your proxy in advance of the meeting is 1:00 pm, Eastern Time on Wednesday, July 29, 2020.

The webcast and teleconference will allow shareholders to listen to the proceedings and ask questions verbally through the teleconference. Details for shareholders interested in calling-in to the meeting are below. Participants should login and/or dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time.

Date and Time: Friday, July 31, 2020 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time Shareholder Access: Call-in No.: 647-723-3984 Toll Free: 1-866-365-4406 (Canada/US)

018000125551 (Colombia)

Access Code: 3616167#

Webcast: Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88129348804?pwd=M05BelRzUU9WM0ZvWWxYTGIvTVIzQT09

Story continues

Meeting ID: 881 2934 8804 Passcode: 977183 Dial by your location: +57 1 514 0382 Colombia

+57 1 518 9697 Colombia

+57 1 518 9698 Colombia

+57 2 620 7388 Colombia

+57 1 508 7702 Colombia

+1 587 328 1099 Canada

+1 647 374 4685 Canada

+1 647 558 0588 Canada

+1 778 907 2071 Canada

+1 204 272 7920 Canada

+1 438 809 7799 Canada Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbEv5rH5dp



Following the formal proceedings of the AGM, management will provide a business update and presentation. All interested parties are invited to attend the AGM and participate in the management update.



About Blueberries Medical Corp.

Blueberries is a Latin American licensed producer of naturally grown premium quality cannabis with its primary operations ideally located in the Bogota Savannah of central Colombia. The Company is led by a specialized team with proprietary expertise in agriculture, genetics, extraction, medicine, pharmacology and marketing, Blueberries is fully licensed for the cultivation, production, domestic distribution, and international export of CBD and THC-based medical cannabis in Colombia. Blueberries combination of leading scientific expertise, agricultural advantages and distribution arrangements has positioned the Company to become a leading international supplier of naturally grown, processed, and standardized medicinal-grade cannabis oil extracts and related products.

Additional information about the Company is available at www.blueberriesmed.com .

For more information, please contact:

Camilo Villalba, Chief Executive Officer

cvillalba@blueberriesmed.com

Tel: +57 (313) 483 0131

Ian Atacan, Chief Financial Officer

iatacan@blueberriesmed.com

Tel: +1 (416) 562 3220

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward looking statements relate, among other things, to: closing of the proposed transactions and achieving milestones in 2019 as contemplated, or at all, ability to expand distribution networks, ability to expand and upgrade the Companys cultivation facilities in Colombia, internal expectations, expectations regarding the ability of the Company to access new Latin American and international markets, the ability to attract and retain new customers, and future expansion plans including development of the cultivation, production, industrialization and marketing of cannabis for commercial and scientific purposes.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the Colombian and international medical cannabis market and changing consumer habits; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution and sale of cannabis and cannabis related products in Colombia, Argentina and elsewhere; and employee relations. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

Additional information regarding the Company, and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Listing Statement dated January 31, 2019 filed on its issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.




A 22-year-old woman from Chicago was by herself driving south on the Ryan about 2:40 a.m. when, near 79th Street, somebody fired from another southbound vehicle, hitting her, Illinois State Police said in a statement.
When she was heavily pregnant with her son, Arthur, during the first coronavirus lockdown, Mollie Tregillis had a persistent fear that stood out from the other unknowns of being a first time mum.

"I was so worried my stress would cause him to be overdue because I really did not feel like it was a safe environment to give birth, the 34-year-old Flemington mother said. There was so much uncertainty. We didnt know if the cases were about to explode here like they had everywhere else.

Mollie Tregillis with three month-old baby Arthur and her partner Andrew McRobert. Credit:Penny Stephens

A reported dramatic drop in the number of early pre-term babies born during COVID-19 lockdown has doctors all over the world pondering: how big a factor is stress on the timing of births?

In Ireland and Denmark, doctors have observed that the number of babies born prematurely plummeted during the coronavirus lockdown in April and March, but the reasons remain a curious mystery.
She was embroiled in Kanye West's recent Twitter meltdown after he tweeted her name out with no explanation.

But Larsa Pippen didn't appear to be fazed by the unexpected attention as she stepped out on Thursday evening for a ride in her white Range Rover in Beverly Hills.

The 46-year-old reality star was spotted fort he first time after it also came to light that she had been unfollowed on Instagram by Kim Kardashian's sister Kourtney and Khloe.

Stepping out: Larsa Pippen, 46, was spotted in Beverly Hills on Thursday evening for the first time since Kim Kardashian's sisters Kourtney and Khloe unfollowed her on Instagram

Larsa was dressed casually yet comfortably in a relaxed pair of acid wash jeans, which she wore with sensible white heels.

She also put on a busty display in a white blouse and wore a string of pearls around her neck.

The estranged wife of Scottie Pippen had her caramel-colored locks tied back in a high ponytail as she drove away.

Although she's normal glimpsed with her face impeccably made-up, Larsa appeared to have favored a low-key minimal makeup look for her evening out.

On the go: Larsa rocked casual acid-wash jeans with a busty white blouse as she got into her white Range Rover and drove away

The model has been keeping a low profile in recent days after her name was mentioned in a string of tweets sent out by Kanye West, which his wife Kim Kardashian attributed to his alleged bipolar disorder.

After tweeting 'Come and get me,' the rapper listed two names, 'Drake' and 'Larsa,' along with another post reading, 'Should I name more?'

He had previously tweeted a wild conspiracy theory about Michael Jackson, claiming the King of Pop was murdered, though it's not clear if 'Drake' or 'Larsa' had any connection in Kanye's mind.

Dragged into it: The model has been keeping a low profile in recent days after her name was mentioned in a string of tweets sent out by Kanye West, which his wife Kim Kardashian attributed to his alleged bipolar disorder

Puzzling: After tweeting 'Come and get me,' the rapper listed 'Drake' and 'Larsa,' along with another post reading, 'Should I name more?' The names may have been related to conspiracy posts suggesting Michael Jackson was murdered

On Wednesday, fans of Larsa and the Kardashians noticed that the once-chummy friends no longer followed each other on Instagram.

It was noted earlier this month that Kim Kardashian no longer followed Larsa on Instagram, despite their well-documented friendship.

On July 8, Larsa put on a birthday bash for friends and family featuring a pool covered in balloons and a mariachi band, but neither Kim nor her sisters were among the guests, and none of them wished her a happy birthday in public.

It wasn't until this week that fans noticed that both Kourtney and Khloe had also unfollowed Larsa, and she no longer followed them either.

Pictures featuring the Kardashian sisters appeared to have mostly been scrubbed from her account as well.

Cut off: Larsa's fans realized Kim Kardashian unfollowed her earlier this month, and this week they noticed that Kourtney and Khloe followed suit; shown with Kim in 2018

Radio silence: None of the Kardashian sisters attended Larsa's birthday party on July 8, and they didn't offer any public birthday wishes

On Wednesday, Larsa obliquely addressed the unfollowing and Kanye's tweet with a text post in her Instagram Stories.

'I Woke up this morning blessed and see that everybody is focused on who I am following and who I am not following on social media,' she wrote.

'I am focused on my children, my new fitness brand Larsapippenfitness, and my relationships in real life. Praying that everybody finds peace in their own lives and focus on what brings THEM happiness.'

Concerning: Kanye West raised eyebrows on Sunday with a rally in South Carolina in which he claimed Kim considered aborting their daughter North, seven, before he burst into tears

Having her say: On Wednesday, Larsa obliquely addressed the unfollowing and Kanye's tweet with a text post in her Instagram Stories

Following the mass unfollowing and Kanye's tweet, rumors began swirling online about what had caused the fallout.

One rumor that took hold suggested that Larsa had slept with Khloe ex Tristan Thompson, and that the family had cut ties with her once it became known.

Former KardashianJenner friend Jordyn Woods helped add fuel to the fire when she liked a tweet articulating the conspiracy theory.

'Okay so the only thing I peeped from that man's rant is that LARSA PIPPIN SLEPT WITH TRISTAN but didn't get dragged like Jordyn did because HE kissed HER. You dust buckets kept your mouths closed and just unfollowed that white woman and LITERALLY tried to destroy Jordyn,' read the tweet.

Prior to making out with Tristan at a party, Jordyn was Kylie Jenner's best friend and a regular fixture and family events, though the whole family severed the relationship after the infidelity was reported.

Conspiracy theory: After the unfollowings and Kanye's tweet, rumors swirled online that Larsa had slept with Khloe's ex Tristan Thompson, which former Kardashian friend Jordyn Woods strengthened by liking a tweet

Despite the drama, a source who spoke to E! News painted a more benign view of the Kardashians unfollowing their former friend.

'The friendship just naturally grew apart over a period of time because life happens. Kim is focused on matters at home  getting Kanye healthy, her four young kids, law school and juggling her businesses,' they said.

'They are just in a different place in their lives and are not as close as they used to be, but have no ill feelings at all and still stay in touch.'

The source claimed that Kim had unfollowed Larsa months ago, along with other friends, in order to focus mainly on family.

However, they couldn't explain why Kourtney and Khloe recently unfollowed her.

When asked about the Tristan Thompson rumors, the source vehemently denied that anything untoward had happened.

Growing apart: A source that spoke to E! News claimed that Kim grew apart from Larsa due to her busy schedule, and she unfollowed months ago to focus on family online

No answer: However, they didn't have an explanation for Kourtney and Khloe's recent split with the model; pictured in June 2019

No dice: When asked about the Tristan Thompson rumors, the source vehemently denied that anything untoward had happened

The simmering conflicts around Larsa happened as she landed a high-profile promotional gig.

DailyMail.com reported exclusively that she had landed a six-figure deal with PrettyLittleThing to promote its bikini line.

She inaugurated the deal by showing off a leopard print and floral patterned bikini from the brand on her Instagram on Friday, captioning the image, 'Rest and relaxation.'

PrettyLittleThing previously sponsored Larsa's birthday bash.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque is working to position itself as a destination for overseas companies looking to relocate operations back to North America in the wake of supply chain challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city this month unveiled a new website  www.abqftz.com  and marketing campaign aimed at answering questions about its foreign trade zone, which provides significant cost savings to users, allowing them to avoid or defer paying import duties on certain goods, among other benefits.

Randy Trask, president of the New Mexico Trade Alliance, said the goal is to educate business owners in Albuquerque and around the country about it.

Weve got what we need, the most important thing is gonna be: how do we get the word out? Trask said.

Synthia Jaramillo, director of economic development for the city, added that the website is part of a larger strategy to attract more industries with overseas operations to Albuquerque, helping to reduce job losses here tied to the pandemic.

Albuquerques foreign trade zone, one of two in New Mexico that operate under the federal program, was approved in 1984. Until recently, however, Trask said the zone was limited to companies that operate within the Albuquerque International Sunports footprint, which acted as a deterrent for some companies.

Four years ago, the trade zone was tweaked to allow companies to use it anywhere in Bernalillo and Valencia counties, among other locations, he said.

Still, Trask said just one company, The Urenco Group, has been using it. Another company, New Mexico Transloading, recently received approval to operate in it after a lengthy application process.

Brian Connell, who handles business development for the transportation company, said the FTZ creates significant cost savings for his customer companies.

Trask conceded there has been a lot of confusion about the trade zone and difficulty getting the word out that it exists.

Properly leveraged, the FTZ can be key in attracting companies here that are looking to move operations into North America.

During an Economic Forum of Albuquerque webinar on Wednesday, keynote speaker Dale Dekker argued that the pandemic may prompt American companies to consider moving operations in Asia and elsewhere closer to home, either to the U.S. or Mexico.

While Jaramillo said Albuquerque has plenty of assets, including proximity to Mexico and large American markets, it must boost its international recognition.

While we believe that ABQ is poised for investment from foreign operations, we also understand its going to take a very robust strategy, Jaramillo said.
Subsidised Black education programmes could significantly boost employment rates and benefit the US economy, according to a Goldman Sachs report. Photo: Getty

Reducing the Black disadvantage in employment, income and wealth could deliver a $400bn (312bn) boost to US GDP, according to a new equality report.

Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs (GS), said tackling economic inequality was not only about fairness, it could also bring huge financial benefits.

"Given the pivotal role of invention and innovation in todays economy, this could add a growing amount to the overall size of the economic pie. Reducing the economic disadvantages of Black Americans would therefore not just make America a fairer, but also a richer society," said Hatzius in the Goldman Sachs Investing in Racial Economic Equality report.

Black Americans remain heavily disadvantaged across a broad range of economic measures, including employment, earnings, household income, and wealth.

Disadvantages start as early as age two and continue into adulthood particularly among Black men, due to a lack of upward mobility.

Research shows supporting disadvantaged children from an early age via subsidised education programmes can yield large labour market benefits, boosting annual GDP by a predicted 2%.

READ MORE: Goldman Sachs report: Why advancing Black professionals is essential for business success

"If these and other policies improve the lifetime earnings prospects of Black Americans, this will also add to the countrys economic potential over time," said Hatzius.

The employment to population ratio for Black Americans has averaged about five percentage points less than for white Americans for several decades.

Black full-time workers earn 20% less in labour income than white ones, and Black households receive 40% less total income and 90% less net wealth than white households.

"Except for a temporary improvement during the late 1990s labour market boom, these disadvantages have been strikingly constant over time, in the case of the household income gap, since at least 1967," added Hatzius.
YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. The opposition Prosperous Armenia faction of the Parliament has initiated a working discussion on July 25, faction MP Iveta Tonoyan told Armenpress.

General agenda issues will be discussed, she said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
As the largest brackish lagoon in Southeast Asia, Tam Giang Lagoon bears both the wild and quiet beauty of a natural treasure and can totally wow any visitor coming here, particularly during sunset.

The stunning beauty of Tam Giang Lagoon during sunset. (Photo: NDO/Nam Nguyen)

Tam Giang Lagoon is located in the heart of the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon system and is famous for being the lagest brackish water lagoon in Southeast Asia.

About 15km from Hue City, Tam Giang Lagoon is located in the districts of Phong Dien, Quang Dien, Huong Tra and Phu Vang in Thua Thien Hue Province.

Tam Giang Lagoon covers an area of about 52 km2, stretching about 24km in a northwest - southeast direction from the mouth of O Lau River to the mouth of the Huong River.

The lagoon is currently developing brackish and saltwater aquaculture, with a current total farming area of more than 4,700 ha, mainly tiger shrimp intercropped with crabs and other species of fish.

Local fishermen live mainly on small boats and earn their living by fishing in the lagoon.

Coming to Tam Giang Lagoon, tourists not only enjoy local specialities but also admire the stunning magical beauty of the vast lagoon which mother nature has bestowed on it.

The best time to enjoy the beautiful sunset on Tam Giang Lagoon is from 17:30 to 18:45.

The purple sunset light mixed with the sun seems to make the lagoon even more romantic.

Many travellers believe that, unlike the nostalgic, quiet beauty enjoying the sunset at Khai Dinh Tomb in Hue or Truc Lam Bach Ma Zen Monastery, the sunset on Tam Giang Lagoon is truly a treasure that nature has bestowed on the region.

The lagoon also attracts many photo lovers, spending hours "hunting" for beautiful pictures on Tam Giang Lagoon.

The sunset on Tam Giang Lagoon is a natural masterpieces which cannot be found anywhere else. The brilliant sunset intertwined with colourful clouds creates a wonderful picture of nature, said photographer Le Chung.

Coming here, visitors are overwhelmed by the wild, boundless beauty exuding the peaceful breath of Hues beauty.

Sunset is probably the most spectacular sight on Tam Giang Lagoon and has been depicted in poetry, music and many landscape photos.

This vast lagoon was once part of a disadvantaged countryside region. But today, Tam Giang Lagoon has become more widely known as an attractive destination for tourists with its images of local wharves dyed yellow by the sunlight.

Nhan Dan

Discovering peaceful tranquility at Chuon lagoon in Hue Situated in Hue city, central Vietnam, the pristine Dam Chuon (Chuon lagoon) regularly impresses visitors through its captivating beauty and tranquil atmosphere.

Ninh Thuan boasts pristine beauty of Nai lagoon Located in Ninh Hai district, Ninh Thuan province, Nai lagoon is renowned for its beautiful natural scenery and unique ecosystems.
Rating Action: Moody's downgrades China ZhengTong Auto Services Holdings to Caa3; outlook remains negative

Global Credit Research - 24 Jul 2020

Hong Kong, July 24, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has downgraded China ZhengTong Auto Services Holdings Ltd.'s corporate family rating (CFR) and senior unsecured debt ratings to Caa3 from B3.

The outlook on the ratings remains negative.

On 22 July, ZhengTong announced that it has proposed to the lenders of its term loan facility to revise the due date for payment of the third instalment of the loan's principal amount from 20 July 2020 to 19 January 2021. The company is still in discussion with the lenders.

"The downgrade hence reflects ZhengTong's tight liquidity position and consequent inability to meet its payment obligation," says Roy Zhang, a Moody's Vice President and Senior Analyst.

RATINGS RATIONALE

ZhengTong's rating primarily reflects its weak liquidity amid a challenging operating environment. This offsets its credit strength of having sizable operations in China's fast-growing luxury car dealership market, its large network and wide geographic coverage.

The payment extension represents an economic loss for lenders as the original payment promise cannot be met. Moody's views this proposal as a way for ZhengTong to avoid default given its constrained liquidity profile. The proposal can therefore be viewed as a distressed exchange under Moody's definition.

Moody's estimates ZhengTong's debt repayment risk remains elevated as it will need to address a large amount of upcoming maturities.

At the end of 2019, the company had reported unrestricted cash of RMB1.5 billion and restricted cash of RMB2.1billion, with RMB17.5 billion of reported debt due in the next 12 months.

From a governance perspective, the company's ownership is concentrated in its key shareholder, who held a 56.4% stake at 31 December 2019. In addition, only a minority of its board comprises of independent directors. These concerns are partly mitigated by the company's listed status.

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In terms of financial policy, the company has a track record of tapping both debt and non-debt channels. However, the need to revise the original payment due date demonstrates weakness in its financial planning.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

The negative outlook reflects Moody's concerns over the company's tight liquidity and ability to arrange funding on time to meet its obligations.

An upgrade is unlikely in the near term, given the negative outlook. A positive rating action could be considered if the company makes significant progress on servicing its debt obligations and improves its liquidity.

Moody's could downgrade the ratings if principal losses for its debt holders are likely to increase.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Retail Industry published in May 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1120379. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

Incorporated in 1999, China ZhengTong Auto Services Holdings Ltd. is one of the leading players in the luxury car dealership market in China. Headquartered in Beijing, its operation encompassed 135 dealership stores in 41 cities across 17 provinces at the end of 2019. The company mainly focuses on luxury and ultra-luxury brands. ZhengTong's shares listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in December 2010. Mr. Wang and his family owned 56.4% of the company at the end of December 2019.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Moody's considers a rated entity or its agent(s) to be participating when it maintains an overall relationship with Moody's. Unless noted in the Regulatory Disclosures as a Non-Participating Entity, the rated entity is participating and the rated entity or its agent(s) generally provides Moody's with information for the purposes of its ratings process. Please refer to www.moodys.com for the Regulatory Disclosures for each credit rating action under the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page and for details of Moody's Policy for Designating Non-Participating Rated Entities.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

The first name below is the lead rating analyst for this Credit Rating and the last name below is the person primarily responsible for approving this Credit Rating.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the park in 2016 (James Whatling/PA)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have written to officials at an Indian national reserve to express concern about devastating floods in the area, authorities said.

More than a hundred animals, including 10 one-horn rhinoceroses, have died due to the deluge at the Kaziranga reserve in north-eastern India since June.

Park director P Sivakumar said: Since the first week of June, we are having no respite with wave after wave of flood that has wreaked havoc inside the Kaziranga National Park and tiger reserve.

He said an animal that drowned in a swollen river near the park on Saturday brought the rhinoceros death toll up to 10.

Expand Close A one-horned rhinoceros wades through flood water (Anupam Nath/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A one-horned rhinoceros wades through flood water (Anupam Nath/AP)

William and Kate visited the park in April 2016 to learn about conservation and anti-poaching efforts.

In their letter to Mr Sivakumar, they wrote: The deaths of so many animals, including one-horned rhino, are deeply upsetting.

The ongoing monsoon has dumped rain across parts of India, Bangladesh and Nepal, displacing 9.6 million people, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

More than 550 people have been killed in the floods, the IFRC said.

The organisation warned of a humanitarian crisis, saying close to one third of Bangladesh has already been flooded, with more rain expected in the coming weeks. It said 2.8 million people have been affected, and more than one million are isolated.

Expand Close The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the park in 2016 (Heathcliff OMalley/Daily Telegraph/PA) / Facebook

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In India, more than 6.8 million people have been affected by the flooding, mainly in the northern states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Meghalaya bordering Bangladesh, the IFRC said.

In Bihar, officials say at least 10 people have been killed.

In Assam, home to Kaziranga, 96 people have been killed in floods and another 26 have died in mudslides.

The floodwaters are making protecting wildlife within the park more difficult, too.

Mr Sivakumar added: More than a hundred of the 223 security camps inside the sprawling park are still submerged, making day-to-day work of our 1,600 guards really challenging.
A five-year-old girl repatriated from Russia was confirmed Covid-19 positive Saturday evening, taking the countrys count to 417 and active cases to 52.

"Patient 417" hails from the northern province of Thai Binh. She landed at Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta on a repatriation flight on July 9 and was quarantined in the delta's Bac Lieu Province upon arrival.

The girl had her samples taken for coronavirus tests two times on July 10 and 16 and the results came back negative. On Friday, her samples were sent to the HCMC Pasteur Institute for third testing and the results turned out positive. She is being treated at Bac Lieus General Hospital.

Vietnam has recorded four new infections on Saturday, including three repatriates from Russia and a Da Nang man, "Patient 416", Vietnam's first Covid-19 community transmission since April 16.

An expert panel of the Health Ministry on Saturday afternoon stated that "Patient 416" is now in critical condition and faces high death risk. He is now on ventilators and connected with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which involves pumping blood out of the body and to a heart-lung machine that removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-filled blood back.

This is the third Covid-19 patient in Vietnam relying on ECMO. The other two are "Patient 19", a 64-year-old Vietnamese woman, and "Patient 91," a British pilot, both discharged after treatment.

The country has recorded 417 infections, of these 365 have recovered. Of the 52 active cases, six people have tested negative for the first time and two have done so for the second time.

Vietnam has operated 60 repatriation flights since April, bringing home more than 16,000 citizens stranded in 50 countries and territories. Earlier this month Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc instructed government agencies to bring home another 14,000 Vietnamese citizens.

The pandemic has killed 641,800 people globally.
Officials on Long Beach Island say more than 20 lifeguards have tested positive for the coronavirus after being together at a recent event.

The lifeguards are from Harvey Cedars and Surf City, neighboring boroughs on LBI just north of the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge, which links the Ocean County mainland to the barrier island.

Mayor Jonathan Oldham of Harvey Cedars said the borough clerk had been informed of the posivie tests on Thursday by the director of the Long Beach Island Health Department, a regional health office that operates independently of the Ocean County Health Department.

Oldham said the lifeguards, including a dozen each from Harvey Cedars and Surf City, were being quarantined and would not be back on the job until authorized by doctors. Oldham said he did not know the date or location where the guards may have contracted the potentially deadly virus.

I just heard that they were together, exactly where they were or what it was, Im not sure, but Im under the understanding that they were together at an event, Oldham said in a phone interview late Friday afternoon.

LBI Health Department Director Daniel Krupinski did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

But Krupinski was quoted by Philadelphia public radio station WHYY on Friday as saying the island health department had received reports of COVID-19 activity among Surf City lifeguards on Saturday, July 18 and Harvey Cedars lifeguards on Sunday, July 19, after the guards had been together at a pair of social gatherings on July 12 and 14, though he did not say where.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Surf City Borough Councilman Peter Hartney said he and other borough officials had also been alerted to the cluster. Hartney said the fact that so many lifeguards at one time had tested positive for the disease was not of particular concern. Rather, Hartney said, My concern is just the general outbreak of the virus.

Altough Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday that New Jersey is the only state in the nation that as seen its number of new coronavirus cases drop for a full two weeks, the outbreak remains a grave concern.

The states death toll climbed by 36 on Friday, to a total of 15,765, with the total number of cases rising to 178,345 since the outbreak began in March.

Shore communities that depend on their beaches to anchor the critical summer tourist season say theyve had trouble recruiting and retaining lifeguards in recent years.

Hartney said he had no idea how the cluster would impact staffing levels or beach openings in Surf City. In Harvey Cedars, Oldham said the boroughs lifeguard captain, Randy Townsend, had assured him that all of our beaches are fully staffed.

But Oldham shared Hartneys concern about the spread of the virus on the narrow barrier island, and urged people not to let their guard down.

Keep a safe distance and wear a mask, the mayor said.

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Every investor in Keywords Studios plc (LON:KWS) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. Warren Buffett said that he likes "a business with enduring competitive advantages that is run by able and owner-oriented people." So it's nice to see some insider ownership, because it may suggest that management is owner-oriented.

Keywords Studios has a market capitalization of UK1.4b, so we would expect some institutional investors to have noticed the stock. In the chart below, we can see that institutional investors have bought into the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about Keywords Studios.

Check out our latest analysis for Keywords Studios

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Keywords Studios?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

Keywords Studios already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone, since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Keywords Studios's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Keywords Studios. The company's largest shareholder is Franklin Resources, Inc., with ownership of 7.5%. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 5.5% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 5.3% by the third-largest shareholder. Additionally, the company's CEO Andrew Day directly holds 0.0451573 of the total shares outstanding.

Story continues

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 13 shareholders have a combined ownership of 51% implying that no one share holder has a majority.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Keywords Studios

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

I can report that insiders do own shares in Keywords Studios plc. The insiders have a meaningful stake worth UK127m. Most would see this as a real positive. Most would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. Still, it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a 16% stake in KWS. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Equity Ownership

With a stake of 5.5%, private equity firms could influence the KWS board. Some might like this, because private equity are sometimes activists who hold management accountable. But other times, private equity is selling out, having taking the company public.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 5.0%, of the shares on issue. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Keywords Studios better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Keywords Studios that you should be aware of.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
They recently escaped Los Angeles to go on a romantic vacation in Puerto Rico.

And Megan Fox looked loved up while enjoying a beach side stroll with her boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly on Friday.

The couple's relationship appears to be going from strength to strength as the actress, 34, held hands with the Bloody Valentine hitmaker, 30, while he led her along the rocky beach.

Lovebirds: Megan Fox looked loved up while enjoying a beach side stroll with Machine Gun Kelly on Friday in Puerto Rico

The Transformers star showed off her long legs in cutoff denim shorts, which she teamed with a plain black T-shirt.

Meanwhile, Machine Gun Kelly (born Richard Colson Baker) covered up a bit more in black sweats with white writing and going shirtless.

Megan put on a giggly display as they walked barefoot along the rocks before wading into the water.

Hand in hand: The two held hands as the Bloody Valentine hitmaker led her along the rocky beach

Leggy: The Transformers star showed off her long legs in cutoff denim shorts, which she teamed with a plain black T-shirt

No shirt, no problem: Meanwhile, Machine Gun Kelly (born Richard Colson Baker) went shirtless and donned black board shorts

For their trip they have been staying at the idyllic Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton resort on the island's north east coast.

The sumptuous resort boasts two swimming pools, one of which is located right in front of the beach and offers breathtaking ocean views.

Megan recently separated from her husband of a decade Brian Austin Green and has since struck up a relationship with Machine Gun Kelly.

Knee deep: They seemed to enjoy their time taking in the sights and wading into the water

Help: Megan seemed to struggle as the water got knee deep and Machine Gun Kelly reached out a hand to help her

Rocky: They climbed over rocks to get into the water

She has been married to Beverly Hills, 90210 star Brian since 2010 and they share three sons - Noah, seven, Bodhi, six, and Journey, three.

On May 18 Brian emotionally revealed on an episode of his podcast ...With Brian Austin Green that Megan had left him.

A couple of days later Megan appeared in Machine Gun Kelly's Bloody Valentine music video which showed them romping in bed together.

Local: For their trip they have been staying at the idyllic Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton resort on the island's north east coast

Return: Machine Gun Kelly and Megan were cast in the serial killer movie Midnight In The Switchgrass, which began filming in Puerto Rico this March before the COVID-19 lockdowns

Snaps: Megan seemed to take some photos of the rapper as he walked away in the water

She previously filed for divorce from Brian in 2015 citing irreconcilable differences, but she was back with him and pregnant with Journey the following year.

Three years after they got back together, Megan took the legal step of filing to dismiss the divorce petition last April.

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan were cast in the serial killer movie Midnight In The Switchgrass, which began filming in Puerto Rico this March shortly before the COVID-19 lockdowns.

New love: Megan recently separated from her husband of a decade Brian Austin Green and has since struck up a relationship with Machine Gun Kelly

Help: MGK lent Megan a hand as she walked through the rising water

Megan and Machine Gun Kelly have in fact returned to Puerto Rico to undergo a quarantine period before resuming filming on the motion picture.

Their co-star Emile Hirsch posted an Instagram picture on Saturday of himself with a group of people involved with the movie, including Megan and her new beau.

'Four months later, the gang is quarantined together to resume shooting of Midnight In The Switchgrass in the amazing Puerto Rico,' he wrote in the caption.

Quick: She previously filed for divorce from Brian in 2015 citing irreconcilable differences, but she was back with him and pregnant with Journey the following year

They sizzled together: Megan and MGK co-starred in his steamy Bloody Valentine music video in May and have reportedly been linked since

The picture included his co-stars Megan, Machine Gun Kelly, Lukas Haas, Lala Kent and Madison Bigos, as well as their director Randall Emmett.

Meanwhile Brian was seen this Saturday back in Los Angeles, stepping out to run errands with one of his little ones.

The TV hunk, who is now dating model Tina Louise and celebrated his 47th birthday this Wednesday, showed off his toned arms in a T-shirt.

The way they were: Megan has been married to Beverly Hills, 90210 star Brian (right) since 2010; pictured in 2013
By Trend

Two of the largest and most influential Jewish organizations in the US and the world - the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Los Angeles Office of the American Jewish Committee (AJC-LA) - condemned violent assaults on Azerbaijani community members by an Armenians on July 21 in Los Angeles, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Ministry.

It is unacceptable that several Azerbaijani community members were violently assaulted at Tuesdays demonstration outside the Consulate General of Azerbaijan. Freedom of speech and assembly are sacrosanct, and violence against peaceful counter-protesters is a threat to American values and civil society," AJC-LA said.

"We urge LAPD to investigate these assaults fully and, if appropriate, file hate crime charges. We send our heartfelt prayers to the victims for their speedy recovery.

Simon Wiesenthal Center called the events 'shocking and disturbing'.

"LA is home to people with ties to all nations including Armenia and Azerbaijan. LA should be a place of reconciliation, not mob violence outside a Consulate. Freedom to protest is a basic right but never a license for violence. LAPD right to investigate a hate crime that sent Azerbaijanis to hospital.

The clashes between Azerbaijanis and Armenians in Los Angeles were triggered by gross ceasefire violations by Armenian armed forces on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the direction of Tovuz district of Azerbaijan. The fighting continued in the following several days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian armed forces.

Meanwhile a group of Armenians living in Los Angeles, California, attacked and injured a group of Azerbaijanis who gathered to peacefully protest the Armenian aggression.

The incident took place July 21 in front of Azerbaijan's Consulate in the city where Armenians verbally and physically assaulted Azerbaijanis across the street, despite tight security measures by the L.A. Police Department.




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The coronavirus pandemic is taking a devastating toll on conservation efforts across Africa with the collapse of tourism and a drop in philanthropic giving in the face of a looming global recession.

To help tackle the crisis, a group of more than 60 acclaimed wildlife photographers from around the world have come together to create a fundraising campaign, Prints for Wildlife, to support the protection of critical wild ecosystems and local communities.

This week, The Independent revealed the potential scale of the conservation crisis caused by plummeting revenues, which also impacts the livelihoods of hundreds of rangers who protect at-risk wildlife from poachers. Our Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, launched by The Independent's largest shareholder Evgeny Lebedev, is calling for an international effort to clamp down on the illegal trade of wild animals, which remains one of the greatest threats to future biodiversity.

The photography fundraiser, which launches on Sunday, was created by photographers Marion Payr and Pie Aerts, in aid of parks managed by conservation non-profit African Parks.

The organisation works in partnership with local governments across 18 parks in 11 African nations to safeguard biodiversity and support local people by delivering clean water, food security and carbon sequestration along with providing jobs and healthcare.

One of the prints for sale features a female leopard in Namibia (Pie Aerts)

"When the entire world dropped off a cliff last March due to the outbreak of Covid-19, I felt the urge more than ever to be a voice of our planet in bringing together some of the best wildlife photographers in the world in an attempt to use the incredible power of art to ignite immediate action and contribute to conserving some of the most precious ecosystems of Africa," Mr Aerts told The Independent.

Each of the photographers has donated a limited fine art print to the fundraiser, on sale for $100 via online shop Prints for Wildlife for the next month.

Will Burrard-Lucas, a British wildlife photographer, recalled capturing the photo that he donated to the fundraiser.

The solitary lioness Lady Liuwa taken in Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia, 2015 (Will Burrard-Lucas)

"In 2015, I spent two months in Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia," he told The Independent. "After decades of poaching and illegal trophy hunting, there was a single lioness left in the park, known as Lady Liuwa. Lions usually live in a pride but she demonstrated unbelievable resilience by surviving for many years completely on her own.

"When African Parks took over management of Liuwa Plain with Zambias Government, they reintroduced lions and Lady Liuwa was able to live out the remainder of her life as part of a pride. I am delighted to be able to donate to this fundraiser a photograph of Lady Liuwa that I captured shortly before she passed away of old age."

The Covid-19 conservation crisis has shown the urgency of The Independents Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, which seeks an international effort to clamp down on illegal trade of wild animals

Peter Fearnhead, CEO and co-founder of African Parks, said the pandemic had put already vulnerable communities and wildlife at greater risk.

"The unity that is rallying across the world through initiatives such as Prints for Wildlife helps to ensure some of the continents most important ecosystems can continue to safeguard biodiversity and support people during these extraordinarily difficult circumstances," he added.
A 19-year-old Cullman County woman died early Friday morning when the car she was riding in struck a tree, according to state troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Jesslyn Ann Nicole Hood was a passenger in a 2007 Jeep Patriot that left the roadway three miles north of Cullman, at 3:45 a.m. Friday, and hit a tree. Hood, who was pronounced dead at the scene, had not been wearing a seatbelt, according to a statement from troopers.

The driver of the vehicle, Austin Edward Turrentine, was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital.

State troopers with ALEA continue to investigate the crash.
Boeing employees work on the tail of a Boeing 737 NG at the Boeing plant in Renton, Washington

By David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday issued an emergency airworthiness directive for 2,000 U.S.-registered Boeing 737 NG and Classic aircraft, warning of possible corrosion on parked planes that could lead to a dual-engine failure.

Inspectors found compromised air check valves when bringing aircraft out of storage following four recent reports of single-engine shutdowns on planes that had been parked, prompting the directive for aircraft not operated for seven or more straight days.

Alaska Airlines <ALK.N> said one of its aircraft is likely one of the four incidents, noting a recent engine shutdown issue.

"The safety of the flight was not compromised," Alaska said in a statement, adding it is now inspecting the check valves before returning planes to service.

If airlines find corrosion, they must replace the valve prior to flying the aircraft again, the FAA said.

Boeing Co <BA.N> said on Friday it had advised operators to inspect the planes and added "with airplanes being stored or used infrequently due to lower demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, the valve can be more susceptible to corrosion."

Global airlines parked thousands of airplanes after the coronavirus pandemic sharply reduced travel demand but some have started flying again as demand picks up.

The FAA said the directive is to address corrosion of the engine bleed air 5th stage check valves for both engines. The agency said that could result in compressor stalls and dual-engine power loss without the ability to restart.

Boeing said it is providing inspection and replacement information to fleet owners if they find an issue.

Among other U.S. operators of the 737, American Airlines <AAL.O> and Southwest Airlines <LUV.N> said they are complying with the directive but had not experienced any issues.

United Airlines <UAL.O> and Delta Air Lines <DAL.N> also said they are complying and do not anticipate an impact on operations.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Matthew Lewis)
The pandemic is not over yet for a long time: since the outbreak of the Coronavirus in the world health organization (WHO) have been reported within 24 hours, as many new infections as of Friday. In total, there were 284.196 cases, said the WHO on Friday evening. By far the most infections in the United States and Brazil recorded more than 67,000. In India, there were almost 50,000, in South Africa, 13.000. The number of dead had risen to more than 9,700 since the end of April, not more.

the World of the WHO since the outbreak of the new Virus at the end of last year to Friday 15.3 million infections have been reported. Just under 630,000 people died as a proven to with a Coronavirus infection.

The WHO was concerned about new foci of infection in Europe. In some countries, the Figures had increased again, after clearance rules were eased, it said.

In Germany, the second wave of Infection has, according to the Saxon Minister President, Michael Kretschmer already there. "She is already taking place every day. Every day we have new foci of infection, from which very high Figures could be", said the CDU politician of the "Rheinische Post". The task was to break with the health authorities in this shaft every day. "It works amazingly well."

To view Kretschmers can Germany be a Federal System is much more precise than centrally-governed countries. The Prime Minister could consider, which could be targeted for individual regions of the governed.

Kretschmer sees in the Corona of a pandemic, the first Central joint crisis experience in Germany. "And the beauty of it is that The people in the East and the West in this crisis." 30 years after reunification, there were no differences. "Corona is the best proof that this country has grown together."

The significant increase in reported Coronavirus cases in the past few days, concern the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). "A further escalation of the Situation must be avoided," said a RKI spokeswoman at the request of the German press Agency on Friday. The number of newly submitted Corona-cases was significantly higher than in the preceding weeks.

The whole world is talking about the Coronavirus. All the news and analysis about the spread and control of pandemic on a daily basis in your E-Mail Inbox.

A worsening of the situation could only be prevented if the entire population was committed to continue. The RKI appealed, such as the distance and hygiene rules consistently  even Outdoors. Interior spaces should be ventilated, and where it is offered, should you have to wear a mouth-nose cover correctly.

As the RKI said that there is an increase in many of the lander. More than 60 percent of the new cases were, however, the two lander of North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wurttemberg. Nationwide, there are a lot of smaller "Events" in different counties, however, where people have approximately in the case of larger celebrations, leisure activities, in the workplace, but also in community and health facilities infected. Cases come increasingly under travel returnees, it said.

rail against penalties in case of violation of the mask duty

The train stops, meanwhile, in the event of infringements of passengers against the mask duty on their trains penalties, not necessary. "We are an open System and rely on insight and the communication of our escorts to those passengers who do not wear a mask," said railway chief Richard Lutz the Newspapers of the Funke media group. "Conviction and appeal to the responsibility of the punishment," he added. If this does not work, get the Federal police in the long-distance transport of stubborn passengers at the next station from the train. "That has been used but only very rarely," said Lutz.

Updated Date: 25 July 2020, 04:19
A damning study by Victoria's auditor-general confirmed the government had bought just 10 per cent of the land needed for the grassland reserve  the bulk of it a single purchase of 1000 hectares in 2012  and none at all for the woodland reserve. Loading The mishandling by Labor and Coalition governments of this program has created an unusual consensus among landowners, property experts and environmentalists: the future of the western grassland and woodland reserves is in grave doubt. The cost of buying properties in the area has skyrocketed, weeds are choking the site and property developers are circling, hoping for a windfall. The state government has caused further doubt by identifying the area around the reserve for possible quarries to feed stone and sand into Melbournes big build. The government says its program here can be salvaged. But is it already too late?

Its madness the way it has played out, says Nick Williams, associate professor in the school of ecosystem and forest sciences at the University of Melbourne. The Melbourne Strategic Assessment is an abject failure. Half-baked promises Matt Ruchel, head of the Victorian National Parks Association, recalls negotiating with the Victorian government to try to make the grasslands deal work. But he says it was clear to him from the start that its priority was always streamlining development approvals. The grasslands and woodlands were a secondary consideration. A quarry amid degraded grasslands near Little River. Credit:Justin McManus Ruchel remembers successfully arguing for the public acquisition overlay to be placed on the proposed grassland reserves. Very little has happened since and the main problem, it seems, is money. The only direct financial allocation was $10 million  a fraction of what the program would need.

The rest of the cost was to have been met by using cost recovery principles. Developers destroying native grasslands elsewhere on the urban fringe would be required to make offset payments and that money would flow to a fund to buy land for the reserves. But freedom of information documents show that as early as 2012, senior bureaucrats were concerned about a lack of funds being generated. Melbournes growth was slower than anticipated and therefore so was the flow of funds to buy properties within the reserve. In 2013, the Baillieu-Napthine government tweaked the program, boasting that the new version would save developers $500 million because they would be spared the cost of protecting grasslands in new suburbs. Ruchel says a deep strategic flaw in the program from the beginning was that nature bore the risk: The property industry got security and certainty but the environment got half-baked promises that have not been delivered. The grasslands For many thousands of years, Australias first people were the custodians of native grasslands, which grew on volcanic plains in a vast swathe from Wathaurung country on Port Phillip Bay to Gunditjmara country in the states south-west.

In this carefully managed cultural landscape, mosaic burning was used to regenerate native grasses and maintain open plains that attracted grazing animals such as kangaroos. In his groundbreaking book, Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe describes how Aboriginal women harvested yam daisies called Murnong in a way that preserved the friability of soil, and how people collected and stored grass seed. Wild flowers in the grasslands regeneration area. Credit:Justin McManus When the region was colonised, Europeans were drawn to this open country. In 1835, John Batman described the grassy plains near what is now Melbourne as the most beautiful sheep pasturage I ever saw in my life. But after almost 200 years, European systems of agriculture, feral species and urban development have almost destroyed them. Good quality grasslands are a diverse mixture of native grasses and wildflowers. They store carbon, improve water filtration, reduce erosion and provide habitat to animals like the critically endangered golden sun moth and striped legless lizard.

But even those who love grasslands acknowledge they suffer from an image problem. Many Victorians don't even know they exist. Pascoe is blunt: "Theyre not terribly sexy. People love forests and stuff like that, but grasslands are really important." Professor Sarah Bekessy, an RMIT expert on sustainability and urban planning, says Victorias remaining unique grasslands should be celebrated rather than going to ruin. People talk about the prairies of America as being an economic powerhouse that drove the development of that country. The grasslands are our equivalent. We are the custodians - its right on our doorstep. Official surveys indicate as little as 2 per cent of the original grassland ecosystem is left. But experts, including Williams and Bekessy, say the real figure is more like 1 per cent. A substantial proportion of properties within the proposed grassland reserves contain low-quality grasslands or none at all, having been de-rocked, ploughed and cropped. These ecosystems have also suffered because many landowners, disheartened by having their properties earmarked in 2010 for public acquisition, have allowed weeds to infest them.

Peter Wlodarczyk has run an indigenous plant nursery west of Melbourne for decades and is regarded as a local expert on the western grasslands. He estimates about 5000 of the 15,000 hectares in the reserve are of reasonable to good quality and 10,000 hectares are degraded vegetation. As the current federal Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, begins negotiations for a so-called one-touch" development approvals regime which would "devolve" the Commonwealth's legal responsibilities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to the states, the case of the Victorian grasslands raises questions about the wisdom of such a policy. Peter Wlodarczyk has been studying and working on the regeneration of the grasslands. Credit:Justin McManus Does it make sense to leave a state so heavily reliant on development for its economy, and property taxes for revenue, as the custodian of endangered habitat on contested fringe land? Why would we devolve the EPBC Act to the states when we have such incompetence at this level? Wlodarczyk asks.

Some critics say the 2010 strategy to protect the grasslands was flawed because the better quality grasslands tend to be in the smaller patches forfeited to bulldozers and concrete. Real estate agent and land valuer Peter Sagar has worked closely with landowners in the reserve and is familiar with their properties. He insists much of the reserve is not high-quality grasslands. Loading Rather than a blanket public acquisition overlay over the area, they could have made targeted purchases on high-value native vegetation. Instead they put a blob on a map and said lets protect grasslands. The public cost In 2013, the Baillieu Coalition government estimated the full cost of the grasslands reserves at just over $980 million. More recent government estimates put that figure at upwards of $2 billion. A key factor in the blowout is the hike in land values stemming from Melbournes growing population. The grassland area is located in Wyndham, one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Australia and directly in the line of Melbournes expanding western frontier.

Based on government data, the auditor-general reported that between mid-2017 and early 2019, the land value of the Western Grasslands Reserve increased by 200 per cent. Real estate agents and valuers say that in the past decade, land values in the area of the grasslands reserve have almost tripled. One of the biggest landowners is Malaysian businessman John Chua. He told The Age that the reserve had been a grief for all affected landowners. Technically, 2020 is the year that the government should be buying up all the designated lands but we gather there isnt enough money in the state coffers. Rising land values also affect the levels of compensation landowners are able to seek for loss on sale  the money they believe could have been generated, including from future housing development. The government is also facing hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation claims.

Speculators and quarries Landowners, real estate agents and environmentalists say 10 years of government ambivalence towards the grassland reserves program has led to uncertainty about its future. This has not been helped by the keen interest in the area shown by developers. As one senior real estate agent puts it: Theyre [developers buying into the reserve] taking a punt on the public acquisition overlay being taken off. The grasslands. Credit:Justin McManus FOI documents show that in early 2019, the government was negotiating to buy 2500 hectares of land from long-time landowners the Dennis Family Corporation. The Age has confirmed the property was eventually sold to developers. Doubts about the future of the reserve have also been accentuated by growing interest in quarrying for the highly valued basalt rock beneath.

The western grasslands are a major part of one of two areas currently being studied for potential quarries, with raw materials like stone and sand needed for Melbournes big build of major infrastructure. The Strategic Extractive Resource Areas pilot project report acknowledges the land within the reserve would be off limits for new quarries. Yet the reserves inclusion in the pilot study area has excited landowners and troubled environmentalists. Real estate agent Peter Sagar says landowners are well aware of the quarrying study: I think theres a sense [about the reserve] theres been a whole bunch of flaws magnified by the imposition of the quarrying study. The new levy This week, state Environment Minister Lily DAmbrosio acknowledged the shortcomings of the grasslands program but blamed the Baillieu-Napthine government, which she said gutted its funding and allowed it to languish.

DAmbrosio revealed that after a decade of collecting payments from developers, the balance of the program trust fund was just $52.7 million on June 30. The Andrews government has now introduced a new, indexed levy to boost revenue for land purchase and management. DAmbrosio said the levy, which kicked in on July 1, would secure "an ongoing revenue stream to complete the purchase of land that will deliver the Western Grassland Reserve". It charges developers a range of levies, including $113,441 if a hectare of native vegetation is cleared, $10,005 if a hectare of the critically endangered golden sun moth's habitat is cleared and $7846 if a hectare of the endangered growling grass frog's habitat is cleared. Negotiations were in progress to buy an additional 1900 hectares of land in the reserve, D'Ambrosio said. The auditor-general found that the new levy would improve revenue flow for the program but noted that land values and landowners willingness to sell property would continue to affect program delivery.

Salvage or abandon? After years of confusion and frustration, its not surprising some want to abandon the grasslands program entirely. Wlodarczyk says the government would get better environmental results by buying the best grassland properties in the reserve, freeing other landowners from the constraints of the overlay and protecting the smaller high-quality grasslands in urban growth areas. Loading But DAmbrosio said she was confident the new levy would put the program back on course - although when Victorians might expect to be able to visit an established grasslands reserve is unclear. The government believes the large reserve will provide a wide range of ecological benefits and more effective management of grasslands.
The Masanjia Labor Camp in northeastern China was the site of numerous severe abuses against practitioners of Falun Gong, as documented by human rights groups. (Minghui.org)

Australian MP Demands ABC Board Investigate Xenophobic Attack the ABC Aired on Falun Gong

Australian Liberal Democrats MP David Limbrick has written to board members of the national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), to demand an investigation about what he calls an unfair and possibly xenophobic attack in a program it aired on Falun Gong.

Today I sent a letter to the ABC board demanding an investigation into the circumstances around the production and broadcast of the recent Foreign Correspondent report on Falun Gong, Limbrick announced on Twitter on July 24.

The ABC must be held accountable for its actions.

He opened the letter pointing to Amnesty Internationals reports about how Falun Gong has been persecuted by the Chinese regime for more than 20 years.

Today I sent a letter to the ABC board demanding an investigation into the circumstances around the production and broadcast of the recent Foreign Correspondent report on Falun Gong. The ABC must be held accountable for its actions. @EpochTimes @ForeignOfficial pic.twitter.com/0DP63DVdvA  David Limbrick MP (@_davidlimbrick) July 24, 2020

The program, which aired on July 21, 2020, presents, almost exclusively, the experiences of some disaffected people who interacted with or knew Falun Gong practitioners.

Limbrick writes in his letter: During my time as a Member for South Eastern Metropolitan Melbourne, I have come to understand Falun Gong to be a sincere movement whose adherents beliefs are no more unusual than many other religions.

Limbrick has asked the ABC board to investigate:

Whether this report is consistent with the ABCs own policies of dealing with vulnerable religious minorities.

Why reporters refused to acknowledge facts presented to them in this letter dated 17th July 2020 before the program went to air.

Whether reporters had any contact with Chinese Government officials in the development of the story.

Prior to Limbricks letter, and following a report by The Epoch Times on the ABC program, an ABC spokesperson said the public broadcaster stand[s] by the accuracy and integrity of the reports.

The spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the ABC completely rejects any claims that its reporting on Falun Gong was sourced from or influenced by the Chinese Communist Party.

The spokesperson insisted that the ABC had reached out to Falun Gong practitioners to allow a right of reply.

However, the ABC interviewed Dr. Lucy Zhao, the president of the Falun Dafa Association of Australia, on July 17, just four days before the program was scheduled to air. When asked whether the ABC gave her fair treatment, Zhao told The Epoch Times, Not really.

Zhao said she had offered to introduce the ABC to Falun Gong practitioners they could interview so they can have a more balanced and fair report. But they were not interested and didnt interview any other practitioners.

They just wanted to get some words they wanted from me and were not interested in listening or reporting truthfully what I want to express, she said.

Australian Falun Gong spokesperson, John Deller, told The Epoch Times on July 25 that his first contact with the ABC was on July 10 after he called ABC producer Lisa MacGregor because a practitioner told him an ABC crew had been filming and taking photos of practitioners meditating in Hyde Park, Sydney.

He says MacGregor called him back three days later and told him the ABC didnt need any input from the Falun Dafa Association in Sydney as they had interviewed someone in the US.

Then, on 14 July, the same day they started their promotions for the shows, I was contacted by Hagar Cohen, of Background Briefing. That seems to me like an after thought, he said.

The ABC did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times request for comment on Limbricks letter.

ABC Reporter Attends CCP-Facilitated Trip to Forced Labour Camp

The ABCs Foreign Correspondent program on Falun Gong contained video footage captured back in 2001 at a forced labour and brainwashing camp in Masanjia, in Chinas Liaoning province that appears to paint a rosy picture of the facilityyet stood in stark contrast to undercover footage smuggled from the camp.

Eric Campbell, the chief reporter of the ABC program, had attended a Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-facilitated trip to Masanjia re-education through forced labour campnotorious for its severe abuses and vicious torture on practitioners of Falun Gong.

Chinas state-owned mouthpiece Xinhua at the time reported on Campbells interactions with women purported to be former Falun Gong practitioners who had been successfully transformed.

Xinhua reported that American NBC journalist Eric Colt, AP writer John Leicester, and Singapore Press Holdings reporter Chew Juai Fong, all expressed a newfound belief in the CCPs propaganda following this trip.

Campbell said that the camp is extremely open, and I am surprised that we are allowed this close access to the re-education camp, Xinhua reported.

The picture stands in stark contrast to an in-depth report by The Epoch Times last year about the same camp. The report featured undercover video footage smuggled out of the camp that expose slave labour and evidence of torture.

Undercover video from Masanjia Forced Labor Camp showing a Falun Gong practitioner after being beaten for protesting against the persecution of Falun Gong:

Undercover video from Masanjia Forced Labor Camp showing a Falun Gong practitioner cuffed to a bed after being tortured badly for protesting against the persecution of Falun Gong:

The Masanjia camp was also the subject of an award-winning feature documentary Letter from Masanjia, which tells the story of a Falun Gong practitioner who exposed the persecution and torture he suffered in an SOS letter he smuggled out through a product he was forced to make.

Sun Yi holding the SOS letter he wrote, which made its way around the world and back to him. (Courtesy Flying Cloud Productions)

If you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right[s] Organization. Thousands people here  will thank and remember you forever, the note read, in part. It was uncovered in 2011 by Julie Keith, a mother in Oregon, who found it in a product from Kmart intended to be decorations for Halloween.

The note, written by Sun Yi, a Falun Gong practitioner detained at Masanjia, outlined the gruelling working conditions in the Masanjia labour camp and referenced the torture and abuse experienced by detainees.

Keith took the letter to her state newspaper and the story became international news.

The ABC has not responded to The Epoch Times request for comment regarding Campbells visit to Masanjia on a CCP-facilitated trip.
Karachi:

At least four Pakistani security personnel were killed on Saturday, in restive Baluchistan province's capital city Quetta, when gunmen opened fire on their official vehicle.

Three paramilitary soldiers and one policeman were killed when the gunmen opened fire on a Frontier Corps vehicle on the Fatima Jinnah road of Quetta.

Two civilians also sustained gunshot wounds and were admitted to a hospital.

"It appears to be a case of target killing and according to eye witnesses armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on the FC vehicle and the police constable who was on duty," he said.

Police said the attackers escaped unhurt from the spot.

The restive Baluchistan province has seen an increase in separatist and sectarian violence this year with banned terrorist outfits also carrying out suicide bombings.

In three major suicide bomb attacks since August, over 150 persons have been killed and scores injured.

A suicide bomb attack was carried out at the entrance of the Civil hospital in Quetta in August in which around 70 persons were killed followed by a terrorist attack on the police training centre in the city in which two suicide bomber blew themselves up killing 64 police cadets and two army soldiers in October.

Last week, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the compound of the Shah Noorani shrine in the Khuzdar district, killing 54 devotees and security personnel.

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DOYLESTOWN >> A man and woman will face decades in state prison for the repeated sexual assault of three children under the age of 13, abuse that they also filmed in more than 40 videos of child pornography. Leonard F. Hewitt Sr. 51, and Krystyn Anne Smock, 40, both of Bristol Township, committed the acts for more than four years...
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 13:54:14|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, July 24 (Xinhua) -- China's decision to close the U.S. consulate in Chengdu is consistent with the diplomatic rule related to the tit-for-tat approach, a Sudanese diplomacy expert said.

"The tit-for-tat approach constitutes a golden rule in diplomatic norms," Dr. Ali Yousif, a veteran Sudanese diplomat who is currently executive director of the Arab-Chinese Friendship Societies' League, an affiliate of the Arab League based in Sudan, said in an interview with Xinhua on Friday.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday informed the U.S. Embassy in China of its decision to withdraw its consent for the establishment and operation of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu.

"China has been forced to take this measure after the U.S. administration closed the Chinese consulate in Houston earlier this week," he noted.

On Tuesday, the United States launched a unilateral provocation by abruptly demanding that China close its Consulate General in Houston.

Yousif said the current U.S. administration should be held responsible for the tension between Washington and Beijing.

"The U.S. administration is trying to hold China responsible for the result of its mistakes and failure in containing the COVID-19 and the great loss of lives," he said.

The attempts by the U.S. administration to create a conflict with China are in fact attempts to win support of American voters in the election season, which "is a dangerous behavior that threatens international relations," he noted.

Yousif regards a series of actions by the Trump administration as "strange," saying, "It was strange that the United States withdrew from the climate agreement without logical justification."

"This is an important agreement which addresses a vital issue related to climate change and global warming, and America's withdrawal from this agreement is a blow to the international efforts in this respect," he said.

Yousif also mentioned the trade wars the American administration initiated against a number of countries, saying "the U.S. administration has created trade conflicts with many countries, including Mexico, Canada, Russia and China."

"The American measures imposing taxes on the products of those countries represent a clear violation of the rules of the World Trade Organization," he added. Enditem
Jon Justice and Drew Lee invited me to join them on their shows second hour yesterday morning to discuss the enforcement provisions of Governor Walzs mask mandate. The show runs Monday-Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. on Twin Cities News Talk 1130 AM. I have embedded the second hour of yesterdays show in podcast form below.

I asserted during my segment that Star Tribune reporter Jeremy Olson showed no evidence of having read the mask mandate order. I had emailed him early Thursday morning to ask if he had, but he didnt reply to me. He did reply to two readers who forwarded copies of Olsons responses. I posted one in the update to A question for Jeremy Olson.

Another reader sent Olson a link to my post and commented: You should give your readers the information regarding penalties and fines and let them draw their own conclusions. If a law is not to be enforced, its probably not a good law in the first place. Olson responded:

The max penalties are unlikely to be enforced, but they are what they are and I can find an opportunity to write about them. I infer, since that terms seems to be all the rage, that people are planning to defy the mandate. Why else does one worry about the penalty level of something as stupidly simple as putting on a mask indoors? Again with the speeding analogy, I dont really care about the fine amount unless I intend to drop the hammer down 35W. If you feel like sharing, email back and let me know whether you plan to comply. And hi to Scott and anyone else you share this with! I have tried to be transparent with critics. I dont mind that they challenge my stories or call out omitted information. I really believe an engaged readership stokes even better journalism.

Our reader responded to Olsons inquiry:

I plan to comply unless I am confronted with the several exceptions outlined in the mandate. For example, I dont plan to wear a mask while eating indoors in a restaurant or undergoing a dental/medical procedure. Do you? The numerous exceptions in the mandate read like something from The Onion! While you may not care about a potential $25,000 fine, a small business owner might. Especially one who opposes Keith Ellison and his left-wing politics. The potential for selective enforcement of this law is frightening. Again, your article shouldve detailed the penalties and let the readers draw their conclusions. That was Scotts main point. Thanks for your prompt reply and see if you can persuade Governor Walz to allow Scott to attend the daily briefings. As a lawyer, I always like to hear an opposing viewpoint.

I have no idea why Olson didnt respond to me. I am pleased to be able to include his responses to our readers verbatim.

Before I joined Justice and Drew at the bottom of the hour they discussed Ilhan Omars interview with Esme Murphy on WCCO 4 CBS Minnesota. Murphy is a veteran reporter with her own televised Sunday morning show. When it comes to Omar, however, Murphy is more interested in public relations than news. Video of the interview is included with the story posted online under the heading The Truths I Tell Are An Inconvenience: Rep. Ilhan Omar Unapologetic, Unfazed In Her Quest For 2nd Term. I have also embedded the video below.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
T wo brothers who made a young woman work as a prostitute, even when she later became pregnant with a client's baby, have been jailed.

Ilcic Dumitru, 19, and Ioan Dumitru, 24 both from Plumstead, were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

The court heard how the 20-year-old victim, from Romania, was lured into coming to the UK on the promise of a factory job.

An airline ticket was purchased for her and on 7 April 2019 she arrived at Luton Airport.

The woman was held in a flat in Plumstead / Met Police

She was collected by the two brothers and was taken to a house in Plumstead, where two other Romanian females were living. Her travel documents were then taken from her.

On the evening of her arrival, she was told to get ready and wear "sexy clothes" as they were going out to work in north London. Here she was handed a small bag of wipes and condoms and told she was working the streets.

Despite telling the men she had never done this type of work before, she was told she would learn.

Ilcic Dumitru / Met Police

The victim was forced into having her first customer that night and Ioan Dumitru threatened to break her head if she did not make any money for them. During one of her first outings on the street, the condom split and she became pregnant.

Through the fear of violence and the control the brothers had on her she continued working on the street as a sex worker. She was forced to sleep with 10 to 15 clients a day, sometimes making up to a 1,000 a day, which was taken straight from her.

She was regularly beaten and abused by her captors, once with a stick on the back of her legs and was never allowed to leave the house on her own.

Ioan Dumitru / Met Police

When she was around seven months pregnant, she feared the baby was dead following a forced abortion attempt, as she could no longer feel it move. It was around this time that a client asked her if she was in touch with her family in Romania and she shared the awful things that had happened to her.

A week later, the unknown man came to see her again and gave her a small mobile phone which she hid.

How she made her escape

She managed to get in contact with her family in Romania without her captors' knowledge and told her family of her situation in the UK.

On 18 December 2019, Romanian authorities contacted Met officers from the Modern Slavery and Child Sexual Exploitation Unit (MSCE).

Two Romanian officers, who are seconded to the UK to help with international affairs with Romania, were "instrumental" with helping the case. They and a team of officers were immediately deployed to the address and both men were arrested for offences under Section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act, controlling prostitution and actual bodily harm. Ilcic was additionally arrested for being concerned in the supply of drugs after evidence was discovered on his phone at the time of his arrest.

The judge handed the pair a combined sentence of more than 30 years

Ilcic was sentenced to 15 years and three months imprisonment for conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the trafficking into the UK a person for sexual exploitation, conspiracy to hold a person in servitude and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, namely cocaine.

Ioan was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the trafficking into the UK a person for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to hold a person in servitude.

Detective Inspector Grant Anderson, from the MSCE unit, said: This was an awful crime which subjected a vulnerable young woman to a hideous way of life. We know she will never forget her time in captivity but I can report she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

I hope she now has some closure after knowing these men will be behind bars for a long time.

We are committed to bringing these offenders to justice and will continue to work with local and oversea partners to do this.

Signs to look out for

The Met said Modern slavery could be happening in your community and it is important to look out for signs.

These include a person looking unkempt, malnourished or injured, appearing afraid and refusing to make eye contact or doing long hours, wearing unsuitable clothing or having the wrong equipment for a job.

The force also asked people to look out for overcrowded, poorly maintained properties where the curtains are always closed.

To report a suspicion or seek advice call the Modern Slavery Helpline confidentially on 08000121700, 24 hours a day.
Homicide investigators say they have plenty of evidence pointing towards suspects in the killing of Grant Edward Norton, 59, a former business partner of slain Hamilton mobster Pat Musitano.

We have very solid leads in identifying suspects, Det. Supt. Chris Newton of London Police said in an interview Friday.

Nortons remains were found in a wooded area of east London on Sunday, nine days after Musitano was shot dead in a Burlington parking lot while meeting with two men.

There have been no arrests in Musitanos murder.

Norton was last reported alive on July 4, six days before Musitanos murder, Newton said.

It was a relative who had (last) seen him, Newton said. Theres a strong possibility he could have been killed even before Pat Musitano was.

Police havent yet released a cause of death, place of death or exact time of death for Norton, who was reported missing to police in Waterloo Region on July 12.

At the time of his murder, Norton was on the run from police after failing to appear in court in March to answer seven charges, including fraud, theft, uttering threats, conspiracy and obstructing a peace officer.

Those charges stemmed from his June 2019 arrest by Niagara Regional Police in a theft and fraud investigation connected to West Lincoln business Havana Group Incorporated, which was involved in hauling soil from construction sites.

Norton and Musitano were partners with several others in Havana Group, which is accused of illegally dumping gravel in the Niagara Region and also embroiled in a bitter dispute with truckers who say they have not been paid.

So far, investigators probing Nortons death have gathered 126 witness statements and extensive cellphone records, Newton said. Forensics evidence are combing through a two-storey rental residence at 20 Adelaide St. S., about two blocks from where Nortons remains were found.

Were still out there now, pounding the beat, talking to people, Newton said. Theres a significant amount of evidence to pour over.

Norton was living in Ingersoll at the time of his murder, Newton said.

Investigators still arent linking the Norton and Musitano homicides, Newton said.

Musitano, who was also a partner in Havana Group, did prison time after pleading guilty in 2000 to conspiracy to commit murder in the 1997 murder of Carmen Barillaro of Niagara Falls.

Norton had problems with the law, himself. He was sentenced to two years behind bars in August 2016, two months after he was pulled over by Brantford police leaving a Brant county motel in a vehicle that was reported stolen in London.

Inside the stolen vehicle, police found 19.4 grams of packaged crystal methamphetamine, which was worth almost $2,000 on the street, $1,200 of dilaudid pills and $435 in hydromorphone capsules.

They also found a scale and packaging materials and $435 in cash.

Norton was convicted of possession of property obtained by crime, possession of a substance for the purpose of trafficking and operating a motor vehicle while disqualified.

Norton had a variety of addresses in southern Ontario, including Markham, Ingersoll and Dundas.

He filed for bankruptcy in Markham in 1988 and in Dundas in 1995.

North stated he had $172,500 in assets and $223,973 in liabilities when he lived on Littlejohn Road in Dundas in 1995 and $2,500 in assets and $30,394 in debts when he lived on Bendamere Crescent in Markham in 1988.

His company Norton Industries went bankrupt in March 1988 and a numbered company listed in his bankruptcy records went out of business in 1991.
The Revenue Commissioners have yet to decide if it will oppose an application to the High Court to approve a survival scheme for the regional airline CityJet.

On Friday, Mr Justice Michael Quinn heard Revenue is seeking clarification from the airline's court-appointed examiner on what it regards as important issues.

The examiner, Kieran Wallace of KPMG, is recommending the scheme be approved, but his counsel, James Doherty SC said that it was not clear if Revenue will support a scheme that will result in the retention of 146 Irish-based jobs.

The hearing of the application to have the scheme formally approved by the High Court is fixed for next week.

Counsel said Mr Wallace -who was appointed as CityJet DAC's examiner in April - had secured the required level of statutory support from the airline's creditors for the scheme of arrangement.

If approved by the court, the arrangement with the creditors will allow the business to continue to survive as a going concern.

However counsel said Revenue, which is a creditor of the airline, has yet to decide if it is going to oppose the application.

He said when the proposed scheme was put to the different classes of CityJet's creditors Revenue had voted against it.

Grainne Clohessy SC for Revenue said her client "did not want to do the company down".

However Revenue requires clarification on certain important issues concerning the airline from the examiner. Counsel said that CityJet was involved in litigation with other parties.

Large sums of cash, which counsel said could be over 50m, will come into the company if the airline wins those cases, he added.

If the money does come into the company, Revenue wants to know where it will go, or if it will go towards the airline's creditors.

It was hoped that the clarifications sought by Revenue will be provided in advance of next week's court hearing on approval of the survival scheme.

Rossa Fanning SC for the company, who said his client is supporting the scheme.

Mr Justice Quinn fixed next Wednesday, July 29 for the hearing of the application to approve the rescue plan.
When it comes to cleanliness amongst Regions in the country, Brong Ahafo as it used to be called, but presently divided into Ahafo and Bono Regions stands tall.

The Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene welcomed natives of the region who came to assist in the cleanup exercise.

She reiterated that Sunyani has made the country proud with regards to cleanliness.

She called on everyone present to join in the exercise wholeheartedly to keep the Region clean at all times.

She mentioned that although it was a working day and people were not present in their numbers as they should be, it is still important to carry out the exercise.

She also spoke about the fact that when we keep our surroundings clean and maintain hygienic environments there would be no room for the Corona Virus to reside.

She commended the Ministry of Local Government, Zoomlion and all stakeholders who came to assist in the exercise.

Passionately speaking, the Municipal Chief Executive Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene was of the view that values such as being clean are home learnt values and must be inculcated in us at home.

Moreover, lately we have learnt from school as well the essence of being clean per science.

Therefore she urges everyone to combine the values learnt at home to the scientific ones learnt at school to bolster our cleanliness in society to help combat diseases especially the current Covid 19.

She advised that " there is the need for us to do this every fortnight rather than every three months".

According to Madam Justina, all the central business centers across Sunyani, from the main station to the post office, then to the police station were cleaned.

She mentioned that there are three main markets in the area.

The main market, the Wednesday market and interestingly, the Corona market.

The Corona market she explained was an interim market that was created at the Sunyani Coronation Park.

The name she said was derived from the name Coronation and the fact that the market was created because of the current Corona pandemic.

She mentioned that their efforts to combat this virus is by strictly adhering to the safety protocols that have been given.

Moreover, Sunyani as a Municipal and Nana Hene, thus the Chief of the area decided not to allow children between the ages of 2-15 years to go out during these times.

Culprits who are found are taken to their homes and parents are cautioned.

Some other people were detained at counter backs for some time and freed to serve as deterrent to others who want to turn deaf ears to that precaution against the spread of the virus.

This was enforced by the Corona enforcement team.

The team comprised 52 abled men which includes Police, Military, Fire Service Men.

She mentioned that these men in uniform's presence have gone a long way to reduce the crime rate in the Municipality.

Nana Bosoma Asore Nkrewe II was highly praised for assisting the Municipality with his efforts and cash of 10,000gh inorder to motivate the workmen on the field.
A nonprofit organization in Selma has paid $2,800 in back wages to an employee after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division.

Investigators say Christian Services for Children in Alabama violated the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

Christian Services for Children in Alabama works with children and youth in the custody of the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Investigators say the organization wrongfully denied an employee paid leave needed to care for her children when her daycare closed due to the coronavirus.

While the employer offered the option to work from home, investigators said, the employee was unable to complete her job duties and care for her children at the same time. However, she was entitled to paid leave at two-thirds her rate of pay. When advised of its obligations, the company agreed to pay the back wages, officials said.

Employees protected under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act must be provided leave and paid as the law requires, Wage and Hour Division District Director Kenneth Stripling said. The Wage and Hour Division stands ready to assist employers that may not fully understand their responsibilities to provide paid leave under this new law. "

Information about the law is available online.
'Men in Black' is one of the upcoming movies at the Great Barrington drive-in movie theater.

Berkshires Beat: Mahaiwe, Simon's Rock Offer Drive-In Movie Theater

Drive-in theater

The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, in partnership with Bard College at Simons Rock, will host a drive-in movie theater in the parking lot of the colleges Daniel Arts Center at 84 Alford Rdoad in Great Barrington. The theater will be open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through Labor Day, weather-permitting.

Gates will open each night at 7:45 p.m., with previews and shorts starting at 8:30 p.m. and featured movies beginning at 9 p.m. Admission is $25 per vehicle. Attendance is limited to 50 cars and tickets must be purchased online in advance at mahaiwe.org; tickets are available first-come, first served. Movies projected on a 16-by-30-foot screen will be visible from the safety of patrons vehicles. Audio will be transmitted via FM radio station 104.3.

In keeping with state guidelines, patrons may only leave vehicles for concessions and restrooms, and must wear masks when outside the vehicle. Portable toilets on-site follow accessibility regulations. The Daniel Arts Center building will be closed to the public.

Local concessions will be provided by Great Barringtons own SoCo Creamery and the Berkshire Food Co-op. SoCo premium ice cream will be available every night and organic or all-natural candy, beverages, and popcorn from the Co-op will be available on Fridays.

Upcoming movies include "Men in Black" on Saturday, July 25, and "A League of Their Own" on Thursday, July 30. Details online.



Jean-Francois Raffaelli (French, 18501924), Man in the Citys Outskirts (Bonhomme de Banlieue), c. 1885. Black chalk and pastel on paper. Collection of Herbert and Carol Diamond.

'Lines from Life'

The Clark Art Institute has opened a new exhibition that celebrates a series of recent and promised gifts made by local collectors Herbert and Carol Diamond. "Lines from Life: French Drawings from the Diamond Collection" traces transformations in 19th-century figure drawing, when developing interests in Realism and contemporary life diverged from the idealism championed by public institutions such as the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts) in Paris and the esteemed Academie de France (French Academy) in Rome.

Featuring 32 works on paper from the Diamond collection, along with 12 additional works from the Clark's permanent collection, the exhibition includes drawings by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 17801867), Eugene Delacroix (French, 17981863), Edgar Degas (French, 18341917), Jean-Leon Gerome (French, 18241904), and Odilon Redon (French, 18401916), among others. The exhibition is on view in the Eugene V. Thaw Gallery in the Clarks Manton Research Center through December 13, 2020.

Kristie Couser, the Clark's former curatorial assistant for works on paper, organized the exhibition and notes that the Diamonds particular interest in the preparatory role of drawing "broadens the museums presentation of 19th-century French artthe cornerstone of our permanent collection. This exhibition presents a unique opportunity to see the collectors eye at work, while inviting a new look at select figure studies from the Clark's founding collection that resonate with the Diamonds interests."

The exhibition is on view from Dec. 13. Visit the website for information on hours and ticketing procedures.

Immigrant-owned businesses

The Berkshire Immigrant Center and 1Berkshire are creating a list for internal purposes so that the BIC can better help immigrant-owned and operated businesses of all shapes, sizes and types. By identifying all these businesses the BIC will be able to: learn more of their individual and collective needs; help the businesses navigate challenges; aid in their finding of needed resources, and advocate for the tools and opportunities the businesses need to thrive.

While the BIC works primarily to assist and support immigrants in the community and 1Berkshire works towards finding alignment with its economic development plan The Berkshire Blueprint 2.0; both organizations realized the time was right to come together to help create a more prosperous economic ecosystem for Berkshire immigrants. Together these two entities can do more to effectively support and cultivate a positive and inclusive business environment for immigrant-owned businesses and immigrant-workforce participants across the county, but they need the community's help.

If you know of any immigrant-owned businesses, including but not limited to; restaurants, retail, hotels, and even any specialty home-based businesses, or if you are yourself an immigrant business owner, please take a moment to fill out this form.

This list will not be shared with anyone outside of these organizations and is for the sole purpose of advocating on behalf of, and supporting the needs of, the immigrant business community.

North Adams road milling

Beginning Monday, July 27, contractors will begin road milling on the following North Adams Streets: East Main Street, Hospital Avenue, Miner Street, North Church Street, Quincy Street, and Summer Street. Repaving of these streets is expected to begin approximately two weeks later. Residents on these streets are asked to remove parked vehicles from the streets between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until further notice.

This project involves the repaving of roadways that were paved last summer. The City Department of Public Services, MassDOT, and the supplier and contractor determined that the asphalt mix used during last year's project did not meet specifications, and needs to be removed and replaced. The contractor and supplier are performing this repair work, including all line painting at the conclusion of the project, at no additional cost to the city.

Pandemic Poetry Project

The town of Great Barrington has launched the "GB Pandemic Poetry Project." Created by the town's research arm, @GBLabs, this initiative seeks to document a unique moment in Great Barrington and global history through verse, submitted by members of the community. "Words have the power to both destroy and heal," Town Manager Mark Pruhenski said. "The latter is needed now more than ever, and by providing locals with a poetic outlet, we hope to begin the healing process by sharing emotion, thought, and reflection.

The Project can be found on Instagram, at @gbpandemicpoetry. To submit a piece, contributors can click on the Google Forms link in the page bio, where they will be asked to upload a file. Poems can be submitted in document or picture form and can be done so with anonymity if desired. @GBLabs staff will then review the submission and post on the Pandemic Poetry Page. Questions should be directed to @GBLabs via email.

Library offerings

The Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfields public library, is ramping up its on-site offerings to meet patron needs while ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience. The library is allowing limited numbers of patrons into the building for browsing and computer use and holds pickup without an appointment, as well as curbside pickup with an appointment. At this time, lounge seating is unavailable, and all visits are limited to a one-hour maximum.

All visitors are required to wear a mask for the entirety of their visit, as well as follow social distancing and hygiene protocols. The hours of operation are as follows: Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday/Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first hour of each day, from 10 to 11 a.m., is intended for at-risk populations.

Weather permitting, patrons can access the Technology Terrace, which is accessible from the Wendell Avenue parking lot. This feature will allow visitors access to computers and printing without having to enter the building.

Those visiting the Childrens Library or picking up childrens materials should enter through the Childrens Terrace; two families are allowed to browse at a time. Those visiting Adult Services (for computers or browsing) should enter through the Wendell Avenue entrance; 20 visitors are allowed to browse or use the computers at a time.

Those visiting the Young Adult Department should enter through the Wendell Avenue entrance; five young adults are allowed to browse or use the computers at a time. Those wishing to visit the Local History Department or Special Collections can make an appointment by emailing or calling 413-499-9480.

Quaker Meeting House

The Quaker Meeting House, built in 1782 by the East Hoosuck Meeting of the Society of Friends, will be open Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. through Oct. 11. The meeting house, essentially unchanged since its construction, is located in the Maple Street Cemetery.

The house was the place of worship of the family of Susan B. Anthony, born in Adams in 1820. Free tours are given by members of the Adams Historical Society. Face masks are required.

Records destroyed

The North Berkshire School Union, serving the towns of Clarksburg, Florida, Savoy, Rowe and Monroe will be destroying Special Education records of students who have left the North Berkshire School Union school System during the 2012-013 school year on August 3, 2020. Anyone wishing to have his or her records should call the Special Education office at 413-664-4655. Two business days advanced notice for pickup of records is appreciated.
SRINAGAR: A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander and his close associate were killed by the security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmirs Ranbirgarh on Saturday (July 24, 2020).

The slain terrorists had been identified as LeT commander Ishfaq Rashid Khan and Aijaz Ahmad Bhat. They were active in the Kashmir Valley for quite some time and involved in several terror-related incidents.

J&K Police said, "One of the two terrorists eliminated today was Ishfaq Rashid, resident of village Sozeith, Srinagar. He was one of the op LeT commanders active since 2018 and wanted in many cases of terror violence.''

"Another terrorist killed in the encounter was Aijaj Bhat was an important LeT cadre from Pulwama district,'' it added.

One of the two terrorists eliminated today was

Ishfaq Rashid resident of village Sozeith,Srinagar.

He was one of top LeT commanders active since 2018 and wanted in many cases of terror violence.

Other killed terrorist, Aijaj Bhat was important

LET cadre from Pulwama district. pic.twitter.com/6c9fQzBbgh  J&K Police (@JmuKmrPolice) July 25, 2020

Confirming the development, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar had earlier said, "One more terrorist has been killed in an ongoing encounter, thus taking the toll to two in the Ranbirgarh gunbattle.

The identities of two slain terrorists were later ascertained by the security forces and it was found that they were linked to LeT.

A Joint team of security forces including the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu Kashmir Police, the Army and CRPF had launched a search operation after receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area.

As the search party cordoned off the suspected spot in the wee hours of Saturday, hiding terrorists unleashed bullets upon them, which was retaliated by the force. The firing from both sides ensued a gunfight.

The two LeT terrorists were neutralised by the security forces. A massive search and cordon operation was also launched in the area.

With this, at least 143 terrorists have been neutralised by forces in Kashmir.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to announce his choice of a running mate in early August 2020, some three months before his election showdown with President Donald Trump

With the White House campaign heading into its coronavirus-hobbled home stretch, Democratic nominee Joe Biden is preparing to announce his vice presidential running mate, a woman likely to play an outsize role in a new administration.

Some 100 days before his showdown with President Donald Trump, Biden, himself a former VP, is juggling competing pressures as he narrows his choice.

The big reveal -- expected in early August, weeks before a mostly virtual Democratic National Convention -- could be seen as more consequential this year given that Biden reportedly said he views himself as a "transition candidate" who could stock his administration with a new generation of leaders.

Biden, 77, would be the oldest person ever elected president. He has said he would not serve a second term if his mental or physical health declined, fuelling speculation that his running mate would likely top the ticket in 2024.

He has publicly committed to choosing a woman, and with recent protests against racial injustice following the police killing of George Floyd, many Democrats are calling on Biden to name an African American.

Senator Kamala Harris has been touted as a possible running mate for former vice president Joe Biden as he squares off with President Donald Trump in the race for the White House

Will he pick Senator Kamala Harris or former national security advisor Susan Rice, both 55, as a nod to a black constituency crucial to his primary victory and the Democratic Party?

Does he elevate Senator Elizabeth Warren as a way to energize the party's progressive wing, even though at age 71 she is hardly seen as the face of a new generation?

Or does Biden choose Asian American Tammy Duckworth, 52, the war-hero-turned-US-senator who could appeal to frustrated Republicans, former Trump supporters or independents looking for a moderate alternative?

US Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, is a wounded war hero who could take the vice presidential slot

Complicating matters, the coronavirus pandemic that has killed 145,000 Americans will certainly deny Biden a splashy in-person running mate rollout and threatens to remain a number one priority for the White House next year.

"He has to make choices, and all of the arguments and all of the pressures don't point in the same direction," Joel Goldstein, a vice presidential scholar at Saint Louis University School of Law, told AFP Friday.

"My guess is that Biden doesn't know who he's going to pick yet," the professor said in an interview.

"The threshold question has to be: are they ready to perform on the national stage?"

- Ready on Day 1 -

Naming Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as his VP, Joe Biden could fire up the Democratic Party's progressive wing for his run at the presidency

Biden leads Trump in national polling as well as in key swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Goldstein says that Biden faces less pressure to reshuffle the campaign with a game-changing pick, as Republican John McCain did in 2008 with Sarah Palin, a little-known Alaska governor who fired up conservatives but flopped on the national stage.

If history is a guide, the senators in the so-called veepstakes are in prime position, as 15 of the last 18 Democratic running mates have been sitting senators, including Biden in 2008.

But other contenders are holding firm.

Congresswoman Val Demings, who helped prosecute impeachment charges against Trump in January, was Orlando's first black female police chief.

House Democrat Karen Bass, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, is in the mix along with Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Atlanta mayor who contracted COVID-19 in early July.

Representative Val Demings from Florida, who was Orlando's first black female police chief, has also had her name thrown about in discussions over who could be Joe Biden's running mate

Two Hispanic women are being discussed as prospective picks too: New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Nevada's Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina ever elected to the US Senate.

Biden told CBS News in June that his wingwoman must be "totally sympatico" with him in terms of political philosophy, but also someone who would be "ready to be president on day one."

Experts say that, given the tumultuous nature of Trump's presidency, and the intensity of the coronavirus pandemic, they are expecting a conventional, experienced running mate.

"I think that for Biden, readiness has to be numero uno," Alyssa Mastromonaco, a White House deputy chief of staff under Barack Obama, said in a July podcast.

"I don't think he has the luxury of making a real outside-the-box pick here."

Goldstein said that while differences exist between Biden and potential running mates like Warren, who is more progressive on health care and climate change, such distinctions pale when compared to Biden vs Trump.

In the end, Biden's choice is unlikely to shift masses of voters.

But for someone "at the margins," or who prefers a Republican agenda but can not stomach another four years of Trump, Goldstein said, "if Biden picks someone who is reassuring to them, they might say I've got to go with Biden."
Prakash Samaga By

Express News Service

UDUPI: A woman auto rickshaw driver from Pernankila in Udupi who doubles as an ASHA worker helped a pregnant woman who was undergoing labour pain on Thursday by offering a free ride to ferry her to the nearest hospital. Rajeevi in the wee hours on Thursday got a call from Srilatha in Pernankila who said that she was having labor pain and that she may need immediate hospitalization.

Pernankila village is located about 18 km away from Udupi city and it lacks basic facilities like good roads and public transport system.



Rajeevi, who so far has offered free rides to about 15 pregnant women in the past in cases of emergency, in the blink of an eye wore her uniform and took Srilatha to the Government of Karnataka Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Memorial Haji Abdullah Mother and Child Hospital, Udupi in her auto rickshaw.

Srilatha delivered a baby girl on Thursday at around 12 pm. Family members of Srilatha thanking Rajeevi profusely said that Rajeevi came as a goddess in disguise to save the lives of two - mother's and the child's in the time of distress.



Rajeevi told The New Indian Express that she learnt to drive an auto rickshaw 20 years ago with the help of her husband who died five years ago due to brain hemorrhage.

"Though I am not rich, I think it is my duty to help women who are in need of it. My son is searching for a job after his education at Industrial Training Institute and my daughter did her nursing and is now settled in Mumbai after her marriage. So, part of what I earn, I like to spend it on social work like helping the pregnant women," she said.

Rajeevi is an ASHA worker in the morning and drives her auto rickshaw from the afternoon till evening in Pernankila area.

"The mother and child mortality should be declined and that is why I like to work as an ASHA," she said. Rajeevi has also put up a poster on her auto rickshaw through which she has been creating awareness among people about the COVID-19 and how to stay protected against it.

Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu in a twitter post had appreciated the noble work of ASHA health worker and thanked Rajeevi for her great service.
A fraudster duped a 35-year-old Seawoods resident of Rs1.55 lakh after he gained access to her phone on the pretext of updating her fathers KYC details. In another case, a 70-year-old man lost 66,000 in a phishing scam when he tried to donate money to a church trust.

In the first case, the complainant from Seawoods, Bhagyashree Deshpande, received a call on Thursday afternoon from a man who identified himself as Rahul Agarwal. The fraudster claimed that he was calling from the headquarters of a payment gateway to inform that her fathers KYC details have expired.

Deshpande followed the fraudsters instructions to renew the KYC process. The accused then guided her to download a remote control and support application and asked her to pay Re1 as a token amount for the process. When the transfer was successful, the accused spent Rs49,990 using her fathers credit card to make an online purchase.

When Deshpande brought the transaction to the callers attention, he said the money will be refunded and asked her to scan a QR code which he had sent. On doing so, she again lost the same amount.

Realising that the caller was a fraudster, Deshpande rushed to the police station but by then, the accused had spent Rs55,000 more in two different transactions. A cheating case has been registered based on her complain, said an officer from NRI police station.

In the second incident, another resident, VV Verghese, was trying to donate Rs5,500 to St Marys Church trust in Dadar using a popular payment gateway but the payment failed.

On Thursday afternoon, he looked for the payment gateways helpline number online and called on it, not knowing that the number was fake. The fraudster posed as an executive of the payment gateway and gave Verghese another number and asked him to transfer Rs4,999 on it.

On doing so, the complainant received a message stating that the transaction had failed. The executive then asked the senior citizen to try transferring Rs5,000 to the number but the transaction failed to get through again. The executive made the complainant repeat the process several times, the officer said.

The caller then asked Verghese to check his account balance. It was then that the senior citizen had realised that he had lost Rs65,997. When he tried calling on the number, it was switched off. He then filed a complaint with the police.

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York Region is finally getting its own ivory tower.

York University will open a campus in Markham in 2023.

The Ford government pulled the plug two years ago on helping to fund its construction.

But the Province has now pledged to provide funding once students arrive.

Yorks campus in Markham will be the first public university in York Region and will have room for 4,200 students.

Shortly after taking office, in 2018, the Province cancelled three post-secondary construction projects, including the Markham campus.

Since then York and City and Regional officials have secured monies and fundraised to revive it.

New Democrat MPP Chris Glover said the people of Markham and York University have stepped up to fill a gap created when Doug Ford scrapped planned university campuses in Markham, Brampton and Milton.

Premier Doug Fords refusal to fund this incredibly important campus extension sends the troubling message to universities and colleges that this government will never invest in building, repairing, expanding or making more accessible university and college campuses, Glover said.

But, on Friday, Ford called the push a new, innovative approach to financing college and university expansions.

Instead of the Province writing multimillion-dollar cheques, we have developed a system that encourages the development of new campuses with a much smaller cost to the taxpayer, he added.

Construction on the new, $275.5-million campus starts this month on the two hectare (five-acre) site near Kennedy Road, north of Highway 407.

York University President Rhonda Lenton said the Markham Centre Campus will offer professionally relevant degree programs and micro-credentials with a strong focus on digital technologies, entrepreneurship and experiential education in high demand areas, such as business and entrepreneurship, data analytics, new media and communications.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said Ford had reversed the reckless decision he made two years ago.

While its never the wrong time to do the right thing, this is yet another flip-flop decision that cost valuable time, money, and resources.

Ford lost two years and has set-back the state of post-secondary education in one of the fastest growing regions in the province.
For the second time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, bars in New Orleans will be shuttered completely under a new order from Mayor LaToya Cantrell aimed at reversing a surge in new cases in the city that has officials bracing for increased strain on hospital resources.

The new order, which goes into effect Saturday morning, will ban the sale of go-cups from both bars and restaurants, eliminating a staple of the citys nightlife. Combined with statewide rules prohibiting bars from serving patrons on their premises, that amounts to a full closure of the citys watering holes and will add strain to the restaurants that had been using to-go alcohol sales to help limp through the pandemic.

Cantrell, speaking at a Friday afternoon press conference with other city officials, said the new restrictions are aimed particularly at Bourbon Street and other areas of the city where alcohol-fueled gatherings have gotten out of control. Officials have blamed that for a rise in COVID-19 cases, though New Orleans has fared better through the most recent outbreak than many other places in the state.

Restrictions will continue until we move into a position of better health in the city of New Orleans, Cantrell said.

+6 Keep fighting or close? For some New Orleans restaurants, reinvention shows another path A social media post from Namese this week brought the news that the Vietnamese restaurant had permanently closed, another in a drumbeat of suc

The concern among officials was less about the actual process of buying alcohol  after all, drive-through and take-out services have become a commonplace way of minimizing contact and the risk of infection. Instead, officials suggested the concern was the large gatherings where the alcohol was consumed.

That includes Bourbon Street, which has seen a steady flow of revelers recently, fueled by to-go drinks sold from some bars. While not the crushing crowds that would be seen in typical times, there have been far more people gathered than are allowed under city rules.

Cantrell also blasted parties and other gatherings that are already illegal under existing pandemic rules that limit indoor gatherings to 25 people and outdoor events to 50. Those include a return of party buses, none of which Cantrell said are permitted to operate in the city, and large parties at short-term rentals across the city.

Were not playing around, Cantrell warned those who flouted the rules. You will lose your permit indefinitely.

+8 Major coronavirus restriction for New Orleans: Sale of takeout alcoholic beverages prohibited New Orleans is ratcheting up coronavirus restrictions, prohibiting all bars and restaurants in the city from selling takeout alcoholic beverag

Bars have been a particular focus of coronavirus restrictions across the country, in large part because they are places people gather for long periods in large groups. That meant first a shut down in the spring before a restricted reopening in June.

Then, as cases surged in other parishes earlier this month, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced new rules prohibiting bars from serving anyone on their premises.

+2 Jefferson Parish business owners sue John Bel Edwards over mask mandate, coronavirus restrictions Four Jefferson Parish business owners filed suit Tuesday against Gov. John Bel Edwards, seeking to overturn his July 11 order mandating masks 

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

The yo-yoing back and forth has been frustrating for some bars and restaurants, many of which staffed up and ordered supplies and now will have to shut down, said Alex Fein, co-owner of the Court of the Two Sisters and president of the French Quarter Business League, which represents Bourbon Street establishments.

But Fein said his members understood the need to clamp down on the virus spread.

Since bars were restricted to takeout, the neighborhood bar Mid-City Yacht Club was still selling enough go drinks and takeout burgers and nachos to keep bartenders and cooks working. Now, though, co-owner Jeremy Sauer said it looks like even that trickle has dried up.

I can see why the mayor did it. I saw those photos of Bourbon Street, too. But I dont feel like thats the way it was going around town, he said. Some places around town were handling it correctly, but unfortunately now everyones being shut down.

Tucked deep into its namesake neighborhood, Mid-City Yacht Club is a low-key watering hole compared to the big clubs and restaurants on Bourbon Street. With all service conducted outside from a folding table under a pop-up tent, Sauer was confident the bar was following the latest protocols.

I feel like a few bad apples spoiled this for the whole community, he said. You cant stay in business on to-go food alone.

To help aid the restaurants impacted by the new rules, Cantrell said the city was rolling out a $250,000 program that would provide grants of up to $6,000 each to businesses that needed cash to expand their outdoor dining options. That comes as the city is also working on new rules that would allow businesses to use more outdoor space on sidewalks or in parking lanes converted into parklets.

New Orleans has seen cases tick up slowly since it entered the second phase of its reopening, though it has not seen the alarming rates of growth seen in other parts of the state.

In July the city has averaged about 80 new cases per day.

New Orleans July rates are roughly four times the daily average during Phase 1 and significantly higher than the citys own goal of 50 cases per day, and the growth is not due to increased testing alone. Those numbers, however, are far below the parishes like Lafayette, Jefferson, Calcasieu and East Baton Rouge, which have borne the brunt of the second outbreak. Each of those parishes has recorded an average of at least 140 cases per day since the start of July.

In many of those parishes, the hospital systems have been stretched thin in recent weeks as they deal with an influx of coronavirus patients on top of those with other ailments. While New Orleans hospitals are in good shape at the moment, thanks in part to a massive increase in ICU beds and other resources that were scaled up when the city was ravaged by the first outbreak in April, patients from other regions and from Mississippi are already being transferred to New Orleans. And continuing case growth will mean more hospitalized patients, said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the citys health department director.

Even though New Orleans is doing a lot better than a lot of parishes around us, all of them are increasing their cases and thats affecting the city and its hospitals, Avegno said.
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Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
SPRINGFIELD  The census, the once-every-ten-years count of the entire population of the United States, will be completed this year, but with perhaps more questions than in the past. Questions about who is counted, why they are counted and what it all means are still common.

The U.S. Census Bureaus Western Massachusetts team will host a series of what it calls Mobile Questionnaire Assistance events, or MQAs, all around Springfield in the next week to help residents understand the importance of this census.

Events will be held Monday from 2-5 p.m. at City Hall and throughout the coming days at libraries and schools.

Springfield Public Libraries

Monday: Mason Square, 2-5 p.m.

Tuesday: Forrest Park, 2-5 p.m.

Wednesday: Central, 2-5 p.m.

Thursday: Indian Orchard, 2-5 p.m.

Friday: Mason Square, 2-5 p.m.

Aug. 1: Forrest Park, 9 a.m. to noon; Central Library, 1-4 p.m.

Aug. 2: Indian Orchard, 2-5 p.m.

Springfield Public Schools, Food Distribution Sites

Daily timeframe: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Monday: Rebecca Johnson, Brookings and Lincoln Elementary Schools

Tuesday: Kensington and Boland Elementary Schools and High School of Commerce

Wednesday: Indian Orchard, Brookings and Milton Bradley Elementary Schools

Thursday: Rebecca Johnson and Boland Elementary Schools and High School of Commerce

Friday: Brookings and Lincoln Elementary Schools

The decennial census is mandated by Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. The population count that results from the census determines how many representatives are allocated to each state in the House of Representatives, and how billions of dollars in federal funding is distributed to local communities.

For more information, contact U.S. Census Bureaus Western Mass Team Partnership Specialist Troy Brin at 401-834-6704 or troy.j.brin@2020census.gov.
By Trend

Two of the largest and most influential Jewish organizations in the US and the world - the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Los Angeles Office of the American Jewish Committee (AJC-LA) - condemned violent assaults on Azerbaijani community members by an Armenians on July 21 in Los Angeles, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Ministry.

It is unacceptable that several Azerbaijani community members were violently assaulted at Tuesdays demonstration outside the Consulate General of Azerbaijan. Freedom of speech and assembly are sacrosanct, and violence against peaceful counter-protesters is a threat to American values and civil society," AJC-LA said.

"We urge LAPD to investigate these assaults fully and, if appropriate, file hate crime charges. We send our heartfelt prayers to the victims for their speedy recovery.

Simon Wiesenthal Center called the events 'shocking and disturbing'.

"LA is home to people with ties to all nations including Armenia and Azerbaijan. LA should be a place of reconciliation, not mob violence outside a Consulate. Freedom to protest is a basic right but never a license for violence. LAPD right to investigate a hate crime that sent Azerbaijanis to hospital.

The clashes between Azerbaijanis and Armenians in Los Angeles were triggered by gross ceasefire violations by Armenian armed forces on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the direction of Tovuz district of Azerbaijan. The fighting continued in the following several days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian armed forces.

Meanwhile a group of Armenians living in Los Angeles, California, attacked and injured a group of Azerbaijanis who gathered to peacefully protest the Armenian aggression.

The incident took place July 21 in front of Azerbaijan's Consulate in the city where Armenians verbally and physically assaulted Azerbaijanis across the street, despite tight security measures by the L.A. Police Department.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  The number of COVID-19 infections at the House of Representatives has climbed to 22, as a congressman, a consultant, and a staff writer tested positive for the coronavirus, Secretary General Jose Montales confirmed.

Montales said Saturday that the congressman who contracted the disease is asymptomatic and is now under home quarantine.

He added that the staff writer showed symptoms such as fever and colds, while the consultant also developed a fever but is now asymptomatic and is undergoing home isolation.

Contract tracing is ongoing, Montales said.

The lower house, where the president is expected to deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address, has already recorded three COVID-related deaths.
i always thought marshall vore was her only same-age boyfriend and then i found out he's 8 years older than her too so idk i'm rooting for this age appropriate pandemic coupling

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I thought Marshall was younger too!

Im side eyeing him because his gf is 21

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Love Phoebe, loooooved Normal People, hate that she flew there!! Stop flying to different countries during a pandemic challenge.

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Traveling during the pandemic is a no from me dawg BUT





Honestly good for her, hes cute and age appropriate. I was starting to believe the Conor Oberst rumors.

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The Conor rumors were true! They've been a thing for a while and she was even spending time at his house during lockdown so I'm very curious about what happened there

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I desperately need to know the timing of this whole situation tbh. Especially because she made her thirst for Paul fairly know when Normal People first came out and that was fairly early into lockdown.

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I like their music collabs but i dont think its a good life choice for her



Idk Im a very recent Phoebe fan (and Ive liked Conors music for years now)

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they can't be true id be mas forever, isnt he married with a kid and she is SOOOOOO much younger

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i know nothing about paul beyond "oh thank god he's her age" but good luck phoebe <333

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i thought she was dating that guy from reply all

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Wow thanks for risking people's lives just to get laid i guess

Will continue to ignore their body of work

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Straight girls are really into this mealy faced dude? She's pretty.

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I truly do not get it.

A few weeks back pics of this dude flooded my tl, except I didn't know who he was, haven't watched Normal People, and just kept thinking "this is just some guy" and was so confused.

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I only find Paul attractive in the show because of the character he plays. His dick is also not bad lol

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I could not get into Normal People cos he wasn't cute tbh, also he looks 40

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He looks he looks like a frat boy potato

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He only looks good with shadowy lighting. Lets be very real here.

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I don't see it for the both of them, but maybe they can make bread together.

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I think she's bi

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I love her but I'm judging the fuck out of her for this. Flying to another country and ignoring the 14 day self isolation guidelines just to hook up with some dude you barely know is nagl. Not to mention she was definitely with Conor Oberst during quarantine so I'm very curious to know what's going on between them.

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I love her music but the more I know of her personality the less I like her. tbh she strikes me as kind of a female edgelord these days, who probably thinks she'll be fine even if she gets infected 'cause she's young.

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The most frustrating thing about this is that during her interviews the past few months shes been super critical of other people not wearing masks and not taking the virus seriously! So for her to do this just to hook up with a dude who looks like lumpy oatmeal is so hypocritical and disappointing.

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She's very Online which i understand is a promotional tool but I find it very offputting

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it could be theyre just v good friends? (conor)

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lol encountering this opinion is making me feel less crazy for not being 100% down to meet up with my quarantine dude in September after we both will have just driven across the country (me from NY, him from OR) and he'll be attending a wedding (I'd be passing through on my way home to MN)

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This is a sweet pairing especially because they were being blatantly flirty on the TL a little bit ago but dont do any international travel during a global pandemic Phoebe!!!!

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This dude looks 34 to me, not 24 lol

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Ok Ill start Normal People tonight dammit

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Love to see people flying to other countries to hook up!!! 

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Oh, i didn't realize that Phoebe Bridgers was a different person from the Fleabag lady lol

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This is the lady who did Killing Eve.

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No, that's still Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

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I thought it was the same person for ages and I still have to really focus to figure out which person is being discussed.

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Literally just learned this on like Wednesday 

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right? i had to do a double take on this post, i was very confused as to why i was looking at that girl and not the fleabag lady

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Im afraid to go down the road for some strange, let alone another country - but I dont have someone in another country.

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i better hear paul's name (and daisy's) when emmys are announced tuesday or were gonna have trouble.

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The therapy monologue alone deserves at least a nom tbh

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Beaches have been littered with hundreds of disposable face masks as debris from 40 shipping containers which fell off a cargo ship continue to wash ashore.

About 326 face masks were single handedly picked up by Louis O'Neill at Bouddi National Park on the Central Coast of New South Wales this week.

The APL England was en route from China to Melbourne on May 24 when it hit wild weather about 73km south-east of Sydney.

Large swell caused the ship to roll and stacks of containers destabilised and fell into 2km-deep water, forcing the vessel to turn around and head towards Brisbane.

About 326 face masks were single handedly picked up by Louis O'Neill at Bouddi National Park on the Central Coast of New South Wales (pictured)

The APL England (pictured) was en route from China to Melbourne on May 24 when it hit wild weather about 73km south-east of Sydney

Mr O'Neill spotted the floating face masks and collected them to protect wildlife (pictured) at Bouddi National Park

Mr O'Neill said he previously collected face masks from the APL England but a new batch has recently washed ashore putting wildlife and sea creatures at risk.

'When the containers first went overboard, there were a lot of masks in the water, but this last set of storms brought in a whole wave of new ones,' he told Yahoo.

'I've picked up a lot in the past and thought we were beyond it, but now there's a fresh new batch.

'Really, it's just a tragic state of affairs, we're trying to look after ourselves, but at what cost?'

Some of the face masks collected by Mr O'Neill who is worried about the dangers they pose to wildlife

The face masks washed ashore (pictured) after the APL England lost containers back in May

Aliy Pott said the news about the cargo washing up on the beaches upset her so she went to help clean up the shore at Sydney's Coogee Beach.

'I saw a post last night before going to bed that someone had posted so I set my alarm for 6.30am and took down gloves and extra bags in case other people wanted to help clean up,' the 25-year-old previously told Daily Mail Australia.

'Within an hour I had collected hundreds of masks, hundreds of plastic containers and filled up bags of rubbish.

'I would love to go back down the next few days and I'm hoping that other people are feeling inspired to do the same thing because it's going to need a lot more than one person to do it.

'And we all have a chance to make a difference in this in this devastating accident for the environment.'

Local resident Aliy Pott (pictured) and co-founder of Australian organic beverage company Naturally Driven, helped clean up at Coogee Beach

Ms Pott said Coogee 'looked like a tip' and that the beach was covered in medical masks and plastic containers (pictured)

Wildlife Victoria CEO Megan Davidson has urged Australians to dispose of face masks thoughtfully to protect animals.

She suggested washable or reusable face masks to protect wildlife compared to the disposable ones.

If using a disposable mask, Ms Davidson requests people cut off the elastics to stop wildlife from being tangled in them.

Face masks are being encouraged in Australia and the rest of the world due to the deadly coronavirus.

'If you are out of your home for one of the four reasons, then you need to be wearing a mask and I stress - or a face covering - it need not be a hospital grade mask, it need not be one of the handmade masks,' Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday

Residents in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire are now required to wear face masks when they leave the house for the four permitted reasons including, exercise, medical attention, work and to purchase necessary items.

Those who don't wear a mask, unless exempted, risk a fine of $200.

People living in regional Victoria are also encouraged to wear face masks as a precautionary as the state battles through a second wave.

'If you are out of your home for one of the four reasons, then you need to be wearing a mask and I stress - or a face covering - it need not be a hospital grade mask, it need not be one of the handmade masks,' Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday.

'Any face covering is better than no face-covering.'

Up to three million face masks have been ordered by the Victorian government as local businesses and companies work round the clock to meet demand.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Scattered snow showers early with a steadier snow developing late. Low 26F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Scattered snow showers early with a steadier snow developing late. Low 26F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
During the debate over the First Step Act, conservatives favoring lenient treatment for felons liked to point to Texas where, supposedly, enlightened programs were rehabilitating criminals with remarkable success. These evidence-based programs were cited to justify shorter sentences for, and the early release of, federal felons who took various courses while incarcerated. The usually sensible Sen. John Cornyn helped lead this charge, as did Heritage Foundation.

No disrespect to Texas, but in fact it has not succeeded where reformers dating back to the time of Jeremy Bentham failed. Properly analyzed, the statistics dont demonstrate substantial success for its evidence-based rehabilitation programs.

Nor will the friends and family of Jenny and Bao Lam be impressed by Texas ability to rehabilitate felons. Bill Otis directs our attention to this report:

Jenny and Bao Lam, both 61, were living the American dream. They immigrated to the United States with nothing, worked hard, sacrificed, and ended up becoming a Subway franchisee with six restaurants in the Houston area. They had two children, a son and a daughter, and both eventually went on to attend affluent colleges. The son became a captain in the United States Air Force. On January 11, 2018, Thursday night, Jenny and Bao Lam returned to their Northgate Country Club gated community home and were ambushed as they parked their car into the garage by Erick Alfredo Peralta, 20, half-brothers Aakeil Ricardo Kendrick, 21, and Khari Ty Kendrick, 23. Houston police believed and later proven rightthe couple was targeted because they were Asian. African-American youths have been targeting the Asian community for several years from Los Angeles, Houston to New York and across the Atlantic to London and Paris. . . Jenny and Bao were tied up and beaten for information. Once the murderers obtained the safe combination from the couple; they were both shot in the head, execution-style.

At least one of the perpetrators is a graduate of the Texas prison system and, presumably, some of its evidence-based rehabilitation courses:

Khari Kendrick was. . .supposed to be sentenced to 30 years in prison for a string of 20 burglaries. . . but he was freed after serving only three years by the state parole commission in an attempt to help reform African-American youths. . . as demand[ed] by Black Lives Matter-backed coalitions.

The Lams arent the only Texans murdered by an alum of Texas prisons who was released early. Houstons first Sikh police officer, Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, was gunned down by Robert Solis when he pulled Solis over for a routine traffic stop.

Solis had a 30-year career criminal history that includes burglary, theft, multiple arrests for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, robbery with a deadly weapon, drunk driving, and multiple kidnapping charges. In 2002, Solis was convicted for shooting a man in the leg and then holding his own toddler son hostage with a gun during a standoff with police. He was sentenced to 20 years, but thanks to Texas jailbreak policies, was let out in 2014 after serving just 12.

As difficult as it may be to believe, Texas evidence-based rehabilitation programs didnt reform Solis. Deputy Dhaliwal paid the price.

These are the real world consequences of jailbreak policies in Texas and elsewhere. The U.S. has a serious under-incarceration problem and, with the complicity of some conservatives, the problem is getting worse.

UPDATE: Here, via Daniel Horowitz, is another appalling example of our under-incarceration problem. Its from Florida.
Not every day that grandparents become social media influencers. Perhaps there are ads, and television commercials that feature the older individuals, but they are mostly for the products consumed by their age group.

Reef Chang, the grandson of two elderly, 83 and 84 years old, decided to put up his grandparents Chang Wan-ji and Hsu Hsiu-e over at Instagram to represent their laundry shop's brand. Not bad, the Instagram posts are gaining followers and likes even until today.

This deviates from the usual trend wherein younger models and beauty image models are those who are in-demand to represent these brands. Very rarely, consumers find the elderly in young-looking and stylish fashion, representing businesses or products unless they are products within their age group -- maintenance meds.

Instagram sensation

The Instagram account is named @wantshowasyoung, which now has more than 50,000 followers. It featured the elderly couple wearing fashionable outfits and posting in front of laundry washing machines.

These are also featured on the Facebook page The Idea King.

"Living their best life in their 80s!! Now THAT'S #couplegoals," said one commenter on social media.

PR firm Publicity Asia Worldwide, which has handled celebrities and other brands in Southeast Asia and neighboring countries, believes that celebrities are among the most effective representatives of brands.

It seems that Reef Chang, the grandson whom the idea came from, chooses a different path. He appears to be placing human interest in his story so that he decided to take photographs of his grandparents wearing the clothes washed from the laundry shop.

"Their business is not always busy. They would doze off in the shop, and their spirits weren't high. So I thought since our family has these clothes, I can remind people to pick up their clothes, and remind my grandparents their life can still be great even in old age," Change said in the BBC report.

pic.twitter.com/9Sz2hFC1Gj Taiwanese Elderly Couple In Their 80 Pose With Clothes Left Behind At Their Laundry Shop https://t.co/S04eJ4t9HA  Scott Cameron (@evolvein) July 23, 2020

Also Read: Instagram May Help Save Lives With Suicide Prevention Tool

Out of boredom

They mixed and matched the outfits, edited the images to enhance, and posted these on social media. The followers and the likes came in as a surprise.

He said they just wanted to break the ice and beat boredom in their community in Houli, Taiwan.

He consulted with his friends to find good matching clothes, from blouses, shorts, skirts, and shirts. They also accessorized these with hats, purses, and glasses.

The Cuban-inspired photographers reminded of the vintage life of the 1980s, the report added.

"Dress like that, I feel 30 years younger," one of the grandparents Wan-ji said.

Wan-ji also started out as a laundry professional when he was 14 years old, as the BBC indicated.

"In the past, clothes were very expensive," he narrated. "When I got married, it cost an ox-cart loaded with 20 bags of rice to pay for my suit. And back then, clothes were so valuable that you could take them to the pawnshop if you needed money."

Also Read: Friends Can Now Repost Your Instagram Stories, But Here's The Catch

Age really isnt an obstacle to looking amazing 83-year-old Wan Ji and his wife, 84-year-old Xiue are posing in the clothes left behind by clients at their Taiwanese laundry shop Check their Instagram page @wantshowasyoung for more stylish pics! pic.twitter.com/lo00repOOo  Light FM Lebanon (@lightfmlebanon) July 24, 2020

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Influencer Joanne Theng (left) and City Revival founder Jaime Wong in a Christian video talk posted on Instagram.

UPDATE: City Revival removed the video and apologised for its contents on 25 July. See updated story below.

SINGAPORE  Two members of a Christian group in Singapore have met with backlash from viewers and the LGBTQ community after they said in a video that gay people were influenced by Satan.

In the video talk on Instagram by Jaime Wong, founder and director of the group City Revival, and former actress Joanna Theng, the pair said the gay movement was a manifestation of the biblical devils plan to insult God.

Theng, 22, starred in Mediacorps Channel 8 drama, While We Are Young, in 2017. She is also an influencer with close to 140,000 followers on TikTok and over 46,000 followers on Instagram.

City Revival describes itself as a ministry training school for youths under non-profit organisation City On A Hill. Its website says that it is an inter-generational and inter-denominational Christian community that seeks to empower and give Christians the platform, guidance, and resources they need to create content centred around sports, arts, and media to further God's kingdom.

Netizens have posted many comments on the Instagram pages of Theng and City Revival, criticising them for their homophobic comments demonising gay people as agents of the devil.

In the 14-minute video, Wong says, Have you ever wondered why the gay pride celebrates pride? Because Satan knows that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. So Satan wants mankind to celebrate the very thing that God opposes: pride.

Have you ever wondered why the gay pride uses a six-coloured rainbow flag as a symbol for love? Satan knows that God is love. In the Bible, the rainbow is a symbol of the peace and love of God...The biblical rainbow has seven colours. Seven is a number symbolic of perfection in the Bible and it appears everywhere in Revelation...On the contrary, the mark of the beast is the number 666.

Theng said, Is it a coincidence that the gay pride celebrates taking pride in distorting the true symbol of the love and peace of God with the six-coloured rainbow flag? We believe this movement is one of the ways that Satan the spiritual force has influenced the physical realm to manifest in ways that insult and show contempt for God.

Story continues

Yahoo Lifestyle SEA reached out to Theng for comment but she had not replied at the time of this articles publication. She posted a comment defending herself on Instagram on Thursday (23 July), saying that she has many LGBTQ friends. I have never hated and never will hate on anyone in the LGBTQ+ community in my midst...Disagreeing with an act does not mean I do not love a person.

Mission in sharing Gods love and truth

In another of City Revivals videos, Theng says her mission lies in sharing Gods love and truth with others through the content that she posts online.

Yahoo Lifestyle SEA also contacted City Revival. An employee said that the group would not be speaking to the media.

Pauline Ong, a pastor at the Free Community Church, the only officially LGBTQ-affirming church in Singapore, said, What is very clear is that there is symbolism and the use of imagery and metaphors throughout the book of Revelation. This means we need to take extra care when interpreting what the text says, as it can be very damaging when the text is misused.

Over the years, many have tried to demonise others and look for the Antichrist based on their own readings of the text. Unfortunately, this is what is happening here and we feel it is important to say this is not how most Christians would understand or interpret this text.

We may each have our interpretation but I think the litmus test is this: if our interpretation oppresses others, if it doesn't give life, then we need to rethink our interpretation. Such interpretations demonise and dehumanise others, and often leads to justification of violence against them  this is not the gospel, this is not love.

In the City Revival video, Wong and Theng also denounced abortion and glorification of suicide as lies by Satan to kill people. They also said that the Holocaust was a scheme by the devil to eradicate Jews.

Wong said in another of City Revivals videos that she believed the filmmakers of the blockbuster Avengers movies were led by Satan to create parallels in the story to the Bibles Book of Revelation.

Activists have said LGBTQ people in Singapore suffer persistent discrimination and stigma. Sex between men is illegal under Section 377A of the Penal Code. The authorities have said the law is not actively enforced but is still in place to reflect the moral views of the conservative majority.

Local broadcaster Mediacorp recently apologised for homophobic tropes in a TV drama following a backlash from viewers and the LGBTQ community.

Several legal challenges against 377A have been heard in the courts over the years. Three such cases were dismissed by the High Court in March this year.

Apology issued on Instagram on Saturday

Wong posted an apology on Instagram in the wee hours of Saturday, and removed the video that had been the subject of criticism.

She said she personally scripted all the three videos that were part of City Revivals online Bible study series. The video that sparked criticism had been the third video in the series, posted on Wednesday (22 July).

She said she had been part of the queer community and had pursued a same-sex relationship with a woman in the past. She later became a Christian.

In a statement in a video, Wong said, Dear LGBT community, Id like to share a personal message with you. If theres a group of people I identify with the most, it would be the LGBT community, because I was one of you.

She added, I understand the hurt and anger that some of you may be experiencing and the motivation behind your comments in my last video. I accept them. And Im sorry that the video has caused you to feel this way.

It was never my intention to hurt or to condemn anyone... I understand that you may disagree with me on my truth, but every person has the right to their beliefs and to speak up for what they believe in... Having said this, I have decided to remove the video from the public domain in the spirit of peace.

This is the video with Wongs statement in full:

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NEW DELHI : India and the UK have affirmed their commitment to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) with a view to further strengthen economic ties, the commerce ministry said on Saturday.

The issue was discussed in the 14th Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting between the two countries on Friday. It was co-chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UK Secretary of State for International Trade Elizabeth Truss.

They were assisted by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Hardeep Singh Puri and his UK counterpart Ranil Jayawardena.

Goyal and Truss "affirmed their shared commitment to an FTA and towards that, Early Harvest deals in a staged manner," the ministry said in a statement. It added that Puri and Jayawardena will have monthly meetings to intensify the dialogue.

It was also decided that a meeting led by Goyal and Truss will be held in Autumn 2020 here to carry forward the dialogue.

In an FTA, two trading partners eliminate or significantly reduce import duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them.

The statement also said that the co-chairs of business led Joint Working Groups on life science and health, ICT and food and drink set up during the last JETCO made their recommendations to the ministers.

"Both sides resolved to cooperate in the health sector especially in view of the present pandemic of COVID-19," it said.

The bilateral trade between the two countries stood at USD 15.5 billion in 2019-20 as against USD 16.87 billion in 2018-19.

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Parents who bring their children on holiday to a country not on the green list will still have to pay creche fees despite them not being allowed to attend for two weeks, a childcare company has warned.

Links Childcare, which runs 11 creches across Dublin, has advised parents they must inform the creche manager about any upcoming travel.

"If the country to which they are travelling is not on the green list, the children must self-isolate for 14 days on their return to Dublin and may not attend creche," the company said.

"The green list is liable to regularly change or amend.

"For the purpose of this policy, the green list that applies is the one in existence on the date of return from the foreign country.

"Full creche fees apply during the period of self-isolation. All families returning to creche after holidays will be asked to sign a declaration."

Links operates creches in Portmarnock, Malahide, Drumcondra and Leopardstown.

It said the safety and welfare of children and staff was of "paramount importance".

As part of its childcare policies and procedures during Covid-19 restrictions, the company said it was introducing these restrictions in line with the Department of Health's travel advice.

"This policy is issued to ensure the health and safety of all," Links stated.

"It should be read against a backdrop of Government advice that all unessential foreign travel is to be avoided and that the safest option for holidays in 2020 is to remain in Ireland."

Parents were notified of the policy on July 23.

It comes after it emerged separately that a childcare worker at a creche in Dublin tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from a trip abroad. Parents whose children attend the facility received a message alerting them to the fact that a childcare worker had contracted the virus. The memo sent out last weekend stated that the member of staff who attended work for one day on Monday, July 13, had tested positive for Covid-19.

According to HSE guidelines, if there is a confirmed case of Covid in a childcare setting, the facility will be contacted by a public health official to identify anyone who has been in contact with them during the period they were infectious. They will also advise them on any actions or precautions that should be taken.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 25 : IAS officer Anupam Mishra, who was suspended from service in March on charge of violating home-quarantine directive, has been reinstated and posted in Alappuzha district of Kerala.

Mishra, a 2016-batch officer, had arrived in Kollam to take charge as Sub Collector in March. As he informed his superiors that he had gone abroad, he was asked to quarantine himself at his official residence in Kollam, about 70 km from here.

When officials tried to contact him later on, he was traced at his hometown Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

An official explanation was called from him, which was not accepted, after which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered for his suspension.

His reinstatement came after he submitted an apology letter for his indiscretion.
When Oceana County became a hot spot for coronavirus in June, public health officials pointed to the big reason: Outbreaks at five area farm and manufacturing facilities.

Health officials declined to name the businesses, a stance that got push back at a June 29 online town hall. Residents noted the Grand Traverse Health Department had just publicized the names of eight bars and vineyards visited by a group whose members later tested positive for COVID-19.
Unveiling of the memorial bench in Courtown in memory of Willie Byrne. A sum of 2,300 was raised in support of the Irish Hospice Irish Foundation and Memorial Bench Fund at a function in Ambrose Moloneys. From left: Paul McCluskey, Martin Laird, Paul Doyle, organiser, Mick O Neill, Byrne family: Paul Ann and Liam, Karin Sutherland, organiser, Joanne Young and Robbie Ireton

Courtown Harbour welcomed a new addition to the popular square with the installation of the late Willie Byrne's very own memorial bench.

Willie passed away last year and he is remembered fondly as a character of the area. The Byrne family described being overwhelmed by the kind gesture of the memorial bench.

'This bench, while remembering Willie, will also stand as a testament to the welcoming and friendly nature of the people of Courtown, a community that he loved deeply. We are overwhelmed by the gesture of the Courtown community in remembering our late father Willie in this way,' they said.

Having first visited in the 1970s, Willie and his wife Ann became semi-permanent fixtures in Courtown in the 1990s when they purchased a mobile home. The draw of Courtown proved too great to resist and they sold up in Dublin and took up permanent residence in 2005.

Willie has been described as a 'character' and the people of Courtown welcomed him into their hearts from the very start.

'As a family we saw the love the Courtown community had for Willie following his sad passing in February 2019. The outpouring of grief was astonishing and we will be forever grateful for the love and support shown at that difficult time,' the family said.

The Byrne family would like to acknowledge the fantastic efforts of Paul Doyle whose vision and efforts has seen the installation of the memorial. His fundraising efforts have also benefited the Hospice charities, something that Willie would have been very proud of. They are also grateful to Peter Kavanagh of Kavanaghs of Gorey for his wonderful inscription and installation of the bench. In addition, they would like to thank Mick O'Neill and all the staff in Ambrose Maloney's pub for their support during the fundraising efforts.

'To the wider Courtown community: we want to thank you for taking Willie to your hearts, supporting us through his illness and remembering him fondly in the way you have. Sit, ponder and enjoy.'
On July 19, President Nicolas Maduro said it was lie that Venezuela had received $20 million from the U.S. to fight the coronavirus pandemic under an agreement with the opposition National Assembly.

During a televised pandemic update, Maduro claimed Venezuela has been fighting the pandemic with its own resources and no outside help.

The United States government for three months has been offering 20 million dollars  They gave the order to their puppet, the stupid, to sign a humanitarian agreement with the legitimate government that I preside over, Maduro said.

He added: [The] 20 million dollars does not come. [Thats a] lie. Everything that comes from the gringo empire is a lie.

His statements are misleading.

The one-page agreement Maduro referred to was signed on June 1 by the Venezuelas health minister, Dr. Carlos Alvarado, the National Assemblys health adviser, Julio Castro, and the Pan American Health Association's (PAHO) representative in Venezuela, Dr. Gerardo de Cosio.

It did not stipulate how much money would be involved. Rather, it committed both sides in the running stalemate over Venezuelas rightful leadership to work together to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

The agreement aimed to create official channels for PAHO to help in fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela. It guaranteed that the equation resources / access and donations / access can be met, and would not be exploited, politicized or hindered by the regime, Miguel Pizarro, an opposition leader and one of the architects of the agreement, told Venezuelan newspaper Cronica.Uno.

PAHO will be in charge of prioritizing locations to receive assistance aimed at increasing diagnostic capacity, protecting health workers, responding to confirmed cases, increasing epidemiological surveillance and improving risk communication with the population.

In the interview with Cronica.Uno, Pizarro said money for the response would come from the National Liberation Fund, which was approved by the National Assembly in February and launched in April with about $80 million from Venezuelan assets abroad frozen under U.S. sanctions.

At the end of March, opposition leader Juan Guaido announced the recovery of $20 million in frozen funds, which would be made available to international humanitarian organizations operating in Venezuela. In an email to Polygraph.info, a PAHO spokesperson said that while it had not received that $20 million, the organization "is implementing other existing funds to move the agreement forward."

Other countries that previously froze Venezuelan funds also have said they will transfer assets to PAHO. The Spanish government, for example, announced a transfer on June 4, although the amount wasnt disclosed.

PAHOs communication team added that [t]he funds used for [the agreement] are existing PAHO funds that had been mobilized for pandemic response in Venezuela. It also said that the implementation of actions in the country have been discussed and approved, and priority has been made to ensure the purchase of PPE (which is in process).

On Wednesday (July 22), Dr. Julio Castro, one of the signatories of the agreement, tweeted a spreadsheet showing where the PPE had already been delivered in the country. It included the states of Zulia, Tachira, Apure, Bolivar, Miranda and Distrito Capital (where part of Caracas, the capital, is located).

The appeal for a collaboration between both parties was first made on March 28, two weeks after Venezuela confirmed its first COVID-19 case. At the time, Guaido called for the formation of a national emergency government and the implementation of a response plan.

The plan, called Plan Jose Maria Vargas  after the former Venezuelan president, who was also a doctor  included importing essential medical equipment, constructing wells for hospitals and requesting $1.2 million from international financial organizations.

Guaido and Maduro have fought for control of the country since a disputed presidential in 2018. In January 2019, Guaido, as leader of the National Assembly, declared himself Venezuelas legitimate president and quickly received support from the United States and some U.S. allies.

Maduro, who opponents accuse of corruption, has remained in power with the support of Venezuelas military. Meantime, the country has spiraled into economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis, with the coronavirus only adding to the problem.

Maduro insists the country and his government are being unfairly attacked. Thank God we have medical professionals. Thank God we have guaranteed treatments for all who need, he said during his July 19 remarks.

Reuters reported that COVID-19 cases have multiplied in recent weeks, triggering alarms from doctors and opponents who say that the government did not provide hospitals in time to combat the disease.

In June, Polygraph.info found that Maduro had glossed over the seriousness of the pandemic. PAHO reported in 2018 that a third of Venezuelas 66,000 doctors had fled the country by 2014 as the economy fell apart.

Maduro said on July 19 that Venezuela had nearly 410 new infections in 24 hours, putting the total COVID-19 cases in the country at 11,890. But experts say the real numbers are much higher.

According to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine tracking site, the country had 13,164 reported COVID-19 cases and 124 deaths as of July 23. Infections have been rising sharply since mid-May.

In a May study, the Venezuelan Academy of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences concluded that "the tests carried out so far in Venezuela are insufficient to adequately estimate the true size of the COVID-19 epidemic in Venezuela."

It also concluded that "underreporting is estimated to be 63% at best and at worst 95% of symptomatic cases as of April 23, 2020.

Correction: An initial version of this fact check mistakenly suggested PAHO already had access to the $20 million in unfrozen funds. PAHO later clarified that was not so. We regret the error.
It is anybody's guess if Boris Johnson will invite the Hong Kong Chinese, who have the expertise, to help him build this bridge?





by Victor Cherubim





The British public are fully aware that Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is keen to sign on a series of bold projects during his time in office, but particularly to uplift the economy which has gone into a tail-spin after the Coronavirus pandemic.









He is in Scotland today ahead of his one year anniversary as Prime Minister of all of United Kingdom, on Friday 24 July 2020. We are told he has no plans to meet the Scottish First Minister,Ms.Nicola Sturgeon,but instead meet with businesses hit by the pandemic,especially those working in green energy, and military personnel to thank them for their efforts in response to the Coronavirus.





Yesterday 22 July 2020 he used his first-in-person Cabinet meeting to inform his Ministers to "be more visible" in Scotland and engage more with the Scottish media,as he tried hard to mend tensions over Brexit.





As Foreign Secretary,Mr.Johnson had insisted:"What we need to do is build a bridge between our islands.Why don't we?" He did not however say that if the Chinese can build the longest combined Tunnel bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge 55 kilometres (35 miles) long opened on 6 February 2018, Britain has also the engineering capacity to follow suit.





The Boris Bridge





The plan is to build,build,build - a way out of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. But the question is,how will he fund this infrastructure. This is on the minds of many, but he seems assured and his Chancellor of the Exchequer is equally ambitious. His Northern Ireland Secretary,Brandon Lewis has summarised by stating: " more connectivity is good for the U.K. as a whole and is good for the economy and it can deliver jobs for the 900,000 Scots eager to get a "move on".





Big infrastructure projects throughout history, have been sometimes controversial, difficult, to say the least. But whether it be the development agreement between Ethiopia and Egypt for the Nile signed days ago, or the feasibility study for the Boris Bridge linking UK, they seem to be the right thing to uplift the economy.





It is estimated a bridge made of steel and concrete,would consist of two levels - one for vehicle traffic and one for a railway, similar to the road-rail bridge in Europe - the Oresund Bridge (8 km;5 miles) connecting Malmo Sweden and the Danish capital,Copenhagen, perhaps, not as ambitious as the Euro Tunnel between Dover and Calais.





Boris Johnson seriously believes it would ease the strain on air routes, but that seems to be not the real reason. He has seen through the advantage of such a bridge for future trade between the United Kingdom and the European Union, even though a Brexit is on the brink on 31 December 2020.?





It is anybody's guess if Boris Johnson will invite the Hong Kong Chinese, who have the expertise, to help him build this bridge?





One thing is certain,Boris is set to announce funding for a study to explore the viability of linking Scotland to Northern Ireland.





It is part of the P.M.'s 5 billion "build,build,build" strategy to help UK recover from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.





The Bridge envisaged between Portpatrick, Scotland and Larne,Northern Ireland would span 28 miles and estimated to cost in the region of 20 billion to build.





The Cost - the opportunity cost?





Critics have hit out at the enormous cost of this bridge project. Some have said the money would be better off spent tackling existing issues within Northern Ireland,a view echoed by N.Ireland's Unionist Party (UUP) Leader,Steve Aiken. The Democratic Unionist Party however, has said,"the bridge is a cracking idea".





However,First Minister of Scotland,Nicola Sturgeon, who has taken Scotland a different route out of lock down from England, has previously dismissed the idea of a bridge as "a vanity project." But money is where the mouth is?





Besides, there are hidden risks in the unspoken World War II munitions still to be unearthed in the Irish Sea. This appears not to have been cleared for a reason, perhaps, a security reason, no one knows.
A Kurdish-Iranian refugee who wrote an award-winning book on his mobile phone while held in one of Australia's notorious Pacific detention camps has been granted asylum in New Zealand, officials said Friday.

Behrouz Boochani has been in New Zealand since November when he applied for refugee status after attending a literary festival to speak about his six years in limbo under Australia's hardline immigration policies.

Immigration New Zealand said Boochani's application had been successful, which means he has the right to stay in the South Pacific nation indefinitely.

"Mr. Boochani has been recognised as a refugee under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol," it said in a brief statement, refusing to release further details on privacy grounds.

Reports said the decision was relayed to the author on Thursday, his 37th birthday.

A relieved Boochani vowed to continue campaigning for refugee rights from his adopted homeland, where he will apply for permanent residency.

"I now have certainty about my future, which is good, but I cannot fully enjoy this or celebrate while the Australian government is still unfairly detaining people in Port Moresby, Nauru and Australia," he said in a statement.

Boochani is currently working as a researcher at Canterbury University in the South Island city of Christchurch.

Award-winning book written on WhatsApp

He painstakingly tapped out his book "No Friend But The Mountains" on WhatsApp while detained in the Australian-run Manus Island migrant camp off Papua New Guinea, which is now officially closed.

After being pulled from a sinking boat in Australian waters in 2013, Boochani was held in Papua New Guinea under a policy adopted by Canberra to prevent asylum seekers arriving by sea from setting foot on Australian soil.

His account of his plight won numerous awards, including Australia's richest literary honour, the Victorian Prize for Literature.

Story continues

New Zealand Green Party human rights spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman, a longtime supporter of Boochani, said the refugee decision showed her country was "a place where fairness and compassion prevails".

"People escaping torture and persecution based on their religion, race, and political activism deserve a place to call home, they deserve protection," she said.

"We welcome Behrouz wholeheartedly."

He fled Iran for Indonesia in 2013 when the Kurdish magazine he wrote for was raided by the military for publishing anti-government articles.

He then paid a people-smuggler to take him to Australia but the voyage ended with him being sent to Manus Island.

(AFP)
Posted on Friday, July 24, 2020

KINGSVILLE (July 24, 2020)  Emeka Obi has done something no other student at Texas A&M University-Kingsville has done. The sophomore from Lago, Nigeria received the Jo Anne J. Trow Scholarship from Alpha Lambda Delta, the National Honor Society for First-Year Success.

Obi is an electrical engineering major with minors in math and computer science at Texas A&M-Kingsville. To be the first Texas A&M-Kingsville student to receive this scholarship is truly a great honor, he said. I am very sure that more Texas A&M-Kingsville students will follow. It brings me great pleasure that I would be leading this line.

He is currently interning for VISA payment services company as a software engineer and he is historian of the National Society of Black Engineers. He is a senator for the Student Government Association and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the Association of Computing Machinery and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

This year, Alpha Lambda Delta has awarded 50 Trow scholarships across the country. Selection is based on maintaining a 3.5 grade point average, academic records, participation in Alpha Lambda Delta activities, campus and community service activities and the applicants essay answers.

Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes students academic success during their first year at their college or university.

-TAMUK-
Ryan Dorsey, pictured with late ex-wife Naya Rivera, is making his first public statement regarding her July 2020 death (Photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)

Naya Riveras ex-husband Ryan Dorsey has made his first public statement regarding the Glee stars tragic death in a California boating accident.

This is so unfair...there's not enough words to express the hole left in everyone's hearts, the Ray Donovan star wrote on Instagram Saturday under a photo of Rivera with the couples 4-year-old son Josey. I can't believe this is life now. I don't know if I'll ever believe it. You were just here...We were just in the back swimming with Josey the day before. Life just isn't fair.

Admitting that he was at a loss for words, the 37-year-old, who was married to Rivera from 2014 to 2018, shared gratitude for their relationship which gave us the sweetest and kindest smart little boy we could ever hope for.

On July 8, Josey was found sleeping alone on a boat at Lake Piru in Ventura County, Calif., which Rivera had rented for the day. With the 33-year-old presumed dead, authorities launched a search-and-recovery effort that lasted five days before Riveras body was pulled from the lake. Her cause of death, per the Ventura County Medical Examiners Office, was drowning.

Related: Naya Rivera from child star to 'Glee' and motherhood

After Riveras death, former Glee stars Heather Morris and Lea Michele shared tribute photos on social media, praising her brilliance and humor. And rapper ex-fiance Big Sean called her a hero who saved your son. In a press conference, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said Rivera may have mustered enough energy to get her son back on to the boat, but not enough to save herself. Josey told authorities that he saw his mother disappear under the water.

However Dorsey, who was pictured at the lake as the search ensued, has not publicly spoken out until now. I remember sometimes you used to get annoyed at me: Ryan can you stop snap chatting! he reflected in his Instagram post. Haha. I'm glad I didn't listen to you because I have hundreds and probably thousands of snaps and videos that Josey will have forever and know his momma loved him more than life, and how much fun we had together as he was growing up.

Story continues

Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey are pictured together in 2014. (Photo: Getty Images)



Dorsey added, Life is all about good times and bad times but with Josey it makes the bad a little less so because a part of you will always be with us. He'll never forget where he came from. We miss you. We will always love you. Love you, he said referring to Rivera as Meep.

In an afterthought, Dorsey shared, To everyone that reached out and I haven't had a chance to or just didn't get back to you...thank you all for the overwhelming love and support you've sent our way, he wrote.

I'll just say in closing, be kind to yourself, be kind to others, forgive...forget...don't hold grudges....if you have nothing nice to say maybe try not to say anything, he added. There's peace in silence. Time on Earth is precious and you just never know....you never know what could happen. Hold your loved ones close, and cherish the times you have with those you care about.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
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Anti-communist protesters have gathered outside of the Chinese consulate in Houston to jeer its ejected staffers as the U.S. takes control of the alleged spying hub, while China orders the American consulate in Chengdu to close in an escalating tit-for-tat.

About 100 Chinese activists gathered at the consulate in Houston on Friday, shouting slogans denouncing communism and heckling staff as they abandoned the diplomatic mission ahead of a 4pm deadline imposed by the Trump administration.

Some held American flags as they watched workers loading belongings from the five-story building into trucks.

Protesters cheered when a tractor trailer circled the building with giant signs that read: 'Freedom from Communism,' and 'God Bless America.'

Protesters gathered outside of the Chinese consulate in Houston to jeer China's diplomats as they were forced to abandon the facility by the Trump administration. Above, the protesters are seen with Trump flags and South Vietnam's former flag

Other anti-Communist protesters gathered outside of the Houston embassy with American and other unidentified flags

Chinese officials wave towards departing staff ahead of the closure of China's Consulate in Houston on Friday

Protesters hold up signs and flags outside of the Chinese consulate in Houston on Friday after the US State Department ordered China to close it. China called it a 'political provocation' that will further harm diplomatic relations

The US ordered China to close its Houston consulate, where protesters gathered on Friday to heckle the Chinese diplomats

Soon after the deadline passed, U.S. officials breached the abandoned facility and took control, using hammers and pry bars to gain entry to the building, where days ago Chinese staffers were seen frantically burning documents in a courtyard before departing.

According to a witness, Chinese consulate staff had exited the building shortly after 4pm and left in vehicles. The back door was then forced open.

Chinese authorities have called on Washington to reverse its decision, and said the closure of the diplomatic office was 'breaking down the friendship bridge.'

The consulate in Houston was a well-known center of Chinese spying, U.S. officials told NBC News.

Multiple U.S. officials told the network that the Houston consulate has long been used by the Chinese government to steal valuable medical research, and was involved in attempts to infiltrate the oil and natural gas industries.

They said the consulate is well-fortified, was hardened to prevent U.S. surveillance, and was a high-tech communications hub to coordinate and execute various spying operations.

Federal officials and a locksmith work on a door to make entry into the vacated Consulate General of China building Friday

A group of people use power tools to try to pry open a rear door of the Chinese consulate in Houston on Friday

The team did not confirm their identity when asked by reporters on the scene, but are thought to be US officials inspecting

Protesters hold up signs and flags outside of the Chinese consulate in Houston on Friday as the facility was abandoned

US officials say the Houston consulate was a hub for Chinese spying and attempts to steal valuable trade secrets

Small fires were seen being ignited in the courtyard of the building on Tuesday evening as Chinese staff burned documents

The Chinese consulate in Houston was one of five in the U.S., not counting the embassy in Washington DC.

The U.S. has an embassy in Beijing and consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Wuhan and Hong Kong.

On Saturday, security was tight outside the U.S. consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu as staff inside prepared to leave, a day after China ordered it to close in response to a U.S. order for China to shut its consulate in Houston.

The tit-for-tat consulate closures have brought a sharp deterioration in relations between the world's two largest economies.

A consulate emblem inside the compound was removed as staff could be seen pushing trolleys and several consulate vehicles came and went.

Police, including many plain clothes officers, gathered outside and closed off the street to traffic.

Neither the consulate in the southwestern Chinese city nor the U.S. embassy in Beijing have responded to requests for comment on the closure.

Policemen march past the US consulate in Chengdu on Saturday after Beijing ordered the facility to be closed

A worker removes the sign at the entrance to the US consulate in Chengdu, in Sichuan province on Saturday

Chinese police form a cordon around the US consulate in Chengdu as a bus is seen entering the compound. US diplomats were given a deadline of 10am on Monday to vacate the diplomatic mission in Chengdu

The Chinese order to close it was retaliation after the Trump administration gave China until 4 p.m. last Friday to vacate its consulate in the Texas city.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the consulate had been 'a hub of spying and intellectual property theft'.

The U.S. consulate in Chengdu was also given 72 hours to close, or until 10am on Monday, the editor of China's Global Times tabloid said on Twitter.

The consulate opened in 1985 and has almost 200 employees, including about 150 locally hired staff, according to its website. It was not immediately clear how many are there now after U.S. diplomats were evacuated from China because of the pandemic.

A steady stream of people walked along the street opposite the entrance throughout the day, many stopping to take photos or videos before police moved them on.

A general view shows the US consulate in Chengdu, which China has ordered to close on a 72-hour deadline

People take selfies in front of the US consulate in Chengdu on Saturday after the mission was ordered to close

Plain clothes police officers detain a man who attempted to display a sign outside the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu

Residents in Chengdu expressed mixed views on the closure of the U.S. consulate in the city.

'What I fear the most is the U.S. won't just stop there, it might get uglier,' said 19-year-old university student Zhang Chuhan.

'I approve. The U.S. closed our consulate, I think we should shut theirs too,' said a man who identified himself as Jiang, 29.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated this year to what experts say is their lowest level in decades over issues ranging from trade and technology to the novel coronavirus, China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its clampdown on Hong Kong.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has said some personnel at the Chengdu consulate were 'conducting activities not in line with their identities' and had interfered in China's affairs and harmed its security interests. He did not say how.

Staff at the US consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu were busy packing belongings and removing the American insignia from the building, a day after Beijing ordered its closure in a tit-for-tat diplomatic battle with Washington

People carry items out of the US consulate in Chengdu, southwestern China's Sichuan province, on Saturday

Staff are seen inside the US consulate in Chengdu on Saturday as they prepare to abandon control of the facility

Staff inside the US consulate in Chengdu as the mission prepares to shutter in a tit-for-tat retaliation

Meanwhile, a Chinese researcher accused of concealing her ties to the Chinese military on a visa application she submitted so she could work in the U.S. was booked Friday into a Northern California jail and was expected to appear in federal court Monday.

Sacramento County jail records show Juan Tang, 37, was being held on behalf of federal authorities after she was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service. It was unclear if she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.

The Justice Department on Thursday announced charges against Tang and three other scientists living in the U.S., saying they lied about their status as members of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army. All were charged with visa fraud.

Tang was the last of the four to be arrested, after the justice department accused the Chinese consulate in San Francisco of harboring a known fugitive.

Chinese biologist Juan Tang, 37, is being held on US federal charges after allegedly lying about her military ties

The consulate did not immediately respond to email and Facebook messages seeking comment and it was not possible to leave a telephone message.

The Justice Department said Tang lied about her military ties in a visa application last October as she made plans to work at the University of California, Davis and again during an FBI interview months later.

Agents found photos of Tang dressed in military uniform and reviewed articles in China identifying her military affiliation.

UC Davis said Tang left her job as a visiting researcher in the Department of Radiation Oncology in June. Her work was funded by a study-based exchange program affiliated with Chinas Ministry of Education, the university said in a statement.

Agents have said they believe Tang sought refuge at the consulate after they interviewed her at her home in Davis on June 20. The FBI has been interviewing visa holders in more than 25 American cities suspected of hiding their ties to the Chinese military.

The allegations came as U.S.-China relations continued to deteriorate, particularly over allegations of Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property.

China's consulate in Houston was shut down Friday on order of U.S. authorities after Washington accused Chinese agents of trying to steal medical and other research in Texas.

'We can confirm that the PRC Consulate General in Houston is closed,' a State Department spokesperson confirmed late Friday. The spokesperson spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to comment publicly.


We all know that while the actors get to look their best in front of the camera and director, cinematographer also get their due, its many a times people like hair stylists, make-up artistes and even spot-person (helpers) who get left out and dont get their much required due. Morover whats really sad is the fact these people also get their fees much later and at times their monies are so delayed that they dont even get paid. Fighting for this injustice, Amit Sadh raised his voice and questioned the industry folks to change this unfair system.

Recently Amit Sadh took to his social media and shared a post saying, I know we have started to work and from home ... but guys ... big people ... please pay hair , make up , spots ...( helpers ) they need to start and revive ... !! I will be fighting fr them .. and their wages . ! Pranaam !





When a leading daily reached out to the actor and asked him the reason behind his Tweet, he said that hes really concerned about these hardworking artistes to work around the clock for a project and dont get paid. He said that his own team was not paid for one of the projects he did. The actor had to use his own sources and make their payment was released. He says, Its a major issue that needs to be addressed. My tweet was an ultimatum to all those who are not paying these guys.

Amit Sadh further says, I am trying to create an ecosystem, wherein I will pool in some of my own money, seek help from industry friends and urge fans to contribute in every way possible to ensure that no one in the crew is ever without food. There is an intent to build an organization eventually. It will take time as these things dont happen overnight.
(Newser)  Grappling with spiking coronavirus cases, Texas now has another worry to contend with: extreme weather. The Texas Tribune and KTRK report that Tropical Storm Hanna is heading for the Lone Star State's south-central coast, set to make landfall Saturday. It's predicted Hanna will turn into a Category 1 hurricane, with a hurricane warning issued by the National Hurricane Center from Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay, a stretch that includes the city of Corpus Christi. An advisory from the center warns of the "danger of life-threatening storm surge," as well as heavy rains that could lead to flash flooding in areas.

story continues below

"Storms like Hanna in the Gulf of Mexico are notoriously the hardest to forecast," a CNN meteorologist notes. "The water is so warm under the storm that rapid intensification can happen at any time, especially overnight when atmospheric shear goes down naturally." Meanwhile, Douglas, the first big eastern Pacific hurricane of the 2020 season, is barreling toward Hawaii, though it may weaken into a tropical storm by the time it makes landfall, set for Sunday, Weather.com reports. The storm system could end up affecting the entire island chain, depending on the storm's exact track. A hurricane watch has been issued for the Big Island of Hawaii, Oahu, and Maui County, with heavy rain and winds, coastal floods, and mudslides expected. (Read more tropical storms stories.)
Hundreds of workers of the Congress held demonstrations across Rajasthan on Saturday against what they called was the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) conspiracy to topple the state government and to press for an assembly session.

Congress workers took out a rally in Kota, staged a sit-in protest in Jodhpur and held protest demonstrations across the state.

They accused the BJP of working against democratic values by conspiring to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led government.

We have the mandate. The governor is head of the family and we do not want any differences. If our constitutional rights are violated and if that is from the Raj Bhavan, then we can at least say that people will gherao as it will be an insult of public, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, the state transport minister, said.

It is our right to call assembly session and we arent getting permission for it from the governor. In an autocratic manner under a conspiracy, an elected government is being toppled. The BJP will face angst and protest of the people when they will go to them, he said while addressing the protest rally in Jaipur.

Govind Singh Dotasra, Congress state unit president, had on Friday announced that the partys workers will hold demonstrations at all district headquarters against the conspiracy by the BJP to murder democracy.

Dotasra had also directed that the gatherings should not have more than 50 people and that only five of them should go to the collector to submit a memorandum addressed to Governor Kalraj Mishra.

The Congress is pushing for an assembly session so Ashok Gehlot can prove his majority, following a revolt by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

The Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by state assembly Speaker CP Joshi to the rebel MLAs.

The BJP said the language used by the Congress leaders against Governor Mishra was unfortunate.

Mukesh Pareek, the partys spokesperson, also said the protests were unjustified.
McEnany: Schools Are Essential Places of Business

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Friday once again affirmed the stance that students should return to classroom when the new school year begins, saying that schools are essential places of business.

During her press briefing, McEnany cited the newly-released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, which suggested that young children are not as likely to get infected or to spread the CCP virus to their teachers or family members. She emphasized that the CDC recommendations are based on the most updated data available.

McEnany moved on to say even if studies later might suggest a higher transmission rate among young children, they should still be allowed to return to school, given that they rarely experience COVID-19 symptoms as severely as adults do.

It is our firm belief that our schools are essential places of business, if you will, that our teachers are essential personnel, McEnany said, responding to a question regarding comments made by Deborah Birx, a member of the White House task force on the pandemic, about the role children play in spreading the virus.

To illustrate her point, McEnany pointed to a recent CDC report, which revealed an alarming underreporting of child abuse amid the months-long school closure.

There has been a sharp decline in reports of suspected maltreatment, but tragically a notable increase in evidence of abuse when children are seen for services, the CDC report reads. Children who live in a home or neighborhood where neglect, violence, or abuse occur, but who are not physically in school, are deprived of access to trained school professionals who can readily identify the signs of trauma and provide needed support and guidance.

McEnanys remarks come as President Donald Trump continued to urge schools across the nation to bring students back to the classroom in the fall. He said on Wednesday that he felt comfortable with his son and grandchildren returning to school because he was informed that young children are less likely to catch or spread the virus.

I am comfortable with that, Trump said after being asked if he would feel comfortable sending his own children back to school. They dont catch it easily. They dont bring it home easily, and if they do catch it, they get better fast. Trumps youngest son Barron is 14. He also has 10 grandchildren.

I would like to see the schools open 100 percent. And well do it safely. Well do it carefully, Trump said.
It is bonus season in Whitehall as top civil servants are handed performance-related cash rewards.

Leading the pack is departing Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, who received a bonus of between 15,000 and 20,000 on top of his 205,000 salary and 250,000 exit settlement.

An equally whopping wedge was given to 270,000-a-year chief trade negotiation adviser Crawford Falconer, despite the Government struggling to sign any major post-Brexit trade deal.

Leading the pack is departing Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, who received a bonus of between 15,000 and 20,000 on top of his 205,000 salary and 250,000 exit settlement

Over at the Home Office, its windfalls for Windrush as Diana Luchford, the director of the programme making reforms in the wake of the Windrush citizenship scandal, was handed up to 5,000 for outstanding work in the past 12 months.

This will be a surprise to those Commonwealth subjects wrongly threatened with deportation despite living in the UK for decades and who were stunned by the shambolic and paltry compensation scheme set up in the wake of the scandal.

And with immigration failings never far from the headlines, eyebrows might be raised at the fact that outgoing visas and immigration boss Mark Thomson  who also oversaw the disaster-prone Passport Office  received up to 15,000, while his colleague Tyson Hepple, director-general of immigration enforcement, snaffled up to 10,000.

Trebles all round!

Boris Johnsons campaign to get everyone back to the office will presumably get short shrift from the SNPs Angus Brendan MacNeil.

The colourful MP for the remote Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency (Western Isles, to non-Gaelic speakers) refuses to make the admittedly daunting 1,400-mile round trip to attend the Commons.

Hes also boycotting the proxy vote system whereby a fellow Nationalist MP could trot through the Covid-safe Lobby for him.

Im sure locals are benefiting from all the extra work he must be doing in his constituency.

The colourful MP for the remote Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency (Western Isles, to non-Gaelic speakers) refuses to make the admittedly daunting 1,400-mile round trip to attend the Commons

Jaws dropped at a meeting of the Tories hallowed 1922 backbench committee when talk turned to the thorny issue of revamping the crumbling Palace of Westminster. Ex-Minister Jonathan Djanogly suggested that much of the interior of the Grade I, 19th Century building  including its imposing, court-like committee rooms  should be gutted and modernised.

Cue an audible gasp from backwoodsmen at the thought of taking a paint-stripper to the glorious handiwork of interior architect Augustus Pugin.

Heres hoping Mr Djanogly doesnt try to find out who blabbed about his idea by hiring private detectives, which is what he did in 2009 to spy on local party members while facing allegations over his Commons expenses.

'Even though Im in the UK, Im being very cautious and vigilant to my surroundings, says self-exiled Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law. Too right. Fans have put him up for the Freedom of the City of London, but some cowardly Square Mile fat cats are trying to block the accolade, fearing it would damage their financial relations with Beijing.

HMs touching gesture

The Queen was so moved by Captain Tom Moores story that she personally intervened to ensure that it would be her, rather than any other senior Royal, who knighted him, I can reveal.

Her Majesty insisted on being the one to lead his ceremony, an insider tells me.

She believes his knighthood was so well deserved. She has followed his story from the start and believes his efforts sum up the amazing spirit the nation has shown.

The Queen was so moved by Captain Tom Moores story that she personally intervened to ensure that it would be her, rather than any other senior Royal, who knighted him, I can reveal

So farewell. This is my last edition working at The Mail on Sunday  although this column will regenerate, Doctor Who-style, in the coming months, with another hand at the tiller.

Thank you to all who have read, given tips, and even phoned up to complain. Just remember: gossip is what no one claims to like, but everybody enjoys.
A man holds a mammoth bone fragment in the Pechevalavato Lake in the Yamalo-Nenets region, Russia, on July 22, 2020. (Artem Cheremisov/Governor of Yamalo-Nenets region of Russia Press Office via AP)

Well-Preserved Mammoth Skeleton Found in Siberian Lake

MOSCOWRussian scientists are working to retrieve the well-preserved skeleton of a woolly mammoth, which has some ligaments still attached to it, from a lake in northern Siberia.

Fragments of the skeleton were found by local reindeer herders in the shallows of Pechevalavato Lake on the Yamalo-Nenets region a few days ago. They found part of the animals skull, the lower jaw, several ribs, and a foot fragment with sinews still intact.

Woolly mammoths are thought to have died out around 10,000 years ago, although scientists think small groups of them may have lived on longer in Alaska and on Russias Wrangel Island off the Siberian coast.

Russian television stations on Friday showed scientists looking for fragments of the skeleton in the lakeside silt.

People carry a mammoth bone fragment in the Pechevalavato Lake in the Yamalo-Nenets region, Russia, on July 22, 2020. (Artem Cheremisov/Governor of Yamalo-Nenets region of Russia Press Office via AP)

People dig in silt searching for mammoth bone fragments in the Pechevalavato Lake in the Yamalo-Nenets region, Russia, on July 22, 2020. (Artem Cheremisov/Governor of Yamalo-Nenets region of Russia Press Office via AP)

Scientists have retrieved more bones and also located more massive fragments protruding from the silt. They said it would take significant time and special equipment to recover the rest of the skeletonif it had all survived in position.

Yevgeniya Khozyainova of the Shemanovsky Institute in Salekhard said in televised remarks that finding the complete skeleton of a mammoth is relatively rare. Such finds allow scientists to deepen their understanding of mammoths.

Several well-preserved frozen carcasses of mammoths have been found in the permafrost of northern Siberia.

Siberia is undergoing a heat wave and the U.N. weather agency warned Friday that average temperatures were 10 degrees Celsius (18 Fahrenheit) above average last month.
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The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) 20-member Selection Committee for the Special Public Works (SPW) programme, a presidential initiative packaged to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been officially inaugurated.

The inauguration ceremony took place at the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Skill Centre Bwari, Abuja. It was presided over by the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Galadima Abdullahi, alongside the Vice Chairman, Michael Ogbodo and the Secretary, Mrs. Noami Nyada.

The trio of Abdullahi, Ogbodo and Nyada had earlier been inaugurated by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo, as the executive members of the committee about three weeks ago.

In her welcome address, Mrs. Nyada who is also the FCT NDE Coordinator, said: The Special Public Works programme is designed to employ One Thousand (1000) persons from each of the 774 Local Government Areas of the country. The initiative is expected to commence in October 2020 and will last for three months. Each beneficiary will be paid twenty thousand naira monthly to carry out public works that are peculiar to their Local Government Areas. This committee is going to be saddled with the responsibility of identifying the public works to be executed in each of the Local Government Areas in the Federal Capital Territory.

This, of course, would be in addition to Projects already identified by several Federal Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals in different localities across FCT. It is heartwarming to note that the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari has approved this special intervention programmes and fiscal stimulus measures to help cushion the negative impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Nigerians.

Speaking at the occasion, the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Ogbodo, commended the President for his determination to provide succour to Nigerians with the introduction of the special programme aimed at engaging 774,000 unemployed Nigerians.

According to him, Obviously, Mr. President has, by the Special Public Works programme, shown his concern for the plight of ordinary Nigerians amidst the Coronavirus scourge ravaging the entire world.

Let me also thank the Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, for the opportunity given us to serve in the FCT selection committee for this very important programme. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the primary responsibility of this committee is to put together the list of the six thousand prospective beneficiaries of the Special Public Works programme in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. We will ensure that the guideline provided by the minister of labour for state for the selection process is strictly adhered to without any deviation.

Fellow members, we must work hard together to ensure that we dont fail. We must also ensure that the selection process is not frustrated by any individual. The programme is meant for the masses in respective of tribal, political or religious affiliations. I want to assure residents of FCT that we shall not betray the trust and confidence reposed in us as we execute this huge task placed before us. We will carry out the assignment with utmost diligence and unmitigated commitment to the best of our ability.

The six thousand persons that will be engaged in the programme in FCT are to earn N20, 000 each month for a period of three months from October to December, 2020. This implies that the Buhari-led Federal Government will be injecting N120million into the nations capital to cater for the poor masses every month. In the three months for which the programme will last, the economy of FCT would have been boosted by N360million.

A member of the committee, the Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) FCT Chapter, Ango Abdullahi, equally applauded the Buhari government for coming up with such a laudable programme to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians, particularly the unemployed youths amidst the COVID-19 plague.

The youth council chief said: First and foremost, on behalf of the entire FCT youths, we will like to appreciate Mr. President for this project. Its rewarding. Its a laudable project. We also want to extend our gratitude to the FCT Minister for deeming it fit to include FCT youth council chapter into the committee selection process. Indeed, it is a youth constituency project because it is all about the youths. We want to assure the FCT Minister and the President that we are going to do our best to give the utmost cooperation and support to ensure the programme goes on accordingly. We are going to ensure strict compliance to the guidelines given from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The youth leader also used the occasion to appeal to the local government chairmen to replicate similar programmes in their various area councils for the benefit of the people.

The Ona of Abaji and Chairman, Council of Traditional Rulers in the FCT, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Dr. Yunusa Adamu, Chairman FCT branch of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Dr. Samson Jonah and Chairman FCT NURTW, Alhaji Ibrahim Sanda are among other members of the committee.

The chairmen for Kuje and Gwagwalada area councils and a number other traditional rulers were present at the occasion while the Minister of FCT, Mohammed Musa and the Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Ramatu Tijani Aliyu were ably represented.
A fire on Friday night at a York residence has displaced 8 people and caused thousands of dollars in damage, fire officials said.

York City firefighters were able to contain the blaze to one building on the 400 block of West Princess Street, according to a Facebook post by the York City Department of Fire/Rescue Services.

The fire was extinguished by 10 p.m. Fire officials estimated $30,000 in damage.

The cause of the fire was listed as undetermined, officials said.

The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents, according to FOX 43.

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British holidaymakers have been left shocked and confused after ministers removed Spain from the UK governments travel corridor exemption list following a rise in Covid-19 cases in the country.

The move will mean all travellers returning from the country, including the Spanish islands, will have to self-isolate for two weeks, the UK Department for Transport confirmed.

Chloe Harris, 23, from Kent, booked a last-minute trip to Lanzarote and arrived on the Spanish island this morning and said she was gutted to hear the news.

She told the PA news agency: When I heard the news I was quite shocked because I thought they would have given us some warning. Even just some warning that this was something they were going to consider.

Spanish holidaymakers will now have to self-isolate for 14 days upon returning to the UK (PA)

The four-night trip was booked last minute on Wednesday, and Ms Harris, who is travelling with a friend, said they had researched the destination beforehand.

Speaking before the official announcement, she said: We had done our research and we knew that the island has only had a small number of Covid cases.

I think a lot of people are going to rush to the airport, but because we are only here for four days, and we only arrived this morning, it doesnt seem worth it. We are just going to wait and hear if the island is included in the quarantine.

I would probably be fine to continue working from home and quarantine from home, although I would have to stop going into the office.

Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days. (PA)

However, my friend who I travelled with is due to start a new job on August 3 and so thats going to be difficult to explain to her employer.

Read More UK holidaymakers to be told self-isolate upon return from Spain as country removed from safe list

Neil Hunter, 45, from Sittingbourne in Kent, had booked a 10-day break to Lanzarote, leaving on Tuesday. The trip had been booked since last December but has now been thrown into doubt.

He told PA: We were going as a family, my wife Amanda, and teenage daughter Bethany but to be honest, since this announcement, Im unsure whats going to happen as I work as a train driver, and I dont think my employer will accept me having to isolate due to going on holiday.

I am insured, but unsure whether theyd accept that as a reason for not going, especially if Hays Travel dont cancel for me. Theres no way I could afford to cancel myself.

He said he understood why the decision had been taken, but that it is a lot of money and disappointing all the same.
Gerry Anderson isnt ready to advise Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to move the state of Michigan back to phase 3 of the six-phase MI Safe Start Plan, which featured no gatherings, no in-person education, and limiting non-essential retail to curbside or delivery.

But the chairman of the Michigan Economic Recovery Council said its probably inevitable that the entire state will need to regress to the flattening phase if residents dont take efforts to reduce the growing spread of COVID-19.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday in Abuja commended the contributions of Nigerians in Diaspora to the social-economic development of the country.

Mr Buhari said this at the maiden Virtual National Diaspora Day celebration held via Webinar with the theme for the event was Leverage the Diaspora Resources for National Development.

He said that over the past three years, Nigerians in diaspora had brought in over $25 billion as home remittances to the Nigerians economy annually through official and non-formal channels.

This is about six per cent of our GDP and upwards of 80 per cent of our annual budget. This has impacted on the livelihoods of Nigerians in terms of education, health, housing and estate development, industry, trade and investments.

Agriculture and technology/skills transfer. In terms of diaspora home remittances, Nigeria is rated as number one in sub-saharan Africa and this is still growing, especially with the advocacy and mobilisation programmes of the newly established Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).

The Nigerians in Diaspora are also known to be engaged in skill transfer in ICT and industry. They are also active in our Universities as lecturers and in carrying out Medical Missions.

It is therefore my sincere hope that even with the depressed economy of the 2020 due to the corona virus pandemic, Nigerians in the diaspora will rise up to the occasion of not abandoning their country of origin, Nigeria.

READ ALSO:

But be active in our Post COVID-19 economic recovery efforts. My three point agenda for Nigerians in Diaspora remains the same and it is relevant at this auspicious occasion and I repeat them as follows:

You are our ambassador-at-large by your actions, comportment and character in your host countries. In whatever endeavor you do, you must excel and be the best, and lastly, do not forget home, Nigeria by giving back and engaging in its development, he said.

The president added that in his interactions with Nigerians in the Diaspora at the town hall meetings, he had been impressed with their support and contributions to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. (NAN)
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas attend the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas are celebrating a special marriage milestone in 2020 as it marks their 20th anniversary.

However, there will be no sign of any lavish, star-studded party according to Zeta-Jones, 50, who has divulged that she will be allowing her 75-year-old spouse to kiss her instead as the occasion comes while the coronavirus remains a concern.

"We won't be doing any great big party," the Chicago actor told People. "Not that I'm a big party fan anyway.

Read more: Catherine Zeta-Jones and daughter Carys star in Fendi campaign

"It would be nice to get all our friends together in one space, but we're not doing that until we're completely out of the woods. So I will raise my mask and let my husband passionately kiss me, then I will put it firmly back on."

Catherine Zeta-Jones & Michael Douglas (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)

Douglas and Zeta-Jones, who share a 25 year age gap, were married at the Plaza Hotel in New York on 18 November 2000.

They had welcomed son Dylan Michael in August of that year and went on to have daughter Carys Zeta in 2003. The couple split briefly in 2013 before reconciling the following year.

Zeta-Jones' father-in-law Kirk Douglas passed away in February at the age of 103 with the Darling Buds of May star going on to share a touching tribute.

Posting a photo of her kissing the Hollywood legend on the cheek she wrote: "To my darling Kirk, I shall love you for the rest of my life. I miss you already. Sleep tight."

Last year, on the occasion of her 19th anniversary, the mother-of-two shared a letter she and her husband had received from Douglas Snr.

It read: Dear Michael and Catherine, Happy anniversary!

Michael, you have learned a very important lesson, to stay married you must obey your wife! Keep practicing what I do with my wife.
The brutal moment a large unleashed dog bites a small canine by the the throat and drags her around 'like a rag doll toy' has been captured on video.

Animal lover Shani Francis was taking her King Charles cavalier named Ruby for walk when her pet was attacked by a mastiff cross on Hill Farm Drive in Clyde in Melbourne's southwest at 11:45am on Saturday, July 18.

The young woman was with her friend Rachel at the time, who was also walking her dog, a staffy cross named Bucky.

CCTV footage from a nearby house shows the killer dog sprinting full speed at Ruby from behind before wrapping its mouth around her neck.

After Ms Francis freed Ruby, the savage dog turned on Bucky, biting him on his back. The killer dog's owner then fled the scene without exchanging details.

Ms Francis paid $11,000 for Ruby's surgeries, maxing out her credit card and leaving her with just $0.25 in her bank account, but her 'best pal' died on Monday.

She has since decided to take matters into her own hands by starting a change.org petition to enforce 'mandatory exchanging of details following an animal attack'.

Animal lover Shani Francis (pictured) was taking her King Charles Cavalier named Ruby for walk when her pet was attacked on Hill Farm Drive in Clyde in Melbourne's southwest at 11:45am on Saturday, July 18

CCTV footage from a nearby house shows the killer dog sprinting full speed at Ruby from behind before wrapping its mouth around her neck

The video of the incident begins with the killer dog sprinting right past Ms Francis' legs before mauling Ruby, who was on a leash.

'It was horrific, she (Ruby) looked like a little rag doll toy,' Ms Francis told 9News.

Ms Francis' friend Rachel jumped into action, quickly grabbing the aggressive dog by the scruff of the neck, which gave a small window for Ms Francis to free Ruby.

'She had bits of flesh hanging off her under her belly, there was blood all over my clothes and my hands, and I was just was holding her, kind of hunched over trying to protect her,' she said.

The killer dog then turned its attention to Rachel's dog Bucky, biting him on the back and 'causing several deep puncture wounds', according to Ms Francis' petition.

Eventually, Rachel managed to control the killer dog as it's owner, an unknown man, arrived at the scene.

While Bucky's injuries (right) were treatable, Ruby's injuries (left) required extensive surgery totalling $11,000

Ruby with extensive bandaging and tubes to treat her injuries. After extensive surgeries, Ruby died on Monday

'He (the man) had no control of it (his dog) at all, he didn't say one word to me and the only thing he said to Rachel was to "let go of his dog",' Mr Francis wrote online.

'The man then got back in his car with his dog and did a U-turn to avoid having to drive past Rachel and myself holding our bleeding dogs.

'He had no idea Ruby was bleeding all over me and had flesh hanging from her tiny body or that we hadn't been bitten ourselves.

'Our dogs could have bled out at the scene and he still didn't stop, he chose to be an absolute coward and try and run away.'

Photos from after the attack show exposed flesh on Ruby's legs and torso as well as two deep punctures on Bucky's back.

While Bucky's injuries were treatable, Ruby's injuries required extensive surgery totalling $11,000.

Ms Francis and her cat. The animal lover said Ruby's death was like 'losing my best pal'

Ms Francis made a GoFundMe page and raised $4,523 of her $10,232 target, but still had to max out her credit card and spend her savings, leaving her with just 25 cents.

Ruby died on Monday and now Ms Francis has started a change.org petition 'to fight for the mandatory of exchanging of details following a dog attack'.

'Ruby was the absolute highlight of my life and it's heartbreaking that I can't even walk around my block without being scared of a dog attack and losing my best pal,' Ms Francis wrote.

'I would hate this to happen to anyone else and anyway we can mitigate the damage and increase the repercussions of these dog owners not being responsible will help the community.'

Little is known about the mystery dog owner except that he was a white man who drive a Grey 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The killer dog is believed to be a black Mastiff X Great Dane, but it had no leash or collar to identify its name or owner.
Joe Biden has warned donors that Donald Trump will try to "indirectly steal" the 2020 election by making a case against mail-in ballots, a voting method that many are expected to use to avoid exposure to the coronavirus during November's US vote.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee asked donors attending a virtual event to spread the word that "this president is going to try to indirectly steal the election by arguing that mail-in ballots don't work".

Mr Trump will present mail-in ballots as fraud by making the argument that "they're not real, they're not fair", said Mr Biden.

On 'The Daily Show With Trevor Noah' in June, Mr Biden had warned that Mr Trump might "try to steal" the election. He has said Mr Trump might try to delay the election and might not leave the White House voluntarily if he loses.

Mr Biden's remarks offered the most detail about how he believes Mr Trump might unfairly influence the contest's outcome. Mr Biden's campaign has mounted an aggressive voter-access effort, including hiring a team of lawyers to challenge any irregularities.

They come as Mr Trump in recent weeks has stepped up his rhetoric about the veracity of mail-in voting. At an event last month in Arizona, the US president suggested without evidence that the method presents an opportunity for fraud.

"Where are they going? Where are these ballots going? Who's getting them? Who is not getting them? A little section that's Republican," Mr Trump said, speaking specifically about California's vote-by-mail system.

"Will they be stolen from mailboxes as they get put in by the mailman? Will they be taken from the mailmen and the mailwomen? Will they be forged? Who is signing them? Who's signing them? What, are they signed on the kitchen table and sent in? Will they be counterfeited by groups inside our nation?"

Mr Trump added: "Will they be counterfeited, maybe by the millions, by foreign powers who don't want to see Trump win?"

Matthew Morgan, the general counsel to the Trump campaign, accused Mr Biden of sowing fear.

"Joe Biden is fearmongering and purposely misleading American voters," said Mr Morgan said. "The only people trying to fundamentally change the way we vote and make our election system less secure are Democrats."

Meanwhile Mr Trump has attempted to make dementia an issue in the campaign during a TV interview.

His phrase "Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV." got an unlikely moment in the spotlight. The president (74) was attempting to demonstrate his mental fitness by reciting five words, in order over and over in a television interview.

He said the collection of nouns was part of a cognitive test he had aced while declaring that his likely Democratic opponent, Joe Biden (77), could not do the same.

The Trump campaign has long tried to paint Mr Biden as having lost some of his mental sharpness.

But the gambit has yet to prove successful in denting the former vice president's standing in the race.

That leaves Mr Trump trying to escalate the attacks while defending his own ability to handle the mental rigours of the job.

On Fox News Mr Trump boasted of having "a good memory, because I'm cognitively there". But he said: "Now Joe should take that test because something's going on." ( The Washington Post)
Read what is in the news today.

Politics

 Vietnam welcomes Japans easing of its travel restrictions for Vietnamese citizens, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said on Friday.

Society

 Two men who returned to Vietnam from Russia on a repatriation flight are the latest people to test positive for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country, sending the tally to 415 cases. Both men were immediately quarantined after they arrived at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province on July 17.

 Vietnam has suspended all repatriation flights to and from Da Nang International Airport in the namesake central city from Friday evening after a local Vietnamese man had tested positive for the coronavirus three times.

 The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has requested Phu Nu TPHCM (Ho Chi Minh City Women) newspaper to make corrections to a story published on July 22 that contained untruthful information about some staffers of the department being wrongfully paid for textbook compilation.

 Police in Con Dao Island off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on Friday said that they have temporarily arrested four people who often pickpocket at a popular local attraction.

 276 Vietnamese in Cuba and Germany flew home on a repatriation flight on Friday morning.

 The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a working session on Friday with relevant ministries, agencies and a company that sent 226 Vietnamese workers to Uzbekistan to discuss measures to support and bring the stranded laborers home as soon as possible, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Business

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade on Friday evening announced it has officially applied anti-dumping tax of roughly VND6.4 million (US$278) per metric ton on some MSG products originating from China and Indonesia.

 Ho Chi Minh City will need more than VND952 trillion ($41.3 billion) for transportation infrastructure from now until 2030, the municipal Department of Construction said in a report sent to the Peoples Committee recently, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

 A workshop will take place in Hanoi on July 30 to discuss cross-border e-commerce with Amazon and opportunities for exports, according to the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trades deputy director Tran Thi Phuong Lan.

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Members of the New York Police Department (NYPD) Strategic Response Group stand outside NYPD headquarters in New York City, N.Y., on Feb. 17, 2016. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Abolishing Qualified Immunity Could Hinder Police Officers from Doing Their Jobs: Police Groups

Police groups are concerned that making it easier to sue police officers for damages would cause them to pull back in their jobs, which could impact communities and public safety in the long run.

To take away qualified immunity from people that really go out there and really take their oath seriously, its going to make police officers not want to do a goddamn thing, Joseph Imperatrice, the founder of Blue Lives Matter NYC, told The Epoch Times. Blue Lives Matter NYC is an organization working to support police officers and their families.

And its the people that are going to suffer the communities where these police officers are in. Theres not going to be anybody in their right mind thats going to go out there and put their hands on somebody and try to put somebody under arrest if theres a good possibility that theyre going to lose their house because of it.

Qualified immunity is a Supreme Court-made doctrine that shields government officials from liability for damages claims for harm caused by their actions as they perform official duties. The doctrine is the subject of scrutiny because critics say it prevents officials from facing consequences of misconduct or abuse of power if those actions violated the U.S. Constitution but did not contravene a clearly established rule.

The doctrine was put in the spotlight following the death of George Floyd, who died during an arrest by a Minneapolis police officer, leading to protests calling for increased police accountability. Members of legal circles, advocacy groups, the judiciary, as well as politicians have raised concerns about the doctrines application.

Qualified immunity has also been placed front and center amid recent discussions for police reform. Multiple state legislatures are considering doing away with the protection for state and local police and correctional officers. In Colorado, a bill that bars qualified immunity as a defense for police officers, bans chokeholds, and requires all officers who interact with the public to wear body cameras was signed into law in June.

Meanwhile, some police reform bills introduced in congress by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also advocate for removing or limiting the doctrine.

A recent Pew poll found that two-thirds of Americans say that people need to have the power to sue police officers to hold them accountable for misconduct or excessive use of force. Only 32 percent of the respondents say police officers need to be protected against civil lawsuits for them to do their jobs effectively.

Rob ODonnell, a former New York City police detective and board member of Brothers Before Others, said the doctrine is not unlimited as it does not cover negligence, criminal acts, or acting out of the scope of ones authority.

What qualified Immunity does is protects not only police officers, but all public servants such as teachers, politicians, judges, prosecutors, fireman [sic], and many others who act within policy in good faith, he told The Epoch Times in an email. [There] needs to be a blanket of security if we expect these individuals to do jobs such as policing.

Imperatrice explained that when officers are sued, cities usually go through a review to determine whether he or she had acted properly and within the scope of their authority before deciding to provide indemnification.

If officers, he said, are found to have acted criminally or against guidelines in a department investigation, they would have to face the legal repercussions where the city will not provide indemnification. He added that theres really no reason to reform the protection if cities already have such measures in place.

He also added that qualified immunity protection is also crucial because it prevents individuals from filing frivolous or retaliatory lawsuits against police officers.

When police officers go out there to do their job, there are a lot of times that the bad guys will sue as a retaliatory offense, Imperatrice said, adding that those types of lawsuits are common.

Police take back the streets at around midnight after firing copious amounts of tear gas to disperse protesters and rioters outside the Minneapolis Police 5th Precinct during the fourth night of protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Criticisms of Qualified Immunity

The doctrine was created by the Supreme Court in 1982 as part of the top courts interpretation of 42 U.S.C.  1983, commonly known as Section 1983, which provides a basis for people to sue state officials who violate a persons constitutional rights. However, under the Supreme Courts current interpretation of the law, it is not enough to show that the rights are violated.

Victims must also show that the action was clearly established, and if they fail, the official could be granted qualified immunity. The clearly established rule, which is seen to be problematic by critics of the doctrine, requires the party suing the official to show that the facts in their case were sufficiently similar to the facts in prior court cases.

Critics say qualified immunity has routinely shielded those who are either incompetent and who knowingly violate the law, such as when courts granted immunity to officers who stole over $225,000 (pdf) and to an officer who shot a 10-year-old child while trying to shoot a non-threatening family dog (pdf).

Robert McNamara, senior attorney for the Institute for Justice, criticized the doctrine for failing to hold police officers accountable for violations of constitutional rights. The Institute for Justice runs a Project on Immunity and Accountability that aims to challenge the qualified immunity doctrine and restore accountability for officials misconduct.

The entire point of having constitutional rights is that they be enforced. Having a doctrine that says your rights may well have been violated, but were going to choose to do nothing about it, turns the constitution into an empty promise, McNamara previously told The Epoch Times.

When deciding whether to grant qualified immunity to a government official, courts embark on a two-prong test. They first have to decide whether a constitutional violation had occurred and then decide whether the right was clearly established.

Legal experts say many cases fail the clearly established barrier as it is not easy to show that the conduct and circumstances in the current case are sufficiently similar to ones in another previous case.

McNamara said he believes this test has turned the inquiry into constitutional cases into almost a farce.

Lower courts engage in this kind of mechanistic quest to find another published federal opinion in which exactly the same facts have occurred, which is frequently impossible to do because the world is complicated and no two cases will have exactly the same facts, he said. As a result, the outcome of these cases is essentially arbitrary.

The Supreme Court this term had the opportunity to revisit the controversial doctrine in a number of cases that presented the issue to them. But the top court declined to review any of the cases.

The courts decision to dismiss the cases wasnt entirely unanimous. Justice Clarence Thomas, who has previously criticized the doctrine, wrote a dissent (pdf) in one of the cases, Baxter v. Bracey, saying that he would have granted the petition to review the case because he believes the doctrine strays from the statutory text of Section 1983. The Baxter case involves officers who released a police dog on a suspect to arrest him. In the process, the dog bit the suspect. The suspect alleged that he had already surrendered when the dog was released to arrest him.

He also commented on the clearly established rule, arguing that there likely is no basis for the objective inquiry into clearly established law that our modern cases prescribe.

Leading treatises from the second half of the 19th century and case law until the 1980s contain no support for this clearly established law test. Indeed, the Court adopted the test not because of general principles of tort immunities and defenses, but because of a balancing of competing values about litigation costs and efficiency, he wrote.

Qualified Immunity Bills

Several members of Congress have introduced bills seeking to eliminate or limit the doctrine. One of the billsEnding Qualified Immunity Actintroduced by Reps. Justin Amash (L-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) seek to eliminate qualified immunity and restore Americans ability to obtain relief when state and local officials, including police officers, violate their legal and constitutionally secured rights.

Similarly, several lawmakers introduced the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 that would bring reforms to qualified immunity to lift barriers for individuals from recovering damages when police violate their constitutional rights.

Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) also introduced the Reforming Qualified Immunity Act in June that limits some of the protections for public officers from civil lawsuits, making it harder for police officers to claim the immunity. His bill has faced pushback from police groups and unions after he suggested some law enforcement officials in the state he represents support his bill.

The Indiana State Police Alliance said in a statement on June 30 that they werent contacted for consultation during the development of the bill, adding that they oppose abolishing qualified immunity for law enforcement.

The protection aids officers in carrying out their duties and obligations to serve the public and enforce the law. While there is no doubt that bad actors have brought this issue to the forefront, we believe qualified immunity serves to protect all police officers legitimately performing their duties, and it allows the public to recover damages in cases where a police officer has violated the persons rights, reads the statement, which was signed by the groups president, Scott Krueger, and executive director Cory Martin.

It allows police officers to perform their duties, to perform their duties, to the best of their knowledge and ability, without constant fear of having to defend themselves from frivolous lawsuits. Officers are judge from the perspective of a reasonable officer, given the same set of circumstances, not from 20/20 hindsight, the group said.

The National Fraternal Order of Police also expressed it did not support Brauns bill.

Imperatrice said he feels that the current push by politicians to pass laws to limit or abolish the protection is a knee jerk reaction to the pressure applied by different groups across the country.

This is pretty much just a knee jerk reaction to the mobs and its not logical. Its one of the most unethical things a politician could even consider at this moment, Imperatrice said.
Passengers wait in line for health-check procedures at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh, March 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Binh Minh.

Vietnams Covid-19 tally increased to 415 on Saturday morning after two more Vietnamese returning from Russia were confirmed infected.

The two patients, men aged 34 and 25, landed at Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on July 17 via a flight from Russia that transited in Belarus.

They were then sent to quarantine at a military facility in northern Ninh Binh Province. Their first tests on July 19 were negative while the second time on Thursday turned out positive.

The duo has been sent to a general clinic in Ninh Binh for treatment.

Earlier, 19 other passengers on the same Russian flight had been confirmed infected with the disease.

Vietnams Covid-19 tally now stays at 415, with 365 recovered and the rest are still under treatment. All the active cases are foreign experts and Vietnamese repatriated from overseas.

The country has operated 60 repatriation flights bringing home more than 16,000 citizens stranded in 50 countries and territories since April.

Saturday morning marks day 100 when Vietnam has yet to detect a case caused by community transmission.

The health authorities are still waiting for another test result of a suspected case, a 57-year-old man in the central city of Da Nang. Tests from Da Nang C Hospital, which he visited after coughing and feeling tired this week, turned out positive, so as a following test by the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang.

The hospital has been locked down, Da Nang has closed its airport from repatriation flights and other special flights carrying foreign experts. The city is also preparing large-scale testing among the community.

If this man is confirmed as a Covid-19 patient, Vietnam will end the string of having no cases of community transmission since April 16.

Around the globe, the pandemic has killed 641,800 people.
President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on July 22, 2020. Read more

Murders this year have spiked 27% in Philadelphia. President Donald Trump, July 22, 2020

President Donald Trump this week threatened to send federal law enforcement agents into major American cities to combat a surge in violent crime, with Philadelphia as one of his targets.

His initial announcement Monday came days after camouflage-clad federal agents swept demonstrators off the streets of Portland, Ore.  a heavy-handed response that drew criticism from several Democratic mayors, including Philadelphias Jim Kenney.

Murders this year have spiked 27% in Philadelphia, Trump said Wednesday during a speech from the East Room of the White House.

Trump is correct. So far this year, there have been 232 homicides in Philadelphia, 50 more than at this time last year, city crime statistics show. Thats an increase of 27%. Five people have been murdered across the city since Monday night alone.

Violent crimes such as rape, robbery, and some types of aggravated assault have fallen amid the coronavirus pandemic. But homicides and nonfatal shootings have not abated, frustrating city leaders who have called for calm. Other cities, like Chicago and Detroit, have also been battling a rise in shootings during the pandemic.

One day last month, 23 people were shot across Philadelphia  the most in a single day since at least 2013. Six of the victims died, including a 6-year-old boy who police believe was mistakenly shot by a 5-year-old boy inside an Upper Holmesburg house.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw and District Attorney Larry Krasner have pledged to increase the number of gun violence cases that result in arrest and prosecution. They also say tackling the widespread poverty that underpins much of the citys violent crime is a critical part of the solution.

City resources have been stretched thin because of the ongoing protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Kenny said earlier this month.

City Council President Darrell L. Clarke called the source of the rising crime rate a perfect storm of problems, including widespread poverty, the coronavirus, the ongoing unrest, and easy access to guns  issues he said City Council was working to improve.

At the end of the day, weve got to get through this, Clarke said. We got to figure out a way.

Kenney said Monday he doesnt want help from federal law enforcement officers and vowed that if Trump sends them anyway, we would use all available means to resist such a wrongheaded effort and abuse of power.

To send federal agents to police U.S. cities that have not requested such aid can only impede the work of local governments and exacerbate already heightened tensions in these cities, Kenny added.

Legal experts say it may be unconstitutional for Trump to deploy federal agents to Philadelphia without consent of local officials. The administration has cited 40 U.S. Code 1315 under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 as justification for sending officers to Portland. The rule gives the departments secretary the power to deploy agents to protect federal property. But using that same rationale to send agents to Philadelphia, where protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis have remained peaceful and have not threatened federal property, would be unprecedented.

Alexis Karteron, a Rutgers University associate professor of law and director of the schools Constitutional Rights Clinic, called the administrations reasoning very dubious.

I cant think of any legitimate reason to be sending federal law enforcement to Philadelphia right now, Karteron said. Federal troops descending on American cities, that is very troubling, outside of historic practices, and almost certainly illegal.

Our ruling

Trump said murders have spiked 27% in Philadelphia, and city crime statistics show the same thing.

Violent crimes such as rape, robbery, and some types of aggravated assault have fallen, but homicides and nonfatal shootings have not.

We rate Trumps statement True.

Our sources

Philadelphia Police Department, Crime Map and Stats, accessed July 23, 2020

PolitiFact is a nonpartisan, fact-checking website operated by the nonprofit Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
New Delhi: India has begun its first human trials of a novel coronavirus vaccine candidate as the worlds second-most populous country recorded nearly 49,000 new cases.

The additional infections took Indias total to more than 1.3 million on Saturday, with surges seen in a quarter of the countrys 36 states and union territories.

India has recorded nearly 49,000 new cases of COVID-19. Credit:AP

It has tallied 31,358 deaths, including 757 in the previous 24 hours. It has reported a much lower death rate than the worlds two other worst-hit countries, the United States and Brazil. Johns Hopkins University showed that the US has more than 4.1 million cases, while Brazil has a caseload of nearly 2.3 million.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a premier teaching hospital in the capital of New Delhi, says it has administered the first dose of a trial COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.
Children Unlikely To Spread COVID-19, Studies Find

Children are unlikely to become infected with COVID-19, or pass it on to adults.

Schools are safe to reopen in fall as children are unlikely to spread COVID-19 to each other or infect adults.

Dr Benjamin Lee and Dr William Raszka, the authors of an article called COVID-19 Transmission and Children: The Child Is Not to Blame urge governments to reopen schools.

Their report is based on mounting evidence that children play a minor role in the transmission of COVID-19.

Evidence show that children under 16-years-old rarely spread the coronavirus disease to others, therefore they play an insignificant part in COVID-19 outbreaks.

The reasons that children are less likely to become infected and also to be less infectious to adults or other children are not clear.

Dr William Raszka said:

With influenza, children are well-known spreaders of the disease. Thats been one of the major surprises, that children do not spread or transmit coronavirus as efficiently. Its sort of mysterious why younger children seem to be much less frequently infected and generally speaking have much less severe disease, and why they dont transmit as often.

However, one possibility is that children have mild symptoms such as weaker and fewer coughs consequently they release fewer infectious particles into their surroundings.

Also, they dont appear to have prolonged conversations with adults or other children as adults tend to have.

Moreover, during the lockdown period and social distancing, children have learned to have less direct contact like hugging and touching.

All these may be reasons why children with COVID-19 are not as active in spreading the disease as much as other germs like influenza.

Dr William Raszka said:

Generally, the younger you are, then the less likely you are to transmit to other children or adults. With precautions, schools should reopen.

Dr Amesh Adalja from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, commented:

We have seen schools open in places like Denmark and Finland without a problem, and day care centers have been open for essential workers throughout the pandemic. It will be important for schools to develop a plan for dealing with cases and allowing for social distancing, but we are causing harm to a whole generation of students who are not able to be educated adequately.

Research on families in Switzerland found that adults spread COVID-19 and infect children.

Children pass the coronavirus to older relatives less than eight percent of the time.

Dr Arnaud LHuillier, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Geneva University Hospitals said:

Reopening schools does not seem to be a public health issue when compared to reopening restaurants, bars and shops.

A study of 68 Chinese children with COVID-19 who were admitted to a hospital in China found that 96% of these children were infected by adults from their households.

The other paediatric evidence is a French study which found a boy with COVID-19 exposed to over 80 classmates but didnt infect any of them.

In an Australian study, nine infected students were exposed to 863 students and staff at over 15 schools.

Only two people got infected with COVID-19 and one was caused by an adult who spread the disease to the child.

Dr William Raszka said:

The data are striking. The key takeaway is that children are not driving the pandemic. After six months, we have a wealth of accumulating data showing that children are less likely to become infected and seem less infectious; it is congregating adults who arent following safety protocols who are responsible for driving the upward curve.

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics (Lee & Raszka, 2020).
Brazil has recorded over 50,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus in a 24-hour period for the third day in a row, the health ministry said in the capital Brasilia late Friday.

An increase of 55,891 cases was announced, as well as 1,156 more deaths from the virus.

In total, more than 2.3 million infections have been registered in the largest and most populous country in Latin America.

At least 85,238 people have died in connection with COVID-19, the lung disease caused by the virus.

Brazil is currently one of the focal points of the international coronavirus pandemic.

The real figures are believed to be far higher due to insufficient testing in the South American country, which has 210 million inhabitants.

Brazils far-right populist president, Jair Bolsonaro, had initially downplayed the novel coronavirus as a little flu, causing confusion among the population about the seriousness of the disease.

He also did not want to take any containment measures for economic reasons and refused protective measures.

Mr Bolsonaro has tested positive for the virus at least three times.

The mayor of Sao Paulo on Friday announced the citys major carnival celebrations in February next year would be postponed, without giving a new date.

(dpa/NAN)
London: Boris Johnson has suggested there are "very open questions" about whether the UK should have gone into lockdown earlier as he acknowledged there were things "we could have done differently" at the onset of the pandemic.

Asked if his government responded too slowly to slow the spread of the virus, the Prime Minister said there were things "we didn't understand in the way we would have liked in the first few weeks and months".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to Tollgate Medical Centre in Beckton, east London on Friday. Credit:AP

Speaking on the first anniversary of his premiership, Johnson added that the "single thing" that the UK had not foreseen at the beginning was the extent to which the virus was being "transmitted asymptomatically".

Pressed on what went wrong, he told the BBC: "I think it's fair to say that there are things that we need to learn about how we handled it in the early stages. There will be plenty of opportunities to learn the lessons of what happened. When you listen to the scientists, the questions that you've asked are actually very open questions as far as they are concerned. And there will be a time obviously to consider all those issues."
Senior ministers have held a high-level meeting with the Alliance for Insurance Reform as the Government attempts to grapple with the insurance crisis hitting businesses and consumers.

The meeting was told the previous Government had failed to get a grip on the crisis, the Irish Independent has learned.

No press release was issued about the face-to-face meeting, which was attended by Tanaiste and Employment Minister Leo Varadkar, Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Michael McGrath, junior Trade Minister Robert Troy, and junior minister with responsibility for insurance reform Sean Fleming.

The new Government has increased the focus on insurance reform, which was traditionally the responsibility of a junior minister.

Alliance members present included Ivan Cooper of the Wheel, Padraig Cribben of the Vintners' Federation, Eoin McCambridge of McCambridge's of Galway, playcentre owner Linda Murray, and director of the Alliance Peter Boland.

The Government ministers were told nothing had been achieved by the last Government to exert downward pressure on premiums.

The Alliance claimed there is trenchant resistance from lawyers and insurers to insurance reform.

Ministers were told there is no need for more reports on the issue.

The Alliance said there was an urgent need for a reduction in the quantum of general damages for minor injuries.

The duty of care an occupier must show towards visitors and other parties should be rebalanced as it has evolved into an absolute duty of care, the politicians were told at Wednesday's meeting.

Proper funding was needed for the Garda response to insurance fraud, and insurers must commit to reducing premiums once reforms are in place, it was said.

Alliance members said they fully support moves to reform the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB).

This was set up to avoid legal costs in the settling of personal injuries claims. The meeting was told it has been undermined by a succession of legal challenges.

This means only 20pc of personal injury claims are now settled through PIAB.

The fact the State apparatus has not given greater support to firms making claims under business interruption polices was also raised.

Alliance members said they were not aware of any business interruption payments being made.

Ministers are understood to have mainly listened rather than making points.

They told the Alliance they took on board its views and stressed they would work as a ministerial unit on insurance reform.

A memorandum for Government is to be prepared on the issue.

In the last Government, former minister of state at Finance Michael D'Arcy set up a working group on insurance reform. But his reform efforts were hindered by a lack of senior ministerial engagement in the issue, business sources say.
Twenty one years ago, the Indian Army and Indian Air Force fought a bloody and bitter war to evict Pakistani intruders from the icy heights in Kargil.

Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd) salutes the lesser known heroes of the Kargil War.

Wing Commander Shakul Tyagi (retd)

IMAGE: Wing Commander Shakul Tyagi during the Kargil War in 1999. All Photographs: Kind courtesy Wing Commander Shakul Tyagi

A friend from Army Aviation, long retired but a keen helicopter buff, narrated this story when I told him I was writing about the helicopter operations in Kargil.

"There were marks in the snow as I recceed the areas we had withdrawn from during the winter almost a year before the actual fighting broke out. I had gone there with three aircraft for my annual training in which we practised 'shoots' with the artillery," the friend recalled.

"I sensed that things were not okay since the artillery guns were not available for practice for live firing at the ranges. There had been sporadic firing from across which was getting more and more accurate; and our artillery was being readied for counter bombardment," he remembered.

"It appeared that the Pakistani gunners were getting accurate inputs on the 'fall of shot' and that could happen only if they were visual with the Indian side."

On a special reconnaissance flight along the Drass-Kargil axis, the pilots had seen fresh footprints in the snow at the posts vacated by our soldiers for the winter.

"Putting two and two together," the friend said, "it was evident that the Pakistanis had infiltrated onto our side and were well dug in. I submitted a written report of my findings and went back to base."

"I guess we took it too casually; if we had acted then, Kargil wouldn't have happened."

Helicopters always have been a very important part of any mission/operation, offensive or otherwise. And so they were in the Kargil operations.

By the 10/11 of May, 1999, around 8 helicopters of the Mi-17 class had been inducted into Srinagar.

A large number of troops, ammunition and stores were being inducted and the para-commandos were being given refresher training to slither from the helicopters.

All the aircrews had been called to discuss options at a meeting held in the underground ops centre at Srinagar which continued well into the night.

Targets were at extreme heights, accuracy as well as aircraft limitations were issues and discussions heated up as the night wore on.

"Air Vice Marshal Narayan Menon (then Air Officer Commanding, J&K) and Air Marshal Vinod Patney (then Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Air Command) were also present along with a lieutenant general from the army," remembers Wing Commander Shakul Tyagi who was present at Srinagar through the Kargil operations and through whose eyes I describe this story.

"For the first time, we saw that the fighter boys speak about the high efficacy and efficiency of the helicopters in an armed role in this scenario," he remembers.

"It was good to hear that the importance of helicopters as a weapon platform was being recognised by the fighter boys," says the Indian Air Force veteran.

"The MiG-27 had severe problems of weapon release at high altitudes and it was felt that the engine may fail due to the high thrust and blast of the weapons at that altitude."

"Finally, the big bosses took the decision. The fighters were to give supporting fire and help in keeping the enemy heads down; and as soon as they did their bit, the helicopters were to spring a surprise by carrying out rocket attacks at the posts on the hill tops."

"The question of shoulder fired missiles came up during these discussions. All the helicopters were not equipped with flare firing equipment to thwart the shoulder fired Stingers which the enemy was known to have in plenty."

"A via media was worked out, each attacking formation of four helicopters was to have at least two fitted with the equipment and the helicopters were to tuck in close to each other till they went on to fire at the target. This was to prove fatal just a few days later."

"When we discussed this amongst ourselves, we decided that we would fire our rockets and dive into the valley and get away, making it difficult for the missiles to be fired."

"Also, we decided to do the morning missions from the east with the sun behind us so that we could be hidden in the glare."

"The evening missions were, of course to be done from the west. That was the best way to keep safe."

"If the fighters were raw at firing at those altitudes, we hadn't had any exposure at all; and therefore, we were at a huge disadvantage."

"But helicopter pilots are innovative and quick to adapt to new situations/tactics and we did so and put everyone's doubts about us to rest."

"A total of 5 missions by four aircraft each were flown by us; the first one being on the morning of the 26th May."

"On the first day, things went as planned, but for the aircraft with CMDS (Counter Measure Dispensing System) which had a technical snag. We had an army observer in the lead aircraft who tried to identify targets for us."

"On the way back we landed at the helipad at Mattayan to pick up casualties. Here, we also got debriefed from the artillery boys who could observe the firing from where they were deployed."

"We did two successful missions that day -- the same day that we lost two fighters and got the news of Ahuja's killing."

"In fact, both the fighters went down within 45 minutes of each other and we were told to hastily prepare for Combat Search and Rescue, something that we had little practised for, but had read of the daring missions flown by the USAF (United States Air Force) to pick up their downed pilots from behind enemy lines."

"Despite the fact that this was to be the most dangerous of missions with every chance of not coming back, crew volunteered for the mission with Wing Commander A K Sinha, the overall task force commander, leading from the front."

"They were loaded with 192 rockets, bulletproof jackets, emergency stores and personal weapons to go within an hour of being told to get ready."

"With heavy hearts we saw the aircraft taking off that morning, we knew there was a good chance of casualties. As they took off, the ATC (air traffic control) called up and radioed them to return. News had been received from across the border that Ahuja was dead and Nachi (Flight Lieutenant K Nachiketa) was in their hands."

"Similar missions were flown on the 27th, the targets being Tololing top and a place called Helmet Feature. Both these were successful and we were gaining in both, confidence and marksmanship."

"We also flew one big 130 mm Medium Gun (7,700 kgs) broken up in three parts and slung under the aircraft from Kupwara to 'Balbir top' where it was urgently required."

"These Russian guns have a 30 plus kilometre range and proved to be very accurate weapons during this conflict."

"Besides this, 6 light guns were dropped in the Gurez valley to augment firepower there on the same day."

"Shifting from an offensive role to a load carrying role is not easy. Ask the technical guys and they will tell you what a backbreaking effort it is."

"Pylons and pods have to be removed, rollers and load carrying boards need to be fitted, the rear doors need to be removed for drop sorties plus some electrical and hydraulic connections need change."

"Young Flight Lieutenant (Benoy Shanker) Jamuar, who headed the technical team, needs a special mention here. He used to get up at 0230 at night and go to the aircraft. Eating all his meals on the tarmac, he preferred to be with his men and provide them the motivation to work round the clock. More often than not, he got just a few hours in his bed for days on end."

"We flew these missions seeing enemy shells landing around us, it was scary, quite uncomfortable but unforgettable!"

"On the 27th evening Suadron Leader Rajiv Pundir arrived from base in an An-32 as additional crew. He got along a cake for Flight Lieutenant Subramaniam Muhilan from his wife Bina at Sarsawa."

"His birthday was coming up in the next two days and celebrations were in the offing. The cake was kept on the table near the bed, Muhilan and I shared a room," remembers the veteran.

"The birthday bash was to be after the mission on the 28th."

"The morning mission on the 28th was with Chinky sir (now retired Air Commodore Anil Kumar Sinha), in the lead and Pundir and Muhilan as No 3."

"While the aircraft started up in the morning, there was a lot of panic on the tarmac with two helicopters going unserviceable."

"Crew hopped from one helicopter to another and finally the mission got airborne. There had been an inordinate delay which was going to prove costly."

"Meanwhile, the fighters got airborne as planned and did their jobs. They were returning to base, low on fuel, when the helicopters reached to fire their rockets."

"They flew tucked in close to each other so as to get cover from the missile threat. Aircraft dispensed their flares as they descended into the missile envelope of the enemy, closing in to the target."

"But when it was time to fire, the helicopters had to maintain lateral separation from each other so that they did not fly into each other's wake/trajectory."

"This was the opportunity that the enemy with the shoulder fired missiles on ground were waiting for."

"A missile was fired, and for once, the Pakistanis scored a direct hit. The aircraft flown by Pundir and Muhilan went spiralling down and crashed into a plume of dust and smoke. There was no hope for the crew."

"It was a sad ending to a series of successes. But then, in war, one has to bear losses too and we did take it in our stride."

"The helicopter operations came to a stop till we got our CMDS (Counter Measures Dispensing System) aircraft on line."

"By then, the army had already claimed back our territory losing almost 500+ lives and more than double that number injured."

IMAGE: A letter from then Air Commodore R M Sridharan to then Wing Commander Shakul Tyagi.

Operation Safed Sagar, as it was aptly named, came to an end by mid July, and the guns officially fell silent on July 26th, with then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announcing the complete eviction of the Pakistani intruders.

"The untouched cake kept on Muhilan's bedside kept reminding me of my room-mate; a stark reminder of the cruelty of war."

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
Teachers, principals, and others rally outside of the Philadelphia School District Headquarters Saturday, demanding that the school year begin virtually amid fears of coronavirus. Read more

Continuing a public drumbeat against any school reopening plan that brings children back to classrooms, several dozen teachers gathered Saturday to put pressure on the Philadelphia School District as it prepares to revise its back-to-school blueprint.

Under a blue sky and in hot, muggy conditions on the steps of the School Districts North Broad Street headquarters, teachers reiterated demands made at a dramatic school board meeting Thursday night into Friday morning: Dont force one teacher or student into classrooms until you can guarantee our safety.

The districts plan now seems to be lets cross our fingers that there are no deaths, teacher Nick Bernardini said. Its preposterous.

 READ MORE: Schools reopenings are a mess, home-schooling pods are coming, and they could make inequality even worse

After an eight-hour school board meeting, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. pulled his plan, which would have sent most children back to school in person two days a week and contained a 100% virtual option for families who wanted it. Parents, students, and teachers told Hite and the board that given the districts track record with keeping buildings clean and safe, that plan was not OK.

We will not allow one person to die as a result of people going back into these old buildings, said Keziah Ridgeway, a rally organizer. Not one death.

Teacher Kelsey Romano said that on Friday alone, seven of her students parents reached out to her about school reopening. They all sent the same message.

Every single one is scared to send their kids back, said Romano, a special-education teacher at Saul High School.

 READ MORE: Phillys school reopening plan has stalled. Now what?

Hite said in an interview that he heard and appreciated the forceful voices that spoke at the school board meeting and again on Saturday but that not every viewpoint was captured there and that two weeks ago, the majority of 36,000 people surveyed asked for a mix of in-person and remote schooling for most students.

Im also getting emails from families and from some educators who think that children should be in school, Hite said. Some people are essential workers and were not able to engage at the meeting.

At Hites request, the school board recessed before taking a vote on the safety plan; the superintendent said that his team would work through the weekend on revisions but that a fully virtual school year would not be on the table, though he could ultimately present a phased-in approach, with classes starting virtually in September, then moving to a hybrid model, with plans for a fully face-to-face return when the science supports it.

We will do harm to children if in fact we lose another year without children in front of adults in some form or fashion, the superintendent said. We know that our children who are most at risk suffered the most academically in the spring. As educators, we can do something about that, and we need to do something about that.

Changes to the plan could mean the start of the school year, originally slated for Aug. 31 and now pushed back to Sept. 2, could be even later, said Hite.

Joyce Wilkerson, the school board president, said in a statement that Philadelphia is not alone in its challenges for designing a safe school reopening plan.

Communities across our state and country are all grappling with the same question of how to carry out our responsibility to educate our children. This is a hard conversation, but it is a conversation we are going to continue to have.

 READ MORE: A lose-lose situation: Schools try to plan their reopening amid conflicting coronavirus guidelines

Later, the teachers joined a swelling crowd for a march for police-free schools organized by the Philadelphia Student Union. The youth are calling for the district to divert the $31 million it spends annually on school safety into counselors, mental-health workers, and other student supports.

Raising fists into the air, they marched from LOVE Park back to district headquarters.

What do we want? Police-free schools! When do we want them? Now! the youth chanted, carrying banners, waving signs, and waving at cars that honked their horns at the crowd.

Why do we, the Black community, always have to be over-policed? Qawyyah Powers, a student at Science Leadership Academy at Beeber and a Philadelphia Student Union member, shouted into a microphone. Its because they label us as thugs, criminals, and thieves.

The school board has committed to reforming but not eliminating its school police force, whose members have been renamed school safety officers and will be issued new uniforms. The district has said officers will be trained in trauma-informed practices and emphasize mentoring and supports rather than punitive measures.

The youth who took to the streets were unmoved.

Were tired of waiting for change to come that never shows up or doesnt stay for long, said Sanai Browning, a student at Science Leadership Academy at Beeber.
Bollywood celebrites have been mourning the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. His last film Dil Bechara was premiered today and many celebrities have tributed the actor by watching the film 'first day first show'.

As late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs last film Dil Bechara premiered on Disney+ Hotstar today, several Bollywood celebrities including Riteish Deshmukh, Taapsee Pannu paid tribute to the departed actor by watching it first day.

Fashion designer Manish Malhotra was the first Bollywood celebrity to share excerpts from the film on Instagram while watching it. He posted a video of the title track from the film and wrote, Sushant Singh Rajput, and added a heart emoji.

Celebrity couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh also tuned in to catch the film as soon as it premiered on the online video streaming platform and shared the pictures from the movie-watching experience.

As promised, I am ready with my popcorn .. watching #DilBechara Time to celebrate #SushantSinghRajput May you be the brightest star in the sky, Riteish tweeted.

#SushanthSinghRajput on screen and I cant help but whistle #DilBechara, Riteishs actor wife Genelia Deshmukh tweeted. Pink actor Taapsee Pannu and former Miss World and actor Manushi Chhillar also took to their respective Instagram stories and shared that they too are watching the film.

Besides the celebrities, fans of the departed actor too have been creating a buzz on Twitter since Friday morning.

Dil Bechara has been adapted from the famous John Green novel The Fault In Our Stars, and also marks Mukesh Chhabras directorial debut. The film stars debutant actor Sanjana Sanghi opposite Rajput.

For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App
KEY FACTS 6:10 a.m. India began its first human trials of a novel coronavirus vaccine candidate

1:10 a.m. Woman on Air Canada flight from Toronto to St. Johns tests postive for coronavirus

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Friday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

9 p.m.: North Korea locked down a city near the border with South Korea and declared a maximum national emergency after finding what leader Kim Jong Un said could be the countrys first case of COVID-19. The alert was issued after a North Korean who had defected to South Korea three years ago, but secretly crossed back into the Norths Kaesong City last Sunday, was suspected to have been infected with the vicious virus, the Norths official Korean Central News Agency reported.

8:30 p.m.: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Republicans were set to roll out the next COVID-19 aid package Monday and assured there was backing from the White House after he and President Donald Trump's top aide met to salvage the $1-trillion proposal that had floundered just days before.

Mnuchin told reporters that extending an expiring unemployment benefit  but reducing it substantially  was a top priority for Trump. The secretary called the $600 weekly aid ridiculous and a disincentive for people to go back to work. He also promised a fresh round of $1,200 stimulus cheques would be coming in August.

7:40 p.m.: Florida jumped ahead of New York in confirmed cases of COVID-19 after the Sunshine State reported another 12,199 infections on Saturday. The state says 414,511 people have been diagnosed with the disease, No. 2 in the U.S. in front of New York State and its 406,506 cases. California leads the way with 425,616, based on the COVID Data Tracker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

6:20 p.m.: Spiking infections in Windsor-Essex and Ottawa are fuelling a recent rise in Ontario COVID-19 case numbers thats not yet being felt equally across the province.

According to the Stars count, the overall rate of infections has begun to rise again in the province after slowing through the first half of July. As of Saturday, Ontarios 34 regional health units had reported an average of 158 new cases per day over the previous week. Thats up about 35 per cent from July 12  when the same average hit a recent low of 117 cases daily  but still well down from the peak of nearly 600 per day in late April.

In a tweet, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said two-thirds of Saturdays new infections were among people under 44.

Unlike during the April peak, the recent rise has been being fuelled by a growing number of infections outside the GTA. For the second day in a row, Windsor-Essex reported the largest number in the province: 32, tied with Toronto, which has a much larger population and is continuing to see case counts fall to their lowest levels since late March.

Read the full story here

4:45 p.m.: A German vessel operated by travel giant TUI Cruises is testing the industry waters  the first large cruise ship to resume operations following months of shutdowns amid the pandemic.

According to German public broadcaster DW, the Mein Schiff 2 (My Ship 2) set sail late Friday night from the northern city of Hamburg. The ship headed for Norway for a three-night scenic cruise in the North Sea. Without stopping at any other ports, it's scheduled to return to Germany on Monday morning.

The German news agency DPA reported that the ship, with room for 2,900, is carrying 1,200 guests.

4 p.m.: Apple Maps is sending alerts to international travellers, reminding them to self-quarantine. The alerts, which include a link to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, are likely based on geolocation data, according to the Apple news platform 9to5mac.

Apple and Google also joined forces to create contact tracing technology that can help people figure out if theyve been exposed to the virus.

Read the full story here

12:50 p.m.: Quebec continues to see a rise in COVID-19 infections, reporting 171 new confirmed cases, but the number of people in hospital dropped by 14 to 206. Of those, 12 were in intensive care, the same as one day earlier.

11 a.m. Ontario is reporting another 138 cases of COVID-19 in its daily update Saturday, down from nearly 200 the day prior.

As has been the case in recent days, the increase included significant case spikes in Ottawa  28 new cases  and Windsor-Essex  33 cases.

Windsor-Essex, which continues to see new infections from outbreaks in its agricultural sector, has emerged as one of the hardest-hit regions during a recent uptick in cases in the province.

The province reported a single new death Saturday.

Ontario has seen a total of 38,543 lab-confirmed infections, including 2,759 deaths, according to the provinces count.

The Star maintains a separate count of COVID-19 cases based on the public reports of Ontarios 34 public health units. That count includes patients with probable infections, meaning they very likely have the virus but have not received a positive lab test.

10:01 a.m. A German cruise ship has set sail for the first time since the industry was shut down because of the coronavirus, with strict precautions for passengers and crew.

The TUI cruise ship Mein Schiff 2  My Ship 2  set sail for the weekend cruise in the North Sea on Friday night, the dpa news agency reported.

Occupancy was limited to 60% so passengers can keep their distance. There were 1,200 people on board compared the ships normal 2,900 capacity. The ship sailed from the port of Hamburg toward Norway, and passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on Monday.

Passengers and crew are required to stay 1.5 metres (5 feet) away or wear protective masks and wont serve themselves at the ships buffet. All passengers filled out a health questionnaire before boarding and had temperatures checks.

After being shut down for months, German cruise ship companies hope shorter, strictly controlled trips will help restart the business.

8:59 a.m. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Saturday that he has tested negative for the new coronavirus, based on a fourth test since he said July 7 that he had the virus.

Good morning everyone, Bolsonaro wrote on Facebook after reporting that the test was negative.

The 65-year-old leader didnt say when he did the new test. On Wednesday, he had tested positive for the third time.

Bolsonaro also posted a photo of himself with a box of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, although it has not been proven effective against the virus.

Now that Bolsonaro is clear of the virus, he is expected to return to mingling in crowds as he used to do before his diagnosis. He had spent many weekends since the beginning of the pandemic in close proximity to supporters, sometimes without wearing a mask.

On Thursday, he was photographed without a mask while talking to some sweepers in the garden of the presidential residence.

Brazil, Latin Americas largest nation, is one of the outbreaks epicenters. According to the Brazilian government, on Friday there were 85,238 confirmed deaths due to the new coronavirus. The country has 2,343,366 confirmed cases. The real numbers are believed to be higher.

7 a.m. The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. on July 25, 2020:

There are 113,208 confirmed cases in Canada.

Quebec: 58,243 confirmed (including 5,663 deaths, 50,615 resolved)

Ontario: 38,405 confirmed (including 2,758 deaths, 34,100 resolved)

Alberta: 10,086 confirmed (including 178 deaths, 8,567 resolved)

British Columbia: 3,419 confirmed (including 191 deaths, 2,934 resolved)

Saskatchewan: 1,099 confirmed (including 16 deaths, 848 resolved)

Nova Scotia: 1,067 confirmed (including 63 deaths, 1,003 resolved)

Manitoba: 371 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 319 resolved), 13 presumptive

Newfoundland and Labrador: 265 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 259 resolved)

New Brunswick: 170 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 163 resolved)

Prince Edward Island: 36 confirmed (including 31 resolved)

Yukon: 14 confirmed (including 13 resolved)

Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved)

Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved)

Nunavut: No confirmed cases, 2 presumptive

Total: 113,208 (15 presumptive, 113,193 confirmed including 8,881 deaths, 98,870 resolved)

6:10 a.m. Swimming pools and gyms in England are reopening for the first time since the U.K. went into lockdown as public health officials extol the benefits of exercise in fighting COVID-19.

The government has announced a fresh attack on obesity as part of the move, hoping that a fitter nation might be able to minimize the impact of future waves of the virus.

But Jane Nickerson, chief executive of Swim England, says that there had been financial pressure on pools even before the pandemic and that without government support many wont open this year  or ever.

She told the BBC that funding pools actually saves money because of the impact they have on social cohesion, crime prevention, education attainment and health benefits. Learning to swim is also a life skill.

One of our biggest, biggest fears is that there will be a lost generation of children this year who dont learn to swim, she said.

6:10 a.m. A Pakistani health official says 14 Chinese engineers and experts have tested positive for the coronavirus while working on a power project in central Pakistan.

Rana Yousaf, a medical doctor at the state-run Behawalpur hospital, said Saturday that the Chinese were brought to the hospital a day earlier amid tight security and that all of them were listed in stable condition.

It is the first time that authorities have confirmed infections among Chinese working in the country.

Currently, an unspecified number of Chinese are working in various parts of Pakistan on CPEC-related projects.

The development came hours after Pakistan reported 24 new deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the countrys lowest number of daily fatalities from the virus in more than a month.

Pakistan has recorded 271,887 cases and 5,787 fatalities.

6:10 a.m. Frances coronavirus infection rate is continuing its worrisome upward creep, with health authorities saying the closely watched R gauge is now up to 1.3, suggesting that infected people are on average contaminating 1.3 others.

Also increasing is the daily number of new cases, up to 1,130 on Friday. In their daily statement on the French outbreak that has claimed 30,192 lives, health authorities warned that the country is going backward in its battle and that infection indicators now again resemble those seen in May when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

We have thus erased much of the progress that wed achieved in the first weeks of lockdown-easing, health authorities said.

They appealed for a return to collective discipline, asking that people work from home and get tested if they have any suspicions of infection.

6:10 a.m. Africas total number of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 800,000.

Thats according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

South Africa has well over half the reported cases on the 54-nation continent, but infections are now climbing rapidly in other countries including Kenya, East Africas economic hub, with more than 16,000.

Africa was a major concern even before the first case was reported on the continent on Feb. 14, as the World Health Organizations declaration of a global health emergency in January cited the threat to fragile health care systems.

Africas are the least-equipped in the world, and health experts have warned the virus could smoulder in parts of the continent for a long time. Africa now has 810,008 confirmed cases.

6:10 a.m. India began its first human trials of a novel coronavirus vaccine candidate as the worlds second-most populous country recorded nearly 49,000 new cases.

The additional infections take Indias total to more than 1.3 million on Saturday, with surges seen in a quarter of the countrys 36 states and union territories.

India has tallied 31,358 deaths, including 757 in the last 24 hours. It has reported a much lower death rate than the worlds two other worst-hit countries, the United States and Brazil. Johns Hopkins University showed that the U.S. has more than 4.1 million cases, while Brazil has a caseload of nearly 2.3 million.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a premier teaching hospital in the capital of New Delhi, says it has administered the first dose of a trial COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.

The candidate vaccine, Covaxin, is among nearly two dozen that are in human trials around the world. AIIMS is among the 12 sites selected by the Indian Council for Medical Research for conducting the two-phase randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of Covaxin.

Countries are making giant bets on various vaccine candidates, entering into purchasing agreements with pharmaceutical companies for delivery if and when regulators deem the doses safe and effective.

6:10 a.m. Vietnam has reported the first local case of COVID-19 in over three months.

The 57-year-old man from central Da Nang city was hospitalized on Thursday with a fever and respiratory distress. The Health Ministry says his condition worsened and he was put on a ventilator.

Health workers have not been able to trace the source for his infection. For over a month, he did not travel outside his hometown, where no case of COVID-19 has been reported since April.

Da Nang city authorities have isolated the hospital he had visited and those who had been in contact with the man in the past weeks. His family members and over 100 others have initially tested negative for the coronavirus.

The news of a local infection after most activities had resumed in mid-May caused many to cancel or prematurely end their holidays in Da Nang, one of Vietnams most popular beach destinations.

Vietnam has reported 416 confirmed cases and no deaths.

6:10 a.m. Five more Victoria residents died from COVID-19 as the Australian state recorded 357 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews refused to rule out further restrictions but said Saturday the mandatory wearing of masks was the current strategy to stop the spread.

Andrews says, If they are worn by everybody, we may not need to go further. We cant rule out going further with rule changes, but its a big game changer.

There are now nearly 4,000 active cases in the state and of those, 313 are health care workers.

The deaths take Victoria state toll to 61 and the national figure to 145. Victoria recorded 300 new cases on Friday, down from 403 on Thursday.

6:10 a.m. South Korea has reported 113 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours  its first daily jump above 100 in nearly four months.

But the rise was expected as health authorities had forecast a temporary spike driven by imported infections found among cargo-ship crews and hundreds of South Korean construction workers flown out of virus-ravaged Iraq.

The figures released Saturday by South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought the national caseload to 14,092, including 298 deaths.

The agency says 86 of the new cases are linked to international arrivals, while the other 27 involved local transmissions. It says the imported cases include 36 South Korean workers who returned from Iraq and 32 crew members of a Russia-flagged cargo ship docked in the southern port of Busan.

6:10 a.m. New Orleans mayor is shutting down the citys bars because of rising coronavirus numbers and is also forbidding restaurants to sell alcoholic drinks to go.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Friday that some lines of people waiting to buy drinks were so long they became a gathering in themselves, and no mask-wearing and the like.

Cantrell says the city is seeing daily increases in confirmed coronavirus cases about double its threshold of 50 a day for more relaxed rules. The rule against take-out sales of alcoholic drinks takes effect at 6 a.m. Saturday.

The mayors orders came as the Louisiana Department of Health reported more than 2,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases, for a total of 103,734. New Orleans total rose 103, to 9,752.

6:10 a.m. Mississippis governor is setting new restrictions on bars and social gatherings to curb the spread of the coronavirus among a group that he describes as young, drunk, careless folks.

Gov. Tate Reeves said Friday that coronavirus infections have been rising steadily in people in their 20s who are not being responsible under the current regulations.

Bars and restaurants in the state have been able to open if they use only 50% of their capacity. Under the new rules, they also must require that customers be seated to order alcohol and alcohol sales will end at 11 p.m.

The governor says that our bars must look more like restaurants and less like mobs of COVID-19 spread.

6:10 a.m. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra has cancelled its 2020-21 indoor season due to the coronavirus outbreak and unforeseen economic pressures.

Orchestra management and the Orchestra Committee that represents musicians released a joint statement announcing the cancellation.

It says management and musicians are is committed to collaboratively exploring creative ways to continue to connect with our patrons and return to performing if conditions allow.

The statement didnt elaborate on the unforeseen economic pressures.

6:10 a.m. A humanitarian group says 97 medical workers in Yemen have died of the coronavirus, the first reliable estimate to give a glimpse into the pandemics impact on the devastated health sector in the war-torn country.

The report by MedGlobal relies on accounts from Yemeni doctors tracking the deaths of colleagues to gauge the toll of the virus. The 97 dead include infectious disease experts, medical directors, midwives and pharmacists.

Even before the pandemic Yemen had just 10 doctors for every 10,000 people. The countrys health system is in shambles after five years of war that has spawned the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Half of its medical facilities are dysfunctional.

Yemens internationally recognized government has reported 1,674 confirmed coronavirus infections and 469 deaths.

6:10 a.m. The first hurricane to threaten the United States since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is presenting new challenges for Hawaii, even though officials there are long accustomed to tropical storms.

Meteorologists say Hurricane Douglas should weaken by the time it hits Hawaii with strong winds, heavy rainfall and dangerous surf beginning Sunday.

But Honolulu authorities are having to prepare extra shelter space so people can maintain physical distance from others.

Evacuees at Honolulu shelters also will have their temperatures taken. Those with high temperatures or with a travel or exposure history will either be isolated at that shelter or taken to a different site.

Officials are reminding people to make sure they have masks and hand sanitizers in their emergency supply kits.

6:10 a.m. Health officials in Oregon say nine more people have died from COVID-19  the highest number of deaths reported in one day in the state since the pandemic began.

The Oregon Health Authority said Friday the newly recorded deaths raise the states toll for the pandemic to 282.

The authority also said there were 396 new confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, bringing Oregons case total to more than 16,100.

Oregon Gov. Kate Browns expanded face-covering mandate for anyone 5 years or older went into effect Friday.

6:10 a.m. California prosecutors have charged two brothers in an alleged assault of Target security guards during a brawl in May after they refused to wear face masks because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Los Angeles city attorney said Friday that Phillip and Paul Hamilton refused to wear masks at the Target store in Van Nuys and started a melee as they were being escorted out. One of the security guards suffered a broken arm.

It was not immediately clear if the brothers had attorneys who could speak on their behalf.

Los Angeles has required face coverings since April 10.

1:10 a.m. Newfoundland and Labrador has its third active case of COVID-19 in a week.

The latest case is a female resident in the 20-39 age range who recently returned from travel to Southeast Asia.

The Department of Health says she was symptomatic en route to the province, but self-isolated upon arrival.

Contact tracing is under way and anyone considered a close contact will be advised to quarantine.

Because she was symptomatic while travelling, the department has issued an alert to passengers who flew on Air Canada Flight AC8006 departing Toronto for St. Johns on Thursday, July 16, to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and call 811 for testing.

While the risk of exposure to COVID-19 is considered low at this time, Public Health is asking people to monitor themselves and call 811 out of an abundance of caution, read a statement.

Two other cases of COVID-19 in the Central Health region remain active. They are close contacts of each other and contact tracing has so far turned up no other cases.

The total cumulative cases in the province is now 265. Three people have died from the disease.

More than 23,000 people have been tested.

Friday 7:43 p.m. A outbreak of COVID-19 on Haida Gwaii has resulted in 13 confirmed cases, which health officials say are all linked to local residents and off-island travel.

It comes amid friction between Indigenous groups on Haida Gwaii and local fishing lodges over the resumption of operations and the potential for spread of COVID-19 from visitors.

Health officials report 27 news cases and one more death in B.C., for a fatality toll of 191 people.

A statement from the Health Ministry and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says an outbreak in Kelowna continues to grow and anyone who may have been exposed needs to monitor themselves closely.

Figures from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control show the Okanagan has had 107 positive tests between July 10 and July 23.

During the same period, 58 people were diagnosed south of the Fraser River, 49 in Vancouver and just four in Richmond.
Before the country went into lockdown Jack Power was, like so many other children, happily attending school, furthering his education, developing both socially and emotionally.

However, the decision to close the doors of the nation's schools has impacted upon Jack more than many of his peers.

Jack is autistic and non-verbal. For the seven year-old, it wasn't simply a case of bringing his work home, of enjoying more time with his mam and dad; the change in routine has proved incredibly stressful and upsetting for the Gorey boy.

'Jack has always been a happy boy,' said his mother Susan. 'He loves heading off to school on the bus every morning and his teachers and SNAs have brought him on so much.

'I always worry about him regressing during the five weeks he has off every summer so you can imagine how difficult it's been for him to be out of school so long.'

A pupil at Gorey Educate Together, Jack attended a special unit along with five other boys and had developed a rapport with both his classmates and his teachers.

The loss of these daily interactions has had a debilitating effect on Jack.

'The first problem we had was filling the time,' Susan said. 'Jack isn't used to having such big expanses of time with nothing to do and having to amuse himself. Routine is very big for him.

'As there was no structure to his days, he never knew what was happening next. He handled it all well initially but slowly the anxiety has taken its toll.

'No amount of reassuring him of what's happening each day using visual schedules helps. He wakes at night and can't sleep, lying screaming and crying in bed; bouncing his body off the mattress to try calm himself. These behaviours were unheard of before the school closure.'

'He was never a terribly anxious child before this but he is now - the regularity he was used to is gone. Before, he'd have maybe two bad nights a week, now it's the other way around.'

Prior to the lockdown, Susan had been working as a part-time accountant, but had already decided to give up her job at the end of March to dedicate more time to Jack and her other son.

Even so, she said that without the support of their families, she and her husband would have struggled to get through the past four months.

'Our daily life has consisted of trying to keep the boys amused,' she said. 'We're living in the countryside so we were able to use the 2km limit, and the weather was good.

'But Jack didn't respond well to home schooling, to him school is school and home is home. Fortunately, my mother is a retired teacher and she's been taking him one day a week and Jack does the work for her.

'We have a very good support network; both of our parents, our siblings. There's kids out there a lot worse off than mine.'

Further help came in the form of Gorey Educate Together's Summer Programme and weekly classes at Happy Trails, a therapeutic riding school in Davidstown, but Susan says her son's social skills have deteriorated since the school's closure.

'In terms of his social development you can see the deteroriation already. He'd rather be on his own than with people. Even if a neighbour came to the door he'd be upset.

'Jack just wants it to be the four of us and he doesn't want anyone else here. He's taken a big hit in terms of his development. It's very frustrating to watch it happen, but it will come back, please God.'

And, according to Susan, despite Jack receiving an appointment to see an Occupational Therapist at the end of next month, professional help is not always readily available.

'In terms of therapy, there's been nothing really, no supports during the lockdown. But there hasn't been much in the way of speech therapy or occupational therapy for the last few years anyway, only what I can afford to pay for privately.

'The services for those with autism in Wexford are under resourced to adequately meet demand.'

For now, the focus for the Power family is on the new school year and ensuring Jack is primed and ready to return to class on August 27.

'I can't even think about him not going back. As far as I'm concerned, he's going back on August 27. We, as a family, are beyond tired and verging on exhaustion from the school closures but we will persevere to get Jack back to the happy boy as he once was. But more certainty on schools opening would be a massive help.'
A few days after the state education department asked schools and junior colleges to promote Class 9 and 11 students to the next class on the basis of oral exams, parents have now demanded uniformity in the syllabus and format of the exams.

Parents said that they want schools to give a question bank through which students could prepare.

Students were not prepared for an oral exam and need to be given some consideration in the current situation. Some schools want to ensure good results for Class 10 and thus implement strict marking system for Class 9 students. At least this year, such things should not be done, said the parent whose child studies in a Dadar school.

On Friday, Shikshak Parishad, an association of teachers, wrote to the education department, urging authorities to come up with some guidelines for schools in this regard.

Some schools have told parents that questions will be asked on the entire syllabus. This can become really stressful for students and add to their existing pressure amid the current situation. The department should give some guidelines to make the process uniform across schools and colleges, said Shivnath Darade, secretary, Shikshak Parishad.

Despite repeated attempts, officials from the education department did not respond to HTs calls and messages.

As per the government resolution (GR) dated July 21, schools have been asked to conduct the oral exams by August 7.

Under the current conditions schools should conduct an oral exam of such students either by calling them to school or via video conferencing, stated the GR.
Armenian Ambassador Tigran Seiranian urged the Armenians living in Ukraine to avoid clashes with Azerbaijanis as well as any unpleasant incidents.

The ambassador's statement - posted on the embassy's Facebook - says that in many countries, including Ukraine, there are cases of attacks on Armenians, manifestations of violence, attempts to damage or destroy their property. And although the situation in this country did not get out of control, it is necessary to observe precautions, the diplomat said.

He urges Armenians to be as vigilant as possible, not to succumb to provocations, to refrain from visiting restaurants, cafes, and other catering facilities alone or in small groups, especially at late hours of the day.

The Armenian diplomatic mission is in constant contact with the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine and the Union of Armenians of Ukraine. According to Seiranian, these days law enforcement officers are doing everything possible to avoid mass clashes.
A massive police reform bill that would create a police certification process with civilian oversight, ban choke holds and restrict no-knock warrants is a step closer to becoming law in Massachusetts.

After three days of debate over use of force standards, qualified immunity and supervisory powers, the Massachusetts House passed the police reform bill, 93 to 66  a smaller margin than votes on previous landmark bills, legislators say.

Lawmakers wrangled over who gets a seat at the oversight commission, which the House initially proposed would have at least two police officials and five civilians. They argued over what level of force is excessive and, on the third and final day of debates, when officers accused of misconduct should be protected by qualified immunity.

Change is never easy, but with this vote, the House of Representatives acts to ensure fairness and equality, House Speaker Robert DeLeo said in a statement after the vote Friday night. It is the product of countless hours of conversations with a wide swath of stakeholders, including the members of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.

Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, a Springfield Democrat and BLLC chair, said the next step is to work with the Senate to come up with a bill that the governor would sign, or at least one that could garner enough support to override a veto.

I strongly believe the time is now. The moment is here, Gonzalez said. I think theres a commitment on all chambers to work together and come out with a package that makes sense to the community, first and foremost, supports our police officers but also addresses police reforms and accountability.

In the wake of George Floyds officer-involved death in Minneapolis, protesters across the country took to the streets calling for reform. Law enforcement officers condemned the incident.

The caucus unveiled a 10-point plan in June that included creating a Peace Officer Standards and Training system, or a certification system often called POST. They also called for a commission structural racism, a ban on choke holds and reforms on use of force standards. Gov. Charlie Baker filed a bill that would create a POST system.

The House and Senate bills were packed with the caucus demands and more. The House bill, while not limiting qualified immunity as the Senate proposes, called for stripping decertified officers of those protections. The House bill also restricted no-knock warrants and barred school officials from sharing student information with outside law enforcement agencies.

The omnibus bills drew scrutiny from police officials who say the problems that led to Floyds death in Minneapolis dont exist in Massachusetts. Officers in Massachusetts are among the best trained in the country, having started bias training years ago. No police official that spoke to MassLive could recall an instance in recent decades when a choke hold was taught in police academy.

Demonstrators and community organizers, however, argue they have experienced discrimination and mistreatment from police officers. Some residents testified their complaints went nowhere or they didnt trust the process enough to file a complaint.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in solidarity of the Black Lives Matter and demanded for police reform. Not all were in agreement on the same strategy to use to achieve a common goal, Gonzalez said before the vote. They didnt only talk about unity. They demonstrated unity. Now its our turn as legislators. With seconds left on that clock and very little sunlight left for each of you to take the ball in your hand and take the shot.

In addition to removing qualified immunity for decertified officers, the House bill creates a special legislative commission to study the origins and interpretation of qualified immunity. The commission would be expected to submit a report of its study and recommendations by March 31.

Some Republican lawmakers pushed for a consolidated amendment that would have delayed changing the qualified immunity protections for decertified officers until after the commission turned in its report. The amendment failed.

In an impassioned speech, Rep. Bradford R. Hill said studying qualified immunity as the changes are implemented makes no sense.

Ive gotten calls from my municipalities. How is this going to affect legally my communities if this is passed? I cant answer the question. I cant answer it, the Ipswich Republican said Friday before voting against the bill. Ive asked, and asked and asked, and guess what? I get 10 different answers, but Im going to pass a bill that changes qualified Immunity and not let my communities know how its going to affect them? Thats wrong. Thats bad lawmaking.

On Friday, Hill wasnt the only one to raise concerns about the bills impact.

Rep. Marc T. Lobmardo, a Billerica Republican, said officers would refuse to intervene in any questionable situation out of fear they would be exposed to civil rights lawsuits and face decertification.

Rep. Colleen Garry, a Dracut Democrat, questioned the adoption of an amendment barring officers from executing no-knock warrants if a child or an elderly person is home. The bill was filed by Rep. Liz Miranda, a Boston Democrat, in response to the deaths of 68-year-old Eurie Stamps in Framingham and 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley Jones in Detroit. Both were killed in police raids targeting other people in the homes.

The people who are drug dealers, who have weapons, who have fentanyl and cocaine and all these things, certainly will get this trick now, Garry said. Oh, lets just have a kid in the room with us, and they wont be able to do a no-knock warrant.' Thats putting children and the elderly in harms way.

Before lawmakers voted on the bill, Rep. Nika Elugardo took to the floor. She urged them to support the bill, in all its imperfections. She said the reforms that seem drastic to some seek to address police misconduct that is almost never seen in predominantly white suburban communities, but becomes all too common in urban communities where Black and brown people live.

The amendment strengthening restrictions on no-knock warrants  the one Garry objected to hours earlier  was personal for Elugardo. When Elugardo was 7 years old, she lived with a family member who sold drugs.

It is a crime against our very humanity to hold people back because of their life situation, and with this bill we take a step to rise above the fray of our shared dark past across the country and here in Massachusetts, said Elugardo, a Boston Democrat and a member of the BLLC. This bill is an important beginning  not because the ink on the page is beautiful or complete or comprehensive or even entirely fair. This bill is the beginning because of how we came together to create it.

While the legislation has emerged faster than most bills on Beacon Hill, it faces major hurdles and a closing window. The differences between the House and Senate proposals have to be reconciled and approved. Then heads to Bakers desk.

If the Republican governor vetoes the bill, the House will need support from two-thirds of the legislative body to override the veto. Friday nights vote suggests the bill doesnt have enough support to survive in that scenario, and two-year legislative session ends on July 31.

Baker has suggested both bills have unresolved issues, alluding to how quickly they pushed through proposals. Bakers own bill was the product of nearly a year of discussions. When asked whether certain provisions would deter Baker from filing it, his offices only response was the administration will carefully review any legislation that reaches the governors desk.

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Mount Carmel cemetery in Philadelphia onJuly 20, 2020. For months, Mount Carmeland Har Nebo cemeteries have been closed, with grass growing up to four feet. After weeks of complaints, a reopening plan is underway. Read more

Milton Banks, 92, wanted to spend Mothers Day this year at Har Nebo Cemetery in the Oxford Circle section of the city to pay his respects to his mother, father, and sisters. Instead, he was met with a locked gate and tall grass spilling out of it. Some of the grass was taller than the tombstones.

Banks repeatedly tried to reach cemetery owner Richard Levy, but met with a recorded message on Har Nebos answering machine attributing the closure to the coronavirus pandemic.

The place is a disgrace, and as far as him saying hes waiting for the governor to give the green light [to open], I think hes looking for an excuse, Banks said, noting that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf never closed cemeteries, and that several other cemeteries where relatives are buried have remained open and well maintained.

In an interview, Levy said that even though the state had not required cemeteries to close, he did so to protect his and his wifes health since they are at high risk of coronavirus complications.

He said he didnt maintain the grounds throughout the closure because his landscaping company wasnt supplying its employees with masks and he didnt feel safe having them on the grounds. I really didnt expect it to go this long, he said.

Levys recorded answering machine message said both Har Nebo and his other cemetery, Mount Carmel, have remained open on a limited basis for funerals, and he estimated there have been about 18 since March.

Joseph Levine & Sons and Goldsteins Rosenbergs Raphael-Sacks, two Jewish funeral homes in the Philadelphia area, confirmed they had held funerals at the cemeteries since the onset of the pandemic. A spokesperson for Levine said families had complained about the condition of the grounds.

Banks daughter, Hope Walls, said she could not imagine funerals taking place given those conditions. Where would people walk? she asked. Why would you invite a family to see that whos already grieving?

M.B. Kanis, commander of Drizin-Weiss Jewish War Veterans Post 215, said his fathers grave used to be visible from the street, but is now overgrown with weeds. He said there had been previous care and maintenance problems at Levys cemeteries, but called this summer without a doubt the worst weve ever seen.

He also said this was not the first time Levy has kept visitors off the grounds, noting he and others were unable to access Har Nebo to place flags on the graves of veterans last year.

State Rep. Jared Solomon, who represents the area and has received numerous calls over the last few weeks, said he first became aware of problems at the cemeteries in 2017, when Mount Carmel was vandalized. Of the 500 headstones reported to have been knocked down at the time, he said, about 100 were from the vandalism, while the remaining had crumbled from what he referred to as the real vandal: negligence.

At one of the most difficult moments that any family member has to deal with, which is the loss of a loved one, Levy is entrusted with showing that the lasting memory of those loved ones are honored over the years, Solomon said. He has year after year failed to deliver for family members who are currently in mourning, or just want to visit a loved one to feel close or connected.

With help and pressure from Solomon and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Levy eventually hired a landscaping company to tend to the grounds, work that started last week. Levy said he will reopen once that process finishes, which he hopes will be soon.

For Banks, whom Walls affectionately called a 92-year-old on a mission, that cant come fast enough.
Eighteen Canadian health experts issued an open letter earlier this month to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the 13 provincial and territorial premiers to demand a quick and total reopening of the economy, schools and daycares in the name of public health. Exploiting their professional medical qualifications to give their reactionary arguments unwarranted credibility, the authors express their full-throated endorsement of the corporate elites dictum: The cure cannot be worse than the disease.

In their open letter and an accompanying statement entitled Dealing with COVID-19: a balanced response, the health officials advance a series of outright criminal arguments to justify the Trudeau Liberal governments back-to-work drive, which has already led to an increase in infections. Their core contention, in their own words, is that the societal costs of maintaining even limited restrictions, including social distancing, the closure of schools and restrictions on business operations, are too high. It is therefore necessary to strike a new balance, by abandoning all efforts to contain the pandemic and instead relying on personal responsibility to somewhat slow the virus spread, so that everyone can return to normal.

There is nothing balanced about the response they advocate. Instead, the authors are using their medical credentials to provide ideological support for a homicidal policy of herd immunity that will lead to thousands, even tens of thousands, of additional deaths.

The binary alternative offered up by the experts between health care and society is false to the core. This line of argumentation has been used since the outset of the pandemic by the most powerful sections of the ruling elite to demand that workers return to work so they can start generating profits again for the major corporations and financial oligarchy. A more honest presentation of their argument would state that the drain on corporate profits that has been produced by the totally inadequate public health measures adopted by the federal and provincial governments is too great. Offered the choice between the further enrichment of the corporate elite and the protection of human life, they effectively declare, We choose corporate profits, and to hell with the consequences!

The health experts who signed the open letter include: Gregory Taylor, Theresa Tams immediate predecessor as Canadas chief public health officer; David Butler-Jones, the countrys first chief public health officer; Bob Bell, Ontarios former deputy health minister; Onye Nnorom, president of the Black Physicians Association of Ontario; and Vivek Goel, former president of Public Health Ontario.

Dr. Howard Njoo, Canadas current deputy chief public health officer, has welcomed the letter, and the Public Health Agency of Canada has acknowledged that the issues raised in it are already being discussed with governments and other stakeholders, i.e., big business representatives.

The letter and statement are striking for their blinkered nationalism. The authors pay scant attention to the fact that the pandemic is raging across the globe, with well over 200,000 new infections recorded every day. Just across the border in the United States, over 70,000 cases are being registered daily.

Back-to-work and reopening schools: A policy of herd immunity in all but name

The signatories push for a return to school and a return to work en masse as soon as possible. They call for social distancing to be all but abandoned. To the extent that they appeal for the maintenance of basic hygiene measures, including handwashing and the wearing of masks in some enclosed spaces, these are seen as a means of somewhat slowing the virus spread through the population to prevent another total, or even partial, shutdown of the economy that would harm corporate interests.

The unstated policy behind these arguments is herd immunity. This concept, which in the absence of a vaccine proposes to let the pandemic run its course until 60 or 70 percent of the population get infected, is a homicidal policy that would result in millions more deaths internationally, including tens of thousands or more just in Canada. Even though health experts, including Canadas public health officer Theresa Tam, have criticized the anti-scientific and medically perverse character of herd immunity, governments the world over have silently adopted it when reopening their economy.

The homicidal character of this policy was revealed most clearly by Dr. Neil Rau, an infectious disease physician and medical microbiologist at the University of Toronto who signed the letter. Rau applauded the criminal decision of Quebecs right-wing populist Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) to open schools, day cares and workplaces in most parts of the province even as the pandemic raged. Hailing Quebec Premier Francois Legault for showing guts, Rau told CBC, I actually think Quebec may be the best.

Legaults decision to prematurely reopen the economyat a pace even faster than in the USwas not only irresponsible, but deadly. At the beginning of July, Quebec was still proportionally one of the worlds jurisdictions hardest hit by COVID-19. With 650 deaths per million, the province is only surpassed by Belgium in terms of its death rate. More people have died in Quebec per head of population than in the UK, Spain, Sweden and the US (see: Quebec government threatens thousands of lives with precipitous return to work).

In April Legault had been forced to appeal to the federal government to deploy more than 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces personnel to cover the staff shortages caused by previous massive job cuts and the mass infection of health care workers. The premier recently declared that in the event of a second wave of infections, any business shutdowns will be very targeted, i.e., nothing will be done. Schools and various workplaces like construction sites will not be closed.

Deliberately minimizing the dangers of the virus, the experts bitterly complain about the fear Canadians have developed of COVID-19. For them, Canadians have to learn how to deal with this disease, while getting on with their livesback to work, back to school, and back to healthy lives and vibrant, active communities across this country. In a passage that would enjoy the support of the far rightwhich claims that protective measures such as wearing masks, social distancing, closing non-essential businesses, etc., represent an attack on individual libertiesthe signatories assert, COVID-19 control must be balanced with basic human rights. People need to be empowered to make informed choices about their own lives and the level of risk they are prepared to accept.

The signatories adopt a totally defeatist attitude towards the possibility of fighting the pandemic. They claim, We need to shift from a mindset of attempting to eradicate this disease, which is not feasible and will lead to continued devastation of our society, to a new goal. This new goal is to focus on preventing deaths and serious illness by protecting the vulnerable while allowing society to function. This position echoes Foreign Affairs, the leading journal of the US foreign policy establishment, which claimed in May, Efforts to contain the virus are doomed to fail in many countries, and a large percentage of people will be infected in the end.

This reactionary idea, which articulates the interests of the financial aristocracy in the US, Canada and elsewhere, is invariably tied to the notion that workers have to adapt to the new normal, i.e., massive and continuous deaths from COVID-19. The open letter asserts, Aiming to prevent or contain every case of COVID-19 is simply no longer sustainable at this stage in the pandemic. We need to accept that COVID-19 will be with us for some time and to find ways to deal with it We need to accept that there will be cases and outbreaks of COVID-19.

The reality is that rigorous public health and hygiene measures were never seriously applied in Canada. This is shown by the near 9,000 deaths from COVID-19, including a massive death toll among the elderly in nursing homes, as well as the mass infection of health workers resulting from the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).

It was recently disclosed to Parliament that Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was briefed as early as January 17 by military intelligence on the rapid spread of coronavirus and the threat it posed. However, refusing to adopt any preventive measures that would impinge on the oligarchys drive for profit, Trudeau and his provincial counterparts took no action for almost two months afterwards. It was only on March 10 that the federal government wrote to the provinces to inquire about potential shortages of medical gear, including ventilators and PPE.

The result was that nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals working in a health care system devastated by years of austerity had to contend with a raging pandemic without the necessary protective equipment. There was nothing inevitable about this state of affairs, because the pandemic was both foreseeable and foreseen. Following the SARS epidemic in Toronto in 2003, a comprehensive inquiry and a series of policy reports were produced explaining in detail the steps that needed to be taken to prepare Canadas health care system for the next pandemic. These measures were systematically ignored by successive provincial and federal governments in favour of providing massive tax handouts to the super-rich and big corporations, and huge spending increases for the military (see: The 2003 SARS epidemic: how Canadas elite squandered the chance to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic).

While the ruling elites preparations for the health disaster provoked by the pandemic were catastrophic, the government, big business, and the unions wasted no time in conniving behind the scenes to engineer an unprecedented bailout of the financial elite totalling more than $650 billion. As the banks and financial oligarchy received virtually unlimited support, the government placed workers on meagre and makeshift rations. The $2,000 per month provided by the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) barely covers the rent of a modest apartment in major Canadian cities. Access to the benefit, which for many will expire next month, is being restricted so as to force workers back on the job.

The experts claim that the virus can no longer be eradicated flies in the face of World Health Organization (WHO) advice. Serious scientific and medical professionals have insisted that a comprehensive program of testing, contact tracing and isolating infected people can bring the pandemic under control. Yet none of the provincial governments nor the federal government has mounted a systematic effort to implement these measures.

Prioritizing corporate profits over human lives

The return to work serves definite class interests. The Canadian oligarchy is champing at the bit to make the working class pay, through intensified exploitation, for the massive looting of the public treasury it carried out via the state bailout. When the authors of the open letter claim that the societal costs of maintaining (comprehensive preventive) public health measures, even with some gradual relaxation, are too high, they are paraphrasing New York Times  columnist Thomas Friedmans comment, subsequently taken up by the fascistic US President Donald Trump, that the cure cant be worse than the disease.

To hide the real class motives of the ruling elite, the signatories resort to all sorts of hypocritical pretexts. They write in their statement, for instance, that the current pace of school and business reopening carries significant risks to overall population health and threatens to increase inequities across the country, including among lower income groups, Black and other racialized groups It adds: Education is compromised. There are increases in domestic violence, alcohol and drug intake, and food insecurity. The economic consequences are huge. This leads to increased unemployment which is related to increased deaths. And the toll on mental health is just beginning to be felt.

Such cynical hand-wringing is designed to provide what is a viciously anti-worker policy with some progressive cover. Childrens well-being is a pretext invoked by governments and public health officials to justify the reopening of schools so that their parents can be forced back to work amid the pandemic. The fact that the welfare of children is the last thing on the minds of the advocates of this reckless policy is shown by their complicity in decades of sweeping cuts to education budgets and teachers working conditions implemented by governments of all political stripes. This has resulted in a situation in which schools are desperately underfunded, overcrowded and unsafe. Needless to say, they never ask: How it will help the mental health and education of children to be herded back to school under these conditions, especially when the infection and death of fellow students, teachers, parents and other education workers is only a matter of time?

Domestic violence, drug abuse and food insecurity are not the result of the closing of non-essential businesses and schools. Rather they are social symptoms of the capitalist crisis that were present well before the pandemic. The medical experts present joblessness as some inevitable and unavoidable product of the measures taken to combat the spread of coronavirus, rather than the outcome of big business decision, supported by their political hirelings and union lackeys, to lay off millions of workers to protect share values and the wealth of the super-rich.

Not lockdowns, but the ruling elites decades-long austerity measures, its negligent initial response to the pandemic and its refusal to use societys plentiful resources to protect workers incomes during the pandemic are responsible for the increase in anxiety, insecurity and inequality. While the stock market is booming once again thanks to the virtually unlimited injection of public funds by the Trudeau government and the Bank of Canada, millions of Canadians are struggling to make ends meet, as shown by the spike in food bank use.

The recommendations presented by the authors at the end of their statement make clear that corporate profits are to be prioritized over human lives. Governments should carefully reopen schools, businesses and health care. Allow gatherings of friends and family, develop clear control plans for future outbreaks or resurgence of disease that are risk-based and focused so [that] further universal lockdowns are not necessary, and assess the appropriateness of recommendations for physical distancing from a risk benefit perspective. Where risk of community transmission is very low, the absolute benefits of physical separation are negligible.

In opposition to the lying propaganda of the political establishment, workers must advance their own class solution to the catastrophic social, economic and health crisis produced by COVID-19. What is demonstrated by the callous response of the ruling elite to the pandemic, which is summed up so brutally in the positions advanced by the 18 health experts, is that there exists no progressive solution to the crisis triggered by the danger pandemic within capitalism, an outmoded system based on private property, production for profit and rival nation-states.

As the International Committee of the Fourth International wrote in its recent statement, For international working class action against the COVID-19 pandemic:
Assam and Bihar continue to bear the brunt of nature's fury as floods have seriously impacted around 37 lakh people and have claimed 10 lives so far. Floods during the monsoon season are not unusual in states like Assam and Bihar but in 2020, several parts of India have witnessed heavier rainfalls than expected and have also reported flooding and waterlogging.

In Assam, nearly 27.80 lakh people across 26 districts have been affected by the deluge. Flood-related deaths in Assam have been reported from Kokrajhar, Barpeta and Morigaon districts. Death toll due to floods and landslides this year topped 122 in Assam. Floods have impacted approximately 1 million people in Bihar and the crisis got exacerbated as heavier rains lead to embankment breaches in Saran, Gopalganj and East Champaran districts.

The Gandak River turned turbulent and breached the embankment in Devapur village located in Barauli block of Saran district and Puraina village of Majha block in Gopalganj district, which has impacted at least 50,000 people. Another embankment breach took place on Thursday midnight near Bhawanipur village located in East Champaran district. No loss of life has been reported so far due to the breach of embankments in Bihar.

According to the state disaster management department's bulletin, a total of 9.60 lakh people in 529 panchayats of 74 blocks in 10 districts have been severely impacted by the floods in Bihar. The Bihar government will also seek help from the Indian Air Force so that the relief material could be airdropped for people stranded in places that are inaccessible.

West Champaran district that lies along the Nepal border and in through which the Gandak river flows, accounts for seven out of ten deaths reported so far. Other districts that are worst impacted by the floods are Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, East Champaran, Supaul, Goaplganj, Khagaria, Kishanganj, Muzaffarpur and Sheohar.

Darbhanga has the largest population affected by the floods at 3.46 lakh people. One flood-related death has been reported from Darbhanga whereas Sitamarhi has reported a total of two flood-related deaths so far. President Ram Nath Kovind also spoke to the Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal and expressed his solidarity with the people hit by floods and landslides in Assam. The President also sent nine trucks carrying Red Cross relief material for the flood and coronavirus affected people of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh from the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Also read: Assam flood: 39.80 lakh people affected, 77 dead; no sign of water receding
Sahaya Novinston Lobo By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Words would not describe the shock and pain 14-year-old Hari experienced when his parents abruptly disappeared from his life. Months after his mother died of a prolonged illness, his father, depressed with sudden turn of events, ended his life on June 25, leaving him alone.

Today his fathers colleagues and friends have come together to do the little they can for the teenager  contribute some money to sustain his education and begin a new life. Haris father Durai Murugan was a police constable of the 1999 batch. Over 3,000 men and women from his batch have pooled together Rs 13.91 lakh for Hari.

Durai Murugan used to work at the Minjur police station, recalls Vasu Devan. He was a close friend. We have been together since our training in 1999. I was with him during his wedding, and when his son was born. Eventually, our families became friends too. Vasu Devan says Durai was disturbed ever since his wife died. We tried our best to help him, but it did not work. Now, Hari, a class 9 student, is all alone. His uncles family has taken him in, but his financial future is still unstable.

It takes about a year for the pension money to arrive. So we pooled in resources for the boy. Vasu says all of his batchmates are on WhatsApp, and are scattered across some 60-odd groups. I sent a message and everybody started sending money, says head constable Sabari, who is the admin for all these groups. Of the collected money, Rs 12 lakh has been deposited into an insurance scheme, so that Hari will have a substantial sum when he needs it for college expenses. The balance has been handed over to Hari, for current educational expenses. Hari is not the first person. The batch has come to the help of 17 of their members so far. The efforts are not just to pool money, but also provide social support.
Eid Qurban, Qurban Bayarami or Eid al-Adha, are all names for the Feast of the Sacrifice. Of the two Islamic holidays observed around the world, Bakrid is the second one. The first being Eid al-Fitr, which is popularly known as Eid or Ramadan Eid. It marks the end of the sacred month of Ramadan where Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and recite the Holy Quran, offering prayers to Allah.

India Date

Eid al-Adha, also known as Bakr Eid or Bakrid in India, is observed on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims around the world offer Eid al-Adha prayers at the mosque after the sun has completely risen and just before it enters the Zuhr time (midday prayer time). The prayer is followed by a sermon or khutbah, by the Imam. This year, Saudi Arabia announced July 31 as the date of Eid al-Adha. According to the Shahi Imam of Delhis Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, it will be celebrated in India a day later on August 1, however, Kerala will celebrate the festival (also known as Bali Perunnal) along with Saudi on July 31. Since Islam follows the lunar calendar, the date of the festival can change depending on the sighting of the moon.

ALSO READ: Traditional and unconventional recipes for Bakrid

History

The festival of Eid al-Adha is a commemoration of the Islamic prophet Ibrahims (Abraham) absolute dedication to Allah. It is meant to honour the sacrifice that Ibrahim was more than willing to make for his God. The history of the day started when Ibrahim kept having a recurring dream of himself slaughtering his beloved son, Ismael, to fulfil the wishes of God. Ibrahim spoke to his son regarding the dream, explaining to him how God wanted him to make the sacrifice. Ismael, who was just as much a man of God agreed with his father and asked him to comply with the wishes of Allah. Just as he was about to make the sacrifice, Shaitan (the devil), came to tempt him and dissuade him from making the sacrifice. Ibrahim tried to shun him away by pelting Shaitan with stones. Allah saw his absolute devotion and sent Jibreel (Angel Gabriel), the Archangel, bearing a sheep for slaughter. Jibreel told Ibrahim that God was pleased with his devotion to him and sent the sheep to be slaughtered in place of his son.

Significance

More than the act of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha is the celebration of Ibrahim and Ismaels love for Allah. The sacrifice is only meant as a gesture that shows that one is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for Allah. It is the sacrifice of what one loves the most for God. In commemoration of the sheep sent by Allah through Jibreel, Muslims across the globe sacrifice a goat or sheep in the spirit of sacrifice. It is obligatory for the meal prepared from the sacrifice to be distributed in three equal parts. Where one portion feeds the family, the second feeds the relatives and the third goes to the poor and needy. It is often said that even though the meat nor the blood reaches Allah, the devotion of His people reaches him.

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(Pascual Soriano / AFP / Getty Images)

A bat found in front of an AT&T store in Anaheim last weekend has tested positive for rabies, the Orange County Health Care Agency announced Friday.

Rabies is spread by a bite from an infected animal or, in rare cases, from a scratch if an animals saliva penetrates the skin. Those exposed to rabies may receive a series of shots to prevent it from developing.

In a news release, officials said the bat was found at 131 E. Katella Ave. in Anaheim. It was unclear whether the bat was alive or dead when found.

Officials warned that anyone who may have had contact with the bat should contact the agency at (714) 834-8180 so that a nurse can evaluate the risk of rabies. Over the weekend, officials said, people should call the after-hours number at (714) 834-7792 and leave a message.
She is said to be giving her relationship with Scott Disick another go after briefly splitting.

But Sofia Richie was enjoying fun in the sun with her friends on Friday.

The 21-year-old model hit the sand for some beach volleyball on the beaches of Malibu with some pals.

Sunkissed: Sofia Richie was enjoying fun in the sun with her friends on Friday at the beach in Malibu

The daughter of Lionel Richie showed off her model legs in cream colored mini shorts.

She teamed her look with a black tank top and dark cateye sunglasses.

Her blonde hair was tied up in a claw clip behind her head as she played a round with friends.

Sofia seemed to enjoy volleyball and a game of cornhole with a drink in hand.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Sofia and Scott have gotten back together, after having ended their nearly three-year relationship in May.

Toned: The daughter of Lionel Richie showed off her model legs in cream colored mini shorts

Look: She teamed her look with a black tank top and dark cateye sunglasses. Her blonde hair was tied up in a claw clip behind her head as she played a round with friends

Double fisted: Sofia seemed to enjoy volleyball and a game of cornhole with a drink in hand

A source revealed to People on Wednesday that this time around the 37-year-old Talentless founder and the 21-year-old daughter of Lionel Richie are 'taking things slow.'

'[They are] trying to make things work while taking things slow,' explained the insider, as the pair continue to spend quality time together.

On Tuesday, a source confirmed to Us Weekly that Scott and Sofia were 'hanging out again romantically' and that their relationship was 'back on.'

Scott and Sofia reunited for the first time on Saturday, since ending their nearly three-year relationship in May.

Loved up? Exes: Earlier this month, it was reported that Sofia and Scott have gotten back together, after having ended their nearly three-year relationship in May

Early start: She seemed to be in a good mood as she hung out and danced in the sand with friends

Cool down: She let her hair down while lounging in chairs with a friend who seemed to just hop out of the water

The pair - who first began dating in 2017 - grabbed lunch at Nobu restaurant in Malibu, before heading to a pal's low key Fourth Of July party at the beach.

'They seemed happy together but more friendly than romantic,' a source told People of their get together.

Scott and Sofia's break-up occurred in May, shortly after Scott's brief rehab stint at a Colorado treatment facility in late April.

Last month, a source told People that Sofia was 'still processing the breakup' and having a hard time doing so.

Back together: Earlier this month, it was reported that Sofia and Scott have gotten back together, after having ended their nearly three-year relationship in May.

'It was a serious relationship, not some fling, and she was there for Scott through some tough times. It hurts to see all the speculation about Scott and Kourtney, but she is so young and gets so much attention. She'll be totally fine,' the insider explained.

Sofia and Scott started dating in the fall of 2017 about two years after he split with reality star Kourtney Kardashian, 41.

Recently, Scott, Kourtney, and their three children, sons Reign, five, and Mason, 10, and seven-year-old daughter Penelope, have been spending a lot of quality time together, taking a family trip to Utah for Scott's birthday and most recently a trip to Wyoming together.

Round two? Sofia and Scott started dating in the fall of 2017 about two years after he split with reality star Kourtney Kardashian, 41
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Linkedin Natasya Sitorus (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 16:15 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406693e45c 3 Opinion HIV-AIDS,Children-Day,ARV,pill,treatment,children,health-ministry Free

It was almost midday in October last year, we arrived in front of the house of Eka, a child living with HIV. Tears burst from Ekas mother as soon as I hugged her. It was challenging for me, as Eka was one of the first children enrolled with Lentera Anak Pelangi (LAP), a program providing care and support to children living with HIV in Jakarta.

In 2017, doctors diagnosed Eka with cerebral toxoplasmosis, the most common central nervous system infection among people living with HIV. The infection continued to cause her immune system to deteriorate, resulting in severe headaches and loss of sight.

Eka apologized to her mother for not taking all her antiretroviral (ARV) medication. She never took one of the three combination drugs as it is as large as an adult thumb. Ekas mother tried to persuade her by cutting the tablet into pieces. However, it made the bitter taste worse. Eka, secretly, only swallowed the other two tablets and kept the other one in her bag.

Eka made a promise she would take her medicines again. She wanted to live. She had even asked her doctor to provide an easier drug formulation. However, this was all too late. Eka never received the proper pediatric formulation, despite its availability in Indonesia. After fighting for two years, on a Sunday afternoon, Eka took her final rest.

Other children living with HIV share Eka's experience. They struggle to survive and their immune system continues to weaken. In most cases, this is due to the challenge in consuming the adult form of ARV medication that results in low adherence.

Although ARV medication does not kill HIV, evidence shows that if consumed appropriately every day, it can lead to viral suppression and an improved quality of life. ARV treatment is a life-saving combination of medicines for people living with HIV, including children. Among adults, adherence may be affected by the fatigue of taking the same medicines over time, as well as the side effects that may come with the drug. Children, too, experience the same thing. However, many children are unaware of their HIV status, including the benefits of the medications they consume.

Based on the 2020 first quarterly report from the Health Ministry, there are 388,724 people living with HIV in Indonesia, 3.3 percent of them are children aged 0-14 years old. According to the Constitution, the state is obliged to guarantee all citizens access to health care as a human right, and health is a fundamental right for everyone, including children living with HIV. Unfortunately, pediatric-specific ARV formulations are very limited.

LAP has found that only two pediatric ARV formulations are available, a fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablet and a pediatric formulation. The latter has only been available in Indonesia since 2019, and it has not been distributed evenly. This forces children to take an adult formulation, often by cutting or crushing the tablet. In fact, doctors often leave this to the parents or caretakers. This may include different doses such as 1/2 tablet, 1/3 tablet, 0.6 mg, and many others.

It is crucial to take the appropriate dose of ARV medication, otherwise treatment may be ineffective. Almost all adult ARV drugs come in tablet, caplet or film-coated tablet without a score line to split. Film-coated tablets are designed to reduce the bitter taste as well as to protect the tablet from dissolving too quickly. Dissolving crushed ARVs into water also often leaves some undispersed. Additionally, air can degrade the exposed drug, reducing its effectiveness.

The number of children living with HIV in Indonesia is relatively low. The Health Ministry always argues that the current regulation on large-purchases of commodities prevents small-purchases of high-cost commodities.

Pediatric ARV formulations are frequently advocated for. However, regulations and bureaucracy remain barriers. Furthermore, the Health Ministry issued a new narrative on simplifying ARV regimens, including for children. It includes removal of some ARV combinations, leaving children with fewer options.

Later in June, a circular letter was published. It includes a recommendation to replace the current fixed-dose combination available for children with a multi-pill. Following this, an expert panel on HIV and STI published a set of recommendations in line with the national standard medical procedures on HIV implementation 2019 (PNPK HIV 2019). However, the concern is that these changes may affect children psychologically and their adherence to ARV medication.

The fight to make pediatric ARV treatment available has not been successful. Just a few days ago some children told me they were happy with their dispersible medication. But today, a grandmother returned from a hospital with three different bottles of ARV medication. The hospital did not have any stock of the usual form, so they gave us a multi-pill combination, said a grandmother. She is worried that her grandchild will not be able to consume the ARV as he usually received a dispersible form.

Ironically, more fixed-dose combinations have been made available to adults, as it is known to increase adherence. I am jealous of the inequality. I may be overreacting by thinking the worst. At the end of the day, it is the WHO that published the guidelines, and the expert panels have made the recommendations based on evidence.

We hope the Health Ministry will fulfill the right to health of children living with HIV. We hope that strategic and progressive steps will be taken to fully implement the 2016 consolidated guidelines on ARV of the WHO, PNPK HIV 2019, and the recommendations from the expert panel.

This is a long note for us. It is time to talk about pediatric HIV treatment, not as an any other business agenda, but as the main agenda. For us, one child is one life, and each life matters. Happy National Childrens Day!

***

The writer is the advocacy manager at Lentera Anak Pelangi.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
The taxpaying citizens of Hamilton County are facing one of the most important decisions perhaps in the history of Hamilton County on August 6, 2020. With business closing and services restricted due to Covid-19 concerns, revenue shortfalls at the county and state level are certain. In fact, the state of Tennessee cut $284 million recently from their budget and further reductions are likely due to decreased sales tax.



The media has widely publicized and there has been considerable public discussion for years about opportunities for improvement in our school system. Currently, over 62 percent of all tax dollars spent in Hamilton County go to funding the Hamilton County Department of Education. This percentage will certainly increase as the amount of tax collection decreases. Remember, by law, this funding amount cannot be decreased by the County Commission. Combined with state and federal funding the HCDE budget was over $421 million for 2020.



Our hard-working teachers and staff need to be adequately compensated, commensurate with education and experience. Our schools often run out of essential supplies at year end such as paper towels, soap, toilet paper and copy paper. Some of our school buildings are in need of serious repair. The recent $500,000 facilities report revealed that approximately $879 million is necessary to accommodate our needs. Comparison to school districts in Tennessee of equal size reveal proper funding in Hamilton County. Yet 37 percent of children cannot read at grade level. The bottom line is for some reason the money doesn't make it to the classrooms and teachers where it is needed.



The citizens living in District 2 of Hamilton County, i.e.

Signal Mountain and Red Bank communities, have a rare opportunity on August 6, 2020 to potentially change the future of Hamilton County. We need a proven business leader, one who has spent over 40 years as a CPA, experienced in all facets of financial management, committed to fairness and has a love for his community. This person is Tom Decosimo.Tom Decosimos commitment to the community is best illustrated through his community service by serving on the board of directors of non-profit organizations like Girls, Inc, The Creative Discovery museum, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, and Chambliss Homes for Children. Tom also served two terms as Chairman of the United Way of Greater Chattanooga. For over two generations, business owners have trusted the Decosimo family for sound financial advice. Hamilton County and HCDE could certainly use some sound financial advice during these critical times. I urge all voters to place policy and responsibility over politics and vote for Tom Decosimo for School Board in District 2 on August 6, 2020.Dean Moorhouse

* * *

I was pleased to cast a vote for Tom Decosimo for District 2 School Board this week. We are all aware of the financial, social and health related struggles the country is undergoing as a result of the pandemic and the negative impact it is having on our state and countys situation as well.



The next four years are likely going to be challenging for both Hamilton County and the Department of Educations budget. We have the privilege of voting for a man who has decades of experience guiding large organizations, both as an executive and a board member, through unsure financial waters. Perhaps more importantly, Tom has experience supporting and guiding organizations during times in which the future may not be as certain and clear as one would hope. Tom Decosimos years of dependable, steady leadership in Hamilton County - leading both public boards and private companies - will be a huge asset for us.



Tom has excellent relationships and years of knowledge working with the Hamilton County Commission. That will be especially important as the Department of Education works with the Commission on budgeting and other financial needs over the next few years. Tom will represent the students, teachers, citizens and taxpayers of our County in a manner in which we can be proud of, and serve as wise counsel to Dr. Johnson and the HCDE Board over the next four years.



Please join me in voting for Tom Decosimo for District 2 School Board.



Bob Linehart

* * *

I agree with Dean Moorhouses observations and conclusion, however he mistakenly cites the inverse of a critically important statistic measuring third grade reading ability. As of the 2018-1019 school year, only 36.1 percent of our public school third graders could read at grade level. At the glacial level of our districts improvement, a significant percentage of another generation of Hamilton County public school students will be condemned to a life of underachievement.

Unfortunately, the high correlation between poverty and illiteracy is inescapable. Unfortunately, there is little proven correlation In public education between per capita spending and performance. We have a history of our boards of education tolerating mediocrity at best and abysmal failure at worst and we as voters, failing to demand acceptable improvements in performance.

It is time for leadership on the Board that is not beholden to the status quo, can think critically and will influence our countys educational priorities in the direction that will create many more productive citizens.

I believe my brother, Tom Decosimo, will be such a board member.





Fred Decosimo

Signal Mountain
It can be a pain to answer a call with a smartwatch when the hand youd use is busy, but Samsungs upcoming Galaxy Watch 3 could make it relatively easy. XDA reports that Samsungs newly released Galaxy Watch 3 Plugin app (so much for a surprise at Unpacked) references support for hand gestures, most notably for answering calls. If your watch starts ringing, you just have to clench and unclench your fist to pick up. You can shake your hand to ignore a call, too.

The future wristwear will also add support for Apple Watch-like fall detection. If the Galaxy Watch 3 detects a tumble, itll ring for 60 seconds to get a response. If you dont answer, itll text your location and a five-second audio recording to emergency contacts. You can also tell the watch to make an emergency call after that minute-long wait, although thats optional.

Samsung is expected to unveil the new watch when Unpacked takes place online August 5th, although the device likely wont ship until days or weeks later. Its poised to be a subtle evolution of the existing Galaxy Watch (no, theres no Watch 2) with slightly smaller 41mm and 45mm case sizes and Watch Active 2 features like ECG and blood pressure monitoring.

The Watch 3 probably wont prompt an upgrade from either of those recent devices. However, the gesture support could be particularly important if you dont want to contort yourself just to receive a cant-miss call.
Researchers are urging city-dwellers to switch off their garden lights at night-time after a study of magpies and pigeons revealed the harmful impact artificial light is having on the birds' sleep patterns.

The study by La Trobe University and University of Melbourne, published today in Current Biology, is the first to measure neurological responses to light pollution in wildlife.

The researchers looked at how birds' sleep was affected by artificial white light and the apparently more "sleep-friendly" amber light.

They found light comparable in intensity to street lighting can disrupt the length, structure and intensity of sleep in magpies and pigeons, regardless of the light's colour.

Utilising miniature sensors to measure magpie and pigeon brain activity, researchers found their non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM sleep cycles were altered when exposed to white and amber lighting at night, but that the magnitude of these effects differed between the species.

La Trobe University sleep expert Dr John Lesku said that while magpie sleep is more disrupted under white light compared to amber light, both types of light are equally disruptive for sleep in pigeons.

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"Both magpies and pigeons average 10 hours of sleep per night. We found that magpies lost more NREM sleep under white light than amber light. By comparison, pigeons lost around 4 hours of sleep under both white and amber light," Dr Lesku said.

"Interestingly, neither species fully recovered sleep lost to white or amber light exposure."

University of Melbourne and La Trobe University researcher Dr Anne Aulsebrook said changes to sleeping patterns in birds, caused by human light pollution, is concerning.

"We know sleep is important for animals to not only function, but thrive," Dr Aulsebrook said.

"While amber lighting appears to have a less damaging impact than white light on magpies, our findings suggest the relative impacts of light pollution on birds may be species-specific. Amber lighting can reduce sleep disruption in some birds, but it is not a solution for all species.

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"Additionally, disrupted sleeping patterns that force birds to catch up on sleep in the daytime could impact their ability to forage for food, fight off predators and search for mates."

University of Melbourne and La Trobe University graduate researcher Farley Connelly recommended further research into avian circadian rhythms and the implementation of short-term solutions.

"We should think about using artificial light only as and where it's needed," Mr Connelly said.

"Switch off that porch light, install sensor lights, remove decorative lights from trees, balconies and other outdoor settings, and keep street and park lights directed to the ground or shielded where possible.

"And if you're ever woken by the early call of a magpie, remember it could be just as sleep deprived as you are."
The former PM's centenary celebrations should be an occasion to reflect on Congress' blind supplication to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty rather than an empty exercise in symbolism

On Friday, former prime minister Manmohan Singh paid a handsome tribute to another former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao, who headed the Union government when the former was the finance minister.

The occasion was incidentally the 29th anniversary of Singhs epoch-making budget of 1991, which unspooled a slew of reforms that ultimately transformed the Indian economy on the way to making it a powerhouse. Singh described Rao as the father of economic reforms, whilst inaugurating yearlong celebrations commemorating Raos birth centenary, which will culminate on 28 June 2021.

Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh's message on the birth centenary celebrations of Former PM Shri #PVNarasimhaRao pic.twitter.com/7zPK4NyxSe  Congress (@INCIndia) July 24, 2020

Several preliminary points need to be made. First, consonant with the political culture that pervades the Congress, Singh also paid a tribute to a Gandhi. "Economic reforms were preceded by a push in that direction when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister," he said.

That may not be in dispute, but the fact that Singh found it necessary to make the point while celebrating Rao is significant.

Second, what Singh said is hardly news. The politically and historically literate are only too aware that Rao picked Singh as finance minister, gave him the mandate for economic reforms and his unstinting political backing despite leading a minority government, which he made sure went the distance. All the way from 1991 to 1996.

Whatever initial impetus Rajiv may have provided, the decision to embark upon groundbreaking economic reforms of the scale undertaken was practically unimaginable, even if forced by an unprecedented crisis of foreign exchange reserves. It needed the utmost political courage and sagacity, not to speak of imagination. Both Rao and Singh provided these ingredients.

The difference in the way the Congress has remembered the legacies of the two men, however, stand in stark contrast. Less than a decade after demitting office after the Congress lost power in 1996, Singh became prime minister, which he remained for two terms. Rao, on the other hand, was almost forgotten. In the quarter of a century or so, since 1996, Rao has not officially been celebrated as the man who pioneered economic reforms. Singhs tribute is handsome, but much delayed.

Its not just that Rao was forgotten and ignored after his death in 2004. He was left to fend for himself when in life he was subjected to obloquy after being implicated in a vote-buying case and convicted. It is, of course, no ones case that corruption should be condoned, but it could have been expected that his party would have given him some support in difficult times.

Of a piece with the quarter of a century of neglect is the fact that the Gandhi family played no great role in kicking off Raos centenary celebrations. Whilst Singh did the heavy lifting, former President Pranab Mukherjee, and former ministers P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh attended the function. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her predecessor Rahul Gandhi sent appropriately respectful messages, but did not bother to attend the event.

The question, of course, is: why has the Congress suddenly rediscovered Rao? The possibility that he could be appropriated by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi could have played a role. The Congress leadership may correctly feel that it needs all the symbolic play it can get. Rao can provide quite a lot of it at a time when the economy is in focus.

Rao made a seminal contribution to transforming India during a critical period of the countrys history, but that doesn't define Congress. Rather it is the dynastic culture that has come to define the party and, incidentally, brought it to its current critical pass.

The dynastic principle was first introduced into the Congress by Indira Gandhi in the run-up to the Emergency, by promoting her delinquent younger son, Sanjay Gandhi; allowing him to virtually take over the organisation in partnership with her; and by encouraging him to emerge as an extra-constitutional arbiter in the affairs of the government. She followed this up, after Sanjays death, by shoehorning an initially reluctant Rajiv into politics.

It was only a familial vacuum, caused by Sonias refusal to enter the political arena, which allowed Rao the opportunity to become party chief and the Prime Minister of India. Thereafter, though Singh did become a two-term prime minister, as we all know, the reins of both the party and the government remained in Sonias hands. That she acquitted herself reasonably well is another matter.

But Sonias successor did anything but acquit himself reasonably well. To be charitable, the best one could say is that Rahul has good intentions. If that is true, it is also true that, in accordance to the old adage, they have paved the road to perdition for the party.

Rahul neither has the nous nor the bottle to rejuvenate a failing organisation, which is best illustrated by his instinct to cut and run whenever problems seem to become insurmountable and responsibilities too onerous.

Obviously, however, to ascribe all of the Congress problems to the failings of an individual or a family would be too facile. It is the party as a whole that has failed to transform a dysfunctional system and pernicious culture in an attempt to live up to its responsibilities  and in the current circumstances, the Congress, as the only nationwide opposition party, has a whole lot of responsibilities. The democratic system in general terms cannot prosper without a viable, indeed vigorous, opposition.

The Congress had a palpable opportunity to break from its dynastic shackles last year when, in the wake of the partys electoral debacle, Rahul quit the presidents post, repeatedly snubbed attempts made by the leadership to get him to change his mind and announced that his successor would have to come from outside the family.

It took the party leadership two and a half months or so to accept the fact that Rahul was not going to change his mind and finally persuaded Sonia to accept the presidents post in an interim capacity. A year on, she continues to be interim chief. No attempt has been made to elect a president democratically according to absolutely categorical procedures laid down in the partys constitution.

When the party was without a head, it lost its government in Karnataka. In the current situation of drift, which Sonia cannot stem primarily it appears because of reasons of health, it has lost another government  in Madhya Pradesh. A third is currently in limbo in Rajasthan.

There is really no point in the Congress accusing the BJP of adopting a predatory approach. The political riposte cannot be plaintive, it has to be robust. And it can be robust only if the Congress puts its own house in order.

That cannot be done by waiting for Rahul to return as president at his leisure. A leader must be elected, whomsoever it may be  Rahul, Priyanka, or anybody else. But the new leader must be legitimately elected so that he or she has the mandate to rebuild and reform the party root and branch.

The inauguration of a year of celebrations commemorating Raos centenary should be an occasion to reflect on the blind supplication to the dynasty, rather than an empty exercise in symbolism.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 15:55:12|Editor: huaxia

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by Peerzada Arshad Hamid

NEW DELHI, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Human trials for developing an indigenous vaccine against COVID-19 are going on in full swing in India.

Two companies -- Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila -- are currently carrying out human trials in six cities across the country.

On Friday a 30-year-old man was administered the first dose of the under-trial COVID-19 vaccine namely Covaxin Bharat Biotech at the prestigious All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The man was administered 0.5 ml intramuscular injection during the part of the primary trial.

"The first dose of Covaxin was administered to a 30-year-old man, the first volunteer, who is a resident of Delhi. He was screened two days ago and all his health vital parameters were normal. He does not have any co-morbid conditions or any pre-existing illness," Dr Sanjay Rai, who works within the Community Medicine Department, said.

"After the vaccination, the man was in close observation for two hours. There was no sudden side-effect observed."

Rai, who is also the principal investigator of the research, said the subject will be closely monitored for a week.

"The volunteer has been allowed to go home for now and he will be examined again after two days," he said.

According to officials, 500 volunteers have already registered for the trial for developing the COVID-19 vaccine at the AIIMS.

More volunteers will be vaccinated on Saturday.

Bharat Biotech and Zydus were granted permission for Phase I and II clinical trials and administered the first doses of their vaccines to volunteers on July 15.

A third vaccine candidate, developed by Oxford University, is soon to be tested in India. Serum Institute, which is in a manufacturing partnership with the UK's Astra Zeneca, has said it will begin human trials as soon as it receives regulatory approval. This vaccine is currently at the third level of human clinical trial stage.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, developed in collaboration with India's top health research body -- the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), will be tested at 12 hospitals ( including AIIMS, Delhi, Patna and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences -PGIMS, Rohtak) in 12 different cities.

AIIMS Patna, which started human trials of Covaxin on 11 volunteers on July 15, has not encountered any major side-effects in volunteers. The results of the first dose are yet to come in.

Likewise, the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak has readied 20 volunteers and administered the first dose to three people on July 17 and none of them have showed any adverse impact of the vaccine. The second phase of human trials will begin soon.

At SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Kancheepuram, near Chennai, human trials began on Thursday with two volunteers being administered 0.05 ml of the vaccine each. They will get the next dose on August 5.

The first phase will involve over 500 volunteers, all healthy and between the age of 18 and 55 years with no co-morbidities.

Covaxin trials have already begun in Hyderabad, Patna, Kancheepuram, Rohtak, and now Delhi, to be followed by Nagpur, Bhubaneshwar, Belgaum, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Goa and Visakhapatnam.

Testing of Zydus's candidate, ZyCoV-D, is currently limited to its research centre in Ahmedabad and will be subsequently extended to multiple cities. Indian government's department of biotechnology has partially funded the development of Zydus's vaccine ZyCov-D.

The human clinical trials of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccines are being carried out at various levels in the country to identify the efficacy of these potential vaccines.

Officials said the government has assured to provide all the necessary support for the development of vaccine.

On Friday, India's multinational pharmaceutical company Cipla announced it has received regulatory approval from the drug controller general of India (DCGI) for launching Favipiravir in the country to be sold under the brand name Ciplenza for restricted emergency use for the treatment of coronavirus patients. The company said it will commercially launch Ciplenza in the first week of August and each tablet has been priced less than a U.S. dollar.

Ciplenza has been jointly developed by Cipla and CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT).

India Saturday said the number of COVID-19 cases in the country have reached 1,336,861 including 31,358 deaths.

Globally India is the third worst-hit country due to COVID-19 pandemic. Enditem
Right royal ruin over a royal pavilion By Tharushi Weerasinghe View(s): View(s):

The destruction of a supposed archeological heritage site in Kurunegalareportedly the royal pavilion of King Buwanekabahu IIcaused outrage this week, even entering the political arena and prompting finger-pointing among Government officials over who was responsible.

The archeological value of the building was in dispute throughout the continuing controversy. The new town was constructed during the British period on the foundations of the ancient Kurunegala kingdom, said T M C Bandara, Exploration Officer of the Special Unit for the Prevention of Destruction and Theft of Antiquities of the Archaeology Department. Therefore, areas such as theseKotte is another examplehave less ruins, as they grew more populated.

The Antiquities Ordinance holds that any building with a history before March 2, 1815, is by default a location of archeological value and is thereby protected under the Act. Separately, the Cultural Property Act states that any property with historic value from the 1815 to 1920 period must be specifically gazetted by the relevant Minister in order to receive protection under the law.

The royal pavilion of King Buwanekabahu II was renovated by the British. Mr Bandara speculates that this is probably why it is disputed that the site is one of archeological value.

But the reign of King Buwanekabahu II dates back to the start of the 14th century. Therefore, the structureheavily influenced by Kandyan architectureis deemed protected under the Antiquities Ordinance even without gazetting.

The renovations made by British colonizers do not dictate the historic period that the structure belongs to because the foundation dates to a period before March 2, 1815, he maintained.

Commenting on its use as a hotelthe Buwaneka HotelMr Bandara noted that living heritage sites were common preservation techniques used in Sri Lanka. He pointed to prominent addresses such as the Dutch Hospital and the Cargills Building in Colombo that were renovated to suit the needs of the times.

Kurunegala Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa is facing a severe backlash for his role in the demolition. He claimed it was completely fallacious to describe the site as the royal pavilion of King Buwanekabahu II. He pointed to a 2019 document from former Director General of Archaeology Prof P B Mandawala.

In it, the Professor has referred to the Buwaneka Hotel as belonging to the British colonial period, Mr Sanjeewa claimed. He also said the alleged royal pavilion is not in a list of sites from the ancient kingdom period.

So without even a gazette to prove its archeological value, why are people fighting so hard to protect something our oppressors built? he questioned. He said the building was under the Kurunegala Municipal Council (MC) since the 1930s.

It may be over 100 years old, but it is not an archeological heritage site, the Mayor insisted, adding that the hotel had a liquor licence and also functioned as a brothel.

Just come and ask anyone living in the town and theyll tell you, he said. Mr Sanjeewa has given his testimony through a lawyer to the authorities and wants a transparent inquiry. This whole controversy is a political ploy aimed for the elections, he asserted.

The Mayor described how the building came to be destroyed. The Road Development Authority (RDA) was widening the road in front of the site and drain construction required a portion of the premises to be removed. The area had toilets that were built recently.

During this removal, a wall of the pavilion also collapsed on June 24 this year, Mr Sanjeewa said. On July 14, the entire edifice was pulled down. In between, the Archaeology Department had not said a word to him, he claimed.

The Archaeology Department regional office is about 50 meters away from the site, he said. What were they doing for so long?

Stores were built out of tin in the space the toilets previously stood to stack oils and other building materials. Another wall broke away due to rains and other natural causes, the Mayor continued. Officials were notified of this and the MC decided to empty the stores for fear of the oil barrels catching fire. A backhoe was brought to remove rubble at approximately 7 p.m. on July 14. During that process, another wall had collapsed.

RDA officials denied responsibility for the destruction that occurred on July 14. Initial projects to develop the Ambepussa-Kurunegala-Trincomalee main road started in 2014, said Athula Senadeera, North Western Provincial Director. Due to legalities related to land acquisition, the project couldnt meet deadlines. Certain parts of the road, therefore, remained undeveloped.

The Buwaneka Hotel in Kurunegala town was one property on this route. Legal clearance required for land acquisition was completed and the project entered its final stage this year. To widen the road in front of the hotel, the plan required a small part of the premises to be taken down.

The Kurunegala MC, which held ownership, was notified via registered post in May this year. Pointing to its historic features, the RDA also asked the Archaeology Department for input via registered mail. The letter was copied to the MC.

The necessary demolition was done by the MC and construction of the drainage system began on June 26. It ended on July 3. During this whole time, we had no opposition or protest from any authority, Mr Senadeera noted.

He believes the problem started with the removal of a few wedge stones from a culvert under the road in front of the site for the new drain. The Archaeology Department lodged a complaint with the Kurunegala police in this regard on July 8. The Chief Engineer from the Kurunegala RDA office reported for a hearing at the police stationbut nobody from the Archaeology Department turned up. The complaint, therefore, was not taken up.

On July 15, the Archaeology Department, the RDA and Kurunegala police carried out a field inspection. They decided not to remove any more wedge stones. The RDA immediately ceased road development activities in the site area and notified this in writing to the Archaeology Department. The Provincial Director concluded his letter by pointing out that the area which was affected had not even been proposed by the RDA for removal.

After the fact, the Prime Minister appointed an investigative committee headed by Director General of Archaeology Professor Senarath Dissanayke. It submitted its interim report on Wednesday. Prof Dissanayake said legal action has been initiated and he could not comment.

Apart from recommending legal action, the committee has proposed that expenses be charged from the MC for rebuilding the property at the earliest using Archaeology Department records. The RDA has been called upon to revise its plans to bypass the building.
Confirmed: Embassy letters needed for Immigration visa extension

PHUKET: The Immigration Bureau has confirmed that letters from embassies are needed for short-term visa holders to be granted a 30-day extension to stay under the visa amnesty granted by Cabinet on Tuesday.

immigrationtourismCOVID-19

By The Phuket News

Saturday 25 July 2020, 10:44AM

Clarification: The "automatic visa extension" continues until Sept 26. In order for short-term visa holders to remain in Thailand after that date, they must apply for an extension to stay before Sept 26. For that, they must have a letter from their embassy or a letter from a doctor (in case illness is preventing travel). The 30-day extension, if granted, will become effective from Sept 27.

The Cabinet approved the automatic visa extension for all visa types, previously set to expire on July 31, to be extended until Sept 26.

A draft copy of the proposal for the visa extension request, which was reported as approved in full, was posted on the main Immigration Bureau website on Wednesday.

This means that foreigners whose visas had expired as from 26 March 2020 will be permitted to stay until 26 September 2020 without having to apply for an extension, the Immigration Bureau announcement explained.

However, the announcement was removed later that day, and now has been replaced by a new announcement explaining clearly that all short-term visa holders who wish to remain in Thailand after Sept 26 due to a lack of flights or other circumstances preventing them from returning home due to the COVID-19 pandemic must present a letter from their embassy in order to be granted an extension to stay after that date.

According to the announcement posted late yesterday, Short-term visa holders. (TR, TS, VOA) and those granted a visa exemption have to prepare for departing the Kingdom within September 26, 2020.

1.1 In case of illness

- Bring a medical certificate to contact a local immigration office

1.2 In case of having other obstacles such as no flights or having an outbreak situation

- Contact an embassy or consulate for issuing a letter of confirmation and request for a temporary stay and bring it to contact a local immigration office.

Each permission shall be granted no more than 30 days, the announcement said clearly.

The US Embassy in Bangkok had previously posted a public notice, marked in bold, that it would not be issuing such letters. That notice has now been removed. A public statement confirming whether or not the embassy will now be issuing such letters has yet to be posted.

Australian Ambassador to Thailand Allan McKinnon last week confirmed that the Australian Embassy in Bangkok is now providing letters to assist Australian nationals seeking to extend their visas. At that time it was deemed a prudent precaution.

While there has been no announcement on the future of the visa amnesty to date, we understand many people have gone to Immigration to extend their existing visas (or to convert their visas) ahead of the deadline. Many have been informed that they require a letter from their Embassy to do this, Matthew Barclay, Australian Consul-General to Phuket, told The Phuket News last Friday (July 17).

It is our intent to ensure that we are not an obstacle in this process. As a result, we will be issuing letters (at no fee and via email) to those Australians who send their passport biodata page to Consular.Bangkok@dfat.gov.au. People should expect a reply within one to two working days, he added.

As always, anyone with queries about their visa circumstances should direct these to Thai Immigration, Mr Barclay advised.

Meanwhile, the Immigration Bureau announcement posted late yesterday confirmed that all long-term visa holders whose permits to stay expired after Mar 26 also must submit an application for an extension to stay from now until September 26, 2020.

All types of visa extension will be effective from September 27, 2020. In order to reduce overcrowding, please come earlier, the announcement read.

Long-stay foreigners whose 90-day notification of residence having a due date from March 26 to July 31, 2020 must submit 90-day notifications from August 1-31, 2020 through specified channels, the announcement added.
The big deal is context. When a man says those words to a woman, theyre nothing but ugly, an attempt to dominate and demean. When a powerful man says those words about a woman, they are an abuse of power as well as of the woman. When he does it in the presence of another man  Yoho was with another congressman  he makes it clear how permissible it is to bully women.
Years ago, Dave Jones looked at the Confederate monument on the King George Courthouse lawn and wondered why it was there.

Hes white, a native of Louisiana and a descendant of one William Walter Jones, who fought for the Confederate States of America. If his great-great-grandfather were here today, Jones would have a few words for him.

I would tell him that they fought and thousands died for the wrong cause, said Jones, whos known in King George for his tireless work on the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail. They were willing to kill the idea of the United States, and they failed to do so. In my mind, that stone obelisk honors the wrong people.

In a recent letter to the King George Board of Supervisors, Jones asked if the board has plans to move the memorial to a graveyard where it belongs as opposed to allowing it to remain in the heart of our county as an insult to all black citizens. If not, why not?

The monument is among dozens of statues and memorials throughout the Southand the nationbeing scrutinized in the wake of George Floyds death and the Black Lives Matter movement. While the efforts draw people with a mixture of backgrounds, in most cases, those leading the petitions for removal are Black.
So on July 10, the College Park City Council passed a mask ordinance. Three of our four council members voted in favor; one chose to abstain. We viewed our mandate as a supplement to the governors executive orders, and within the rights given to cities by the Georgia Constitution and by statute. We saw our ordinance as a way to protect our citizens health and livelihoods. We didnt care whether you wore a mask in your car, while walking your dog alone or when you were with members of your household. But if you were in public settings with a lot of other people around, we needed you to take this extra precaution. A first infraction would result in a written warning. The second would incur a $50 fine  less than most traffic tickets. The ordinance wasnt meant to be a punishment, and it certainly wasnt meant to generate revenue. It was meant to support our businesses in protecting the health and safety of their patrons and employees. It was intended to educate people and encourage them to do their part to slow the spread of this virus. And although some say any ordinance infringes on their rights, most constituents reactions were positive.
- A story of a family who has been searching for their father who is an OFW has trended on social media

- In the video, it was revealed that the Luz family has been searching for their father, Rodolfo Luz for 17 days after he went to the hospital

- According to one of his daughters, they even posted about her father's current condition online in hopes to find him soon

- However, much to their shock and dismay, Rodolfo has already passed away due to the deadly coronavirus

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Rodolfo Luz, an OFW who was working in Dammam, Saudi Arabia has gone viral on social media after his story was featured in GMA-7's Frontliners, a segment under the journalism program, Brigada.

During the said episode, KAMI learned that Rodolfo's family has been searching for him for 17 days after he went to the hospital only to find out that he already passed away due to COVID-19.

His youngest daughter, Glaiza Luz even posted about her father's condition in the "Dammam Central Hospital" Facebook group to try and search for her father.

Photo from Flickr

Source: UGC

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They were eventually contacted by a nurse who then confirmed Rodolfo's death.

Rodolfo, who has been working in Dammam for 10 years, passed away on May 17.

"Namatay daw po si Papa noong May 17, 7:50 PM. Doon po siya naghanapbuhay ng 10 years, doon din po pala siya mamamatay," his daughter said.

"Durog na durog po. Halos magalit na po ako sa mundo. Ginawa po ni Papa ang lahat. 10 years po siya sa abroad tapos hindi po siya makakauwi nang ligtas," Glaiza added.

On July 18, the items of Rodolfo was eventually delivered to the Luz family. One of the items his wife, Adalia Luz received was a sketch of Rodolfo's house plan for his family.

Adalia also expressed her sadness over the matter and shared Rodolfo's message to her when he started showing symptoms of COVID-19.

"Noong time na nagkaroon na siya ng sintomas ng COVID sabi niya, 'Ma, kung anuman ang mangyari sa akin, bahala ka na. Ingatan mo yung sarili mo.'"

Watch the video below:

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Source: KAMI.com.gh
Perhaps the years I spent covering Argentina in the 1980s, in the aftermath of the military junta, made me particularly sensitive to the use of unmarked cars  in the Argentine case, Ford Falcons  to grab left-wing political opponents off the street. They were disappeared, a word whose lingering psychological devastation I measured in countless tear-filled rooms. Later I went to Berlin, where there was only one story: totalitarian tragedy and the labors of democratic salvation.

The Department of Homeland Securitys Customs and Border Protection confirmed this week that it has deployed officers from three paramilitary-style units to join the federal crackdown in Portland. The Trump administration, facing lawsuits, has cited post-9/11 legislation establishing the department to justify its action. Chicago is now among several cities being targeted as Trump seeks to foment confrontation.

As Tom Ridge, a Republican who was the first head of the Department of Homeland Security, noted in an interview with the Sirius XM host Michael Smerconish, the department was not established to be the presidents personal militia.

In wartime, the Third Geneva Convention, to which the United States is a party, requires even irregular forces to wear a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance. This is critical not only to protecting civilians but also to ensuring accountability for misconduct.

When paramilitary-style units have no identifying insignia, there is no transparency, no accountability  and that means impunity. Democracy dies. Think of all this as setting the scene for Trumps own state of emergency if he does not like the November election result. Social media is combustible enough for a physical fire to be unnecessary.

The president says he wants to protect law-abiding citizens. In 1933, after the Reichstag burned, Hitler issued the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State as his means to seize power.

German horror at Trump has many components. Hes the fear-mongering showman wielding nationalism, racism and violence as if the 20th century held no lessons. Hes the would-be destroyer of the multilateral institutions that brought European peace and made it possible for Germans to raise their bowed heads again. He is a fascist in the making.
Lawsuit seeks to delay enforcing Noem's new abortion pill ban

Planned Parenthood and ACLU of South Dakota are suing Noem and the Department of Health in enforcing a new abortion pill ban.
Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways will start operating a new service to the touristic destination of Trabzon in Turkey, starting from August 3, with two return flights per week on Mondays and Fridays.

With this new service, Jazeera Airways now operates 11 flights per week to four airports in Turkey, namely Istanbul International Airport, Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, Milas-Bodrum Airport and Trabzon Airport.

Announcing the new service, CEO Rohit Ramachandran said: "We are very happy to be introducing a new destination to Turkey after the suspension of over four months at Kuwait International Airport."

"Turkey has always been a great destination with high demand for tourism, so it was only natural to introduce a new getaway in the country for our passengers to explore the historical landmarks, attractions and rich culture that lies on the Black Sea coast," stated Ramachandran.

Trabzon is located in the north east of Turkey and overlooks the Black Sea. The city is know for its historical landmarks from the Hagia Sophia, Trabzon Castle, Fatih Mosque to many other mosques, parks and museums.

It is unique for its mountains that fall into the Black Sea and from which one can enjoy the rich culinary palette of the Turkish cuisine.

With flights set to resume at Kuwait airport from August 1, Jazeera has taken every safety and precautionary measure on its aircraft and terminal T5 to ensure passengers fly safely, said Ramachandran.

As per new guidelines, passengers must check-in online and download their boarding pass on the Jazeera App or print it from the website, he explained.

Check-in is also available up to 24 hours prior to the flight departure at the T5 Car Park, where passengers can drop their baggage and collect their boarding pass. When arriving at T5, passengers can proceed directly to immigration, he noted.

Jazeera said it performs an anti-viral disinfection program in which it sprays the cabins after each flight, as well as fumigates them using anti-viral high pressure disinfection sprays on seats and throughout the cabin.

Disinfectant chemicals used are internationally approved and safe for all passengers. The aircrafts air filters in on-board filtration systems are also replaced frequently, removing dust, allergens, bacteria, viruses and other irritating particles. Constant airflow ensures that the cabin air is refreshed every 90 minutes throughout the flight.

As part of the Covid-19 precautionary measures, Jazeera Airways crew wear full protective gear which is disinfected before boarding flights. A second disinfection is performed when disembarking, explained Ramachandran.

Passengers are mandated to wear medical face masks and gloves at all times. Supported by Kuwaiti non-profit organizations, passengers receive a hygiene pack and pre-packed closed food bags to avoid risk of contamination, he noted.

Social distancing markers are on the floor throughout the terminal to maintain a safe distance from other passengers, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
GAUHATI, India - More than a hundred animals, including 10 one-horn rhinoceroses, have died due to massive flooding at the famed Kaziranga game reserve in northeastern India, prompting Britains Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, to express their concern in a letter to park authorities, officials said Saturday.

Since the first week of June, we are having no respite with wave after wave of flood that has wreaked havoc inside the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, said Kazirangas park director, P. Sivakumar.

He said an animal that drowned in a swollen river near the park on Saturday brought the rhinoceros death toll up to 10.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrote to Sivakumar expressing their distress about the devastation to Kaziranga National Park and its precious wildlife. The couple had visited the park in April 2016 to learn about conservation and anti-poaching efforts.

The deaths of so many animals, including one-horned rhino, are deeply upsetting, they wrote.

The ongoing monsoon has dumped rain across parts of India, Bangladesh and Nepal, displacing 9.6 million people, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC.

More than 550 people have been killed in the floods, the IFRC said.

The organization warned of a humanitarian crisis, saying that close to one third of Bangladesh has already been flooded, with more flooding expected in the coming weeks. It said that 2.8 million people have been affected, and that more than 1 million are isolated.

In India, over 6.8 million people have been affected by the flooding, mainly in the northern states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Meghalaya bordering Bangladesh, the IFRC said, citing official figures.

In Bihar, at least 10 people have been killed, the states disaster management authority said Saturday.

Though officials have opened relief centres in affected districts, people have instead chosen to shelter in tarpaulin tents set up along highways and embankments.

The Bihar government has requested help from Indias air force to airdrop relief materials including food packets, the disaster management authority said.

In Assam, home to Kaziranga, 96 people have been killed in floods and another 26 have been killed in mudslides. Some 50,000 people have sought shelter in government-run relief camps.

The floodwaters are making protecting wildlife within the park more difficult, too.

More than a hundred of the 223 security camps inside the sprawling park are still submerged, making day-to-day work of our 1,600 guards really challenging, Sivakumar said.

___

Singh reported from Patna, India.
Gym buffs and locked-down Britons with bulging stomachs can finally pump iron again today as gyms reopen after months of lockdown.

Indoor gyms and leisure centres have been among the last businesses to open their doors again to the public during the coronavirus crisis.

Fitness fanatics are expected to flock to gyms across the country today to work up a sweat, get their hearts pumping and shed some extra pounds.

And they will be able to use treadmills, cross-trainers, bikes and weights all at a socially-safe distance - and without the need for face masks.

Gym buffs and locked-down Britons with bulging stomachs can finally pump iron again today as gyms reopen after months of lockdown (pictured, PureGym in Altrincham)

Indoor gyms and leisure centres have been among the last businesses to open their doors again to the public during the coronavirus crisis (pictured, PureGym in Altrincham)

Fitness fanatics are expected to flock to gyms all across the UK today to work up a sweat, get their hearts pumping and shed some extra pounds (pictured, PureGym in Altrincham)

Gyms to return on July 25 with a limited capacity, hand sanitiser stations and booking system Indoor sport and leisure facilities are reopening this month, including: Gyms

Fitness and dance studios

Sports venues and facilities

Swimming pools Hot tubs

Hydrotherapy pools

Whirlpools

Jacuzzis A hand sanitiser station inside the Gym Group in Vauxhall, London, alongside a sign reminding to have a 'quick squirt' when arriving and leaving the premises To reduce the risk of transmitting the virus, a number of measures will be introduced such as hand sanitiser stations and contactless payment. Guidance will be given to customers through signage in entrances, on booking forms and websites. Fixing doors, left open where possible, will be fitted to increase ventilation. Reducing the need to touch other objects, such as lockers, trunks and drawers, is advised, with equipment to be made 'readily accessible'. The avoidance of paperwork is also recommended through online platforms and enabling a booking system, to manage demand. Sports and leisure facilities are also advised to work on a book-in-advance basis, preferably online or over the phone. Advertisement

UKactive, the industry body which represents Britain's gyms, said it spent last week in talk with Ministers to set guidance for its 3,500 member firms.

It has made sure the fitness sector is 'aligned' to Government guidance in the run-up to the sector's reopening and said it is following guidance set by the World Health Organisation that people should not wear masks while exercising indoors as they may reduce the ability to breathe comfortably.

Under Government guidelines drawn up in consultation with UKactive, gyms are instead ensuring members keep two metres apart. The Government has even suggested allowing one person per 100 square feet of usable space.

PureGym, which has more than 260 outlets, said that means a club that normally accommodates 180 to 200 people at peak times will hold nearer 130, including staff.

Virgin Active will open the majority of its 42 UK gyms on Saturday but members will not be required to wear face masks.

David Lloyd also confirmed masks will not be mandatory in its 100 UK health clubs.

Other safety measures include rigorous cleaning schedules throughout the day, using disinfectant certified to kill viruses within 60 seconds, and checking employees' temperature on arrival. The gym chains also have a range of offers to help retain members.

UKactive said: 'We note the Government's decision on face coverings on shops and public transport where it is harder to keep social distancing in place.

'However, we also support the Government's consideration that there need to be practical requirements for each sector.

'As such, when it comes to gyms and leisure centres, the appropriate mitigation measures will be in place to make sure that social distancing remains. Therefore we would not expect face coverings to become mandatory in our facilities.'

Responding to news that gyms are reopening today, Richard Darwin, chief executive of The Gym Group - which runs 179 gyms in the UK - said he was 'delighted' by the announcement.

But the Group, one of Britain's biggest fitness chains, revealed it had lost around a fifth of its members during lockdown - even though it froze their payments.

The Gym Group said that 178,000 people had cancelled their memberships with one of its 179 gyms, which are mainly across England.

Before lockdown, on March 18, the company had 870,000 members. This had dropped to 692,000 on Thursday, at an average age of 32

And they will be able to use treadmills, cross-trainers, bikes and weights all at a socially-safe distance - and without the need for face masks (pictured, David Lloyd in Chigwell Essex)

UKactive, the industry body which represents Britain's gyms, said it spent last week in talk with Ministers to set guidance for its 3,500 member firms (pictured, people take part in a small exercise class at the Lionheart Fitness gym in Bedlington, Northumberland)

Graham Lilley measures out space at the Anytime Fitness gym centre in Leeds as the staff prepare for the eventual green light from the government to say indoor gyms can re-open

Dragon Duncan Bannatyne gives the Government a thumbs up as gyms reopen The move to reopen indoor gyms was welcomed by Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne, the owner of health club and spa firm Bannatyne Group. He said he was 'incredibly pleased' his 57 clubs in England could reopen and called the fitness sector 'vitally important, both for the nation's health and the economy'. Gym, spa and salon owners cheered the Government's latest rollback on current lockdown restrictions to allow them to reopen sites. Mr Bannatyne said: 'I am incredibly pleased that we have a definite date for reopening our 57 health clubs in England. 'The fitness sector is vitally important, both for the nation's health and the economy. 'In my discussions with ministers over the last week or so, I was gratified that they understood that the majority of health clubs could reopen safely and that it was essential to do so.' Advertisement

Direct debit repayments will now restart, but members can request to have their membership frozen for longer.

'We are in the process of un-furloughing our colleagues, who will be ready to open the doors of our gyms in England on July 25 and in the other home nations once restrictions are lifted,' Mr Darwin said.

'We are encouraged by the response of our members, the vast majority of whom are keen to get back to the gym to begin working out again.

'We look forward to welcoming them back and being able to continue providing affordable fitness for all.'

According to its own research, 92 per cent of members are keen to get back to exercising at one of the The Gym Group's 160 sites in England, 13 in Scotland and three in Wales which are all set to reopen from July 25.

The normally round-the-clock gyms will initially open from 6am to 10pm on weekdays and from 8am to 8pm on weekends.

Staff will get their temperature checked at the start of their shifts, and the number of the people in each gym will be restricted to one per 100 square feet.

The company will also launch an app where customers can monitor how busy the gym is, and check historical trends to spot patterns of when it might be safe to go.

'Opening safely is our primary concern and we have comprehensive plans in place for both our colleagues and members as we re-open our gyms,' Mr Darwin said.

'We are pleased to have been able to work with Government and the rest of the health and fitness sector on how best to operate in a Covid-secure way.

'Together with the Government we recognise the significant benefits of exercise in improving the nation's physical and mental well-being, particularly at this time as we respond to the pandemic.'
The regulation comes into effect at midnight on Saturday

Travellers arriving in Northern Ireland from Spain and its islands will have to quarantine for 14 days, the Department of Health has confirmed.

The requirement, announced on Saturday evening, will be in place across the UK and follows a surge in cases in the country.

Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warn the country that lost 28,000 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing the start of a second major wave of infections.

Health Minister Robin Swann said the decision has been taken following medical and scientific advice and will come into effect from midnight on Saturday.

The decision to remove Spain from the exempt list was not taken lightly. I have always said I will move swiftly and take the necessary action to ensure our citizens are protected," he said.

"I have spoken with my counterparts across the UK today and we agree that the recent upsurge in new positive cases in different parts of Spain are a cause for concern.

As of midnight tonight, anyone returning or visiting Northern Ireland from Spain, including its islands will be required to quarantine for 14 days. I will continue to monitor the situation in Spain and other countries and make the changes to the regulations when necessary.

Meanwhile, confusion remains over the mandatory wearing of face coverings in shops in Northern Ireland.

The Executive said it has given itself powers to make the wearing of coverings in stores mandatory from August 1 but that it will not enforce that law until August 20 in the hope people will wear them voluntarily.

Robin Swann said he remains unconvinced people will wear masks without being forced to do so, while Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon called for a clear message from the Executive on the issue.

Read More

Retail groups Retail NI and the Belfast Chamber had said they were concerned about shop workers being left having to enforce the wearing of coverings  leaving them open to abuse from non-compliant customers.

Read More

The news comes ahead of the launch of Northern Ireland's contact tracing app, Stop Covid NI, towards the end of next week.

The app will anonymously alert users if they have been in close contact with another user who has tested positive for the virus.

Check out our live blog below to see how Saturday's coronavirus developments unfolded:
Heavily armed men in camouflage fatigues advancing in a skirmish line along downtown Portlands Main Street at 2 a.m., firing tear gas at fleeing crowds.

Federal officers clearing out nearby Lownsdale Square, yanking shields from some people and striking others with batons.
The judge was out to get him, he said. So was that prosecutor in New York, whom he called a dopey loser on a witch hunt. So were his critics, who he said were all liars. Even some of his own underlings had failed him - bad people, it turned out. He said he didn't know them.

Donald Trump was in trouble.

Now, he was trying to attack his way out, breaking all the unwritten rules about the way a man of his position should behave. The secret to his tactic: "I don't care" about breaking the rules, Trump said at a news conference. "Why antagonize? Because I don't care."

That was 2016. He was talking about a real estate school called Trump University.

Trump University, which shut down in 2011 after multiple investigations and student complaints, was treated as a joke by many of Trump's political opponents - much as they treated Trump Steaks or Trump Vodka. But to those who knew the school well, it wasn't a joke.

It was a premonition.

The saga of Trump University showed how far Trump would go to deny, rather than fix, a problem, they said - a tactic they have now seen him reuse as president many times, including now, in the face of a worsening pandemic. For months, President Trump promised something wonderful but extremely unlikely - that the virus would soon disappear.

John Brown, a former Trump University student from New York, said he understands why some people believed him.

"This is how people get sucked [in]. Because they want it," Brown said. "That's what happened to me." He wanted to succeed so badly that he paid $25,000 for a Trump University "mentorship" program, which left him deeply disappointed.

Another former student, Bob Guillo, said he felt a deep frustration at being unable to prevent Trump University's saga from playing out again on a far larger stage.

"I tried to warn the American people that if Donald Trump was doing this to me, he's going to do the same thing if he's ever elected president," Guillo said, referring to interviews and TV appearances he did during the 2016 election. "Unfortunately, people believed Trump. And they didn't believe Bob."

Now, many former students, instructors and lawyers who sued Trump wonder whether, as he faces a worsening pandemic, they see parallels to another chapter of Trump University's story. Its end.

Eventually, they said, Trump's attacks could not conceal the huge gap between Trump University's promises and its results. He began to lash out, attacking his antagonists as conspirators and fools

"It's something I think about all the time," said Tristan Snell, who was the lead attorney for the New York state attorney general's office in a lawsuit against Trump University. Snell said the school "had a fulfillment problem": It could not deliver on the enriching real estate secrets it promised.

"Maybe that's a good metaphor for what's happening in America is that we have a fulfillment problem," he said. "You've sold X and Y and Z and you can't actually fulfill the order."

In this case, Snell said, what Trump promised but cannot provide is not real estate secrets. It is something even harder to deliver - victory against a deadly disease.

"The difference this time is the fact that he's running his game on a virus," Snell said. "And the virus doesn't care."

Trump settled three lawsuits against Trump University in 2016, after his election. Trump University paid a total of $25 million but did not admit fault on claims that customers were defrauded by the school. When The Washington Post asked about Trump University recently, the Trump Organization sent a statement that focused on the lawsuits.

"After several years of litigation, Trump University was amicably resolved and settled by the parties with no admission of any liability," Kimberly Benza, a Trump Organization spokeswoman said in an email. "We remain confident that we would have absolutely prevailed had the case proceeded to trial."

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

The questionable tactics used by Trump University did not diminish some former students' opinions of him, any more than political setbacks have upset his base. Some interviewed for this report said Trump's political record was good enough to outweigh their bad experience at Trump University.

"Trump 2020!" said Michael Sheehan of New York state.

In 2009, Sheehan paid $1,495 to attend a three-day Trump University seminar at a Marriott in Albany, N.Y. - then discovered it was one long sales pitch for more-expensive programs. "Trump was a big sham," Sheehan wrote in 2012, summing up his experience in a court affidavit.

Now, Sheehan said, he doesn't blame Trump for Trump University. The instructors were probably at fault, he said: "I don't think he sat there and said, 'Hey, I want you to rip everybody off.' "

This year, he doesn't blame Trump for the worsening of the coronavirus crisis. Trump's enemies are probably at fault, he said. "You don't think it's very convenient," he said, that the pandemic arrived in an election year?

But others said they felt the experience showed Trump was willing to use his reputation as a tough, heart-of-gold billionaire against them - and to ask them to believe him over their own instincts.

Stephen Gilpin was one of Trump University's instructors. He recalled sitting in on another instructor's class shortly after joining the school in 2017. It was nothing more than an upsell, he said, laden with false promises.

"I thought, 'Oh my God, we're all going to be arrested,' " Gilpin said.

Now, he and others said, the Trump administration is trying a similar tactic again, by asking people to believe Trump's rosy predictions about the pandemic - in the face of an increasingly grim reality.

"It's the same thing he does today," said Gilpin, who left the school in 2011. "His behavior has now become our norm."

Trump University began in 2005, when Trump was at the height of his fame from television's "The Apprentice." Trump invested about $2 million and took near-complete control over the school, according to court filings by the New York attorney general's office. One executive said in his deposition that Trump personally approved all the ads.

The basic sales pitch of Trump University was one that Trump would reuse in his 2016 campaign.

The billionaire had made enough money for himself.

Now, he would put his famous brain to work for the little guy.

"Come on America, pull yourself up!" Trump said in one newspaper ad, in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. In the ad, Trump said real estate was where millionaires were made, "and now I'm ready to teach you how to do it."

But Trump, the billionaire, still wanted them to pay.

The costs ranged from $1,500 for a three-day seminar to $35,000 for a "Gold Elite" mentoring program. One instructor, James Harris, justified the charges this way, according to a 2008 transcript of a class held in Atlanta that was later filed as an exhibit in a lawsuit: The money wasn't for Trump's benefit. It was for the students' benefit. They had to pay Trump, he said, to show they were investing in themselves.

"He is doing this so you assume personal responsibility for doing the work," Harris said, according to the transcript.

Harris did not respond to questions sent via email for this report. In 2016, he told The Post that "I was told to do one thing" as a Trump University instructor: "Make sure everybody bought" more Trump University seminars. "That is it."

Vallie Dean, a retired teacher who lives in Upper Marlboro, Md., went to a free seminar in 2008. The instructors told her she should take another three-day Trump University seminar in Richmond, Va. It cost $1,500.

At Trump University, saying yes didn't stop the pressure. As Republican leaders would later learn when dealing with Trump himself, saying yes once wasn't the end. It was the beginning.

"I'm like a sheep led to slaughter," Dean said.

In Richmond, Dean said, she was told she should take another class, in Houston, on tax liens. It cost $9,997. She paid. In Houston, they told her Trump University had a great investment opportunity for her in Biloxi, Miss., which required a $23,980 payment. She paid again.

In the end, Dean said, she wound up with no property in Mississippi, no valid tax liens and not enough skills to become a real estate investor. She had paid more than $30,000, borrowing from her tax-sheltered annuity.

"It was a bitter thing for me. Here I am, I am a lowly schoolteacher, public school teacher. Donald Trump is, according to him, a very rich man," Dean said. "Now here I am, having to pay money back for enriching someone that's already rich." She complained in a letter to the Justice Department that was submitted as evidence in the New York attorney general's lawsuit.

Trump University attracted more than 5,000 paying customers, according to court papers, and took in more than $42 million in revenue. Trump himself got back his $2 million investment and got $5 million in profits on top of that, according to filings from the New York attorney general.

But there was a problem - disgruntled students.

At best, many former students said, their thousands of dollars in payments to Trump University bought them rudimentary knowledge of real estate, basic lessons they could learn anywhere. At worst, they said, they found their classes useless and their high-dollar personal "mentors" unhelpful and hard to reach.

Their complaints had begun to bring scrutiny from state regulators.

In Texas, Trump University pulled out of the state after an investigation by the office of then-Attorney General Greg Abbott - a Republican and now the state's governor - concluded that the company was "engaging in false, misleading and deceptive practices" and had defrauded Texas out of $2.6 million. The school had disputed that its classes were deceptive, according to correspondence later obtained by the Dallas Morning News.

An estimated 267 Texans spent more than $425,000 on the three-day seminars, and 39 purchased the $35,000 packages, according to John Owens, who was the Texas attorney general's deputy chief of consumer protection.

In public, Trump defended his school. "The vast majority of people love us," Trump told the New York Daily News in May 2010. "Thousands and thousands of people have taken our courses, and very few have complained."

But soon after, he shuttered Trump University. In its offices on the 32nd floor of a Trump-owned office building, employees were fired so fast that they left desks still covered in work papers, said one former Trump Organization employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preserve relationships with the company.

"It was like a horror movie where everyone just died and their bodies disappeared," the person said.

In California, former students filed two class-action suits against Trump University, in 2010 and 2013. In New York, then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat, filed another in 2013, alleging Trump University had deceived its students.

What happened next will sound familiar.

Trump attacked.

In New York, Trump filed a formal ethics complaint against Schneiderman, saying the attorney general had pressured him for campaign donations. The state ethics board investigated but decided not to pursue the case, according to news reports.

Then there were the personal attacks on Schneiderman, whom Trump publicly called "dopey" and a "loser." On Twitter, Trump also accused Schneiderman of wearing makeup.

"It's Tuesday. @AGSchneiderman is wearing Revlon eyeliner today," Trump wrote in 2014. Schneiderman, who resigned his office in 2018 after allegations he had abused women, declined to comment for this report. He has said his long eyelashes are a side effect of glaucoma medication.

As the class-action lawsuits proceeded in California in 2016, Trump used Twitter to criticize Gonzalo Curiel, the federal judge hearing those cases, as un-American. Curiel was born in Indiana to parents who were Mexican immigrants. Trump called him "Mexican," saying he was biased because of Trump's hard line on illegal immigration.

Those attacks paralleled the bitterest moments of Trump's political career - his attacks on GOP primary rival Ted Cruz's father and wife, his insults aimed at special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and then at witnesses during Trump's impeachment trial. All aimed to cast doubt on an authority - or authority figures - that might turn against Trump.

In the Trump University case, opposing lawyers said, they learned how to deal with Trump's eruptions. Ignore them. Keep digging. Let Trump talk to himself.

"As difficult as it is, you can't get distracted with the mudslinging or name-calling," said Rachel Jensen, one of the attorneys in the California class-action cases. "You have to remain disciplined and focused on the substance. Over time, it pays off."

In Texas, after a months-long investigation relying on undercover agents attending seminars, the attorney general's office drafted a lawsuit in 2010 seeking $5.4 million in restitution and penalties. "We had the goods on them," Owens said.

But Owens's bosses did not file the suit. David Morales, then deputy attorney general, said that he spiked the suit without Abbott's input. "I approved an investigation into this company in Fall 2009 and did not file suit in Spring 2010 due to lack of consumer complaints," he said in a recent email.

In Florida, staffers for then-Attorney General Pamela Bondi, a Republican, also pondered whether to pursue an investigation of Trump University. Bondi's office chose not to. Around the same time, Bondi received a $25,000 political donation from Trump, made via Trump's charitable foundation. Bondi's staff said the donation did not affect its decision.

Since then, Bondi and Morales have risen to greater prominence. In 2018, Trump nominated Morales to be a federal judge. And Trump chose Bondi - now out of office - to be one of his attorneys during his impeachment trial earlier this year.

In late 2016, Trump settled the California and New York cases, agreeing to payouts available to more than 5,000 former Trump University students.

But it was hardly a moment of loss for Trump.

He had just been elected president, having beaten a slew of rivals who had tried to use Trump University's problems against him.

"Donald Trump's election benefited Trump University students around the country," Jensen said. "For everyone else, all I could say was 'I'm sorry.' "

Now, former students and staffers at Trump University say there is something familiar about the present moment.

Trump is again struggling to fulfill a promise and again facing a growing backlash. His presumptive opponent in the 2020 election, Democrat Joe Biden, seems to have learned the lawyers' lesson, ignoring many of Trump's attacks instead of amplifying them with tit-for-tat responses.

But some former Trump University students say it's too early to believe that the covid-19 crisis will doom Trump's presidency after one term. They say they learned in 2016 that there were enough people who believed in Trump the way they used to.

There might be enough in 2020, too.

"I think there are many people who are saying - they've pulled the curtain back, and they're saying, 'Who's this person behind the curtain?' " said Brown, the former Trump University student who spent $25,000 on classes. "Others are still under the spell, this magical spell."

"My father's one of them," Brown said. He told his father, a Trump supporter, about his experiences with Trump University. "He just said, 'Yeah, yeah.' That was it."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta a...

Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta affairs.





Kemebradikumo Pondei, acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), must also be relieved of his position to show that the president is not in support of corruption. In a tweet on Friday, the former governor saidKemebradikumo Pondei, acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), must also be relieved of his position to show that the president is not in support of corruption.





The national assembly is currently investigating the alleged mismanagement of N40 billion by the interim management committee of NDDC.







Pondei fainted while he was being grilled by the panel on Monday.





Fayose alleged that the duo had been celebrating the success of their drama at the national assembly with hot pepper soup and assorted drinks.





With this level of fraud exposed in NDDC, Buhari must sack Akpabio now, Fayose said.





The President cant continue to treat looting of public treasury as family affair and his fight against corruption as instrument of persecution against opposition figures.





Prof Pondei, who went about celebrating the success of their National Assembly drama with hot pepper soup and assorted drinks, the President will only be reinforcing the conclusion that he supports corruption. By keeping in his govt the likes of Akpabio and the NDDC MD,Prof Pondei,who went about celebrating the success of their National Assembly drama with hot pepper soup and assorted drinks, the President will only be reinforcing the conclusion that he supports corruption.




25.07.2020 LISTEN

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has say it is will open a book of condolence in memory of the late Dr. Doris Yaa Dartey.

Sympathisers can sign the book of Condolence at the Ghana International Press Centre (GIPC) in Accra on Monday, July 27, 2020.

The communicator who served as a member and, subsequently, chairperson of the Board of the state-owned Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) passed away last Sunday, July 19, 2020.

The initiative by the GJA to honour the memory of Dr. Dartey is in collaboration with the family of the late communication educator and consultant, a news release from the GJA has explained.

According to GJA, a short ceremony in memoriam will be held at the Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie Conference Hall of the GIPC which will precede the formal opening of the Book of Condolence.

Read full statement:

GJA To Open Book Of Condolence In Memory Of Dr. Doris Dartey

ACCRA, July 24, 2020 (GJA)

THE Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) will open a Book of Condolence at the Ghana International Press Centre (GIPC) in Accra on Monday, July 27, 2020, in memory of Dr. Doris Yaa Dartey who died on Sunday, July 19, 2020.

The initiative by the GJA to honour the memory of Dr. Dartey is in collaboration with the family of the late communication educator and consultant.

A short ceremony in memoriam will be held at the Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie Conference Hall of the GIPC to precede the formal opening of the Book of Condolence.

The National Executive of the GJA, senior editors and the inky fraternity in general, as well as representatives of media partners, are expected to attend the ceremony and sign the Book of Condolence.

The late Dr. Dartey worked in various capacities in the media industry in a career that spanned more than four decades. She was a lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) before travelling abroad for further studies and living there for a long period of time.

On her return to Ghana, Dr. Dartey served as a member and, subsequently, chairperson of the Board of the state-owned Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL). She was also a member of the National Media Commission (NMC), serving as one of two representatives of the GJA on the Commission.

Dr. Dartey practiced journalism as a columnist in the Weekly Spectator for almost a decade and also wrote many feature articles in other media outlets on a wide-range of issues of national importance.

In service to the GJA, Dr. Dartey responded to the call to duty with alacrity and discharged her assignments with utmost diligence, dedication, commitment and joy.

For almost a decade, she served as a member and, later, chairperson of the GJA Media Awards Committee, while discharging other invaluable services as consultant and facilitator at training programmes and other activities organized by the GJA.

There is no doubt that the death of Dr Dartey is a big loss to the media fraternity in Ghana and the entire nation.

The GJA will forever remember and cherish Dr Dartey for her good deeds towards the Association.

While wishing her safe journey to meet her Maker, we wish to express our deepest condolence to the bereaved family.

SIGNED:

Kofi Yeboah

(General Secretary)
Gun violence plagued Philadelphia streets overnight into Saturday morning, leaving three victims dead and several others wounded in at least seven separate shooting incidents across the city, police reported.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, police said, a 24-year-old man was shot multiple times near Sixth Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia. He was pronounced dead at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. A second man, 24, was also shot multiple times at the same location. He was pronounced dead at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center at 10:49 p.m.

At about 11:20 p.m., at 24th and Diamond Streets in North Philadelphia, police said a man was shot in the knee. He was transported to Temple University Hospital in stable condition.

Just moments before, in the 1700 block of North 62nd Street in Overbrook, a 37-year-old man was shot in the foot. He was transported to Lankenau Medical Center, where he was reported in stable condition.

A short time later, a 30-year-old man was shot in the ankle and a 25-year-old man was shot in the knee in the 1500 block of Snyder Avenue. Both were listed in stable condition at Methodist Hospital.

A few minutes before midnight, an 18-year-old man was shot twice in the chest in the 2300 block of McClellan Street in Point Breeze. He was transported to Penn Presbyterian and pronounced dead at 12:22 a.m. Police said a second victim, 19, drove himself to the medical center, where he was in critical but stable condition.

Around the same time, in the 1400 block of North Corlies Street in Brewerytown, police said a 19-year-old man was shot in the abdomen. He was taken to Temple University Hospital in critical condition.

As the night wore on, a 21-year-old man was shot twice in the leg shortly after 4 a.m. in the vicinity of the 2700 block of North Hicks Street. He was transported to Temple in stable condition.

Investigations are ongoing in all incidents, police said.
The Ferry Building abruptly closed and reopened this week after its classification changed from mall to transportation terminal. As a mall, it is not allowed to operate under the states coronavirus health orders, but as a transportation terminal it is.

In contrast, San Franciscos major new Transbay transit hub, the $2.2 billion Salesforce Transit Center, has almost no shops operating despite being allowed to be open for food pickup. On Friday, stores were all shuttered or under construction.

The centers lone open business is OnSite Dental on the second floor, which confirmed it has been operating again since June 16, after the city allowed dentists to reopen. Fitness SF, a gym on the second floor, remains closed due to health orders, and the city has no timeline for when gyms will reopen.

The centers food and drink tenants include Philz Coffee, Per Diem, Eddie Rickenbackers bar and restaurant, Venga Empanadas, Tycoon Thai and Charleys Philly Steaks. Some tenants may still be building out their spaces.

As the centerpiece of the citys Transbay district, the transit center was one of the biggest transit projects in the country, spanning three city blocks between Second and Beale streets. It opened in 2018 but closed for nine months after workers discovered cracks in the steel beams before reopening last July. The transit center's 5.4-acre rooftop Salesforce Park remains open, and Muni and AC Transit buses are still running, but on a reduced schedule.

As of last September, 70% of the centers 100,000 square feet of retail space was leased, and some stores opened last fall only to close during the pandemic. With its focus on food and services, the center was reliant on tens of thousands of office workers who commuted to the area, but now that clientele is nearly non-existent with offices empty.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Salesforce, the citys biggest employer, occupies three towers next to the transit center and does not have a schedule for when it will return. Facebooks Instagram division leases all the office space at 181 Fremont, which is connected to the transit center. Facebook had initially targeted a July return date for U.S. offices, but a spokeswoman confirmed Friday that the company no longer has a confirmed reopening date. Both Facebook and Salesforce are allowing employees to work from home for the rest of the year

A spokeswoman for the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, the government entity that owns the center, couldnt be reached for comment. Mark Zabaneh, executive director of the authority, is leaving the job in September.

The transit centers future phases would include connections to Caltrain and high-speed rail, but funding for the infrastructure has not been secured  and now even Caltrains future is in doubt.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
LOS ANGELES - Authorities believe a mens rights lawyer shot and killed a fellow attorney in California in the days before he attacked a federal judges family in New Jersey and died by suicide, officials announced Friday.

Roy Den Hollander, 72, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on July 20, the day after the ambush shooting that killed U.S. District Judge Esther Salas 20-year-old son and wounded her husband. Salas was in another part of the house and unharmed.

Investigators said Wednesday that they had evidence linking the New Jersey shooting to the July 11 death of lawyer Marc Angelucci in San Bernardino County, California. Den Hollander and Angelucci, 52, were involved in separate federal lawsuits seeking to force the U.S. government to require all young women to join men in registering for a possible military draft.

Den Hollanders lawsuit, filed in 2015 on behalf of a woman in New Jersey, was assigned to Salas. He withdrew as the lawyer in the case a year ago after being diagnosed with cancer.

When he died, Den Hollander had items related to both Salas and New York State Chief Judge Janet M. DiFiore. He also had a typed document that contained information about on a dozen or so other women, some of them judges, two sources with first-hand knowledge of the material told The Associated Press. Three judges known to be on the list declined to comment or did not return messages from the AP seeking comment.

In California, Den Hollander arrived at a train station in San Bernardino on July 7 and rented a car, the county sheriffs office said Friday in a news release. Authorities released a photo of a man, who is wearing a mask, at the train station carrying items away from a food stand.

Officials said Den Hollander drove the rental car to Angeluccis home, where he shot and killed him. Den Hollander drove away and boarded a train out of California from Union Station in Los Angeles. A photo at the station shows a man, again masked, wheeling a suitcase.

It was not immediately clear if Den Hollander took a train across the country, and if the same gun was used in the shootings and the suicide.

In both the California and New Jersey attacks, the suspect appeared to pose as a delivery driver, a law enforcement official previously told the AP. The official could not discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Den Hollander described himself as an anti-feminist attorney who filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of ladies night promotions at bars and nightclubs, sued Columbia University for providing womens studies classes, and sued news organizations over what he said was biased coverage.

In more than 2,000 pages of often misogynistic, racist writings posted online, Den Hollander had sharply criticized Salas and other female judges. He also wrote about wanting to use the rest of his time on earth to even the score with his perceived enemies, using cowboy justice.

__

Dale reported from Philadelphia.
Climate emergency 'a danger to peace', UN Security Council hears

24 July 2020 - The climate emergency generated by global warming, is exacerbating existing risks to international peace and security, while also creating new ones, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Friday, making the case for swift climate action on multiple fronts.

"The climate emergency is a danger to peace", said Miroslav Jenca, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, as he called on peace and security actors to play their role and help speed up implementation of the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change.

'Vicious cycle'

"The failure to consider the growing impacts of climate change will undermine our efforts at conflict prevention, peacemaking and sustaining peace, and risk trapping vulnerable countries in a vicious cycle of climate disaster and conflict", he said.

Mr. Jenca briefed the Council at the start of an open video-teleconference debate on climate and security, one of the key themes of this month's German presidency of the 15-member body.

Noting that the consequences of climate change vary from region to region, he said the fragile or conflict-affected situations around the world are more exposed to  and less able to cope with  the effects of a changing climate.

Peacekeeping link

"It is no coincidence that seven of the 10 countries most vulnerable and least prepared to deal with climate change, host a peacekeeping operation or special political mission", he said.

Differences exists between regions, within regions and within communities, with climate-related security risks impacting women, men, girls and boys in different ways, he said.

In the Pacific, rising sea levels and extreme weather events pose a risk to social cohesion, he said. In Central Asia, water stress and reduced access to natural resources can contribute to regional tensions.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America, climate-driven population displacement could undermine regional stability. And in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, the effects of climate change are already deepening grievances and escalating the risk of conflict  providing fodder for extremist groups.

Outlining some actions that Member States can take together, he said that new technologies must be leveraged to strengthen the ability to turn long-term climate foresight, into actionable, near-term analysis.

Mr. Jenca also recommended stronger partnerships that would bring together the efforts already being made by the UN, Member States, regional organizations and others, to identify best practices, strengthen resilience and bolster regional cooperation.

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No matter how many recessions a worker or retiree has lived through, there's nothing that could have prepared them for the financial toll from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The U.S. unemployment rate (11.1%) remains at levels not consistently seen since the 1930s, and the rebound from state-level nonessential business shutdowns has gone far slower than expected.

It was this unprecedented disruption that coerced lawmakers and the president to pass and sign the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act nearly four months ago, on March 27.

The CARES Act was a godsend for businesses, but it did little for the average American

At $2.2 trillion, the CARES Act more than doubled the cost of the relief legislation passed during the financial crisis under the Obama administration. It gave $100 billion to hospitals, set aside around $350 billion for small business loans, apportioned $500 billion for distressed industries, and allocated $260 billion to enhance unemployment benefits for a four-month period (April 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020). This "enhancement" came in the form of an additional $600 a week for unemployed beneficiaries.

However, most folks will recall the CARES Act for putting money directly into their pockets. Some $300 billion was directed to be paid as Economic Impact Payments to workers and seniors citizens. At maximum, individuals could net $1,200, with couples filing jointly receiving $2,400. Additionally, a parent or household qualified to receive $500 for each dependent under the age of 17. To receive the maximum payment, a single, head-of-household, or married filer simply needed an adjusted gross income below $75,000, $112,500, and $150,000, respectively, in their most recent tax filing.

While the CARES Act was well-intentioned, and it's certainly been a help to businesses, it's not done nearly enough at the individual level. About three-quarters of Americans surveyed by Money/Morning Consult in April had spent or expected to spend the entirety of their stimulus money in four weeks or less. Given the slow pace of the economic recovery, additional stimulus appears necessary to avoid a serious hit to the financial sector.

There's a new hurdle to the next stimulus package

The good news, should you be in favor of additional stimulus coming out of Washington, is that lawmakers are indeed working on a second round of direct stimulus, as well as other funding initiatives possibly tied to small businesses and the healthcare sector (i.e., testing, tracing, and so on). The Democrats' passage of the HEROES Act in the House of Representatives in May and recent commentary from President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, all agree on one thing: Direct payouts are a necessary step to get Americans back on their feet.

But just because there's a verbal agreement between ranking Democrats and Republicans that a second stimulus deal is needed doesn't mean one has been hashed out yet.

The expectation had been that some level of discussion was ongoing between both parties behind the scenes for weeks. With the Senate in recess between July 3 and July 17, it was believed that lawmakers would come back to work on July 20 with some meat already on the outline of a new stimulus proposal. However, that hasn't happened. Thus, lawmakers are dealing with a brand-new hurdle to the next stimulus plan: Time.

The U.S. Senate's legislative schedule only has lawmakers back on Capitol Hill between July 20 and August 7. For those of you keeping score at home, that's 15 business days. If elected officials in the Senate can't come to an agreement prior to August 7, the Senate will go on recess for a full month (August 10 through September 7, which is Labor Day). Though it's possible a special session could occur, and debates may continue into the second week of August, I'd deem it highly unlikely.

In other words, time is perhaps the biggest enemy of the next stimulus deal.

What's the holdup on stimulus round two?

What might prevent lawmakers from reaching an agreement prior to the Senate going on a monthlong recess? How about three competing agendas trying to mesh into one bill.

Democrats laid out their intentions clearly with the HEROES Act. They want enhanced unemployment benefits, which are set to expire on July 31, 2020, extended through January 2021. They also want additional funding for hospitals and frontline workers, and wish to expand who'll qualify for a stimulus payment. Under the HEROES Act, undocumented workers with a taxpayer identification number would qualify to receive a payout and the definition of a dependent would include people of all ages.

As for Republicans, they'd like to minimize the amount spent on the next stimulus package in an effort to keep an already ballooning federal deficit in 2020 under control. The GOP wants the current enhanced unemployment benefits to expire and prefers to replace it with a dynamic bonus that wouldn't pay out more than 100% of what a person would make while working. It's just as possible that Republicans would favor a get-back-to-work bonus, rather than any enhancement to unemployment benefits. The GOP is also likely to oppose a large expansion of the eligibility or dependent pool in the next stimulus deal.

The third agenda comes from President Trump, who's been adamant that he won't sign another COVID-19 relief bill without a payroll tax holiday built in. A payroll tax holiday means workers would keep more of their money, with the 12.4% payroll tax, which is tied to Social Security, reduced or eliminated on the worker's side of the equation. A payroll tax cut proposal is highly contentious because it threatens to take away Social Security's primary source of funding.

Meshing these three agendas into a single bill isn't going to be easy, and lawmakers have just 14 calendar days left to do so. Otherwise, we probably won't see a deal happen until well into September.
There have been many survivors of clerical abuse in this country, many men and women who have stared down their abusers and found justice through the court and solace through telling their stories.

Hundreds more have maintained their silence, the memories too painful to relive, the cost far greater than any potential reward.

And then there is Paddy Doyle, a man who endured, survived, lived to tell the tale and then chose to do exactly that; exposing the horrors of industrial schools in his 1988 best-seller The God Squad.

Yet Paddy didn't just survive four years of constant torture at St Michael's Industrial School in Cappoquin, Co Waterford, he survived one traumatic event after another, a childhood which would have destroyed a lesser person.

Not only did he survive, he used his experiences to help others.

Born in Wexford Hospital in 1951 Paddy spent his early years living in a cottage in Ballymore with his parents, Lil and Paddy, and later his sister Ann.

But at the age of four his family unit was shattered with first the death of his mother - from breast cancer - and the subsequent suicide of his father.

In The God Squad, Paddy recounts how he found his father hanging from a tree at the back of their house, an image which was to haunt him throughout his childhood.

Suddenly orphaned, he was sent to St Michael's, separated from his sister and left at the mercy of a group of nuns. Those nuns, those representatives of the Church, wielded the word of God like a weapon, hanging it over Paddy and his fellow inmates, using it as an excuse for physical, emotional and even sexual abuse.

Told that the recurring image of a man hanging from a tree was a figment of his imagination, nothing more than a bad dream, Paddy was advised to refrain from such flights of fancy or suffer the consquences.

It was around this time, when he was approximately seven years old, that he begun to display the first signs of a condition which would eventually leave him in a wheelchair. That condition was dystonia: 'a movement disorder in which a person's muscles contract uncontrollably' brought about by severe stress or fatigue. However, in Paddy's case, it would be another 30 years before he received a diagnosis.

Instead, his limp, the repeated 'dragging of his foot', was deemed a form of attention-seeking, another act of mischief designed to rile both the nuns and the God they purported to serve.

Evenutally sent to hospital, Paddy, still not 10 years old, underwent a series of brain operations, most exploratry, in an attempt to find the source of the issue. And by the time he reached adolescence he was in a wheelchair, where he remains to this day.

But it is what follows his release from hospital, from the institutions which left such indelible scars, that defines the life of Paddy Doyle. In the early 1970s he met his wife, Eileen, a paediatric nurse, at the National Ballroom in Dublin. The couple had three sons, Shane, Niall and Ronan.

He worked as a scriptwriter for RTE on Saturday children's programme 'Pajo's Junkbox' and hosted writing workshops for prisoners in Mountjoy Prison and St. Patrick's Institution, and also for socially deprived children. Of course he also wrote The God Squad, a work which placed him firmly in the public eye. An appearance on The Late Late Show shed further light on his experiences, bringing the issue of clerical abuse to the fore at a time when many survivors feared speaking out.

Paddy became a voice for abuse survivors the world over, using his platform to speak on their behalf and to highlight the litany of injustices.

He was appointed by the Government as a member of the Memorial Committee to Survivors of Child Abuse. His appointment followed a recommendation of the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, that a memorial be established to the memory of children who were abused, physically, sexually, psychologically and emotionally while in the care of Religious Orders and the Irish State.

But his activism didn't end there. As a victim of incompetent medical professionals he sought redress for those who had suffered in similar fashion and became on of the country's leading disability activists, serving as a member of the government-appointed Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities.

He was awarded a Person of the Year Award for An Outstanding Contribution to Irish Society by the Rehab Group in 1993 and has continued to work to improve the rights of people with disabilities, highlighting issues such as the dangers of addiction to legal medication, access to medical marijuana and cuts to carer's allowance.

Paddy currently lives in Dublin.
25.07.2020 LISTEN

Jennifer Oforiwaa Queen, a Deputy National Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has admonished Ghanaian women to show gratitude to the NPP government led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo by voting massively for him in the up-coming general elections.

According to her, President Akufo-Addos policies and programmes are always geared towards lessening the economic and social burdens on Ghanaian women.

She said free education alone is enough reason for Ghanaian women to rally behind president Akufo-Addo saying the benefits of such policies were that the money that parents, especially women might have used in paying for such services could now be channeled towards other useful purposes.

Speaking to the media after visiting some registration centres in Bono Region, Jennifer Oforiwaa Queen indicated that the NPP government remains committed to gender equality and childrens rights and will work assiduously to empower women in Ghana.

General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, the deputy directors of communication together with the Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffo Abronye DC visited registration centres in the Bono Region to monitor the ongoing registration exercise.

Jennifer Oforiwaa Queen explained that, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has launched a GH600 million Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) business support scheme which is supporting women in small and medium-scale enterprises together with (MASLOC).

She averred that, the construction of Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam and Irrigation Project in the northern part of the coutry will provide thousands of both direct and indirect jobs for our women through the agricultural value chain and will reduce the rate at which girls migrated to southern Ghana in search of greener pastures who mostly ends up with menial jobs and in some cases got sexually abused.

She said policies such as Capitation Grant, School Feeding Programme, Free Antenatal Care, and National Health Insurance Scheme were introduced by the NPP government to support Ghanaian women.

She also urged Ghanaian women to challenge the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer, John Dramani Mahama to also come clear on what he would do for women when given the opportunity and not just appointing a woman as his running mate.
For the past three month, the Covid-19 lockdown had left a young woman jobless and homeless after she was evicted from her rented accommodation in Mumbai  far from her 5-year-old son and family.

But it could not break Sonia Dass resolve and she rode 1,800 km from Pune via Mumbai on a scooter with her friend Sabia Bano to reach Jamshedpur on Friday evening to see her family from a safe distance before the two women were shifted to a quarantine centre.

I saw my son and other family members standing on the balcony upstairs from the road outside our house in Kadma Bhatiya Basti in Friday evening before being shifted to Telco quarantine centre along with my friend Sabia Bano who accompanied me all the way from Pune on the Scooty. The administration here got my son here and arranged my meeting with him after I tested negative for coronavirus today, Sonia said here Saturday afternoon.

Sabia is a Pune resident.

The Jharkhand health department had taken the duos samples for Covid-19 tests as Sabia was running fever while Sonia had developed a cough and cold with a minor breathing problem.

Deputy superintendent of police Arvind Kumar and Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) special officer Krishna Kumar were present during the meeting. We have shifted both Sonia and Sabia to 14-day home quarantine as per their wish and SDO has provided dry ration, the DSP said.

Sonia was forced to stay at Sabias place in Pune after she had to vacate her paying guest accommodation in Mumbai for failure to pay rent.

I had no money, food, no job and now no room to stay. I had shifted to Sabias place in Pune. I tweeted to Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, called helplines of Maharashtra and Jharkhand governments but none was working. I tweeted to (actor) Sonu Sood Sir too but to no avail. Finally, I decided to return to Jamshedpur on my own and left on the night of July 20, said Sonia.

Sonias husband Abhishek Ghosh is a heart patient fitted with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) machine. He is not in a position to work anymore and for the past two years, I have been doing jobs in production houses in Mumbai on a freelance basis. I had gone to Mumbai in February for such a job and was supposed to return on March 20 but got stuck there as lockdown came into effect, said Sonia.

Sonia and Sabia stopped at ten petrol pumps and three dhabas on the way as they crossed Covid-19 affected states and cities on the way but faced no safety and security issues during the four days on the highway.

We mostly survived on bada-pav and water. Most people took us for boys as our faces were covered with helmets and we were wearing shirts and pants. At some places people did stare at us but we left those places immediately. On the other hand, some locals also came forward to help us and gave food and water. One such person whom we met at the Maharashtra border kept calling Sabia enquiring about our wellbeing and safety, recalled Sonia.

The unique journey finally came through after Jamshedpur deputy commissioner (DC) Suraj Kumar gave the permission to enter Jamshedpur a few days ago after Abhishek Ghoshs repeated requests.
Seven Sisters Indoor Market typically throngs with Colombian restaurants, shops and beauty salons, narrated by shouts of Spanish and salsa beats. But after other indoor markets reopened on 15 June, Tottenhams Latin Village remains under lockdown.

On Thursday night, dozens of people gathered outside the north London market to protest its continued closure and long-term proposals to replace it with a modern retail centre.

Clad in masks, gloves and Colombian football shirts, protesters sang the Colombian national anthem, chanted Save Latin Village and listened to speeches calling for an end to gentrification and social cleansing.

The indoor market is home to 60 small businesses and employs over 100 locals, mostly of Latin American descent. The site fell into disrepair under previous manager Market Asset Management (MAM), which declared insolvency in June. Transport for London, the sites landlord, took over the lease on 7 July and announced health and safety repairs to gas and electricity systems, telling traders the market will not reopen before October.

The closure is the latest in a long-running dispute over the site. In 2004, Haringey Council agreed plans with property developer Grainger to redevelop the site into a modern retail centre. But, through over a decade of campaigning and legal battles, including a human rights case at the United Nations, market traders won several protections.

Protesters hold up a banner outside the market, amid growing fears the gentrification of the area could see it closed for good (Ian Johnston)

All current traders will relocate to a temporary site opposite the current market when construction begins, and move back to the site once it finishes. Traders will have a three-month rent-free period in the temporary market and licence fee protections at the new site.

But campaigners say the Latin Villages unique character will be lost. They also say the managed decline of the site by MAM amounted to racial discrimination, and that TfL could have stepped in earlier.

Mirca Morera, who founded the Save Latin Village campaign, told the crowd: TfL have known about the problems here for years. Like Grenfell, a Bame community complained for years and years and it falls on deaf ears. Why? Because were considered less important.

Victoria Alvarez, the chair of the Seven Sisters market tenant association, told The Independent: We have been displaced many times because the majority of the traders are refugees. And you feel like youre going to be displaced again.

The campaigners have developed an alternative community plan, through which traders would remain on-site during building works and rent prices would not go up. But protesters have tried and failed to challenge the contract to sell the market building from TfL to Grainger.

At the protest, Santiago Peluffo, a campaigner who sought to protect the former Elephant & Castle shopping centre, compared the plans to the fate of other minority ethnic hubs in London. He said: The story behind both is the same: so-called gentrification is happening to a community that established itself 20 to 25 years ago.

Criticising Haringey council and Sadiq Khan, he added: We need to keep campaigning because no one is going to do it for us.

Protesters told The Independent about the emotional connection they feel to a place they call the Pueblito Paisa. Jose Andres, whose wife is a hairdresser in the market, said: Were far from home, but here we have a little corner to ourselves. Dressed in a Colombian football shirt and a traditional sombrero, he said: This place stops us losing that Latin warmth, that sense of family and our customs.

Carlos Burgos, an elderly Salvadorian who arrived in 1976 and spends most of his time at the market, said through his protective mask: Its a symbol to tell our children and grandchildren about our culture. We dont need this. Weve been saying so for 13 years.

Alvarez has been a market trader for 18 years and runs a beauty salon and money transfer business. She said the pandemic and the uncertainty over the sites future have left some traders suffering from mental health difficulties. Javie Huxley, a trustee of the Save Latin Village campaign and protest organiser, told the crowd: Knowing that my community hub is going to be closed has been a really heartbreaking thing to come to terms with over this time.

Mirca Morera, founder of the Save Latin Village campaign (Ian Johnston)

However, not all of the traders agreed with the protest. Marta Hinestroza, the director of the Pueblito Paisa Community Centre, worked on early campaigns but she did not attend last night.

Hinestroza, a former human rights lawyer in Colombia, said: We had a really tough battle and, though we didnt win, we managed to make them change the terms of the agreement. This was a great achievement because we came from nothing.

Its a symbol to tell our children and grandchildren about our culture. We dont need this. Weve been saying so for 13 years Carlos Burgos

While the Seven Sisters Market Tenant Association says 60 per cent of traders back the campaign, Hinestroza claims the figure is less than half and is optimistic that the market will survive under the plans: Its a challenge but the conditions are there for us to come out on top and be stronger.

Her desire to pay the campaigners barristers and lawyers led to disagreements with other campaigners. She was excluded from Whatsapp groups and felt isolated from others, she said.

In appointments to the tenants association this week, supporters and opponents of the redevelopment will have equal representation. Chan Seenandan, a Guyanese woman, has been working in the market since 1991. She said: I dont mind going over to the other side. Were getting something better to trade in: better heating, better air conditioning and better toilets. Everything should be a little better and safer.

Young Colombians Juliana, Valentina and Santiago at the protest on Thursday (Ian Johnston)

Asked about the disagreements, Alvarez said: Everyone is united in the struggle. Were all losing out, regardless of which side you are on.

Hinestroza has also lobbied TfL this week to address the abandonment the site was left in. In a letter seen by The Independent, she and other traders asked TfL for appropriate compensation for the four months of lost income that the closure will entail and a timetable for the repairs, calling the amount of time for repairs excessive.

A spokesperson for TfL said the traders will receive the same support as small business tenants across London.

In a statement, Graeme Craig, director of commercial development at TfL, said: Since 7 July, we have been working to address the outstanding health and safety issues to enable the market to reopen at the earliest opportunity. The market is an important local asset and we are keen to see it reopen and thriving when it is safe for customers and traders to do so. We are in regular communication with the traders to offer information and support.
Caprice Bourret (L) and Ty Comfort attend a private dinner hosted by Jeremy Morris and Lisa Tchenguiz to celebrate David Morris and Agent Provocateur at 34 Grosvenor Square on December 15, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for David Morris)

Caprice Bourret has said that her husband Ty Comfort is not "hands-on" with their six-year-old sons.

The 48-year-old, who married the businessman in a 40 ceremony last year, asserted he will be more involved as Jax and Jet age.

When asked if her husband did take a hands-on approach with the children, the former model told new! Magazine: "No. Ty will step in when they get older and start learning about business."

Read more: Caprice didnt tell anyone about her brain tumour

Bourret also told the publication they wouldn't be having any more children after Comfort underwent a vasectomy shortly after she gave birth.

She remarked: "I'd love to have 10 kids because I love having children and the chaos and the little ones running around going, 'Mummy, mummy'. But I don't think my husband will jump on that gravy train.

"He'd totally be up for trying but he had his tubes tied two days after I gave birth. So that boat has sailed."

Bourret's sons were born just weeks apart in 2013 when she decided to use a surrogate after suffering a miscarriage and unsuccessful IVF attempts, only to fall pregnant naturally herself.

Caprice Bourret attends the Dancing On Ice 2019 photocall at the Dancing On Ice Studio, ITV Studios, Old Bovingdon Airfield on December 09, 2019 in Bovingdon, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

She's previously said she has no intentions of ever disclosing which son was carried by the surrogate. Back in 2018, she also shared that she treats the boys like twins and celebrates their birthdays on the same day, despite the three weeks between them.

Bourret took part in this year's Dancing On Ice, although withdrew from the programme after the fourth week after she switched partners from Hamish Gaman to Oscar Peters.

She later accused the programme of being "destructive" and having "no duty of care". An ITV spokesperson refuted the claims, stating that the programme took their duty of care "very seriously".
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 13:53:12|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The abrupt U.S. decision to close the Chinese Consulate General in Houston has aroused concerns and widespread criticism, with several scholars and experts describing it as a "dramatic step" to deteriorate the bilateral ties.

On Tuesday, the United States requested China to close its Consulate General in Houston, the first one set up by China in the United States after the establishment of their diplomatic ties.

"Closing a consulate is a very dramatic step that seriously ratchets up contention between the United States and China. It's a very discouraging development and further evidence of the growing tension between the two countries," Jon R. Taylor, political science professor and department chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio, told Xinhua.

Taylor said the move "should not be that big of a surprise," as the current U.S. administration inclines to use "Cold War rhetoric and actions" in dealing with others.

The shutdown of the Chinese consulate "is self-defeating" for the United States, and is "a misguided election strategy" which "engenders greater animosity, a disruption in soft power relations, and unnecessary mistrust," the professor added.

Italian news magazine Panorama said the move could be "dictated by electoral calculations" ahead of the 2020 presidential election, noting that neither candidate wanted to be viewed as weak in dealing with China.

Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, director general of the Institute of National Security Studies of Sri Lanka, said the move was "politically motivated".

"Decoupling would hurt both nations and the entire world, especially at a time of human distress and the loss of thousands of lives from a pandemic," Abeyagoonasekera said, adding that Washington and Beijing "need to find space to work together and strengthen the four-decade relationship."

Professor Somadoda Fikeni of the University of South Africa said the U.S. move showed "another stage of escalation," and the United State did not provide concrete evidence for closing the Chinese consulate.

Bobby M. Tuazon, director for Policy Studies at the Center for People Empowerment in Governance of the Philippines, said the unilateral, abrupt closure request "is against international and diplomatic protocol" with "flimsy" reasons.

Sylwester Szafarz, former consul general of Poland in the Chinese city of Shanghai, said the abrupt decision "poses a serious threat to international security and to the coordinated efforts of the international community to combat the pandemic, which is already taking a cruel toll on the United States itself."

"Under no circumstances will China be held responsible for what is happening in the United States." Szafarz stressed.

Mher Sahakyan, director of the China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research in Armenia, said the closure of the Chinese consulate did nothing but fuel the tension between the two countries.

The U.S.-China relationship is "more tense, which can have a very bad economic and political impact in the world," he said, adding that the ties between Beijing and Washington are important for peace and stability around the world.

Sahakyan said he hoped Washington could discard its Cold War mentality and come back to the negotiation table to resolve disputes. Enditem
By PTI

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Cabinet is likely to meet again on Saturday to revise a proposal to be sent to Governor Kalraj Mishra requesting him to convene a session of the Assembly.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, facing a revolt by some Congress MLAs led by Sachin Pilot, chaired a meeting of the Cabinet on Friday night to discuss the points raised by the governor on its earlier proposal.

"Discussions on the points raised by the governor with regard to calling the Assembly session were held in the meeting last night," a source said, adding that the Cabinet is likely to meet again on Saturday.

A revised proposal will be forwarded to the governor after approval by the Cabinet.

The Congress government is pushing for a session of the Assembly so that the chief minister can prove his majority on the floor of the House after the Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

The Governor on Friday asked the Ashok Gehlot government why it wanted to call an Assembly session to secure a vote of confidence if it already had the majority.

The governor posed the query in a six-point questionnaire entailing a note sent by the Raj Bhawan to the state Parliament Affairs Department, the Raj Bhawan said in a statement.

In his note to the state government, Governor Mishra emphasised that 'no one is above the Constitutional dignity and no pressure politics should be resorted to.'

He also pointed out that neither had any date for convening the session been mentioned in the Cabinet note, annexed with the government's request, nor had the Cabinet given its approval to it.

The government has neither given any reason for calling the session on such a short notice nor proposed any agenda for it, said the governor, pointing out that a 21-day notice is mandatory for calling an Assembly session.

In the statement, the Raj Bhawan added that Governor Mishra had also asked the government 'to ensure the independence and freedom of movement of all members of the legislative assembly'.

On Friday, the chief minister said that a letter was forwarded to the governor on Thursday night for calling the session, but he had not taken any decision on it.

Congress MLAs loyal to Gehlot on Friday held a five-hour sit-in at the Raj Bhawan to press for an Assembly session.

The Congress said it ended the sit-in following an assurance from the Governor that he will abide by Article 174 of the Constitution, after getting some clarifications from the CM.

The provision deals with the Governor's role in summoning a session of the assembly.
Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has asked Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to clarify his position on the law and order situation after the gherao of the Raj Bhavan here by Congress MLAs on Friday.

In a stern letter, Mishra posed several questions on Friday's incidents to Gehlot and asked him to clarify his stance.

In the letter in Hindi addressed to Gehlot, Mishra said, "If you and your Home Ministry can't protect the Governor, then what about the law and order in the state? What agency should be contacted for Governor's security? I've never heard such statement from any CM. Is this not the beginning of a wrong trend where MLAs protest at Raj Bhawan?"

The statement that the Governor was referring to was issued by Gehlot where he said that if Raj Bhavan is gheraoed by the people of the state, it is not his responsibility.

"Before I could discuss the matter with experts regarding the Assembly session, you have publicly said that if Raj Bhawan is 'gheraoed', it is not your responsibility," Mishra said.

Mishra added that in his long political career, he has not heard any Chief Minister say such a thing. "I saw your statement on electronic media today in which you tried to give a political colour to the constitutional obligations and constitutional decisions, on account of which I am sad and hurt," Mishra said.

"Once I receive a letter from you, I will have to take to take a decision keeping all constitutional obligations in mind and this right has been given to me by the Constitution," Mishra said in the scathing letter.
As Justin Trudeau prepares to testify about his role in his governments controversial deal with WE Charity, those close to him say the prime minister and his party can ride out the scandal.

Within the Prime Ministers Office, senior staff say they have the truth on their side  that the program was conceived by the public service, and that no political staffer or minister was putting their thumb on the scale to help WE out. They say Canadians will understand what the government was trying to do

But weathering the scandal wont be easy.

This past month has featured a steady drip of information about how WE was selected to run the governments $912 million student volunteer grant program, a part of the Liberals $9 billion aid package aimed at students and young Canadians during COVID-19. Every new revelation draws front page headlines and howls of cronyism and corruption from opposition MPs.

Meanwhile, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion continues to investigate Trudeau and his finance minister, Bill Morneau, for their roles in the deal.

The strategy ahead, according to two senior Liberals with direct knowledge of the file, is to release as much information as possible  in some cases, as they become aware of it  and hope Canadians agree with their version of events.

The view (within government) is the fact that the recommendation came up from the civil service, that really the choice was to launch the program as designed in time for the summer or go back to the drawing board and be months away from that part of the program rolling, said one source, who requested anonymity to discuss internal government discussions.

Its not like this was the brainchild of some political staffer. It was thoroughly analyzed and the due diligence was done both at Finance and at (Employment and Social Development Canada), and this is the recommendation that came up as a very binary choice.

While Trudeaus inner circle may be confident that Canadians will come around to their perspective, theres no question that the WE ordeal has shifted attention away from the Liberal governments overall pandemic response to nagging questions about ethics and accountability.

This week saw Morneau admit to the House of Commons finance committee that his family accepted two expense-paid trips from WE, and that his family had donated $100,000 to the charity over the last two years. Just hours before he appeared before the committee, Morneau personally cut a cheque for $41,366 to reimburse WE for the travel expenses, and suggested he mistakenly thought he had paid for the trips.

One Liberal MP told the Star they nearly fell out of their chair when they heard Morneaus admission.

Morneau apologized for what he called a mistake, his second apology this month in relation to his dealings with WE, but the new information only deepened the scandal thats been plaguing the Liberals for weeks. Trudeau, like Morneau, has apologized for not recusing himself from discussions on the WE deal.

Still, as opposition and public pressure grew on Morneau, his cabinet colleagues  and the prime minister  rallied around him. The Star reported on Thursday that at the Liberals caucus meeting Wednesday, WE was barely mentioned.

Zain Velji, a past Liberal campaign strategist and former campaign manager for Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, was critical of how the PMO has managed the issue.

From a political strategy perspective, theres a simple process for dealing with situations like this, Velji explained  dump everything at once, dont let it drip out over time.

You take your licks all at once, he said.

Rather than having it be a drip campaign that extends the media cycle to week four, which is where we find ourselves now, and potentially week five and six, with Trudeau appearing at finance (committee).

Velji said he suspects Trudeaus testimony at the finance committee, expected next week, will be 20 per cent of him explaining some of the process at a very, very high level and 80 per cent talking points.

If he comes across as authentic, then I think it could be a net win, Velji said. I do, however, see the risk being significantly higher, because for his political enemies, theyre not going to see anything other than what they want to see.

Conservative members of the finance committee have called on Morneau to resign as finance minister. Outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer went a step further Friday, calling on both Morneau and Trudeau to step down.

This entire scandal reeks of corruption at the highest levels of government, Scheer said during a press conference.

But according to EKOS pollster Frank Graves, the Liberals may already have paid the political price for the scandal  and are on the rebound. On Twitter, Graves said that while the Liberals saw their lead diminished by the We scandal, based on his most recent polling, not yet released, it appears that this effect is already diminishing and LPC are back in clear majority territory.

With WE Charity, its a different story.

Facing intense media scrutiny  both over the deal with the Liberal government and with their operations more generally  the charitys co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger announced significant changes to their operations, including a third-party review and refocusing their efforts on international development.

But corporate sponsors  an important part of WEs funding  seem to be distancing themselves from the organization. Virgin Atlantic Airways has suspended its sponsorship of the charity, while the Royal Bank of Canada is reviewing its ties to WE.

Foundational to all our relationships, RBC expects our partners to conduct their business in accordance with our values, policies and practices, a spokesperson told The Canadian Press.

As for Trudeau, hes expected to appear before the finance committee next week. When asked what the PMO expects to gain from the prime minister and his chief of staff, Katie Telford, testifying before committee, one source close to Trudeau said the prime minister feels a personal responsibility to explain himself to Canadians.

(The opposition) has more questions for him. And hes going to answer them, another source put it.

Over the rest of July, and August, Velji said the political strategy should be to double-down on current messaging and continue to apologize.

If more controversial testimony comes out at further committee hearings, though, it may be time to figure out a backup plan, he said.

The Trudeau government  I wouldnt be surprised if they do a calculation and say, You know, if its not Morneau that falls on his sword, if its not Trudeau, can we get away with a senior staffer perhaps being the one that has to leave?

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Ola Jordan and James Jordan attend the european premiere of "The Legend Of Tarzan" at Odeon Leicester Square on July 5, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

James Jordan and his wife Ola welcomed their first child into the world earlier this year but he wishes they'd started their journey to parenthood sooner.

The 42-year-old former Strictly star married his fellow dancer Ola, 37, back in 2003 and with the help of IVF treatment baby daughter Ella was born in February. However, he regrets pursuing his career instead of starting a family.

We have a beautiful baby and we are over the moon. If we had missed the boat I would be devastated, he shared with The Sun.

James went on: If I could turn back time, I probably would have had kids, yes.

Read more: James Jordan heartbroken over fathers cancer diagnosis

We have always focused on our careers, making money, having a nice house and car, but Ive always been a saver. Neither of us are big spenders. I now feel like all the material things are not important.

James appeared on Strictly Come Dancing between 2006 to 2013, while Ola danced from 2006 to 2015. The Polish-born dancer won the competition in 2009 while partnered with presenter and journalist Chris Hollins.

Meanwhile, her husband won Dancing on Ice in 2019 as a celebrity competitor.

It was three years ago that the couple decided to begin trying for a family and after two years of no success they decided to turn to IVF, with Ola falling pregnant last June on their first round of the treatment.

James declared himself the "happiest man in the world" after his daughter's arrival in February.

Read more: James Jordan feuds with Michelle Visage over her Strictly routine

In April, the tot was taken to hospital in an ambulance after her parents believed she was "choking on her own saliva".

At the hospital it was discovered Ella was suffering from reflux and recovered after being sent home with medicine, but James said he wanted to share his experience as their hearts were skipping a beat when it happened.
Three judges of the Supreme Court will hear Rajasthan speaker CP Joshis appeal against the high court order staying the disqualification proceedings against 19 Congress lawmakers led by Sachin Pilot at 11 am on Monday, according to the top courts case list released on Saturday evening.

The legal battle is a crucial sideshow in the continuing political battle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot who has rebelled against him. Pilot and 18 lawmakers from his camp are challenging notices issued to them by speaker CP Joshi on complaints from the Congress that wants the 19 MLAs disqualified from the assembly under the anti-defection law for their rebellion. Pilot had moved the high court against the notice, which stayed the speakers proceedings.

The hearing on Monday is speaker CP Joshis second attempt to get the high courts stay order cancelled.

The Speaker had moved the top court complaining that the state court had no jurisdiction to ask him to defer the disqualification proceedings. In his petition, Joshi called the court order illegal, perverse, and in derogation of the powers of the Speaker.

In its 1992 judgment in the Kihoto Hollohan case, the top court had held that judicial review should not cover any stage prior to the making of a decision by the speaker/chairman. No interference would be permissible at an interlocutory stage of the proceedings, the court had said. In the present case, the top court is proposing to re-examine this legal principle.

The top court had this week refused to accept CP Joshis initial request to cancel the high courts stay order, pointing that the two high court judges had already reserved their order to be pronounced on Friday.

As the high court has already heard the matter after prolonged arguments and reserved the order, we are not staying the passing of the order [by the high court]. However, whatever order is passed shall be ultimately subject to the outcome of this petition, a three-judge Supreme Court bench led by justice Arun Mishra had said.

The high court, however, didnt deliver its ruling on the case. On Friday, it formally admitted Sachin Pilots petition against the disqualification notices, accepting the request to make the central government a party in the case and identified the legal points that it will take up during the hearings.

As the Congress sees it, the high courts Fridays ruling implied that the two high court judges may not rule on Pilots application in a hurry.

The Speaker has argued that it is the apex courts duty to ensure that all constitutional authorities act within the Lakshman rekha drawn for each one of them.

During the hearing this week, the top court said the larger question here is whether a legislators voice can be shut down with the threat of disqualification. Can expressing dissent invite disqualification under anti-defection proceedings, the court observed.

Can a person elected by people not express his dissent? Voice of dissent cannot be suppressed. In a democracy, can somebody be shut down like this? the court asked.

Sachin Pilot, too, has moved a caveat in the Supreme Court to ensure that no orders are passed on Joshis petition without hearing him and his supporting MLAs. A caveat is a notice seeking that certain actions may not be taken without informing the person who gave the notice.

The disqualification notices were issued on the request of Rajasthan chief whip who said that the dissident MLAs did not attend the partys CLP meetings. Pilot and other dissidents, meanwhile, argued that a whip cannot be issued when the assembly is not in session. Also, the disqualification notices were a violation of the freedom of speech right, they argued.

Already, the Gehlot government is struggling to get governor Kalraj Mishra to convene the assembly so that he can prove his majority in the assembly. But the governor is reluctant, wondering why Gehlot was in such a hurry to face the trust vote when no one was asking him to.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the economies across the world, the island nation of Sri Lanka on Friday signed a USD 400 million currency swap agreement with India's Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to meet short-term international liquidity requirements due to the COVID-19 consequential economic crisis.

This comes after India and Sri Lanka held the technical discussion on July 22 about the rescheduling of the bilateral debt repayment. The High Commission of India in Colombo, Sri Lanka said an agreement had been reached after the debt repayment rescheduling discussions held on Wednesday.

READ | PM Modi Likely To Convene Meeting With All State CMs On July 27 As Unlock 2 Deadline Nears

READ | Sachin Pilot Camp Moves SC Prior To Congress Challenging Raj HC's 'status Quo' Order

The High Commission said that the development comes as a relief for Sri Lanka which can help it in the post COVID recovery. The High Commission added that it is another example of India's strong commitment to work with Sri Lanka in post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

The Indian delegation comprised of senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the EXIM Bank which interacted with representatives from the Department of External Resources of Sri Lanka through a video conference, as stated by ANI.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on May 23 and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 27 to discuss the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on lives of the people and economy. PM Modi had then assured the Sri Lankan President and Prime Minister that India would continue to support Sri Lanka to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

Besides, Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay on May 29 made a courtesy call on President Gotabaya and the two agreed to accelerate India's participation in Sri Lanka's post-COVID economic recovery.

READ | Coronavirus LIVE Updates: PM Modi Convenes Meeting With CMs On July 27; Tally At 12,87,945

READ | Congress To Stage Sit-in Protest Against BJP In All Party Offices In Rajasthan On Saturday
Colombo port workers carried out a week-long black flag protest against plans to hand over the East Container Terminal (ECT) to foreign interests, saying it should be owned and managed by the government. Picture by Priyanka Samaraweera shows the protestors near the Presidential Secretariat on Friday where they handed over a letter of protest.
Friday, July 24, 2020

BELLEVUE, WA  A Seattle-based gun prohibition lobbying group has reached a new low, siding with rioters, looters and urban terrorists in Portland, Oregon in an attempt to smear law-abiding gun owners, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

Weve seen some outrageous claims by the gun control crowd over the years, said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, but Fridays fund raising appeal that tried to blame federal agents dispatched to Portland to protect federal property for continued riots is simply unconscionable.

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility, a billionaire-backed anti-gun rights group, claims federal agents have descended on the city turning the largely peaceful protests against racism and police brutality into violent clashes.

Like their usual anti-gun rhetoric, Gottlieb observed, the false image of Portlands protests the Alliance is trying to create is a myth and they know it. Street thugs, using legitimate demonstrations as cover, have rampaged in downtown Portland for about two months before the Trump administration sent federal agents to protect Government property.

Maybe the Alliance doesnt care about the attempts by some rioters to blind officers by shining lasers in their eyes, he added. Whats next, blaming match companies for the arson at the Portland Police Association offices?

The Alliance also criticizes President Trump for sending federal agents to Chicago in an effort to stem the bloody violence that has taken over that citys streets.

Would they rather allow the Windy City bloodshed to continue, he wondered. Are they hoping for a higher body count, just so they can exploit the violence to push a gun control agenda that has been a complete failure?

Its bad enough these wealthy elitists want to disarm law-abiding citizens, he stated. Now theyre openly supporting urban terrorists whove been costing taxpayers and private businesses tens of millions of dollars. No wonder so many more Americans are buying guns for personal protection.

I would say shame on these people if I thought it would matter, Gottlieb said, but past experience shows they have no shame, only a political agenda, and theyll reach as low as they must in order to achieve their anti-gun rights goals.
In March, while coronavirus cases were climbing in Connecticut, Georgia Goldburn, director of Hope for New Haven, which runs Hope Child Development Center, a Christian-based center on New Havens Olive Street, looked at the 75 children in her charge.

Schools were shutting down, employees were being sent home, and the state published strict guidelines for childcare providers. The New Haven mayor had issued an order that closed larger childcare centers, except for centers that cared for the children of healthcare workers.

At Hope, more than half of their families were health care, front-line, and essential workers, Goldburn said. Without Hope, where would their children go and how would these essential workers do their jobs?

Even before the pandemic critically wounded the states childcare industry, industry watchers were saying Connecticuts childcare system was limping. Now, as businesses are cautiously revving up, Connecticut families may face projected a significant shortfall of day care slots.

Any discussions about an economic recovery must include childcare, particularly in Connecticut, which has some of the countrys most expensive care. So-called childcare deserts exist in urban and rural areas around the state, Goldburn said.

The pandemic has been particularly challenging because the industry operates on a razor-thin margin. The bulk of their income comes from tuition paid by families. When families struggle, as they have in the pandemic, the childcare industry is among the first to feel it, and thats especially true in communities of color.

When you have a community that is economically fragile in good times, most of them are going to lose their work, said Goldburn. Most of those folks are going to have reduced hours and income.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro has introduced a bill that would create a $50 billion fund to help providers operate as they struggle with their reduced capacity. Beth Bye, commissioner of the state Office of Early Childhood, has said that Connecticut will need as much $100 million over the next six months to keep going.

Collaboration among center-based and family childcare organizations has helped some. Hope is part of Cercle, a consortium of New Haven early childcare and educational programs that work together to improve opportunities for their charges, young children of color in the New Haven area. By pooling resources, providers have purchased items that they otherwise couldnt afford, such as an electrostatic disinfectant sprayer.

But creative financing and collaboration may not be enough. A recent study from the National Association for the Education of Young Children said just 18% of childcare programs now open expect to close within the year. In Connecticut, that will leave tens of thousands of children without a place to go as their parents try to work.

Meanwhile, back at Hope, Goldburn held a staff meeting to talk about options. The 9,000-square foot center could close, but that would leave their families without childcare, and options for them were already shrinking as centers were closing.

Or the Hope staff could take precautions to quell the spread of the virus, and remain open. The decision came quickly: They would serve their families, and stay open.

That, to me, was just so inspiring, said Goldburn.

Childcare centers had long been practicing safety measures the rest of us have only been observing for the past few months. Hope added a special thermal temperature scanner to cut down on the time spent checking everyone coming in. Classes - shrunk to less than half their previous size -- no longer co-mingled, and the center began closing at 4:30 to minimize the staggered coming and going of staff and family.

Some things stayed the same. The staff, the members of which have stayed healthy, Goldburn said, committed to having parents come indoors to drop off their children, and they continued dispensing hugs to their charges. A toddler cant wait. Brains, bones and psyches form, pandemic or no.

We really wanted to create as much normalcy for the children, said Goldburn. A lot of what is being asked people to do is completely inappropriate for children. They need that loving, nurturing touching and hugging. We dont try to deny children that, especially because we dont now how long this pandemic is going to occur.

And while its good news that Connecticut has been able to quell the spread of the virus, in the coming weeks, openings at childcare centers will be at a premium and centers - already on precarious ground -- will be forced accept the families most likely to pay.

Parents with job security and the ability to pay their tuition will be chosen over, say, the Walmart cashier whose job security may be more precarious. Goldburn says it will be like the dystopian novel, The Hunger Games. Surely, we can do better than that.
Photo: Getty

Gyms and pools are among the businesses hardest hit by lockdowns, with blanket closures sweeping the fitness industry as the coronavirus set in.

According to research by Hospitality.uk, in 2019, the industry was worth around 5bn , and had grown 20% over the past five years.

Fitness businesses in England have been closed for four months, and finally received the OK to reopen starting today (25 July), after much speculation the government had prioritised other industries such as hospitality.

Pubs were allowed to reopen on 4 July.

Long queues have formed outside gyms and fitness centres across England today as customers clamour to get back.

Fitness centres in Scotland and Wales, however are yet to receive the green light for reopening from the government.

The sector has warned the financial impact of the pandemic means it will struggle and at least a third of public facilities in England are expected to remain shut.

Community Leisure UK, the members' association that specialises in representing charitable leisure and culture trusts across England, Scotland and Wales, estimated that 48% of all public leisure facilities face closure.

As many as 1,300 could disappear by the end of the year, meaning the loss of 58,000 jobs.

Alongside this, according to a report from industry body ukactive, nearly a quarter (23%) of customers cancelled their plans during the pandemic.

READ MORE: Business groups call for action on fraudulent social media ads

Fitness First boss, Martin Long, said in April that the firms income, which totalled around 15m a month pre-pandemic, had fallen to zero, overnight.

The money isnt coming in quickly enough, Long told BBC News referring to loans and support at the time.

Ultimately, youve got to run a business with no income and no visibility of when the income is coming, because you don't know when you're going to reopen.

The sector has leaned heavily on the governments job retention scheme to survive.

New measures

Story continues

Gyms, such as chain Fitness First have brought in new measures to allow them to reopen. These include contactless entry and temperature checks on arrival.

There will be additional hand sanitiser and cleaning stations with anti-bacterial spray and wipes and social distancing measures in place, including limiting the capacity where required and increased cleaning hours for staff.

Fitness First customers will not be required to book a slot, however this will be the case for some other businesses.

Gym classes will operate at a reduced capacity.

PureGym, another fitness chain has issued guidelines on how to clean equipment and will help its members police when to go with an app showing the gyms capacity and busiest times.

READ MORE: How will the 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme work?

Many have adjusted their habits during lockdown, investing in expensive home workout equipment or introducing outdoor exercise into their routine.

While gyms struggle, it has been suggested that a healthy lifestyle is key to combatting COVID-19 symptoms.

The government will have to find a way to keep the population healthy and active, as the population receives incentives to keep other sectors, such as the restaurant industry, afloat.
Canadas leadership is facing a turmoil with the Head of State, Governor General Julie Payettes office confronting an investigation after complaints of workplace harassment leading to a toxic culture. The Governor General is the equivalent of Indias President and is considered the British Queens representative in Canada.

According to a report from the outlet CBC News, anonymous sources accused Payette of verbally harassing and abusing staff, leading to the departure of some among those allegedly attacked.

The countrys Cabinet Secretariat, the Privy Council Office has now launched a formal inquiry into these charges.

CBC quoted PCO spokesperson Stephane Shank as saying, Harassment has no place in any professional workplace. It is a public service priority to advance efforts to more effectively prevent and resolve issues of harassment.

Also read: Canada to not recognise results of Punjab 2020 Referendum organised by SFJ

Payette, a former astronaut selected for the post by the Government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2017, said in a tweet that she took workplace harassment issues very seriously. She added that she was committed to ensuring that every employee who worked at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General, enjoys a secure and healthy work environment at all times and under all circumstances. She also said she requested the conduct of an independent review.

As this probe was announced, Trudeau and his finance minister Bill Morneau continue to face calls for their resignation from Opposition parties even as both are being investigated by the countrys Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and Parliamentary panels over a nearly billion-dollar contract given to a charitable organisation despite their families having ties to it.

The contract to the WE Charity was later cancelled following an uproar as it emerged that Trudeaus wife, mother and brother were paid for appearances by it or allied outfits that came under the same parent umbrella. Meanwhile, Morneaus daughter worked for the organisation and he and his family enjoyed a complimentary vacation costing over CA $41000 at the organisations expense. Morneau apologised for the lapse this week while appearing before the House of Commons Finance Committee and said he had repaid the charity that amount, though that was done just earlier the same day.
An Australian who served a year in Bali's strictest jail for drug possession has been released and spotted wearing a t-shirt appearing to show his own face.

William Cabantog was released from Kerobokan jail on Saturday after being locked up for a year for cocaine possession.

The 36-year-old will undergo COVID-19 testing and spend another two nights in a cell before flying back home to Melbourne, Herald Sun reported.

Pictures from his release show Cabantog wearing a face mask and a T-shirt with his own face behind bars plastered on it with the word 'HOPE' underneath.

William Cabantog (pictured after his release) left Kerobokan jail on Saturday after being locked up for a year for cocaine possession

Cabantof (pictured on Saturday) was spotted wearing a face mask and a T-shirt with his face plastered on it with the word 'hope' underneath upon his release from prison

Cabantog and David Van Iersel were arrested amid police raids on the Lost City nightclub in resort precinct Canggu in July last year.

The pair were found in possession of 1.12 grams of cocaine and later found guilty of misusing cocaine.

The pair had faced up to 12 years behind bars but their sentences were reduced after prosecutor Ni Made Ayu Citra Maya Sari agreed the pair were 'victims of the drug trade' and recommended 14 months for Van Iersel and 18 months for Cabantog.

Cabantog allegedly tried to kill himself while in jail but warden Yulius Sahruza rejected the claim saying he would 'spend his time meditating, exercising and going to church'.

Others however said he was 'arrogant, antagonistic to other inmates and rejected prison projects'.

Cabantog (pictured) is escorted by immigration officers after he was released from prison in Bali on Saturday

Cabantog (pictured, centre right) and David Van Iersel (centre left) were arrested amid police raids on the Lost City nightclub in resort precinct Canggu in July last year

When Cabantog was given a reduced sentence, he spoke through tears as he told the court about how he was led to drug abuse.

'I had immigrant parents who came to Australia and had very strict values. I had an alcoholic, abusive father. I couldn't understand the situation  I ran away from home when I was 15,' he said.

'I was homeless for a year. I ended up moving in with my aunty and my cousin. My aunty was like a mother figure for me at the time.'

Van Iersel's lawyers requested he go through rehabilitation instead of jail to serve his time but prosecutors denied the suggestion, Nine News reported.

The 38-year-old apologised to the court for his offending, he said: 'It was a brief moment of weakness. I'm very sorry for my actions, I truly am.'

'I've paid an immense price... I have suffered and my family have suffered  to them I am truly sorry.

'I apologise to the court and Republic of Indonesia for my actions and I look to the court for compassion.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 08:22:16|Editor: huaxia

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SAO PAULO, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Sao Paulo mayor Bruno Covas said Friday that he accepted a decision to cancel this year's Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The comments came just hours after F1 officials removed the Brazilian, Mexican and US Grands Prix from the 2020 race calendar as infection rates continue to soar in the countries.

"We respect the decision despite forecasts that show we will be in a much better position in November," Covas told a news conference in Brazil's most populous city.

"Over the past few weeks we have sent all the data to the organizers showing that the situation in Sao Paulo is very different to the rest of Brazil."

The US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, had been slated for October 23, a week before Mexico City's scheduled race. The Brazilian Grand Prix had been earmarked for November 13 at Sao Paulo's Interlagos track.

Instead, the Grands Prix will be held at Germany's Nurburgring, Italy's Imola and Portugal's Portimao circuits.

Sao Paulo's contract to host F1 expires this year but Covas said he is confident the deal would be extended.

"We are continuing our negotiations with Formula One to renew the deal," he said.

Located on the southern outskirts of Sao Paulo, Interlagos staged the country's first F1 Grand Prix in 1973.

It lost its host status to Rio de Janeiro's Jacarepagua circuit in 1981, before reclaiming the event in 1990.

Last year, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said the Brazilian Grand Prix could return to Rio in 2021. Enditem
This week marked several milestones in the global effort to develop a vaccine against coronavirus disease (Covid-19), with several groups pushing ahead to have a vaccine ready for use by early 2021.

A man on Friday received the first dose of the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine in Delhi developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and Indian Council of Medical Research.

The vaccine, called Covaxin, produced no immediate side effects in 24 hours after vaccination, and the volunteer who was vaccinated will be under observation for another week at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, which is one of the 12 sites in the country where the vaccine is being tested.

Also Read: COVAX Facility aims to deliver two billion doses by the end of 2021

The results of two randomised trials published earlier this week in The Lancet have raised hope for a vaccine against Covid-19 by early 2021. Early results show AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine, which will be produced by Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune and called Covishield, is safe and provokes both humoral and cellular immune responses. A recombinant adenovirus type-5-vectored vaccine from China also generated an immune response without side effects. Similar results were posted for the Moderna vaccine, which is being developed in the US in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health.

There are different waves of vaccines coming, youve got Moderna, China and AstraZeneca, which is one of our five partnerships coming at the end of this year, so well see which vaccines are the most safe and efficacious. Till then, people will be exposed and slowly build herd immunity, but that will happen only after 50-60% people get infected, which is a long way away. We cant count on herd immunity to protect before a vaccine, which will come sooner, said Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of SII.

Also Read: Human trials for Covid-19 vaccines by Bharat Biotech, Zydus underway in 6 cities

He cautioned that producing enough doses for the whole world wont happen overnight. Scaling up to cater to the whole population will take four to five years in terms of the global population, said Poonawalla.

Scientists warn that the hype around efforts is also feeding fears about vaccine safety, which is already being exploited by anti-vaxxers who are playing on the distrust of national governments and profiteering by pharmaceutical companies.

Also Read: Cipla launching Covid-19 treatment drug Ciplenza in August at Rs 68 per tablet

In an editorial in journal The Lancet, which published results of the Oxford and China vaccine trials this week, editor-in-chief Richard Horton noted, Opinion polls suggest that in some countries, such as the USA, as little as half the eligible population would be willing to receive a vaccine against Sars-CoV-2. The arguments cover familiar groundranging from claims that the pharmaceutical industry is trying to profit from the pandemic to the notion that the virus poses little danger to human health. The context of urgency is also strengthening the anti-vaccination movement. President Trump has called the US vaccine programme Operation Warp Speed. This designation has led some anti-vaccine activists to claim that corners are being cut in safety testing.

People in India have traditionally accepted mass vaccination programmes, which helped the country eradicate small pox in April 1977, two and a half years before its global eradication in December 1979. But over the past two decades, vaccine scepticism is growing.

Also Read: The twin tales of vanishing antibodies, robust T-cells | Opinion

Polio eradication wasnt as easy, with the wild polio virus sustaining in several pockets because people refused to get their children vaccinated because of fake news and malicious rumours of side effects, such as autism and impotence.

Campaigns to give children the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine against measles, and adolescent girls the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer ran into roadblocks, which makes it important to begin the groundwork to build the publics trust in the vaccine.

That is possible only by bringing people on board by increasing transparency in both information sharing, and discussing concerns. Governments and health agencies must allay fears about safety, availability and profiteering and assure the public that vaccination of those at risk, including front-line workers and older people, will be prioritised.

Also Read: Serum Institute plans to manufacture one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine over next year

Public health campaigns should be planned keeping in mind learnings from polio and MR vaccination drives, where disinformation preceded vaccines across states, which primed communities to refuse even before health workers got a chance to explain its benefits.

A Covid-19 vaccination strategy demands a whole-of-society responseincorporating business, trade unions, faith communities, charities, media, entertainment, and sports. A vaccine to protect the public against SARS-CoV-2 is the most important and immediate technical challenge humanity has ever facedat a moment when public trust in science and government is alarmingly brittle, said Horton, in his editorial.

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Mr. Schiff, who is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Friday on MSNBC that he had been urging Bill Evanina and others in the intelligence community to level with the American people about whats going on. He said the warning gave a false sense of equivalence between what Russia is doing, what China is doing, what Iran is doing.

Mr. Schiff and the other three authors of the letter have been briefed extensively on the intelligence, and thus are prohibited from violating classification rules by describing what they have seen.

But Mr. Schiff, a frequent target of harsh criticism from Mr. Trump because he was the Democrats manager in the impeachment trial in the Senate, added, I think that our adversaries, in particular the Russians, are going to amplify the false messages that the president is putting out about, Well, you cant trust absentee ballots, even though thats how the president votes.

Some intelligence officials expressed surprise at the lawmakers letter and insisted they were not trying to play down the threat of interference from Moscow or signal that China was a greater challenge. They said Mr. Evaninas statement was meant to be the beginning of a series of public statements, according to an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The official said the statement did not play down the threat of Russian interference, but lawmakers had to understand that the 2020 contest would be different from 2016s.

It is unclear whether those statements, however, deter further action by American adversaries. But it is clear that 2020 will not be the same as 2016  the Russians know that they cannot use the same playbook, and Iran and China both seem poised to play a greater role.

The question is whether they will be on the same side, or working against each other.

After the 2016 election, American intelligence assessments concluded that the Russians ultimately intervened on Mr. Trumps behalf. But this year, Republicans and Democrats who have reviewed the intelligence have come to different assessments about whether Russia hopes to swing the election to Mr. Trump, or if President Vladimir V. Putin is simply intent on eroding confidence in the American electoral system.
London, July 25 : The UK government has announced that travellers from another five countries will not be required to quarantine upon their arrival, it was reported on Saturday.

The government said on Friday that the change will come into force from July 28 and will apply to Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadine, reports the BBC.

The countries were initially were excluded from the government's list of 74 'safe' spots announced in early July, but changes have been made following 'risk assessment reviews, the Department of Transport said on Friday.

The government will update the list on a weekly basis if any changes are required.

Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to announce a Portugal air bridge on Monday after the Portuguese government was reportedly angered by an "absurd" decision to exclude the country, reports the Metro newspaper.

The south-western European country has seen cases slow to 127 a day, the lowest since May 11, although parts of Lisbon have sparked concern and remain in partial lockdown.

Self-isolation for 14 days will still be required for people travelling from Canada, the US, Sweden, Russia and much of Central or South America.

The government has been advising against all but essential travel since March, but this advice has been lifted for destinations that "no longer pose an unacceptably high risk" for British travellers.

Health measures like quarantine are set by each UK nation separately, the BBC reported.

Wales and Northern Ireland have introduced quarantine exemptions for the same countries as England.

Scotland is also allowing exemptions, and has updated its own list of countries with which it is now allowing travel without quarantine.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
When the U.S. Air Force introduced a new survey earlier this month that asked airmen to describe racial injustice or bias they'd witnessed or experienced during their careers, leaders figured they'd get a lot of feedback.

But they didn't expect that thousands would come forward with stories.

Now, the survey -- part of a larger intraservice study -- is on track to shatter response rate records, according to the Air Force's top general.

Read Next: Space Force Gets First Delta Echelon As Air Force Turns Over More Units

"I can tell you right now that the response has been overwhelming," Air Force Chief of Staff Goldfein said in a July 22 interview with Military.com. "Literally thousands and thousands of airmen have responded to this survey and participated."

Goldfein said the response is timely; the service is addressing racial disparities across the force as the entire nation grapples with the realities of systemic racism and injustice.

"There's a lot of frustration -- a lot of it's been pent up over many years," Goldfein said. "And we're not going to wait until the end [of the study] before we put out what we're hearing."

'Raw' Response

Last month, the Air Force Inspector General launched an independent review into the service's history of racial inequities in military punishment and shortfalls in developmental opportunities given to African American service members.

Officials also asked what airmen were feeling amid nationwide protests following the May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody, as well as how these events affected them personally.

Airman Mason Bassett-Graves, an A-10 Warthog crew chief at Osan Air Base, South Korea, recently sat down in front of a camera to talk about how vulnerable, frustrated and scared he felt after he learned his two sisters were attacked during a protest back home in Nebraska.

A car struck them twice during what started as a peaceful demonstration, he said. Both of Bassett-Graves' sisters sustained injuries, but recovered; days later, at another protest, he said, one of his sisters was thrown to the ground by law enforcement officers and detained.

Bassett-Graves "didn't know what to think," when he learned of the incidents, he said in the nearly four-minute video. But he turned to his chain of command to discuss what was going on in his personal life. Two commanders listened to his story, he said, and knew he needed to see a chaplain or counselor to "get the weight off my shoulders."

"Every time I think about it, I am thankful for that reaction, because if it were anything different, I don't know how I would have been open to my leadership in the future," Bassett-Graves said.

The airman's story, posted July 20, is one of many that Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright and other Air Force leaders have shared on their official public social pages as part of a series called "Dialogue on Race" begun following Floyd's death.

"Our intent, really, is to have an important, lasting, meaningful dialogue," Goldfein said. "Whether that happens in the media spaces or not, that's not really our overall intent."

Goldfein said the goal is to have uninterrupted, "raw and uncomfortable" discussions. He said he hopes those initial conversations seed even more communication among airmen and their leaders.

"What's important is that there's a forum for this conversation to happen, as uncomfortable as it may be," he said. "That's what we're trying to get after. Diversity is important; so is inclusiveness and belonging."

That culture is formed "at the squadron level," Goldfein said.

The outgoing chief described the squadron as "the beating heart of the Air Force," and the lowest level of command where airmen should feel comfortable pushing and discussing their ideas.

"How do we build that? How do we ensure that? How do we measure that? Those are all the things that we're getting after," he said.

Alongside Wright, who was the first member of senior military leadership to speak out publicly on events surrounding deaths of black men at the hands of law enforcement, Goldfein he's working to ensure these issues "have staying power" in the Air Force.

The conversations come at a historic moment, internally, for the service. Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, who will succeed Goldfein, was confirmed last month in a historic Senate vote as the first African American to serve as the top uniformed officer for a military service branch. And Chief Master Sergeant JoAnne Bass -- appointed as the first woman to serve as the top-ranking enlisted member of a U.S. military branch -- will be Brown's senior enlisted adviser.

"This is for all of our airmen of color, it's for the women in our Air Force. It's to [uproot] unconscious bias. It's all those things that we know exist.

"We know we have to get after it, and that's the opportunity we've been given," Goldfein said.

He is set to retire Aug. 6.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: 'Shame on Us' If Important Air Force Reforms Fall by the Wayside, Top General Says
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Fiana Tulip is spending her days not only mourning her mother, who passed away at a Dallas hospital due to COVID-19, but also criticizing the Texas leaders currently in charge of setting the rules to keep citizens healthy safe.

"My mother likely contracted the virus at the hospital where she worked during the period when your Executive Order No. GA-18 forbade local governments from implementing their own safety measures, such as mandating the wearing of masks, to protect the public and healthcare workers from the spread of COVID-19," Tulip wrote to Governor Greg Abbott in an open letter to the Austin-American Statesman. "There is no doubt that poor policy and terrible leadership were responsible for her death."

Her mother, Isabelle Odette Papadimitriou, died on July 4 after a week-long battle with the virus -- and Tulip has invited Governor Greg Abbott to her burial.

In the open letter, Tulip wrote, "I invite you to her burial to witness our family mourning this incredible woman who gave her life to save others. You will see that we are unable to even hug each other in our grief because my brother tested positive for COVID-19 the day my mother died."

In Executive Order No. GA-18, Governor Abbott reopened most businesses and said he was not ready to issue a mask mandate. The Governor's July 2 mandate requires Texans to now wear face masks in public outdoor areas and in establishments in counties with more than 20 positive coronavirus cases, which would have included Dallas County.

COVID CHALLENGES: How language barriers during a pandemic are affecting Hispanics

"My mom could still be alive had there been a mask mandate much earlier on and had Texas stayed closed," CNN reported Tulip said to Don Lemon.

Her mother, she said, was a 64-year-old respirator therapist with no underlying health issues. A day after writing in her journal that she felt dizzy and lightheaded, among other symptoms, she went searching for a COVID-19 testing site. After two days, she eventually found one and tested positive for the virus.

Tulip added that her mother initially refused to go to the hospital because she knew they were at peak capacity and by the time an ambulance was finally called, it was too late.

"I looked at the way that Texas' leaders were handling the virus and it just seemed reckless and careless," Tulip said. "I couldn't understand why they opened up so early and as cases continued to spike, they continued to open up."

CNN reported that Governor Abbott hasn't responded publicly to the letter nor has he addressed their request for comment. Tulip said she also has not heard from his office.

Tulip said they are limiting the number guests at the service, requiring everyone to wear a mask, keeping households six feet apart and providing hand sanitizer.

"If I can manage a safe funeral, you can manage a safe state and prevent these unnecessary tragedies," she said.
Officials on Long Beach Island say more than 20 lifeguards have tested positive for the coronavirus after being together at a recent event.

The lifeguards are from Harvey Cedars and Surf City, neighboring boroughs on LBI just north of the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge, which links the Ocean County mainland to the barrier island.

Mayor Jonathan Oldham of Harvey Cedars said the borough clerk had been informed of the COVID-19 cluster on Thursday by the director of the Long Beach Island Health Department, a regional health office that operates independently of the Ocean County Health Department.

Oldham said the lifeguards, including a dozen each from Harvey Cedars and Surf City, were being quarantined and would not be back on the job until authorized by doctors. Oldham said he did not know the date or location where the guards may have contracted the potentially deadly virus.

I just heard that they were together, exactly where they were or what it was, Im not sure, but Im under the understanding that they were together at an event, Oldham said in a phone interview late Friday afternoon.

LBI Health Department Director Daniel Krupinski did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

But Krupinski was quoted by Philadelphia public radio station WHYY on Friday as saying the island health department had received reports of COVID-19 activity among Surf City lifeguards on Saturday, July 18 and Harvey Cedars lifeguards on Sunday, July 19, after the guards had been together at a pair of social gatherings on July 12 and 14, though he did not say where.

Surf City Borough Councilman Peter Hartney said he and other borough officials had also been alerted to the cluster. Hartney said the fact that so many lifeguards at one time had tested positive for the disease was not of particular concern. Rather, Hartney said, My concern is just the general outbreak of the virus.

Altough Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday that New Jersey is the only state in the nation that as seen its number of new coronavirus cases drop for a full two weeks, the outbreak remains a grave concern.

The states death toll climbed by 36 on Friday, to a total of 15,765, with the total number of cases rising to 178,345 since the outbreak began in March.

Shore communities that depend on their beaches to anchor the critical summer tourist season say theyve had trouble recruiting and retaining lifeguards in recent years.

Hartney said he had no idea how the cluster would impact staffing levels or beach openings in Surf City. In Harvey Cedars, Oldham said the boroughs lifeguard captain, Randy Townsend, had assured him that all of our beaches are fully staffed.

But Oldham shared Hartneys concern about the spread of the virus on the narrow barrier island, and urged people not to let their guard down.

Keep a safe distance and wear a mask, the mayor said.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com.

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State names 14 counties of coronavirus concern, including some in central Pa.

Pa. adds 2 new states to its travel quarantine list because of the coronavirus pandemic
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday welcomed Canada's decision not to recognise the results of 'Referendum 2020' being organised by the pro-Khalistan group 'Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)'.Referendum 2020 is a campaign by the SFJ for a separate Sikh state.

He hoped that other countries too would follow Canada's example and reject the "secessionist Referendum 2020, which the SFJ was promoting to divide India on communal lines.

Singh was reacting to a media report which quoted a spokesperson of the foreign ministry of Canada, as saying, "Canada respects the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India, and the Government of Canada will not recognise the referendum."

In a statement here, the chief minister said the categorical stand taken by the Justin Trudeau government on the issue is exemplary and other nations and governments should also come out openly against SFJ.

The group has been banned by India as a terrorist organisation and its founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has been declared a terrorist for actively promoting Pakistan-backed terror activities on Indian soil, he said.

Singh said failure to openly oppose the separatist SFJ could set a dangerous precedent for any country as it could be seen as a case of covert support to an organisation that is freely propagating secessionist activities.

It was in the interest of global peace and security to reject forces that are bent on spreading terror, he said, adding Sikhs in Punjab had categorically rejected SFJ's pro-Khalistan movement, which the outfit was spreading at the behest of Pakistan's ISI.
Only about 15% of commercial vehicles entering the United States are scanned for illegal contraband each year.

But that is about to change, at least at the Santa Teresa port of entry in New Mexico.

The port will be receiving an upgrade in its non-intrusive inspection technology that will allow Customs and Border Protection officials to scan all commercial vehicles entering the country from Mexico.

This will give an officer a much better picture of what is coming into the country before it gets to him, said Barry Miller, assistant director of field operations at the CBP El Paso field office. It gives him a much better risk assessment, whether or not to refer this truck into a cargo dock to spend an hour or an hour and a half being unloaded and loaded back up.

The upgrade comes as part of pilot program funded by a congressional appropriation of $570 million in fiscal 2019, U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small said during a press call. NII technology is being tested at five ports of entry. The NII equipment will be tested at Santa Teresa in fiscal 2021.

The new scanning equipment will not cause a delay in traffic at the port, said Christopher Sullivan, director of the NII Division, Cargo and Conveyance Security.

Right now, pre-primary scanning (before documents are checked) is only done for radiation, Sullivan said. We will have X-ray equipment now in the pre-primary lanes. So, it will be scanning every vehicle that comes through commercial lanes.

Port Director Fernando Thome said Santa Teresa was averaging about 600 commercial vehicles and 1,000 passenger vehicles a day.

NII technology on passenger vehicles will be tested at another port of entry. Nationally, only 1% of passenger vehicles are scanned. More than 3% are scanned in the El Paso sector, which includes New Mexico, Hector A. Mancha Jr., El Paso director of field operations, said during a hearing last fall.

Torres Small said the technology being tested at Santa Teresa will allow officers to scan for lethal drugs like heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl, which is the primary driver of the opioid crisis, coming through our land ports of entry.

With this new technology, officers will be able to scan more of the cargo within our ports of entry before entering New Mexico and that will dramatically lower the amount of illegal contraband that is being smuggled into our state, she said.

Sullivan called technology a game-changer.

This helps us identify a substance like fentanyl without touching, he said. This technology allows us to go into place like dashboards that we werent able to go before.

Santa Teresa currently has NII technology that allows officers to scan after the initial primary inspection where documents are first checked.

Torres Small and Thome said the technology was instrumental in helping an officer seize 26 pounds of methamphetamine at the port in June.

The drugs were hidden in the cargo space of a vehicle that was entering New Mexico.
Photo: Getty

The UK government has said it will review travel advice weekly, as it assesses guidelines for holidays on a rolling basis due to the coronavirus. Previously, this was reviewed every three weeks.

Currently, Portugal is off the air bridge list and is one of the countries not exempted from quarantine rules.

The new timeframe for reviewing travel advice means air bridges could collapse at short notice, leaving travellers facing quarantine on return to the UK.

In changes that apply to England, travellers from Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadines now won't have to isolate.

There are currently 80 nations that do not face travel restrictions when coming into England.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Luxury chocolate and wine sales surge during lockdown

The Portuguese government has expressed regret at the decision not to allow tourists without quarantine, branding it absurd.

Portugal's Ministry of State and Foreign Affairs said: "It is a decision that is neither substantiated nor supported by the facts."

Portugal is one of the top destinations for UK tourists, with 2.1 million travelling there last year.

Spain is still on the list of countries exempted from quarantine rules, despite a recent spike in cases.

On Tuesday, 2,615 new cases were recorded in the country for the last week, which is almost 20 times the daily average recorded last month.

Paul Charles, chief executive of PC Agency, a travel consultant, told The Times: Portugal is one of the most popular destinations for the British to visit in August. This decision is surprising bearing in mind their case numbers are declining, and tourists can easily drive in to Portugal from Spain.

With hundreds of thousands of British travellers set to go to Portugal in the coming weeks, the irony is that the corridors which were meant to create so much certainty are now destroying confidence among consumers.
By Christian Lowe and Nathan Allen

PARIS/MADRID (Reuters) - France advised its citizens on Friday not to travel to Catalonia in neighboring Spain following a spike in cases of COVID-19 in the region.

The advice, announced by French Prime Minister Jean Castex, dealt another blow to Spain's beleaguered tourism sector after Norway announced on Friday that travellers returning from the country would have to undergo a 10-day quarantine.

The French border with Spain remains open, but Castex said he was in talks with the Spanish government to reduce traffic flows.

"Concerning the situation in Catalonia, which is displaying worsened indicators for infection, we strongly encourage French citizens to avoid going there until the health situation improves," Castex told reporters.

Catalonia reported 8,563 new cases of COVID-19 in the 14 days up to Thursday - almost half of the 17,842 detected throughout Spain during the period - despite guidelines for residents of regional capital Barcelona to stay at home.

In an effort to contain the epidemic, all discos will be shut for the next 15 days, the Catalan government said on Friday, and bars, restaurants and casinos must shut by midnight.

A source in Catalonia's regional government said that the region, where wearing a mask is mandatory in public, was taking more stringent steps than France.

"We are holding everyone to a much higher degree of security than is asked elsewhere in Europe, such as in France," the source said.

The Spanish prime minister's office declined to comment.

Castex, who was speaking on the sidelines of a visit to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, north of the French capital, also said the French government planned to reinforce controls at borders.

From Aug. 1 people arriving from 16 countries outside the European Union where the infection rate is deemed to be high will be subject to compulsory testing on arrival at French airports and sea ports, Castex said. Those who test positive will be required to enter quarantine.

(Reporting by Christian Lowe in Paris and Nathan Allen in Madrid; Writing by Matthias Blamont and Nathan Allen; Editing by Ingrid Melander/Nick Macfie/Susan Fenton)
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Linkedin Sausan Atika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 09:52 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066934784 1 National gender,politics,law,society,RUU-PKS,Komnas-Perempuan,UN-convention,house-of-representatives,CEDAW Free

The long battle to end discrimination against women in Indonesia seems to be getting longer and longer as politicians remain at an impasse over passing pro-women legislation.

Thirty-six years after the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) into law in 1984, the fight to make the country a safer place for women has stalled over protracted negotiations about deliberating the relevant legislation.

Read also: Activists, survivors step up campaign for sexual violence bill after another delay

The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) revealed its recommendations for the 36th anniversary of the CEDAW ratification on July 24, calling on the House of Representatives to pass three bills relevant to the empowerment of women: the sexual violence eradication bill, the domestic workers protection bill and the bill for gender equality and justice.

[We urge] the House not to postpone the passing of the sexual violence eradication bill as a legal basis for victims access to substantive justice [and] the domestic workers protection bill as an acknowledgement of and guarantee for domestic workers, Komnas Perempuan commissioner Theresia Iswarini said during a virtual press conference on Friday.

[We also call on the House not to postpone] the bill on gender equality and justice as the basis of equality between men and women in all processes of [national] development, she added.

The House included the sexual violence eradication and domestic workers protection bills in the 2020-2024 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) shortlist, but both were excluded from this years list of priorities.

Both bills have already been deliberated for more than a decade. In previous terms, lawmakers failed to pass them into law despite repeatedly being flagged as priority items.

The political tug-of-war over the bills will only take a toll on the victims, Theresia warned. This makes the long path even longer for survivors to tread, as there is not yet any legal basis for access to justice or adequate services, she said.

In her opinion, the underlying problem is the entrenched patriarchy both within and outside the legislative body, noting the drawn-out discussion on issues of morality rather than the sexual violence eradication bills capacity to promote justice for survivors of sexual violence.

Read also: Catalyzing change for gender equality

We suggest that the deliberation of the sexual violence eradication bill be conducted not only by House Commission VIII, she said.

Another commissioner, Veryanto Sitohang, underlined the importance of the role of civil society in overseeing the bills deliberation, with lawmakers seemingly unperturbed by the sluggish process.

To this end, Komnas Perempuan has continuously held necessary talks with religious organizations in an attempt to rally support from the wider population to put pressure on the legislative process, he said.

But womens rights activist Ratna Batara Munti insisted that the work of legislators should not depend on whether or not there was pressure from the public, especially in the midst of a pandemic that has prevented effective monitoring of progress at the House.

Read also: World leaders warn coronavirus could roll back progress for women

It isnt easy for us to monitor [the legislative process under these] circumstances, said Ratna, who coordinates activities for the Network of Pro-Women's National Legislation Program (JKP3).

So, it is very important for lawmakers to have a strong perspective on gender [issues] from the outset, she told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"But I am pessimistic about that."

From a broader perspective, and leaving aside the legislative program, Ratna argued that the principles laid out in the CEDAW had not even been properly implemented within the Houses institutional framework.

The legislative body has seen an increase in representation among women, from just 17 percent during the 2014-2019 term to 21 percent in the current period, which expires in 2024, according to House statistics.

But women still visibly lack a presence among House leadership posts, despite the House speaker being Puan Maharani. Even Commission VIII, which is responsible for women and childrens issues, is chaired by a man.

How are we to incorporate a womens rights perspective if the structural and cultural conditions in the legislative body are still like that? Ratna said.

Read also: In ASEAN, gender equality still very much a 'tick-the-box' issue

In addition to the call for lawmakers to pass the relevant bills, Komnas Perempuan also urged the House to integrate the principles of the CEDAW into this years Prolegnas list.

Taking aim at the government, Ratna demanded that both the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry and Komnas Perempuan  which have the mandate to decide on womens issues  intervene and instill gender rights into the countrys political institutions.

The commission has found at least 421 bylaws that still discriminate against women, even though the government claimed to have found just 114 problematic government regulations and bylaws in a report to the UN CEDAW Committee last year.

Read also: Men should stand up against gender inequality, for love

To its credit, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) chairwoman Asfinawati acknowledged the governments attempts to provide better services for victims of sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination.

But she also argued that any improvement in this field would not achieve its optimum result if the options for taking action remained limited, citing as an example how the police still have no legal means to deploy a psychologist to escort rape victims when filing a police report.

Improving services for the victims seems not to be equally important with passing the aforementioned bills, Asfinawati said.
Kargil Vijay Diwas 2020: Indian Army recollects what happened in Kargil on this day

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, July 25: Kargil Vijay Diwas is a day that makes every citizen in India proud. The country celebrates Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26. It was on this day, 21 years ago, Indian Army recaptured all the Indian posts in Kargil that were occupied by Pakistani infiltrators.

In a post, the Indian Army told the country what happened a day before the 'Operation Vijay' achieved the historic success.

India records nearly 49,000 coronavirus cases, 757 fatalities in last 24 hours

In a tweet, the army said, "The Indian Army launched a daring attack at Zulu Top in Muskoh Valley. Undaunted courage and unflinching determination of our troops led to successful capture of the objective."

25 July 1999



Operation Vijay#IndianArmy launched a daring attack at Zulu Top in #Muskohvalley. Undaunted #courage and unflinching #determination of our troops led to successful capture of the objective.#21YearsOfKargil pic.twitter.com/74o8KRgBQm  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) July 25, 2020

Also, the Indian Army remembered the Kargil War heroes who gave their lives for the country. "Operation Vijay is a saga of courage, valour and sacrifice of brave soldiers of the Indian Army. 26 July will be remembered for the determination and daring leadership and raw courage of our soldiers." the army said.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive for Coronavirus | Oneindia News

In the history of independent India, the Kargil War will be remembered as the fiercest and the most valiant operations conducted by the Indian Army. As many as 527 Indian soldiers gave their lives in the Kargil War.

The home made mask may need at least two layers to fight COVID-19

Meanwhile, the Government of India has announced a national level quiz competition to celebrate the historic day.

"India is celebrating 21st Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26 July 2020 to commemorate the contribution of our warriors. To inculcate patriotism among students the Government of India is organising a national level quiz," says the MyGov website where students can participate in the quiz.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' tweeted about the competition and said, "Students, how much do you know about the Kargil war? On this Kargil Vijay Diwas, we bring you a national level quiz competition to commemorate the contribution of our warriors."

The quiz competition will conclude on July 27, 2020. Students who are willing to take part in the online quiz competition, can participate in the through the MyGov website. Students will need to register first in order to participate in the quiz.
By Sukanya Roy, TwoCircles.net

Bhilai: Misfortune befell the families of 150 workers, including 75 children, staying in Bijli Nagar and Anusuya Nagar of Hathkhoj basti, in Bhilai Industrial Area, Chattisgarh, when bulldozers rolled in on 17 July and tore down two houses and a dozen small shops. The bulldozers left only after threatening to demolish these two localities by the end of the week. The states Department of Industry and Commerce plans to set up new industrial units in these areas, which currently houses Adivasi and Dalit workers who are employed in the surrounding factories.

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Accommodating these units will require workers houses and community utilities, like stalls, shops, and handpumps to be demolished. In the absence of any rehabilitation measures provided by the Chhattisgarh government, neither land plots nor financial compensation, local workers will be rendered homeless and disenfranchised.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, eviction inevitably makes social distancing and practising sanitary safety measures impossible amongst an already vulnerable population.

Given that no one would be willing to rent out houses, forced displacement will only expose the workers further to the risk of dengue and malaria rampant during the monsoons, and push them irredeemably towards a health crisis.

Yasrasa Yadav, a local from Bijli Nagar spoke to TwoCircles.net, in a dejected voice. I have seven members in my family and we are poor people. What can we do if we are left homeless? We cannot cope with this kind of loss.

About a month ago, a notice had been issued regarding the setting up of new industrial units by demolishing workers bastis. Local people, led by activists, appealed to ministers and the District Collector, questioning this proposed eviction plan which left out proper rehabilitation guidelines. They demanded resettlement in places close-by, with access to schools and hospitals. These demands were not taken seriously and the workers continued to live in uncertainty.

Last week, the bulldozers abruptly tore down two houses, and ten tea-stalls and small shops in Bijli Nagar. At the moment, people could do little more than stand by, terrified, watching their thirty-year-old houses, a testimony to their lives of struggle and sustenance, crumble into dust. Enraged and hapless, locals and trade union leaders from the Bhilai Industrial Area confronted the Collector about this undemocratic encroachment of their rights but were sent away with vague, inconsiderate replies.

Citing a thought-provoking comparison, Kaladas Dehariya, long-time activist at Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha, asks, How are people and families being forced to move in the monsoon season, when even a bird is used to seeking shelter in its nest when it rains?

Alok Shukla, convener of Chattisgarh Bachao Andolan, wonders, The state today is such (that) we are encouraged to build more cowsheds to rear and care for cows. Yet it isnt a big political issue when people are turned out onto the streets. The lives of humans are disposable.

Shukla is perhaps referring to the Gowdhan Nyay Yojana launched by Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, who has remained dedicatedly oblivious to the plight of people displaced due to development projects within his state, his silence on the Bijli Nagar demolition included.

Deliberate oversight concerning workers housing and welfare has been characteristic of industrial projects in Bhilai. When the industrial area was initially being set up many decades ago, the government and industrial owners had promised to build safe, spacious labour colonies to house the workers contributing to the factories. However, land kept being allotted to a growing number of industrial enterprises, and the promise of housing the workers was grossly neglected.

In the absence of any governmental support and permissions, the workers started constructing their tenements close to the industrial area, over the following years. The workers and their families put in tireless hard work pooled their money and were slowly able to get electricity and water connections to their houses. Today, the Bhilai Industrial Area comprises at least 450-500 industrial units of varying capacities, interspersed with workers bastis.

Even though they have been paying property taxes and bills for these modest amenities, the workers have not yet received pattas for their houses. These settlements that have come up through community initiative are still termed illegal, on account of being built on government land. This reflects a corrupted face of legality, both punitive and myopic in its scope, skewed towards industrial rights over human rights, and not considering labour welfare.

Savitribai Soni, one of the factory workers, echoed grave worries. When we first built our houses thirty years ago there was no water supply here. Now there are some handpumps. We are somehow existing. Now they have broken down two of our houses. We have been given one week to clear out. How can we move amid the pandemic? We earn daily wages from the factory and have to make sure our children survive.

The demolition of workers houses is to be carried out in phases, and eviction in Bijli Nagar and Anusuya Nagar is only the first attack in this frenzied chain, which will uproot thousands of families by the time of its dreadful completion. Apart from setting up new industrial units, the government plans to convert 300 acres of land to build a green park, for which land and resources of over a 1000 families will be usurped, disrupting their communal infrastructure and patterns of mobility.

Dehariya concludes, The state is acting under direct pressure from corporate entities because their interest lies in profit. Industrialists have become fearful of the growing number of trade unions in the industrial area with whose help workers are mobilising for greater rights. Therefore, big corporations are using scare tactics of demolition and eviction to stop us. The government is fully complicit in this matter.

Advocates Priyanka Shukla and Shalini Gera had filed an urgent petition at the Bilaspur High Court pleading to stop these demolitions. Speaking to TwoCircles.net, Advocate Shukla said, The government is openly flouting the workers Right to Shelter. The slum dwellers are poor workers, mostly from the SC/ST community. Not providing them with land papers means repeatedly flinging them in the face of homelessness, as they are often forcibly displaced by construction projects and have to start anew each time.

The petition seeks to stay the demolition until adequate rehabilitation measures are envisaged and implemented. Special consideration must be given to the ease of workers mobility during the lockdown, and the new plots must be allotted in the vicinity of the factories to cut transportation risks and costs, given that the workers sustain on a daily budget. It also argues that the monsoon season is extremely unfavourable and impractical for shifting.

As a preliminary victory, Justice P. Sam Koshy has issued an interim stay on demolition in Bijli Nagar area till the 17 August and has directed the State to present details of the rehabilitation plan. What happens next is what one hopes will not be a thoughtless repetition of recent history in Chhattisgarh, when 400 families were evicted in Bilaspur, over a river beautification project.
NIID escapee had recovered and no fear of COVID-19 spread By Kumudini Hettiarachchi, Ruqyyaha Deane & Meleeza Rathnayake The patient has developed antibodies and is to be discharged today, says Dr. Eranga Narangoda after a mini-drama in Colombo View(s): View(s):

A mini-drama was enacted in Colombo city, as news spread that a COVID-19 patient receiving treatment at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Angoda, had run away Friday early morn, with a hunt being launched for him.

While a description along with his photograph was circulated widely and concern gripped the city, the face-mask wearing patient in his early forties, said to be a drug addict, arrived at the OPD of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) later in the morning.

He was then taken back to the NIID and the driver of the three-wheeler who brought him has been sent to the Welisara Navy Hospital, Army Spokesperson, Brigadier Chandana Wickramasinghe told the Sunday Times.

When contacted, Consultant Physician Dr. Eranga Narangoda of the NIID allayed fears by reiterating that the man had recovered and had developed antibodies and as such there was no danger of him spreading COVID-19. He is due to be discharged today (Sunday) and would probably be sent back to the Kandakadu Treatment & Rehabilitation Centre.

The man had been in isolation in a room on the first floor of the NIID, when he jumped out of a window and ran away. He had sprained his ankle in his attempt to flee, while he also had a limp from a fracture he had suffered a while ago, it is learnt.

Dr. Narangoda said that he had walked around for several hours trying to hail a trishaw but none had stopped for him. In Pettah, he had experienced slight chest pain, managed to get into a trishaw and wanted to be brought back to the NIID, but the driver had taken him to NHSL as it was closer.

Currently, there are 50 patients at the NIID, with none in the ICU. These patients include returnees, those from Kandakadu and a few from Rajanganaya, the Sunday Times learns.

When asked whether there was community spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, Dr. Narangoda said that it was highly unlikely.

We have opened the NIID OPD for our usual patients and are conducting RT-PCR tests, all of which are negative. This indicates that there is no community transmission, he stressed.

Referring to the man who escaped from the NIID on Friday, Brigadier Wickramasinghe said that he was originally from Trincomalee but had left his family some time ago and been roaming around Pettah as a beggar. He was also addicted to drugs. Early into the COVID-19 outbreak, when the homeless were rounded up and sent to Iranamadu, he had been part of that group.

Later, due to his addiction he had been transferred to the Kandakadu centre and when he tested positive for COVID-19 in the recent cluster there, he had been sent to the NIID for treatment, he said.

The Army Spokesperson pointed out that the National Strategy with regard to COVID-19 consisting of the pillars of tracing, containment, prevention and public awareness with support from the media worked in this case and proved that it had a practical and doable approach.

Strong community RT-PCR testing programme

The implementation of a concerted testing programme whether the caseload is zero or near-zero in an area was discussed at length on Thursday, at a crucial meeting chaired by the Director-General of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, and attended by all provincial and regional officials.

The discussions in which there was active participation of both Provincial and Regional Directors of the Health Service (PDHS and RDHS), focused on a strong community RT-PCR testing plan, the Sunday Times learns.

Dr. Jasinghe said that usually complacency may set in when the number of COVID-19 positive cases comes down.

But we want to ensure that even if the caseload is 0 we would be alert and vigilant in each and every district, especially when the country is opened up fully and we face the new normal, he said, explaining that they are hoping to have testing in proportion to the population in every Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area, with a certain number of tests being done per week.

The tests would be carried out among all possible target groups with input from the Epidemiology Unit, with each district being informed in advance where the samples for these tests would be collected, it is learnt.

This testing plan is to be centrally-monitored.

It would help us to test the pulse of COVID-19 systematically and regularly, said Dr. Jasinghe.

A massive advocacy campaign covering the full-range of media such as radio, TV and billboards on the street is to be launched in about a week on the health preventive measures against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, across the country, pockets of potential COVID-19 were found, reportedly linked to the cluster which has emerged from the Kandakadu centre.

An Advanced Level (Physics) teacher from a school in Gampaha was tested positive on July 18, the areas MOH Dr. Subasha Subasinghe said.

The male teachers brother-in-law, a driver, had visited an instructor at the Kandakadu centre on June 25. Both the instructor and driver had tested positive on July 13 and the teacher  who had held his usual tuition classes and gone to the school where he teaches  had been told to be in home quarantine.

Thereafter, 150 students, teachers and relatives who came into contact with him were also placed in home quarantine or at quarantine centres.

In a similar incident in Kahathuduwa, 65 people including a teacher, students and their parents are in home-quarantine, the contacts of three people who tested positive on July 22.

The three people had links with the Kandakadu centre, a source said, adding that the 65 have been subjected to testing, the results of which are negative.

From July 17 to 24, there have been 77 positive cases, of whom 31 were from the Kandakadu cluster and 46 returnees from abroad. As of Friday evening, there were 2,764 cases; of which 573 were from the Kandakadu cluster; 928 were returnees; and 950 were from the navy cluster which included personnel and their contacts. There have been 11 deaths, while 2,103 patients have recovered so far.

In positive news, Navy Spokesman Captain Indika De Silva said that on July 20, the last three navy personnel in that cluster recovered and were discharged from hospital. They are in self-quarantine for two weeks.

Nine hundred and six personnel tested positive between April 22 and July 8. This cluster is no more as of July 22.
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to do the honorable thing and resign due to the numerous alleged corruption cases in many of the government agencies as well as the high level of insecurity in many parts of the country.

Speaking at a press conference tagged Nigeria a free fall as corruption, Insecurity engulfs our nation, on Friday July 24, Secondus said the ongoing corruption investigations of the NDDC, MIC, NEDC, NSITF, EFCC, and other government agencies, are pointers to the fact that the country under President Buharis watch, is on ventilator gasping for breath.

Describing the numerous cases of corruption allegations in the country as frightening, Secondus said nothing brings out the exact character of the administration than the on-going fraud at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

No attempt is being made from any corner to stem the freighting tide in our land. No effort is being made from any angle to halt the on-going free fall being witnessed in all fronts in the country. Nigerians have become helpless and have come to accept and live like citizens of nations without a leader and with no direction. Where do we start looking at the state of the nation when all segments of governance have collapsed. Regarding insecurity, nothing establishes the fact that there is no governance in the country more than the worsening state of insecurity. Having exhausted their propaganda of winning the war on terrorism only in their press releases, as reality has dawned on all, both the military and political leaders are now helpless and confused. What the Nigerian Senate did on Tuesday when it asked the Service Chiefs to resign was to show to the world that there is no executive arm of government in place. Having watched the security situation in the country grow from bad to worse, the legislators have limited options but to do what they did, at least to show the people they represent that they are sensitive to their plights. Not even during the three-year brutal civil war did we witness as many as over 300 soldiers absconding their duties and pouring abuses on their commanders.

Speaking further, Secondus said

The nations economy is walking to depression because we are already in recession and its being fast tracked by the widening scope of corruption involving operatives in high places. The free for all corruption going on all over the place leaves us with the impression that the country is dying and there has been a scramble for what one can get out of it before the final demise. Its very disheartening that as the looting and the re-looting of the nations resources are going on under the watch of the acclaimed anti-corruption President, no serious reactions are coming from government that prides itself to be fighting corruption. Rather than confront the already exposed corruption cases, the government deliberately takes cautious steps to play them down with a view to protecting their members who are neck deep in the growing sleaze. After providence decided to expose the massive fraud going on in the EFCC in the last five years, rather than bring it to the fore, the Presidency in a great cover up, decided to take the investigation, including the interrogation of suspects to Aso Rock Villa behind the camera where all the exposed issues are kept away from public glare.

He said President Buhari should do the honorable thing and throw in the towel and save the country from ruins.
Lan Ha Bay, which is located to the east of Cat Ba island in the northern port city of Hai Phong, is a wonderful destination for visitors to explore, have great experiences and enjoy their weekend vacations.

Lan Ha Bay was once called a "forgotten paradise"; however, it has surprised people who love travelling and nature.

An impressive corner of Lan Ha Bay, one of the most beautiful of its kind in the world (Photo: TheLEADER)

Foreign visitors enjoying the beautiful scenery in the bay by wooden boat. (Photo: WONDERFULVIETNAM).

Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio on June 29 posted a one-minute video clip about the bay on his Instagram page. He likened this place to a paradise and called for visitors to pay great attention to limiting any harm to the environment here.

His video post has garnered over 1.5 million likes. Many viewers expressed their amazement and even asked how to get to this true paradise.

The images in the video clip of Lan Ha Bay posted on Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprios Instagram page have attracted the attention of a large number of fans.

It takes only around 90 minutes to Pha Got harbour in Hai Phong City on the Hanoi  Hai Phong expressway. After that, tourists can go to the centre of Cat Ba island in around 20 minutes by ferry and then take a small boat, speedboat or even luxury cruises to Lan Ha Bay.

If you want to enjoy a panoramic view of an ocean from above, you can sit on Cat Hai  Phu Long cable car line, which boasts the highest track rope in the world, from Pha Got harbour.

Cat Hai-Phu Long cable car station is an popular place for visitors to take photos. (Photo: SUNWORLD)

Recently recognised as a member of the Beautiful Bay Club Association, Lan Ha Bay, which is located in Cat Ba World Biosphere Reserve, is a very quiet bay with around 400 large and small islands. Nearly 400 limestone islands in the bay are covered with natural green vegetation.

A leisurely visit to Lan Ha Bay on a cruise is an unforgettable way to relax. (Photo: TheLEADER)

One very interesting activity for tourists is to enjoy the pristine beauty of Lan Ha Bay by kayak.

A corner of a kayak station in the bay (Photo: WONDERFULVIETNAM)

Visitors kayaking by themselves in Lan Ha Bay (Photo: WONDERFULVIETNAM)

The bay consists of 139 small, clean and pristine natural sand beaches, which are interspersed between two blocks of mountains. With a calm and clear sea, the beaches are very safe for children.

A small beach with pure, clean water in the bay (Photo: WONDERFULVIETNAM)

If staying overnight on Nam Cat island in Lan Ha Bay, visitors will be attracted by experiences such as finding clams and cockles on the sand beaches.

Visitors kayaking around the island and raking sands to find cockles.

A bowl of boiled cockles found by visitors.

It will be an unforgettable experience if the guests are lucky to see the phosphorus sea creatures under the sea while you kayak, swim or spend the night on floating rafts or cruises.

Phosphorous sea creatures (Photo: WONDERFULVIETNAM)

Cai Beo floating fishing village, recognised as the largest of its kind in the Southeast Asia, appeared in the actor Leonardo DiCaprios video. Visitors can learn about aquaculture and the special life of the local fishermen.

Nam Cat island with its pristine beauty (Photo: WONDERFULVIETNAM)

People who like archeology and history can visit Viet Hai fishing village beside Lan Ha Bay. Located separate from the mainland and surrounded by the high mountains and forests of Cat Ba national park, Viet Hai is an ancient village that has preserved its traditional beauty.

Riding bicycles in Cat Ba national park to enjoy the fresh air of the primeval forest (Photo: TheLEADER)

Visitors can see many wildlife animals in the national park (Photo: WONDERFULVIETNAM)

Riding bicycles or taking an electric car to enjoy a pristine and pure space, trekking through Cat Ba national park and visiting archaeological relics, will be a wonderful experience for all visitors to Lan Ha Bay.

The gate of Quan Y (Military Hospital) Cave in Cat Ba national park is also an ideal place for visitors to take photos. (Photo: WONDERFULVIETNAM)

Nhan Dan
Home Search ICH ' This Whole House of Cards Is Gonna Collapse': GOP Shutters Senate With US on Verge of Economic Catastrophe



"The magnitude of suffering this is about to cause is so immense."



By Eoin Higgins July 24, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - As Senate Republicans headed home for the weekend without extending unemployment insurance benefits or approving other economic relief programs that could help millions of Americans weather the ongoing financial catastrophe of the coronavirus pandemic, progressives and congressional Democrats warned that disaster is on the horizon. "This whole house of cards is going to collapse," Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) warned during a press conference Friday afternoon. This whole house of cards is going to collapse  @RepDanKildee explains why Republicans should want to extend unemployment benefits on an economic basis even if they cant conjure empathy for American families pic.twitter.com/7fD9bkCEdQ  NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 24, 2020 As Common Dreams reported , the departure of the GOP-controlled Senate for the weekend without a resolution to the benefits questions earned the upper chamber's leadership a harsh rebuke in a speech from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who called the decision by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to recess until Monday unacceptable. "The lapse that is being forced on this country right now is because Senate Republicans would not step up," said Wyden. "The lapse is going to lead to evictions, it's going to lead to hunger, it's going to lead to desperation for millions of Americans." No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter House Democrats took to Twitter to decry their Senate GOP colleagues for abdicating their responsibility to the American people, noting that Republicans found time to vote for a mammoth $740 billion Pentagon budget but failed to approve anything to meet the needs of struggling workers and families. "Senate Republicans have left Washington without passing the HEROES Act, without proposing their own Covid relief package, and without extending enhanced unemployment benefits for millions," tweeted Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "But they were able to pass a $740 billion defense budget with no trouble." McConnell adjourned the Senate for the week without addressing this crucial issue of extending unemployment insurance.



They had time to pass the inflated Pentagon budget but could not bother to address the needs of everyday people laid off due to coronavirus. https://t.co/VLjIi8JMFV  Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (@RepBonnie) July 24, 2020 Another 1.4 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance. The House extended relief to those who have lost their jobs when it passed the #HeroesAct two months ago. The Senate GOP must stop stalling and pass our legislation. https://t.co/2FxUs6FMGL  Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) July 24, 2020 Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) echoed those concerns and pointed out that the Senate's departure ensures the benefit will run out after next week's claims. "The cliff is here and Americans are suffering," said Chu. Progressive groups like Indivisible are urging members to pressure senators to have a vote on the HEROES Act, which Democrats in the House passed in May, as soon as possible. The Heroes Act will save countless lives & ensure working families are able to weather this recession, but Senate Republicans are refusing to act. Thats why we need you to call your Senators and demand that they pass the Heroes Act immediately. https://t.co/kDWnXLIsvc  Indivisible Guide (@IndivisibleTeam) July 24, 2020 Filmmaker Michael Moore cautioned lawmakers not to let the unemployment benefits lapse lest the country tip into a total economic mess. "The magnitude of suffering this is about to cause is so immense," said Moore, "they have no idea of how much shit is gonna hit the fan." - " Source " - Post your comment below See also The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
A new book on Oliver Cromwell is to be released next January with local historian Tom Reilly remarking, 'This book is a serious challenge to the conventional presentation of Cromwell and Ireland.'

Cromwell and Ireland - New Perspectives - has been years in the making and Tom is part of a group, determined to air their views on Cromwell, be it good, bad or indifferent.

'For several years I have been trying to inveigle history experts to have the ultimate Cromwell debate in one book,' he says.

He finally managed to convince Professor Martyn Bennett of Nottingham Trent University to help and after that, persuaded 10 academics to contribute to the debate. Three years later the book is on the way.

'The facts are skilfully marshalled throughout, presented impartially and it is difficult not to conclude that Cromwell's roles in both the alleged atrocities of the military campaign and the implementation of the Irish land settlement have to date been greatly overstated. Often labelled as one of history's greatest enigmas, it is clear that Oliver Cromwell retains the ability to surprise us still. It remains to be seen if the more passive Cromwell that emerges here will in any way assuage the vile caricature of the man that Irish history, tradition and folklore have all long-since accepted,' Tom says.

Historians from both sides of not only the Irish Sea, but also the Atlantic, re-examine Cromwell's role in the English Republic's subjugation of Ireland, which, it could be said flies in the face of Irish history, tradition and folklore.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse in Portland into the early hours of Saturday, directing fireworks at the building as plumes of tear gas dispensed by US agents lingered above.

The demonstration went on for hours until federal agents entered the crowd at around 2.30am and marched in a line down the street, clearing remaining protesters with tear gas at close range. They also extinguished a large fire in the street outside the courthouse.

The Federal Protective Service had declared the gathering as an unlawful assembly and cited that officers had been injured.

As the crowd dispersed, someone was found stabbed nearby, Portland police said. The person was taken to a hospital and a suspect was detained.

Demonstrators gathered outside the federal courthouse in Portland (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

By 3am, most demonstrators had left with only some small groups roaming the streets.

Earlier, the protest had drawn various organised groups, including Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives and the Wall of Moms.

As the crowd grew  authorities estimate there were 3,000 present at the peak of the protest  people were heard chanting Black Lives Matter and Feds go home to the sound of drums.

Later, protesters vigorously shook the fence surrounding the courthouse, shot fireworks towards the building and threw glass bottles. On many occasions, such actions were met by federal agents using tear gas and flash bangs.

The flow of tear gas caused protesters to disperse at times, but some came armed with leaf blowers and directed the gas back to the courthouse.

Officials in Oregon claim the presence of federal officers has inflamed the situation (Noah Berger/AP)

It was unclear whether anyone was arrested during the latest protest. The federal agents, deployed by President Donald Trump to tamp down the unrest, have arrested dozens during nightly demonstrations against racial injustice that often turn violent.

Fridays protest came hours after a US judge denied the state of Oregons request to restrict federal agents actions in the city.

Story continues

Democratic leaders in Oregon say federal intervention has worsened the two-month crisis, and the state attorney general sued to allege some people had been whisked off the streets in unmarked vehicles.

US District Judge Michael Mosman said the state lacked standing to sue on behalf of protesters because the legal action was a highly unusual one with a particular set of rules.

A medic treats Black Lives Matter protester Lacey Wambalaba after exposure to chemical irritants deployed by federal officers (Noah Berger/AP)

Oregon was seeking a restraining order on behalf of its residents not for injuries that had already happened but to prevent injuries by federal officers in the future. That combination makes the standard for granting such a motion very narrow, and the state did not prove it had standing in the case, Mr Mosman wrote.

The clashes in Portland have further inflamed the nations political tensions and triggered a crisis over the limits of federal power as Mr Trump moves to send US officers to other Democratic-led cities to combat crime.

The legal action from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum accused federal agents of arresting protesters without probable cause and using excessive force. She sought a temporary restraining order to immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians.

Federal officers were deployed by Donald Trump in a bid to calm the city (Noah Berger/AP)

David Morrell, a lawyer for the US government, called the motion extraordinary and told the judge in a hearing this week that it was based solely on a few threadbare declarations from witnesses and a Twitter video.

Ms Rosenblum said the ramifications of the ruling were extremely troubling.

She added: While I respect Judge Mosman, I would ask this question: If the state of Oregon does not have standing to prevent this unconstitutional conduct by unidentified federal agents running roughshod over her citizens, who does?
Chandhini R By

Express News Service

ERODE: They keep talking about life giving you lemonades... But what do you do when you have peddled your legal know-how in the corridors of justice for decades and suddenly find yourself jobless due to lockdown? If you ask Syed Haroon, the answer would be stop peddling and start pedalling. For the record, Haroon pedals around the town selling piping hot tea.

A story from a dubious source has it that a Chinese king was enjoying a bowl of hot water to ease his congested chest. Suddenly a breeze introduced two stray leaves into the bowl, darkening the colour. Unmindful of the change, the king took a sip and was immediately rejuvenated. Hey presto! Tea was discovered.

Haroon is 69 years old, with a four decade-long legal practice behind him. He had come down to Erode from Chennai on March 22 to represent a litigant at the district munsif court here. The case was slated for March 24; and nationwide lockdown came into effect on March 23. Stranded without any job, Haroon could also not return to Chennai. That is when he discovered tea, or rather its business prospects.

Haroon, a resident of Thirunagar Colony in Erode, told Express: I have been practising at the Madras High Court since 2000. On March 22, I came to Erode (his hometown). A day later, the lockdown was imposed. As courts too have closed, I have not returned to Chennai. As I was jobless for the past four months, I decided to choose a new profession. Prior to establishing his practice in Chennai, he had a brief stint at the Supreme Court between 1996 and 1998.

I analyzed my skill sets and realized that I was good at brewing tea. My folks also loved the idea and the tea. And that was when I decided to sell tea until things turned normal, says Haroon. Haroon has been making a killing since Friday, with his haunt lying between Tirunagar Colony and Sampath Nagar. The clinking of tea tins announce his arrival to his newfound patrons.

I think I would not incur much loss in this business as tea is something everyone likes to drink. I hope to earn at least Rs 500 a day. Mine is not an isolated case. There are several advocates, who are struggling without work. Many have taken odd jobs, he says. The advocate-turned-tea seller keeps his loyalty to his profession intact by using placards to send some hard-hitting message across. The placards demand Rs 10,000 assistance to advocates, besides seeking government intervention such that lawyers can avail themselves of Rs 1 lakh personal loan.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 04:42:34|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Friday reported 110 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in Libya so far to exceed 2,400.

The center said in a statement that it received a total of 1,473 suspected samples, of which 110 were tested positive, adding that three patients have recovered while one died.

According to the center, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Libya so far is 2,424, including 504 recoveries and 57 deaths.

A series of protective measures against the pandemic have been taken by the Libyan authorities since the first case was announced in March, which include closing the country's borders, closing schools and mosques, banning public gatherings, and imposing a curfew.

China donated medical aid to Libya in June to help the country fight against the pandemic.

The aid included 834 nucleic acid diagnostic kits, 5,000 medical protective suits, 15,000 N95 masks, 100,000 surgical masks, 5,000 goggles and 5,000 pairs of medical gloves. Enditem
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Australia's Prime Minister (PM) declared that the National Cabinet had committed to a suppression strategy in response to COVID-19.

Despite calls for Australia to adopt an "elimination" strategy similar to that of New Zealand, PM Scott Morrison said that the National Cabinet -- which is composed of the PM and state and territory leaders -- on Friday recommitted to suppression as its lead strategy.

"A couple of other points that were agreed on today was an affirmation of the suppression strategy that we've been working to nationally now for many, many months from the outset," Morrison told reporters after the National Cabinet meeting.

"The goal of that is obviously, and has always been no community transmission."

"There will always be cases that come because Australia has not completely shut itself off from the world. To do so would be reckless."

As of Friday afternoon there had been 13,595 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, including 139 deaths, and the number of new cases in the last 24 hours is 309, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health.

Of the new cases, 300 were in Victoria where 20 previously diagnosed cases have been reclassified, resulting in a net increase of 280.

"There have been seven new deaths from COVID-19 reported since yesterday," said a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria on Friday.

"Five of the deaths are linked to aged care facilities. To date, 56 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria."

Morrison said that "while there is some better news today out of Victoria" after three consecutive days of more than 370 new cases in the state but that it was too early to be confident or complacent.

The National Cabinet also on Friday agreed to fast-track 15 major infrastructure projects to tackle rising unemployment and to greater data sharing between governments on COVID-19 to track and document the virus.

Paul Kelly, the acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO), said that under the agreement, federal authorities would receive more "granular" data on state and territory testing regimes.

"We will want that regularly from all of the states and territories to make sure that that testing regime is remaining as it should be," he said.
Established by violinist Khaled Saleh, the Isis String Orchestra is a continuation of the Osiris String Orchestra which suspended activities in 2018

"The Isis String Orchestra will soon launch its activities, inviting new amateur string players to join the creative body," Khaled Saleh, Egyptian violin player and founder of the orchestra told Ahram Online.

The new orchestra is a continuation of Saleh's previous project of the same character, Osiris String Orchestra, a body that was also established by the musician.

Saleh is a graduate of the Cairo Conservatory, where he recieved his PhD and teaches until present. He recieved his masters degree from the Indiana University (2011).

Also an alumni of Fulbright, Saleh is a former violin player at the Cairo Symphony Orchestra (2004-2009). Since 2017, he has been a member of the Committee of Music, Opera and Ballet at the Supreme Council of Culture (Ministry of Culture), and a coordinator and jury member of the Nicolas Latif string competition. He is also a violin instructor at the Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra, consisting of blind women musicians. While performing with numerous ensembles, Saleh founded the Awtar Quartet consisting of professional musicians in 2012.

In 2016, he founded the Osiris String Orchestra, an ensemble which until 2018 aimed to develop and provide performance opportunities to amateur musicians. Supported by the Awtar Quartet, the trainings and rehearsals were taking place at the Osiris for Art Production and Training.

"In 2018, I left the project and later on the Osiris closed," Saleh clarified, adding that the Isis String Orchestra will be composed entirely of amateur musicians with a new pattern of trainings and rehearsals, and in a new location.

"Just as we worked with Osiris, the Isis String Orchestra will have a few seasons per year with each lasting for three months during which I provide trainings as we prepare for the final performances. This time we will have one group rehearsal per week, with additional work being done online. This time, the Awtar Quartet will support the ensemble in the final performance only," Saleh said.

"I hope to hold a concert after the completion of our first season which begins on 4 September. In case the situation of the pandemic worsens, we will definitely do some virtual projects, videos to be posted online, etc."

The orchestra relies on violins and celli, inviting all amateur musicians to join the team which is fully trained by Saleh in addition to him directing and conducting the orchestra.

"We already have numerous members coming from the Osiris orchestra. The new ones are welcome to join, bearing in mind that they should have some experience in playing the violin, viola or cello. The ability of reading music -- even if not professionally -- is also one of the basic requirements."

Following its previous practice, the Isis String Orchestra focuses on Western classical music, some light compositions, as well as a few works from the Arabic repertoire, all of which are being chosen and arranged for the ability of the performers.

Saleh's amateur orchestra is definitely a rarity on Egypt's cultural scene.

"There are many similar practices internationally," Saleh clarified. "In Egypt, we have many people playing string instruments on hobbystic basis and mostly their efforts are limited to taking courses here and there. With the Isis String Orchestra, we can provide a platform for those talents to nurture their passion and perform in front of the audience."

Throughout the years of operations, the body became a community which shares similar mindsets and interests. As Saleh underscores, the musicians became friends and are eager to welcome new members to their practice. "Since 2018, when we stopped our activities, all the members of Osiris were eager to return to music and the orchestra."

Saleh also explains the choice of the orchestra's name, saying that "it takes us back to the Egyptian mythology where the god Osiris, a primeval king of Egypt was killed by his brother Set and his body was cut up into pieces. As the myth says, Osiris' wife Isis restored her husband's body, something that we are now doing with the new orchestra."

The call for new amateur string players remains open until 15 August. The musicians can follow the Isis String Orchestra facebook page for more details. The activities will kick-off on 4 September.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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The world has set a new record for the highest daily increase in coronavirus infections, as a survey released Saturday showed governments are fast losing support for their handling of the pandemic.

There were more than 280,000 new cases recorded globally on both Thursday and Friday, the highest daily rises since the virus emerged in China late last year.

Fridays tally of 282,042 was marginally down on Thursdays single-day record 284,661, according to an AFP count based on official sources, but still marks an alarming uptick in the spread of the virus.

Nearly a third of the worlds 15.8 million infections have been registered since July 1, while the total death toll nears 640,000.

The World Health Organization said that more than a million cases had been recorded in each of the last five weeks, with over 280,000 being reported on July 24 alone.

While no country is unaffected, this rise is driven by high transmission in large and populous countries in the Americas and South Asia, it said in a statement on Saturday.

It added that Brazil and India had recently reported their highest daily increases, while the figures remained worryingly high in the United States and South Africa.

The US, still the hardest-hit nation, on Friday reported its second straight day of more than 70,000 new cases and over 1,000 deaths as the virus takes hold in the south and west.

- Bolsonaro tests negative -

Governments worldwide have struggled to contain the virus despite long and economically-crippling lockdowns imposed on millions of people, and a new survey showed that faith in authorities is dwindling in six rich nations.

Populations in France, Germany, Britain, Japan, Sweden and the US widely believed death and infection figures to be higher than recorded, according to the study, which polled 1,000 people in each nation.

In most countries this month, support for national governments is falling, the report by the Kekst CNC communications consulting group said.

One world leader widely criticised over his handling of the pandemic is Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was diagnosed with coronavirus on July 7.

Bolsonaro, who has downplayed what he calls a little flu, announced on Saturday that he had finally tested negative.

Despite his diagnosis, Bolsonaro has appeared to continue flouting virus precautions, being spotted riding his motorcycle and chatting maskless with presidential palace groundskeepers on Thursday.

Brazils biggest city Sao Paulo on Saturday said it was indefinitely postponing its 2021 carnival, while Rio de Janeiro was considering a similar move.

New outbreaks continue to wreak havoc elsewhere around the world, with fresh clusters emerging across Asia.

South Korea on Saturday reported its highest infections figure in nearly four months, and in Vietnam the first locally-transmitted case in nearly 100 days was detected.

Authorities in China said they would introduce a new wave of measures and testing in the port city of Dalian, home to about six million people, after fresh infections were detected there.

That did not prevent the Chinese Super League kicking off behind closed doors on Saturday with the players of Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Shenhua holding a minutes silence for the victims of the pandemic.

- The world is infested -

Europe remains the hardest-hit continent, accounting for a fifth of the worlds case count.

Belgium said Saturday it could further tighten its restrictions following the death of a three-year-old girl, the countrys youngest victim of the virus.

There have been recent outbreaks in the Spanish regions of Aragon and Catalonia where officials have reintroduced fresh curbs on daily life.

However with experts fearing a spike in Covid-19 infections linked to the European summer holiday season, many tourists are reticent to cancel their plans.

Fanny Lievens said she and her family had no choice but to continue on their holiday trip to Catalonia from the southern French city of Montpellier.

If we cancelled our holiday, which has been planned since February, we would lose the rental money, she said.

In France, where infections have been rising, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on-the-spot testing would be rolled out for travellers arriving from 16 high-risk nations.

Britain meanwhile has made it compulsory to wear a face covering in shopping centres, banks, takeaway outlets, sandwich shops and supermarkets.

The virus has overwhelmed health systems and devastated families across Latin America, where nearly 180,000 people have died.

The world is infested, said Raquel Barrera, a 28-year-old in El Salvador who has lost three brothers and both her parents to the disease in less than two months.
The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) has ruled in favour of Tata Education and Development Trust in a case wherein the tax department had raised a demand of more than Rs 220 crore, an official statement said on Saturday.

The case pertains to assessment years 2011-12 and 2012-13 on money spent by the Trust for creating an endowment fund at Cornell University, US, to provide scholarships to Indian students and granting financial assistance to the Harvard Business School for constructing an executive building to be named Tata Hall.

It donated Rs 197.79 crore in 2011-12 and Rs 25.37 crore in 2012-13.

The controversy erupted after the Public Account Committee (PAC) of the Lok Sabha in 2018 sought an enquiry in the matter as it believed that exemption granted by the direct tax body was in violation of the I-T Act.

An official statement issued on Saturday said, "In a major relief for Tata Education and Development Trust, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) bench consisting of Justice PP Bhatt, President, ITAT, on July 24, ruled in favour of the trust in their appeal against commissioner income tax (CIT) appeal order wherein a demand of more than Rs 220 crore was levied by the tax department."

The ITAT in its order on July 24 said that all other grounds of appeals will be "rendered, academic and infructuous".

"We have decided this issue in favour of the assessee and thus allowed this ground of appeal. We, therefore, uphold the plea of the assessee and delete the resultant disallowance of claim of exemption," it said.

The Appellate Tribunal also stated in its order that "this wholly avoidable litigation which does not only clog the serious litigation before the judicial forums but also diverts scarce resources of the philanthropic bodies, like the assessee before us, to the areas which do no good to the society at large". The Tribunal hoped that the admirable work being done by the Government of India, in pursuing such forward looking policies at the macro level, is not allowed to be overshadowed by the isolated situations like this, at the field level, which must be minimised by sensitising the authorities concerned.

"An effort should be made to create a taxpayer friendly atmosphere by adopting just and fair approach at every level of the tax administration," the ITAT said.
Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week?
South Indian smugglers go for turmeric instead of ganja By Chris Kamalendran View(s): View(s):

South Indian runners have taken to smuggling turmeric instead of Kerala ganja to Sri Lanka after learning that the scarce commodity brought them more money than narcotics.

On Wednesday, the Mandapam police near Rameswaran in Tamil Nadu arrested two men with around 600kg of edible turmeric in 15 bundles. They were bound for Sri Lanka by illegal sea journey. There is a dire shortage of turmeric in Sri Lanka since the Government banned its import earlier this year to save foreign exchange and encourage local production.

But turmeric takes nine months to be harvest-ready. Sri Lanka was not producing sufficient quantities, to begin with. Planting takes place between the end of March and May. It will be one year before the next domestic crop is available.

A Sri Lankan family of five consumes around 2.5 kg of turmeric a year, the Export Agriculture Department (EAD) estimates. The total national requirement, therefore, is around 6,800 metric tonnes (MT) of dehydrated turmeric. Annually, local farms yield just 10,000MT of fresh turmeric and it shrinks to 2,000 metric tons after processing. The additional quantity was shipped from India.

There are also attempts to smuggle turmeric into Sri Lanka in containers. It is stashed secretly among potatoes, onions and other goods. So far, the Customs Department has found 35 such containers. The turmeric hidden therein which was of poor standard will be destroyed, said Customs Director General Vijitha Ravipriya said. The rest will be re-exported at Government cost to the suppliers.

Meanwhile, more than 30 containers of turmeric are yet to be cleared, said a spokesman for the Pettah Traders Importers Association. Some consignments had been cleared before the ban but the second lot was abandoned and must now be sent back to the Indian exporters as requested by them, he pointed out.

The import ban has caused an overwhelming local demand, the spokesman continued. Turmeric is now selling in Pettah at around Rs 4,000 a kilogram. Even at that price, there is little no turmeric to be found, he said. On the retail market, turmeric goes for around Rs 300 for 100g but the price is expected to rise.

We have asked the Government to allow some temporary imports at higher taxes so that local farmers continue to be encouraged to produce turmeric, he said. We need to tide over this period till the harvest is ready.

In Jaffna, turmeric is selling for Rs 2,500 to 3,000 a kilogram, according to Jaffna Traders Association Prsident R Jayasekaram. Last week, the association wrote to the authorities requesting them to allow imports to overcome shortages and meet the demand.

It isnt just turmeric thats affected, he pointed out. We also need black gram (ulundu) and semolina. Both are used in preparation of food and sweets in these areas and now, with the Nallur Kovil festival coming up, there will be high demand.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tested positive for coronavirus, he disclosed in a series of tweets on Saturday while appealing to people who came in contact with him recently to get tested and isolate themselves.

My dear people of the state, I had symptoms of Covid-19 and after the test my report has come back positive. I appeal to whoever came in contact with me to get their Covid tests done. My close contacts should quarantine themselves, Chouhan said in a tweet in Hindi.

A few hours later he tweeted, Doctors have advised me to get myself admitted to a hospital. I am going to the Covid-19 dedicated Chirayu Hospital for admission. A coronavirus patient should not insist he will stay in home quarantine and not go to the hospital. We should follow the instructions of the doctors. If Covid-19 is treated on time, a person is completely cured.

Chouhan and some colleagues visited Lucknow in a government plane on July 21 to attend the funeral of MP governor Lalji Tandon who died in Uttar Pradesh.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed to the people of the state to be cautious. Even the slightest callousness may invite coronavirus. Everyone must take precautions, be safe and follow the guidelines, said an official communique later from the state government.

The CM said in one of his tweets, I have been reviewing the status of corona infection every evening since March 25. I will try to review the corona situation through video-conferencing as much as possible.

However, he added that review meetings will now be conducted by home minister Narottam Mishra, urban development and administration minister Bhupendra Singh, education minister Vishvas Sarang and health minister Dr Prabhuram Choudhary in his absence.

As questions did the rounds on social media about Chouhan choosing to get treatment at a private hospital and not a government facility, the official communique said patients suffering from other diseases were also treated at AIIMS and Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal; hence, the CM was admitted to Chirayu Medical College so that the common man did not face any difficulty.

Ministerial colleagues of Chouhan, other ruling party leaders and Opposition leaders wished him a speedy recovery.

Addressing the CM, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted, I pray to God for your speedy recovery from the disease. I wish you good health soon so that you can serve the people of the state.

The opposition Congress took a dig at the CM. State Congress president Kamal Nath said, Shivraj ji, I am pained to know about your being infected with corona. I pray to God for your speedy recovery but it is a matter of regret that when we were serious over corona you dubbed corona as darona [dont fear], drama and a weapon to save (the then Congress) government.
Pronab Mandal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: Using allegation of corruption against TMC to combat TMC in 2021 Assembly polls, BJP national leadership has decided to adopt twin strategies to induct turncoats  those have a clean image and considerable support at the ground level will be accepted in urban and semi-urban areas while a lenient stand will be taken for the defectors in the rural pockets.

In a meeting with the Bengal functionaries on Friday evening in Delhi, the saffron camps high-command made it clear that the allegation of corruption against Mamata Banerjees party will be one of the top agendas to sharpen attack in the next years election and before inducting turncoats, their public image will be scanned.

Ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJPs national leadership, which included PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, had hit out hard at Mamata Banerjee while campaigning in West Bengal on alleged corruption issues such as cut-money collection from the poor beneficiaries of government schemes and running syndicate system.

"We got a dividend of it as our tally in Lok Sabha reached 18 from 2. Recently, the state witnessed a series of agitations against Trinamools elected representatives and leaders in panchayat and municipality levels who were found diverting government compensation package meant for cyclone Amphan victims to the bank accounts of their family members and relatives. We have been asked to include this as one of the key issues in the agenda in the 2021 election along with irregularities of the ruling party. Our leadership in Delhi has also asked us to be careful about the defectors' public image before inducting them," said a BJP leader.

Other than the Amphan corruption, the saffron camps high-command also instructed the partys Bengal chapter to highlight how the scam in the states public distribution system (PDS) deprived migrants who returned during the lockdown, said the leader.

The BJP is expecting a massive exodus from Trinamool as the ruling partys leadership suspended several functionaries and show-caused hundreds of elected members and leaders in panchayat and municipality levels over the issue of Amphan corruption. "These sidelined functionaries may switch their allegiance to the BJP as our party is the only option left for them. We have been directed not to induct the ruling partys suspended functionaries because it will not serve our purpose to attack Mamata Banerjee on corruption issues. The party high-command asked us to follow it strictly in urban areas," said another BJP leader.

BJPs Bengal functionaries admitted that their strength in rural pockets is not good enough to fight tooth and nail against the Trinamool. "Our leadership in Delhi told us to take a soft stand for the rural areas before rejecting turncoats who will want to join BJP. If a defector is found capable of fighting with Trinamool cadres, we may not hesitate to accept him or her."
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot will meet Governor Kalraj Mishra on Saturday afternoon to submit a fresh proposal for convening Assembly session. The meeting is expected to take place at 4 pm.

Gehlot had earlier called a meeting of his council of ministers at 4pm at his residence to rework a proposal to the Governor over calling a session of the state assembly.

The meeting was scheduled to discuss the objections raised by Governor Mishra in holding an assembly session.

Gehlot had chaired a meeting of the cabinet on Friday night to discuss the points raised by the governor on its earlier proposal.

Also read: Ashok Gehlot calls another cabinet meet to discuss governors reservations over Rajasthan assembly session

Earlier Saturday, Gehlot at the Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting at the Fairmont hotel Gehlot said the Congress party will not let BJP succeed in their conspiracy, sources claimed.

We will go to the Presidents house if needed. We will stage dharma outside the PM house if required, Gehlot said according to a person familiar with the CLP meet.

The chief minister who had already met the governor twice this month, had accused him on Friday of dithering on calling the assembly session despite repeated requests to do the same

Meanwhile the Congress held demonstrations against the BJP across the state on Saturday amid the ongoing political crisis with party workers demanding that the governor should call an assembly session soon.

The Congress workers accused the BJP of conspiring to topple the Gehlot government.

Rajasthan Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said, We have the mandate. The governor is head of the family and we do not want any differences.

The minister said it was the governments right to call an assembly session but it wasnt getting permission for it
The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Park Agrotech Ghana Limited, a Ghanaian agri-business company to develop modalities for the operationalisation of the defunct Komenda Sugar Factory.

The MoU, a copy of which was obtained by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) would be effective for three years from the date of the agreement between Park Agrotech Ghana Ltd and the Government of Ghana for the concession of the Komenda Sugar factory.

Processor Joseph Ghartey-Ampiah, outgoing Vice-Chancellor of UCC signed on behalf of the University while Mr Lalit Mishra, Managing Director of Agrotech Ghana Ltd signed for the Company.

The University, by the MoU, would among other things provide strategic technical and human resource support to produce sugarcane planting materials for the company and its out-grower for the sustainability of sugarcane production and its processing.

It would also provide land space to establish sugarcane field gene-bank and conserve the eight most relevant genetic resources of the crop in consultation with the company to serve as a source of explants for vitro propagation.

For its part, the Park Agrotech Ghana Ltd would provide infrastructure for the production of sugarcane planting material and breeding including a well-resourced state-of-the-art commercial Tissue Culture laboratory for the production of sugarcane plantlets.

The company would also provide funding for research, material, and equipment in critical areas such as Biotechnology and Tissue Culture, disease and pest control, soil fertility, agriculture engineering, food science among others.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Professor Aaron Asare, Head of Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the School of Biological Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences reiterated the University's commitment to getting the Komenda Sugar Factory working.

According to him, Komenda and for that matter, the whole of the country was looking forward to the factory becoming productive adding that, the factory was a national asset and efforts must be made to operationalise it to benefit the citizenry.

There have been a series of concerns relating to the lack of adequate and right sugarcane for the Factory to operate at its maximum capacity since it was commissioned in May 2016.

It was expected that the revival of the factory would drastically reduce the importation of sugar and create indirect jobs for people in the sugar industry in every part of the country but that expectation was yet to be realised.

Because the factory required about 125,000 tonnes of sugarcane per day, which the current sugarcane production was nowhere near that figure.

In this regard, Prof Asare said UCC has since 2015 undertaken a series of research to produce high yielding sugarcane planting material to address the huge feed-stock deficit of the Komenda Sugar factory for its sustainability.

He said the University's collaboration with Park Agrotech Ghana Ltd was as a result of its research and was highly optimistic that the collective capacities of the two institutions would make the factory productive with sustainable sugarcane to feed it.

Mr Mishra on his part said the partnership with UCC was very crucial as the company required quality planting material to produce sugarcane to feed the factory.

According to him, Agrotech Ghana Ltd would invest about $21M into the factory for four years.

Professor Ghartey-Ampiah expressed delight that after a long period of being idle, the Komenda Sugar factory would soon become operational to meet the aspiration of Ghanaians.

---GNA
ST. LOUIS  As Missouri again broke the record for new cases of the coronavirus, officials warned that disparities based on age, race and health status continue to influence who is infected and who dies of COVID-19.

On Friday, the state reported that there have been 39,352 confirmed cases here throughout the pandemic  an increase of 1,652 for the day, breaking the previous record for the fourth day in a row.

Before this week, the state had never reported more than 958 new cases in a day. Then it identified 1,138 cases on Tuesday, 1,301 on Wednesday and 1,637 on Thursday.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force released data Friday showing that in the St. Louis metro area, Black individuals are more than four times as likely to test positive, nearly 2.5 times as likely to be hospitalized, and nearly 1.5 times as likely to be admitted to the ICU than the rest of the population.

The burden on the Black community is larger, said Dr. Alex Garza, chief medical officer with SSM Health and head of the task force.

Men are almost 75% more likely to die of COVID-19. Individuals with chronic conditions are 14% more likely to die of the virus. And age plays a role: Patients are almost 10% more likely to die of the virus for each added year of their life.

These are some very sobering statistics, Garza added.

Numbers rising

Between Monday and Friday, the state reported 6,258 new cases of COVID-19.

Thats more than four times the number of cases reported between Monday and Friday during the week of April 6  the week Gov. Mike Parsons stay-at-home order went into effect and schools statewide were ordered to close.

Health experts said there are likely several reasons for the increasing number of cases.

Once you get as much virus out in the community as we have now, its hard to slow that down, Garza said. It takes participation from everybody.

Garza said that by August, he expects cases will still be rising.

If we cant turn the tide on this, well be back to those peak numbers of admissions in about the second week of August, Garza said.

Dr. Stephen Liang, an infectious disease specialist at the Washington University School of Medicine, said part of the increase is probably because of broader access to testing. But people also may be interacting more, traveling, and generally adhering less strictly to social distancing rules during the summer.

And many people are likely fatigued by months of precautions and isolation.

It never completely went away. ... Im not really sure if you would call that a second surge, or if its just a first surge that never quite resolved, Liang said. What it probably demonstrates is that we were never able to completely contain the infection, for one reason or another, in our region.

Many in the medical field are worried cases will continue to rise into flu season  which in the U.S. takes place in the fall and winter  resulting in simultaneous efforts to fight COVID-19 and influenza.

If residents wear masks, practice hand hygiene and adhere to social distancing  and if a large enough number of people get flu shots this year  that may ease some of the burden on health systems, Liang said.

Enbal Shacham, a professor at St. Louis Universitys College for Public Health and Social Justice, said it is not easy to turn around the trajectory.

I think that transition is significant, Shacham said. It will help reduce infections.

COVID-19 in Missouri and Illinois: By the numbers These maps and charts show the spread of COVID-19 in Missouri and Illinois.

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It is not true that the White House spiritual adviser, Paula White, claimed to have had a vision of Donald Trump "riding alongside Jesus on a horse made of gold and jewels." That was satire, a tale unfortunately elevated to credibility by social media. There's a lot of that sort of thing going around.

It's a shame, though, because if the Rev. White's vision had been real, it would have marked the only known view of the president with an animal. Trump is not known to like four-legged creatures. In fact, he is the first president since James K. Polk, who left office in 1849, not to have an animal companion in the White House.

No dog, like his 19 most recent predecessors. No parrot, like William McKinley (it could whistle "Yankee Doodle"). Not an alligator (Benjamin Harrison) or a pig (Theodore Roosevelt) or even pet white mice (Andrew Johnson).

What's most regrettable, though, is that Donald Trump never learned to ride a horse. Now, don't get stuck on how comical that image may seem. Hear me: Learning horsemanship would have made the man a better president.

When I first became a dad, I told folks that all I knew about child-rearing had come from riding a horse. Later it struck me as good training for staff leadership, too.

That's not to liken either the reporters in our newsroom or my daughter to my now-departed Morgan mare. It's just that some characteristics of a good rider  consistency, stability, firmness with a kind heart  also mark traits we should value in our leaders.

What got me to thinking about this was the president's move to send federal agents into several American cities, allegedly to restore order, but with the effect of inflaming tensions  that is, actually undermining public safety. I tell you, it's the kind of dumb move you wouldn't get from a guy who knows something about horses.

Lay aside, for a moment, the affront to our constitutional order in what Trump has ordered in Portland, Ore. We'll get to that. Consider, first, what's practical.

Beginning riders are taught to keep their hands "soft"  to not pull on the reins needlessly or jerkily, so to avoid restraining a horse from moving forward. They learn to "give a horse his head" rather than being so controlling as to make the animal uneasy and hostile. Even a strong horse needs some length in the rein.

No, you can't let the horse be in charge. But it's more effective to be firm and consistent in the instructions you give with both your hands and your legs than to brutally pull the bit back in a horse's mouth.

Just now, the federal bit is choking Portland. A phalanx of federal agents in camouflage and tactical gear have swept into the city, constituting what the mayor has called an "egregious overreaction" to the unrest there.

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The federal presence unleashed on Portland has clearly swelled the numbers of people engaging in the nightly demonstrations calling for police reform. The mayor and governor have demanded that Trump withdraw his troops, who are Customs and Border Protection officers pulled from their usual roles. Far from calming the demonstrators, the officials said, the federal agents are galvanizing them. Video seems to show some agents inflicting violence, rather than restraining it.

Yet Trump is now moving to send agents to other cities  all, surely coincidentally, led by Democrats, a move one may see as aiming to underscore a campaign message that the president is a champion of law and order.

More Information Rex Smith is Times Union editor-at-large. Contact him at rsmith@timesunion.com. See More Collapse

But he looks to me more like a would-be cowboy I watched some years ago, pulling so tightly on his horse's reins that the creature kept backing up, trying to get away from the bit. When the horse finally reared up and dumped the rider, I knew whose side I was on.

Not that we should cheer on property destruction or anarchy. But a smart response to what's happening in our streets wouldn't escalate violence and undermine citizens' rights.

Beyond that, is this deployment even legal? Throughout U.S. history, presidents have sent National Guard troops to restore order or carry out the law  such as enforcing court-ordered desegregation in the South in the 1950s and helping cities end riots in 1968. Trump's agents, though, aren't police or military  they're like a separate force, loyal only to him  and the unease he is targeting is hardly the extraordinary circumstance that has led other presidents to what should be a hard choice to mobilize forces against American citizens.

Yes, Trump's got the reins in his hands, all right. But his pose as a tough hombre instills no confidence that he knows how to get us down the trail.
A Los Angeles Police Department cop who died of coronavirus complications on Friday is the department's first front-line officer to die of the disease, leaving behind his partner who is 20 weeks pregnant with twins.

Officer Valentin 'Val' Martinez, 45, has become the first sworn LAPD officer to die of COVID-19, and the second coronavirus-related officer death in the department.

Martinez was a 13-year veteran who worked as a patrol officer in the Mission Division in San Fernando Valley.

'Today we lost one of our own, Officer Valentin "Val" Martinez #38701 to COVID-19.' wrote the Mission Station on Twitter.

'We are deeply sadden by this horrible news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and all his loved ones. Thank you for your 13 years of service. Rest Easy Brother.'

The Mission Division erected a small memorial for Martinez in their department building with candles, flower bouquets and a photo of him.

His death came just weeks after senior detention officer Erica McAdoo, 39, became the first non-sworn LAPD officer to die of COVID-19.

LAPD Officer Valentin 'Val' Martinez (left), pictured with his partner (right), died of coronavirus complications on Friday - making him the first sworn officer to die at the department

Martinez (pictured) was a police veteran of 13 years and worked as a patrol officer with the Mission Division in San Fernando Valley

The 45-year-old is survived by his mother, siblings and pregnant partner, Megan Flynn.

Flynn is around four months pregnant with the couple's twin boys that are due in November.

According to the official memorial page Val's Funds, Martinez tested positive for COVID-19 in May and is believed to have contracted it from work.

The LAPD Mission Station released a tribute to Martinez on Friday after it was revealed he died earlier that day

THe LAPD Mission Station erected a public tribute for Martinez inside their building on Friday with candles, flowers and a photo of him

'He fought COVID at home for one week before being rushed to Henry Mayo Hospital in Santa Clarita with worsening symptoms,' the site read.

'Val was transferred to the ICU at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica on June 10th in order to be placed on a ECMO machine, as his symptoms grew more dire.'

Martinez unfortunately succumbed to the illness after two months of courageously fighting.

'Val fought for his life every hour, but unfortunately, at 5:33AM on July 24th, Val passed away,' the site said.

Martinez' death comes after California officially surpassed New York, the original pandemic epicenter, to have the highest number of cases in the country.

The Golden State, like several other 'hot spot' states, have struggled in recent weeks to contain infections.

Megan Flynn (center) is 20 weeks pregnant with the couple's children that are scheduled to arrive in November

A GoFundMe page has been created to help Flynn (left) cover a 'lifetime of expenses' because she will no linger receive health coverage with the LAPD after Martinez's (right) death

Los Angeles has the highest count of cases and deaths throughout California - prompting Mayor Eric Garcettit to note that the county is 'on the brink' of a second stay-at-home order.

A GoFundMe was also created to help cover the 'lifetime of expenses ahead' for Megan as she prepares for the babies arrival.

The couple wasn't married when Martinez tragically passed away, meaning her health benefits and other expenses are no longer covered by the LAPD.

A number of law enforcement departments and officials shared tributes to Martinez on social media following his death.

Both LAPD Chief Michael Moore and Assistant Commanding Office Alfred Labrada shared photos of the couple on Twitter.

'Ofcr Martinez, May God welcome you home,' wrote Moore, while Labrada said 'Val Rest In Peace Hero #GodSpeed.'

LAPD Chief Michael Moore shared a photo of Martinez and Flynn (left to right) on Twitter in a tribute on Friday

The Los Angeles Police Protective League wrote that Martinez 'was a hero lost way too early in life'

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office shred a photo of an officer badge with what appeared to be a mourning band

Sergeant Garcia called the news a 'sad day' for local law enforcement and family members of Marinez

The Los Angeles Police Protective League wrote that Martinez 'was a hero lost way too early in life.'

'All of our officers have placed themselves, and their families, at increased risk throughout the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We honor their sacrifice today,' they wrote.

Sergeant Garcia called Martinez's passing a 'very sad day for the LAPD & Martinez family...May you Rest In Peace Brother.'

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office shared a photo of the Sheriff badge with a mourning band placed over top.

'Today we salute him & our fellow partners @LAPDHQ. We thank him for his service. Our hearts go out to him and his family,' they wrote.

In an email obtained by KTLA 5, Chief Moore allowed officers to wear the mourning band as a way to pay tribute to Martinez.

'Officer Martinez passed away after a long, courageous battle with COVID-19,' the email read.

'Our hearts and prayers go out to his loved ones, friends, and his Mission Area family as they grieve the loss of a fallen hero. I am authorizing the wearing of the mourning band in honor of Officer Martinez.'

Pictured: Mega Flynn (left) and Valentin Marinez (right) laughing together before he died on Friday

Shannon Flynn Bevers: 'At 5:33AM this morning, Val lost his fight to Covid-19. Megan, myself, Val's mom and one of his brothers were able to be in the ICU with Val

Shannon Flynn Bevers, a relative of Megan Flynn, shared a heartfelt post on Facebook after Martinez died.

'At 5:33AM this morning, Val lost his fight to Covid-19. Megan, myself, Val's mom and one of his brothers were able to be in the ICU with Val,' she wrote.

'I can't even begin to articulate what a beautiful man Val was. He stole all of our hearts instantly and will be missed by many.

'Thank you to all of our friends, family and community for sharing your love, prayers, healing energy and loving thoughts these past months. It was very comforting knowing you were all there.'

Earlier this month, Erica McAdoo, a 39-year-old senior detention officer, became the first LAPD officer to die of the coronavirus.

It was not immediately clear whether or not she contracted the virus while at work.

Erica McAdoo ,a 39-year-old senior detention officer, became the first LAPD officer to die of the coronavirus.

As of Wednesday, the LAPD counted 437 employees who had tested positive for coronavirus, 245 who were self-isolating in recovery and 237 that have returned to work.

The fluctuating number of cases affecting the LAPD mirrors the city of Los Angeles as a whole, as cases and deaths continue to rise.

There are more than 400,000 confirmed cases and 8,200 deaths related to coronavirus in California so far.

The California coronavirus dashboard, updated on Thursday, recorded 1,956 new cases and 49 deaths that day.

Cases dropped slightly from over the last two days after there were 3,037 new cases recorded Wednesday and 3,163 on Tuesday. The number of deaths dropped by 10 from Tuesday.

Los Angeles County is leagues ahead of any other California county with 167,198 confirmed cases. The second county, Riverside, has amassed 33,833 cases.

The 14-day rolling average of positive cases in patients at the moment is 6,788 in California, but Thursday saw 6,952 positive infections,

There are more than 2,000 infected patients in the ICU and there are a total of 2,614 available hospital beds.

If California were a country, it would rank fifth in the world for total COVID-19 cases behind only the United States,

California, however, initially succeeded in slowing the spread of the virus but has had a sharp reversal with COVID-19 infection rates climbing sharply in recent weeks.

California residents starting in March were urged to stay home as much as possible and state health orders shut down all but essential businesses such as grocery stores.

Throughout May and June, California reopened much of its economy, and people resumed shopping in stores and dining in restaurants.

The extent of reopening was evident in data that showed California's unemployment rate fell in June as the state added a record 558,000 jobs.

But infections began to surge and a new round of business restrictions were imposed, including a ban on indoor dining in restaurants and bars.

California's Governor Gavin Newsom last week rolled back some of his reopening plans for the state by announcing the closure of some indoor venues that attract crowds such as bars, restaurants, movie theaters, zoos and museums.

He also ordered gyms, churches and hair salons to close in the 30 hardest-hit counties of the state.

Los Angeles County, the nation's most populous with 10 million residents, reported that younger people were driving the spread of new infections.

More than half of the county's new cases came from people under age 41 and the county's COVID-19 deaths was at 4,154 with positive cases topping 161,670, the county's Department of Public Health said.

'The tragedy of what we are witnessing is that many of our younger residents are interacting with each other and not adhering to the recommended prevention measures, while our older residents continue to experience the results of this increased spread with the worst health outcomes, including death,' said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti admitted in an interview with CNN's State of the Union c that Los Angeles could implement lockdown orders again.

'I think we're on the brink of that,' Garcetti said about a potential second city wide lockdown.

Garcetti put blame for the rocky reopening in Los Angeles County, and across the United States, on a 'lack of national leadership'

'I think a lot of things went wrong. We've seen no national leadership,' said Garcetti.

'We've had to stand up testing centers on our own, we've had to do so much that is outside of our lane because of the lack of national leadership - but I also think some people are just exhausted.'

'They were sold a bill of goods, [the Trump administration] said it was under control, they said it would be over soon. And I think when leaders say that, people react and they do the wrong things.
Nicolas Zepeda, the main suspect in the murder of Narumi Kurosaki, was jailed in France on Friday following his extradition from Chile. The 29-year-old has been placed in pre-trial detention after hours of deliberation in a Besancon courthouse.

Zepeda was placed under investigation in the death of his ex-girlfriend, a Japanese student in eastern France, who disappeared nearly four years ago, in a murder investigation spanning continents in which the body has yet to be found.

The 29 year-old was extradited from Chile earlier in the day, then later ordered jailed by a judge after hours of deliberation while the investigation continues.

Prosecutor Etienne Manteau told reporters that the extradition of the suspect was a "major step forward" for the investigation even though Zepeda refused to answer questions of the investigating judge.

"He just said during his questioning that he was innocent" and expressed hope the real killer would be found, Manteaux said.

In a statement from the lawyer representing Narumi Kurosaki's family, Sylvie Galle, said the family "hope to finally get some answers."

Kurosaki disappeared in the early hours of December 5, 2016, from her residence at the Besancon university campus.

Zepeda, visiting his former girlfriend, had already returned to Chile before her disappearance was investigated.

His extradition was approved by Chile's Supreme Court in May, but was delayed because of the coronavirus crisis and the cancellation of many international flights.

Being placed under investigation is a step short of formally being charged, according to French legal procedure.

Formal charges would come if the investigating judge concludes there is sufficient evidence to put the suspect on trial.

Manteau predicted a trial could be held next year.
Baghdad (AFP) - A German woman kidnapped in Baghdad this week was freed overnight and handed over to her embassy, officials from the two countries said on Friday.

"Security forces have freed activist Hella Mewis," Iraq's military spokesman Yahya Rasool said in a statement.

Iraq's interior ministry said a joint task force, including the elite Falcons intelligence forces and federal police and anti-crime units, carried out the operation in east Baghdad.

Interior Minister Othman al-Ghanemi handed Mewis over to the German embassy in Baghdad, the ministry said.

A video released by the ministry showed Iraqi officials and German diplomats together with a tired-looking Mewis.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he was "relieved" that Mewis was freed, confirmed she was at the embassy in Baghdad and thanked Iraq's government.

Mewis has worked in the Iraqi capital since 2013 and was one of the few westerners who lived outside the high-security Green Zone, where most diplomatic missions are located.

She ran arts programmes at Iraqi collective Beit Tarkib and was close to many young photographers and painters.

Mewis was leaving her office in central Baghdad on Monday evening when unidentified assailants in two cars, including a white pickup truck typically used by Iraqi security forces, abducted her.

Police officers at the local station witnessed the abduction but did not intervene, the source added.

- 'Not badly treated' -

Dhikra Sarsam, a friend of Mewis, said she had been in contact with her since her release.

"She told me that she was doing well and had not been badly treated" in custody, Sarsam told AFP.

"She will go very soon to Germany."

The identity of her abductors and the reason for her kidnapping were still being investigated, as some details of her release emerged.

Mewis was found in an abandoned building, the interior ministry said.

A security source told AFP she was freed from a location in Sadr City, a densely populated district in east Baghdad where security forces have tried in vain for years to impose law and order.

Story continues

"Hours after she was kidnapped, security forces detained a man who incriminated several people who (allegedly) belong to a faction close to the Hashed al-Shaabi," the source said.

The man was later released and security forces were able to pressure the kidnappers to release Mewis, the source added.

Hard-liners within the Hashed, a state-sponsored network of armed groups including many backed by neighbouring Iran, have been accused of kidnapping or intimidating Iraqi activists in the past.

The Hashed made no formal statement on Mewis's kidnapping, but on Friday a spokesman said he hoped Iraqi authorities would look into how she had been "secretly" present in Baghdad without security authorisation.

Moqtada Sadr, a populist and divisive Shiite cleric, hailed Mewis's release and called her a "guest."

- Nervous after killing -

Mewis had been worried following the killing earlier this month in Baghdad of Iraqi scholar Hisham al-Hashemi, who was supportive of last year's anti-government protests, according to Sarsam.

Large demonstrations erupted in Baghdad and Iraq's Shiite-majority south last year, railing against a government seen as corrupt, inept and beholden to Iran.

Around 550 people died in protest-related violence, including two dozen activists who were shot dead by unidentified men, usually on motorcycles.

Dozens more were kidnapped, some of whom were later released near their homes. The whereabouts of others remain unknown.

Amnesty International has slammed the incidents as "a growing lethal campaign of harassment, intimidation, abductions and deliberate killings of activists and protesters".

This year has seen a worrying spike in abductions of foreigners, who had not been targeted in several years.

On New Year's Eve, two French freelance journalists were taken hostage for 36 hours and three French NGO workers were held for two months.

In both cases, neither the kidnappers nor the conditions of the hostages' release were revealed.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi's government is the crosshairs of pro-Iran groups because he repeatedly tried to clip their wings when the premier was intelligence chief.

But the government has repeatedly called on armed factions to hand in their weapons and dismantle checkpoints, and analysts say this pressure may be behind the recent spike in violence in Baghdad.

Meanwhile on Friday, four rockets targeted a base used by US soldiers south of the capital without causing casualties, the army said, the latest in a series of attacks in recent months.
Zimbabwe's government on Saturday defended the arrests of an investigative journalist and an opposition leader this week, claiming the pair had been plotting to "overthrow the government" with the backing of the United States and other "foreign power"

Hopewell Chin'ono and Jacob Ngarivhume were arrested on Monday and charged with inciting public violence for their role in organising anti-government protests slated for July 31.

Ngarivhume -- head of a small party named Transform Zimbabwe -- had called for nationwide protests against alleged state corruption and the country's ailing economy.

Chin'ono, an outspoken government critic, invited the public to join the demonstrations via Facebook and Twitter.

The journalist had also helped expose a multimillion-dollar corruption scandal involving the procurement of coronavirus supplies known as "Covidgate".

In a statement on Saturday, the government said it wished to "set the record straight" on the arrests.

"(Chin'ono) was not arrested for exposing corruption," said Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa.

"He was arrested for using his social media accounts to incite Zimbabweans to violently overthrow the government."

Mutsvangwa said the detainees landed behind bars for "their ploy to violently destabilise the country" and "unconstitutionally seize power".

She accused "foreign powers" of taking part in "this plot", noting that the US embassy had tweeted in defence of Chin'ono "within minutes" of his arrest.

"Other Western Embassies who usually take the USA's lead joined in this irregular interference by tweeting and releasing statements which were calculated to obstruct the course of justice in a hosting country," the statement said.

The US embassy was not immediately available for comment on the accusations.

Chin'ono and Ngarivhume have been denied bail and remanded in custody by the Harare Magistrates Court.

Both their lawyers said they would appeal the ruling.

Meanwhile, the July 31 protests were de-facto banned this week when President Emmerson Mnangagwa imposed a curfew and reinstated confinement measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The date will mark the second anniversary of Mnangagwa's election, which was tainted by fraud accusations.

"The begging question is why call for a violent uprising in the midst of a raging and ravaging COVID-19 (outbreak)?" Mutsvangwa asked.

"Why can't the American and Western embassies provide counsel to their regime change charges that this is not the hour to play dice with the lives of Zimbabweans?"

Critics say Mnangagwa has lead a growing crackdown on dissent since he took office, and failed to redress an economy crippled by years of mismanagement by his predecessor Robert Mugabe.

On Friday, the UN's high commissioner for human rights warned Zimbabwe against using the coronavirus pandemic as a cover to curb political demonstrations.

To date the southern African country has reported just 2,296 coronavirus cases and 32 deaths, although numbers are suspected to be underestimated due to lack of testing capacity.
EXTRA police will be out on patrol when Newcastle West Garda station temporarily relocates to a building on Churchtown Road from August 4.

This move will facilitate the planned construction of a new purpose design built garda station to serve the people of Newcastle West Garda District. More gardai will be out on the beat as there wont be a 24 hour public counter in the temporary building.

The current garda station has been deemed unfit from a health and safety perspective - not only to gardai, but to the public.

Superintendent Aileen Magner said: I want to reassure you all that during this planed rebuild, in no way whatsoever will the operational side of policing be effected. It is business as usual and we will maintain our high visibility in Newcastle West and its environs.

This temporary building will be an administrative building that can allow uniform gardai continue to provide a high level of service to the public of Newcastle West and its environs.

Local gardai will continue to maintain a 24 hour service to the public, but the public counter hours will be from 7.30am  9pm, seven days a week. Between the hours 9pm to 7.30am public phones will be diverted to the control room in Henry Street Garda Station.

The temporary building will not facilitate prisoners / detentions so they will be brought to Henry Street, Rathkeale and Bruff Garda Stations for the duration.

Once construction is completed, Newcastle West will become the headquarters for the County Community Engagement Functional Area once the new Garda Operating Model is rolled out and will resume public counter operations on a 24 hour basis.

Supt Magner said: This is a positive step towards having a new, purpose built station that will become our Community Engagement Headquarters for Limerick County. With the station having to reduce its opening hours to the public during construction, we will be able to put extra gardai out on patrol.

The new station build will commence on the site of the old garda station with a start date and construction timeframe to be confirmed by the OPW.
A locum GP is amongst a group of healthcare workers that have been peddling anti-vaxx myths as scientists continue to search for a coronavirus vaccine.

Doctors are among those raising doubts about inoculations, especially in the fight against coronavirus.

But on a visit to a GP surgery in east London the Prime Minister spoke of the importance of flu jabs.

And he told nurses: Theres all these anti-vaxxers now. They are nuts.

Jayne Donegan (pictured), who has worked as a locum GP in London, is among the doctors expressing doubts about vaccinations

Polling suggests as many as one in four Britons would be apprehensive about having a Covid-19 vaccine if one is developed. But ministers believes such a jab is the best way out of the pandemic.

Writing in the Daily Mail today, Alok Sharma reveals that a 100million facility is being built in Essex to produce enough vaccine in six months to inoculate the entire UK population.

The Business Secretary also appeals for volunteers for clinical trials to help speed up the search for a vaccine and to end the pandemic sooner.

Jayne Donegan, who has worked as a locum GP in London, is among the doctors expressing doubts about vaccinations.

She was reported last year to have told parents that some people forge their childrens medical records so schools would think they had been inoculated. She made it clear she was not recommending this as it was unethical.

Another doctor, locum consultant surgeon Muhammad Iqbal Adil (pictured), has been given a 12-month suspension by the GMC for posting videos about coronavirus online

In an article on coronavirus, published online, Dr Donegan casts doubt upon the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, suggesting patients should focus instead on staying well.

If they do fall ill, she advocates measures such as hot drinks, sleep and reflecting on the emotional causes of sickness. Dr Donegan is banned by the General Medical Council from administering or providing advice on child vaccinations and a GMC spokesman has said she is under investigation.

Another doctor, locum consultant surgeon Muhammad Iqbal Adil, has been given a 12-month suspension by the GMC for posting videos about coronavirus online.

The 61-year-old has dismissed Covid as a hoax and, in a YouTube video which has since been removed, said a vaccine could be combined with electrical components to monitor the global population. Like Dr Donegan, Dr Adil could face a tribunal hearing and sanctions ranging from a warning to being struck off the medical register.

Dr Bruce Scott, a psychoanalyst based in Scotland who offers private consultations with mental health patients, has shared conspiracy theories online.

Dr Bruce Scott (pictured), a psychoanalyst based in Scotland who offers private consultations with mental health patients, has shared conspiracy theories online

Responding to a television interview with Professor Sarah Gilbert, who is leading efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine at Oxford University, he decried rushed out research on Twitter.

He said: Let her and her pro Covid-19 vaccine scientists give it to their kids first.

Dr Scott, who says he is a former member of the board of governors for the College of Psychoanalysts, has retweeted a post by conspiracy theorist David Icke, saying: Compulsory mask wearing is calculated psychological war on the population.

Professor Heidi Larson, director of the vaccine confidence project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: More needs to be done to tackle alternative views and misinformation about vaccines online and in general.

There is a view that coronavirus vaccines have been developed too fast and shortcuts have been taken, when in fact this has been possible from better technology, new knowledge and funding which did not previously exist.

This is not being stated strongly and clearly enough, and the Government and scientists need to do this.

On a visit to a GP surgery in east London the Prime Minister spoke of the importance of flu jabs and he told nurses: Theres all these anti-vaxxers now. They are nuts.

The rise of anti-vaxxer sentiment has been exploited by the disgraced doctor Andrew Wakefield, who Dr Donegan has described as a champion of academic and scientific integrity.

Wakefield, who lost his licence after saying MMR caused autism, has said coronavirus is a cynical plot by pharmaceutical firms.

Dr Doug Brown, chief executive of the British Society for Immunology, said: The anti-vaccine views being expressed on a Covid vaccine are a real concern for public health.

If a vaccine goes through all the testing stages and is found to be safe and effective, it would be a travesty if some people then refused to be vaccinated. We encourage people to seek reliable information on a coronavirus vaccine.

Dr Adil, when asked by the Daily Mail about his YouTube videos spreading conspiracy theories, said: Thats my perception, with other medical colleagues  thats maybe right, maybe wrong. It is something that is all over the world, not only me.

Dr Scott declined to comment, while Dr Donegan did not respond to requests for a comment. Wakefield could not be reached.

ALOK SHARMA: How you can volunteer for a vaccine trial and help defeat coronavirus once and for all

By Alok Sharma, Business Secretary

Every one of us has a small but critical part to play in the battle against coronavirus. From washing our hands to wearing a face covering on public transport and in shops, every time we take one of these actions, we push the virus further into retreat.

But the best way to defeat this virus once and for all is finding a safe and effective vaccine, and, while scientists are leading the charge, the public can help by volunteering for trials.

We are asking people to register to participate in important clinical studies, helping to speed up the search for a vaccine and to end the pandemic sooner.

I am incredibly proud that, here in the UK, remarkable vaccine research is taking place right this second at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London.

'The best way to defeat this virus once and for all is finding a safe and effective vaccine, and, while scientists are leading the charge, the public can help by volunteering for trials,' says Business Secretary Alok Sharma

Backed with more than 130million of Government funding, this vital work is being led by some of the worlds best minds in science and research.

As a Government, we are backing every horse in the race to ensure the British public can be vaccinated against this disease as soon as possible. On Monday, we announced new partnerships with some of the worlds foremost pharmaceutical and vaccine companies, including the BioNTech/Pfizer alliance and Valneva  with many more in the pipeline.

Thanks to these agreements, we have secured early access to 90million doses of promising vaccine candidates, ensuring that people in the UK can be protected from the moment a safe and effective vaccine becomes available.

This is on top of a pivotal deal between AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford for 100million doses if the Oxford vaccine is successful. While incredible research is ongoing, it is only right we develop a new manufacturing base to produce millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine rapidly.

So we will invest in a new state-of-the-art Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Braintree, Essex. This facility will complement the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), which is currently under construction in Oxfordshire and will have the capacity to produce enough vaccine doses to serve the entire UK population in as little as six months.

Alok Sharma says: 'While incredible research is ongoing, it is only right we develop a new manufacturing base to produce millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine rapidly'

Over the past few months, we have been cautiously and gradually reopening our economy, and it is fantastic to see so many shops, pubs, hairdressers, and other businesses taking necessary steps to keep customers and workers safe.

But we all know that the best way to defeat this disease once and for all, and really get our economy firing on all cylinders again so we can protect and create jobs, is by finding a safe and effective vaccine.

Finding a vaccine takes time and there are no guarantees. We must remember that coronavirus is a new disease, which presents new challenges.

But I know our researchers will rise to this challenge, buoyed by the knowledge that the nation is standing behind them, willing them on to success. Volunteers can play their part by signing up at nhs.uk/researchcontact.

Every member of the public has a supporting role to play as we await that momentous breakthrough.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed broadcasters to ensure compliance of its new tariff order issued on January 1. TRAI had reduced the cap on MRP of individual channels part of any bouquet to Rs 12 per month from Rs 19 per month. The order also restricts the discount on channel bouquets to around 33 per cent.

The regulator has sought details from broadcasters on channels and bouquets by August 10. Information such as name, nature, language, MRP of channels and bouquets per month is being sought by TRAI. Broadcasters have also been asked to amend their reference interconnect offer (RIO) in compliance with the provisions of the January order.

However, the order is subjudice at the Bombay High Court that is hearing a plea from broadcasters, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), and the Film & TV Producers Guild of India.

TRAI highlighted that no interim order has been passed by the court stopping the implementation of the order. However, it did not take coercive actions as the court's judgement was expected soon, it said. The regulator said that it continues to receive complaints from consumers even as the matter is under consideration at the court.

The regulator says that it expects broadcasters to implement the provisions of the new order in the interest of the consumers. "TRAI being the sector regulator enjoined to protect the interest of the consumer, had maintained patience," it said.

The move would impact broadcasters as it would impact their pricing.

Also read: More rural than urban internet users? PM Modi's statement contradicts TRAI's data
The WHOs chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Friday said herd immunity -- which is when enough people become resistant to a disease to stop its spread -- is still a long way ahead for Covid-19 since 50 to 60 per cent of the population will need to be immune to the novel coronavirus to protect the uninfected.

In a social media live event organised by the World Health Organisation from Geneva, the scientist said that more waves of the infection would be required to get to a stage of natural immunity.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

Therefore, she warned, that at least for the next year or so, the world needs to be geared up to do everything possible to keep the novel coronavirus at bay while scientists work on vaccines.

Meanwhile, therapeutics will help keep death rates low and allow people to get on with their lives.

For this concept of herd immunity, you need 50 to 60 per cent of the population to have this immunity to be actually able to break those chains of transmission, explained Swaminathan.

Thats much easier to do with a vaccine; we can achieve it faster and without people getting sick and dying. So, it is much better to do it that way, to achieve herd immunity through natural infection. We would have several waves [of infection] and unfortunately also the mortality that we see, she said.

She added: Over a period of time, people will start developing natural immunity. We know now from the studies that have been done in many of the affected countries that usually between 5 to 10 per cent of the population has developed antibodies. In some places its been higher than that, up to 20 per cent.

As there are waves of this infection going through countries, people are going to develop antibodies and those people will be hopefully immune for some time and so they will also act as barriers and brakes to the spread of this infection, said Swaminathan, a paediatrician from India and a globally-recognised researcher on tuberculosis and HIV.

The scientist, who was addressing a range of questions on coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics, said that for the foreseeable future, it is important to be focussed on doing the right thing such as public health measures that are known to work while the world waits for a vaccine.

Even if the clinical trials are successful and we have a couple of vaccines by the end of this year, we still need the hundreds of billions of doses, which will take time, she said.

Elaborating on vaccine development, the chief scientist said there are over 200 candidates in some stage of development as she highlighted the extraordinary speed at which the science has been moving around the understanding of the novel coronavirus.

Vaccine development is normally quite a lengthy and laborious process the more candidates we have, the more opportunities we have for success, she said.

Most people who recover from Covid-19 develop neutralising antibodies, which means a vaccine has a good chance of offering protective immunity, she said.

Asked about the fearful prospect of never getting a vaccine for Covid-19, Dr Swaminathan admitted that we have to entertain the possibility that we may have to learn to live with this virus.

Right now it seems frightening; what will we do if we dont have a vaccine? But it is a possibility, there is no 100 per cent guarantee that we will have one. Lets hope we do. But we know, now, what are the measures that we can take to minimise the spread of this infection, such as maintaining distance, hand washing, respiratory hygiene and wearing of masks, she said.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the Covid-19 pandemic has so far infected more than 15.5 million people and killed over 6.3 lakh across the world.
By Mike Schneider, Associated Press

If President Donald Trump succeeds in getting immigrants in the country illegally excluded from being counted in the redrawing of U.S. House districts, California, Florida and Texas would end up with one less congressional seat each than if every resident were counted, according to an analysis by a think tank.

Without that population, California would lose two seats instead of one, Florida would gain one seat instead of two and Texas would gain two seats instead of three, according to the analysis by Pew Research Center.

Additionally, the Pew analysis shows Alabama, Minnesota and Ohio would each keep a congressional seat they most likely would have lost during the process of divvying up congressional seats by state known as apportionment, which takes place after the U.S. Census Bureau completes its once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident. The bureau currently is in the middle of the 2020 census.

Federal law requires the Census Bureau to hand over the final head-count numbers used for apportionment to the president at the end of the year, but the bureau is asking Congress for an extension until next April 30 because of disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Every resident of a state is traditionally counted during apportionment, but Trump last Tuesday issued a directive seeking to bar people in the U.S. illegally from being included in the headcount as congressional districts are redrawn. Trump said including them in the count would create perverse incentives and undermine our system of government.

At least four lawsuits or notices of a legal challenge have been filed seeking to halt the directive.

The president's directive breaks with almost 250 years of tradition and is unconstitutional, according to a lawsuit filed by Common Cause, the city of Atlanta and others in federal court in the District of Columbia. Other challenges have been filed or are in the process of being brought by the ACLU on behalf of immigrant rights groups, a coalition of states led New York Attorney General Letitia James and civil rights groups already suing the Trump administration over an effort to gather citizenship data through administrative records.

The Democratic-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform is asking Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham and other officials to testify about the Republican presidents directive at a hearing next Wednesday.
Click here to read the full article.

In 2014, Neiman Marcus acquired the German luxury web site Mytheresa, an international e-commerce business that some of Neimans most vocal creditors have called its crown-jewel asset.

The apparent transfer of the asset four years later would appear to be a technical affair involving a group of affiliated entities, some of which are now in bankruptcy, and some that arent. And yet, it is an increasingly contentious feature of Neimans Chapter 11 proceedings, because it sparks a controversy around value, and who gets to have it  the quintessential question in a bankruptcy.

On Friday night, both, the unsecured creditors committee and Neimans leveraged buyout sponsors  Ares Management Corp. and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which had purchased the retailer for $6 billion in 2013  filed unsealed versions of their contrasting reports on the Mytheresa transfer.

In the telling of Ares and CPPIB, the transactions to distance Mytheresa from the retailer were simply a practical response to a somewhat mismatched union. Mytheresas flourishing e-commerce operations were not quite gelling with Neimans own faltering online infrastructure, Ares and CPPIB said in their report.

For Mytheresa, being part of Neiman Marcus capital structure also meant having to answer for the legacy retailers troubles with its credit ratings, their report said. Those circumstances, combined with Neimans ongoing financial difficulties, and challenges for brick-and-mortar retail more broadly, meant the company had to act to preserve Mytheresas value, according to their report.

In the years after the initial investment, MyTheresa had not created the desired synergies that supported its acquisition thesis, and so the sponsors, as responsible stewards, pursued opportunities to increase flexibility and maximize outcomes for the different business lines and thereby the enterprise as a whole, they wrote in the report.

Story continues

The mechanics of the transfer appear somewhat convoluted, as described in court documents. The entity Neiman Marcus Group Ltd. LLC, under the supervision of Ares, moved the Mytheresa operating companies to Neiman Marcus Group Inc., the parent company of the Neiman entities currently in bankruptcy, creditors have said.

The Neiman Marcus Group parent and Mytheresa are not themselves part of the ongoing bankruptcy, but questions around the Mytheresa transactions are reaching fever pitch in the retailers bankruptcy proceedings as it works to build consensus around a reorganization plan.

Unsecured creditors, who typically stand to recover a fraction of what theyre owed in a bankruptcy, are essentially arguing that they should be allowed to seek monetary recoveries related to the Mytheresa asset.

To that end, they ascribe an underhanded motive to the 2018 transactions, according to their own 116-page report of their preliminary findings of the Mytheresa transfer, filed Friday night.

The committee, which has led its own weeks-long investigation into the transactions this summer, said that the Mytheresa transfer represents significant value to them  they estimate it could provide hundreds of millions of dollars to the bankruptcy estates  but that Ares had used those transactions to effectively keep the asset out of creditors reach.

Israel Shaked, a litigation expert hired by the committee, found that Mytheresa was worth roughly $822 million at the time that it was transferred out of Neimans corporate structure in September 2018, the creditors report said.

There is no doubt that the plan to siphon value from the debtors, and transfer assets outside the reach of their creditors, was directed by the sponsors, the creditors committee wrote in its preliminary report, referring to LBO sponsors Ares and CPPIB.

The parties are also still discussing a possible settlement, their attorneys told a Texas bankruptcy court on Thursday.

Fridays unsealed reports were filed ahead of an upcoming hearing on disclosure statements on its reorganization, which is scheduled for Tuesday. The hearing had been postponed for more than a week as the Mytheresa dispute flared on.

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Punjab on Saturday recorded 468 new Covid cases and nine deaths. With this, states positive patients count has reached 12,684 and the death toll to 291.

In yet another single-day spike, Ludhiana reported 164 positive cases and seven deaths. The dead include a 66-year-old woman from Subhash Nagar, 80-year-old man from Jamalpur, 58-year-old man from Basant Avenue, 26-year-old man from Punjabi Bagh Colony, Dugri, 47-year-old man form Model Town, 59-year-man from Kadwai Nagar and 69-year-old resident of Model Town.

In Amritsar, a 49-year-old woman of Ranjit Avenue died after testing positive for Covid19 at local private hospital on Saturday. The district also reported 46 fresh cases. Among those tested positive are assistant superintendent of Amritsar Central Jail and its seven other employees.

Meanwhile, Gurdaspur reported 16 fresh cases and Pathankot seven.

In a major spike, Bathinda reported 66 more Covid cases. Civil surgeon Dr Amrik Singh Sandhu said of these 44 patients are migrant workers who had landed here recently for work.

They were staying at special quarantine colonies set up by at Guru Gobind Singh Refinery near their near plant at Raman Mandi in the district.

A 60-year-old resident of Ferozepur died due to Covid-19 on late Friday night. She was taken to Ludhiana for treatment where she was tested positive. Later, the woman was shifted to Government Medical College in Patiala where she died on Friday night, said health officials.

Meanwhile, nine more people contracted the virus. These include a medical officer and two employees of a private bank.

A police personnel posted in Muktsar also tested positive for the virus on Saturday.

Thirty-two people contracted the infection in Sangrur district. Of these, 16 are from Lehra/Moonak, six each from and Sangrur, two from Malerkotla, one each from Sunam and Kauhrian blocks.

Forty-seven people tested positive for the virus in Patiala, taking the tally to 1,313.

Civil surgeon Dr Harish Malhotra said of the positive cases, 36 are from Patiala, five from Nabha and six are from various villages.

Thirty-five people contracted the infection in Jalandhar.The district has reported 36 deaths so far.

Faridkot range inspector general of police Kaustubh Sharma tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. District epidemiologist Dr Anita Chauhan said that Sharma has been home quarantined. The health department will collect samples of his office staff, while we have initiated contact tracing, she said.

According to sources, Sharma visited Chandigarh recently.

Meanwhile, Mohali reported one death and 28 fresh cases.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 19:36:59|Editor: huaxia

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A Health worker disinfects a livestock market in Rabat, Morocco, on July 25, 2020. Morocco warned on Saturday that anyone who refuses to wear a mask in public could face a maximum fine of 140 U.S. dollars or up to three months in prison. (Photo by Chadi/Xinhua)

RABAT, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Morocco warned on Saturday that anyone who refuses to wear a mask in public could face a maximum fine of 140 U.S. dollars or up to three months in prison.

"Anyone who refuses to wear a mask in public will face a term of one to three months' imprisoment and a fine of between 32 dollars and 140 dollars, without excluding other severe criminal penalties," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

This warning follows "the laxity of certain people with regard to compliance with the mandatory measures of wearing protective masks outside the home," the ministry statement noted.

Morocco registered on Friday 570 new COVID-19 cases and seven fatalities, raising the tally of infections in the North African country to 18,834 and the death toll to 299.
Governor should rename

Mario M. Cuomo Bridge

Black Lives Matter and other protesting groups have declared some statues and memorials as racist due to perceived historical atrocities. They have vandalized and toppled them around the country. Gov. Andrew Cuomo indicated Its a healthy expression of people saying lets get some priorities here and lets remember the sin and mistake this nation made and lets not celebrate it.

Former Gov. Mario Cuomo had 30 prisons constructed during his three administrations. This exceeded all prisons built by other New York State governors combined. Weve heard the number of incarcerated black and brown persons is racially unjust. A good number of these prisons were purposely located long distances from major urban areas where relatives of the incarcerated resided. This resulted in hardships on families visiting inmates, often requiring long bus rides and expenses.
The woman who claims to have spotted missing Madeleine McCann at an Algarve supermarket says she also remembers seeing suspect Christian Brueckner's distinctive VW camper van nearby.

The Portuguese woman, a German-speaking teacher known only as Maria, went to police recently to tell them a girl she was 'sure' was Maddie because of the unique blemish in her right eye, had been beside her at Apolonia Supermarket in Gale near Albufeira.

She went public with her sighting last night night on an investigative programme called Sexta as 9, screened by Portuguese state broadcaster RTP.

As well as telling reporter and presenter Sandra Felgueiras she was 'certain' she had seen the missing Brit youngster talking to another girl in German before they vanished, she said she remembered seeing the VW camper van which featured in a police appeal about the German paedophile's vehicles.

The Portuguese woman, a German-speaking teacher known only as Maria, went to police recently to tell them a girl she was 'sure' was Maddie (pictured) because of the unique blemish in her right eye, had been beside her at Apolonia Supermarket in Gale near Albufeira

She said: 'I perfectly remember seeing it somewhere, in a side street or in the area where they used to park which is now West Gale car park, long before it was handed over as part of a concession and there were a lot of camper vans there.

'I recall that van being parked somewhere near the Apolonia supermarket.

'It was the white and yellow two-toned van. I can't remember exactly when I saw it but I recall seeing it.'

She also revealed she had phoned the McCanns' Portuguese lawyer Rogerio Alves after calling the Portuguese Policia Judiciaria police force which is involved in the hunt for Maddie.

Maria, who spoke with a strong northern Portuguese accent and was described as a regular long-time holidaymaker in the Algarve area, said she was dissuaded from her family from going to police after 'spotting Madeleine three to four years ago.'

As well as telling reporter and presenter Sandra Felgueiras she was 'certain' she had seen the missing Brit youngster, she said she remembered seeing the VW camper van (pictured) which featured in a police appeal about the German paedophile's vehicles

She went public with her sighting last night night on an investigative programme called Sexta as 9, screened by Portuguese state broadcaster RTP. Pictured, the Apolonia supermarket

She contacted the authorities after the recent police appeal about Brueckner and reports he could be linked to a November 2007 burglary at a house near the supermarket where a family's 91,000 savings were taken.

Sandra Felgueiras made the link to Brueckner on a previous programme, saying the German paedophile had been working with a female accomplice who tipped him off so he could break into properties in the Algarve in copycat raids to the one investigators believe resulted in Maddie's abduction.

Maria told Sexta as 9 she was in the dark about whether the police were investigating her information because after her calls to Mr Alves and the PJ, she has had 'no more contact with anyone up until today.'

Speaking with her voice distorted to mask her identity, she said: ' 'It was three to four years ago, I can't be sure exactly when, at Apolonia Supermarket in Gale.

Child psychologist Ana Vasconcelos (pictured) told the programme children snatched from their parents at a young age can 'consciously switch off' the trauma and get used to living in captivity

The Portuguese woman claims she saw a teenage girl with Madeleine's distinctive blemish in her right eye outside a supermarket in Gale near Albufeira (file image of Praia Da Luz, Portugal on June 4)

'There was a girl to my right speaking with another in German.

'When I looked at her eyes, I was sure about what I saw.

'They were light-coloured eyes with the same blemish Maddie has. The blemish was in her right eye. I'm sure about what I saw.

She added: 'The girl I saw was about 13 to 14. Unfortunately it was only a few seconds after they had left the supermarket that I realised who that face belonged to.

'I made the link but sadly it was too late.

'I spent a few moments looking to see if they were in one of the aisles and I spent some time waiting to see if they were alone or with someone by the tills but I didn't see them again.

Last week Portugal's version of Crimewatch - the RTP investigative programme Sexta - linked Madeleine suspect Christian Brueckner (pictured) to a burglary in 2007 where a family's 91,000 savings were taken

'I don't know if they were with someone or if they were alone. They weren't carrying anything in their hands, I remember that well.'

Praia da Gale is a 45-minute drive east of Praia da Luz where the British youngster was last seen on May 3 2007.

The supermarket at the centre of the new sighting is understood to erase its CCTV footage every so often and no images from the time exist.

Child psychologist Ana Vasconcelos told the programme children snatched from their parents at a young age can 'consciously switch off' the trauma and get used to living in captivity.

What do we know about Maddie murder suspect Christian Brueckner and his criminal past? 1976: Christian Brueckner is born in Wurzburg under a different name, believed to be Fischer. He was adopted by the Brueckner family and took their surname. 1992: Christian Brueckner is arrested on suspicion of burglary in his hometown of Wurzburg, Bavaria. 1994: He is given a two-year youth jail sentence for 'abusing a child' and 'performing sex acts in front of a child'. 1995: Brueckner arrives in Portugal as an 18-year-old backpacker and begins working in catering in the seaside resorts of Lagos and Praia da Luz. But friends say he became involved with a criminal syndicate trafficking drugs into the Algarve. September 2005: He dons a mask and breaks into an apartment where a 72-year-old American tourist. The victim was bound, gagged, blindfolded and whipped with a metal cane before being raped for 15 minutes. She said afterwards that he had clearly enjoyed 'torturing' her before the rape. April 2007: He moves out of a farmhouse and into a campervan now linked to the crime. The farmhouse is cleaned and a bag of wigs and 'exotic clothes' is found. May 3, 2007: Madeleine McCann is snatched at around 10pm from her bed as her parents eat tapas with friends yards away. Brueckner's mobile phone places him in the area that night. He returns to his native Germany shortly after that. October 2011: He is sentenced to 21 months for 'dealing narcotics' in Niebull, in northern Germany. In 2013 police released a photofit of a man seen lurking near the McCann apartment and Scotland Yard said that suspect last night had not yet been ruled out of the probe 2014: He moves to Braunschweig where he starts running a town-centre kiosk. He then goes back to Portugal with a girlfriend. 2016: He is back in Germany. He is given 15 months in prison for 'sexual abuse of a child in the act of creating and possessing child pornographic material'. May 3, 2017: Brueckner is said to be in a bar with a friend when a ten-year anniversary appeal following Madeleine's disappearance is shown on German television. He is said to have told him in a bar that he 'knew all about' what happened to her. He then showed his friend a video of him raping a woman. MailOnline understands the friend went to police shortly afterwards. June 2017: He heads back to Portugal and extradited again to Germany. The reason was a sentencing of the Braunschweig district court to 15 months' imprisonment for the sexual abuse of a child. August 2018: After his release from prison he lives on the streets. But he was jailed again for drug offences. First Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters addresses the media during a press conference on the Madeleine McCann case at the public prosecutor's office in Braunschweig September 2018: Brueckner is arrested in Milan, Italy and extradited to Germany and put on trial for raping the American tourist in 2007 after a DNA match to hair found at the crime scene. July 2019: He is jailed for 21 months for drug dealing in the northern German resort of Sylt. August 2019: Brueckner is charged with the rape of the American tourist in Praia da Luz in 2005. December 2019: He is convicted of rape of extortion of the tourist based on DNA evidence. He is given a seven year sentence, but this has not been imposed pending an appeal. June 3, 2020: Scotland Yard and the German police reveal that that they have identified a suspect in the Maddie McCann case June 4, 2020: Prosecutors in Braunschweig, where he lives, say they believe Madeleine McCann has been murdered, says spokesman Hans Christian Wolters. He is named in the German press as the prime suspect. Advertisement

Madeleine McCann has a rare eye condition known as a Coloboma. It is a gap in part of the eye's structure, normally towards the bottom of the eye.

It can affect one or both eyes. It only occurs in one in 10,000 births. Maddie's mark is thought to affect as few as seven out of one million people.

Drifter Brueckner, 43, is currently serving a 21-month drug sentence in prison in the German city of Kiel for drugs offences. It expires next January.

He is appealing a conviction late last year for the rape of an American pensioner in Praia da Luz in September 2005 following a break-in.

His lawyer Friedrich Fulscher went to the Court of Justice of Luxembourg earlier this month to demand he be freed from jail on a technicality over his rape conviction.

An interim decision has been earmarked for August 6 and a final judgement is expected between two and six months later.

Bruckner was twice extradited from Portugal to Germany after international arrest warrants were issued for him.

The second time was in 2017 after it was discovered he was wanted for child sex abuse and possession of child pornography.

Christian Brueckner is also a suspect in the disappearance of Inga Gehricke, five, (left) who vanished in Germany in 2015 and Peggy Knobloch, nine, (right) whose remains were discovered in the Thuringian Forest in Germany on July 2 2016

How Madeleine McCann's disappearance unfolded 2007 May 3: Gerry and Kate McCann leave their three children, including Maddie, asleep in their hotel apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, as they eat with friends in a nearby restaurant. When they return, they find Maddie missing from her bed May 4: A friend of the McCanns reports of seeing a man carrying a child away in the night. Meanwhile, airports and borders are put on high alert as search gets underway May 14: Robert Mural, a property developer who lives a few yards from the hotel, is made a suspect by Portuguese police May 30: The McCanns meet the Pope in Rome in a bid to bring worldwide attention to the search August 11: Police in Portugal acknowledge for the first time in the investigation that Maddie might be dead. September 7: Spanish police make the McCanns official suspects in the disappearance. Two days later the family flies back to England 2008 July 21: Spanish police remove the McCanns and Mr Mural as official suspects as the case is shelved 2009 May 1: A computer-generated image of what Maddie could look like two years after she disappeared is released by the McCanns 2011 May 12: A review into the disappearance is launched by Scotland Yard, following a plea from then-Home Secretary Theresa May 2012 April 25: After a year of reviewing the case, Scotland Yard announce they belief that Maddie could be alive and call on police in Portugal to reopen the case, but it falls on deaf ears amid 'a lack of new evidence' Kate and Gerry McCann mark the fourth anniversary of the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine with the publication of the book written by her mother in 2011 2013 July 4: Scotland Yard opens new investigation and claim to have identified 38 'people of interest' October 24: A review into the investigation is opened by Portuguese police and new lines of inquiry are discovered, forcing them to reopen the case 2014 January 29: British officers arrive in Portugal as a detailed investigation takes place. During the year, several locations are searched, including an area of scrubland near the resort 2015 October 28: British police announce that team investigating Maddie's disappearance is reduced from 29 officers to just four, as it is also revealed that the investigation has cost 10million 2016 April 3: Operation Grange is handed an additional 95,000 by Theresa May to keep the investigation alive for another six months 2017 March 11: Cash is once again pumped into keeping the investigation alive, with 85,000 granted to keep it running until September, when it is extended once again until April next year 2018 March 27: The Home Office reveals it has allocated further funds to Operation Grange. The new fund is believed to be as large as 150,000 September 11: Parents fear as police hunt into daughter's disappearance could be shelved within three weeks by the new Home Secretary amid funding cuts September 26: Fresh hope in the search for Madeleine McCann as it emerges the Home Office is considering allocating more cash for the police to find her. 2019 April: Controversial new Netflix documentary re-examining Maddie's kidnap is released, triggering a barrage of online abuse against Kate and Gerry by heartless trolls. The pair, who refused to take part in the eight hour programme series, slammed it for 'potentially hindering' the search for their daughter while an active police hunt is ongoing. May: A convicted German paedophile and serial killer emerges as a key suspect. Martin Ney, 48, serving life in prison for abducting and killing three children, was said to resemble closely a photofit issued in 2013 of a man spotted acting suspiciously in Praia da Luz around the time Madeleine was abducted. June 5: The Home Office gives the Metropolitan Police enough funding to investigate for another year. June 22: Detectives say they are 'closer than ever' to solving the disappearance as they look into a new suspect. A joint effort by British and Portuguese police narrowed in on a 'foreign' man who was in the Algarve when she went missing in 2007. December 7: Paulo Pereira Cristovao, a long-time critic of Maddie's parents who angered them with a controversial book about the mystery disappearance, was convicted of participating in the planning of two violent break-ins at properties in Lisbon and the nearby resort of Cascais. He is jailed for seven and a half years. December 11: Maddie's parents revealed a touching list of what they miss most about their daughter as they spent their 13th Christmas without her. They say: We love her, we miss her, we hope as always. The search for Madeleine goes on with unwavering commitment. 2020 February 22: Scotland Yard detectives questioned a British expat about her German ex-boyfriend. Carol Hickman, 59, claims police entered her bar in Praia da Luz, Portugal to ask questions about her former partner. March 27: Detectives requested extra money to continue their investigation into the disappearance of the toddler in Portugal back in 2007, with funds for the operation set to run out at the end of the month. June 3: Police reveal that a 43-year-old German prisoner has been identified as a suspect in Madeleine's disappearance. Advertisement

Portuguese police nabbed him after arresting him on suspicion of exposing himself to young children at a playground in Sao Bartolomeu de Messines a 40-minute drive from Praia de Luz.

He was never prosecuted and the criminal probe was mothballed despite protests from the youngsters' angry parents.

On July 9 police and firefighters searched three wells for Madeleine's body but failed to find any trace of her.

The abandoned wells are a 15-minute drive from Brueckner's rented cottage on the outskirts of Praia de Luz, on a narrow road leading down to a beach where the paedophile used to park his VW camper van.

A show source said: This woman has just come forward and said she saw Madeleine several years ago and recognised her from the distinctive blemish in her eye. She was certain it was Maddie, aged about 14-15. She appears very credible and has been filmed.

She believes Maddie is being brought up in the community without anyone knowing and the Policia Judiciaria are now looking into her claims.

It may sound very far fetched but anythings possible and cannot be ruled out.

Last month German police named Brueckner as their prime suspect in the kidnap and murder of Madeleine who vanished while on holiday.

Detectives in northern Germany have spent weeks making desperate appeals for information to link him to the youngster's abduction but have not so far secured the vital evidence they need.

Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the investigation, has told the McCanns they have concrete evidence Madeleine is dead, in the biggest break-through in the 13-year-old case.

He said he hoped to be able to charge Brueckner within the next two months  but has warned that their investigation will not drag on forever.

Fulscher said it was for detectives to prove he was guilty. As things stand now I do not actually believe there will be any charges, he said. I do not anticipate a prosecution.

Thank God, in our legal system the prosecution has to prove the crime to an accused person and it is not the accused who must exonerate himself.

As long as my client does not know what he is accused of, and on what basis, there is no reason to think otherwise.
How young Kashmiris are beating the SHAREit ban The Chinese app SHAREitwhich enables media transfer without the internethad been invaluable for Kashmiris who frequently endure digital shutdowns. Now, there's a homegrown alternative to the Chinese app

SHAREit was like a backbone for Kashmiris, says Mir Moien, 18. Till last month, the medical student from Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, was a frequent user of the app, which enabled the transfer of video and audio files and documents between phones at high speeds without internet access. It was particularly useful during the communication blockade that followed the abrogation of Kashmirs special status on 5 August last year.

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With schools closed, Moien travelled to Delhi, where his brother was pursuing a PhD at Jamia Hamdard university. He downloaded lectures from the YouTube channel Physics Wallah. Once he returned to Kashmir, Moien started sharing these lectures through SHAREit. And so, a chain formed. I know someone who had transferred 2,000 GB of data within the first two months since the 5 August lockdown. And after the coronavirus lockdown, we had also been using SHAREit to transfer shows, movies and anything to keep ourselves occupied; we cant access entertainment like the rest of the world, says Moien.

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In June, after a stand-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, the Union government banned 59 Chinese apps, including SHAREit , TikTok and WeChat.

It came as a shock. Fortunately for Kashmiris, locally developed apps have begun to emerge.

Just a week after the ban was announced, Tipu Sultan Wani from Chadoora in Budgam district, who has done a masters in business administration and works as a web developer, launched File Share Tool. It had been in the works but his brother and he speeded up the process when SHAREit was banned. Their newly launched app has already seen over 10,000 downloads on the Google Play Store and has got an average review rating of 4.8 stars out of five.

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THE GO-TO APP

It isnt enough, though, since its still difficult to download apps in the valley. Between 2012-20, Kashmir has seen 180 government-imposed internet shutdowns, according to the Software Freedom Law Centre. Even today, the region is in the midst of what is perhaps the longest internet clampdown in any democracyit has been over 11 months since high speed data was snapped.

In such circumstances, apps like SHAREit, which did not need internet access, were a lifeline. Not only since 5 August, as journalists we had been using SHAREit before that too. We would use the app to transfer documents or work related content which we would not want to share through internet based apps or social media, says journalist Anees Zargar.

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Last November, Zargar was working on a story about minors who had been detained after Article 370 of the Constitution was effectively revoked. Though he could speak to the family of a detained minor in Shopian, south Kashmir, it was impossible for the family to transfer the documentsschool and medical certificatesthat would prove the boy was under 18. Since the unprecedented shutdown last August, I used it to take documents for stories of people who fell ill inside jails, juveniles. SHAREit was the only way to get access to them, says Zargar.

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Srinagar-based Quratulain Rehbar, 26, a freelance journalist, used it to gain access to the whitelist of 301 websites that were allowed in Kashmir by late January. We work in times when internet and phones are the basic tools of journalism, and they dont workwe need it for research, background and more especially when we are filing stories for publications outside Kashmir who dont have context of the conflict zone we live in, she says.

BORN IN BUDGAM

Wani pitches his new tool as an alternative. The app uses Wi-Fi technology called SoftAP, which helps create a personal network using the Wi-Fi radio built into every mobile deviceother devices can attach to this and send or receive files. A QR code in the app helps establish the connection between the two devices.

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People dont have the time to wait for Bluetooth transfers, thats old technology; File Share Tool works faster than even SHAREit, claims Wani, maintaining that being a website developer is no easy feat in Kashmir. In August, we left for Delhi, otherwise we would not have been able to workhow do we write code without internet? Or on 2G speeds? We came back because of coronavirus and fortunately we can work on Wi-Fi now (since we have a connection) but that is not the case for everyone.

SHAREit was, in effect, the go-to app for just about everything, be it games like PUBG or VPNs to enable seamless access. As Vijdan Saleem, a radio jockey and Instagram influencer from the region, puts it, it was the gateway to original content platforms for young Kashmiris during lockdownat a time when it was impossible to buffer, considering data speeds were stuck at close to 44.5 kbps.

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A lot of content was shared. The Turkish show Dirilis: Ertugrul was very popular. People would watch it on their phones and they would use SHAREit to transfer it to others while the lockdown was implemented. A former teacher from Kupwara, Mir Asrar , once travelled close to 135km to get five seasons of the show over the app.

File Share Tool hopes to plug the gap. In Wanis town, Fida Hussain runs the Unique Coaching Academy for students in classes VIII-XII. The centre opened up for a while in March after a nearly seven-month shutdown but had to close again owing to the pandemic. We would call students in batches of one or two, teachers would use the File Share Tool app and transfer the notes to students, who would then share it with their peers when they met each other, he says. So far, 22 students have accessed notes over the app.

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Still, downloading new apps continues to be a challenge. Moien, for instance, has been unable to access File Share Tool. How are we supposed to get it on our phones in the first place? File sharing has completely stopped in Kashmir for now, he says.

Wani remains undeterred. He is also working on alternatives to apps such as TikTok and has already launched the Document Scanner Tool to replace the recently banned Cam Scanner app. No one knows how to adapt and survive like us. I really wish the world recognized the talent we have here, he says. With better access and more opportunities, our local apps could be world class.
Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - After more than five months stranded in South Africa and Morocco because of the coronavirus pandemic, 182 Congolese have finally returned to their country, PANA learned on Saturday from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Congolese abroad
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 22:16:52|Editor: huaxia

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DALIAN, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The city of Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province reported 24 new asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 between 3 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.

No new confirmed or suspected cases were reported in the said period. From Wednesday to 2 p.m. Saturday, the city reported a total of 12 confirmed domestically transmitted cases.

Over 210,000 people had been sampled for nucleic acid tests as of 2 p.m. Saturday and nearly 2,000 medical workers are sent daily for gathering samples, said Zhao Lian, deputy director of the municipal health commission.

As most of the confirmed and asymptomatic cases are related to a local seafood processing company, Dalian has tightened quarantine measures on the close contacts of the company's employees, Zhao said.

The city had asked citizens to refrain from leaving the city. Those who have to leave are requested to carry certificates of negative nucleic acid test results within seven days. Enditem
Saffron raised in Kashmir has officially received a geographical indicator (GI) tag. Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu said this is a historical step in placing the Kashmir valley on the global map, Press Trust of India reported.

According to an official, the Union government issued a certificate of GI registration for the saffron grown in the Kashmir valley. Navin K Choudhary, Principal Secretary to Government, Agricultural Production Department said GI certification establishes specific geographical origin and certifies certain unique qualities of the product, the report said.

Pampore, the hub of saffron of where saffron is grown in Kashmir, is expecting to have a bumper crop due to initiatives taken by the National Mission on Saffron (NMS), this season.

Lieutenant governor (LG), Girish Chander Murmu took a keen interest in getting a GI tag for the saffron, the report said.

According to the report, under the NMS, the Union government approved a project of Rs 411 crore where an area of 3,715 hectares for saffron was proposed to be rejuvenated. According to an official, an area of 2,500 hectares has been rejuvenated so far and a bumper production is expected during the current season.

Murmu said that after completion and inauguration of the State of Art Spice Park next month, these measures will prove to be a game-changer for Kashmiri saffron, adding that this is the first major step to put saffron produced in the Kashmir Valley on the world map.

Sprinkler irrigation systems are being installed on a war footing in saffron fields, it is likely to be completed in two weeks under directions of LG.
In the past, the US and the West looked the other way as nuclear technology was proliferated by China to Pakistan and North Korea. The book Nuclear Express: A Political History of the Bomb and its Proliferation, co-authored by Thomas C Reed, former Secretary USAF, and Danny B Stillman, Director of Los Alamos Technical Intelligence Division, brought out that during the regime of Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese were of the view that using nuclear weapons against the West by radical and rogue countries would be good for China provided the trail is not traced back to them.

Hence, China undertook deliberate nuclearisation of Pakistan and North Korea. Significantly, these findings were based on the authors interviewing Chinese scientists and the best part is China thereafter declined to give any comments on the book.

China supplied 500 ring magnets to Pakistan to kick start Islamabads nuclear program. More importantly, China conducted the first Pakistani nuclear device test on Chinese soil. China also supplied nuclear capable Silkworm missiles to Saudi Arabia. The nuclear proliferation by Pakistan to North Korea, Iran and Libya was also taken lightly. AQ Khan, known as father of uranium enrichment project for Pakistans clandestine atomic bomb project, initially admitted to being part of the nuclear proliferation network in January 2004, but in later years retracted his statement obviously under political advice at home.

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf somehow pacified the US administration by saying that if there was any nuclear proliferation at all by Pakistan, AQ Khan was doing it on his own. That the US swallowed such a statement of Musharraf was amazing. Notably, the CIA did not even get to question AQ Khan.

In later years, however, the US was worried about Pakistani nukes falling into terrorist hands. If the financing of 9/11 was traced back to Pakistan, the origin of a terrorist nuclear strike on US soil could well be Pakistan.

But presently, while the US continues to seek Pakistans support in the intra-Afghan dialogue to facilitate US troops exit from Afghanistan, something more sinister is happening between China and Pakistan. Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology has inked a covert deal Collaboration for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Studies on Biological Control of Vector Transmitting Diseases with Pakistani militarys Defense Science and Technology Organization (DESTO). The program is entirely funded by China and would enable China testing biological agents outside its borders. Chinas logic is similar to nuclear proliferation during Deng Xiaopings regime; that in case of biological strike by terrorists or rogue proteges the finger does not point to China. Couple this with Chinese involvement in ongoing DNA research enabling a biological weapon to specifically target people of particular race(s) or be ineffective against them.

Wuhan Institute of Virology Pakistan has supplied Pakistan with the reagents for Bacillus Thuringiensis and the above joint China-Pakistan project has conducted successful soil sampling tests to isolate Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT), which has a striking similarity to Bacillus Anthracis or Anthrax. The Wuhan lab is providing extensive training on manipulation of pathogens and bio-informatics to Pakistani scientists to help Pakistan develop its own virus collection database. Anthrax attacks have happened in the past but the above China-Pakistan agreement also includes that collaboration is not necessarily limited to stated objectives and new thematic research to monitor potential new diseases can be added by either party. This provides the handle for developing newer deadly viruses and biological weapons.

There is little doubt that biological weaponisation of Pakistan by China is aimed primarily to target India but it is also aimed at the US and allies and all those countries China considers hindrance in its race to dominate the world. It is quite possible that China may have established similar secret biological research facility in North Korea as well. The ISIS already had access to vintage chemical weapons in Iraq and Pakistans ISI is well linked to the ISIS and numerous terrorist organisations. China has established the strategic reach and lethality of biological weapons even above nuclear weapons by releasing the coronavirus from Wuhan in 2019. Whether Beijing has achieved directed biological bombs and miniaturised them for tactical use is not known, but biological proliferation to Pakistan unfolds a very dangerous precedent for the world. No one will understand this better than the US reeling under the pandemic.

China has thrown the gauntlet to the world at large. Its worldwide biological attack clearly indicates it has no respect for humanity. Americas continuous efforts to coax Pakistan to tame the Taliban and Haqqanis ignored Pakistan is sitting in Chinas lap. But Pakistans biological weaponisation will sting the US and the civilised world much more. This should be a wakeup call for collective concrete action.
Oil prices fell on Friday, pressured by tensions between the United States and China, but some supportive economic data in Europe tempered losses.

Brent crude futures fell 34 cents to $42.97 a barrel by 1:11 p.m. EDT (1711 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures slipped 18 cents to $40.89 a barrel.

For the week, Brent was on track to fall 0.5%, while U.S. crude was set to rise 0.6%.

China ordered the United States to close its consulate in the city of Chengdu on Friday, responding to a U.S. demand this week that China close its Houston consulate.

The renewed tensions between the world's top two oil consumers stoked worries about oil demand, which already faces headwinds including rising coronavirus cases in the United States.

The resurgent pandemic has darkened the U.S. economic outlook. Some states have reinstated restrictions to curb the latest outbreak, which is expected to decrease fuel consumption.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits hit 1.416 million last week, unexpectedly rising for the first time in nearly four months.

Oil prices could see a near-term correction if a recovery in fuel demand slows further, especially in the United States, Barclays Commodities Research said.

Still, the bank lowered its oil market surplus forecast for 2020 to an average of 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) from 3.5 million bpd previously.

In the United States, the oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, fell by two to an all-time low of 251 in the week to July 24, according to data on Friday from energy services firm Baker Hughes Co. However, energy firms added one oil rig in the first weekly increase since March.

Softening Friday's market losses, Euro zone business activity grew in July for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit, according to IHS Markit's flash Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). The index is seen as a good indicator of the bloc's economic health.

"The economic data in Europe was much better than anticipated, which would suggest that demand destruction in recent months because of COVID-19 may not have been as bad as people thought," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures group in Chicago.

Meanwhile, U.S. business activity increased to a six-month high in July. U.S. companies, however, reported a drop in new orders as new COVID-19 cases spiked across the country.
Pleasantville, a few square miles of bungalows and industrial sites stuck between Houstons railways and freeways, resembles a shallow bowl  quick to flood, like much of the city. But like other neighborhoods with large Black and Hispanic populations and low property values, it never qualified for the pricey flood-control projects that protect wealthier parts of Houston.

Projects here would be put on a list, and thats where they would go to die, said Bridgette Murray, who is president of the Pleasantville neighborhood association and whose house got 5 feet of water during Hurricane Harvey.

Faced with countless complaints like these, officials in Harris County, which manages flood control in and around Houston, threw out their old approach for spending billions of dollars on flood defenses after Harvey. Instead of prioritizing spending to protect the most valuable property, which benefited wealthier and whiter areas, they decided to instead prioritize disadvantaged neighborhoods that would have the hardest time recovering, including communities of color.

Opponents have criticized the program as social engineering. Advocates have lauded it as long overdue. And for flood-prone cities nationwide, the controversial plan has become a test case for grappling with the overlapping challenges of racial inequity and climate change.

Governments have long used a simple concept, cost-benefit analysis, to decide where to focus money on flood protection: Spend it where property values are higher, for the best return on investment. However, that puts poorer minority areas at a disadvantage. And it feeds a cycle of decline as flooding returns again and again.

The status quo wasnt working, said Lina Hidalgo, who in 2018 became the first Latina to win the position of county judge, Harris Countys top elected official.

But the countys year-old experiment is more than a possible model for other communities. It is also a warning about the political resistance that can result.

Democrats plan thrust into plain view the wealth and racial divides that long influenced which communities received flood assistance.

Community groups supporting the changes call them both necessary and humane. Opponents see the new program simply as a way for Democrats to channel public funds to Democratic leaning voters, rather than using an approach they prefer, called worst first  the idea that the first priority for spending should be places facing the worst flood risk.

They want the money for their neighborhoods. They dont care about ours, said Dave Martin, who is Houstons mayor pro tem and represents the wealthy community of Kingwood on the City Council. Using any mechanism other than worst first is ludicrous.

In Harris County, like elsewhere, the emphasis on prioritizing higher-value property led to different levels of protection not just from big federally funded flood projects, but also basic infrastructure.

Wealthy neighborhoods got sidewalks and curbs with gutters and underground drainage, while poorer areas still rely on open ditches in front of their houses, according to Tracy Stephens, a former project inspector for Houstons public works department who now works with Murray at a community development group called Achieving Community Tasks Successfully.

Stephens recalled crews being sent to upgrade gutters in upscale neighborhoods simply to accommodate the extra runoff as more people installed backyard swimming pools.

That money could have been spent doing jobs everywhere else, he said.

Environmental policy experts say it makes no sense to decide which people get protection based on which property is more valuable. That approach reinforces historical discrimination, which contributed to minority neighborhoods having lower property values in the first place. And it does not address the deeper question of who needs the most help, or why.

The benefit-cost approach has a false transparency, a false rigor, said Earthea Nance, an associate professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University. That approach has a similar effect to redlining, she said, referring to the practice in decades past whereby governments and banks would deny mortgages to Black homebuyers. Is that really what we want?

A sequence of unlikely events pushed Harris County to reconsider its approach. First, in 2017, Hurricane Harvey dropped more rain than any storm in U.S. history, flooding more than 166,000 homes countywide. The following summer, voters approved a $2.5 billion bond to fund more than 500 flood-control projects over several years, the largest such initiative in the countys history.

A few months later, in November 2018, came a third surprise. For the first time in three decades, Democrats, buoyed by the countys changing demographics and their partys midterm wave, won control of the Harris County commission, called the Commissioners Court, and with it, the chance to decide just how that $2.5 billion would be spent.

They vowed the focus would be on fairness. The problem was, nobody knew exactly what that meant.

Rodney Ellis, who until the election of 2018 had been the sole Democrat on the countys five-member commission, had said the bond measure must include a commitment to the equitable expenditure of the money in return for his support. At the time, he avoided talking about how that provision should be interpreted, for fear Republicans would reject it.

Everybodys for equity, until theyre against it, Ellis said. Everybodys for fairness, until they find out everybody wont get what they want.

After Democrats took control of the commission, they eventually decided to rank projects based in part on the social vulnerability of the communities they protected  an index created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that reflects what share of residents are minorities, cannot speak English, lack a job, are older, live in mobile homes, do not have cars or face other challenges.

The goal, according to Hidalgo, was to reflect how hard it would be for a neighborhood to recover from the next disaster, and prioritize flood-control projects in those areas  what she described as a more comprehensive version of the worst-first approach.

That means elevating some of the communities that had gone overlooked, she said.

The commission passed that new approach along party lines, which in Harris County also means racial lines. The three Democrats who voted in favor are African American or Hispanic, while the two Republicans who voted against it are white.

Jack Cagle, one of the Republican commissioners who voted against the measure, praised the countys flood-control department for working quickly on all the bond-funded projects over the past year, blunting the effect of the new prioritization. But he said his voters feel misled, after supporting a bond that they thought would focus on physical risk.

If you voted on a premise of worst first, and now youre being told, look, go to the end of the line, you could be unworthy  youre going to get some pushback from that, Cagle said.

Twenty-five miles north of Pleasantville, in the wealthy neighborhood of Kingwood at the edge of Lake Houston, Beth Guides house flooded last year. When the county said it would prioritize flood-control projects based in part on social vulnerability, she objected. The only criterion, she said, should be who faces the greatest flood risk.

I dont care if your house is a million-dollar house or a $30,000 hovel in the middle of nowhere, said Guide, who runs a digital-marketing agency. This literally should be, Whose life is in the most danger?

She rejected the idea that priority should go to people who would have the hardest time bouncing back from a disaster. The fact that you decide that you want to have a Netflix account versus whether you want to pay for your flood insurance is not my problem, Guide said.

Greg Travis is a Republican member of Houstons city council for a wealthy district that straddles Buffalo Bayou, a waterway whose flood-control projects have mostly been pushed to the end of the queue under the new system. He said the Democrats approach endangers the regions tax revenues by letting flooding continue to threaten the values of his constituents homes.

We are the goose that lays the golden egg, Travis said. If those falter, then the city falters, because theres no other district that can pick up the slack. We pay for most of the social programs in our city.

When some community groups listened to those arguments, they heard something other than competing visions of the public good. They heard complaints about priority going to people with the wrong color skin.

This is the same public investment thats been going to whiter and more prominent areas for decades, said Chrishelle Palay, who leads the Houston Organizing Movement for Equity, a group that sought the change. They just call it their tax dollars hard at work.

Some supporters and opponents of the new approach agree on one thing: If Harris County voters had known that the bond money would be prioritized this way, they might not have passed it.

It would have failed miserably, said Martin, Houstons mayor pro tem.

I actually agree with Martin, said Palay. His constituents who supported this measure would likely vote differently if they knew the current equity framework.

Nance, of Texas Southern University, said that until recently, the white and wealthier residents of Harris County had what she called the privilege of not knowing about the disparity of flood protection. Now that the flood bond has forced people to confront that disparity, and the benefits they derive from it, she said pushback was inevitable. When they have to face that, Nance added, theyre not going to be hugging you.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Volunteers across the country are being administered the indigenous vaccine candidates against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) and Zydus Cadila.

Bharat Biotech and Zydus were granted permission for Phase I and II clinical trials of Covaxin and ZyCoV-D respectively and the pharmaceutical companies have said the first doses of their vaccine candidates were administered to volunteers on July 15.

A third vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University and backed by AstraZeneca Plc will soon be tested in India. Serum Institute of India is in a manufacturing partnership with the UKs AstraZeneca.

The Pune-based Serum Institute has said it will be starting trials of the Oxford Universitys Covid-19 vaccine candidate by the end of August on up to 5,000 Indian volunteers after getting the necessary nods and launch it by June next year if all goes well.

Covaxin, which has been developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), will be tested at 12 institutes, including All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Delhi and Patna, and PGI Rohtak.

Testing of Zydus ZyCoV-D is limited to its research centre in Gujarats Ahmedabad right now and will be extended to multiple cities across the country.

Zydus is looking to complete clinical trials of ZyCoV-D in seven months, the companys chairperson said on Friday. The firm is looking to complete phase I and phase II clinical trials in the next three months and submit the data to the regulator, Zydus Cadila Chairman Pankaj R Patel said in a statement.

It could take a total of seven months for the trials to be completed and for the vaccine to be launched, depending on the study outcomes and if the data is encouraging and the vaccine is found to be effective during the trials, he added.

Covaxin

Covaxin trials have already begun in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, AIIMS Patna, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Haryanas Rohtak, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Kanchipuram and Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad.

The centres are conducting simultaneous phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials to study the safety and immunogenicity of different doses and adjuvant combinations of the vaccine developed by the biotechnology company, in collaboration with ICMRs National Institute of Virology. An adjuvant is a compound that helps increase the effectiveness of a vaccine.

Vaccine trials are yet to start at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam, Jeevan Rekha Hospital in Belgaum, Gillurkar Multispeciality Hospital in Nagpur, Rana Hospital in Gorakhpur, Kalinga Hospital in Bhubaneswar, Prakhar Hospital in Kanpur and CROM Clinical Research Private Ltd and Medical Tourism in Goa.

AIIMS Delhi

AIIMS Delhi administered its first dose of Bharat Biotechs vaccine candidate to a 30-year-old healthy man on Friday as part of its combined phase 1 and 2 trials for the drug.

The vaccine candidate was administered to the first trial participant  a healthy 30-year-old man  around noon on Friday. He was monitored for two hours to check for any adverse reactions. All trial participants will be monitored every day for the first seven days. They will then be followed-up on day 14 and day 28. They will be tracked for up to a year to observe any long-term impacts, said Dr Puneet Misra, one of the investigators of the trial and a professor of community medicine at AIIMS.

The centre has received nearly 3,500 applications for the trials so far, and 100 healthy participants will be enrolled from among them. Participants have to be between the ages of 18 and 55 years and have no comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, heart or kidney disease.

Our priority is safety and hence we need healthy participants. Those who are called in for the trial have to undergo a battery of tests to determine their general health. They are tested for a current infection using RT-PCR test and for past infections using an antibody test. Participants are given the vaccine only if they are free of Covid-19. For now, we are also selecting participants only from Delhi and the National Capital Region for the ease of follow-ups, said Dr Misra.

The vaccine is currently being administered in two doses  0.3 and 0.5 microgram. In the 0.5 microgram dosage, the vaccine is being given with two different adjuvants. Of the 100 who will be enrolled, 80 will get different dosages and combination of the vaccine, and 20 participants will receive placebos.

PGIMS

PGIMS became the second facility in India after AIIMS Patna, to begin the human trials. Dr Savita Verma, the principal investigator of the trial, said they had administered the first dose of vaccine (0.5ml) to three volunteers on July 17.

These volunteers were kept under observation for three hours. They tolerated the vaccine very well. Later, the volunteers were sent back home and a team of doctors will now examine their health every day. PGIMS, along with three other medical institutes, will conduct human trials on 50 volunteers in the first phase. The second phase will commence 14 days later after seeing the result of the vaccine in these volunteers, she added.

Dr Verma said 17 individuals have undergone rigorous medical scrutiny so far to check whether they have been previously infected with the virus or suffered from any liver, lungs or kidney ailments and any other infectious diseases.

Three of these volunteers, who were found eligible, were administered the vaccine today and the report of 13 is awaited, she added.

NIMS

Clinical trials for Covaxin began at the Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad on July 20 with hospital authorities administering the first vaccine dose to two volunteers. In Hyderabad, as many as 30 volunteers have registered with the NIMS for the clinical trials.

Of them, seven more subjects are available and they would be administered the vaccine in the next few days, NIMS director Dr K Manohar said.

According to an official familiar with the development, the volunteers are being drawn from different parts of the state. These subjects would be administered two doses of the vaccine. There will be three types of vaccines  three micrograms, six micrograms and placebo. Each subject would be given the second dose of the same vaccine after 14 days.

For two days after administering the vaccine, the subjects would be monitored by a team of doctors in the Intensive Critical Care Unit (ICCU) before being discharged.

Their health condition will be monitored from time to time. The doctors would also look into the interaction with the vaccine digitally as well as through frequent physical check-ups, the official said.

SRM

Human trials at SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre began on Thursday with two volunteers being administered 0.05 ml of the vaccine each. They will get the next dose on day 14.

Other sites

King George Hospital (KGH) in Andhra Pradeshs Visakhapatnam, which was also selected by the ICMR for clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccine, is yet to commence the exercise.

We have got the approval from the ICMR, but are yet to get the clearance from the state government. We have written to the Director of Medical Education to give the nod for clinical trials and once we get it, we shall start, Dr K Indira Devi, in-charge superintendent of the KGH, told Hindustan Times.

Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital, a privately-run medical college in Bhubaneswar, started screening prospective candidates on July 20.

Reports said Nagpurs Gillurkar Multispecialty Hospital and Research Centre, the only site for human trials of Covaxin in Maharashtra, is expected to start Phase 1 by end of July or the first week of August.

Two private hospitals in Uttar Pradesh will also soon begin human trials of Covaxin, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech.

The two hospitalsPrakhar Hospital in Kanpur and Rana Hospital and Trauma Centre in Gorakhpurare also among the 12 institutes across the country where the human trial of the vaccine candidate will be conducted.

Prakhar Hospital is looking at a sample size of 50 people in the first phase and another 150 in the second phase of the human trial. The Rana Hospital, meanwhile, is awaiting a safety certificate before the trials can begin.
A farmer drives a no-till planter to seed corns in fields at Lishu County of Siping City, northeast China's Jilin Province, May 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

CHANGCHUN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has stressed sticking to China's new development philosophy and further implementing the strategy of revitalizing northeast China.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in northeast China's Jilin Province from Wednesday to Friday.

He urged efforts to ensure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eradicating poverty.

Xi underscored the great importance of China's 14th five-year plan, which will start next year, as it is the first five-year period after the country embarks on a new journey to fully build itself into a modern socialist country.

Xi noted that the internal conditions and external environment for the country's development are undergoing profound and complex changes.

"We must maintain sustained, healthy economic and social development," Xi said, stressing the need to strengthen study and assessment, deepen research, and conduct sound policy-making.

Xi called for careful planning of the development goals, ideas and measures for the 14th five-year plan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about grain production, the protection and use of black soil at a demonstration zone for green food production in Lishu County of Siping City, northeast China's Jilin Province, July 22, 2020. Xi Jinping inspected Jilin Province on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Visiting Lishu County Wednesday afternoon, Xi was briefed on agricultural development and mechanized and large-scale farming.

"I care very much about grain production and food security," Xi said, demanding that Jilin should make efforts to ensure food security, accelerate the transformation of agricultural development, and provide more experience in developing modern agriculture.

Walking into a cornfield, Xi stressed the integration of agriculture and technology, noting that farmers should be able to use the best technology to grow top-quality grains.

He also demanded effective measures to protect and utilize the high-yielding black soil.

Support should be given to new types of agricultural businesses such as family farms and farmers' cooperatives, Xi said during a visit to a farmers' cooperative, encouraging the development of specialized cooperatives suited to local conditions across the country.

During a visit to the memorial hall for the Siping battle of the Chinese People's War of Liberation, Xi demanded efforts to earnestly study the history of the CPC and that of New China, uphold the great socialist cause founded by the Party and the people under the Party's leadership, and carry the cause forward from generation to generation.

On Thursday afternoon, Xi inspected a residential community in the provincial capital Changchun to learn about primary-level governance and community services.

He spoke of the importance of improving community governance in promoting the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance.

Xi also toured a planning exhibition hall of Changchun New Area, stressing the importance of infrastructure planning and construction, as well as better-connected industry and supply chains for high-tech development zones, so that they can play leading roles in boosting regional economic development.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about the reform and development of state-owned enterprises at the R&D headquarters of automaker FAW Group in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, July 23, 2020. Xi Jinping on Thursday inspected Changchun, the capital city of Jilin Province. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

While visiting the R&D headquarters of automaker FAW Group, Xi chatted with employees who have recently graduated from universities. He said the Party committees and governments at all levels should pay very close attention to the employment of college graduates.

In the automaker's exhibition hall, Xi learned about the company's development and its latest automobile products.

Xi highlighted strengthening the independent development of core technologies and components to promote the high-quality development of China's automobile manufacturing industry and build strong domestic automobile brands.

Noting the fierce competition in the global manufacturing industry, Xi called for vigorous efforts to advance the development of emerging industries with strategic importance.

On Friday morning, after hearing the provincial Party committee and the provincial government of Jilin report their work, Xi affirmed the accomplishments made by Jilin and encouraged the officials and people of the province to achieve more.

To promote high-quality economic development, efforts must be made to strengthen the competitiveness of the economy, as well as its capabilities to innovate and fend off risks, Xi noted.

Xi stressed efforts to develop the real economy, especially the manufacturing industry, to upgrade the whole industrial chain and to stimulate the vitality of various market entities.

Xi encouraged Jilin to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, and to develop itself as a major window for northward opening up and a hub for cooperation in Northeast Asia.

Xi urged efforts to consolidate the position of agriculture as the foundation of the economy and deepen rural reforms, as well as to develop family farms and farmers' cooperatives and new forms of the collective economy.

He also called for consolidating the achievements in poverty relief and preventing relapses into poverty and new poverty cases, as well as the effective implementation of major ecological projects.

Xi stressed giving priority to employment for key groups, including college graduates, demobilized military personnel, rural migrant workers, and urban residents who have difficulty finding jobs.

Efforts are needed to promote the integrated and balanced development of compulsory education in urban and rural areas and safeguard fairness in education, he said.

Xi demanded efforts to improve the system and mechanisms for the prevention, control and treatment of major epidemics.

He also underlined flood control and relief work.

Efforts should be made to consolidate, develop and give full play to the Party's organizational advantages, Xi said, stressing fully strengthening primary-level Party organizations and exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party.
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From Town & Country

"I loved this woman who is unapologetic. I loved this woman who is uncompromising. I love this woman who really does not care, because she does not have the time to care about what people may think about her," explains Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis author and director of the newly-released Marie Curie biopic, Radioactive. "She wants to do her job."

And she does it well. The Marie Curie in Radioactive, played by Rosamund Pike, is razor-sharp, candid, and intolerant of nonsense in all its forms. It's this single-mindedness, the film seems to argue, that allows her to see and pursue what others didn'tand lead her and her husband to change the course of modern history.

Based roughly on Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout, the biographical graphic novel by Lauren Redniss, the movie charts Curie's rise and legendary partnership with her husband, Pierreall whilst flashing forward to the events that would shape the legacy of their research: Hiroshima, Nevada's Doom Towns, the development of radiation therapy. It touches on the Curies' dabblings in the occult, and a tabloid scandal that threatened Marie's professional career. And from her tragedy-struck childhood in Poland to her much-maligned affair, it's pretty much all true.

Here, the real story of Marie Curie, trailblazing woman scientist.

Photo credit: Print Collector - Getty Images

Curie was born Marya Sklodowska in Warsaw, Poland, in 1867.

Sklodowska was born as the youngest of four sisters into a modest family. As Radioactive depicts, she lost her mother to tuberculosis at 1o years old. She also lost her oldest sister, Zosia, to typhus.

She was raised under Russia's occupation of the country, and attended a secretive "Floating University" that constantly changed locations to elude the Russians, which taught science and other subjects as well as otherwise forbidden topics like Polish history and culture. She also learned some from her father, himself a science teacherbut as her family couldn't afford to send her to college, she worked as a governess to save money for tuition. (Her employment with the family ended after they found out she'd begun an affair with their older son, when he returned from university.)

Story continues

At 24, she went to Paris.

In this new country, the budding scientist adopted the name Marie. She enrolled at the world-renowned Sorbonne, eventually earning degrees in physics and the Mathematical sciences. When she began her studies, out of the roughly 1,800 students, only 23 were women.

Photo credit: Boyer - Getty Images

After graduation, she was introduced to Pierre Curie.

A polish physicist connected them, thinking that Curie might have space in his lab. He did, and they soon fell for one another. Pierre wanted to have an equal partner in life and science; as Satrapi says, if Marie's modern, "he's hyper-modern." They married on July 26, 1895, and honeymooned on bicycles through the French countryside.



Satrapi spoke to one of the Curies' grandchildren while making Radioactive, and her major request was that Satrapi not forget Pierre. "This whole thing is possible because you have this nuclear fusion between them," the director explains.

They had two daughters: Irene, who would follow in her parents' footsteps, winning her own Nobel Prize alongside her husband, and Eve, who became a journalist and worked alongside her husband for UNICEF (her husband would receive a Nobel Peace Prize for this work.)

Marie began studying radioactivity in 1897.

Inspired by Henri Becquerel's accidental discovery that uranium caused a reaction in a photographic plate, Marie Curie chose to pursue this "entirely new" (Marie's words) field of study. After taking careful measurements, she determined that energy was held within uranium, and coined the term "radioactivity."

In time, she and her husband discovered two radioactive elements: the first they named polonium, in honor of Marie's native Poland, and the second they christened radium, after the Latin for "ray." Still, their peers remained skeptical. To prove their discoveries beyond a doubt, the couple began working to distill substantive amounts of their elements from seven tons of raw material. It took four years to reach their goal, in 1902.

Once they'd extracted radium chloride, they decided not to patent it. A cottage industry of products sprung up around the element, claiming that it could cure all manner of ailments, and that it could augment existing inventions.

Photo credit: ullstein bild Dtl. - Getty Images

Professional recognition soon followed.

In 1903, having completed her thesis on radioactivity, Marie Curie made history once again, becoming the first woman in France to receive a doctorate. Later that year, the Curies learned they'd won the Nobel Prize.

The Curies were indeed interested in the occult.



The pioneering couple were among the many 19th and 20th century luminariesthink Alexander Graham Bell, Edvard Munch, and Sir Oliver Lodgewho found the Spiritualist movement intriguing. They attended seances lead by Italian medium Eusapia Palladino, though Pierre found them more interesting than Marie did.

Although today it may seem confusing that leading scientific minds took the supernatural seriously, it's really not all that surprising: at the time, their discoveries were upending established scientific dogma, and it seemed like much less of a stretch that some of the Spiritualists' ideas might hold water, too.

Wait, what about that dancer?

The performer who reappears throughout Radioactive, dancing in a billowing greenish gown, is Loie Fuller. In real life, she collaborated with the likes of Thomas Edison on using science to stage surreal performances. She asked the Curies to work with her as well, hoping to employ their radioactive discoveries in her work, but they declined. Fuller did, however, perform in the Curies' home, Redniss notes in her book.

Satrapi chose to include Fuller as a haunting, dreamlike presence throughout Radioactive, appearing when the line between the real and unreal begins to blur. "My whole job is to make this imagination visible," she explains.

Pierre Curie died in 1906.

The scientist was run over by a horse-drawn carriage in Paris. Marie was crushed by the loss, and the passages she wrote in her diary at the time are a testament to her grief. Satrapi says that when she came to the passage about Pierre's death, even as someone who doesn't cry easily, "I was sobbing."

The Sorbonne offered Marie her husband's professorshipthe first time they'd given a woman such a position. Said Marie of the appointment, "There have been some imbeciles to congratulate me on it."

Photo credit: Harlingue - Getty Images

She began a relationship with Paul Langevin a few years later.

Langevin was an accomplished scientist in his own right, and Pierre's former student. Curie fell hard for him, and they began exchanging passionate letters. He was also marriedthough he told Marie it was an unhappy union. Marie urged Langevin to divorce his wife, even instructing him on how to do so in her letters, but he remained married.

In 1911, Langevin's wife passed their love letters to the press, and the public revolted against Marie, their hatred fueled by xenophobia as much as sexism. Her Polish heritage was condemned, and she was falsely cast as a Jew.

That same year, Marie Curie received her second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry. As the committee began planning the ceremony, they worried that Marie's presence would cause a scandal, and at least one person told her as much, urging her to stay in France. She wrote back, "There is no connection between my scientific work and the facts of private life." For his part, Langevin challenged Gustave Terya journalist who'd written negative and hateful stories about Marieto a duel, which ultimately ended without bloodshed. In December 1911, Marie collected her second Nobel Prize at a ceremony in Stockholm.

Langevin and Curie's relationship, however, did not survive.



In WWI, Marie found a life-saving way to apply her research.

Determined to help the war effort, Marie offered to melt down her Nobel Prizes for their monetary value, but the bank declined to do so.

She found an even more useful way to help, though: alongside her daughter Irene, she created X-ray machines to be used in hospitals, and eventually 18 mobile X-rays to be used on the battlefield, called "petites Curies." The availability of medical imaging saved lives.

Photo credit: New York Daily News Archive - Getty Images

Marie Curie died in 1934.

The effects of radiation had been taking their toll on Marie's body for decades (and had done the same to Pierre as well, when he was alive). On July 4, 1934, she passed away at the age of 66.

Her groundbreaking research, of course, would long outlive herand transform the world, for better or worse. From the atom bomb to cancer treatments, Radioactive threads the fate of the Curies' discoveries through the story of the couple themselves. Says Satrapi, "You cannot talk about this discovery and not talk about the consequences."

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 19:00:13|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan National Police (ANP) operation teams have arrested 30 criminal suspects during separate operations in three key cities including national capital Kabul, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

Eleven individuals were arrested for suspicion of armed theft, stealing vehicles, holding illegal weapons, selling drugs and committing ethical corruption in the vicinities of Herat, the capital of western Herat province, early Saturday morning, the ministry said in a statement.

Two pistols, two vehicles, three motorcycles, seven stolen mobile phones and an amount of various drugs have also been seized from them, according to the statement.

In Kabul, a target police operation resulted in the arrest of a three-member group and seizure of two pistols in Bagrami district in the eastern part of the city late on Friday, the statement added.

Elsewhere in Mazar-i-Sharif city, capital of northern Balkh province, the provincial police personnel arrested six individuals involved in numerous criminal cases including murder, armed theft and rubbery, according to the statement.

The operations were part of preventive measures being adopted to ensure a high level of security and safety in the country. Enditem
A federal judge in Portland rejected a motion by Oregons attorney general that sought to put restrictions on federal agents who have been facing off against protesters in the city and even snatching some people off the streets while riding unmarked vehicles. The lawsuit filed by Ellen Rosenblum called for a restraining order that would prevent federal agents from arresting people without probable cause and require them to clearly identify themselves and who they worked for before taking anyone into custody during demonstrations that have gone on in the city for almost two months.

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U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman said the state didnt have proper standing to file the lawsuit because it had not shown the issue was an interest that is specific to the state itself. The judge also noted that the lawsuit was a highly unusual one with a particular set of rules. That was in part because the state had sued on behalf of its residents but no protester was a plaintiff in the case. Plus, the state was trying to get a restraining order to prevent injuries by federal agents in the future rather than redress for any harm that has been done to protesters, the judge wrote.

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Rosenblum said she was quite disappointed with the decision. If I dont have standing, Im not quite sure who does, Rosenblum said. But legal experts had warned this could happen and said that a lawsuit by someone alleging that federal agents had violated their constitutional rights would have a higher chance of succeeding. The federal government acted in violation of those individuals rights and probably acted in violation of the Constitution in the sense of exercising powers that are reserved to the states, but just because the federal government acts in ways that overstep its authority doesnt mean the state has an injury, Michael Dorf, a constitutional law professor at Cornell University, told the Associated Press. Rosenblum, however, insisted that the judges rejection was troubling because while individuals can sue for damages they cant get a judge to restrain this unlawful conduct more generally.

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Shortly after the judge issued the ruling, thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Portland once again in what was the largest crowd since early weeks of the protests that started 58 days ago, notes the Oregonian. Demonstrators shot fireworks at the federal courthouse and the protests continued for hours until federal agents began firing tear gas at close range early in the morning to disperse the crowd. It was unclear whether any of the protesters were arrested after the federal agents declared the gathering an unlawful assembly. One person was found stabbed near the protests and a suspect was taken into custody.

On Friday, prosecutors unveiled charges against 18 protesters in Portland that included assaulting police officers and arson. The charges were filed a day after the Trump administration decided to send a team of tactical police officers to Seattle despite the objections of the citys mayor and Washingtons governor.

For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below.
The state of Alabama released new details Friday about its plan, called GuideSafe, to test more than 200,000 college students for COVID-19 before they return to campus this year.

We started really less than six weeks ago, and developed in that time, a complete platform to test up to 10-15,000 students a day as they return to campus over a three and a half week period, said Dr. Michael Saag, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

More than 50 colleges and universities in Alabama are participating in GuideSafe, which was developed by UAB, the Bruno Event Team, HudsonAlpha, the University of South Alabama and other partners.

The program will pay for coronavirus testing for all college students before they return to campus, and many schools will require a negative test result before a student can begin taking classes on campus. The program is being funded from money allocated to Alabama by the federal CARES Act legislation.

The sampling will begin in two pilot locations on Sunday and by August 4 will expand to 13 locations across the state, a remarkable feat of logistics, according to Dr. Saag and his co-chair of the GuideSafe steering committee, Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris.

Gene Hallman -- president and CEO of the Bruno Event Team, which normally organizes sporting events -- said the process was designed to be as easy as possible for the students.

I would like to emphasize for the students that this will be a very convenient process, one where they schedule their appointments on the hour, so that theres not an overload, Hallman said. Its a very quick and easy, convenient and complimentary way to gauge whether you have the coronavirus.

Saag, speaking during a press conference online on Friday afternoon, said that by limiting the number of students who show up on campus positive for the virus, the schools can help reduce the chances of outbreaks during the semester.

Right now, Alabama is at about 39.4 cases per hundred thousand [people], Saag said. And with that number in the state, theres a 40% likelihood that if you had 10 people in a room, just 10, one of those 10 would be infected. If youre in a room with 25 people, that number jumps to well over 80% likelihood that one of the 25 is infected. This virus is sort of everywhere right now.

What were doing is were going to try to start with as clean slate as we can, on every campus, emphasize distancing like we do for everyone, every student is going to be asked to wear a mask, as well as all the staff and the faculty on the campus to try to mitigate the spread while theyre there.

Saag said that if the students take the proper precautions, the worst outbreaks can be avoided.

My hope is that if everyones wearing a mask when theyre out and about, when theyre inside enclosed spaces, that we will start to see that number drop from 39 or so per 100,000 to where New York City is, which is only 3 per 100,000, he said. And when you get down to that number, then the chance of being in a room with somebody else whos infected starts to become very, very small.

In addition to the initial entry testing, Saag said the schools will conduct testing over the course of the semester to contain outbreaks on the campuses and that each school will set aside housing for students who test positive to isolate them.

How the testing will work

Beginning Sunday, students will receive an email at their school account asking them to schedule an appointment to be tested at one of 13 sites across the state.

Hallman said UAB had gathered data from the participating colleges on when the more than 200,000 students were returning to campus and attempted to stagger the testing appointments to minimize congestion and ensure the results come back in time.

He said students should be on the lookout for the email about testing and make sure they schedule their appointment in time.

We cannot emphasize enough for the students to please be on the lookout for an email from their university or college regarding testing protocol regarding where they need to go and sign up, Hallman said.

The students need to be tested at least three days before they plan to return to campus but no longer than 14 days.

At the test sites, students will have a sample collected through a nasal swab, though not the long nasopharyngeal swab that causes significant discomfort. The program web site states that samples will be tested within 24 hours and that the students will be notified via email of the results.

Students who test positive will need to be cleared by their health care provider before returning to campus.

If a student has previously tested positive for the virus, they will not need to be re-tested if they have documentation from their health care provider that they are clear to return to campus. Students can also choose to be tested on their own, though the state will only pay for testing done through the program.

Out-of-state students and those who are returning to campus the earliest may be sent a mail-in test kit and instructions on how to sample themselves rather than having them travel to one of the test sites.

Pooled testing

Saag said samples from multiple students -- five to 10 at a time, depending on the circumstances -- will be combined. If the pooled sample tests negative, all the students in the pool are negative. If the pooled sample tests positive, the lab can then test the individual samples to find which students in the pool are positive.

By doing that approach, we believe that we can amplify the power of the testing that we do, Saag said.

The pooled test approach saves time and material if there arent many positive tests.

The thing that will throw us off is if the prevalence in the community of students is over 4%, Saag said. We dont anticipate that based on preliminary data that we have so far, but its very fluid, and well have to see what we get.

Program could expand

Saag said the protocols being developed for this program were designed so they could be used by other entities such as private businesses to bring workers back into the fold as safely as possible, or by the Alabama Department of Public Health to respond to COVID hotspots in the state.

Im especially proud of that because not only are we taking care of the students as they return, were creating a legacy through this platform that can be used for as long as the epidemic is going on, Saag said.
Azerbaijanis carried out an armed attack on Armenians in Russia. In an interview with Armenian News - NEWS.am, member of the Union of Armenians of Russia David Tonoyan said that the incident took place at about 2 am.

As a result of the conflict, one Armenian was wounded in the leg. According to Tonoyan, only this incident is known at the moment.

In a conversation with NEWS.am, Vice President of the Union of Armenians of Russia Herman Ananyants, in turn, noted that in connection with the incidents of attacks by Azerbaijanis on Armenians, the mayor of Moscow and the Moscow branch of the Federal Security Service have taken a very tough stance.

Ananyants also said that there is information that the President of Azerbaijan intends to reward the Azerbaijanis who took part in the attacks on Armenians.

Clashes between Armenians and Azerbaijanis were also recorded in the US, Germany, Belgium, and other European countries.
A growing group of Wyoming lawmakers  including the vice president of the Senate  are coming after one of the states most aggressive gun rights groups after it lodged efforts to discredit incumbent Republican lawmakers in a number of vulnerable districts ahead of next months Republican primary.

The group, Wyoming Gun Owners, has been a consistent presence in Wyomings politics, presenting itself to residents as an uncompromising and unapologetically aggressive proponent for the Second Amendment in Cheyenne.

Throughout the last two weeks, however, the organization has focused on pitting its often aggressive campaign tactics and extensive digital operation against out-of-favor politicians.

Established lawmakers like Cheyenne Sen. Tara Nethercott and Kemmerer Rep. Fred Baldwin have come under Wyoming Gun Owners microscope this summer, even with Nethercott running unopposed in her primary this year. Michael Von Flatern  a moderate Republican senator from Gillette  has received the most attacks over the years, dubbed the organizations Biggest Enemy to Gun Owners in Wyoming and regularly disparaged outside of campaign season.

The organization has also taken strides to actively influence legislative races across the state by running videos attacking the voting records of legislators facing challenges from candidates it endorses. Rep. Dan Kirkbride, R-Chugwater, has attracted the ire of the organization as he faces off against the Wyoming Gun Owners-backed Jeremy Haroldson, while Cheyenne Republican Sen. Affie Ellis was recently targeted by the organization in her primary race against Dan Young.

Incumbents in highly competitive districts like House District 24, currently occupied by Rep. Sandy Newsome, have come under some of the most withering attacks from the organization, depicted by Wyoming Gun Owners as lapdogs of legislative leadership while they face intense competition from candidates on the right wing of the Republican Party who have pledged to back all of the organizations legislative priorities.

She hasnt been in office long, Aaron Dorr, the organizations policy director, said in a recent video opposing Newsome in favor of her opponent, Nina Webber. But shes quickly made a name for herself as a do-nothing moderate who the leadership team can always count on to oppose any gun bills that come along, and to be a safe leadership vote.

Newsome has consistently declined to fill out the organizations candidate survey voted last year against a bill proposing to ban gun-free zones in places like the University of Wyoming campus.

But she has hardly mounted an opposition against ones right to bear arms. In the last session alone, Newsome voted for a bill to ban gun buyback programs, voted in support of legislation to protect those who keep firearms in their vehicles at the workplace and even backed legislation to protect law enforcement officers who refuse to comply with federal laws seen as in conflict with ones Second Amendment rights.

Even Devils Tower Sen. Ogden Driskill, the vice president of the Senate, has come under fire from the organization in recent weeks, labeled by Wyoming Gun Owners as a Republican in Name Only and a swamp monster for speaking out against the organization and its tactics despite, in his own words, being among the most Second Amendment-friendly legislators in Cheyenne.

To call me an ultra-moderate gun hater is probably a pretty good stretch for anybody that knows me, Driskill said in an interview with the Star-Tribune. They use tactics that remind you of Washington, D.C., or out-of-state politics. Ive been proud that really dirty, nasty politics has not come to Wyoming, and this is opening the door to that style of politics.

Who are Wyoming Gun Owners?

People in Cheyenne have known the name of Wyoming Gun Owners  and its leader, Dorr  for many years now.

Founded by now-Sen. Anthony Bouchard in 2010, Wyoming Gun Owners has played an outsize role in the states politics for a number of years. While most of its infrastructure is based out of state, the organization maintains the veneer of a high-powered Wyoming lobbying organization, with an in-state field coordinator, a mailing list of hundreds of individuals and a number of legislative victories to its credit, including the passage of the states controversial stand your ground bill in 2018 and a massive opposition campaign that aided in the pulling of a piece of mental health reporting legislation prior to the 2020 session.

While the on-the-ground following of the organization is very real, Dorr  and his family  have come under increasing scrutiny over the last several years for running a network of right-wing Facebook pages and gun rights organizations in states such as Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri that critics say intend only to stoke fear and anger in an effort to elicit donations to enrich the family.

In April, national news organizations like NBC News and the Washington Post tied the Dorr family to a number of anti-quarantine protests in cities around the United States, including ones the brothers did not reside in. Earlier this year, The Daily Beast published an expose on the brothers Second Amendment lobbying efforts, quoting an Iowa state lawmaker describing Aaron Dorr as a scam artist using unfounded accusations in an effort to gin up donations for his organization.

If youre sending this guy money, Im asking you to stop.  It is time for his scam to end, Matt Windschitl, the Iowa state representative, was quoted as saying on the floor of the Statehouse in April 2017. You need and you deserve the truth: Aaron Dorr is a scam artist, a liar, and he is doing Iowans no services and no favors.

As the organizations attacks against incumbent lawmakers in Wyoming have begun to escalate, a growing number of conservatives have begun lobbing their own attempts to discredit the organization, highlighting the flow of cash seen in other states to the brothers own consulting firm.

Theyre not here for Second Amendment rights, Driskill said. Theyre here to stir controversy and raise money.

A grassroots organization?

As news about the organization began circulating among Wyomings political community on social media over the past week, Dorr has released a series of videos defending the organization and its practices, arguing he and his brothers organization is a multi-state bulwark for individual liberty wherever the fight is worth fighting.

Ive been involved in the fight for gun rights in five states for the last 12 1/2 years now and, of course, Ogden Driskill is angry about that because of course no one who was not born and raised in Wyoming has the right to fight for freedom, Dorr said in a recent video on the groups Facebook page.

Wyoming Gun Owners has always been a Wyoming-run member-driven organization, and it always will be, Dorr said in a text message to the Star-Tribune. Ogden is mad because we are exposing his dirty financial deals in Cheyenne and because we are exposing his Swamp buddies like Michael Von Flatern, one of the states leading voices for mental health gun control. Frankly, if we didnt have moderate politicians howling during the primary season, we would not be doing our jobs right!

But the group has been put on defense as of late, even releasing a video explaining why it opposed a hard-line piece of gun legislation called the Second Amendment Preservation Act (which was sponsored by hardcore gun rights supporters like Rep. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, and Rep. Mark Jennings, R-Sheridan) after being pushed on it by Driskill.

While the organization argues that the legislation was weak and lacked a means of enforcement, Driskill says the group fought to kill the bill because it was backed by their rival, the National Rifle Association, and included lawmakers it didnt like  including Driskill  as co-sponsors. He says thats the same reason several of Wyoming Gun Owners chosen candidates voted against it as well.

Youll hear him say now that it was a bad bill, but they forgot to tell all the rest of the people about it, Driskill said. The people that killed HB-118 were Sen. Bouchard, Sen. (Tom) James, and all of the Democrats in the Wyoming Senate. Their hated Sen. Von Flatern, their hated Sen. Baldwin, the list goes on and on. All the people that they claim are soft on guns all voted together with Anthony Bouchard, their superstar, to kill a piece of gun legislation.

While pressure on Wyoming Gun Owners has been mounting, the organization itself is looking to ramp up its aggressive campaigns in the coming weeks. In a fundraising email July 15, the organization said it hoped to raise more than $52,000 to target 16 races around the state while defending favored candidates in vulnerable seats this summer, including Bouchard and Rep. Dan Laursen, R-Powell.

WYGO has released multiple ads in this election cycle exposing notorious gun grabbing Republicans like Michael Von Flatern and Dan Furphy that have been seen by tens of thousands of gun owners, Dorr wrote in a text message. We will be rolling out additional spots over the coming two weeks.

But Driskill  who says he supports much of what the organization is fighting for  is tired of the negative campaigning, and says that there are greater issues to judge candidates by than a less-than-perfect record on the Second Amendment or their refusal to fill out the groups candidate survey, which includes numerous questions asking lawmakers to sponsor or co-sponsor bills they favor.

As I started looking through it all, (Wyoming Gun Owners) are really savage against candidates like Ed Cooper, Mike Bailey, Erin Johnson.  They have all come out and say that theyre very strong pro-Second Amendment gun rights, Driskill said. Theyre all on record. But they didnt meet the litmus test for WYGO.

I guess from my end as a voter, its up to me to decide what a candidate does, he added. Do we want single-issue candidates, or do we want well-rounded politicians that are really listening to their constituents and taking care of issues in their area? My answer is always I want to respond to constituents, not someone who is bound by a survey to vote a certain way.

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By Trend

Azerbaijanis living in Praque held a rally, with the support of the "Azerbaijani Community in the Czech Republic" organization, against the aggressive policy of Armenia and Armenian armed forces recent provocations made in the Tovuz direction of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, Trend reports on July 25 referring to the State Committee for Work with Diaspora.

According to the organization's head Eldar Valiyev, the Azerbaijanis, being informed about Armenians gathering in front of the Azerbaijani embassy in Czechia, also went there to express support to the Azerbaijani state.

The Azerbaijani participants of the rally chanted slogans in Russian and Czech.

After the end of the rally, the Azerbaijanis held an authorized peaceful procession in the center of Prague.

Following continuous ceasefire violations of Armenia's armed forces, the country launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan on July 12. Grossly violating the ceasefire regime, Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district.

As a result of the appropriate measures, the Armenian armed forces were silenced. The tensions continued on the border, July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, army vehicles.

As a result of the shelling, many houses in the Tovuz district's border villages were damaged.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed.
Quantum mechanics can seem a bit confounding, so for a quantum material to be called "strange" is really saying something.

A Cornell University-led collaboration has used state-of-the-art computational tools to model the chaotic behavior of Planckian, or "strange," metals. This behavior has long intrigued physicists, but they have not been able to simulate it down to the lowest possible temperature until now.

The team's paper, "Linear Resistivity and Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) Spin Liquid Behaviour in a Quantum Critical Metal with Spin-1/2 Fermions," published July 22 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study's lead author is doctoral student Peter Cha.

Leading the collaboration is Eun-Ah Kim, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, who is interested in the social phenomena of electrons and how they interact as a society, with all the complications that entails.

Like people, electrons have different innate tendencies. In metals, electrons are independently minded and mostly roam freely. In insulators, electrons are stuck in a fixed position. Between these metal and insulator phases exists the strange case of Planckian metals. In Planckian metals, electrons dissipate energy at the fastest possible rate allowed by the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics. They have a high level of chaotic behavior and electrical resistivity.

Imagine a congested road with slow-moving traffic. The vehicles are heading in the same general direction, but they are sluggish and their movement is restricted. This is the plight of electrons in Planckian metals. Now compare that with electrons in a superconductor, which is the most organized, coherent state possible, a superhighway with huge numbers of electrons rushing along in lockstep, without resistance or scattering. For more than three decades, scientists have been puzzled that Planckian metals can switch into high-temperature superconductors. This inexplicable behavior appears to be somehow related to the individualistic electrons' desire to distance themselves from each other.

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"Just as we have social distancing recommendations at the order of our governor, electrons have social distancing recommendations at the order of Mother Nature," Kim said. "But exactly how this social distancing order resulted in this particular, maximally chaotic behavior has been a mystery. How do you go from the mandate of, okay, you're all repelling each other, to this particular form of chaotic, incongruent behavior? It suggests there is something in this very confusing state that is a seed for a very organized state."

Kim's research group collaborated with scientists at the Flatiron Institute, an internal research division of the Simons Foundation in New York City, who specialize in computational quantum physics. Together, they created the first-ever model of Planckian behavior down to the lowest possible temperature, absolute zero (zero degrees Kelvin or -273.15 degrees Celsius). This marks the quantum critical region when one state of matter transitions to another.

By adjusting the ratio between the electrons' urge to bounce around (kinetic energy) and the strong social interactions that lock the electrons into position according to their spins (interaction energy), which is essentially a mandate for social distancing, the researchers tuned the system to the verge of transition between an ordinary metal and an interaction-driven insulator. When the social distancing is stronger, the system enters a spin glass insulator state, in which immobile electrons are only represented by their loosely aligned spins. But when kinetic energy dominates, the system enters a Fermi liquid metal state.

"We found there is a whole region in the phase space that is exhibiting a Planckian behavior that belongs to neither of the two phases that we're transitioning between," Kim said. "This quantum spin liquid state is not so locked down, but it's also not completely free. It is a sluggish, soupy, slushy state. It is metallic but reluctantly metallic, and it's pushing the degree of chaos to the limit of quantum mechanics."

The model is minimalist by design, allowing the researchers to identify the most basic ingredients for Planckian metal behavior. This will provide a template for building more complicated models that can capture even more elusive phenomena, such as high-temperature superconductivity. And maybe even more than that.

"The universes and societies of electrons that we study are not only a subject of curiosity and intellectual satisfaction," Kim said. "They're also a subject that makes a difference in the society. We can change society -- revolutionize society -- by understanding new materials, new kinds of states. The discovery of semiconductors led to the transistor. And we cannot imagine what the world would be like today if there were no transistors."

The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Simons Foundation.
" " Javier Martinez uses a sign to advertise for LoHi Cannabis Club dispensary at an April 2012 rally for legalized marijuana in Colorado. In November, voters in that state approved a measure to legalize the drug. See more controlled substance pictures. Marc Piscotty/ Getty Images

If you were following U.S. election results as they rolled in Nov. 2012, chances are you saw some coverage about Colorado and Washington state both legalizing recreational use of marijuana. Jokes about the munchies aside, the laws in Colorado and Washington are groundbreaking because they mark the first states to fully legalize the drug, not just for medical purposes, but for general use.

Like medical marijuana laws, these new state laws clash with U.S. federal law, which outlaws marijuana as a controlled substance [source: White House].

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State laws only govern the citizens within a particular state, but federal laws apply to all U.S. citizens. When state and federal laws clash, think of the federal law as the trump card. In theory, a state law that goes against federal law is null and void, but in practice, there's a bit more of a gray area. What it really comes down to is enforcement.

If a state defies federal law, but the federal government doesn't enforce its law in that state, is federal law really the trump card?

Because marijuana is a controlled substance, enforcement of the federal laws prohibiting it fall to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and so far the DEA has not taken any action in Colorado or in Washington [source: Smith]. Right now, that part of our nation's drug policy seems to be in limbo, and until the federal government decides how to handle marijuana legalization, it's unclear how things will play out in Colorado and Washington.

Marijuana legalization isn't the first area where a state has passed legislation that doesn't mesh with a federal law, and examining how those situations have played out might just give a little bit of insight into how the federal government might handle Colorado and Washington's marijuana legalization.

So, what really happens when state and federal laws clash? Let's take a closer look at what the law says about these types of situations and some of those past instances where state and federal laws have contradicted each other.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 09:26:10|Editor: huaxia

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A woman wearing a face mask walks past a mural saluting frontline workers outside a building in Toronto, Canada, on July 24, 2020. Featuring a series of 15 street art wall murals of frontline workers painted by 23 local artists, the City of Toronto launched a program called the StART Frontline Heroes Art Project in July to honour frontline workers fighting against the COVID-19. All murals are scheduled to be finished by the end of July. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Mother of four school and creche-going children, Mary Ann Furlong, has called for clarity from the government about how schools are reopening, saying the stress and anxiety of not knowing is too much to bear.

Like many parents, Mary Ann has been struggling to keep her children busy and happy following four months of massive disruption, during which the four to 13-year-olds were without their school and creche routines.

Mary Ann said: 'It's torture now and has been over the last fortnight trying to prepare them for next year. I don't know what I'm preparing them for.'

Caring for her children on her own, Mary Ann said she made a decision at the beginning of the lockdown in mid-March not to home school her children, at least not in the way their school had set out.

Mary Ella (4), Kayla-Rose (7), Leah (8) and Dawn (13) enjoyed their last day of school on Friday, March 13.

'Dawn is due to start in Our Lady of Lourdes, Kayla-Rose is going into second class and Leah is going into third class at The Rower NS and Mary Ella is going back to her creche, but I don't know when any of them are opening.

'Home-schooling didn't exist in this household. It's just me. There is no way you can sit down with four children. I would have to be watching my kids and teaching them at the same time. It would cause so much grief for me and the children. You just don't want to do this to them and turn the whole situation into a negative experience so I made that decision very early on,' Mary Ann said.

She set Dawn up with an online science class and she participated in school Zoom calls when patchy broadband allowed. It was only in June when Mary Ann got better quality broadband installed that her children could participate more fully in school but, even then, patchy signals at teacher's houses meant nothing went smoothly.

Mary Ann said the five Furlongs got on famously for the first few weeks but then boredom set in.

'They weren't getting to see their friends. It has kinda run its course now. Dawn is meant to be getting her school uniform and her school bag and books all ready and should be feeling that nervous excitement about going into secondary school. Her Dad is meant to be coming over from England to be there for her first day at school but now he doesn't know if he should travel. That's a big thing for the children.'

Mary Ann said Our Lady of Lourdes sent out the book list and uniform last week so preparations are at a very early stage.

'I've four frustrated children who want to see their friends. Mary Ella is asking me when she can go back to nursery and I've no idea when it's opening. There is a build-up of anxiety and you feel you're not doing a good job.'

With talk of school bus services not running, Mary Ann is worrying about the practicalities of getting three children and a teenager out the door and into school every morning and back home in the afternoons.

'They are talking about three-day school weeks and half days. The government just need to come out and say what their plan is. I am under pressure. Two of my children are dyslexic and they are struggling with anxiety a lot. This is having a huge impact on my eight and seven-year-olds; their reading and writing especially. We had only just started to get into the swing of things when schools closed.'

Mary Ann praised teachers for their efforts, particularly the way they sent letters to the children, who wrote back in return. 'That gave them a mental health boost but in the end they are your children are your responsibility and you are doing all this on your own. You don't get the support from the school because it's your job.'

Parental guilt marred the lockdown experience as homework piled up and bedtime hours got later and later. Mary Ann found herself on her phone increasingly checking notifications.

'I have three apps on my phone specifically for schools and I had to add a Twitter account to follow the school blogs. Every day I had ten to 15 notifications. Eventually I just put my phone on silent. Then I turned it on one day and saw I had missed a message from one of the children's learning support teachers and I felt so bad,' Mary Ann said.

She said running a house with four children is very busy.

'Luckily I have land so they can go explore. The children are impatient. I only got a TV recently so I've been telling them to play outside. We grow veg together and they have their own chores. I grew up in London and dropped out of school at a young age after my gran, who raised me, died. I felt school did nothing to help me deal with the grief of losing someone so closed to me. It didn't teach me how to cook or clean.

Mary Ann moved her family to The Rower two years ago and had settled into life in her home near the village until Covid-19 upended everything.

'At the beginning I thought "this is nothing, we can do this", but over the last two weeks we've hit rock bottom. There's a lot of arguing in the house. Mary Ella is picking up on it and looking at everyone's behaviours.'

Mary Ann suspects there are many parents like her in the district, but they may not want to speak out about it for fear of being perceived as a failure.

'There is a lot of stress on parents. In the UK, no one cares about anyone but there is a strong community here. People don't want to feel like they're a failure instead of accepting they're facing an impossible situation, so they don't talk to anyone.'

She said the government needs to announce their plans.

'All their attention should be going into this. Parents need to get back to work and children need to get back to school. They can make adjustments once the schools are reopened. If they said today that my children were only going back part-time, I'd feel relieved. I can't carry on and keep doing this. If I knew they weren't going back full time, I'd start planning how I can teach them more. I've had many, many sleepless nights over this.'
Moscow

A Russian court on Monday ordered an influential monk, who has denied the existence of the new coronavirus and urged his followers to ignore government lockdown orders, to pay a fine for fomenting enmity through his sermons.

When contagion engulfed Russia, Father Sergiy declared the coronavirus nonexistent and denounced government efforts to stem the pandemic as "Satan's electronic camp." In sermons laden with anti-Semitic statements and vitriol against a supposed masonic "world-government," the monk has described the vaccines being developed against COVID-19 as part of a global plot to control the masses via chips.

On Monday, a court in Verkhnyaya Pyshma in the Ural Mountains region found Father Sergiy guilty of "inciting hatred" and ruled that he should pay a fine of about $250.

The 65-year-old monk, who has attracted nationwide attention by urging followers to disobey the government's lockdown measures and church leadership and ignore church closures earlier during the pandemic, didn't attend Monday's court hearing.

The relatively small fine reflected authorities' indecision on how to respond to the challenge from the widely popular monk, who has defied the Kremlin's lockdown orders and taken control of a convent in the Urals.

The church banned the monk from ministry in April, but he has continued preaching and last month took charge of the convent outside Yekaterinburg that he had founded years ago. Dozens of burly volunteers, including veterans of the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, helped enforce his rules, while the prioress and several nuns have left.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Father Sergiy has denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "traitor to the Motherland" serving a Satanic "world government" and dismissed Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill and other top clerics as "heretics" and "enemies of God and Holy Mother of God" who must be "thrown out."

Earlier this month, a Russian Orthodox Church panel in Yekaterinburg ruled to strip Father Sergiy of his abbot's rank for breaking monastic rules. He didn't show up at the session and dismissed the verdict, urging his backers to defend the Sredneuralsk convent where he has holed up.

The police visited the convent last month a day after Father Sergiy took over, but found no violations of public order. Facing stiff resistance from his supporters, church officials have appeared indecisive, lacking the means to enforce their ruling and evict the rebellious monk by force.

Another court in the Urals earlier this month ordered Father Sergiy to pay a fine of $1,250 for spreading false information about the coronavirus.
A missing environmentalist who recently said he feared for his life has been found dead in Honduras, a country considered high-risk for human rights and environmental defenders, humanitarian groups said Tuesday. Marvin Damian Castro, 29, was found dead on Monday a after he went missing, the Committee of Families of the Detained-Disappeared in Honduras NGO reported. His body was found in the Sacamil River in Perspire, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the capital Tegucigalpa. Castro, who was a member of a network of environmental defense groups in southern Honduras, had last week expressed fears for his life to the National Protection System, a government body set up to protect human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers. That system was created by Congress in 2015 under pressure from the Organization of American States and the UN. Both organizations had requested government action because of the high number of human rights defenders, communicators and lawyers who have been murdered in the Central American country. On June 1, a journalist and his cameraman were shot dead in the Caribbean port of La Ceiba. Two gang members were arrested as suspects in that killing. However, rights advocates say 91 percent of the 82 murders of journalists carried out in Honduras since 2001 have gone unpunished. Honduran investigators pictured at the scene of a murder in Tegucigalpa in May 2020
Two teenagers were booked on suspicion of murder after missing Arizona college professor's body was found in a landfill, authorities said Friday

Arizona State University engineering professor Junseok Chae was killed in suburban Phoenix sometime after he was reported missing March 25 after he didn't return home from work, Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Friday.

Image: Junseok Chae obit (Arizona State University)

On March 30, the case led to Shreveport, Louisiana, where Javian Ezell and Gabrielle Austin, both 18, were in the educator's, the sheriff's office said. A third person who has not been named was with the pair.

After that investigators developed a suspicion that the professor had been killed in Maricopa County, where "several items of evidence were identified," the office said.

Detectives believed Chae's body was placed in a Dumpster, and they searched the Northwest Regional Landfill in Surprise, Arizona, from May 11 until the discovery last week, sheriff's officials said.

The landfill search also turned up "related evidence," the office said.

The body was positively identified as Chae by the Maricopa medical examiner, sheriff's officials said. The cause of death was not revealed.

Image: (Maricopa County Sheriff)

The sheriff's office said the suspects were recently extradited from Louisiana to Arizona.

They were booked on suspicion of first-degree murder, armed robbery and vehicle theft, the office said. Bail was set at $1 million each.

It's not clear the pair has private legal representation. The Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We are saddened by the loss of ASU community member Junseok Chae," the university, which has five campuses in the Phoenix area, said in a statement. "Our condolences go out to Professor Chaes family and friends."

According to university bios, the educator graduated from Korea University in Seoul in 1998 before earning two advanced degrees from the University of Michigan and joining ASU in 2005.
Dublin City Council is hoping people will 'Rediscover the City' tomorrow during pedestrianisation trials.

Sections of roads around the Grafton Street area will be closed to cars from 11am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday.

It is part of a trial period that is running for the next four weekend.

During this trial, businesses will be allowed have tables and chairs outside.

Temporary street furniture permits have been issued to a number of cafes/restaurants on South Anne Street, Drury Street and Dame Court The council's Head of Technical Services, Brendan O'Brien, says the atmosphere will be completely different.

"This is something that we feel will be quite successful. We hope people will come in.

We are branding it as rediscovering the city centre after the lockdown and it will provide people with a much more pleasant space for people to do that.

Mr O'Brien said there will be a nicer ambiance in the city and will provide more space for people to enjoy what the area has to offer while still being able to maintain proper social distancing.

An online survey will gauge the public's opinion about the move.

Coffee shop owner Karl Purdy says he would like to see it become seven days a week.

"Things like delivery and waste collection are all easily resolved and I think there is a genuine will to make whatever changes are necessary.

"I would emphatically support making this a seven-day-a-week initiative."
Bengaluru, July 25 : Aiming to speed up Covid testing, the Karnataka government has instructed all districts not to take more than 72 hours from the time of sample collection to the result being declared, an official said on Saturday.

"The districts were instructed not to delay sample results beyond 72 hours of collection (of the sample)," said an official.

According to the new directions, the maximum time between sample collection and its transportation should not exceed 24 hours.

Similarly, the time a sample arrives at a lab to its data being entered should not also exceed 24 hours, and not more than 24 hours should pass from the time data has been entered to the time the result has been declared.

"A software has been developed to monitor the process from sample collection, transportation and movement between labs and districts," said the official.

Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey has instructed that a text message be sent to all the people who gave their swab samples.

Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar has instructed the district officials to deploy additional data entry operators, and infrastructure and ensure sufficient testing capacity to prevent delay.

Senior official Shalini Rajneesh has suggested precautions to be taken so that no sample goes wasted without testing.

"A Whatsapp group has been created for quick communication between districts to sort out issues related to testing," the official said.

Bhaskar held a web meeting with district chief executive officers, and district surveillance officers along with other senior officials to reduce delays in testing Covid samples.

Karnataka's Covid tally breached the 90,000 mark with 5,072 new cases on Saturday, resulting in the state's tally rising to 90,942, even as 72 more patients succumbed to the virus.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
kuzma/iStockBy CLAYTON SANDELL and IVAN PEREIRA, ABC NEWS



(DENVER) -- A 17-year-old transgender teen who told investigators he launched a deadly school shooting in retaliation for being bullied over his gender identity has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.



Alec McKinney was sentenced Friday following impassioned, emotional statements from nearly two dozen teachers, students and family members. McKinney and fellow student Devon Erickson, 19, were accused of opening fire at STEM School Highlands Ranch in a suburb south of Denver on May 7, 2019.



McKinney, who couldn't face the death penalty because he was a minor at time of the shooting, spoke publicly for the first time since the incident, reading a roughly 22-minute statement in which he took responsibility and apologized to each of the victims.



"I killed their innocence. I killed their ambitions. And I killed their sense of security. I not only physically killed people, I mentally killed people too. I don't know how to describe the sorrow I feel when I think of the victims," McKinney said. "The horror I caused is truly too much for anyone to bear."



Multiple students were wounded during the shooting. Kendrick Castillo, an 18-year-old who confronted the gunmen in an effort to stop them, was killed. According to an arrest affidavit, McKinney told investigators he wanted to target students who "always made fun of him, 'hated him,' called him names and said he was disgusting for trying to be a guy."



"I don't deserve leniency, nor forgiveness. I don't want a lighter sentence," McKinney continued. He also had a message for would-be school shooters, urging potential copycats to get help: "The amount of pain it causes to everyone who ever cared about you, and innocent people, outweighs anything you are going through right now. Why would you idolize someone who hurt people, someone who was so weak that they couldn't get help?"



John Castillo spoke about losing his son, and while looking at a televideo screen called McKinney pure evil to his face. As the suspect openly sobbed, Castillo condemned him to hell.



"This killer is a monster. You sit there with crocodile tears down your face? Well scripted," Castillo said, crying. "I need to tell you something: These are real tears."



Castillo added that he would never forgive McKinney for his actions and vowed to "fight him to the end."



"You've awakened an activist who fights for safe schools," he said.



Maria Castillo said her son was murdered with only three days left in the school year, a few days before Mother's Day.



"I'm still waiting for him to come home," she sobbed. "This evil killer destroyed my family."



During his statement, McKinney addressed the Castillos.



"I want to start with an apology, but I never expect you to forgive it. Because what I've done is unforgivable," McKinney said.



In February, McKinney pleaded guilty to multiple charges -- first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder after deliberation.



"Your honor, I stand behind my guilty plea," McKinney told Judge Jeffrey Holmes, appearing in the courtroom video conference.



McKinney openly sobbed throughout the hearing as he listened to witnesses recall the horror of that day, describing lasting traumas that have changed their lives forever.



"The pain he has inflicted will continue for many years," said Yuritza Ojeda-Ayala. Her son, Gerardo Montoya Ojeda, was shot in the head and survived, but she said he no longer feels safe in any classroom. "He lost that sparkle that he had."



Gabriela Leddy, a language arts teacher, shared an anguished account of that day.



"As we huddled in fear, my mind became imprinted with the faces of my students," Leddy said through tears. "They were so brave. I am honored by their bravery."



Leddy described the moment she started to run from the building, stopping when she saw Castillo's body on the ground, his head covered by a bright green cloth.



"That moment of anxiety and fear of what was happening around me came to a halt," she said. "Something compelled me to pause and say a quiet goodbye to this man."



Leddy said she felt betrayed that a student who was one of her favorites was capable of such evil.



"I went above and beyond to try to foster an environment where Alec could feel safe and accepted," Leddy said. "This is a heartless attack that spit in the face of the kindness that teachers like me, and other caring adults, showed him."



Erickson has pleaded not guilty. He's next due in court on Aug. 17, with his trial likely to begin in September, prosecutors said.



Investigators said that on the day of the shooting, McKinney and Erickson went to Erickson's home and used an ax and a crowbar to pry open a safe containing handguns and a rifle. They then returned to the school with the handguns hidden in a backpack and the rifle inside a guitar case.



Student Nui Giasolli called McKinney, whom she once considered a close friend, a coward who projected his problems onto others.



"He made himself the judge, jury and executioner," Giasolli said. "He's not crying because he truly regrets it. He's crying because he got caught."



Morgan McKinney also testified at Friday's hearing, saying her son has shown remorse and is getting mental health treatment.



"I tried to raise my children to be nothing but better people in our world," she said. "I certainly am sorry for this tragic tragedy, and what it has caused you and so many others."



Jennifer Krause's son, Mitchell, was shot and survived.



"School shootings have to stop," Krause said. "We can no longer mop the halls of our schools with our children's blood."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Police initially said that Cabantog, 37, who was described as a hospitality consultant, was well known for circulating cocaine in Canggu, where the nightclub was managed by Van Iersel, 39. But during the trial, the two men were able to convince the judges that the cocaine was only for their own use.
Texas breweries struggled pretty bad when they were first forced to close their doors in mid-March to contribute to slowing the spread of COVID-19 in state. They found relief when Governor Greg Abbott allowed them to reopen, even though it was at limited capacity.

With the number of cases spiking yet again, breweries were forced in June to close their doors for a second time  and many of them don't know if it'll be temporary this go round.

Texas Brewers Craft Guild found that one out of every three craft breweries believe they will have to permanently close their doors within the next three months unless some kind of changes are made to the Governor's current mandate, according to Eater Austin. Two in three don't think they will last this beyond this pandemic packed year.

Eater Austin also reported that, since the start of the pandemic, TCBG has seen a decline of almost 55 percent year-over-year and has had to lay off or furlough 36 percent of its employees.

Under the Governor's current mandate and new guidance from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, breweries are only allowed to offer to go services . Locations with on-site restaurants are allowed to remain open thanks to their food components.

TABC describes a bar as any restaurant or similar establishment where alcohol accounts for more than 51 percent of its earnings.

"The economic and public health crisis brought on by COVID-19 and Governor Abbotts June 26th shutdown of 51% establishments threaten to decimate the Texas craft brewing industry," CraftPAC, a Political Action Committee founded by members of TCBG, states on their website.

TBCG's leadership team also disagrees with what the Governor is doing and is asking for a better resolution.

Craft breweries are not bars, but, as written, the majority of taprooms fall under the order and will therefore have to temporarily cease operating, once again leaving beer-to-go sales as a critical revenue stream, Charles Vallhonrat previously said in an email to Community Impact Newspaper. The health and safety of all Texans is paramount and we support taking the appropriate steps to stop the spread of coronavirus in Texas, yet we are disappointed ... that a more refined solution could not have been found.

According to CraftPAC, at least six breweries have already been forced to permanently shut down behind the fallout of COVID-19. Thus, #SaveTexasBreweries was born. The campaign gives residents, and Governor Abbott, tips on what they can do to make sure breweries get the help they need and are allowed to remain in business.

Residents can buy beer directly from breweries, purchase local crafts during grocery store runs (or during trips that are happening anywhere besides a brewery), snag a gift card or t-shirt from a brewery online store or just speak up for your local breweries.

As far as what Governor Abbott can do to help: "Amend Executive Order GA-28 to allow all Texas breweries and brewpubs to reopen for on-site service under the same strict health, safety, and social distancing policies as Texas restaurants regardless of whether alcohol makes up 51+% of sales," the website says.
Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended operations between Doha and Zagreb due to low demand. The carrier, which resumed its service to the Croatian capital on July 1 following a three-month hiatus, was forced to cancel a number of services to the city up until July 22 when the last rotation was operated. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the carrier confirmed the temporary suspension until at least August 12. Qatar Airways returned to Zagreb with three weekly flights operated by its Airbus A320 aircraft. Due to Covid-19s impact on travel demand, the airline has taken the decision to temporarily suspend operations on this route, the Qatari carrier noted. Last summer, the airline maintained fourteen weekly rotations between the two.





Once they resume, services between Doha and Zagreb will run three times per week. Qatar Airways has restored limited operations to the former Yugoslavia. It currently maintains three weekly flights to Belgrade, which will increase to four weekly from Monday, and daily from September 1. Services to both Skopje and Sarajevo have been temporarily suspended until the start of the 2020/2021 winter season on October 25. The carriers brand new seasonal service to Dubrovnik, which was to launch this summer, has been discontinued indefinitely.







Qatar Airways is one of the few global airlines to have never stopped flying throughout the ongoing crisis. By the end of July, its network will expand to more than 450 weekly flights to over seventy destinations worldwide. Qatar Airways has further enhanced its on board safety measures for passengers and cabin crew. The airline has introduced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew, which includes gloves, facemasks, safety glasses and a new protective gown that is fitted over their uniforms. A modified service that reduces interactions between passengers and the crew inflight has also been introduced. On board, all Qatar Airways passengers are now provided with a complimentary protective kit. Inside a ziplock pouch, they will find a single-use surgical facemask, large disposable powder-free gloves and an alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel. The airline has also introduced disposable face shields for adults and children. Passengers travelling from Dohas Hamad International Airport will receive their face shields at the check-in counters, whereas at other destinations, the face shields will be distributed at the boarding gates. Qatar Airways is one of the few global airlines to have never stopped flying throughout the ongoing crisis. By the end of July, its network will expand to more than 450 weekly flights to over seventy destinations worldwide. Qatar Airways has further enhanced its on board safety measures for passengers and cabin crew. The airline has introduced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew, which includes gloves, facemasks, safety glasses and a new protective gown that is fitted over their uniforms. A modified service that reduces interactions between passengers and the crew inflight has also been introduced. On board, all Qatar Airways passengers are now provided with a complimentary protective kit. Inside a ziplock pouch, they will find a single-use surgical facemask, large disposable powder-free gloves and an alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel. The airline has also introduced disposable face shields for adults and children. Passengers travelling from Dohas Hamad International Airport will receive their face shields at the check-in counters, whereas at other destinations, the face shields will be distributed at the boarding gates.




MATSAPHA In the midst of COVID-19 infections, allegations have emerged that patients were enticed with a promise of E1 500 to self-quarantine away from their homes.



New Village, a densely populated area under Swazi Nation Land in Matsapha, recorded over 25 infections all within two weeks in one street. Given the settlement pattern in the area, it was imperative that those found to be positive be taken away.

However, some of the residents who tested positive and were subsequently taken to Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre, have alleged that they were enticed with money by the health team if they consented to be taken away. This, amidst government policy that those who want to recuperate at home should be allowed to do so, as long as there is no probability to spread the virus.



When health officials came to the area and swabbed a number of residents, they also discovered that some of those who tested positive at New Village were pupils. Their parents, who work at the Matsapha Industrial Site, subsequently tested positive.



Positive



*Thembela, an employee of a courier company in Manzini, said he had received the news from another patient who also tested positive.

On that week, several other people had tested positive in this street, and we had been told that we would be moved to recuperate at Mavuso. Then a patient told me and other patients that a health worker had promised him that he should not worry because while he was away, government would ensure that E1 500 is paid to sustain his family. This then created a wide expectation from all of us that we would be incentivised while recuperating from the virus, he said.

Thembela asked to remain anonymous because his employer was extremely annoyed after hearing that he had tested positive for the virus.



Though I have been free of the virus for the past 15 days, my employer had not paid my salary and is angry that I had not gone on isolation after I had been swabbed. He says he had to spend E35 000 swabbing all his employees to ensure that I had not spread the virus in his company, he said.



Thembela said the news of the E1 500 stipend had enlightened him because he had no money to pay for rent, nor to support his child. However, he said he was disappointed when he later learnt from other patients that it was untrue.

Asked whether he had enlisted in the layoff fund, he said his employer did not tell him anything about that option and that he did not know how to reach out to the management committee of the layoff fund.



Negative



Meanwhile, another resident who had tested positive also said he had stayed at Mavuso for two weeks, after which he tested negative and was released.

He said he also heard that patients were promised E1 500 if they consented to recuperate at Mavuso, but he did not receive anything.



The pupil of Hillside High School, said he had frequently visited friends along the street and had been shocked when one of his circle of friends also tested positive.

They also tested me and discovered that I was positive, after which they took all of us to Mavuso, where we were recuperating.



He said his mother also subsequently tested positive and was taken to Mavuso for two weeks.

Another parent in the area said she was worried because her daughter, who is also a pupil, was friends with a number of residents who tested positive.

The health officials swabbed her and she stayed in isolation waiting for results. The results did not come back, even after a month until she went out of isolation. I really do not know why she did not get her results, when many others did, she said. Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula said government did not have the money to lure people to Mavuso for treatment. It would be very unethical of government to do that because it would amount to tricking people to go for treatment, he said.



Tested



Dr Magagula said people were given all information they needed before being tested and taken for treatment.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said there was no compensation for patients who tested positive and had to recuperate away from home.

People can only benefit from the hunger relief fund, which comes in form of food parcels or money, Wandile Mavuso said.

*Not real name
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 02:45:34|Editor: huaxia

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China's carbon dioxide emission in 2018 was 45.8 percent lower than 2005, meeting the emission reduction target two years ahead of schedule. A quarter of the world's newly afforested area since 2000 is in China, a Chinese envoy said.

UNITED NATIONS, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday told the United Nations Security Council that China has been actively tackling climate change, while stressing that all countries should implement the obligations under the Paris Agreement.

"China has been actively tackling climate change and implementing the Paris Agreement while fighting COVID-19 and promoting economic recovery," Zhang Jun, permanent representative of China to the United Nations, told the Council's ministerial-level open debate on "climate and security" in open videoconference format.

"We pursue green development, put people first, and make every effort to address environmental issues to meet our people's aspiration for a better life. China earnestly implements the basic state policy of resource conservation and environmental protection, and promote ecological progress to build a beautiful China," said the ambassador.

Aerial photo taken on April 27, 2020 shows wind power installations in Weining County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

On the achievements that China has scored in climate action, Zhang said that China's carbon dioxide emission in 2018 was 45.8 percent lower than 2005, meeting the emission reduction target two years ahead of schedule. In 2018, the share of non-fossil fuels in China's total energy consumption reached 14.3 percent. A quarter of the world's newly afforested area since 2000 is in China. The Chinese people now enjoy more blue skies thanks to the improvement of air quality.

"We are vigorously promoting international climate cooperation, advancing the development of a green Silk Road, helping relevant countries develop renewable energy projects such as hydro power, wind power and photovoltaics to achieve energy transition and green development, setting an example for the international community," the ambassador added.

Speaking of the obligations of flighting climate change, Zhang said that all countries should firmly support multilateralism instead of putting oneself first, implement the obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, especially the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" and respective capabilities, and build a fair, equitable and win-win global climate governance system.

Aerial photo taken on Feb. 1, 2018 shows a photovoltaic power station in the river junction area in Jiande City, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

"Climate change is, in essence, a development issue, rather than a security issue. There is no direct linkage between the two. Solution of climate change rests on sustainable development," the envoy said.

He urged the international community to respect the differences of countries, especially developing countries, and help them cope with the difficulties.

The Secretariat of the UNFCCC, UN development system and resident coordinators should, in accordance with their mandates, mobilize efforts of all sides to provide targeted support for climate change response and economic and social development, he said.

"The Security Council, as the body handling international peace and security issues, should act in line with the mandates of relevant resolutions, analyze security challenges and security implications of climate change for countries concerned, and discuss and handle relevant issues on a country-specific basis," the ambassador added.

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 19, 2019 shows staff members examining solar panels on the rooftop of a local automobile maker in Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

Talking about the relations between nature and the human being, Zhang said that both "share a community of life."

"What hurts nature hurts humans. The outbreak of COVID-19 reminds us again that no country or individual is immune to global challenges, and solidarity and cooperation is needed most. Climate change endangers the future of humankind and requires joint efforts of us all," said the ambassador.

Germany, which is the council president this month, co-sponsored the meeting with nine other Council members - Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Niger, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, Britain, and Vietnam.

Climate-security matters remain controversial in the council. China, Russia and the United States have strong reservations about the organ's engagement on such matters. China and Russia have expressed concern that council involvement in this area encroaches on the prerogatives of other UN entities, which they maintain are better equipped to handle this issue. Russia also believes that climate change is fundamentally a sustainable development issue with only tangential links to international peace and security, according to the Security Council Report (SCR), whose mission is to advance the transparency and effectiveness of the Security Council. 
The 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize, which is awarded every five years and recognizes those who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity, will go this year to Marianna Vardinoyannis, of Greece, and Doctor Morissanda Kouyate, of Guinea, it was announced on Friday.

The President of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, made the announcement and will recognize the laureates during a virtual ceremony on 20 July, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. An in-person award ceremony will take place at a later date, at UN Headquarters in New York.

30 years fighting child cancer

Ms. Vardinoyannis is the founder and president of two foundations dedicated to children: the Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation and ELPIDA Friends Association of Children with cancer.

She has been involved in the fight against childhood cancer for some 30 years and, thanks to her work, thousands of children have been cured. Notably, the ELPIDA association was instrumental in setting up the first bone marrow transplant unit in Greece, in 1999, and the countrys first oncology hospital for children, in 2010.

Her foundation also supports programmes for the medical care of refugee children and other vulnerable social groups, human rights education, programmes, and the fight against human trafficking.

Ms. Vardinoyannis has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador since 1999.

Ending Female Genital Mutilation

As Executive Director of the Inter-African Committee on Harmful Traditional Practices (IAC), Dr. Kouyate is a leading figure in efforts to end violence against women in Africa, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). He has received several international humanitarian awards for his work.

Dr. Kouyate created IAC in 1984 in Dakar, Senegal, at a time when FGM was a highly controversial and sensitive issue for discussion. The organization aims, through education, to change attitudes towards the practice, and allow all African women and children to fully enjoy their human rights, free from the consequences of FGM, and other harmful practices.

It is a partner organization with the UN reproductive rights agency ( UNFPA ), the World Health Organization ( WHO ), and UN childrens agency ( UNICEF ).

On Friday, President of the UN General Assembly, Muhammad-Bande, warmly congratulated Mrs. Vardinoyannis and Dr. Kouyate, and thanked the selection Committee for its hard work and dedication.

The Mandela Prize was established by a UN General Assembly resolution in June 2014, to recognize the achievements of those who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity, by promoting the purposes and principles of the United Nations, while honouring Nelson Mandelas life, and legacy of reconciliation, political transition, and social transformation.

The selection committee, chaired by the General Assembly President, receives nominations from a broad variety of sources including UN Member States, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs.

The Prize is one of the ways the UN commemorates the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, the first democratically-elected President of South Africa, and a life-long rights activist who was instrumental in ending the racist apartheid era in the country. The 2020 Prize was awarded just ahead of Nelson Mandela International Day, held annually on 18 July.

For more information on COVID-19, visit www.un.org/coronavirus
By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijans national carrier Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) airlifted 117 citizens from Almaty to Baku by a charter flight on July 24, AZAL reported in its official Facebook page.

Passengers with certificate of negative COVID-19 test result issued within 48 hours before departure were allowed to the flight.

All passengers arriving by this flight undertake obligations for self-isolation for two weeks upon arrival.

AZAL operates charter flights to return compatriots to the country in accordance with the plan defined by the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers.

Azerbaijan has so far repatriated over 25,000 citizens from different countries over COVID-19 pandemic. The citizens have been repatriated from Moscow, Istanbul, Kyiv, Minsk, Iran, Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Riga (Latvia), Warsaw (Poland), Berlin (Germany) among others.

Azerbaijan first introduced special quarantine regime on March 24 and the fourth stage of quarantine regime easing came into force May 31. However, the borders remain closed.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
VV Balakrishna By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Sixteen years after the death of the father of economic reforms and pride of Telangana, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is now very keen to own the legacy of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.

On the 29th anniversary of the first Union Budget of PV regime, which paved the way for economic liberalisation in the country, the Congress president, in a message on Friday, took pride in PVs accomplishments and contributions to the country and termed the historic Budget as bold new path of economic transformation.

The Congress president, who faced severe criticism for not allowing PV Narasimha Raos funeral in Delhi and almost disowned him, now described the late Prime Minister as a dedicated Congressman, who served the party devotedly in various capacities.

Rahul Gandhi too praised Narasimha Rao for giving the nation a direction when he was the Prime Minister.

Both the leaders sent their messages to TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who read them out at an event held at Gandhi Bhavan here to mark the occasion.

PV was the most scholarly and erudite personality. He became PM at a time when grave economic crisis stared at the nation. The Union Budget presented on July 24, 1991 paved the way for economic transformation of our country. Above all, he was a dedicated Congressman, who served the party devotedly in various capacities. PV was a very respected national and international figure. The Congress party takes pride in his many accomplishments and contributions, Sonia Gandhi said.

In tune with the changed attitude of his mother towards PV, former president of AICC Rahul Gandhi too said: We celebrate the legacy of a man whose contribution continues to shape modern India. From joining the Congress party in his teenage years to becoming PM of the largest democracy, his remarkable political journey reflected his grit and determination.

July 24 marks the 29th anniversary of the 1991 Union Budget. On this day, India embarked on a bold new path of economic transformation. PV and Manmohan Singh played a pivotal role in ushering in the era of liberalisation, he added, while describing PV as a remarkable individual.

Participating in the Congress function through video link, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh termed PV as the father of economic reforms.

PV had a great concern towards the poor, he said. Economic liberalisation and economic reforms were the major contributions of PV to the nation, Manmohan Singh added.

He said PV took tough decisions when the country was facing shortage of forex reserves. His contribution to other sectors could not be underestimated.

PV had deputed Opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee as leader of the Indian delegation to the special session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) in Geneva, where India successfully thwarted Pakistans resolution to censure India on its record of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee said PV provided much needed stability to the country. PV had always encouraged the youngsters in national politics. He handled may tricky issues, including problem of Tamilians in Sri Lanka.

PV was one of the great Prime Ministers of the country, Pranab said. Former finance minister P Chidambaram recalled people asking PV why he had deviated from the Nehruvian economic model.

PV used to explain that he did not move this way or that way but the circumstances and contests changed around him, he said, adding PV was a great son of Telangana. He recalled that PVs new industrial policy too was introduced on July 24.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and PCC in-charge RC Khuntia too participated in the programme through video link.

TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, former minister J Geetha Reddy, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and others organised birth centenary celebrations of PV, who was described by the TPCC now as a true leader for the ages.

Son and daughter with TRS, brother with Congress

The ruling TRS in the State owned PV Narasimha Rao and launched year-long celebrations to mark his birth centenary on behalf of the state government.

While PVs son Prabhakar Rao and daughter Vani Devi attended the state governments function on June 28, his brother Manohar Rao attended the Congress function on Friday.

While PVs son and daughter are now with the TRS, his brother is with the Congress.
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President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has given assurance that the Senate will ensure that every part of Nigeria will continue to receive a just and fair deal.

I want to assure you that the Senate will always stand by National interest Lawan told a delegation of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, an Igbo socia-cultural association from the South East of the country.

We believe in the unity and the need for every ethnic group, every religious persuasion to have a very fair deal within the country.

We will work with your representatives from the South East, particularly from Ibo land. We will do everything to support them and they are representing you very well in the Senate, Lawan said.

The group was led by its Secretary General, Dim Uche Okwukwu on a courtesy call on the Senate President at the National Assembly in Abuja on Thursday.

The Senate President said notwithstanding their different political platforms, the national interest has remained their guiding principle in the National Assembly.

The Senate President assured his guests that the Federal lawmakers would always support what would give them the kind of inclusion and sense of belonging in the south east.

We can see the commitment of the Federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari in ensuring that every part of Nigeria gets some infrastructure development, Lawan said.

The Senate President drew the attention of his guests to the progress on the second Niger Bridge and compared it with the unfulfilled promises of the past on the project.

This administration may not talk too much but it is doing a lot across the country with very little resources. Not like the plentiful resources the previous administration had.

And of course, you have mentioned the appointments that you have as well and indeed there should be many more. As soon as the opportunities become available for more people of Ndigbo extraction to be appointed, Im sure the President will do that and the administration will do that.

It is in the public interest and it is in the interest of the administration and the party because it is when you are fair to people that they can give you support as an administration or vote you in, if you are a political party. And these are things that should be taken as given.

So we will ensure that you continue to receive justice and fairness even in appointments.

I believe there is need for peaceful co-existance in all parts of the country. Where we have misunderstanding, the best way to go is to dialogue and find solutions to our disagreement.

If someone feels he has a just cause or reason to seek redress in court, this is a democracy but the best way to resolve issues, often is not going to court especially in a country like ours where we can do better if we dialogue more.

I dont know the essence of this court action but what is important is for me to assure you again that the National Assembly, particularly the Senate, will always ensure that you are given and every part of the country is given a sense of belonging.

What is due to every part of this country should go there and that is why there is representation in the first place.

If you have any concern, you have your representatives or you can simply write to the National Assembly, the two chambers if you like, to say that these are the issues we feel concerned about and you want the National Assembly to address them or if you feel it is better handled by the Executive side of government, you are free to do so to air your concerns.

I am sure that this administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari will continue to work hard to provide for every part of this country within the limited resources that we have, Lawan said.

Earlier, Dim Uche Okwukwu who spoke for the delegation said the mission to Abuja was to congratulate Lawan as Senate President on behalf of the Igbo nation.

Ndigbo are proud of you and the leadership of the National Assembly. We are aware that without your total support for President Muhammadu Buhari, the ongoing infrastructural projects across the length and breath of Igbo land would be impossible.

Mr President, we are not unaware that presently, a misguided person, without the mandate and authourity of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo joined some others to sue the government. Therefore, we wholly dissociate Ohanaeze Ndigbo and indeed Ndigbo from that stillbirth suit. It will certainly fail, Okwukwu said.
From Monday, July 27, Austria restricts entry to its territory for residents of 32 countries, including citizens of Ukraine, due to the situation with the spread of coronavirus, Ukrainian Ambassador to Austria Oleksandr Scherba said.

"Unfortunately, from July 27, Austria restricts entry to its territory for citizens of 32 countries where the situation with the pandemic is not improving. Ukraine is on this list. Since there was no air connection, this is bad news, primarily for those who enter Austria by car. Now this channel works only for transit," the ambassador said on his Facebook page on Saturday morning.

He also added that Ukrainians entering from another Schengen country, and who have not been in Ukraine and other risk countries for the last 14 days, must present a PCR test and undergo a 10-day quarantine (with confirmation of its location).

In turn, Ukrainian citizens who have a residence permit in Austria must present a negative test, which is no more than 72 hours.

"The same applies to seasonal workers, medical personnel, diplomats, or if a male citizen or a female citizen of Ukraine is expected in Austria by a husband or wife, or if they are heading to Austria for a wedding or funeral. In this case, a PCR test is mandatory, but you cannot enter," wrote Scherba.

The U.S., Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Belarus and others are also among the countries included in the "red list."
The French Prime Minister, Jean Castex, has announced that people arriving from 16 countries, including India, the USA and Brazil, will be required to undergo on-the-spot Covid-19 tests on landing in France.

Along with the United States, India and Brazil, which are reporting tens of thousands of new cases each day, the countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Israel, South Africa, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Panama, Peru, Serbia, Turkey and Madagascar.

The tests will be for "French citizens who live in these countries or citizens of these countries with an established residence in France," Castex told reporters at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport.

Travellers testing positive will be required to spend 14 days in isolation to prevent the spread of the virus.

The prime minister did not make it clear if people would have to wait for their test results before being allowed to leave the airport.

Franco-Spanish border to remain open, for now

Coronavirus tests will be generalised across France by 1 August, and will also be carried out at French ports, Castex said.

He also said that while France's border with Spain would remain open for now despite a surge in coronavirus cases in Catalonia, "we strongly urge French people to avoid going there until the health situation improves."

As for people travelling to France from Spain, "we are in talks with the Spanish and Catalan authorities so that... they try to limit the flow as much as possible," he said.
MARTINSVILLE  The regions first doctor to treat a COVID-19 patient is the new chief medical officer for Sovah Health hospitals in Martinsville and Danville.

Dr. Sheranda Gunn- Nolan, who has been a hospitalist for Sovah-Danville, will start in her new role Monday.

The Chief Medical Officer [CMO] is the bridge between administration and our medical staff, said Sovah spokesperson Hailey Fowlkes. They work hand-in-hand with the quality director to help drive quality and patient safety initiatives to confirm we are providing excellent patient care. The CMO is a key part of our executive and medical staff leadership teams that work together to make our communities healthier.

Hospitalmedicine.org describes a hospitalist as a clinician whose primary professional focus is the general medical care of hospitalized patients. Hospitalists engage in clinical care, teaching, research and enhancing the performance of hospitals and health care system.

Gunn-Nolan came to the Danville hospital eight years ago through its graduate medical education program and stayed on staff. She is the local program director for Apogee Hospitalist Physicians, a professional association for her specialty.

She is on the Physician Advisory Board, which set the guidelines for dealing with COVID-19 at both hospitals. The board got started in March and everything ramped up pretty quickly, she said. The group conferred often and at all hours.

The board is made up of eight doctors from a variety of specialties and from both hospitals, she said. They meet several times a week to ensure safety and standardization of care, keeping up with all the latest guidelines, she said. They have used resources from Apogee Physicians, a combination of all the resources we could get.

Each hospital has an Incident Command Center, which is advised by the Physician Advisory Board on the pandemic, she said.

Treating that first COVID-19 patient was terrifying, but it was just as terrifying for the patients as well, she said.

Realizing their fear was a lot more fear than I could have felt kept her steady in her devotion and confidence in treating them, she said.

Treating COVID-19 patients, and preparing the hospital as a whole for that, involved being on top of developments  and flexible.

The CDC [Centers for Disease Control] provided lots of guidance, but that guidance changed rather quickly and often, Gunn-Nolan said.

In dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, both hospitals in Martinsville and Danville will continue to grow together, especially with changes now in medicine with COVID, changes that will be coming and will be necessary as we continue to practice medicine, continue to keep up with the news reports and latest guidelines to keep the safety protocol up-to-date, she said.

Apart from the actual risks of having COVID-19, the pandemic has caused another type of health problems: people not seeking medical treatment for other, unrelated serious issues that need attention, she said.

That has been a global issue. We dont want people delaying care. People suffer more and get sicker than they otherwise would have by putting off or avoiding going to a hospital.

She said she can assure we have the capability, we have the equipment we need. It is safe to come in  especially those chest-pain patients. They need to be coming in to the hospital.

Also she continues to encourage people to wear masks.

People who think that not wearing a mask is a personal decision are mistaken, she said. Wearing a mask is for the protection of others: It affects everyone around us. There is a social responsibility to wear masks.

Gunn-Nolan earned her medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Suwannee, Georgia, a release from the hospital said. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Sovah Health in Danville and an executive Fellowship in Physician Leadership at Duke/Lifepoint Physician Leadership Institute with CTI in Durham, North Carolina.

She is a member of Sovahs board of trustees, is an assistant clinical professor family medicine at Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine and at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She serves on numerous committees at Sovah Health including Utilization Review Committee Chair, Cardiovascular Services Committee Chair and Sepsis Committee, among others, according to the release.

She maintains several professional memberships to include American College of Physicians, American College of Osteopathic Internists, and American Osteopathic Association.

I am pleased that Dr. Gunn-Nolan will be working across the market to collaborate and lead our medical staff, Dale Alward, CEO of Sovah Health-Martinsville, said in the release. After seeing her in action with our patients, I am confident that she will take our hospitals to the next level.

In addition to her new role, Gunn-Nolan will continue as hospitalist program director and physician for the Danville campus.

Although the job is new to Gunn-Nolan, Sovah-Martinsville wont be. She has been on campus many times, through quality efforts, an Apogee program there and board and doctors meetings.

A Nashville native, she said she and her husband moved to the area from Atlanta, live between Brosville and Danville and fell in love with the area during my residency.

She and her husband also come to Martinsville often for fun and shopping, she said.

I look forward to spending more time in Martinsville, getting to know those providers, getting to know that community even better, she said.

Holly Kozelsky is a writer for the Martinsville Bulletin; contact her at 276-638-8801 ext. 243.

Holly Kozelsky is a writer for the Martinsville Bulletin; contact her at 276-638-8801 ext. 243.

Holly Kozelsky is a writer for the Martinsville Bulletin; contact her at 276-638-8801 ext. 243.
- Toure last played professionally for Chinese side Qingdao Huanghai

- He was spotted training with London League Two outfit Leyton Orient on Friday, July 24

- The 37-year old is however looking for a new club and is only training with Orient due to restrictions on travel

League Two outfit Leyton Orient could not help but exhibit some excitement at having a Premier League legend turned up to train with the club.

After a fairly turbulent season summed up with a mid-table finish, Leyton were happy to be associated with some class, at least temporarily, after ex Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was spotted training with them.

READ ALSO: Daylight robbery: Football fans believe Kevin De Bruyne deserved FWA Player of the season ahead of Henderson

Yaya Toure won the Premier League three times with Manchester City. Photo: Getty Images.

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Ijumaa, Julai 24: Watu 667 zaidi wapatikana na COVID-19, 11 waaga dunia

The 37-year old, whose last professional stint was in China with Qingdao Huanghai, trained with the Os, as he aims to find a new club for next season.

Orient fans, who might have had their hopes up of perhaps having the midfielder ply his trade with them will be disappointed to learn that he is only training at the clubs grounds purely for fitness.

Yaya Toure was spotted training with Leyton Orient in London. Photo: Leyton Orient/Twitter

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: New Bayern Munich signing Leroy Sane accidentally confirms Kai Havertz Premier League move

As soon as travel restrictions are off, Toure will be out seeking a new club.

However, Leyton Orient still snapped at the chance to wind the internet up as they shared Toures photo in training with the caption, League Two isnt ready.

Within the first hour, the photo had garnered more than 800 retweets and 1500 likes.

READ ALSO: Champions League: Chelsea needs a draw against Wolves to make Champions League

READ ALSO: Meet Kenyan international whose goal dramatically helped team avoid relegation in England

For the fans, it is obviously quite a heart throbbing thought to think of having a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League winner in their team.

Toure , before joining the Premier League, won titles in Spain with Barcelona where he also worked under Pep Guardiola briefly.

On international level, the towering figure led Ivory Coast to a famous Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2015.

Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Tuko news

The untold story of Hon Moses Kuria: Part One | Tuko TV:

Source: TUKO.co.ke
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

By Fidan Babayeva  Trend:

The export of Azerbaijani products to France decreased by 4.6 times from January through June 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, Trend reports referring to the statistics bulletin of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee.

The export of Azerbaijani products to France from January through June 2020 amounted to $54.9 million, while a year earlier it was $257.7 million.

Frances share in Azerbaijans total export volume decreased from 2.58 percent to 0.71 percent of the total volume.

The foreign trade operations between Azerbaijan and France amounted to $137.9 million, which is by 2.8 times less than in the same period of last year.

The import of products from France to Azerbaijan decreased by 2.8 times, amounting to $83.08 million. Frances share in Azerbaijans total import volume decreased from 1.93 percent to 1.67 percent of the total volume.

The foreign trade balance of the two countries for the reporting period was negative and amounted to $28.2 million.

Azerbaijan's foreign trade turnover amounted to $12.7 billion from January through June 2020, which is 34.1 percent less than in the same period of 2019.

The balance of foreign trade turnover on an annualized basis decreased by 10 percent and remained negative, amounting to $2.7 billion.

(1 USD = 1.7 AZN on July 24)

----

Follow the author on Twitter: Fidan_Babaeva
Ardmore is a coastal gem treasured over the centuries by medieval monks, raiding Vikings and Anglo-Norman settlers.

Now, the quiet Waterford village of St Declan is besieged by invaders of a different kind as thousands of Irish holidaymakers flock to 'staycation' by its pretty beaches, stunning cliff walk, famous 12th Century round tower and renowned restaurants.

The Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, Government appeals for families to holiday in Ireland and now a generous home-holiday stimulus package has sparked a tourism boom for Ardmore traders - and, when the sun shines, prime beach space is now at a premium

Even the azure waters are thronged with swimmers, surfers and sea kayakers.

Read More

"I've never seen anything like it," local woman Linda Troy admitted as she supervised children enjoying a dip in the sea.

"Last Sunday the crowds were so big it looked like a Spanish or British beach that you'd normally see on the TV."

Ardmore's famous Pattern Festival - scheduled for this month - was cancelled but many travelled to the village anyway.

For Ardmore traders, it is the long-hoped-for silver lining from the pandemic lockdown.

"It has been very busy - the numbers are definitely up over the last couple of weeks," Ardmore Gallery and Tea Rooms owner Breda O'Brien said.

"We are just so glad to be open. We had to put special measures in place such as one-way systems and serving screens but business has been very good over the past few weeks for coffees, scones, cakes and soup."

Matt Power, who operates Matt's Takeaway, said it has been manic on occasions, particularly when the sun is shining and the crowds flock to the village from Cork, Waterford, Tipperary and farther afield.

"We didn't think we would be able to open this summer so everything is a bonus. Normally, you get a run-in to the tourism season from early May. But it has been flat-out since everything reopened last month after the lockdown was eased," he said.

Cliff House Hotel general manager Patrick Shields said that while numbers are down on last summer, there has been a noticeable bookings boost since the Government urged Irish people to 'staycation'.

The Government's stimulus package is expected to further underpin that surge.

"I think the most important thing is that our guests are happy to holiday in Ireland and feel comfortable and safe here - the whole issue of safety has been driven both by our guests and our staff," he said.

"Our restaurant, which has a Michelin star and a new executive chef in Ian Doyle, has also been very busy. It would be even busier but we only deal with customers with reservations - we don't accept walk-in business. But people are increasingly making a last-minute booking and then deciding to go for a cliff walk, or a stroll on the beach, while they wait."

Ardmore has a permanent population of around 500 - but almost 3,000 people were estimated to have been in the village on July 19, between day-trippers and holiday home families.

Sorcha Collins, from Fairview in Dublin, was finishing a week-long break with youngsters Cameron (10) and Katelyn (8).

"We rented a house and have had a really fantastic time. It is just so beautiful here - we are all sad that our holiday is over. But we were very lucky with the weather we got," she said.

Day-tripper Ann Marie O'Dwyer brought youngsters Clodagh O'Dwyer (11), Saoirse Maher (10) and Avril O'Dwyer (9) to the beach from Cashel in Tipperary - and said families with young children are much happier holidaying at home this summer.

"It is fantastic here - all you need is a bit of sunshine. Ireland has so much to offer and can offer incredible value," she said.

That view was echoed by friends Shannon Greene from Dublin and Corkonians Dawn McStay, Noelle and Emma Twomey.

They often use a caravan in one of Ardmore's three major caravan parks.

"The crowds have been incredible here on several days. I think everyone has the idea of holidaying in Ireland this summer. And when the sun shines, people just head to the beach," Noelle said.

The surge in domestic holidaymakers for coastal villages across Ireland has been truly extraordinary over recent weeks.

Outside one of Ardmore's three main caravan parks lies a field which acts as a parking space for motor homes and camper vans.

Last year, it handled an average of 15 to 20 motor homes.

During the fine spell two weeks ago, it boasted more than 60 motor homes.

"There have been days when the sun was shining and both the village and beach was mobbed," Ms Troy said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 24

By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend:

The export of Azerbaijani products to Belgium slumped by 5 times from January through June 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, Trend reports citing the statistical bulletin of the State Customs Committee.

According to the bulletin, the export of Azerbaijani products to Belgium in the first half of this year amounted to $1 million, while in the same period of last year this indicator was $5.1 million. The share of Belgium in the total export of Azerbaijan slid from 0.05 to 0.01 percent of the total volume of export.

In 1H2020, foreign trade operations between Azerbaijan and Belgium amounted to slightly over $23.8 million, which is 72 percent less compared to 1H2019.

The volume of import of Belgian products to Azerbaijan declined by 57.5 percent, amounting to slightly over $22.8 million. Belgiums share in the total import of Azerbaijan went down from 0.55 to 0.46 percent of the total volume of import.

The foreign trade balance of the two countries for the reporting period was negative and made up slightly over $21.8 million.

In the first six months of 2020, Azerbaijan's foreign trade turnover amounted to $12.6 billion, having decreased by 34.1 percent year-on-year. The balance of foreign trade turnover on an annual basis declined by 10 percent and remained negative, amounting to $2.6 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis
Photo: Getty

Economic inequality in America makes for stark reading with white families having a net worth ten times more than the average Black family.

These are the findings of the latest Top of the Mind report by Goldman Sachs (GS) which addresses Investing in Racial Economic Equality.

The wealth gap is being driven by the ability to create wealth through entrepreneurship, earn a higher income over a lifetime due to education, and to avoid reduced economic prosperity due to health disparities.

All of these factors are greatly reduced for Black communities due to racial gaps in education, healthcare, access to capital and professional advancement, according to report editor Allison Nathan.

"Overcoming these inequities will require a holistic approach from all areas of society, and coming together to achieve this goal is not only a moral imperative, but also essential for the health and vibrancy of our economy," added Nathan.

One of the most striking findings of the report is that Black men's earnings have barely risen in the past 80 years meaning an average Black man today ranks in roughly the same place as his grandfather.

"The economic gaps between Black and white Americans are stark, and in many cases haven't improved in decades. Black Americans on average experience higher levels of unemployment, earn lower wages, and accumulate less wealth than white Americans.

READ MORE: Goldman Sachs report: Reducing Black disadvantage in wealth could deliver $400bn GDP boost

"How to close the large and persistent earnings and wealth gaps between Black and white Americans is one of the most pressing questions of our time, with enormous implications for our economic future and the future of America more broadly," warned Nathan.

Meanwhile the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted racial disparities among small businesses.

Some 18% of Black-owned businesses are temporarily closed, compared to just 8% of white-owned businesses and 44% of Black business owners expect to see dramatic changes in the way their business operates after the pandemic, compared to 29% of white business owners.

Story continues

The COVID-19 outbreak has also highlighted the huge gap in US health equality.

Infection rates for Black and Hispanic Americans are three times greater than for white Americans, and the mortality rate for these groups is nearly two times the rate for white Americans.

"With societys recent focus on achieving racial justice and tackling systemic racism, we have a window of opportunity now for healthcare organisations, politicians, and corporate leaders to accelerate efforts to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, racial health disparities in America," said John Ayanian, director of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan, in the report.
Vietnam has been a popular destination for wildlife products  often from endangered species  that are used in traditional medicine or in preparing exotic cuisine. The move comes amid increased scrutiny of the health risks of the wildlife trade as the world deals with the new coronavirus, which is thought to have jumped from animals to humans.
With 20,112 yuan ($2,869) per capita consumption expenditure, Shanghai took the crown among China's 31 provincial-level regions in the first half, followed by Beijing (18,620 yuan) and Zhejiang province (15,029 yuan), Shanghai Securities News reported.

Shanghai is the only region that saw its per capita consumption expenditure exceed 20,000 yuan. During the first half of this year, the city also recorded the highest per capita disposable income, 36,500 yuan.

Shanghai earlier launched a massive campaign dubbed "May 5 Shopping Festival", as merchants gave shopping coupons to spur online and offline spending.

China's average per capita consumption expenditure stood at 9,718 yuan in the first six months, down 5.9 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Tobacco and alcohol, housing, transportation and communications ranked as the top three consumption categories, accounting for 31.9 percent, 25.4 percent and 12.7 percent, respectively.

A total of nine provincial-level regions, including Hunan, Fujian, Jiangsu, Guangdong provinces and Chongqing and Tianjin municipalities, outperformed the national average.

The COVID-19 epidemic reshaped China's consumption mode to some extent, with online consumption becoming a bright spot in the first half, said Zhao Ping, director of the international trade research department at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Academy.

As merchants gave out shopping coupons to spur consumption, and measures were unveiled to develop the private and nighttime economy, some regions have seen a narrowing of the drop in retail sales growth since the second quarter.

In South China's island province Hainan, thanks to the new duty-free policy, sales of offshore duty-free shopping reached 8.57 billion yuan during the first six months, up 30.7 percent year-on-year.
Residents of the hamlet of Lue in NSW's Central West fear that an open-cut silver mine proposed for development two kilometres from the town may end up being as much a source of lead as it is of the precious metal.

Bowdens Silver, the mine's proponent, said that silver will remain the operation's focus and that the mine, 30 kilometres east of Mudgee, is the largest undeveloped silver project in the country.

Tom Combes leads the fight against a large silver mine being built less than 2km from Lue. Credit:Wolter Peeters

If approved, Bowdens Silver will mine silver, zinc and lead over a period of 16 years and truck the minerals through Lue and Mudgee. It predicts the silver produced during the mine's life will yield 71 per cent of its revenue, while 18 per cent will be derived from zinc and 11 per cent from lead, a spokesman for Bowdens Silver said.

But members of the Lue Action Group, which opposes the mine, claim Bowdens Silver is not honestly depicting how much lead will be mined or the risks to the community.
A businesswoman who once managed hellraising rock star Michael Hutchence is fighting a court battle with her own father over a 3million house in Chelsea.

If she loses, Maria-Christina Perez de la Sala says she and her four children could be kicked out of the property where she has lived for almost 25 years.

Until three years ago she shared it with her now estranged husband, former SAS major James Copinger-Symes, whom she is divorcing.

But her fabulously wealthy father Robert Perez de la Sala claims the house is his to sell, and his alone  and has gone to Londons High Court to prove it.

Miss Perez de la Sala, 50, a member of an Australian shipping dynasty worth 500million, learned of his case against her when she was handed an envelope she assumed contained a gift, only to discover it was legal documents.

Maria-Christina Perez de la Sala (pictured with Michael Hutchence) says she and her four children could be kicked out of the property where she has lived for almost 25 years

In response, she says her name is on the title deeds, along with those of her father and mother  and that the money for the house was a gift from her uncle Ernest and that her father has no right to take it from her. She says the house is her familys principal home.

Miss Perez de la Sala moved to London in 1995 and for some time was European manager for INXS, the Australian rock band fronted by Hutchence, who was found dead in his hotel room in 1997.

Jonathan Lopian, barrister for her father  who lives in a nine-bedroom waterfront mansion in Sydney  told the High Court that the Chelsea house was bought outright for 300,000 in 1991 after one of his companies stumped up the cash.

Mr Lopian said: It is owned beneficially by my client, out of whose assets the purchase monies came.

He said Miss Perez de la Sala had signed a trust deed verifying that her father was the true owner.

Her fabulously wealthy father Robert Perez de la Sala claims the house (pictured) is his to sell, and his alone  and has gone to Londons High Court to prove it

But he added: She doesnt admit to signing it, and says that, if she did, her signature was procured by undue influence. Robert is seeking a declaration that his daughters share was held on trust for him and that she should transfer her share to the joint name of him and his wife.

Mr Perez de la Sala also denies his daughters suggestion she will have nowhere to live if turfed out of the house, saying she has other homes in which she lives at other times.

Miss Perez de la Salas QC, Mark Warwick, said that she denies not only that her father owns the whole house, but also his claim that he paid for it  instead saying that the money came from her uncle Ernest.

Mr Warwick referred to a letter sent by Ernest to Robert in 1993, referring to a 350,000 loan made to purchase the property. It said: I have decided to tidy up my financial affairs and accordingly wish to make you, Terrill [Roberts wife] and Christina a gift of this loan.

The case will return to court at a later date. Miss Perez de la Sala declined to comment. But a friend said: Her parents took against her after she decided to divorce.

She married Mr Copinger-Symes in 1998. Both later trained in business and helped manage the family companies and investments.

Ironically, Miss Perez de la Sala, her father and her estranged husband are all on the same side in another court battle over claims that Ernest transferred a huge chunk of the family companies fortune to his personal accounts.
A Delhi court convicted Jaya Jaitly, former president of Samata Party, and two others in an alleged 2001 corruption case relating to a defence deal. Central Bureau of Investigation judge Virendra Bhat convicted Jaitly, her then party colleague Gopal Pacherwal and retired Major General SP Murgai. The case was registered on the basis of a sting, Operation West End, conducted by news portal tehelka.com in 2000, purportedly exposing alleged corruption in defence deals. The CBI submitted a charge sheet against Jaitly and others in 2006.

According to the prosecution, Jaitly entered into a criminal conspiracy with Murgai, Pacherwal and Surendra Kumar Surekha in 2001. The judge convicted the three --- Jaitly, Murgai and Pacherwal, for criminal conspiracy along with relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act).

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The UK government is to impose a 14-day quarantine on travellers arriving from Spain. The Sunday Times was first to report that the government was on the point of making this snap decision, which has now been confirmed.

The quarantine will take effect from midnight on Saturday. The measure will apply to the whole of the UK, Scotland's government saying: "The decision, also made by the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Wales as well as the UK government, has been made to reduce the risk of the transmission of the virus by those travelling from Spain".

The recent rise in infections has affected Catalonia in particular. The Catalonia government has introduced new measures, such as ordering a closure of nightclubs. Aragon, the Basque Country and Navarre are the other three regions to have registered the greatest increases over the past fortnight.

A spokesperson for the Spanish foreign affairs ministry says that Spain "respects decisions of the United Kingdom" and is in contact with the UK authorities. In Spain, critics of the UK government's decision are pointing out that destinations such as Benidorm, the Costa del Sol and Majorca are not reporting surges in infections.
Cebu (CNN Philippines, July 25)  Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella has placed six areas in five barangays under total lockdown Saturday evening, as the number of infections in the entire Cebu island surpassed 15,000, according to the Department of Health.

In an Executive Order, the mayor named Sitio Eyha in Barangay Guadalupe; Balaga Drive to Sitio Cekalco in Barangay Labangon; Tuada Compound in Barangay Tisay; Sitio San Isidro in Barangay Quiot; Abellanosa Compound in Barangay Quiot; and C. Mina Extension Road in Barangay Mabolo as the areas to be included in the lockdown.

Labella said the localized lockdown was "pursuant to the recommendation of the Cebu City Police Office in coordination with the concerned barangays."

Under a localized "total lockdown," residents are required to observe a strict "stay-at-home" order, with the cancellation of all quarantine passes for 14 days.

Mayor Labella assured the affected residents that they will be given food packs and other basic necessities, while medical needs will be provided and supervised by barangay officials.

Quarantine checkpoints put up in lockdown areas will be manned by military, police and barangay personnel.

"During said period, contact tracing and swabbing shall be conducted on all identified first level contacts and probable and suspect individuals," Labella said, adding that those who test positive will be transferred to a quarantine or medical facility.

The Department of Health's latest data showed 8,567 total infections in Cebu City with 3,325 active cases. The total number of cases in Cebu island increased to 15,210.
(PHOTO: Christian Dior)

SINGAPORE  Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri is giving Christian Diors haute couture collection a touch of love.

The new Dioramour capsule collection designed by Chiuri for Chinese Valentines Day (25 August) resonates like a tender declaration to the richness of world cultures, celebrating an infinite source of inspiration.

The Houses iconic bags, such as Lady Dior, Lady D-Lite, Dior Book Tote and 30 Montaigne Box, as well as selected pieces of ready-to-wear, D-Connect sneakers, lingerie, Mitzah scarves, fashion jewelry and cardholders appear in two of its emblematic codes: red, the color of life, as Monsieur Dior called it, and polka dots  a motif of which he was equally fond, enriching this line dedicated to sweet promises.

Mini Book Tote in red dots embroidery. (PHOTO: Christian Dior)

The polka dots on the iconic bags give it a playful touch, and we like that the colour red invokes passion and love.

From today to 23 August, the House is hosting a showcase dedicated to Dioramour creations at Level 1 of The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Fans would be pleased to know there are four collectible limited edition items to get their hands on: Medium Polka Dot Lady Dior, S$6,700; Small MyABCDior Lady Dior in white, S$6,400; Small Polka Dot Book Tote, S$4,300 and the Lady Dior 5 Gusset Card Holder, S$1,350.

Customers are advised to call Dior Call Centre at 1800 4159 990 to make an appointment and for further enquires before entering the pop-up.
Iranian Lawmaker Says Blast At Nuclear Site Caused By 'Security Breach'

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda July 24, 2020

A member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran's parliament says a blast at the Natanz nuclear complex was caused by a "security breach."

Speaking on July 22, lawmaker Javad Karimi Qodusi ruled out "a strike on the complex by an external object" as the cause of the July 3 blast, appearing to deny that the site had been targeted in an air strike.

"If it was from the outside, we should have seen shrapnel, but there are absolutely no remnants left on the site," he said in an interview with the parliament's news site ICANA following his visit to Natanz.

"A breach in security is our definitive conclusion," he said, without elaborating.

Iran's top security body said on July 3 that the cause of the incident had been determined, but it declined to release details, citing security reasons.

Some Iranian officials said it could have been a cyberattack.

Natanz is the Islamic republic's main uranium enrichment center, located some 250 kilometers south of Tehran, and includes facilities built under almost 8 meters of concrete to offer protection from air strikes.

The site is one of several Iranian facilities monitored by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog.

The incident at Natanz came amid reports of several fires or explosions at Iranian military and industrial sites, which has led to speculation about sabotage acts by foreign governments, including Israel.

Speaking on July 22, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi appeared to play down the incidents.

"There are thousands of cyberattacks on the country's infrastructure on a daily basis -- which is nothing new -- most of which are repelled by our defense systems," Iranian media quoted Musavi as telling reporters.

In recent months, there have been several cyberattacks that were wider in scope, and technical and forensic analyses have identified "governments or groups" who were behind the attacks, he said, without naming them.

Musavi also said fires in forests, refineries and other locations were common in summer.

In an article in early July, the state news agency IRNA addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United States, although it stopped short of accusing either directly.

Israel's defense minister said on July 5 that his country was not "necessarily" behind every mysterious incident in Iran.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iranian-lawmaker -says-blast-at-nuclear-site-caused-by- security-breach-/30745129.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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On Saturday, July 11, we all were awake and ready by 5:30 a.m., waiting for our ride on the bus to Monroe, Indiana, to sister Leah and Pauls house for the annual Coblentz gathering.

Lo and behold, 6 a.m. rolled around and still no bus. Finally, we saw a bus pass by and soon after it headed back. Somehow a few wrong numbers in an address made quite the difference.

The driver must have been frustrated to have to stop at three or four of our Amish neighbors houses. We could see the bus pull in and out of their driveways, so finally son Benjamin jumped on his bike and waved the driver down. Everyone was waiting to load up when he pulled in, so we still made good time.

We stopped at a nearby McDonald's for breakfast. Daughter Elizabeth took everyones order and called them in the night before, so the waiting time wasnt as long. With only the drive-thru open, it isnt easy for a big bus load of people. Every order was marked for each family. It all worked out well.

Then we headed for the interstate while everyone enjoyed their breakfast while visiting. It was very enjoyable to all be together. With almost 30 people on the bus, it wasnt quiet, but it was an enjoyable, fun ride. The last time Jacob and Emma, sisters Verena and Susan, and our family all fit in the same vehicle was 16.5 years ago when we started land shopping in Michigan. Daughter Elizabeth was nine at that time and is 26 now.

Our family totals around 110 now and if Im counting right, everyone was there except six nieces and nephews and their families.

The noon meal was more than enough food with all the side dishes and desserts added to the hot meal Paul and Leah provided.

I forgot to mention that the bus had a lift so nephew Jacob and daughter Loretta could take their mobility scooters along.

Of course, my parents and brother Amos were greatly missed. Invitations to the wedding of brother Amos and Nancys youngest daughter, Laura, were passed out. She and Enos have set Aug. 6 for their wedding day. Amos and Nancy had 10 children  eight daughters and two sons. This is their eighth wedding to prepare for. Nancy has her youngest son Sam still at home with her. The newlyweds, Enos and Laura, will make their home with Nancy and son Sam for now.

Singing took place in the afternoon and everyone brought snacks to enjoy before we headed home at 4 p.m.

We arrived home in Michigan around 6:30 p.m.

It was time to prepare for church services at a young married couples house a few miles from here the next day. Daughter Loretta had her fifth service of following instructions for the eighteen articles of faith that the Amish youth take before getting baptized. All the church ministry and members have been so helpful to make sure everything is easy for Loretta and nephew Jacob with their handicaps. It is greatly appreciated and makes us appreciate the love.

So often, we take our health for granted and do not think of the effort it takes others to do the same things we do. It causes a lot of discouragement for them, and even for me as a parent, when they have a bad day of accepting that they cannot do what others their age can. I know they have greater compassion for others through their handicaps. May God bless the youth that take time to stop and reach out to them. You have no idea what it means when their challenge is so much greater than ours. The kingdom of heaven will have no handicaps. God bless.

Lovinas Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Readers can write to Eicher at PO Box 1689, South Holland, IL 60473 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.

Easy Peach Cream Pie

3 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

1 (9-inch) pie crust (unbaked)

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

dash of salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place peaches in the pie crust. Beat eggs slightly in bowl; blend in sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in cream and vanilla; blend well. Pour over peaches. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, or until center shakes slightly when moved.
Northern Arizona University announced on Friday that it is postponing its first day of in-person classes to Aug. 31, although classes will continue to start remotely on Aug. 12.

NAU President Rita Cheng said the university made the decision to provide more time and space for students to safely move into campus, Cheng said. The decision was announced through a campuswide email sent out Friday afternoon. The email detailed several requirements for students, faculty and staff before coming to NAU or returning to work.

Additionally, Cheng said giving an extra two weeks to wait for in-person instruction allows the university to see if the countys downward trend in positive cases continues. Cheng also hopes if the virus eases up across the state over the next two weeks, faculty and staff might feel more comfortable returning to work.

This is a very stressful time to think about coming back into a face-to-face environment, Cheng told the Arizona Daily Sun. What we want to do is keep our in-person class sizes very small  and keep social distancing in classrooms so that everyone is wearing a mask to reduce the risk of transmission of this awful infection.

The plan calls for increased responsibilities for students coming to NAU.

Those include having students isolate by themselves or with their family 10 days before traveling to Flagstaff, being tested before traveling and conducting a health check every day before attending school. The health checks will be done through the NAU Health Check app that will be released in early August. Masks and cloth face coverings will be required in all buildings and social distancing will be mandatory on campus.

Any student who has not been tested before arriving on campus will be required to isolate and wait for results from university testing resources.

Were saying why dont you take care of this before you come so you dont run the risk of testing positive in the first two weeks here in Flagstaff? Cheng said.

Faculty and staff have been asked to complete training on how to return to work safely, take antibody testing that is available through a University of Arizona partnership, and refer to the Jacks are Back website (https://nau.edu/jacks-are-back) for more updated information about health and safety precautions. During the school year, they will also be asked to conduct daily self-health screenings.

Additionally, university authorities said they would push for expanding testing and contract tracing capability. The university will also provide testing throughout the academic year, and provide healthcare kits in early August with two reusable masks and hand sanitizer.

Cheng noted the universitys plan is built to change and account for new information, and hopes their teaching system will allow students to learn remotely or in person at any given time and emphasize safety. Focusing on the remote learning system NAU Flex, Cheng believed the university could make the switch work.

If we see that things are going in the wrong direction, we can pull back on in-person [classes] with NAU Flex, Cheng said.

Cheng said the university consulted with multiple stakeholders and scientific and medical professionals at NAU and Flagstaff Medical Center before making its recent decision. Among those was the Center for Health Equity Research, which released an update earlier this month that advised against reinstating in-person operations prior to the spring 2021 semester.

If you come to work sick, and your sickness happens to be coronavirus, [it] can really infect a lot of people," Cheng said. "We want to make sure students understand if they can stay healthy, the whole campus can stay healthy."

County, state update

Coconino County added 26 new cases and zero deaths in Friday's report, bringing its totals to 2,704 positive cases and 108 deaths. The county's cases have generally been on a downward trend since a spike in the final two weeks of June.

Arizona health officials reported 89 additional deaths from the coronavirus Friday as a rise in fatalities that began early in July shows no sign of easing.

The state Health Services Department said the new deaths bring the statewide tally since the first was reported in March to 3,142. The state reported 3,349 new cases, putting total confirmed cases at 156,301.

Hospitalizations for the virus have dropped significantly in the past two weeks, with 2,844 people being treated as of Thursday. That's down from the July 13 peak of 3,517 people. The number of people being cared for in intensive care units has also fallen significantly.

The decline was the first sustained drop in new cases since Gov. Doug Ducey imposed orders a month ago closing gyms, nightclubs and bars and face-mask orders issued by local governments started to appear. The Republican said Thursday he would extend those closure orders indefinitely.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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A medic works on samples taken for testing the new coronavirus infection in Hanoi, April, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh.

A Myanmar sailor has raised Vietnam's Covid-19 tally to 383 and active cases to 26, the Health Ministry confirmed Sunday afternoon.

The sailor, 40, works for the IPANEMA, a container ship registered in Liberia. The ship left Japan on June 6 and arrived at the Hon Gai Port in Ha Long Town, Quang Ninh Province on June 23.

The man was quarantined on the vessel upon arrival. On July 7, he disembarked and was sent to quarantine at the Van Long Hotel in the northern province.

His first test two days later showed negative but the second test Friday came positive. "Patient 383" has been transferred to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi for treatment.

With 357 recoveries, Vietnam now has 26 active Covid-19 patients.

By Sunday, the nation has gone 94 days without detecting a single case of Covid-19 infection caused by community transmission. No Covid-19 deaths have been recorded to date.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 605,600 worldwide.
A court in Karnatakas Gokak late on Friday issued summons to Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa for an alleged violation of the Model Codel of Conduct during the campaign for the 2019 assembly by-polls.

The accused on two occasions in his speech appeals to a specific community but not to the workers of the party attributing the caste and community for seeking votes in favour of the candidate of the Gokak constituency. the Judicial Magistrate First Class court observed.

On November 23 last year, Yediyurappa, addressing a rally in Gokak, had appealed to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community to not split their votes and to back BJP candidate Ramesh Jarkiholi. Subsequently, both the Congress and the JDS had protested against what they said was an appeal on the basis of caste and community saying it was violative of the Election Commissions Model Code of Conduct. They had also lodged cases in this regard.

Gokak has a large presence of Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. In the by-polls, crucial to the survival of the BJP government, Ramesh Lakshman Jarkiholi managed to defeat his younger brother Lakhan Jarkiholi of Congress by a margin of more than 29,000 votes.

Though the investigating officer filed a B report, meaning there is inadequate proof to prove the charges, making an appeal to dismiss the case, Veeresh Kumar, Principal Magistrate, rejected it.

The CM, or his office, is yet to react to the summons issued by the court.
The Rajasthan government has come up with a fresh proposal to convene a session of the state assembly in four to five days time, following objections raised by governor Kalraj Mishra over its convening at a short notice among others, said people familiar with the development.

The decision was taken in the state cabinet meet chaired by chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday evening. The people quoted above said the meeting, lasting for about 15-20 minutes, decided that the government should make a fresh submission to the governor for convening a session of the state assembly. It is not clear if the chief minister will himself meet Mishra with the request. Gehlot was earlier supposed to meet him at 4pm this afternoon, however, the meeting didnt take place.

The need for the fresh proposal with new dates as options was felt after the governors house raised several questions over the original proposal submitted by the government to hold the session starting Monday.

The governor said the note containing the request neither explained the urgency, nor mention the agenda for the session. He added that it didnt even indicate if the state cabinet had approved it. Mishra alleged the haste shown by the government along with its intent to face a floor test was irrational since no one has demanded a show of strength on the floor of the house. He had argued that a 21-day advance notice was needed for calling a new session of the assembly and the Raj Bhawan needed time to consult legal experts over the proposal.

Also Read: Supreme Court to hear Rajasthan Assembly Speakers appeal against HC order at 11am on Monday

Gehlot had yesterday alleged that the governor was under pressure from higher ups and demanded that he acted as per his constitutional obligation without succumbing to the alleged pressure.

Noted senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who is appearing in the Rajasthan High Court for Congress rebels headed by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, told HT that the governors office was a constitutional post and therefore Kalraj Mishra may be entitled to advise Gehlot to put off the session for the next two weeks citing the Covid outbreak.

Former union law minister and senior Congress leader Ashwani Kumar is, however, of the view that Kalraj Mishra cannot refuse to convene the assembly session sought by the chief minister since the governors office is bound to the advice of the council of ministers.

Earlier today, Gehlot told the MLAs at the Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting at the Fairmont hotel that the Congress party will not let BJP succeed in their conspiracy, people familiar with the proceedings of the meeting said.

He added that he was willing to go to the Presidents house if needed and even stage a dharna outside the Prime Ministers house if required.

Gehlot and his supporting MLAs had laid siege to the governors house yesterday for around 5 hours and shouted slogans demanding convening of the assembly session.

Meanwhile, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by Rajasthan BJP President Satish Poonia and leader of opposition Gulab Chandra Kataria met governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhawan in the evening on Saturday.
Netanyahu: Fight Against Iran's Military, Nuclear Programs Continued 'In Recent Days'

Radio Farda July 24, 2020

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he the fight against Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missiles and the country's military presence in Syria has "continued' in recent days.

Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem on Thursday evening mainly dedicated to his plans regarding the coronavirus crisis the Israeli Prime Minister said the details of the actions taken "better remain untold".

This was the first time Netanyahu indirectly made a reference to alleged operations against Iranian nuclear, military, energy and industrial sites in recent weeks, including an explosion at Natanz uranium enrichment facility, which has been attributed to Israel.

Gabi Ashkenazi, the Foreign Minister of Israel a day after the July 4 explosion at Natanz said Israel has a long-term policy over the course of many administrations not to allow Iran to have nuclear capabilities.

"This regime with those abilities is an existential threat to Israel, and Israel cannot allow it to establish itself on our northern border," he said and added: "We take actions that are better left untold", he added.

Based on views of Israeli experts, Jerusalem Post on Thursday in an article said it is fair to say that Mossad's 2018 operation  seizing Tehran's nuclear secrets from under its nose  helped set the stage for the explosions, "if Israel is involved".

In 2018 the Israeli Prime Minister announced that more than half a ton of secret Iranian nuclear documents including 55,000 written on CDs had been stolen from a warehouse near Tehran by Israeli agents.

On July 5, the New York Time quoted a Middle Eastern intelligence official as saying that Israel was responsible for the attack on Natanz nuclear complex and the explosion was caused by a powerful bomb as well as a member of the Revolutionary Guard who also said an explosive had been used. Both had spoken on condition of anonymity.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi on July 13 said Iran would show a decisive reaction if Israel's involvement in the Natanz incident was proved.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/netanyahu -fight-against-iran-military-nuclear- programs-continued/30745738.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Lisbon, July 25 : The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has announced that the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve (AIA) in Portimao, will host a Formula 1 Grand Prix on October 25.

The announcement sees F1 return to Portugal after 24 years, the last race in the country having been held in 1996 at the Estoril Circuit near the capital Lisbon, reports Xinhua news agency.

The President of the Portuguese Federation of Automobile and Karting (FPAK), Ni Amorim, celebrated the Friday's announcement as "a historic moment".

"It is long-awaited news because since March we have worked to make this possible, intervening with the FIA and the government," he said at a press conference, adding that the public is expected to be on the stands.

Paulo Pinheiro, administrator of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, stressed that this announcement "is the culmination of a lot of work, a team effort, now awarded with Formula One in Portugal".

"From the first moment we wanted the race to have an audience, and we worked on that with all health entities. I think we did a very good job together," he said.

The start of the 2020 F1 season was scheduled for March 15 in Australia, but that race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely disrupted the 2020 F1 calendar. So far, 13 races have been confirmed.

The race in Portimao was confirmed at the same time as events at the Nurburgring in Germany and Italy's Imola. All three were not part of the original 2020 calendar.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 22:35:18|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has recorded 472 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily increase recorded since the country recorded its first two cases in March, the health ministry said on Saturday.

Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the cases were picked from 1,851 tests conducted, bringing the cumulative cases to 4,328.

The country also recorded three more deaths, bringing the total deaths to 139.

The Zambian health minister said the increased cases calls for a change of direction from everyone in response to the pandemic.

The government, he said, will embark on aggressive measures in communities to stem the rise in cases, adding that measures will include sensitization and screening.

"Zambians have relaxed a lot and the country has reached a dangerous point. There is need to ensure that this business as usual approach is stopped," he said during a COVID-19 update. Enditem
Overall, the Toronto Stock Exchange seems to be doing much better than where it was in March 2020. Canadian economic data looks promising after the country implemented numerous emergency stimulus measures.

The Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has done well to keep the economy afloat during restrictive COVID-19 measures to slow infection rates.

Canadian investors watched energy stocks on the TSX this week. Oil prices dropped in response to rising U.S. oil inventories.

Soaring COVID-19 infection rates didnt help the situation. The United States now has the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases in the world. On average, the country is gaining 2,600 new cases every hour.

Countries including Canada either have or are discussing the possibility of strict travel restrictions on U.S. citizens.

U.S. crude oil prices fell by 0.7% per barrel, while Brent crude prices dropped by 0.8%.

Bad politics boost gold prices

Bad global politics is good for gold prices, which are already up this year. Gold prices rose as political tension between the United States and China escalated. President Donald Trump forced the closure of Chinas consulate in Houston, Texas.

As one of the biggest losers on Thursday, Ballard Power Systems stock responded to developments in China with an 8.5% drop in price.

This TSX clean fuel cell stock lost momentum on news that Linde signed a memorandum of understanding with China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Linde will help CNOOC develop the hydrogen energy industry in China.

Shareholders of Ballard Power Systems didnt appreciate news of formidable competition.

TSX stocks to avoid

Miner Teck Resources Ltd reported an 82% decline in adjusted profit for the second quarter. Both prices and demand for its copper, zinc and coking coal fell during the pandemic.

Miner Teck joins the list of mining resource firms that have suspended construction projects and cut production. An under-construction mine in Chile is now behind schedule due to COVID-19 concerns, which will impact the net present value of the project and its value to shareholders.

Story continues

Cenovus Energy Inc also announced a loss for the second quarter. Nonetheless, the TSX oil and gas producer believes that the worst is over for the industry.

CEO Alex Pourbaix commented in a press release on Thursday:

We view the second quarter as a period of transition, with April as the low point of the downturn and the first signs of recovery taking hold in May and June. That said, we expect the commodity price environment to remain volatile for some time.

Oil and gas demand has faltered during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this might be great for the environment, oil profits, especially in North America, are suffering.

TSX stocks to watch

On Wednesday, Suncor Energy Inc disappointed shareholders with a much larger loss last quarter. This company gained investment from Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund this year. Despite the optimism from one of Canadas biggest oil competitors, Suncor still couldnt escape the impacts of a decline in global demand for oil.

5G technology has looked like one of the best investments for 2019 and 2020 on the TSX. Still, shareholders are disappointed with the turnout after COVID-19 restrictions harmed the bottom line. Not only was wireless service demand lower than expected, but Canada had to cancel some favourite sporting events due to the virus.

As a result, Rogers Communications Inc missed the mark with its quarterly revenue and profit estimates on Wednesday. Management blamed lost sporting advertisement revenue for its failure to meet investor expectations.

The post TSX Last Week: Crucial COVID-19 Impacts appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

Fool contributor Debra Ray has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC. CL B NV.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020
Police to begin arresting, charging returnees who skip second Covid-19 test

Overseas returnees who have yet to undergo a mandatory second Covid-19 test on the 13th day of their home quarantine period have the next two days to comply with the order or risk arrest and a court charge.

In a statement today, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob urged the 2,897 returnees in question to undergo the test immediately.

Beginning next Monday (July 27), the police will take action by arresting and charging the 2,897 individuals who have yet to come forward for a second test on their 13th day under home quarantine.

The individuals in question are to contact their nearest district health office (PKD) to undergo the second test, he cautioned.

Ismail also said that Health Ministry officials and the police will be performing spot-checks on the 9,600 returnees presently under home quarantine to monitor adherence to standard operating procedures (SOP).

Starting yesterday (July 24), the government stopped allowing arrivals to observe their 14-day quarantine order at home but instead placed them at designated quarantine centres.

Unlike before, returnees now have to bear the full cost of their stay at these centres, which are often hotels.

This came after a rise in imported Covid-19 cases and clusters linked to them were detected.

As of yesterday, Ismail shared that 319 individuals had arrived from Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, India, United Arab Emirates, China and Australia.

Meanwhile, the National Security Council (MKN) shared on its Facebook page that the government has decided to tighten SOPs that were previously loosened due to the recent uptick in Covid-19 cases.

It did not elaborate on which SOPs these were.

The announcement also said that SOPs for Hari Raya Aidiladha and ship crews will be decided in a special meeting among Cabinet ministers this Monday (July 27).

Hari Raya Aidiladha falls on July 31.
By Andrei Makhovsky

MINSK (Reuters) - An opposition candidate who wanted to stand against Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko in next month's presidential election has fled to Russia with his two sons, fearing they could be taken away, his campaign said on Friday.

Valery Tsepkalo, the country's former ambassador to Washington and later the founder of an office park for technology companies, worried that the authorities had started proceedings to deprive him of his parental rights.

Lukashenko has jailed two of his main election rivals and detained hundreds of protesters in a crackdown on dissent against his 26-year rule that has drawn Western criticism.

Tsepkalo's campaign said officials from the General Prosecutor Office had come to the boys' school asking for written statements that his family were not taking good enough care of the children.

"We were left with no choice," Tsepkalo's wife Veronika, who stayed behind to campaign against Lukashenko, told a crowd of hundreds of people at a rally.

"I was called by concerned people and they said: 'We do not want to sign these papers, but they force us (to sign), they collect something bad against you and the next step is to deprive you of parental rights, that you are a bad mother, do not take care of the children'."

The General Prosecutor Office denied authorities visited the school. "The prosecutor's office did not take any actions aimed at depriving Valery or Veronika Tsepkalo of parental rights," it said in a statement.

The Tsepkalos have not disclosed the age of the children.

Valery Tsepkalo's move abroad comes days after another opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, moved her two children to an undisclosed location in the European Union. She received anonymous threats of her children being taken away.

Veronika Tsepkalo has joined forces with Tikhanouskaya and a third woman representing another candidate, now in prison, to campaign jointly against Lukashenko.

Story continues

Valery Tsepkalo was barred from standing after the central election commission voided some of the signatures he needed to collect to become a candidate.

Tikhanouskaya launched her campaign after her husband, a popular blogger who planned to run against the president, was arrested in May.

Protests in support of opposition candidates are the biggest challenge in years to Lukashenko, amid anger over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and grievances over the economy and human rights.

(Editing by Matthias Williams, Angus MacSwan and Andrew Cawthorne)
The Weekend Sun has a warm spot by the fire, at Number 1 The Strand, for politicians to stop by and share their ideas ahead of the upcoming election. First up is Act leader David Seymour.

Davids Twitter spat with Winston Peters this week following an immigration announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister reflects his disdain for NZ First.

You look at their provincial growth fund. All the money has gone to Northland to try and win a seat.

Thats banana republic stuff, says Seymour, from his spot on the leather couch.

ACT proposes a partnership between government and every region to build infrastructure over a 30 year time period. That would see places like the Bay of Plenty that are really growing get the infrastructure the taxpayers are paying for.

Regional partnerships are a massive opportunity. Infrastructure New Zealand promotes them, councils don't have enough money, and central government doesn't know what local people need. By partnering together, you get funding, accountability and a long-term perspective with local knowledge all together to build the infrastructure for every region of New Zealand, not just the one region New Zealand First think they can win.

Seymour is also scathing of the Governments border control failings, following the return to Alert Level 1.

We were promised smart borders. Unfortunately the government isn't doing really simple things to justify the sacrifice New Zealand made for eight weeks.

Epidemics tend to go one of two ways. Either the virus dies out or people just stop caring and live their lives. Sooner or later New Zealanders are going to move on, regardless of the virus. I don't think being asked to lock down again will be well tolerated by New Zealanders, especially when it's so obviously the government's fault this time.

He also thinks the Government is soft on gangs.

Theyve got to stop this policy of gang appeasement. One gang member got essential worker status during the lockdown. The government seems to think if you make friends with the gangs, theyll be nice back to you. The police should be turning them over, putting them in jail for parking or jaywalking.

Until you have leadership that says gangs and gang crime are not acceptable and we're going to do everything we can within the law to shut you down, then you're going nowhere. Theres almost this view that our gangs are part of society, so it's just let them shoot people up. Well thats not okay.

Despite Tauranga being an attractive place to live, he says its become one of the most price-y places in the English-speaking world.

For a lot of people in the Bay, things are going great, except its hard to build houses, especially for the younger generation. Theres too much red tape and not enough infrastructure funding, making growth too difficult.

He wants to hear what the people of Tauranga are saying, noting that its appropriate weve got a builder, Cameron Luxton, standing as the Act Party candidiate for the Tauranga electorate and marketing manager Bruce Carley standing for the Bay of Plenty.

Cameron actually knows what it's like to build houses and where the delays and roadblocks are. The number one thing here for the Bay of Plenty is making it easier for the next generation to build their homes here.

His vision includes every person having the same rights and educational opportunities.

The government spends $15 billion a year on 60,000 children born every year. That's $250,000 spent on education per citizen throughout their life. At the moment, you wouldnt even know that quarter of a million dollars gets spent on you, as it gets trickled through all sorts of bureaucracies.

Seymour says that when a child turns two, a bank account set up for them would have $12,000 deposited annually.

The parents can take your share to a school of your choice, either public or private. Do that for 16 years - that's $184,000. Youll lose some for administration, and there would be a special fund for children with special needs, but youre left with $30,000 for tertiary. If you do well at tertiary exams, you get another 50,000 - 80,000 total for university or other training.

The account can be kept running for the duration of a persons life to use for lifelong learning.

You can borrow from it, it can go negative and you pay it off. If you still have some when youre 65 you can cash it out. So you could be very rich, but uneducated.

He says his education policy and introducing more charter schools would transform peoples lives and make the country wealthier.

A kid at a charter school came up to me and said I never knew I was smart until I came here. Isnt that incredible?

Seymour wants to see a Government that is also smarter around public health and spending.

The DHB model has been a failure. We have too many, and theyre just not sophisticated enough to do the job. Most of them are in huge deficit.

He believes reducing the total number of DHBs to six would be a more successful model.

People are worried about debt. No partys governed alone under MMP in Germany or New Zealand. Youre always going to be a partner with somebody, so whats realistic is a much larger ACT party with a much bigger voice for people that want to reduce spending by government. The best way to get more ACT MPs is to get more party votes.

Proud of his Maori heritage, he chooses not to make a big thing of it.

Its part of who I am. I'm very comfortable in a modern New Zealand. But my view is that every human has the same rights before the law. Culture's a private matter. ACTs freedom-oriented policies are good for Maori because they're good for everybody.

A number one issue I think for Maori is ultimately, can you afford a warm, dry house that's big enough for all the people living in it? Not just for Maori, its an issue for everyone, but if you solve it, you help Maori too.

A favourite activity is making pizza from scratch, with a few toppings and full of flavour.

It's really nice kneading the dough. You can make a much better pizza from fresh dough than you can from any other source.

He has one very certain election promise.

Tell everyone if you vote for me I won't dance again. In fact, if it wasn't for so many people texting in and voting for me [on Dances with the Stars], I would have finished dancing earlier. It wasn't my fault people kept voting for me.
The families of victims are demanding answers from a serial killer nurse, as it's revealed she lingered in the room to watch them die after injecting them with fatal doses of insulin.

Reta Mays, 46, a former nursing assistant at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia, broke down in tears as she confessed to murdering seven elderly veterans in her care between 2017 and 2018.

Robert Edge Sr., Robert Kozul, Archie Edgell, 84, George Shaw Sr, 81, Felix McDermott, 82, Raymond Golden, and W.A.H. - identified as William Alfred Holloway, 96, by USA Today - all died from severe hypoglycemia.

The veteran she is accused of assaulting has been identified only by initials the R.R.P.

The West Virginia Army National Guard veteran's murderous spree came to light when colleagues and victims' families sounded the alarm over the spate of mysterious deaths.

Reta Mays, 46, (pictured) a former nursing assistant at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia, broke down in tears as she confessed to murdering seven elderly veterans in her care between 2017 and 2018

Shocking new details have emerged about the serial killer's murder spree, including that she watched her victims as some took days to die and tried to murder one twice after her first attempt failed.

An anonymous investigator told the Washington Post the serial killer would stay in the room and sit by the veterans' bedsides after she had administered the fatal dose of insulin so she could then watch them die.

They told how Mays would also hang around and watch while medical workers tried desperately to save the veterans.

Mays evaded detection by finding a flaw in the hospital systems that enabled the patients' glucose test results to go undetected, the investigator said.

One healthcare worker told the Post she lingered in her victims' rooms when doctors arrived the morning after she injected them to find their blood sugar levels had plummeted.

Mays would watch their futile battle to counteract the drugs and would listen in to their conversations with the victims' families over their conditions.

Many of her victims would take several hours to a few weeks for their organs to shut down and die.

The healthcare worker said they were 'fooled' by the killer who came across as eager to please.

'She absolutely fooled me,' they said. 'I looked at her and thought, "She wants to be a go-getter." She was that helpful and involved.'

The victims: Robert Kozul (left) and John Hallman (right). John Hallman, 87, was cremated, although his daughter said he had an unexplained drop in blood sugar levels before he died

Pictured) George Shaw Sr. (left) Archie Edgell (center) and William Alfred Holloway (right)

Felix McDermott (pictured) is one of seven killed victims named. Others include Robert Edge Sr., Robert Kozul, Archie Edgell, George Shaw Sr and Raymond Golden

Mays' plea agreement also revealed that she tried to kill one of her victims, Korean War veteran Archie Edgell, again after her first attempt failed.

Her first attempt saw her injecting Edgell with enough insulin to cause his glucose levels to plummet while she was working a graveyard shift at the hospital, the plea agreement states.

When Edgell didn't die the next day, she injected him with another dose the following night.

Edgell's autopsy found he had four injection sites on his body.

His devastated granddaughter has broken her silence over his murders saying she needs to know why Mays went on her killing rampage.

Tina Hickman told the Post she was shocked to learn the nurse killed her grandfather Edgell because she had always been friendly and let her walk her dogs on her farm.

'I kind of didn't believe it, because I talked to her all the time,' said Hickman. 'I would like to know why.'

Hickman said she thinks her grandmother, Edgell's wife of 62 years Frances who died 'of a broken heart' months after her husband, had suspicions about the nurse after she rarely left her husband's side and allowed authorities to exhume his body.

The devastated granddaughter of one of the victims - Tina Hickman - has broken her silence over the murders as she says she needs to know why Mays went on her killing rampage

Hickman told the Washington Post she was shocked to learn the nurse killed her grandfather Korean War veteran Archie Edgell (pictured) because she had always been friendly and let her walk her dogs on her far

Mays' plea agreement has revealed that she tried to kill Edgell (pictured with his wife Frances) twice after her first attempt failed

As questions are mounting about Mays' motive, prosecutors believe the 46-year-old will point to post-traumatic stress disorder as a motive for the killings, after her lawyers said she was taking PTSD medication in last week's plea hearing.

It is not clear what she was taking the PTSD medication for.

Before joining Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in 2015 Mays served in Iraq in the West Virginia Army National Guard in 2003.

She joined the forces about six months after 9/11 and became a chemical equipment repairer in the 109nd Engineer Battalion.

Before joining Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in 2015 Mays served in Iraq in the West Virginia Army National Guard in 2003. Comrade Mike Greaver (pictured) told the Post there were no signs she could go on to kill

One of her comrades told the Post there were no signs she could go on to kill.

'I would have never dreamt she was capable of doing something like this,' said Mike Greaver, who served in the same unit as Mays in Iraq.

'This is Jekyll and Hyde if I ever did see it.'

Mays left the Guard in October 2006 under good terms and began working as a correctional officer at the North Central Regional Jail from 2005 to 2012.

An inmate filed a lawsuit in 2013 against several correctional officers including Mays.

In the suit, the inmate claimed Mays kicked him and 'bent over him, spit in his face, and said '[h]ow do you like that mother f****' and 'you ain't that tough now are you?'.

She denied the allegations and the suit was later dismissed.

Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia where the veterans died. Mays pleaded guilty to seven counts of second-degree murder and one count of assault with the intent to commit murder in court last week

Mays then worked for ResCare in a home for adults with disabilities in Clarksburg, where she had a flawless record.

She was also a longtime member of the local Monroe Chapel United Methodist church.

But, according to the Post, she had a troubled family life, with her husband behind bars for failing to register as a sex offender in West Virginia following a 2012 conviction for child pornography.

Mays is accused of wrongfully injecting her victims with insulin to kill them during graveyard shifts from 2015 to 2018.

She pleaded guilty to seven counts of second-degree murder and one count of assault with the intent to commit murder in court last week.

Prosecutors have asked for her to be sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences and an additional 20-year prison term.
Brazilian researchers develop an optical fiber made of gel derived from marine algae

An optical fiber made of agar has been produced at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This device is edible, biocompatible and biodegradable. It can be used in vivo for body structure imaging, localized light delivery in phototherapy or optogenetics (e.g., stimulating neurons with light to study neural circuits in a living brain), and localized drug delivery.

Another possible application is the detection of microorganisms in specific organs, in which case the probe would be completely absorbed by the body after performing its function.

The research project, which was supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP, was led by Eric Fujiwara, a professor in UNICAMP's School of Mechanical Engineering, and Cristiano Cordeiro, a professor in UNICAMP's Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics, in collaboration with Hiromasa Oku, a professor at Gunma University in Japan.

An article on the study is published) in Scientific Reports, an online journal owned by Springer Nature.

Agar, also called agar-agar, is a natural gelatin obtained from marine algae. Its composition consists of a mixture of two polysaccharides, agarose and agaropectin. "Our optical fiber is an agar cylinder with an external diameter of 2.5 millimeters [mm] and a regular inner arrangement of six 0.5 mm cylindrical airholes around a solid core. Light is confined owing to the difference between the refraction indices of the agar core and the airholes," Fujiwara told.

"To produce the fiber, we poured food-grade agar into a mold with six internal rods placed lengthwise around the main axis," he continued. "The gel distributes itself to fill the available space. After cooling, the rods are removed to form airholes, and the solidified waveguide is released from the mold. The refraction index and geometry of the fiber can be adapted by varying the composition of the agar solution and mold design, respectively."

The researchers tested the fiber in different media, from air and water to ethanol and acetone, concluding that it is context-sensitive. "The fact that the gel undergoes structural changes in response to variations in temperature, humidity and pH makes the fiber suitable for optical sensing," Fujiwara said.

Another promising application is its simultaneous use as an optical sensor and a growth medium for microorganisms. "In this case, the waveguide can be designed as a disposable sample unit containing the necessary nutrients. The immobilized cells in the device would be optically sensed, and the signal would be analyzed using a camera or spectrometer," he said.

###

About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at http://www. fapesp. br/ en and visit FAPESP news agency at http://www. agencia. fapesp. br/ en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia. fapesp. br/ subscribe .

This story has been published on: 2020-07-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 14

By Samir Ali  Trend:

There were fierce battles in Azerbaijans Tovuz district on July 13 night, Azerbaijani Deputy Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Kerim Veliyev told reporters, Trend reports on July 14.

The Armenian armed forces suffered big losses, up to 100 servicemen were killed, numerous military equipment and important facilities were destroyed during two days, lieutenant general added.

"Major General Polad Hashimov and Colonel Ilgar Mirzoyev died heroes and became martyrs during the July 14 morning battles," Veliyev said.

"This testifies that our generals and senior officers do not hide behind soldiers, valiantly participate in combat missions, Veliyev added. Unfortunately, there are no battles without losses. We express condolences to the families of the victims on behalf of the leadership of the Defense Ministry."
It's common knowledge that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a complicated relationship with the British media.

When the couple dropped their bombshell news of stepping down as senior members of the Firm, multiple reports cited that the consistent blow and unfair criticisms coming from the press was one of the driving forces behind the decision.

For almost two years since she joined the royal family, the Duchess of Sussex has dealt with racist remarks from tabloids. Moreover, in the wake of their royal exit announcement, the media even coined the term "Megxit" -- of which Prince Harry was reportedly angry about.

Having said that, here are three seasons why the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dislike the media and why they have since redefined their relationship with the press.

The Sussexes Are Suing The Media Over Archie's Drone Photos

In the latest Prince Harry and Meghan Markle news, it has been reported that the couple is taking legal action over the invasion of their privacy.

The Sussexes, who are very protective of their 1-year-old son Archie, said that an unidentified paparazzi snapped a photo of their son using a drone.

In a statement released by Sussexes' lawyer Michael Kump, he confirmed that the couple is filing legal action to protect baby Archie.

"Every individual and family member in California is guaranteed by law the right to privacy in their home. No drones, helicopters, or telephoto lenses can take away that right," Kump mentioned, as obtained by BBC. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are filing this lawsuit to protect their young son's right to privacy in their home without intrusion by photographers, and to uncover and stop those who seek to profit from these illegal actions."

Bullying Issue

It is no secret that the 38-year-old former Hollywood actress has been the subject of unfair criticisms and relentless attacks from British tabloids.

Every move of Meghan has become a headliner, from her lifestyle choices to the little hand gestures interpreted by body language experts. She was also compared to her sister-in-law Kate Middleton and blamed as the cause of the royal feud.

After years of their silence, the couple reached their breaking point, as Prince Harry blasted the British Press and expressed his concern over their treatment towards his wife.

He even mentioned his fears that history will repeat itself, referring to the untimely and tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana.

"Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences - a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son," Prince Harry said previously.

Cutting Ties With British Tabloids

Given the treatment of the British media to them, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made the bold move to cut their ties with the tabloids that have been allegedly harrasing them.

In a letter sent to the editors of four UK tabloids, the couple mentioned they will no longer be cooperating with the "royal rota" -- a system that allows a rotation of reporters from British newspapers to attend and report on the royal family's activities.

Based on the new policy, "there will be no corroboration and zero engagement from the couple," as they accused the publications of using "clickbait" and "salacious gossip" to increase ad revenue.

READ MORE: Kim Kardashian Heartbreak: Kanye West SNUBBING Kim K Amid Divorce Rumors
Precipitation in northern Saskatchewan is approaching record highs as water rises.

High river and lake water will be a concern for the rest of summer, and in some cases  such as the main-stem of the Churchill River  into the fall and winter, analysts say.

The Churchill River system is full  We certainly havent seen many years like this where the whole basin is filled up, Saskatchewan Water Security Agency spokesperson Ron Podbielski told Canadas National Observer on Friday.

According to the agency, northern Saskatchewan has seen extremely high cumulative precipitation (rainfall and runoff) since April 1, resulting in high flows and lake water across the Churchill River and Lower Saskatchewan River basins.

He said that although serious flooding inside communities is not expected to happen as of yet, residents need to stay vigilant. And this year could see record water volumes as the summer progresses.

Podbielski said an increased variability in weather patterns, and more extreme conditions caused by climate change, will mean the province will have to adapt to a new normal.

Were seeing that climate variability that weve acknowledged in the province is happening in terms of both drought and flood, Podbielski said.

It looks like the province is going to have to focus on adaptation because of some of these extremes.

In most areas, flows and water levels are expected to peak, or have peaked, slightly lower than historical highs.

However, flows and levels in the Lower Churchill River, including Reindeer River and Churchill River near Sandy Bay, have exceeded these highs.

As of (Friday), we are not anticipating any flooding issues. That said, the situation is always very dynamic, but the wild card in there is that we have another weather forecast which is suggesting a lot of rain in that central and northern area of the province, Podbielski said, adding the Churchill Basin is expected to see the most.

Generally, communities will look at the drinking water and the wastewater systems just to be sure that they are safeguarded in case of a high water level situation, Podbielski said.

About 10 to 20 millimetres of rain is expected over the weekend in the central part of the Churchill River drainage basin, with localized higher amounts in thunderstorms.

Podbielski said the heavy rainfall means Lac La Ronge and Sandy Bay could peak at a later date  and at a higher volume.

Lac La Ronge is under the risk of handling those higher levels for a longer period of time with the wild card of additional wet weather, Podbielski said.

If we go over to Cumberland house lots of the community there, the people in the Cumberland delta, some of those individuals got flooded. The outfitters for example. But were not anticipating the town proper to actually be in the flooding situation.

He said that in isolated circumstances some peoples homes have been flooded in and around some of the communities, but the communities themselves havent had that situation as of yet.

In addition to recreation, people in the north are using boats for their daily business, and theres always a personal safety risk when water levels are extremely high. he said.

Although he said northerners are experienced dealing with high water, he said residents should practise safety and good awareness.

This reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.

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WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Kansas' top health official and the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said the state is headed in the wrong direction when it comes to COVID-19 numbers. Dr. Lee Norman said in a tweet Kansas added 1005 new cases and 18 new deaths since Wednesday, which would bring the state's totals to 25,109 cases and 329 deaths.
Jaipur, July 25 : A day after the face-off with Governor Kalraj Mishra over convening of a special Assembly session, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, here on Saturday, said he would foil the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) plan of toppling the state government and even "go to the President, if required".

Addressing the MLAs at Fairmont Hotel, Gehlot said if required we would stay in the hotel for 21 more days. The MLAs hailed the Chief Minister by raising their hands. The legislators are camping at the hotel to block any attempt of poaching.

The Chief Minister called a cabinet meeting at 4 p.m. reportedly to discuss a new proposal for the Assembly session.

While some Congress officials said the Chief Minister was scheduled to meet the Governor during the day, the Raj Bhavan officials told IANS, "No such appointment has been sought".

In fact, BJP leaders was to meet the Governor at 4.30 p.m. over the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state.

The Governor is facing flak from the Gehlot government for not acceding to its request of convening the Assembly session. The Governor on Friday maintained that no one was above the constitutional decorum.

On convening the Assembly session, the Raj Bhavan said a letter had been sent to the Rajasthan Parliamentary Affairs Department, raising some points, like the date from which the session was to be convened as it was not mentioned in the cabinet note and no approval had been given by the cabinet.

"Neither justification nor any agenda has been proposed to call the session on short notice. In the normal process, the 21-day notice is required to call a session," it said.

Instructing the state government to ensure independence and free movement of MLAs, it said as the case of disqualification of some MLAs was under consideration of the high court and the Supreme Court, the state government should take that into cognisance.

It also asked the state government to share the details how the session would be called amid the spread of coronavirus in the state.

The Congress MLAs on Friday staged a protest at the Raj Bhavan, urging the Governor to give his approval for convening a special Assembly session.

After meeting the Governor on Friday evening, Gehlot accused him of working under pressure of "top leaders" and hence, not giving permission to call a special Assembly session.

Later, the Chief Minister called a cabinet meeting at 9.30 p.m, which continued till late in the night.

On Saturday, Congress members staged protests at the district headquarters against the BJP, which according to them was making attempts to topple the state government and "kill democracy".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

By Tamilla Mammadova  Trend:

From January through May 2020, 1.2 tons of live chickens worth $8,400 were exported from Georgia to Azerbaijan, which is $5,400 less in monetary terms compared to the same period last year, Trend reports referring to National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).

Last year, Georgia exported 2 tons of live chickens worth $13,800 to Azerbaijan.

Over the past five years, the highest export rate of this product was recorded in 2018, when 20 tons of live chickens in the amount of $121,800 were exported from Georgia to Azerbaijan.

In turn, over the past five years, the import of live chickens from Azerbaijan by Georgia was carried out only in 2017, when 1.2 tons of them in the amount of $18,000 were exported from Azerbaijan to Georgia.

From January through May 2020, trade turnover between Georgia and Azerbaijan amounted to $409.1 million.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356
New England Treatment Access said on Friday that workers at its Brookline dispensary voted 30-9 not to unionize despite months of efforts on behalf of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1445.

The vote comes a few weeks after UFCW said that 60 cultivation workers in Franklin signed cards to join a union, a process specific to the states agricultural workforce. The NLRB is in the process of validating the signed cards from workers. NETAs manufacturing staff in Franklin have yet to vote on whether to unionize.

The union said it will appeal the Brookline decision.

Over the past two months, a slew of federal complaints have been filed by UFCW Local 1445 alleging that employees have been fired or threatened over collective-bargaining efforts at two marijuana facilities owned by NETA.

In a statement, NETA denied all of the complaints against it. We support everyones right to join or not join a union, but because NETA already offers progressive wages and benefits, as well as a collaborative work environment, we dont think a union is needed, NETA said in a statement. We are in the middle of a union-organizing campaign and union tactics such as filing complaints are not uncommon.

NETA said of the Brookline vote that while there are a dozen contested ballots, they aren't enough to change the outcome of the vote.

"We are pleased with the results and we want to thank our team for the decision that's been made. NETA strives every day to support our employees with a collaborative work environment and progressive wages and benefits," said Amanda Rositano, president of NETA, in a statement.

UFCW Local 1445 first filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board in March to hold an election for Brooklines 146 employees.

NETA and the union have battled over who would be eligible to join the union, and whether the voting process could occur by mail in ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a decision on May 29, a regional director for the National Labor Relations Board permitted voting by mail through July 21, and said the disputed employees  including a lot attendant, security specialist, and security lead  would be permitted to vote in the election.

In the weeks since voting commenced, union leaders say NETA management has tried to dissuade collective bargaining

Companies do that to send a kill effect into the campaign, said DaSilva. People are getting fired because they are joining a union.

In one complaint, filed with the NLRB in on June 5, UFCW alleged that 53 workers had been let go in Brookline with a preference for those who were against the union, and that discharged workers had been offered severance on executing an agreement that restricts the rights of employees to engage in protected... activity.

The company announced in April that an undisclosed number of workers were being let go, saying it was due to an 85% drop in store traffic from coronavirus.

A second complaint filed the same day alleged that since unionization efforts began in March, the company had attempted to interfere with unionization efforts in Brookline by announcing spot bonuses, stock options and providing safety equipment. Employees also said they had been denied regularly scheduled wage increases.

NETA said the safety equipment the union is criticizing included personal protective equipment provided to staff, such as masks.

On July 17, a union complaint alleged that NETA had used coercive statements with employees in Brookline.

Similar complaints have been filed by UFCW over incidents at NETAs Franklin cultivation facility. In a complaint filed July 15, UFCW said an employee had been let go at that facility over unionization activities.

DaSilva said the employee received a letter from management informing him that he was being let go because of his union work, and saying he was a manager who should have brought employee complaints to dispensary executives. DaSilva called the action "vicious."

He spoke about something he believes in, and they tell workers we respect the right to join the union, said DaSilva. But when this guy comes into the plant and says, I think its a good idea for us to have rights as workers, he gets fired. It shows the true face of NETA as a corporation, and the management team.

NETA did not comment on those allegations, saying in a statement that it doesnt discuss private personnel matters.

A second complaint filed July 17 alleged coercion from NETA to employees in Franklin to discourage union activity.

DaSilva said it's critical that unions come in during the still nascent stage of the marijuana industry in Massachusetts, pointing to the difficulty of protecting workers once companies had grown too large.

This industry will grow strong and have more money and it will be harder to fight them when they are big, he said. But the issue we have is when they grow like that, the people who suffer are the workers.

NETA is one of several recreational marijuana businesses that have been the subject of unionization campaigns in recent months.

Sira Naturals was the first dispensary in the state to unionize its workforce, when it joined the UFCW Local 1445 in November 2019. Since then, 40 employees at the Mayflower Medicinals production facility in Holliston had voted to join the union.

Additionally, UFCW Local 1445 has filed petitions with the state to represent workers at Cultivate in Leicester. Local 328 won an election at a Curaleaf dispensary in Hanover.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 19:54:18|Editor: huaxia

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Soldiers of Iraqi security forces patrol the streets in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, on June 28, 2009.(Xinhua/Gao Shan)

"This is the seventh military site that was handed over from the international coalition to Iraqi forces," an Iraqi official says.

BAGHDAD, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led international coalition forces, tasked with fighting the Islamic State (IS) militant group, on Saturday handed over to the Iraqi security forces a new military base of Basmaya near the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the official news agency and coalition statement said.

"The handover of the Spanish forces' base, which is part of the international coalition, in Basmaya Camp to Iraqi forces came according to an agreed timetable between the Iraqi government and the coalition command," the state-run Iraqi News Agency quoted Tahsin al-Khafaji, spokesman of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC), as saying.

"This is the seventh military site that was handed over from the international coalition to Iraqi forces," al-Khafaji said.

"The Spanish forces in the site had trained the Iraqi security forces and will leave Iraq after they have completed their duty," he said.

Meanwhile, a coalition statement said that a ceremony was held in Basmaya Camp in the southeast of Baghdad on the occasion of handing over the military site to the Iraqi forces.

"Due to Iraqi security forces' success in the campaign against Daesh (IS group), the coalition is adjusting its positioning and focus in Iraq. These military movements are long-planned in coordination with the government of Iraq," the statement said.

"Today marks the seventh base this year transferred to the Iraqi security forces, as part of an ongoing partnership between the Iraqi security forces and the anti-IS international military coalition," the statement quoted Maj. Gen. Gerald Strickland as saying.

The statement also said that the coalition "will continue to relocate and consolidate personnel and equipment from Iraqi bases throughout 2020, in cooperation with the government of Iraq."

The handover ceremony came a day after four Katyusha rockets landed in the military base of Basmaya without causing human casualty.

Spanish forces are part of a U.S.-led international coalition tasked with helping the Iraqi security forces in the fight against IS militants by carrying out airstrikes against the IS in Iraq and Syria and providing military equipment and training to Iraqi forces.

The relation between Baghdad and Washington has witnessed a tension since Jan. 3 after a U.S. drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces.

The tension pushed the two sides to hold a round of strategic dialogues on June 12, during which the United States confirmed that it does not seek permanent military presence in the country and that over the coming months the U.S. would continue reducing forces from Iraq and discuss with the government of Iraq the status of remaining forces.

Over 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support Iraqi forces in battles against the IS, mainly for training and advisory purposes.

The troops were part of the U.S.-led international coalition that has also been conducting air raids against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria.
Troy

Mayor Patrick Madden honored Rev. George William Whitfield of the Fifth Avenue AME Zion Church last month to mark his third year as pastor of a church - so known for its friendliness and dedication to social justice, it's nicknamed the "church of radical hospitality". Whitfield has been preaching for two decades since he was 16 at St. Peter's in Cleveland, Ohio. During the protests over George Floyd's killing, Whitfield emerged as a black millennial religious leader who tackled the fight against racism with clarity and vision.

The proclamation lists a sample of Whitfield's accomplishments: "member of the Connectional Young Adults in Christian Ministry Steering Committee, the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Black Social Workers, and as a member of the Board of Commissioners for the Troy Housing Authority as Vice Chair."

Like other Capital Region leaders, he's having the strange experience of speaking to his congregation through cyberspace each Sabbath. Hundreds of worshippers attend his services thanks to streaming. But on his Facebook page, he modestly recalled his first assignment in East St. Louis at the small Brown Community A.M.E. Zion Church:

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

"I am thankful for the lessons, I learned while pastoring at Brown Community A.M.E. Zion Church...Some Sundays I had to preach to a small group of people. Those were some humbling moments in my ministry and I thank God for the people of Brown Community for allowing this first time pastor to learn his way."

"Young preachers: it's not always about the numbers. Sometimes we have to preach and teach to small numbers and God still gets the Glory. Don't get caught up on numbers. Just preach the Word. This morning when you stand via virtual preach the Word. People are needing to hear a word of hope in this season that we are in. I am looking forward to preaching this morning via Zoom."
The 2008 Mumbai attack was one of India's most horrific terrorist attacks in which 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem. (PTI)

Washington: A US court has rejected the USD 1.5 million bail application of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who has been declared a fugitive by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case, describing him a flight risk.

Rana, 59, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

He is a declared fugitive in India.

US District Court Judge in Los Angeles Jacqueline Chooljian, in her 24-page order dated July 21, denied bail to Rana arguing that he is a flight risk.

Describing Rana as a flight risk, the US government opposed his release on bail, arguing that if he were to flee to Canada, he may escape the possibility of a death sentence in India.

Given the stakes, an allowance of bail in any amount would not guarantee Rana's presence in court. Granting bail would invite the possibility of embarrassing the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs, straining its relationship with India, Assistant US Attorney John J Lulejian had told the court.

On the other hand, Rana's attorney told the court that the 26/11 accused is not a flight risk and has proposed a USD 1.5 million bond for his release.

Rana, in his defence, has argued that the US' decision not to extradite his co-conspirator, Headley, to India is inconsistent and bars his extradition.

While Rana has presented a robust bail package and proffered conditions which significantly mitigate the risk of flight, the court cannot find that he has negated the risk of flight and accordingly grants the Detention Request (of the government) on that basis, Judge Chooljian said.

For someone facing conspiracy to murder and murder charges in India, the incentive to flee to avoid extradition is strong, the court said.

Pakistan-born Rana completed Army Medical College there, and served in the Pakistani Army as a doctor for more than a decade, but eventually deserted.

He is currently a Canadian citizen, but was a resident of Chicago where he had a business. According to the court papers, he has also resided in and travelled to Canada, Pakistan, Germany and England and speaks seven languages.

If he flees to Canada, he could effectively avoid exposure to the death penalty as such country's extradition treaty with India contains a provision which allows extradition to be refused if the offence for which extradition is requested is punishable by death in India and is not punishable by death in Canada unless India gives assurances that a death penalty would not be executed, federal prosecutors had said.

There is no question in the court's mind that given Rana's significant foreign ties, particularly to Canada, and the potential death penalty awaiting him in India if he is extradited on and convicted of the most serious pending charges, he is a flight risk, the court said.

According to the court papers, Rana had tested positive for COVID-19 at Terminal Island in Los Angeles on April 28, 2020, but was asymptomatic and has since recovered.

He tested negative in the last three tests on June 13, June 15 and June 25.

According to the federal prosecutors, between 2006 and November 2008, Rana conspired with Headley, also known as "Daood Gilani, and others in Pakistan to assist Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harakat ul-Jihad-e-Islami, both US-designated terrorist organisations, to plan and carry out the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Pakistani-American LeT terrorist Headley was involved in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack.

India seeks his arrest on a number of offences, including the conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit forgery for the purpose of cheating, and murder under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He is sought for his role in 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The 2008 Mumbai attack was one of India's most horrific terrorist attacks in which 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem.

Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive, was hanged to death on November 21, 2012.
For years conservative groups and especially the National Rifle Association have been warning that the government would find a way to confiscate the guns of law-abiding Americans. Many dismissed what they regarded as a scare tactic designed to raise money.

What is happening in St. Louis should awaken us to the fact that those fears are well founded.

The top prosecutor in St. Louis has charged a married couple with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who the media identify as being white, are in their 60s. Both are personal injury attorneys. Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner says their actions risked creating a violent situation during an otherwise peaceful protest last month.

Doesnt Gardner have it backwards?

The gun owners, who say protesters had trespassed on their property, claim they were protecting their home from what could have turned into a violent mob as they no doubt had seen happen on TV in other cities. A case could be made that their display of weapons prevented violence, which is one of the purposes of the Second Amendment. Having a gun for personal protection can be a deterrent without it ever being fired. The McCloskeys did not fire their guns, but only waved them at the protesters while yelling at them.

The McCloskeys have some powerful defenders, including President Trump and Missouri Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, who has said he will pardon the couple if they are convicted. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is another supporter. Hawley has asked Attorney General William Barr to begin an investigation to determine whether the McCloskeys' civil rights have been violated.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is also on the side of the McCloskeys. Schmitt has filed a brief with the court that says in part, The right to keep and bear arms is given the highest level of protection in our Constitution and our laws, including the Castle Doctrine. The Castle law was passed in 2017 and provides for stand your ground protection for citizens who feel threatened by others.

Police seized Mark McCloskeys semi-automatic weapon and Patricia McCloskey later voluntarily surrendered her pistol.

This case is not only important on its own but demonstrates what could happen if Joe Biden wins the presidency. In March, while the COVID-19 virus was beginning to overtake us, Biden said this about Beto ORourke after ORourke dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Biden: Youre going to take care of the gun problem with me. Youre going to be the one who leads this effort. Im counting on you. Im counting on you. He then added, We need you badly, the state needs you, the country needs you. Youre the best.

Last year while still a candidate, ORourke said during a debate carried by ABC News: Hell yes, we are going to take your AR-15. And after that, what? Having established a precedent that the government has a right to confiscate a weapon owned by a law-abiding citizen, what other guns would ORourke (and Biden) come for and on what grounds? What would stop them if more liberal judges are named to the courts and they ignore or re-interpret the Second Amendment?

Do any of the shooters in our major cities pay attention to anti-gun laws, or laws against murder? By definition they are lawbreakers and no one has been able to tell me how passing more laws will suddenly turn them into law-abiders.

By brandishing their weapons, the McCloskeys possibly deterred the marchers outside their home from engaging in actions far worse than their alleged trespassing. If they are convicted, they should be immediately pardoned by the governor. This should be a lesson learned about one of the many dangers of a Joe Biden presidency.

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New Delhi:

With miseries mounting for patients and their attendants following demonetisation, postal department officials have started visiting hospitals across the city to help them exchange old high-value currency notes for new ones.



So far, nearly Rs 25 lakhs have been exchanged by them at the hospitals.



The postal teams are visiting hospital wards offering lower denomination currency notes to patients and their family members as per their needs. Many of them are not able to procure cash from the overcrowded banks and ATMs in the city, Chief Postmaster General (Delhi circle), L N Sharma said.



He said several teams have been formed to visit the hospitals.The hospitals where the teams are going include Ram Manohar Lohiya (RML), Lady Hardinge, Safdarjung, Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB), Army Research and Referral Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Charak Palika hospitals etc.

Also read | Cash Rush: Banks to remain closed today, ATMs to function

According to Abhishek Singh, Director, Postal Services (Operations and Headquarters, Delhi circle) the postal staff have exchanged close to Rs 25 lakhs from hospitals till now.



The initiative is likely to continue till December 30.



From Friday onwards, we have also started visiting oldage homes and exchange the banned currency notes with the elderly people who are not often in a position to visit banks and post offices, Singh said.



Post office has always been a peoples organisation. It caters to the needs of the common man and this was one opportunity where we felt we need to reach out to those who are really in need of money at this time, he said.

Also read | Bank manager delivers cash to ailing senior citizen at MP hospital



The service by the Department of Post has brought cheer among patients and their relatives.



My husband is admitted to Safdarjung hospital and I was in dire need of cash. I went to a nearby bank twice but there was a long queue and could not exchange or withdraw money. But then these officials from the post office came and exchanged my money. It was of great help, said 32-year-old Kanika Das.



The government hospitals have been authorised to accept the old currency notes from patients, but the facilities were said to have run out of small change to offer to the patients.

Also read | Currency ban: Only senior citizens allowed to exchange old notes today



Also we are finding it difficult to buy food and other essentials from shops and hospital canteens as they are not accepting the old notes. Now because of the postal team we do not have to go and stand in queues, said Manpreet Khanna.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Updated 11:14 26/07/2020

The UK has removed Spain from its list of safe countries to travel to after fears were raised that the European country was experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections.

The decision means those coming back from the popular holiday destination will have to self-isolate for two weeks upon their return to UK after all four administrations  Northern Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland  opted to join forces over the move.

The North's health minister, Robin Swann, says it's a "cause for concern" and that he spoke with his UK counterparts before taking the decision. The re-imposition of quarantine rules applies to all arrivals into the UK from Spain.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says the measure is a necessary one:

"I understand it is disruptive for those who are going through this who are in Spain or are considering going to Spain.

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"We must be able to take swift decisive action to protect the UK because we have made such progress getting the virus down and to prevent it from retaking a hold in the UK.

It has been confirmed that the measures will come into effect from midnight tonight, and all returning travellers will be made to isolate for 14 days.

A UK Government spokesman said: The Joint Biosecurity Centre together with Public Health England have updated their coronavirus assessments of Spain based on the latest data.

As a result, Spain has been removed from the lists of countries from which passengers arriving in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempted from the need to self-isolate.

Protecting public health is our absolute priority and we have taken this decision to limit any potential spread to the UK.

Weve always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country where necessary.

Both our list of quarantine exemptions and the FCO travel advice are being updated to reflect these latest risk assessments.

Employers are being urged by the Department for Transport to be understanding of those returning from Spain who now will need to self-isolate.

The move is likely to cast doubt on thousands of peoples holiday plans as they weigh up the risk of travelling to Spain and the need to stay home for two weeks upon arriving back in Britain.

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Neil Hunter, 45, from Sittingbourne in Kent, had booked a 10-day break to Lanzarote last December.

Due to leave on Tuesday, he said: We were going as a family, my wife Amanda, and teenage daughter Bethany but to be honest, since this announcement, Im unsure whats going to happen as I work as a train driver, and I dont think my employer will accept me having to isolate due to going on holiday.

Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warn the country that lost 28,000 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing the start of a second major outbreak.

On Thursday, the Spanish health ministry reported 971 new daily infections, the biggest daily increase since Spains lockdown ended.

Catalonia became the latest region to crack down on nightlife, trying to halt new infection clusters.

The wealthy north-east region  home to Barcelona  ordered all nightclubs to close for 15 days and put a midnight curfew on bars in the greater Barcelona area and other towns around Lleida that have become contagion hot zones.

The quarantine rules for those returning to Scotland from Spain had only been lifted this week by First Minister Nicola Sturgeons administration, in what has proved a quick U-turn.

Making the announcement north of the border, Scotlands Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: The decision to exempt Spain earlier this week, was taken when the data showed there was an improvement in the spread of the virus.

But clearly the latest data has given us cause for concern to overturn that decision.

For those in England, the removal of a so-called air bridge with Spain comes only a day after a further five countries were added to the quarantine-free list.

Anyone coming from Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadines will not be required to isolate for two weeks on arrival, the Government confirmed on Friday.

Popular holiday destinations including Portugal, Thailand and the United States remain notable absentees.

The Government said people should continue to check the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices travel advice and their insurance policies before embarking on any overseas travel.

Travellers, even those from exempt destinations, are still required to complete a passenger locator form when they arrive in the UK.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

Trend:

MPs and senators, serving as members of the France-Azerbaijan Friendship Group sent an appeal to French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the provocations committed by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing the State Committee on Affairs with Diaspora.

"Armenia has been holding the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan under occupation for about 30 years," said the letter. "In recent days, the Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire on the state border in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district. As a result of the Armenian provocation, 12 servicemen of the Azerbaijani army and one civilian were killed.".

"France, together with Russia and the US, within the OSCE Minsk Group, participates in negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenia is disregarding the resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the territories of Azerbaijan," said the letter.

The authors of the appeal called on the international community, including France, to put pressure on Armenia in order to comply with the norms of international law, asked the French President, as the head of one of the co-chairing countries of the Minsk Group and a permanent member of the UNSC, to take urgent steps.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Friday, commissioned a 100-bed Ghana Infectious Disease Centre (GIDC) for treatment and management of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in the country.



The ultra-modern facility worth $7.5 million was funded by the Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund, which saw 536 patriotic and industrious Ghanaians constructing the project, to support government's efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.



The first ever GIDC facility located at the Ga East Municipal Hospital, comprised a level three Biomedical laboratory, a 21-bed Intensive Care Unit, a dispensary, a triage unit, waiting areas, nurses station, VIP and general wards and a medical gas house, was constructed through the collaboration of civilian and military engineers, planners and architects within three months.



It is expected that the three ecological zones, that's the Coastal, Middle Belt and Northern would have similar facilities, and would be constructed in Takoradi, Kumasi and Tamale respectively.



Vice President Bawumia, in an address, said with the sacrifices, dedication and ingenuity exhibited by Ghanaians, the government had decided to award the 88 district hospitals, six regional hospitals in newly created regions and a psychiatric hospital would be awarded to local contractors.



He recounted the various strategies and interventions rolled out by the government to contain the spread of the virus.



Dr Bawumia believed that with the necessary support Ghanaians could do, might exploit to move the nation's development efforts forward.



Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, a Deputy Minister of Health, on his part, said the President Akufo-Addo's government had shown leadership in containing the COVID-19 pandemic, which had seen between 87 and 90 per cent recoveries and 0.5 per cent mortality rate.



He said the COVID-19 was "visible but not invincible" and believed that should Ghanaians adhere strictly to the safety and preventive etiquettes, we would defeat the disease.



Corporate entities and individuals contributed between 66 pesewas and GH10 million to the Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund.



President Akufo-Addo on April 17, 2020, cut the sod for the construction of the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre.



The structure was designed jointly by the Built Environment Professionals made up of the Ghana Institute of Architects, Engineers, Surveyors and Planners, the Ghana Armed Forces and Specialists Consultants from the Ministry of Health and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.

Source: GNA









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Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has deplored "the tragic death" of a young Eritrean asylum-seeker in Tripoli this week, and called for renewed action against smugglers and traffickers who continue to inflict unimaginable suffering on refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants in Libya
The ongoing disruptive changes from efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are having a substantial negative impact on the physical and mental well-being of parents and their children across the country, according to a new national survey.

The Survey was published in the journal Pediatrics.

Families are particularly affected by stressors stemming from changes in work, school and daycare schedules that are impacting finances and access to community support networks, according to the five-day survey of parents across the U.S. run June 5-June 10 run by Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago.

Top-line results showed:

- 27% of parents reported worsening mental health for themselves

- 14% reported worsening behavioural health for their children

- 24% of parents reported a loss of regular child care

The impact of abrupt, systemic changes to employment and strain from having access to a limited social network is disrupting the core of families across the country. Worsening physical and mental health were similar no matter the persons race, ethnicity, income, education status or location. However, larger declines in mental well-being were reported by women and unmarried parents.

COVID-19 and measures to control its spread have had a substantial effect on the nations children, said Stephen Patrick, MD, MPH, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy and a neonatologist at Childrens Hospital in Nashville. Today an increasing number of the nations children are going hungry, losing insurance employer-sponsored insurance and their regular child care. The situation is urgent and requires immediate attention from federal and state policymakers.

Parents with children under age 18 were surveyed to measure changes in their health, insurance status, food security, use of public food assistance resources, child care and use of health care services since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Since March, more families are reporting food insecurity, and more reliance on food banks, and delaying childrens visits to health care providers. With COVID-19 cases and deaths on the rise around the country, families may continue to experience higher levels of need and disruption.

The proportion of families with moderate or severe food insecurity increased from 6 per cent to 8 per cent from March to June.

Children covered by parents employer-sponsored insurance coverage decreased from 63 per cent to 60 per cent.

Strikingly, families with young children report worse mental health than those with older children, pointing to the central role that child care arrangements play in the day-to-day functioning of the family.

The loss of regular child care related to COVID-19 has been a major shock to many families, says Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and senior vice-president and chief of Community Health Transformation at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago. In almost half of all cases where parents said that their own mental health had worsened and that their childrens behaviour had worsened during the pandemic, they had lost their usual child care arrangements. We need to be aware of these types of stressors for families, which extend far beyond COVID-19 as an infection or an illness.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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The Directorate General of Civial Aviation (DGCA), the country's aviation regulator, has directed Indian airlines to inspect B737 aircraft in their fleet after the US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency directive in this matter on Friday.

Three Indian airlines  SpiceJet, Air India Express and Vistara  have B737 aircraft in their fleet.

The emergency directive was "prompted by four single-engine shutdowns" that happened due to compromised air check valves in the engines of the certain B737 aircraft, said the FAA in its emergency directive.

The FAA asked the airlines to inspect their B737 aircraft that had not flown for seven days or more and the ones that had operated not more than 10 flights after return to service.



ALSO READ: US regulator orders emergency engine checks of parked Boeing 737 jets

A senior official said the Indian regulator had asked Indian carriers SpiceJet, Vistara and Air India Express to inspect their B737 aircraft as directed by the FAA.

Another official said inspection of some of the Indian aircraft had already been done by their owner airlines.

said in a statement: "Out of an abundance of caution, has advised operators of 737 Classic airplanes (series -300 to -500) and Next-Generation 737s (series -600 to -900) to inspect an engine valve for corrosion. With airplanes being stored or used infrequently due to lower demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, the valve can be more susceptible to corrosion."



Boeing is providing inspection and replacement information to fleet owners if they find an issue, it added.

SpiceJet spokesperson said the FAA airworthiness directive (AD) applied to a small number of 737s in its fleet that had not yet completed 10 cycles on return of aircraft to service. "They are being inspected. The majority of our planes have completed 10 cycles already and are not affected by this AD," the SpiceJet spokesperson added.

On this matter, Vistara spokesperson said, "Vistara is in compliance of the directive. The inspection of the engines of all six of our B737 aircraft has already been completed.
As we move few inches closer to the new normal world, life still remains difficult for the victims of domestic abuse. With an intent to raise awareness about the domestic abuse, Maharashtra State Commission for Women in association with Makani Creatives launched a public-interest campaign, #UNMUTETHEABUSE. The agenda of the campaign is to get people to accept that domestic abuse is a long-standing problem that has seen an increase during the lockdown in India.

The idea behind the campaign is to get people to raise their voice against any kind of domestic abuse. Often neighbors, relatives are afraid to alarm the authorities considering that any argument within the family is familys personal business, however this needs to change as people need to rise over the hesitation and make it a usual practice to call out any violence.

All social evils were accepted by society until there was a revolution against it. Sati, dowry, female infanticides are some examples. They have either been eradicated or reduced considerably as laws have been passed and mindset has evolved due to awareness raised. This campaign hopes to ignite a revolution against domestic violence and make it socially acceptable to alarm authorities in case one is aware of a victim.

While there is no handbook that one can follow to intervene and draw the line on domestic abuse; people need to understand that women who are dependent on their abusers are afraid to raise their voice. It is only when they get support; they muster the courage to fight against it. #UnMuteTheAbuse is a way to encourage women to reach out to Maharashtra State Commission for Women; which will provide compassionate and comprehensive services to those impacted by domestic violence.

Ms. Aastha Luthra, Member Secretary, Maharashtra State Commission for Women, said, It is said that Women make the house a Home. It is sad that at times these homes thatare supposed to be a safe haven, become the very place where these women are wronged and treated inhumanly. This lockdown has presented several cases of physical and mental abuse where women are forced to stay in their homes with their oppressors. With this initiative, we aim to encourage people not only to raise their voice against domestic abuse but also spread the message and help us in helping the victims get justice and a better life.

The campaign creative has had netizens talking due to its hard-hitting impact without any violent or triggering imagery.

Talking about the thought behind the concept, Nilesh Singh from Makani Creatives, said, The best award a creative person can get is to know that his/her work has impacted someones life. Domestic violence is an issue that has been around for years but people do not like to talk about it, in fact many dont even accept that it exists across the country. The creative is an attempt to start a conversation and raise a voice against this problem that needs even more attention during these times. This is our way of supporting the work that Maharashtra State Commission Of Women has been doing for years
Los Angeles, July 25 : Actress Joey King says she understands the fact that not every film she does has to be critically acclaimed.

Joey was speaking in the context of her latest release, "The Kissing Booth 2". The teen rom-com has opened over the weekend on OTT, but hasn't impressed the critics very much.

"I understand that critics weren't all over this movie, but that's the thing - it's not meant for critics to be like, 'Wow, what a movie!' It's meant for people to watch and have a great time," she said, according to a report in variety.com.

Joey's performance in the crime drama series "The Act" had been universally applauded by fans and critics alike, raise the bar of expectation on her.

"I'm thankful that I got to do 'The Act', where critics were like, 'Oh, that's awesome'. But also not everything you do has to have critical acclaim. It doesn't mean it's not successful. And it doesn't mean it's not one of my favourite projects I've worked on. The fan reaction to it is all the criticism I need as far as just the way it fills my heart," she said.

The first film of "The Kissing Booth" series, she said, has emerged a fan favourite.

"I think that people were kind of craving that classic John Hughes feel-good movie, and there hasn't been a lot of that. When 'The Kissing Booth' came out, it just ticked all those boxes of that feel-good summery vibe. Our characters, the way they were written, they talk like real people. My character Elle, she's not the outcast or the popular girl. She's just a girl that goes to school, and has some friends, has a best friend. I think what resonates so much about her is that she's just your every girl," she said.

"The first movie was this beautiful surprise. It was in Netflix's independent department, and they weren't expecting too much out of it. They were like, 'Make this, have fun, and give us a movie afterwards'. When the first trailer was released and it started tracking so well, we were like, 'What's happening?' We only signed on for one, but then the fan reaction was incredible. When they asked us to do the second, it was a no-brainer," Joey added.
Rating Action: Moody's assigns Graham B2 CFR, B1 to senior secured facilities, and Caa1 to unsecured notes; outlook stable

Global Credit Research - 24 Jul 2020

New York, July 24, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) assigned a B2 Corporate Family Rating and a B2-PD Probability of Default Rating to Graham Packaging Company, Inc (Graham). Moody's also assigned a B1 rating to the proposed $100 million revolving credit facility due 2025, a B1 rating to the $1,410 million senior secured term loan due 2027, a Caa1 rating to the $510 million senior unsecured notes due 2028. The outlook is stable. The proceeds from the new term loan and unsecured notes will be used to pay a dividend to Graham's parent Reynolds Group Holdings Limited (parent of Reynolds Group Holdings Inc. (Reynolds), B2 stable). Graham is currently a business segment of Reynolds which is wholly owned by financier Graeme Hart. Graham is being designated as an unrestricted subsidiary of Reynolds.

The assignment of the B2 Corporate Family Rating reflects expected improvements in pro forma debt to adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow from Graham's productivity initiatives and management's pledge to direct free cash flow to debt reduction. Moody's expects pro forma debt to adjusted EBITDA to decline from 5.8x to 5.4x as the adjusted EBITDA margin improves to approximately 21.0% from 18.5% by 2021. Free cash flow to adjusted debt is expected to remain weak due to elevated capex spending for productivity initiatives, but should more than double to at least 2.5% by 2021 and improve thereafter as capex spending declines.

The B1 ratings on the revolver and term loan, one notch above the Corporate Family Rating, reflects the benefit of guarantees and security from the domestic subsidiaries as well as loss absorption from the unsecured debt in the capital structure. The borrower is Graham Packaging Company, Inc. The facility is guaranteed by the domestic subsidiaries and secured by a first lien on the equity and assets of the guarantors.

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The Caa1 rating on the proposed unsecured notes, two notches below the Corporate Family Rating, reflects the subordination to a significant amount of secured debt. The issuer and guarantors are the same as the first lien term loan.

Graham has little exposure to industries that may be negatively affected by the rapid and widening spread of the coronavirus outbreak and high exposure to those that are expected to benefit including food, beverage and household. Moody's regards the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under its ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety.

Governance risks are heightened given that Graham ultimately has a sole owner (wholly owned by financier Graeme Hart). Graeme Hart has undertaken numerous transactions with his companies in the past including debt financed acquisitions and dividends and divestitures.

Assignments:

..Issuer: Graham Packaging Company, Inc

.... Corporate Family Rating, Assigned B2

.... Probability of Default Rating, Assigned B2-PD

....Senior Secured 1st Lien Term Loan, Assigned B1 (LGD3)

....Senior Secured 1st Lien Revolving Credit Facility, Assigned B1 (LGD3)

....Senior Unsecured Notes, Assigned Caa1 (LGD6)

Outlook Actions:

..Issuer: Graham Packaging Company, Inc

....Outlook, Assigned Stable

The ratings are subject to the receipt and review of the final documentation.

RATINGS RATIONALE

Moody's expects Graham's credit profile to improve into 2021 as the company benefits from productivity initiatives, an exit from certain low margin business and the dedication of free cash flow to debt reduction. Graham is expected to benefit from its high exposure to stable end markets (food, beverage and household generate 88% of revenue) and long-term relationships with blue-chip customers. The company also has 90% of business under long-term contact with raw material cost pass-through provisions which raises switching costs for customers and protects margins from input price increases. Additionally, one-third of the company's facilities are co-located on the customer's premises which also raises switching costs.

Weaknesses in Graham's credit profile include a high customer concentration of sales (50% from the top ten) and participation in the competitive and fragmented packaging industry which makes growth and margin expansion difficult. The company generates 12% of sales from the cyclical automotive end market. Graham's revolver is small relative to its capex spend and interest expense (or as a percentage of sales). Further, free cash flow is expected to remain weak in the near-term as capex for productivity initiatives continues through 2021. The company is dependent on successful implementation of productivity initiatives to improve its weak pro forma cash flow.

Moody's expects Graham's liquidity profile to be good, characterized by weak free cash flow over the next 12 months offset by adequate back up liquidity from the proposed $100 million revolver and pro forma cash of $50 million. The revolver is expected to be undrawn at the close of the transaction.

The stable outlook reflects Moody's expectation that Graham will effectively execute on its productivity initiatives, improve EBITDA and direct all free cash flow to debt reduction.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

The ratings could be downgraded if Graham fails to execute on its initiatives and improve EBITDA and free cash flow. Should the company not maintain adequate liquidity or the competitive environment does not remain stable, the ratings could also be downgraded. Specifically, the ratings could be downgraded if:

 Debt to EBITDA is above 6.0 times

 EBITDA to interest expense is below 2.5 times

 Funds from operations to debt is below 10.0%

An upgrade would require a sustainable improvement in credit metrics and liquidity as well as a stable competitive environment. Specifically, the ratings could be upgraded if:

 Debt to EBITDA is below 5.25 times

 EBITDA to interest expense is above 3.5 times

 Funds from operations to debt is above 13.0%

Headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Graham Packaging Company, Inc is a manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging. Graham serves the food, beverage, household and automotive end markets primarily in North America. The company is wholly owned by Reynolds Group Holdings Inc. (Reynolds, B2 stable) and is an unrestricted subsidiary. Reynolds is solely owned by financier Graeme Hart.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Packaging Manufacturers: Metal, Glass, and Plastic Containers published in May 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1120393. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Edward Schmidt, CFA Vice President - Senior Analyst Corporate Finance Group Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Dean Diaz Associate Managing Director Corporate Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

 2020 Moody's Corporation, Moody's Investors Service, Inc., Moody's Analytics, Inc. and/or their licensors and affiliates (collectively, "MOODY'S"). All rights reserved.

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Members of the Moran Park, Bellefield and St Aidan's Community Watch team are urging residents not to panic, despite two attempted break-ins in the area in the past weeks.

On Tuesday evening last (14th) there was an attempted break in at a house in the Bellfield Road area, while yesterday morning a woman in St Aidan's Villas reported that two men had tried to gain access to her home before being disturbed and fleeing the scene.

Bernard O'Leary of the Community Watch team said these had been the first attempted break-ins for more than two years.

'These are the first we've had in two years. I can't understand what's going on,' said Bernard. 'We're asking people to be more vigilant, we are around seven nights a week but unfortunately we can't be everywhere at once.'

Bernard and the rest of the team are out on patrol every night of the week, the 14 members splitting into pairs and patrolling the area in hourly shifts. And he says the main issue at the moment is anti-social behaviour among young people.

'We've been doing very well apart from these two incidents. A bigger issue is the gathering of youths at the grotto in Moran Park, they're drinking and smoking there every Saturday and Sunday night.

'The guards don't seem to be doing much and if you were to approach the youngsters yourself they'd likely tell you where to go. Some of the older residents are starting to get a little bit concerned, we have a lot of elderly people living in the area and you'd rarely see any garda presence.'

Having asked for greater support from gardai, Brendan said he and the rest of the team were told there was an issue with manpower.

'The spirit in the community is absolutely brilliant, the residents are behind us 100 per cent. We just ask people to be very vigilant and keep a close eye on your homes. If you are going out, make sure you lock all doors and windows, and turn on alarms where possible.'
A Black man from Pennsylvania was tasered and arrested by police after he bought a bike in a local Walmart. A camera phone footage showed him being dragged by the authorities and he can be heard screaming that he has a receipt.

Racist motive

The victim, Stanley Gracius, was confronted by two police officers after they received reports that Gracius was riding a bicycle through the store, yelling profanities at other shoppers, and playing loud music.

Just as the 37-year-old victim was paying for the bike, the police arrived and grabbed his hand and twisted it as they forced him in handcuffs. Gracius repeatedly asked why he was being arrested but the police did not respond.

The video, now-viral online and filmed by Twitter user @labousaab44, the victim can be heard pleading to the police officers while struggling because of his twisted arm. He said he did not do anything and asked the officers why they were arresting him when he paid for the bike. He said he had a receipt.

Also Read: Two Italian Teens Pay Bitcoins to Watch Livestream of Children Being Tortured and Murdered

Gracius was test riding the bike through the store before he bought it, according to the Twitter user. The user also said that he was not yelling profanities, he was telling random strangers that he hopes they have a great day and he was complimenting them, he was also playing some music while biking around.

The victim was tasered repeatedly even though he was not resisting arrest, he was only asking why he was arrested. The Twitter user added that the police did not have to use force on him because he was calm the entire time.

After a few minutes, the police officers still refused to say why he was arrested. They took him outside and he was forced into a cop car where he started to resist because he still had no clue on what was going on. Gracius tried to take the taser away from the police officers.

Different statement

In a Facebook post, the Berks County District Attorney's Office had defended the actions of the police officers. The office stated that the officers acted professionally, showed restraint, and did a good job in deescalating the situation with Gracius.

According to the police officers, Gracius was asked by a male shop assistant to leave the store after he was weaving back and forth in the aisles. Gracius allegedly hit shopping carts and almost hit other shoppers, he also reportedly said that they can't "tell him what to do."

The post from the office added that Gracius did not abide by the requests of the store manager of Walmart and the requests of the police officers.

The office reviewed the incident and the police officers from the Wyomissing Police Department acted appropriately when they arrested Gracius who was causing a disturbance at the store.

Gracius is now facing multiple charges for simple assault, aggravated assault, resisting arrest, disarming law enforcement officers, disorderly conduct, and defiant trespass.

The public outcry about what happened to Gracius has resulted in the creation of a GoFundMe page to help him with his legal fees, the page has raised more than $2,000.

Related Article: 93-Year-Old Ex-Nazi Camp Guard Convicted of Assisting Murders of Thousands Holocaust Victims

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 26

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Export of cars from Turkey to Turkmenistan grew by 16.9 percent from January through May 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, having amounted to $9.6 million, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend.

In May 2020, the export of cars from Turkey to Turkmenistan dropped by 51 percent compared to May 2019, and made up $1.1 million.

The export of cars from Turkey to foreign markets decreased by 33.1 percent from January through May 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, and amounted to $8.7 billion.

According to the ministry, Turkeys export of cars for the reporting period made up 14.2 percent of the country's total export.

In May 2020, Turkey exported $1.2 billion worth of cars to world markets, which is 56.3 percent less compared to the same month of 2019, the ministry said.

Turkey's export of cars for May 2020 amounted to 12.1 percent of the country's total export.

Over the past 12 months (from May 2019 through May 2020), Turkey exported the cars worth over $26.2 billion abroad.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
The 73-year-old former general and army chief, who took power in a 2003 coup, was overthrown by rebel fighters in 2013.

Deposed former Central African Republic President Francois Bozize announced on Saturday his candidacy for the December presidential vote despite being under United Nations sanctions and subject to an arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity.

He made the announcement in a speech to a large crowd of supporters at a congress of his party, Kwa na Kwa (Work, Nothing But Work), in the capital Bangui.

The 73-year-old former general and army chief was overthrown in a 2013 rebellion by a coalition of mainly Muslim rebels from the north, plunging the majority Christian nation into a violent civil war and an acute and continuing humanitarian crisis.

The country needs a man of experience, peace and conviction, Bozize said in the speech that criticised the tenure of the current president, Faustin-Archange Touadera.

Bozize first took power after a 2003 coup and served 10 years as president before fleeing the country in 2013. The new administration sought his arrest for alleged crimes against humanity and incitement to genocide, but has not moved to arrest him since he returned from exile late last year.

It is not clear how the warrant or foreign sanctions will affect his candidacy.

In January, Bozize said he would ask the UN to lift the sanctions imposed in 2014 over his alleged support for Anti-balaka Christian armed groups.

Touadera governs today with the support of a large UN peacekeeping operation with more than 13,000 troops and police. Elected in 2016, he is expected to seek a second term in the election but has not yet confirmed he will run. The first round of the race is scheduled for December 27.

The government signed a peace deal in February 2019 with 14 armed groups, who typically claim to defend the interests of specific communities or religions.

Violence has since generally receded, but there are still bloody incidents, typically sparked by fighting over resources and most of the diamond-rich country remains beyond government control. The violence has forced more than 1.5 million people to flee their homes.
"Northern Exposure" director-producer Rob Thompson is asking $8.2 million for his 1,060-acre ranch in Coyote, N.M. (Erin Azouz, Marshall Elias and Michael Boyko for Sotheby's International Realty)

Hollywood producer-director-writer Rob Thompson is ready to call it a wrap in New Mexico, where his ranch has come up for sale at $8.2 million.

Called Apache Mesa Ranch, the 1,060-acre equestrian ranch lies in Coyote, an area roughly 70 miles northwest of Santa Fe, and is surrounded by grasslands, rock outcrops and pinyon-juniper woodlands. The acreage holds multiple adobe structures including a main hacienda, a guest house, a carriage house and a studio. A bunkhouse, also designed in the adobe style, sits across from a dressage arena and a barn.

The main house, designed by local artisans, has high ceilings with exposed beams, ornate wood doors and a host of distressed details. A wood-burning oven finished in river rock sits in a corner of the kitchen, which opens to a dining patio with a bar. Other living spaces include a den, a media room and a game room.

Including the separate structures, there are six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and more than 6,100 square feet of living space.

The property, which borders the Chama River Canyon Wilderness area, also has a swimming pool and an outdoor fireplace. Views take in the surrounding rock formations, mountains and the landmark mesa known as Cerro Pedernal.

T.J. Rieland, Tim Van Camp and Matt Rieland of Sothebys International Realty hold the listing.

Thompson is known for writing the screenplay for the western comedy Hearts of the West as well as his directorial work on such TV series as L.A. Law and Doogie Howser, M.D. He also directed and coproduced the Emmy-winning series Northern Exposure.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  Thirteen employees of the Presidential Communications Operations Office have tested positive for the coronarivus disease, prompting the extended suspension of physical work.

It started with one employee being diagnosed with COVID-19 early this week, but Communications Secretary Martin Andanar announced Saturday that 12 more personnel have contracted the viral illness.

Work was supposed to resume on July 27, the day of President Rodrigo Dutertes fifth State of the Nation Address.

As office disinfection will continue to be carried out at the New Executive Building (NEB), we are extending the physical work suspension until further notice in order to ensure our personnels safety against the virus, Andanar said in a statement.

Andanar said he was also tested last Thursday with results coming out negative.

He stressed that the PCOOs coverage of Dutertes SONA will proceed as planned. Its attached agency, the Radio Television Malacanang, will be deploying personnel who were not in contact with the COVID-stricken employees, Andanar said.

Rest assured that the delivery of essential and timely information to the Filipino public will remain unhampered and unchanged as we have adopted a work-from-home arrangement. All programs and briefings done at NEB will be undertaken remotely and/or virtually, Andanar said.

He added that all health and medical protocols are being followed, including contact tracing and testing of personnel to prevent further spread of the virus. The PCOO is also providing assistance to the infected workers and their families, Andanar said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  Different cause-oriented groups will push through with their planned protest rallies on the day of President Rodrigo Dutertes fifth State of the Nation Address despite the newly imposed rule that disallows mass gathering.

At least six groups - Bayan, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Sentro, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Karapatan and Partidong Manggagawa - have said they will push through with the planned rallies.

The local government of Quezon City announced Friday that following the Department of Interior and Local Governments advisory on Thursday, all applications for permits to organize or hold public assemblies shall not be processed. Previously, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said SONA protests will be authorized so long the organizers secure permits from the city government.

The Philippine National Police said on Saturday that security preparations for SONA are done.

PNP spokesperson Bernard Banac reminded protesters that holding a rally along Commonwealth Avenue leading to Batasan is not allowed. Banac said protesters could proceed to the University of the Philippines-Diliman campus instead.

Banac warned that failure to comply to the directive may result in arrest based on penalized based on the ordinance approved by the local government unit where the arrest took place.

Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya reiterated in a separate briefing also on Saturday that they just "cascaded" down the COVID-19 inter-agency task force's rule against large gatherings to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Since we are in the middle of a pandemic, any form of mass gathering is prohibited. That includes rallies and demonstrations, Malaya said in a mix of Filipino and English.

"Itong ban na ito ay (This ban is) in relation to the health protocols implemented by the government because of the pandemic," he added.

But Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes asserted that the 1987 Constitution supersedes the DILG advisory reiterating the COVID-19 inter-agency task forces policy against large gatherings to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Hindi po batas ang IATF guidelines at hindi po ito mataas sa ating Konstitusyon, he told CNN Philippines' Newsroom Weekend.

[Translation: IATF guidelines are not laws, and these are not higher than the Constitution.]

Reyes said that not all assemblies need permit and maintained that law enforcers cannot arrest people for the peaceful exercise of their constitutional right.

Rallyists have held a physical protest on June 12 for the first time since the government eased the movement restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus disease.

Reyes said the SONA protest will be a bigger event than Independence Day demonstrations.

But he assured that protesters will follow strict protocols such as maintaining physical distance and wearing face masks. He said those who have a high risk of getting COVID-19 will not participate in the physical protest. He added that programs will be shorter than usual as part of their precautions.

He then urged people who feel they are neglected or oppressed by the current administration to make their voices heard through a protest on Monday.

For her part, Belmonte said that after talking to the Quezon City police, and the rally organizers, it was "suggested" that demonstrations could be held in private properties or university campuses in accordance with Presidential Decree 880, but with conditions, such as observing the minimum health standards and securing consent from property owners or school authorities.

She added that the law enforcers have been instructed to "exercise maximum tolerance" towards the rallyists and organizers have agreed to police their ranks rally and maintain the peace during the program.

Duterte will deliver his speech at the Batasang Pambansa in Batasan Hills, Quezon City, the traditional venue of the annual address.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Paolo Barcelon contributed to this report.
An award-winning charity boss who was sacked after criticising the far-Left agenda of Black Lives Matter UK last night said common sense has won the day after he was reinstated.

In a victory against a so-called Cancel Culture, Nick Buckley has returned to his job as chief executive of Mancunian Way after the charitys board of four trustees resigned.

In a 570-word blog earlier this year, Mr Buckley  who was awarded an MBE for his ground-breaking work with youngsters in Manchester  warned of the neo-Marxist policies of the Black Lives Matter UK campaign group, which include tearing down capitalism and abolishing the police.

Back in post: Nick Buckley with a homeless person in Manchester. In a victory against a so-called cancel culture, Nick Buckley has returned to his job as chief executive of Mancunian Way after the charitys board of four trustees resigned

The Mail on Sunday revealed how he was dismissed after an online mob accused him of inappropriate and insensitive views and an online petition calling for him to be axed attracted 465 signatures.

The story prompted a rival petition calling for his reinstatement, which attracted more than 17,500 signatures.

Amid mounting pressure, Mancunian Way, which Mr Buckley founded nine years ago, issued a mutually acceptable statement to avoid litigation on Thursday, confirming the trustees had quit and that a newly appointed board had asked the 52-year-old to return to his former role.

All trustees have made the decision to step down, the statement issued on Twitter said.

A new board of trustees have been appointed and they have chosen to ask Mr Buckleys company, BNB services Ltd, to resume the provision of its support services.

Last night, Mr Buckley said: Common sense has won the day. This was an appalling situation to be in. This wasnt me against Black Lives Matter, this was against this new ideology of cancel culture where if you say something that someone else doesnt like, you are beyond the pale and you must go.

He added: I want to thank The Mail on Sunday because if it wasnt for the article you did, I would never have got the support of the British public. And if I hadnt had that support, I dont think I would have had the energy or the courage to have fought back.

He said he will now speak to the charitys partners and funders to get a better idea of what damage has potentially been caused by this mayhem in the last five weeks.

Mr Buckley was supported by the Free Speech Union, which backed the counter-petition and found him top corporate lawyer Geoffrey Davies.

In their anxiety to be politically correct the trustees simply ignored their contractual obligations, said Mr Davies, from Keystone Law.

In his blog on June 6  the day protesters clashed with police in Central London  Mr Buckley observed that the phrase Black Lives Matter is far too simple but is perfect for our modern age of social media and the willingness of social justice warriors to take up another cause.

The outgoing board denied its decision to terminate its relationship with Mr Buckley was based on his blog or the petition, but declined to say why it had chosen to remove him.
If you will see a $50 worth smartphone in the market made by Google, will you buy it? Google has been known for making quality phones, such as with its Pixel series. Now, the tech giant is looking to partner with a company from the second most-populated country in the world, India. Here's their plan: make a $50 worth smartphone for rural areas to access gadgets. Another thing is to beat Chinese companies. Here's why.

This may be the new cheapest smartphone you'll see

According to CNN, last week, Google announced its partnership with one of the hottest Indian tech companies called Jio Platforms. Google invested an amount of $4.5 billion to the Indian firm. They wanted to create the cheapest (or one of the cheapest) smartphone in the world-- with an amount of only $50 below.

This device targets to help rural areas in the country that doesn't yet own a cellphone. Counterpoint Research estimated that there are 500 million people in India that don't own any gadgets, due to poverty and lack of proper facilities to reach signal beyond the cities.

This plan seemed to be a great idea to allow people to reach technology anywhere they are. However, for Chinese companies, this will be an upcoming nightmare.

So far, China is the country that held the top spot for the cheapest smartphone provider in the world. Almost more than half of the world supports Chinese phone brands.

So once they touched this industry, Google-India partnership may also tap the current spot of China in the cheapest phone area.

India-China cold war against each other

On June 30, India banned 59 apps in their country. More than half of this population comes from Chinese apps, including TikTok and WeChat.

"The compilation of these data, it's mining, and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defense of India ... is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," the agency said.

Due to India's sudden decision, the sales of Chinese companies in the country plummeted at the same time.

"There has been public anger directed towards China," Canalys research analyst Adwait Mardikar wrote in a note. "The combinations of this and the [...] self-sufficient initiatives by the government have pushed Chinese smartphone vendors into the eye of the public storm."

Is it possible though?

Whether to beat Chinese companies or provide rural communities with smartphones, the question still lies: is it possible to create a $50 smartphone?

Kiranjeet Kaur, senior research manager at IDC, warned that it may not be possible for India to create this cheap phone-- despite Google's presence in it.

So far, the budget phone in India ranges from $70 to $100. But pushing the limit to $50 may be a difficult goal to achieve, said the analyst. Not only that, but rural Indians may still be unable to purchase a $50 phone.

Are you willing to buy Google's $50 smartphone?





 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
This article will be updated throughout the week with coronavirus case counts and other need-to-know information about the pandemic in San Antonio.

COVID-19 updates: Figures released by Metro Health showed 758 new cases and nine new deaths from the virus Saturday. The total number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic now stands at 35,690. On the bright side, the trend toward fewer people with the virus in San Antonio hospitals continued with 1,047 hospitalized Saturday, down from 1,059 Friday. That makes six straight days the number has gone down.

July 24

Case count rises: On Friday, 1,059 patients with COVID-19 were being cared for in San Antonio hospitals, down 15 from Thursday. Among them, 430 were in intensive care units, while 294 were on ventilators to help them breathe, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. San Antonio and Bexar County officials reported 299 new coronavirus cases and 15 more deaths.

A total of 34,932 residents have tested positive for the virus since the first cases surfaced here in mid-March. The local death toll now stands at 313.

July 23

Deaths continue to rise: The number of deaths due to the coronavirus increased by 15, as confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bexar County continue to soar, climbing Thursday by more than 1,000.

The total number of people who have tested positive is now 34,633, up from 33,555 reported the day prior, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Thursday during the daily city-county briefing. The death toll rose to 298.

Leaders in areas ravaged by COVID-19 beg for control: Leaders in hard-hit areas, such as Houston and Hildalgo County, again called on Gov. Greg Abbott to allow them to impose targeted, temporary lockdowns to slow their infection rates.

Until we can get that positivity rate down to 5 percent or below, our contact tracing and testing is not going to be nearly as impactful, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, said in an interview with CNN.

Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez also appeared on the network urging the governor to allow local lockdowns. Cortez ordered many county residents to shelter in place earlier this week, while acknowledging that it is unenforceable under restrictions currently in place by Abbott.

If I can even simply get 10 percent of people to follow it, Im 10 percent better than I was today, because yesterday we had 49 people pass away and that is certainly not acceptable, he said.

July 22

The coronavirus continued its unrelenting pace in Bexar County, with nine more deaths and 1,688 new cases reported Wednesday. Mayor Ron Nirenberg says increasing numbers indicate spike dates back to Fourth of July.

Texas set a record for COVID-19 hospitalizations on Tuesday, the same day the San Antonio area reported more than 200 infants have contracted the novel coronavirus since the pandemic broke out. The San Antonio Express-News reported 211 infants have tested positive for COVID-19 in Bexar County. City officials said the huge number of babies with the virus "is something that were keeping a close eye on and is something that were very worried about." None of the infants have died from the virus.

July 21

Bexar County saw 12 more deaths of people with novel coronavirus and 551 new cases, officials said Tuesday, as the disease continued its unrelenting assault on the San Antonio region.

Hundreds poured out along San Antonio streets Tuedsay to honor Bexar County Sheriffs Deputy Timothy De La Fuente, the first local law enforcement officer to die with COVID-19.

De La Fuentes, a 27-year veteran of the sheriffs department, died at home April 30. He worked at the Bexar County jail, where the virus swept through in April, infecting many inmates and staff.

July 20

Bexar County remains at a severe to critical risk level: New cases grew by 481 and five more deaths were reported Monday. The local death toll since the start of the pandemic now stands at 262. More than 31,300 people have tested positive for the virus in Bexar County during that same time.

Metro Health and city leaders: The day before Metro Health Director Dawn Emerick resigned in June, her boss sent a scathing internal memo blasting Emerick as lacking the expertise needed to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and creating a hostile work environment for health department employees.

July 19

COVID-19 isnt going away:' Despite insistent appeals to wear masks and practice social distancing, the novel coronavirus maintained its grip on San Antonio as officials reported six more deaths and 2,202 new cases on Sunday.

85 infants test positive in Texas county: Eighty-five infants have tested positive for COVID-19 in Nueces County, according to CNN.

"These babies have not even had their first birthday yet," said Annette Rodriguez, director of public health for Corpus Christi Nueces County. Please help us stop the spread of this disease."

No details on the infants conditions were released.

TRACKING COVID-19: Maps and graphics show the spread of the virus through San Antonio and Texas.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  After tolerating the situation for far too long, the city finally moved to dismantle the Occupy City Hall protest encampment that had turned stretches of Downtown Manhattan into a cesspool.

Even more startling than the encampment itself was the graffiti left behind in its wake.

The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building was defaced. So was the historic Tweed Courthouse, home to the city Department of Education. The Surrogates Court building was vandalized as well.

The classic Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway entrance was covered with graffiti, as were streets in the area.

That part of town is the heart and soul of municipal New York City, and De Blasio, the head of city government, allowed it to become a disgrace. He waited too long to break up the protest encampment, afraid of offending lefty sentiments. And then the mayor took his time in having the graffiti power-washed off the buildings.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo never misses a chance to slam de Blasio. But the governor was right the other day when he said that graffiti, crime and homelessness were a significant and growing problem in New York City, something that authorities needed to address.

Cuomo even suggested that New York City was slipping back into the, gasp, bad old days of the 1970s and 1980.

You can see where hes coming from, and graffiti is just one piece of the disintegrating picture.

Violent crime is again rearing its ugly head in New York City. Murders are up. Shootings are up. The number of people injured by gunfire is up.

That includes on Staten Island, where murders and shootings are up over the last two years.

Just the other day, we saw two men shot to death in separate incidents on the North Shore, incidents that came a mere 10 hours apart.

One murder took place at 11:30 in the morning, the other at 9:30 p.m. Hardly the wee-wee hours when mayhem usually reigns. It was hard to remember when wed see that much deadly bloodshed in the borough in one day.

De Blasio seems non-plussed at best, and oblivious at worst, to the increasing mayhem and disorder engulfing New York City.

De Blasio on Friday told reporters that the city is coming back and coming back strong.

The comeback is happening right now, as we speak, he said.

While de Blasio is right to say that the city has bounced back from the worst of what we saw here during the coronavirus pandemic, he cant be that blind to the new challenges that the city faces.

And the mayor cant downplay his own hand in it. Hes blamed the virus-shuttered court system for the violence that has erupted around the five boroughs. He never pays tribute to the possibility that pulling back on stop-and-frisk, de-emphasizing quality-of-life enforcement, shuttering jails, and supporting bail reform may have contributed even a little bit to the chaos.

Cuomo doesnt get a pass here either. He supported bail reform until he looked to roll some of its provisions back earlier this year. He can point the finger at de Blasio all he wants, but the the criminal justice reform policies Cuomo has also championed have excused and even encouraged lawbreakers.

People are already leaving the city because of the pandemic. Crime, backward policies and a fiscal crunch that were already seeing the effects of will drive yet more of them out. Again, like the 1970s.

De Blasio is term-limited out of City Hall at the end of next year. Its ordinary New Yorkers who will have to deal with the fallout of a more dangerous and dirtier city.

Theres still time to turn it around. Still time to get once again get tough on crime. Before things get out of hand.

De Blasio has spoken of targeted enforcement in certain high-crime areas. He needs to go big picture. Its the whole city thats suffering.
The House of Representatives has resolved to issue a criminal complaint of perjury and civil defamation lawsuit against the Minister of the Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, after he failed to give out the names of members of the National Assembly that have been awarded contracts by the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC.

Akpabio while testifying at the House of Representatives panel investigating allegations of financial recklessness at the NDDC, on Monday, July 20, alleged that most of the contracts awarded in the Commission were to members of the National Assembly.

On Tuesday, July 21, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, gave the Minister 48 hours to release the names of the lawmakers in question or face punitive measures.

The ultimatum elapsed today Thursday, July 23, and the house has agreed to take Akpabio to court for such a defamatory statement.

Speaking on the floor of the house this morning, Gbajabiamila said he will not allow anyone to assassinate the character of the house. In his words
Major corporate sponsors are starting to distance themselves from WE Charity amid an ongoing controversy over a deal to run a $900-million student volunteer program.

Virgin Atlantic Airways said it is suspending its sponsorship of the embattled organization and the Royal Bank of Canada confirmed it is reviewing its relationship.

The move comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau face ethics probes after failing to recuse themselves from discussions about a $912-million contract  since aborted  to WE.

Virgin Atlantic Airways, whose website refers to WE as its main charity partner, said it has halted payments after contributing more than $10 million to the organization since 2010, when it launched its partnership with the group run by brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger.

We are in contact with WE Charity and whilst investigations continue, we have temporarily paused our donations to them, the company said in an email.

RBC is also taking a second look at its close ties to the group.

We are reassessing the programs weve been delivering with WE to support young Canadians over the past several years, said spokeswoman Gillian McArdle.

Foundational to all our relationships, RBC expects our partners to conduct their business in accordance with our values, policies and practices.

The bank has strong ties to WE. In 2012 the charity, then known as Free the Children, announced a multimillion-dollar partnership with RBC that saw the financial institution come on board as a national co-title sponsor of We Day events across the country.

RBC chief executive David McKay served as a co-chairman of the organizations signature event in Toronto last year.

Trudeau and Morneau have apologized for not declaring possible conflicts because of their familial ties to the organization  Trudeau because of speaking fees paid to his brother, mother and wife, and Morneau because one of his daughters is nearing the end of a one-year contract in an administrative role.

Morneau also said Wednesday he had just repaid WE Charity more than $41,000 for expenses the group covered for trips his family took to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017 to see some of its humanitarian work.

WE sought to frame the corporate flight as the product of a political battle in Ottawa in which it found itself unduly caught up.

Unfortunately, the charity has now been drawn into a divisive political environment, WE said in an email.

WE Charity is grateful to every philanthropic partner who has enabled our impact helping youth over the past 25-years, the charity said.

Our corporate partners 25-plus year commitment helping youth serve Canada should be celebrated, rather than expose them to undue criticism.

The ongoing scandal has raised questions about Toronto-based WE Charitys internal culture and leadership style as well as the flow of cash between the organization and the for-profit ME to WE social enterprise, which was founded by the Kielburger brothers.

The retreat by sponsors stems from fears around brand association, said Dirk Matten, Hewlett-Packard chair in corporate social responsibility at the Schulich School of Business.

They dont want to be associated with a charity that has the whiff of corruption, Matten said.

Companies increasingly view charitable partnerships as an investment to build social capital.

They want to see a return. They want a social income. And if I put money into an organization that tampers with a politician  why would I do that? Thats not the outcome I want to see, Matten said. If I were a business leader, I would cut all the ties.

Matten, who said he taught Craig Kielburger in a course for Schulichs executive MBA program in 2009, said he feels let down on both a personal and public level.

They know how the cookie crumbles. They know how to financially run a situation. I remember Craig being in my class on business and sustainability and having a go at me that I wasnt radical enough, that I wasnt pushing the ethical line too hard. And now this? Im very, very disappointed.

Craig and Marc Kielburger are slated to appear before the House of Commons finance committee on Tuesday.

Canadas conflict of interest law prohibits ministers or their families from accepting paid travel, a lesson the government learned when Trudeau was found afoul of the rule for his familys 2016 vacation to the Aga Khans private island.

Student groups have asked the Liberals to push the program money  initially slated to pay students grants of up to $5,000 based on the hours they volunteers  into other supports, saying its too late in the summer for young people to make the most of the program and earn enough to pay for schooling costs in the fall.

Employment and Social Development Canada, which oversees the program, said in a statement Thursday that officials are working diligently to develop a transition plan, including looking at options on how best to proceed.

 with files from Jordan Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:RY)
Since the days of painting on cave walls, people have been representing information through figures and images. Nowadays, data visualization experts know that presenting information visually helps people better understand complicated data. The problem is that data visualizations can also leave you with the wrong idea  whether the images are sloppily made or intentionally misleading.

Take for example the bar graph presented at an April 6 press briefing by members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Its titled COVID-19 testing in the U.S. and illustrates almost 2 million coronavirus tests completed up to that point. President Trump used the graph to support his assertion that testing was going up at a rapid rate. Based on this graphic many viewers likely took away the same conclusion  but it is incorrect.

The graph shows the total cumulative number of tests performed over months, not the number of new tests each day.

When you graph the number of new tests by date, you can see the number of COVID-19 tests performed between March and April did increase through time, but not rapidly. This instance is one of many when important information was not properly understood or well communicated.

As a researcher of hazard and risk communication, I think a lot about how people interpret the charts, graphs and maps they encounter daily.

Whether they show COVID-19 cases, global warming trends, high-risk tsunami zones, or utility usage, being able to correctly assess and interpret figures allows you to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, not all figures are created equal.

If you can spot a figures pitfalls you can avoid the bad ones. Consider the following three key questions the next time you see a graph, map or other data visual so you can confidently decide what to do with that new nugget of information.

What is this figure trying to tell me?

Start by reading the title, looking at the labels and checking the caption. If these are not available  be very wary. Labels will be on the horizontal and vertical axes on graphs or in a legend on maps. People often overlook them, but this information is crucial for putting everything you see in the visualization into context.

Look at the units of measure  are they in days or years, Celsius or Fahrenheit, counts, age, or what? Are they evenly spaced along the axis? Many of the recent COVID-19 cumulative case graphs use a logarithmic scale, where the the intervals along the vertical axis are not equally spaced. This creates confusion for people unfamiliar with this format.

A March 12 broadcast of The Rachel Maddow Show included a graph with unlabeled numbers and a tricky horizontal axis.

For instance, a graph from The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, showed coronavirus cases in the United States between Jan. 21 and March 11. The x-axis units on the horizontal are time (in a month-day format) and the y-axis units on the vertical are presumably cumulative case counts, though it does not specify.

The main issue with this graph is that the time periods between consecutive dates are uneven.

In a revised graph, with dates properly spaced through time, and coronavirus diagnoses plotted as a line graph, you can see more clearly what exponential growth in the rate of infection really looks like. It took the first 30 days to add 33 cases, but only the last four to add 584 cases.

What may seem like a slight difference could help people understand how quickly exponential growth can go sky high and maybe change how they perceive the importance of curbing it.

How are color, shape, size and perspective used?

Color plays an important role in how people interpret information. Color choices can make you notice particular patterns or draw your eye to certain aspects of a graphic.

Oregon landslide susceptibility. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries

Consider two maps depicting landslide susceptibility, which are exactly the same except for reversed color schemes. Your eye may be be drawn to darker shades, intuitively seeing those areas as at higher risk. After looking at the legend, which color order do you think best represents the information? By paying attention to how color is used, you can better understand how it influences what stands out to you and what you perceive.

Shape, size and orientation of features can also influence how you interpret a figure.

What industries employ Coloradans? Hemispheres

Pie charts, like this one showing employment breakdown for a region, are notoriously difficult to parse. Notice how hard it is to pull out which employment category is highest or how they rank. The pie charts wedges are not organized by size, there are too many categories (11!), the 3D perspective distorts the wedge sizes, and some wedges are separate from others making size comparisons almost impossible.

A bar chart is a better option for an informative display and helps show which industries people are employed in.

Where do the data come from?

Survey posted on Lou Dobbs Tonight, requesting viewers vote on Twitter about Trumps performance. Fox Business Network

The source of data matters in terms of quality and reliability. This is especially true for partisan or politicized data. If the data are collected from a group that isnt a good approximation of the population as a whole, then it may be biased.

For example, on March 18, Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs polled his audience with the question How would you grade President Trumps leadership in the nations fight against the Wuhan Virus?

#LDTPoll: How would you grade President Trumps leadership in the nation's fight against the Wuhan Virus... superb, great or very good? #KAG2020 #AmericaFirst #Dobbs  Lou Dobbs (@LouDobbs) March 18, 2020

Imagine if only Republicans were asked this question and how the results would compare if only Democrats were asked. In this case, respondents were part of a self-selecting group who already chose to watch Dobbs show. The poll can only tell you about that groups opinions, not people in the U.S. generally, for instance.

[Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter.]

Then consider that Dobbs provided only positive responses in his multiple choice options  superb, great or very good  and it is clear that this data has a bias.

Spotting bias and improper data collection methods allows you to decide which information is trustworthy.

Think through what you see

During this pandemic, information is emerging hour by hour. Media consumers are inundated with facts, charts, graphs and maps every day. If you can take a moment to ask yourself a few questions about what you see in these data visualizations, you may walk away with a completely different conclusion than you might have had at first glance.

Carson MacPherson-Krutsky receives funding from The National Science Foundation. She is the co-owner of HazardReady, LLC.
A Sligo man whose whistle-blowing has led to the UK police opening an investigation into a hospital says he now feels vindicated, after he used tech skills he learned at IT Sligo to expose alleged fraud relating to waiting lists.

David Phelan, a Carraroe native, was a senior manager with the NHS in England for 15 years, working in Kettering General Hospital.

In 2015, he felt compelled to whistleblow after he noticed patients were removed from waiting lists of Kettering General Hospital which he alleges was done to improve the hospital's waiting list figures.

The Northamptonshire police are now investigating the alleged fraud.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the investigation into the hospital in a letter to Labour's health spokesman, Jonathan Ashworth.

The Health Secretary said: "I note t hat Northamptonshire Police have begun an investigation into allegations of False and Misleading Information Offences at Kettering General Hospital. As Secretary of State for Health and Social Care I have made it clear that there is no place in the NHS or Government for anything other than the highest levels of honesty and integrity and I will tolerate nothing other than that."

Simon Weldon, now Chief Executive Officer at Kettering General Hospital, was not in that role at the time of the alleged fraud, but he has made contact with Mr. Phelan 'out of the blue' to inform him that they would assist the police with the inquiries.

He said: "As you know, I have confirmed on behalf of the Trust that we are happy to assist the police with their enquiries and in order to avoid any possible prejudice to their investigation, I will not at this stage provide detailed responses or commentary to third parties including yourself, despite your close interest in this matter."

It's five years since David whistleblew, which resulted in him losing his job early in 2016.

"Regardless of whether they find them innocent or guilty, the fact that the police are now going to investigate, I feel vindicated in that my allegations are being taken that seriously," he told The Sligo Champion.

Although not working in tech in the hospital, the former Summerhill College student was able to use the skills he learned at IT Sligo to prove his suspicions that something untoward was going on with the hospital waiting lists.

At IT Sligo, David studied Information Systems, which included a module on database technologies.

"It was through having those skills that I was able to crack this crime," he said.

"That's how I proved it. I wasn't employed in tech. I was doing a senior management job which didn't involve working as a technologist.

"When the figures started looking strange to me, I just thought it didn't look right so I managed to get access to the computer code used to print the waiting list, and it was from that then that I as able to see that filters were put on the database to remove six categories of patients from the waiting list."

David alleges that this was done to give the impression that the hospital's waiting list figures were better than they were, meaning they were closer to their performance targets once external regulators went looking at these numbers.

It hasn't been an easy time for David. He is back in Sligo living in the back of his Ford Transit van for the time being.

Like many whistleblowers, he was initially frozen out by many colleagues when he made the allegations. And now, he can't get a job in the NHS despite his experience.

"The thing about the NHS is there's all these posters up on the wall saying that it's your duty as an employee if you spot something, you're not being a good employee if you don't flag it up.

"And if you do, you get your head cut off. As soon as you say something, the attitude towards you changes, they try to find fault in your work. They try and find reasons to get you out the door when you whistleblow.

"I was ostracised by some of my colleagues, particularly those who were involved because they didn't want their part being known.

Of course they didn't want to make life easy for me

"It was difficult. I've applied for hundreds of jobs in the NHS since my whistleblowing, I'm blacklisted."

David wasn't the only one to lift the lid on the alleged fraud at the hospital, as two other whistleblowers later came forward with the same allegations as David.

That, he feels, helped the case massively.

"It went from being the mad Irish man, as they tried to portray me, the lone wolf , (making the claims) to others and there could be more.

"Proving the veracity of what I'm saying, if it's one bloke on his own you might say it's 50/50 but if it's two and three saying the exact same thing and they all say the same thing, it adds a huge amount of credibility to what they say."

The BBC reported last week that over 100 people were 'harmed' after being left on waiting lists at the hospital for over one year.

It is for these reasons now that David and a number of other people now wish to set up a support group in Kettering for people who have been affected by this.

"I'm setting up a support group in Kettering to keep it in the public domain. They're going to put flyers through homes in Kettering, and get people to share stories if they have had adverse outcomes from the hospital."

But that's not all. He is also hoping to get the help of MEP Ming Flanagan to set up a group for whistleblowers in the Republic of Ireland, including Maurice McCabe, Vicky Phelan and the daughters of James O'Reilly who was recently convicted of abusing his seven daughters.

David explained: "I want to get all parties involved, I will personally speak to every single TD and try and speak to Maurice McCabe, and Vicky Phelan and those seven traveller ladies.

"I want to try and use this to get an organisation in place so that people who are isolated and on their own will have someone to support them, to listen to them, to signpost them to the relevant authorities," he said.

He has been through the mill after he bravely decided to make these allegations against the hospital.

"You need a certain personality type, five years on to still be standing. I'm very resilient, some might say I'm pushy but if I wasn't knocking on doors, being pushy, being resilient, I wouldn't be here today."

And despite everything he has happened, including losing his job and now being homeless, he has no regrets whatsoever about blowing the whistle.

"Even though I am sleeping in the back of my Ford Transit van but it will be fine because the truth will come out.

"If you asked me do I regret it I would say unequivocally 'no'.

"Because of my actions and the other people who whistleblow, we have saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives.

"That's a price worth paying," he added.

The police forces' economic crimes unit is understood to be leading the investigation into the claims of David Phelan and the other whistleblowers involved.

For now, all David can do is wait and see what happens as it is expected to take some time for the investigation to be completed.
SPRINGFIELD  State officials will distribute more than 60,000 cloth masks to state agencies, boards and commissions to protect the health and safety of employees returning to the workplace.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Central Management Services (CMS), and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency are spearheading the effort. All State employees are required to wear face coverings and practice social distancing while at their worksites.

As more of our economy reopens and Illinoisans returns to work, the single best thing you can do to help our state is wear a mask everywhere you go. The administrations top priority remains protecting the health and safety of the people of Illinois; and by providing 60,000 face coverings for the hardworking men and women who help keep state government running, we are ensuring our state workers have the tools they need to stay safe, said Governor Pritzker.

If worn properly, using a face covering has been shown to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. We have learned that people may be most infectious up to two days before they begin showing symptoms. But if an infected individual is wearing a face covering, it can help prevent the droplets from their mouth or nose from reaching others around them. By wearing a face covering, you are respecting those around you and helping reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The Illinois Department of Central Management Service (CMS) developed the States Return to Work guidelines and surveyed each State agency, board and commission under the jurisdiction of Governor Pritzker to gather information about their site-specific return to work plans. Under the guidelines, all state employees must have the accurate personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to safely return to their worksite. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), overseeing the States logistics response for COVID-19, used this information to supply each employee with two cloth face masks.

The health and safety of employees is our top priority, especially within the workplace, said Janel L. Forde, Director of CMS. The State continues to make a coordinated effort to supply employees with the guidance and resources they need to protect themselves and each other while providing critical services to keep Illinois up and running.

The advice and guidance we are giving State agencies, boards and commissions is the same advice and guidance we are giving each and every business across Illinois. Implementing a face covering policy is a simple yet effective way to protect your workers and customers, said Alicia Tate-Nadeau, Director of IEMA. IEMA urges all business owners to carefully evaluate their emergency operations plans to ensure they address the needs of a COVID environment. Proper planning for all hazards or emergencies, such as COVID-19, can ensure business continuity while protecting our workers, customers and our bottom line.

The masks were obtained from a private party source via the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Employees were supplied with cloth masks to reserve medical grade PPE for health care professionals on the front line of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information about Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan, visit coronavirus.Illinois.gov.
Washington:

Pakistan "can and must" take more effective action against terror groups operating from its soil as no state should allow its territory to be used to launch attacks into another, the White House has said.

"While recognising the sacrifices of the people and the security forces of Pakistan in fighting some militant and terrorist networks -- a fight which we support  President (Barack) Obama has emphasised that Pakistan "can and must" also take more effective action against terrorist groups operating from its soil," a senior White House official said on Wednesday.

"The President has made it very clear that no state should allow its territory to be used by terrorists to launch attacks into another state, and we will continue to engage on this issue," he said in response to a 'We the People' online petition that was signed by a record 665,769 people.

The petition asked the Obama administration to declare Pakistan as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, as desired by a bill introduced in the US House of Representatives by two Congressmen Ted Poe and Dana Rohrabacher.

"Since the bill cited by the petition remains in draft, we will not comment on it here," he added.

Meanwhile, the State Department has also refused to comment on the bill.

"I am not going to get into a discussion about that. We routinely discuss with our Pakistani counterparts the importance for continued focus and energy on the counter-terrorism efforts and the terrorism threat, particularly along that spine between the two countries.

"Our focus on this and the focus that we want to see Pakistan expend on it, that is not going to change," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said.

The State Department, he said, has seen comments made by the incoming administration on counter-terrorism.

"I have seen some comments that they have made about a counter-terrorism focus. That is for them to address.

"Nothing changes about our focus on the importance of regional, collaborative and effective counter-terrorism operations and to our interest in seeing all the countries in the region likewise expend a great deal of energy and effort and leadership on that. I just cannot speculate about the future and I would not do that," Kirby added.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The Bachelorette couple Ali Oetjen and Taite Radley have announced that they've split.

The pair shared the devastating news on their respective Instagram accounts on Saturday, saying that they're 'taking time apart' and giving each other 'some space.'

The pair also said that they still love each other, after meeting on The Bachelorette back in 2018.

It's over! The Bachelorette's Ali Oetjen and Taite Radley announced on Saturday that they've split after two years together

Ali, 34, and Taite, 29, shared near identical statements underneath selfies together and said they were making the shock announcement with 'the heaviest heart.'

'It is with the heaviest heart that we want to let everyone know that we have decided to take time apart in order to give each other space and time to fully focus on our own paths,' Ali wrote, suggesting that they might get back together in future and might just be taking a short break.

'We both love each other deeply and only want the best for each other and both want the ultimate happiness for each other and hopefully our paths will reconnect again soon.'

She added: 'We've decided to be open with this so there's no speculation and so we expect love, respect and kindness in return. I love you Taite.'

So sad: Ali and Taite shared near identical statements underneath selfies together and said they were making the shock announcement with 'the heaviest heart'

Taite shared the same message online with fans and finished, writing: 'I love you Ali.'

Last month, the pair finally reunited after spending 88 days apart amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The pair were stuck in different states at the time during lockdown.

At the time, Taite posted a loved-up photo of the couple embracing one another after being reunited, and wrote: 'We're back!'

Heartbreaking: In their posts, the pair both finished by saying that they love each other

Taite and Ali had been forced apart by state travel restrictions since March. While Taite remained in Victoria for work, Ali went to Queensland to stay with her parents.

Ali also previously confessed to feeling angry, fearful and helpless in an emotional Instagram post.

Ali wrote at length: 'Yesterday and today has been so S**T!!! ROAR! Angry!! Nothings changed I'm still in isolation, I don't need empathy or encouragement, please save that for people who REALLY need it.

Tough times: Last month, the pair finally reunited after spending 88 days apart amid the coronavirus pandemic. The pair were stuck in different states at the time during lockdown

'I'm human and not happy all the time... So invite the fear, the s***ty moods and sad emotions as past it I know is freedom. But I'm smiling to stay strong, vulnerable to stay connected and working to stay productive.'

'I miss him SO much. Three weeks and counting,' she said of Taite at the time.

'I've been isolating at my parents property in the Glasshouse Mountains, Queensland, which is so beautiful and I'm incredibly grateful to be isolating here in nature and can connect with you all through yoga, meditation and workouts.

Set back: In March, it was reported that the pair had to shelve their plans to open a fitness studio due to the coronavirus pandemic, that they were calling Sweaty A.F

'It's just one of those days where I feel stuck in a helpless dark hole and I can't see the light out. When will I see him next? Sooner rather than later I'm sure, but IT'S S**t!' she finished the post.

In March, it was reported that the pair had to shelve their plans to open a fitness studio due to the coronavirus pandemic, that they were calling Sweaty A.F.

Ali and Taite met and fell in love on The Bachelorette back in 2018.

The blonde bombshell first found fame on The Bachelor Australia in September 2013, but failed to find love with leading man, Tim Robards.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ali and Taite for comment in relation to this article.
Chinas foreign ministry complained Saturday that American law enforcement officials improperly entered its consulate in Houston, which was ordered to close in an escalating diplomatic feud.

The ministry gave no details, but US federal agents checked the consulate's doors and a locksmith was seen working on a lock Friday after Chinese diplomats left ahead of a 4 pm deadline to close.

US-Chinese relations have plunged to their lowest level in decades amid conflicts over trade, technology, Hong Kong, spying accusations and complaints of abuses against Chinese Muslims.

The Trump administration ordered the Houston consulate closed this week, saying Chinese agents tried to steal medical and other research in Texas. Beijing responded by ordering Washington to close its consulate in the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu.

As for the US sides forcible entry into the premises of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, China expresses strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition, said a foreign ministry statement. China will make a proper and necessary response to this.

The statement said that the Houston consulate was Chinese property, and that under diplomatic treaties American officials had no right to enter.

In Chengdu, spectators snapped photos outside the US Consulate on Saturday as police in T-shirts and surgical masks stood on the sidewalk and the closed-off street in front of the walled compound.

A bus drove into the compound, but spectators saw few other signs of action.

On Friday, a man was detained by police after he set off firecrackers outside the consulate at about 7 p.m., Chengdu police said on their social media account. It said the man was given a warning.
Asked by a reporter what compelled him to totally cancel the Florida event, the president replied: "I would just say safety. Just safety. I could see the media saying, 'Oh, this is very unsafe.'" Trump said thousands of his supporters wanted to attend and were in the process of making travel arrangements. About 10,000 people had been expected, which would have been a small fraction of the attendance at such a major political event in a normal year.

About 330 delegates will still meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the formal nomination of Trump as the Republican candidate for president. Trump said it remains to be determined where he will make his acceptance speech -- which had been scheduled for Jacksonville on Aug. 27 -- and that the other events will be replaced with "tele-rallies."

Due to the flare-up in Florida "it is not the right time" to have a big convention, Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room on Thursday. "I have to protect the American people. That's what I've always done. That's what I always will do. That's what I'm about."

Citing safety concerns, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced he is pulling the plug on next month's Republican Party convention in Jacksonville, Floridaa coronavirus hot spot.

Planning for the event in Florida had been hampered by anemic fund-raising from prospective sponsors. Many potential attendees were worried about health risks, and local officials expressed concern to Trump's campaign about the difficulty of providing enough resources and personnel to safely host the event.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams posted a joint statement shortly after the president's remarks. "We appreciate President Donald Trump considering our public health and safety concerns in making this incredibly difficult decision," Curry and Williams said in a joint statement after the White House announcement. "As always, in Jacksonville, public safety is our number one priority. President Trump has once again reaffirmed his commitment to the safety of Jacksonville, Florida, and the people of the United States of America."

Florida on Thursday announced 173 additional COVID-19 fatalities, the most of any day throughout the coronavirus pandemic. More than 5,600 people have died in the state from COVID-19 and nearly 400,000 have been infected. Across the United States, 4 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 144,000 have died -- the most reported by any country.

 Coronavirus Briefing

The surprise announcement of the convention's cancellation came at the start of the president's coronavirus briefing, a gathering before the press he revived this week after a hiatus.

As has been the case this week, Trump did not share the podium with any members of the White House coronavirus task force, although Dr. Deborah Birx was seated on the side of the briefing room.

The president again blamed the outbreak of the virus on China, where the first cases were reported in late December of last year. "It's a different world and it will be for a little while," acknowledged Trump, who has been criticized for playing down for months the seriousness of the virus.

Trump emphasized that despite the concerns of educators and parents across the country, it is important for students to return to classroom education as soon as feasible. "Schools have to open safely. They have to open," said the president, who noted that children are significantly less prone to get sick or die from COVID-19 than adults.

Most schools in the United States begin the academic year in late August or early September. Many are already delaying that timetable and choosing to hold some or all classes online amid the pandemic. School districts located in coronavirus hot spots "may need to delay reopening for a few weeks. That's possible. That'll be up to governors," said the president.
New Delhi:

National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids on Saturday at ten premises of controversial preacher Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) in Mumbai.

A case had been registered by NIA against Zakir Naik and others on Friday under 10, 13, 18 of UAPA and section 153A of IPC.

Naik has been accused of spreading enmity amongst various religions and his speeches telecast on Peace TV have come under government surveillance.

The search operations are still under way at IRF premises and NIA is being assisted by Mumbai Police in its search operations.

The Union cabinet had approved a proposal to outlaw the IRF on November 15 for its alleged terror activities.

Naik's NGO, IRF came under suspicion after one of the terrorists in Dhaka attack had allegedly posted on social media that they were heavily inspired by Naik's speeches.

Further, some young men from Malavani in western suburbs who had left their home to join Islamic State earlier this year were also allegedly inspired by the Isalmic preacher's speeches.

Some members of IRF were arrested for allegedly motivating and radicalising youths from Kasargod in Kerala to join ISIS. The case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Zakir Naik is currently out of the country apparently to evade arrest, sources said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The Congress staged demonstrations across Rajasthan on Saturday against what it called a BJP "conspiracy to topple" its government and to press for an Assembly session.

Congress workers gathered in large numbers in Jaipur and district headquarters and raised slogans against the BJP and demanded that the governor convene a session of the Assembly. The Congress government is pushing for an Assembly session so that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot can prove his majority, following a revolt by Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

The Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to the rebel MLAs. In Jaipur, the demonstration was held at the Youth Congress office.

"The BJP's intentions will not work out and the Ashok Gehlot government will complete its tenure. It is also disappointing that the Governor is not calling an Assembly session. The session should be called, a party leader said in Bikaner. Congress workers took out a rally in Kota and staged a dharna in Jodhpur. Similar protest demonstrations were held elsewhere in the state.

Giving the call for demonstrations, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara had on Friday said, ""The BJP is conspiring to topple our government and the public is watching this. Efforts are also being made by invisible powers sitting in Delhi to influence the governor. People want the elected government to complete its tenure." Dotasara also accused the BJP of trying to ensure that the assembly session is not convened.

"The cabinet passed a proposal and sent it to the governor for calling the assembly session and for proving the majority so that those who have been 'abducted' (dissident MLAs) can come and the confusion ends but attempts are being made to hijack this too," he said. Dotasara said the programmes would be held following COVID-19 preventive measures such as social distancing.

He said that not more than 50 persons would gather in any place. However, Congress workers gathered for the demonstrations in large numbers in all district headquarters disregarding social distancing norm.
A crowd of people in France saved two children from an apartment fire, catching them as they jumped from the burning building.

The rescue of the brothers, aged 3 and 10, happened on Tuesday, reports CNN affiliate BFM, and was captured in remarkable video footage from a nearby building in Grenoble, southeastern France.

In the footage, one child is first dropped into the crowd, while thick black smoke billows from the flat.

In this grab taken from video, a boy hangs from a window as flames engulf an apartment as onlookers below prepare to catch him in Grenoble, France, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. (AP)

The other boy then sits on the ledge for several seconds as neighbors wave him down. The child leaps forward and is again caught by the crowd. Locals were praised by Grenobles mayor, who called the rescue heroic.

One of those who helped the children to safety was Athoumani Walid, who told BFM TV that he heard screams from outside his window when he saw the two children trapped.

The eldest one took a lot of courage and a lot of confidence. He put his little brother first. We took him in and we said to the other one, Come on, jump, its your turn, jump, Walid said.

Then he climbed up through the window, he let go, and then we got him again. None of them fell on the floor. No ones hurt, Walid further added.

In this grab taken from video, a boy jumps from a window as flames engulf an apartment as onlookers below prepare to catch him in Grenoble, France, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. (AP)

Walid continued: We saved their lives but they made the right decision to go for it. We had no choice, we had no way to go to them. They were the ones who came to us. They were the brave ones, they were the heroes.

Grenoble Mayor Eric Piolle wrote on Facebook: I would like to congratulate the inhabitants of Villeneuve who made a heroic rescue of two children trapped in their burning apartment today.

Piolle added: Hand in hand, they allowed the two little ones to get out unharmed from this drama.

(Illustration  Sergey Toronto/Shutterstock)

An inquiry into potential negligence has been launched against the boys parents by authorities in the region, BFM reported.

The children were alone in the apartment because their mother had gone grocery shopping and their father had left for work, state prosecutor Eric Vaillant said, according to BFM.

The mother had been absent from around 11 a.m. (5 a.m ET) when she went grocery shopping and the dad had left for work around 11:30. At first glance, the mom should have returned before the departure of the husband but was a bit late. The children were not allowed to be left alone, added Vaillant.

Samples were taken by investigators to determine the origins of the fire, which took place in the living room, BFM reported. A total of 14 people were intoxicated by smoke fumes, and two firefighters were mildly injured.

The scene bore a resemblance to the 2018 rescue of a child by the so-called Spiderman Mamoudou Gassama, a young Malian migrant who scaled several floors of an apartment complex to rescue a child dangling from a balcony.

Gassama was made a French citizen and offered a job in the fire department after footage of his remarkable rescue went viral.

CNNs Pierre-Eliott Buet, Pierre Bairin and Niamh Kennedy contributed to this report.

The CNN Wire contributed to this report.
Amid a spike in Covid-19 cases over last week, Bihar on Saturday reported 2,803 new patients taking the eastern states coronavirus tally past the 36,000 mark, the state health department said. The total number of coronavirus patients in Bihar has now touched 36,314.

Among the 2,803 new cases, as many as 1,021 cases were reported a day earlier on July 24, while at least 1,782 positive cases had been detected on July 23, the health department said in a tweet.

Capital city Patna has logged the maximum number of coronavirus cases till date with 316 patients.

On Friday, a 35-year-old Covid-19 positive man, who had been isolated at home died by suicide in Patnas Malsalami, the police said on Saturday. Another Covid-19 patient also died on the same day after allegedly jumping off the fifth-floor bathroom of one of the buildings of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Patna. The AIIMS-Patna and the Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH) are the two dedicated Covid-19 hospitals in Patna.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data revealed that there are 11,363 active cases of coronavirus in Bihar, with 22,343 patients having been cured and discharged. Till date there have been 220 deaths due to the infectious disease.

Among Bihars districts hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Patna district is the worst affected with 316 Covid-19 cases, followed by Bhagalpur with 103 patients, Gaya with 60 and East Champaran with 55 coronavirus cases.

Begusarai district has recorded 43 patients, Jehanabad has 42 cases, Madhubani district has 36, Muzaffarpur 33, Khagaria district has 31 and the states Nalanda district has reported 30 Covid-19 positive cases.

A three-member Central team, headed by Lav Aggarwal, joint secretary in the ministry of health and family welfare had visited Bihar earlier this week to assess the Covid-19 crisis. Other team members were Dr SK Singh, director National Centre for Disease Control, and associate professor of AIIMS-Delhi Dr Neeraj Nischal.

The Central team suggested increasing the number of hospital beds to keep pace with the surge in Covid-19 cases after the viral caseload recorded an increase over the last two weeks.

Among the districts which have reported a lower concentration of Covid-19 cases are Arwal with 15 cases, Banka with 8, Buxar with 8, Darbhanga with 15, Dhanbad with 3, Gopalganj with 1, Jamui with 5, Katihar with 2, Kishanganj with 5, Munger with 8, Madhepura with 13, Nawada with 2, Rohtas with 19, Vaishali with 15 and Siwan with 2 Covid-19 cases so far.
A United States court has rejected the USD 1.5 million bail application of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who has been declared a fugitive by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case, describing him a flight risk.

Rana, 59, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

He is a declared fugitive in India.

US District Court Judge in Los Angeles Jacqueline Chooljian, in her 24-page order dated July 21, denied bail to Rana arguing that he is a flight risk.

Describing Rana as a flight risk, the US government opposed his release on bail, arguing that if he were to flee to Canada, he may escape the possibility of a death sentence in India.

"Given the stakes, an allowance of bail in any amount would not guarantee Rana's presence in court. Granting bail would invite the possibility of embarrassing the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs, straining its relationship with India," Assistant US Attorney John J Lulejian had told the court.

On the other hand, Rana's attorney told the court that the 26/11 accused is not a flight risk and has proposed a USD 1.5 million bond for his release.

Rana, in his defence, has argued that the US' decision not to extradite his co-conspirator, Headley, to India is inconsistent and bars his extradition.

While Rana "has presented a robust bail package and proffered conditions which significantly mitigate the risk of flight, the court cannot find that he has negated the risk of flight and accordingly grants the Detention Request (of the government) on that basis," Judge Chooljian said.

For someone facing conspiracy to murder and murder charges in India, the incentive to flee to avoid extradition is strong, the court said.

Pakistan-born Rana completed Army Medical College there, and served in the Pakistani Army as a doctor for more than a decade, but eventually deserted.

He is currently a Canadian citizen, but was a resident of Chicago where he had a business. According to the court papers, he has also resided in and traveled to Canada, Pakistan, Germany and England and speaks seven languages.

If he flees to Canada, he could effectively avoid exposure to the death penalty as such country's extradition treaty with India contains a provision which allows extradition to be refused if the offence for which extradition is requested is punishable by death in India and is not punishable by death in Canada unless India gives assurances that a death penalty would not be executed, federal prosecutors had said.

There is no question in the court's mind that given Rana's significant foreign ties, particularly to Canada, and the potential death penalty awaiting him in India if he is extradited on and convicted of the most serious pending charges, he is a flight risk, the court said.

According to the court papers, Rana had tested positive for COVID-19 at Terminal Island in Los Angeles on April 28, 2020, but was asymptomatic and has since recovered.

He tested negative in the last three tests on June 13, June 15 and June 25.

According to the federal prosecutors, between 2006 and November 2008, Rana conspired with Headley, also known as "Daood Gilani, and others in Pakistan to assist Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harakat ul-Jihad-e-Islami, both US-designated terrorist organisations, to plan and carry out the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Pakistani-American LeT terrorist Headley was involved in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack.

India seeks his arrest on a number of offences, including the conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit forgery for the purpose of cheating, and murder under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

He is sought for his role in 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The 2008 Mumbai attack was one of India's most horrific terrorist attacks in which 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem.

Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive, was hanged to death on November 21, 2012.
Chachis Mexican Restaurant has been a preferred destination for foodies in the Lake Houston area for over a decade.

People have packed the patio, bar and dining areas at Chachis, which is located in Kingwood Town Center. Now, co-owner Luis Jaimes, also known as Chachi, and his wife and co-owner Kathie Jaimes are looking to make another splash with Chachis Next Door.

GRADUATION: K-Park commencement highlights high expectations for talented seniors

Chachi has wanted to have another restaurant where he could do things a little different, Kathie Jaimes said. We kind of wanted to have that modern Mexican flare, and it finally has come to fruition.

Chachis Next Door is still in its soft opening phase. The Mexican eatery is smaller and more upscale with a new menu of dishes and drinks.

One dish that stands out is the popular octopus tacos, Kathie Jaimes said. Also, Chachis Next Door has started serving brunch items that include pancakes, French toast, breakfast tacos, eggs benedict, steak and eggs and mimosas as well.

Their lineup of drinks includes margaritas, mojitos, martinis, palomas, sangria and Clericot.

After about a month of operating, the Jaimes family has heard great feedback about Chachis Next Door.

People have said they cant get that kind of food (in this area), said Kathie Jaimes. Everyone has complimented us so far and our brunch menu is popular as well. When you walk in theres a big jar with pineapple juice with vodka that our bartender makes. Our bartenders take pride in making their drinks.

Times have been challenging during the pandemic for local restaurants.

Sales are not what they used to be but the Jaimes family continues to provide good food for the Lake Houston community. Their hope is for Chachis Next Door to proper just as Chachis has.

Much like Chachis, we want it to be the peoples go-to restaurant and feel comfortable, Kathie Jaimes said. You know what youre going to get when you come here, and we want to continue that with Chachis Next Door.

Area eateries join Houston Restaurants Weeks

The Houston Restaurants Weeks, a month-long event that benefits the Houston Food Bank, is back and runs through Sept. 7.

Three Lake Houston area restaurants are participating in the event, including Zammittis Italian Ristorante, in Kings Harbor, Humbles Brick House Tavern & Tap and the Saltgrass in Humble.

The event is a month-long dining extravaganza featuring specially priced lunches, brunches and dinners at restaurant from the Woodlands to Galveston, Texas.

Most restaurants are offering HRW menus for deliver and to-go. Make sure to call ahead to verify with restaurants.

EDUCATION: Harris County orders schools to delay in-person classes until at least Sept. 8

New Boutique debuts in Kingwood

Monarch Health and Wellness Boutique is one of the latest businesses to open in Kingwood.

Monarch offers the community education on and access to products that are good for the mind, body and planet. Monarch has essential oils, candles and jewelry. Monarch also carries supplements for rest and relaxation, vitamins and minerals and even offers medicine for pets.

Monarch is in the soft opening phase and is in the new business complex center at 1414 Northpark Drive, Ste. H, Kingwood.

marcus.gutierrez@chron.com
China's Mars probe not to compete for space leadership: FM

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/24 18:26:01

China's Mars probe mission is not designed to compete for space leadership; in fact, the universe is big enough for any country's exploration and cooperation, Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Wang made the remarks during a routine press conference on Friday, commenting on some foreign media reports that misinterpreted China's launch of its Mars probe on Thursday as a way to enhance its capabilities to compete in space leadership.

The successful launch officially kick-started China's independent journey of exploration to Mars, which not only Chinese people take great pride in, but it has also gained attention from the international community, he said.

According to the spokesperson, international agencies including the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA of the US, as well as countries such as Russia, Japan and Argentina have extended congratulations to the Chinese space mission. China responded by expressing thanks to them for their kind words.

China's Mars probe is an open platform for scientific exploration. To ensure the mission's smooth undertaking, China has carried out cooperation with many countries and agencies including the ESA, France, Austria and Argentina, he noted.

The ultimate goal of China's space projects is completely peaceful, and the projects are designed to enhance humanity's knowledge of the universe; expand the space of human activities, and promote the sustainable development of human civilization, Wang told the media.

The Pacific Ocean is big enough to contain many countries in the world, and the vast universe is also big enough for multiple countries' exploration missions and cooperation, he noted.

Wang said that China is willing to carry out international cooperation in the space sector with any country under the basis of mutual respect, inclusiveness, equality and mutual benefits, and to make positive contributions to the peaceful development of space and building of a community of shared future for mankind.

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Vinod Nair

Currently, the market is inching positively on a weekly basis, supported by a sector or stock on that particular week. This time it was Banks, Auto and IT.

In the context of the overall trend, we should state that it is largely due to positive developments in global market, this week it was due to the huge qualitative stimulus being considered by European Union and before this, it was the stimulus package announced in the US and India.

This week, a better set of initial Q1 results, by high weighted AND quality companies, has helped the market. A high amount of liquidity in the hands of investors while fall in the biggest risk, which was the bankruptcy of private assets, has added trust between investors and the equity market. This trend is expected to continue at least in the near-term unless we come across any undesirable increase in risk.

We have a positive view on Pharma and expect it to outperform the market for at least the next 2-3 years. We expect valuations to expand further which will give investors further opportunity to enter this space. One needs to note that Pharma outperformed the market from the low made in March but has underperformed in the last 3 months. Also, Pharma was among the worst performers from 2016 to 2019 due to disruption in the business model lead by pricing and regulatory issue in US FDA. This view has completely changed with a likely preferential status for Indian pharma in the global market post-COVID-19. The vaccine is an opportunity for the sector but we don't expect it to boost profitability, especially for listed companies because they are in the 1st and 2nd phase of testing but it will benefit the overall Indian Pharma sector as they are a key source of capacity to manufacture a huge number of doses in the future.

Overall demand and queries have already increased due to world health crisis and will lead to much higher valuation compared to the downgrade in the last 3-5 years. The outlook was impacted by regulatory fallout in US FDA observations and pricing issue in the US. Today, this concern has reversed into an opportunity as Indian companies become the preferential provider of pharma products in the US and world. The stocks which are our top picks is Torrent Pharma, Biocon, Dr Reddy's Laboratories and Cadila Healthcare.

Our current view on the market is getting cautious on a weekly basis, due to high valuation and weak Q1 results. The consolidated PAT of Nifty50 constituents is expected to de-grow by -38 percent on a YoY basis, as per our assessment of Bloomberg consensus estimate of respective 50 constituent companies. The silver lining is that growth is expected on a QoQ basis due to the low base of Q4 FY20. Few sectors like Banks, NBFC and Pharma will do better due to a fall in provisions, income from investment and demand for healthcare while some sectors like IT and FMCG are expected to have minimal impact.

The initial results are marginally better-than-anticipated, mainly supported by IT and Banks. IT, due to positive guidelines by management, deals and better financials from Q2 onwards. Also, post-COVID the outlook and need for digital has increased. Cost is likely to be supported by Work-from-Home, we think that this is a good investment opportunity in such a situation, though in the near-term some consolidation on the stock to stock basis can happen. The outlook for Banks has improved a bit lately due to fall in moratorium and provisioning. Even though initial results are better than anticipated, the end will be watchful. The real effect of NPA will be understood post-August when moratorium gets lapsed.

Currently, the market is trading ahead of fundamentals, the world equity market is up by about 50 percent, from the 52-week low, in less than 4 months, just a few fractions behind the pre-COVID level high made in February, India is too under no exceptions. This rally had first initiated in the US market while the rest of the world was underperforming. Now the US is underperforming, based on last 1 & 3 months data, India is up by 9 percent and 25 percent respectively while US S&P500 is up by 5 percent and 15 percent, lower than us. This is a normal tendency of the best to perform first and then consolidate, the final trend of the cycle is evolving currently.

Based on valuation terms, the market is currently above the pre-COVID level, S&P500 is at 22x on P/E 12-month forward basis compared to 18x. And Nifty50 one year forward P/E is at 20.5x which is higher than 18.5x before COVID. It may be high due to low actual earning of FY20 and lack of growth in FY21. This may be also high due to the performance of a few sets of stocks with high weightage. Still, on a historical basis, we are in the bubble region in terms of valuation and it is advisable to be cautious and place assets in safe categories and sectors.

The author is Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Houston immigration attorney Jacob Monty is a Republican who is supporting former Vice President Joe Bidens bid for president in 2020.

Some of his fellow Republicans might find that puzzling, if not seditious. But the presumptive Democratic nominee is facing off against a president, Donald Trump, who has led the GOP away from the priorities that once defined the party in Texas, at least.

I became a Republican because of the Bush family, Monty said this week. When I met the Bush family in Houston, it was very natural for me.

I never had to apologize for them, he continued. I always felt welcome. I never had to explain, Oh, what Bush meant was  It was very easy to be a Republican.

Times have changed, clearly.

The fundamental policies that make people a Republican  American exceptionalism, limited government, free trade, free enterprise  no ones talking about those, Monty said. Those arent Trump values, for sure.

He briefly supported Trump in the summer of 2016, serving on his National Hispanic Advisory Council, after the New York businessman became the partys presumptive presidential nominee. But Monty left the Trump campaign in August that year, after Trump gave a draconian immigration speech in Phoenix in which the candidate promised to get rid of President Barack Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, among other items.

His whole persona is white nationalism, Monty said. Hes not going to ever adopt the mainstream Republican position. Whats scary is there is no mainstream Republican position, because hes kind of co-opted the party.

Many Republicans would agree, and some of them are organizing accordingly. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, for example, is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention next month. The Lincoln Project, a political action committee led by Republicans and former Republicans, is running ads blasting Trump  to the latters apparent annoyance.

Most of the money raised by the RINO losers of the so-called Lincoln Project, goes into their own pockets. With what Ive done on Judges, Taxes, Regulations, Healthcare, the Military, Vets (Choice!) & protecting our great 2A, they should love Trump, the president tweeted in May. Problem is, I BEAT THEM ALL!

The Lincoln Project last week announced its Texas leadership team, which includes a number of longtime Republican activists and operatives in Texas, including Monty.

Millions of people are out of work, the economy has tanked, corruption in the executive branch is rampant and people are afraid, one of the Texas team members, Jenny Willis Beech, said in a statement. Its time to put an end to this presidents failed leadership.

Trump has been emboldened to normalize bigotry and use it as a strategy for his benefit, said another, Abel Guerra. It is our duty to stop him.

Its impossible to be sure how many Republican voters in Texas feel the same way  and how many are willing to cross the aisle for Biden, as The Lincoln Project is urging.

But with less than 100 days to go before the election, the evidence suggests that even a small number of disaffected conservative voters could have a decisive impact on the outcome in the state.

Polls for some months have found Trump virtually tied with Biden in Texas. A Quinnipiac University poll released last week, for example, found Biden winning the support of 45 percent of registered voters, compared with 44 percent for Trump.

That same poll found U.S. Sen. John Cornyn leading Democrat MJ Hegar in this years Senate race by 47 percent to 38 percent  suggesting that Republicans running down ballot from the embattled president this year may be insulated, to some degree, from his travails.

But the Republicans organizing against the president arent worried about that, they say. At this point, getting rid of Trump is their top priority.

The nightmare that Ive been preaching and worried about, that we could lose Texas  if that happens, the party will become a regional party. Well never have another Republican president. I certainly realize that, Monty said. Maybe we need to go into the wilderness and rebuild  and well come out stronger, I believe.

Whats interesting is that although Trump may deride his conservative opponents as LOSERS, that line of criticism may not resonate with Texas Republicans  who were, after all, in the habit of winning before his arrival on the scene.

In 2000, 2004, I wanted to win, I cared, Monty said. This time, it feels different. Im worried about the country more than I am about just winning it from a partisan perspective.

Its hard to find fault with the Republicans who feel that way.

erica.grieder@chron.com
New Delhi, July 25 : Most of the measures taken by the government in this financial year will definitely show results and drive the country to have at least a 6 per cent growth rate in the FY22, economists and industry leaders stated on Saturday.

Speaking at the Webinar organized by ASSOCHAM titled- "Economic Outlook: Post Pandemic", Ajit Ranade, president and chief economist at Aditya Birla Group explained that the last three months have been quite unprecedented.

"In the April- June quarter, there has been a minus 15 per cent contraction. The foreign investors have pulled out almost $16 billion from the Indian markets, however, the domestic investors have been continuously investing money to the tune of almost Rs 90,000 crore back in the stock markets. There is a lot of enthusiasm and optimism which is leading the markets to boom and this is really amazing," he said.

According to Ranade, there would be a sharper recovery to the tune of at least 6 per cent in the financial year 2022 due to several factors.

"The agriculture sector is doing very well and is expected to grow at least to the tune of 3 to 4 per cent. The minimum support price (MSP) program by the government was a huge hit not only in good states like Punjab and Haryana but also in other smaller states. This will give some momentum in the next year," he said.

He also added that the rural employment guarantee program was a huge success and saw the numbers almost doubling.

"Also the MGNREGA program was a huge achievement. The Fiscal stimulus package 2.0 as it known will play a big role in shaping up the things to come and help in reviving the growth momentum," he pointed out.

Rathin Roy, Director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, and a former member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council explained that the industry would need to collectively chalk out a plan and present it to the government.

"The industry leaders would need to take the lead and chalk out a three-year plan and present it to the government. The role of the government would be limited and it's the industry that would need to take the lead. Let it work on the reverse," he added.

Tirthankar Patnaik, chief economist at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) explained that despite the negativity seen earlier on the stock exchanges, it took very little time for it to bounce back.

"From March 20, the stock markets started going up, that is because the global and the Indian stock markets look at the short term nature of the coronavirus," he said.

Patnaik added that though the growth is largely out of the base effect and the impact may not be likely to go away.

"The NPAs are likely to be in the tune of 12 per cent to 15 per cent; however the markets do not see this continuing in the long run. Also for the FY22, the earnings have not yet been downgraded and expect the earnings to catch up," he added.

Shekhar Shah, Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) stated that there is a lot of transformation going on in the country at the moment.

"Digitalisation is going to be the key factor. In the last four months, most employees while working from homes have managed to get around 80-90 per cent of productivity, think about the saving it would have on the external factors. This would propel a huge leap in certain critical areas," he said.

He also informed that it is time to reset our thinking on health policies. "Due to the pandemic, the fault lines in the society have been revealed. While we have been concentrating too much on the rural areas, it is also time to think as much for the urban safety nets as well. While we think about the cure, we need to think much more about the prevention," he informed.

Suman Bery, Global Fellow Asia Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington DC stated that there is a need to prioritize the relief, recovery and reform structure and deal with the issues in a sequence.

"The Atmanirbhar Bharat, global linkages and search for a new growth model are the need of the hour. The medical, humanitarian, economic, and political differences need to be resolved. The framework of government's focus should include supply side, demand side, and terms of trade," he said.

Upasna Bhardwaj, Senior Economist & Head Economic Research Kotak Mahindra Bank explained that there is a risk-aversion in the willingness to lend at present. "The big corporates still have enough funds but it is the smaller corporates that are suffering the most. Banks are reluctant to lend them. The pandemic has increased a lot of risk in the financial market," she said.

Chairman of ASSOCHAM's National Council for Banking & Non-Executive Chairman of Punjab & Sindh Bank, Charan Singh, stated that opening up of agriculture to the private investment will significantly contribute to growth, in the near future.

Niranjan Hiranandani, National President, ASSOCHAM and Co-founder of the Hiranadani Group informed that the government due to its various financial announcements has adequately taken care of the supply side of the economics and owing to its various policy announcements set the path for long term reforms.

"What we also need at this hour is land and labour reforms. The power costs in certain states are very high. Companies are moving out of Maharashtra to Gujarat to get the advantage of lower power bills. Out of the textile units which moved out of China, almost 23 went to Vietnam and only 2 came to India. We need to have a comprehensive policy to address these issues," he said.
A Colorado teenager who opened fire at a Denver-area high school last year in what has been described as an ambush attack was sentenced Friday to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

It is not clear when Alec McKinney, now 17, could be eligible for parole. Because of a relatively new state law that deals with juveniles, it is possible he could eligible in around two decades, officials said.

Killed in the May 7, 2019, shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch was Kendrick Castillo, 18, who has been called a hero for acting with others to stop one of the two shooters.

McKinney apologized to the teen's parents and the other students wounded and traumatized by the attack.

I will never repeat these actions ever again because the harm I caused is truly too much for anyone to bear, McKinney said.

Castillo's father said that he could never forgive McKinney.

"I condemn you to hell. I will never forgive you. I hate you, John Castillo said, according to NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver.

McKinney was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years on the murder charge, and 38 additional years on other counts. The judge had to include parole in the sentence because of his age, according to the station.

A recent state law allows juvenile defendants to apply for a program to be eligible for parole after serving 25 years, officials said.

If that program is used and if credits earned prison apply to that 25-year term, it's possible that McKinney could apply for that three-year program in as little as 18 years, the district attorney said.

McKinney was 16 at the time of the attack. Court documents filed in the case have portrayed him as the planner of the attack. He allegedly told police that he wanted others to suffer trauma like he had.

McKinney pleaded guilty in February to first-degree murder in the death of Castillo and other charges that include six counts of attempted murder. The mandatory minimum was life with the possibility of parole after 40 years minus earned time.

Story continues

The attack at the school south of Denver was carried out by McKinney and another suspect. Devon Erickson, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, has also been charged.

He has pleaded not guilty, and a trial has been set for September. His lawyers have portrayed McKinney as the ringleader who pressured Erickson to participate.

Because Erickson was an adult at the time of the shooting, if convicted of murder, he will face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office said.

Kendrick Castillo, 18, died while lunging at the shooter, according to a classmate at STEM School Highlands Ranch in a Denver suburb. (Courtesy John Castillo)

Six other people were shot by either McKinney or Erickson, and two others were mistakenly shot by a security guard responding to the shooting.

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said he wanted life without parole for McKinney, but he understands the law. "This was an ambush attack on these kids," he said.

George H. Brauchler, district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, said that he respected the judge and how he approached the sentencing, but wishes more years would have been added to the life sentence.

"The message that I wanted sent to this community  and it's going to go far beyond this community  is that if you engage in the planning and execution of a mass shooting at a school, you should expect the system to try to take from you every single second of your freedom that you have," Brauchler said.

He said the program for juvenile defendants enacted by the state legislature weakened the sentencing structure for juvenile murderers.

"Make no mistake, Kendrick Castillo was murdered, but the goal was to murder everybody in that room," Brauchler said.

John Castillo, Kendrick's father, said after sentencing that he and his wife will dedicate their lives to activism "for helping other families, so that they don't end up where we're at," adding "we wish this on no one."

He said crimes like the ones committed at the high school should be treated as acts of domestic terrorism, and that people should support law enforcement and not defund police departments.

"Evil walked into that room that day, and Kendrick Castillo stepped up and stopped it," Castillo said.

"People are alive today because of his sacrifice," he said. "And Kendrick would not want his mother and I to wallow in sorrow and not take action, and that's what we plan to do."
Briefing With Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Dr. Christopher A. Ford On the U.S.-Russia Space Security Exchange

Special Briefing

Dr. Christopher Ashley Ford, Assistant Secretary

Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation

Via Teleconference

July 24, 2020



MR BROWN: Hey, good afternoon, everyone. It's been a busy week, but I'm happy we were able to schedule some time for this on-the-record briefing by our Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Dr. Christopher Ford, who is also performing the duties of the under secretary for arms control and international security.

We wanted to be sure Dr. Ford had the opportunity to speak with you to discuss the U.S.-Russia Space Security Exchange, which is set to take place in Vienna on July 27th. This will be the first formal bilateral engagement with Russia on space security since 2013. Assistant Secretary Ford will provide some brief opening remarks and then he'll take your questions. As a reminder, the content of this briefing is embargoed until the end of the call.

Dr. Ford, go ahead.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Thanks very much, Cale. It's a pleasure to talk to you all. Thanks for all of you who are listening for being here to talk about what I think will be a very hopefully interesting and productive meeting in Vienna next week.

As some of you may recall, when I met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov last January in Vienna for our Strategic Security Dialogue with Russia, the two sides agreed to establish a U.S.-Russian dialogue on space security. It took a little longer to get those pieces put together and actually schedule the meeting because, of course, the pandemic intervened, but I'm pleased to say that, as you just heard, we will have an interagency delegation of U.S. officials sitting down at the beginning of next week with their Russian counterparts in Vienna to conduct the U.S.-Russia Space Security Exchange, which we're calling the SSE.

Our hope is that this meeting will allow us to explore ways to increase stability and security in outer space, as well as to advance the cause of developing norms of responsible behavior in that vital domain. We hope that this resumed channel for diplomatic engagement with Russia will complement the SSE that we are also  we also have underway with the People's Republic of China, which is a bilateral dialogue in which we have already met three times.

Our team in Vienna for this space dialogue will be led by a senior official from the Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Bureau here at the State Department, and it includes participants not only from State but also from the Departments of Defense and Energy and the National Security Council staff, as well as the commander of the Space Operations Command at the new U.S. Space Force. The Russian side will include representatives from the ministry of foreign affairs, the ministry of defense, and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.

Now, there is a lot for our teams to discuss on this space dialogue, of course. While our efforts are aimed at finding constructive paths forward for space security, we will certainly emphasize our great concern with ongoing Russian  as well as Chinese  efforts to weaponize the space domain. To be clear, Moscow and Beijing have already turned space into a warfighting domain, as I'm sure you've been following, especially in light of the U.S. Space Command's announcement yesterday about Russia having conducted another on-orbit weapons test on the 15th of July.

So even while both Russia and China engage in diplomatic gamesmanship over what they claim is "space arms control," in other words, both are fielding new anti-satellite weapons in order to hold U.S. and allied space services at risk. As SPACECOM's most recent announcement makes doubly clear, Russia, in what I would say is an amazingly hypocritical repudiation of its own diplomacy against the deployment of "weapons in outer space," Russia has already tested projectile-firing satellite weapons in orbit not just once, but now twice.

The U.S. considers unfettered access to and freedom to operate in space to be a vital interest, and we are committed to defending such space access and deterring any harmful interference with or attacks upon critical components of our space architecture. But I should emphasize that diplomacy is also important to us, and thus we hope that this space dialogue coming up next week in Vienna will be an opportunity for the U.S. and Russia to strengthen bilateral understanding of each other's policies and activities in outer space, and to advance the development of norms of responsible behavior there in order to avoid miscalculations or misperceptions that could lead to inadvertent escalation.

We've got a truly excellent space delegation that will be there on the ground. We are pleased to be having this dialogue with the Russians. And we hope it will be a productive meeting.

And with that, I look forward to your questions.

MR BROWN: Great. If you'd like to ask a question, dial 1 and 0. And for our first question, let's go to the line of Michael Gordon from The Wall Street Journal.

QUESTION: Chris, I have two questions for you. You emphasize that the goal next week is to develop norms for activity in space. Could you please give us a couple of examples, specific  of specific things that you would like to see worked out for  in this area? And also, you mentioned that discussions had previously been held with the Chinese. Could you please tell us when the last meeting was and what was achieved in those discussions? Thank you.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Thanks for the question. The last bit is the simplest, and that is that the last SSE that we had with the Chinese was in the summer of 2019.

And as for your question about possible norms and approaches, we've suggested a number of things publicly and would be interested in hearing what our Russian counterparts think about such things. One of the things that I have talked about, for example, is whether it might not be possible to articulate norms of responsible behavior for outer space that are in some ways at least analogous to or perhaps inspired by some of the work that has been done by the international community already in connection with cyberspace.

That is to say perhaps we can look into making it clear that outer space is not a lawless and ungoverned territory, but in fact is  is one in which in wartime, for example, all the usual international humanitarian law or Law of Armed Conflict rules will apply there as well principles of necessity and proportionality and distinction and humanity, for example; that space is not exempt from all of those elementary considerations in time of war. That is something that we've been very successful in articulating across the international community in connection with cyberspace, and it has yet to happen in connection with outer space, but I think that is both true and a sensible thing to emphasize and articulate. So that's something to be talking about, potentially, for example.

And it's also worth pointing out that although there are other means of operator-to-operator engagement across a range of military domains, and we've had a lot of experience over the years in working with folks such as our sort of Soviet counterparts back in the Cold War on how to have understandings of how to manage incidents that may occur and communications channels about  through which to talk about potential problems that may arise in the operational space, there isn't yet that kind of communications channel linkage or practice, if you will, in the space arena, and perhaps it's something to look into there as well.

So I say these a little  in a bit of a speculative way because, of course, we have yet to sit down with our Russian counterparts to talk about this, but we do think it's important to be exploring these kinds of ways to increase stability and predictability and crisis management mechanisms, if you will, in the space domain, and look forward to seeing what can be done in moving that forward.

MR BROWN: Great. So for our next question, let's go to the line of Arshad Mohammed from Reuters.

QUESTION: Thank you. Two things: One, are you yourself leading the U.S. team? And two, will there be any discussions between you and Sergey Ryabkov or between other U.S. officials and Ryabkov on broader arms control matters, including New START, next week in Vienna?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Okay. Well, on the  on the first part of your question, I will not be myself going. This is being conducted at a slightly lower level. The head of the U.S. space delegation will be an official from the Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Bureau here at the Department of State, and I will not myself be going.

As to engagements with Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov, I have invited him to participate in another Strategic Security Dialogue of the sort that we did back in January. We haven't worked out those details yet, but that is an outstanding invitation from the U.S. side to the Russian side, and hopefully we can be working something of that sort in place soon.

But I would be clear also that the  on the U.S. side, things have changed a little bit since January when we had the last engagement. At that time, we talked about a range of issues with our Russian counterparts, including the future  the potential future for arms control engagement between our two parties, and potentially China. Since that time, we have in the U.S. system a new special presidential envoy who has been appointed to take on the trilateral arms control negotiation portfolio, and there is a separate channel that has already begun to meet with the Russians, and with a bit of luck we'll also be meeting with the Chinese on moving the arms control agenda forward.

And so I will not be engaged in those engagements, but to the degree that I am still in the position that I am now, I will  I anticipate being involved in the next strategic security engagement, which will not cover those arms control issues. So we're developing two parallel tracks, at least for the moment, and that's the state of play as they are right now.

MR BROWN: Next, let's go to the line of David Sanger, New York Times.

QUESTION: Thanks very much and thanks, Chris, for doing this. Two related questions to this: So is this a situation, like the one with New START, where it doesn't make any sense to have an agreement just with the Russians if the Chinese don't play? In other words, can you imagine a bilateral rules of the road of the kind you described rather than a trilateral one?

And secondly, I was a little bit confused by your cyber analogy here because the cyber rules of the road haven't been all that well established, and there's a lot of differentiation between what the Russians and the Chinese believe is an acceptable form of behavior, acceptable targets and what the U.S. position is. So if I was wondering if you could just play that analogy out for a moment, because I was having a hard time understanding what it was you are hoping they would replicate.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Well, in the cyber context, I would point you to a number of Group of Governmental Expert  GGE  engagements that have been taking place under UN auspices, adopting consensus reports, and I believe in all these cases both Russian and Chinese participants have been part of the GGEs in  on cyberspace security. And over the course of the last  certainly maybe in the  within the last decade  I've forgotten exactly when they started, but 2011, '13, '15, something like that  there have been a number of I think very productive articulations of the idea that law of armed conflict principles, for example, would apply in a cyber war, that there's nothing sort of special and uniquely exempted from law of war considerations about cyberspace.

And my suggestion was merely that we may be able to think and say similar things about outer space in ways that would add to our  to stability and appropriately rule-governed behavior, or at least encourage appropriately rule-governed behavior in outer space as well. So it's  there will be perhaps different specific ways in which those principles might apply in outer space. They always apply slightly differently from one domain to the next. That's true across the range of military operational law, but I think there's still probably a good deal we can do to try to think through what might be possible in the space arena.

As for the question of China's involvement, obviously, as the  as I think that GGE example suggests, developing norms for responsible behavior certainly should be more than just a bilateral thing, but I think it should be more than just a trilateral thing as well. What we have had success with in other arenas, as I indicated, is getting quite a few countries together from a variety of different perspectives to ensure that when one articulates a norm of responsible behavior, it has a bit  it has the kind of heft and credibility that you would want it to do. And so what we would presumably be doing at some point is working with as many essentially like-minded parties as possible to build a growing consensus around appropriate norms of what is and what is not responsible behavior.

There's no reason that cannot begin bilaterally, and  so there's no reason there could not be all sorts of bilateral and various plurilateral engagements to move these forward over time. But this has to start someplace, and we figure it  presumably a good place to start is with the most prominent space mischief-maker right now, and we can talk perhaps in a moment about the various strange and disturbing things that Russia has been doing on orbit and  that I alluded to before, but there's no reason not to start in talking with our Russian colleagues about this.

And I would also say that  well, that's probably plenty for now, but I mentioned communications channels, and of course one doesn't have to have a massively multilateral communications channel. It's probably much more feasible to start with various bilateral linkages, and to the degree that Russia is doing some of these strange and dangerous things on orbit almost as we speak  in the last couple of weeks, for example  being able for our operators to talk to their operators as potential problems arise and potential misunderstandings might develop  that would be extremely valuable on a bilateral basis, and perhaps that's something we can also talk about next week in Vienna.

MR BROWN: Next let's go to the line of Jennifer Hansler, CNN.

QUESTION: Hi, thank you for doing this. I wonder if there's been any discussion or if there will be any discussion of specific costs if Russia does continue these provocative actions in the space sphere. Thank you.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Well, you won't be surprised that I won't be telegraphing any such things in advance. That's usually not thought to be a wise way to do it in its specifics, but we have been and will continue to be very clear that we do consider access to space to be in our vital national interest. It is something that we've been very clear about for a long time. It's spelled out in the National Security Strategy. We've re-emphasized it across a range of policy pronouncements, including the National Security Space Strategy. It is in our interest and it is our policy to deter and to prevent and, if necessary, to respond appropriately to threats against our space assets or critical components of our overall space architecture, and we've tried to communicate that very, very clearly to all concerned. So I think it's safe to say that in the event that such attacks or threats were to happen, we  we'll certainly reserve the right to respond in a time, place, and manner of our choosing, but we will respond and we think that these things must be taken extremely importantly. And deterrence across all of its potential domains of conflict is an important part of U.S. policy.

MR BROWN: Great. For our next question, let's go to the line of Dmitry Kirsanov from TASS.

QUESTION: Hello. Can you hear me?

MR BROWN: We can hear you. Go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you so much for doing the call. Mr. Secretary, I wanted to ask about a potential legally binding ban or treaty on space. As far as I remember  and I'm not an expert on that by any stretch of imagination  but as far as I remember, the Russians and the Chinese suggested this, offered this idea like a number of times in the past, and those attempts were rebuffed time and time again by the United States. So how do you square this with the talk about a necessity to do something about this, if  I mean, if the attempts were made to sort of create this mechanism to prevent deployment of weapons in space and everything?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Well, it is certainly the case that Russian and Chinese diplomats have been very creative in coming up with bad ideas about space arms control. Our hope is to pursue good ideas about how to find a better way to make space a more predictable and stable and safe environment, and to preserve access to it.

The problem with some of the things that have been promoted by Moscow and Beijing in this respect  there are multiple problems, I guess, but one of them is that they attempt to approach the space domain in a sort of traditional and reflexive arms control sort of way of defining a space weapon then purporting to ban it. That sounds nice on paper until you think about it too much, and the challenge of course is that it is virtually impossible adequately to define what a space weapon is in the first place. And even if you could, it's almost impossible to verify that anyone would be complying with such a rule if you put it in place.

So for that reason alone, space arms control as conceived in that way seems clearly to be at best a nonstarter and at worst a very dangerous proposition because it would purport to offer controls and a solution to the problem without actually doing so. Another problem of this, of course, is that the proposals that they have made so far seem to fail to address those very sorts of terrestrially based  that is to say earth-based  anti-satellite weapons that both Russia and China have already built and tested and deployed. And so the  from our perspective, promoting bad and unworkable arms control ideas that, oh, by the way, exempt counter-space capabilities that you already have is actually a sign of unseriousness about space arms control.

And so what we are hoping is that we can persuade both Moscow and Beijing, and frankly a great many other countries, all of the spacefaring nations, to come together and recognize the futility of those kinds of silly games, but also come together in a really productive way to articulate standards of behavior that will help make space a safer place and assure access to all, as we in theory all believe and have signed up to, committed  committed ourselves to supporting under, for example, the Outer Space Treaty and the principle that space should be freely accessible to all. So we think there's a better way to do this, and we are firmly committed to resisting bad and dangerous and disingenuous efforts in arms control in space.

MR BROWN: We have one more person in our queue, so if you want to ask a question, dial 1 then 0. For now, let's go to the line of Kristina Anderson.

QUESTION: Thank you for doing the call. My question was answered earlier. Thank you.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: If I could just add, as a footnote to my previous comment, I mean, the problem here is not just the introduction of sort of mischievous ideas that don't actually address to problem. I mean, the problem here is also very fundamentally the full-bore, full-throttle development of very dangerous capabilities that both Russia and China have been doing. I mean, the militarization of the space domain, the weaponization of space, is unfortunately well-advanced, and we find ourselves in the position of trying to figure out what to do in response to that weaponization. And just since I've come back into the Executive Branch, for example, there have been a number of instances which  really quite dramatic, particularly with Russia, that have  that I think ought to alarm anyone around the world who is concerned about ensuring that mankind still continues to have access to space in all the ways that have become so important for our economic prosperity and communications with each other and all sorts of important things.

Back in 2017, when I had just come back into the Executive Branch, for example, at that point Russian military officials openly admitted that they were working on missiles to destroy satellites. We saw a concrete example of that more  relatively recently in April of this year with the test of the  of a direct-ascent anti-satellite system by the Russian Federation. We also heard them earlier this year say publicly that their new S-500 air defense system can also be used as an anti-satellite weapon. We have  we've seen them talking  President Putin has said that anti-satellite weapons, in his words, are  I've forgotten exactly the phrasing, but he's made it very clear that he regards them to be acceptable in the political and military respect. And they are clearly developing anti-satellite systems of  at a very fast pace.

Most dramatically, as the Space  U.S. Space Command's recent announcement underlines, there have been actual on-orbit tests of projectile-firing satellite weapons by the Russian Federation within the last year or so, back  or I've said  last couple of years. Back in late 2017, there was an example in which Kosmos 2521 fired a projectile through space in ways that were very clearly a weapons test. And  but just a couple of weeks  just recently on July 15th, Kosmos 2543 also fired a projectile through space. So these are clearly on-orbit weapons tests of precisely the sort that Russia and China claim that it is the objective of their diplomacy to prevent, and yet  yet clearly the Russians are doing this already in orbit. So I want to make sure that we don't forget the context here of a space domain that is being furiously weaponized by both Moscow and Beijing, going back to China's 2007 ASAT test which created all sorts of dangerous space debris that still make the low orbit  lower orbit area a much more dangerous place than would otherwise have been the case.

That's the context in which we all need to remember the importance of articulating norms of responsible behavior, because it should be very clear that what I am describing they are doing is in no way responsible behavior. And so hopefully with a bit of engagement, we can begin to get a handle upon articulating better ways forward and to find ways to communicate with them about problems that may arise to keep those problems from being any worse than they have to be. But one should not forget the context of modern  of weaponization of space that is already well advanced thanks to the choices being made in the Kremlin and in Zhongnanhai in Beijing.

MR BROWN: Great. We have had some others join the queue, so if we could go to the line of Julian Borger from The Guardian.

QUESTION: Hi. Thanks very much. You said earlier you might be able to provide some more details of these two incidents, 2017 and July 15th. Can you say anything about what is known about these projectile launches, anything about technology? We understand that this was a satellite launch late last year that then burst another satellite and then fired a projectile. Is there anything you can say about the details?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Well, probably not too much more than I have. I would refer you to the Space Command for what details are available. In effect, both are very similar sort of types of activity where you have sort of one satellite  I think there's sort of the mother satellite, and then there's a daughter satellite that then fires a projectile. In the first instance back in '17, I believe it was Kosmos 2519 that deployed a subsatellite that was Kosmos 2521, and 2521 maneuvered around a bit as I recall. And then it fired another object. I think it was declared at the time as 2523, but think of it as the projectile for simplicity's sake. So the  so 2521 showed its ability to essentially fire some loose outer space analogy to a bullet, and then you saw a very similar sort of thing going on very recently, as Space Command has declared, and which I believe is verifiable if you look at the Space-Track.org website, since many of these orbital trajectories are closely tracked by hobbyists as well as government and you can actually verify a lot of these movements if you know what you're doing by looking at that publicly accessible website.

But the most recent one on July 15th, according to the Space Command, was another on-orbit weapons test and it involved the satellite 2543, Kosmos 2543, also firing a projectile. I don't know that I can tell you much more than that about them, but clearly anyone who is a  if you're familiar with the space domain, you'll know that these are  any satellite is intrinsically a very, very delicate bit of machinery operating in a zero gravity or near zero gravity environment and zooming around at extraordinary orbital velocities. In that context, it doesn't take much of a collision to cause absolutely catastrophic damage. I like to say there's no such thing a fender bender up there. And so the idea of a projectile-firing weapon, it  the kinetic energies involved are potentially just catastrophic.

And this is a very clear signal that the Russians have made, and you might ask yourself why they are choosing to make this signal. It is not as if this all occurs in secret. Lots of people can watch the orbital domain. So what they're doing is signaling to the world that they are able to destroy satellites in orbit with other satellites, it would appear. That is a very disturbing, provocative, dangerous, and ill-advised thing for them to be doing. And we hope that we can convey that message to them and work on a better way for countries to show appropriate restraint and responsible behavior in orbit, because this is a sort of thing that could get out of hand and go very badly rather quickly in the future.

MR BROWN: Okay, we may have time for one or two more. Next question will go to David Wainer, Bloomberg.

QUESTION: Thank you. You mentioned that one of the goals of these talks would be to improve communication even, even just having the operators on both sides being able to talk. Can you just elaborate a little bit on what sort of communications you'd be able to have and what the chances of miscalculation could be without these sort of communications? Thank you.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Well, I'm not sure I'm in a position to speculate about particular ways of doing it. I mean, fundamentally these are things that parties need to negotiate between themselves, and it needs to plug into each side in a way that is most useful for that side as part of a communications channel. So I think if we were to develop any such thing with the Russians or the Chinese or anyone else, the details would have to be subject to much negotiation. And for these purposes, I think it's probably not possible a priori to say what the right answer is.

But I would point out that leaders in Washington and Moscow have had the ability to, in the nuclear arena, to talk to each other at the most senior levels via the famous hotline, for example, since as early as 1963. We've also had since 1987 a series of treaty data exchange mechanisms  nuclear risk reduction centers, for example, that have been used for a variety of purposes, often very, very usefully indeed, even in crisis and not just for routine exchanges. So there are also precedents for operational deconfliction in various theaters around the world  I think of Syria, example  and a long tradition of explicit agreement, for example, between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War going back to the Incidents at Sea agreement, where there were actual methodologies developed between the two sides about how to  what to do and how to handle things in the event that operational forces came into contact in a sort of problematic way in the maritime domain.

So there are lots of precedents going back many years that one could draw upon or be inspired by. I think how it works in the space arena will probably have to be pretty space-unique, but the principle I think is quite sound, and this is something that I think it will be very useful for us to be discussing with our spacefaring counterparts, and particularly with Russia given all the strange and dangerous things that it is doing in orbit these days.

MR BROWN: Okay. Last question, bringing it full circle, Mike Gordon just queued back up, so let's go to his line.

QUESTION: Chris, I'd just like to ask you a follow-up question from your  one of your previous points. While it might be difficult to define a space object or a space weapon, you don't seem to have  the U.S. Government doesn't seem to have any problems identifying when an ASAT test has taken place. You've given some examples, and the SPACECOM website has press releases detailing Russian direct-ascent ASAT tests and on-orbit ASAT tests. Why don't you seek to negotiate an agreement that would ban ASAT tests, since they're such a concern? From a security standpoint, you seem to be seeking a voluntary arrangement in which parties would refrain from doing that. Why not seek a legal arrangement?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Well, to some degree, ASAT tests  I mean, it's  I see this a little bit like the old Potter Stewart comment about how you can't define it very well, but you know it when you see it. If Russia, as they did in April, fires a missile from a cosmodrome that flies straight up in the air and smashes a satellite to smithereens, or if China did the same thing in 2007 for example, it's pretty clear what that is. But being able to identify that as an ASAT test is not the same thing as being able to define the outer boundaries for purposes of the prohibition as to what an ASAT test is.

One of the problems in space is that if it can move in or through space at all, it is potentially an ASAT. And I would  if you have a space launch capability, in effect you have to some degree a space kill capability. And how it is that you apply a weapon-style prohibition in a technological arena in which anybody who can put a satellite into space can send that satellite smashing into another satellite, I  it doesn't seem like that is likely to be anything other than a fool's errand from a definitional and prohibitory perspective, even though it is always very clear  or it is often very clear in particular cases that an ASAT test has occurred.

So we think that that is actually a great way to spin wheels and not get much accomplished for a long time, or not answer the problem you think you have. And so the better way to approach this, certainly for the moment, is to come at it from the perspective of norms of responsible behavior, because I think we probably can find really useful things to say  for example, this issue of satellites maneuvering up next to each other in a context in which they can apparently fire projectiles, or just the intrinsic difficulty  unless you're very good at your job  of doing close proximity on-orbit maneuvering, for example.

There was an episode I think late last year where a couple of Russian satellites were maneuvering very close to each other, after which a bunch of other objects appeared. I don't know exactly what it was, but it gives every appearance of being debris potentially from a collision. If  there are  in that context, perhaps we can say useful things about how it is not responsible behavior to maneuver your satellite in certain ways in connection with or around others. I don't know exactly what those ways would be; that would have to be worked out between operators who know much more about the space domain in its fine-grained details than I do. But there may be things we can usefully say about what the right sorts of behaviors are that would allow us both to encourage those behaviors and to have a baseline against which to measure things that people do in order to judge them to be irresponsible behaviors. Massive debris-producing tests might well be a really big problem. We've decried that in the past from China, for example.

And there are probably lots of useful things we can say, but I wouldn't want to try to get stuck in the kind of definitional conundra that I fear even something as seemingly simple as an ASAT test might get us stuck.

MR BROWN: All right. Thanks, Dr. Ford, for your time today and for briefing everyone. Thanks to those who joined from the press corps. And this concludes the call, so the embargo on the contents is lifted. Thanks, and have a great rest of your afternoon and great weekend.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FORD: Thanks very much, everybody.

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Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville doubled down Friday on his prediction that President Trump may yet abandon his run for reelection when confronted with poll numbers showing that he is in danger of getting swamped in an electoral tsunami that might rival Herbert Hoovers 1932 landslide defeat to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In an interview on the Yahoo News podcast Skullduggery, Carville said Trumps political standing appears to be in virtual free fall, as Republicans are increasingly panicked that he will cost them control of the Senate.

This is not a party that is falling apart. This is a party that has already fallen apart, said Carville about the state of the GOP. And Trump is going to have to come to grips with [deciding] am I better off saying Im not running and coming back in 2024 ... or getting the living crap beat out of me. 

James Carville and President Trump. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Jason Kempin/Getty Images, AP[2])

Carville first started raising the possibility that Trump might leave the 2020 race reelection in commentary and TV appearances earlier this month.

But he expanded on his predicted (and hoped for) scenario in the Skullduggery interview.

Hes going to conclude with Jared [Kushner] that his brand is worth more resigning than it is getting destroyed  and when I say destroyed I mean 1932 destroyed, Carville said, referring to the 1932 election during the depths of the Great Depression when Roosevelt crushed President Hoover, capturing 472 electoral votes to Hoovers 59.

As it now stands, Trump is scheduled to accept the Republican nomination at the (now largely virtual) Republican National Convention, which is one month away.

To be sure, Carville, who was one of the top political strategists for Bill Clinton, is an intensely partisan Democrat who relishes trying to demoralize his adversaries with unabashed political spin. He is also consulting with an independent-expenditure Democratic group, American Bridge, that he says is planning to spend $90 million this fall aimed at cutting Trumps margin in counties he carried in 2016 in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Story continues

His prediction came on a day that new poll numbers showed Trumps standing in key swing states falling precipitously. A Fox News poll released Friday showed that Trump is behind presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden by 11 points in Pennsylvania and nine points in Michigan  both states Trump carried in his narrow victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. A Quinnipiac poll released Thursday had Trump down 13 points in Florida  a state the president cannot afford to lose.

Carvilles comments also came the day after Trump was forced to scrap his plans to hold next months Republican convention in Jacksonville, Florida, in light of the soaring rise in the number of coronavirus cases and COVID-19-related deaths in the state. Although Trump said he was forced to make that difficult decision in order to protect the American people, Carville noted that Trumps retreat on the convention will only hurt him with his hard-core base  a group that has tended to dismiss the dangers from the virus and stuck with the president because they view him as defiant and unbowed.

The number to look for [in the polls] is strong leader,  Carville said. Thats always been whats propped him up. A couple of Democratic pollsters are saying, Were starting to see a decline in the strong leader number. 

Trumps decision to back down on holding the Jacksonville convention will only chip away at those numbers even more.

That is going to hurt him, Carville concluded.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
New Delhi:

A proctorial enquiry by JNU has found ABVP member Vikrant Kumar guilty of assaulting Najeeb Ahmed during a brawl following which the latter went missing over a month ago.



Najeeb (27), a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP, including Vikrant, the night before.



JNU had ordered a proctorial enquiry into the incident.



In the proctorial enquiry, Vikrant Kumar has been found to be involved in hitting Najeeb Ahmed and using derogatory language with provocative behaviour on October 14. This is an act of indiscipline and misconduct, an official order read.



Vikrant has been asked to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him.

Also read: Missing JNU student case: Delhi Police to roll out print, radio ads for info on Najeeb



ABVP has, meanwhile, come out in Vikrants support and accused the university administration of being biased in conducting the enquiry.



The proctor has taken deposition of those students into account who were not even present there. Not only the enquiry is biased but even the administration is siding with the left-dominated students union, Saurabh Sharma, ABVP member and former JNUSU member said.



JNU students and teachers have been agitating against the university administration and Delhi Police for their failure to locate the missing student.



The protesting students had even confined the Vice Chancellor and other senior officials in the administrative building for over 20 hours.



Last month, an SIT was formed to trace the missing student on the directive of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma.

Also read: Missing JNU student Najeeb spotted in Aligarh, claims unidentified letter



The SIT, headed by Additional DCP-II(South) Manishi Chandra, failed to get any actionable clues in the matter. The case was later transferred to Delhi Polices Crime Branch.

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<! Ini Edo >

By Jennifer Okundia

Nigerian actress Ini Edo took to social media to share pictures from her photo shoot where shes wearing a yellow ensemble.

The 38 year old movie star revealed that her passion burns brighter than her fears and she all about uplifting and empowering the today woman.

Edo began her acting career in 2000, and has featured in over 100 movies.She hails from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Read her post:

And one day, I discovered that I was fierce, strong and full of life and not even I could hold myself back because my passion burns brighter than my fears .

Am all about uplifting and empowering the today woman its not going to be an easy road.. but with a willing heart, impossible is nothing.. Sit tight, keep your fingers crossed.. better days are ahead 

Related
Tens of thousands of people have marched across the Russian city of Khabarovsk to protest against the arrest of the regional governor on murder charges, continuing a wave of demonstrations that has lasted two weeks in a challenge to the Kremlin.

Sergei Furgal has been in a Moscow jail since his arrest on July 9, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has named an acting successor.

Protesters in Khabarovsk, near the border with China, see the charges against Furgal as unsubstantiated and demand he goes on trial at home.

Expand Close The continuing large-scale protests are seen as a challenge to the Kremlin (Igor Volkov/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The continuing large-scale protests are seen as a challenge to the Kremlin (Igor Volkov/AP)

Unlike in Moscow where police usually move quickly to disperse unsanctioned opposition protests, authorities have not interfered with the demonstrations in Khabarovsk, apparently expecting them to fizzle out over time.

But daily protests, peaking at weekends, have now gone on for two weeks, reflecting anger at what local residents see as Moscows disrespect of their choice of governor and simmering discontent with Mr Putins rule.

Authorities suspect Furgal of involvement in several murders of businessmen in 2004 and 2005. He has denied the charges, which date back to his time as a businessman with interests focusing on timber and metals.

A politician on the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party ticket, Furgal won the 2018 election even though he had refrained from campaigning and even publicly supported his Kremlin-backed rival.

Expand Close The regions governor Sergei Furgal was arrested on July 9 and is being held in Moscow (Igor Volkov/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The regions governor Sergei Furgal was arrested on July 9 and is being held in Moscow (Igor Volkov/PA)

His victory was a humiliating setback to the main Kremlin party, United Russia, which also lost its control over the regional legislature.

During his time in office, Furgal earned a reputation as a peoples governor, cutting his own salary, ordering the sale of an expensive yacht that the previous administration had bought and offering new subsidies to the population.

Mikhail Degtyaryov, appointed by Mr Putin on Monday as Furgals successor, is also a member of the Liberal Democratic Party  a choice that was apparently intended to calm the local anger.

Mr Degtyaryov has refrained from facing the protesters and left the city on Saturday for an inspection trip across the region.


Grade-A office rent in the CBD fell by 2.3% q-o-q to $10.37 psf per month in 2Q2020 (Credit: Albert Chua/ The Edge Singapore)

SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - The office market has been one of the casualties of the pandemic. Over Singapores circuit breaker period, activity in the CBD came to a standstill: the district became a ghost town, with streets lacking the usual buzz of traffic, and buildings devoid of people.

As most employees worked from home, office leasing activity came to a near halt in 2Q2020. Office rents corrected for a second straight quarter, and at a steeper rate. Grade-A office rent in the CBD fell by 2.3% q-o-q to $10.37 psf per month in 2Q2020. The decline is more pronounced in buildings with premium rents, with those in Marina Bay recording a 3.4% q-o-q fall to $12.10 psf per month, according to Cushman & Wakefield (C&W). Meanwhile, overall rental growth for the quarter marked a decline of 3% q-o-q, JLL says.

By the end of June, most workplaces were able to resume operations as the city-state entered Phase Two of reopening. But in an effort to thin the crowds in the CBD, the government urged that, where possible, telecommuting should remain the default for employees.

With the end-date of the pandemic still unknown, JLL expects that office rents will stay soft and occupiers are likely to keep cautious throughout the year. It cites three factors: a further economic contraction; safe-distancing requirements constricting business operating capacity; and the risk of repeated lockdowns arising from a surge in Covid-19 cases. As it is, Singapores economy contracted by 41.2% in the second quarter, falling into recession for the first time since the global financial crisis.



As most employees worked from home over the circuit breaker period, office leasing activity came to a near halt in 2Q2020 (Credit: Albert Chua/ The Edge Singapore)

The impact of changing work

While the future timeline is lined with uncertainties, the pandemic has drastically changed the future of work, and with it, the role of the office. Weve had the capability to work remotely for decades but have been held back by management attitudes, cultural differences, and a lack of trust, highlights Dominic Browne, head of insight & analysis, Asia Pacific, at Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), in a webinar. Having to work remotely for months, companies soon realised that virtual collaboration was indeed possible for most industries and not just confined to those in the tech sector.

Story continues

We moved from a world where the default is everyone going to the office because they dont have a reason not to, to a world where nobodys at the office  how do we convince them to come back? notes corporate real estate futurist Dror Poleg in a separate webinar by JLL.

Already, corporations have embraced new remote working policies. French car manufacturer Groupe PSA announced in May that under new rules, work at the office will be limited to 11.5 days per week for activities not directly related to production for its staff of 80,000. Over the past few years, up to 18,000 PSA workers were already working remotely occasionally, but Covid-19 has ramped up this number.



Over Singapore's "circuit breaker" period, activity in the CBD came to a standstill (Credit: Albert Chua/ The Edge Singapore)

Even banks, considered traditional office-occupiers, are not exempt from this trend. Moving forward, Morgan Stanley will be operating with much less real estate, its chief executive officer James Gorman said in a televised interview in April. Weve proven we can operate with no footprint, he says. Can I see a future where part of every week, certainly part of every month, a lot of our employees will be at home? Absolutely.

From the perspective of an employee, the biggest change is that now people have a choice  and its clear to everyone involved, says Poleg, who also co-chairs the Urban Land Institutes Technology and Innovation Council in New York. While this does not mean most people will continue to work from home, it also does not necessarily translate to a return to the traditional office, he says. More and more people will no longer be willing to endure a long commute, or even a short or medium commute, which ultimately adds up to an hour or two a day.

An even far-reaching change would be the impact on the nature of work. For operations that can be virtual, people would be able to choose where they live, and proximity to work becomes less important, says Despina Katsikakis, international partner, head of occupier business performance at C&W. On the other hand, companies will be able to source talent globally and gain access to untapped talent pools, unbounded by location, Katsikakis says.

As staff are no longer tied to a physical workplace, this could potentially lead to a rise in independent contractors who work on multiple gigs. LinkedIn data shows that remote job listings rose by 28% in March, while search data on the platform over the same period registered a 42% leap for job searches involving the keywords remote or work at home.

This new confidence that people can work remotely opens up significant opportunities for talent to become independent contractors and develop portfolio careers that will suit their convenience, their personal growth, and opportunities, alongside a better work-life balance and well-being, continues Katsikakis.

If proximity to the office is no longer a determinant of where one lives, then it could be possible that cities  where living costs are high and jobs are abundant  would attract fewer people. By 2025, Poleg believes that we will be in a world that is much more dispersed. He says: I think the movement of people will flow along different lines so we [may] not all flow into a single centre. Instead, it is likely people will live in various neighbourhoods within cities, he adds.



(Source: Cushman & Wakefield)

The office, revamped

To be sure, the office as a convening place for work will have to adapt to the needs of its inhabitants. In a post-pandemic world, attracting workers back to the office means that the space offered needs to be truly activated and engaging, one that provides conducive opportunities to learn, collaborate, and interact with people, notes Poleg.

If employees can work productively anywhere and hold virtual meetings with each other, then no longer will societal norms warrant them to be confined to their office cubicles. The offices of tomorrow will have to up their game. The mandatory minimum requirement to create a market rate space is going to be a very solid baseline of health and well-being protocols, says Julanne Minster, senior vice president at Delos, which researches and advises on innovation solutions for the built environment.

The future of offices could also see a nuanced shift, from a business-to-business product, to one marketed as a consumer offering, says Poleg. This will be much like what co-working operators offer: a workplace packaged solution of design, furniture and services, instead of how offices are normally leased out in todays market, by floor space.

Near-term costs, however, could increase. If you divide [such a workplace solution] into square metres or square feet, it does look much more expensive, sometimes 22.5 times more of traditional rent, says Poleg. But it could average out over time as the space is more versatile: You dont have to keep breaking up walls and throwing stuff away every two years or five years to meet evolving needs, he explains.



(Source: Cushman & Wakefield)

The employers onus

At a time when work is shifting to remote practices, companies will have to figure out how to maintain and preserve culture among its staff. The strain of an organisational culture and how connected people feel to that culture is one of the most important drivers of experience and engagement, says Katsikakis.

Highly motivated and engaged employees are more likely to stay with their company, produce the highest quality work, and help their colleagues succeed against the most important objectives, she adds.

Maintaining company culture will now have to be done virtually and physically, within an office setting. The role of senior leaders will therefore be paramount as cultural ambassadors, communicating more than ever before in a virtual working context, says Katsikakis. On the other hand, this also reinforces the future role of the office as a place that embodies and supports culture, connection and learning. Whether companies choose to manage it or not, their office is the physical manifestation of their culture and brand, and today this will become more critical than ever before, she says.

Increasingly, employees will also be measured by impact rather than presenteeism. Firms will have to change measurement metrics, such as how they hold their employees accountable, measure their performance, encourage collaboration, and work synchronously, says Poleg.

Looking ahead, the office might not even be a physical workplace at all, he notes. What companies want is a productivity solution, which means, enable them to enable their valuable employees to produce their best work and to be as happy as they can be so that they will want to stay with the organisation, he explains.

As a corporation, my goal is to make these people productive and to justify what I pay them and to make sure that they have even more great people coming in. And that means actually allowing them access to a network of locations, whether theyre mine, or their anyone elses, based on their needs, says Poleg.

The office of the future could very well be your home.

Read also:

See Also:






US loses 'strategic intelligence interests' with closure of Chengdu consulate

Global Times

By Yang Sheng and Bai Yunyi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/24 18:36:29

US diplomats' activities in Chengdu 'inconsistent with their identity'

In the latest round of diplomatic conflict between China and the US, the two sides have each ordered the other to close a consulate general. Experts on China-US relations and intelligence said that the losses for the two sides are generally equivalent, but the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu will cause more strategic losses on the US side as Washington has long used its diplomats in Chengdu to infiltrate Tibet and other regions in Southwest China, interfering in China's domestic affairs.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, said at a routine press conference on Friday that some diplomats at the US consulate in Chengdu have undertaken activities that are "inconsistent with their identity" to interfere in China's domestic affairs and damage China's national security, and China has made many representations to the US on that front.

Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations under the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday that the US consulate in Chengdu covered affairs in China's Tibet and many ethnic regions in Southwest China, meaning it played a significant strategic role for the US in China.

The US Consulate General in Chengdu was established in 1985 and covers regions including the Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, the Chongqing Municipality and the Tibet Autonomous Region, according to the consulate's website.

An expert on China-US relations and intelligence who asked for anonymity told the Global Times that the US has used its consulate in Chengdu to infiltrate Tibet region and interfere in China's ethnic and religious affairs for a very long time.

Li said, "In recent years, the consulate in Chengdu has been collecting intelligence in Tibet and other areas of Southwest China, and has produced misinformation to demonize China's governance in Tibet. If the US, just as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, intends to increase its input in China and support a color revolution, the consulate in Chengdu could create a lot of problems for China."

Unlike the US consulate in Chengdu, China's consulate in Houston is mainly responsible for providing consular services to Chinese nationals in southeastern American states and other diplomatic affairs, said experts.

China's Consulate General in Houston was established in 1979 and covers eight southeastern states including Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Oklahoma, as well as the US territory of Puerto Rico.

"The workload of the consulate in Houston is not comparable to those of the consulates in New York and San Francisco, cities that have huge numbers of Chinese residents. And due to the COVID-19 pandemic the demand for visas and other consular services remains low," said Li.

The closure of this consulate in Houston will impact regular people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and inconvenience Chinese nationals in the area as well as US citizens who need to do business with or travel to China.

The regions covered by the two consulates have many similarities. Both Sichuan and Texas are home to high-tech companies and national strategic facilities. The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is located in Texas. China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center is located in Sichuan.

Many US companies operate in Sichuan, and many private Chinese firms do business in Texas, but experts noted that the closures of the two consulates will not entirely suspend China-US trade in those regions.

Chinese web users also mocked the US diplomats "will lose more" as they can't stay in Chengdu anymore. Some of them said on Sina Weibo that they feel "very sad" for the Americans who won't have access to delicious cuisine from Sichuan like hotpot nor the lovely giant pandas in Chengdu, as they would feel the consequences of their reckless politicians who decided to endlessly challenge the bottom line of the Chinese government.

Chengdu has become a compelling destination for foreign travelers and expats, particularly a heaven for food lovers.

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By PTI

UNITED NATIONS: A UN report on terrorism has warned that there are "significant numbers" of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka, noting that the al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent terror group, which reportedly has between 150 and 200 militants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, is planning attacks in the region.

The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities said that the al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operates under the Taliban umbrella from Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan.

"The group reportedly has between 150 and 200 members from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan. The current leader of AQIS is Osama Mahmood, who succeeded the late Asim Umar, AQIS is reportedly planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its former leader," it said.

According to the report, "One member state reported that the ISIL Indian affiliate (Hind Wilayah), which was announced on May 10, 2019, has between 180 and 200 members".

It said that there are "significant numbers of ISIL operatives in Kerala and Karnataka states."

In May last year, the Islamic State (also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) terror group claimed to have established a new "province" in India, the first of its kind announcement that came after clashes between militants and security forces in Kashmir.

The dreaded terror outfit, through its Amaq News Agency, had said that the Arabic name of the new branch is "Wilayah of Hind" (India Province).

A senior Jammu and Kashmir police officer had rejected the claim.

Prevously, ISIS attacks in Kashmir were linked to its so-called Khorasan Province branch, which was set up in 2015 to cover "Afghanistan, Pakistan and nearby lands".
A tearful reunion

between a toddler and her parents

Location: Ben Gurion Airport, Israel

was documented after a 6-month separation

Courtesy: Israir

Three-year-old Melaniya Petrushanska

spent almost a sixth of her life

in accidental exile

after Israel sealed its border

while she was abroad

visiting her grandmother in Ukraine

(SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ALONA PETRUSHANSKA, 29-YEAR-OLD MOTHER OF MELANIYA, SAYING:"We discovered that it was impossible for her to return, because there were no arrival flights, it was all a mess. It's very scary to take a small girl on the last plane so we decided to wait. And it was very difficult over there for her grandmother in Ukraine to be with her. Every day, from morning until evening, we were on WhatsApp, Viber and we spoke, we were in touch all the time so she didn't forget us because it was very difficult not to see her. And we spoke, and every time she asked 'mom, take me back, when, when?' and every time I explained that the planes were sick, it was impossible and that I was waiting as well, that there was no way for her to return because everyone was sick."

Israir came to the rescue

agreeing to take the unaccompanied minor

as well as foot the bill

for an escort for little Melaniya
The immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has again defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), returning to his former party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

KanyiDaily recalls that Dogara, alongside former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and some governors had left the APC for the PDP ahead of the 2019 general election.

In a shocking move on Friday, Dogara who represents Bogoro/Dass, Nigeria/Tafawa Balewa, Federal constituency of Bauchi State since 2007, returned back to the ruling APC.

The acting Chairman of the APC, Mai Mala Buni, also confirmed the development after he led Dogara to meet President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Friday, July 24, 2020.

Mr Buni, who is also Yobe State Governor, said President Buhari already welcomed the former speaker back to the APC, adding that the conditions that prompted Mr Dogara to leave the ruling party had now been eradicated.

Mr Dogara declined to be interviewed by State House Correspondents, saying he would speak on the development at a later date.

Speaking with reporters, Governor Buni said: We paid a courtesy call on the President in continuation of our effort to rebuild the party. We are here to see Mr President and brief him on the developments.

On why he (an APC governor) was in the Presidential Villa in company of Dogara, a member of the opposition PDP, Governor Buni said Nigerians should not consider the development as a surprise. He said:

They shouldnt be surprised because the former Speaker is a member of the APC, and he is because the reason he left the APC is no more there.

Asked to be categorical as to whether the former Speaker had returned to the APC, Buni responded thus: Yeah, hes back.

Continuing, he said President Buhari welcomed him (Dogara). Hes happy with the development. Thats what hes looking for. We are rebuilding the party and these are the steps we are taking towards rebuilding the party.

On what the party was doing to get more aggrieved members back to its fold, Buni said:

We are meeting all our aggrieved members, particularly those who have interest in coming back to the party. They should feel free to do so. We are assuring them and there is no crime in double assurance.

We will do justice to all our members and thats what will bring peace and that is what will guarantee peaceful coexistence, that is what will bring the consolidation of the party, the rebuilding of the party. Without doing justice, you cannot achieve that and we are sure of doing justice to all our members.

Buni said the reconciliation efforts were not only about the politics of 2023. He said:

We are rebuilding the party to outlive all of us. It is not only about specific time or period, it is not about election, it is not about electioneering. It is about building a party.

KanyiDaily had recalls that Dogara had blasted northern leader for not criticizing President Buhari over the growing insecurity in the region just as they did during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
How did the news media mess up in the 100 days leading up to the 2016 presidential election? Let me count the ways.

Journalists relied too much on what opinion polls were saying and often presented a skewed interpretation of their meaning. That fed the sense that Hillary Clinton would be the inevitable winner.

They vastly overplayed the Clinton email story, particularly the "reopened investigation" aspect in October. Given Donald Trump's background and behavior, the emphasis was astonishingly out of whack with reality.

News organizations failed to understand the tear-it-all-down mood of large segments of the voting public, or the racism and sexism that often fueled it.

They let Trump, the great distractor, hijack news coverage and play assignment editor. He became the shiny new toy that they couldn't take their eyes off.

They glossed over, or didn't understand, Facebook's monumental influence on the vote, and how what appeared on social media was so deeply affected by forces outside the United States.

They did things the same old way, when something quite different was demanded.

As a result, much of the mainstream press - and a good chunk of the public - was caught by surprise on election night 2016. The unthinkable - President Trump - had become a reality, with plenty of forewarning right under their noses.

Since then, there's been something of an effort - not nearly enough - to look back and learn from the mistakes. I've heard some newsroom leaders admit that their organizations didn't exactly have their finger on the pulse of heartland America. New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet said as much in a sweeping retrospective interview early this year with Michael Barbaro on "The Daily," the Times's signature podcast.

But, on balance, Baquet asserted that there was no need for journalistic self-flagellation. "We do have a tendency to beat ourselves up a little too much," Baquet said.

And so, here we are, roughly three months out from Tuesday, Nov. 3. Whatever the lost opportunities of the last cycle, there's one last chance to get it right - or at least closer to right.

Here are some ideas about how the media can use this crucial time to best serve the public good so that election night 2020 doesn't amount to another epic journalistic failure.

1. Focus on voting rights and election integrity. There's no more important subject than the strong possibility of intentional voter suppression or other Election Day chaos that's coming our way. Without a valid, publicly accepted vote, anything can happen. This should be front and center for journalists. There is no bigger story.

Many news organizations are putting reporting resources behind this. And I've seen some outstanding pieces, like one in Politico Magazine by historian and journalist Garrett Graff, "8 Big Reasons Election Day 2020 Could Be a Disaster."

The more of this the better. It won't solve the problem, but it will raise awareness.

2. Present the results of opinion polls with more context and explanation. One of the worst failures of the last cycle was the way Clinton was presented as the inevitable winner. Aggregations of polls that measured the probability of her winning at 80%, for example, didn't adequately explain what that meant, or emphasize that - even at 20% - Trump still had a decent chance of becoming president. It was unintentionally misleading and probably had the effect of depressing voter turnout. That kind of thing shouldn't happen again.

3. Stop falling for Trump's distractions. Despite there being little reason to hope that the White House press corps' years-long tendency to let Trump function as their assignment editor will change now, it should. As my colleague Jennifer Rubin noted this week after Trump publicly expressed his kind wishes for sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's alleged enabler, Ghislaine Maxwell, initial media reaction to this astonishing statement was muted. As Rubin put it, "There is something very peculiar when a White House press corps does not react upon hearing that, and when a fleet of mainstream media reporters and editors does not think it worthy of immediate emphasis."

Instead, much of the briefing coverage focused on Trump's change to a more somber tone. It was time for another round of "look, he's becoming presidential!" which was soon followed by Trump's predictable return to outrageous tweeting.

4. Don't participate in another "but her emails" situation. The latest iteration are charges that former vice president Joe Biden is approaching senility. Writing in The Post's opinion section, former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel compared this to what happened with Hillary Clinton. The media elevated the emails story because of a preexisting narrative that she was conniving and untrustworthy; it fit perfectly. Now that Trump's campaign is pushing the idea that Biden has lost his marbles, Emanuel begs for sanity: "Can we just please be reasonable about who's actually showing signs of strain?" It's Trump, after all, who suggested that bleach might cure covid-19 and posited the notion of dropping nuclear bombs on hurricanes.

Yes, do evaluate both candidates on their mental sharpness and ability to serve - something that's especially likely to come up in the Trump-Biden debates. But don't fall for an unfair campaign ploy.

5. Understand the influence of social media - especially Facebook.

Last time around, Facebook's role in spreading misinformation - and flat-out lies, like "the pope has endorsed Donald Trump" - may have been the biggest factor of all.

If anything, Facebook's mostly unrestrained power will be greater now. Who is helped most? Consider, these five top-performing U.S. Facebook pages (ranked by total interactions with link posts) from last Thursday, among the Top 10: Franklin Graham (Trump's most prominent evangelical ally), Fox News, Blue Lives Matter, Sean Hannity, Judicial Watch (the Democrat-targeting activist group).

It's impossible to overestimate the impact these accounts have in spreading highly partisan messages to millions. But at least the traditional media can explore and explain what's happening.

In the full-blast fire hose of advertising, social media and more, the coverage provided by mainstream news organizations may not matter as much as it did in a previous era. But it will make some difference - just as traditional press coverage did in 2016.

And it would be awfully nice, this time, to get it right.
They became an item on the Winter 2020 Love Island series in Cape Town, South Africa.

Now their relationship is blossoming during the summer season, as Molly Smith and Callum Jones were spotted hand in hand on a night out on Friday in Manchester.

The reality TV star beauty, 25, and her beau, 24, were dressed to the nines as they arrived at the BLVD restaurant to enjoy a night of fine dining and drinks in the city centre.

Hand in hand: Love Island couple Callum Jones, 24, and Molly Smith, 25, pulled out all the stops as they enjoyed a night out at the BLVD restaurant in Manchester on Friday

Molly rocked a revealing baby blue two-piece that ruched and tied in the centre to highlight her toned tummy.

The tiny figure-hugging number exposed her taut midriff, slender pins and ample cleavage.

She opted for a cream blazer that rested on her shoulders and boosted her frame with pair of beige block heels.

Happy: The Love Island beauty wore a minuscule baby blue matching set whilst her boyfriend kept things neutral in a polo shirt and stone grey trousers

The blonde beauty spared no expense when it came to her luscious locks, as she let them tumble down her decolletage in loose and glamorous curls.

Molly emphasised her golden glow with warm smokey eye makeup, a neutral lip and flawless contouring.

She held her mobile phone and Louis Vuitton bag in one hand as the dolled-up star posed for cameras outside of the restaurant.

All dolled up: Molly showcased her slender pins and defined midriff in the revealing outfit that she accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings and a Louis Vuitton clutch

Meanwhile, Callum donned a beige and grey look for their outing.

The Love Island star opted for a cream zip-up polo shirt and a stone-coloured grey capri trouser.

He looked effortlessly cool wearing beige suede trainers with matching laces that finished off the entire look.

Heartbreaker: Callum (pictured with Molly) dated Shaughna Phillips in the Love Island villa before breaking her heart when he fell for his current beau in Casa Amor

Callum also kept up appearances with his perfectly coiffed hairdo.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Molly inked a six-figure deal with fashion company, I Saw It First.

The Love Island star launched her first collection, Along Came Molly, with the brand and is said to have bagged the huge deal which could become even more lucrative if her line proves popular.

Speaking to The Sun, a source claimed: 'Molly has signed a six figure deal with I Saw It First - it's a massive coup for her and for them.

'She is one of the stand out stars of the last series of Love island and she's got a massive following so getting her on board is great for the brand.

'The first part of the deal is Molly releasing her own edit - then depending on the success of her sales she could go on to have a bigger and more extensive collection.'

The collection features 52 items in total, with prices ranging from 5 to 50 depending on the piece.
A panel of international experts and leaders in communications and public relations has chosen Vietjet Air for the Vietnam Brand, Global Impact award.

The PR Newswire Awards 2020 are hosted by PR Newswire, a Cision Ltd. company, a global provider of news distribution, media software and services with the world's largest media distribution network.

The panel said Vietjet was recognized for its achievements as a trailblazer in expanding its flight network and effective brand communication via creative, meaningful and inspiring activities across the globe.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Vietjet Group Vice President Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh said that with the mission of constantly expanding its flight network across Asia and boosting trade activities globally, "Vietjet has been an inspiring ambassador to bring Vietnam to international friends while contributing to global tourism and economic development."

Vietjet Groups Vice President Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh receives the award.

The carrier has been able to achieve its aims by expanding its network to more than 200 routes, more than 100 million passengers transported to date, many large-scale business deals signed with international partners and creating tens of thousands of jobs in Asia, Europe and America.

"We are proud that Vietjet, a Vietnamese brand in the aviation industry, has been favored by millions of customers and partners and has truly become an inspiration for younger generations around the world," she added.

In Thailand, the group has established Thai Vietjet, leveraging the Vietnamese brand name in the region. From its base at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, the largest and busiest one in Thailand, the carrier has extended its domestic and international flight networks, transporting more than eight millions of passengers from Thailand and other countries to famous destinations across the "Land of Smiles".
Foldable phones have grown in prominence over the past year or so. With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Fold and then the subsequent release of the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung has managed to gain a bit of a lead in the market. And now, with the expected launch of the Galaxy Fold 2 on August 5, the phone maker will look to further consolidate its position in the segment.

The Galaxy Fold 2 will look to build on the good work that Samsung put into its first generation of foldable phones, especially the Galaxy Z Flip which got overall better reviews not only for its design and performance but also for the durability of its foldable screen. Unlike the first generation Galaxy Fold, the Z Flip emerged as a much more refined device, whose display did not throw up as many issues when it came to durability.

Improvements in ultra-thin glass for foldable phones

A big reason for this improved durability on the Z Flip was the use of protective ultra-thin glass made by a German company, Schott Xensation as opposed to the use of a plastic sheet on the screen of the Galaxy Fold. Though not a household name in India, the German specialty glassmaker is quite a big player in the protective glass business. It is the main rival to Corning, which is known by many for its Gorilla Glass series of protective glasses for smartphones.

However, because Corning still remains a little behind Schott Xensation in the foldable glass technology, it now appears the Galaxy Fold 2 could also use a variation of Schott's ultra-thin glass for protection of its display. Having already used a sheet of Schott made foldable glass that's 30-micron in thickness for the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung could now use a much thinner sheet on the Galaxy Fold 2. For the uninitiated, when it comes to the foldable glass, the thinner the sheet the better its ability to withstand breakage due to folding.

Which brings us to the question, "Will the Galaxy Fold 2 be more durable than the Galaxy Fold?" Well, the answer to this is possibly yes, but we don't expect the Galaxy Fold 2 to be a game-changer in this regard. Rather, it will most likely be an incremental upgrade that goes on to make foldable phoned more popular with buyers in the years to come.

With bottlenecks in curved glass technology still very much a reality, there will still be cases where foldable screens will break, and the occasional buyer will rue their decision to buy an expensive foldable phone. However, what's important to note here, is that the industry is moving in the right direction, and soon at this pace, foldable phone displays will become as durable as those present on conventional smartphones. For now, it only appears to be a matter of "when" and not "if".
BLOOMBERG / GETTY IMAGES

En espanol | According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), inflation is low. Prices, however, have been climbing in at least one sector: food.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the cost that Americans pay for a broad array of goods and services, has risen just 0.6 percent over the past 12 months, primarily because energy prices have tumbled 12.6 percent. The food component of that index, though, has jumped 4.5 percent during the same period, and prices for food consumed at home have increased 5.6 percent.

Among the items that have seen the biggest price hikes in grocery stores are:

Beef and veal, up 25.1 percent

Eggs, up 12.1 percent

Pork, up 11.8 percent

Poultry, up 8.7 percent

The rising prices of meat and eggs have been offset, somewhat, by relatively tame inflation for fruits and vegetables, the cost of which has ticked up 2.3 percent, according to the BLS. Even so, some vegetable prices have jumped, too. Potatoes have soared 13.3 percent in the past 12 months, and tomatoes have risen 8.4 percent.

High steaks

There are three main causes of the rise in food prices, and all are tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first is demand. People are stocking up on food because they want to limit their trips to the store. Demand has been so high that companies that handle food processing and distribution are among the few that are hiring right now, says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics.
Bengaluru, July 25 : A court in Karnataka's Gokak has issued summons to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in a case of alleged violation of model code of conduct during campaigning on November 23, 2019 ahead of a bypoll, an official said on Saturday.

"Judicial Magistrate First Class and Principal Judge C.K. Veeresh Kumar issued the summons on June 26 to the accused (Yediyurappa) after taking cognisance of an offence punishable under Sections 123 (3) of the Representation of People's Act and 171 (F) of the Indian Penal Code," the official told IANS on phone.

Gokak is about 550km northwest of Bengaluru in the southern state.

The incident occurred ahead of the December 5 Assembly bypoll in which ruling BJP nominee Ramesh Jarkiholi had contested and won after resigning from the House in July 2019.

"Yediyurappa called the Veerashaiva Lingayat community to vote for Jarkiholi, which is a violation of the poll code in force," the Gokak police official said citing the order.

Jarkiholi, a defector from the Congress to the BJP, is now the Water Resources Minister in the year-old state BJP government since February 6, 2020.

"As the month-old summons is returnable by September 1, 2020, the Legal Department will study the order and respond suitably," an official in the Chief Minister's Office told IANS here.

The judge issued the summons after rejecting the 'B' final report the Gokak police filed in the court in June.

Yediyurappa and Jarkiholi are Lingayats, a politically dominant community, which accounts for 18 per cent of the state's seven crore population.

"The court is convinced that there are enough materials in the 'B' final report to proceed against the accused and subject the accused to a trial for the offence," said the judge before issuing the summons," the police said.

The Chief Minister is also accused of attempting to consolidate the Veerashaiva voters in the town, where Veerashaiva Lingayat is a dominant sect.

"The accused in his speech on two occasions appealed to the specific community but not to party workers for seeking votes in favour of the candidate," noted the order.

The Gokak town police station Investigating Officer filed the 'B' report in the court, appealing to dismiss the case on the ground that due to the mistake of facts and pressure of work and on the wrong assumption the FIR was lodged.
An unprecedented high turnout for the recent primary runoff elections could signal a record number of Bexar County voters casting ballots in November.

While increased voter participation is always the goal, large crowds at the polls raise serious public health concerns during this pandemic. Voters would do well to follow Bexar County Election Administrator Jacque Callanens advice urging those older than 65 to cast ballots by mail and the rest to vote early to minimize the long lines come Election Day.

Bexar County had a 10 percent voter turnout compared with turnouts of 2.6 percent to 5.3 percent in similar elections in the past. It was a trend seen across the state. The unexpected increase in voters has many experts anticipating 60 to 65 percent of the countys 1.1 million registered voters will show up in the fall. Turnout during a presidential election is usually around 50 percent. Again, higher turnout is welcome, but it poses challenges during a pandemic.

It is undetermined if the heightened voter interest in the runoff was due to the high political emotionalism that followed the killing of George Floyd while in police custody, an extended early voting period due to the pandemic or eagerness to venture out by voters who have otherwise mostly been confined to their homes.

Whatever the cause, that interest is unlikely to wane in the coming months with Texas poised as the biggest battleground state in the country.

Allowing all Texas registered voters the option of voting by mail would significantly reduce the COVID-19-related health concerns, but that is not going to happen  the courts have assured us of that. In May, the Texas Supreme Court determined that the lack of immunity was not a disability for purposes of voting by mail. Last month, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled it was up to the state to determine how to administer voting during a pandemic.

In Texas absentee voting is only allowed for voters who are out of state, have a disability or are older than 65, and there is no support among the state leadership to expand on that. This is a mistake. Numerous studies have shown voting by mail increases turnout for both parties and that fraud is exceedingly rare.

On ExpressNews.com: Turnout in Texas runoffs should have Republicans on edge

In Bexar County, a significant number of voters are eligible to cast mail ballots due to their age, but only a small percentage do so. Election office records show that 1 in 5 registered voters in Bexar County is 65 or older. Thats 234,802 potential voters who could participate in the election remotely, if they so choose.

During the March primaries, 23 percent of the 254,603 voters were older than 65 years. Most of them voted in person. That needs to change. We urge anyone eligible to cast a ballot by mail to do so for their safety and that of election staff. Requests for mail ballots for the November election can be submitted now. The form can be downloaded at bexar.org/1573/Early-Voting-Absentee-Ballots.

In addition to crowds and long lines, voters heading to the polls in November can also expect a long ballot. Municipal and school elections canceled in May due to the pandemic will appear on the general election ballot. This translates to more time in the voting booth.

Gov. Greg Abbott extended the early voting period during the runoff election to alleviate congestion at the polls, and he has indicated he will do the same for the general election. We support this practice, and the sooner the voting schedule is set, the more time administrators will have to plan.

A large number of election workers are older and considered at high risk should they get the coronavirus. During the last election, about 50 election workers decided not to work because of COVID-19 concerns, prompting the county to reduce the number of voting centers from 226 to 214. We cant blame the election workers.

Voters cannot be required to wear masks when casting ballots, and there were a few instances during the runoffs when voters opted not to wear one. Thats simply unconscionable.

As we head into the November general election and political campaigns kick into high gear, the focus needs to remain on keeping voters and election front-line workers safe and healthy through the election cycle.

If we can do all that and achieve a 65 percent voter turnout, it would be a healthy showing for democracy.
"You see these perfect relationships and its easy to compare your own marriage, says Cat. Even friends rarely admit theyre struggling in their marriages. We complain about wet towels lying on the floor, but nobody actually says, This towel is a sign of a bigger thing to me and Im really miserable. Jimmy and I hated each other for a while. I even had a flat ready to move into. But [for friends and family], we were faking it. In the end I said, We have to stop pretending that everything is OK.  Loading We all compare our relationships to others at times, explains Sheryl Paul, the author of The Wisdom of Anxiety. But the danger lies when we allow unrealistic expectations of love to take hold  a phenomenon known as relationship anxiety. This is an obsessive doubt that youre with the wrong partner, despite being with someone loving, and with whom youre well matched, Paul says.

It can come after three, five, even 20 years together. One cause is when reality doesnt meet our expectations. Were sold a message that our partner is supposed to make us feel fulfilled, alive and rescue us from pain. When we dont have that, we think there must be something wrong, that were not in love enough. But real love includes doubt, fear and feeling irritated with our partner. For Cat, the turning point was recognising the impact that postnatal depression had on her marriage. For the first time, I realised we were in this place because we both went through a tough period, she says. Today we go on dates and communicate regularly. Its still a work in progress, but were happier than we have been in a long time. A study last year by match.com revealed that 60 per cent of people in a relationship felt that films, TV and social media had given them unrealistic expectations, while a quarter confessed that their relationship looked better online than it was in real life. Influencer Marissa Fuchs and her partner Gabriel Grossman came under fire last year for posting a video of their elaborate surprise engagement  reports suggested that it was, in fact, carefully marketed. How are lesser mortals meant to compete?

Victoria Jennings claims the pressure for the perfect relationship intensified an already difficult period in her marriage. After the 39-year-olds first daughter Ana, now 10, was born, she says she struggled to relate to her husband, Dave. I felt he didnt understand me, how I was feeling.

We wouldnt speak in the evenings or at weekends. All I wanted to do was sleep while he looked after Ana. Loading Going through Daves emails and discovering hed been looking for an alternative place to live, she says, was the wake-up call she needed to help get her marriage back on track. Nowadays were bombarded with images of the ideal relationship. But things change when you have children. Before kids, our texts were all, I love you, cant wait to see you tonight, followed by lots of kisses. After you have a baby, its, Can you bring home some maternity pads?  no kiss. I questioned whether Dave was right for me, but I now realise that what we went through happens to lots of people. Psychotherapist Lola Borg explains that theres often a gap between what we have in a relationship and what we think we should have.

For example, if you have a relationship that doesnt start with a thunderclap, you might wonder if youre missing out. The reality is, if youre with someone for a long time, things can get flat. To expect it to be otherwise is a mistake. But if youre critical of your partner, its worth looking at your own life and your expectations of yourself. It might be about you and not about them. When the second of their two children left home, former stay-at-home mum Lauren*, 53, started to question her 30-year marriage to Andrew*. We never had any major disagreements. But I started to wonder if Id settled down too soon. I started to feel taken for granted. I remember watching Diane Keatons character in the rom-com Somethings Gotta Give. She went to Paris for the weekend with Keanu Reeves and came home with Jack Nicholson. I thought, Now thats living.  After explaining to Andrew that she hadnt been happy for months, Lauren decided to spend a month with a friend who lived in Italy.

I read books, explored villages, went for lunches by myself. It was the adventure I needed to put things into perspective, she says. When I came home, I realised just how much Id missed Andrew and our life together. I guess I took my marriage for granted. Loading High expectations of romantic love are something Natasha Lunn has encountered frequently, as the founder and editor of the biweekly email newsletter, Conversations on Love. The problem is the assumption that finding love will fix all of your problems and make you happy. Unless you find a way to build that happiness outside of a romantic relationship, it is actually difficult to be a good partner  and to receive love, too. Borg suggests examining how you are with your partner and asking certain questions: Are you yourself, and can you talk honestly? Can they listen? Do you share the same values? Do you respect them? All the other stuff is icing on the cake and can be dealt with.

For Lauren, the time apart from her husband gave her the chance to ask those questions. I knew deep down Andrew wasnt the problem. It was me. I just didnt know what to do with myself after the kids left. And actually, Andrew is a bit of a romantic at heart. Every night hell put toothpaste on my toothbrush and leave it out for me. Its not Jack Nicholson pouring his heart out on the Pont Neuf, but its our love story. * Names have been changed. Five ways to anxiety-proof your relationship Stay off social media as much as possible to minimise comparisons. Try some form of inner work: journalling, meditation or yoga. This will help take the focus off your relationship. Reduce your alcohol intake. Studies have indicated a link between alcohol and anxiety. Spend time in nature; its the most effective way to connect to something bigger than you. Recognise that anxiety is a message. It is there to tell you that theres healing to be done. This article appears in Sunday Life magazine within the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age on sale July 26.
The number of people who have died here from Covid-19 after picking up the virus abroad has reached six.

It has also emerged that those returning from Covid-19 hotspot countries could face double-testing.

And a fatality that was recently reported involving a so-called "imported" case of the virus - indicating Covid-19 was contracted in another country - has now been confirmed by the State's disease watchdog. It comes as Health Minister Stephen Donnelly warned "we are going to have a second surge", despite a recent slowing down in the spread of the virus.

There were no deaths announced yesterday but a further 20 people have been diagnosed with the virus.

A a leading scientist has said if Government proposals go ahead to test more travellers here from countries that have a higher rate of Covid cases than Ireland, then they will need to be checked before and after their arrival.

Prof Paul Moynagh, head of the department of biology at Maynooth University, said a Covid-19 test gave a result at a point in time.

"If you were infected today and had the test today or tomorrow, you would probably test negative. In three or four days' time, you are likely to test positive. It depends where you are in the infection cycle," he said. If the Government goes ahead with proposals to step up screening of people coming from countries with higher rates of Covid, then travellers will be tested before they travel and after they arrive here.

Prof Moynagh said ideally there should be "double testing" and the second test should be done within four to seven days.

This is more manageable when the numbers of people coming here from those countries are low but as we head towards winter it could put a strain on the service for community testing here.

He said he welcomed the publication of a green list of 15 countries with a similar or lower rate of the disease.

Those arriving here from countries on the list, which includes holiday hotspots such as Greece and Italy, are exempt from the general requirement for all arrivals in Ireland to quarantine for 14 days.

"It's a first step in trying to get back to normal. When are things going to get better? Maybe this is as good as it is going to get," he said.

It emerged yesterday that people who are travelling here are likely to have to fill in the passenger locator form online two days beforehand.

The form, which sets out their details and contact number in advance of a two-week restriction of movements, is currently filled out manually on arrival here.

Health Minister Donnelly warned yesterday: "We are going to have a second surge. We're hoping it will be low.

"We're hoping it might be localised geographically but we have to be prepared within particular communities, particular counties, particular cities, for the prevalence rate to go up."

Dr Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer, warned: "Covid-19 is a highly infectious disease that is still circulating in our communities. It is a dangerous illness that no one wants to catch.

"While we have reason to be positive, we now need to continue to work together towards our collective goal of resuming healthcare services, reopening our children's schools, and protecting the most vulnerable.

"The past weeks have shown that when we maintain physical distance, wash our hands, wear a face cover where appropriate and cover our coughs and sneezes, together we can interrupt the spread of Covid-19. Let's keep going."

Yesterday the Department of Health defended the decision not to make the flu vaccination available free to all despite the threat from a combination of flu and Covid-19 this winter.

A spokesperson said the "approach taken by the HSE and the Government... is to ensure that all of those most vulnerable to the winter flu will have access to vaccination without charge. This includes all of those in the at-risk groups and healthcare workers".

"The extension of vaccination to all children aged from two to 12 years will provide additional protection. This is in line with the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee."
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At the service in Troy, Henry Grant Lewis recalled his last conversation with his brother the night before he died. The congressman was, as always, concerned about others, asking how the family was doing and wanting his brother to tell them hed asked about them.
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Patna, July 25 : As many as 21 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed across 12 flood-affected districts in Bihar, rescuing more than 3,500 people. Following the breach in the embankments in east Champaran and Gopalganj districts, NDRF teams reached there to carry out relief and rescue operations.

The river embankment, near Bhawanipur village in east Champaran, was breached on July 23-24 night due to the surging flood waters of the Gandak river. As soon as the embankment gave way, Bhawanipur village was inundated, affecting hundreds of people.

The NDRF personnel along with the district administration officials tackled the situation promptly. According to NDRF commandant Vijay Sinha, two 9th Battalion teams deployed in east Champaran reached the flood-affected areas and carried out rescue operations at night.

During the operation, special care was taken of children, women and senior citizens.

Sinha said that NDRF teams carried out rescue operations on Friday in Sangrampur block of east Champaran district as well as Manjha and Sadar blocks of Gopalganj district and Panapur Diara area of Saran district.

In Gopalganj district, the deluge followed the breach at the Saran embankment of the Gandak river. A team of NDRF led by Inspector Suresh Billung carried out rescue operations in the flood-affected villages of Gambharia Diara and Kiratpura in Baikunthpur block of Gopalganj district on Friday night and evacuated 102 stranded people .

An NDRF official said NDRF teams have rescued more than 3,500 people in Bihar's flood-affected east Champaran, west Champaran, Gopalganj, Supaul and Saran districts. During the operation, NDRF personnel also helped the civil medical teams to reach the flood-affected areas by boats so that the affected people could be provided medical help.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
First Carlie Beydler takes off her shoes and leaves them at the door.

Next, she washes the doorknob clean. If she has groceries, she takes a Lysol wipe to each item, then to her phone, her keys, anything that accompanied her on the trip out.

After that, she strips her clothes and heads for the shower  to wash off any chance encounters with respiratory droplets containing the virus, or at least the worry of them, for a little while.

These moments of hyper-vigilance would be rare  she hardly leaves the house herself anymore, except for groceries or to drive around the Wind River Reservation where she lives. But shes on alert for familial compliance as well.

Im on the watch constantly of my family members, watching to see if they have any cropping symptoms, she said. She monitors their hand-washing and mask-wearing and enforces a strict sanitation schedule. It just makes me feel bad because some of my family kind of get upset with me about it and upset with me for being so upset.

Her household is large. She lives with her mother, her stepfather, her aunt, her brother, her boyfriend and their 3-year-old son. Almost everyone in the home deals with some sort of underlying health condition, whether it be diabetes, heart disease or asthma.

Carlie is worried about them. And she hoped her familys caution would follow suit with her own, but so far its been difficult to keep everyone at the same level of concern.

As a self-proclaimed germaphobe already prone to anxiety and depression, the battle for her mental well-being began almost as soon as the pandemic arrived in Wyoming. Now into the fifth month of the pandemic, with case numbers still growing at a record rate, she said the worry is, like, taking over my entire life.

***

Carlie is among a growing number of people worldwide reporting heightened anxiety, panic attacks and depression as a direct result of COVID-19.

The World Health Organization in May shared details of studies in Ethiopia, China, Canada, Italy, Spain and the U.K. indicating sharp rises in depression, anxiety and insomnia, particularly among front-line workers, young people and women.

In the U.S., COVID-19 anxiety is on the rise as well. Fifty-six percent of respondents to an April survey published by health care think tank Kaiser Family Foundation said they had experienced worry or stress because of the pandemic to the point it affected their sleeping, eating, substance use or general health.

Dr. Stephen Brown, medical director of Wyoming Behavioral Institute, said anxiety is a normal response to a traumatic situation, which he absolutely believes the pandemic is.

Its kind of like a chronic trauma for many, Brown said. Especially those whove experienced somebody whos been in the hospital with severe difficulties or actually death, it comes home more.

Carlie, who is in her 20s, lives in Fremont County, which has seen the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. She estimated she knows at least 30 people who have had the virus, from close friends to distant acquaintances. Some of those people have died.

But its not just the fear of the disease, Brown said.

Its a disease that everybody has to isolate. Theres less social interaction, he continued. People are laid off from jobs so they have to stop for a period of time so they have financial worries. With kids, they lose a lot of the social connections they had and the support structure of school, he explained, adding that the cumulative nature of these stressors is likely pushing things over the edge for some people.

Mental health in Wyoming already has a rocky foundation. The state has the second-highest suicide rate in the U.S, and a wide variety of factors have been tied to this  from its rural nature to the lack of light pollution to the altitude. Access to proper care can also be difficult. Roughly 14% of Wyomingites in 2018 reported having no health insurance. Those who do may still have trouble accessing care in rural parts of the state where mental health clinicians may not exist.

The pandemic has catalyzed telemedicines growth. Brown thinks online counseling will grow. too.

And he thinks it not unlikely the U.S., and Wyoming, will see a rise in people hoping to access mental health care as a result of the pandemic. The Wyoming Behavioral Institute has already seen an increase in admissions this summer over last, he said.

Brown recommends people seek professional help if their anxiety or depression is affecting almost every part of their life.

Carlie has been considering professional advice for a little while now. The idea surfaced after a fight with her boyfriend. It was his birthday. She had been drinking a little, and her anxiety was at its peak.

I wouldnt let him go to his own birthday party that (his sisters) had for him at their house, she said. I was like, If you go, you cant come back.

The situation created a lot of tension for the family. Carlie felt awful, but her boyfriends sisters were still going to work and she felt the potential for exposure was high. She later felt crazy for holding her boyfriend to that standard and decided seeking expert help would be a benefit, because Im taking it out on people that I care about, she said.

Fear of the virus is affecting her life in other significant ways as well. Before the pandemic, she worked as a table games dealer at the Wind River Casino. Her employer has been closed since mid-March. It had planned to reopened this past week. When she found out she would need to return to work, she called her boss and quit.

I loved my job, Carlie said, but she couldnt see any way to handle interacting with large numbers of the public every day.

I would probably have a panic attack going in and leaving, when I got home, I would just be on constant anxiety and stress, she said. I just saw myself. I said, If I go back to work, I will have a mental breakdown. And I dont know if Ill be able to get out of it.

So she quit, and instantly one stress became another. She is confident she will be able to find work she can do from home, but in the meantime, money will be tight.

Carlies boyfriend also works at the casino and plans to return to work. The reopening plan has been postponed, but the casino will inevitably reopen. She isnt sure how she will handle that.

Brown said these kinds of stress responses arent uncommon. Stress and depression can affect more than just mood. Sleep can be difficult, a persons appetite can change. And the longer stress occurs, the worse it tends to be on you unless you figure out ways to handle it or normalize it, he said.

He recommends that people afraid of contracting COVID-19 try to change their thinking. If you can change your thinking you can change how you feel, he said. For this anxiety in particular, he said, I think you have to look at it from the odds are in your favor, advising people to avoid worst-case scenario thinking.

An article published by Boulder Community Health says a lack of control over a current situation increases anxiety about it. The article suggests focusing on the things one can control, like social media consumption, adherence to health experts advice and having a positive attitude.

Of course, that can be easier said than done.

***

Jane has kept her family pretty well locked down since March.

Her children cant see their friends, trips out are limited. Janes situation is more complicated than most because most of her family has a chronic illness.

Jane lives with her husband and their two daughters, who are 8 and 10 years old. She, her husband and one of their daughters each have adrenal insufficiency, or Addisons disease. The illness affects hormone production in the body and often leads to dangerously low levels of cortisol and aldosterone, both of which are necessary to live. This in turn affects the bodys resiliency.

So when we get sick, it takes a lot longer for our bodies to heal, said Jane, whom the Star-Tribune has agreed to identify with a pseudonym because of the sensitive nature of the topic. We dont catch a disease more quickly or more easily than anybody else. But we dont heal from it nearly as well.

This harsh reality combined with the amount still unknown about the new coronavirus has forced Jane into a lockdown mindset. The family has sacrificed a lot over the last five months to keep everyone healthy.

Its not that Jane thinks if someone in her family came down with the illness they would die for sure, but its not a risk she wants to take. When things began, she said her community came together in a big way. Restaurants offered delivery, people volunteered to deliver groceries, and then people got bored with that and that support fell off pretty quickly.

Now, she said, it feels like theres a lot of bitterness around the community, particularly as it pertains to wearing face masks in public. The shift in community support has been the hardest part for Jane to adjust to.

When she discusses this, her anxiety manifests as anger. She is angry with those who arent at a higher risk of complications from COVID-19 and dont take precautions to protect others in their community. She is angry that people imply her life is less worthy because of her illness.

Im angry that the people are telling me that if Im afraid, then I can just stay locked up in my house forever. Which is not what I want, you know, said Jane, who is in her 30s and also lives in Fremont County. I want to go out and enjoy the world like everybody else is, but its not safe. And Im angry that it is such a high risk for me and my family.

Janes family is her biggest worry. If schools do reopen this fall, her children wont be among the returning students. They will attend school online instead. Her oldest daughter, an extrovert living in a house of introverts, is having a hard time with the isolation.

In some ways I know that Im hurting them, Jane said of her two daughters. Because they really do need connection with other kids. Thats part of normal child development, and Im not letting them have that. But I know that thats because I want to keep them safe.

And she wishes more members of her community were taking the recommended precautions  especially because her husbands employer closed in March but is expected to reopen soon.

Jane worries what will happen if he unknowingly brings the virus home.

Its unrealistic to expect that we will never catch COVID, she said. We just, you know, how long can we put it off?

***

Jane has a creative drive, and she tries to instill that in her daughters. She encourages them to paint or write or sing about their burdens. She tells them, if youre feeling bad, go make something. And it usually helps.

Carlie, too, has found comfort: in her mom, playing board games and watching Netflix to pass the time, and driving long distances to nowhere with her 12-year-old brother.

Brown, the medical director, supports this approach.

I think you find ways to keep yourself busy and enjoy things, he said. Theres still a lot of ways to enjoy things.

Carlie is hopeful, even if its a cautious optimism, that things will get better.

Im hoping that I can get through it, and the rest of my family will get through it. And Im confident that we probably will, Carlie said. Maybe this whole thing will make me stronger for anything that comes up in the future.

Follow local government reporter Morgan Hughes on Twitter @morganhwrites

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WESTPORT - More than 50 people gathered outside the downtown Starbucks Friday in two rallies to show support for a former employee who alleged a female customer harassed him at work for nearly a year, including calling him racial slurs multiple times.

"My hands shake and I tear up just allowing someone that HATES ME and calls me a (N-word) to come into my space and ruin my whole shift," the barista, Dayshawn Rodriguez, alleged in a recent Instagram post.
If this is the case, then Islamic preacher Zakir Naik should also direct Muslims in India to distance themselves from Haj subsidy and other innumerous welfare schemes for minorities, as most of the money for these schemes comes from pockets of Hindus who pay for taxes !  Editor, Hindujagruti

After Islamic extremists and fundamentalists impeded the construction of Hindu temple in Islamabad, slamming the Imran Khan governments decision to fund the project, controversial radical Islamist Zakir Naik has voiced his discontent with the Pakistani government for allowing construction of a temple in Islamabad.

Naik said that the Imran Khan government has committed a sin, as it is haram (forbidden) according to Sharia (Islamic law) for an Islamic nation to pay or donate to a worship house of a non-Muslim, be it a temple or a church.

Speaking at a live session on his Islamic YouTube channel, BelievingBeings, the terror influencer, who fled India to Malaysia in 2016, said that all Muslim scholars, imams and ulemas stood united in their views that a Muslim cannot donate, support or construct a house of worship of non-Muslims, and by using Muslim taxpayers money to fund the Krishna temple in Islamabad, Pakistan is committing shirk (sin).

There are several fatwas (rulings) that a Muslim cannot donate or build or support a house of worship of a non-Muslim. Over the ages, scholars have maintained this, Naik said while answering to questions from his followers and others on his weekly programme.

He furthered that the Quran, the holy book of the Muslims also discourages cooperation in sins and transgressions, therefore, if any Muslim associates with the building of any non-Muslism worship place, he is committing a sin.

Even a non-Muslim living in an Islamic nation cannot donate for a place of their worship: Zakir Naik

The fugitive Islamic hate preacher furthered that while there was no question of a Muslim living in an Islamic nation spending from his wealth to build a temple, even a non-Muslim living in an Islamic nation should not be allowed to use his money for building a place of worship (for non-Islamic religions).

Fuqaha (experts in Islamic law) have agreed that even a non-Muslims money cannot be used to build a temple in a Muslim land. So where is the question of using Muslim money or taxpayers money (to construct a temple)? he wondered.

The radical Islamic preacher said that if a non-Muslim house of worship is expanded by a Muslim rule, there is complete justification in destroying it. The Islamic government has no right to build new places of worship for the non-Muslims, but can only protect the existing ones, said Naik.

Politics over the proposed Hindu temple in Islamabad

The politics over the construction of a Krishna temple in Islamabad exposed the hypocrisy of the Imran Khan-led Pakistani government. Days after giving a go-ahead for the construction of the Hindu temple in Islamabad and announcing a sanction of 10 crore Pakistani rupees (approximately Indian Rs 4.47 crore) for its construction, the Imran Khan government stopped construction of the boundary wall of the Hindu temple being built in Pakistans capital city Islamabad citing legal reasons. The Pakistan assembly speaker also batted against the temple construction on Islamic land saying that it is against Islam and an insult to the Islamic kingdom.

It even faced the wrath of the radical Islamists and fundamentalist, who went out of the way to stop the construction of the Hindu temple. A Fatwa was issued against the under-construction temple. Thereafter the radical extremists destroyed the under-construction boundary wall of the temple. Azan was read at the temple site. Videos of Muslim citizens of Pakistan issuing threats and warning against the temple were flooded on social media sites.

If constructed, the temple would have been the first Hindu temple in the Pakistani capital.
The question of who the man Jesus Christ was is one that has dominated discussions for two-thousand years. Many have tried to describe him, and many artists tried to capture His likeness. These depictions seem to make the topic more confusing, as historians like Josephus did not find much to comment on Jesus looks, and artistic renderings are inconsistent, including the way his racial identity is portrayed.

European art makes Jesus look European; African art going back centuries makes Him look African; Asian art makes Him look Asian. Despite these contradictory images, the Bible is clear about His genealogy and religious identity - He was Jewish.

There is Biblical and cultural evidence to support the stance that He was an ethnic and religious Hebrew, who reached across these barriers to bring all people to the Father.

Was Jesus a Jew?

The Bible provides two genealogies for Jesus in the Bible, tracing His earthly heritage back in time, one of them all the way to Adam. Coupled with the genealogical records in the Old Testament, it is easy to trace Jesus heritage back through the history of the Hebrew people who became the Jewish nation. The two genealogies traced in the Gospels are generally accepted to trace Jesus heritage through both His earthly parents, and are targeted at two different audiences.

Matthew, the apostle, was Jewish, and the primary audience of his letter was targeted at a Jewish audience. He begins his record with Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, and ends with Joseph, the man who raised Jesus and acted as his earthly father. The line-up of men in the genealogy run from the father of the nation, to David, to Joseph, which would have been culturally important for establishing Jesus Jewish heritage to that audience.

The emphasis on Abraham would have set up Jesus credentials as the Messiah, and showing the connection to David through his son Solomon would have shown how He fulfilled some of the prophecies about the Messiah. It also makes sure to hit all the important moments in Israels history. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations (Matthew 1:17). Matthews records hold cultural and historical information supporting Jesus heritage.

Lukes gospel follows the genealogy of Mary. She is not mentioned by name, but that would have been common during the first century. The connection to David is reinforced, this time through his son Nathan. It is important to trace Jesus lineage through Mary because beginning at least around the first century, Jewish heritage was passed matrilineally, through the mother. While certain aspects of the Jewish culture and religion are passed through the father, such as priesthood, the birthright to be considered Jewish comes from the mother because of a general consensus of interpretations of the Torah and the Talmud - Jewish religious texts which include the Bible.

This genealogy is the biological connection to David. Unlike Matthew, Luke was a gentile, writing to another gentile - a friend of his named Theophilus. Luke traces Jesus heritage all the way back to Adam. The reason that was important for Luke, and for the gentile audience, is because it is a good reminder that Jesus was not just the Messiah for the Hebrew people, but for all people.

Jesus was also a Jew in the religious sense, though He had a perfect understanding of a right relationship with the Father, where mankind had misunderstood it. He was called Rabbi, or Teacher, and preached in temples throughout Israel during His three-year ministry. He followed the Holy Days of the Jewish calendar, and had an observable relationship with God. Though the religious practices of the day do not align exactly with contemporary Judaism, at that time, He would have been considered a religious Jew by the Roman authorities. Other Jewish leaders, including the Pharisees would have considered some of His teachings heretical.

To be religiously Jewish at that time did not require Hebrew ethnicity. In the Old Testament there are several examples of individuals who were not from the twelve tribes of Israel who worshipped the one God, and would be considered Jewish religiously, though that term would not have existed for them. These individuals included Moses father-in-law Jethro, Rahab from Jericho, and Ruth the Moabitess who married Boaz and became a part of the line that led to Jesus. Today, if someone converts to Judaism, that person can be considered Jewish.

What Do Jews Believe?

In contemporary Judaism, the faithful still wait for their Messiah to come. They believe the prophecies about Him have yet to be fulfilled, where Christians believe they were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. One of the great Jewish thinkers after Jesus ascension was Maimonides, who lived from 1138-1204. He put forth an image of the Messiah who would come and usher in the Messianic age, governing the world with wisdom, perfect justice, and perfect righteousness. It will be an age of global peace and prosperity. While there are many variations on this idea, there is a general agreement of a time when the world will live in accordance with Gods law. Jesus is ruled out entirely as the Christ - another word for Messiah - from this perspective.

In Jesus time, there was a strong desire for the Messiah to come because of the oppression of Rome. The Messiah was perceived in a similar way as He is today, but many also believed He would overthrow Rome, leading to an independent Israel.

Like today, devout practitioners of the religion now called Judaism would have observed high Holy Days, many of which involved a trip to Jerusalem if possible. They followed Levitical law, giving tithes and sacrifices as required. Historians categorize this period as the Second Temple period. Solomons temple was gone, and Herod constructed a second. The influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees increased, and they added to the rules and regulations of the laws and Hebrew traditions.

Jesus commented on this issue, But you say, If a man tells his father or his mother, Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban (that is, given to God)  then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do (Mark 7:11-13). Even though there was religious corruption, there were many honorable and sincere Jewish believers waiting for the Messiah.





Photo credit: Getty Images/Motortion

Did Jesus Teach His Disciples Judaism?

When evaluating Jesus religious statements, it must be viewed from His statement, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). Jesus teachings were the ultimate of the law, rather than new and contradictory. He took the rules and prophecies from the Old Testament and explained them in full, rather than from the limited and flawed view of man. He highlighted the limitations of the law to redeem a soul, and that following the rules does not fix the inner mans sins, something only God can do.

He laid this premise out clearly in the Sermon on the Mount:

You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment (Matthew 5:21-22a).

You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).

These are two of several examples of Jesus highlighting that the point of Jewish law was not only to prevent wicked actions, but to also turn a mirror inward, and require the individual to repent of their inner sins, which prevent someone from being truly righteous before God. Because no man can live in perfect righteousness on his own, Jesus paid the price for the sins of the world in order that His righteousness can be attributed to the sinner, saving that person from judgment.

While there is overlap between modern Judaism, Jewish religious practices during the first century, and Jesus teachings, they are not the same. For example, during Jesus lifetime, there were mandatory journeys to the Temple, as seen in the Book of Acts when thousands of Jews from all over the world went to Jerusalem for Holy Days, a practice not done today. Animal sacrifice is also generally frowned upon in todays culture.

Contemporary Judaism has found other ways to fulfill the law without a Temple or a sacrificial system. Many modern Jews would separate what they believe from Jesus teachings. Some believe He was a good person, but incorrect in His understanding of Scripture. Some argue He was a radical figure that some clung to and deified. Just like Christians have different takes on different Biblical concepts like the millennial reign, ideas about Jesus and the Messiah vary among Jewish scholars.

What Did Jesus Teach about Jews and Gentiles?

The primary focus of Jesus ministry were His people, the Israelites, but He still reached out to the Gentiles. He shared the Gospel with the Samaritan woman. When the Centurion in Capernaum reached out to Him to heal a gravely ill servant, He said that if Jesus commanded it, the servant would be well, even if Jesus did not take the physical journey to the home. In response, Jesus declared, Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:10b-11). Here, Jesus declares the future salvation of the Gentiles.

The Messiah came to save both the Hebrew people and the whole of the world. He reached out to both people groups. He discipled twelve Jewish apostles, who became the formidable force behind the beginnings of the church, bringing the Gentiles into the family of God. Through His death, Jesus saved the Gentiles and, The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob  and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins (Romans 11:26b-27). Though Jesus was Hebrew, His salvation was for everyone.

Is It Important That Jesus Was Jewish?

When considering the importance of Jesus ethnic and religious identity, it is important to put it in the context of Gods promises and fulfillment of prophecy. God chose the descendants of Abraham to be the people through which He would bring about salvation for all mankind. To Abraham, God promised, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3b). To David, God promised a descendant who would reign forever. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Both of these promises were Messianic made to Hebrews, and in order for God to keep His promise, it was important the Savior come from that line, and that people group.

Further prophecies about the one who would redeem mankind from their sins and reconcile the human race back to God made it clear the birthplace, the lineage, and even specific details about the life of this promise of hope. One example of these prophecies is in the Book of Micah which prophesied the Savior would be born in Bethlehem in Israel; But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days (Micah 5:2). By being born in Israel to a Hebrew mother, and cared for by a Hebrew step-father, Jesus heritage fulfilled the prophecy. In this sense, it is important that Jesus was Jewish.

However, His ethnicity is not important where salvation is concerned. No one is barred from going to Him to repent of sin and ask for forgiveness just because of their ethnicity, or His. The Messiah did not just come for Israel, but for the whole world.

Sources

Cohen-Sherbok, Dan. Judaism History, Belief, and Practice. New York: Routledge, 2003.

Copan, Paul & Craig Evans. Who was Jesus? A Jewish-Christian Dialogue. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001.

Lucass, Shirley. The Concept of the Messiah in the Scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. New York: T & T Clark International, 2011.

Wilmington, H.L. Wilmingtons Guide to the Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers Inc., 1981.

Photo credit: Getty Images/Ryan Rad

Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer and editor. She maintains a faith and lifestyle blog graceandgrowing.com, where she muses about the Lord, life, culture, and ministry.
SEATTLE (AP)  More federal agents have been dispatched to Seattle to protect federal property amid lingering unrest in the city following the shutdown of a protest zone where demonstrators camped for weeks during George Floyd protests.

The agents are with a special response team of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said she felt she was misled by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, whom she said told her that the U.S. government had no plans to send federal agents to Seattle.

I dont want to say I was lied to, but I think there was maybe semantics that werent forthcoming, Durkan said Friday.

Durkan urged people to protest peacefully over the weekend at planned rallies that are likely to be large. She also said she hoped to avoid what is happening in Portland, which has seen ongoing clashes between demonstrators and federal police.

I cannot overstate it enough, what is happening is frightening to me, Durkan said. It is frightening that you would use federal agents for political purposes.

The agents sent to Seattle are on standby to help other federal law enforcement officials protect federal facilities in the city, according to two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the plans who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the operation publicly.

The agents arrived after businesses in Seattle were vandalized in the downtown area and in the nearby Capitol Hill neighborhood. A small section of Capitol Hill was occupied last month by the protesters and turned into the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest Zone.

Demonstrators took over the several block area for about two weeks until authorities returned in force and cleared out the area on July 1 after two fatal shootings.

King County Executive Dow Constantine tweeted Thursday that a federal plane landed at an airport in Seattle that evening and that more than a dozen personnel drove off to an unknown destination.

President Donald Trump's administration has also announced that agents would be sent to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Constantine said people in the Seattle area reject Trumps unconstitutional use of federal force. It is a transparent attempt to intimidate. But we will not be intimidated.

Brian T. Moran, the U.S. attorney for Western Washington, said the federal agents were there solely to protect federal properties, adding that the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle was broken into last weekend and damaged by a smoke bomb and graffiti.

These are the places where federal judges decide cases and controversies, including those filed by protesters against the city, where Social Security benefits are processed, citizenship is made possible, and where the rights of the accused are protected, Moran said.

In Portland, the protesters who demonstrate every night have set fires just outside a federal courthouse and torn down a protective fence. Federal agents have repeatedly used tear gas to drive the crowds away from the building and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler was tear-gassed Wednesday night as he stood in solidarity with the protesters.

Oregon's attorney general is seeking a court order restraining the actions of federal agents in the city during the demonstrations, which have occurred nightly since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis.

Oregon officials have said federal agents in unmarked cars wrongly detained Portland residents during the demonstrations.

--Associated Press
Lisa Smith has had her case adjourned for another week. Photo: Collins Courts

A new charge has been brought against Islamic State (IS) suspect Lisa Smith, accusing her of financing terrorism.

The ex-soldier, who is already charged with membership of IS, is further accused of providing financial assistance to a man alleged to have been involved in the terror group.

The Co Louth mother-of-one, who is facing trial at the non-jury Special Criminal Court, had her case adjourned for another week for the service of a book of evidence.

Ms Smith (38), a former member of the Defence Forces, who converted to Islam and left the country, was returned here from Turkey last December after spending time in a Syrian refugee camp.

Assistance

She is charged with being a member of a terrorist group, IS, outside the State between October 28, 2015, and last December 1.

At Dublin District Court yesterday, she was further charged with providing financial assistance of 800 to a named man via Western Money Transfer on May 6, 2015.

She denies the charges, which are under the Terrorist Offences Act.

Detective Sergeant Gareth Kane told Judge Paula Murphy he charged the accused before the court sitting.

She made no reply after caution and was handed a copy of the charge sheet.

Det Sgt Kane said there was an application to extend bail to the new charge.

Judge Murphy said the accused would be subject to the same bail conditions.

State solicitor Jonathan Antoniotti said directions were for trial on indictment, and it was intended to serve the book of evidence.

A certificate for the trial venue has been issued, with the consent of the DPP and the Attorney General.

However, Mr Antoniotti said, it appeared the accused's bail surety was not present, and this would be needed before a new bond could be entered.

Defence solicitor Peter Corrigan said he was also seeking an adjournment because Ms Smith "has been denied now her fundamental right to a jury trial", and he would be seeking to challenge "the validity of the certificate that has been issued".

He said the defence had just been notified of the transfer to the Special Criminal Court.

Mr Antoniotti said the defence had been notified last Thursday.

He also said the district court had no jurisdiction to hear the argument on the serving of a book or return for trial.

The book could be served and the accused returned for trial, and this did not prejudice judicial review proceedings, he said.

Mr Corrigan also asked the judge to vary bail conditions as the accused had been signing on twice daily, saying Ms Smith had been on stringent bail conditions for seven months.

Judge Murphy said on the bail issue that this was set in the High Court and any application to vary it would have to be made there.

Airport

He extended the time required for the service of the book of evidence and adjourned the case to next Friday.

Ms Smith stood at the side of the court holding the charge sheet and was not required to speak during the hearing.

She was arrested at Dublin Airport last December 1, charged on December 4 and denied bail at the district court before being granted it later in the High Court.

She remained in custody before taking up bail on December 31, and has since been before the court several times.

The court previously heard it was a "complicated, substantial case".

Ms Smith's lawyer has previously asked for the case against her to be reviewed and for the original charge to be discontinued, but a judge has said this was a matter for the DPP.
Accra, 25th July 2020 The family of the late Prof. John Evans Atta Mills paid a courtesy call on Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang the Vice Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the upcoming December 7th, 2020 elections at her office on Friday 24th July 2020.

The family, led by Opanin George Aryee Thompson the Family Linguist, was in Accra for the Wreath Laying ceremony in connection with the commemoration of the passing of President Mills.

The family expressed their delight and excitement about the nomination of Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, as the NDC Vice Presidential candidate.

They pledged their support to her and the NDC and wished her well in the upcoming campaign. They advised her to focus on the task ahead and not be distracted by negativity from persons who do not wish her or the nation well.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang thanked the family for their support and also pledged to abide by their advice and work hard towards securing victory for the NDC come December 7th, 2020. She said, " For me, victory for the NDC means victory for the whole of Ghana and an opportunity to work hard to address the many development needs that confront our nation today. It will also be a victory for the legacy that President Mills left this country. "

The meeting ended with a prayer by the family linguist.

About Prof John Evans Atta- Mills

Prof. Mills was president of Ghana from January 7th 2020 to July 24th 2012.

He passed away on July 24th, 2012, some three years and six months into his presidency. Prof Mills left an unforgettable legacy as a peace-loving, God-fearing, and dedicated servant leader.

His peace loving nature earned him the affectionate title, Asomdwee Hen. His burial place near the Christiansborg Castle, which was the seat of Government at the time of his presidency was thus named Asomdwee park. The NDC party has instituted the wreath Laying Ceremony and the annual Atta Mills lectures to commemorate his passing and celebrate his legacy. This year's wreath Laying Ceremony was held on Friday 24th July 2020.

About the National Democratic Congress

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is the party on whose platform President Rawlings, President Mills, and President Mahama successfully won elections and became President of the Republic of Ghana. The NDC has won four out of the seven elections held in Ghana during the Fourth Republic, which followed the coming into force of the 1992 Republican Constitution. It is a social-democratic party.

The current leader and Flagbearer of the Party for the upcoming 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections in December is John Dramani Mahama. He holds the sole distinction in the countrys governance history of having served as a Member of Parliament, a Deputy Minister of State, a Minister of State, a Vice President and a President of Ghana.

The Vice-Presidential candidate of the NDC is Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, who was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast and the first female Vice-Chancellor of a University in Ghana and has also served as a Minister of Education, among her numerous internationally acknowledged credentials.
The number of people who have died in flooding in India, Bangladesh and Nepal has surged to more than 550, with 10 rare one-horned rhinos also killed.

Aid agencies warned of a humanitarian crisis after monsoons dumped rain across parts of south Asia, forcing 9.6 million people to flee their homes.

The rhinoceroses were among more than 100 animals that died when a game reserve in Assam, northeastern India, was inundated.

Since the first week of June, we are having no respite with wave after wave of flood that has wreaked havoc inside the Kaziranga national park and tiger reserve, said park director P Sivakumar.

Earlier this week nine rhinos had died, but Mr Sivakumar said an animal that drowned in a swollen river near the park on Saturday took the death toll up to 10.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said nearly one-third of Bangladesh had been flooded, with more heavy rain expected in the coming weeks.

In India, at least 6.8 million people have been affected by the flooding, mainly in Assam and other northern states, the IFRC said.

The Bihar government has requested help from Indias air force to airdrop food parcels, authorities said.

Officials have opened relief centres in affected districts, but people have instead chosen to shelter in tarpaulin tents.

In Assam, 96 people have been killed in floods and another 26 have been killed in mudslides.

The Kaziranga park and tiger reserve is home to the worlds largest population of the one-horned rhinos, which faced extinction just two decades ago and are still classed as vulnerable.

Some 2,500 of the worlds total population of 3,000 one-horned rhinos live there.

The floodwaters are making protecting wildlife within the park more difficult, too.

More than 100 of the 223 security camps inside the sprawling park are still submerged, making day-to-day work of our 1,600 guards really challenging, Mr Sivakumar said.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrote to park chiefs: The deaths of so many animals, including one-horned rhino, are deeply upsetting.

Last week a rhino that was thought to have been trying to get away from floodwaters stopped traffic on a major road when it laid down and rested its head on the tarmac. It was saved but later died, taking the rhino death tally to 10.

Additional reporting by agencies
in view of the above all in Barcelona for the growing number of infections with the Coronavirus, the authorities have arranged new limitations of public life. The regional government announced in the tourist city of Barcelona on Friday evening the closing of all Nightclubs, Clubs and other nightlife in the entire Region in the North-East of the country, according to the newspaper "El Pais" reported.

Earlier, it was arranged in France, travel to Catalonia discouraged and Norway for the returnees from Spain, a ten-day quarantine. In the whole of Spain, with its 47 million inhabitants were registered within 24 hours, more than 900 new infections, such as the Ministry of health announced in Madrid. Almost half of the cases were reported from Catalonia and the neighbouring region of Aragon.

From Monday says the Barcelona also all the cultural events. Already since a week, the inhabitants of the city and the southern suburb of L'hospitalet de Llobregat, a total of 2.7 million people to leave their homes only for urgent reasons such as for shopping or errands. In total, there are in the whole of Spain to official figures, currently about 280 local Corona eruptions.

Updated Date: 24 July 2020, 21:19
Phoenix police investigators believed that the fire that burned down the headquarters of the Arizona Democratic party was an apparent arson attack.

Police were collecting surveillance video from nearby establishments after inspecting the damage. The authorities concluded that it was human-caused. Nobody was hurt in the fire.

Arizona Democratic Party Chair Felecia Rotellini said they were relieved that no one was injured during the blaze.

"The fire is devastating, but we refuse to let this be a distraction. We feel more empowered than ever to turn Arizona blue," Rotellini was quoted in a Fox News report.

Phoenix Fire Investigation Task Force and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators are investigating the fire.

Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Mercedes Fortunes said the event is being investigated as an arson based on the evidence discovered. The security and traffic control in the area also assisted the Phoenix police, Fortune said.

Extent of Damage

The building also housed the Maricopa County Democratic Party headquarters.

The Maricopa Democratic Party said they will not be able to replace the historic election memorabilia or years' worth of candidate and organizational documents that were destroyed by the fire.

Rotellini said she learned about the fire at 2 a.m. after the security systems alarmed and the staffers informed her. She said it's too soon to tell the amount of damage the fire caused.

"The investigators are scheduled to be at the scene at 8 a.m. so we don't know anything right now, but we're very fortunate that everyone is safe and in this virtual environment. We can continue to run the party and do everything we need to do for November," Rotellini was quoted in a report.

County party chair Steven Slugocki said he believes all of their computers, phones, desks, and files were damaged.

The fire happened as the county Democratic Party was scheduled for its summer convention on Saturday. Over 700 Democrats across Maricopa County were expected to attend the virtual event.

In this event, candidates will make their pitch to voters, raise money, and discuss the party's activities until November. Slugocki said he's not sure how the fire will affect the said virtual event. He said they will continue to work and find a way to rise above the situation.

Fundraising Activity

With the fire incident, the Arizona Democratic Party is stepping up its fundraising, with just around 100 days before the November election.

The Arizona Democratic Party said, through its fundraising email, the damage affects the hard work and dedication of the teams at the state and county parties.

"However, as with any setback we have encountered, we will adapt, rebuild, and continue moving ever forward for the sake of creating a better Arizona that works for all of us," it said.

The Investigation Continues

Fortune refused to say what evidence made the investigators decide that it was arson. Investigators said the fire was set intentionally.

Fortune noted that she did not want to unknowingly tip off the perpetrator. She said they were still working on it and they have some good video and some information about the incident.

Anyone with information about the arson attack should call Phoenix police at 602-262-6151, Silent Witness at 480-948-6377 or 480-837-8446 for Spanish.

Check these out:

Man Wrongly Convicted of Arson Murder Freed After 24 Years

Man Arrested for Arson in Massive California Wildfire

Mississippi Church In Ashes Following Suspected Arson After Defying COVID-19 Lockdown
Online media in Benin are facing a complete wipeout after the authorities ordered them to shut down, in a move critics say is aimed at stifling journalists ahead of elections next year.

The west African nation's state media regulator issued a decree in early July ordering all online outlets to "end publication" or risk facing legal punishment.

The watchdog said internet outlets had been opened "without prior authorisation" and that those behind them had not been properly vetted.

"This constitutes a danger to the country," said Fernand Gbaguidi, spokesman for the High Audiovisual and Communication Authority.

Since the announcement Leonce Gamai, the managing director of popular investigative news site Banouto, has been losing sleep.

Work at the outlet is "on hold" and he has had to suspend his staff of seven journalists until the situation becomes clearer.

He insists the site long ago went through all the legal formalities and is hoping to get the greenlight to return to business soon.

But the financial situation is becoming increasingly precarious.

"We have commitments with partners and we have the obligation to honour them," Gamai told AFP.

- 'Reduce us to silence' -

Benin, Nigeria's western neighbour of 11 million people, has long been seen as one of the region's most stable democracies.

But since business magnate Patrice Talon became president in 2016, journalists and opponents have complained of increasing authoritarianism.

For many in the media the latest move against online outlets is yet another attempt to curb potentially critical voices.

The government pushed through controversial legislation in 2018 targeting those working online and criminalising the sharing of "false information" on social media.

A growing number of journalists and bloggers have faced investigation under the law.

Last December investigative TV reporter Ignace Sossou was detained after tweeting statements by a state prosecutor.

He was eventually sentenced to a year in jail on charges including "harassment" and released in June after serving six months.

"They want to reduce us to silence because those in power cannot control online media as easily as they do with traditional outlets," one journalist at an internet TV station told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The reporter insisted the motives are clear for the authorities.

Talon has been grappling with a political crisis since disputed parliamentary elections last year -- and is facing a presidential vote next April.

Those in power want to carry out "a purge in the media before the election", the web journalist said.

Benin this year dropped 17 places to 113th out of 180 countries in the annual press freedom index from Reporters Without Borders.

"Journalists enjoy a significant degree of freedom of expression," the media rights group said.

"However, the state-owned media have provided little coverage of opposition activities since Patrice Talon became president in 2016, and the media have been subjected to close surveillance."

Zakiath Latoundji, head of Benin's Union of Media Professionals, said attempts to "clean up" the online space were not necessarily bad.

But he denounced the "brutality" of the move from the state media regulator.

Eustace Agboton, who heads an association for internet journalists, insisted the move amounted to "a kind of restriction of freedom of expression".

"When we know the increasingly important role played by online media, we have the right to question the timing of this," she said.
An armed drug addict who robbed his local service station while wearing tights on his head before threatening to stab an off-duty garda has been jailed for two years.

Ciaran O'Brien (37) then jumped into his car and drove straight at Garda PJ Cummins. The garda, who is one year from retirement, had to jump out of the way to avoid being run over.

O'Brien of St Patricks Park, Celbridge, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to robbing the Applegreen Service Station at Celbridge on November 27, 2019. He also pleaded guilty to making a threat to kill Garda PJ Cummins and dangerous driving at Laurel Grove, Celbridge.

Passing sentencing yesterday, Friday, July 24, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Karen O'Connor said O'Brien was homeless at the time and known to gardai, but was not known to be violent or aggressive.

Judge O'Connor said the offence was aggravated by O'Brien being armed and disguised during the robbery. She said the garda should not have been exposed to this kind of behaviour.

She sentenced O'Brien to three-and-a-half years imprisonment, but suspended the final 18 months of the sentence on strict conditions including that he follow all directions of the Probation Service for 12 months.

At a previous sentencing hearing, Garda Daniel Lyons told Garrett McCormack BL, prosecuting, that O'Brien went into his local service station armed with a hammer and a knife, described in court as a small machete.

He ordered the shop assistant to open the till before he took 360 in cash and fled the scene.

Garda Cummins, who is due to retire next year, was off-duty at the time and witnessed the robbery. He recognised O'Brien from the local area and waited until he had left the service station before giving chase.

O'Brien threatened him several times, saying: Get away from me or I'll fucking stab you, but Gda Cummins carried on chasing him until O'Brien got into a nearby car. O'Brien then drove the car straight at the garda, causing him to jump out of the way.

Gda Cummins managed to take down O'Brien's car reg. He described himself as being shocked at the level of violence from O'Brien but he declined to make a victim impact statement.

O'Brien was arrested shortly afterwards. He has 27 previous convictions.

John Costello BL, defending, said his client was a drug addict who, at the time of the offence, was effectively homeless and living in shared accommodation with a number of other men.

He became addicted to heroin in the wake of a traumatic childhood and has been hospitalised a number of times for self-harming, the court heard.

Gda Lyons agreed with Mr Costello that he had knew O'Brien as an addict in the area but that it was most unlike him to act violently.
A man has been charged after allegedly punching a male paramedic in the face.

NSW Police allege a 27-year-old man assaulted two emergency service workers after they attended to him at a Surry Hills unit about 4.15 am on Saturday.

Police say the man punched a male paramedic, leaving him with minor injuries, while also attempting to rip the mask off a female colleague as he was escorted to an ambulance.

Officers helped restrain the man, who was later taken to St Vincent's Hospital under guard.

A man, 27, has allegedly punch a male paramedic escorting him to an ambulance before trying to rip the facemask off of another medical worker (pictured a paramedic in Melbourne)

The 27-year-old man was charged with common assault and assault causing grievous bodily harm and will face Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott described the incident as 'repugnant'.

'If we should have ever shown appreciation to our emergency services workers, it's now,' Mr Elliott told reporters on Saturday.

'We have strict laws when it comes to assaults on our first responders (and) I hope the offenders will receive a swift response to their behaviour.

'The paramedic, or the police officer, or the SES volunteer that you assault today may be the one (who's) going to save your life tomorrow. And I think that would be karma if it does occur.'

NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott (pictured) slammed the man for the alleged attack during a critical time
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 17:57:26|Editor: huaxia

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Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat (C) announces the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement during the launching ceremony in Niamey, capital of Niger, on July 7, 2019. (Xinhua)

The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could catalyze development and growth of Africa, and help the continent recover from the economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

by Xinhua Writers Ding Lei, Bedah Mengo

NAIROBI, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could catalyze development and growth of Africa, and help the continent recover from the economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Economists believe AfCFTA is an opportunity to plot, organize, strategize and mobilize African economies for growth that has suffered a major blow due to the pandemic.

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Africa's growth this year will drop from an initial estimate of 3.2 percent to between -2.8 percent and about zero percent due to COVID-19, a dire situation that could throw an extra 20 million people into poverty in a continent where almost 300 million cannot afford one meal a day.

AfCFTA OFFERS SILVER LINING IN CRISIS

The start of trading under AfCFTA, slated to begin on July 1, was postponed due to the pandemic. While some believe the scheme has suffered a setback, there is a silver lining in the crisis for Africa.

In a virtual panel held earlier this month to mark the inaugural Africa Integration Day, Vera Songwe, executive secretary of UNECA, said Africa can use AfCFTA as a powerful tool in accelerating regional and economic integration and prepare for uncertain times.

A top Ghanaian official, familiar with AU's processes towards the implementation of AfCFTA, told Xinhua that the AfCFTA negotiations are currently being held online to firm up preparations towards implementation.

Mama Keita, director of UNECA's Eastern Africa Regional Office, said the COVID-19 pandemic should be used as a game-changer. It should serve as a wake-up call underscoring the urgency to turn Africa's structural vulnerabilities into opportunities.

Experts believe that the AfCFTA is the best stimulus for Africa to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the crisis is a great opportunity the continent should not waste, in particular using lessons learned for Africa's future development.

Medical workers disinfect equipment at an isolation ward in a hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, on July 10, 2020.(Xinhua/Yeshiel)

Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi, CEO of CATIPs-Ghana, a Ghana-based independent policy and research organization, argued that COVID-19 presents Africa with the needed engine to grow its economies when the global value chain is not favorable.

"Africa should take advantage of the pandemic to develop its regional value chain. With that, we can kick-start the intra-African trade, starting with essential supplies like medicals, pharmaceuticals, and food products for the larger African market, because there is a high demand for them," he said, and urged for a deliberate effort to create "green lanes" for these essential commodities.

A recently released report by The AfroChampions Initiative, a leading private sector partner of the AU, notes that Africa has the opportunity to accelerate e-commerce, digital economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Charles Onanaiju, director of the Center for China Studies in Nigeria, told Xinhua that AfCFTA is a key achievement as it is the first time that African countries have found a consensus on the need to give practical expression to integration and Pan-Africanism.

"The strength of the free trade area is that we enjoy the economies of scale. Larger markets, larger production scale and the elimination of undue friction within the region. Individually, we are small markets but on a larger scale, we are huge. Africa could become a major trading bloc attracting investment," he added.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR SINO-AFRICA TIES

Jeremy Stevens, economist at South Africa-based Standard Bank, observed that AfCFTA offers a medium to long-term opportunity for Africa to attract manufacturing business, especially from China.

"AfCFTA represents a dramatic change for the export of single commodities, which has been central to most African economies, providing an important opportunity to boost industrialization and competitiveness as well as intra-Africa trade," he told Xinhua.

According to him, the success of AfCFTA will will largely depend on its impact on regional integration, buttressing trade and developing nodes of growth.

Gedion Jalata, senior advisor to the UNDP South-South Cooperation and former consultant to UNECA-Capacity Development Division regarding AfCFTA, noted that the free trade will create good opportunities for Africa-China cooperation.

"The hard infrastructure spread in Africa is low, with countries like China that have ample experience in infrastructure building well-placed to help build road, rail, port and air infrastructures for African countries. A strong Africa will be a strong ally and good partner for China," said Jalata, who is also the chief executive of Center of Excellence International Consult, a consulting firm based in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

"For China and the rest of the world, AfCFTA means countries can penetrate Africa with their exports, entering through key hubs like South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria and to some extent Ethiopia, instead of interfacing with each African country directly. That will reduce the transaction costs on their goods and services at the same time, giving them access to a very large African market," he said.

A worker makes preparation for the launch of the Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo service in Nairobi, Kenya, on Dec. 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Yan)

According to the analysts, China-Africa ties must, however, focus on industrialization, job creation and technology transfer through investment in manufacturing industries, led by the private sector in a manner that supports African growth and development.

According to Onanaiju, China is Africa's most vigorous trading partner, investor and is becoming a major stakeholder in the continent's social stability and economy.

"Within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative of which many African countries have become partners, I think we can begin to see a synergy to narrow the gap in our infrastructure deficit. If we align the practical tangibles involved in the Belt and Road to the prospects of African free trade area, you will see a very huge future ahead of us," he said.

He noted that what is needed between Africa and China is policy engagement to bring about a practical result.

"Africa can take advantage of what China took about 40 years ago when they opened up to the world. We are in a position to do that. We could be the next workshop of the world with cooperation with China if we deepen our engagement with the Belt and Road, if we take advantage of the enormous trade between China and Africa," said Onanaiju. Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Cao Kai in Nairobi, Jing Jing in Johannesburg, Xu Zheng in Accra, Guo Jun in Abuja, Zhao Yupeng in Lusaka, Wu Changwei in Windhoek also contributed to the story)
By Express News Service

HANOI: Vietnam, one of Asias biggest consumers of wildlife products, has suspended all imports of wild animal species dead or alive and vowed to eliminate illegal markets across the country. The directive signed by the leader of the Communist country follows an international scandal over the sale of wildlife, which has been blamed as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic in neighbouring China.

The prime minister orders the suspension of imports of wildlife  dead or alive  their eggs... parts or derivatives, said the order released on Thursday on the government website. Vietnam locked down swiftly to dodge a major health crisis as Covid-19 emerged, but its economy has been hit hard.

The country will also resolutely eliminate market and trading sites which trade wildlife illegally, the edict said  warning of a crackdown on the poaching, trafficking, storing and advertising of animals, birds and reptiles. Anti-trafficking group Freeland hailed the move as the most stringent to control the wildlife trade since the pandemic broke out.

Vietnam is to be congratulated for recognising that Covid-19 and other pandemics are linked to the wildlife trade, said Steven Glaster, its chairman. China, the worlds biggest market for wildlife products, has enacted a similar ban. Vietnam has gone further by taking aim at online sales and imposing an indefinite ban on the trade.
Scientists have captured the first direct image of a solar system that closely resembles our own. The new image is a family portrait of sorts, showing two giant exoplanets orbiting a young, sun-like star, roughly 300 light years away.

The picture was taken using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, located in Chile's Atacama Desert. According to a new study in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, the system will help astronomers better understand how our solar system formed and evolved

The star, known as TYC 8998-760-1 and located in the Southern constellation of Musca, is only 17 million years old, which researchers called a "very young version of our own sun." Comparatively, the sun is roughly 4.6 billion years old.

Both planets orbiting the star, dubbed TYC 8998-760-1b and TYC 8998-760-1c, are suspected to be gas giants, meaning they are composed primarily of gases like helium and hydrogen. However, they are much further away from their host star than our gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, at distances of 160 and about 320 times the Earth-sun distance. They are also much heavier than the gas giants in our solar system.

The image shows the two planets, which appear as two bright points of light, distantly orbiting their parent star, located in the upper left corner. Because they formed so recently, they still glow brightly enough to be seen from Earth.

This image, captured by the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope, shows the star TYC 8998-760-1 accompanied by two giant exoplanets. / Credit: ESO/Bohn et al.

It marks the first time astronomers have observed more than a single planet orbiting a star similar to the sun. Only two similar systems have ever been previously observed  both with stars uniquely different to ours.

"This discovery is a snapshot of an environment that is very similar to our Solar System, but at a much earlier stage of its evolution," lead researcher Alexander Bohn, a PhD student at Leiden University in the Netherlands, said in a press release.

Co-author Matthew Kenworthy, an associate professor at Leiden University, said that these kinds of direct observations are crucial in the hunt for planets that can support life. "Even though astronomers have indirectly detected thousands of planets in our galaxy, only a tiny fraction of these exoplanets have been directly imaged," he said.

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Only a few dozen of the exoplanets so-far discovered have been directly imaged, according to NASA. Scientists hope that further research will reveal if the young planets formed at their current location or migrated from somewhere else  and how they might interact with each other.

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ADK creates a buzz in the local music scene By Joshua Surendraraj View(s): View(s):

Tamil Rap has fast gained momentum in the music industry in Sri Lanka. The artiste themselves who share a fondness of their mother tongue and a love of their vibrant identity, aim to leave a piece of their legacy with the genre. One such artiste, who created waves with his unique style of Tamil rap is none other than Dinesh Kanagaratnam, renowned by his stage name ADK.

Throughout his 13-year career in the industry, ADK pushed himself to become a lyricist from a vocalist. His story is one that inspires, from being rejected by several independent and major labels that refused to accept him as an artiste, ADK proved them wrong by his record hit Suraangani Remake. The song which was released in 2008 was quick to top the charts in Sri Lanka. Today ADK aims at taking Tamil rap to the international stage.

We conversed with the decorated artiste, who had just signed with Salt Haus Records, a world class independent label based in South India. It was created by well experienced music producers, namely Udhav Sharma, Sahil Batra and Abhi Malhotra, who have a combined experience of over 30 years in the global music industry. They share the same vision as ADK. That is to take Tamil rap to an international platform.

ADK tells us that he is a shy individual in general, who takes on a completely different personality up on stage. He explains the stage is the only place where he could express his emotions and feelings with no restrictions.

ADK released his debut album, Cross Culture with Gajan Maheson back in 2007. Thereafter, he took a bold leap by launching his first solo album, Thamila. The track Suraangani, which featured on the album, was the turning point in his career. The record, which was produced with Pasan Liyanage, soon built a reputation amongst listeners across South East Asia. From there on, ADK was asked to feature his vocals on more than five tracks for Indias most prominent composer, A.R Rahman who is a two-time Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe Award winner.

ADK was the only Sri Lankan Tamil rapper to work with the veteran and he recalls hustling to get this opportunity. He believed that it was going to be hard working with such a big name. But, A.R Rahman turned out to be one of the most easy-going producers that ADK worked with.

He eventually performed alongside A.R Rahman in 2012 to an audience of 100, 000 people in Chennai for the Thai ManeyVanakkam show, a concert which he describes as surreal.

Thereon, ADK also featured in a track called Magudi from the movie Kadal, directed by legendary film director, Mani Ratnam. ADK shares that Mani Ratnam was a gem, humble and kind. He gave ADK the freedom to write Magudi.

With five major records under his belt, ADK currently resides in Singapore and accesses all his projects virtually with the help of Salt Haus Records.

Together, they are currently producing an EP, which will include six songs that will also feature renowned Sri Lankan, Indian and American artists. The first single titled Instagram is set to be released in the coming days. It will be followed by a series of music videos.

As ADK puts it, Salt Haus is not just another record label, rather they also have the best resources to build an artists image in the next level. This, coupled with their belief in quality more than quantity, makes ADK certain that his new EP will create an impact in the industry.

According to him, Tamil rap music has been active in Sri Lanka since 2007. However, today the genre has a wider reach and is booming in South India, Malaysia and Singapore. On this note, ADK believes the scope for Tamil Rap music internationally is much bigger. But, as he adds, there needs to be a competent team that needs to push to take the genre to that level. And sooner or later we could hear Tamil Rap music on the billboards.

On this note, ADK also believes that the situation in the world today has made us realise the importance of time and to not take things for granted. So currently both he and Salt Haus Records are using this moment to their advantage. They feel that the world post covid-19 will be positive and healthy for every artist who wants to showcase their work.

And his advice any upcoming talent is to believe in themselves and above all enjoy their work. Learn to accept criticism, because that helps you grow better as a person and also get better in what you do. Craft your art with love and nothing can defeat you.

ADK has also teamed up with Yuvan Shankar Raja to produce a web series to be published on Netflix. The story is about a young boy who dreams to showcase his talent in rap and the difficulties he faces to achieve his dream.
Washington:

US President elect Donald Trump's plan to restore a database of immigrants coming from Muslim majority countries has drawn huge criticism from Democratic lawmakers and rights bodies in the country.

National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) is a post-9/11 program which required travellers to the US from specified Muslim-majority countries to immediately register with the federal government or face deportation.

"Reinstating failed programs that target Arabs and Muslims in our country is exactly what ISIS was cheering on election night when America, a beacon of freedom in the world, gives in to fear and begins chipping away at civil rights, our enemies are emboldened and their ranks swell with new recruits," Senator Dick Durbin said.

"Back in 2002, I called for this program to be terminated because there were serious doubts it would help combat terrorism. Terrorism experts have since concluded that this program wasted precious homeland security funds and alienated Arab- and Muslim-Americans. Failed programs like this are the exact wrong approach to combating terrorism, and I will fight to ensure it never returns," Durbin said.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Raul M Grijalva and Keith Ellison, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairwoman Judy Chu, CPC Vice Chair Congressman Mike Honda, and CPC Vice Chair Mark Takano slammed Trump surrogate, Carl Higbie, for suggesting that Japanese- American internment camps could serve as a precedent for the creation of a Muslim registry.

"These remarks are beyond disturbing. This is fear, not courage. This is hate, not policy," Honda said. "Since Trump was elected president, thousands of Americans have voiced fears over what our country might look like in the coming years. Last night, one of his surrogates showed us why so many people are afraid of a Trump administration.

"The fact that our incoming President has considered internment as a model for how to move forward with the Muslim community is absolutely shocking. We cannot allow it to be normalised or enacted," Ellison said.

Grijalva said it took the US decades to own up to the stain of Japanese internment, providing compensation to more than 100,000 people who suffered through it and formally apologising through the Civil Liberties Act in 1988.

To say this heinous treatment should be precedent for any policy is horrific, and Trump should denounce it immediately.

"Any proposal to force American-Muslims to register with the federal government, and to use Japanese imprisonment during World War II as precedent, is abhorrent and has no place in our society. These ideas are based on tactics of fear, division, and hate that we must condemn," Chu said."

I am horrified that people connected to the incoming Administration are using my family's experience as a precedent for what President-elect Trump could do," said Takano.

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Washington, July 25 : The United States will not allow the entry of new international students for the upcoming fall semester if their courses are entirely online, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said.

In a release, the ICE on Friday said "F and M students in new or initial status after March 9, 2020, will not be able to enter the United States to enroll in a US school as a nonimmigrant student for the fall term to pursue a full course of study that is 100 percent online," Xinhua news agency reported.

It also said school officials should not issue a Form I-20, "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status," for a student in new or initial status who is outside of the United States and plans to take classes at an certified educational institution fully online.

A guidance issued on March 9, 2020 by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which the ICE uses to manage foreign students and exchange visitors in the United States, has allowed schools and students to engage in distance learning in excess of regulatory limits due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ICE said on Friday that the guidance applies to continuing F and M nonimmigrant students who were in valid F-1 or M-1 nonimmigrant status on March 9, 2020, including those previously enrolled in entirely online classes who are outside of the United States and seeking to re-enter the country this fall.

"Students actively enrolled at a US school on March 9, 2020, who subsequently took courses online while outside of the country can re-enter the United States, even if their school is engaged solely in distance learning," it added.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the ICE rescinded a new directive that could have denied international students their stay in the United States if they only attend online courses in this year's fall semester.

The directive, which came as the White House was pushing for the reopening of schools despite the pandemic, had met strong backlash from both home and abroad as well as lawsuits supported by more than 200 universities and 18 states.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge in the United States, many universities have announced plans to hold most or all classes online this fall to protect the health and safety of their students and faculty.

Rakesh Khurana, Danoff Dean of Harvard College, said in a letter to students that "any incoming student who received a Form I-20 to begin their studies this fall will be unable to enter the US in F-1 status as course instruction is fully remote." "We abhor any policies that seek to force us to choose between our community's health and the education of our international students. The University is working closely with members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to extend the online exemption to newly admitted students and ensure that this flexibility remains in place for the duration of the public health emergency," Khurana said. "Unfortunately, we don't anticipate any change to the policy in time for the fall semester."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A 93-year-old man was convicted by a court in Germany for his role in the death of thousands of people at a Nazi concentration camp. The man served as a guard at the camp during World War II.

Nazi camp

On July 23, a court in Hamburg, Germany gave the 93-year-old Bruno Dey a two-year suspended sentence for assisting in the murder of 5,200 prisoners at the Stutthof camp. Dey served as a guard in 1944 at the Nazi concentration camp, he was only 17-years-old at the time so his hearing took place in a juvenile court.

The Associated Press reported that the prosecutors tried to call for a three-year sentence for Dey and argued that he had aided the Nazis as a "small wheel in the machinery of murder." He was a guard at a tower at the camp.

Meanwhile, the old man's defense attorney argued that even though Dey served as a prison guard, he was not directly involved in the murders that happened in the camp. Dey admitted that he saw the prisoners in the camp and he knew that they were sent to the gas chambers, according to BBC.

Also Read: Two Italian Teens Pay Bitcoins to Watch Livestream of Children Being Tortured and Murdered

Judge Anne Meier-Goring echoed the prosecution's argument in her verdict and said that even though Dey was not directly responsible for the murders, he had been complicit.

According to The Guardian, Meier-Goring said that the concentration camp Stutthof and the mass murder that took place only happened because people like Dey did nothing.

Dey and the remaining survivors of the concentration camp are above 90 years old, which means that Dey's trial is the last of its kind. Throughout the whole court hearing, Dey listened to the horrific stories of the survivors. Three dozen co-plaintiffs were present in court.

In his final statement to the court, Dey apologized to all of the survivors who went through "the hellish madness" of the camp. He also apologized to the relatives of the survivors and victims, as well as their descendants.

The BBC added that Dey had been shaken by the accounts of the witnesses but said that he had been unaware of the extent of the atrocities that happened inside.

Stutthof camp

The Stutthof camp was established near Gdanks, Poland. It was designated as a concentration camp in 1942. More than 65,000 people died at the Nazi camp before it was liberated by the Soviet forces on May 9, 1945.

Stutthof was the first German concentration camp that was built outside German borders in World War II. It operated from September 2, 1939, to May 9, 1945. The people in the camp died from starvation, murder, extreme labor conditions, epidemics, brutal and forced evacuations, and lack of medical care.

The conditions in the camp were harsh as thousands of prisoners eventually succumbed to disease and starvation. A typhus epidemic swept the camp in the winter of 1942 and 1944. Those who were too sick or weak to work were gassed in the small gas chamber of the camp.

Around 28,000 of those who died in the Stutthof camp were Jews. Around 110,000 people were deported to the Stutthof camp and around 24,600 were transferred from Stutthof to other locations.

Related Article: Daughter Beat Parents to Death with Crowbar After She was Confronted for Huffing Paint

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By Devika Krishna Kumar and Stefanie Eschenbacher

NEW YORK/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico has asked top Wall Street banks to submit quotes for its giant oil hedging program, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, while trading in crude oil options has increased this week ahead of the megadeal.

The finance ministry has asked banks for price quotes, one source with direct knowledge of the matter said, signaling the beginning of the process to execute the hedge. The ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Every year, Mexico buys as much as $1 billion in financial contracts, the world's largest oil hedge program, to protect its oil revenues. Bankers and officials on both sides of the deal expect a smaller hedge this year because the options used to protect oil profits are more expensive than last year.

The oil market crashed earlier this year, with the U.S. crude benchmark falling to negative-$40 a barrel in April. It was trading around $43 on Friday.

Having the hedge in place protected Mexico from the plunge. The 2020 hedge, arranged in 2019, was completed at $49 a barrel, according to the country's finance ministry, and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in April that the hedge would yield roughly 150 billion pesos ($6 billion). [nL2N2CA1M7]

Because volatility is higher this year, Mexico is expected to pay more for less coverage for the insurance policy for 2021. However, it is expected to go ahead to avoid further damaging its financial standing with international investors, sources have said. The country's credit rating has been cut in recent months and is in danger of additional declines. [nL1N2DP1P8]

Trade shops and banks based in Europe and the United States have been active buyers of implied volatility options this week, market sources said. That is a signal that dealers are preparing for the extensive buying that comes with the finance ministry's purchases, those sources said.

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Negotiations are very secretive and limited to few participants as both sides attempt to secure the best terms in a highly competitive deal for banks.

For the 2020 hedge, sources estimated two-thirds of the options Mexico bought were indexed to the international Brent crude benchmark, shifting away from the Maya oil Mexico mainly produces.

Average Brent crude prices for 2021 are currently at about $46 a barrel, their highest since early March.

(Writing By David Gaffen; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended Muslim prayers at Istanbul's Hagia Sophia on Friday, the first since the iconic place of worship in Istanbul was converted back into a mosque, CGTN reports.

First built as a cathedral in the Christian Byzantine Empire, the UNESCO World Heritage site in historic Istanbul was repurposed as a mosque in 1453, following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.

In early July, Turkey's highest administrative court, the Council of State, reversed a decision made in 1934 by modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, to make the site into a museum.

Following the ruling, Erdogan ordered that the place of worship be reopened for prayer.

During morning prayer, Erdogan recited a verse from the Koran, and later, the head of the state religious affairs agency, Ali Erbas, delivered the Friday sermon inside Hagia Sophia, holding a sword as a symbol of conquest.

"The reopening of Hagia Sophia ... is the return of a sacred place, which had embraced believers for five centuries, to its original function," Erbas told the congregation.
An international team examining the black boxes from the jet has completed a preliminary analysis of the data in France.

The transcript from the black boxes from a Ukrainian jet accidentally shot down by Iran on January 8 confirms the fact of illegal interference with the plane, Ukraine's deputy foreign minister wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Yevhen Yenin said Kyiv was expecting an Iranian delegation to visit Ukraine next week for talks, Reuters reported.

Read alsoPreliminary analysis of PS752 flight recorders in France completed

The Canadian Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday an international team examining the black boxes from the jet had completed a preliminary analysis of the data in France.

"Grateful to all partners who helped bring this moment closer. Black boxes from #PS752 were read out and deciphered successfully. The transcript confirmed the fact of illegal interference with the plane," Yenin wrote on Twitter.

Iranian forces say they downed the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 jet after mistaking it for a missile at a time of high tensions with the United States. All 176 people on board were killed.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this month that it was too soon to blame human error for the shooting down of the airliner and that many questions remained unanswered.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February that Kyiv was not satisfied with the amount of compensation Iran had offered.
Britains crime officials have returned 190 million to Pakistan following an investigation into a Pakistani businessman whose assets in the UK were the subject of freezing orders; millions of pounds more were similarly returned to other countries in 2019-20, officials said.

The amounts are the result of investigations into international corruption and bribery. More individuals were charged by the National Crime Agency (NCA)s international corruption unit than ever before during the year, linked to the laundering of criminal cash into major overseas developments projects.

An NCA spokesperson said none of the cases investigated during 2019-20 involved Indian citizens.

Its international corruption unit restrained or detained 32 million; 146 million more were been confiscated or forfeited, of which 139 million were returned to developing countries, the NCA said in its annual report.

In December 2019, the NCA agreed a civil settlement of 190 million following a civil investigation into a Pakistani national, whose business is one of largest private sector employers in Pakistan. Most of the frozen funds in this case have now been returned to Pakistan, it said.

The NCA had previously identified the businessman as Malik Riaz Hussain. The settlement was announced after NCA implemented eight account freezing orders in August 2019 linked to nearly 120 million and one in December 2018 linked to the same investigation for 20 million.

Account freezing orders and unexplained wealth orders were unveiled by British authorities in 2018 as part of efforts to tackle fraud and organised crime, or assist in the recovery of illegitimate assets. Some non-EU politicians have been subject to such orders.

The International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC) based at the NCA supported foreign jurisdictions investigating grand corruption during the year. This is defined as abuse of high level power causing serious and widespread harm to society.

This year IACCC intelligence supported the arrest of senior corrupt officials, the identification of over 100 million worth of suspicious assets, and the return of stolen money to affected states, the NCA said.

NCA director-general Lynne Owens said: The threat to the UK from serious and organised crime remains chronic and corrosive. Criminals work across international boundaries and are using new technologies to find different ways to identify victims, exploit the vulnerable and hide both their identities and the proceeds of their crime.

The NCA leads the UKs fight against these criminals, and in 2019/20 we recorded our biggest ever disruptive impact against them.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prasun Sonwalkar Prasun Sonwalkar was Editor (UK & Europe), Hindustan Times. During more than three decades, he held senior positions on the Desk, besides reporting from Indias north-east and other states, including a decade covering politics from New Delhi. He has been reporting from UK and Europe since 1999. ...view detail
To the 35-year-old artist Le Xuan Giang, scale models are more than a creative outlet serving his passion for history; they are a way of life.

An inventory of military arms, downsized

Inside Giangs tiny apartment on Van Kiep Street of Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, one cannot help but be overwhelmed by the dozens of war maneuvers displayed by the thousands of miniature models covering the apartment.

The apartment appears to be an arsenal of mini tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and AK-47 and AK-74 assault rifles.

Other scale models of Giang leans more towards a scenic approach: one depicts a troop of hundreds charging into a skirmish, while another shows a mother sending his son off to war, wrapping the emblematic checkered scarf around his neck while tucking a handful of food in his backpack.

This collection has been Le Xuan Giangs work for the past ten years. Prior, he had focused on oil painting.

Giang graduated from Ho Chi Minh Citys University of Fine Arts in 2009 with certain ponderings on the limit of the canvas and paint  a serious hindrance to his artistic vision at the time.

While browsing a bookstore in early 2010, he spotted some military scale models on the shelf and was immediately spellbound.

The longer he looked, the more he realized the potential to elevate this medium into works of art with depth, dimensions, and storytelling.

Its like finding a way out of the thought impasse that had haunted me for a while. I brought a tank model home and it gradually became a part of my life, Giang explained.

Scale models are a miniature representation of a real-life object at a certain scale. They can be related to architecture, interior design, the military, and everyday life.

Giangs models primarily focus on the Vietnamese military.

According to Giang, working with scale models feels like entering another world  a realm of playful, intuitive art.

In order to keep the sophisticated details of each model, Giang has calcified his ten years of experience into a simple code: no room for half-heartedness or cutting corners.

Aside from understating art, architecture, space design, mechanics and chemistry, artists who work with models must comprehend the historical and political periods they work with to ensure the accuracy of their projects.

'Nha tren song' (House on the river), a scale model by Vietnamese artist Le Xuan Giang that won the gold medal at a fair in Malaysia, is seen in a photo provided by Giang.

Paracel  an aspiring international project

According to Giang, there are at least five steps in building a miniature soldier: First, a skeletal framework needs to be shaped with metal wire to form the desired posture.

Next, clay must be applied to the metal frame to mold the torso, limbs, and facial details for the character. This is considered the most challenging and strenuous step even for adept artists at Giangs level.

The fact that these figures are downscaled means that there is a substantial degree of focus required from the artists in order to pull off the facial expression and manner of each character.

Coloring is the final stage, also considered the phase that makes or breaks the figure. Giang said he has had to recolor and even discard countless miniatures due to imperfections made during this step.

Each figure wears a different color palette depending on the historical period that we are working on. Inaccuracy in color mixing is not accepted, even at the slightest level, Giang said.

Apart from his historical projects, Giang also creates models of floating markets and floating households in Vietnams Mekong Delta using his experience as a native of Vinh Long  a Mekong Delta province.

Returning from his day job as a graphic design lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City-based Hoa Sen University, Giang uses his work with scale models as a means to alleviate his daily stress.

But for Giang, scales models are more than just a hobby. Since beginning his journey with scale models hes founded Paracel, a brand specializing in creating scale models of soldiers and weapons for foreign markets.

The brand  whose name is inspired by the English name for Hoang Sa, a group of islands administered by Vietnam in the East Vietnam Sea  started humble, only being known by some of Giangs fellow miniature enthusiasts, but has since grown significantly through partnerships with firms from Japan, Spain, Germany, and other foreign countries.

All his exported products are assembled according to Giangs high standards.

I want to incorporate a message that came from the depth of my self-reflection in these exported products. By naming the brand Paracel for a bona fide Vietnamese product, I hope my message came through, Giang confessed.

Painting history with scale models

Giang meticulously shapes every limb, shirt, shoe, facial feature, and expression of each Vietnamese soldier figurine he creates, including those in his scale model depicting the extraordinary feat of pulling canons uphill at Dien Bien Phu in 1945.

He had initially scheduled the model to be done in time for the 66-year anniversary of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu  which marked a divisive victory of Vietnam over French invaders in the Indochina War earlier this year, but failed to meet the deadline due to his dedication to perfection.

Through Giangs interpretation, every detail of the scale models comes alive with their own flair and expression. Even subordinate details from the branches to blades of grass are designed with perfection in mind.

Giang utilizes a wide range of materials in his products, including recycled goods such as plastic bottles and discarded car tires.

On top of his Dien Bien Phu project, Giang also prides himself in recreating a snapshot of other historical events, one of which is the all-out offensive and uprising in the spring of 1975 that brought about peace and reunification in Vietnam.

'Tu mien nui xuong dong bang' (From the mountain to the plateau), a scale model by Vietnamese artist Le Xuan Giang, is seen in a photo provided by Giang.

A standalone exhibition

Giangs art work Tu mien nui xuong dong bang (From the mountain to the plateau) depicting the offensive was actually made by commission for a Japanese magazine.

His work Cho noi Viet Nam (Vietnams floating market) has also gained international attention, winning a silver medal at a scale model competition in Taiwan.

Two of his other works Dai bang ha canh (Landing eagle) and Nha tren song (House on the river) won him the gold medal at a scale model fair in Malaysia.

After these awards, a long line of enthusiasts reached out and asked to buy his works with handsome offers.

Nevertheless, Giang turned them all down, instead choosing to save his work for an exhibition of his own in the future.

[The buyers] said they would lend the works for the exhibition even after I sell to them, but I did not agree. Money can be made your whole life, but scale models cant, he stated.

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However, Hyderabad may be gloating over a dubious honour.

Telanganas capital Hyderabad has found a place among the top 50 CCTV-surveilled cities in the world. According to a report published by the UK tech firm Comparitech, Hyderabad ranks 16th in the list and is the top-ranked Indian metropolis. With nearly 3 lakh CCTVs for a population of over one crore (2020 estimates), Hyderabad has 30 CCTVs per 1,000 people.

Telangana director-general of police Mahender Reddy, a former Hyderabad police chief, tweeted his congratulations to the city police and other stakeholders for making the city a safer place to live in.

UK #Comparitech Rept : #HyderabadCity with 3Lakh surveillance cameras ranked 16 among the Top20 #MostSurveilledCities across the world. (*Usage, No.of cameras & Safety).

Congratulations to all the stakeholders firstly #TheCommunities for making the city a safer place to live in. pic.twitter.com/a0JpFh6pWp  DGP TELANGANA POLICE (@TelanganaDGP) July 23, 2020

China dominates list

Chennai, ranked 21st overall, comes a close second in Indian surveilled cities, while Delhi is a distant third at 33rd.

However, Hyderabad may be gloating over a dubious honour.

Eighteen of the top 20 cities in the list are located in China, while third-ranked London is the only city situated outside of China apart from Hyderabad. In the top 50 rankings, 34 cities are in China, two  Moscow and St Petersburg  are in Russia, and Baghdad is located in strife-torn Iraq. All three countries have been classified as authoritarian regimes in the Economist Intelligence Units 2019 Democracy Index.

Taiyuan in China is the most surveilled city, with over 4.6 lakh cameras keeping an eye on nearly 39 lakh people. This translates to around 120 CCTVs for 1,000 people  the highest ratio among the 50 cities.

Chinas capital Beijing is ranked 5th while financial nerve-centre Shanghai comes 12th in the list. Notably, Wuhan, the reported epicentre of coronavirus, is ranked 23rd in the list and Urumqi, the capital of the restive Xinjiang province, is at 13th place.

No correlation between crime rates and CCTVs

The Comparitech report notes the primary argument in favour of CCTV surveillance: Improved law enforcement and crime prevention. However, the evidence suggested by the report points to no correlation between CCTV cameras and crime rates.

A higher number of cameras just barely correlates with a lower crime index, the report reads, suggesting that more cameras do not necessarily mean reduced number of crimes. Case in point: Taiyuan, London and Baghdad  all have a high crime index score compared to their CCTVs per 1000 people. Crime index is a range between 0 and 100 with 0 denoting negligible crime rates and 100 meaning totally unsafe.

Coming to Hyderabad: It has a crime index of 43.46 despite its high number of CCTVs.

Privacy concerns remain

The Hyderabad Police have been hailed on the internet for employing CCTV surveillance. However, that surveillance could infringe upon the privacy of citizens is an issue still largely unaddressed by policymakers. The fact is that live video surveillance is ramping up worldwide, the report says, adding that face recognition technology used in China has been utilised to restrict public transport for people.

M Nageswara Rao, the controversial former interim director of CBI, has issued a word of caution against the Orwellian idea of surveillance. Taking to Twitter, he said that if the State is allowed to act like a Big Brother, it would be time to write an obituary to democracy.

Trampling Right to Anonymity, Right to Privacy and Freedom of Movement by CCTV surveillance of public places is an issue of extraordinary importance that seems to have escaped freedom lovers. State can't indiscriminately violate citizens' rights just because technology enables it, he tweeted.
"After the accused person had finished praying for the complainant's cousins, he ordered the two women to leave the room so that he could pray for the complainant. The accused prayed for the victim and told her that she was being tormented by evil spirits which were affecting her love relationship," said Mr Chile.
SUNDAY, JULY 19

Moline family won't have to repaint

Officials in a western Illinois city have told a homeowner that the vibrant colors on her family's rainbow-striped house can stay despite an earlier order that she repaint the residence.

Moline city officials said Thursday in a hand-delivered letter to Taylor Berg that she does not have to paint over the broad purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red horizontal stripes that run top to bottom down her two-story wood-frame house, the Quad-City Times reported.

The same colors are vertical on the home's picket fence.

The city told Berg earlier this month that she had until July 21 to repaint her house a color similar to other houses on the block or face a fine of up to $750 a day.

MONDAY, JULY 20

Monroe County sheriff tests positive for COVID-19

A county sheriff in southwestern Illinois has tested positive for COVID-19, according to officials.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Department said Sheriff Neal Rohlfing has been in quarantine since he had symptoms earlier this month. He received a positive test on Wednesday, according to a department statement.

Officials said department operations have not been affected because of his limited contact with employees. County public officials said there has been a recent uptick in cases likely due to social gatherings around the Fourth of July.

TUESDAY, JULY 21

Illinois COVID positivity rate at 3.4 percent

Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave support to a pair of Illinois mayors who recently enacted policies aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 in bar and tavern settings.

Pritzker specifically referred to actions by Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder, who signed an order creating fines for bars and restaurants that fail to comply with social distancing and capacity rules, and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who announced Monday morning that the city would stop bars that dont serve food from serving alcohol indoors starting Friday.

I want to commend local leaders taking action to keep their communities safe, and the state stands behind these municipalities in their efforts, Pritzker said at an event Monday in Urbana. Our city and county leaders, with case numbers and hospitalizations rising and localized information about outbreaks readily available, can and should do what they know is right to protect their residents.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22

Pritzker vows to keep federal agents out

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he would do everything within his power to stop federal agents from coming to Chicago.

"If they're thinking about sending agents in, federal service agents, into the city, they need to answer to the governor of the state, the mayor of the city of Chicago, to the attorney general for the state of Illinois," Pritzker said. "We're going to do everything we can to prevent them from coming. And if they do come, we're going to do everything we can from a legal perspective to get them out."

The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that the Department of Homeland Security was developing a plan to act on President Donald Trump's promises and send federal agents to Chicago and other cities governed by Democrats to control violence.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot opposed the move, expressing concerns about resident safety, and at a news conference in Collinsville the governor reflected her comments.

THURSDAY, JULY 23

15 people shot outside Chicago funeral home

Chicago police blamed the retaliatory nature of Chicagos violence for a mass shooting at a funeral the evening before on the South Side that left at least 15 people wounded.

The mass shooting, Chicagos worst in recent memory, has once again put the city in an uncomfortable national spotlight as violence has spiked to levels unseen in years. It comes as the city gears up to receive a beefed up presence of federal agents from the Trump administration in response to the violence and as the Police Department plans to start a citywide unit to respond to flare-ups of shootings.

At the news conference, the Police Departments chief of detectives, Brendan Deenihan, said Donnie Weathersbys killing had gang overtones and he pleaded for the publics help to solve the shootings, because people on both sides of gang conflicts often choose to take matters into their own hands.

FRIDAY, JULY 24

Counties sue over COVID-19 restrictions

Residents in six central and southern Illinois counties, including the state capital's home, filed lawsuits Thursday against Gov. J.B. Pritzker's restrictions on social interaction prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The actions taken in Bond, Clay, Clinton, Edgar, Richland and Sangamon counties seek court orders declaring there is no public health emergency as defined by Pritzker's Public Health Department. Springfield, the state capital, is in Sangamon County.

Plaintiffs in each case seek injunctions against the disaster declaration Pritzker's using to justify restrictions on public interaction to limit transmission of the virus. The state has reported 7,367 deaths among 167,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus  mostly in Chicago and Cook County.

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While a lot of celebrities are stuck in their rooms complaining about their activities being stalled because of the coronavirus pandemic, screen actor Prince David Osei is rather cashing in on deals that are coming his way.

Speaking with Graphic Showbiz recently, Prince David "God has been so faithful, initially when the pandemic started, it came as a surprise. I had a lot of travels from which I could have made a lot of money but indeed God has been faithful," he said.



He stated that he had bagged a deal to be the face of ROK 98, a channel on DStv, and is responsible for their digital marketing.



He was also a scouting judge for ongoing Ghana's Most Beautiful pageant on TV3 alongside Adjetey Annang, Salma Mumin, and Lydia Forson.



He has a new production titled Newsman starring Aaron Adatsi and Jeffery Nortey which is scheduled for virtual premiering in August.



Another production which he co-produced and is directed by Efo Caleb, titled Dismayed As You Pray is in post-production. Prince David plays the role of a pastor in that one.



As if these are not enough, he is also part of An African Couple, a series on DStv.



Prince David is part of the Citizen Coalition Group which has made donations to certain groups of people in the society. He was also part of 'Operation Feed The Needy' and 'Operation Feed The Kayayee.'



He has personally made donations to the Porters Village Orphanage in Dodowa and supported families who are deprived.



Prince David had a word of advice for people so the country can beat the coronavirus pandemic.



"We should all try to boost our immune system so that even when you get the virus, your immune system can fight it. It has come to stay so observe the precautionary measures," he said.





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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She said she began gleaning her stories by sitting on the doorstep of the family home as a child, watching and listening to passersby, picking up tidbits about their problems and memorizing their gossip, street language and phrasing. She found the rest of her material inside her own damp home, where shed have to kick rats from the floor of the houses cellar toilet and wonder what mood her father would be in after his ritual visit to the bar.
What's needed is a federal jobs program that puts Americans to work on the country's most urgent problems. If the federal government were to hire every unemployed American and pay them a living wage of, say, $58,000 a year, it would cost roughly $1.1 trillion annually. (We're basing that on the wage one adult must earn to support a family of four in Cook County, Illinois, according to MIT's living wage calculator.) That's a huge amount of money, of course, but it will decline meaningfully over time as the economy recovers, drawing workers back to the private sector. It's also a fraction of what the federal government is likely to spend  and seems prepared to spend  during this crisis to keep the economy and the social fabric from fraying.
fly In holidays to South East Asia, and in the crush at the street food stalls of Bangkok with all of your senses to immerse in a different culture, in a foreign scents, tastes, aromas, and the palate novel ingredients revel? Even those for whom such a trip belonged to the achievable luxury, food at present, rather Poffertjes in Holland as Tom Yum in Thailand, Fugazzeta in Buenos Aires or a Barbecue in Memphis, Tennessee. To breastfeed nothing against attainable pleasures, but the desire for cosmopolitanism assets are Dutch Mini-pancakes, as well as the China-Restaurant opened around the corner.

Ursula Scheer

editor in the features section.

F. A. Z.

the pandemic compatible surrogates Remain, the Netflix, with a great kitchen skill serves its global audience: culinary travels around the Globe, preferably, in the Wake of a enthusiastic American Cicerone, to let the water run together in the mouth, tears in the eyes to rise and, at least for the duration of a meal the Faith in humanity back.

From the wide Phalanx of the pleasure-documentaries, the set up of the streaming service that extends the two-Michelin-star decorated chef, restaurateur, author, and with a Large-Young-out Smile every disarming-media self-promoter David Chang. He is not afraid of making ugly dishes, if only the taste is used, the fearless is still the Abstruseste in front of the camera in the mouth, it promises a culinary discovery, is celebrated as a rock star of Ramen noodles. His Credo in the competition on the religious rules, cultural traditions and ideological imprints criss-crossed by field of kitchen art: "I believe that something is delicious, will win out in the end."

Updated Date: 25 July 2020, 06:19
London-based HSBC bank has denied Chinese media reports that it had "framed" telecom giant Huawei or "fabricated evidence" that led to the arrest of a top company official. Washington's investigations into Huawei -- for allegedly violating US sanctions on Iran -- started before the banks involvement with the company in late 2016, the lender said Saturday in its first public comments on Huawei's legal battle in North America. "HSBC has no malice against Huawei, nor has it framed Huawei," the bank said in a statement posted on the Chinese messaging app WeChat. "HSBC has not fabricated evidence or concealed facts, nor will it distort facts or harm any customers for our own benefit." The HSBC statement comes a day after Chinese state media, including the communist party mouthpiece People's Daily, published reports accusing HSBC of lying about Huawei during an investigation by the US department of justice. The probe led to Canada arresting Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in December 2018. China's internet censors blocked access to HSBC's statement within hours of publication, without offering an explanation. Meng, the daughter of Huaweis founder, is under house arrest in Vancouver, Canada, fighting extradition to the United States. Washington says Meng had concealed Huawei's alleged dealing with Iran from lenders including HSBC. Meng's lawyers last week said HSBC was well aware of Huawei's activities in Iran, but claimed ignorance to dodge further US punishment. The bank has come under pressure as US-China relations sour. The lender has come under fire in Britain for backing a controversial security law on Hong Kong -- one of its biggest markets. The law allows Beijing to curb political freedoms in the semi-autonomous Asian financial hub.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The export of electrical goods from Turkey to Uzbekistan from January through June 2020 decreased by 42.72 percent compared to the same period of 2019, having made up $19.8 million, the Turkish Trade Ministry told Trend on July 24.

The export of electrical goods from Turkey to Uzbekistan decreased by 23.75 percent in June 2020 compared to June 2019 and amounted to $3.5 million.

"Turkeys export of electrical goods to the world markets amounted to $4.7 billion from January through June 2020, which is 12.3 percent less compared to the same period of 2019," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, Turkeys export of electrical goods to the world markets made up 6.3 percent of the countrys total export for the first half of this year.

"Turkeys export of electrical goods to the world markets amounted to $902.7 million in June 2020, which is 26.2 percent more compared to June 2019," the ministry said.

In June 2020, Turkeys export of electrical goods to the world markets amounted to 6.7 percent of the countrys total export.

During the last twelve months (from June 2019 through June 2020), Turkey exported electrical goods worth over $10.5 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 01:18:13|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The chirping sound of forest birds, babbling of river over smooth rocks and the sight of monkeys jumping from one branch to the other is what motivates Stella Thome to keep going back to Karura Forest located on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The 30-year-old woman has been frequenting the forest more often after she found herself with fewer outdoor activities she can take part in amid restricted movement occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.

"Staying in the house for long hours without going outside started to take a toll on my whole family, I observed that my boys got easily agitated and frequently bickered. Visits to the forest were therapeutic," Thome told Xinhua during an interview on Thursday.

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) said in a recent report that the country's forests and woodlands have recorded an increase in foot traffic during the pandemic.

Karura forest reserve and Ngong hills forest have each witnessed increased visits especially during the weekends, a factor associated with the need for people to escape the confines of their houses.

"The stillness of the forest is refreshing and a change from the bustling activities of the city. My boys can ride bikes in designated trails without fear of running into an oncoming vehicle," said Thome.

She said that by exploring the sprawling forest she has claimed her mental, emotional and physical health back and looks forward to making many more visits to the biodiversity hotspot.

Karura forest has taken tentative steps to ensure that the green space does not become a breeding ground for COVID-19 by screening the temperature of guests, encouraging cashless payment and discouraging eating in the park which extends to holding gatherings.

"We do not allow anyone to enter the forest with food and in addition to that, we have sealed all the seats around the park to discourage physical contact among the guests," said a female scout at the forest.

"I want to encourage Kenyans to come and enjoy what the forest has to offer, with a reasonable entry fee of 100 shillings (about 0.94 U.S. dollar) and nobody should be left out," she added.

Earlier this month, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) reviewed its entry fees to major parks downward in a move geared at reviving the tourism industry that has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We appreciate that this move will encourage both local and international tourists to stay longer in the parks because the longer they stay the more business they give to the tour guides, hotels and lodges, curio dealers and support the local economy," Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife told reporters in Mombasa.

The tourism sector in the country has experienced a downturn triggered by the global pandemic which saw the sector lose 850 million dollars since the pandemic was reported in mid-March.

Chelsea Amani, a graduate in the field of tours and travel has found herself enjoying the scenic at Ngong Hills, located on the southwestern edges of Nairobi.

The site provides her with a beautiful background for her photographs.

"Visiting green spaces is definitely outside my experience as I am accustomed to malls and other indoor amusement spaces however I am enjoying the fresh air and the tranquility provided by nature," said Amani.

She said that she looked forward to touring other parks and forests outside the capital city soon.

The resumption of domestic flights last week and international travel slated for August 1 is expected to boost the recovery of Kenya's tourism sector.

The move by the government has been lauded by stakeholders who are expecting to cash in on the ongoing wildbeest migration at the world-famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve that attracts thousands of tourists every year.

"I am anticipating that business will pick up soon especially with the wildebeest migration happening. I have reviewed the cost of game drives to woo customers," said Tom Mulonzi, the owner of Safari Plus tours.

Dubbed one of the wonders of the world, the wildebeest migration is a sight to behold, as huge herds of wildebeests cross the Mara River from Serengeti, Tanzania to Kenya's Maasai Mara amid confusion and fear of being devoured by predators inside the river.

"I have been advertising my services on social media and I have noted interest from some Kenyans, I hope to take as many Kenyans as possible to experience the magnificent spectacle," said Mulonzi.

Mulonzi also planned to take a COVID-19 test in the near future given that he would be having close engagements with clients while exuding confidence that the industry will experience a full recovery. Enditem
Take a coffee break while cruising down the Southern Highway View(s):

Barista recently opened its 8th outlet at the Southern Highway service point in Welipenna. Modern and cosy, its where you can sit, relax, charge your phone and sip a Cappuccino while enjoying an array of freshly baked cakes, croissants, muffins and sandwiches.

The Barista outlet is the only outlet in the Southern Highway Service area in which you can dine-in when you are heading for those long weekends down South. It is also a welcome addition for local and international tourists to have a familiar place to dine in. Adhering to health regulations, the outlet practises social distancing while sanitization methods are available for all customers who enter. Staff also go through stringent sanitization processes before handling and preparing food and serving customers.

We feel the South will play a key role when Sri Lanka reopens for international travellers and the decision to open an outlet on the Southern Highway was also backed by the need for tourists to see familiar branding and know that they can get safe, hygienic, affordable and tasty food and coffee during their travels, said Dilupa Pathirana, Baristas General Manager.

Barista began its journey in Sri Lanka in 2002 when the cafe culture had not set its footprint and coffee was still considered a luxury in Sri Lanka.

As the pioneer of the coffee industry in Sri Lanka Barista has made a promise to always keep a coffee by your side even during the toughest of times. While international chains are facing difficult times we wanted to take a more positive approach and show the world what it really means to be resilient in troubled times, Pathirana added.

The Welipenna outlet is open from Sunday  Thursday from 7 a.m.  9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m.  11 p.m. For more information please contact 0342295913.
Following Acceptance of $2.4M Quote, Preeminent Visual Solutions Creator will Develop Customized Products for Medical Supplies Giant



OMER, Israel , July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ScoutCam (OTC: SCTC), a leading developer and manufacturer of customized visual solutions and supplementary technologies, today announced the acceptance of ScoutCam's $2.4 million quote from a Fortune 500 multinational healthcare corporation. According to the terms of this commitment, the two companies will work together to develop a complete visualization solution that incorporates ScoutCams single-use miniature video cameras for a minimally invasive surgical end-user product.

Todays announcement was preceded by the signing of a Development Strategy Agreement in November 2019, which will continue to govern the remainder of the existing engagement through mid-2021.

Forecasts from our biotech partners show that upon successful completion of the development project, ScoutCam is expected to sell tens of thousands of single-use cameras annually in the upcoming years, which may generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue per year, said Dr. Yaron Silberman, CEO of ScoutCam. Overall, this is an incredible honor, and we are proud to share the advancements that may come as a result of this partnership with patients and doctors that stand to benefit from the use of the finished products.

For more information on ScoutCam as well as the companys additional developments and products, please visit: https://www.scoutcam.com/

###

About ScoutCam

ScoutCam is a leading provider of customized visual solutions for organizations across a variety of industries in the form of highly resistant micro cameras and supplementary technologies. ScoutCam devices are used across the medical, aerospace, industrial, research and defense industries. For more information please visit: https://www.scoutcam.com/ .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Companys expectations, beliefs, assumptions and intentions regarding, among other things, its product-development efforts, business, financial condition, results of operations, strategies or prospects, as of the date of this news release. They are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as believe, expect, intend, plan, may, should or anticipate or their negatives or other variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical or current matters. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: the Companys ability to achieve the financial forecasts and sales in connection with the development project; risks and uncertainties relating to, inter alia, the economic success and effective integration of our approved patents; the spread of COVID-19, including any resultant restrictions on our business operations and/or its negative impact on our financial condition; the Companys reliance on third-party suppliers; market acceptance of our products by prospect markets and industries; the Company's ability to raise sufficient funding in order to meet the Companys business and financial goals; and certain other factors summarized in the Companys filings with the SEC. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

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When youre looking for strong investments that will protect your resources and provide returns, even during these crazy coronavirus days, take a cue from Wall Streets best analyst. Brent Bracelin, of the Piper Sandler research firm, rates 5 stars from TipRanks  but even better, he currently holds the #1 spot out of 6,815 analysts in the TipRanks database.

Bracelin has earned his high rating by compiling a record of success in a difficult business  reviewing and rating the Streets favorite stocks, and doing so for the public view. Bracelin has build up an 82% success rate, hitting the mark better than 4 times out of 5, and hes brought in an average return of 34.9%. There are a few analysts who can match his success rate  but none that match his average return.

For investors seeking winning equities, following Bracelins reviews is a viable strategy. And here are some of his recent picks, "Strong Buy" stocks that he sees as winners despite the pandemic.

GoDaddy (GDDY)

The popular web hosting company, which saw $2.9 billion in revenues last year, managed to weather the pandemic storm successfully. While shares dropped sharply in February/March, GDDY had recovered well by mid-June. The end of that month, however, saw a 13% decline after the companys June 24 restructuring announcement.

The announcement made public the companys plans to cut costs, and will impact over 800 employees. While the restructuring plans, coming during a week of market pullbacks, spooked investors, GoDaddy also revised its Q2 revenue forecast  upward, by 1%. The previous outlook was for $790 million; the revision would add $7.9 million to that.

Well find out on August 5 if the new forecast is on target. In the meantime, note that GoDaddy beat the estimates in Q1, reporting 24 cents EPS, 33% above expectations. Revenue in Q1 hit $792 million, so the new target is definitely in-line with possibilities.

Bracelin is impressed with GoDaddy, writing, GDDY presents favorable risk-reward, in our view, as digital tailwinds rise and potentially accelerate the company's model transformation to broaden its software product portfolio beyond domain services to web design and marketing applications.

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In line with this outlook, the top analyst rates GDDY an Overweight (i.e. Buy) along with an $82 price target. His target suggests the stock has room for 19% growth in the coming year. (To watch Bracelins track record, click here)

In addition to a thumbs up from Wall Streets top analyst, GoDaddy holds a unanimous Strong Buy rating from the analyst consensus  no fewer than 11 Buy reviews have come in for the stock. Shares are selling for $68.61, and the $86.18 average price target implies a one-year upside of 26%. (See GoDaddy stock analysis on TipRanks)

Anaplan, Inc. (PLAN)

Next on todays list is Anaplan, a cloud software company offering business-oriented panning software. The companys platform allows connections between people, data, and plans, making complex scenario modeling possible.

Like many cutting-edge tech companies, Anaplan has been operating at a net loss, and has withdrawn its full-year 2020 guidance numbers. At the same time, the company has been beating earnings forecasts. In the last quarter (fiscal Q1 2021, covering most of calendar 2020 Q1), the company reported a 10-cent per share loss, better than the 14 cents expected. Revenues, at $103.8 million, were up 37% year-over-year.

The earnings results were in line with the previous five quarters, and are expected to remain at this level in fiscal Q2. Share performance hasnt matched the earnings, however. The stock crashed with the rest of the markets during the winter, and have underperformed during the market recovery. PLAN is still down 16% year-to-date.

Brent Bracelin is unabashedly upbeat on PLAN, stating bluntly, Buy on weakness. Describing the stock as a long-term opportunity, Bracelin writes, [We] continue to view PLAN as a differentiated cloud software application with a compelling value proposition of providing real-time planning and digital agility we remain bullish that growth potential could improve based on the post-COVID opportunity to enable real-time planning required for the modern digital enterprise.

Bracelin backs his Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating with a $51 price target, implying an upside of 16% for the coming year. (To watch Bracelins track record, click here)

Overall, PLAN's Strong Buy consensus rating is based on an impressive 10 Buys, indicating confidence in the stock. Only three analysts rated it a Hold, and even they see some upside to the stock. The average price target of $52.75 implies a 20% upside potential from the current share price of $43.98. (See PLAN stock analysis on TipRanks)

Avalara, Inc. (AVLR)

Our last stock from Brent Bracelins notebook is Avalara, a cloud-based company providing tax compliance software. This is a vital niche, as tax law only grows more complex over time, as Congress tweaks provisions and the various states add their own regulations. The result is a code that everyone must comply with, but is too complex for most individuals and small businesses, and a burgeoning tax compliance industry.

Avalara, which went public two years ago, offers products for a variety of uses: individual returns, excise and communications taxes, even cross-border tax applications. The necessity of the products can be judged by the share performance since the IPO: AVLR now trades for more than 6x its IPO value. Looking at the chart of the stocks performance over the past two years, the coronavirus crisis appears as a blip.

Piper Sandlers Bracelin reviewed this stock and is clearly impressed, saying, AVLR safely navigated CV19 disruptions during 1Q20 delivering $3M of revenue upside on 31% growth The need to automate manually intensive back-office systems using modern cloud software could materially expand in the post-CV19 world.

Noting the companys ability to expand product offerings to meet customer needs as they develop after the pandemic, the analyst wrote: "[We are] impressed by an aggressive product roadmap with six new products scheduled to be released this year as part of a broader multi-product strategy augmenting the core Calculations and Returns business. Three of the six new products stood out to us as having the most potential to have a material impact on 2021 growth prospects

To this end, Bracelin rates AVLR an Overweight (i.e. Buy) along with a $138 price target. This figure implies an 11% upside from current levels. (To watch Bracelins track record, click here)

Avalara is another Strong Buy stock with a unanimous analyst consensus rating. PLAN has received 11 Buy reviews in recent weeks. The stock has an average price target of $140.09, which suggests a one-year upside of 13% from the $123.93 current trading price. (See Avalara's stock-price forecast on TipRanks)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 20:28:11|Editor: huaxia

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by Bambang Purwanto

JAKARTA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo, popularly known as President Jokowi, has established the Committee for COVID-19 Mitigation and the National Economic Recovery to replace the Task Force in a bid to accelerate the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new ad hoc team consists of three elements, namely the Policy Committee, the Task Force of the COVID-19 Mitigation, and the Task Force of the National Economic Recovery and Transformation.

In the new team, the Policy Committee is chaired by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy with six deputies, namely the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, the Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security, the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, the Finance Minister, the Health Minister and the Home Minister.

The Task Force of the COVID-19 Mitigation is chaired by the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency, while the Task Force of the National Economic Recovery and Transformation is led by the Deputy Minister of the State-owned Enterprises.

According to Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, the Committee for the COVID-19 Mitigation and the National Economic Recovery was set up based on the idea that health and economic issues are inseparable in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

He cited President Jokowi's message about balancing health and economic matters in coping with the deadly pandemic.

Anung said that the handling of the COVID-19 in the health sector is now improving in line with the increasing number of recovery cases, adding that the economic problems should also be overcome.

"From time to time the number of recoveries is rising, and this is encouraging. Therefore, economic issues should also be handled properly," he said.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said that measures to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic would take a quite long time.

"Therefore, the president has ordered the team to seriously plan and execute the COVID-19 handling and economic recovery programs concurrently. It means, these two aspects are managed in the same institution with maximum coordination," he said.

Faisol Riza, chairman of the House of Representatives' commission overseeing economic affairs, hailed the formation of the new team which according to him plays a significant role in the effort to recover the national economy from the fallout due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the legislator regretted that the stride to recover the economy tends to take side with the corporations while the most impacted business entities like small and medium enterprises are marginalized.

President Jokowi should also pay special attention to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which have been playing a central role in saving the national economy, Riza said, proposing that the team include one more element representing SMEs.

Expressing a similar tone with Riza, an epidemiologist from Australia's Griffith University, Dicky Budiman, said in a webinar on Saturday that he saw no problem on the new team formed by the president.

However, the new team was expected to focus more on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding that it would be perilous if the team only gives priority to solving economic issues as it would marginalize the strategy on the pandemic handling.

Therefore, he suggested that the government should not be too busy dealing with economic problems while the pandemic would linger.

Indonesia has yet to experience the peak of coronavirus spread, and hence the government should give priority to measures in containing the COVID-19 including mass testing, patient isolation and sanctions for people who violate health protocols, he said.

Meanwhile, a public policy observer with Trisakti University in Jakarta, Trubus Rahadiansyah, criticized the formation of the new team.

He said that the composition of the team was heavier towards the economy than health aspects, and even had the potential to marginalize the latter in handling the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

President Jokowi was expected to optimize the existing institutions, especially the Ministry of Health and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs to carry out the tasks of overcoming the COVID-19 without forming a new organization, Rahadiansyah told CNN Indonesia.

He believed the new team was formed solely because the government is worried about the threat of the economic recession due to the pandemic.

"The government is worried about the possible economic crisis. Moreover, our country is located next to Singapore which has been plunged into recession. So, this new team was formed as a preventive measure," Rahadiansyah said.

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 1,868 within one day to 97,286, with the death toll adding by 49 to 4,714, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

According to the ministry, 1,409 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 55,354. Enditem
S pain has been added to Britain's quarantine list after a surge of coronavirus cases were recorded in the European country.

Travellers returning to any of the UK nations from Spain, as well as the Canary and Balearic Islands, after midnight tonight will have to self-isolate for two weeks.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf also announced on Saturday that Scotland will remove Spain from its quarantine list.

A spokesperson said: The Joint Biosecurity Centre together with Public Health England have updated their coronavirus assessments of Spain based on the latest data. As a result, Spain has been removed from the lists of countries from which passengers arriving in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempted from the need to self-isolate.

Protecting public health is our absolute priority and we have taken this decision to limit any potential spread to the UK.

Weve always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country where necessary. Both our list of quarantine exemptions and the FCO travel advice are being updated to reflect these latest risk assessments.

Labours shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called on the Government to provide details on how families stuck in Spain will receive support.

He said: The news will be deeply concerning for families who are in caught Spain or are planning travel  the Government needs to come forward now with full details of how people affected will be supported.

Chloe Harris, 23 from Kent, booked a last-minute trip to Lanzarote and arrived on the Spanish island on Saturday morning.

She told the PA news agency: At the moment we are just waiting to hear whether the quarantine will affect the Spanish islands or if it is just going to be the mainland.

The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA

When I heard the news I was quite shocked because I thought they would have given us some warning. Even just some warning that this was something they were going to consider.

We only booked the trip on Wednesday and we are only here for a few days. We had done our research and we knew that the island has only had a small number of Covid cases.

I think a lot of people are going to rush to the airport, but because we are only here for four days, and we only arrived this morning, it doesnt seem worth it. We are just going to wait and hear if the island is included in the quarantine.

I would probably be fine to continue working from home and quarantine from home, although I would have to stop going into the office. However, my friend who I travelled with is due to start a new job on August 3 and so thats going to be difficult to explain to her employer.

People enjoy the sunny weather at Barceloneta beach, after Catalonia's regional authorities and the city council announced restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease / REUTERS

The current list of "safe" countries is currently said to be reviewed every three weeks.

According to reports in the Telegraph, ministers intend to replace the review with one in which countries are added or excluded at short notice depending on spikes or drops in cases.

It comes after Catalonia became the latest region to crack down on nightlife in a bit to halt new infection clusters.

The wealthy north-east region  home to Barcelona  ordered all nightclubs to close for 15 days and put a midnight curfew on bars in the greater Barcelona area and other towns around Lleida that have become contagion hot zones.

Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warn that the country that lost 28,000 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing the start of a second major outbreak.

The expected announcement about the removal of a so-called air bridge with Spain comes only a day after a further five countries were added to the quarantine-free list for people travelling to England.

Spain Forced To Shut 55 Beaches In Costa Del Sol And Turn Away British Tourists Amid Social Distancing Fears

Anyone coming from Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadines will not be required to isolate for two weeks on arrival, the Government confirmed on Friday.

Popular holiday destinations including Portugal, Thailand and the United States remain notable absentees.

The Government said people should continue to check the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices travel advice and their insurance policies before embarking on any overseas travel.

Ministers had previously warned that travel corridors could be closed if coronavirus rates escalated in other nations.

Travellers, even those from exempt destinations, are still required to complete a passenger locator form when they arrive in the UK.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.
Patrick Johnson is one of Australias best-known tailors and leads a new guard of young fashion designers and ateliers who are reinvigorating Australian fashion. Tamsin Johnson, his partner in crime, is one of Australias leading interior designers and decorators.

It comes at no surprise, then, that a place they call home is immaculately stylish. Luckily you can take advantage of their Midas touch: the power couple is selling their sumptuous home in Sydneys Eastern Suburbs.

7 Ashley St, Tamarama, located minutes from the beach with sweeping ocean views, is just as beautiful inside as out  the Johnsons having blessed it with their sartorial and aesthetic brilliance.

The understated exterior gives way to a lavishly appointed interior  a striking open plan living and dining area with soaring raked timber ceilings, wide oak flooring and a superior gas fireplace while flooded with natural light top-of-the-range European gas appliances as well as extensive custom cabinetry, Venetian plaster benchspace and an expansive breakfast bar, according to the listing.

DMARGE spoke exclusively to Jerome Srot, Director of Property Management at Ray White TRG, who had some key insights about the exclusive Tamarama property, which is heading to auction on August 18th.

There still remains a lack of choice for quality homes in the Eastern Suburbs, which bodes well for prices 79 Fletcher St, Tamarama sold in November last year for $6.25M.
New Delhi: Despite multiple rounds diplomatic and military levels talks between India and China, it appears that the latter seem to have fallen short of disengagements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Currently, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is maintaining over 40,000 troops in the region. "The Chinese have not shown any signs of de-escalation as they continue to maintain their heavy troop deployment of almost 40,000 troops supported by heavy weaponry like air defence systems, armoured personnel carriers and long-range artillery in front and depth areas," sources said.

Comparison of Indian and Chinese forces on ground

Even in a war with India, a significant proportion of China forces will be unavailable, reserved either for Russian taskings or for countering insurrection in Xinjiang and Tibet. The majority of forces are located further from the Indian border, posing a striking contrast with the majority of forward-deployed Indian forces with a single China defence mission.

China is regularly operating with a permanent Indian conventional force advantage along its border areas. In the event of a major standoff or conflict with India, it would have to rely upon mobilization primarily from Xinjiang and secondarily from the Western Theater Command forces deeper in Chinas interior. By contrast, Indian forces are already largely in position.

Comparison of Indian and Chinese Air forces

The most significant People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) forward air bases and airfields near Indian border areas are located at Hotan, Lhasa/Gonggar, Ngari-Gunsa, and Xigaze. Each hosts regular PLAAF detachments, and these are the nearest facilities to Indian targets in Kashmir, northern India, and northeast India. They are vulnerable to a dedicated Indian offensive. Ngari-Gunsa and Xigaze reportedly have no hardened shelters or blast pens for their aircraft, which sit in the open. An Indian early initiative to destroy or incapacitate these four bases would compel China to rely more upon aircraft from its rear-area bases, exacerbating its limited fuel and payload problems.

Other comparative weaknesses permeate the PLAAFs posture against India. On a strict comparison of available 4th generation fighters, authoritative assessments hold that Chinas J-10 fighter is technically comparable to Indias Mirage-2000, and that the Indian Su-30MKI is superior to all theater Chinese fighters, including the additional J-11 and Su-27 models. China hosts a total of around 101 4th-generation fighters in the theater, of which a proportion must be retained for Russian defense, while India has around 122 of its comparable models, solely directed at China.

The high altitude of Chinese air bases in Tibet and Xinjiang, plus the generally difficult geographic and weather conditions of the region, means that Chinese fighters are limited to carrying around half their design payload and fuel. In-flight refueling would be required for PLAAF forces to maximize their strike capacity. China had only inducted 15 such tanker aircraft nationally as of 2017, meaning only a handful of its forces will benefit from this solution. Against these underpowered fighters, IAF forces will launch from bases and airfields unaffected by these geographic conditions, with maximum payload and fuel capabilities.

Moreover, China lacks the redundancy and related force survivability compared to India in their comparative numbers of regional air bases. In sum, India has a stronger regional air position, with a large number of airfields in the east and west, so even if some airfields are down, operations can continue from other locations.

PLAAF training and experience shortcomings that are not shared by the IAF amplify Chinas air disadvantage. Recent PLAAF exercises with unscripted scenarios have found that pilots are excessively reliant upon ground control for tactical direction. In unanticipated combat scenarios, this dependence on explicit control tower guidance becomes extreme, while ground commands are simultaneously often unable to keep up with the complex and changeable air situation. This suggests that PLAAF combat proficiency may be significantly weaker than often estimated.

China's ground Forces at LAC

As per the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (BCSIA), a total of 2,00,00-2,30,000 Chinese ground forces are under the Western Theater Command, and Tibet and Xinjiang Military Districts.

The new joint Western Theater Command is estimated to hold around 90,000-120,000 troops, headquartered toward the interior of Western China. In Tibet, the region closest to Indian border areas, the PLA presence is judged to be about just 40,000 troops. More forces are located in the Xinjiang region north of Tibet, totaling around 70,000.

China's Airforce at LAC:

The most significant People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) forward air bases and airfields near Indian border areas are located at Hotan, Lhasa/Gonggar, Ngari-Gunsa, and Xigaze. Each hosts regular PLAAF detachments, and these are the nearest facilities to Indian targets in Kashmir, northern India, and northeast India.

The high altitude of Chinese air bases in Tibet and Xinjiang, plus the generally difficult geographic and weather conditions of the region, means that Chinese fighters are limited to carrying around half their design payload and fuel.

The PLAAF runs and operates several airbases in and around Tibet, with Hotan housing the highest number of combat assets. However, due to its location at an altitude higher than 4,000 feet, it is extremely tough for fighters to take off with a full weapons load and fuel.

The PLAAF Western Theater Command has assumed control of all regional strike aircraft. In total, this amounts to around 157 fighters and a varied drone armory. This includes an estimated 20 GJ-1/WD-1K precision strike UAVs, 12 WD-1 ground attack and reconnaissance UAVs, 12 WD-1 precision strike UAVs, and 8 EA-03 reconnaissance and electronic warfare UAVs.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday (July 24, 2020) said that both India and China fully agree over complete disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which is vital for the smooth development of bilateral ties.

''The two sides agreed that another meeting of the Senior Commanders may be held soon so as to work out further steps to ensure expeditiously complete disengagement and de-escalation and restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas.'' the MEA statement read.

This was the third round of virtual meet between over LAC border de-escalation between the two countries in last one month. The first round of talks took place on June 24 followed by second on July 10.

The crucial meeting was held to break the logjam and pave the way for another round of Corps Commander-level meet.




Vietnamese citizens in an airport of Cuba (Photo: VNA)



The flight was arranged by Vietnamese authorities, representative agencies in Cuba and Germany, and national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines in collaboration with relevant local agencies.

The flight was arranged to land at Havana (Cuba) and Frankfurt (Germany) to receive the citizens, including children under the age of 18, students who had completed their study courses, the elderly and the sick, stranded tourists and guest workers whose visas or contracts expired.

Vietnamese representative agencies in Cuba and Germany sent officials to the airports to help citizens complete all necessary procedures before boarding.

The flight strictly conducted security, safety and hygiene measures. All the passengers and crew members had their health checked and were quarantined as regulated immediately upon landing at Van Don International Airport in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh.

Under the Prime Ministers directions, Vietnamese authorities and representative agencies abroad are arranging additional flights to repatriate more citizens based on their aspirations and the quarantine capacity at home./.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 16:29:30|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Two Afghan national security force members and 45 Taliban militants were killed and five security force members and 23 militants were wounded during separate clashes on Friday night in Afghanistan, authorities said Saturday.

Two soldiers and 12 militants were killed and five soldiers and five militants were wounded after a group of Taliban stormed security checkpoints from several directions in Baharak district of northern Takhar province, Mohammad Jawad Hijri of the provincial government told Xinhua.

Some 25 militants were killed and 14 others wounded during similar fightings in Andar district of Ghazni and Musa Khil district of neighboring Khost province, officials from the army's 203 Thunder confirmed.

Three Taliban divisional commanders were among the killed militants in Khost.

In southern Helmand province, eight militants were killed and four others wounded after clashes erupted in Marja and Nahri Saraaj districts, the army's 215 Corps said in a statement.

Two militants' motorcycles, several rounds of weapons as well as ammunition were destroyed by Afghan soldiers following the clashes.

The fresh clashes have raised question about the peace deal signed between the Taliban and the United States in February. According to the agreement, more than 10,000 foreign forces, including over 8,000 Americans, will withdraw from Afghanistan by July next year. Enditem
Thiruvananthapuram, July 25 : There is close scrutiny after Siyad Koker, a leading film industry personality went on record to say that the Malayalam film industry's links with illegal source of funding do exist.

Kokker, who is the president of the Kerala Film Distributors Association and also doubles up as a producer, on Saturday said that he is not aware if the illegal source of money is through gold smuggling or other means.

"One thing is certain, the film industry here has source to number 2 (a colloquial usage of unaccounted or illegal source of money) funding. This is more so especially when big budgeted films are produced. This is also known to technicians and actors, who also benefit," said Koker.

The Malayalam film industry has been shocked after news of possible links were expressed by the probe agency.

The gold smuggling case has had large scale ramifications after it first surfaced when P.S. Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, was arrested by the Customs on July 5 for trying to facilitate smuggling of 30 kg gold in diplomatic baggage to Thiruvananthapuram from Dubai.

Of the four arraigned as accused, three have already been arrested, while the fourth accused is Faizal Fareed is based in the UAE. The Centre has cancelled his passport and he is likely to be brought here shortly.

According to the Customs and the NIA, who are probing the case Fareed is the kingpin and coordinates the smuggling activities from his base in the UAE and he has even acted in a film here.

"Their modus operandi is to befriend people in the film industry and then they move forward," added Koker.

Ever since the gold smuggling gang was busted, reports have surfaced that four recent big budget films have alleged links with illegal source of funding.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
HSE chief Paul Reid said just 10 Covid-19 patients are in hospital in Ireland (Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland/PA)

The lowest number of Covid-19 patients are currently in hospital since the peak, the head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said.

Paul Reid said there are 10 confirmed positive cases in hospital, with five patients with Covid-19 receiving treatment in intensive care.

The figures show a 96% drop from a peak of 140 people in intensive care in April.

Mr Reid tweeted: Our thoughts with everyone for a full recovery.

Thankfully this morning, we are at our lowest hospitalised #COVID19 cases since the peak. There are 10 confirmed positive cases now in hospital, with 5 in ICU. Our thoughts with everyone for a full recovery. @HSELive  Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) July 25, 2020

The Department of Health confirmed on Saturday that one person has died from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.

The health system has been notified of another 24 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

Mr Reid also defended the HSEs response and handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier this year, the HSE effectively took over the operation of private hospitals for some three months during the pandemic.

The 100 million euro a month deal has been criticised over claims it has been underutilised and represented poor value for money.

Mr Reid said it is a fair challenge that the HSE will be open to scrutiny on.

He told RTE Radio 1 on Saturday: Picture what we were all seeing across Europe, picture the scenes that we were seeing in Italy, in Lombardy.

We saw a very frantic hospital system. Now we know that our hospital system here in Ireland, on a good day, works at 95% capacity. If we had had any of the potential surge that Italy had seen, we had to immediately build capacity to take on that issue.

He said that in planning for the next phase of Covid-19, he will do things differently.

He said: We are now looking at planning if A, there is another surge, hopefully there isnt; B, if theres kind of regional or local kind of major surges; or C, if there is peaks and troughs of this virus.

My regular update to staff on #Covid19, Restoration of Services, Covid App, Winter Plan preparations. But most of all to again thank staff for their commitment in a relentless few months for the HSE. Please now all make sure to take a break at some stage!https://t.co/iuF7oERqes  Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) July 23, 2020

We would see a potential solution. We are in discussions with the private hospital groups that would look at a more agile where you could dial up some flexibility and dial down.

Weve done a kind of reflection of our learnings from the first phase and I think were in a stronger position on many fronts.

He said knowledge and stock of PPE is much better, adding the HSE has built up indigenous Irish industries to give us a bit of resilience.

He added: I think the morale of staff during Covid has improved. I know its always fragile, but I think it has improved for a couple of reasons  the public recognition of what was happening.

Asked whether health staff who became infected with Covid-19 will be compensated, he said: Thats a process which we will always look at in terms of where we are putting supports in place for people who have either contracted the virus or equally have just felt the pressure.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education is continuing to work on its plan to reopen schools at the end of August.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said there are some final details to be completed over the weekend.

Minister for Education Norma Foley said she will bring a memo to Cabinet on Monday which will outline details of how schools will reopen.

The Government has said its top priority is seeing the return of teachers, pupils and school staff in the new academic year.

Ms Foley described the document as detailed and comprehensive.

There have been no new deaths reported to the @hpscireland today.



There has now been a total of 1,763 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.  MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) July 24, 2020

Speaking after she briefed Mr Martin on the plan on Friday, Ms Foley said: The full and safe reopening of schools is my number one objective as Education Minister.

The partners in education, including parents, teachers, students, principals and the widest representation, have fully and totally engaged in this process.

Clarity takes time. I am confident that what I take to Cabinet will be solution-focused, it will be a road-map that everyone can clearly identify with.

There is no point in bringing anything that is not completed. Its been a long process of work.

Once the document has been approved by Cabinet, the detailed guidance will be sent to schools.
Rating Action: Moody's withdraws Prostejovs ratings for business reasons

Global Credit Research - 24 Jul 2020

Frankfurt am Main, July 24, 2020 -- Moody's Public Sector Europe, ("Moody's") has today withdrawn the Aa3/Aaa.cz issuer ratings of the City of Prostejov for its own business reasons. Prior to withdrawal, the outlook was stable.

The following ratings were withdrawn:

- Long Term Issuer Rating: Aa3

- National Scale Long Term Issuer Rating: Aaa.cz

RATINGS RATIONALE

Moody's has decided to withdraw the ratings for its own business reasons. Please refer to the Moody's Investors Service Policy for Withdrawal of Credit Ratings, available on its website, www.moodys.com.

Moody's National Scale Credit Ratings (NSRs) are intended as relative measures of creditworthiness among debt issues and issuers within a country, enabling market participants to better differentiate relative risks. NSRs differ from Moody's global scale credit ratings in that they are not globally comparable with the full universe of Moody's rated entities, but only with NSRs for other rated debt issues and issuers within the same country. NSRs are designated by a ".nn" country modifier signifying the relevant country, as in ".za" for South Africa. For further information on Moody's approach to national scale credit ratings, please refer to Moody's Credit rating Methodology published in May 2016 entitled "Mapping National Scale Ratings from Global Scale Ratings". While NSRs have no inherent absolute meaning in terms of default risk or expected loss, a historical probability of default consistent with a given NSR can be inferred from the GSR to which it maps back at that particular point in time. For information on the historical default rates associated with different global scale rating categories over different investment horizons, please see https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1216309.

Story continues

The withdrawal of the ratings required the publication of this credit rating action on a date that deviates from the previously scheduled release date in the sovereign release calendar, published on www.moodys.com.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Vojtech Zelezny Analyst Sub-Sovereign Group Moody's Deutschland GmbH, Czech branch Washingtonova 17 110 00 Praha 1 (Prague 1) Prague Czech Republic JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Mauro Crisafulli Associate Managing Director Sub-Sovereign Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Releasing Office: Moody's Deutschland GmbH An der Welle 5 Frankfurt am Main 60322 Germany JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454

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Ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan continued on Saturday as Congress workers staged demonstrations against the BJP, accusing it of "conspiring" to topple the Ashok Gehlot government, while the state Cabinet met at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur to discuss revising a proposal requesting Governor Kalraj Mishra to convene a session of the Assembly.

As per sources, the party had also held a meeting on Friday to discuss the points raised by the governor with regard to calling the Assembly session.

The Governor had asked the Ashok Gehlot government why it wanted to call an Assembly session to secure a vote of confidence if it already had the majority.

The governor posed the query in a six-point questionnaire entailing a note sent by the Raj Bhawan to the state Parliament Affairs Department, the Raj Bhawan said in a statement.

PROTESTS ACROSS THE STATE

The Congress had on Friday given the call for demonstrations in all district headquarters against the "conspiracy to murder democracy" and to press the governor for convening an Assembly session.

The Congress government is pushing for a session of the Assembly so that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot can prove his majority on the floor of the House after the Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to rebel leader Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

"The BJP's intentions will not work out and the Ashok Gehlot government will complete its tenure. It is also disappointing that the Governor is not calling an Assembly session. The session should be called, a party leader said in Bikaner.

Congress workers took out a rally in Kota and staged a dharna in Jodhpur. In Jaipur, the demonstration was held at the Youth Congress office.

SOCIAL DISTANCING GOES FOR A TOSS

Giving the call for demonstrations, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara had on Friday said the programmes would be held following COVID-19 preventive measures such as social distancing. He said that not more than 50 persons would gather in any place.

However, Congress workers gathered for the demonstrations in large numbers in all district headquarters disregarding social distancing norm.

SHEKHAWAT SLAMS GEHLOT

Meanwhile, attacking Gehlot for staging a 'dharna' at the Raj Bhawan, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in a state where the chief minister himself makes the governor "feel unsafe", it is futile for people to plead to him for their safety.

Accusing Mishra of acting under pressure to not call an assembly session, Gehlot along with several Congress MLAs had staged a sit-in at the Raj Bhawan in Jaipur on Friday. They ended their five-hour sit-in after an assurance from the governor that he will go by the constitutional provisions on summoning an assembly session.

"Where the chief minister himself makes the governor feel unsafe by threatening him, it is futile for the people of Rajasthan, who are reeling under incidents of robbery, violence, rape and murder, to plead to the chief minister for safety their safety," Shekhawat said in a tweet in Hindi.
Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has touted the government's ''Ghana Cares: Obaatan Pa'' initiative as an audacious project that will help address the challenges of the economy.



The sector Minister, delivering the 2020 mid-year budget review in Parliament on Thursday, July 23, 2020, told the House that as part of measures to cushion the country, the government is introducing a 100 billion development plan dubbed ''Ghana Cares: Obaatan Pa''.



"Mr Speaker, we wish to take this opportunity to announce to the people of Ghana that their President and his team have done a lot of thinking since March. We have brainstormed over the crisis with the view of using the challenges it presents rather as an opportunity to transform Ghana and for all Ghanaians. I am happy to announce that in the coming weeks the President will launch a Gh100 billion development programme. An ambitious and unprecedented three and half years programme called: Ghana CARES, Obaatan Pa which will anchor the comprehensive transformation of our society'', he said.



Expounding on the initiative on Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo'' on Friday, Mr Ofori-Atta was confident in the efforts of the government saying Ghanaians have been placed in a safer situation due to the government's decisions.



He was hopeful the ''Obaatan Pa'' project will go a long way to alleviate the plight of Ghanaians and further ensure the nation bounces back into good shape from the ruins of the COVID-19 pandemic.



''When you look at this disease that countries like America and UK are all ruined and how we have kept our people in a much safer situation than they have and then the President's vision of [look] don't be afraid of today to move forward, and therefore the 100 billion cedis [you know] very audacious programme for us to do, I think that shows not only our being able to take care of everyone, especially the ordinary people. But to also give a vision for the future that we are undaunted and a pandemic should be used in a much more positive way than to fold up our arms for it to conquer us. So, that type of energy is what Ghanaians need that we're bringing to bear. I think we're going to have a very exciting period going forward.''







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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For Saleh Waziruddin of the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association, Thursdays special Regional Council meeting with the police represents a missed opportunity.

The councillors called the meeting to discuss St. Catharines Mayor Walker Senziks motion to combat racism in law enforcement  and invited the police and the public to participate.

This is not real reform but a public relations opportunity for the Niagara Regional Police to say what it is already doing, not what steps it will take for reform or even acknowledge the need for reforms, said Waziruddin, a presenter at the meeting.

Sendziks motion had eight action points asking for reports on cultural sensitivity training and de-escalation techniques, the public complaint process and the impact on policing of a zero per cent budget.

Waziruddin said Sendziks motion was, at best, asking the NRP to do what it already does  or at worse, asking for even less.

Waziruddin called on the police to make actual reforms, including an end to street checks, which Niagara Regional Police Chief Bryan MacCulloch said had dwindled to almost zero.

This is easy to do, Waziruddin said. Instead, Regional Council only continued the conversation, which is just a public relations exercise for the NRPS if it does not result in any action in the near future.

Waziruddin said that while MacCulloch acknowledged that systemic racism existed in the institution of policing, he stopped short of acknowledging it exists in the NRP.

Waziruddin said the stubborn refusal to admit to something very basic is messaging that denies the NRP has any connection to the need for police reforms elsewhere.

Programs described by the chief for diversity tours and community relations are nice, but are ultimately about public relations, Waziruddin said.

In an interview Friday after the meeting, MacCulloch said he and the NRP remain as committed as ever to a culture of diversity and inclusion within our service.

We are often compared to the U.S. where there arent the oversight mechanisms in place here, MacCulloch said. That oversight is essential. It assures members of our community that our officers will be held accountable. They are held to very high standards.

That does not exist in the U.S., and it is something many are fighting for there. There are 18,000 police services in the U.S. and 140 in Canada. There is much greater consistency here in training, policy, and oversight.

MacCulloch said the senior leadership team is committed to undertaking a review of all NRP policies for systemic racism.

We know systemic racism can manifest itself in policies and procedures that may be neutral, but in reality can disadvantage marginalized members in society. Thats our commitment to the public and our community. We will undertake that review.

Karl Dockstader of Niagara and Kerry Goring of St. Catharines told the meeting of visceral fear when interacting with police.

Dockstader described long-standing issues stretching back into his family history, including the police helping remove his grandmother, who was eight, for shipment to a residential school.

Goring related the experience of being stopped five times in three months for driving while black and the talk she had to have with her son about the dangers of interacting with the police.

I want them to understand our officers are here to police the entire community, and they are committed, empathetic, and professional.

Members of the public need not be afraid of approaching our officers, MacCulloch said. At the same time, I understand that everyone comes from different experiences and different backgrounds.

It is in our best interest to deliver unbiased policing. The only way we can be effective is if we have public confidence.

MacCulloch called the times unprecedented for policing.

I cant say enough about the men and women of the organization, both sworn and civilian, he said. We are in a pandemic, and they have stepped up and continued to provide policing services to our community in the most professional and responsible way.

Despite criticism and being vilified in the media, whats important is that we are different from our compatriots in the U.S.
Whats new: Chinas securities regulatory commission approved the initial public offering (IPO) registrations of four companies on Shenzhens start-up ChiNext board following recent regulatory changes aimed at fast-tracking IPOs.

The four companies are performing event planner Beijing FengShangShiJi Culture Media Co. Ltd., medical instruments manufacturer Contec Medical Systems Co. Ltd., electroplated diamond tools maker Yangling Metron New Materials Inc. and measurement instruments maker Anhui Landun Photoelectron Co. Ltd.

The companies and their underwriters will coordinate with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange to determine listing dates, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said Friday in a statement.

The background: China introduced the registration-based IPO procedure for the ChiNext board earlier this year, about a year after it launched the mechanism on Shanghais new STAR Market tech board. The aim was to make the Chinese mainland markets more appealing to technology companies so that they will list at home rather than abroad.

Under the registration-based listing system, the Shenzhen exchange vets IPO applications based on disclosure rules and then files the applicants registrations with the CSRC. The regulator has up to 15 working days to decide whether to consent to the registrations, which significantly simplifies the approval process.

As of Friday, more than 300 companies have applied to list on the ChiNext board under the registration-based mechanism, according to bourse data (link in Chinese).

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com)

Related: First Companies Get Nod for Registration-Based IPOs in Shenzhen

Caixin Global has launched Caixin CEIC Mobile, the mobile-only version of its world-class macroeconomic data platform.

If youre using the Caixin app, please click here. If you havent downloaded the app, please click here.
They are peers in different parts of the world: one group studies in Manitoba schools; the other learns the same curriculum at a private academy in South Korea.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/7/2020 (544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They are peers in different parts of the world: one group studies in Manitoba schools; the other learns the same curriculum at a private academy in South Korea.

Based in Incheon, a major city that borders the capital of Seoul, CMIS Canada is an international affiliate of Manitoba Education. Lessons on long division and literacy mirror those taught in Manitoba classrooms, from September till June  albeit, they are taught 14 hours ahead.

This year, the South Korean students will go back to school even further ahead, already familiar with the ins and outs of a safe return to classroom instruction during a pandemic.

The proof is documented in their 2019-20 yearbook, which features masked class photos.

"You dont need to fear going back," said Grade 1 teacher Lindsay Gemmill, who is originally from Pilot Mound, located 186 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg. "It can be done in a way where kids and teachers are kept very safe."

Students wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus stand in a line to have their body temperatures checked before entering their classrooms at a middle school in Chungju, South Korea last month. (In Jin-hyun / Newsis files)

South Korea was one of the first countries to experiment with physical distancing in schools, along with Norway, New Zealand and Israel.

Students, parents and teachers, Gemmill included, were anxious when the Moon Jae-in government rolled back a nationwide order on school closures in late May; with six weeks left on the school calendar, CMIS Canada reopened its 300-student campus gradually.

Beforehand, the teachers created a how-to video of themselves navigating the new COVID-19 protocols with backpacks and masks on.

Among the new steps, a temperature check upon arrival, frequent use of hand sanitizer, and physical distancing while climbing stairs, walking down hallways and sitting at desks that are lined up in rows.

Preparation and practise eased nerves, Gemmill said, adding one of the toughest things about teaching children during a pandemic is that "air high-fives" have replaced real ones.

CP On Aug. 1, the provincial government is expected to announce how learning will resume for upwards of 200,000 kindergarten-to-Grade 12 students in Manitoba. (Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press files)

To reopen schools or not to reopen schools, that is the question for teachers planning their lessons for the fall, for students wanting to reunite with friends, for working parents seeking a child-care reprieve, for politicians attempting to restart the economy; and for public health officials  who are in charge of answering that question  monitoring COVID-19 in Manitoba.

On Aug. 1, the provincial government is expected to announce how learning will resume for upwards of 200,000 kindergarten-to-Grade12 students in Manitoba.

The three options are: regular instruction with near-normal conditions; in-class learning for K-8 students and potential blended learning for high schoolers; and ongoing distance learning featuring limited in-person instruction.

So far, Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick have announced plans to invite students back in September. Quebec will continue to offer in-person instruction, after the widespread welcoming back of students outside of Montreal, the countrys outbreak epicentre, this spring.

A fraction of the more than 58,000 COVID-19 cases in Quebec have involved students and teachers. The provinces education department, which tracked the virus in school communities based on weekly active case counts, said the height of active cases  44 in total  occurred during the last week of May. The education minister has said the majority of cases occurred outside the classroom.

CP Montreal's education department, which tracked the virus in school communities based on weekly active case counts, said the height of active cases occurred during the last week of May. (Ryan Remiorz / Canadian Press files)

An epidemiologist at Montreals McGill University, Jay Kaufman said the advice on how to reopen schools safely is "very sensible and straightforward." Adults must do their part and follow public health protocols this summer to ensure the prevalence of infection is low so kids can return, he said.

"A place like Manitoba with so few cases is the ideal location in which to be able to do this successfully," Kaufman wrote in an email to the Free Press, in which he suggested reopening schools would yield a positive experience similar to that of Europe.

The research on how students are affected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is limited, but the scientific consensus is younger children are less likely to become infected, experience symptoms and become severely ill. While studies indicate teenagers transmit the virus as often as adults, children aged nine and younger are believed to be about half as likely to transmit it.

Keeping this in mind, physicians across the world have put out calls, which have been met with no shortage of criticism and apprehension, to reopen schools.

Supporters say the social-emotional benefits of school outweigh the virus risk for students, and there are countless examples of how to return safely. Critics argue school staff, students and family members lives arent worth any risk and that it will be almost impossible to enforce social distancing, particularly among the youngest learners.

An estimated 1.4 billion students, or 90 per cent of the worlds learners, have been affected by learning disruptions linked to COVID-19 this year.

During a phone interview from Paris, Suzanne Grant Lewis, director of UNESCOs International Institute for Educational Planning, put it simply: COVID-19 has caused "the largest disruption to education, ever."

With most countries still in lockdown, Grant Lewis said both learning loss and the safety of vulnerable children  in particular, poor children, youth with disabilities, internally displaced students and refugees, and girls at risk of gender-based violence, are top of mind.

Reopening schools is the solution, she said, noting the importance of the "three C" planning approach: consultation with community members, co-ordination of plans and communication about delivery.

Grant Lewis added there is no shortage of guidelines, but rather physical space and funding.

Elementary school students eat lunch while keeping their distance from each other at the cafeteria of their school in Gwangju, South Korea, last month. (Cheon Jeong-in / Associated Press files)

International guidelines for reopening schools urge governments to weigh the educational and health benefits for students, educators and the wider community. Up for consideration, as far as the World Health Organization is concerned, should be everything from a schools ability to accommodate physical distancing to the number of students who rely on healthy breakfast programs.

The recommendations are united in their common-sense approach, emphasizing the importance of developing a comprehensive sick policy that discourages anyone from attending class if ill and the frequent, rigorous cleaning of both hands and hallways.

Regulating spacing with reminder signs and stickers, individual desks spaced apart, smaller class sizes, "cohorting"  a buzz word that refers to the grouping of students by class or grade to limit intermingling  and moving teachers from class to class rather than students, are also widely recommended.

In Norway, schools limited classroom capacity to 15 students. Additionally, schools divided playgrounds and implemented the regular washing of desks  a move the president of the countrys largest teachers union said caused a kerfuffle because of concerns about who would undertake such a task: students, teachers or support staff? (Ultimately, its been a mix of all three.)

Even still, Steffen Handal of the Union of Education Norway, said the mid-April reopening, "has actually gone quite well."

"We decided early on that (educators) are not experts on COVID-19, so we would not discuss with health authorities whether or not it was safe to reopen schools," said Handal, who represents more than 182,000 Norwegian teachers, during an interview from his cabin near Oslo.

Norway reopened schools after a six-week closure.

Neighbouring Sweden was one of few countries that did not close schools as part of its anti-lockdown strategy, while Finland did close schools.

Sweden and Finland released a joint statement this month that compares their respective virus trends. The analysis suggests Swedens controversial decision did not affect its curve.

"We knew education was going to play an important leadership role in getting the country back on its feet."  Liam Rutherford, president of the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa

Similarly, Norway hasnt seen a spike related to schools reopening. To date, case studies of reopenings in areas with low or no community transmission indicate reopening schools doesnt affect a countrys case count.

Small classrooms and limited school bus capacity have meant not all Norwegian students can attend school daily, but Handal said the goal is to get every student into the classroom at least once a week. To address limited capacity, experts recommend schools alternate schooling days. For high schoolers, the WHO suggests timetables be expanded to offer courses in the morning, afternoon and evening to space them out.

Across the world, on an island that has all but eradicated COVID-19s presence, New Zealands school reopening is considered another success story. Class is currently in session.

"We knew education was going to play an important leadership role in getting the country back on its feet," said Liam Rutherford, president of the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa, from the capital of Wellington. Rutherford said that is exactly why the government and union worked together to reopen schools in May. It couldnt have happened without collaboration or a robust contract tracing system, he added.

When a "cluster" was detected at a school early on, following a gathering at a parents evening, Rutherford said the ministry of health acted quickly. It was a "litmus test" on reopening schools that built trust among the population, he said.

If a case is linked to a school, administrators call the government, which then comes into a school, communicates with a community and works with the individual who is believed to have COVID-19 to retrace their steps over the last 48 hours to identify the people they have been in contact with. All close contacts are then required to self-isolate for 14 days.

Months later, with no signs of community transmission, New Zealand schools are operating without social distancing in place. Even assemblies and sporting events are resuming. Strict quarantines are still required of anyone who lands on the island, but life has largely returned to normal.

Not so in Israel, where school is out for the year after a chaotic attempt to resume instruction safely.

Israeli schoolchildren wear masks in Tel Aviv last month. After Israel opened businesses and schools, COVID-19 cases began to pop up. Hundreds of schools were forced to close again. (Sebastian Scheiner / The Associated Press files)

"Its a cautionary tale." Thats how Dr. Ora Paltiel, a hematologist, professor of epidemiology and the former director of the Braun School of Public Health at the Hebrew University of Hadassah, describes how reopening schools went in Israel.

The reason being, she said, is that it happened too soon. In an attempt to resuscitate the economy after an extreme lockdown, Israel rushed to reopen schools and businesses. Pockets of COVID-19 cases soon started to pop up all over the country, in schools and otherwise.

Paltiel said it didnt help that a severe heatwave resulted in the loosening of the requirement all children older than seven wear masks at school, according to the Canadian-born doctor living abroad. Hundreds of Israeli schools closed not long after they reopened. "The schools are nothing special  Whatevers going on in the community is going to be reflected in schools," Paltiel said.

Once a case has been confirmed in a school, the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends administrators dismiss staff and students for an initial two-to-five-day period to undertake rigorous cleaning and allow public health officials to examine the situation. It is recommended schools discourage community gatherings and cancel events during the investigation.

In order to avoid such a situation, Paltiel suggests schools focus on addressing crowding concerns and take advantage of empty church basements, hotel conference rooms and local community centres to hold small classes and abide by physical distancing in the fall. If students are old enough, Paltiel also proposes students wear masks  a measure experts differ on.

The Toronto-based SickKids Hospital guidelines do not recommend masks be made mandatory. "It is impractical for a child to wear a mask properly for the duration of a school day," according to the guidelines published mid-June. The document states masks can be irritating and lead to increased touching of the face and eyes, ramping up risk of infection, while affecting mouth-reading and other learning cues.

In South Korea, however, masks are now as common as pencil sharpeners in classrooms. Gemmill said shes had no issue with her five- and six-year-olds wearing masks properly, but she acknowledges masks have long been part of Asias public health culture.

Mandatory masks aside, CMIS Canadas policies have been altered to indefinitely suspend pizza parties and require students to follow physical distancing markers on the floor, which have been posted in school colours, red and blue.

Teaching principal Josh Berkal, who is from Winnipeg, said its unlikely these changes will be reversed anytime soon.

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Ahead of the reopening pack, Berkals team flipped through SARS manuals to design a safe return to school in the spring. Considering Manitoba Education is far behind the affiliate academy, Berkal has since given officials feedback on how to reopen.

His advice? Planning must take into account all perspectives, from K-12 parents to student council members, and be done on both macro and micro scales.

Above all, Berkal said its important to remember that kids adapt. He cited recess games on his campus pivoting from ball sports, which have been banned as a precaution, to shadow tag and jump rope this spring.

"Theres always going to be risk, and I think staff, students, anyone has to understand that this is not a 100 per cent proof plan," Berkal said, during a recent call from Incheon. "This is to minimize the threat of a spread of an illness, that if someone gets it, things are contained. Thats the plan."

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
" " Automatons building automobiles Luis Castaneda Inc./The Image Bank/ Getty Images

Break things down to the original Latin and manufacturing is literally a matter of using your hands (manu) to make things (factura). Robots are a different story. The term comes to us from the Czech word robotnik, which means nothing short of slave labor. Don't let science fiction and Japanese cuteness confuse you: Humans created robots to do their drudge work.

Factories first opened their doors to modern industrial robots in 1961. That's when Unimate joined the General Motors workforce. Unimate was essentially a 4,000-pound (1,814-kilogram) arm attached to a giant steel drum. The Unimate robots boasted remarkable versatility for the time and could easily pour liquid metal into die casts, weld auto bodies together and manipulate 500-pound (227-kilogram) payloads.

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In other words, Unimate could perform tasks that humans often found dangerous or boring, and it could do them with consistent speed and precision. It never called in sick, went on strike or violated company rules. It covered all three shifts in a 24-hour period without drawing a single minute of overtime. Needless to say, factory owners grew to like this no-nonsense new addition.

Robot factory workers aren't without their limitations, however. In their simplest forms, industrial robots are mere automatons. Humans program them to perform a simple task, and they repeat that task over and over again. Tasks that require decision-making, creativity, adaptation and on-the-job learning tend to go to the humans.

But when a job's just right for a robot, productivity tends to increase dramatically. For instance, Australia's Drake Trailers installed a single welding robot on its production line and benefited from a reported 60 percent increase in productivity [source: ABB Australia].

The most obvious impact of industrial mechanization is that it eliminates many unskilled job positions. This has especially been the case in United States and Japan, two countries that illuminate important factors in the robot takeover.

Japan suffers from negative population growth, and the younger members of its workforce are generally disinclined to take what they may perceive as dull manufacturing jobs. Industrial robots, therefore, have been a true advantage in that they fill unwanted factory jobs and create more technical positions dedicated to their upkeep. In the same way that a computerized office depends on various techies, so too do robotic workers require technical upkeep.

The United States, on the other hand, has seen a great deal of its factory business flee to China and other countries, where human labor is simply cheaper. Even domestic factory automation, with its allure of improved productivity and efficiency, has failed to tip the scales.

What will the future bring? Despite the economic downturn in 2009, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) observed a global surge in industrial robot demand for 2010. According to IFR estimates, the year 2013 will see Earth'spopulation of industrial robots exceed 1.1 million [source: IFR]

Meanwhile, roboticists continue to stretch the boundaries of what industrial robots can do, such as in the field of machine learning, tactile sensing and socially intelligent robots. The future will likely see machines working alongside humans and even learning from them to perform an increasing number of manufacturing tasks.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday he thought the country would be through the coronavirus crisis by mid-2021 but feared there may be a second spike that could overwhelm the health service.

"Whether it came from... a bat, a pangolin or however it emerged, it was a very, very nasty thing for the human race. And I think by the middle of next year we will be well on the way past it," he told reporters.

"This country is going to bounce back stronger than ever before," Johnson said. "We've still got the threat of a second spike."

On a visit to a doctor's surgery, Johnson said he hoped everybody would get a flu vaccine to lower the pressure on the health service during the winter months.

"There's all these anti-vaxxers now," Johnson told medical workers. "They are nuts, they are nuts."

In the year since Johnson became the British leader, he has won a landslide election victory, delivered on his pledge to lead Britain out of the European Union and came close to death with COVID-19.

But opposition parties say Johnson was too slow to impose a lockdown, failed to identify care homes as a vulnerability, botched the test-and-trace system and failed to sack his senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, for travelling during lockdown.

Speaking a year since he became prime minister, Johnson said his experience was that government needed "to move faster and be more responsive to the needs of the people."

He mentioned that people were unable to get their passports or birth certificates in time and that there was a backlog of court cases.

"Sometimes government can be slow," Johnson told reporters while reflecting on his year in power. "We are learning the whole time."

He added that proposals would be brought forward on the funding of social care to protect people from the risk of having to sell their homes to fund care.

Asked how long people would have to wear face masks, Johnson said he would rely on the common sense of the British people but refused to give any sense of when the COVID-19 measures would be relaxed.

Johnson, who has complained that the British are far fatter than any other nation in Europe bar the Maltese, said people should lose weight.

"I'm not normally a believer in nannying, bossing politics but the reality is that obesity is one of the comorbidity factors," Johnson said. "I've lost about a stone and a bit, primarily by eating less but also by a lot of exercise."

Asked why he never apologised, Johnson quipped: "I am sorry if I don't apologise."
PHOENIX  Investigators in Arizona believe a fire that caused extensive damage to the state Democratic Party headquarters early Friday in downtown Phoenix was intentionally set.

Heavy smoke and fire were billowing from the building around 1 a.m. as Phoenix firefighters arrived on scene. They quickly entered the building to search for persons and began a fire attack to put out the flames, according to officials.

No one was inside the building at the time, and no injuries were reported.

Phoenix Fire Investigation Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators were investigating the fire. Phoenix police spokeswoman Sgt. Mercedes Fortune said the incident is being investigated as an arson based on evidence discovered at the scene.

Phoenix police also responded to the fire to assist with security and traffic control of the area, according to Fortune.

Felecia Rotellini, chair of the state Democratic Party, learned of the fire early at 2 a.m. after the security system went off and staffers made her aware.

A fire started early Friday morning at the Arizona Democratic Party building in downtown Phoenix. Phoenix firefighters found heavy smoke and fire coming from the structure when they arrived and were able to put out the fire. No one was in the building at the time of the fire and the cause is under investigation.

At this point, its too soon to tell, she said, referring to the extent of the damage. The investigators are scheduled to be at the scene at 8 a.m. so we dont know anything right now, but were very fortunate that everyone is safe and in this virtual environment. We can continue to run the party and do everything we need to do for November.

"While this is devastating, our eyes are on the prize in November and this just makes us stronger, she said.

The fire appeared to have caused extensive damage, particularly on the north side of the building where the Maricopa County Democratic Party works from.

Steven Slugocki, county party chair, said he believes all of their computers, phones, desks, and files were lost in the fire.

It's a devastating loss for us and I'm truly heartbroken, Slugocki told The Arizona Republic.

More: Trump cancels Jacksonville portion of Republican convention planned for August due to COVID-19

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More: DNC chair Tom Perez reaffirms Democrats' plans for Milwaukee convention after Trump cancels Jacksonville event

The fire comes as the county Democratic Party was set for its summer convention Saturday.

More than 700 Democrats from across Maricopa County were to attend the virtual event, where candidates make their pitch to voters, raise money and talk about the partys activities heading into November.

Its unclear how the fire will affect the event, said Slugocki.

Sen. Kamala D. Harris, D-Calif., was to address county Democrats with a pre-recorded message.

The Arizona Democratic Party is using the fire and its extensive damage as a way to step up fundraising, with just 100 days to go ahead of the November election.

"The damage is a devastating blow to the hard work and dedication of the teams at the state and county parties," the fundraising email said. "However, as with any setback we have encountered, we will adapt, rebuild, and continue moving ever forward for the sake of creating a better Arizona that works for all of us."

The contents of the county office included laptops and tablets and years of documents and historic election memorabilia, according to statement released by the county party on Friday.

The fire is the second incident with damage to a political building in Arizona in the last two months.

At the end of May, Bullhead City police were investigating damage at a Republican field office in Mohave County, where six people were gathered inside for a "MAGA Meet Up" to support President Donald Trump's reelection.

Police determined that an unknown object went through the office window and blinds but did not believe it was caused by a firearm.

Follow Audrey Jensen on Twittera: @Audreyj101.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arson suspected in fire at Arizona Democratic Party headquarters i
Five persons have been reported missing in Giri Quarters in Abuja, after they were swept to unknown location by flood that recently happened in the area.

Giving Confirmation to the incident, the Director General, FCT Management Agency, Abbas Idriss, disclosed that as a result of the search carried out by the agency and other locals around, they were able to recover a body, and were still searching for the remaining four.

He stated that the flood incident at Giri Quarters was caused by a heavy down pour that happened on Saturday, carried away five family members from their homes to unknown locations. The flood didnt affect Lokogoma, while adding that they have already created a channel there for water to pass freely.

According to him, Also affected by the down pour that happened on Saturday night is Kuje and Gwagwalada area of the State.

I am aware of the incident in Giri, Kuje and Gwagwalada parts of Abuja. Although I have no concrete information on the casualty caused by the flood other than one that happened in Giri, he noted.

It was however reported that about 30 persons were said to be missing from the flood that happened in Gwagwalada, which led to the blockage of the Abuja-Lokoja highway.

The rainfall also flooded the bridge over the Gwagwalada river, and rendered various motorists trapped.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 00:11:48|Editor: huaxia

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RIGA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Crisis is the right time to cut labor taxes, as it would help boost international competitiveness and return the jobless to the labor market faster, a Bank of Latvia official said on public radio on Friday.

Uldis Rutkaste, who heads the Latvian central bank's monetary policy department, noted that Latvian labor taxes are comparatively high -- above the OECD (the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) average and higher than neighboring Lithuania and Estonia.

"This means that for our companies, employees cost more than for many of our competitors. It would therefore make sense to lower the taxes on labor, shifting the burden to other tax categories," the official said.

In Latvia, the main labor taxes include personal income tax and state social security contributions, or social tax.

Rutkaste proposed reducing the burden of labor taxes by lowering the social tax rate, shifting part of social expenditure to the central government's or local governments' budgets.

To compensate for the resulting loss of budget income, the Bank of Latvia suggests raising consumer taxes like value-added tax (VAT), said the official.

According to the European Commission's Summer 2020 Economic Forecast released earlier this month, the Latvian economy, being affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, will contract by 7 percent this year and rebound by 6.4 percent next year.

In March, Bank of Latvia projected that the Baltic country's gross domestic product is likely to shrink by 6.5 percent this year. Enditem
Mr. Kojo Poku who is the Vice President of the Events and Meeting Professionals Association of Ghana (, has revealed that the nation's improved technical capacity for business events, also known in the tourism industry as MICE  an acronym for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions/events, has set the industry on the right path for growth.

He made this revelation at a webinar session organized as part of the Graphic Do Ghana Travel Festival with support from EMPAG.

According to him, many companies in the events industry have invested in their equipment and human resource. This has led to the attraction of more conferences to Ghana as well as a growing interest in MICE locally.

Over the years, investments made by companies by means of staff training, and the procurement of modern equipment has led to an improvement in the technical aspects in the organisation of our events.

He added that Our institutions have continuously trained people over the years and this has reflected in their work. It is therefore not a coincidence that Ghana has one of the largest capacities in terms of translators, who play a very critical role at many functions.

The event which was organized under the theme Think MICE, Think Business Events brought together some key individuals within the events industry in Ghana to share key insights on their industry.

Touching on the need for collaborations, Mrs. Theresa Ayoade, EMPAG President and Chief Executive Officer for Charterhouse Productions said: Ghana is privileged to be positioned as a MICE Hub in West Africa. However, there is the need for stronger collaborations between the private and public sector to increase the market confidence reposed in Ghana's MICE industry by many people. These collaborations, according to her, would go a long way to turn around the fortunes of MICE in Ghana.

On his part, Pa John Dadson, Curator of Do Ghana Festival cited data collection to be a major setback within the tourism industry. According to him, many event practitioners or companies are not keen on sharing data pertaining to their businesses for a variety of reasons.

Data collection is a difficult conversation in the tourism industry as many event practitioners and companies feel that their information would be shared with government or their competitor. This sometimes poses challenges in the bid to get a true representation of our industry, in terms of capacity, for presentation to government and sometimes investors.

The Events and Meeting Professionals Association of Ghana (EMPAG) is a coalition of Event Management practitioners in Ghana. The association is noted for its advocacy for protection and growth of the events management industry in Ghana. EMPAG supported the Graphic Communications Group to host the 2nd Graphic Do Ghana Travel Festival webinar with focus on MICE sector. Other supporters were Asaase Radio, Ghana Tourism Authority, Bentsifi, Grand Arena, Roam Ghana, Oxygen and the Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management, University of Cape Coast.

----CitiNewsRoom
Sullivan County Schools will start classes for the 2020-21 school year on Aug. 5, but they will be online only through Aug. 14, school officials said in a Friday news release.

The decision to conduct the first week-and-a-half of classes is in response to the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the past 14-day period, which exceeds an average of 10 new cases per day. Under the reopening plan developed by the three school districts in Sullivan County, if the average new cases per 100,000 for the last 14 days exceed 10, schools should consider holding all classes remotely.

These are extraordinary and unprecedented times, Sullivan Director of Schools David Cox said. Our priorities are for the safety and well-being of our students and staff, while meeting the learning needs of all of our students.

Rebecca Craddock, communications coordinator for Bristol Tennessee City Schools, said that as of Friday afternoon, the city school system had no plans to hold all of its classes online when it begins the new school year.

In Sullivan County, Cox said that school leaders want to get students back into classrooms as soon as it is safe to do so. School system administration will continue to meet with the Sullivan County Health Department every Thursday and provide new updates for the following week by 10 the next morning, the release states.

Michael Hughes, chairman of the Sullivan County Board of Education, said he thinks being cautious and watching the case numbers to make sure they have declined before they send kids to school is prudent.

Everyone is so worried about making the wrong decision, Hughes said.

The school system will reach out to parents to arrange for the pick-up of devices and materials prior to the first day of school. Students enrolled in the Sullivan County Virtual Learning Academy will also begin on Aug. 5.

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The leadership of the Bibiani branch of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) have commended President Akufo Addo for its commitment to ensure quality, accessible and affordable education for all Ghanaian children.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Bibiani in the Western North Region, Mr Asante George and Pastor Kwame Owusu

Appiah, Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively of the local GNAPS, commended the President for the free SHS policy.

Also, the free distribution of COVID-19 PPE to both public and private educational institutions across the country.

These and many others, are laudable initiatives that need to be appreciated by all well-meaning Ghanaians, they said.

The Leaders were, however, quick to point out that there were still some imbalances and discrepancies in the provision of logistical support such as Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs), Stimulus packages and BECE registration fees.

They explained that private schools, especially those in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality and by extension, the Western North Region, were left out in the free supply of Teaching and Learning Materials for Pre-school and Lower primary, while the COVID-19 stimulous package for private school teachers was non-existent.

Private JHS were also exempted from the free BECE registration announced by the government.

The local GNAPS leadership called for urgent steps to ensure equitable distribution of resources among the students, irrespective of the type of educational institution.

They said since children in both public and private schools write the same examinations, they all need to be assisted to become responsible future leaders.

---GNA
Coronavirus Updates: Former Nadaun MLA Vijay Agnihotry said in a Facebook post that he had tested positive and appealed to all his recent contacts to home quarantine themselves.

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Second wave of Covid-19 there has prompted decision to kick Spain off the safe country list, the newspapers political editor, Tim Shipman, said on Twitter. Britains health ministry had no immediate comment on the report.

Britains government is set to announce all travellers from Spain arriving after midnight (2300 GMT) on Saturday will need to spend two weeks in quarantine in case they are infected with coronavirus, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.

The total number of COVID-19 cases reached 31,086 from Friday's 29,921. Of the fresh cases, 353 are from Guwahati and 100 from Golaghat.

A 65-year-old man died due to COVID-19 in Assam on Saturday, taking the death toll to 77, while the state's tally crossed the 31,000-mark after 1,165 fresh cases were reported, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The global tally for coronavirus is about to touch 1.6 crore. As many as 15,980,425 people across the world have so far contracted the coronvairus disease. The United States with 4,174,437 cases and Brazil with 2,394,513 continue to be the worst hit.

For the first time, government labs have set a new record of testing 3,62,153 samples. Private labs also scaled a new high of 79,878 samples tested in a single day.

India on Sunday registered a record number of single-day COVID19 tests on the second consecutive day. In the last 24 hours, 4,42,031 samples were tested.

The two brothers -- one nine-month-old and the other nine-and-half-years -- both undergoing treatment at the Institute of Child Health (ICH), tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, after which their father tried hiring an ambulance to take them to a state-run hospital.

An ambulance driver allegedly forced two coronavirus-infected minor boys and their mother to get down the vehicle as they could not pay the exorbitant fare he demanded for a six-km journey between two hospitals in Kolkata. However, after the intervention of doctors, the driver settled for Rs 2,000, the boys' father said.

If the person is officially declared a virus patient, he or she would be the Norths first confirmed coronavirus case. North Korea has steadfastly said it has no single virus case on its territory, a claim questioned by outside experts.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un placed the city of Kaesong near the border with South Korea under total lockdown after a person was found with suspected COVID-19 symptoms, saying he believes the vicious virus may have entered the country, state media reported Sunday.

As many as 3,338 people infected with the novel coronavirus are untraceable in Bengaluru, reports NDTV . The number accounts for over 7 percent of the total number of cases in the city, which has seen a surge in infections over the last couple of weeks. A lockdown had been imposed in the city from 15 to 22 July.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis monthly address to the nation through radio programme Mann ki Baat will take place on Sunday. The address is telecast on the last Sunday of every month. This will be the 67th episode of the programme.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday in a tweet said that the corona bed occupancy has come down sharply from 23 to 26 July in the National Capital.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 1,62,91,331 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to 25 July with 4,42,263 samples being tested on Saturday.

The number of people to test positive for coronavirus in Israel topped 60,000 yesterday as the government struggles to contain a resurgence in infection rates. The latest daily tally showed 1,770 new infections, bringing the total number of cases to 60,496, the country's health ministry reported, according to Reuters.

India reports 48,661 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking its overall tally to 13,85,522. The toll rises by 705 to 32,063. More than 8.85 lakh people have recovered.

The total COVID-19 positive cases in Maharashtra Police stand at 8,483 including 1,919 active cases, 6,471 recoveries and 93 deaths, accorrding to the Maharashtra Police, reports ANI.

'Janta Curfew' being observed in Nagpur city, to curb the spread of COVID19 infection. All essential services to remain functional, reports ANI.

`Bhoomi pujan' or the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya is to take place on 5 August.

BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur on Saturday asked the public to recite the Hanuman Chalisa five times a day till 5 August, which she believes will rid the world of the coronavirus pandemic.

Rajasthan's COVID-19 cases tally rises to 35,909 with 611 new infections today till 10:30 am. The number of active cases in the state is 9,935 and 25,353 recovered cases, death toll 621.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed his monthly 'Mann ki baat' radio show and spoke about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the country: "Our Covid-19 recovery rate is better than other nations, and so is the death toll. Yes, its saddening to lose even one person, but lakhs have been saved."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday also highlighted that the coronavirus is not yet gone, it's spreading fast in many areas, and is still as dangerous as before. "We need to take all precautions. Please ensure that you wear a mask, maintain 'do gajj ki doori', and wash your hands."

Authorities confirmed 22 cases in Urumqi, a city in the Xinjiang region in the country's far west, the official Xinhua News Agency said. That raised the total in the local outbreak to 137 since the first case was detected 10 days ago. Another 13 cases were confirmed in Liaoning province in the northeast, bringing the total there to 25, almost all in the city of Dalian.

China reported 46 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest daily tally in more than a month, as it took steps to stem recent outbreaks that have infected more than 160 people at opposite ends of the country.

Odisha detects 1,376 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 25,389 including 15,928 recoveries and 9,287 active cases, according to that latest update from the state health department.

Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people that on this 15 August to take resolve to get freedom from coronavirus, "for Aatmanirbhar Bharat, to learn and teach something new, and abide by our duties"

Whenever you feel like taking off your masks, think of frontline soldiers. Villages have been making extraordinary efforts against COVID-19," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while shedding light on the various administrative and innovative efforts being undertaken in villages. "With a positive approach, a disaster can be turned around into opportunity," he adds.

This is the fourth consecutive day when COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 45,000. The number of tests for detection of COVID-19 has crossed the 16-million mark in the country.

The country's toll rose to 32,063 with 705 fatalities being recorded in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed. There are 4,67,882 active cases of coronavirus infection presently in the country. Thus, around 63.92 per cent people have recovered so far.

With 48,661 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 13,85,522 on Sunday, while the recoveries mounted to 8,85,576, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

Total active cases stood at 1,102 while 1,645 patients had been discharged from various hospitals so far, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release. The positivity rate in the UT was 20.9 per cent while the rate of fatality was 1,4 per cent, the release said.

The total of COVID-19 cases in the union territory rose to 2,787 on Sunday with 131 people testing positive while two fresh deaths took the toll to 40.

It said 998 people were discharged, taking the cumulative recoveries to 41,332 so far, while 12,264 were under treatment.

Of the fresh cases, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) areas accounted for 641, followed by Ranga Reddy district 171, Warangal Urban 131 and Medchal district 91, a bulletin giving the details as of 8 pm on Saturday said.

As many as 1,593 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths were reported in Telangana, taking the tally to 54,059 and the toll to 463, reports PTI.

On Sunday, Sikkim reported its first COVID-19 death  a 74-year-old with comorbidities from East Sikkim.

The labour and employment minister told PTI that as part of the special programme, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will launch a job portal in the next few days, where the companies looking to hire and job seekers can register themselves.

Delhi minister Gopal Rai on Sunday said the AAP government will launch a special programme to generate more employment opportunities in the city, a move aimed at reviving the capital's economy, which was affected due to the lockdown.

The Chief Minister also repeated his warnings from yesterday, when he urged people to follow guidelines, such as social distancing and the use of face masks.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who on Saturday confirmed he had tested positive for COVID-19, tweeted Sunday morning to say that he is "fine" and to offer his praise for front-line workers in the war on coronavirus.

To check violations and effectively implement the complete shutdown, being enforced to contain spread of coronavirus, checkposts were set up at key intersections and district borders with nearly 200 of them in the city, police said

On the last Sunday of intense lockdown this month, Tamil Nadu came to a virtual standstill with the operation of only milk supply and health care services while people stayed indoors and roads wore a deserted look.

1,075 COVID-19 positive cases and 21 deaths were reported in Delhi today with 1,807 recovered/discharged/migrated. The total positive cases in the National Capital stand at 1,30,606 including 1,14,875 recovered/discharged/migrated and 3827 deaths.

Chief Medical Superintendent, Ajay Agarwal, said, "As per reports obtained from the Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Agra, 36 inmates of the Etah district jail have been found COVID-19 positive." Bhadauria said that an administrative officer and deputy jailor have been posted at the temporary jail.

As many as 36 inmates of the Etah district jail here have tested positive for COVID-19, reports PTI. Jailor, Kuldeep Singh Bhadauria, said that in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the district and jail administration have set up a temporary jail at a school.

He said antigen tests will be carried out on those showing symptoms of influenza like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). Private hospitals are being monitored to ensure patients are not overcharged, Mundhe said.

High risk contacts of COVID-19 patients will now be kept in home isolation and only those from congested areas and smaller homes will be kept in quarantine centres, Mundhe said while explaining NMC's new strategy to fight the outbreak.

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation will admit asymptomatic patients in COVID care centres while others with moderate to severe symptoms will be treated in dedicated COVID hospitals, civic chief Tukaram Mundhe said, reports PTI.

The contribution from the president will be used to procure units of PAPR (powered air purifying respirator), which are state-of-the-art equipment to enable medical professionals breathe during surgeries and protect them from infection, an official communique said.

As a tribute to soldiers who fought in the Kargil war, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday donated Rs 20 lakh to the Army hospital in Delhi to buy equipment that will help doctors and paramedics combat COVID-19 effectively.

"After careful consideration of the situation, it has been decided to extend the period of lockdown in the entire state of Sikkim till 6 am of 1 August, 2020," a notification issued by Chief Secretary SC Gupta said.

The Sikkim government has extended the statewide lockdown till 1 August to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a notification, reports PTI. A complete, six-day lockdown, imposed by the hilly state, was scheduled to end on Sunday.

A domestic biopharmaceutical company, Biocon, has been manufacturing and marketing Itolizumab, a monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis since 2013, under the brand name ALZUMAb, the Union health ministry had earlier said.

The National Task Force on COVID-19 has decided against including Itolizumab drug in clinical management protocols for treating the disease even though the DCGI has approved its "restricted emergency use" in infected patients, official sources said. "The issue of including the drug in the clinical protocols was discussed in a meeting held on Friday. A majority of the members of the task force opined that there was not enough evidence currently to get the drug included in the clinical management protocols for COVID-19," an official source told news agency PTI.

Tamil Nadu registered a spike of 6,986 fresh infections and 85 deaths on Sunday, taking the case count to 2,13,723 and toll to 3,494. As many as 1,56,526 persons have recuperated from the disease and there are 53,703 active cases as of today, reports ANI quoting the state health department

"More than 814 thousand stranded Indians have returned through various means under VBM since 6 May, of which more than 270 thousand returned on flights from 53 countries," said the minister.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday said that the fifth phase of the Centre's Vande Bharat Mission to bring back stranded Indians will begin from 1 August. "Among other destinations, Ph-5 will connect India with USA, Canada, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Singapore, UK, Frankfurt, Paris, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, New Zealand , Philippines and more," said Puri, adding that more destinations and flights will be added gradually.

The number of coronavirus patients in Mumbai reached 1,09,096 after 1,115 cases were reported on Sunday, the civic body said. The toll in the metropolis grew by 57 to 6,090, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a statement. As many as 1,361 patients recovered during the day, which took the number of discharged persons to 80,238 so far, it said. There are 22,768 active COVID-19 cases in the country's financial capital.

Saharanpur Chief Medical Officer (CMO) B S Sodhi told PTI that the MP, his family members and the domestic staff were shifted to the COVID designated hospital in Saharanpur Medical College.

Kairana Lok Sabha member Pradeep Choudhary, his wife, son and three domestic helps tested positive for COVID-19 in Saharanpur on Sunday, an official said.

private hospital in Mumbai. Bansode, NCP MLA from Udgir in Latur district, said he was feeling unwell since Saturday and had mild fever as well as sore throat.

Maharashtra minister of state for environment and FDA Sanjay Bansode on Sunday said he had been detected with COVID-19 and was receiving treatment at a

So far, Patna district has recorded the highest 37 COVID-19 deaths. Bhagalpur reported 25 deaths, Gaya 14, Rohtas 12, Muzaffarpur and Nalanda 11 each, Darbhanga, Munger and Samastipur 10 each. Patna also tops the list of the number of COVID-19 cases with 6,514 infections. The district also accounts for 1,869 active cases.

Bihar's COVID-19 toll climbed to 249 on Sunday with 17 new fatalities, while the total caseload rose to 38,919 with 2,605 fresh instances of the disease reported in a day, a Health department bulletin said. Of the fresh deaths, five were reported from Bhagalpur, followed by two each in Munger and West Champaran while one fatality each was registered in Patna, Aurangabad, Buxar, Kishanganj, Nalanda, Nawada, Samastipur and Sitamarhi, it stated. The total active cases in the state stood at 12,361.

At 4:30 PM on Monday, 27th July, high-throughput COVID-19 testing facilities will be launched. These high-throughput testing facilities being set up in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata will help in further ramping up our testing capacity. https://t.co/nvxM0MToua

The COVID-19 toll in West Bengal rose to 1,372 on Sunday with 40 new fatalities, while the count of cases rose to 58,718 with 2,341 more people getting infected with the virus in 24 hours, a Health department bulletin said. It also said that of the 40 deaths, 39 were because of comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental.

Odisha's COVID-19 tally crossed the 25,000-mark on Sunday with 1,376 new cases, while the death toll mounted to 140 with 10 more patients succumbing to the disease, a Health department official said. Of the new cases, 917 were reported from quarantine centres and 459 detected during local contact-tracing, according to an official. The total number of cases in the state stands at 25,389. The total cases include 211 frontline workers. Thirty-eight of them are under treatment and 173 have recovered.

Odisha's COVID-19 tally crossed the 25,000-mark on Sunday with 1,376 new cases, while the death toll mounted to 140 with 10 more patients succumbing to the disease, a Health department official said. Of the new cases, 917 were reported from quarantine centres and 459 detected during local contact-tracing, according to an official. The total number of cases in the state stands at 25,389. The total cases include 211 frontline workers. Thirty-eight of them are under treatment and 173 have recovered.

Odisha's COVID-19 tally crossed the 25,000-mark on Sunday with 1,376 new cases, while the death toll mounted to 140 with 10 more patients succumbing to the disease, a Health department official said. Of the new cases, 917 were reported from quarantine centres and 459 detected during local contact-tracing, according to an official. The total number of cases in the state stands at 25,389. The total cases include 211 frontline workers. Thirty-eight of them are under treatment and 173 have recovered.

COVID-19 has so far claimed 13 lives in the state, while 1,198 people have recovered and 15 migrated out of the state.

Himachal Pradesh reported its highest single-day spike of 127 COVID-19 cases, including that of a BJP leader and a woman residing near Raj Bhawan on Sunday, taking the state's case count to 2,177, reports PTI. In Hamirpur, BJP leader Vijay Agnihotry is among the six fresh cases. Agnihotry, Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) vice chairman and also a former Nadaun MLA, confirmed on his Facebook post that he has tested positive and appealed to all his recent contacts to home quarantine themselves. He also took part in a Kargil Vijay Diwas function at Kangoo village on Sunday in which a number of people were present.

Coronavirus Updates: The COVID-19 toll in West Bengal rose to 1,372 on Sunday with 40 new fatalities, while the count of cases rose to 58,718 with 2,341 more people getting infected with the virus in 24 hours, a Health department bulletin said.

Maharashtra's COVID-19 case count rose to 3,75,799 as 9,431 more tested positive in the state on Sunday. The fatality count rose to 13, 656 with 267 deaths, said the state health department.

Tamil Nadu registered a spike of 6,986 fresh infections and 85 deaths on Sunday, taking the case count to 2,13,723 and toll to 3,494.

As many as 36,145 patients recuperated from COVID-19 in 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 8,85,576, said the health ministry.

The Sikkim government has extended the statewide lockdown till August 1 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a notification.

At least 3,338 people who have tested positive for coronavirus, are untraceable, according to media reports. A search is currently underway to locate them.

On Sunday, Sikkim reported its first COVID-19 death  a 74-year-old with comorbidities from East Sikkim. Meanwhile, India's recovery rate is now at 63.92%.

"Whenever you feel like taking off your masks, think of frontline soldiers. Villages have been making extraordinary efforts against COVID-19," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Indias recovery rate is better and fatality is much less than most other nations. He also highlighted that the coronavirus is not yet gone, it's spreading fast in many areas, and is still as dangerous as before.

India reports 48,661 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking its overall tally to 13,85,522. The toll rises by 705 to 32,063. More than 8.85 lakh people have recovered.

India on Sunday registered a record number of single-day COVID19 tests on the second consecutive day. In the last 24 hours, 4,42,031 samples were tested.

Many high-risk areas across the country observed lockdown on Saturday as part of restrictions announced by different state and local authorities to contain the spread of the infection. While some states have announced a weekend-lockdown, others have clamped down restrictions for varying periods in areas with the high caseload.

While Uttar Pradesh observed another weekend lockdown, similar curbs were imposed for the second time this month in four Uttarakhand districtsDehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar districts  which have reported 1,348 cases since 18 July.

Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday announced a three-day total lockdown in the state from Monday to curb the spurt in infections.

A complete lockdown till Monday morning was imposed in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, which has been enforcing shutdown every Sunday, similar to that in Madhya Pradesh. Lockdown restrictions also kicked-in in the state's capital Bhopal from Friday night. Bihar and Manipur have imposed a state-wide shutdown from 16 and 23 July, respectively.

In Maharashtra, civic authorities of Nagpur city announced a voluntary 'janta curfew' on Saturday and Sunday, with only essential services remaining functional.

All shops were shut and transport services were suspended in West Bengal as part of the twice-a-week lockdown in the state.

Jammu went under a 60-hour lockdown from 6 pm on Friday, while a six-day complete lockdown has been imposed across the Kashmir Valley except Bandipora since Thursday.

Amidst this, India's COVID-19 tally went past 13 lakh on Saturday, just two days after it crossed the 12 lakh mark, while the recoveries mounted to 8,49,431, according to the Union Health Ministry.

With 48,916 fresh cases as of 8 am Saturday, the country's coronavirus infection count stands officially at 13,36,861 with 31,358 fatalities. Of them, 757 succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, data updated by the ministry showed.

West Bengal observes two-day lockdown

Normal life came to a grinding halt in the eastern state on Saturday as shops were shut and all modes of transport went off the roads as part of the West Bengal government's plan to clamp restrictions two days a week.

A similar lockdown will take place next Wednesday.

More than 3,800 people were arrested for flouting lockdown guidelines on Thursday when it was first imposed. Flight operations at the Kolkata airport were also suspended during the lockdown.

Police patrolled all major traffic intersections in the metropolis to keep a check on the movement of people. Barricades were also put up in various parts of the state to stop people from coming out of their homes, officials said.

In Karnataka, the civic chiefs of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi confirmed that the districts will follow the Sunday lockdown starting 9 pm on Saturdays. The week-long lockdown imposed in Dakshina Kannada was lifted Thursday morning, while Udupi has closed its district borders till the month-end.

According to news agency ANI, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said that lockdown curbs will in place in the city over the weekend and legal action will be taken against those who violate the norms.

Karnataka also reported a record 5,072 new case, with nearly half of the cases coming from capital Bengaluru urban alone. The state also reported 27 deaths, taking the number of casualties to 1,796.

In Maharashtra's Nagpur city a voluntary 'janta curfew' was announced for Saturday and Sunday but the civic chief has warned of strict curfew if the rules are not followed.

Three-day lockdown in Tripura from Monday

In a televised address, Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb said that a state-wide lockdown will begin at 5 am on 27 July and last till 5 am on 30 July.

"Our fatality rate is only 0.29 percent while the infection rate is far less than the national average. But, since there is no other more effective way of fighting the coronavirus, we have to go for a brief lockdown period again," he said, adding that rapid antigen test will commence soon.

The lockdown will have 21 exemptions, including that to emergency and essential services as well as to print and electronic media but those violating the curbs will be fined, said a government order.

Those not wearing masks will be fined Rs 200 for the first time and Rs 400 the next time, the government order stated, adding a penalty of Rs 1,000 will be imposed on those flouting social distancing norms.

Lockdown restrictions have also been announced in the northeastern states of Nagaland and Meghalaya. Nagaland capital Kohima will be under a shutdown till 31 July, while curbs will come into effect in Dimapur from Sunday till 2 August. The Meghalaya government has also decided to impose a complete lockdown in Shillong agglomeration from 26 to 29 July.

Southern states continue reporting high numbers

Besides Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, the second-worst-hit state by the virus, too recorded its biggest daily spike. The state breached two lakh coronavirus cases on Saturday with 6,988 fresh infections, pushing the aggregate infections in the state to 2,06,737.

The upward trend in new cases continued in Andhra Pradesh as well with 7,813 patients testing positive, taking the overall case count to 88,671. Another 52 COVID-19 patients succumbed while 3,208 were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the latest bulletin said.

The total number of COVID-19 patients discharged so far touched 43,255 and the toll mounted to 985.

Kerala saw its biggest single-day spike so far, recording 1,103 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the infection count to 18,098. As many as 9,420 persons are under treatment. Thiruvananthapuram, where the government had declared that two areas are witnessing community transmission, has 2,666 active cases, the highest in the state.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that he has tested positive for the virus. "I had symptoms of COVID-19. In the test report I was found positive. I appeal to all my colleagues that whoever has come in my contact to get tested for coronavirus. My close contacts should move to quarantine," Chouhan said in a tweet.

  ,  #COVID19     ,                      ,                 Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) July 25, 2020

Talking to PTI, state BJP's media in-charge Lokendra Parashar said that Chouhan was shifted to COVID-19 designated Chirayu Medical College and Hospital in the state capital.

Maharashtra CM stresses on balance between health and economy

Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the worst-hit state by COVID-19, Saturday said that he was not in favour of complete lifting of the coronavirus-induced curbs in the state only to address the economic concerns.

"I will never say that the lockdown will be lifted completely. But I have started reopening a few things gradually. Once reopened, it shouldn't be shut again. Hence, I prefer taking steps in phases. You can't just think about the economy or health. There needs to be a balance between the two," he said in an interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

From June onwards, the government had started lifting the restrictions in a phase-wise manner under its 'Mission Begin Again' initiative.

Maharashtra on Saturday registered 9,251 new COVID-19 cases, taking the cumulative count in the state to 3,66,368 while fatalities mounted by 257, including 116 in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), to 13,389, the state health department said.

Record 4.2 lakh samples tested in a day, says health ministry

With 4,20,898 samples tested in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said in a separate statement, the Tests Per Million (TPM) has increased to 11,485 and continues to maintain an upward trend.

Till Friday, a total of 1,58,49,068 tests for COVID-19 had been done in the country with 3.50 lakh tests being conducted every day over the last one week, the ministry said.

With increased testing of samples for COVID-19, the fatality rate has significantly dropped to 2.35 percent on Saturday and the recovery rate has surged to 63.54 percent, it said.

With inputs from agencies
The weekly $600 unemployment benefit is days away from expiring which comes amid the end of a federal eviction moratorium. The events threaten 24 million Americans who have been heavily relying on the financial support to pay their rent. A survey by the US Census Bureau revealed these citizens are unable to pay next month's rent.

Racial disparities

According to USA Today, the majority of those in danger are from Black or Hispanic households. The two groups have received the severe impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite Congress discussing proposals for a new stimulus package, several experts are concerned that the opportunity to extend the unemployment benefits and eviction extensions have nearly run out.

The Vice President of Housing Finance Policy at the Urban Institute, Alanna McCargo, said the country was about to fall off a cliff as it sees a sharp spike of evictions in the coming month with people not having the finances they need.

The survey by the US Census Bureau showed that in July, approximately 28 percent of Black people there were unable to pay last month's rent and it showed that nearly 46 percent were unsure if they had enough to pay for next month's rent.

A similar trend could be seen with Hispanics as 22 percent of which did not pay rent last month and nearly 46 percent were afraid of not paying for next month.

Experts state that the stark differences put into perspective the affordable housing crisis that has widened since the Great Recession. Individuals who have already been using up 30 to 50 percent of their income on housing costs are being pushed to the edge.

The president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition revealed the United States's housing system had severe racial disparities causing people of color to be more at risk of being evicted.

Also Read: US Presidential War: White House Denies Biden's Allegation of Racist Trump

Personal protection

The director of marketing and education of the American Apartment Owners Association, Alexandra Alvarado, said that landlords should not expect renters to be able to come up with the payments on one day, as reported by CNBC.

Alvarado has advised landlords that they could use a lease guarantee to protect themselves from individuals who were planning on not paying their rents or for damages.

The director noted it was a security deposit alternative which would allow individuals to avoid paying the entirety of the security deposit. It also protects the landlords from thousands of dollars if an incident happens along the way.

A professor of law teaching at Wake Forest University, Emily Benfer, stated that rent itself has continuing effects across the entire community. If rent is not paid, it leads to mortgage not being paid, which goes on to losing payment on taxes, and much more.

The non-payment of one rent could cause the entire community to suffer financially, including school systems and community services provided to residents.

The House of Representatives recently passed the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020. It would provide nearly $100 billion in direct rental assistance which was not included in the previous CARES Act that aimed to provide financial support to millions of Americans.

Related Article: Missouri Gov. Says Kids Will 'Get Over' COVID-19, Insists In-Person Classes Despite Risks

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Being heavily pregnant in her third trimester nor being in her post-pregnancy confinement did not stop Claudia Tan Yanhua, a nurse from the National University Hospital (NUH), from responding to the call of duty.

On two separate occasions, the 31-year-old nurse went above and beyond to render assistance to two cardiac arrest cases even though she was off duty. It was said to be part of being a community first responder, which Tan had signed up for.

Tans display of selflessness was highlighted in a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Facebook post on Thursday (23 Jul).

Heavily Pregnant During First Incident

According to SCDF, Tan was getting ready for work in September 2019 when she was alerted of a cardiac arrest case in a condominium unit just two floors below her home, through the myResponder app on her phone.

Despite being heavily pregnant in her third trimester, Tan dashed over to render aid to her neighbour.

The cardiac arrest case was a 60-year-old man, whom Tan saw lying motionless on the floor when she arrived at the unit. She immediately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him after assessing that he had no pulse and was no longer breathing.

SCDF resources arrived shortly after and rendered further medical assistance before conveying him to a hospital. Thankfully, the man survived, SCDF wrote.

Second Incident Saw Cardiac Arrest Case in Same Unit

Three months later in December, Tan received a myResponder alert of another cardiac arrest case while at home during her post-pregnancy confinement.

Incredibly, it was for a cardiac arrest case in the exact same unit two floors below, wrote SCDF, who did not state how the two victims were related.

The second cardiac arrest case involved a 60-year-old woman, according to The New Paper (TNP). Tan again, rushed off to the unit without hesitation.

When the alert sounded, my instincts took over What overrode everything was the urgency I felt to reach the person in need as quickly as I could, the mother of two said in an interview with TNP.

Story continues

The elderly woman was reportedly lying motionless when Tan arrived. She neither had a pulse nor was breathing, leading Tan to perform CPR on her immediately. Tan also assisted with administering intravenous lines on the patient after the paramedics arrived.

Unfortunately, the patient did not survive, SCDF wrote.

Both the 60-year-old man and 60-year-old woman were brought from the Lake Life condominium at Tao Ching Road in Jurong West to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital following the medical emergency. The elderly woman, however, passed away in the same hospital.

Praised for quick-thinking and selfless acts

For her quick-thinking and selfless acts, (Tan) received SCDFs Community Lifesaver Award (CLA) and Community First Responder Award (CFRA), SCDF said.

On why Tan decided to sign up as a community first responder, she said to TNP: I thought I could put my skills as an emergency nurse to good use.

A Facebook user commented on the selfless act that Tan displayed while pregnant. Image source: Facebook screengrab

The mother of two, however, said that she did not think that coming forward to render assistance while pregnant was remarkable. To her, it was simply an extension of her job as a nurse.

She hopes that the sharing of her experience could encourage more people to learn essential lifesaving skills and to sign up on the myResponder app.

Image source: Facebook/SCDF

Many netizens have flocked to SCDFs post to congratulate Tan on receiving the awards and recognition. She also received many praises for her public-spirited mindset.

Image source: Facebook screengrab

The mum is also seen as an inspiration for fellow nurses and even a good role model for the younger generation.

Image source: Facebook screengrab

Image source: Facebook screengrab

You can view SCDFs full post here:

Lead image source from Facebook/SCDF and Bright Sparks.

ALSO READ:

For Mothers Working In The Frontlines, Its A Lot Like A Double Duty

Lee Tengs Wife Returns to Taiwan to Give Birth, Wore a Protective Suit for Her Flight

The post Heavily Pregnant NUH Nurse Does CPR to Save Neighbours From Cardiac Arrest appeared first on theAsianparent - Your Guide to Pregnancy, Baby & Raising Kids.
Actor Sameera Reddy has shared a short spoof video of the recent Netflix reality series, Indian Matchmaking. In the video, Sameera puts down her criteria for an ideal mother-in-law, while footage of Indian Matchmaking host Sima Taparia is inserted for reaction shots.

Asli life partner toh Mother in law hoti hai this is how I found my Sassy Saasu! The perfect match, she wrote in the caption. Sameeras video shows her describing her ideal mother-in-law -- tall, traditional, etc. It ends with a reveal.

Absolutely hilarious! When my parents were looking for a kundli match, I was telling them that instead of girl and boy ki kundli you should match the girl and mom in law ki kundli, one person wrote in the comments. I love your channel, which I discovered accidentally. Your Sassy Saasu reminds me so much of my late, beloved mama (mother in law) friends for life stay blessed, wrote another.

The show has been drawing criticism since its July 16 release, for reinforcing cultural stereotypes about India, celebrating casteism and colourism, and for being a prime example of a phenomenon known as aunty gaze.

Also read: None of the Indian Matchmaking couples stayed together: From Aparna to Vyasar, Sima couldnt find partners for any of them

I have found matches for people when I was on vacation in Zermatt and in Interlaken and even when we were in the Canadian Rockies, I was on duty matching people up. Hell, I have even matched people up while waiting at the luggage carousel at Mumbai airport, she told Conde Nast Traveller in an interview.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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New Redemptorist Missionary Community at Hewadiwela View(s):

The Redemptorist Congregation of priests and brothers in Sri Lanka, celebrated a new missionary presence and outreach on Sunday, July 12, by accepting pastoral responsibility for the parish of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Hewadiwela in the Diocese of Ratnapura.

In the presence of a large gathering of local people, Most Rev Cletus Perera, OSB (Bishop of Ratnapura) was the principal celebrant and preacher at the 8 am mass, during which Frs Rohan Perera, CSsR (Parish Priest) and Amila Pathum, CSsR (Assistant Priest) were formally appointed and installed as the new parish team; assuming their missionary responsibilities on behalf of the Redemptorists.

Fellow Redemptorists, as well as priests of the Diocese gathered to witness this very significant occasion for the Redemptorists.
GOP Calls for Federal Investigation After Trump Supporter Shot Dead in Broad Daylight

The Wisconsin Republican Party is calling for a federal probe into the daylight shooting of a known supporter of GOP President Donald Trump.

Bernell Trammell, 60, was shot dead on Thursday in Milwaukee.

Because of Trammells well known political activism and the possibility that his murder could be politically motivated, I respectfully request that United States Attorney Matthew Krueger open an investigation into this heinous crime, Andrew Hitt, chairman of the party, said in a statement late Friday.

No American should fear for their personal safety because of where they live or their political affiliation, he added.

Reggie Moore, director of Milwaukees Office of Violence Prevention, told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he recently got in the middle of an altercation between Trammell and another man.

The dispute stemmed from a Trump sign Trammell was carrying, Moore said.

It is tragic to learn of the senseless murder of Bernell Trammell, and I offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends. @AndrewHittGOP (1/3)  Wisconsin GOP (@wisgop) July 25, 2020

Hes a black elder who didnt deserve to die the way that he did, Moore said, adding that the manner in which Trammell was shot dead, in front of his home and in front of his shop in broad daylight, is extremely troubling.

Police officers are investigating the shooting, which took place at approximately 12:31 p.m. on the 900 block of East Wright Street.

The circumstances leading up to the shooting are under investigation. Milwaukee Police continues to seek unknown suspects, the Milwaukee Police Department said in a statement, urging anyone with information to come forward.

One man said he interviewed Tremmell just hours before the shooting, wanting to inquire about his support of Trump.

I decided to stop and ask him about what I saw on Facebook and why he was holding the Trump sign? Honestly, I just wanted to hear his side of the story because you know how crazy the internet can get! musician and writer Adebisi Agoro, whose pen name is Armstrong Ransome, wrote on his website.

Tremell told Agoro that he supported Trump because he hired Omarosa and sat down with Kanye West and had real conversation.

The writer said it appeared some of Tremells final words were uttered during the interview.

Unfortunately before I could get both the videos uploaded and the post completed, Ras Bernell Tremmell died from gunshot wounds inflicted earlier this afternoon. He was murdered right outside of his shop where we were just speaking. His home, Agoro wrote.

He took his time to think about what he was going to say and I let it him have the floor. He was adamant, poised, and well-articulated.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has commiserated with the President and people of Ivory Coast on the sudden death of Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly.



Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, on Wednesday called on President Alassane Ouattara of the Ivory Coast to commiserate with him on behalf the President.



Madam Botchwey said President Akufo-Addo, the Government and people of Ghana received with great sadness, the news of the sudden demise of Mr Amadou Gon Coulibaly, Prime Minister and Head of Government of the Ivory Coast, on 8th July, 2020.



"Even though your brother and friend, President Akufo-Addo, has extended condolences to you, he has sent us to come personally and commiserate with you, the Government and people of Cote dIvoire, especially the bereaved family, on the demise of Mr Coulibaly," she said.



"President Akufo-Addo believes that this is the way we should continue to do things as Africans," she said.



She noted that in the particular case of the Ivory Coast, President Akufo-Addo believed that their visit was the proper thing to do, given the close blood ties and friendship that bound their two countries and the special relations both of them shared.



Madam Botchwey said the late Prime Minister was a true son of the Ivory Coast and the West Africa sub region.



"As your close associate for decades, he stood by you in your efforts to build a strong and prosperous the Ivory Coast.



"We will all remember him for his distinguished public service and great patriotism. Our prayer is that God will comfort you and grant you strength and courage in this moment of grief," she said.



Madam Botchwey, also on behalf of President Akufo-Addo, conveyed condolences on the death of former Prime Minister Seydou Diarra, which occurred on Sunday, 19th July.



She said like Prime Minister Coulibaly, Mr Diarra also served his country with distinction.



Madam Botchwey was accompanied by Mr Dominic Nitiwul, the Minister of Defence; Dr Mustafa Hamid, Zongo and Inner City Development Minister; Mr Michael Ofori-Atta, Director - Regional Integration, Office of the President and Senior officers of the Ghana Foreign Ministry.

Source: GNA









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India will handover 10 broad-gauge diesel locomotives to Bangladesh on Monday, providing the neighbouring country mobility solutions for both intra-country and inter-country movement, the Railways said. Senior dignitaries from both the countries are expected to flag off the handover, which will be conducted via video conferencing, according to the statement.

The dignitaries include foreign ministers, railways ministers and high commissioners of both the countries, Railway Board chairman and others officials at the local stations on both sides of the border, it said. The physical location of the handover will be the Gede station of the Eastern Railway in West Bengal's Nadia district and the receiving station of Darshana on the Bangladesh side.

Bangladesh had sent a proposal to India in April last year for procurement of these locos, with 72 per cent of its present ones already crossing their economic life. The 3300 HP WDM3D locos being given to Bangladesh have a residual life of 28 years or more and are designed for a speed of 120 kmph. They are suitable for hauling freight as well as passenger trains and have a microprocessor-based control system.

"It will help in movement within Bangladesh as well as inter country movement," the statement said. "The Railways has modified the locos to suit the maximum height restrictions in BR (Bangladesh Railway)," it said. "We are keen to partner with BR for supply and maintenance of all types of rolling stock"

These locos would provide improved train operations within the BR and also for interchange with the Indian Railways, and strengthen the partnership between both the transporters, according to the statement. According to reports from Bangladesh, the BR had till May last year 178 metre-gauge (MG) locomotives, out of which 139 have crossed their 20-year economic life. Of its 90 BG locomotives, 55 have completed their economic life.

Also read: India restricts Chinese bidders from public procurement projects
A snap poll of Belfast Telegraph readers shows a massive majority in favour of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's ambitious plan to bridge the Irish Sea

A snap poll of Belfast Telegraph readers shows a massive majority in favour of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's ambitious plan to bridge the Irish Sea, linking Northern Ireland to the UK mainland for the first time since the end of the last Ice Age.

Visiting Scotland this week, Mr Johnson boosted the idea, saying the project would help bring the UK together.

"One of the things we've failed to think about is how those transport links work together for the benefit of our entire UK," he added.

In our Facebook poll - which is still open - a whopping 68% of people voting thought the link was a good idea, with just 32% giving the idea the thumbs down.

As we went to press last night, almost 7,000 of our online readers had cast their votes in our unscientific poll, with hundreds leaving comments for and against the Boris bridge.

One, Stephen Bleue, wrote: "I think it would be great to have a road bridge even with a toll as the ferry is very expensive. I know people pour cold water on the idea, but mainland Britain is linked to Europe by a tunnel and look at the benefits that this had provided. We could literally drive from Northern Ireland right across Europe if we had a bridge to Scotland and it would link the whole of the UK - which has to be beneficial."

Belfast-based Stephen Wray agreed: "What is negative about this? Yes, in my opinion it's something unique, different and costs money.

"Isambard Kingdom Brunel's feats spring to mind."

David Alexander also gave the bridge the thumbs-up.

"Yes... would bring economic benefit and convenience to the whole of the British Isles. Not sure if a bridge or tunnel would be best."

But not everyone was convinced spanning the Irish Sea was worthwhile.

Bryan Hayward reckoned: "It'd only be open for maybe a few months total, a year tops, the rest of the time it'd be swinging like a skipping rope.

"Total waste of money."
The school attended by President Donald Trumps son will not fully reopen in September out of concern over the coronavirus pandemic despite the presidents insistence that students across the country be brought back to classrooms in the fall.

St. Andrews Episcopal School, a private school in Washingtons Maryland suburbs, said in a letter to parents that it was still deciding whether to adopt a hybrid model for the fall that would allow limited in-person education or to resume holding all classes completely online as was done in the spring. The school will decide early next month which option to follow.

We are hopeful that public health conditions will support our implementation of the hybrid model in the fall, said the letter signed by Robert Kosasky, the head of school, and David Brown, the assistant head. As we prepare to make a decision the week of Aug. 10 about how to best begin the school year, they added, we will continue to follow guidance of appropriate health officials and refine both our hybrid and distance learning plans.

If the school does opt for the hybrid model, students in seventh through 12th grades would rotate between on-campus and distance learning, with half of the students learning remotely each week. Barron Trump, 14, the youngest of the presidents five children, has spent the last three years at St. Andrews.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that schools fully open and has threatened to withhold federal money from districts that do not, but states, localities and private schools increasingly are defying him.

Teachers union leaders said the St. Andrews situation should bring home to Trump how complicated reopening is for schools trying to balance the educational needs of their children and the health concerns of the staff, students and community.

The president now has to face what every other parent in America and every other teacher in America is grappling with right now, which is: In the midst of a pandemic, how do schools keep their kids and their faculty safe? Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in an interview. Its about safety, not bluster. Its about a plan and resources, not threats.

Weingarten said Trumps confrontational approach had made it harder to find practical solutions to a problem everyone wants fixed. Hopefully, Donald Trump will have a scintilla of empathy and consideration for what Americans are going through now that he is experiencing it himself, she said.

The Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nations Capital, where Ivanka Trump, the presidents oldest daughter, and her husband, Jared Kushner, send their children, has not decided whether or how to reopen in the fall.

At a coronavirus briefing Wednesday, President Trump expressed no qualms about Barron or his school-age grandchildren returning to class. I am comfortable with that, he said.

The White House had no comment Thursday on the decision by St. Andrews, but at a briefing later in the day, Trump seemed more flexible in demanding reopenings, acknowledging the need to take safety measures more than he has in the past.

In areas with surging infections, he said, reading from a script, districts may need to delay reopening for a few weeks.

Thats possible, he said. Thatll be up to governors. The decisions should be made based on the data and the facts on the ground.

But he emphasized the need to reopen quickly. We cannot indefinitely stop 50 million American children from going to school, harming their mental, physical and emotional development, he said. Reopening our schools is also critical to ensuring that parents can go to work and provide for their families.

Peter Baker c.2020 The New York Times Company
New Delhi, July 25 : With just days ahead of the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370, which the BJP has planned to celebrate across India with much fan fare, its national president J.P. Nadda on Saturday held a video conference with the office bearers of Jammu and Kashmir party unit, where the matter continues to be sensitive for many residents, particularly in the Valley.

The meeting was attended by senior leaders such as Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, J&K BJP Chief Ravinder Raina apart from office bearers like Dr Darakhshan Andrabi, Rafiq Wani, Sofi Yousuf among others.

The BJP has decided that to mark August 5, when it will be one year of abrogation of contentious Articles 370 and 35A, one national leader each will be present in Jammu, Srinagar and Ladakh on that day. They will take part in an event in the three cities of the erstwhile state of J&K, which will be replicated in the two union territories down to the mandal level.

Meanwhile, like other states, BJP leadership in J&K too have been asked to connect with at least 50 social workers in every district of India and articulate the initiatives and government projects sanctioned for the twin UTs -- Ladakh and J&K. Booklets for that purpose are also being published which will be handed over to them.

Sources say, Nadda also paid homage to party workers who were killed in the recent past for their association with the saffron party in the Valley. Recently, a young BJP leader from Bandipora Waseem Bari was assassinated along with his brother and father.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Overnight reports from Jacksonville police:

 Police are investigating a report of someone being stabbed about 12:50 a.m. Saturday in the 300 block of West Court Street. The reported victim suffered two puncture wounds to the arm, but declined medical treatment, according to a police report.

 Brent L. Baker, 32, of 342 W. State St. was arrested at 4:08 a.m. Saturday on charges of battery and criminal damage to property. He is accused of slashing a tire and shoving the car owner, according to a police report.

 One person reported being assaulted about 10:22 p.m. Friday during an argument about a race at Jacksonville Speedway at 110 N. Westgate Ave., but the person accused of hitting him left before police arrived.

 Sheriffs deputies cited several people at 11:22 p.m. Friday after reports of people yelling and speeding through the parking lot of Midland Farm and Home Supply at 1205 W. Morton Ave.

 The rear window was shattered on a car parked in the 900 block of West State Street about 8:19 p.m Friday. Damage was estimated at $375.

 Dimaggio R. Trotter, 19, of 336 E. Douglas Ave. was arrested at 12:43 a.m. Saturday on a charge of resisting or obstructing a peace officer. He was accused of ignoring repeated commands from officers who were investigating a disturbance in the 1000 block of North Fayette Street, according to a police report.

 Marco Cartolano
FILE PHOTO: Logo of Swiss pharmaceutical group Lonza is seen in Basel

By John Miller

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Lonza <LONN.S> sees no delays for its project to make Moderna's <MRNA.O> COVID-19 vaccine candidate and has "strong support" from U.S. President Donald Trump to get the necessary manufacturing equipment, its chairman said.

Chairman Albert Baehny had earlier raised concerns that hiring qualified staff and finding gear like bioreactors on short notice could snarl aggressive goals to begin commercial manufacturing of vaccine ingredients for Moderna.

Lonza is readying production of smaller batches this month for Moderna's mRNA vaccine trials in 30,000 people.

Baehny told reporters he remains confident he will find workers and the equipment he needs to complete commercial manufacturing facilities this year in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and early next year in Visp, Switzerland.

"We are doing very well having access to the people, we can build up the teams in Portsmouth and in Visp to manufacture in the future these drug substances," he said.

"There are basically no major issues in equipment, it's a bit more complicated than the people, but I don't think we'll be facing delays because of delays in equipment delivery, as we see it today," he said. "We have strong support from the Trump administration to have access to the equipment, as well."

Baehny made the comments as Lonza reported a rise in first-half sales and profit and unveiled plans to begin selling its speciality ingredients unit in the second half of 2020.

Lonza is exiting chemicals to focus on its faster-growing drugs business that has a 10-year deal with Moderna to make ingredients for its drugs, including the vaccine candidate.

First-half profit rose 22% to 478 million Swiss francs (406.08 million pounds) on increasing demand from biotech customers. Sales rose 3.3% to 3.1 billion francs, matching consensus estimates.

(Reporting by John Miller; Editing by John Revill, Stephen Coates and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Now all government-run primary and upper primary schools of Uttar Pradesh will have a 40-minute remedial class in the first period in which efforts would be made to strengthen the basic concepts and clear students doubts.

The move will help 12.8 million (1.28 crore) students enrolled in over 1.08 lakh primary and around 50,000 upper primary schools spread across 75 districts of the state, informed officials.

This step is in stark contrast to the earlier plan to hold separate classes for weak students which had now been dropped for being against the concept of inclusive education that these institutions were aimed at providing to the students, shared state education department officials.

The move to have regular remedial classes in these schools is in line with chief minister Yogi Adityanaths launching of Mission Prerna in Lucknow on September 5, 2019, aimed at strengthening the basic knowledge and foundational learning skills of students enrolled in classes 1 to 8 in government-run schools across UP, they said.

Aptitude tests of students enrolled in these schools were conducted in February 2020 which showed that a large number of students lacked basic knowledge.

This finally led to the decision to host remedial classes everyday in these schools and also kick-started a mega exercise to train around 5.50lakh assistant teachers, shikshamitras and part-time subject instructors working in these schools through an online training course between July 20 and August 14, said officials.

This training mission is being overseen by State Project Office of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan at Lucknow and Prayagraj-based State Institute of Educational Management and Training (SIEMAT), Uttar Pradesh.

SIEMAT director Sanjay Sinha said that when these trained teachers would return to the classrooms once the schools reopened, their foremost mission would be to ensure a set parameter of minimum learning achievement from the students.

For this, the 40-minute remedial classes have been planned as the first period when the students are fresh and eager to grasp new concepts and clear their doubts, he explained.

Sinha said that for this already SIEMAT had trained 4,000 trainers online between July 6 and 17, 2020.

Now these academic resource persons (ARPs) are giving training in their respective districts to select teachers to develop them as Key Resource persons (KRPs) and form state resource group (SRG) using the study material developed by SIEMAT.

Once schools reopen, we hope that these remedial classes would help students attain a certain level of knowledge and ability as per their age and class, he explained.

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16-year-old Praveens magical doorway into fiction writing By Yomal Senerath-Yapa View(s): View(s):

What the Gratiaen judges had to say .its ambitious and colourful presentation of new fantastical worlds through the character of a child, its imaginative plot buildup, and its attempt to present to young readers complex ideas through metaphor and imagery. Sea pirates in Viking ships with high technology, castles with dungeons where English butlers run boy monarchs with sangfroid, spinach monsters who sprout out of your baby sisters imagination, and of course an inter dimensional travel machine. These are some of the things Praveen Jayamanna has been living with.

The cross dimensional adventure Praveen wrote at 15- The Double Doorway- made the student of Colombo International School probably the youngest writer to be shortlisted for the Gratiaen Prize  the prestigious award for creative writing in English.

Praveen, now 16, is grateful to his family- his lecturer/entrepreneur father Dr. Prasantha Jayamanna, mother Nalika and 14-year-old sister Prabhashi, also his teachers at the Colombo International School (CIS) who urged him to write a book. It was at school- in the whirlwind of the Model UN, the literature society and sports- that he met some of the people who metamorphose into the zany cohort in The Double Doorway.

The tale is set in an indeterminate place geographically (though you really wont be thought paranoid if you locate it in suburban America). Jack is a 12-year-old who moves house with a single mother and a toddler sister- where a fresh adventure awaits in the form of a travel machine.

Praveen shows himself adept at hewing out his characters. Jack Carbuncle as narrator-protagonist has a somewhat goofy but winning way with him, and the mad scientist with DID who invents the machine is- in both his identities- quite the peppy villain. Together with two-year-old Mell they accidentally set off- to be caught between Blue Beard and Red Beard the pirates, manacled in royal dungeons and attacked by walking trees.

It is a very fast paced adventure on clean though inspired lines- for Praveen began writing with the basic framework clear in his mind. That he was building on an alien world- clearly spurred by American childrens fantasies- has robbed some immediacy and made things seem a bit generic but the imagination in the plot makes up for this.

This childrens novel is not all adrenaline-pumping world-hopping- there is a philosophical feel where all the worlds visited by the children are worlds fished from their own imaginations at the end. There is a lot to be read between the lines and Praveen, wittingly or not, has left an alternative, less-magical-than-metaphorical reading into the adventure that shimmers faintly on the surface like shot silver. The end- to leave no spoilers- is simply quite startling.

One can understand how the book could have made its way to a galaxy that has come to define what Sri Lankan writing in English should aspire to or, indeed, surpass.
The Winnipeg Police Service's 2019 annual report details the bloodiest year in the citys history with a spate of brutal murders that rocked the community and a rash of liquor thefts driving a significant spike in property crimes.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/7/2020 (544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Police Service's 2019 annual report details the bloodiest year in the citys history with a spate of brutal murders that rocked the community and a rash of liquor thefts driving a significant spike in property crimes.

"It has been a remarkable year for our community in terms of crime and crime statistics. The level of brazen crime we experienced is alarming. Violent crime and property crime are well above our five-year averages, and our five-year averages are well above the Canadian average," WPS chief Danny Smyth told reporters Friday following the report's release.

There were 44 slayings in Winnipeg in 2019, which doubled the previous years total (22) and marked an 81 per cent increase over the citys five-year average.

Of the 44 cases  89 per cent of which led to arrestsan abnormally high number of them involved children as both victims and suspects.

Smyth pointed to the killings of Jaime Adao, 17, on March 3, Jakira Moore, 14, on Oct. 26, and Hunter Straight-Smith, 3, on Oct. 30 as "heartbreaking and unforgettable homicides" that shocked Winnipeggers.

Eight youth were also charged in connection with homicides in 2019, which marked a 166 per cent increase over the previous year and a 135 per cent jump over the five-year average.

"We dont have a lot of homicides that involve children. This was a remarkable year in that not only did we have victims, we had suspects who were children as well. We dont see that often. Lets hope thats not a common thing," Smyth said.

Fridays press conference came at a time when calls to defund police departments have been picking up steam across the continent in the wake of the death of George Floyd, 46, at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25.

Smyth said he believes the community needs good policing now given the current crime trends, but that as things stabilize down the road, he remains open to reallocating some police funding to social services.

There was also a significant spike in firearm offences last year  both over the previous year (38 per cent) and the five-year average (92 per cent). The same held true for youth charged with firearm offences  a 116 per cent increase over 2018 and an 85 per cent increase over the five-year average.

In total, 76 adults and 13 youth were charged with firearm offences last year.

"Weve become aware now that weve got firearms that have been smuggled in from the States. Weve got firearms that have been stolen from break-ins. Weve encountered firearms that have basically been manufactured like ghost guns," Smyth said.

"Weve experienced a little bit of all of that. Were still fortunate that we dont experience the kind of shootings seen in the United States, but they have risen I dont think a week goes by where we dont arrest somebody thats in possession of a firearm."

MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth goes over the 2019 Annual Statistics Report during a press event Friday morning.

Drug crimes (564 total) fell by 18 per cent from the previous year and 42 per cent from the five-year average. In part, the drop can be explained by the legalization of marijuana, police said.

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Smyth said he supports the decriminalization of petty drug possession more broadly, since he considers it an issue that needs to be dealt with through the lens of public health, not policing.

"Our goal is to go after the major traffickers and suppliers Youre going to see that possession charges have consistently dropped, and theyve dropped again this year, because thats not a good use of our resources," Smyth said.

"If youve ever heard me speak about drugs in this city, I always preface it as a health issue People who are caught up in addictions, we dont want to criminalize that. We dont want to send them into the justice system."

Violent crime on the whole saw a four per cent increase in 2019 over the previous year, and a 17 per cent increase over the five-year average. Property crimes rose 14 per cent (year-over-year) and 47 per cent (over the five-year average).

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @rk_thorpe
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

By Nargiz Ismayilova  Trend:

The retail trade turnover of gasoline and diesel fuel in Azerbaijan totaled 988.1 million manat ($581.2 million) from January through June 2020, Trend reports citing a report of the State Statistical Committee.

In the first half of 2020, the retail turnover of motor gasoline and diesel fuel declined by 0.2 percent compared to the figure of the same period of 2019, which was 990 million manat ($582.3 million).

The share of motor gasoline sales and diesel fuel in the total retail trade turnover reached 5.5 percent.

In 1H2020, the production of oil products in Azerbaijan totaled over 1.5 billion manat ($0.8 billion), which is 0.8 percent more compared to the same period last year.

From January through May, 611,500 tons of motor gasoline and 1.1 million tons of diesel fuel were produced in the country.

(1 USD = 1.7 AZN on July 25)
226 Vietnamese workers to be repatriated from Uzbekistan

Around 226 Vietnamese workers stranded in Uzbekistan due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be repatriated soon, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.









Vietnamese people check in for a repatriation flight at the airport in Moscow on May 12.



The ministry on July 24 worked with concerned ministries, agencies and the company that sent Vietnamese workers to Uzbekistan on the workers' call for help to return home.



The 226 workers who are working for China Petroleum Jili Chemical Engineering and Construction Co.,Ltd (JCC) in Karshi city, Uzbekistan, recently sent a letter to the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia to seek for help.



In the letter, the workers said they were facing difficulties in daily life, at work, and in Covid-19 prevention and control, therefore they called for help from the embassy to return to Vietnam soon.



"After hearing about the situation, the Consular Department under the Foreign Ministry coordinated with the embassy and the company that sent the workers to Uzbekistan to clarify the case," the ministry said.



The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam has co-ordinated with airlines to conduct more than 60 flights repatriating nearly 16,000 Vietnamese citizens from almost 50 countries and territories due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam in an interview on July 22 with the Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper.



Thang said that from now to the end of August, the aviation sector will continue working with diplomatic and military agencies to conduct 50 more flights to bring some 13,000 Vietnamese citizens home.



"The demand is huge while the capacity of the aviation sector and quarantine centres is limited," he said. "Agencies have to give priority to children under 18, the elderly, pregnant women, people with health problems, workers with expired labour contracts and no accommodation, students without residence due to dormitory disclosure and others in especially difficult circumstances."
New York Citys transit system is on the verge of financial collapse. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials outlined the historic scale of the crisis Wednesday in their July board meeting, noting the present outlook is far worse than during the citys near bankruptcy in the 1970s, the shocks after September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the 2008 financial crash and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

With revenues from fares and subsidies at a fraction of their pre-pandemic levels, the agency is hemorrhaging $200 million per week. The emergency bailout of $4 billion for the MTA included in the CARES Act in March will be exhausted in just a weeks time. Officials have requested an additional $3.9 billion from the federal government to cover expenses this year. Even if passed, the requested funding will do little to plug the long-term shortfall, projected at $16 billion through 2024.

As dire as the outlook is, it may worsen further if the economic reopening leads to a new outbreak of the pandemic in New York, according to the agencys financial consultants.

MTA chief financial officer Robert Foran made clear that solvency will not be achieved with reductions to non-labor costs alone. While the details of the forthcoming cuts are held under wraps, officials are preparing a far-reaching attack on the agencys workforce, whose wages and benefits account for 60 percent of the $17 billion operating budget.

Forans presentation Wednesday identified several general areas for cost savings, including service reductions, sharp fare and toll increases, delay in pension contributions, wage freezes and layoffs. These cuts will come on top of an already far advanced assault on jobs, which has yielded more than 3,000 job losses in the past year alone. Transit workers were also forced to make significant concessions on wages, health care, overtime and other benefits in the latest sellout contract pushed through by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) that became effective earlier this year.

As they forced transit workers to stay on the job as the deadly disease spread throughout the city--costing the lives of more than 140 New York City transit workers--Cuomo, de Blasio and the news media hypocritically praised transit workers as "heroes." Now they are rewarding transit workers by condemning them to poverty.

Wealthy bondholders, on the other hand, have the seen the full mobilization of the federal treasury to ensure their fortunes remain unscathed. While the MTA is forced to go cap in hand to Washington to lobby for enough money to maintain five months of service, trillions of dollars have already been handed over to Wall Street and unlimited sums pledged to buy up bad debt and ensure even junk bond holders are insulated from any effects of the pandemic.

The transit authoritys reliance on these parasitic bondholders is poised to balloon. The New York state legislature passed a bill this summer authorizing the MTA to borrow up to $10 billion to meet operating expenses through 2022. The agency has already acted on this new authorization, securing more than $1.3 billion in May to cover debt coming due. The yield that will be paid to bondholders was set at 5.25 percent, a huge increase from the 2 percent rate for equivalent bonds as recently as March.

The state also upped the MTAs borrowing limit for capital expenditures to $90 billion, more than doubling the debt that can be accrued to modernize a system at grave risk of again falling into widespread disrepair.

Currently 17 percent of the MTAs budget goes towards servicing this debt, a figure that is expected to rise to at least 20 percent in the immediate future.

The expansion of bond debt will allow the major finance houses to tighten their grip on New Yorks transit network and use the pandemic to push through a long-planned restructuring of labor conditions and service. Given the scale of the MTAs crisis, selling off portions of the transit system to private operatorsa remedy promoted by the World Bank for transit agencies during the pandemicis no longer a far-fetched proposal.

This process of privatization is in fact already far advanced in many parts of the country. Washington, D.C. and Boston are two of the larger systems in the US at various stages of handing over operations to for-profit companies. Last year in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, bus drivers on routes operated by the multi-national TransDev went on strike protesting low pay and dangerous working conditions. The striking drivers earn roughly half the salary and benefits of those operated by the public agency. In Boston, the transit agency proposed privatizing dozens of bus routes earlier this year.

Neither Democratic politicians like Cuomo nor Republican leaders in Congress and the White House have any other answer to the fiscal crisis faced by transit outside of attacks on workers and the millions of residents that depend on subway, bus and rail service for mobility. They reject out of hand that funding for vital services come from the wealth hoarded by the major financial institutions and billionaire owners of capital, many of whom have seen their fortunes soar over the past three months.

Transit workers must prepare for the coming struggles by mobilizing on the basis of their class interests. In the home of Wall Street and the largest concentration of billionaires on the planet, the claim that there is no money to provide livable wages and maintain transit service is doubly absurd. The issue is not whether the resources exist, but rather which class controls them.

The Transport Workers Union will do nothing to defend jobs, living standards and working conditions. The TWU has been long been integrated into the structure of corporate management and in the last contract negotiated incentives for the union bureaucracy if it met cost-cutting targets. Throughout the pandemic it has done everything to work with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Cuomo to prevent any independent action by transit workers to protect their lives against the deadly pandemic.

That is why transit workers must form rank-and-file committees, independent of the TWU and the Democratic Party, to prepare a common fight against austerity and layoffs with the citys 300,000-strong municipal employee workforce. Last month, de Blasio warned that as many as 20,000 municipal employees could lose their jobs. Rank-and-file committees of transit workers should also unite with the citys 75,000 teachers who are opposing the murderous reopening of the schools this fall. We urge workers to contact the Socialist Equality Party to advance this struggle.
Another 61 people were today confirmed to have died of Covid-19 in the UK, as Scotland confirmed zero deaths for the ninth day in a row.

NHS England revealed that 25 of today's victims died in its hospitals, with Scotland recording zero fatalities. It takes the UK's total number of victims to 45,738.

There were 767 positive tests for the coronavirus across the UK today, while Scotland recorded 27 positive tests.

This is lower than the 827 positive tests recorded in the UK last Saturday but the 61 deaths is an increase of 21 on last week.

Today also marked the ninth day in a row that no deaths have been recorded in Scotland, with experts now predicting the country will be the first in the UK to be virus-free by the end of summer.

Patients who dies in hospitals were aged between 52 and 93 years old and all had known underlying health conditions.

Another eight deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

In total, the government has confirmed 767 more cases of coronavirus across the UK today, bringing the total number of lab-confirmed infections to 298,681.

Scotland has recorded 27 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in a day, according to the latest Scottish Government figures.

A total of 18,547 people have now tested positive for the virus north of the border.

No deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19 have been recorded for nine consecutive days, meaning the toll remains at 2,491.

The percentage of people testing positive remains at 0.7%, the figures indicate, up 0.3% from Friday.

Total deaths in the UK according the Department of Health tally

Case in the UK according the Department of Health tally, which counts confirmed Covid-19 tests

Office for National Statistics data based on population testing estimate that daily infections have risen from 1,700 to 2,800 in the space of seven days. It suggests one in 2,000 people across the country were carrying Covid-19 within the most recent week up to July 19 - a total of 27,700 people or 0.05 per cent of the population

Blackburn has become the new epicentre of Covid-19 in England. There are now 79 cases per 100,000 people in Blackburn, more than Leicester, at 70. Rochdale, Bradford and Kirklees are all at the top of the leaderboard for the highest infection rates across England, and cases do not appear to be slowing

But the R rate for the UK - the average number of people each coronavirus patient infects - has risen to between 0.7 and one or 0.8 and one in all regions of England for the first time since lockdown was lifted. The R needs to stay below one to prevent future outbreaks from spiralling out of control.

It doesn't necessarily mean England is on the brink of another crisis, however, because scientists say when case numbers are as low as they are, the R becomes more volatile and small clusters can skew the rate upwards.

In the Midlands, the North West, and South West, the R is hovering between 0.7 and one, while in London, the East, North East and Yorkshire and South East it is slightly higher, sitting at between 0.8 and one. For the UK as a whole, the R is estimated to still be between 0.7 and 0.9, meaning it hasn't changed in more than two months.

Scientists yesterday said they were 'reassured' to see the R number still squashed below one, but warned it 'is very important to stay vigilant because of the the fact that it is so close' to the point at which it could spiral out of control in England.

Separate SAGE data yesterday revealed the UK's current growth rate  how the number of new cases is changing day-by-day  is between minus four and minus one per cent. The finding provides more confirmation the crisis is still petering out and suggests the reopening of pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and beauty salons on July 4, dubbed 'Super Saturday', has not triggered a resurgence.

But the figures show the UK's outbreak is now shrinking at a slightly slower speed because the growth rate has crept up from last week's rate of minus 5 per cent to minus 1 per cent per day, in a sign that the crisis has stagnated.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics today painted a similar picture, suggesting an extra 1,000 people are catching the disease every day compared to a week ago. Statisticians behind the report say the increase is too marginal to suggest the virus is enjoying a resurgence, but they claim it is proof that cases have levelled off.

Reacting to SAGE's R and growth rate estimates, Dr Yuliya Kyrychko, Reader in Mathematics, University of Sussex, said: 'It is very reassuring to see the R number estimates to be below or equal to one in all regions.

'At the same time, the fact that it is so close to one, and that the growth rates in the East of England and the South West are estimated to be up to +2 per cent suggests that it is very important to stay vigilant and continue with monitoring and efficient tracking of suspected cases to avoid a possibility of overlooking an outbreak.

'Recent examples from the UK and overseas show that once the restrictions are lifted, it may take some time for infections to pick up again, hence, particular care should be taken with interpreting the data, and collecting and analysing it quickly and at a local level.'

Despite seemingly having shut out the virus, London has still suffered the highest Covid-19 death rate of any area in the UK due to how hard it was hit by the disease early on in the crisis. The capital recorded 141.8 Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 people between march and June. The North West has been the second worst-hit area in the UK, recording 108.9 deaths per capita, closely followed by the North East (104.9) and West Midlands (100.2)

The most deprived areas in England had a mortality rate of of 139 Covid deaths per 100,000 people, more than twice as high as in the least deprived areas (63.4)

The most coronavirus deaths happened in April across England and Wales, with London seeing 94.7 deaths per 100,000 people

COVID-19 CASES IN BRITAIN ARE PLATEAUING WITH 2,000 INFECTED EVERY DAY COVID-19 cases in Britain are barely dropping with almost 2,000 people still becoming infected each day, experts say. King's College London's COVID Symptom Tracker app estimates cases have remained stable over July for the UK as a whole, but appear to be 'creeping up' in the north of England. The latest figures were based on the data from 13,451 swab tests done between 5 July to 18 July. Similar to last week, the data suggests that the number of daily new cases in the UK has remained flat. A predicted 1,884 daily new cases of COVID in the UK on average over the two weeks up to 18 July. It's down slightly from the 2,100 estimate given last week, based on swabs taken between June 28 and July 11. But in the last two weeks of June, there were only 1,400 new daily new cases up until July 4  when 'Super Saturday' led to the opening of pubs, restaurants and salons. Experts said last week the fluctuations are too small to say definitively that the outbreak is growing once again. But they are certain cases are not dropping anymore and the epidemic has 'definitely levelled off'. A clear North/South divide is also appearing across England, as cases have remained stable in the South but appear to be rising in the North. The South East is seeing around 210 new infections per day, and the South West just 136. London is experiencing some 256 new cases a day. In the North West and North East and Yorkshire, a predicted 434 and 457 people are catching the virus every day, respectively. That's up from the 321 and 401 estimations from the previous week. Again, the team said the numbers of cases in regions are still so low that any uptick in figures is still not yet statistically significant. The increase in numbers could be in relation to more testing. Official government data also shows the number of people being diagnosed with the disease has surged. This is only people who are tested because they are symptomatic or get a test because they were in contact with a case. The Department of Health revealed yesterday a further 769 cases were confirmed in the 24 hours until July 23 9am. The seven-day-average has increased by more than 10 per cent. Advertisement

Office for National Statistics data based on population testing estimate that daily infections have risen from 1,700 to 2,800 in the space of seven days, to a current total of 22,400 new cases per week.

It suggests one in 2,000 people across the country were carrying Covid-19 within the most recent week up to July 19 - a total of 27,700 people or 0.05 per cent of the population.

This figure has crept up from the estimated 0.04 per cent (24,000) thought to be infected last week and the 0.03 per cent (14,000) the week before.

The ONS has stopped short of saying the crisis is growing because all three estimates are based on complex trend models and fall within a possible range. But statisticians behind the report say the week-on-week rises indicate that the epidemic's decline at least 'levelled off'.

Separate data from Public Health England yesterday revealed that Covid-19 infection rates have risen in 63 areas of the country compared to last week, with Blackburn with Darwen in the North West now the worst affected area.

Health chiefs have upgraded the borough to an 'area of intervention', and it has been banned from easing lockdown restrictions with the rest of England, including the re-opening of leisure facilities set for this weekend, until further notice. Rochdale, Bradford and Kirklees all also have some of the highest infection rates in the country.

The worrying figures come three weeks after the largest lockdown restrictions were lifted on 'Super Saturday' - July 4 - and ahead of a further relaxation tomorrow, when gyms and leisure centres are opened.

Testing data is collected by the ONS from swab tests sent regularly to people's homes to test whether they are infected with the virus at the time. The people are chosen to be representative of the UK population.

ONS data is considered to be some of the most accurate available - this week's update was based on the results of 114,674 swab tests taken over six weeks, of which 45 were positive.

It does not include infections in care homes - but official Government data for diagnosed cases of Covid-19 across all settings shows figures have climbed 10 per cent since last week.

Only very small numbers of people test positive in any given period, which creates a wide range of possible estimates for the ONS to choose from about how many people in the community have the virus.

During the most recent week (12 July to 19 July), ONS estimates that around 2,800 people became newly infected with Covid-19 per day. It could be as low as 1,500 or as high as 5,500 based on their calculations.

The possible range in this week's estimate is between 18,500 to 39,900 people currently infected - up from the 15,000 and 34,000 reported last week. This does not include patients in hospitals or care home residents, who cannot be tested at home.

'Modelling of the incidence rate trend suggests that incidence of new infections decreased since mid-May and has now levelled off,' today's report says.

'When comparing between regions over the past six weeks, the rate of people testing positive for COVID-19 in all regions has levelled off.'

Last week the ONS said it has changed the way it counts data and is following trends over a six-week period rather than a two-week period. As a result, the organisation said its new data shouldn't be compared with its older publications.

However, considering the data collection method has been in place for two weeks, data can be used for 'estimating the number of new cases and change over time in positive cases in England'.

Hywel Dda University Health Board had the lowest age-standardised mortality rate of deaths involving the coronavirus in Wales during March to June 2020

Urban major conurbation had a significantly higher age-standardised mortality rate of deaths involving the coronavirus than any other rural urban classification

The mortality rate involving Covid-19 in the most deprived areas in Wales was nearly twice as high as that in the least deprived areas

Experts said Covid-19 cases in Britain are barely dropping with almost 2,000 people still becoming infected each day. Estimates suggest cases have remained stable over July for the UK as a whole, but appear to be 'creeping up' in the north of England.

Some 1,000 people are catching the coronavirus in the North every day, an increase on the 750 estimated last week. But the rise is too small to say definitively that the outbreak is growing once again but the scientists say they are watching the situation closely.

Data also shows there are an estimated 28,048 people in the population who are currently symptomatic, down slightly from the 26,000 the week before. The figure does not include care homes.

WHICH AREAS HAD THE MOST COVID-19 DEATHS IN JUNE? Greater Manchester (235) South Yorkshire (135) West Yorkshire (130) West Midlands (129) Merseyside (79) Cheshire East (73) County Durham (64) Cheshire West and Chester (51) Doncaster (48) Ashford (47) Advertisement

Meanwhile separate data published on Thursday by Public Health England reveals the 63 local authorities in England where coronavirus cases have risen in the past week.

Blackburn, the new epicentre of the country's outbreak, has seen infections rise by 64 per cent in just one week to 19 July, as local health officials grapple with how to handle the outbreak.

There are now 79 cases per 100,000 people in the Lancashire town, up from 48 last week, which is more than Leicester, at 70, where residents are still abiding by a local shutdown that was imposed on June 30.

Health chiefs at PHE have upgraded Blackburn with Darwen to an 'area of intervention', and the town has been banned from easing lockdown restrictions with the rest of England, including the re-opening of leisure facilities, until further notice.

Rochdale, Bradford and Kirklees are all at the top of the leader board for the highest infection rates across England, and cases do not appear to be slowing.

But it was South Gloucestershire that saw the biggest week-on-week rise in infection rates, jumping 6-fold from 0.35 new cases to two per 100,000 people.

WHICH AREAS HAD THE FEWEST COVID-19 DEATHS IN JUNE? Isles of Scilly (0) North Devon (0) South Hams (0) Torridge (0) West Devon (0) Gloucester (0) Gosport (0) Broxbourne (0) Harborough (0) Melton (0) Advertisement

London boroughs also saw a spike in new cases, leading with Enfield where cases are four times higher than the previous week. Richmond upon Thames and Hackney/City of London have also seen cases triple in one week.

If a location's infection rate increases it does not necessarily mean the cases there are spiralling out of control  it could be down to more testing taking place. It is sometimes difficult to work out why the infection rate is rising in some places than others.

The actual number of coronavirus infections in these areas is still very small and even just a handful of newly diagnosed cases in a week risks skewing the rate upwards.

Meanwhile, an interactive map which highlights coronavirus deaths by postcode in England and Wales reveals people in the North West were dying from coronavirus at more than double the rate of those in London in June.

The map, which uses Office for National Statistics data, shows that one in 20 fatalities in the capital last month were caused by Covid-19, down from a staggering one in two at the height of the crisis in April.

But in the North West, where several Lancashire towns are being kept under review for potential local lockdowns amid rising cases, one in eight deaths were attributed to the virus in June, down from more than one in three at the peak.

The death rates were nine Covid-19 fatalities per 100,000 people in the North West and 3.1 per 100,000 in London.

Despite seemingly having shut out the virus, London has still suffered the highest Covid-19 death rate of any area in the UK due to how hard it was hit by the disease early on in the crisis.

The capital recorded 141.8 Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 people between March and June, which is significantly higher than the 88 deaths per 100,000 average seen across England and Wales.

The North West has been the second worst-hit area in the UK, recording 108.9 deaths per capita, closely followed by the North East (104.9) and West Midlands (100.2).

Nine of the 10 local areas with the highest virus death rates in the UK are London boroughs, with Brent suffering 216.6 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by Newham (201.6) and Haringey (185.1).

Middlesbrough (178 deaths per 100,000), Hertsmere in Hertfordshire (166.7) and Salford, Manchester, (166.2) have suffered the three highest death rates outside of London as the epidemic continues to bombard the north.

But all corners of the country have seen a decline in death rates since May, with fatalities plummeting by four-fifths thanks to the strict lockdown that was enforced on March 24. The greatest decrease in deaths was observed in London, where the mortality rate fell by 96.7 per cent.

A separate report has added further weight to a trend throughout the outbreak showing that death rates in poorer areas are significantly higher than in wealthy postcodes. In the poorest, there have been an average 139 fatalities per 100,000 people, up from 63 per 100,000 in the richest areas.
A Ukrainian dentist who treated patients while she was supposed to self-isolating now faces serious jail time.

Nataliia Nairn, 30, pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to comply with and order of the Emergency Management Act in a Perth court on Friday, according to The West Australian.

Nairn, who is also a powerlifter in her spare time, was supposed to be in self-isolation after flying to Western Australia from the east coast on June 16.

Nataliia Nairn (pictured) pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to comply with and order of the Emergency Management Act in a Perth court on Friday

However, when police officers visited her home in the Perth suburb of Tapping between June 17 and 18 she was not there.

Officers then claim she treated multiple patients between June 21 and June 29 at her Joondalup dental clinic.

Friday was Nairn's second listing in Joondalup Magistrates Court after she failed to appear at her original hearing.

She also declined to seek legal representation which drew a word of warning from magistrate Sandra De Maio.

'I understand you're anxious to get this over and done with but these are significant charges,' Ms De Maio said.

The police prosecutor agreed that the charges were 'significant' breaches and asserted they would be seeking a jail term.

The offences carry a maximum penalty of $50,000 or 12 months in prison.

Ms De Maio suggested Nairn hire a lawyer who could help should she want to apply for a spent conviction.

'You might regret doing things too soon too fast if you find yourself in jail. Now that you know the implications, I think you should put the brakes on to prepare and have some time to get a lawyer,' she said.

She also suggested the dentist gather character references which could help her considering she has no previous convictions.

Nairn was granted bail to return to court on August 7 for sentencing.
Tponet.com scored 41 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

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Australia has rejected China's claim to key parts of the South China Sea, joining the United States in branding the territorial ambitions unlawful at the United Nations.

The move could pave the way for increased naval engagement in the area a week after Australian warships encountered the Chinese navy in disputed territory between Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Vietnamese sailors watch the approach of a Chinese coast guard vessel near the Paracel Islands. Credit:Alamy

In its filing to the United Nations on Saturday, the Australian government said there was "no legal basis" for China to draw straight baselines connecting the outermost points of island groups including the Four Sha archipelagos, lay claim to the Paracel and Spratly Islands or maritime zones generated by low-tides. China often refers to these territories as being inside its nine-dash line.

"Australia rejects any claims to internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf based on such baselines," the statement said.
They might have taken different paths to get there, but Altar and Southwind Tyrion both found their way to the winners circle in a pair of $160,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals at The Meadowlands Friday night.

Altar, a daughter of Muscle Hill-Swan Hot Mama, led at every call in taking the two-year-old filly trot for driver Dave Miller and trainer Per Engblom. After heading to the gate as the 4-5 public choice, Miller urged Altar to the top and never surrendered the lead in a thoroughly dominant performance, hitting the wire 2-3/4 lengths in front of Material Girl in a lifetime-best equalling 1:54.4. Presto finished third.

I actually wanted to get out of there and get on Yannicks [Gingras, driving Presto] back, said Miller. I thought that would be better. She finished real strong.

After hitting the half in a rated :58, Altar accelerated and opened up 2-1/2 lengths on the field at three-quarters and had no anxious moments from there. Not particularly, said Miller when asked if he intentionally sped clear of the field. She was so relaxed, I did chirp to her on the far turn, and she did everything on her own from there.

Altar returned $3.60 to her backers, and now has two wins in three lifetime starts, good for earnings of $92,500 for owners Diamond Creek Racing.

In the two-year-old colt and gelding trot, the Ake Svanstedt trained and driven Southwind Tyrion stayed perfect in two lifetime outings after scoring in a lifetime-best 1:54 coming from off the pace.

The son of Muscle Hill-Taylor Jean was pushed wide into the first turn and took back to mid-pack before emerging from the five-hole approaching the half, flushing cover from Mon Amour, who was looking for a three-race Sire Stakes sweep.

Miller and Heartbreak Hill were sailing along on the lead at three-quarters but brought little from there. After tipping off his cover, Southwind Tyrion exploded home in :27 to record a three-length win over Locatelli, who did well from post 10 as the 2-1 favourite. Spy Booth grabbed the show dough.

Southwind Tyrion, who returned $16.40 as the fifth choice in the wagering, now has earnings of $92,500 for owners S R F Stable and Ake Svanstedt Inc.

A pair of $96,000 NJSS Finals for two-year-old pacers was contested before the betting card, with both winners completing three-race sweeps after taking both of their respective preliminary legs.

First up was Anna Jeans (Great Vintage-Early Go Hanover), who won the filly event in 2:05.2 for driver Jason Thompson and trainer John Urbanski. Fika Time (a Sunfire Blue Chip-Raiders Favorite gelding) stopped the clock in a lifetime-best 1:55.4 in the division for colts and geldings for Tim Tetrick and Chase Vandervort.

There was also a pair of New Jersey Breeders Maturity events for four-year-old pacers, the first of which  for horses and geldings  went to Hurrikane Emperor in 1:50. The son of Hurrikane Kingcole-Hurrikane Schmumma, the fastest horse in the sport this year by virtue of his 1:47 clocking in the Graduate on July 11, was piloted by Mark MacDonald for John McDermott.

A Beach Cowgirl (Somebeachsomewhere-Limestone Cowgirl) established her lifetime best of 1:50 in holding off JK American Beauty by a half-length for Dexter Dunn and Annie Stoebe in the division for mares.

The 2016 Hambletonian champion Marion Marauder won the overnight feature  a high-end conditioned trot  in a lifetime-best 1:50.2.

(With files from The Meadowlands)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been found positive for COVID-19. He has pleaded to every one of his fellow workers he has previously worked with over the past several days to get themselves checked.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan shared on his Twitter handle that he has been tested positive for Coronavirus at 12pm of 25 March. He has appealed to all his co-workers he has worked previously with for the last few days to get themselves tested.

He has quarantined himself on the advise of his doctor. He also reveals that he has been cautious about catching the virus but his work required meeting people that were facing issues.

He advised the public to not panic or cause panic as with right diagnosis and medication, Coronavirus patients can recover fully without any recover without any complications. He also asked the masses to be careful as can make matters fatal at hand.

He has been organizing review meetings for Coronavirus through video conferencing since 25 March and will try to continue even with his Condition as much as he can. However, the meetings will continue with Home minister Narottam Mishra,Urban Development and Administration Minister Bhupendra Singh, Health Education Minister Vishwas Sarang and Health Minister Dr. Prabhu Ram Chaudhary if he is not able to attend.

He asks people to be safe and follow the guidelines of the state. He also promises to fulfill his duties to control the pandemic while quarantined at the same time.

India s Coronavirus cases have gone past 13 lakh on Saturday, 25 July. There are 48, 916 new cases while a total of 31,36,861 patients have died. In the last 24 hours 757 people have died due to the global pandemic in India, according to the data updated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 4,20,898 samples were tested for coronavirus on Friday and overall 1,58,49,068 samples have been tested so far.

For all the latest National News, download NewsX App
Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday hailed Canadas decision not to recognise the result of the Referendum 2020 being organised by the pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

Reacting to a report carried in these columns on Saturday, Amarinder hoped that other countries would also follow Canadas example and reject the secessionist `Referendum 2020, which the SFJ was promoting to divide India on communal lines.

The CM said the categorical stand taken by the Justin Trudeau government on the issue is exemplary and other nations and governments should also come out openly against the SFJ, which has been banned by India as a terrorist organisation and whose founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu has been declared a terrorist for actively promoting Pakistan-backed terror activities on Indian soil.

Amarinder said failure to openly oppose the separatist SFJ could set a dangerous precedent for any country as it could be seen as a case of covert support to an organisation that is freely propagating secessionist activities. It was in the interest of global peace and security to reject forces that are bent on spreading terror, he said, adding that Sikhs in Punjab had categorically rejected SFJs pro-Khalistan movement, which the outfit was spreading at the behest of Pakistans ISI.

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A couple months ago, we introduced the first of seven main principles of our Work Happy Manifesto, a philosophy we created to inspire and equip workers everywhere to better enjoy their professional lives.

This week marks the end of our series!

In case you missed it, heres the full list.

 No. 1: I work happy because I deserve to.

 No. 2: My career does not define me; I define my career.

 No. 3: My networking strategy starts with face-to-face, not email-to-email.

 No. 4: My goals are aggressive, and my work ethic is relentless.

 No. 5: I surround myself with positive people who have pure motives.

 No. 6: I go out of my way to mentor, coach, motivate, grow, advance, mobilize, challenge and inspire others.

 No. 7: I turn down opportunities from companies misaligned with my moral compass.

So, without further ado, lets jump right in.

No. 7: I turn down opportunities from companies misaligned with my moral compass.

In the fictitious fantasy world of equal opportunity and work happiness, every boss and employee complete their tasks with total integrity. Rules are followed. Data is uncorrupted. Intentions are pure.

And then you have corporate America.

According to a recent study by the Opinion Research Corporation, 25% of professionals said that in the past six months they have witnessed a colleague acting unethically (18%), illegally (7%) or in a harassing or discriminatory manner (14%).

Meanwhile, professionals are hungry for job opportunities with above-the-board companies. Ninety-four percent of surveyed workers say it is critical or important that the business they work for is ethical. Eighty-two percent say they would prefer to be paid less but work for a company with ethical business practices than receive higher pay at a company with questionable ethics.

Stand up or stick it out?

When your company puts you in a situation that compromises your ethics, you may feel conflicted. Should you stand up for what you believe is right or acquiesce for the sake of your paycheck?

For anyone who has been in this situation, you know there is no easy answer. Wed all love to believe we would jump atop our soapbox and wax poetic about the unwavering status of our moral compass in the face of unethical business practices.

But the paycheck!

For professionals without a safety net of savings or ample career opportunities, deciding whether or not to bend their ethics for monetary stability can be a real challenge.

Challenge your boss

The tension between reporting and allowing shady behavior in the workplace is fraught with complications but the most valuable employees are ones who will speak up.

LRN Corporation published a report this year titled, Confronting the Root Causes of Misconduct, that found only 46 percent of surveyed employees say their leaders support effective sanctions or penalties on senior executives and high performers who are involved in misconduct. And that only 44 percent of leadership teams seek employee feedback on ethical culture via surveys, focus groups, or diagnostics focused on trust, respect and transparency.

When you are fighting against this preconceived notion of ethically lax leadership, you may find it difficult to raise your voice. But finding the courage to do so is not impossible, rather dependent on your understanding of the situation and confidence in your job status.

Find morally aligned companies

While some of the aforementioned statistics are more gloom than glee, its not hard to find many ethical companies, especially right here in Southern Illinois. Job-seekers should always research their prospective new employers business reputation before accepting a new role.

Heres how:

 Check the BBB: The Better Business Bureau is focused on fostering an ethical marketplace where businesses, employees and customers trust each other. Visit www.BBB.org to find a BBB Accredited Business or see a business BBB rating. To find what you are looking for, you can enter the type of business, business or charity name, keywords, phone number, website address, or email address in the search bar of the BBBs home page.

 Search Glassdoor: Visiting www.Glassdoor.com is a must-do for job-seekers. The organization is one of the worlds largest job and recruiting sites, and is dedicated on increasing workplace transparency. Use their site to find millions of the latest job listings, combined with a growing database of company reviews, CEO approval ratings, salary reports, interview reviews and questions, benefits reviews, office photos and more.

 Ask around: Especially in a smaller job market like Southern Illinois (relative to major metros across the United States), you likely know someone who is connected to your target company. Ask your friends and family for any such connections. Poke around on social media to find out more about the business background and what current and past employees are saying about the organization.

You deserve to work at a company where workers are free to speak up, report misconduct and contribute ideas.

Hold out for these opportunities. They exist.

Joe Szynkowski is a Sr. Director for NuVinAir Global, a Dallas-based company disrupting the automotive industry. Thanks to technology, he does so happily from his home east of Marion. Email Joe@TheUpWriteGroup.com for more guidance on work happiness.

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Of all the relationships in celebrity history, Drake and Rihanna were a pair many hoped would go the distance. They were famous, successful, and seemed to possess the chemistry needed to have a long-lasting relationship. But they could never really get it right, falling into an on-off pattern that followed them for years.

After deciding to end things once and for all in 2016, both appeared to move on to other people. But after that ended, the pair began to make moves that prompted reconciliation rumors. The latest came in mid-July when Drake was seen in Rihannas native Barbados.

(L-R) Drake and Rihanna | Mike Marsland/WireImage; Paras Griffin/Getty Images North America

A timeline of Drake and Rihannas relationship

Drake and Rihanna met in 2005 on the set of her music video, Pon De Replay, according to Billboard. They reportedly went on a date in May 2009 after Rihannas split from Chris Brown, but as romance rumors spread, Rihanna downplayed it to the media.

The pair continued to flirt in the press and in music such as Rihannas 2010 hit Whats My Name? and Drakes 2012 song Take Care. But their relationship appeared to stall in 2012.

Even though they were no longer seeing each other, Drake told Rolling Stone in February 2014, Shes the ultimate fantasy. I mean, I think about it. Like, Man, that would be good. We have fun together, shes cool and sh*t. But were just friends. Thats my dog for life.

A month later, they were seen on a date, but it didnt appear to go anywhere after that. Their romance would kick up again, though, in August 2016 when Drake delivered an emotional tribute to Rihanna before she accepted her MTV Video Vanguard Award. He told her hed love her since he was 22-years-old, leaving Rihanna floored and blushing.

RELATED: Who Has Rihanna Dated?

But by 2017, they were done. Drake went on to have a brief romance with Jennifer Lopez while Rihanna moved on with Saudi billionaire Hassan Jameel.

Drake gave an update on their relationship in December 2019, telling Rap Radar that Rihanna was not a part of his life.

Drake and Rihanna reconnected earlier in 2020, according to reports

After Rihanna split from Jameel in January, she was seen talking to Drake later in the month at an A$AP Rocky concert in New York. Sources told HollywoodLife that they appeared friendly and posed for a video looking cozy.

Two months later, Drake was seen flirting with Rihanna on Instagram and was allegedly caught following her on social media. But as romance speculation grew, the Work artists opted to keep quiet.

RELATED: Drake Made a Move That Has Fans Convinced Hes Trying to Win Back Rihanna

Drake just kicked the dating speculation into overdrive

Drake triggered a fresh round of reconciliation rumors during the week of July 12 when he visited Barbados, where he was seen hanging with Rihannas brothers. Neither of them has addressed the rumors, but a source told HollywoodLife on July 18 its not what it looks like.

Drake and his crew flew to Barbados on his new private plane because theyre there for a week or so to shoot a music video, the insider explained. Drake arrived on July 11 which was the first day Barbados opened its airport to international visitors after a long lockdown due to the pandemic.

As far as the reason he was with Rihannas brothers, the source added: Drake became friends with both of Rihannas brothers (Rorrey Fenty & Rajad Fenty) through Rihanna and theyre still cool with him. Theyre actually both really big fans of his and would love to see their sister settled down with him. They all still make jokes about him being their brother-in-law someday.

But we wouldnt bet on it just yet, as a source previously told E! News that Rihanna wants to be single and isnt going to jump into something. She has instead been focusing on her business endeavors and ninth studio album, dubbed R9 by fans.

Read more: Why Rihanna and Travis Scott Never Went Public With Their Relationship
A mother who went viral for complaining about Melbourne's second lockdown has decided to embrace her meme queen title as 'the real Karen from Brighton'.

Jodi Grollo moaned she had walked all the streets of the affluent coastal suburb earlier this month, prompting Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to slam her.

Now, her son has set up an Instagram account for her, using the platform to show off her glamorous lifestyle and poke fun at Mr Andrews.

Her most recent photo on Saturday shows a line outside of a Brighton cafe with a cheeky caption criticising the Victorian government's handling of hotel quarantine.

'Social distancing at my local cafe working better than the social distancing in hotel quarantine,' the post was captioned.

Jodi Grollo (pictured), who is known as 'Karen from Brighton', stands outside of her house with immaculately-trimmed hedges and a large door. Her son has set up an Instagram account for her to show off her glamorous lifestyle and poke fun at Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews

In a post from Friday, Ms Grollo was pictured in a face mask making a 'W' sign outside of her home, which had immaculately-trimmed hedges and a large door.

'Wearing my mask, still doing Briiighton - because it's what we need to do,' she captioned the post.

'Dan, time for you to talk to Neil Mitchell & tackle those hard questions. IT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO!'

She posted another photo outside of a cafe captioned: 'Dan Andrews won't support struggling Brighton businesses so I'll have do it for him.'

The 'Karen' meme has taken off this year, and refers to an entitled middle-aged white woman who often asks for the manager at shops and restaurants.

'I've already spoke to the manager let me speak to the premier,' one of Ms Grollo's posts read.

Pictures of cafes that were posted to Instagram. The caption reads: 'Dan Andrews won't support struggling Brighton businesses' (left) and that 'social distancing at my local cafe working better than the social distancing in hotel quarantine' (right)

Many of the posts on the comedic Instagram account play on the Brighton accent, which features elongated vowels

Many of her posts play on the Brighton accent, which features elongated vowels.

'No self respecting Briiighton woman would be caught on Triple M. We only listen to 3AW,' one post read.

Another post said: 'Can't go to Noooooosa this year.'

Speaking to the Herald Sun on Saturday, Ms Grollo revealed how how to correctly pronounced 'Karen from Brighton' with the local inflection.

'It should be pronounced Kaaaren not Karen and its Briiiiighton not Brighton,' Ms Grollo said.

Despite going to a boutique baker in the neighbouring suburb for a loaf of bread, Ms Grollo said she is following all lockdown rules.

'Oh yes, I wear a mask. Not the best of looks, but at least mine is black. Nobody does black quite like Melbourne,' she told the publication.

A self-aware meme queen, Ms Grollo has poked fun at herself with one photo of herself downing a glass of Johnnie Walker whiskey. 'Cant walk the Tan anymore, may as well walk the Johnnie,' the post was captioned, referencing the city's Tan Track

Ms Grollo, dubbed 'Brighton Karen', went viral after she claimed to have trudged through all the streets of the affluent coastal suburb

Mr Grollo initially went viral when she claimed to have ran out of places to walk, having trudged through all of the streets of the affluent coastal suburb.

'Well, you get sick of walking the same streets. You know, I've done all of Brighton,' she told Nine News while walking the city's Tan Track.

A self-aware meme queen, Ms Grollo has even poked fun at herself with one photo of herself downing a glass of Johnnie Walker whiskey.

'Cant walk the Tan anymore, may as well walk the Johnnie,' the post was captioned.

Ms Grollo, who is the daughter of pokies baron Bruce Mathieson, previously told The Herald Sun she visited a nearby suburb for bread while in COVID-19 lockdown.

'I went to Hampton to buy bread too,' she said.

She also had plans to stroll around Albert Park Lake, about 10 kilometres north of Brighton.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews previously slammed Melburnians who complained about the stay-at-home orders amid a second wave of COVID-19 infections.

'I've got a very clear message to every single Victorian, particularly some of those featured on social media: whether you are in Broadmeadows or Brighton, stay at home means stay at home,' he said last Saturday.

'And if walking your local streets is boring, well, being bored is much better than being in intensive care. That's my clear message.'

Pictured: A woman wearing a mask is seen walking along the banks of the Yarra River on Friday

Ms Grollo said she was not bothered by Mr Andrews' rebuke, or the hundreds of angry comments online, and hadn't seen them anyway.

'I'm not on social media so I didn't see any [of the backlash]. To be honest, I found it funny  it made my weekend,' she earlier told The Herald Sun.

Ms Grollo's father is one of the state's richest people, having an estimated $870 million fortune in 2019.

Her husband Gianni Grollo is also well-heeled, being related to construction and developer giants Bruno and Rino Grollo.
gettyimagesbank



By Park Jae-hyuk



Foreigners could be slapped with heavier taxes than Koreans when buying houses here, as lawmakers consider tightening regulations on real estate investments by non-Koreans to curb skyrocketing house prices.



Independent lawmaker Lee Yong-ho recently called for a special acquisition tax on foreigners buying apartments and multi-unit dwellings.



"According to the land ministry, a two-year-old American owned a parcel of land for housing in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, at the end of 2018," he said Thursday. "Koreans may have to pay their rents to foreign landlords, while paying taxes to the Korean government. Measures to curb real estate speculation by foreigners are urgently needed. Singapore has already adopted a 20 percent special acquisition tax on foreigners."



In Singapore, foreigners pay higher acquisition taxes than locals, who pay up to 15 percent, depending on the number of houses they own.



Canada's British Columbia introduced a 15 percent acquisition tax on foreigners in August 2016 after a rapid rise in Vancouver property prices due to investments by foreigners, including Chinese. The provincial government raised the tax to 20 percent two years later.



An aide to Lee said Friday the lawmaker is considering proposing a bill to introduce a regulation similar to Singapore's.



Rep. Kim Kyo-heung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea told a local news outlet that the government needs to check whether the tightened real estate regulations discriminate against Koreans in favor of foreigners.



Data compiled by the Korea Appraisal Board (KAB) showed the number of building transactions by foreigners was 2,090 last month, the most since the KAB started collecting statistics in 2006. The number of house transactions in Seoul by foreigners was 418 last month, up from 291 a month earlier and 278 a year earlier.



The government has emphasized that foreigners have been subject to the same regulations on loans and the same taxation on owners of multiple houses.



Critics have rejected the claim, saying foreigners can avoid regulations on multiple home owners because the Korean government faces difficulties in checking whether they own properties overseas.



There is also speculation that foreigners  most of whom are Chinese  buy houses here after borrowing money from banks in their own countries to avoid the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio limit.



Myongji University professor of real estate studies Kwon Dae-jung, however, advised the government to ease real estate regulations on Koreans, rather than imposing stricter regulations on foreigners, if it wants to avoid controversy.



"Fair competition is one of the principles of a market economy," he said.



Considering foreign investors have mentioned heavy corporate taxes and uncertain regulations as main reasons Korea cannot become the next premier financial hub in Asia, some experts fear the envisaged additional taxation on foreigners could further shrink their investments here, making Korea a less attractive country to make investments.


City council will vote a final time Monday to not set a guideline for the citys all-inclusive tax increase for 2021.

Councillors tried to pick a number between 2 and 3 per cent to use as a guideline for the tax increase for next year at a recent finance meeting, but they couldnt reach a compromise.

Instead they opted to ask city staff to look at all potential cost savings in each city department and develop budget recommendations that consider taxpayers ability to pay for staffs original proposal of a 3 per cent tax increase.

Council will also vote a final time at a virtual meeting on Monday to:

Tack on an additional 0.5 per cent tax hike for 2021 to allow the city room to provide a local funding share for federal and provincial stimulus funding expected as part of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery plans.

Set a 2.18 per cent increase guideline for the Peterborough Police Services Board for the 2021 city police budget (after city staff had recommended 2.43 per cent as a maximum).

Council will also vote a final time to order that staff report back to council on the potential budget implications of:

Eliminating social services that other communities dont provide (as recommended in a recent KPMG review of social services, which identifies $4.9 million to $5.3 million in annual cost savings).

Freezing city funding to agencies including Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development, the Downtown Business Improvement Area, the Peterborough Humane Society, the Peterborough Family Health Teams and the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster.

Freezing city funding to community groups (Coun. Kemi Akapo abstained from voting on this at the finance meeting on July 16, because she works for an agency funded by the city).

Providing no 2021 capital funding for the stalled new Canadian Canoe Museum project in 2021.

Creating no new positions or programs in 2021 unless they are self-sustaining.

Cutting $400,000 to the Peterborough Transit budget.

Increasing all city user fees by 5 to 10 per cent.

Except for two years, city council has normally set a budget hike guideline before city staff prepare the draft budget.

The 2021 draft budget is expected to be presented to city council in November and the final increase will be decided after those budget talks.

We have heard you loud and clear that the taxpayer is unable to pay 3 per cent, city treasurer Richard Freymond told council at the finance meeting on July 13 and pledged that the draft budget will come in at less than 3 per cent.

 with files from Reg Watson, Examiner
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 19:06:14|Editor: huaxia

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KUWAIT CITY, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Saturday reported 684 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 63,309 and the death toll to 429, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 9,273 patients are receiving treatment, including 123 in ICU, the statement added.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 692 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 53,607.

Kuwait will start the third phase plan of restoring normal life on July 28, Tareq Al-Mezrem, the government spokesman, said Thursday.

During the third phase, labor capacity will increase to no more than 50 percent and visits to social care homes will be allowed, he said, adding curfew hours will be further reduced.

In addition, the government decided to lift the lockdown on Farwaniya area starting July 26.

Kuwait and China have been supporting each other and cooperating closely in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kuwait donated medical supplies worth 3 million U.S. dollars to China at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak.

On April 27, a team of Chinese medical experts visited Kuwait to assist the Gulf country's anti-coronavirus fight, through sharing their experience and expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Enditem
Sydney restaurants and bars remain non-compliant with COVID-19 rules as the state government embarks on an inspection blitz designed to stave off a second wave of the virus.

The Sun-Herald visited several venues on Thursday and Friday which didn't ask dine-in patrons to provide their names and contact details, which authorities have stressed is vital to assist contact tracers manage outbreaks.

The Chinese Noodle Restaurant in Haymarket did not ask for customer contact details when the Sun-Herald visited. Credit:Steven Siewert

The two major recent clusters in NSW have related to a pub (the Crossroads Hotel in Casula) and a restaurant (the Thai Rock in Wetherill Park).

Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello suggested that accurate, digital record-keeping by hospitality venues was more important than the COVIDSafe app and he was concerned that "there are still a lot of venues that have not got their attendance sheets on".
Paul Buckowski

ALBANY  U.S. Attorney Grant Jaquith, the top federal prosecutor in the Capital Region and 32 upstate counties, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims.

Jaquith, who has led the U.S. Attorneys office for the Northern District of New York since July 2017, will serve a 15-year term as one of the seven judges on the veterans court. President Donald Trump nominated Jaquith, a former Army colonel, for the judgeship last August.
Washington

Nearly half of Americans whose families experienced a layoff during the coronavirus pandemic now believe those jobs are lost forever, a new poll shows, a sign of increasing pessimism that would translate into roughly 10 million workers needing to find a new employer, if not a new occupation.

It's a sharp change after initial optimism the jobs would return, as temporary cutbacks give way to shuttered businesses, bankruptcies and lasting payroll cuts. In April, 78% of those in households with a job loss thought they'd be temporary. Now, 47% think that lost job is definitely or probably not coming back, according to the latest poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The poll is the latest sign the solid hiring of May and June, as some states lifted stay-at-home orders and the economy began to recover, may wane as the year goes on. Adding to the challenge: Many students will begin the school year online, making it harder for parents to take jobs outside their homes.

"Honestly, at this point, there's not going to be a job to go back to," said Tonica Daley, 35, who lives in Riverside, California, and has four children ranging from 3 to 18 years old. "The kids are going to do virtual school, and there is no day care."

Daley was furloughed from her job as a manager at J.C. Penney, which has filed for bankruptcy protection. The extra $600 a week in jobless benefits Congress provided as part of the federal government's coronavirus relief efforts let her family pay down its credit cards, she said, but the potential expiration or reduction of those benefits in August would force her to borrow money to get by.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The economy's recovery has shown signs of stalling amid a resurgence of the coronavirus. The number of laid-off workers seeking jobless benefits rose last week for the first time since March, while the number of U.S. infections shot past 4 million  with many more cases undetected.

The poll shows that 72% of Americans would rather have restrictions in place in their communities to stop the spread of COVID-19 than remove them in an effort to help the economy. Just 27% want to prioritize the economy over efforts to stop the outbreak.

"The only real end to this pandemic problem is the successful application of vaccines," said Fred Folkman, 82, a business professor from Long Island, in New York.

About 9 in 10 Democrats prioritize stopping the virus, while Republicans are more evenly divided  46% focus on stopping the spread, while 53% say the economy is the bigger priority.
In the capital of Canada, Ottawa, a rally was held against the military provocations of Armenia on the state border in the direction of the Tovuz region and in support of the Azerbaijani army, the State Committee of Azerbaijan on Work with Diaspora reports.

The action was organized by the Azerbaijani community in Ottawa in order to inform the locals about the events that occurred as a result of the occupation policy of Armenia. Cars with Azerbaijani flags and banners drove through the streets and avenues of the Canadian capital, near the buildings of the parliament, Senate, Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassies of foreign countries, including Armenias and the residence of the Prime Minister of the country, Trend reports.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 04:52:15|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The United States will hold talks with Russia next week in Vienna on nuclear arms control and space security, U.S. State Department said on Friday.

A U.S. delegation of staff members from the departments of State, Defense, Energy, and the National Security Council will hold a U.S.-Russia Space Security Exchange in the Austrian capital on July 27, U.S. State Department said in a statement.

The upcoming meeting would be the first formal bilateral talks between the United States and Russia on space security since 2013.

U.S. Space Command said Thursday that Russia had conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon on July 15, but Moscow rejected the allegation.

U.S. and Russian representatives would also gather in Vienna for nuclear arms control working group meetings next week.

The United States and Russia had consultations on arms control and strategic stability in Vienna last month, with no tangible progress made on the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).

In 2010, Washington and Moscow signed the New START, which stipulates the limits to the numbers of deployed nuclear warheads and strategic delivery systems by both. The New START, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty in force between the two nuclear superpowers, will expire on Feb. 5, 2021.

The agreement can be extended for at most five years with the consent of the two countries. Russia has expressed willingness to extend the treaty, while the Trump administration has yet to officially reply. Enditem
Floridas top business regulator says he plans to set up meetings next week with bars and breweries to discuss reopening, almost a month after the state banned them from serving alcohol on-site amid a spike in coronavirus cases.

Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears said in a tweet Saturday morning the meetings would produce a safe plan based on input, science and relative facts on how to reopen as soon as possible.

In an open letter published this week, addressed to Beshears and Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Brewers Guild pleaded for help, saying internal polling among its members revealed more than 100 breweries could close in two weeks without help.

The state banned on-site consumption of alcohol at all bars earning at least 50% of their income from alcohol sales in a June 26 order signed by Beshears. But restaurants and businesses that dont earn more than half their revenue from alcohol sales were allowed to continue serving drinks.

Several downtown Orlando bar owners sued DeSantis earlier in July, alleging the order was unjust because it allowed restaurants with bars inside to continue serving alcohol while their closed businesses collectively lost millions in income.

What possible rational basis could exist for the deprivation of rights under the state constitution when one establishment that happens to serve more food remains open while a similar establishment remains closed? the lawsuit said.

Beshears tweeted July 17 that there would be no change in the order because of a continuing increase in COVID-19 cases.

mcordeiro@orlandosentinel.com



2020 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)

Visit The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
US federal agents and law enforcement officers have entered the Chinese consulate compound here along with locksmiths after the mission was shut down, amidst spiralling tensions between Washington and Beijing.

The Trump Administration ramped up its confrontation with China this week, ordering Beijing's consulate in Houston to close over concerns about economic espionage.

The Chinese consulate located in Houston's busy Montrose Boulevard for 40 years closed on Friday evening as the deadline set by the Trump administration to shut down the mission expired.

On Friday, the flag and the seal of the People's Republic of China were taken down from outside the Houston consulate. Early in the morning, the consulate staff was seen removing their belongings from the building.

After the Chinese diplomatic staff vacated the building, a number of black SUVs, trucks, two white vans and a locksmith's van entered the compound, CNN reported.

Around 30 protesters with banners were seen celebrating outside the consulate. On Friday morning, dozens of protesters from the Falun Gong religious group despised by Beijing protested outside the consulate, declaring a victory of sorts over the closure of the mission.

Forty minutes after the 4 pm eviction deadline passed, a man believed to be a State Department official entered the consulate, along with others, after a small back door was pried open, local media reported.

About an hour later, the fire department crew entered the building.

Trump administration officials provided further details on Friday regarding their decision on the Houston mission, claiming the diplomatic outpost was one of several across the country facilitating influence efforts on behalf of Beijing that the US government said veered into "the coercive or covert".

"The sum total of the Houston consulate's activities went well over the line of what we're willing to accept, and unless we disrupted it, it threatened to become even more aggressive in Houston and other Chinese consulates nationwide," a senior Justice Department official told reporters on a briefing call organised by the State Department.

The Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, was opened in 1979.

Apart from now closed the Houston consulate, an embassy in Washington and an office at the United Nations, China maintained consulates in four US cities - Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

Tensions between both nations have escalated in recent months over the Beijing's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, China's crackdown on its Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang and Beijing imposing a controversial national security law in Hong Kong.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has alleged that the Houston consulate of China was "a hub of spying and intellectual property theft".

Top American officials had also accused the consulate in Houston of being part of Beijing's "espionage operations" in the US.

The US said in a statement that the consulate was ordered to close "to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information."

The idea to close the Houston consulate emerged this spring after China interfered when US officials returned to the consulate in Wuhan to retrieve diplomatic materials, according to a senior State Department official.

Chinese authorities refused to let the US officials leave Wuhan with the pouches, saying they had to search them before leaving, an aggressive move that violates the Vienna Convention which governs diplomatic relations, CNN reported.

The encounter left Secretary of State Pompeo irate, the report quoted a State Department official as saying.

In a tit-for-tat move, China too on Friday ordered the US to close down its consulate in Chengdu. While ordering the closure, China had accused the US of interfering in its "internal affairs and harming national security interests.
By Trend

The OPEC + agreement allows regulating daily oil production during two years and in this regard, the OPEC + oil supply regulation policy has been justified, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said.

Shahbazov made the remark in Baku within the 14th Baku Summer Energy School at ADA University dedicated to "Energy Policy of Azerbaijan and the Growing Role of Renewable Energy Sources", Trend reports.

"In accordance with the forecasts, the oil demand will exceed supply, Shahbazov added. A deficit of 3.9 million barrels of oil is expected to be observed in the third quarter. From the second half of the year, we will enter a phase of easing oil output cut from August 1 by 7.7 million barrels to balance the market in connection with the expected increase in oil demand.

Optimistic forecasts regarding a decrease in supply from 100 million barrels in the first quarter to 88.3 million barrels in the third quarter give the reason to think that the OPEC + supply regulation policy has been justified," the minister said.

The agreement, adopted on April 12 at the 10th Extraordinary OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting, envisages a decrease in daily crude oil production from May through June by 9.7 million barrels while in Azerbaijan - by 164,000 barrels.

A decision was made at the 11th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting held on June 6 to extend the period of these quotas for one more month  till late July.
Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby alongside Philadelphia's District Attorney penned an op-ed in The Washington Post Thursday, denouncing President Donald Trump's threat to deploy federal agents to their cities.

In the piece, Mosby said, "If President Trump sends militarized federal agents to Baltimore City to attack our citizens by making illegal arrests, kidnapping people, assaulting them, or committing any other crime, they will be prosecuted by my office."

The op-ed comes days after Trump hinted at the possibility of sending federal agents to several cities as a way to deal with unrest.

"We're not going to let New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and Baltimore and all of these -- Oakland is a mess -- we're not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats. We'll have more federal law enforcement, that I can tell you," Trump said.

Video: Seattle mayor calls for peace amid growing tension

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan responded to Trump on Wednesday, saying that the only thing happening in Baltimore is peaceful protests.

"I don't know what the comment was really about. We have heard no real details about anything happening in Baltimore, and I don't know what they would do if they came because we have no protests like you are seeing in Portland, Chicago, New York, places like that," Hogan said.

City Council President Brandon Scott asked the city solicitor to explore actions Baltimore can take prevent Trump sending agents. He also talked about the actual needs of the city.

"Our city is in need of many resources that our federal government can provide to help us -- everything from infrastructure, housing, transportation, the digital divide, and dealing with the flow of illegal guns into our city," Scott said. "Baltimore needs real partnership and resources, not the presence of unnecessary, unrequested federal agents."

Baltimore police released a statement Friday, saying: "The Baltimore Police Department has not received any official notification or intent from the United States government to deploy federal law enforcement officers to patrol the streets of Baltimore City. However, the department continues to work with our federal partners to address violent crime. Through collaborations with our federal partners we are able to target violent offenders, as well as those who facilitate violence through drug trafficking, gun violence, human trafficking and other illegal activities. These partnerships enhance investigations and assist the department in holding bad actors accountable."
The Week In Russia: Trolling Khabarovsk And Other Tales Of A New Era

By Steve Gutterman July 24, 2020

President Vladimir Putin's response to protests in the Far East fails to please, and Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov revels in a promotion while a gulag historian is sentenced on charges he denies. Also, three-day votes loom as a fixture of the future, a long-term legacy of Putin's successful push to secure a possible 12-year extension of his rule amid the coronavirus crisis.

Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward.

Bombs And Trolls

Russian President Vladimir Putin's government has been accused of "bombing Voronezh." Now it faces charges of trolling Khabarovsk.

The first term, in case you haven't heard it, refers to a phenomenon in which the Russian authorities take action meant to punish the West, say, in response to sanctions, but end up arguably hitting their own people instead.

Bombing Voronezh, of course, is meant figuratively, while accusations of trolling Khabarovsk can be taken literally.

They refer to the Kremlin's response to persistent, daily protests over the July 9 arrest of the now former regional governor, Sergei Furgal, who is accused of involvement in two murders and an attempted murder in 2004-05 -- charges whose timing, at least, is suspected by many of the voters who elected him in a landslide over the Kremlin-backed incumbent in 2018 to be politically motivated.

An undercurrent of the protests is a long-standing feeling of abandonment at the hands of the central government, now brought closer to the surface by the arrest of a regional leader who, whatever his past, won an election less than two years ago -- the feeling, which led to the large Moscow-centered protests in 2011-12 -- that one's vote at best doesn't count and at worst has been stolen.

In more concrete terms, the protesters' demands have included Furgal's release, a fair trial in Moscow -- and, in some cases, Putin's resignation.

Instead, Putin replaced Furgal with a politician who is from the same party, flamboyant firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), but whose knowledge of the sprawling region almost as close to Hawaii as it is to Moscow, more than 6,000 kilometers away, may have come mainly -- by his own admission -- from some cramming he did on the seven-hour flight from the capital.

The new acting governor, Mikhail Degtyaryov, is known largely for splashy legislative initiatives that may go beyond what Putin and the ruling United Russia party are ready to impose on Russians -- the kind of trial balloons Zhirinovsky and the LDPR have let loose repeatedly in almost two decades as what observers call a convenient foil for the Kremlin.

A Cold Bath

He has done little or nothing to engage with the protesters, whose demonstrations have in some cases been unprecedented in size for a provincial city in post-Soviet Russia. He turned aside an opportunity to come out and speak to demonstrators outside his office on July 23, arguing that to do so would be "disrespectful" to himself, to Putin, and -- somehow -- to the protesters themselves.

He did, however, seek advice from journalists -- while chewing on a meat pie and sipping from a coffee mug -- about where to go in Khabarovsk for a steam bath.

And with more rallies planned for the weekend, he said he would be leaving town because he is eager to travel around the region.

Trolling is putting it mildly, according to activist Olga Bulgakova. Degtyaryov's appointment was "not simply trolling" on Putin's part, she wrote on Facebook, it was "an act of humiliation."

Speaking of trolling, though, the Kremlin-backed Chechen region chief Ramzan Kadyrov was at it this week, disinviting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the United States imposed new sanctions on Kadyrov and his family over what Pompeo said were "his involvement in gross violations of human rights."

The United States has "extensive credible information that Kadyrov is responsible for numerous gross violations of human rights dating back more than a decade, including torture and extrajudicial killings," Pompeo aid in a statement, adding that Washington "is committed to using all the tools at our disposal to ensure accountability for those who engage in this abhorrent behavior."

Kadyrov initially responded with what may also have been trolling, inviting Pompeo to visit his "very beautiful" home village in Chechnya and adding, "Let's see who violates what rights," https://tass.com/politics/1180763 a remark that could be interpreted as a promise to try to prove such accusations wrong -- or, possibly, as a veiled threat.

The Very Model?

In any case, Kadyrov withdrew the invitation two days later and lashed out at Pompeo, stating that he would impose countermeasures -- including, bizarrely, freezing any bank accounts the U.S. secretary of state might happen to have in Chechnya.

"They did the same against me," said Kadyrov, who also aired a baseless conspiracy claim so ridiculous that to describe it would be irresponsible.

His outburst came the same day he announced that Putin had granted him the rank of a military major general.

Kadyrov posted a photo on social media of Putin's decree -- which he had framed -- and also said he had been transferred from the Interior Ministry to the National Guard, which was created by Putin in 2016 and has been described as his "Praetorian guard," a force for potential use against his own compatriots.

Kadyrov had already held the rank of major general in the Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, and the shift seemed mainly if not entirely symbolic. But it will do nothing to change the minds of Kremlin critics who say that while Kadyrov often publicly professes his loyalty to Putin, in reality it may be the other way around.

It was Kadyrov, though, who took another opportunity to pledge fidelity to Putin, declaring himself "a "faithful soldier of our president" who is "ready to carry out any order of whatever complexity on any continent."

Again, on one level, that's a straightforward statement. On another level -- given the number of critics or Kadyrov or the Kremlin who have been killed or attacked abroad, including a Chechen vlogger who was seeking asylum in Austria and was shot dead there on July 4 -- it could be interpreted as a sinister remark or a potential threat.

If Kadyrov's framed decree seems to provide a hint about the type of person the Kremlin values, the fate of gulag historian Yury Dmitriyev, his supporters suggest, points to at least one kind of citizen who is not appreciated in Putin's government: those who seek to uncover facts that may conflict with the prevailing historical narrative, particularly when it comes to the Soviet era and World War II.

Following a four-year prosecution punctuated by an acquittal -- after which the authorities added a new charge and tried him again -- Dmitriyev, 64, was convicted on July 22 of violent sexual abuse against his adopted daughter, one of several charges that he consistently denied.

Sentence Structure

As in almost all Russian trials in the past 20 years in which the defendants or their supporters have contended that the charges are politically motivated -- and there have been a lot of them -- the vanishingly low acquittal rate means that with a guilty verdict all but certain, the brighter spotlight was on the sentence.

Prosecutors asked for 15 years, and Dmitriyev was sentenced to 3 1/2 years, which his lawyer said meant he could be free by November if time served is taken into account.

In a way, in the compromised circumstances in which acquittals are nearly nonexistent in politically charged trials, the sentence could be seen as a victory for Dmitriyev and his supporters, or at least as evidence that beneath the veneer of the guilty verdict, the state knows it is wrong.

But that doesn't change the fact that Dmitriyev has been convicted of a heinous crime despite what Human Rights Watch called circumstances that "strongly suggest" the charges "are spurious and target him for his human rights work."

The ruling handed down this week may not be the end of it: Prosecutors have vowed to file an appeal against the sentence, arguing that it is too short.

Also too short, apparently, in the altered Russia that is taking shape after constitutional changes enabling Putin to run for two more six-year terms after 2024: one-day elections.

The Three-Day Vote

Citing the need to avoid crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic, Russian authorities stretched the nationwide vote that secured adoption of the amendments out over a full week, from June 25 to July 1, even as they referred to it as a July 1 vote.

Opponents of Putin, and of the notion that he could be president until 2036, argued that the multiday vote was one of several factors opening the door wide to falsifications. But whatever the reason, the Kremlin appears to have found the unusual approach to its liking.

A bill allowing voting in many elections to be held over up to three days sailed through parliament, where the Kremlin-controlled United Russia party holds a commanding majority of seats, winning approval in the upper chamber on July 24.

It had yet to be signed by Putin, but Central Election Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova almost immediately announced that the multiday voting will be used when about half of Russia's administrative regions hold elections in September.

Those elections will be held on September 11-13, Pamfilova said. They come ahead of 2021 elections of the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, that are seen as a test of United Russia and of Putin's control three years before the 2024 presidential vote in which he is now clear to run if he chooses.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/the-week-in-russia -trolling-khabarovsk-and-other-tales -of-a-new-era/30745699.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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By the December of 2019, the Speaker of Nigerias Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, was initiating a bill on the floor of the House which was to constitutionally consolidate basic education as the right of the Nigerian child. Whether that bill has passed through the necessary hurdles and has been given the presidential assent is yet unknown to many Nigerians, including myself. But it is on record that the Speaker eloquently defended why he believed that an amendment to the current constitutional provisions for the welfare of the Nigerian child by the House of Representatives had become imperative, as it were.

The bill had sought to amend the Chapter in the 1999 constitution that addressed such fundamental rights of the Nigerian child as the right to life and freedom of expression to include the right to basic education as one of the cardinal rights of the Nigerian child. Gbajabiamila saw the need for every Nigerian child to be entitled to free education in all government-owned primary schools and was of the opinion that parents could sue any school that defaulted on the provisions of the intended law.

He said he sponsored the bill because he was desirous to see that the word illiterate was expunged from the lexicon of the people of Nigeria. At the time he sponsored the bill, he said: education is not a privilege but a right. If made a fundamental human right, the government at all levels would be mandated to make it a national policy. We believe no child must be left behind. We must obliterate completely the word illiterate.

In a country where about 10.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are out of school, Mr. Gbajabiamilas concern is quite understandable. But there is also a need for government to monitor its success or failure in the exercise. In a country where education is said to be free and compulsory, while it is free, how compulsory is it in actual fact?

I hasten to raise this awareness because the last time I was in Nigeria on vacation, I met so many young adults roaming the villages. I called some of the teenagers and asked why they were not in school. And the general attitude was that they were not of school age and they were about 18, maybe 19. I think government should follow up this flawed mental attitude of many young people in the rural areas particularly, and make them realize that there is no age anyone can say Ive known it all! School is for any and every age. What is needed most is, first, the understanding that one needed to improve on ones skill and secondly, to summon the courage to face whatever it would take to be educated.

Looking at the scenario from that perspective, I think the Federal Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamus appeal to the World Bank to assist it move half of the current 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria back to school comes as appropriate and perhaps timely. Apart from offering Nigerian children free and compulsory basic education, the education leaders in the country should also consider the fact that they cannot afford to waste the potentials of the cream of their society just because parents were unable to cope with the payments of their childrens education at the tertiary level.

So, while there is a need to ensure that every Nigerian child is compulsorily and freely educated at least up to junior secondary school level with the introduction of the constitutional amendment initiated by Gbajabiamila, it has also become somewhat mandatory to put in perspective the millions of Nigerian children who have the brain and the desire to further their education to university level but are handicapped by financial constraints.

Here in the UK, government made provisions for student loan companies to handle matters like that. Student loans are offered to students who are looking to acquire a degree for the first time. It is the same even if the applicant paid with his own money to acquire a prior degree. Generally, the loans come in two categories which take into account the nature of the expenses the applicant would be obligated to cover and those are usually the tuition fee loan and maintenance loan.

Full-time students at publicly-funded universities are eligible to apply for tuition fee loans. They would be able to borrow money to pay for university or college tuition and to help with living costs. They could also get some extra money on top of that, for example, if they are on low income, or they are disabled or they have children. Nigerian government under President Buhari can conveniently emulate this British initiative without blinking an eye  in the spirit of advancing the course of democracy.

Just recently, I read that the President approved the release of N75 billion to the Youth Ministry, ostensibly to create the impression that he actually cared about the countrys young adults. Maybe he actually does. Maybe it is part of what has come to be known as political hedging. But be that as it may, such huge sums of money in future should be invested in student loan companies. It is a better way of investing in the future of the country. At least as experienced graduates leave the country in their droves in search of greener pasture abroad, they are replaced with the young and less experienced ones who will stand in the gap.

In the UK, the students loan arrangement is very simple to appreciate. The moment a student gains admission into a college or university, he is able to borrow money from the loan company to pay the university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs. So, his heart has no reason to palpitate when he thinks about how to raise money for college or university education. He might even get extra money on top of tuition and maintenance, for example, if he is on a low income or is disabled or has children.

Before a student applies for a students loan, he will be properly briefed in the documents he will sign. He is told he would start repaying the loan once he earns over a certain amount as salary after graduation. The amount is also stipulated in the form he will fill. And he doesnt pay anything until he has started working and earning up to or above that amount. The size of his monthly repayments will depend on how much he earns, not on how much he owes. He is told in the document that he would be charged a certain percentage interest on the loan from the day he takes it out.

The terms and conditions might change at the instance of the loaning body. If the student is under 25 and has no contact with his parents, he might be able to apply as an estranged student. He can also give someone permission to act on his behalf, for example using the Power of Attorney if he wanted someone else to apply for him. New full-time students can apply for tuition fee loan and maintenance loan. The university or college sets the tuition fee, and the loan is paid directly to them. But the student has to pay it back.

A full-time student might get up to 9,250 in one academic year. If the applicant is studying an accelerated degree course, he could get up to 11,100. He may have to give details of his household income if he lives with his parents or is working part time. That might affect his chances of getting a loan. But if he gets it, the money is paid directly into his bank account at the start of each semester. But again he will have to pay the loan back. A full-time student going to college or university from home might get up to 7,529 or up to 7,747 for the year.

I think Gbajabiamila should follow up his initiative and get the House to establish a Students Loan Company or even companies. Students can then borrow for tuition, accommodation and feeding in relation to the tuition fees stipulated by their university. They are told how much to repay including the interest, usually about 5%. They go to university and when they graduate and start working, they begin to pay back to the loan companies so that others can also go to school without overstretching poor parents. The university liaises with the loans company to keep the graduating students certificate after graduation as collateral for the loan, until he completely repays the loan.

There has, however, been some argument about the ability of the Nigerian government to manage this proposal. But if you ask me, it is one of the easiest things to manage. All it requires is coordination with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Banks which will monitor accounts of loan beneficiaries to know when they get a job and how much they earn via their BVN and the loan companies. If the government can manage the NYSC programme, there is no reason why it cannot manage a students loan company or its beneficiaries. Under Buharis watch, government should consider adding this development to its achievements. Students loan companies have become necessary in Nigeria.
Both NY-12 candidates estimate that around 20,000 out of 45,000 mail-in ballots have been counted in Manhattan so far. According to Patels campaign, he was up by 1,000 when the smaller portions of the district (but the larger percentage of invalid votes) in western Queens and northwestern Brooklyn finished tallying. But with Maloneys base of the Upper East Side being counted, hes down by 2,000. According to an email sent by Patels field director late Friday, the campaign is no longer sending staffers and volunteers to monitor the count in Manhattan. Unless something happened with the invalidated ballots in the race, the email read, our path to victory becomes much narrower. Patels spokeswoman, Cassie Moreno, said they had decided to stop going to the count because they felt it was slowing down the process and they would rather focus on efforts to get the invalidated ballots counted. Our focus will shift this week to fighting for those invalidated ballots and working to make sure every single vote is counted, no matter who they were cast for, she said.
Several youth-led demonstrations have sprung up across Thailand since last week, when thousands of activists defied a coronavirus ban on gatherings and staged one of the largest street rallies since a 2014 military coup

Bangkok: Hundreds of Thai LGBT activists and allies raised rainbow flags on Saturday evening as they called for democracy and equal rights, the latest in a series of youth protests calling for the government to step down.

Several youth-led demonstrations have sprung up across the country since last week, when thousands of Thai activists defied a coronavirus ban on gatherings and staged one of the largest street rallies since a 2014 military coup.

The activists on Saturday danced and sang and performed stand-up comedy sketches making jabs at the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who ousted an elected government six years ago. Pride flags were waved against the backdrop of Bangkok's Democracy Monument.

"We're here today mainly to call for democracy. Once we achieve democracy, equal rights will follow," said a 21-year-old activist who went by a made-up name, Viktorious Nighttime.

"The LGBT group do not yet have equal rights in society, so we're calling for both democracy and equality," added Viktorious, who was wearing a glittery tiara and a face mask.

The calls came after Thailand's cabinet backed a civil partnership bill earlier this month that would recognise same-sex unions with almost the same rights as married couples.

Saturday's gathering was the latest in a series of protests under the Free Youth movement, which has issued three demands: the dissolution of parliament, an end to harassment of government critics, and amendments to the military-written constitution.

"Even if they don't step down from power today, we want to let them know that we won't go anywhere, we will be here," said a 21-year-old protestor who gave her name as Yaya. "Even if they get rid of us, our ideology will never die, we will pass this on to the next generation."
Nearly eight months after COVID-19 burst into the worlds consciousness, much about the disease remains a mystery. Among the biggest questions: What long-term effects will it have on survivors?

The question is particularly significant for younger people, who are more likely to survive a serious case than people over 60, will likely spend more years with the aftereffects and have increasingly become the people most likely to be infected in the Houston area. In Harris County, the age group with the most confirmed cases is 20 to 29; the next largest is 30 to 39.

To understand what survivors may be facing, we talk this week with COVID survivor Katie Haynes. Haynes, 28, experienced her first symptoms in early March  significantly before most Americans believed the virus would affect their lives.

Haynes grew up in Cypress, north of Houston; got her law degree at South Texas School of Law; and a year-and-a-half ago moved to Oklahoma City, where she works for Oklahoma City University School of Law.

Tell me about your old life. What were you doing in February?

I work at a law school, primarily with first-year students in the fall and spring semesters. I was really busy helping them with midterms. I was looking forward to spring break. My birthday was in February  I turned 28  and I went on a girls weekend trip and had a blast.

I felt pretty normal. I was training for a 5K at the end of March, planning maybe not to (run) the full thing. My goal was at least a nice jog. I was playing with my dog.

Just normal life.

Then what happened? By March youd heard of the coronavirus?

Yes. Being in higher ed, we were aware of the shutdowns that were happening in China  we have international students from China  but it seemed really far away.

As February wound down and we got into March, I had a work trip, a conference in Lubbock. I remember that being the first time and it kind of seemed like, Oh, maybe I should pay attention to this. Im gonna be in some airports. What do I need to do differently?

My mom, bless her heart, shes always super prepared, and she was telling me constantly to wash my hands and use GermX. She wanted me to wear a mask at all the airports. That seemed ridiculous, and I was not going to embarrass myself.

I went on that work trip the first weekend of March, and by March 16, I started having weird symptoms. It felt like the stomach flu.

When did you go to the hospital? What happened there?

I went to the hospital on April 7, almost exactly three weeks after my initial symptoms. By that point I was completely against going to the hospital. My family doctor  Dr. Amit Parikh, an amazing doctor  kind of tricked me into going. Hes based in Cypress; I was talking with him remotely.

Dr. Parikh said I was going to the hospital just to get some imaging done. I thought it was going to be a really brief visit. But I ended up getting admitted for a pulmonary embolism in my lungs.

Thats a blood clot in your lungs?

Yes. Its totally unheard of for a 28-year-old. I remember the ER doctor just being shocked and asking to run another image. So we did both a CT and an X-ray to confirm.

And it was right there: a blood clot in my lungs. I had never had any issue like this before.

Was that when you found out that you had COVID-19?

Well, that was interesting. Id had a free test at the clinic at the school where I work. I found out later on that the testing that they did there early was done incorrectly. They didnt swab the nose correctly.

By the time I got to the hospital, it had been three weeks since my first symptoms, so the swab test wouldnt work; even if Id had COVID, it would show a negative result.

So I was put into the COVID unit. And when I was admitted to the hospital, the doctors called my symptoms COVID-adjacent, which was described to me as either a mutated version of COVID or someone who is so far past the date of their first symptoms that COVID might not show up on the tests that they had.

What was it like, being in the hospital?

It was terrifying. Prior to getting admitted, I was really out of it, really spacey. In my everyday life, I am an assistant director of my program. Im an attorney. Im very grounded and focused. But I was unable to recall the day of the week. I was having to leave myself notes everywhere to remember things like whether Id talked to a certain person that day, or whether Id fed my dog. That was something I had to tell myself every single day, and I love my dog!

The nurses at the ER, I remember them just being so kind and trying to explain everything to me because my brain was just not not processing information. I couldnt remember from one second to the next. They told me, at least three or four times, the same information: This is whats happening, this is whats going on.

They took me to the COVID Covid unit at Oklahoma City. They had us all grouped in kind of one wing of a hospital. It had a pressurized door. Only certain people could come in. It was terrifying because everyone was in PPE.

Then what happened? You recovered at your house for a while?

I wish I could say that I recovered.

I stayed unstable for the next couple of weeks, and ended up going back to the ER on April 24. That time, my heart rate was extremely elevated. I was coming in and out of consciousness and could barely form a sentence.

It was kind of the same as before. There wasnt anything they could do to treat the symptoms. There was just nothing they could do to provide relief, so I got sent home that same day.

They told me to drink more fluids, so ever since Ive been drinking Gatorade like its my job. That was late April. The whole time since then Ive been working with a bunch of different specialists to  not to mask the symptoms, thats what we really dont want to do  but actually to solve them. Its been a struggle.

So what are your symptoms all these months later? How are you feeling?

So the biggest symptom Im currently having is related to the blood clot. In the hospital I received these Lovenox shots, shot straight into my stomach twice a day. In the hospital, a wonderful nurse gave them to me. Shed been trained to give them.

But once I left, for two months I gave myself Lovenox shots twice a day, straight into my stomach, and I had awful bruising. Hematomas! Awful.

Im on pills now, luckily. They had to increase my dose.

Thats to thin your blood?

Yes, because its so thick still. Its for no reason other than COVID. I have nothing else: no underlying symptoms, nothing.

Originally I was supposed to be on blood thinners for three months. Then it was six months. Then it was the end of the year. I just got told last week itll be at least another year, if not potentially for the rest of my life that I will be on those to prevent me from having another blood clot go to my lungs.

How are you feeling now?

I have good days and bad days. Today I feel all right, but on Monday it was really difficult for me. I had the exact same COVID symptoms again. I was really not totally lucid the whole day. I was really tired. I was coughing a lot.

I had gotten back to being able to walk almost a mile with my dog, but all this week I havent been able to walk at all.

Im still constantly worried about blood clots. I have to make sure to move a lot. I wear compression socks to make sure that those symptoms dont come back up.

Im also sleeping a ton. Thankfully, my work allows me to have a flexible schedule as long as Im getting everything done. I sleep a ton each night, and still sometimes I need a nap. As a 28-year-old adult, I have to take a nap.

Do your doctors have any idea how long this all could last?

It seems like we were really, really optimistic in March and April. I kept hearing, Oh, by July! Youll be fine by this summer. This will be like a distant memory.

Now Im hearing that therell be at least a year of this kind of stable regimen that Im on right now. And with the blood thinners, I might be on them for the rest of my life, which is a really scary thought at my age.

You were one of the first people in the United States to get COVID-19, right? So how do you find out what to expect? Are there other COVID survivors you talk with?

Yeah. Im part of one of the #LongHaulers Facebook groups. Its for people who have had COVID longer than 80 days. I think there are about 5,000 members now, all over the world.

Its a great community. I remember going on there and feeling like, Im not crazy! This isnt all in my head. The symptoms for COVID vary so much that its difficult to know. For example, heres something thats happened recently. Im on Week 18, and this week, I have these weird rashes. Theyll just pop up anywhere. Im thinking to myself, Am I paranoid? Do I have this rash? Is this an allergy? What is it?

On that Facebook group, I find out that people from Weeks 16 to 19, we all have this rash. And this is just a new thing that seems to be happening within that cluster of people.

Ive gotten to know people who are also in the Week 18-ish track. We talk about our symptoms and compare medications. Also its been helpful for testing. You can ask your doctor for certain things: Ive heard this works. Are you willing to try it?

My doctors have been great about trying things like that.

Were used to thinking of COVID as a disease thats most serious for older people, so it surprises me that you personally know someone else your age who had a serious early case. Are there other young people in the #LongHaulers group?

Its pretty mixed, which I think is helpful. One person was talking about their 6-month-old, who has had coronavirus. And it goes all the way up to elderly people who have the virus. I would say that most of the people who are fairly active are probably late 20s to early 40s. It might be that in our millennial age range, people are more comfortable with social media.

So how are you feeling now? Can you go out and walk your dog?

I cannot walk my dog. I try really hard to stay at home. Im still getting my groceries delivered. I cant do too many meetings, even an online meeting like this; I have a very strict number of meetings that I can have with my students every day, or workshops that I can lead, because otherwise I know that I just wont have the energy to to do them to the best of my ability.

Its impacted my life in a lot of ways, even things like cooking dinner. I cooked on Tuesday  I just made some chili  and I was exhausted for the rest of the day.

So Im not able to do a lot. But I am able to do so much more than I had been able to do, which is a blessing.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

lisa.gray@chron.com, twitter.com/LisaGray_HouTX
A woman who fell down the stairs of a popular Dublin pub while wearing a visor has informed her employer she intends to bring a personal injury claim "as the visor made it difficult to see".

The extent of the woman's alleged injuries is not yet known and "the level of damage is currently being assessed", her solicitor said in a letter to the bar.

Gillian Knight, human resources adviser for the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA), the representative body for publicans in Dublin, said the accident happened at a member's premises two weeks ago.

"The person has indicated she is putting in a claim and it's currently in process. The premises in question had given staff the option of wearing visors or masks, and the person chose to wear a visor," she told the Irish Independent.

"She came down the stairs and fell and is claiming that the visor was the issue.

"The insurance provider has come back asking if there was information provided around wearing a visor while using handrails on stairs and we are making enquiries on this, but I'm pretty sure 90pc of businesses would never have thought of this.

"It's disappointing after working so hard to adhere to health and safety protocol and to get back up and running," Ms Knight added.

Neil McDonnell, chief executive of Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (Isme), said that in the current environment "the employer is damned if they do, and damned if they don't".

"Despite the fact the employer has provided PPE, the questions that will now be asked are what were the selection criteria for the PPE, was there a risk assessment and was the employee trained to use the visor properly," he said.

"We have already seen this week where a judge found in favour of an employee on the basis that she had not been trained to polish glasses.

"The essential reason for this is that the current interpretation of the Occupiers' Liability Act is effectively strict liability. If it happens in your premises, you're liable."

Peter Boland, director of the Alliance for Insurance Reform, said employers are extremely fearful of Covid-related personal injury claims, with some deciding not to open as a result. Research carried out among the organisation's 38,000 members in June showed that 55pc of policyholders are concerned about Covid-related personal injury claims.

"In order to protect policyholders from Covid-related personal injury claims, the State must now either move to indemnify businesses and voluntary groups against such claims or rebalance the duty of care so that occupiers have a responsibility that is balanced by the responsibility of an individual to look after their own safety," Mr Boland said.

"If the Government is expecting the economy to recover through SMEs, that is definitely not going to happen without insurance reform."

The Aqua Dome in Tralee, Co Kerry, announced it will not be reopening until 2021 as one Covid-related insurance claim could close the business for good, management claimed.

Chairman Denis Reen revealed the company's insurance premium amounts to a staggering 90,000 a year.

Kieran Routledge, one of the directors of the Aqua Dome, said in February that there are seven personal injury claims pending against the activity centre.
SANTIAGO, July 24 (Reuters) - Supervisors at Antofagasta Minerals' Centinela copper mine in Chile have agreed to extend government-mediated negotiations, a union representative said late on Friday, in a last-ditch effort to stave off a strike.

The supervisors' union voted in favor of a walk-off on July 13 after failing to agree on a new contract with Antofagasta. In Chile, however, both parties are required to participate in government-led talks, which typically last between 5 and 10 business days, before a strike can begin.

"The parties agreed to extend the mandatory mediation for one business day, so that the company can present a final proposal in response to the demands that our team has presented to them," the union said in a written statement to Reuters.

"The company has promised to deliver this new offer first thing on Monday the 27th," the union representative added.

If the two sides do not reach agreement on Monday, a strike would begin on Tuesday, he added.

Antofagasta does not comment on its labor negotiations.

Centinela produced 276,600 tonnes of copper last year. (Reporting by Fabian Cambero, Writing by Dave Sherwood, Editing by Louise Heavens)
Twice as many women than men will have wage subsidy payments halved from late-September as the federal government's JobKeeper scheme cuts the $1500-a-fortnight boost to $750 for part-time workers.

Nationally, 22 per cent of women work fewer than 20 hours a week compared to 10.6 per cent of men, data analysed by the Parliamentary Library supplied by the Greens shows.

The federal government has extended JobKeeper through to March 2021 but cut the rates paid. Credit:Jason South, Alex Ellinghausen

A similar gender gap is represented across the capital cities and regional areas, including in Greater Sydney where 9.6 per cent of men work part-time, compared to 19.3 per cent of women. In Greater Melbourne 10.7 per cent of men work up to 20 hours a week compared to 21.7 per cent of women.

The federal government's extension of the JobKeeper scheme, which has helped keep 700,000 people out of the Centrelink queue, has expanded the scheme from $70 billion to $86 billion by keeping the payments going until March 2021.
Actor Sonakshi Sinha, who quit Twitter in the wake of Sushant Singh Rajputs death, has said that she is happier for it. Sonakshi deactivated her Twitter account after she, and several other actors belonging to film families, were trolled.

She told India Today, I am nobody to guide but I can speak from personal experience, being on social media for so long. I have kind of seen it grow into this monster that it has become today. I have always been a very positive person but then you never know how something can affect you. You wake up in the morning, open your handle and read a negative comment. At that moment you might just put it away but then it later comes out like you might snap at someone at work, or home.

Also read: Shatrughan Sinha blames shows like Koffee with Arjun for stoking controversy, says film industry is nobodys property

She continued, So you never know how these things affect you and that is a very negative aspect to have in your life. So for me, the best way to stay away from it is to not be on it (social media). Ever since I have left Twitter, I have been happier. It is surprising and shocking how these things can bog you down without you even realising it.

Commenting on the state on online discourse in recent weeks, Sonakshi added, As we see even on social media that people have just started turning very bitter. When you start watching yourself for these emotions, accept them, understand them, but then overcome them. I think it is very important to strive for positivity, especially at a time like this. Having a positive mindset is important.

Also read: Shatrughan Sinha bats for Kangana Ranaut: Most of the people speak against her because they are very jealous

At the centre of several online feuds is actor Kangana Ranaut, who was praised in a recent interview by Sonakshis father, actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha. He had told Republic TV, Most of the people I see, they speak against Kangana because from the inside they are very jealous of Kangana. Without our mercy, without our will, without joining our groups or without any blessings from us, this girl has gone too far and achieved so much without any push of ours. They are irritated and jealous of her success and bravery.

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Eighteen people are facing charges in connection with that federal prosecutors call a wide-ranging fentanyl, heroin, crack, and cocaine trafficking ring, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Boston.

Eight of the suspects, all of whom live in Fitchburg or Gardner, were previously arrested and charged in a November 2019 indictment.

The superseding indictment unsealed Thursday charges ten additional people, including two who remain at large.

They are all from Fitchburg, Leominster and Whitinsville, prosecutors said.

The November 2019 indictment charged the defendants with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of heroin, and 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. The superseding indictment brings similar drug trafficking charges.

The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force that includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
When Charlize Theron became an action hero, Hollywood was a little surprised at the direction the Oscar-winners career took. Many of her fans were unsurprised, because of course, why couldnt an Oscar-winning actor become an action hero? Shed appeared in Aeon Flux, The Italian Job and Hancock before, but it was Mad Max: Fury Road that really put Theron on the action map.

Charlize Theron | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

San Diego Comic-Con@Home honored Theron with a panel about her action movie career. During the panel, Theron discussed how Mad Max: Fury Road left a permanent mark on her life.

Mad Max: Fury Road had the most intense stunts Charlize Theron ever did

Theron became a martial arts fighter for Atomic Blonde and The Old Guard, but she says Mad Max: Fury Road was the hardest physical challenge. The reason was that other movies often assist her with wire teams sharing the heavy lifting. She was on her own in Fury Road.

Listen, I dont think I will ever recover from the making of that film. It was a tremendous feat what we pulled off, all of us. It was very, very rare that [director] George [Miller] wanted the stunt team to rely on too much wirework. A lot of physical lifting in that movie was real. Holding your body up on a car, pulling yourself out of a car, getting over to another vehicle or action that was happening on driving vehicles consistently, it was incredibly tedious. But, that was the challenge in that. Charlize Theron, San Diego Comic-Con@Home panel, 7/24/2020

Exhaustion worked for Mad Max: Fury Road

Climbing on speeding apocalypse cars took a toll on Theron that you can see in the film. Thats kind of the point. Furiosa (Theron) is at the end of her rope when she leads the women out of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Bryne)s citadel.

Charlize Theron | Getty Images/Getty Images for Global Citizen

RELATED: Charlize Theron Knows How She Would Beat Steven Seagal In a Fight

The story of Mad Max is supposed to make you feel incredibly exhausted, Theron said. Youre supposed to be on a three day car chase and that is just exhausting. It was an exhausting shoot. He physically got us all to a place where none of that was being manufactured. It came from such a real place.

It was worth it for Charlize Theron

Theron jokes that shes still in recovery from Mad Max: Fury Road, but she wouldnt trade it. Its five years later and were still talking about Furiosa, and will be for some time.

Charlize Theron in The Old Guard | Amy Spinks/Netflix

RELATED: Charlize Theron Opens Up About the Movie Injury That Almost Left Her Paralyzed

Im incredibly proud of what we pulled off, Theron said. I really am. Im really proud of that character. Furiosa is definitely one of, I think, the most important characters Ive ever played. I saw the potential, I knew how special it was right from the beginning and I chased it really hard because of that. I saw something that I had never seen before as an opportunity for myself as an actor.

The action hero who inspired Charlize Theron

Before women like Theron were thriving in action movies, female action heroes were fewer and further between. The one who most influenced Theron was Sigourney Weaver as Alien survivor Ripley.

The closest moment in my own life that I could look back to is the first time I saw Sigourney Weaver play Ripley, Theron said. It just changed everything for me. It was like the world opened up and the possibilities were just endless. The amount of intelligence she brought to that role, she was completely in demand of it. She owned that role but it wasnt forced, it wasnt written and it wasnt acted. It was just lived. She was just living in that world in such an authentic way.

Theron hopes Furiosa can be a new generations Ripley.

RELATED: Charlize Theron Opens Up About the Struggle of Being a Female Action Star: A Lot of Women Dont Get a Second Chance

Furiosa was the first time I felt like I couldnt even look at her as a character, Theron continued. She felt so real to me. And, maybe it was because the shoot was so hard, the fact that we were there for so long, that we really did live in that environment for so long that made me feel that way about her. If that character can in a small part do what Ripley did for me as an actress, as a woman, thats something Im incredibly proud of.
A government decision to change laws to allow pay hikes for ministers of state days before they go on their summer break has been branded "disgusting" and "greedy".

The coalition pushed through the legislative change to allow three ministers of state to get a 16,229 allowance for attending Cabinet meetings.

The move means Fianna Fail TD Jack Chambers, who is the chief whip, and Fine Gael's Hildegarde Naughton, who is minister of state for roads, will have taxpayer-funded salaries totalling 151,204 a year.

The third so-called super junior minister, Pippa Hackett, who is a failed Green Party general election candidate, will receive 123,186 as a senator.

All three will receive the top-up after their parties voted for the law change, one day after the Government announced cuts to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).

Applause

Furious Opposition TDs branded the allowance an insult to frontline workers who have received applause rather than pay increases for their efforts during the Covid-19 health crisis.

Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane said the move was "beyond shameful" and without justification, adding: "Anybody who votes for this cannot look a staff nurse in the eye any more.

"You are pulling a stroke here. You were quick to clap those frontline workers, but this is a slap in their face. The brass neck of that is galling."

Rise TD Paul Murphy said the move came "at a time when one in four people in this country is unemployed at a time of great crisis".

"You look at the actions of this Government - cuts to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, a vote to cut a motion in support of the Debenhams workers and a miserly decision to only extend the eviction ban to August - yet a majority in this Dail will vote through a pay increase for an already very well-paid person," he added.

Mayo Sinn Fein TD Rose Conway-Walsh said it was the most devious thing she had witnessed in politics to date.

There was a "circle of greed" between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens and it was shameful," she said.

Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath claimed he cannot recall his party preventing the last government from changing legislation to give three ministers of state the top-up.

Blocked

It comes after Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said he could not remember the Cabinet signing off on the pay hike legislation, despite being at the meeting only hours earlier.

Mr McGrath tried to dismiss suggestions his party had blocked the same super junior minister top-up until he read an official Fianna Fail press statement that specifically said it would stop any law passing through the Dail allowing for the additional allowance.

Asked about Fianna Fail preventing former super junior minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor from receiving the payment, Mr McGrath said: "It wasn't brought before the Oireachtas the last time."

He also raised questions about the accuracy of media reports that said Fianna Fail was blocking the pay hike by the last government.

However, he was then made aware of a Fianna Fail press release saying the party will "block any effort to fund addition super junior position".

"I don't recall that being discussed and it was never put the before the Oireachtas," he said.
We encourage all workers who wish to join in the defense of the US Postal Service through the formation of rank-and-file committees to contact the World Socialist Web Site at contact@wsws.org.

Postal workers and broad sections of the American population have responded with outrage to the leaked memos from United States Postal Service (USPS) management which reveal plans for the accelerated privatization of the Postal Service and their impact on working conditions.

The first leaked memo outlined plans for immediate, lasting, and impactful changes in our operations and in our culture for the health and stability of the Postal Service. The changes aim to cut labor costs by ending late or extra trips by carriers, essentially eliminating the overtime hours that many workers require to fulfill daily package and mail deliveries.

These strict rules outline the restructuring of the federal agency, increasing the workloads of mail carriers and sorters to complete high volumes within a shorter amount of time. The changes would increase penalties for workers who make mistakes while loading trucks or completing their delivery route, and would impose a regime of tight oversight and harassment by management.

Portland Main Post Office [Credit: Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0)]

If a large pile of mail is not sorted and delivered within the timeframe set by USPS, it simply will not be delivered on time. This new policy will increase delivery times for mail and packages, making USPS the slower mailing option compared to its private competitors like Amazon, United Parcel Services (UPS) and Federal Express (FedEx).

The effects of this change are already being felt by workers around the country. Mail carriers in Maine recently reported that Portland Postmaster James Thornton ordered workers to prioritize Amazon packages first before USPS parcels.

Opposition is growing among postal workers and wider sections of the working class to these attacks on the postal service. The World Socialist Web Sites previous report this week on the threats to privatize USPS was widely read and circulated on social media.

Brandon, a stower, wrote in to tell the WSWS: From what I have heard, if the Postal Service is privatized it will affect the rural areas and inner city, as they may only get mail three days a week. It will cost a lot more as a private company will charge more for the last mile, and the sanctity of the mail will not be as secure. People will not know what they lost until it is gone.

The management of USPS, now headed by former logistics firm CEO and Trump mega-donor Louis DeJoy, is creating the conditions for fully privatizing the company by both increasing the workload for its workforce and making the company less competitive. This double whammy serves to essentially bankrupt USPS while demonstrating the willingness to restructure the workplace, forcing a takeover or selloff of the company.

In addition, the privatization of USPS, and the resulting decline of postal workers wages and benefits, would provide a downward pressure on wages for workers in all sections of the logistics industry, such as United Parcel Service (UPS), Federal Express (FedEx), and Amazon.

Joaquin, a postal worker in New York, spoke to the WSWS about the implications of privatization for workers and democratic rights. He explained how postal workers deliver many essential goods to millions in the United States, guaranteed at a flat rate no matter where one lives, including the essential lifesaving medicine that elderly use.

DeJoys new plans are going to cause chaos, he said. Its so much mail that has to go out. Trying to hold mail back, theres going to be a series of bottlenecks that are going to have to release themselves. Theres going to be an explosion somewhere.

Joaquin expanded on the concern that the US government and executives want to allow a few businesses to control the mail, how does that make sense? Youre infringing on peoples freedom.

This is an election year. This is a strategy to hold back votes, to be able to manipulate them, he said. He also noted that the new Postmaster General DeJoy is a long-standing Trump supporter and was nominated by Trump.

The stepped-up drive toward privatization takes place in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which postal workers have been forced to work in unsafe conditions that place them at a high risk for contracting and spreading the virus. The latest statistics show that 5,400 postal workers have tested positive for COVID-19, and dozens have died. As bad as they are, these statistics underestimate the scope of the virus spread given the lack of testing and the concealment of data by USPS management.

Opposition is mounting among workers to the threats to their lives and livelihoods by the USPS Board of Governors and political establishment. This opposition can only be advanced if workers take the struggle into their own hands and follow the lead of autoworkers by building rank-and-file safety committees. These committees will unite with one another across the country and develop a broad working class movement to confront the powerful social interests that are dictating USPS policy.

The struggle that must be waged to defend USPS stands in contrast to the proposal of the four American postal worker unions, which have enforced the commands of Wall Street upon postal workers over several decades of sellout contracts.

In a letter from July 20, the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) wrote that it vehemently opposes any actions that slow down and undermine mail processing, delivery, and retail services and thus drives business and revenue away from the Postal Service... United with each other and the people of the country we will defeat those who aim to dismantle and sell off the public Postal Service.

We all have a role to play reaching out to our families, neighbors, labor and community organizations, and local political representatives to fight for our jobs and our service, the message stated, then inviting workers to call senators in an Action Day on July 23 and increase pressure upon Congress to pass $25 billion in COVID-19 emergency relief for the Postal Service.

In other words, according to the unions the only thing that workers can do is appeal to the same Democratic and Republican Party politicians who have carried out decades of attacks on the postal service.

Both parties joined the Trump administration in passing the CARES Act, which allowed for an unprecedented bailout of Wall Street and the major corporations with trillions of dollars. Some Democratic Party politicians have recently sought to pose as defenders of USPS as part of their election-year calculations, knowing full well that the Republican-controlled Senate or Trump would block any token and inadequate funding packages they would pass.

Workers must reject their subordination to the Democratic Party by the unions. The needs of workers for safe work conditions, regular COVID-19 testing, full-time jobs with decent pay, and even the democratic right to mail delivery services are coming into direct conflict with the profit interests of the corporate and financial elite, represented by Louis DeJoy and Donald Trump.

Postal workers will find an immense source of support among logistics workers at Amazon, UPS, FedEx and other companies; postal workers in Japan and the United Kingdom, where the postal sectors have been privatized already; and other sections of the working class all over the world, who confront the same deteriorating conditions as the global capitalist economy prioritizes profits over human lives.

The essential services provided by logistics workers must not be subordinated to the profit interests of the rich. Instead, USPS and all the major logistics and delivery corporations should be converted into truly public utilities, democratically controlled by the workers themselves.
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During one of the darkest periods of World War II, Winston Churchill asked aloud, Will Britain surrender too? Never.

At the time, in the summer and fall of 1940, the great leader of the U.K. declared, I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization.

Churchill, the great lion of the 20th century, understood that if the Nazis won, they would usher in a period of unparalleled darkness. But thank God, Christian civilization won.

Fast forward to the summer of 2020, when the radical leftists desecrated a statue of Churchill. They spray painted anti-law enforcement graffiti on his statue. They likely would have torn it down, if they hadnt been stopped.

There is a war on Western Civilization. And every week seems to bring new examples of this war.

It is not enough that the failed theory of Marxism has ushered in the deaths of tens of millions of human beings (in the 20th century alone), as documented in Harvard Universitys The Black Book of Communism (1997).

But it has now reinvented itself as cultural Marxism and has propagated itself in many of our schools. The violent, destructive protesters who are making mayhem in our streets demanding justice are the cultural Marxists, trying to make the rest of the country to be woke.

The New York Times last week, as part of the woke culture, now has classical music in its crosshairs.

In Woke mob comes for Mozart, Citizens Free Press (7/18/20) writes that the NYT launched a full-out assault on classical music, hoisting race theory onto composers who have been dead for centuries. In several opinion pieces published this week, the [NYT] said operas should be reexamined for racism, asked black artists how they would change classical music, and suggested orchestras stop the practice of blind auditions so judges can see the persons skin color they are grading.

Classical music? Come on. There are plenty of different styles of music for all of us to enjoy. By way of full disclosure: This piece is being written with Schuberts Symphony #9 playing in the background (for the umpteenth time). Some classical music is also sacred, written for the glory of God.

The concerted attacks seem to be aimed at unraveling the very fabric of civilization. There are different strands that make up Western civilization, certainly ancient Greece played a major part. But the single most important element is the Judeo-Christian tradition. Perhaps this explains why right now, during this time as darkness descends upon us, there are various attacks against churches and statues of Jesus and His mother.

Just on Saturday, in Chantilly, Virginia, a young man barged into a church and stabbed the pastor who was leading a Bible study. Thankfully, a policeman attending the study prevented the stabbing from being fatal. But this didnt seem to make the news, as do other anti-Christian stories.

Breitbart.com reports (7/16/20) on a plethora of recent attacks against churches:

In Chattanooga, a statue of Mary was beheaded. Mary statues were also damaged in Queens and Boston.

In Ocala, Florida, a young man tried to burn down a church, before he was caught.

Three statues of the missionary who virtually founded California, Father Junipero Serra, have been toppled. And on it goes.

And over the weekend, at a church in the Miami area, a statue of Jesus was beheaded.

It sounds like the minions of Shaun King are doing his bidding. He said that in the interests of social justice, statues of Jesus and of Mary should be torn down  if they look too white.

The war against Western Civilization can be seen in the war against Christopher Columbus. Although the Italian explorer never set foot on what is now the United States of America, he bridged the gap from Europe to the New World, thus opening it up to the rest of the world.

In the recent spate of statue-toppling, sculptures of Christopher Columbus are the number one target. DailySignal.com (7/17/20) documents at least 10 statues of Columbus being destroyed or desecrated

John Eidsmoe, a great scholar on American history, law professor, and author, once made this remark about the attack on Western civilization (particularly as seen in the attack on Columbus, for example): Let us credit them for its [Western cultures] achievements and contributions: art, music, architecture, ethics, liberty, law, government, a Constitution that has served as a model across the world, an economic system that has produced the greatest good for the greatest number and the highest level of prosperity the world has ever known, and a spirit of ingenuity and achievement that led to unparalleled medical and technological advances.

Sometimes I feel like saying, Hey, wake me up when the Era of Woke is over.
Earlier this year, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex made their exit from their royal duties and moved on to their next chapter, one that hopefully brought them some relief from the constant media attention. One expert believes the royal family likely hated giving up control of what Prince Harry and Meghan now say and do, however.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Dominic Lipinski  WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were overwhelmed by being in the spotlight

It was clear in the 2019 documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey that the couple was suffering from all of the negative media attention.

In an interview for the documentary, Meghan seemed exhausted from the negativity. Ive said for a long time to H  thats what I call him  its not enough to just survive something. Thats not the point of life. Youve got to thrive, youve got to feel happy, she shared at the time.

The duchess continued, I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip. I tried. I really tried. But I think what that does internally is probably really damaging.

The biggest thing that I know is that I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair and thats the part thats really hard to reconcile, she added.

Perhaps the key moment in my interview with Meghan tonight. pic.twitter.com/grIsq7f5QX  tom bradby (@tombradby) October 20, 2019

The Sussexes exited the royal family

Following an announcement in January, in which Prince Harry and Meghan explained their plans to step back from their duties, Queen Elizabeth called a special meeting to finalize the details.

Prince Harry and Meghan had to give up their HRH titles and public funding to pursue a more peaceful life, with their last official day of duties set for March 31.

The queen issued a statement of support that noted, in part: Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.

RELATED: Queen Elizabeths Final Proposition About Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Exit Shocked the World and Was Ruthlessly Clear, Experts Claim

The royal family is reportedly nervous for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Though their royal days are behind them, one expert believes that the royal family is worried about Prince Harry and Meghan. The couple is no longer under the control of the monarchy, something that Tom Quinn, author of Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle told Fox News concerns the royal family.

With Harry in the states, theres a risk that he could say or do something which will reflect badly on the royal family, the author explained. Going to the states is only the last leg in what looks like a desperate search for meaning. Theres a feeling in the royal family that theyre desperately searching for a role in life because they dont have one.

Quinn continued, The royal family is nervous. You know, where will they go next? Ive already heard that Harrys not very happy in California, so they may go somewhere else.
By PTI

UNITED NATIONS: An estimated 6,000-6,500 Pakistani terrorists are in neighbouring Afghanistan, most of them with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, posing a threat to both the countries, a UN report has said.

The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities said that the terror group al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operates under the Taliban umbrella from Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan.

"The group reportedly has between 150 and 200 members from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan. The current leader of AQIS is Osama Mahmood", who succeeded the late Asim Umar. "AQIS is reportedly planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its former leader," it said.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a "large terrorist group present in Afghanistan", has claimed responsibility for various high-profile attacks in Pakistan and has facilitated others by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Lahskhar-e-Islam, the report said.

It said that many former TTP militants have joined Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan (ISIL-K) and member states expect that the group and its various splinter groups will align themselves with ISIL-K.

"The total number of Pakistani foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan, posing a threat to both countries, is estimated at between 6,000 and 6,500, most of them with TTP," it said, adding that a number of other terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan, most operating under the umbrella of the Taliban but some aligned with ISIL-K.

The report comes over a fortnight after India at the UN asked Pakistan to introspect as to why it is universally acknowledged as the "international epicentre" of terrorism and the "best safe haven for terrorists", while urging the global community to call upon Islamabad to take sustained, verifiable and irreversible actions against terror outfits operating from its soil.

ALSO READ| 'Significant numbers' of ISIS terrorists in Kerala, Karnataka: UN report

In June this year, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan publicly acknowledged the presence of up to 40,000 terrorists in Pakistan and that terrorists from there have attacked the neighbouring countries. According to the member states, al-Qaida is covertly active in 12 Afghan provinces and its leader Aiman al-Zawahiri remains based in the country, the report said.

The monitoring team estimates the total number of al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan at between 400 and 600. "The leadership maintains close contact with the Haqqani Network. In February 2020, al-Zawahiri met with Yahya Haqqani, the primary Haqqani Network contact with al-Qaida since mid-2009, to discuss the ongoing cooperation," it said.

The monitoring team also estimates the current ISIL-K membership in Afghanistan at 2,200. The leader is sheikh Matiullah Kamahwal, previously the head of ISIL-K in Kunar. The leadership also includes Syrian national Abu Said Mohammad al-Khorasani and sheikh Abdul Tahir.

The team was informed that two senior ISIL commanders, Abu Qutaibah and Abu Hajar al-Iraqi, have arrived in Afghanistan from the Middle East. The report said that ISIL-K continues to suffer losses in Kunar province, to where it moved from Nangarhar at the end of 2019.

In April and May, the Afghan special forces conducted a series of countrywide operations that led to the arrest of the group's leaders, including Aslam Farooqi (also known as Abdullah Orokzai), the head of ISIL-K, his predecessor Zia ul-Haq (also known as Abu Omar Khorasani) and other senior members.

According to some member states, ISIL-K is seeking to pursue a global agenda by implementing the ISIL core's leadership approach, which considers Afghan territory a base for spreading terrorist influence across the wider region.

"Although in territorial retreat, ISIL-K remains capable of carrying out high-profile attacks in various parts of the country, including Kabul," the report said, adding that the group also aims to attract Taliban fighters who oppose the agreement with the US.

It said that in case of further military pressure on ISIL-K in Kunar, the group is expected to retreat to Badakhshan and other northern provinces. The monitoring team was informed that ISIL-K also works with networks of supporters in the Maldives.

On April, 15 2020, five government speedboats were damaged in an arson attack at Mahibadhoo Harbour on Ariatholhu Dhekunuburi, which ISIL claimed as its first attack in the Maldives. According to the member state information, the attack was a retaliation against the government investigations into extremism and drug trafficking.

"The attack was covered extensively in ISIL media networks in South Asia, with the al-Naba claim of responsibility also translated into Dhivehi. Member states remain concerned about the radicalisation and recruitment in the Maldives," the report added.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 25, 2020 - 23:07 | All, Coronavirus, Japan

Japan's coronavirus infections topped 30,000 on Saturday, with 295 new cases confirmed in Tokyo, as the country continues its fight against the pandemic amid a spike in infections in urban areas, authorities said.

With about 790 newly found infections, the nationwide tally for coronavirus cases rose to over 30,460, including some 700 cases from the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama in February. The figure has soared by 10,000 in a mere three weeks after surpassing 20,000 on July 4.

The death toll climbed to 1,009 across the country.

The figure is the second-highest single-day total for Tokyo, which logged a record 366 daily cases on Thursday.

The daily figures announced by the metropolitan government reflect the most recent totals reported by health authorities and medical institutions in the capital.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike reiterated her call to residents to wear masks and take measures to prevent the virus from spreading.

She told reporters people in their 20s and 30s account for about 60 percent of total infections but cases are spreading as well among those in their 40s and 50s and also to the Tama district of western Tokyo from the central area.

It is the fifth straight day that the figure has exceeded 200. The latest report of infections brought the total number of infections in the capital to 10,975, after its cumulative coronavirus cases topped the 10,000 mark on Wednesday.

Tokyo has seen triple-digit single-day new infections on all but two days in July.

Koike has urged residents to avoid nonessential outings during the four-day holiday, having raised the pandemic alert to the highest of four levels, indicating "infections are spreading."

With the outbreak showing little sign of slowing in the capital, the Tokyo police on Friday night conducted on-site inspections at nightlife establishments in Tokyo's Kabukicho and Ikebukuro districts, where group infections have been traced.

After the police inspections, metropolitan government officials, who also joined, checked if the establishments complied with the proper anti-virus guidelines.

Other urban areas have also seen sharp rises in confirmed cases since a nationwide state of emergency was fully lifted in late May.

Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, reported 132 new infections Saturday, following a record 149 cases the previous day, seeing triple-digit new infections for the fourth consecutive day.

Among the newly confirmed cases, 91 people, or about 70 percent, were aged between 10 and 39, while 80, or about 60 percent, were infected via unknown routes, according to the Osaka government.

Osaka is faced with an imminent review of its plan to secure enough hospital beds as single-day infection figures surpassed a projected peak figure of 130, which serves as a basis for calculating the necessary number of beds, for the second straight day.

It has been issuing a yellow alert based on its own standards to assess the situation of coronavirus infections since July 12. If the occupancy rate of hospital beds for patients with severe symptoms reaches 70 percent or higher by Aug. 6, within 25 days from the first day of yellow alert, the alert will turn from yellow to red, indicating a state of emergency, according to the local government.

The prefectures of Aichi, central Japan, and Hyogo, western Japan, confirmed 78 and 24 cases, respectively, while the northeastern Japan prefecture of Akita found the first new infection case since April 14.

While acknowledging the growing number of infections, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday the current situation does not warrant a re-imposition of a state of emergency.

Related coverage:

Husbands happy, wives stressed over parenting during stay-home spell

Free weddings on offer for couples hit by venue pandemic bankruptcies

Fireworks color Japan skies 1 yr to Olympics, lift mood amid pandemic
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The food fight between Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration and the New Mexico Restaurant Association is getting even messier.

Attorneys for the restaurant association filed a new lawsuit in the Albuquerque-based 2nd Judicial District on Friday in an attempt to force the Lujan Grisham administration to turn over documents underpinning its decision to reimpose a ban on in-person restaurant dining.

In the lawsuit, the restaurant groups attorneys claim the Department of Health has not supplied them with records requested under the states Inspection of Public Records Act.

The agency requested more time to comply with the records request, according to court filings, and a 15-day deadline under state law has not yet been met.

The restaurant group, along with several restaurants around the state, filed a separate lawsuit last week seeking to block the Lujan Grisham administration from enforcing its reimposed ban on indoor dining at eateries and breweries.

A District Court judge in Carlsbad temporarily barred the Lujan Grisham administration from enforcing the ban on Monday, but the Supreme Court allowed it to be reimposed after the Governors Office filed an emergency petition later the same day.

Both sides have been ordered by the Supreme Court to file responses in the case next week.

In previous court fillings, the Governors Office has cited testing data to back up its decision to reimpose the ban on indoor dining amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Specifically, the governors legal staff has cited a sharp increase in the number of rapid responses launched statewide at restaurants  such interventions occur when an employee tests positive for the virus  after restaurants were allowed to reopen at limited capacity on June 1 through July 13, when they were once again ordered to close.

In addition, Human Services Secretary David Scrase said during a Thursday news briefing that indoor restaurant dining is inherently dangerous during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

People cant wear masks when they eat, so its just a high-risk activity, Scrase said.

Attorneys for the restaurant association have sought to depose Scrase as part of their court case, but Governors Office attorneys declined the request this week due to the Supreme Courts order.

New Mexico restaurants and breweries can still offer outside patio dining at limited capacity under the revised public health order that expires July 30.
New Delhi: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) sub-inspector killed another CRPF inspector and then committed suicide in Delhi's posh Lodhi Estate area late on Friday (July 24) night.

The incident is said to have taken place at 10:30 pm at the government accommodation on the Tughlaq Road in Delhi's Lodhi Estate area. Police, after receiving a PCR call, arrived at the scene immediately and found two CRPF personnel dead on the spot.

According to reports, on Friday night, CRPF sub-inspector Karnail Singh and inspector Dashrath Singh got into an argument after which the former took out his service weapon and fired at the latter. The sub-inspector then shoots himself with the same weapon. Investigations revealed that there was a tussle between the two that escalated on Friday night.

Sub-inspector Singh fired a bullet while the Inspector was having a meal in his room. He then shot himself at the entrance gate near the guard room of the bungalow.

Karnail Singh, a CRPF sub-inspector of the 122 Battalion, hailed from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir while Inspector Dashrath Singh was from Rohtak in Haryana.

An inquiry is being conducted to ascertain the cause behind the incident, police said, adding that there is no eye-witness to the case.

"In a fratricidal event last night, one sub-inspector of 122 Battalion of CRPF shot dead an Inspector of the same Battalion before getting himself shot with his service weapon. The incident at 61, Lodhi Estate is an aberration which seems to have been committed on the spur of the moment. An enquiry has been ordered to establish the facts of the matter and will be taken to its logical end. Meanwhile, senior officers of the Force have rushed to the spot and handling the situation," M Dinakaran, DIG and official spokesperson, CRPF said.

The 61 Lodhi Estate mansion is allotted to the Home Ministry.
? #NotaDePrensa ??

Uno de los mayores retos sera la implementacion de una prueba molecular rapida y sencilla para el primer nivel de atencion.

??Enterate mas??https://t.co/YbN5y8lP94 pic.twitter.com/A56QzAFFSV
By Rong-Gong Lin II, Sean Greene, Priscella Vega and Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES  California reached another bleak coronavirus milestone this week, recording more than 100 daily deaths in the worst fatality numbers since the pandemic began.

But just as troubling, health officials and experts say, is how COVID-19 is stalking certain groups, such as essential workers, and those in institutions including nursing homes and prisons, at much greater rates than those who have the ability to stay home.

Californians of color are far more likely to become infected or die from the coronavirus. But the most recent surge in cases is exacerbating those inequities.

The epidemic in the West is particularly among the Latinx community.  They are both in urban, as well as rural, agricultural areas, said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the University of California, San Francisco. Theres tremendous amount of transmission in Southern California, in particular in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

The virus is spreading through the Latino community as essential workers get sick and spread the illness in their communities, Rutherford and others have noted.

The seven-day average for daily coronavirus-related deaths reached 102 on Thursday  the first time the number went above 100, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of its county-by-county tally of pandemic deaths. Daily death tolls have soared in recent days, hitting 119 Tuesday, 158 Wednesday  a new one-day record  and 153 deaths Thursday, the second-worst daily death toll.

L.A. Countys single largest coronavirus outbreak hit the garment factory Los Angeles Apparel, where more than 300 were sickened and four people died.

Hundreds of agricultural workers in Ventura County have tested positive for the virus. One outbreak struck a housing complex that provides agricultural employers with temporary housing for their workers. In Imperial County, a rural and impoverished region with a largely Latino population east of San Diego, hospitals were so overwhelmed that at least 500 COVID-19 patients were transferred out of the county.

And while much was said early in the pandemic about how urban, dense areas like New York City were primed for catastrophe, its now clear that agricultural and rural areas are suffering too, with coronavirus case rates high throughout Californias Central Valley, Salinas Valley and Imperial Valley, all part of the states agricultural heartland.

Large outbreaks are also sickening farmworkers in the vineyards of Sonoma and Napa counties, some of whom live in Solano County, officials said.

Of the five California hospitals so overwhelmed they needed an infusion of medical staff from the U.S. Air Force, four were in the Central Valley, with two hospitals in San Joaquin County and two others in Fresno and Tulare counties. The fifth was Riverside Countys Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

Social gatherings are also worsening the spread, public health officials have said. Summer parties at fraternities at UC Berkeley have been linked to 72 cases, a factor the campus cited in determining it would begin the fall semester with fully remote instruction.

As case counts and death tolls continue to spike across the state, health officials are also battling significant resistance to wearing masks in some places. In Huntington Beach, some view the pandemic as a hoax, and much of the public refuses to wear face coverings. On Wednesday, there were 690 people with confirmed coronavirus infections at Orange Countys hospitals, a 157% increase from two months ago.

Some officials have had to resort to begging their constituents to wear masks.

Your decision not to participate costs the community dearly. As you see the numbers go up, well shut down businesses. And in the end, we all get hurt together, Clayton Chau, director of the Orange County Health Care Agency, told reporters Thursday. So, Im pleading  and Im hoping that you all would help us pleading to the community  that they really, really have to follow this.

COVID-19  the disease caused by the coronavirus  is on track to claim more lives in L.A. County this year than any other disease except coronary heart disease.

Its killing more people than Alzheimers disease, other kinds of heart disease, stroke and (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County director of public health, said Wednesday.

COVID-19 has already killed nearly triple the number of people in L.A. County than died from flu or pneumonia during the most recent eight-month flu season. Between October and May, 1,521 people died from the flu and pneumonia; as of Thursday, 4,263 people have died from COVID-19 in L.A. County.

Particularly troubling in the nations most populous county is that the racial disparity in coronavirus infections is growing. Latino residents are more than twice as likely to have been diagnosed with the virus than white residents in L.A. County; Black residents are 25% more likely than white people to have been infected with the virus, Ferrer said.

Latino and Black residents are disproportionately affected by the virus in many areas. In L.A. County, Latino and Black residents are at least twice as likely to have died from the coronavirus as white residents. For every 100,000 Latino residents, 54 have died from COVID-19 in L.A. County; for every 100,000 Black residents, 46 have died. For every 100,000 Asian American residents, 29 have died; and for every 100,000 white residents, 23 have died.

Among 15 children in L.A. County infected by a rare but serious inflammatory syndrome associated with the coronavirus, 73% are Latino. And Latina women represent 3 out of every 4 cases of COVID-19 among pregnant women in L.A. County, although Latino residents make up about half the countys population.

Many Latina women or their partners are essential workers who may hold low-wage jobs, with little control over their working conditions, Ferrer said. Latinx workers not only are becoming infected at a higher rate than others, but they are then more likely to bring the infection home to their family members, and this  as we have just seen  includes their pregnant partners.

Californias COVID-19 hospitalizations hit records this week, for the first time reaching above 7,000 hospitalized this week. On Monday, 7,091 people with confirmed coronavirus infections were in the hospital statewide; on Tuesday, the figure was 7,170; and on Wednesday, it was 6,825. Two months ago, about 3,000 people with confirmed COVID-19 infections were in Californias hospitals.

We have more patients than ever in California, Rutherford said.

Theres more evidence that younger people are increasingly getting infected and hospitalized. Cases among L.A. Countys youngest adults  those under 30  rose by 109% between mid-June and mid-July, but only rose by 53% among seniors up to the age of 79.

Children saw their rate of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in L.A. County climb by 50% over the same period, while it only rose by 13% for seniors aged 65 and older.

Some urged far more aggressive action. Democratic state Sen. Steve Glazer of Orinda on Thursday called for a return to a stricter shelter-in-place order for the hardest-hit counties that report 200 cases for every 100,000 residents over the past 14 days, which would include Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, along with counties in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, and Marin and Solano counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Of Californias 15 counties with death rates on a per capita basis worse than the state average in the last two weeks, 13 of them are in Southern California or the Central Valley. The two exceptions are Marin and Mendocino counties.

Imperial County has recorded the worst death rate by far of any other county in California, with 23.9 deaths per 100,000 residents in the last two weeks; far above the state rate of 3.4 deaths per 100,000 residents.

In Southern California, Los Angeles County on Thursday night reported the fifth worst coronavirus death rate of any county in the last two weeks, recording 5.7 coronavirus-related deaths per 100,000 residents. Orange County recorded 4.5; Riverside County, 4.4; San Diego County, 2.9; San Bernardino County 2.5; and Ventura County, 1.2.

But there were some increasing signs of optimism. Ferrer, L.A. Countys director of public health, on Wednesday ruled out the need for a renewed stay-at-home order at least for this week.

The effective transmission rate of the coronavirus is now at about 0.94, meaning every 1 person infected with the virus on average infects 0.94 people, said Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of health services for L.A. County. Thats better than it was in June, when it rose above 1 and fueled the surge in disease.

And the number of new patients with COVID-19 requiring hospitalization in L.A. County, which had been rising, has become flat and maybe even started to decrease, Ghaly said. Its plateaued at a substantially worse number than it was in April, but the data nonetheless suggest an improvement.

In Silicon Valley, health officials warned that it was important to both protect the health of the most vulnerable and also avoid the worst impacts of stay-at-home orders.

Low-income communities  are, one, going to be more likely to be harder hit by COVID-19  and also likely to be harder hit by the shelter-in-place, as many in low-income communities have lost income, Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County, told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
Archaeologists discovered a cave in a remote part of Mexico and found out that ancient humans from 30,000 years ago visited it.

The study shows that ancient humans were able to reach the Americas 15,000 years earlier that want was previously recorded.

The oldest hotel

The Chiquihuite Cave is located in northern Mexico. It is a mountainous area that is controlled by drug cartels. The painstaking excavations uncovered almost 2000 stone tools from a small area of the cave.

The analysis of the stone tools and the DNA analysis of the sediment retrieved in the cave presented a new story of the colonization of the Americas. It now traces evidence of the first Americans to set foot in the area 30,000 years ago.

The results of the discovery have been published in Nature and it challenges the most common theory that the Clovis people were the first ones to inhabit the Americas around 15,000 years ago.

Also Read: 60,000-Year-Old Underwater Forest Grows Trees That May Help Create New Medicines

Professor Eske Willerslev, a DNA scientist of the University of Cambridge led the study with Dr. Ciprian Ardelean, an archaeologist from the University of Zacatecas in Mexico. Professor Willerslev stated that for decades, experts have debated on when the first humans set foot in the Americas.

The Chiquihuite Cave has presented new evidence and will likely create more debates as the site shows that the arrival of people to the continent was around 30,000 years ago, which is 15,000 years earlier than what was previously thought.

According to Professor Willerslev, the visitors did not actually live in the cave, they spent part of the year there, usually during the winter season and summer season, then they relocated during hunting season. The cave is Americas "oldest hotel." ever recorded.

More questions

The research project lasted for 10 years, but it may raise more questions than answers about ancient humans who lived in the Americas thousands of years ago, as reported by National Geographic.

Dr. Ardelean said that they do not know who the ancient humans were, where they originally came from and where they went after they spent time in the cave.

Originally, experts believe that the indigenous people in the Americas today are the direct descendants from the earliest Americans, but now it may not be the case. The Chiquihuite Cave is 2750 meters above sea level and is considered as a high-altitude site.

Around 2000 stone tools and tool fragments were discovered. According to the DNA analysis retrieved from the animal remains and plant sediments packed around the tools found in the cave, it shows that it dates back to 30,000 years ago.

Human DNA was not found in the cave, which adds more to the theory that the ancient humans did not stay long in the cave and was only there for a couple of months, as reported by The Guardian.

A geneticist from the University of Copenhagen, Dr. Mikkel Winther Pedersen, said that they identified DNA from a range of animals including rodents, black bears, voles, bats, and kangaroo rats.

They think that the early people would have come back for a few months to exploit natural resources that are available and then they move on.

The Chiquihuite Cave site is very difficult to reach, and the ancient humans had a good advantage against the predators because they can defend themselves and they could see animals approaching miles without them being seen.

Related Article: 4,000 Year Old Squatting Skeleton Found By Archaeologists in German State

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For close to a decade-and-a-half, broadly between 2000 and 2015, India was lucky in having a conducive international environment for its growth and ambitions. It was not just luck though. A series of Indian leaders and bureaucrats ensured that the country was able to shape this international environment, within its limited powers, in its favour.

Think back. The end of the 1990s, under the remarkably far-sighted leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saw India conduct nuclear tests. This invited international sanctions. But it also opened the doors for substantive dialogue with the international community, particularly the United States (US), about the underlying logic of the relationship between the two countries. The Strobe Talbot-Jaswant Singh dialogue, Bill Clintons visit to India, Vajpayee calling India and the US natural partners, and the two countries moving ahead with the next steps in the strategic partnership, fundamentally altered the texture of the relationship. Manmohan Singh ably took the baton, signing the defence framework agreement and, of course, the nuclear deal  over which he staked his government. Narendra Modi too carried forward this legacy, letting go of the hurt that the US visa ban on him must have caused, introducing a new diplomatic style at Madison Square, getting Barack Obama as chief guest for Republic Day, and remaining invested in the relationship with Donald Trump. The US, despite its differences with India, is now a steady partner.

But while this partnership has deepened, a lot else has changed.

In the early 2000s, under Vajpayee and Singh, there was an effort to engage with China productively. There was hope that a solution to the border dispute could be found. India recognised Chinese sensitivities on Tibet; China recognised Indias claim over Sikkim. The economic linkages were deepening. The prevailing narrative was of Chinas peaceful rise, and a strong view emerged that the two countries could grow together. In the neighbourhood, even thoughtful diplomats argued that India and China could cooperate on projects. There was room for cooperation on global issues  from reform of international institutions to the climate crisis. PM Modi too wished to give this framework a chance, which is what his Ahmedabad invitation to Xi Jinping represented. China, many believed, was not a friend, but it need not be an adversary either. This was a view that many revised with the rise of Xi, but others held on to it  in hindsight, unwisely so.

The neighbourhood was suddenly looking more favourable in the 2000s too. India had embraced the idea of South Asian regionalism and connectivity. It had facilitated a historic peace deal in Nepal, bringing an end to a decade-long war, ensuring the entry of the Maoists into peaceful politics. And there was enormous goodwill among both the Nepali people and the Kathmandu leadership for Delhi  which gave Indian diplomats enormous leverage. In Sri Lanka, India had, quietly, helped the government bring an end to the civil war, but here, it was through military means and an outright defeat of the Tamil Tigers  some believed that this would erode Indian leverage, but it did give points to Delhi in Colombo. Bhutan remained Delhis closest friend, but now within the modern framework of a new treaty, as the country turned semi-democratic. In Bangladesh, after a turbulent transition, Sheikh Hasina returned, with an explicit platform of deepening ties with India, leading to the most-friendly dispensation in Dhaka in decades.

Pakistan remained the black spot. But this was due to Pakistans own deep State complex, its ideological construct and identity based on opposition to India, and its irresponsible, dangerous patronage of terror groups. But if in the 1990s, Pakistan had a propaganda advantage in the West, by the 2000s, the world had come to recognise that Pakistan was the problem in South Asia. Its sponsorship of terror was now globally known. Its Islamist turn was noted, its nuclear assets and the illegal network were frowned upon. And while the US may have needed Islamabad in Afghanistan, the era of India being hyphenated with Pakistan was over.

All of this was, of course, propelled by a bright Indian economic story  of a large middle class, of a huge market, of reforms leading to the unleashing of entrepreneurial energy, of an English-speaking talent pool, of high growth rates, and of opportunities. India was doing well domestically, and the international climate was aiding that vibrancy.

This era is now over.

It is over because the global order itself has changed. The post-1991 order  where the US was the clear hegemon, or the post-2008 order, where the US began to coexist, somewhat uneasily, with a rising China, has now given way to a post-Covid world order  which marks a fairly public, intensified degree of competition and conflict between the US and China. The US itself is no longer as dominant in the international system, with Trump aiding its decline. The world is turning inwards, with the rise of protectionism and ultra-nationalism in a range of countries. There is greater uncertainty.

But the more immediate context for India has also changed.

China is no longer a possible partner; it is a clear adversary. The military threat is real; the prospects of global cooperation with Beijing are limited; the competition in the neighbourhood is a zero-sum game where China is seeking to erode Indias influence. The Pakistan-China nexus has only deepened with the Belt and Road Initiative. The two-front threat is now a real possibility. The neighbourhood has become more fragile. Political elites in neighbouring capitals, driven by nationalism and Chinese attention and investment, are open to undermining India. And, most critically, the economic growth that drove the Indian story is today in jeopardy, with a likely contraction in the economy, unemployment, demand deficit, and an unpredictable policy environment.

All of this means that India  which had a period of relative international security and benign climate  will today have to gear up for a more unstable environment and more hostility.

This is an issue which affects national interest gravely. To be able to counter it effectively, it is crucial that the government and the Opposition work together, or evolve a broad common position on key issues  the relationship with the US, China, Pakistan, and neighbourhood policy. This does not mean that there can be no criticism of government policy. But it means that key stakeholders in national politics are aware and well-informed of the complexities driving policy; the government is more open to suggestions; the Opposition is more constructive in its approach; and international players are unable to exploit Indias internal democratic divisions to suit their interests.

Get ready for a tougher world out there, with a sense of unity.

letters@hindustantimes.com

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Russia plans to resume some international flights from Aug. 1, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said on Friday, but the list of destinations will initially be limited to Tanzania, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

International flights were grounded on March 30 after the imposition of lockdown measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 800,000 in Russia.

Golikova said the decreasing number of coronavirus infections had allowed Russia to resume flights from airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don.

Specifically, she said flights would resume between London in the United Kingdom, Turkish cities Istanbul and Ankara and the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania from August 1. More holiday destinations in Turkey would be added from Aug. 10, Golikova added.

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Golikova said that Russia would take care to ensure that the resumption in flights "does not lead to a new appearance of imported (coronavirus) cases on Russian territory."

Russia continues to report thousands of new COVID-19 infections daily. Its nationwide tally is 800,849, the fourth-highest in the world, with 13,046 deaths.
WASHINGTON  After a brief lull due to the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea is carrying out large-scale smuggling operations off the coast of China in violation of U.N. sanctions, importing oil and selling coal and sand to keep its economy afloat, according to experts and current and former Western officials.

Much of the sanctions-busting operations rely on front companies registered in China and take place within China's heavily patrolled territorial waters, where Chinese radar and coast guard vessels closely track commercial shipping traffic, experts said.

China has made major investments in its navy and coast guard in recent years, and it seems improbable that Beijing is not able to detect or prevent the North Korean shipments that often employ large barges, said Neil Watts, who served on a U.N. panel investigating North Korea's sanctions violations.

"It's hard to imagine they are not capable of putting a stop to this illicit activity by the North Koreans," said Watts, a former South African naval officer who is now a sanctions expert at the non-profit Compliance and Capacity Skills International.

The latest accounts of sanctions-busting come despite the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign against North Korea, which is supposed to persuade the regime to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program. But three years later, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has refused to give ground on his arsenal and the country's economy shows no sign of an imminent collapse.

We continue to call on all UN Member States to abide by their obligations under multiple UN Security Council resolutions and fully implement and enforce UN sanctions," a State Department spokesperson said.

China's embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

In a letter Friday to the U.N. Security Council, 43 countries  including the U.S. and its European allies  accused North Korea of breaching a cap on imports of refined petroleum, and demanded a halt to any further imports. Reuters first reported on the letter Friday.

Story continues

In the first five months of 2020, North Korea imported more than 1.6 million barrels of refined petroleum in dozens of illicit deliveries, mainly through ship-to-ship transfers of oil at sea, according to two Western diplomats who shared details of the letter with NBC News.

A 2019 U.N. report found the Yuk Tang falsely transmitted its identity through the global electronic tracking system for ships, claiming it was a Panama-flagged vessel named Maika. The real vessel was 7,000 miles away in the Gulf of Guinea. The imposter then arranged for a massive transfer of 57,000 barrels of oil at sea, the single biggest illicit maritime transfer documented so far. (U.N.)

As part of an effort to choke off fuel supplies for North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the U.N. Security Council in 2017 imposed an annual limit of 500,000 barrels of imported oil for Pyongyang. But since 2017, U.N. monitors and Western governments have accused North Korea of dramatically breaching the cap.

Sanctions vs. a pandemic

Unlike U.N. sanctions, the COVID-19 pandemic has had more of an impact on North Korea's illicit trade, albeit temporarily.

The coronavirus outbreak prompted both China and North Korea to shut their borders and introduce screening measures at ports. The lockdown affected illicit trade for two to three months this year, according to analysts, who cited satellite images of idle ships. But smuggling activity has picked up again with North Korean ships apparently ferrying coal to Chinese ports despite U.N. sanctions, said James Byrne, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a British security think tank.

A recent report by NK Pro, a news and analysis firm, and Royal United Services Institute showed at least 17 ships linked to North Korea using a known coal-trading route between North Korea and Zhoushan, China, based on satellite photos and radio signals emitted by vessels.

In one instance, a satellite photo captured a Chinese government vessel  resembling a coast guard ship  passing near a North Korean bulk carrier, the Tae Pyong, in May near Zhoushan, according to the report.

Related: Thaddeus Sran was reported missing by his parents on July 15.

The coal shipments are "largely in view of Chinese authorities," Byrne said. "There's plenty of coastal radar, early warning radar, coast guard vessels and law enforcement vessels in the area. You couldn't sail big vessels into Chinese territorial waters without them knowing."

Despite a U.S.-led effort to clamp down on North Korea's coal exports, the regime has succeeded in shipping large amounts of coal out of the country over the past year. Coal is a crucial lifeline for North Korea, allowing it to earn hundreds of millions of dollars which it then uses to finance the purchase of imports. According to a recent report by the U.N. panel of experts, North Korea exported 3.7 million tons of coal between January and August 2019, with an estimated value of $370 million.

The coal is often delivered via unregistered large barges or with foreign-flagged vessels that transfer cargo to another ship at sea, using cranes on barges, according to previous reports by a U.N. panel of experts tasked with monitoring the sanctions.

Last year's U.N. report described how the North Koreans engaged in identify theft on the high seas, using a blacklisted vessel as an imposter for a similar ship thousands of miles away.

Commercial satellite images have captured these transfers in sheltered Chinese territorial waters, making it difficult for foreign governments and the United Nations to track. The off-shore transfers also bypass official import/export record-keeping, Watts said.

"That's why they do it in Chinese waters, because it's relatively close by and they can't be seen," said Watts, who boarded North Korean vessels as part of his work with the United Nations.

For the import of refined oil and the export of coal, North Korea has adopted an increasingly bold stance, taking fewer precautions to hide their operations and using larger ships.

According to recent U.N. reports, some foreign-flagged tankers have made direct deliveries of oil to the North Korean port of Nampo, instead of transferring the fuel with another vessel at sea under cover of darkness. "It's so brazen it's unbelievable," Watts said.

When the U.S. Coast Guard issues advisories identifying where illicit transfers are taking place, and the results of U.N. investigations are reported, North Korea adapts its tactics accordingly, he added.

North Korea also has relied on individuals and ships based in Taiwan for its oil smuggling operations, according to Lucas Kuo of C4ADS, a non-profit that analyzes data on international security issues. Last year, the Treasury Department blacklisted a network of three Taiwanese companies, a Taiwan-based oil tanker and two Taiwanese nationals for allegedly breaching U.N. Security Council sanctions.

Apart from coal smuggling, North Korea has taken advantage of the rising demand for sand to generate hard currency, particularly after Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam restricted the export of its sand due to environmental concerns.

According to satellite images and ship tracking data over the past year, North Korea has carried out a large-scale and sophisticated operation involving hundreds of ships, with dredgers digging up sand in Haeju Bay which is then transported on barges to China, Kuo said.

The sand is in high demand in China for construction, glass and silicon chips, Kuo said.

U.N. sanctions prohibit North Korea from exporting sand.

"They've pulled out all the stops to export as much sand as possible. It's quite lucrative given the huge demand," Watts said.

Money generated from coal, sand and other illicit trade, including hacking foreign banks, has helped finance North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, according to U.N. reports. Despite the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign and attempts at diplomacy  including a failed summit in Hanoi  North Korea has continued to build up its nuclear facilities, expand its fissile material for nuclear weapons, conduct missile tests, and develop infrastructure for the missile program, according to U.N. and U.S. officials.

"North Korea continues to quantitatively and qualitatively improve its nuclear program," said Frank Aum, a former senior adviser on the North at the Defense Department.

Critics on the right have urged the Trump administration to exert more pressure on both North Korea and China, including by imposing sanctions against Chinese companies tied to sanctions violations. And on the left, lawmakers and former officials have argued for more diplomacy and more cooperation with allies to present a united front to Pyongyang.

"The bottom line is we are in a worse situation today and in a more dangerous situation," said Aum, now at the U.S. Institute for Peace, which is funded by Congress.

"There are no restraints on North Korea's nuclear and missile program. At this point, maximum pressure has achieved nothing."
Executive music producer, Don Jazzy shared his thoughts about the ongoing probe of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

In a post he shared on Instagram, Don Jazzy stated that the great opportunity for the Niger Delta region to become a model for the entire nation was wasted by a few selfish people.

Don Jazzy also said he wondered if Ken Saro-Wiwa who lost his life for the regions cause would be proud of how things turned around, added that the NDDC with this huge financial recklessness over the years, is just one of many government agencies.

He wrote;

THOUGHTS ON NDDC : I read through this to know the Senates resolution on the back of the #NDDCprobe in the National assembly and so many things come to mind. NDDCs birth in 2000 during former president Obasanjos regime was supposed to right the wrongs made under OMPADEC in the 90s but here we are, still digging the hole we found ourselves after two decades.

Corruption has now become so endemic in our nation that we pilfer huge public funds with reckless abandon. We like to blame the elite and the govt for the sorry state of the country while so many of us are just waiting for our turns to be in public positions and become rogues. Lets be clear here  20 years of NDDC have had many key grassroots actors from the Niger Delta region who would supposedly understand the plight of the people. A very great opportunity for this region to be a model for the entire nation was wasted by a few selfish people whose intention was to convert Nigerians patrimony to their personal wealth. We keep talking about unimplemented and abandoned projects by unidentifed contractors that were not rightly procured.

Are our consciences so untouched that we continue treading this disastrous path even with the rising poverty level and the dearth of infrastructure across the country? How would future generations of Nigerians feel when they read this history of unabated rot? Ken Saro-Wiwa of blessed memory, lost his life for this regions cause. If the dead could see after their demise, would he be proud of how things have turned out? NDDC, with this huge financial recklessness over the years, is just one of many government agencies. I cant even imagine how surprised we would be if many other government agencies are perused this way? This isnt just sad but also very unfortunate. My people, we have a very long way to go.
Mumbai, July 25 : Actor Amit Sadh has warned of a fake Twitter account that pretends to communicate on his behalf on social media.

The account goes by the name of @Team_AmitSadh. The actor has clarified he is not associated with any such account and directly communicates with fans from his own account.

"Hey u lovely people! There has been an overpouring of love from you all and I'm truly touched. But I request u all to not make accounts like @Team_AmitSadh as it misguides people. I want to clarify it's not associated with me. I connect with my fans directly and will always!" Amit tweeted on Saturday, from his verified account @TheAmitSadh.

The actor is generally quite active on Twitter and personally replies to messages from fans and followers.

Hey u lovely people! There has been an overpouring of love from you all & I'm truly touched. But I request u all to not make accounts like @Team_AmitSadh as it misguides people. I want to clarify it's not associated with me. I connect with my fans directly & will always!   Amit Sadh (@TheAmitSadh) July 25, 2020

On the work front, the actor will next be seen in a web series based on the Uri surgical strike of September, 2016. Titled "Avrodh: The Siege Within", the series casts Amit in the role of Major Tango, an on-screen version of the real-life hero who spearheaded the mission.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Large retail chains have started requiring customers to wear masks inside all their stores, as coronavirus cases surge across the country and politicians and public health experts clamor for widespread use of face coverings to stem the spread of the disease.

After Walmart, Americas largest retailer, announced July 15 that it would mandate in-store mask-wearing, a flurry of other companies, including Target and Walgreens, followed suit. This means customers will be required to wear face masks in stores even in places without local mask ordinances.

The National Retail Federation has encouraged companies to set nationwide mask policies to protect employees and shoppers.

Here is a list of major retailers in the Jacksonville area that have told customers they must mask up.

.

Albertsons

The Boise, Idaho-based grocery company, which also owns Safeway, Vons and Acme Markets, said customers must wear face coverings at all store locations, effective Tuesday.

Aldi

The German supermarket brand with more than 10,000 stores in 20 countries said June 17 that customers must wear face coverings in its stores.

Aldi requests that customers who are unable or unwilling to wear a face covering use pickup or delivery instead.

.

AT&T

On July 2, AT&T announced that store visitors needed to wear face coverings. The satellite communications provider also said it would provide masks to customers who need them.

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Bed Bath & Beyond

The home goods retailer said it requires all in-store shoppers to wear a mask.

.

Best Buy

The electronics company said July 14 that all customers must wear face coverings when shopping in Best Buy stores. The company will provide masks to customers who do not have one.

The policy, which went into effect July 15, does not apply to small children or people unable to wear a mask for health reasons.

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CVS Health

Jon Roberts, chief operating officer of CVS Health, said July 16 that the drugstore chain would require all customers to wear face coverings while shopping in-store. To be clear, were not asking our store employees to play the role of enforcer, Roberts said in a statement. What we are asking is that customers help protect themselves and those around them by listening to the experts and heeding the call to wear a face covering.

.

Home Depot

The largest home-improvement retailer in the United States announced July 17 that patrons will have to wear face coverings inside all its stores starting Wednesday. Small children or those with a medical condition preventing mask-wearing are exempt from the policy. Social distancing captains will provide masks to shoppers who do not bring their own, according to a company statement.

.

Kohls

The department store company began requiring shoppers to wear face coverings at its more than 1,100 stores nationwide Monday. The retailer, based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, announced its mask mandate July 15.

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Lowes

The home improvement company said July 17 that shoppers must wear masks or facial coverings in Lowes stores nationwide. The company is offering free masks to customers while supplies last.

.

Menards

Menards, which operates 350 home repair stores throughout the Midwest, said it would require all shoppers to wear a mask or face covering in Menards stores.

The chain will provide masks to customers who need them for a small fee.

.

Panera Bread

As of July 15, guests must wear a mask inside all Panera bakery-cafes nationwide, except while seated and eating or drinking. Customers who do not have a mask or who are unwilling to wear one can use curbside, delivery or drive-through services.

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Starbucks

The coffee chain announced July 9 that customers must wear face coverings while visiting all Starbucks locations in the United States, a mandate that began July 15.

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Target

On July 16, Target said customers have to wear face masks at all stores nationwide, effective Aug. 1.

The Minneapolis-based retailer will provide disposable masks to guests who do not have one.

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Verizon

The phone service provider said May 18 that all customers are required to wear cloth face coverings when visiting Verizon stores.

.

Walgreens

On July 16, the Deerfield-based company announced that all customers have to wear face coverings while shopping.

.

Walmart

Walmart, which operates more than 5,000 stores in the United States, mandated July 15 that all shoppers wear face coverings. The company has stationed a health ambassador at store entrances to remind customers to wear a mask. Sams Club, which is owned by Walmart, also requires customers to wear face coverings and will provide masks to customers who need them.

We know some people have differing opinions on this topic, Walmart said in a statement. We also recognize the role we can play to help protect the health and well-being of the communities we serve by following the evolving guidance of health officials like the CDC.
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Microscopy Devices Market Share, Trends And Growth Analysis By Type (Optical Microscopes, Electron Microscope, Scanning Probe Microscope (Spm), Others), By Application (Life Science, Material Science, Pathology), By End User (Hospitals & Clinics, Academic & Research Institutes, Diagnostics Centers) - Forecast Till 2022

Market Research Future (MRFR) in recently published study asserts that the global microscope devices market is expected to reach USD ~10.5 Billion in 2022; it has been noted that market is growing at steady pace and is expected to grow at the CAGR of 7.8% during the forecasted period 2016  2022. Surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value & volume, the market is expected to gain prominence over the forecasted period.

Factors substantiating the market growth include the increased funding by the public and private sector for life science research studies and the expansion of the semiconductor industries in most of the emerging nations. Increasing research and development activities initiated by governments, schools, universities and research institutions across the developing regions have fuelled the growth of the market.

Global Microscopy Device Market  Regional Analysis

Globally, Asia-Pacific is the largest market for microscopy devices. The APAC market is expected to grow further registering 7.3% CAGR during 2016-2022. North America market for microscopy devices accounting for the second-largest market globally will grow at 11.5% CAGR during the assessment period.

Microscopy Device Market  Competitive Analysis

The Microscopy Device market is widely expanded and highly competitive with the presence of numerous major and small players operating at the international and regional level around the globe. The market will witness fierce competition due to the expected extensions in product & service and product innovations. Manufacturers operating in the Microscopy Device market strive to develop Device with adept technology with unrivalled design and features.

Get full report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/microscopy-devices-market-2313

Key Players:

FEI, Meiji Techno, Nikon Metrology NV, Woodley Equipment Company Ltd, Radical Scientific Equipments Pvt. Ltd, Bruker, Mauna Kea Technologies SA, Icon Analytical Equipment Pvt. Ltd, Olympus Corporation, NIDEK Inc., Sonix, Inc., Konan Medical USA Inc., Carl Zeiss, and Leica Microsystems are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the Global Microscopy Device Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.

Industry/ Innovation/ Related News

November 2017  Researchers of Germany and Portugal collaboratively developed the first microscope to concurrently monitor movement and neuron activity in zebrafish larvae without interfering with their behavior. To enable wider use in the research community, the neurobehavioral tracking microscope uses off-the-shelf components and is open source.

Browse other healthcare-related reports

Anti Epilepsy Drugs Market

Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market

About Market Research Future:

MRFR team has supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country-level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

In order to stay updated with the technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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NEW YORK  Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that the states COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU patients were at a new low since mid-March, and urged its residents to continue following the protocols that fueled New Yorks declining coronavirus numbers.

The latest statewide figures indicated hospitalizations on Friday were down to 646, the lowest figure since March 18, while the number of patients in intensive care units stood at 149  the least since March 15.

Its essential that we stay vigilant by social distancing, wearing masks and washing our hands as this pandemic is far from over, said the governor, sounding a cautionary note despite the decline. I urge everyone to stay New York tough and New York smart.

While the news was heartening, Cuomo said this was no time for New Yorkers to become overconfident in the war against the lethal virus.

The latest New York state death toll stood at 25,103 with the latest 10 victims included in Saturdays numbers.

The figures for New Yorkers testing positive also remained low, with slightly more than 1% of the 71,466 tests returned Friday indicating coronavirus infection.

New Yorks numbers continue to show progress in the midst of alarming increased in COVID-19 cases throughout the country and a renewed need to ensure compliance with state guidance here at home, said Cuomo.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of U.S. cases broke the 4 million mark on Friday, with 143,868 deaths linked to coronavirus.

In Texas, where there are 361,125 positive cases, hundreds of local bar owners said they would defy Gov. Greg Abbotts order to shut down after a surge in coronavirus cases.

The death toll in Florida, another hotspot state, climbed above 5,500 amid the 385,091 people diagnosed with COVID-19.



2020 New York Daily News

Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Crude Oil and Energy Sets Up Near Major Resistance  Breakdown Pending

Our research team believes Crude Oil and Energy, in general, has stalled near major resistance and maybe setting up a big downside move as the COVID-19 virus continues to roil regional and global economies.

The recent news that the COVID-19 virus cases have skyrocketed suggests further economic shutdowns may push oil prices below $35 ppb over the next few weeks and months. Our researchers believe Oil has already set up a resistance level near $42 and will begin to move lower as concerns about the economic recovery transition through expectations related to oil demand going forward. We believe the renewed global economic demand for oil will present a very real possibility that oil could collapse below $35 ppb over the next 30 days.

We believe this pending downside move in Crude Oil will set up a great trade opportunity in ERY, the Direxion Bear Energy 2x ETF. At this point in time, we are just waiting for the technical confirmation of this trade trigger. Once we receive confirmation from our price modeling systems, we believe ERY may rally 20% to 30% or more from current levels.

Before you continue, be sure to opt-in to our free market trend signals before closing this page, so you dont miss our next special report!

Our research team believes Crude Oils inability to rally above $42 recently suggests strong resistance exists near the $42 level. There could be a short squeeze in price where oil pops to $44-45 and then reverses quickly below $41, which would be a great sell signal for falling oil.

We believe Q3 will present a very real opportunity for oil to fall below $35 ppb over the next few weeks. Possibly moving much lower  below $30 ppb. Once this move confirms, well have the opportunity to jump into the ERY trade where we may attempt to capture 20% or more on a quick technical trade.

Our proprietary Fibonacci Price Modeling system is suggesting an initial upside price target for ERY near $68. This suggests a potential 35% upside price move in ERY is Crude Oil Collapses as we expect. This presents an excellent trading opportunity for skilled technical traders.

As we wait for Crude Oil to breakdown, traders should watch the GAP below $48 as a potential deep price support level in ERY. The upside potential profits for this trade is still rather substantial. We just need to wait for the proper technical confirmation for this setup because news or any geopolitical events could dramatically change expectations for Crude oil.

Get our Active ETF Swing Trade Signals or if you have any type of retirement account and are looking for signals when to own equities, bonds, or cash, be sure to become a member of my Passive Long-Term ETF Investing Signals which we are about to issue a new signal for subscribers.

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Iran not to leave any hostile act unanswered: FM spox

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 24, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Iran will leave no hostile act unanswered and will reciprocate any US unlawful actions with decisive and proportionate response.

Referring to accepting the responsibility of endangering Mahan Air flight by Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, Mousavi slammed this adventurous and dangerous act and termed it as violation international aviation law and jeopardizing regional peace and security.

Iranian diplomat derided Centcom spokesman's claims that US military jets conducted a routine air mission in the vicinity of the CJTF-OIR at Tanf garrison in Syria.

Mousavi said that presence of the US forces in Syria and mission of military jets are unlawful, adding that more important is that no one has allowed US to inspect passenger planes with its military jets in the sky.

Such a measure is unlawful, dangerous and playing with lives of innocent people, especially when it was in contrast to the claims that it was at a safe distance, he said.

He said that Iran will pursue the issue through international bodies especially ICAO and will not let US humiliate international law by its bullying.

He warned the US and the Israeli Zionist regime against new adventurism in the region, saying security and stability in West Asia should not be abused as a tool for election campaigns in the US.

Mahan Air passenger plane was on route to Beirut, Lebanon when it was threatened by two military jets.

The pilot of the Iranian plane says when he was talking to the pilots of the fighter jets to ask them to keep distance they had said that they were American.

Although the Iranian plane finally landed in Beirut Airport, some of its passengers were immediately taken to hospital.

Earlier Iran Civil Aviation Organization lodged protest with International Civil Aviation Organization over the US aggression on Iranian passenger plane, calling for urgent action.

Based on Annex 13 to Chicago Convention, the US military jets breached the international convention concerning civil aviation.

Iran Civil Aviation Organization called on the Syrian Government to hold inquiry into the US aggression promptly and precisely.

9376**1416

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By the end of this weekend, more than 150,000 Americans will have died of COVID-19.

The pandemic is raging out of control. On Friday, the United States shattered another record, recording 78,000 new cases in a single day. More than 1,100 more people succumbed to the disease.

The Centers for Disease Control now predicts that the US death toll will hit 175,000 by mid-August, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former director of the Food and Drug Administration, says the death toll could double by the end of the year to 300,000. I certainly dont think were near the end of this, Dr. Anthony Fauci told MarketWatch on Friday.

Dozens of hospitals in California, Texas and Florida are at capacity, and some have begun sending away patients they deem least likely to survive. Morgues in Mississippi and Texas are filling up, and hospitals around the country have rented refrigerated trucks to store the bodies. Referring to these states, White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx commented, What we have right now are essentially three New Yorks.

This disaster is the direct product of the campaign by the Trump administrationwith the assistance of the Democrats and the mediato force workers back on the job while the pandemic rages on, with the sole aim of enriching the financial oligarchy.

Far from fighting the disease, every action taken by the White House has contributed to worsening the disaster. Trumps actions have led to the preventable deaths of nearly 150,000 people, and, if he has his way, hundreds of thousands more will die.

Totally indifferent to human life, the White House is demanding an acceleration of the back-to-work process, seeking to force teachers and school workers back into schools that will serve as death traps. At the same time, it is doing everything possible to ensure the elimination of the $600 supplemental unemployment benefit that has been the sole lifeline for tens of millions of people thrown out of work.

The figures within the US oligarchy who have contributed the most to the spread of the pandemic have benefited the most. Elon Musk, who illegally reopened the Tesla plant in Fremont, California in defiance of health authorities, has been rewarded with the biggest payout ever given to a CEO, $2.1 billion. Musk has tripled his net worth this year, to $75 billion.

Public health experts are pleading with the White House to back away from its homicidal policies. In a letter published this week, over 250 medical professionals urged the United States to Shut down, start over, while Fauci reiterated his call for states to slow, or reverse, their reopenings.

But Trump is doing the exact opposite: The White House is doubling down on its campaign to get workers back on the job. Toward that end, it is demanding that students return to school within a matter of weeks so their parents can get back to making profits for US corporations.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidelines for reopening the schools that read like they were drafted by Trumps personal speechwriters. Meanwhile, the White House has declared teachers to be essential workers. Trumps reckless drive to reopen the schools will endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of teachers and students, not to mention their family members.

Americas death toll from COVID-19 stands as an unanswerable indictment of every aspecteconomic, social, politicalof American capitalism.

The White House, the Democrats and the media were all silent as COVID-19 spread throughout the country in January and February.

This silence was deliberate. As whistleblower Rick Bright made clear in congressional testimony, Public health officials were fully aware of the emerging threat of COVID-19 by early January 2020. Yet lawmakers only response was to sell shares in stock, having been tipped off in advance that a major selloff was coming. They did nothing while the pandemic spread throughout the country.

Washingtons only response was to pump $4 trillion into the stock market through the Federal Reserve and carry out a massive bailout of major corporations in March through the $2 trillion CARES act, which contained a mere pittance in funding for measures to stop the spread of the disease.

With the bailout secured, the media immediately began to demand that businesses reopen, with the New York Times declaring that the cure of lockdowns was worse than the disease. The next day, Trump repeated the phrase to justify a premature return to work. Small demonstrations led by neo-Nazi elements aligned with the White House were promoted by the media as expressing a popular demand to reopen businesses.

Both the federal government and the states quickly abandoned even the most minimal efforts to contain the pandemic, with more than half of governors reopening businesses in defiance of the CDCs own guidelines, including the governors of Maine, North Carolina, Kansas and Coloradoall Democrats.

This bipartisan campaign to get workers back on the job has now produced a catastrophe, with over 40,000 people dying just in the past two months.

The disastrous response to the pandemic reveals the ignorance, greed, stupidity and criminality of the American capitalist class, personified by Donald Trump, the billionaire huckster vomited up by the Manhattan elite.

What Trump, speaking for the US ruling class, is most afraid of is the growth of popular opposition to this corrupt and criminal government and the capitalist system it represents.

In response to some of the largest mass protests in American history, condemning the administration and its promotion of Americas fascistic police forces, Trump is seeking to turn the United States into a presidential dictatorship, deploying federal police and paramilitary forces to major American cities.

Even after Trumps attempted military coup in June and his current deployment of what one former general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security called a goon squad to crack down on protests against his administration, no section of the political establishment is calling for his removal.

The Democrats, who spent the better part of the past year seeking to impeach Trump based on fraudulent allegations of foreign collusion, are now silent as he kills people by the tens of thousands and turns America into a police state.

The Democratic Party and its apologists are staking everything on the election of Joe Biden, a right-wing corporate shill who agrees with Trump on almost everything. This is despite the fact that Trump has made clear that he intends to disregard the outcome of the November presidential election if it goes against him and is making preparations to stay in power through police state means.

For the ruling elite, ensconced in their condominiums and mansions, with their stock portfolios soaring from the government bailout, the pandemic has been a gift from heaven. For the workers forced to work in factories that are hotbeds for COVID-19, and for teachers encouraged to write out their wills before returning to the classroom, stopping the pandemic is a life-and-death question.

The working class, already engaged in a series of strikes across the country and around the world, must develop a unified struggle against the homicidal back-to-work campaign by the ruling class. The fight against the disease on the medical front is inseparable from the fight on the political front: to drive out the fascist in the White House.
Doctors are posting selfies posing in bikinis with beers in their hands amid a backlash against a 'sexist' study by male researchers that claimed medics look 'unprofessional' sharing such images on social media.

Female medical professionals have been flooding social media with snaps of themselves in their swimwear, lounging in pools and enjoying a cocktail or a beer under the hashtag #MedBikini in outrage over the research published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.

The offending study concluded that photos where doctors are wearing 'inappropriate/offensive attire' such as swimsuits, are holding or consuming alcohol or that include 'controversial political comments' are 'potentially unprofessional' and could impact whether patients choose them as doctors.

The medical community hit back at the research, carried out by three men, slamming it as 'sexist' and 'disturbing' as calls mount for it to be retracted.

One medic posted a picture of herself in her work gear and her beach wear

Doctors are posting selfies posing in bikinis with beers in their hands amid a backlash against a 'sexist' study by male researchers that claimed medics look 'unprofessional' sharing such images on social media

The study, which also concluded that 'censored profanity' such as swearing and 'controversial social topics' are unprofessional, didn't refer specifically to female medics but the outraged community have accused it of perpetuating 'sexism' in the profession.

The hashtag #MedBikini began circulating on social media this week with doctors posting their swimsuit selfies in defiance of the controversial study.

One female doctor mocked the study in a Twitter post.

'In case you wanna know whats happening in doctor twitter today: a scientific publication just announced that holding alcoholic drinks and wearing bikinis are unprofessional behaviors for a doctor. What till they hear that med schools started letting women wear pants!' she tweeted Thursday.

A fellow female medical professional responded with a snap of herself sporting a cutout swimsuit and sunglasses while lounging in a pool with a cocktail.

'To which I respond,' the doctor captioned the picture.

Others shared snaps of themselves in bikinis as well as their white coats and scrubs.

The offending study concluded that photos where doctors are wearing 'inappropriate/offensive attire' such as swimsuits, are holding or consuming alcohol or that include 'controversial political comments' are 'potentially unprofessional' and could impact whether patients choose them as doctors

Several medics voiced outrage over what they called outdated attitudes in the medical community

Another doctor poked fun at the paper tweeting: 'We all know medicine and bikinis dont mix. Bikinis are not recommended for use in the workplace. Please bikini responsibly.'

Meanwhile one professional hit out at the '28 year old researcher' who carried out the study.

'To the 28 year old 'researcher' who says this is unprofessional for women doctors, I'm old enough to be your grandmother,' she tweeted.

Several medics voiced outrage over what they called outdated attitudes in the medical community.

'My #MedBikini because there's nothing unprofessional about a backyard swim, but also my Mardi Gras look because there's nothing unprofessional about queerness,' shared one medic alongside two photos - one of her in a bikini in a pool and another of her at Mardi Gras.

'Let's fight back against 'professional standards' as a tool for dismissal of those already disempowered within medicine.'

Another posted: 'I am good at my job, I am a professional. I am a doctor. I am also a human. So to anyone who wishes to take issue with it.....Sod off. Yes, this is an alcoholic mojito.'

Many male doctors also got in on the act in a show of support for their female colleagues.

'Although no one will want to see this Dad bod here it is in full support of my female colleagues and this misogynistic study,' tweeted one male doctor alongside a snap of him topless in the sea.

'Without my female mentor in medschool and the one in residency, I wouldnt be the surgeon I am today.'

'If you are a true #heforshe, then you must speak up against this disturbing study,' tweeted Dr. Mudit Chowdhary.

'Worse they are shaming our women physician colleagues for wearing bikinis.'

One medical student called Stephanie told the New York Post she was 'disappointed but not surprised' to learn the study was carried out by men.

'When I saw that it was three men who authored this paper, I was disappointed but not surprised, considering the many conversations that have happened on #MedTwitter about how professionalism is often an arbitrary set of rules,' she said, adding that the term 'professional' is often used in the medical community to hidet the sexism that exists.

Many male doctors also got in on the act in a show of support for their female colleagues

She said she hoped the social media backlash helped drive change in the profession.

'I hope #MedBikini is the start of health-care workers reflecting on their deeply implicit misogynistic biases and start to restructure their views on what female professionals look like,' Stephanie said.

'Women should not have to strip themselves of their femininity and womanhood to be considered a professional, especially in their personal lives.'

Two of the study's authors have since apologized for the study and claimed they had aimed to 'empower' the profession with the study.

'Our intent was to empower surgeons to be aware and then personally decide what may be easily available for patients and colleagues to see about us. However, this was not the result,' Thomas Cheng and Jeffrey Siracuse both tweeted.

'We realize that the definition of professionalism is rapidly changing in medicine and that we need to support trainees and surgeons as our society changes.

'We are sorry that we made the young surgeons feel targeted and that we were judgmental.'
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos and three other people suffered minor injuries in a helicopter crash while looking at property about 16 miles south of this West Texas town.

Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson said the group took off from Marfa and landed on Cathedral Mountain Ranch after looking at land in Presidio and Brewster counties.

"They got out, looked around for a few minutes, and when they took off again, the pilot caught a bad wind," Dodson said. "The top propellers hit a cedar tree and they crashed into Calamity Creek."

Bezos and Elizabeth Korrell, both of Seattle, chartered the helicopter on March 6. Dodson said Korrell is Bezos' executive assistant. Charles "Cheater" Bella piloted the 27-year-old Gazelle helicopter and Ty Holland of Fort Davis accompanied the group.

Bill Brooks, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol, said someone called from a ranch that morning saying the helicopter was overdue.

Brooks said a Border Patrol agent in a fixed-wing aircraft picked up an emergency signal from the Gazelle, called in an agency helicopter and directed police to the crash site.

"They crashed about 8:40 a.m. and we got there at 11 a.m.," Dodson said. "When we got to the scene, those people were pretty shocked out."

Alpine is about 190 miles southeast of El Paso, Texas.

Terlingua medics and Alpine EMS took three of the group to Big Bend Regional Medical Center where they were treated and released. After leaving the hospital, Bezos and Korrell returned to their plane at Marfa Municipal Airport and flew away.

Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash. A spokesman from Amazon.com said the company had no comment on the incident.

Bella, who lives in El Paso, has been in the news before.

In July 1988, he was hired by the girlfriend of a man serving time at the New Mexico state penitentiary on the pretense of looking for real estate near Santa Fe, N.M. She brandished a gun and ordered Bella to land in the state penitentiary yard where three inmates boarded.

U.S. Customs helicopters forced the aircraft down near Albuquerque, N.M. Bella was later acquitted on charges that he helped assist in the escape.

Two years later, Bella crashed a helicopter in the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces, N.M., while on a surveying trip. He and a passenger were uninjured.

In the summer of 2001, a small plane carrying an El Paso city representative, an El Paso county commissioner and some friends made an emergency landing in the desert of northern Mexico.

Bella found the plane the next day.
(Newser)  The country's top counterintelligence official issued a warning Friday regarding the US election in November, though he's getting some pushback from Democratic leaders. "Foreign nations continue to use influence measures in social and traditional media in an effort to sway US voters' preferences and perspectives, to shift US policies, to increase discord, and to undermine confidence in our democratic process," Evanina said in a statement, per the Hill, adding that recent Black Lives Matter protests and the pandemic have given these countries a prime opportunity for "foreign influence and disinformation efforts." He blamed Russia, China, and Iran in particular, though he said "other nation states and non-state actors could also do harm." The election interference is "a direct threat to the fabric of our democracy," he added, per Politico.

story continues below

But four Democrats from CongressHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, and Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committeesay Evanina doesn't go far enough in giving Americans the info they need, and that China and Iran shouldn't be on the same level as Russia. Evanina's statement offers "a false sense of equivalence to the actions of foreign adversaries by listing three countries of unequal intent, motivation, and capability together," plus "fails to fully delineate the goal, nature, scope, and capacity to influence our election," the lawmakers say in their own statement. An official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence rejects that take, saying that while threats from Russia are "very serious ... other nation-state actors have entered the election threat arena in a big way and they can't be ignored." (Read more Election 2020 stories.)
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Gaza, July 25 : The Islamic Hamas movement slammed the United States for intercepting an Iranian civilian aircraft over Syria's airspace.

Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement on Friday that the interception of an Iranian aircraft operated by Mahan Airlines is "a terrorist act that is part of Washington's plans to control the Middle East", Xinhua news agency reported.

Over 150 passengers on board the Iranian plane were evacuated on Thursday evening after its landing at Beirut airport following interception by two US warplanes. Several passengers injured.

The airplane flew back from Beirut and landed in Tehran earlier on Friday morning.

"Targeting civilians in such a barbaric way is a practical application of the concept of terrorism in international law, and it is an extension of the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people," said Qassem.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said in a statement that it condemns "the US aggression on the Iranian passenger airplane with the hardest expressions." "This terrorist attack explains the hostile intentions of Americans. Iran has the right to take all steps and procedures at all levels in response to the terrorist attempt against the Iranian plane," said the statement.
Easton officials are preparing for increased homelessness and the potential for a spike in infections amid the continuing threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

City council on Wednesday budgeted $610,000 in federal grants to help with community safety and COVID-19 response, homelessness support and prevention, business recovery assistane and administrative costs.
the Federal Minister of health, Jens Spahn (CDU) is a duty to Corona-Tests for travel returnees from high-risk areas to check. "We are also examining a legal obligation," said Spahn on Saturday morning in the Germany radio. In the case of the new infections, there is currently "so a high number in a long time," he said to the grounds. "What we have at the Moment, many smaller outbreaks." The high numbers have to do "especially with travel activities, travel returnees from certain regions".

such A Test requirement would go considerably beyond the decision of the Minister of health of the Federation and the countries from Friday: they had decided, at German airports test to set up, in which travellers returning free-of-charge at his own request on the Virus test can read.

Spahn, noted that for mandatory Tests high legal hurdles existed: "Yes, This is an intervention in the freedom to commit someone to the Test," he said. The courts looked at "very carefully that any interference is proportionate".

Preferably, he wanted to rely more on reason and insight of citizens, said Spahn. Travellers should exercise "self-responsible, that travel per se is connected to the mobility risk". "We will make it possible for everyone to travel returnees may be tested." It was that "in case of doubt, a lot of testing as a little bit".

First airports to start with free Tests

At the airports in Dusseldorf, Cologne/Bonn and Dortmund have meanwhile started on Saturday free Corona-Tests for returnees from high-risk areas. Since the Morning of the test it had opened centres at the airports in Dusseldorf and Dortmund, informed speakers at the two sites. These have been set up by the associations of sickness Fund doctors and the state government.

Updated Date: 25 July 2020, 07:19
Love Island's Dr Alex George has thanked well-wishers for their messages of support following the death of his younger brother Llyr, and said he is still trying to process the news.

The grieving star, 30, announced on Instagram on Friday he had lost his 'beautiful little brother to mental health'.

Dr Alex took to his stories on Saturday morning, thanking his followers for their support and said he needs to time to take in the tragic news.

Devastated: Dr Alex George is trying to 'process what has happened' following the death of his brother Llyr (pictured last month)

He wrote: 'Thank you for all the messages of kindness here and to my phone. I am incredibly grateful of the support and it means so much.

'I am sorry that I can't reply yet. I need to try and process what has happened somehow.'

In the emotional tribute announcing Llyr's death, the A&E doctor wrote: 'I can't believe I am actually writing this post.

Distraught: The grieving Love Island star, 30, announced on Instagram on Friday he had lost his 'beautiful little brother to mental health' (posted on Instagram in 2018)

Grieving: Dr Alex took to his stories on Saturday morning, thanking his followers for their kind messages in the wake of such tragic news

'I have lost my beautiful little brother to mental health. I love you so much Llyr. The kindest and most caring soul.

'I was so proud of you starting medical school next month, you would have been the most incredible doctor. We are hurting so bad. No words can explain.

'As a family we are devastated. We love you and miss you so much. Please rest in peace x Our boy.'

Heartache: Dr Alex announced Llyr's death alongside the tribute 'I have lost my beautiful little brother to mental health. I love you so much Llyr. The kindest and most caring soul'

Moving: In his emotional post he said 'I was so proud of you starting medical school next month, you would have been the most incredible doctor'

It is believed Dr Alex's brother would have been 19 at the time of his death. MailOnline have contacted his representatives for comment.

In 2018, Dr Alex competed on ITV's Love Island, the popular reality dating series which has seen former contestants Sophie Gradon, 32, and Mike Thalassitis, 26, as well as 40-year-old host Caroline Flack kill themselves.

Many of Alex's Love Island co-stars rushed to pay tribute to his late brother in the comments of his post, with Rosie Williams writing: 'Oh no Alex! This is so awful.

'I'm so so sorry from the bottom of my heart. Sending you all the love in the world. Thinking of you and your family through this terrible time.'

Charlie Brake penned: 'So, so sorry mate. Here if you need anything. Devastating,' Frankie Foster wrote: 'Sending my love to you and family mate.'

Samira Mighty wrote: 'Stay strong,' and Wes Nelson added: 'So sorry to hear this Alex! Stay strong I love you mate!'

Josh Denzel also commented: 'Brooo here if you need me.'

Emotional: It is believed that Dr Alex's brother would have been 19 at the time of his death, which came after he'd been accepted to medical school

Sympathies: Many of Alex's Love Island co-stars rushed to pay tribute to his late brother in the comments of his post

Dr Alex is currently working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic at the University Hospital Lewisham in south-east London.

Originally from Carmarthen, Wales, he studied medicine at the University of Exeter before he set his heart on finding romance on Love Island.

He struggled to find his dream girl in the villa, though he did enjoy a brief fling with Alexandra Cane and started dating Amelia Bath in December 2018.

Dr Alex admitted finding his recent split with Amelia 'really tough' after being forced to spend lockdown apart while he worked on the frontline.

Challenging: Just two weeks ago, Dr Alex admitted he was finding it 'really tough' in an emotional post after splitting from girlfriend Amelia Bath

The reality star said 'The last few days have been really tough but I am so grateful for the love and support I have received, it means the world to me.

'Life happens. Being able to pick yourself up and move forward with positivity and an appreciation for life is what matters.'

Dr Alex said in a statement announcing his split from Amelia: 'Guys just want to let you know, Amelia and I have decided to go our separate ways.

'As you know, we've been apart for most of lockdown which has been hard on us both and we both agree this is for the best.

'We will remain good friends and I have nothing but respect for Amelia. Thank you for the love and support always.'

Amelia shared a similar statement to her own social media, as she thanked fans for their messages of support. The former flames had reunited briefly, after spending 102 days apart during lockdown.

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean has set a goal of doubling the number of koalas by 2050 in a bid to defy projections the marsupial could become extinct in the wild in NSW by mid-century.

The koala goal is the government's first response to last month's release of an Upper House parliamentary report that found numbers were down to 15,000-20,000 and the animal was headed for extinction in NSW before 2050.

Koala care: Government plans to double the number of koalas in a bid to ensure the marsupials do not become extinct in the wild as threats from habitat loss and bushfires mount. Credit:Aidan Kean

"I dont want to see the koala extinct by 2050, I want to see their population doubled by 2050," Mr Kean told The Sun-Herald , adding he would aim for "at least another 20,000 koalas" by then.

Koalas are the most iconic example of our mismanagement of the environment and weve got to say 'enough is enough'."
CANTUA CREEK, Fresno County  The water is too contaminated to safely drink, but residents of this farmworker community in the Central Valley pay $74 a month just to be able to turn on the tap at home.

Their bills are even higher if they use more than 50 gallons a day, a fraction of daily water consumption for the average California household. And when Fresno County completes a new well that has been planned for years, the price will increase again to cover the cost of treating manganese-laced water pumped from hundreds of feet below.

John Blanchard

Its a lot of money for families living on the minimum wage they earn in the nearby fields, so local leaders hoped to get help from a state fund created last year to address a crisis that has left the 275 residents of Cantua Creek and a million other Californians without clean water. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, throwing the finances of the program into question right as it started.

The situation underscores just how difficult it will be for the state to reach its goal of bringing safe and affordable drinking water to all. At a meeting this month where the State Water Resources Control Board adopted its first spending plan for what was supposed to be a $130 million-a-year investment for the next decade, Chairman Joaquin Esquivel acknowledged that the economic downturn could set California back.

The number of systems we can assume will be out of compliance, were really concerned that thats even more, exponentially growing, Esquivel said. And the resources arent necessarily there, growing with it.

For the residents of Cantua Creek who have fought the hardest to fix their polluted water, it can feel as though they are the butt of a cruel bureaucratic joke  a community of workers growing the fruits and vegetables to feed a state that cant supply them with clean water.

Its humiliating what they do to us, Julia Mendoza, 50, who has traveled to Sacramento numerous times to lobby legislators and regulators for the new fund, said in Spanish. Were asking for the same right that everybody has: clean water.

Surrounded by almond and pistachio groves 40 miles southwest of Fresno, Cantua Creek has a school, a small post office and a communal electric car. The water, supplied by the county and purchased from Westlands, the largest agricultural water district in the state, comes from the same irrigation canals that flow to fields of row crops.

Its one of 310 public water systems in California that, as of March, were out of compliance with state standards on contamination levels or treatment techniques. The systems serve more than 920,000 people, though advocates say the number without safe drinking water is even higher when those who rely on private wells or small, unregulated systems are included.

The pollution is largely concentrated in agricultural communities in the Central Valley and Salinas Valley, where water is often contaminated by nitrates from pesticides, fertilizer runoff and dairy waste, and arsenic, which scientists believe is released into aquifers by overpumping. Cancer-causing chemicals have been found in the groundwater in some places.

When you turn on the faucet in the morning, it has a very strong smell  like its rotten, Blanca Gomez, 54, who has lived in Cantua Creek for more than two decades, said in Spanish.

Her familys water bill approaches $90 a month just from bathing, cleaning and washing clothes. Gomez said that after doing a load of laundry, she uses the water from her washing machine for plants.

LiPo Ching / Special to The Chronicle

All of the help goes to the rich, and they never take us poor people into account, she said.

Five years ago, as the drought sent prices for surface water soaring, Cantua Creek voted down a $30 monthly rate increase and nearly had its water shut off by Fresno County. That caught the attention of the state, which stepped in with emergency assistance and has since been providing every home with eight 5-gallon jugs of water twice a month.

The supply gives people something to drink and cook with, though Gomez said its not enough for some large families. And residents still have to use the contaminated water flowing through their pipes for everything else, which they worry may be causing health problems.

Our hair is falling out. Look at my hair. Most people living here, its falling out. Look, look, Mendoza said, grabbing her head and pulling loose several graying strands. This is not a solution. We want a solution to our water.

The states Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund, created last year to help communities without the resources to build new water systems or maintain old ones, was meant to be that solution. But with the pandemic dragging Californias economy into recession, its unclear how much the state will be able to help.

After a multiyear push to tax residential water users and fertilizer sales fell short in the Legislature, Gov. Gavin Newsom turned to an unconventional source to create the fund: the states cap-and-trade auction for large greenhouse gas polluters, which is supposed to pay for programs that reduce emissions. Under a law signed a year ago, the fund would receive 5% of annual cap-and-trade revenue, up to $130 million, for the next 10 years.

To fully fund the program, the quarterly auctions would need to raise an average of $650 million  a total regularly exceeded before the pandemic hit. The first three auctions of the last fiscal year brought in an average of about $694 million.

Then in May, California made just $24.5 million from its first post-pandemic auction, down 97% from the same period in 2019. While that was not an immediate threat to clean drinking water projects, which received full funding last year, it raised alarms for advocates who worry about the sustainability of a program that could fluctuate wildly. The next few auctions, likely to be held during pandemic times, could bring equally grim results.

Weve been pretty clear that in the long term, we dont think that the cap-and-trade revenue is the right solution, said Michael Claiborne, a senior attorney with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, one of the organizations that lobbied for the fund.

There is not likely to be an alternative anytime soon. The law includes a backstop from the state general fund, beginning in 2023, but California has nothing to spare this year after pulling nearly every string it could to close a projected $54 billion budget deficit. Returning to the original idea of a dedicated clean-water fee on customers and agribusiness seems like an even longer shot.

Even if the Legislature had a stomach to pass a tax right now, which I dont think they do, the money from farmers wouldnt be there, said Emily Rooney, president of the Agricultural Council of California, which represents about 15,000 growers.

Rooney said supporters on all sides are banding together to seek federal dollars and other resources: I do believe there are pots of money available to solve the crisis.

The Legislature has to approve a spending plan for 2020-21 cap-and-trade revenue when it returns Monday for the final month of its session. Leaders have indicated that the clean drinking water program will be a priority for whatever funding is ultimately available, though advocates expect it will wind up short of the full $130 million.

State Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, who carried legislation to create the fund, said the budget problems amount to a blip in what was always going to be a long-term effort to fix Californias water contamination crisis.

If theres a stall, it will be that, he said. It wont be a cessation.

But it does leave communities that have been waiting for clean water hanging in the balance a while longer.

This spring, after years of studies and site tests and stops and starts, Fresno County dug a new well in Cantua Creek. Located across the street from Gomezs bright-blue home and the electric vehicle charging station, it wont yield water until the county builds pumps and a manganese treatment plant.

Faced with uncertainty about whether the state will have money available to help pay for the project, Mendoza recalls the saying El que persevera alcanza. The rough translation is Where theres a will, theres a way.

Its been a fight, she said. We have to have that hope.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) said it has signed a MoU with Jiaozi Fintech Dreamworks, one of Chinas first Fintech innovation and entrepreneurship platforms.

A leading international financial hub in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region DIFC is home to the largest, most developed FinTech ecosystem in the region.

The agreement will enable the DIFC to further support the UAE in facilitating the Belt and Road economic initiative and it forms a central part of the Centres 2024 strategy to strengthen relationships with the international financial community and increase access to the South-South corridor.

Based in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, Jiaozi Fintech Dreamworks now shares a vision with DIFC to drive the future of finance by developing the next generation of tools for use in the industry.

Jiaozi was launched in 2016 under the guidelines of the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank and the local finance bureau.

Fintech Dreamworks is on track to become home to over 300 FinTech companies and 10,000 staff, occupying a space of more than 100,000 square metres.

With Dubai recognised as one of the worlds top ten FinTech hubs and home to the regions first and most comprehensive FinTech ecosystem, DIFC is well placed to make substantial progress on its objective to shape the future of finance.

In recent years this has manifested in the Centre attracting more than 200 FinTech related companies.

The MoU will enable FinTech firms based in both jurisdictions to benefit from a wealth of mutually beneficial opportunities, as well as access to respective markets stated DIFC Authority CEO Arif Amiri, after signing the deal with Wang Juan, the Chairperson of Jiaozi Fintech Dreamworks.

"Chengdu continues to emerge as a leading financial centre in western China and there are vast opportunities for global FinTech firms to scale in China. In the same way that DIFC is the gateway to the Middle East, African and South Asia, Chengdu can become the equivalent for accessing China and broader Asia region," he noted.

"Sharing expertise and enabling our FinTech firms to work together presents opportunities and builds a collective force for accelerating the FinTech agenda in Dubai and China," stated Amiri.

DIFC is particularly looking forward to collaborating with Jiaozi Fintech Dreamworks on key sectors such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Cloud Computing, he added.

Wang Juan, Chairperson of Jiaozi Fintech Dreamworks, said: "Dubai and DIFC in particular, continue to be the jurisdiction of choice for Chinese firms looking to access the potential of the fast-growing emerging markets in the MEASA region."

"With a robust Chinese ecosystem including the regional headquarters of Chinas four largest banks, we are confident that our agreement will be benefit the Jiaozi Fintech Dreamworks community by helping them tap into new opportunities," remarked Juan.

"DIFC continues to see growth in the number of Chinese firms operating from the Centre. As well as being the regional home to Chinas four largest banks; ICBC, China Construction Bank, Bank of China, and Agricultural Bank of China, it is also home to several large Chinese corporations and FinTech firms that are tapping into MEASA markets and working with local institutions on the Belt and Road initiative," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Israeli protesters, wearing face masks, rally outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official Jerusalem residence to protest against what they say is his government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the economy

Thousands of Israelis protested Saturday in Jerusalem and other cities including Tel Aviv, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation over his government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Jerusalem they rallied outside Netanyahu's residence holding up signs accusing him of corruption, a reference to the premier's indictment in January for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three cases. He denies all the charges.

"We are fed up with the corrupt," some signs read, alongside others reading "Where are the morals? Where are the values?"

Protesters also slammed a law passed this week that gives the government special powers to fight the spread of the virus until the end of 2021.

Protests against economic fallout from the pandemic have spread across the country in recent weeks. In some cases police sprayed demonstrators with water cannons, injuring some.

Israel won praise for its initial response to the COVID-19 outbreak, but the government has come under criticism amid a resurgence in cases after restrictions were lifted starting in late April.

After experiencing more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections a day in recent weeks, the government has re-imposed some restrictions, including closing bars, nightclubs and gyms.

The country of some nine million people has so far recorded 60,496 confirmed cases, including 455 deaths.

Anti-Netanyahu protesters hold up a poster showing the Israeli prime minister wearing a crown and the Hebrew words for "expired" written across his chest

On Saturday thousands of protesters also rallied in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

Protesters are also frustrated with the impact virus curbs had on the economy, with the unemployed and reduced-income families saying the government is not doing enough to help them.

Israel's unemployment has jumped from 3.4 percent in February to 27 percent in April, before falling slightly in May to 23.5 percent.
As Portlands nightly protests against police brutality and racial injustice continued this week, so did the national news coverage. People across the country, who dont live in Portland or perhaps arent following local coverage of whats going on here, could see dramatically different versions on TV, as filtered through broadcast news, CNN, MSNBC, and hosts of late-night comedy shows, which have increasingly become political commentary shows.

During an interview Thursday on CNNs Cuomo Prime Time, for example, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler talked about the presence of federal law enforcement officers in Portland, sent here supposedly to protect federal property, but whose tactics have been widely condemned by local officials as violent and unconstitutional.

The controversy thats erupted over the federal officers use of tear gas and other munitions has escalated what was already a volatile situation, Wheeler said. The mayors interview was part of a blitz of media reporting about Wheeler having attended a protest in downtown Portland Wednesday night, and being tear-gassed by federal agents.

Though Wheeler, who is also Portlands police commissioner, encountered loud verbal opposition from members of the crowd Wednesday, he told host Chris Cuomo that the city stood united in support of protests against racism, and in opposition to Trump deploying federal agents where they werent wanted.

This is something thats brought the city of Portland together in a way Ive never seen, Wheeler said, adding that Portlanders were speaking with one voice, demanding that federal forces leave.

The fact that Trump has indicated he may send federal officers into other cities to supposedly quell violence has also ratcheted up coverage. But that coverage looks different, depending on where you look.

NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt, and the PBS News Hour have offered fairly straightforward overviews of recent developments. Not surprisingly, the left-wing opinion shows on MSNBC and the right-wing opinion shows on the Fox News Channel continued to illustrate a partisan divide.

On MSNBC, Joy Reid said on her new show, The ReidOut, that democracy is in crisis in Donald Trumps America, citing federal officers teargassing protesters in Portland. Reid also spoke to a panel of guests who were critical of Trump and the use of federal forces. Guest Nikole Hannah-Jones, of The New York Times 1619 Project, talked about George Wallace and Richard Nixon, who both turned to racist campaigns to seek electoral victory. She said that Trumps TV campaign ads are intended to stoke fear in white voters. Playing on white voters supposed fears about people of color is, Hannah-Jones said, a very old page out of the playbook.

However, on Tucker Carlson Tonight, the host again picked up on a theme his fellow Fox News opinion show host, Sean Hannity, has been repeating, namely, that Trump deserves total support and that Portland, and other cities governed by Democrats, are lawless hellholes.

NOT A JOKE: Portland Officials Demand Feds Remove Security Fencing Because it Blocks a Bike Lane https://t.co/DuWk59x990  Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) July 24, 2020

On his Thursday show, Carlson mocked Wheeler, who he initially referred to as Tom Wheeler, later correcting himself. Carlson showed images of Wheelers red-eyed, tear-gassed face, and said that after being subjected to the tear gas, Wheeler went scurrying away like a little rodent.

Carlson then introduced Stephen Miller, the White House senior adviser whose anti-immigration policies have inspired controversy. Miller decried cities that support lawless rebellion against federal law and against immigration enforcement.

Let me tell you about Portland, he said. You have 100 brave DHS officers standing up against that lawless mob...They should be celebrated as heroes.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says there's a "federal occupation" of his city, describing reports of "Orwellian" and "unconstitutional" policing.



"We have federal troops coming to our city," he said. "They weren't invited herewe didn't ask them to come. We don't want them here." pic.twitter.com/hpNRudxXXu  Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) July 24, 2020

Wheeler has been all over cable news in recent days, and during his Thursday appearance on Cuomo Prime Time, he again condemned the presence of federal officers in Portland. He decided to attend a protest, he said, because I was hearing from my constituents, and Im talking about people who are doctors, people who are lawyers, restaurateurs, moms, teachers, and they were relating stories about Orwellian and unconstitutional tactics.

I wanted to see it for myself, Wheeler said. Cuomo asked him about pushback points from critics, such as the feds presence is only about the courthouse, Wheeler is the reason that things are bad, and that Wheeler is pro-mob, and sides with rioters over the police.

Wheeler responded: That is not welcome rhetoric here in the city of Portland. Wheeler held up a copy of what he called one of the more conservative local papers, the Portland Tribune, which bore a headline saying that Portland was a city under siege.

Portland's mayor accuses Pres. Trump of using federal forces as "his own personal militia" to create chaos so he can say "I, and only I can stop the chaos."



"This is abhorrent and it's a clear political stunt," he adds. https://t.co/QHOoqfTXpn pic.twitter.com/r06t4M3xix  Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) July 24, 2020

The hosts of late-night comedy shows, who are consistently critical of Trump, have also been taking potshots at the president in their frequent references to the situation in Portland. Late Night With Seth Meyers, for example, included A Closer Look segment, in which the host blasted Trump for not paying enough attention to the coronavirus pandemic, and instead paying too much attention to sending secret police to Portland and other cities.

In another segment, Meyers took aim at reports of federal agents abducting peaceful protesters, and quoted Mark Pettibones account of his experience, in which Pettibone said, It seemed like it was out of a horror sci-fi, like a Philip K. Dick novel.

Leave it to Portland to use a literary reference, Meyers said. If this happened anywhere else, people would say it seemed like something out of a movie."

On The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, the host also discussed the news out of Portland, which he described as, The first city to legalize marriage between a bookstore and a bike shop. He referenced the nude woman who appeared during a protest, and the Wall of Moms.

Now, if youre sitting at home wondering, Why should I care about this, man, its happening in Portland, Im not even a hipster, Noah also mentioned reports that Trump is planning to send his secret police to other cities.

On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the host again referred to Trump sending secret police to Portland, and needled Trump for saying on Twitter that he wants to help Portland, not hurt it.

You want to help the people of Portland? Colbert said. Dont send in goons to round them up. You buy their organic, fair trade macrame.

Colbert also mentioned the naked woman who appeared during a Portland protest, and said that Portland is just the beginning, citing Trumps statement about sending federal officers to other cities, including New York, which led to a Sex and the City parody titled, Sex and the Occupied City.

More of our coverage:

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.

.
Businessman in Kolkata shot at after his car was stopped by 18 men

Yaba tablets worth Rs 1.5 crore seized by Kolkata police

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, July 25: Kolkata Police seized a huge quantity of Yaba tablets worth around Rs 2.5 crore in the international market and arrested two drug peddlers in connection with it from the Port area of the city, a senior officer said on Saturday.

The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police conducted a raid and arrested two drug peddlers linked to an international racket from Nimak Mahal Road under West Port Police Station limits on Friday following a seizure of around 50,000 pieces of Yaba tablets, he said.

Rs 1 crore worth brown sugar seized in Odisha

Yaba tablets are also called Amphetamines or party drugs.

"The price of the seized Yaba tablets is approximately Rs 2.5 crore in the international grey market. It seems that the duo was trying to smuggle the drugs to Bangladesh," he said.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive for Coronavirus | Oneindia News

The arrested duo will be produced before the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Court on Saturday, the officer added.
In the Cold War television thriller Deutschland 83, theres a scene in which a young East German spy is ordered to photograph a report in the possession of Natos top analyst.

After breaking into his hotel room, the spy finds the report is stored on a floppy disk. Having sent it back across the Iron Curtain, the fiasco ends with his boss staring at the disk in bewilderment, asking his colleagues: What the hell am I supposed to do with this?

They hadnt developed a computer that could read it.

It is crucial that we give the police and security services more legal tools. Too often, it feels as if our laws work against a common sense of justice and security, writes Sajid Javid, pictured above

This is a quaint reminder of the days when technology worked to the Wests advantage and there were limited ways for foreign countries to interfere with domestic life.

Thats a bygone era, as made clear by the House of Commons Intelligence and Security Committees report on Russias activities.

I gave evidence to the committee and am not divulging any sensitive intelligence to say that it was right to conclude Russias cyber capabilities pose an immediate and urgent threat to our national security.

Since the 1990s, we have made well-intentioned attempts to work with Russian business and their government. This has spiralled into members of the Russian elite  with close links to Putin and his intelligence services  extending their influence across the British establishment and using London as a financial laundromat.

The prime duty of any government is to protect its citizens  but its not just the physical safety of British citizens thats on the line. National security is a necessary first line of defence against those who seek to undermine the values that are the foundation of our society: fair play, tolerance and the rule of law.

The brazen attack on Salisbury with a deadly nerve agent showed that Putins regime has no intention of even pretending to abide by international norms

We have sought to share these values with the Russian government and tried to integrate them into the international community.

But that good faith has been abused. The brazen attack on Salisbury with a deadly nerve agent showed that Putins regime has no intention of even pretending to abide by international norms.

Meanwhile, Chinas behaviour in Hong Kong and its shocking oppression of minority Uighurs show that it can no longer expect to always be treated as a fair partner.

Their ambassador in London says the UKs response to these events amounts to interfering in Chinas domestic affairs. But hasnt China been doing exactly that in the UK and around the world for years?

Similarly to Russias blurring of state and corporate activity, Beijing has been accused of using state-backed businesses to orchestrate the takeover of strategic UK companies. Where this fails, they have sometimes resorted to corporate espionage to get at sensitive information.

The arrest of a former Rolls-Royce engineer suspected of selling secrets to Beijing about Britains new F-35 stealth fighter jet is just one reminder of why we need to keep our guard up. So how do we step up our efforts to thwart the growing threat from hostile states?

I believe we need to take it as seriously as terrorism. That means more resources, more powers, and more international cooperation.

Our brilliant security services will always have to make difficult decisions in prioritising their efforts, but we can no longer afford to treat state threats and terror threats as an either/or.

It is crucial that we give the police and security services more legal tools. Too often, it feels as if our laws work against a common sense of justice and security.

The recent Court of Appeal decision on Shamima Begum is just the latest example.

Regardless of the final outcome of her case, once the teenager who went to join IS is back in Britain, it will prove impossible to subsequently remove her.

As for espionage and hostile state activity specifically, our laws are more suited to the era of floppy disks than the world of WikiLeaks.

Thats why, as Home Secretary, I warned about serious gaps in our powers and announced a new Espionage Bill to plug those holes and give our security services the legal authority they need to tackle the threat.

It is crucial that we give the police and security services more legal tools. Too often, it feels as if our laws work against a common sense of justice and security. The recent Court of Appeal decision on Shamima Begum is just the latest example

This kick-started work in three related areas. First, a requirement for foreign agents to register upon arrival, making it far easier to prosecute those that try to fly under the radar.

Second, updating our Official Secrets Act, taking economic espionage as seriously as our state secrets.

And third, repurposing our ancient treason laws to cover Britons who operate on behalf of a hostile nation or go abroad to fight alongside terrorist groups.

But we cannot do this alone. If the forces of freedom are divided, the forces of authoritarianism will rule. Thats why its vital we bolster alliances with all those who share our values, starting with a strategy of solidarity between our Five Eyes partners  Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America.

We must also extend a hand to other like-minded nations such as Japan and South Korea, and encourage some EU members to be less neutral in this battle of values.

In these turbulent times, its understandable to feel anxious about the power shifts in the world. However, the Five Eyes and our freedom-loving allies are more than capable of rising to the challenge.

A fist is stronger than five fingers. If we unite together, domestically and internationally, I wouldnt bet against us.
Married At First Sight star Amanda Micallef claimed on Thursday she 'would rather shoot myself than wear a mask' after the Victorian Government made it mandatory for residents of Melbourne and Mitchell Shire to wear them in public.

Receiving backlash for the Instagram post, the 34-year-old coronavirus conspiracy theorist addressed the hate in a now-deleted video shared to the site on Friday.

Amanda said the major downfall of being in the public eye is that 'everyone's out to get you' and even 'copped a death threat' over her view to not wear a mask.

Online hate: Married At First Sight star Amanda Micallef (pictured), 34, revealed in a now-deleted Instagram video on Friday, that she copped a DEATH THREAT after slamming Victoria's mandatory mask rules

The reality star began by explaining that her decision to remove the video was down to not wanting to impact the businesses of her friends.

Amanda said she understands it's a 'touchy subject' and is 'learning to have a filter'.

'What was really wrong with that post was not what was said, because I'm one person with one voice and one opinion.

Spotlight: Amanda revealed that being a public figure has subjected her to ridicule: 'What was wrong with that post was some of the DMs I copped. I copped a death threat over it,' she said

'Fake agenda': In a now-deleted Instagram post on Thursday (pictured), Amanda threatened suicide as an act of civil disobedience rather than face the $200 on-the-spot fine for not wearing a face covering a mask'

'I understand that it's a very touchy subject for a lot of people at the moment. And I understand that a lot of people are incredibly frustrated and want to get back to normality, just like everyone else.'

Amanda revealed that being a public figure has subjected her to ridicule.

'What was wrong with that post was some of the DMs I copped. I copped a death threat over it,' she said.

'This is why the virus is out of control!' It wasn't long before Amanda - who was one half of Married At First Sight's first lesbian couple earlier this year - was blasted for her 'uneducated', 'disappointing' and 'selfish' post. Pictured with Tash Herz (right) on Married At First Sight

The personal trainer added that those who think wearing masks will fix the pandemic are 'fooling' themselves, and will wear a mask herself just to 'appease society'.

'So I will wear a mask to appease everyone but just know, that I don't agree with it. And there's a lot of people who don't agree with it,' she said.

In her now-deleted Instagram post on Thursday, Amanda threatened suicide as an act of civil disobedience rather than face the $200 on-the-spot fine for not wearing a face covering.

Backlash: Amanda's followers described her as 'selfish' and 'uneducated' in the comments section below her post

It wasn't long before Amanda - who was one half of Married At First Sight's first lesbian couple earlier this year - was blasted for her 'uneducated', 'disappointing' and 'selfish' post.

One follower commented: 'Super disappointing and selfish. Wearing a mask is not about you, it's about keeping others safe around you. Stop playing the oppression card, it's not a cute look.'

Another added: 'Maybe you should take a visit of the hospitals and witness the people fighting for their lives with this virus. Really disappointed in this post on so many levels.'

Victoria's mandatory mask order for the Melbourne metropolitan area and the Mitchell Shire was enforced on Wednesday night.
A top-secret Pentagon task force will be releasing new information about UFOs according to a recent report by the New York Times. The task force has been responsible for conducting classified briefings and analysing various encounters between military aircraft and unidentified flying objects for over a decade.

 USDOD

The report suggests that the Pentagon disbanded the top-secret task force and a new unit was formed called the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force. It has been getting funding via a spending program. The program was discovered in a Senate Committee Report and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has requested a detailed report on the findings.



Earlier this year in April, the Pentagon released three views on their website that show UFOs being captured on footage taken by US Navy Pilots. Even though the video is quite grainy, it shows a flying object that doesnt resemble any aircraft known to man. It was the first time any US government organisation had acknowledged the existence of a UFO footage which also added legitimacy to the claims.

 USDOD

Cmdr. David Fravor, the pilot who captured the video said in an interview I can tell you, I think it was not from this world. Im not crazy, havent been drinking. It was  after 18 years of flying, Ive seen pretty much about everything that I can see in that realm, and this was nothing close.



I have never seen anything in my life, in my history of flying that has the performance, the acceleration  keep in mind this thing had no wings.

In May 2019, the Pentagon also confirmed that it still investigates reports of UFOs and other celestial objects. A Department of Defense official said in a statement that the secret government initiative called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program pursued and researched unidentified aerial phenomena.

 USDOD

It would be interesting to see the Pentagons official report on their research, investigation and findings. The report could give us additional information on the UFO phenomenon and have never seen before revelations that have been kept under wraps for so many years.



Do you think UFOs are real? Does the Pentagons official release of these videos add more weight to claims weve been hearing for years? Let us know what you think about the videos in the comment section.

Source: New York Times
Awaken the Dawn : Tent America 2020 is at Christ Community Church in Beaumont. The 100-day traveling procession of faith is taking place in regions throughout the country. The event began June 20 and continues through September 28. The Beaumont stop started Thursday night and continues for 48 hours, with music and prayer led by worship teams from churches throughout the area.

kbrent@beaumontenterprise.com
1. Yes. Too many kids are staying home. They need a virtual learning option to keep up.

2. Yes. Teachers are out sick and subs cant handle the load. Online learning is needed.

3. No. Its too late in the school year to make a wholesale switch in teaching platforms.

4.No. Many parents arent in a position to stay home while their kids learn virtually.

5. Unsure. It may seem like a good idea from a health standpoint, but it has shortcomings.

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In Rolling Stones series At Work, we go behind the curtain with decision-makers across the fast-changing music business  exploring a range of responsibilities, burgeoning ideas, advice for industry newcomers, and more. Read earlier interviews here.

Jaime Zeluck-Hindlin had traversed the music industry, working for a major record label, talent agency, and high-profile film and TV music supervisor, before finally landing her dream gig as a music publishing A&R. But then, she had her most transformative experience  nearly dying, three years ago, while giving birth to her daughter Kate.

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When the proverbial floor gave out, Zeluck-Hindlin had just started to hit her stride, signing and developing acts like the now-multi-platinum indie star Lauv. She was already nervous about having to take time off for maternity leave when doctors told her shed have to take an additional six months off to recover from heart failure. Devastated, she vowed to take her career into her own hands. The multitalented exec has already bounced back since then, founding her own company, Nonstop Management, in 2018 out of her Los Angeles home.

Today, Maroon 5 is releasing Nobodys Love  the follow-up to the bands last Number One pop hit Memories  which features Nonstop Managements JKash, Ryan OG, and Michael Pollack as lead writers. Pollack also wrote Zedds latest song, Funny, while JKash wrote Charlie Puths recently released Girlfriend; Pollack and Kash worked on Katy Perrys album and an upcoming Jonas Brothers project, as well. Zeluck-Hindlin spoke with Rolling Stone about the companys recent crop of successes, as well as her personal journey from a label intern into a fearless industry leader.

Story continues

How did you know A&R was for you? So many people dont even know what A&R is.

An A&R internship at Warner Bros Records turned into an A&R assistant gig. I knew early on that it was the creative part of the record-making process that really involved working with the artists on their music. Thats ultimately what I wanted to do, but there was a lot I didnt know  like the difference between A&R at a label and A&R as a publisher.

On the label side, youre responsible for finding songs for your artist  whether it be pairing them with writers and producers, getting the right people to make their music, etc. But on the publishing side, youre in the trenches with the songwriters from the beginning. It requires being with the songwriters more.

Why did you leave the label side?

A lot of people at Sire [a subsidiary of Warner] got laid off  including my boss. I found myself without a job and I wasnt really sure what to do next.

I loved the film and TV part of the business, so I figured I might as well explore that. Growing up, soundtracks were what really got me into a lot of music. I took the situation as an opportunity to stalk Scott Vener, who was the music supervisor for Entourage at the time. I was a big fan of his work, so I found a way to get in touch with him. I was like, I will work for you for free right now. Please can I do something for you? I really want to learn about this. I worked for him for about a year. I worked on the second season of 90210 and helped Scott with all the music for that. I eventually realized there wasnt much room for growth there, so I got a job at CAA as an assistant. Thats kind of where everything changed.

But you werent in the talent agency world for long.

I met Jody Gerson [now the CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group] while I was there. She was a client of my boss. She really taught me about publishing. I didnt like working at an agency. It wasnt creative enough for me, but it was an experience I used as a stepping stone  and a chance to become a badass assistant and worker. Jody ended up getting me an interview with Kattie Welle, one of the A&Rs at Sony/ATV. She hired me as a receptionist and A&R assistant.

Thats also where I met JKash, whos now my husband and management client. He was one of the first writers I ever met in the business. My boss had signed him, so I had been put on his calendar and I started working with him. I was there for two and a half years and left as a coordinator.

Beka Tischker, who was working at Prescription, had hired me to come start the A&R department there and build that roster. By the time I moved over to Prescription, JKash was also signed there, so I kind of just came back on as his right-hand creative person.

When did you land your first signing?

That was at Prescription. My first signings were a writer/producer duo called Blueprint and a writer/producer/artist from Zimbabwe named Bantu. My third signing was Lauv in 2015.

What made you leave that life behind to start Nonstop Management?

When I was pregnant, I had no intention of leaving Prescription. But when I had my daughter, I went into heart failure. What was supposed to be a three-month maternity leave  and me just going back to Prescription after a normal break  turned into a complete medical leave for about eight months, which was when my heart fully recovered. My doctor told me I could go back to work when that happened, but I didnt know if I was ever going to be able to work again, let alone go back to Prescription. Most women who go through what I had dont ever have a fully recovered heart. Towards the end of my medical leave, I was just like, You know what? I dont think it feels right to go back and work for someone else. If Im going to make a change, Im going to make it now. What do I want to do? I want to have my own roster of writers and producers to work with.

At the time, management just seemed easier. I couldnt just go start my own publishing company. And I already felt like I had managed writers and producers as their publisher. I worked so closely with them that I was like, Ive done this! I built the roster pretty quickly. One or two people somehow turned into 10 people. And I didnt really realize the difference until I was in the thick of it. Management is not like publishing. After just having a kid of my own, I was like, Wow, now I have 11 children.

My doctor told me to be mindful, to not get too stressed. And what did I do? I started a company.

My doctor told me to be mindful, to not get too stressed. And what did I do? I started a company. Its probably the opposite of what I shouldve done. I probably shouldve just spent the first two years with my daughter, but I had so much that I wanted to do, develop, and get involved with.

How did you navigate working toward career goals, monitoring and taking care of your health, and also taking care of your daughter?

It was the hardest thing, and its still the hardest thing. Im working on finding balance. I was never that good at setting boundaries with my clients  or anyone. I was always like, Im available all the time! Call me 24/7! Ive had to change that, even though I dont like not being available to people. Meditation apps help. I also like to work out to relieve stress. Usually, its yoga.

You recently entered into a business partnership with songwriter Ross Golan, whos worked on big songs for the likes of Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande.

Ross is one of my best friends. We just love working on music together, so we signed a few writers. Were starting our own little thing together, but I cant say too much more yet.

During quarantine, you witnessed extreme TikTok virality firsthand. What was that like?

This track Savage Love had been blowing up on TikTok  just the instrumental. It was something that we were hearing a lot of, but we really didnt understand the backstory. Around the third week of quarantine, Jason Derulo hit up Kash. They work on pretty much everything together, and a lot of Jasons hits have been done with Kash. He sent Kash the track and was like, This beat is amazing. Its blowing up on TikTok. Will you help me write a song over it? Kash was like, Sure, Ill do whatever you want. I got you.

It was quite a journey getting it out. I think Jason released it without permission from the producer. He kind of just leaked it on TikTok and made a video. Then there was all this backlash about taking it down. People were saying it wasnt fair to the producer, who was in the middle of signing a deal. People said Jason hijacked his song, but then everyone started gravitating more towards his version of it. Jawshs team  and everyone involved  saw that it was a train that wasnt stopping and realized it would be silly not to release it. We finally got approval, and the second it got released, it just started blowing up again. I mean, people had been listening to it on YouTube because that was the only place they could find the full version of the song. I think everyones really happy now.

Is that story an anomaly? Or are you seeing more and more artists finding beats from TikTok?

It was honestly the first Id seen of it. A lot of the songs that are blowing up on TikTok are either already songs or theyre beats that dont need songs written over them. This was a really interesting situation. I hadnt been in that situation before. And it was really smart of Jason.

Are you seeing more songwriters getting discovered via TikTok?

Yea, Im discovering writers through TikTok all the time. I dont necessarily see the songwriters on TikTok, but I find songs that are blowing up and then go find the credits and try to track down who wrote them.

How has COVID-19 affected the release of the Maroon 5 song?

A bunch of my guys worked on it separately and then kind of Frankensteined it together to make this amazing song that Adam [Levine] ended up finishing, putting his touches on, and really making his own. I think its very fitting for the time  its about unifying everyone. The initial idea came right before quarantine, but it kind of got kicked into gear during quarantine. They ended up making it what it is today all through sessions that didnt occur in the same room  all via Zoom. Adam even recorded via Zoom. He had a little setup but no one was with him. His engineers got plugged in on Zoom and used this new equipment called Source Elements, which engineers have been using to record people in real time during quarantine. Its game-changing. Its like they dont have to be in the studio ever again.

You once had hopes of starting your own publishing company. Is that something you still want to do?

I do, and Im working on it right now. Ill have some awesome announcements soon.

Best advice youve ever gotten?

I learned so much just from watching my boss at Sire, who was the president there. He told me: Everything youre going to learn in this business, youre going to learn through osmosis. You just need to be around it, and it will become a part of you. And its true. Thats how I learned everything  by getting thrown into it.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 16:46:40|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen shot dead six family members in a village in the Iraqi province of Salahudin, a provincial police source said Saturday.

The incident took place late on Friday night when the armed men broke into the house of Ali Mukhlif, administrative head of Samoum village in the northwest of the city of Samarra, some 120 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, Mohammed al-Bazi told Xinhua.

The attackers opened fire with their assault rifles and shot dead Mukhlif, four of his sons and his nephew before they fled to nearby orchards, al-Bazi said.

An Iraqi security force rushed to the scene and launched an investigation into the incident, he added.

The attack came as the extremist Islamic State (IS) militants have intensified their attacks on the security forces and civilians in the formerly IS-controlled Sunni provinces, resulting in the killing and wounding of dozens.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.

However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem
The Alabama Department of Public Health is revising record-high coronavirus numbers reported Thursday.

ADPH said a data entry error resulted in COVID-19 lab results reported to the states health department tables being marked as positive when they were in negative. No patients received incorrect results due to the data error, ADPH said.

The issue was quickly discovered and a correction in the number of reported cases has been made, ADPH said. The error only affected the numbers reported on our website and the dashboard for July 22 that were reported the morning of July 23.

ADPH reported 2,283 new cases as of 10 a.m. July 23. The revised number is 1,933, lowering the total that day by 350. If correct, the 2,283 number would have been the highest number of coronavirus cases reported in the state in a single day.

Shortly after the case numbers were reported, officials in Mobile announced they were investigating an error involving an automated process from a lab that incorrectly counted some negative as positive, resulting in Mobile County showing an increase of 354 cases in a single day.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed bilateral cooperation with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and invited him to visit Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine reiterated the invitation to Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to visit Ukraine after the stabilization of the situation with coronavirus. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he would be pleased to visit Ukraine and invited Volodymyr Zelensky to visit Egypt after the epidemiological situation is normalized, the press service of the Head of State informs.

In addition, the parties exchanged views on the epidemiological situation in Ukraine and Egypt, as well as discussed measures to minimize the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economies of both countries.

In the context of Egypt's resumption of tourism, Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the need for strict compliance with high sanitary requirements in places of vacation of Ukrainian tourists and comprehensive protection of their rights, including free provision of highly qualified medical care in case of need.

"I know that some Ukrainian airlines have resumed charter flights to Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada international airports since July 1, and that our tourists have become the first foreign guests after the quarantine mitigation. Egypt is a wonderful, very hospitable country. It is extremely important for me to ensure the safety and health of Ukrainians abroad. I especially appreciate the decision to strengthen epidemiological control at resorts and cover the costs of treatment of our tourists," Zelensky said.

The heads of state praised the prospects of trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Egypt, as well as discussed further steps to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in key areas. The President of Ukraine expressed interest in further strengthening trade and economic cooperation with Egypt, our country's largest trading partner on the African continent and in the Middle East. Volodymyr Zelensky noted the contribution of Ukrainian companies to ensuring food security in Egypt, and stressed the importance of successful implementation of projects of Ukrainian enterprises in this country.

The topic of strengthening cooperation in the space industry was discussed separately.

"Given the considerable experience and the available industrial and engineering base, Ukraine is interested in resuming mutually beneficial cooperation with Egypt in such areas as satellite production and management, modernization of ground-based flight control base and equipment for testing spacecraft, training and education of Egyptian specialists. I am convinced that our states have a significant potential for cooperation in the use of outer space for peaceful purposes," the President of Ukraine said.

As noted, the President of Ukraine also congratulated Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the occasion of Egypt's national holiday - Revolution Day.

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Losing weight, finding the world Manjula Padmanabhans memoir, Getting There, is an absorbing account of her life as a young writer, artist and wanderer

I had no one to blame and I didnt see myself as a victim, Manjula Padmanabhan says on the phone from her home in Newport, Rhode Island, in the US. We are talking about her younger self, closely depicted in her memoir, Getting There, which chronicles the long journey through America and Europe that she undertook in the late 1970s. She was in her mid-20s, living as a paying guest at an eccentric household run by a man called Govinda in Mumbai, trying to eke out a living as a cartoonist and illustrator. Since then, Padmanabhans life has undergone a sea change, especially after she won the prestigious Onassis Prize for her play Harvest, in 1997. But the themes of her memoir, as gleaned from its subtitle (A Young Womans Quest For Love, Truth And Weight-loss), remain fresh and urgent.

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Getting There paints a vivid portrait of the artist as a young womanbroke, desperate to shed her extra kilos and find meaning and purpose in life. Every page bristles with accounts of youthful folly and blunder. Ludicrous and comic as these episodes are (the ones at the weight-loss clinic Padmanabhan goes to, for instance), they are also charged with an undercurrent of tragedy. Hers is the story of every smart, brave and adventurous young woman (and man) of all times. I was trying not to be a 25-year-old bourgeois Indian woman who would, like a sheep, follow the path my family set for me, Padmanabhan says. I had to break my emotional dependence on them.

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Getting There: By Manjula Padmanabhan, Hachette India, 368 pages,  399.





The decision to flee the nest, even for young Indians in the 21st century, isnt an easy one. It demands grit and determination to step out of comfort zones, as also a capacity to embrace their inner misfit. In Padmanabhans case, her stubborn independence of mind was an innate gift, coupled with her penchant for self-interrogation and openness to people and places, even at the risk of finding herself in painfully awkward situations. I have a friend who says I am a citizen of a one-person country, she says with a laugh. My country.

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Getting There begins with Padmanabhan toying with the idea of visiting her sister in the US with her then boyfriend, Prashant. The plan requires a long gestation period, given her limited and unstable income as a freelancer. In the meantime, the days roll by with their self-same routine: She strives to finish a project to fund the trip, follows the weight-loss regime as best as she can, hangs out with Prashant, and lounges at her brothers place in the company of her ever-indulgent sister-in-law. But then two Dutch men, Piet and Japp, arrive in Mumbai to meet a spiritual guru and move in as her fellow lodgers. A strange alchemy, all of a sudden, is afoot.

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Padmanabhan feels a frisson with Piet that is undoubtedly erotic yet not conventionally romantic. Its a bond that allows her to ask deep spiritual questions, roam around parts of Mumbai she never ventured into, even attend the gurus sessions. Most of all, it provokes her to take a plunge into the unknown. She undertakes a reckless detour after her US trip to Holland, with stopovers in London and Germany, determined not to return home till she has earned enough to fund her passage by selling her work. The arc of the narrative may remind you of Elizabeth Gilberts Eat, Pray, Love but Padmanabhan doesnt agree. My book doesnt offer simple messages, she says. Indeed, there is no glib redemption to be found in it. Her struggles with depression and body issues are as real as they get, presented without a tinsel touch or sugar-coating.

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Manjula Padmanabhan

Writing a memoir is riddled with apprehensionsof having to confront ones inner and outer demons, the need to stand in front of the mirror and tell it as it is. Getting There is far from squeamish about looking squarely at the fears and foibles of its subjectbut it is also not entirely unmindful of not hurting others. Padmanabhan, who is one of three sisters, invents a brother in the book whose unbridled rage becomes a turning point for her.

There are writers like David Sedaris who have dreadful relatives they can throw under every bus they want, she says, but I didnt want to openly criticize my family. This is, she feels, an overwhelming problem for Asian writers, who remain obligated to their families all their lives. If we write nasty things about them, it doesnt stop hurting.

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That said, Padmanabhan is clear that Getting There isnt a novel, nor is it travel writing. Truth is the foundation of its storiesof the growth of a writers mind, a young womans reckoning with her sexuality, her defiance of labels, her courage in exposing herself to the scrutiny of the world, and her refusal to ignore pain and humiliation, but also not to make them traits that define who she is.
The Walking Dead's highly-anticipated 11th season will be delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus global pandemic.

While the long-running AMC drama will not return with a new season in October, the series' showrunner Angela Kang revealed six additional episodes are being added to the previous season, during Friday's virtual Comic-Con@Home panel.

'Obviously, COVID has kind of disrupted a lot of things for every workplace, including ours,' Kang explained.

Updates: The Walking Dead's highly-anticipated 11th season will be delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus global pandemic

Season ten's delayed finale will air on October 4, after it was initially scheduled for an April release.

Immediately after, the premiere of the two-season event spinoff, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, will air.

In accordance to social distancing recommendations, the television writer noted that the writers' room has been taking place remotely, but stayed tight-lipped about season ten's extra episodes, which will air in early 2021, 'if all goes well.'

New episodes: While the long-running AMC drama will not return with a new season in October, the series' showrunner Angela Kang revealed six additional episodes will be added to the previous season, during Friday's virtual Comic-Con@Home panel

For the extension to the finale, Kang said producers don't know when shooting will be able to safely resume, amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

'Sometimes, the limits placed on you lead to a lot of creativity,' she added. 'It's important to us that everybody feels comfortable when shooting and safe when they do it. If that means changing things up a little bit, that's not a huge burden to us.'

Meanwhile, AMC dropped an extended clip of the opening minutes of the delayed finale, which features Beta (Ryan Hurst) leading a number of walkers against the Alexandrians, who have hunkered down in an abandoned hospital.

'Obviously, COVID has kind of disrupted a lot of things for every workplace, including ours,' Kang explained, which postponed season 10's finale to October 4

Extended look: Additionally, AMC dropped an extended clip of the opening minutes of the delayed finale, which features Beta (Ryan Hurst) leading a number of walkers against the Alexandrians, who have hunkered down in an abandoned hospital

While the situation looks grim, the episode also marks the return of Maggie (Lauren Cohan), who left in season nine.

The good news continued on Friday for fans of the zombie apocalypse series, as its spin-off, Fear The Walking Dead, announced the sixth season will debut on October 11.

The network first announced it had pushed the premiere date to 'later this year', after the series was initially slated to debut on April 12, 2020.

Filming had already wrapped, but post-production on the last few episodes were impacted by companies closed as a result of the coronavirus.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration Saturday for 32 South Texas counties facing Hurricane Hanna, a dangerous storm the governor said is exacerbated by the challenge of COVID-19.

Strong wind gusts, storm surges and heavy rainfall that can cause life-threatening flash flooding threatened the lower Rio Grande Valley and Corpus Christi areas on Saturday. At the same time, emergency efforts in Texas were complicated by COVID-19, which continues to spread rapidly throughout Texas, particularly in the same South Texas regions hit by Hanna.

Abbott warned that the storm may worsen the COVID-19 pandemic in those areas, and he implored residents to keep the virus in mind as they seek to protect their lives and loved ones.

Any hurricane is an enormous challenge, Abbott said. This challenge is complicated and made even more severe, seeing that it is sweeping through an area that is the most challenged area in the state for COVID-19.

Hanna strengthened to a hurricane-level storm early Saturday morning and started thrashing the region between Corpus Christi and Brownsville in the early afternoon. It made landfall on Padre Island at 5 p.m. The storm was set to mostly skirt the Houston region, though weather officials said some of its outer bands would make for a wet and gusty weekend.

Hurricane Hanna developed strong winds between 55 and 70 miles per hour with gusts up to 90 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. The storm has a potential for winds up to 110 miles per hour.

Storm surges continue to pose a threat to coastal communities. The National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening flash flooding and storm surges between Port Mansfield and Sargent. Near Corpus Christi, morning storm surges flooded Highway 361, which connects Mustang Island and Port Aransas to the mainland, according to the National Weather Service.

COVID-19 during a hurricane

Hanna marks the first test of the states hurricane response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus is still rapidly spreading across Texas, and Friday saw a three-day streak of the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in a single day in the state, according to a Houston Chronicle data analysis. There were 181 new deaths confirmed, bringing the statewide total to 4,795.

The South Texas region currently inundated by Hurricane Hanna emerged as a COVID-19 hotspot in recent weeks. The Rio Grande Valley, a vast region of south Texas that encompasses Brownsville, Harlingen to South Padre Island, has struggled to contain the virus. Hidalgo County, which includes McAllen, reported 813 new cases on Friday and 33 deaths. Hidalgo County's total case count is nearing 15,000 and there have been 433 COVID-19 deaths.

Further north in the Corpus Christi metro area, Nueces County had a spike of 354 cases reported on Friday, bringing the county total to 9,961.

The hurricane disaster declaration, which includes most Houston-area counties, allows Abbott to waive statutes and regulations that would impede a rapid response, and it also opens the door for potential federal assistance, which Abbott has requested. Those responses will include COVID-19 testing for evacuees and additional personal protective equipment for first responders. In addition to deploying search and rescue teams to the affected areas, Abbott said the National Guard and Texas agencies are sending 17 emergency teams to shelters to test people for COVID-19.

San Antonio opened its Freeman Coliseum, where the Red Cross will assist local efforts. The Coliseum will be used as a medical shelter with capacity for 100 patients, and it will also serve as a checkpoint for evacuees to obtain a hotel voucher. San Antonio opened hotels to shelter evacuees, an effort to limit the crowding typical of usual hurricane evacuation efforts.

Elected officials in the threatened regions told residents to take precautions for the hurricane, and beach communities were urged to voluntarily evacuate.

Officials urged residents to be cautious of COVID-19 and avoid going out into the storm. Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales, during a Corpus Christi media briefing, called the hurricane Mother Natures stay-at-home order, and Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb reminded those leaving the beaches to keep masks on while traveling. He urged residents to resist going to the beach to watch the storm.

Dont ever underestimate the power of water and what it can do, he said. Its not forgiving.

Widespread power outages in Corpus, South Texas

Thousands of homes across South Texas lost power Saturday afternoon. As of 5 p.m., more than 31,000 customers had lost power in the Coastal Bend Area, according to data from AEP Texas, the electric service provider for the region.

Outages were most frequent in the Corpus Christi area. In Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi, more than 19,000 customers in the county had lost power as of 5 p.m., about 12 percent of the county. In neighboring Kleberg County, 1,600 had lost power Saturday afternoon, or 13 percent of the county.

Outages were also prevalent further south as well in Hidalgo County, which includes McAllen, where 1,700 lost service Saturday. AEP Texas does not have a restoration time estimate, and the company said it would begin efforts to restore power after the storm passes and it is safe to do so.

As the storm intensifies and moves closer to making landfall, AEP Texas crews will be called to shelter-in-place until the storm passes and crews can safely operate, said Omar Lopez, AEP Texas spokesperson in a statement Saturday.

Oil and gas operations in Hannas path

Corpus Christi is home to several refineries and petrochemical plants located along Nueces Bay. The Port of Corpus Christi, which primarily services the oil and gas industry, suspended all ship traffic Friday night, and crews prepared the port for a hurricane.

The reopening of the ship channel and the port condition returning to normal is dependent upon the weather, according to a statement from the Port of Corpus Christi.

Operations at CITGOs Corpus Christi refinery are continuing, a spokesperson said Saturday morning. The refinery, which is located on 890 acres on the coast of Nueces Bay and employs more than 1,000 employees and contractors, has the capacity to process 167,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

We have procedures in place to ensure the safety of our employees, contractors and surrounding communities, while focusing on the continuous supply of product to our customers, said Jennifer Lira, a CITGO spokesperson.

Valeros Bill Greehey Refineries complex and Flint Hills Resources east and west refineries are also in Hannas path on Nueces Bay. Spokespersons at Valero and Flint Hills Resources did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
From a dynamite-laden exploding schooner to earthquakes and numerous fires, here's a closer look at the institution's often doomed history, and its repeated rebirths.

In 1858, Samuel Brannan  the man who shouted "Gold! Gold on the American River!" on the streets of San Francisco and became the first Gold Rush millionaire  paid $1,500 for lumber salvaged from a shipwreck off the coast at Ocean Beach. It's said that he used the wood to build the first Cliff House on the cliffs at Point Lobos. Other sources say the first Cliff House was constructed a few years later by a man named Captain Junius G. Foster.

Either way, in the 1860s, the restaurant became a Victorian tourist hotspot, a destination for Sunday horse and carriage riders day-tripping from the city, venturing west on a toll road that would later become Geary Boulevard.

In 1883, entrepreneur, and later mayor of San Francisco, Adolph Sutro bought the site and transformed it into a popular resort where folks could look down at the sea lions on the rocks below while dining. These city tourists headed out in their droves to visit the recently opened Golden Gate Park on newly built streetcars. It was reported that on one weekend alone in 1886, the cars delivered over 47,000 people to Golden Gate Park, out of a population of 250,000 in the city.

OpenSFHistory

A few years later, the first of many disasters happened at the Cliff House. A two-masted sailboat named Parallel ran aground in high winds at a small beach below the restaurant. Parallel was carrying 42 tons of illegally packed dynamite.

What happened next is largely a mystery. One source reported at the time that the crew, fearing the worst, hastily rowed away abandoning the vessel but forgot to extinguish oil lamps on the shipwrecked powder keg. Others speculated on more nefarious plans.

Sure enough, the abandoned ship exploded in the early morning of Sunday, Jan. 16, 1887. The blast was so powerful it was reportedly felt over 100 miles away in Sacramento and mistaken for an earthquake. A police officer standing in front of San Francisco City Hall, five miles from the scene, claimed to hear the explosion.

The Chronicle reported that men from the life-saving station were thrown down the nearby cliff, and some were "horribly injured." One man's skull and shoulders were crushed, with "little hope for his recovery." The fire smashed every window and demolished half of Sutro's restaurant.

The owner of the boat told newspapers afterward that the ship should have been far from the San Francisco coast at the time. He speculated that someone must have placed an "infernal device" on the Parallel and aimed it at the resort.

Word spread across the city that the almighty boom wasn't an earthquake, but had come from the Cliff House, and the following day a crowd of up to 80,000 lookie-loos gathered at Land's End to see the damage and hunt for relics from the ship.

The restaurant proprietors took advantage of the arrival of thousands of potential customers and handpainted a "Bar Open" sign on the remains of the tavern. Gawkers were invited in for drinks and close-up views of the damage.

The building was quickly repaired, but this would not be the last time crowds gathered to watch disaster engulf the Cliff House.

A much less dramatic cause burned the restaurant to the ground on Christmas Day 1894  a defective fire duct. The building was totally destroyed by this fire before manager J.M. Wilkens had a chance to save the guest register, which was signed by three presidents.

OpenSFHistory

After two years passed, Adolph Sutro announced that the Cliff House would be reborn once more, this time in the shape of a gargantuan, looming Lovecraftian mansion. This iteration of the destination looked like nothing San Francisco had seen before  a seven-story Victorian Chateau perched on the edge of the city. Sutro was an ambitious man, and in the same year started construction on the famous Sutro Baths next to his new palace.

The baths included six giant swimming pools, a museum, a skating rink and other amusements. Droves of San Franciscans arrived on steam trains, bicycles and horse carts on weekend trips. The spectacular baths and new Cliff House would be completed two years before Sutro's death in 1898. He would never know that his crowning achievement would soon meet yet another fiery end.

The resort survived the 1906 earthquake, but, in what was becoming a pattern, the Cliff House burned to the ground a year later on Sept. 7, 1907. The source of this fire was unknown, but was so ferocious that the giant burning structure was doomed before the first fire truck got to the blaze. A famous photo of the fire taken from Ocean Beach captured the dramatic scene.

OpenSFHistory

Subsequent iterations of the resort would never reach the dizzying, dramatic heights of Sutro's castle, though Adolph's daughter, Dr. Emma Merritt, vowed to build another house on the site shortly after the fire, and oversaw the construction of a more modest neo-classical restaurant in 1909.

The owners of the sprawling theme park on nearby Ocean Beach, Playland, bought the Cliff House in 1937 and converted it into an upscale roadhouse diner. For a brief six years in the '50s, a sky tram ran across the Sutro Baths basin taking visitors from Point Lobos past an artificial waterfall to the outer balcony of the restaurant.

OpenSFHistory

After the closure of Playland and yet another fire that destroyed the baths (widely believed to be an insurance scheme), the National Park Service acquired the Cliff House in 1977 and it became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The cursed resort would finally see a time of peace.

In 2003, the site was renovated and many of the roadhouse-style details removed. A new two-story wing was constructed overlooking the ruins of the Sutro Baths, giving us the restaurant that stands today.

The 2020 closure of the Cliff House is thankfully less explosive than its previous demises and will hopefully be but another temporary blip in the history of one of America's most curious and storied destinations.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19. The Chief Minister shared the information on social media and announced that he has gone into quarantine.

All close contacts of the Chief Minister have been moved in to quarantine.

CM Chouhan said that he had symptoms of coronavirus and now his test has come positive. He has asked all those who came in contact with him to get tested and quarantine themselves immediately.

"My dear countrymen, I was having COVID-19 symptoms and after a test my report came out to be positive. I appeal to all my colleagues who came in contact with me to get their coronavirus test done. People who came close to me should go into self-quarantine," CM Chouhan tweeted.

"A COVID-19 infected person can be cured if he gets treatment on time. I have been reviewing the status of coronavirus infection every evening since March 25. I will try to participate in coronavirus status review meeting through video conference now," he said.

"I myself will continue to make every effort to control COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh during my treatment," CM Chouhan said in a series of tweets.

The Chief Minister announced that in his absence, the meeting will be attended by State Home Minister Dr Narottam Misra, Health Education Minister Vishvas Sarang and Health Minister Dr PR Choudhary.

India's total coronavirus cases zoomed past 13 lakhs on Saturday, just two days after it crossed the 12 lakh mark. The total number of cases in India reached 13,36,861 of which 31,388 people have lost their lives while 8,49,432 have recovered. The total number of active cases are 4,56,071 cases. The ministry stated that the recovery rate is 63.53 per cent.

In the last 24 hours, 787 people succumbed to the deadly virus, as there is a huge surge in cases in the hinterlands.
'It's like a nightmare I can't wake up from," Adrian Deacy says softly. "We were extremely close. I could just look at him and know exactly what he was thinking.

"Even by the way he would set his mouth or his eyes."

It is almost three years since Adrian lost his only son Joe in the most tragic, brutal and mysterious circumstances.

Today he has no answers. Gardai have none either.

Joe Deacy (21), from St Albans, in the UK, was found unresponsive and face down in the driveway of a house in Swinford, Co Mayo, on the morning of August 12, 2017.

He was wearing only his boxer shorts and socks. A post mortem found he died from blunt force trauma to his head. He also suffered injuries to his eye-socket and hip.

Within days gardai launched a murder investigation but three years on only questions remain. Joe Deacy is described by those who knew him as fun-loving and good-natured.

He loved Mayo, where he had many friends and family. At the time of his death, he was on a two-week holiday.

He stayed mainly with his father's cousin Michelle Murray and her family but he took time to visit all of his relatives and friends. On the night he died he was visiting a friend.

The last known photograph of Mr Deacy was taken in Paddy's pub in Kiltimagh, Co Mayo, late on Friday, August 11, 2017. CCTV footage taken from an ATM shows him withdrawing money at 11.22pm and then entering Paddy's pub with a group of friends. He is dressed in jeans, a jumper and runners. There is no sign of any injury.

It is believed Mr Deacy and a friend got a lift to the house where he was staying with a local man at around 1.30am.

Family members and friends of Mr Deacy have told gardai they were in contact with the 21-year-old via social media app Snapchat up until 3.55am.

One family member who saw a photo sent by Joe described him as "looking like he had a few drinks, but not injured in any way".

At 6.46am a cyclist spotted him lying on the front driveway and rang the homeowner, whom he knew. The cyclist did not come into the property and continued on his journey.

Within minutes the homeowner rang 999 and called for the immediate assistance of an ambulance. He also rang the gardai. CPR was performed on Mr Deacy for up to 25 minutes before paramedics arrived, but it was too late. He was brain dead by the time he arrived at Mayo University Hospital.

As relatives of Mr Deacy's arrived at the hospital they were ushered into a room and told there was no hope. Michelle Murray explains the horror of that morning will never leave her. "I was down as his next of kin because he was staying with me," she recalls. "We were brought into a room, about 9am, and allowed in one at a time to see him.

"I went in and he looked fine except his head was injured and he had a black eye and dried blood on his nose. I checked his hands and there were no marks.

"I thought he was going to be okay. It didn't sink in. I kept talking to him. A nurse and a doctor came in then and said there was no hope."

Mr Deacy was airlifted to Dublin's Beaumont Hospital where he was placed on a life support machine but he died the next day. From the minute he arrived in hospital concerns were raised about his injuries.

As soon as they saw him a member of the medical team treating Mr Deacy asked the paramedics if the gardai had been contacted.

They took it upon themselves to contact gardai in Castlebar who told them it wasn't their jurisdiction and to contact Claremorris. One medic told the family they believed Joe's injuries were similar to ones seen after a serious a car crash.

According to Mr Deacy's family, they were repeatedly told by the gardai during the first 24 hours that they were satisfied he had fallen and had not been assaulted.

Speaking for the first time, the homeowner of the property where Mr Deacy was found has confirmed to the Irish Independent that he personally contacted the gardai twice that morning.

He initially called 999 and when they failed to show up he rang his Garda station in Swinford at 7.23am and he stayed on the line for four minutes. The homeowner then left his house and went to the home of Gerry Moore, a cousin of Adrian Deacy, and arrived shortly before 8am.

He told Gerry to contact Joe's parents as he had fallen and it was serious. By the time he returned to his house gardai had arrived. He and the other house occupants left and gardai carried out a search.

No evidence suggestive of an assault was found inside or outside the house.

Speaking for the first time, the homeowner said he and his family "voluntarily left the house and they (gardai) took over. We said, 'Find out whatever you can. Find out what happened'."

"We had no idea there was anything sinister," he said. "They [gardai] thought from the next day then there was something suspicious about it.

"And it was declared a murder on Monday evening.

"We don't know what it was. Does anyone really know what happened?

"The lad was socialising in the town and came back to the house where he was staying.

"Did something happen to him in the town? Or did someone come back to our house afterwards? We have no idea.

"All we do know is we had nothing got to do with it. We worked on the lad for 20 minutes plus trying to keep him alive," he said.

The truth is all Joe Deacy's family want. Today Adrian Deacy appeals to anyone who knows anything about what happened to his son to please come forward. "Please, if anyone knows anything that can help us and Joe, please come forward. It can't be easy living with this."
In the vast expanses of rural Texas, coronavirus is creeping in like the dust.

And - like the dust - few pay it much mind.

Outside the state's pandemic-ravaged big cities is Donald Trump country, where the disease is seen as more threatening to personal freedoms than personal health. Masks mostly stay in the truck, where they're fetched only if needed. Even then, they're worn grudgingly out of politeness to business owners -- many who are friends or neighbors -- and taken off again as soon as possible.

That thinking is making it harder to stamp out the latest outbreak as it spreads to the most remote corners of the state, putting a population with the highest concentration of elderly at increasing risk.

"I'm not worried about it," said Jeff Donaldson, a 63-year-old resident of Bosque County who has been occupying himself riding motorcycles and fishing with friends since he retired as a truck driver. "It's all just about the politics."

Gov. Greg Abbott, who initially resisted stringent measures to combat the disease, is enduring the fury of his own party's right wing to convince voters like Donaldson. Four Republican state legislators called mask requirements "tyranny, plain and simple." And that was before the governor reversed course early this month as the state's outbreak intensified, ordering businesses to require face coverings in any county with 20 or more active cases.

Abbott's approval rate has dropped to 47% from 56% since early June, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released July 22.

Teeming Houston has become one of the nation's hottest covid zones, with hospitals straining to contain all the sick. Dallas County had an 18-day streak of 1,000 or more cases a day. But in counties like Bosque, about 95 miles southwest of Dallas, surging coronavirus deaths compete with the conviction that the pandemic is being hyped to undermine Trump's reelection. With local case counts still relatively low, many people don't doubt Covid-19 is real, but dismiss it as no worse than a bad flu.

While Texas's big cities have become multicultural melting pots with international perspectives and predominantly Democratic political establishments, the state's small towns are pure Texas. Toughness, independence and a rebellious spirit shape the culture. Trump, despite his New York City pedigree, is seen as a fellow fighter, admired for defying the establishment, whether it's big-government elites or liberal media.

To these places, the virus has come. Only four out of Texas's 254 counties remain untouched by covid-19, down from 23 on June 1. The state has been regularly charting about 10,000 new cases a day in July, and daily deaths were at 173 Thursday, bringing the total to 4,521.

Masks are a particular sore point in rural Texas, as residents cite the cascade of contradictory advice about how much they actually help fight the virus. Top health officials originally advised against wearing them, and Trump himself resisted being seen in public with a face covering until recent days.

Tucked into verdant hills separating sandy West Texas from Central Texas farmlands, two neighboring counties illustrate the challenges. Bosque, population 18,700, currently has 55 active cases. There are just 25 in Hamilton County, where about 8,500 people live.

But both counties have seen a five-fold increase in the past two weeks. What's worse, their percentage of 65-and-older residents is twice the state's average.

Bosque County's cases will continue to rise, said Judge Don Pool, the county's highest elected official. Tourists from hot spots such as Dallas and Waco poured into nearby Lake Whitney on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, certainly bringing the virus with them, he said. Locals are fed up with sheltering at home and are venturing out more.

"When I go out in the country, a tremendous number of people are wearing masks. They're trying to behave," Pool said. "But there's still this element that thinks this is no worse than a cold and they're going to do what they want because it's their right."

Pool is walking a fine line with voters - 80% of whom voted for Trump - after active cases surpassed 20 in his county and triggered the governor's mask mandate. He hears the conspiracy theories and is constantly defending the constitutionality of the order he requires businesses to post.

"They're infringing on our rights," said Melanie Stark, 46, who shopped maskless at a grocery store in Meridian. The face covering is suffocating for Stark, who preferred to use her maiden name, and she believes she's healthy enough to withstand the virus if she got it. "You can't enforce something like this."

Sherri Beardan, 42, whose beauty salon was closed in April for more than four weeks, wears a mask as required while conducting business, but she's not concerned about health risks. She doesn't believe the rising virus numbers are accurate.

"I think it's a whole government crock of B.S.," she said. "They want to get rid of the president. They want him to look as bad as possible."

The case count in the county is still low and few people know anyone who's contracted the virus, making it seem like a far-removed, big-city problem.

Septuagenarians John and Mary Bingaman were turned around by the manager of Johnny's Place in the tiny Bosque County town of Clifton when they entered the diner without masks. Without complaint, John, 73, fetched them from his truck, and they were seated for breakfast. The couple doesn't really see the need - no one they know locally has gotten sick.

"I don't think it's as bad as they say it is," said Mary Bingaman, 76.

Bradley Calderon, 31, and Karrie Bradshaw, 38, who both work at a convenience store and fast-food restaurant called Cubs Corner in Clifton are taking the virus seriously. Calderon's wife is pregnant and he wears gloves and a mask at all times, even though some regular customers don't. "I'm in safety mode," he said.

Bradshaw's fear of the disease comes from knowing someone near Dallas - a former boss in his mid-40s - who got critically ill from the virus. Bradshaw said she's shocked by how many locals believe the pandemic will subside after the election.

With chronic bronchitis, Randy Yates, 62, knows he's in a high-risk category, but sides with those who say Covid-19 is hyped. He puts on a mask when entering a business out of politeness to the owner or employees, but said he won't be told what to do by the governor or county judge. Yates, like many residents, believes Bosque County will pull through the pandemic just fine. That hinges on faith, he said, not following orders of government officials.

"If the good Lord is ready for me, there's not a thing in the world I can do to change it," he said after a meal at Johnny's Place. "I'm not going to panic about what's going on in this world."
Reportage Properties, a leading UAE real estate developer, has announced that steady progress is being made on its key projects in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Eight new projects are coming up in the UAE, including 6 in Abu Dhabi, located in the most important investment areas such as Masdar City, Al Raha Beach and Al Maryah Island, as well as two projects in Dubai, said the Emirati developer in its statement.

According to Reportage, three key projects in Abu Dhabi - Al Raha Loft 1 and Al Raha Loft 2 at Al Raha Beach and Al Waha Residence 1 at Masdar City - will be handed over next year, thus adding 900 new housing units to the emirate.

The construction works on its Al Raha Loft 1 project, which offers 164 housing units, has reached 62%, while the 110-unit Al Raha Loft 2 is 68% completed. The company is expected to deliver both these projects during the first half of 2021, it stated.

Work is progressing well on the company's projects in Masdar City, where 54% of the "Oasis Residence 1" project, which provides 612 apartments, has been completed. It is expected to be delivered during the second quarter of 2021.

whereas about 15% of the "Oasis Residence 2" was completed.

On its other Masdar City project, Reportage said 15 per cent of the work has been completed on Oasis Residence 2 project, which boasts 304 housing units. It is on track for delivery during the second quarter of 2022.

CEO Nasser Al Khamis emphasised on the Emirati developer's commitment to complete these projects on schedule, despite the challenges associated with the outbreak of Covid-19.

"Al Raha Loft 1, Al Raha Loft 2 and Al Waha Residence 1 will be completed next year, while the remaining projects are set to be handed over in 2022 and 2023," he stated.

COO Islam Ahmed Suleiman said work is also moving at a steady pace on four of its recently launched projects - "The Gate" in Masdar City, and "Almaryah Vista" on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi, as well as "Rakan" and "Alexis" in Dubai.

On its Dubai projects, Suleiman said the work on Rakan, its 349-villa development coming up in the Dubailand area, is moving at a steady pace.

According to him, 12% of the Phase I of the project has been completed and is expected to be delivered by the second quarter of 2022.

On the Alexis Tower project, Suleiman said that about 15% of the work on the recently launched Downtown Jebel Ali development has been completed. The project, which boasts 370 luxury housing units, is likely to be delivered by the last quarter of 2022.-TradeArabia News Service
Opinion | The Prince of Darkness delivers another rocker Heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne has released a new album after a decade. Charged with adrenaline and searing guitar riffs, its like a trip back to metals early era

Had it not been for a friend who alerted me, I would have missed Ozzy Osbournes latest album. Even though it came out in February, I got to listen to Ordinary Man, his first solo in 10 years, months later. Osbourne, 71, famously the lead singer of Britains pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has been having health problemsinjuries from a fall and a form of Parkinsons disease. So, for legions of fans of his erstwhile band and him, Ordinary Man is an album worth waiting for. It could well be his last. Many musicians in recent years released their end-of-career albums when they were ill (by all accounts, Osbourne is very ill). Famously, there was Leonard Cohens You Want it Darker; David Bowies Blackstar; Gregg Allmans Southern Blood; and Sharon Jones Soul Of A Woman. All of them were laced with premonitions of an end about to come.

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Osbourne, known as the Prince of Darkness in his heydey, has a dozen solo albums besides his recordings with Black Sabbath, beginning with the first one in 1980, Blizzard Of Ozz. Black Sabbath are widely recognized as the vanguard of heavy metal; they were possibly ahead of their time. Their self-titled debut album, which turned 50 this year, went on to become epochal but critics were surprisingly sceptical when it came out. I have read that some very revered reviewers of the time were caustic in their criticism. Famously, Lester Bangs, the highly influential American rock critic (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous), wrote that the whole album is a shuck.

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Well, they were proved wrong. That album lay down the road for heavy metal in all its variations. Over the years, heavy metal bands have all followed the track that Black Sabbath opened upand for many enthusiasts of the heaviest kind of rock music, listening to Sabbath is a kind of rite of passage. Paranoid, Iron Man, War Pigs and so many other songs by the band have each continued to garner hundreds of millions of streams on any platform they are found on. Ask any heavy metal musician today which band influenced them most and the answer is likely to be Sabbath.

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Ordinary Man is not Ozzys best solo album. My vote for that would go to Diary Of A Madman, released in 1981. By that year, the clique of friends I used to hang around with had meandered into hippie territory as far as our music tastes ran. So (and I say this with much sheepishness) we had a kind of nose-in-the-air attitude about heavier genres of rock. It was our loss actually that we had scant regard for Black Sabbath and Ozzy. But I did listen to Diary Of A Madman and its mind-scorching guitar riffs by the late Randy Rhoads, Ozzys epic ballads and (for its era) good production quality were enough to set things right: Heavy rock mattered.

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It is unusual but I would recommend listening to Ordinary Man from back to front. Start with the last track. Its titled Take What You Want and features the American rapper Travis Scott. Yes, its a sort of rap meets heavy metal track. The one just before it is yet another unexpected one. Titled Its A Raid, it features and is co-produced by the rapper and producer Post Malone. Many among heavy metal purists, Black Sabbath fanatics and Ozzys legions of fans have reacted adversely to infusions such as on these two tracks but both are enjoyable songs and, presumably, they could draw in younger millennials to Ozzy and Sabbaths vast body of work.

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Make no mistake though. As you climb up the song list on Ordinary Man, you start moving into serious metal territory. There are musicians from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N Roses and even Elton John featured on Ordinary Man. To be honest, however, John and Osbourne do a duet on the albums piano-driven title track that is a bit sub-par compared to the rest of the album. Some tracks sound as if they are off some pristine Black Sabbath albums, harking back to that bands heady days. Under The Graveyard is one such, as is the album opener, Straight To Hell.

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On Ordinary Man, Osbourne sounds remarkably adrenalin-charged and the album is like a rewind to the angsty, angry, loud and riff-laden days of heavy metals early era. But even with the high energy levels, there is an element of foreboding. You may likely sense the fear that might underlie the mind of a veteran rocker who is in his careers fading last phase. Yet, Ordinary Man, for lovers of uncompromisingly heavy rock music, is a gift. The power ballads, the frenzy of the lead guitars, and Ozzys back-to-the-early-days style of singing make it an essential album.

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Even before the covid-19 pandemic struck, Osbourne had cancelled his 2020 tour for health reasons. In the past, the Prince of Darkness was known for his outrageous antics on stagehe once infamously bit the head off a bat that someone had thrown on stage. His tours in more recent years have been less dramatic but always steeped in energy. It is not certain if hes going to perform live in coming years, nor whether another album will be forthcoming any time soon. So Ordinary Man will have to be our latest status check on an extraordinary rock icon and influencer.

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First Beat is a column on whats new and groovy in the world of music.

@sanjoynarayan
Ukraine's health minister holds relevant consultations and keeps in touch with companies and diplomats from different countries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine should be among the first countries to be able to purchase a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is produced.

Read alsoUkraine to start talks to preorder COVID-19 vaccine  Stepanov

"Our diplomatic missions and world resources report that the vaccine is already being produced in certain countries. Even if it is ready next year, Ukraine should be among the first countries to purchase the vaccine. We must think about this now. The whole world is lining up," he said at an intercom meeting on anti-coronavirus efforts on July 25, as reported by the press service of the President's Office.

In turn, Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said that on the instructions from the president he holds consultations and keeps in touch with companies and diplomats from different countries, studying information.

As UNIAN reported, Ukraine's Chief Medical Officer, Deputy Health Minister Viktor Liashko earlier said that coronavirus vaccine might appear in the spring.
As part of a concerted effort to tackle violence and insecurity in the French city of Nice, Prime Minister Jean Castex on Saturday announced a raft of so-called proximity" measures that include an experimental extension of the municipal police powers.

Speaking at the Nice prefecture of police alongside Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, Castex said drug offences  on a national level  would be met with an on-the-spot fixed fine of 200 euros from the start of the school year.

In the weeks to come, some 60 new officers are to be deployed to Nice, the capital of the French Riviera, to fight crime and drug-trafficking in several troubled districts. Compensation, meanwhile, is to be paid to police officers stationed in the city for more than two years.

The announcement follows a shooting on Monday in front of a supermarket in Nices flashpoint district of Moulins, which was visited by the three ministers on Saturday morning.

In a separate development Saturday, a young man was found dead in a cellar in a troubled area of Nice  although the cause of death was unclear.

In his speech Castex admitted that justice has been neglected for too long, as he announced the creation of 150 additional jobs to "strengthen local criminal action for the repression of everyday delinquency".

The Prime Minister also promised that resources would be redeployed for local justice and the daily police work.

In an interview with right-wing daily Le Figaro ahead of the Nice trip, Darmanin said France was witnessing a crisis of authority that needed to be reaffirmed and corrected. We must stop the enslavement of a certain part of society, he said, promising to "bend those who want to bend the republic".

Meanwhile Nice mayor Christian Estrosi, who is from the right-wing Les Republicains party and is a vocal supporter of the new measures, himself announced the upcoming recruitment of 80 additional municipal police officers in Nice.

(with Wires)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, during which they highly appreciated the trade and economic cooperation between the countries, discussed further steps to develop mutually beneficial cooperation, the press service of the President's Office said.

"The President of Ukraine expressed interest in further strengthening trade and economic cooperation with Egypt, our country's largest trading partner on the African continent and in the Middle East. Zelensky noted the contribution of Ukrainian companies to ensuring food security in Egypt, and stressed the importance of successful implementation of projects of Ukrainian enterprises in this country," the message reads.

In addition, the topic of strengthening cooperation in the space industry was separately discussed.

"Given the considerable experience and the available industrial and engineering base, Ukraine is interested in resuming mutually beneficial cooperation with Egypt in such areas as satellite production and management, modernization of ground-based flight control base and equipment for testing spacecraft, training and education of Egyptian specialists. I am convinced that our states have a significant potential for cooperation in the use of outer space for peaceful purposes," the President of Ukraine said.

The presidents also exchanged invitations on visiting the two countries after the stabilization of the situation with the coronavirus.
About 420,000 Covid-19 tests were conducted in India in a day, officials said on Saturday, nearly double the daily testing capacity of 220,000 at the beginning of the month.

As many as 16 million tests have been conducted in India until now, according to the Union health ministrys data. Last week, about 350,000 samples were tested daily on average.

With the third-highest Covid-19 cases globally, the increased testing has taken Indias tests per million to 11,485, according to the data. This is much lower compared to the US (158,981 tests per million) and just about half of Brazils 23,094. The US and Brazil are the two worst-hit countries by the pandemic.

India had one Covid-19 testing lab in January  Punes National Institute of Virology. The number has now gone up to 1,301 labs. Of these, 902 are government and 399 private labs.

The Centre has advised the states and Union territories to keep up the test, track and treat strategy. Aggressive testing may lead to a higher number of daily positive cases initially but would eventually achieve a decline as has been demonstrated after Union Governments targeted efforts in the NCT [National Capital Territory] of Delhi, a government press release said.

The number of daily cases in Delhi went up to nearly 4,000 in June after the government scaled up testing with rapid antigen kits.

Dr Puneet Misra, a community medicine professor at New Delhis All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said increased testing will also help keep the mortality low. If cases are detected early, they can receive requisite treatment early. This also helps doctors in monitoring patients who might be at a higher risk of death such as the old, those with compromised immune systems, those who might have diabetes, hypertension, cancer, heart, and kidney disease.

India has seen a steady decline in the number of Covid-19 deaths. With 31,358 deaths till Saturday, the case fatality rate stood at 2.35%.

According to the health ministry data, the recovery rate has also gone up to 63.5%.

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TORONTO, July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EarthRenew Inc. (CSE:ERTH) (EarthRenew or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has closed its first tranche of a previously announced non-brokered private placement financing of units (each, a Unit) at a price of $0.30 per Unit (the Offering) for gross proceeds of $2,093,352 (the First Tranche). For more information on the Offering, please see the Companys press release dated June 9, 2020, which is available under the Companys profiles on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and www.thecse.com.



Pursuant to the First Tranche, EarthRenew issued 6,977,840 Units at a price of $0.30 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a Common Share) and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant), entitling the holder to acquire one additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.45 for a period of 24 months from issuance. If at any time after four months and one day from the closing of the First Tranche, the Common Shares trade at $0.90 per Common Share or higher on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) for a period of 30 consecutive days, the Company will have the right (but not the obligation) to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants to the date that is 30 days after the Company issues a news release announcing that it has elected to exercise this acceleration right. The securities issued in connection with the First Tranche are subject to a statutory four month hold period, which expires on November 25, 2020. Finders fees were paid in accordance with the policies of the CSE to Haywood Securities Inc. and PI Financial Corp. consisting of cash commissions equal to $17,923.50 and $61,600.01, respectively, and 59,745 and 205,333 finder warrants (Finder Warrants), respectively. Each Finder Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.45 per Common Share for a period of 24 months, expiring on July 24, 2022.

The net proceeds of the First Tranche are expected to be used for costs incurred for capital equipment purchases, engineering and construction costs for the redevelopment of the Strathmore facility, feasibility studies on future projects, field and research trials, market development activities, working capital for the ramp-up of our operations at the Strathmore facility and general corporate purposes. The Company is working diligently towards closing the second and final tranche of the Offering as soon as practicable.

Certain directors and officers of the Company subscribed for Units pursuant to the First Tranche (the Insider Participation). The Insider Participation is considered to be a related party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The Insider Participation is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report more than 21 days before closing the First Tranche as the details of the abovementioned Insider Participation were not settled until shortly prior to closing, and the Company wished to close the First Tranche on an expedited basis.

About EarthRenew

EarthRenew transforms livestock waste into a high-performance organic fertilizer to be used by organic and traditional growers in Canada and the United States. Located on a 25,000 head cattle feedlot, our flagship Strathmore plant is capable of producing up to four megawatts (MW) per hour of low-cost electricity powered by a natural gas fired turbine. The exhausted heat from the turbine is used to convert manure into certified organic fertilizer.

For additional information, please contact:

Keith Driver

CEO of EarthRenew

Phone: (403) 860-8623

E-mail: kdriver@earthrenew.ca

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Offering, such as the expected use of the net proceeds of the First Tranche. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; regulatory risks; and other risks of the energy, fertilizer and cryptocurrency industries. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Members of the royal family are always expected to keep their cool and show the traditional stiff upper lip at all times.

However, during Meghan Markle's short-lived stay as a senior member of the royal family, she cried in public more than the royal watchers could ever imagine.

Although British tabloids had been challenging her emotions since the beginning, she still had some moments wherein she was not able to do anything but let her tears fall.

Meghan Markle Cried On National TV For The First Time

Before the Sussexes took a six-week break from their royal duties, Prince Harry and Meghan appeared in the ITV documentary "Harry and Meghan: An African Journey."

During the conversation, the Duchess of Sussex expressed her sadness and the struggles she experienced as part of the royal family.

"I've said for a long time to H - that's what I call him - it's not enough to just survive something, right? That's not the point of life. You've got to thrive; you've got to feel happy," Meghan told ITV's Tom Bradby. "I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip."

The emotional Meghan went on to admit that everything that happened damaged her internally.

Meghan Wept During Commonwealth Service

In 2019, the pregnant Meghan's hormones probably kicked in during the Commonwealth Day service.

During the BBC's live feed of the event, fans spotted her tearing up in response to a heartfelt performance by Alfie Boe.

Despite clarifying it, the moment caused rumors that Meghan Markle probably cried due to the Sussexes' then-worsening feud with Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Prince Harry Made Meghan Cry?

Following the Commonwealth Day Service, Prince Harry and Meghan also attended the Trooping of Colour parade in June 2019.

Some video footage showed Meghan turning around to face the Duke of Sussex. Royal watchers tried to read the royal prince's lips and found out that Prince Harry told her to turn around.

After she did what she was told to do, Meghan got emotional and teary-eyed.

Buckingham Palace did not release a statement about the incident, but royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams revealed to INSIDER how he believed it was an "unhappy exchange."

"One of the important characteristics of being royal is to ensure that public appearances go off smoothly," Fitzwilliams said. "In this instance it certainly seems that there was an unhappy exchange. Let us hope it was not symptomatic of anything other than a misunderstanding, but the Buckingham Palace balcony is not the place to draw attention to such things."

Meghan Markle Cried During Final Engagement

Before Prince Harry and Meghan officially split from the Firm, they joined the royal family for the last time in a royal engagement at Westminster Abbey.

What could have been a happy moment for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex became low-key emotional, as Meghan was seen holding back her tears.

Journalist Bryony Gordon said she saw Meghan's "tears glisten in those bright, friendly eyes that have charmed and endeared so many during recent days."

Meanwhile, her staff also appeared heartbroken as she embraced them for the last time.

READ MORE: Meghan Markle Wedding: 'Pretty Little Liars' Star Reveals' Nightmare' Experience!
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said that he has tested coronavirus positive.

Chouhan, 61, shared the news on Twitter in the early hours.

He was admitted to a COVID-19 designated private hospital in Bhopal, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.

"I had symptoms of COVID-19. In the test report I was found positive. I appeal to all my colleagues that whoever has come in my contact to get tested for coronavirus. My close contacts should move to quarantine," Chouhan said in a tweet.

In another tweet, the chief minister said that if detected and treated on time, COVID-19 infection can be cured.

"I have been reviewing the status of coronavirus infection in the state every evening since March 25. Now I will try to review the situation through video conferencing as much as possible," he said.

Chouhan also said that in his absence, the meeting to review the coronavirus situation will be held by Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Urban Development and Administration Minister Bhupendra Singh, Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang and Health Minister Prabhuram Choudhary.



State BJP's media in-charge Lokendra Parashar said that Chouhan was shifted to COVID-19 designated Chirayu Medical College and Hospital in the state capital.

"The CM has said that no special treatment should be given to him. He said that he should be treated like a common man. Therefore, he decided to get admitted to Chirayu Medical College Hospital, where other COVID-19 patients are being treated," Parashar said.

Meanwhile, state Congress chief Kamal Nath, in a tweet, wished Chouhan a speedy recovery.

Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh said, "It is sad that Shivraj ji was found corona positive. May God cure you soon. You should have maintained social distancing, which you did not. Take care in future," Singh said.

"Bhopal police had registered an FIR against me, but how would (the police) have done that against you?" Singh said further.

The Congress leader was referring to a case filed against him last month for allegedly flouting social distancing norms during a protest held in Bhopal.

BJP leader and former union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also wished him a speedy recovery.

Chouhan took oath as the state chief minister on March 23 after the Congress government led by Kamal Nath collapsed following resignations of 22 MLAs.

Chouhan is back as the state CM for record fourth time.
The coronavirus crisis has 'destroyed women's careers' as half of working mothers are lacking the necessary childcare to enable them to work.

Over 70 per cent of mothers have had to work fewer hours because of childcare issues, while two thirds of those furloughed said that a shortfall in childcare was the reason, a survey of nearly 20,000 mothers has revealed.

Research showing the impact of childcare closures on women found that while 81 per cent of employed mothers need childcare to be able to work, some 51 per cent do not have the necessary provisions in place to allow them to do so.

Campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed questioned 19,950 mothers and pregnant women amid an easing of the work-from-home guidance.

Announcing an end to the Government's 'stay at home' messaging, Boris Johnson last week said it will be up to employers to discuss with workers whether it is safe to return from August 1.

But Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said this 'completely ignores the realities facing women'.

The coronavirus crisis has destroyed women's careers as half of working mothers are lacking the necessary childcare to enable them to work. Over 70 per cent of mothers have had to work fewer hours because of childcare issues, while two thirds of those furloughed said that a shortfall in childcare was the reason, a survey of nearly 20,000 mothers has revealed (stock)

Research showing the impact of childcare closures on women found that while 81 per cent of employed mothers need childcare to be able to work, 51 per cent do not have the necessary provisions in place to allow them to do so. Campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed questioned 19,950 mothers amid an easing of the work-from-home guidance (stock)

'This lack of childcare is destroying women's careers, they are being made redundant, they are being forced to cut their hours, and they are being treated negatively all because they are picking up the unpaid labour,' she said.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned that parents were being put in an 'impossible position' over a return to offices due to a lack of childcare support.

Conducted online between July 16-18, the survey found 15 per cent of mothers have been made redundant, or think they could be in the next six months, while almost half (46 per cent) of those said that a lack of childcare played a role.

What does the Pregnant Then Screwed poll show? According to the Pregnant Then Screwed survey, which questioned working mothers: 72 per cent worked fewer hours due to lack of childcare;

15 per cent had been made redundant or were facing redundancy, with 46 per cent of those citing a lack of childcare as the reason;

81 per cent needed childcare to be able to do their paid work, but only 49 per cent had the childcare they required;

11 per cent of pregnant women were made redundant or expected to be - of these, 57 per cent were pregnant black women;

74 per cent of self-employed women had their earning potential reduced because of a lack of access to childcare. Advertisement

Some 11.2 per cent of pregnant women have been made redundant or expect to be during the crisis, with just over half (53.2 per cent) believing that their pregnancy was a factor - rising to 66.7 per cent among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women.

Ms Brearley said: 'Your employer must provide pregnant women with a detailed risk assessment to show how they will keep you safe.

'The risk assessment should demonstrate that you are able to socially distance including on your commute. If they can't do this then they must allow you to work from home and where that's not possible they should suspend you on full pay.

'Not furlough, not sick pay, not enforced early maternity leave. It is simply not ok to continue treating pregnant workers as collateral damage throughout this pandemic, when we know that at least five pregnant women have already died from the virus.

'The confusion surrounding this is impalpable, it's the law, it's women's legal rights the same ones that have been in place since 1999 with the management of health and safety at work regulations.'

The poll also found that, in the past four months, 67 per cent of key workers questioned had been forced to cut hours because of lack of access to childcare, according to The Guardian newspaper.

Responses shared with the newspaper also show that among 1,756 pregnant key workers questioned, some 30.5 per cent had been suspended on incorrect terms, such as being told to take sick leave or begin maternity leave early.

Meanwhile, some 74 per cent of self-employed mothers said lack of access to childcare, due to schools and facilities closing, had reduced their self-employed earning potential.

'We need to see provisions in place to support mothers who are struggling with childcare through no fault of their own,' Ms Brearley said.

'We need the Government to open its eyes to the gender imbalance that Covid-19 is exacerbating and we need to help pregnant women and mums to be treated on merit, not on how many kids they have. The time to change this is now.'

It comes as NHS England said it will contribute towards the cost of childcare, in a move to encourage hundreds of doctors with family responsibilities to return to general practice.

Qualified GPs hoping to return to the NHS will be able to claim up to 2,000 per child or dependant family member to help meet caring costs while on a training placement.

Now get back to work: Boris Johnson orders civil servants to return to their desks by the end of next week - but top firms are still encouraging staff to stay at home

By Jason Groves, Matt Oliver and Lucy White for the Daily Mail

Whitehall departments were last night told to order thousands of civil servants back to their desks to start clearing the backlog in public services - while top firms are still encouraging employees to work remotely.

Boris Johnson has told mandarins to tear up the 'work from home' guidance which has been in place since March and start getting officials back to the office from the end of next week.

In a letter to all Whitehall ministries civil service chief Alex Chisholm said it was time to 'change the default that civil servants should work from home, and accelerate the return to the workplace from August 1'.

Boris Johnson has told mandarins to tear up the 'work from home' guidance which has been in place since March and start getting officials back to the office from the end of next week

Meanwhile Britain's biggest businesses have told hundreds of thousands of office staff to carry on working at home despite growing fears for city centre shops and eateries, a Mail audit has found.

Top firms employing 400,000 staff have only sent back about 40,000 to the workplace so far, after many switched to remote working during the virus crisis.

Unilever, BT, Royal Bank of Scotland, Rolls-Royce and GlaxoSmithKline are among those who still have no immediate plans to do so, despite official guidance giving the all-clear from August 1.

But Whitehall departments have been told to prepare assessments of 'productivity impacts associated with remote working... and your plans to address any backlogs in service fulfilment that have built up as a result of enforced absence from office working'.

Unilever, BT, Royal Bank of Scotland, Rolls-Royce and GlaxoSmithKline are among those who still have no immediate plans to do so, despite official guidance giving the all-clear from August 1

The Mail revealed this week that huge delays have built up for key services including passports, driving licences and birth certificates after Government departments sent thousands of key staff home.

Figures showed that more than 400,000 people are waiting for a passport, with advice now saying to only apply if travelling urgently.

The Prime Minister has told officials he wants the backlog cleared by the end of September.He is said to be convinced that the 'work from home' edict has proved a major blow to productivity.

During a visit to a GP surgery in east London yesterday Mr Johnson said: 'I want to see a massive effort now by the country to psychologically to stop thinking of coronavirus as something that makes it impossible to do things and start really looking at tackling the problems of the British people.'

The Prime Minister's plan to get Britain back to a semblance of normality was dealt a blow as top firms told staff they can continue to work remotely

But the Prime Minister's plan to get Britain back to a semblance of normality was dealt a blow as top firms told staff they can continue to work remotely. Several bosses say they now expect home working to become the 'new normal'.

M&G, one of Britain's biggest fund managers, said it was in no rush for staff to return and that remote working would 'continue for the foreseeable future'.

But critics warned the prolonged office exodus could deal a terminal blow to the High Street unless more staff return.

Ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan-Smith, a former work and pensions secretary, said big companies had 'an obligation to get people back to work'.

A Mail audit of 60 top firms found many had yet to plan a return to the office. Just one quarter had plans to bring staff back in the next two months.

Coca-Cola, Facebook, Google, Pearson, RBS and Vodafone  which employ a combined 70,000 - are among those who are not planning to do so until next year.

A Mail audit of 60 top firms found many had yet to plan a return to the office. Just one quarter had plans to bring staff back in the next two months

We may have to wear masks for another year, warns PM

By Jason Groves and Arthur Martin for the Daily Mail

Masks could remain compulsory in shops for at least a year, Boris Johnson suggested yesterday.

The Prime Minister declined to put a precise time scale on the new rules requiring people to wear a face covering in all shops or face a 100 fine.

And he implied the mask policy was likely to stay in place for many months as the Government tries to open up the economy while avoiding a second wave of coronavirus.

On a visit to a GP surgery in east London, during which he donned a mask, the PM said lifting the rule would 'depend on our continued ability to drive down the virus'.

The Prime Minister declined to put a precise time scale on the new rules requiring people to wear a face covering in all shops or face a 100 fine

However, Mr Johnson added it was likely to be 'the middle of next year' before the UK was 'well on the way past it'.

Attempts to make sure people wear masks in shops hit teething problems as the rules came into force yesterday.

Police and retailers refused to enforce the requirement and the care minister suggested people should not be 'accosted' if they failed to wear one.

Officers claimed they do not have the resources and said the 'greater onus' should be on shopkeepers to make sure their customers cover their faces.

But supermarkets insisted it is up to the police to enforce the rules and said their staff would not be challenging those without masks amid fears of violent attacks.

Wearing a mask also became compulsory in banks, post offices, shopping centres, petrol stations and transport hubs yesterday.

The PM implied the mask policy was likely to stay in place for many months as the Government tries to open up the economy while avoiding a second wave of coronavirus

Only young children and people with medical conditions affected by a mask are exempt. Police chiefs across the country said their officers would not be routinely enforcing the regulations and they would only be sent out 'as a last resort'.

Thousands of people were spotted visiting shops yesterday without wearing a face covering.

Marks & Spencer, Co-op, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Iceland, Asda and Morrisons have said it is not up to their workers to enforce the rules.

In a branch of Sainsbury's, one shopper was pelted with a tub of double cream by a woman for not wearing a mask.

The supermarket said it will display posters and make regular loudspeaker announcements asking customers to wear a mask, but it was not the responsibility of staff to challenge them.

But branches of McDonald's ordered customers without face coverings to leave the restaurants.

Police chiefs across the country said their officers would not be routinely enforcing the regulations and they would only be sent out 'as a last resort'

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: 'Police officers are yet again adapting to a new set of unprecedented laws and guidelines which they wouldn't have even dreamed of before lockdown.

'It is our members who are expected to police what is a new way of living and I would urge retail outlets to play their part in making the rules crystal clear: if you are not wearing a face covering then you are not coming in.'

But care minister Helen Whately called for a softly-softly approach and pointed out that some people, including those with autism and conditions like anxiety, are exempt from wearing them.

She predicted that 'most people' would wear a mask voluntarily, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We are expecting people to be reasonable about this. And we don't want to see members of the public accosted for not wearing a face mask.'

Some retailers have raised concerns that asking shop staff to enforce the measures will lead to further abuse against them.

Jo Whitfield, from the Co-op, said: 'On a daily basis they face abuse, threatening behaviour and even physical assault. Our own figures show that during the Covid crisis such instances have risen and enforcing the wearing of face masks could be another flashpoint that shop workers don't need.'
Lancaster Countys mask order will be in place through at least Aug. 31.

Councilman Rich Pahls, the third councilman not to sign the letter, said he doesnt endorse the mask requirement. But he said he will support Pour if she decides a mandate is necessary.

Pahls and Melton both noted that many businesses, including Walmart and Bakers, have begun to require customers to wear masks.

But Rodgers said its clear to him that not enough people are choosing to wear masks in public, and mandating masks would close the loop on places that have not opted to require them.

A member of the seven-person City Council could add his or her own mask ordinance to a future agenda. Such an ordinance would require a simple majority of four votes to pass. If Stothert decided to veto that ordinance, the council would need five votes to override her veto.

On Thursday, the Republican mayor said she would prefer that every Omahan voluntarily wear a mask when they cant distance from others. When asked whether she would stand in the way of Pour issuing a mask mandate, Stothert said she and Pour would have to discuss the matter.
BRIDGEPORT  It has been a decade since two Bridgeport firefighters were killed battling a blaze on Elmwood Avenue.

On Friday, a wreath was placed next to the memorial for firefighters Michel Baik and Lt. Steven Velasquez, at the fire station on Ocean Terrace. The firefighters, both assigned to Ladder Truck 11, died on July 24, 2010.
YEREVAN, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Edi Rama urged to immediately return to the ceasefire regime along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the OSCE.

I am deeply concerned by the increased violence we have seen along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and urge an immediate return to the ceasefire before we see any further loss of life, said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Albanias Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Edi Rama today.

Rama noted that the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, have been in close contact with the sides in an effort to bring stability back to the situation. A direct channel of communication was established by the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders during their meeting in Vienna under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs in March 2019. Rama expressed his hope that such mechanisms can be utilized to de-escalate this situation.

Acknowledging the human toll of this latest violence, Rama offered condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives and expressed his concern for the well-being of those injured on both sides. We must all do what we can to reduce the human impact of the conflict and resume substantive negotiations as soon as possible, Rama said, underscoring his support for the Minsk process'', reads Edi Ramas statement.
FILE PHOTO: Seized elephant ivory and rhino horns are destroyed by Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a directive to ban the Southeast Asian country's wildlife trade with immediate effect in order to reduce the risk of new pandemics, a government statement said.

The directive bans imports of live wild animals and wildlife products, eliminates wildlife markets, and enforce prohibitions on illegal hunting and trading of wild animals, including online sales, according to the statement issued late on Thursday.

Vietnam is an important destination in the Asian region for illegal wildlife products such as pangolin scales and elephant ivory. There have also been seizures of rhino horns, which is believed to have medicinal value.

In February, 14 conservation organisations in Vietnam sent a joint letter urging the government to "identify and close markets and other locations where illegal wildlife is on sale".

The Southeast Asian country is reported to have many wildlife markets and also a booming online trade in animals, with existing laws often poorly enforced.

Neighbouring China has also pledged to ban the trade and consumption of wild animals in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Scientists suspect the virus passed to humans from animals and some of the earliest infections were found in people who had exposure to a wildlife market in Hubei's provincial capital Wuhan, where bats, snakes, civets and other animals were sold

(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Ed Davies)
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Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25 2020

The government has channeled Rp 11.84 trillion (US$809.1 million) from the COVID-19 stimulus package to small businesses and cooperatives as of Tuesday but conceded that it had been slow in disbursing the funds.

More than 1 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and cooperatives will receive the stimulus, Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry data showed.

The disbursement is part of the governments national economic recovery (PEN) program, which will allocate Rp 123.46 trillion to aid small businesses and cooperatives amid the ongoing health crisis. Tuesdays figure made up only 9.59 percent of the total budget.

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Niel L. Golightly resigned recently as Boeings communications chief. The cause: he wrote an article nearly thirty-three years ago that said women should not serve in combat.

His article appeared in the December 1987 issue of Proceedings, a monthly publication of the US Naval Institute. Golightly was a twenty-nine-year-old Navy pilot when he wrote: Introducing women into combat would destroy the exclusively male intangibles of war fighting and the feminine images of what men fight forpeace, home, family. He added that, on a five-thousand-man aircraft carrier, There is simply no room for the problem of sexual harassment, rape, prostitution, pregnancy, love triangles, and adolescent emotional crises.

In an interview, he stated that these views in no way represent what he believes today. Nonetheless, after employee complaints about the 1987 article, he chose to resign for the sake of the company.

Canceling Jimmy Fallon

Cancel culture has been described as removing of support for public figures in response to their objectionable behavior or opinions. This can include boycotts or refusal to promote their work.

Examples:

Any of these issues could be addressed through conventional means. By contrast, cancel culture approaches use social media to organize an outcry that threatens swift reprisals if its demands are not met immediately. Anyone can organize such a protest, whether their outrage and called-for response are justified or not.

This phenomenon is causing alarm even on the cultural left. Harpers magazine published A Letter on Justice and Open Debate, which was initially signed by 153 well-known writers and public intellectuals. (Two later withdrew their names.) They warn about a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity.

In their view, The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted. As a result, it is now all too common to hear calls for swift and severe retribution in response to perceived transgressions of speech and thought.

Among their examples: Editors are fired for running controversial pieces; books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity; journalists are barred from writing on certain topics; professors are investigated for quoting works of literature in class; a researcher is fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic study; and the heads of organizations are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes.

The result, they believe, has been to steadily narrow the boundaries of what can be said without the threat of reprisal. In their view, The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away.

Canceling Abraham Lincoln

Criticism on social media is not cancel culture unless it tries to cancel its subject in some way. As New York Times columnist Ross Douthat writes: You are not being canceled if you are merely being heckled or insulted . . . no matter how vivid and threatening the heckling becomes. You are decidedly at risk of cancellation, however, if your critics are calling for you to be de-platformed or fired or put out of business.

For example, former Gov. Howard Dean recently tweeted: Unfortunately Christians dont have much [of] a reputation for anything but hate these days thanks to Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell and other trump [sic] friends. His statement, however offensive it might be to Christians, did not then call for a boycott or other actions against us.

By contrast, when Goya CEO Robert Unanue made positive statements about President Trump, there were quick calls to boycott his company and its products. (This despite his companys donation of two million pounds of food to food banks during the pandemic and his earlier work with the Obama administration.)

Calls for reprisals against alleged offenses are evident throughout human history. One could say that Saul sought to cancel David when he called upon his son and servants to kill his perceived rival (1 Samuel 19:1). In the presidential election of 1800, surrogates of John Adams tried to cancel Thomas Jeffersons candidacy by issuing claims against him that make many of todays tweets pale by comparison; surrogates of Jefferson did the same to Adams.

Its inconceivable today, but many newspaper editorials about President Abraham Lincoln and calls for his removal were scathing and vociferous in the Union prior to his assassination.

What makes this moment different is that, as Douthat notes, the heat of the cancel-culture debate reflects the intersection of the internet as a medium for cancellation with the increasing power of left-wing moral norms as a justification for cancellation.

He writes: The emergent, youthful left wants to take current taboos against racism and anti-Semitism and use them as a model for a wider range of limitswith more expansive definitions of what counts as racism and sexism and homophobia, a more sweeping theory of what sorts of speech and behavior threaten harm, and a more precise linguistic etiquette for respectable professionals to follow.

Digital technology makes it possible to call for the cancellation of those who do not adhere to these moral norms on an unprecedented level of reach and immediacy. Anyone with access to the internet can post their outrage at perceived offenses. Anyone who likes or forwards these posts can join in the instant conflagration.

Villanova professor Jill McCorkel adds that this collective canceling of someone creates a sense of community. It reinforces, at a time of political division, a sense of shared solidarity, at least among the people who are doing the canceling, she said. Its psychologically intoxicating to feel part of a group and to feel a part of something larger than yourself.

What Christians should expect

Cancel culture is rooted in the postmodern assertion that all truth claims are individual and subjective. Each of us interprets our experiences of the world in ways that are unique to us. As a result, we are told, there can be no such thing as objective truth.

Conventional wisdom therefore claims that there is only your truth and my truth. (Of course, to deny objective truth is to make an objective truth claim.) As Ravi Zacharias noted, With no fact as a referent, what is normative is purely a matter of preference.

Tolerance is therefore the great value of our society. We are told that we must tolerate and affirm any behavior that does not harm others. However, our tolerant culture is highly intolerant of anyone it perceives to be intolerant.

Cancel culture is just the latest expression of this contradiction.

As I have noted, recent Supreme Court rulings have protected religious liberty with regard to contraceptives and religious teaching at religious schools. However, these rulings have not addressed the merits of the religious beliefs under such protection. In the minds of many, these rulings have merely protected our right to discriminate.

Cancel culture picks up where the courts have left off.

If you believe that life begins at conception, many will accuse you of waging a war on women. If you have stated these beliefs publicly, you should not be surprised if abortion advocates surface your statements and use social media to call for reprisals against you and your company, school, church, etc.

If you have stated that marriage should be a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman, your homophobia and bigotry may be used against you. If you have made the biblical statement that Jesus is the only way to heaven, your intolerance may likewise lead to reprisals.

The more visible your social status and leadership, the more a target you are likely to become.

I often make reference to Richard Niebuhrs classic, Christ and Culture, and his five ways that the two have related historically. His model is useful for this discussion as well.

A Christ against culture approach is to retreat from engagement with the fallen world. We are less likely to canceled if we dont make statements or take stands on social issues. But this approach is difficult to reconcile with our call to be salt and light in our culture (Matthew 5:1316).

A Christ of culture approach is to adopt the shifting cultural norms of the day. If we change our minds on homosexual activity, for instance, we cannot be accused of homophobia and may be applauded for our tolerance. But the biblical prohibition against such activity is clear, despite claims to the contrary.

A Christ above culture approach is to divorce Sunday from Monday and religion from the real world. However, to the degree that we are clear about our biblical beliefs, at least with our Christian friends, we risk being criticized for them by secular culture.

A Christ and culture in paradox approach engages cultural issues for the sake of evangelism and ministry but focuses less on cultural transformation. To speak biblical truth on controversial issues, however, is to open ourselves to cancellation, even if we are not attempting to change the culture itself.

A Christ transforming culture approach seeks to change minds, lives, and society. Such initiative will especially face opprobrium and worse.

Jesus was blunt: If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:1819). Paul added his warning: All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:1213).

Francis Chan noted: Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers. As my youth minister used to say, if you and the devil arent opposing each other, youre probably going in the same direction.

What Christians should do

How should followers of Christ respond to the cancel culture phenomenon?

One: See persecution as a call to courageous perseverance.

David said to the Lord, Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me (Psalm 25:19). This was the experience of someone the Lord described as a man after my heart (Acts 13:22). If he faced violent hatred, we should expect the same. And we should pray for Gods protection as we continue to share Gods word.

Here was the secret to Davids courage: I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken (Psalm 16:8). Lets do the same.

Two: Seek the reward of God before the acclaim of the culture.

It is often possible to serve both Christ and Caesar (cf. Matthew 22:21). Joseph was able to serve the Egyptian pharaoh and his Jewish family. Nehemiah was cupbearer to the Persian king and governor of Jerusalem. Esther was queen in Persia as well as her peoples protector.

But when we must choose, we must choose Christ over Caesar.

Peter and John said to the Sanhedrins demand that the apostles cease preaching: Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:1920). Daniel continued praying to God in defiance of the kings edict (Daniel 6:10). Jeremiah risked his life to speak prophetic truth to the king (cf. Jeremiah 38:1423).

It is a paradoxical fact that the less we seek the acclaim of people, the more faithfully we can minister to them. Henri Nouwen noted: We can really be in the world, involved in the world, and actively engaged in the world precisely because we do not belong to it, precisely because that is not where our dwelling place is. Precisely because our home is in God, we can be in the world and speak words of healing, of confrontation, of invitation, and of challenge.

Three: Choose to engage the culture with truth and grace.

Jesus words are emblazoned on libraries and universities across the land: You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). But context is vital.

In the previous verse, our Lord said to the Jews who had believed in him, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples' (v. 31). Only on this condition would they know the truth and be set free by it.

Here we learn this vital fact: humans find true freedom only in obedience to the word of God.

As a result, when we speak truth to culture, we are giving others a gift they desperately need but can find nowhere else. Counter to the postmodern claim that all truth is personal and subjective, which makes evangelism and ministry an imposition of our beliefs on others, we are sharing good news that is vital and transforming.

An oncologist is not intolerant when she tells her patient that he needs lifesaving surgery. An attorney is not intolerant when he advises his client that she needs to plead guilty to avoid an even harsher sentence.

It is urgent that we continue to speak biblical truth to cultural issues. But it is also urgent that we speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). In fact, such kindness is especially important as our response to the unkindness of others.

Jesus told his followers, You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also' (Matthew 5:3839). In Jesus day, the left hand was never used in public. As a result, if I were to slap you on the right cheek with my right hand, I must employ a backhanded motion. This is obviously a shaming action rather than a life-threatening attack.

Jesus words depict physically what cancel culture through social media attempts to do verbally. According to our Lord, we must not respond in kind.

Scripture is clear: we are to put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander (1 Peter 2:1). Instead, we are to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people (Titus 3:2).

With our words and attitudes, we are to reflect the truth and grace of our Lord.

Conclusion

Paul encouraged Timothy to fight the good fight of the faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

We do this by our personal character: Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness (v. 11). To pursue (the Greek word means to run hard after) these virtues in our fallen culture is indeed a fight.

And we do it by our public words: Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching (1 Timothy 4:13).

Im convinced that if Paul were alive today, he would be using social media to spread the good news of Gods love and the truth of his word. And he would face criticism and worse.

Cardinal Newman was right: Nothing would be done at all, if a man waited till he could do it so well, that no one could find fault with it. Those who oppose biblical truth may try to cancel those who proclaim it, but we know how the story ends. As my college professor said, we can summarize the book of Revelation in two words: We win.

In the meantime, lets be faithful to speak biblical truth with biblical grace. Lets remember that those who reject this truth need it the most. And lets choose the courage that honors Jesus and demonstrates the relevance and power of our faith to our fallen world.

Albert Schweitzer testified, Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is nowalways.

Do you agree?

Originally posted at denisonforum.org
Jeremy Corbyn should hand back the money donated to him to defend the former Labour leader, a former Labour MP has urged.

Supporters have raised more than 210,000 on behalf of Mr Corbyn as he faces legal action after criticising the party's decision to apologise and pay damages to anti-Semitism whistleblowers.

Carole Morgan, from Ryde in South East England, organised the Go Fund Me to let the former Labour leader know his fans have 'not forgotten him'. The Islington North Labour Party said she set it up in good faith.

The campaign smashed the target of 20,000 in under 24 hours.

But some of the comments that have since been left on the fundraiser by supporters have been criticised as 'anti-Semitic'.

Now, former Labour MP Ian Austin, who quit the Labour party last year over what he said was its 'culture of extremism, anti-Semitism and intolerance', says Corbyn should give the money back.

Jeremy Corbyn, pictured, faces legal action after criticising the party's decision to apologise and pay damages to anti-Semitism whistleblowers

He told the Daily Telegraph: 'Under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, the Labour party was poisoned with anti-Jewish racism.

'If Corbyn really wants to take a stand against racism, he should go through this list of donations and hand back cash from anyone who has posted anti-Semitic views.'

Campaign Against Antisemitism said that it is 'depressingly unsurprising' that some people donating to the campaign are doing so as they 'espouse Mr Corbyn's own views on antisemitism'.

Commenting on the campaign, one supporter said: 'We love Jeremy Corbyn and he is all we got! Him being seen and propagated by reich wing media and portrayed like he can be the next Shitler is absurd beyond belief! I met Jeremy Corbyn is a very lovely and full of compassion for others! I am proud to make donations to this honourable person.'

Another person commented: 'Corbyn supports PALESTINE. Like all in the civilized world.'

Other supporters slammed the legal action against Mr Corbyn as a 'witch-hunt'.

Addressing these comments, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism told MailOnline: 'Under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, the Labour Party became institutionally antisemitic, driving Labour's own workers to defy their own Party and blow the whistle on the Jew-hatred within it.

'It was Mr Corbyn's senior team that directed a forceful effort to drag the whistleblowers' name through the mud, in some cases driving them to the point of considering suicide.

'Instead of apologising in shame for the attempts to bully and silence these principled whistleblowers, Mr Corbyn has now attacked the Labour Party for apologising to them.'

The Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesperson added: 'It is absolutely right that he should be held to account in court for doing so, and it is depressingly unsurprising that some of those now donating money to cover his self-inflicted legal bills are doing so because they espouse Mr Corbyn's own views on antisemitism.

'When the Equality and Human Rights Commission completes its investigation into institutional antisemitism in the Labour Party, people will see for themselves how the Party of anti-racism became riddled with Jew-hatred. Mr Corbyn's toxic legacy is the normalisation of antisemitism into the mainstream of British politics.'

The fundraiser comes after seven former party staff members and journalist John Ware are bringing a case against the former opposition leader, after he attacked successor Sir Keir Starmer's decision to settle a libel claim sparked by a BBC Panorama documentary.

Carole Morgan, from Ryde in South East England, organised the Go Fund Me, which has raised more than 190,000. The Islington North Labour Party said she set it up in good faith

On Wednesday, Mr Corbyn said the party's decision to make a 500,000 payout was 'disappointing' and 'a political decision'.

Mr Corbyn went on to say that the legal advice the party received said it had a 'strong case and the evidence in the leaked Labour report that is now the subject of an NEC inquiry led by Martin Forde QC strengthened concerns about the role played by some of those who took part in the programme.'

When asked if action would be taken arising from Mr Corbyn's statement after the hearing, lawyer Mark Lewis, from Patron Law, who represented the Panorama whistleblowers and Mr Ware, said: 'I can confirm that I have been instructed to pursue cases.'

The party agreed to pay out around 370,000 to seven former members on Wednesday but is now facing a further 42 civil claims, with fears the bill could run into the millions.

Supporters of Sir Keir Starmer have blasted former leader Jeremy Corbyn for the legal strife, after he criticised Wednesday's settlement as being a 'political not legal' decision.

He has been accused of sparking the wave of legal claims now facing Labour.

Many of the cases, which are being handled by two law firms, are believed to be linked to an internal report on the party's handling of anti-Semitism and focus around allegations of libel and breaches of data privacy.

The document, leaked shortly after Sir Keir took the reins in April, includes claims over party officials' conduct and names some of the complainants.

Former Labour general secretary Lord McNicol, who stepped down during Mr Corbyn's leadership, is among those taking action.

Seven former party staff members and journalist John Ware are bringing a case against Mr Corbyn, after he attacked successor Sir Keir Starmer's decision to settle a libel claim

The party's mounting legal cots are expected to grow even further following the launch of an independent inquiry into its handling of anti-Semitism and a reported lack of legal insurance.

Senior officials have warned of potential seven-figure payouts, though claims the total bill could top 8 million are disputed.

A Labour frontbencher told the Telegraph: 'We're paying the price with money that could be used serving the public.

'The question now is how deep is the hole the Labour Party has been dug into by Corbyn and his acolytes.'

A second shadow cabinet minister added: 'This is the Corbyn legacy. People should be angry.'

Wednesday's payout and apology is part of a settlement aimed at drawing a line under allegations made during Mr Corbyn's leadership that the party had allowed the overt hatred of Jewish people to fester.

The decision was welcomed by MPs and Jewish Labour activists who have long campaigned against anti-Semitism within the party.

Supporters of Sir Keir Starmer have blasted former leader Jeremy Corbyn for the legal strife, after he criticised Wednesday's settlement as being a 'political not legal' decision

But in a sign that the move could reignite factional infighting with the party's hard Left element, Mr Corbyn and his followers including Unite leader Len McCluskey attacked the payout.

Writing on Facebook Mr Corbyn said: 'The Party's decision to apologise today and make substantial payments to former staff who sued the party in relation to last year's Panorama programme is a political decision, not a legal one.

'Our legal advice was that the party had a strong defence, and the evidence in the leaked Labour report that is now the subject of an NEC inquiry led by Martin Forde QC strengthened concerns about the role played by some of those who took part in the programme.'

Mr McCluskey, whose union is Labour's largest financial backer, added: 'Today's settlement is a misuse of Labour Party funds to settle a case it was advised we would win in court.

'The leaked report on how anti-Semitism was handled tells a very different story about what happened.'

However, Labour sources rubbished claims the party should have taken up a court battle, with the cost of losing a trial estimated to be up to 2m.
NEW YORK, July 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

If you own shares in any of the companies listed above and

would like to discuss our investigations or have any questions concerning

this notice or your rights or interests, please contact:

Joshua Rubin, Esq.

WeissLaw LLP

1500 Broadway, 16th Floor

New York, NY 10036

(212) 682-3025

(888) 593-4771

[email protected]

Benefytt Technologies, Inc.

WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Benefytt Technologies, Inc. in connection with the proposed acquisition of the company by funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC . Under the terms of the agreement, which is structured as a tender offer scheduled to expire on August 20, 2020, BFYT shareholders will receive $31.00 in cash for each share of BFYT that they own. If you own BFYT shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://weisslawllp.com/benefytt-technologies-inc/

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WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by Analog Devices, Inc. ("ADI"). Under the terms of the agreement, MXIM shareholders will be entitled to receive 0.63 shares of ADI common stock for each MXIM share that they own, representing implied per-share merger consideration of $70.52 based upon ADI's July 24, 2020 closing price of $111.94. If you own MXIM shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://weisslawllp.com/maxim-integrated-products-inc/

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The state government has termed as "untenable and without any base" a demand by the Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) in the Gujarat High Court seeking increase in daily COVID-19 tests "in proportion to the population".

The state government said AMA members stand to benefit directly from such an increase in testing.

In a civil application to the suo motu PIL being heard on issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, the AMA sought HC's direction to the state government to increase tests to 90,000 per day, or in proportion to the population, citing examples of some other states.

The Gujarat government said per day testing was not relatable to population but to symptomatic and asymptomatic cases thereof.

"If the said direction is granted, then the same would directly benefit the members of the applicant association.... (the) Association has direct vested interest...and the same cannot be considered in the main PIL. Increasing per day testing to 90,000 would only lead to a situation where members of the applicant association would directly be benefited," it said in a reply filed in the court on Friday.

The government said the AMA has not effectively raised any other contention for seeking this prayer except comparing figures with other states.

The state government told HC it was testing 13,000 samples per day presently.

"It is nobody's case that the testing guideline of the ICMR, as being implemented by the respondent state, is improper and illegal. In view of this, seeking increase in tests per day in proportion to the population of the state of Gujarat is not tenable and without any base," it said.

The government also said it had developed a mechanism to ensure people do not have to travel from one district to another to get themselves tested for COVID-19 for want of a laboratory facility there.

Samples are collected in the nearby UHC, CHC or government hospitals and sent to the nearest laboratory, it said.

Laboratories that want to be recommended for conducting COVID-19 tests have to meet set criteria, it said in the prayer to set up a lab in each district, adding that the government was taking steps to ensure laboratories approved by ICMR and NABL are notified for conducting COVID-19 tests.

The AMA had said some laboratories, despite getting ICMR-NABL approval, had not got nod from the state government to conduct COVID-19 tests.

The state also said it was conducting antigen tests in all districts.
A Sydney assassin paid $20,000 to fatally shoot an innocent teenager in the head was groomed by his notorious prison cellmate, a court has heard.

The man, who can only be identified as CC, was taken under the wing of former Brothers 4 Life kingpin Bassam Hamzy prior to killing Brayden Dillon, 15, in 2017.

The pair met in jail when CC was 25 years old, according to documents tendered in the NSW Supreme Court.

Brayden Dillon, 15, (pictured) celebrating his birthday before he was killed by a hitman, 29, at his family home in Glenfield in Sydney's west

The man, who can only be identified as CC, was taken under the wing of former Brothers 4 Life kingpin Bassam Hamzy (pictured) prior to killing Brayden Dillon, 15, in 2017, a court heard

Hamzy, who is in prison for murder and a number of other violent crimes, bonded with CC over religion and legal matters before recruiting him to join Brothers For Life 2012.

The now 29-year-old was Hamzy's personal debt collector, the court heard, according to the Daily Telegraph.

CC was manipulated by Hamzy as an act of control, it was reported, before his release.

He was then provided with shelter, money and designer clothes by Hamzy in the outside world.

The man, who can only be identified as CC, was taken under the wing of former Brothers 4 Life kingpin Bassam Hamzy prior to killing Brayden Dillon (pictured), 15, in 2017

Dillon (pictured) was fatally shot in the head by CC as he as he slept in his family's family's two-storey Glenfield home

The contracted hit was planned as revenge for the death of another high-ranking BFL member's nephew, Adam Abu-Mahmoud, in 2016.

According to a statement of agreed facts, Abdul Abu-Mahmoud approached CC about killing the teen, claiming he wanted revenge for the stabbing death of his nephew in Panania.

Abu-Mahmoud, who has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court, has denied financing and ordering the hit.

Abu-Mahmoud's nephew Adam Abu-Mahmoud (pictured) was killed in a street fight in Panania in 2016

Dillion was then killed by CC after he broke down the door of the family's two-storey Glenfield home at the crack of dawn on Good Friday in 2017.

He threatened the teenager's mother and stepfather with a gun before bursting into the 15-year-old's room and shooting him in the head as he slept.

The killing was described as 'particularly heinous' by Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison on Friday before being sentenced to 40 years in prison with a non-parole period of 30 years.

With time served, his earliest possible release date is July 2047.

Brayden (pictured) smiles for a school photo. Justice Ian Harrison said the ruthless killing was the 'callous and unjustified murder of an innocent boy' in his sentencing

The Daily Telegraph reported the court heard CC, born and raised in regional NSW, used drugs by 15 years old and was in jail at age 18.

Prior to this, his father was absent in his childhood, and his mother was an alcoholic.

He was also sent to live with his strict grandmother from the age of five in Sydney's west, it reported.

Court documents stated Hamzy typically recruited vulnerable 'young Aboriginal men with substance addictions'.
New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): In association with actor Sonu Sood, low-cost carrier SpiceJet is bringing back over 1,500 Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline announced on Thursday.



The airline said it would operate nine charter flights in Kyrgyzstan. The first flight took off on Thursday to bring back 135 students from Bishkek to Varanasi. The airline will operate more charter flights from Bishkek to various Indian cities in the coming days.

"SpiceJet...will operate nine charter flights to evacuate over 1,500 Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan for over two months. This special repatriation mission...has been undertaken by SpiceJet in association with film actor Sonu Sood," the press release said.

"SpiceJet operated the first charter flight from Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, to bring back 135 students to their hometown of Varanasi today," the airline said.

"In association with reel-life & real-life hero @SonuSood, we're reuniting Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan for 4 months, with their loved ones! Glimpses of the happy, grateful faces on the 1st flight of this extraordinary mission," the airline posted on Twitter.

On Friday, Sood informed students from Vizag, who are stranded in Kyrgyzstan, that a flight had been arranged to bring them. He tweeted: "Good news friends Flight from Kyrgyzstan to Vizag will take off at 3 pm today, 24th July from Bishkek..be at the airport on time folks. Time to meet your families."

Ajay Singh, the chairman and managing director of SpiceJet, said, "SpiceJet will operate multiple flights in the coming days to bring our students, stuck in Kyrgyzstan for over two months, back home. These flights will be operated in association with Sonu Sood, our reel life and real-life hero. Through and post lockdown, both SpiceJet and Sonu have worked non-stop to help our fellow citizens and I am glad that we have come together to help reunite Indian nationals with their families in these times of extreme crisis." (ANI)


New Delhi: On the auspicious occasion of Nag Panchami which is celebrated this year on July 25, producer Ekta Kapoor wished all her 'Naagins' on Instagram. She teased the fresh promo of 'Naagin 5' without unveiling the face of new Naagin.

Ekta Kapoor wrote: HAPPY NAAG PAANCHAMI ... to all my Naagins @imouniroy @anitahassanandani @adaakhann @karishmaktanna @surbhijyoti @imrashamidesai @niasharma90

Speculation is rife that Hina Khan will be seen playing the new Naagin in a fresh season of the supernatural show. The makers have not yet unveiled the name of the new leads.

However, 'Kundali Bhagy'a fame Dheeraj Dhoopar will be seen playing the male lead on the show. About his new beginning, he said: "This is an extremely exciting time for me. To act in a show like Naagin, which enjoys such a rich legacy and is the top show on television, is a dream for any actor. I am a huge fan of the show, and I am thrilled about the part because it is unlike anything I have ever played before. There are always a lot of incredible VFX used in Naagin, and it will be a whole new experience for me because I have never done that kind of a role before. It will be great to work with Ekta Kapoor and be associated with Colors again!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected on Friday the idea of a temporary extension to enhanced unemployment benefits, which expire on July 31, while Congress continues work on a new coronavirus relief bill.

"I would be very much averse to separating this (unemployment benefits) out and lose all leverage (on Republicans) for ... meeting all of the other needs," as lawmakers negotiate another coronavirus aid bill, Pelosi, a Democrat, told reporters.

Enhanced unemployment benefits that Congress authorized early in the coronavirus pandemic expire in one week's time, and lawmakers have been unable to agree on a measure to extend them. The benefits provide an extra $600 a week on top of what states are already paying tens of millions of jobless workers.

The House of Representatives in May passed a proposed $3 trillion coronavirus response plan, which among other things would extend the extra unemployment benefits through January. The Republican-run Senate has declined to take up the House plan, and has not produced an alternative.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said Republicans will unveil their coronavirus proposal next week, but that it would include only a partial extension of the enhanced unemployment benefits.

McConnell said Friday, however, that it could take several weeks for lawmakers to reach a deal. "Hopefully we can come together behind some package we can agree on in the next few weeks, he said at an event in Ashland, Kentucky, the Washington Post reported.

Pelosi also told reporters an amusing story that illustrated public concern about Congress's next steps.

She said she recently tried to telephone actor Rob Reiner to express condolences at the death of his father, comedian Carl Reiner.

"I called Rob. 'Rob, Rob darling, this is Nancy Pelosi, I'm calling to wish you and Michele my condolences. I'm so sad, your father was so funny and so wonderful,'" she said.

"This man says, 'I think you have the wrong number,'" she continued. "And he says, 'But I'm so glad you called me. I have one question for you ... am I going to get my $600?'"

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Chris Reese, Richard Chang, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio)
Everyone in California is supposed to wear a mask these days  in stores, on sidewalks, when socializing with others.

But many dont.

And thats a problem. Lack of masks and social distancing are key reasons, experts say, that California is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases. Though data are sparse, about 64% of Californians reported using masks consistently in an Axios/Ipsos poll conducted June 19-22, a week or two after Gov. Gavin Newsom mandated mask-wearing statewide.

What can be done to persuade the holdouts to change? Its an issue that academics say needs urgent study. Thats because wearing a mask reduces the chance that an infected person may spread the disease to others. Researchers also believe wearing a mask protects the wearer to some extent, and recent studies suggest that the less virus someone is exposed to, the less likely they are to become infected or severely ill.

There is no one-size-fits-all message, experts say. Instead, what appeals to an individual may depend on that persons age, political perspective and even income level. Such factors often shape whether a persons motivation is fear of catching the virus and dying, the risk they pose to others or their desire to be included and popular.

People resist wearing masks for many reasons. Some refuse because of their politics, believing it aligns them with President Trumps refusal (until recently) to wear a face covering himself, according to Jon Krosnick, a social psychologist who directs the Political Psychology Research Group at Stanford. Others, especially young people, may feel a sense of invulnerability, he said.

If I walk around without a mask, thats my way of cementing my commitments to a group that I value and I want to be a part of and I want to promote, Krosnick said. You dont have to carry a sign that says, I love Trump, you just have to walk around without a mask, and that is your way to do it. That has psychic benefits for those individuals. That reinforces an identity and social connection.

For governments and companies working on the problem  including Redwood City ad-tech company Amobee and social networks such as Facebook and Instagram  social psychologists say that there are two main approaches to messaging. The first uses facts to persuade people to wear masks, and the second plays into what people perceive others are doing, in an effort to create social pressure.

Without good messaging, mask requirements (such as Californias and those in many other states) may fail, said Clayton Critcher, an associate professor of marketing, cognitive science and psychology at UC Berkeleys Haas School of Business. Mask mandates can trigger reactance, which Critcher describes as the natural reactionary feeling people have when their freedoms are limited, akin to when a child refuses to wear the clothes chosen by parents.

To develop a campaign, you need to emphasize individual risk as one tactic, Krosnick said, adding that people must first be convinced that they could actually die or become severely ill from the virus. This argument applies especially to young people, who he says have likely internalized headlines that focus on the risk to older populations. For people who cannot be convinced to be afraid or do not care about their personal risk, an effective campaign must reframe the issue not about what people have to do themselves, but about how we can all keep each other safe, Critcher said.

He also suggested drawing an analogy to other widely adopted requirements like wearing seat belts. Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, made a similar argument this month when he called for mask-wearing enforcement.

Stories and examples tend to be more effective than just facts, Critcher said. Amobee, whose online international campaign has reached about 1.7 billion users since it first began, plans to emphasize personal stories in order to increase engagement in its next iteration of public service announcements, according to Ryanne Laredo, the companys chief customer officer.

Using celebrities and other important public figures as an example can also work, although Krosnick says the message may not stick for a long period of time. In New York, the national Ad Council recently partnered with the states governor, Andrew Cuomo, to start a national mask-wearing campaign featuring celebrities like Morgan Freeman and Robert De Niro.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

California published a video in late June urging mask-wearing and featuring Newsom and three former California governors, including Arnold Schwarzenegger. The state has also used spots in televisions, billboards and social media to urge residents to wear masks in accordance with the state mandate.

Some Bay Area tech companies have already stepped in to help with this messaging. Instagram and Facebook said they have begun to highlight mask-wearing reminders on their services.

Another emotion may come into play: the avoidance of regret.

Its quite possible that you will then experience this profound regret for having infected somebody, Krosnick said, speaking about his own regrets about his wife, who became very ill earlier in the pandemic. By wearing a mask, you prevent yourself from kicking yourself later.

Correction: Jon Krosnicks wife had an illness of unknown cause.

Anna Kramer is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.kramer@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anna_c_kramer
Something of a canine legend around North Fingal has sadly passed with news that that faithful guide dog of well-known Balbriggan man, Tom O'Neill has, as Tom poetically put it: 'Passed over the rainbow bridge'.

'The Great Gatsby' as he was affectionately known was probably one of the most recognisable dogs in Fingal, as he accompanied Tom across the county raising funds and awareness for the Irish Guide Dogs.

tom of course, has been deeply saddened by the passing of his faithful canine friend and told the Fingal Independent: ' Gatsby, or Gats was one of a kind. He was loved by everyone who met him.'

Gatsby guided Tom for almost eight wonderful years and was looking forward to his retirement when illness suddenly overtook him.

We've all seen Gatsby with Tom around the streets of Balbriggan, Skerries, Longford, Dublin and further afield.

Gatsby was a fantastic tutor to the many students he visited with Tom in various schools and colleges around the country.

He was a brilliant fundraiser for the Balbriggan North County Dublin Branch of IGDB and if Tom couldn't attend an event, Gatsby went along willingly with whoever was trusted with him.

Anne Mulligan, local puppy raiser was one of his favorite people. Once he saw Anne he knew that it was time for his free run.

Tom said: 'He loved going to Ardgillan Park, the beach, Longford and many other places. Gatsby knew when he was working and when he was playing and thoroughly enjoyed his life. He always had a waggy tail waiting to greet anyone and everyone who called to the house.'

Gatsby joined the O'Neill household when he was about two-years-old. Tom's wife, Breege had a guide dog of her own at the time called Unice and Unice was a great help to Tom when Gatsby arrived as she taught Gatsby, among other things, the route to his son Eoin's house.

Gatsby returned the favour when he welcomed Breege's new dog, Qeb into the family in December 2018. Co-incidentally he arrived on the day Unice, Breege's retired Guide Dog, went 'over the rainbow bridge' herself.

Gatsby was in Longford, one of his favourite places, with Tom and Breege for a few days when he started to deteriorate.

Tom was in contact with Irish Guide Dogs in Cork and they offered to collect Gatsby from Longford to bring him to Cork for medical care and assessment.

Unfortunately it was found that Gatsby had Lymphatic cancer which had spread and could not be treated so it was decided to let him pass peacefully. Gatsby never showed his illness and was with Tom every step of the way.

Gatsby will be sorely missed by Tom, Breege, their family and the extended family of volunteers who knew and loved him.
Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has called for a united Ireland, claiming there are few rational reasons left to oppose it.

Mr Salmond made the comments on his Kremlin-funded RT, formerly Russia Today, programme during a debate with ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Theres the question of Irish reunification. It may not be an immediate prospect but it can be argued that every rational reason for the partition of a century ago has either been eroded, or has disappeared entirely, Mr Salmond said.

The Times newspaper report the programme follows a warning from the UK parliament intelligence security committee this week, accusing Russia of using state-owned broadcasters like RT to spread disinformation, including efforts to interfere with the UK democratic process.

During the debate Mr Ahern said the current Taoiseach, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, was right to be cautious about demands for an immediate border poll in order to align Northern Ireland with EU regulations.

The harsh reality is, even though the border has been a big issue on the island since 1921, the amount of work, preparedness and analysis on how you would eliminate it and have one island economy is very little  it wouldnt even fill one folder, he said.

There is a huge amount of preparedness, legislative examination, legal examination, how you would integrate the police forces, the legal systems, all of these things would have to be worked through before you could go to the people.

That work has never been done. Weve been talking at each other for years. If somebody wants to rush it for political reasons, you will get a political answer and the people will reject it.

He added: My view is not that we should never do it, of course Im a Republican and it is the number one aim of Fianna Fail . . . but it has to be done properly, properly organised, properly negotiated, trying to convince people, and any other way will only lead to hardship and failure.

A Scottish Conservative spokesman also told The Times: Far from distancing himself from the Russian state, Mr Salmond appears to be revelling in his role as a useful idiot.

Certainly his Russian overlords will be delighted that he is actively proposing the disruption of the United Kingdom in this way.
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Shabbir Kayyumi

What is Kagi Chart?

Kagi Charts are used to display the general levels of supply and demand of a particular asset by visualising the price actions through a series of line patterns. These charts are time-independent and help filter out the noise that can occur on other financial charts.

While Kagi Charts do display dates or time on their x-axis, these are in fact markers for the key price action dates and are not part of a normal timescale. The y-axis on the right-hand side is used as the value scale. When a horizontal line joins a rising line with a plunging line it's known as a 'shoulder', while a horizontal line connecting a plunging line with a rising line is known as a 'waist'. Sometimes the lines are thin; while at other times the lines will be thick and bolded. The thickness of the line changes when the price reached the high or low of the previous vertical line. Also, the direction of the line changes when the price reaches a preset reversal amount.

Why to buy Apollo Tyres?

Traders use the shift from thin (Yin) to thick (Yang) lines (and vice versa) as signals to buy or sell an asset. A Yin-to-Yang shift indicates buy, while a Yang-to-Yin shift indicates sell.

Day-to-day price fluctuations can make it extremely difficult for traders in the financial markets to determine the true trend of an asset. Luckily for traders, methods such as Kagi charting have helped put an end to focusing on unimportant price moves that do not affect future momentum. At first, a Kagi chart can seem like a confusing series of randomly placed lines, but in reality, the movement of each line depends on the price and can be used to generate very profitable trading signals.

Buy signal

Apollo Tyres is currently trading with bullish bias which is indicated by thick green lines on Kagi chart. This script is trading in rising channel plotted by connecting support and resistance points which shows that stock is in rising mode and can be bought until the lower trend line is intact. Recently it has given a breakout of an important pattern on price action called 'Inverted 3 Buddha Pattern'; denotes prices have given trend reversal breakout and trading higher. Understanding above mentioned price action, one should opt for buy on dip strategy and accumulate this stock.

Figure.1. Kagi and Buy signal on Apollo Tyres

Profit booking

As per one of the methods of the Kagi chart, one can use previous 'waist' for profit booking. These levels are standing around Rs 135 and should provide immediate resistance on the higher side, moving further Rs 142 will attract more profit bookings. So one can consider profit booking near Rs 135 and higher side towards Rs 142 mark.

Stop loss

Entire bullish view negates on a breach of immediate support zone or the 'waist' and in the case of Apollo Tyres, we will consider Rs 99 as a stop-loss level closing basis.

Conclusion

We recommend buying Apollo Tyres around Rs 109 with a stop loss of Rs 99 for higher targets of Rs 135/142 as indicated in the above chart.

The author is Head - Technical Research at Narnolia Financial Advisors Ltd.

Disclosure: Narnolia Financial Advisors/Analyst (s) does/do not have any holding in the stocks discussed but these stocks may have been recommended to clients in the past. Clients of Narnolia Financial Advisors Ltd. may be holding aforesaid stocks. The stocks recommended are based on our analysis which is based on information obtained from public sources and sources believed to be reliable, but no independent verification has been made nor is its accuracy or completeness guaranteed. The views expressed in this research report accurately reflect the personal views of the analyst(s) about the subject securities or issues, and no part of the compensation of the research analyst(s) was, is, or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendations and views expressed by research analyst(s) in this report.

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
The judge reportedly said the names of "most nonparties" in the case would be redacted...

From Reuters, "Ghislaine Maxwell fails to block release of documents, obtain gag order: U.S. court rulings":

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of late financier Jeffrey Epstein, suffered dual setbacks in a U.S. court on Thursday, as a judge authorized the release of new materials related to her, while another judge refused to block prosecutors and lawyers from publicly discussing her criminal case. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan directed the release of large portions of more than 80 documents from a 2015 civil lawsuit against Maxwell, the British socialite now facing criminal charges that she lured girls for Epstein to sexually abuse. The materials ordered unsealed include flight logs from Epsteins private jets, testimony from depositions in 2016 in which Maxwells lawyers said she was asked "intrusive questions" about her sex life, and police reports from Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a home.

The police reports from Palm Beach will be very interesting to see.

Former Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter said he thought their case against Epstein was leaked to his defense (i.e. Alan Dershowitz) and former Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer could be a prime suspect.

More from The Miami Herald:

The judge said some material, including names of most nonparties in the case, would be redacted, and that some documents, like medical records, would remain sealed. [...] The outcome of the civil case will be of interest to prominent lawyer Alan Dershowitz, as Ms. Giuffre has said Ms. Maxwell recruited her to have sex with Epstein and other men, including Mr. Dershowitz, who has denied the allegation. Mr. Dershowitz  who represented Epstein on legal matters and was also a friend of the multimillionaire  and Ms. Giuffre are suing each other for defamation. Mr. Dershowitz had urged the unsealing at least some of the documents, saying they would establish his truthfulness.

Alan Dershowitz published a smear piece attacking Epstein victim/whistleblower Maria Farmer as "anti-Semitic" just a day before this ruling came out.

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The Washington Post settled a lawsuit this week brought by the parents of a teenager who claimed news coverage of an encounter with a Native American activist at the Lincoln Memorial last year was "defamatory," The Post's Paul Farhi reports.

The state of play: "The Post admitted no wrongdoing in settling with the family of Nicholas Sandmann, the Covington, Ky., high school student who was involved in the episode during a school trip to Washington in January 2019."

Suits against other news organizations are pending.

other news organizations are pending. "The Sandmanns settled a similar lawsuit against CNN in January."

Go deeper: Nathan Phillips says he forgives Nick Sandmann
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Linkedin (Kyodo News) Nagasaki, Japan  Sat, July 25, 2020 09:08 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406693070a 2 Art & Culture Museum,Nagasaki,live-streaming Free

An antinuclear group on Friday livestreamed a 30-minute English tour of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum to reach out to people overseas as the coronavirus pandemic has sharply reduced the number of foreign visitors to the facility.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, organized the virtual tour via Instagram and drew more than 150 participants, before the 75th anniversaries next month of the U.S. atomic bombings that devastated Hiroshima in western Japan and Nagasaki in the southwest.

Hibiki Yamaguchi, a 44-year-old member of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Testimonial Society, introduced photographs and objects that showed the devastation caused by the plutonium-core bomb known as "Fat Man," which was dropped on Aug. 9, 1945, and killed an estimated 74,000 people by the end of 1945.

The guide also described in English how the city of Nagasaki was before the attack and the current situation in the world's nuclear-armed states.

Read also: Museums slowly back in business as Jakarta eases restrictions

Some participants asked how many atomic bomb survivors are alive and what younger generations can do to eliminate nuclear weapons.

"We appreciate this online tour because our museum was temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the number of foreign visitors has been small since reopening," said director Keiko Shinozaki after the event.

The museum reopened to the public in June after a shutdown of roughly two months.

ICAN, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for its efforts that led to the adoption of a U.N. treaty outlawing nuclear weapons, conducted a similar livestream event at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum on Wednesday that drew more than 350 participants.

Akira Kawasaki, an ICAN international steering committee member, said the online tours got a big reaction and the group is considering organizing further events.

ICAN said the footage of the virtual tour will be posted on its website.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Talk show and television host Regis Philbin died from natural causes on Friday, July 24, according to People.com.

Philbin, a native New Yorker who was born and raised in the Bronx, had a career that spanned more than 60 years. He was 88-years-old, according to the report.

We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes, one month shy of his 89th birthday, Philbins family told People.

Philbins television career began in 1961 with a local, self-titled talk show.

He skyrocketed to fame in 1988 when he hosted Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee with co-host Kathie Lee Gifford; he then hosted the show alongside Kelly Ripa in 2001 when the show became Live! with Regis and Kelly.

He co-hosted the show until 2011 after being on-air for 23 years.

Take my picture, not theirs! bellowed guest speaker Regis Philbin at the 2005 luncheon.Staten Island Advance

Philbin also had game show host on his impressive resume  he was the original host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? From 1999 to 2002, as well as Million Dollar Password, the first season of Americas Got Talent and alongside Rachel Ray on her self-titled show.

His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him  for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to take every day into something worth talking about, his family told People, thanking his fans and supporters for their support over the years.

Woman of Achievement luncheon in 2005 with guest speaker Regis Philbin. Mae Gagliano, Regis Philbin and Caroline Diamond Harrison share a laugh.Staten Island Advance

Philbin was a guest speaker at the Staten Island Advance Women of Achievement Luncheon in 2005.

He is survived by his daughters, J.J. Philbin and Joanna Philbin; his wife of 50 years, Joy, as well as a daughter, Amy, with his first wife Catherine Faylen, according to People. Philbin and Faylen had a son Daniel who died in 2014, the report says.

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There are calls for a pedestrian crossing at a busy Duleek road

Safety works need to be carried out on lower main street in Duleek, says a local councillor.

Cllr Stephen McKee told the area council meeting that additional measures were needed, although considerable investment had already taken place in the village.

He said residents were concerned with the stretch of road at Londis and they needed a safe route to cross here. It was the same at Station Road.

Meath CC said that there was no funding for works at the moment but would consider the matter if funding becomes available.

'This area can't be forgotten about. There is a serious traffic problem in Duleek,' the councillor added.

Cllr Paddy Meade said the project didn't need to be fancy and perhaps a ramp would slow down traffic.

'Duleek needs a bypass, there's just too much traffic,' he maintained.

Cllr Geraldine Keogan said - with Senator Sharon Keogan - they had put in an application for Town and Village Renewal funding for the works.

She said the place has Irish Cement and Indaver and they pay over 1m in rates.

'Duleek is impacted and must be compensated by safer roads,' she stated.

Director of Finance Fiona Lawless said they would look for what they can for the main street in Duleek.
Mumbais Dharavi, Asias largest slum, has managed to flatten the curve of the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and will now take the battle against the pandemic further through a plasma donation program.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will launch the plasma donation program on Monday, following the Plasma Daan Sankalp Abhiyan for the primary screening of recovered Covid-19 patients in Dharavi.

The program will be launched on the occasion of Uddhav Thackerays birthday on Monday.

Shiv Sena legislator Rahul Shewale has organised the primary screening camp for the upcoming plasma donation camp at Kamaraj Memorial School in the slum, which was once declared a Covid-19 hotspot.

About 500 Covid-19 recovered patients have shown interest in plasma donation, of which 50 people were primarily screened, Shewale said.

Earlier, the people of Dharavi won the fight of Covid-19 and now they are gearing up to win the hearts of the people of Maharashtra, he added.

Rajesh Tope, Maharashtras health minister, had said that the government is planning to start plasma bank in Dharavi and Malegaon.

We are encouraging people to come forward and donate the plasmas to save the lives of other serious Covid-19 patients, he had said.

Convalescent plasma therapy involves transfusion of specific components from the blood of people recovered from Covid-19at least 14 days after their complete recoveryinto those who have contracted the disease virus or are in the high-risk category.

Plasma is the almost-clear liquid left behind after red and white blood cells and platelets are removed from the blood.

Dharavi is a densely populated slum area with around 10,00,000 people squeezed in an area spanning 2.5 square kilometres, making it highly vulnerable to spread of contagions such as Covid-19.

Active surveillance and containment measures, including intense screening, testing, sanitation and isolation of Covid-19 patients and suspects, has led to the tapering off in the number of new infections in the area.

Maintaining social distance is a challenge in Dharavi, with a population density of 2,27,136 per sq km. According to a senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official, at least 80% of its population depends on 450 community toilets and the administration had to sanitise and disinfect these toilets several times a day.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had earlier this month praised the efforts taken to contain the coronavirus pandemic in Dharavi, saying that only aggressive action combined with national unity and global solidarity can turn the disaster around.

And some of these examples are Italy, Spain and South Korea, and even in Dharavi - a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai - a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the UN health body chief, had said.

The number of coronavirus disease patients in Dharavi rose to 2,519 on Friday with the addition of six cases. It was the third consecutive day that Dharavi registered only single-digit growth, a BMC official said.

Five people had tested positive on July 22, while six cases were added on July 23.

The official said that Dharavi now has 128 active Covid-19 cases and the number of recovered patients has gone up to 2,142.

The civic body has, however, stopped sharing the number of deaths, if any, from the slum.

(With agency inputs)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 23:02:10|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi health ministry on Saturday recorded 2,862 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, bringing the total infections in the country to 107,573.

The new cases showed a hike in infections in the capital Baghdad with 1,136 cases, followed by 251 cases in Basra, 226 in Wasit, 208 in Karbala and 155 in Babil, the ministry said in a statement.

It also reported 72 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 4,284, while 2,049 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 73,317.

The new cases were recorded after 15,788 testing kits were used across the country during the day, and a total of 895,187 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi discussed in a meeting with his ministry's senior officials the means to provide all required medications and medical equipment for the health institutions to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the ministry said in a separate statement.

Al-Tamimi highlighted the importance of increasing the capacity of laboratory tests and intensifying efforts to detect contacts with the infected people, according to the statement.

On July 16, the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, decided to reduce the hours of the partial curfew, except for the full curfew on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

It also decided to completely lift the curfew after the Eid al-Adha holiday, which is expected to end in early August according to the Islamic lunar calendar.

China has been helping Iraq fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

From March 7 to April 26, a Chinese team of seven medical experts spent 50 days in Iraq to help contain the disease, during which they helped build a PCR lab and install an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad.

Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem
Belarusian presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed supporters for the first time at a campaign rally on July 25, speaking in Orsha, where she was joined by two other women representing imprisoned candidates.



Nearly 3,000 people attended the rally, held just two weeks ahead of the presidential election, RFE/RLs Belarus Service reported.



Veranika Tsapkala, the wife of former presidential candidate Valery Tsapkala, and Maria Kolesnikova, a representative of the staff of the imprisoned presidential nominee Viktar Babaryka, joined her on stage. The women referred to themselves as the "fighting girlfriends."



"We all have a common goal -- new fair elections," Tsikhanouskaya said, noting that she is not a politician and would like to return to her former ordinary and happy life.

Tsikhanouskaya admitted she never thought she would run for office but said she had to do it for her husband, vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, who was arrested after he expressed his intention to run for president.



She said her husband and the other candidates ended up in the pretrial detention center only because they dared to tell people the truth and their opinion, which differs from the opinion of the authorities.



The authorities were afraid of their husbands, she asserted, and did not expect that their women would take their place.



"We women have to bear their burden," Tsikhanouskaya said, "We women need to lead Belarus into a bright, new, wonderful future. We are not afraid together, and together we will win."



Analysts say the August 9 election poses the most serious challenge yet to incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has been in office since 1994.



Kolesnikova said Babaryka, former Belgazprombank chief, is imprisoned on a fabricated charge, and the regime is cracking down on dissidents who are fighting for freedom. She called on officials not to be afraid of the authorities, but to "get close" to the people.



Veranika Tsapkala, whose husband is a prominent businessman, told the rally that the country has lost 750,000 citizens, who left in search of a better life, in the last decade and a half.



"I want my children and my family to live in this country," she said. "We are Belarusians, and we want to raise our children in Belarus."



Tsikhanouskaya, who has been endorsed by Belarusian author and Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich, held a second rally on July 25 was in Bobruisk, and more events are scheduled to take place on July 26 in Zhlobin and Gomel.



Alexievich told RFE/RL that Lukashenka faces a "new generation" that wants fair elections and responsible governance.

"Lukashenka thought that he could deceive this silent society, that he could tell tales, scare them with fear. Nothing like that happened," Alexievich said in an interview on July 22.



Another candidate, Andrey Dzmitryeu, held campaign events in Zaslavl and Baranavichy on July 25.



Two other candidates, Hanna Konopatskaya and Syarhey Cherachan, have not announced any events in the near future.



Some of the people who attended the rally in Orsha said they will vote for Tsikhanouskaya because they want more employment opportunities at home.



"Children do not see their parents because they are in other countries on wages," a 31-year-old man told RFE/RL. "Whoever comes in place of the current president will be better off, because now we are rolling into the abyss."



A 35-year-old man who came to the rally with his family said the government was good 26 years ago but no longer meets the requirements of the time because the people have changed.
On June 26, a small South San Francisco company called Vaxart made a surprise announcement: A coronavirus vaccine it was working on had been selected by the U.S. government to be part of Operation Warp Speed, the flagship federal initiative to quickly develop drugs to combat Covid-19.

Vaxarts shares soared. Company insiders, who weeks earlier had received stock options worth a few million dollars, saw the value of those awards increase sixfold. And a hedge fund that partly controlled the company walked away with more than $200 million in instant profits.

The race is on to develop a coronavirus vaccine, and some companies and investors are betting that the winners stand to earn vast profits from selling hundreds of millions  or even billions  of doses to a desperate public.

Across the pharmaceutical and medical industries, senior executives and board members are capitalizing on that dynamic.
New Delhi, July 25 : Oil marketing companies on Saturday raised diesel prices by 15 paisa/litre as OMCs revised pump prices. This rise in price came after the prices were held steady for sometime.

While the price of diesel was at Rs 81.79 per litre in the capital, petrol was steady at Rs 80.43 a litre. Petrol prices have remain unchanged since June 29.

Oil companies had raised diesel prices marginally by 12 paise on Monday but thereafter the prices of the two petroleum products remained unchanged for next four days till Friday.

Unexpected rise in diesel prices despite slower demand has put the transport sector at a big disadvantage as rising fuel cost has further shrunk its margins. The price of diesel in capital has also put automobile companies concerned about the prospect of the sale of diesel-run cars in the country's largest car market.

With the hike in diesel prices, the gap between the two auto fuels has further widened in the national capital. Last month, diesel prices overtook that of petrol in Delhi in an unprecedented development.

In Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, petrol was sold at an unchanged price of Rs 87.19, Rs 83.63, Rs 82.10 per litre, respectively, while diesel prices increased marginally.

Oil companies began daily revision of the two auto fuels from June 7 after keeping the price unchanged for around 82 days during the lockdown. Since then petrol and diesel prices have increased by Rs 9.5 and Rs 12 per litre, respectively.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
(Natural News) There are seasons in human affairs when mankind can see much more than just the tip of the iceberg of Satanic control in this world. Evil prefers to spread in darkness, but when Gods people stand firmly against the Satanic agenda despite increasing punishment, they compel the adversary to send ever greater numbers of his forces out of the shadows onto the battlefield. In those rare moments, the full extent to which the leaders and systems of this world are corrupted gets exposed to those with spiritual discernment.

(Article by Scott Lively republished from WND.com)

It is a dark and chilling sight when the demonic realm attacks in waves of escalating fury and power  like a comic-book villain transforming into a massive and malevolent behemoth, part real and part illusion  seemingly beyond the power of the righteous to defeat.

That is exactly what is happening today in the Marxist revolution against Trump: a continually escalating spiritual war of aggression is being waged on the political and cultural battlefields of the physical world  all because Donald Trump and his Bible-believing Christian base firmly resist the Marxist global agenda.

There have been previous examples, including the elites campaign to destroy Robert Bork to prevent his confirmation to the Supreme Court, but the closest parallel to todays anti-Trump coup occurred when the Christian para-church network Oregon Citizens Alliance took on the LGBT agenda at the height of the Reagan Revolution. OCAs ultimate defeat (through establishment GOP treachery and that of GOP-allied churches) is the reason why Oregons de facto capital, Portland, is now the epicenter of Marxist revolution in America. I know, because I was on the front lines of that battle, which launched my 30-year career as a Christian social activist and missionary to the global pro-family movement.

Ironically, I was an unwitting Marxism-influenced teenager when I migrated from Massachusetts to Portland in 1977 because of its liberal drug laws. I spent almost 10 years of my 16 year bondage to drug and alcohol addiction in that city, hanging out with the radical leftists, including the very types of people rioting today, on the very same streets.

But in 1986 I was delivered and healed on my knees in prayer at a secular rehab clinic. Months later my former drug dealer, who had independently converted to Christ, took me to a Bible-believing church for the first time where a truly godly pastor opened my eyes and heart to Truth. I switched sides in the culture war, and after some inner spiritual preparation (but no practical training or worldly credentials), the Lord miraculously made me the OCAs state communications director.

Through many local and statewide ballot measure campaigns, I was in the hottest firefights on the leading edge of culture war. The Nazi swastikas repeatedly painted on the Portland megachurch I attended (solely because I worshiped there) were just a minor irritant compared to the campaign of severe punishment all of us at OCA endured: hate mail, bomb threats, death threats too numerous to count, vandalism, public harassment, continuous malicious character assassination (by ALL of Oregons corporate media), four separate major lawsuits over a five-year period seeking over $11 million (against OCA and me personally), numerous serious false-flag hate crimes blamed on us, including a series of 21 cross-burnings on the front lawn of a black, supposedly wheelchair-bound lesbian who was finally caught by two rogue cops in defiance of the Portland police chief  a prominent OCA critic who later became mayor.

When I say our OCA experience prefigured todays anti-Trump campaign, Im not exaggerating. I personally saw black-clad Oregon Antifa terrorists marching with Kill the Police signs more than 20 years ago. I experienced the betrayal of the Romneyesque Republican Party Chairman Craig Berkman doing an anti-OCA joint television commercial with his Democratic counterpart, and then the Republican-controlled legislature preempting the field on sexual orientation policy to instantly invalidate 26 hard-fought city and county ballot measures we passed with margins up to 80%  all while Portland-area GOP-allied conservative churches and a turf-conscious rival Christian PAC attacked OCA as divisive. I experienced the 11th-hour betrayal of the Portland Catholic Archbishop William Leveda who succumbed to pressure and urged a No vote on our No Special Rights Act before transferring to San Francisco. (I believe it was Christian compromise to appease the evildoers that ultimately defeated us.)

While OCAs battlefield was the LGBT agenda, and it is no accident that the co-founders of Black Lives Matter are Marxist lesbians, todays battle transcends that issue. However, what OCA accomplished in our season of firestorms was to expose the whole Satanic army to public scrutiny: from the rotten RINOs, to the corporate giants, to the nonprofit foundations to the fake church leaders, to the media, to the universities. We were so persistent and unyielding in our stand for truth that the demonic realm had to completely emerge from the shadows to fight us. We exposed the whole Satanic iceberg in Oregon  just as Trump is now doing nationally.

Sadly, there wasnt a constitutionalist hero in Oregon to melt that cancerous lump then, and thus the demonic hard left, greatly emboldened by victory despite being exposed, gained a mandate to escalate, explaining why Portland is now the national poster-child for Antifa anarchy. But America today has the earthy and bare-knuckle fighting but Constitution-loving Donald Trump. Hes not a perfect man, but neither were any of the Judges raised by God in times of crisis to lead the Israelites. If, despite everything being thrown at us, we can get Trump reelected, Americas story might possibly have a happy ending. Well at least have a fighting chance.

The secret to victory in battles with Satanic principalities and powers is simple but not easy: Take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand (Ephesians 6:10-18). Brethren, dont let the Adversary dishearten or stampede you or Portland will be Americas future: STAND!

Read more at: WND.com
Authorities are continuing the search on Saturday for missing 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos, who is believed to have been kidnapped after leaving a church service on Fathers Day.

The Stoltzfoos family shared the news that an organized search would take place today on Facebook, alongside a photo of a foggy Saturday morning  likely in Lancaster County, where Stoltzfoos lived with her family on an Amish farm in Bird-in-Hand.

When all seems unclear, the the sun breaks through the fog with promise, the post said.

Its unclear where Saturdays search is being conducted..

When all seems unclear, the the sun breaks through the fog with promise. Today the organized search by authorities... Posted by Amish Girl Missing - Linda Stoltzfoos on Saturday, July 25, 2020

However, its is one of many that has been organized by authorities or dedicated, trained volunteers. A variety of resources were dedicated to the investigation, including dogs, horses, ATVs and drones.

Stoltzfoos quiet Amish community rallied together when she disappeared June 21. Amish men and women from neighboring communities also volunteered to hold searches of their own

Earlier this month, 34-year-old Justo Smoker, of Paradise, was charged with her kidnapping. He remains in Lancaster County Prison, but hasnt given authorities any information regarding her whereabouts, police said.

State police later found clothing in a wooded area of Ronks that matches what Stoltzfoos was wearing when she went missing. Authorities believe she could have been harmed.

The investigation is being conducted by East Lampeter Township police, Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI and the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office.

The FBI is offering an up to $10,000 reward for information that leads them to Stoltzfoos.

In particular, theyre asking residents of East Earl, East Lampeter, Paradise and Salisbury townships to check their home security cameras and think about whether they saw Smokers red 2007 Kia Rio around June 21.

Its a four-door vehicle with black trim and a spoiler on the back, authorities said. A picture is included below.

Anyone with information can contact state police at 717-299-7650, or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Police are asking the public to provide information regarding this car, and older Kia Rio with a missing right front hubcap, that was driven by the man accused of kidnapping Linda Stoltzfoos, an 18-year-old Amish woman.

READ MORE:

Former Pa. police officer going to prison for trading leniency for sexual favors

Firefighter and tow truck driver remembered for devotion to family, quick wit

Driver killed in Dauphin County crash had suspended license, arrest warrant
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Whats your day like? How much do you sleep, and whats your work schedule?

In my daily life, I dont have to interact with people. So, my schedule is all over the place. For example, yesterday I woke up at midnight. But on a regular day, I do sleep between eight and 10 hours.

How many hours of creative work do you think you do in a day?

If its a good day, I might work from the moment I get up all the way until the time I go to sleep. Ill spend a whole day in the studio. And there are some days where I dont do any work at all, and I just go on a walk or read a book.

Whats the first piece of art you ever made?

When I was 6 years old, I made an illustrated kamishibai story about my cat and me traveling together to the North Pole, and then going all the way down to the South Pole.

Whats the worst studio you ever had?

When I was young, my studios were really terrible  but I enjoyed all of them. For example, when I was in Germany, I had a studio where I had no shower. But I just went to the pool all the time and I washed my hair there.
Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.
Gibraltar squadron to receive two cutting-edge Fast Patrol Craft

A 9.9 million contract has been signed with Merseyside-based Marine Specialised Technology (MST) for two new boats to replace the Gibraltar Squadron Fast Patrol Craft.

24 July 2020

The six-year contract, which will support 30 jobs and create a further 25, will see construction of the two boats beginning in July 2020 and will take approximately 18 months, with Boat 1 due to be delivered in Q3 2021/22 and Boat 2 in Q1 2022/23.

The remainder of the contract will provide an additional four years of local In-Service Support.

Both boats will be used to patrol HMNB Gibraltar and British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW).

They will also support British exercises and operations in the area and will keep close watch over Gibraltar's shores.

Putting technological advancement at the fore, the vessels will demonstrate UK sovereignty of Gibraltar as well as providing force protection to designated visiting UK and Allied military vessels.

Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said:

These new vessels will enable the Royal Navy to maintain the security of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters and protect British, NATO and Allied ships transiting through the region. This contract will also support highly skilled jobs across the UK which clearly demonstrates how national security and regional prosperity go hand in hand.

The two new boats will replace the Gibraltar Squadron Fast Patrol Craft, HMS Pursuer and Dasher. These two Archer-class vessels very recently took over from HMS SABRE and HMS SCIMITAR, the Scimitar Class vessels that had been in service in Gibraltar for 17 years.

The vessels are being built at MST's boatyard on Merseyside and has created 25 new jobs as well as sustaining 30 current jobs as part of the 9.9 million contract.

Mark Milsom, Project Manager for DE&S Boats Team, said:

There has been a British Armed Forces presence in Gibraltar for more than a hundred years and these boats will ensure we maintain an important capability to the Royal Navy and our armed forces, as well as playing a pivotal role in patrolling our coastline, protecting domestic waters and supporting maritime interests. These boats will provide the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron with a modern, fast and effective capability for fulfilling their important role.

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This is the Laurel Hill Cemetery grave of Second Lieutenant Benjamin Hodgson, who was killed with Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. After the fight, his remains were temporarily buried on the battlefield, then returned to his hometown of Philadelphia. Read more

Some soldiers held dark premonitions ahead of the battle, imagining their own deaths. An Army scout began giving away his belongings once he understood the size of the Indian village.

Second Lt. Benjamin Hodgson, the son of a Philadelphia oil merchant, foresaw how he would survive.

Should he be wounded or knocked from his horse, he told friends, he planned to grab the stirrup of a passing rider. He would then be pulled to safety.

All but the last held true.

Hodgson, Benny to his friends, was shot down on the Little Bighorn River on June 25, 1876, five days short of his 28th birthday, lost in the merciless clash of forces that lives in the American imagination as Custers Last Stand.

Eight soldiers from Philadelphia were killed at the Little Bighorn. Seven are buried on the battlefield.

Hodgson lies on a hilltop in Laurel Hill Cemetery, a few miles from his family home in Kensington. A fresh U.S. flag adorns his grave. So does a worn, red-and-blue guidon, a replica of the one that flew the day Lt. Col. George Custer led Hodgson and more than 260 others to annihilation at the hands of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.

On Memorial Day, the nation pauses to remember and honor members of the military who gave their lives in service to the nation. But what of men like Hodgson, who fought not in defense of country, but to dispossess native peoples of their land and their lives?

I dont think American soldiers who oppressed Native Americans should be honored, any more than Confederate soldiers should be honored for defending slavery, said Oklahoma attorney Brett Chapman, a descendant of Ponca chiefs White Eagle and Horse Chief Eagle. The excuse that American soldiers were just following orders during the Indian Wars is an excuse that is no longer acceptable.  They knew what they were doing.

That question of responsibility looms now in Washington, as President Donald Trump considers Memorial Day pardons for American military personnel accused or convicted of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. It resonates in Hodgsons hometown, where native peoples speak against the modern consequences of colonization, opposing the renovation of Columbus Square, which they want renamed, and the use of stereotypical Indian imagery to promote the East Passyunk neighborhood.

Hodgson was born in Philadelphia on June 30, 1848, the son of Mary and Joseph Hodgson, the latter a prominent businessman. He graduated from West Point in 1870, was commissioned as a second lieutenant, and assigned to the Seventh Cavalry.

He was small in physical stature, but his wry wit made him popular in the regiment and a personal favorite of Custer, historian Nathaniel Philbrick wrote in The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

By April 1876 he was at Fort Lincoln, in Dakota Territory, preparing for the Sioux Expedition. The mission was part of a larger government strategy to subjugate the Indians, to force nomadic Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples onto reservations and make them accept a stationary life of farming.

The more Indians we kill this year, Gen. William T. Sherman wrote in 1867, the less will have to be killed the next war, for the more I see of them, the more convinced I am that they all have to be killed or be maintained as a species of paupers.

On June 22, Custer led the Seventh Cavalry out of Fort Lincoln to pick up the trail of Sitting Bull, believed to be camped near the Little Bighorn. Time was pressing.

The nations Centennial International Exhibition was scheduled to open in Philadelphia on July 4, and Custer and several of his officers wanted to be there. A quick success in battle, and Custer would arrive not only on time but to the acclaim of his countrymen, author Evan Connell wrote in Son of the Morning Star.

It was also an election year, and Custer foresaw, Connell said, that he would ride in triumph through the streets of Washington, like Alexander through Persepolis.

Hodgson had his own vision, Connell wrote, where the stirrup of a fellow trooper would be his lifeline.

When bullets and arrows flew  an estimated 675 soldiers, scouts, and civilians challenging a village of about 8,000, including 1,500 to 1,800 warriors  some reeling troops splashed back across the river.

James Donovan, author of A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn, provides a comprehensive account of Hodgsons fate:

As the lieutenant plunged into the river, his horse was shot from under him. Hodgson, wounded, tried to stand, his blood reddening the water. He grasped for the stirrup of a passing trooper  and missed.

For Gods sake, Hodgson cried, dont leave me here  I am shot through both legs.

He grabbed hold of Pvt. William Morris stirrup with both hands, towed through the river toward the high bank on the opposite side. On the flats below the bluff, Hodgson was shot in the head and killed.

Villanova University history professor Paul Rosier said that Custer had no right to be on Sioux land that was protected by treaty and that the Army attack was dishonorable. But individual soldiers, then and now, have little control over their assignments in the service. Look at the nations divisive war in Vietnam as an example, he suggested.

We should hold the politicians and military leaders accountable for these conflicts, said Rosier, author of Serving Their Country: American Indian Politics and Patriotism in the Twentieth Century.

Hodgsons body was retrieved by friends and brought home to Philadelphia. His Laurel Hill grave site lies a steep 15-minute walk from the gatehouse. His headstone includes a broken column, symbolic of a life cut short.

Chapman thinks the grave should feature something else as well: an explanatory plaque, to offer a native perspective on the U.S. soldiers who went looking for trouble  and found it.

They largely believed in the mission, which was fully rooted in white supremacism, as that was the foundation of the Indian policy of the United States, he said. A full and fair understanding of history will help Americans understand Native Americans.
Actor Sonu Sood has weighed in on the ongoing insider-outsider debate in Bollywood, saying that star kids will have easier access than those who dont belong to the film industry. The debate around nepotism in the film industry has been reignited after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who Sonu described as a very hardworking boy.

He told India Today on Saturday, When an outsider comes to the city and makes it big, it makes us very proud and gives every newcomer hope, and added, But when something like this happens, it leaves all of us heartbroken.

He continued, The pressures are real. There are thousands of people who come to the city looking for work every day, but there are very few who get that big break. An outsider will always remain an outsider. When I came to the city, I already had a degree in mechanical engineering, I thought peoples approach towards me would be different. But it wasnt. I never got an entry into office. I realise in those first 6-8 months that is the journey is going to be tough.

Also Watch | Not right to blame one section: Sonu Sood on Sushant Singh Rajputs death

Also read: Sonu Sood arranges to bring back students from Kyrgyzstan, Kapil Sharma says: You play villain in films, but you are a hero

The actor, who has worked with everyone from Salman Khan to Jackie Chan, offered words of advice to outsiders. He said, So the only thing I can tell outsiders coming into this industry is that come only if you have nerves of steel and dont expect miracles to happen. Just because you look a certain way or have a good physique doesnt mean somebody from a production house will spot you and cast you in their next film.

He added, A star kid, in that aspect, will obviously have easy access. The father will just pick up the phone and speak to the director or the producer of the film and they will get a break. Tomorrow if my kids want to be in this industry, perhaps it will be easy for them.

Also read: Let us give the responsibility of making Covid-19 vaccine to Sonu Sood, says fan, see actors response

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FGR goes for charges of organized crime against former governor Borge

Chetumal, Q.R.  The Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) has presented evidence before a federal court and obtained an order of appearance for former Quintana Roo governor, Roberto Borge, on charges of organized crime.

In accordance with criminal case 541/2019 filed with the District Court Specializing in the Accusatory Criminal System in the State of Mexico, the FGR is ready to move forward on extending the charges against the former governor with authorization from the Panama government in terms of their extradition agreement.

Based on the mandate granted by the federal court, the Embassy of Mexico has already informed the Ministry of Public Relations of Panama that the prosecutors office has opened a new file against the former governor for organized crime.

The Unit Specialized in Investigation of Operations with Resources of Illicit Origin and Counterfeiting or Alteration of Currency of the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Investigation of Crimes in Organized Crime, request consent of the Rule of Specialty of the Extradition Treaty between Mexico and Panama, so that the Panamanian government authorizes Borge Angulo to be charged with the new criminal case.
The HRD Ministry has set up a committee to form guidelines and suggest measures to ensure that more students study in India and there is a smooth transition for students returning from abroad due to COVID-19 situation, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank announced on Friday.

The committee headed by chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) is also supposed to recommend a mechanism to increase the intake in well-performing universities. According to officials, mechanisms will be explored for starting multi-disciplinary and innovative programs, twinning and joint degree programs, cross-country designing of centres, facilitating online lectures by eminent faculty abroad, linkage between academia and industry, facilitate joint degree ventures and lateral entry to Indian higher education institutions. The committee will present its report within 15 days.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, many students who wanted to pursue studies abroad have decided to stay back and pursue the studies in India. There are also rising number of Indian students returning to India with concern about completion of their studies, Nishank said at a session on Stay in India and Study in India.

We should make all efforts to look into the needs of both these categories of students. Initiatives needed to be taken to retain them by providing appropriate opportunities of education in premier institutions in India as well as concerns of students returning from abroad need to be addressed by supporting them to complete their programme here in India, he added. The minister said that last year around 7.5 lakh students travelled abroad to pursue their studies and because of this valuable foreign exchange moved out of India as well as many bright students moved abroad. We should make all efforts to help bright students to pursue their education in India. Also, as per this governments manifesto we have to increase seat capacity by 50 per cent in all premier institutions by year 2024 and also Institutes of Eminence should be increased to 50 by 2024, he added.
The president can send federal forces into cities so long as they stay within their statutory authority of enforcing federal law, David Sklansky, a Stanford Law School professor, said. But that distinction can become hazy once federal officers have boots on the ground. Some critics wonder if Trump is using the protection of federal buildings as a pretext to get federal officers involved in patrolling streets and targeting protesters. The president can also invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used, 213-year-old law, to deploy military force to quell unrest. It was last used in 1992, to respond to Los Angeles riots following the acquittal of four white police officers charged with beating a Black motorist, Rodney King. Trump in June threatened to resort to military action to quell protests and violence in U.S. cities but has yet to do so.
The Armenian National Committee of America's Western Region (ANCA-WR) is calling on the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey to end state-sponsored Armenophobia campaigns.

"The ANCA-WR condemned the incident in the strongest possible terms" stating: We call on the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey to immediately cease their state-sponsored and instigated campaigns of toxic Armenophobia. We further call on the international community  ranging from national governments to nonprofits alike  to decry this global assault campaign against Armenians and call for an immediate cessation of provocations. Finally, we call upon our community to stay vigilant against any suspicious activity, immediately report such activity to law enforcement, and refrain from giving in to any provocation.

This hate crime follows a pattern of racially-motivated attacks against Armenians, including the mob attacks against Armenians by Azerbaijanis in Russia, an arson attack on an Armenian embassy vehicle in Germany, and the deliberate burning down of an Armenian business in Ukraine. A similar incident involving racially charged anti-Armenian vandalism of Armenian schools in Los Angeles took place last year, forcing these schools to be on high alert to closely monitor the situation."
WASHINGTON  Sick with coronavirus, Bakhodir Madjitov is confined in a cell 23 hours a day in an Alabama immigration detention center a thousand miles from his wife and children in Connecticut.

For months, Madjitov, 38, worried that the virus would infect his 120-man unit at Etowah County Detention Center, where social distancing is impossible, cleaning is sparse, masks are for guards and transfers of detainees continue, according to inmates and their lawyers.

Madjitov watched as detainees fell ill with high fevers and ambulances arrived daily, he said. Then, Madjitov caught the fever.

Despite asking for a test multiple times, it took five days and a letter from his attorney for Madjitov to be tested for coronavirus, his lawyer Diana Blank of New Haven Legal Assistance said. On July 10, five days after his test, he received the result: positive.

As COVID-19 cases increase around the country, the virus is enveloping Americas immigration detention system. According to data published by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 3,780 detainees have or have had coronavirus as of Friday. 22,142 immigrants are now detained. Three deaths have been publicly reported.

About 16,500 detainees have been tested, or about 75 percent of the current detention population, ICE data shows.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been taking significant proactive measures to mitigate risks associated with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, an ICE spokesperson said Friday. ICE continues to follow recommendations outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for cleaning and disinfecting practices, and to incorporate additional CDC recommendations during the COVID-19 response, along with already established infectious disease monitoring and management protocols currently in use by the agency. ICE fully respects the rights of detainees to voice their concerns without interference and does not retaliate in any way against peaceful protests, to include hunger strikes.

The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General - the government watchdog overseeing ICE - highlighted the spike in coronavirus cases in ICE detention facilities in mid-June, while noting the agency has taken actions to try to mitigate the spread.

However, facilities reported concerns with their inability to practice social distancing among detainees, and to isolate or quarantine individuals who may be infected with COVID-19, the inspector general wrote. Almost all facility personnel stated they were prepared to address COVID-19, but expressed concerns if the pandemic continued to spread.

During the pandemic, reporting confirms that ICE has continued to transfer detainees among facilities across the country and deport immigrants to other countries, actions contributing to the spread of the virus.

In March and April, coronavirus prompted a flood of administrative and legal actions seeking to remove immigrant detainees from ICE detention. Four months later, ICE has released more than 1,400 detainees, while lawyers fight for improved health care and more releases as infections rise in facilities across the country.

Litigating for release

Madjitov is seeking release to his family of U.S. citizens in Broad Brook, Connecticut.

Originally from Uzbekistan, he has never been arrested for or convicted of a crime but has been held in ICE custody since Dec. 2017. Most of that time, he has been detained in Alabama and hes not seen his family for about two years, he said.

Madjitov came to the U.S. on a temporary visa for musicians and performers and began a lengthy process of applying for asylum and other immigration claims and appeals. He married, moved to Connecticut, started a family and worked as a home health aide.

Then, Madjitov was detained on the same day a family member of his was arrested for failure to disclose to the FBI knowledge of alleged terrorism activities in Syria, federal court documents that do not name Madjitov show. The government has not alleged any wrongdoing on behalf of Madjitov or his wife in connection with that case; he has never been accused of any criminal activity or failure to disclose information.

Madjitovs lawyer alleges that he is being unconstitutionally targeted based on acts alleged to have been committed by a relative, and that it is because of this improper associational attribution that he was put in detention in the first place and remains in detention to this day. ICE was asked about his case, but did not comment on it.

Madjitov has been charged with an outstanding order of removal, and has immigration claims that continue to be litigated.

Every day I worry about whats going to happen if I get infected, Madjitov said in a June phone interview before he was diagnosed with the virus. My family theyre young. My kids theyre young. I want to go back to my family. I dont want to die in detention.

Since the pandemic started, Madjitovs lawyer has twice submitted administrative requests for Madjitovs release. Both were denied, according to communications obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media. Madjitov was a plaintiff in a class action lawsuit seeking the release of detainees with health conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID-19. The lawsuit was withdrawn after several months.

Diagnosed with cardiac and respiratory issues, according to medical exhibits included in his administrative filings, Madjitov is now experiencing liver and chest pain along with coronavirus symptoms, Blank said. Documents show his lawyers requested ICE transfer to him to a hospital last week. That request was not been granted, Blank said, but ICE administered limited additional care to Madjitov, while keeping him and other coronavirus patients in isolation cells around the clock.

At Etowah, 20 detainees are now have or are being monitored for the virus in a new spike, ICE data shows.

Like Madjitovs, at least a dozen class action cases seeking the release of immigrant detainees for coronavirus-related reasons have been filed around the country and some have resulted in the release of hundreds of people into their communities, while remaining under ICE oversight. Several of the cases have involved immigration facilities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire where Connecticut residents have been or are detained during the pandemic, according to the Connecticut Bail Fund.

Judges have also issued orders imposing testing requirements or blocking the transfer of detainees in some cases.

Like other congregate facilities, such as prisons, shelters and nursing homes, experts have agreed that ICE detention facilities have the potential to be super spreaders for coronavirus, impacting both the people inhabiting them and the communities where employees live.

Medical care and sanitation at all these facilities were highly deficient before COVID hit, said Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, which has litigated for the release of immigrant detainees and visited detention centers before the pandemic. She said where ICE has conducted widespread testing and implemented other measures to stop the spread of the virus, It has been purely the result of litigation where courts have ordered ICE to take on larger precautionary measures.

As of July 20, ICE had released 505 immigrant detainees during the pandemic due to court orders, ICE reported. ICE said on its website some of these detainees have extensive criminal histories and pose a potential public safety threat.

The agency has also voluntarily released over 900 people after looking at their immigration history and evaluating their risk for COVID-19 using CDC guidelines. Overall, ICE reported that its detained population has steadily dropped by more than 7,000 individuals since March 1, as a result of the decrease in book-ins when compared to this time last year, combined with continued deportations.

Bristol County

Bristol County Detention Center in North Dartmouth, Mass., where many Connecticut immigrants are detained, had released 50 detainees as of June 23, as a result of a class action lawsuit filed in March by two immigrant plaintiffs represented by the Yale Law School Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic and the firm WilmerHale.

On May 1, a fight erupted between guards and detainees at Bristol County after 10 detainees reported several symptoms of COVID-19 but refused to go to the medical wing out of fear they would be held with other infected individuals, multiple news outlets have reported. Guards were deployed in riot gear and used dogs and tear gas or pepper spray to remove the individuals in a combative melee.

A complaint filed June 11 by eight immigration groups to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health detailed this incident, unsanitary conditions in the facility and alleged retaliation against detainees who spoke up about unsafe health conditions. The groups requested an investigation by the Department of Public Health.

People in immigration custody have reported blood and feces in their cells, lack of clean clothing, freezing temperatures, broken bathrooms, and denial of access to medical care and prescribed medications, said Vanesa Suarez, deportation defense organizer at Connecticut Bail Fund. The health of those inside is in severe crisis. Theyre essentially being forced to starve.

Massachusetts DPH investigated in June and identified issues with plumbing, the size of cells, food storage and preparation and inadequate education of inmates on COVID-19. It also reported that the facility is not widely testing, but testing and isolating individuals with symptoms, likely exposure or who requested. The investigators found the detainees had sufficient access to health care and medications.

Around the country, both detainees and the employees who guard them have fallen ill with COVID-19. There were 45 cases among ICE employees at detention facilities, ICE reported on June 18. More recent data has not been published.

Its really not ICEs staff thats really on the front lines, Cho said. 80 percent of ICE detainees are currently held at privately owned or privately managed facilities ICE is not reporting the number of guards employed by these third-party contractors who are coming down with COVID-19. Just from independent media reports, those numbers are staggering and in fact five guards in the ICE detention system have died already.

The DHS inspector general noted in June that ICE officials had concerns about their ability to staff facilities and obtain personal protective equipment if outbreaks spread in ICE facilities.

Alternatives to detention

ICE can use electronic monitoring as an alternative to detention and require released immigrants to check in with courts regularly, said David Bier, an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute. Greater than 90 percent of people comply with these checks, he added.

The downside [of release] from ICEs perspective is that they will lose track of them, they wont be able to effectuate deportation orders and thats their mission, Bier said. Obviously if anyone who was released committed a crime, ICE would feel culpable for that. Those two concerns are the ones they cite.

Madina Mamadjonova said in a phone interview she hopes her husband of nine years, Madjitov, can be released to her at their home in Broad Brook to help her care for their children.

Before the pandemic, she protested for his release. Now, unemployed with her three young sons at home, Mamadjonova tries to fight despair as she speaks to a sick Madjitov by phone a thousand miles away.

We are all exhausted right now in our condition, said Mamadjonova, 29, in a recent interview.

We feel like we are not alive. We are not dead either, she said. But I am going to fight for him to the end.

emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
Sherifat Jamal, a 70-year-old woman, journeyed to Tarkwa Bay from Oyo State to start a new life in 1990 after losing her husband to an accident.

Stella Ajayi, a single mother, told PREMIUM TIMES that garri (cassava flakes) is now a precious meal and she takes it once in a day.

Moreso, Segun Oyenuga, works as a tour guard for foreigners who visit the community for tourism is now jobless. The closure of airports and borders have denied foreigners from visiting Tarkwa Bay.

I got to Tarkwa bay in 1989 and I married here  gave birth and was feeding my family with the little make as tour guide for the white he narrated. But in January, I saw all my three bedroom flat apartment brought down. After three weeks, they came again to beat us for not leaving. Where exactly are we suppose to go? he asked.

The community now belongs to the military. I have been brutalised by 2/2 wood for challenging them. No palliatives nor any sensitisation in this community. If a second coming to the world is real, I dont pray to be a Nigerian. Almost everyone here now eat once daily or fast.

Toyin Williams who took our correspondent to Tarkwa Bay

A PREMIUM TIMES reporter visited the community. He noticed that most of the houses in the community were demolished.

The students in the only school in Tarkwa Bay have been transferred to other public schools in the state while the school was left untouched.

Those left in the community are those who have nowhere to go and many now sleep in churches/mosques (not demolished) and classrooms in the school.

No palliatives

As part of effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, President Muhammadu Buhari enacted the COVID-19 Regulation 2020 pursuant to the powers conferred on him by s. 2,3 and 4 of the Quarantine Act.

In paragraph 5(1) of the Regulation, the FGN directed the implementation of direct food/ cash distribution to 2.6 million households comprising the most vulnerable. Mr Buhari later extended to 3.6 million to accommodate more people.

Some other residents in Tarkwa Bay Some of the residents who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES

The president directed the ministry of humanitarian affairs in March to pay N20,000 (a cumulative of N5,000 for four months). This vulnerable group comprise those who reside around the satellite and commuter towns and communities in Lagos and Abuja and earn daily wages for their sustenance, such as artisans and petty traders.

As the state with the epicentre of the virus in Nigeria, Lagos got N10 billion from the Federal Government to support emergency response to the pandemic.

PREMIUM TIMES recalls that at the early stage of the pandemic in March, the states commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotosho, disclosed that government would be giving five-kilogramme bags of rice, beans, garri, loaves of bread, dry pepper, water and some elements of Vitamin C, to 200,000 poor and vulnerable households. He did not the criteria that would be used for distribution.

READ ALSO:

As of the time of this investigation, Nigeria government has got about N27 billion donations from individuals and corporate organisations to manage the pandemic. In addition, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in May also released $3.4 billion to Nigeria to address economic challenges of COVID-19.

Despite these huge funds, displaced persons in Tarkwa Bay said they have not benefitted.

Mrs Jamal said if I get palliatives from the government I would have been happy. In fact, this would have reduced the health damage the demolition caused on me. Like others, I did not get anything.

Others interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES shared similar sentiments.

States response

When PREMIUM TIMES told Mr Omotosho about the complaints, he said most of the buildings were demolished because the community is not safe for residents to live in.

He raised the allegations of bursting of pipelines against the residents which he claimed was dangerous to the state at large.

PREMIUM TIMES fixer showing our correspondent demolished buildings Picture of some demolished houses

He also addressed the issue of palliative.

Lagos government did not promise to give palliatives to all Lagos vulnerables. What the government said was that 200,000 households would benefit from palliatives. Should people complain that they didnt get palliatives? You should focus on more productive and social issues.

The truth is that we dont have data for the poor. Some of the people complaining do not even have LASRRA. If you ask them to register for LASRRA, they wont. How do you then expect the government to cater for all.

When asked if LASRRA registration was a prerequisite for getting cash and food palliative, Mr Omotosho simply responded: we used community development association, religious bodies, office of people living with disabilities, and money NGOs to track communities.

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Meanwhile, the humanitarian affairs ministrys spokesperson, Henry Ayede, did not respond to calls and text messages.

SERAP kicks

Meanwhile, an official of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Kolawole Oluwadare, said the group has filed a lawsuit asking the Federal High Court, Abuja, to order the Federal Government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to publicly identify and name Nigerians who have so far benefited from any cash payments, cash transfers, food distribution and other reliefs and palliatives during the lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states because of COVID-19.

Building made with old zink by the homeless

In the suit filed in June, SERAP is seeking: an order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus to compel Ms Sadia Umar-Farouk, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, and Mr Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor, to publish spending details of public funds and private sector donations to provide socio-economic benefits to the countrys poorest and most vulnerable people.

SERAP is also seeking an order to direct and compel Ms Umar-Farouk and Mr Emefiele to publish up-to-date list of donations and names of those who have made payments as per their publicly announced donations; spending details of the N500 billion COVID-19 intervention fund, and the names of beneficiaries, and whether such beneficiaries include people living with disabilities (PWDs).

The suit followed SERAPs Freedom of Information (FoI) request dated April 4 expressing concern over the donation/distribution process.
(TNS)  San Diego city officials said they are using the COVID-19 pandemic to reinvent how the city operates, including greater use of technology, more people working from home, streamlined problem-solving and increased focus on city assets like buildings.Such efforts to shift management strategies toward what city officials are calling a "city of the future" approach began more than a year ago, but the pandemic accelerated the process by requiring more efficiency and roiling the commercial real estate market."This is an opportunity to redefine how we provide services to our residents and the way we operate with our employees," said Kris Michell, the city's chief operating officer. "COVID is accelerating all of the things we have wanted to do."The changes come in the wake of several recent city scandals, including thousands of water customers getting overcharged, the city buying a building without realizing it had significant asbestos problems, and the city equipping streetlights with surveillance cameras without alerting residents."We took a good, hard look in the mirror over the last year and a half," Michell said. "The city does some things really, really well for the public and the community. But we also have to acknowledge where we may not have the right expertise or where we're not as good at some things. If we admit that, then I think we can get better."An example is how the city approves the placement of new technology, such as 5G cell service, on existing utility poles. Michell said the process is notoriously complex, involving several city departments and multiple approvals.The solution will be streamlining the process and shifting to an organizational model focused on how the city can serve the public, instead of the existing model where employees are grouped into departments based on individual function."Right now all of those departments have competing interests, so there isn't one person who is overseeing and making sure  from cradle to grave on that project  that it's getting done," said Jeff Sturak, a deputy chief operating officer.City officials have already streamlined some operations with the Get it Done! tipster app, which allows people to quickly submit concerns about potholes, graffiti and other problems with their smartphone.Michell said she hopes to replicate the dynamics of the app elsewhere in the city."We want a centralized approach, so that no matter how you access our services it goes into one portal and a single interaction that will serve the customers," she said.Kirby Brady, director of the city's performance and analytics department, said the shift fits with the idea of focusing city efforts on performing services instead of individual department functions."The idea is really to consolidate services and resources so people aren't having to use this particular email or that particular hotline to request a service," Brady said.Allowing employees to work from home, which the pandemic accelerated, is another element of the transformation Michell wants to see. More than 2,200 of the city's 11,000 employees are now working from home, she said."We've seen productivity go up and I don't expect that to change," she said. "When employees are happier, they work more."The city has fostered the shift by buying thousands of new tablets and laptops and shifting many departments away from paper records to electronic records using cloud technology. Federal COVID-19 relief money has paid for some of the new equipment.Hosting virtual public meetings is another recent city innovation.The shift began before the pandemic when the city allowed online feedback on the Clairemont community plan update, but it has expanded exponentially in recent months. Online meetings have increased participation by residents, city officials said, because they can participate in meetings via Zoom and can send in their comments online.The pandemic also shifted the city's approach to its assets, including buildings and properties, Michell said.The city had treated all assets the same instead of dividing them into types, which Michell said hasn't necessarily worked well. In particular, the city needs experts on buildings and how they function, she said.One potential innovation she discussed is "flexspace," allowing 100 workers to share 20 work stations by having each of them come into the office only one day per week.San Diego has one of the most complex and valuable real estate portfolios in California, with more than 1,600 properties that total approximately 123,000 acres. But the city still leases several properties to house about 1,300 city workers, which could create an opportunity for taxpayer savings with commercial real estate losing value during the pandemic."We will take every opportunity during the economic downturn to renegotiate our leases, whether or not they're up," Michell said. "Owners are really trying to keep people there."The city spends nearly $1.6 million a month in rent on 20 leased facilities.Michell also plans to consolidate the city's asset management functions into a single General Services Department in order to streamline the process, she said.
The Japan-invested Honda Vietnam plant in Vinh Phuc Province. - VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday about the programme, Takeo Nakajima, chief representative of JETRO in Hanoi, said that among 30 Japanese firms selected by Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) from 124 applicants to provide supports to expand production in ASEAN, 15 selected Vietnam.

This demonstrated the huge attractiveness and positive prospects of the Vietnamese economy, he said, adding that the successful containment of the COVID-19 pandemic was an important factor that drew Japanese investors to Vietnam.

In the long term, the expansion into Vietnam also aims to help the Japanese firms take opportunities from origin rules of free trade agreements in which Vietnam is a member.

Within the Japanese governments support programme, each Japanese firms would receive financial assistance from 1 million yen (US$9,400) to 5 billion yen, depending on their project scale.

Takeo noted that this unprecedented programme was an effort to expand production and diversify value chains, not a production shift out of China. Products would be made in both Vietnam and China to reduce risks when any value chains were disrupted by COVID-19, he said.

Takeo said the process of diversifying value chains by the Japanese enterprises was occurring earlier, adding that the pandemic was requiring firms to expand their production to two to three destinations to avoid disruption in supply chains despite higher production costs.

Vietnam was among their top choices, given the countrys success in containing the virus, improving investment climate, low production costs and export tariff incentives to major markets.

Race for FDI

Half of the METI-supported firms chose Vietnam as a destination for expansion, a figure that would shock other countries in the region, forcing them to strive to improve the investment climate to attract foreign direct investment (FDI), Takeo said.

He said there was a race to attract FDI among ASEAN countries, with countries with high productions costs like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand part of it.

Although Vietnam has lower production costs, labour and land costs are rising and low production costs could no longer be the country's competitive advantage, he said.

Vietnam needs to create other competitive advantages rather than low production cost, he added.

Takeo also pointed out problems in Vietnam such as low local procurement rates, and poorly-developed supporting industries, which must be tackled in the race to attract FDI.

There was also a risk of labour shortage when a wave of foreign companies invested in the country.

Takeo also urged Vietnamese firms to strive to meet Japanese firms requirements to participate in supply chains.

Currently, restrictions in travelling between Vietnam and Japan are also affecting expansion projects from Japanese firms.

Economist Nguyen Duc Thanh said the race to attract FDI was becoming fiercer and Vietnam still needed to make efforts to resolve a number of problems to attract investors, including improving labour quality and the infrastructure system as well as hastening administrative reforms and tackling corruption.
Even after Forrest Fenn said in early June that his widely-sought treasure had been found, speculation on where he had hidden it persisted.

The retired Santa Fe, New Mexico, art dealer said that he would honor the wishes of whoever found it by not revealing their identity or the treasure's location.

However, he seems to have budged on one of those conditions: The treasure  supposedly worth $2 million  was hidden in Wyoming, he said Wednesday in an update to a blog post.

"Many of the searchers for my treasure had solves that seemed to neatly fit the clues in my poem," Fenn wrote on dalneitzel.com. Dan Neitzel, who spoke to National Public Radio last month about the search, runs the blog about the millionaire's treasure chest.

"Then when the finder found and retrieved the treasure, other searchers wondered how close they had been to the right spot," Fenn continued in his post. "Because I promised the finder I would not reveal who found it or where, I have remained mostly silent.

"However, the finder understands how important some closure is for many searchers, so today he agreed that we should reveal that the treasure was found in Wyoming."

The Equality State had been the subject of plenty of speculation about the treasure's location. A father and son from Cody, for instance, believed that they had solved the puzzle and that the riddle led to Kirwin, a Park County ghost town.

In 2017, a man died in Yellowstone National Park searching for the treasure.

Fenn said after the treasure's apparent discovery that it had been found where he hid it more than a decade ago "under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains, according to a previous version of the post on Neitzel's blog. He said a man from back East who he hadnt spoken with in two years found it.

"Perhaps todays announcement will bring some closure to those whose solves were in New Mexico, Colorado or Montana," his update concluded. "To all of those who did not find the treasure, we hope that you got some enjoyment from the chase."

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Actor Taapsee Pannu has said that Kangana Ranaut offered her no support when she was replaced on film projects. Kangana has been on a crusade against powerful people in the film industry, whom she describes as movie mafia, and the B-grade actors who support them.

In an interview to CNN-News18, Taapsee said that she has been replaced in films, but chose to be self-reliant in her career. I did lose films to star kids. Ive been replaced unprofessionally in the films I had spoken about. There are two ways - either you depend on the biggies to support you consistently and help you reach the position that you eventually want to, or you make one for yourself regardless of anyone supporting you or not. I decided to depend on myself. I choose to be atmanirbhar. I made sure I got the kind of films I wanted to do and the path of my own. It might take longer but I will have my own journey. I have no regrets, she said.

Also read: Taapsee Pannu on Kangana Ranauts B-grade comment: My hard-earned success was credited to movie mafia, what she has achieved

Explaining further, Taapsee said that she was replaced in the 2019 film Pati Patni Aur Woh, but Kangana did not stand up for her then, as she is standing up for outsiders after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. We all fight our own battles, Sushant was fighting his. I was replaced in Pati Patni Aur Woh, she didnt come and support me, I didnt ask for it also, Taapsee said.

Pati Patni Aur Woh, a remake of the 1978 film of the same name, starred Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar and newcomer Ananya Pandey. Taapsee said that the audience is just as complicit in the nepotism that the film industry works on. She said, Industry is one part of nepotism. But so is the media and the audience. Why dont they watch our films, first day first show? Why didnt they make Sonchiriya a big hit? Why dont they go for outsiders films the way they go for the star kids films?

At the time, Taapsee had told Indian Express, One film out of my career is not going to make me lose a National Award. The problem wasnt that. The problem was unprofessionalism which I wanted to call out.

Also read: Kangana Ranaut explains B-grade actors comment on Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhasker: You are not fitting in

After recently being called a B-grade actor by Kangana, Taapsee said, One thing that I have maintained in all my interviews consistently, from the beginning till now, since the time that this insider-outsider debate has started, is the fact that I am a very proud outsider. Right or wrong, good or bad, success or failure, it is my journey. But here, what irked me and I felt like speaking up, was the fact that I was getting discredited.

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Hamnet

By Maggie O'Farrell

Knopf. 305 pp. $26.95

---

On Aug. 11, 1596, William Shakespeare's only son, Hamnet, was buried. He was 11 years old.

Almost nothing more is known about the boy's brief life. Four centuries later, his death is a crater on the dark side of the moon. How it impacted his twin sister and his parents is impossible to gauge. No letters or diaries - if there were any - survive. The world's greatest poet did not immortalize his lost child in verse.

Instead, we have only a few tantalizing references in Shakespeare's plays: the laments of grieving fathers, the recurrence of twins and, of course, a tragedy called "Hamlet." But aside from the name - a variant of Hamnet - attempts to draw comparisons between that masterpiece and the author's son are odorous. We're stuck, as we usually are, projecting our own sympathetic sorrow on the calamities of others.

To this unfathomable well of grief now comes the brilliant Irish writer Maggie O'Farrell with a novel titled "Hamnet"told with the urgency of a whispered prayer - or curse.

Unintimidated by the presence of the Bard's canon or the paucity of the historical record, O'Farrell creates Shakespeare before the radiance of veneration obscured everyone around him. In this book, William is simply a clever young man - not even the central character - and O'Farrell makes no effort to lard her pages with intimations of his genius or cute allusions to his plays. Instead, through the alchemy of her own vision, she has created a moving story about the way loss viciously recalibrates a marriage.

The novel opens in silence that foretells doom. "Where is everyone?" little Hamnet wonders. He wanders like a ghost through the empty house and the deserted yard, calling for his grandparents, his uncles, his aunt. "He has a tendency," O'Farrell writes, "to slip the bounds of the real, tangible world around him and enter another place." But he's no spectral presence yet. His twin sister, Judith, has suddenly fallen ill, and Hamnet needs to find their mother. She'll know what to do. She's an herbal healer, equally revered and feared in the village. "Every life has its kernel, its hub, its epicenter, from which everything flows out, to which everything returns. This moment is the absent mother's," O'Farrell writes. "It will lie at her very core, for the rest of her life."

Between the hours of this fateful day, the story jumps back years. We see William's unhappy adolescence as the son of a cruel and disreputable glover. One day, while teaching Latin to bored children in a country schoolhouse, he spots a young woman gathering plants along the edge of the woods. History knows her as Anne Hathaway, but O'Farrell uses the name her father gave her in his will: Agnes. Neighbors whisper that she's "the daughter of a dead forest witch . . . too wild for any man."

That's your cue, William!

Soon, he and Agnes are acting out "hot blood, hot thoughts, and hot deeds" - including the hottest sex scene ever set in an apple storeroom.

This is a richly drawn and intimate portrait of 16th-century English life set against the arrival of one devastating death. O'Farrell, always a master of timing and rhythm, uses these flashbacks of young love and early marriage to heighten the sense of dread that accumulates as Hamnet waits for his mother. None of the villagers know it yet, but bubonic plague has arrived in Warwickshire and is ravaging the Shakespeare twins, overwhelming their little bodies with bacteria. That lit fuse races through the novel toward a disaster that history has already recorded but O'Farrell renders unbearably suspenseful.

Dead center in the novel, the author momentarily arrests the story of the Shakespeare family and transports us to the Mediterranean Sea. Here, in a chapter just a dozen pages long, we get a gripping lesson in 16th-century epidemiology. Then as now, commerce and travel are the engines of disease. A glassmaker in Venice, a monkey in Alexandria, a cabin boy from the Isle of Man - they all play small but consequential roles in the intricate chain of transmission as infected fleas jump from body to body, sowing illness across Europe. It's a fascinating and horrific demonstration of the same forces now driving a different pandemic more than 400 years later. We may have better medical technology, but our frantic missteps sound like echoes of the Renaissance. They had their physicians prescribing onion and dried toad; we have our president nattering on about light and bleach.

But O'Farrell isn't merely delaying the inevitable tragedy at the heart of her story; she's creating the context to help us feel its full impact on Hamnet's parents. Agnes is a skillful woman married to a restless man whose talents are more imaginative than practical. Constrained by the demands of motherhood and the limited opportunities of the time, she must exercise her influence indirectly and stealthily. The moves she makes to keep her children healthy and her spouse happy represent the hidden sacrifices that countless women have made, without thanks or credit, to support their husbands' ambitions.

That delicate negotiation grows far more perilous when the couple endures the death of a child. No two spouses respond to such a loss in harmony, and O'Farrell is at her most sensitive here, detailing the unspeakable anguish that strips Agnes of her confidence and propels William into the imaginary world of his comedies and tragedies.

The dark months and years of mourning that fall over the Shakespeare family would seem a slough of despair after the frantic efforts to save Hamnet's life, but in O'Farrell's telling, grieving is a harrowing journey all its own. The novel's final scene offers a miraculous transformation - no, not a "Winter's Tale" resurrection - but the revelation that love can sometimes spark.

---

Charles writes about books for The Washington Post and hosts TotallyHipVideoBookReview.com.
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Will Sri Lanka end up as a stratocracy like Myanmar? By Gamini Weerakoon View(s): View(s):

War is a continuation of politics by other means is a saying of a Prussian general, Karl Von Clausewitz around two centuries ago.

In recent times in this country, the use of this Prussian military and political wisdom is observed in the reverse. Politics, it appears, continues to be subject in multiple ways from the outcome of a war that ended 11 years ago.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the defence secretary and Mahinda Rajapaksa the president of the government that won The War against terrorism and they were proclaimed the leaders and victors of The War. General Sarath Fonseka, the Army Commander who led the forces and staked a claim to the title of the Leader and Victor of the War, found himself behind bars. The Duumvirate of Mahinda and Gotabaya gained acceptance as the Leaders and Victors of The War. The resilient Sarath Fonseka, undaunted too took to politics and is now running in the General Election for a seat in parliament while holding the rank of Field Marshal.

The extent of the fallout of The War in contemporary mainstream politics is greatly evident from the election of Gotabaya as the president of the country mainly on the claim that he was a War Leader and Victor that won the War against Separatist Tamil terrorism along with his brother. Now under the banner of the Pohottuwa party, brother Mahinda is leading an election campaign to win the General Election with a two-thirds majority to remove constitutional amendments restricting brother Gotas executive presidential powers to change the constitution.

Another significant fallout of The War is the emergence of a new social force  the Rana Viru  war heroes. The Rajapaksa political party has, to a certain extent, been able to politicise it in its favour and called it to be accorded the status equivalent to one of the five forces  the Pancha Maha Balavegaya (Monks, Ayurvedic physicians, teachers, farmers and workers)  that enabled the victory over the UNP for the first time by the SLFP. Rana Viru are supposed to be those who fought in The War and fell while fighting including those who survived. Whether recruits to the security forces after The War too fall into this category is not known. They are being hyped up, eulogised and sanctified to the extent of granting immunity to offences committed while in action or after The War ended.

Certainly, the armed forces personnel who risked their lives fighting for the sovereignty of Lanka deserve honour and respect. Every country respects men and women in the defence forces. But politicising, eulogising without rhyme or reason, sanctifying them and granting immunity for violation of law and order and politicising them are not practices observed in most countries adhering to democracy.

Attempts are made to group them into voting blocs by settling the heroes in housing schemes and converting these settlements into political enclaves. This is tantamount to militarising electorates. The Rana Viru politicisation is already in motion.

Lt. Col (Retd) Gotabaya Rajapaksa exhibits military instincts in implementing political challenges. His response to most major challenges that have come up since he was elected to office eight months ago has been of military orientation. He has appointed military officials to posts held by highly senior and qualified senior civilian officials. Is there a dearth of officials in the administrative service or officials from professional ranks? We are not aware of IQ tests of military officials or their performance at examinations. However, there is a belief among sections of the people that army men can get a job done. True, civilian administrators have not proved themselves to be super-efficient administrators. But the Opposition parties are questioning the performance of the star class service crack-shots in the past eight months.

True, the Covid epidemic, where Army Commander Shavendra Silva was made to appear the de facto or de jure head of the control team, has done reasonably well to control it. Various international reports are cited by election propagandists to claim that Lanka are at the top of the pops. The pandemic is far from over. So, lets wait for the final report considering the sizes of countries, population, behaviour of people and most important those at the frontline: nurses, doctors, hospital workers right down to the mortuary and crematorium attendants who risked their lives. To us the unsung heroes are always those who risked their lives at the frontline  not those strategists in comfortable offices far away from actual battle.

Finally, the fallout of The War appears to be the transformation of the 72-year-old democracy into some sort of military regime with the appointment of military and ex-military officials to key posts in civilian administration.

Sri Lanka may not have galloped to be a developed democracy as dream states of some of us such as Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan or even Vietnam. But for 72 years it has been a democracy.

The man on the street may possess only the shirt and sarong he is wearing but will tell a pompous ass in full suit or an overbearing cop or military man in his full regalia: Palayang Yakko  go to hell. He may suffer severe thrashings but his spirit is unbroken. That is what we saw on TV last week when those gutsy women of Angulana took on the police whom they were convinced had killed an innocent member of their community for an alleged violation of a traffic law.

They were wrong in resorting to violence and breaking the law. But their flaming spirit such as young girls picking up stones and going on attack while a frail young woman charged headlong into a burly cop well-armed was affirmation of the belief of Sri Lankans in democratic rights.

What form of government Gotabaya Rajapaksa hopes to create by bringing in ex-military and perhaps later military officials to run a government is not clear. Prime Minister Mahinda has claimed that ex-military officials brought in are not the same as military officials in service. This, to ordinary people, is like expecting a leopard to change its spots.

A government run by military officials may be described as a stratocracy (Greek for army being stratos and kratos meaning dominion or power). History records stratocracies in the ancient Greek state of Sparta, Rome under its last king Tarquinius Superbus and Cossacks in the Ukraine region. According to Wikipedia, the closest equivalent of a modern-day stratocracy is Myanmars State and Development Council which ruled from 1977 to 2011.

Wikipedia states: Arguably it differed from most other military dictatorships in that it abolished the civilian constitution and legislature. A new constitution that came into effect in 2010 cemented the militarys hold on power through mechanisms such as reserving 20 percent of seats in the legislature for military personnel.

Aung Sann Suu Kyi who fought valiantly to free her country from the military junta and holds the post equivalent to the prime minister is still held back from making her country a fully-fledged democracy by the junta that still holds power in accordance to the military imposed constitution.

To those who want to change the current Sri Lankan Constitution and perhaps desire a stratocracy, Myanmar is food for thought.

(Gamini Weerakoon is a former editor of The Sunday Island, The Island and Consulting Editor

of the Sunday Leader)
Option Designs curates campaign for Konica Minolta in its endeavour of taking the world of Workplace Solutions to a new high with its newly-launched product, bizhub C250i, introducing new-age workspace solutions.

With corporate offices being the target audience, the campaign was carried out across the Delhi-NCR region with out-of-home (OOH) advertising, where branded hoardings were placed at prominent locations.

Through the campaign they wanted to highlight the message "Simplified workflow for smart workplaces to leverage the individuals in attaining utmost productivity against the complex work processes in the most seamless manner.

The campaign highlights Konica Minoltas solutions as a catalyst in the digital transformation of the modern workplaces, making them smarter than ever before.

The latest OOH campaign is an extension of Konica Minoltas RETHINK campaign launched recently. With the aims to challenge the existing status quo at organizations and find new solutions to grow, the campaign is about creating insightful solutions that make businesses better today and ready for the future, giving them more freedom and flexibility.

The communication, introduces the bizhub C250i as an effective workplace solution that helps create new possibilities and new horizons for businesses while not leaving out on other essential salient features such as data security and easy accessibility in addition to product printing.

With our latest product launch, we have introduced a redesigned user interface to empower workspaces with intuitive operations and ease of use. Rethinking sustainability and a smarter future, we introduced a product that consumes less power and gives higher data security, adding to the productivity of smart workplaces. With this campaign, we are focusing on how our future-ready solutions will make businesses smarter, faster and better, said Sanjay Monga, Deputy General Manager, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India Pvt. Ltd.

Commenting on the OOH Campaign, Anurag Mehta, Co-Founder of Option Designs, and the Creative Agency for Konica Minolta, said, We tried to stick to the most important talk point of the campaign, i.e., the way Konica Minolta simplifies every job and empowers office spaces with its high-end tech and user-friendly products. With this campaign, we intend to grab the attention of corporate offices and introduce the product as an essential addition to keep pace with the era of digital transformation.
Russian Far East Rallies Continue As Protesters Denounce Putin, New Governor

By Siberia Desk, RFE/RL's Russian Service July 24, 2020

KHABAROVSK, Russia -- Hundreds of supporters of the arrested former governor of Russia's Far Eastern Khabarovsk region, Sergei Furgal, have rallied for the 14th straight day, demanding the resignation of President Vladimir Putin and denouncing the Putin-appointed acting governor of the restive region.

The demonstrators gathered on the central square in the regional capital, Khabarovsk, on July 24, chanting "Putin must resign" and "Bring Furgal back."

The protesters said they plan a much bigger protest on July 25.

Police were present at the rally but did not interfere as the protesters made their way across the city chanting slogans denouncing the newly appointed acting governor of the region, Mikhail Degtyaryov.

Degtyaryov, who was appointed by Putin on July 20, wrote on Instagram on July 24 that he was following the protests via surveillance cameras.

Degtyaryov on his Instagram account asked Khabarovsk residents to keep social distancing during the rallies to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and warned that authorities might tighten coronavirus restrictions.

He called on the people not to rally on the weekend and to spend time "properly" at their summer houses and with relatives.

The day before, Degtyaryov said the ongoing rallies were organized by unspecified "foreigners."

He said earlier that he would not meet with the protesters.

Putin fired Furgal on July 20 before appointing Degtyaryov to the post. Both are members of Vladimir Zhirinovsky's nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR).

On July 21, two local lawmakers, Pyotr Yemelyanov and Aleksandr Kayan, quit the LDPR to protest Furgal's dismissal.

Furgal, who was arrested in Khabarovsk on July 9 and transferred to Moscow, has been charged with attempted murder and with ordering two murders in 2004-05. He denies the allegations.

Furgal was elected governor of the Khabarovsk region, which borders China, almost two years ago in an upset over the longtime incumbent, who represented the ruling United Russia party.

The Khabarovsk rallies have attracted thousands of people on the weekends and are the largest protests in the city since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-far-east -rallies-continue-as-protesters-denounce- putin-new-governor/30745601.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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WILDWOOD CREST  Two borough police officers were honored Wednesday after they responded to a house fire and an armed man following a woman during the same shift.

Sgt. Matthew Christopher Webb and Cpl. William Gianakopoulos were recognized during a meeting of the boroughs Board of Commissioners, according to a news release from the borough. David Thompson, the boroughs commissioner of public safety, read aloud commendation letters that were presented to the pair.

Wildwood Crest police arrest man who allegedly followed woman with 2 knives WILDWOOD CREST  A Philadelphia man was arrested early Monday after allegedly having two kni

About 1 a.m. July 6, Webb and Gianakopoulos helped evacuate residents and a family pet during a structure fire at a home on Buttercup Road, officials said. Both officers went into the burning structure multiple times to help bring the family and its dog to safety.

Then, about 5 a.m., Webb and Gianakopoulous responded to a report of a possibly armed man who was following a woman walking on Seaview Avenue, officials said. The officers found the man hiding behind a vehicle with two knives, and quickly detained him.

Wildwood Crest police save several residents, dog from house fire WILDWOOD CREST  Officers saved several residents and a dog from a house fire early Monday m
By AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: Twitter and Facebook suspended the accounts Friday of 16 allies of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro after a Supreme Court judge ordered them blocked as part of a probe into an alleged disinformation campaign.

Tension has been soaring between the far-right leader and the court, which is investigating allegations that members of his inner circle ran a social media campaign to discredit the court, as well as slander and threaten its judges.

The two US social media giants are also facing increasing pressure to act more aggressively against hate speech and false information on their platforms.

ALSO READ | Donald Trump to Jair Bolsonaro: Populist leaders' policies fare poorly in COVID-19 battle

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said in his court order -- which enforced an earlier May ruling -- the accounts must be blocked to stop "the ongoing dissemination of fake news, slanderous accusations, threats and crimes" against the court.

The affected accounts include high-profile figures such as conservative former lawmaker Roberto Jefferson, business magnate Luciano Hang and far-right activist Sara Winter.

Visitors to their Facebook and Twitter pages in Brazil, though not other countries, saw messages indicating they were blocked.

"This content isn't available right now," read their Facebook pages.

A Twitter notice explained: "Account withheld in Brazil in response to a legal demand".

A linked message said the company "was compelled to withhold the original Tweet in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order."

The owners of the blocked accounts reacted furiously.

Winter called the court order worthy of a "dictatorship," while Jefferson drew a comparison to Nazi Germany.
Now that eye-widening sale has turned into news Chicagoans can use. Exuberant, elemental and about 14 feet wide by 8 feet high, the painting is now hanging on a wall in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute, where it will be on view when the museum reopens Thursday after its more than four-month COVID-19 closure.
The driver branded 'dumb and disrespectful' for refusing to tell police where she was going at a Victorian checkpoint has copped a mouthful from the state's premier.

Daniel Andrews on Saturday labelled the woman's actions as 'selfish', confirming police were working hard to find her and others evading strict stay at home rules.

Eve Black, who lives in the coronavirus capital, caused nationwide outrage on Thursday shared footage of herself driving past an officer at a police barricade.

She was seen palming off the officer who stopped to ask her where she was headed and why she was attempting to leave Melbourne.

Ms Black (pictured) filmed herself refusing to tell police officers at a checkpoint in Melbourne where she had been

Eve Black (pictured), of Melbourne, on Thursday shared footage of herself driving past an officer at a police barricade

Instead of complying and adhering to Victoria's latest rules, Ms Black said she did not need to share the information.

The frustrated officer eventually waved her through as she sped off with a grin on her face.

'I would simply say they are selfish choices,' Mr Andrews said on Saturday, when asked about footage showing several Victorians refusing to comply with lockdown rules.

'They are not even in the interests of the people themselves.

'Because it will just mean these rules and this sort of conflict, which is completely unnecessary by the way, but these rules will be in place longer if people continue to behave that way.'

When a police officer asked her where she was headed and why she was attempting to leave, Ms Black (pictured, after the altercation) simply told him she didn't need to share that information

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) on Saturday labelled the woman's actions as 'selfish'

Mr Andrews confirmed Victorian Police were working hard to locate a person in a 'well-publicised case', and would fine the individual if they did not comply with regulations.

His comments come as the state recorded an additional 357 cases and five deaths on Saturday.

There are 3,995 active cases across Victoria, and 61 deaths since the pandemic begun.

'That person will either have a lawful reason to be in regional Victoria or that person won't, and if they don't, then Victoria Police, I am confident, will fine them,' he said.

His comments also follow former treasurer Wayne Swan on Friday criticising the driver for not complying with police.

'It makes me angry watching that, it's dumb and disrespectful,' he said on The Today Show on Friday morning.

'At the end she says she feels good. Well, she won't feel too good in ICU.'

Residents living in the locked-down areas are only allowed to leave their homes for four approved reasons - food, exercise, work or study, or medical care (pictured, Victorian police on Thursday question a man for not having a mask on)

Those who breach Stage 4 Stay at Home restrictions will be hit with a $1,652 fine with 262 infringements already given out at checkpoints since July 8 (pictured, Victorian police and soldiers on Thursday patrolling streets to ensure residents are wearing masks)

Mr Andrews hoped Ms Black's actions did not take away from the fact a majority of Melburnians were doing the right thing by adhering to the stage three rules.

Residents living in the locked-down areas are only allowed to leave their homes for four approved reasons - food, exercise, work or study, or medical care.

Those who breach orders will be hit with a $1,652 fine with 262 infringements already given out at checkpoints since July 8.

'Everyone is wearing masks. It is a small number of people who aren't. That is the wrong choice, it is also not a very smart choice,' Mr Andrews said.

Ms Black's video is one of many circulating on social media where drivers encourage people to challenge the lockdowns, which have been imposed to stem the spread of COVID-19.

James Bartolo (pictured) shared footage of an altercation with police on Facebook after he was pulled over at a routine checkpoint while travelling in an unregistered Mustang

A Victorian driver who was pulled over at a lockdown checkpoint argued with police for 20 minutes about the legality of the operation, before claiming COVID-19 was not contagious and refusing to hand over his licence.

James Bartolo shared footage of the altercation on Facebook on Sunday after he was pulled over at a routine checkpoint while travelling in an unregistered Mustang.

He refused to hand over his licence - which police later learned was suspended - and eventually told the officers that they'd pulled him over unlawfully by following 'dopey Dan's false legislation', in reference to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.

Mr Bartolo revealed he did not believe coronavirus was contagious and argued that it was a hoax.
Safety regulators issued an emergency order directing airlines to inspect and if necessary replace a critical engine part on popular Boeing 737 jets after four reports of engines shutting down during flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that its order affected about 2,000 twin-engine passenger jets in the United States.

The FAA said operators must inspect any 737 that has been parked for at least seven days or been flown fewer than 11 times since being returned to service.

That's because of reports that certain engine valves can become stuck in the open position.

Corrosion of the valves on both engines could lead to a complete loss of power without the ability to restart the engines, forcing pilots to land somewhere other than an airport, the FAA said in the order, dated Thursday.

Chicago-based Boeing Co said with planes being stored or used less often during the coronavirus pandemic, the valve can be more susceptible to corrosion.

The company said it is providing inspection and parts-replacement help to airplane owners.

Major airlines typically fly their planes several times a day. However, they parked hundreds of planes when the coronavirus pandemic triggered a collapse in air travel this spring and are bringing some of those planes back as passenger traffic has picked up slightly.

The FAA did not provide details about the four cases of engine shutdowns.

Alaska Airlines said one occurred on a July 15 flight from Seattle to Austin, Texas, and the plane landed without incident. Alaska said six of its planes need inspections, which have already begun.

American, United and Southwest said none of their planes had valve-related engine shutdowns. American said four of its planes needed inspections, which were completed and found no issues. United said it is inspecting 28 planes. Southwest was determining how many planes it needs to check.

Delta Air Lines said it would inspect 20 planes but did not say whether any of its planes suffered engine shutdowns.

The emergency order applies to versions of the 737 called the NG and Classic, the latter of which are no longer in production but remain in some airline fleets.

The directive does not apply to the newer Boeing 737 Max, which has been grounded worldwide since March 2019 after two crashes that killed 346 people.

Passenger jets have two or more engines, and multiple engine failures of the type that FAA warned about in its order are rare.

One example was the 2009 Miracle on the Hudson, in which US Airways pilots landed their plane on the Hudson River in New York after bird strikes knocked out both engines. All 155 people on board survived.

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Russia appears to be sending more military equipment to its mercenaries in Libya, including the flashpoint city of Sirte, in breach of an arms embargo, the US military said.

Its Africa Command said there was mounting evidence from satellite pictures of Moscow's military cargo planes, including IL-6s, bringing supplies to fighters from the Russian Wagner Group.

Both sides have been mobilising forces around Sirte where any major new escalation could risk drawing major regional powers further into Libya's messy conflict.

The Tripoli-based, internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) is backed by Turkey. The eastern-based forces of Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) are backed by Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

"The type and volume of equipment demonstrate an intent toward sustained offensive combat action capabilities," the Africa Command said in a statement posted on its website.

Both Russia and its LNA ally have denied previous U.S. military statements that Moscow has sent fighter jets to back Wagner forces there.

The GNA earlier this year pushed the LNA from most territory it held in northwest Libya, including in Tripoli, destroying several Russian air defence systems.

However, the LNA stopped retreating at the central coastal city of Sirte, which it took from the GNA in January, and the front line has solidified there.

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Kashmir Valleys Saffron has got the much-awaited geographical indication (GI) certification from the central government in a fillip to the homegrown spice, which is likely to fetch higher prices in the international markets.

Jammu & Kashmirs Lieutenant Governor (L-G) GC Murmu expressed happiness at the Centres decision and said that this is the first major step to put Kashmir Saffron on the world map, thanks to the GI tag.

The recognition would help Kashmir Saffron to acquire more prominence in the export market and would help the farmers get the best remunerative price, L-G Murmu said.

The L-G complimented Altaf Aijaz Andrabi, director of agriculture, J&K, for his relentless pursuit for the GI tag for the homegrown Kashmiri spice.

He said the restoration of Kashmirs saffrons pristine glory has been a top priority for both the union territory (UT) administration and the Central government.

The inauguration of the state-of-the-art Spice Park at Pampore in south Kashmir in August under the National Saffron Mission (NSM) would prove to be a game-changer for the saffron industry, he added.

Navin K. Choudhary, principal secretary, agriculture production department, J&K, said that GI certification establishes specific geographical origin and certifies certain unique qualities of the product.

GI certification enables those who have the right to use the sign in order to prevent a third party from using the sign. The GI certification would also stop the prevalent adulteration of Kashmir Saffron and the authenticated spice would fetch a much better price, he added.

Kashmir Saffron is the only one spice in the world grown at an altitude of 1,600 metres, making it a one-of-a-kind variant that is known for its unique characteristics such as natural deep-red colour, aroma, bitter flavor, etc.

Choudhary said the sprinkler irrigation system is being installed in saffron fields as per L-Gs instructions. The installation to likely to be completed in the next two months, he added.
NDTV, July 23, 2020

An Afghan girl who shot dead two Taliban fighters after they gunned down her parents said she was ready to confront any other insurgents who might try to attack her.

Qamar Gul, 15, killed the militants when they stormed her home last week in a remote village in the central province of Ghor.



Qamar Gul, who killed the Taliban when they stormed her home in a remote village in Ghor. Qamar Gul, who killed the Taliban when they stormed her home in a remote village in Ghor.

"I no longer fear them and I'm ready to fight them again," Gul told AFP by telephone from a relative's home, where she was being watched by guards.

A photo of Gul posing with a gun has circulated online, with many praising her actions and calling for her safe passage out of the country.

It was about midnight when the Taliban arrived, Gul said, recounting the events of that night.

She was asleep in her room with her 12-year-old brother when she heard the sound of men pushing at the door of their house.

"My mother ran to stop them but by then they had already broken the door," Gul said.

"They took my father and mother outside and shot them several times. I was terrified".

But moments later, "anger took over".

"I picked up the gun we had at home, went to the door and shot them," said Gul, who was taught by her father how to fire an AK-47 assault rifle.

Her brother stepped in when one of the insurgents, who appeared to be the group's leader, tried to return fire.

"My brother took the gun from me and hit (shot) him. The fighter ran away injured, only to return later," Gul said,

By then, several villagers and pro-government militiamen had arrived at the house. The Taliban eventually fled following a lengthy firefight.

'Proud'

The New York Times reported Wednesday that the killings at Gul's home also involved a family feud -- and that one of the attackers was Gul's own husband.

The paper, quoting Gul's relatives and officials, said he was seeking her "forcible return" after a falling-out with her family.

Officials told AFP the Taliban had come to kill Gul's father, who was the village chief, because he supported the government.

The insurgents regularly kill villagers they suspect of being informers for the government or security forces, with Taywara district, where Gul's remote village is located, the scene of near-daily clashes between government forces and the Taliban.

"I am proud I killed my parents' murderers," she said. "I killed them because they killed my parents, and also because I knew they would come for me and my little brother."

Gul regrets she was unable to say goodbye to her mother and father.

"After I killed the two Taliban, I went to talk to my parents, but they were not breathing," she said. "I feel sad, I could not talk to them one last time."

Hundreds of people on social media are demanding the government protect her, with some calling for her to be sent outside of Afghanistan.

"If you really want to protect her, then send her abroad. If she comes to Kabul for even two days... she will be killed," Zoya Amini, a resident of Kabul, wrote on Facebook.

A Taliban spokesman has confirmed an operation took place in the area of the attack, but denied any of the group's fighters had been killed by a woman.
As City & States First Read newsletter put it this morning, Sheldon Silver, finally, honestly, truly for real this time is heading to prison.

On Monday, a federal court judge sentenced the former Lower East Side assemblyman to 6-and-one-half years in prison and fined him $1 million. The once powerful speaker of the New York State Assembly was convicted twice on public corruption charges and has dodged going to jail for more than five years.

Silvers lawyers argued against a prison term, invoking health risks due to the coronavirus epidemic. But Judge Valerie Caproni said, Mr. Silver, his time has come He needs to go to jail. Its the third time she sentenced Silver. Courts overturned earlier convictions. In a story earlier this week, The New York Times noted Silvers elusiveness, from both political rivals and the law. Even in recent years, the Times wrote, while his convictions were under appeal, occasional sightings of Mr. Silver around his Lower Manhattan neighborhood seemed to symbolize, in the view of his critics, a kind of imperviousness to accountability.

In 2015, Silver was convicted of pocketing almost $4 million in payments in exchange for official actions that benefited a cancer researcher and real estate developers. He was convicted a second time after the original verdict was tossed out on appeal. Earlier this year, a higher court invalidated Silvers conviction on some counts, while allowing others to stand.

Sheldon Silver leaving federal courthouse in Manhattan after being sentenced to prison. pic.twitter.com/rUdoLRLN0k  Luis Ferre-Sadurni (@luisferre) July 20, 2020

On Monday, Silver told the judge, My use of my office for personal gain was improper, selfish and ethically indefensible I want to be clear: What I did was wrong, He added, I know that a lot of people have lost faith in their government and I know that my actions contributed to that loss of faith. At the same time, Silver said he believes he did good things for constituents in the 65th Assembly District over many decades. I thought I was pretty good at it (being a legislator), and I think we helped a lot of people But I destroyed that legacy.

Caproni said she didnt want to see Silver, whos 76 years old, die in prison, and indicated that precautions could be taken to protect his health. Silver is required to report to prison on Aug. 26. The Bureau of Prisons will determine where he will be jailed.
ATLANTA -- Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff says he's in isolation with his wife, who contracted COVID-19.

The 33-year-old candidate said his wife, Dr. Alisha Kramer, has mild coronavirus symptoms and that hes showing symptoms, too. He said he was tested Saturday and is awaiting results while self-quarantining.

Ossoff's campaign communications director, Miryam Lipper, said on Twitter that he has not held or participated in an in-person campaign event in over a month and will remain in isolation until medical professionals clear both him and" his wife.

Ossoff, a young media executive known for breaking fundraising records during a 2017 special election loss for a U.S. House seat, is in a competitive race against Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue. The 70-year-old incumbent is a close ally of President Donald Trump and is seeking a second term in November.

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HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

 Gov. Cuomo: Number hospitalized keeps dropping in New York

 German cruise ship sails for 1st time since virus

 As tide turns, companies that resisted mask requirements, including Winn-Dixie and movie chain AMC, relent

 Families in the U.S. are awaiting decisions from district officials about learning options. They'll be forced to make agonizing decisions over whether to enroll their children online or in person.

 Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro says he tested negative for coronavirus. Thats based on a fourth test since announcing July 7 he had the virus.

 Frances coronavirus infection rate is creeping upward, with health authorities saying each infected person on average contaminates 1.3 others. India reported 49,000 new cases while South Africa had more than 13,000.

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Follow APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

HONOLULU -- Hawaii is gearing up for a hurricane that threatens to pummel the islands as residents grapple with escalating numbers of coronavirus cases.

Story continues

The pandemic was complicating preparations for the American Red Cross, which operates emergency shelters on behalf of local governments. Many volunteers who normally staff the shelters are older or have pre-existing health conditions. Many of these volunteers are thus staying home for this storm.

Also, each shelter will have less capacity because of the physical distancing requirements to prevent the spread of the disease.

Hawaii has some of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the nation, but the numbers have been rising in recent weeks. On Friday, the state reported 60 new confirmed cases, a record high.

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BEIRUT  Lebanon has reported the highest daily count of coronavirus cases with 175, bringing the total to more than 3,500.

Lebanese officials warn of a spike in infections following the easing of restrictions after the countrys only airport opened on July 1. Government officials have urged people to observe social distancing and wear masks.

The country of about 5 million has 47 confirmed deaths and 3,582 reported cases. The government is considering reintroducing restrictions, including closing gyms and nightclubs, which reopened for business after the country relaxed its lockdown.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska  Schools in Anchorage will not open for in-person classes in the fall.

Theyll provide online-only learning five days a week as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increases.

The Anchorage Daily News reported the District Superintendent Deena Bishop announced increasing cases in the city have propelled the district into a high-risk scenario for school operations.

The average daily new confirmed coronavirus case count in Anchorage increased to 30 on Friday. Bishop says students in grades 3-12 will get laptops and the district will spend money to support wi-fi access for families. The school year begins Aug. 20.

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ATHENS, Greece  Greek authorities have announced 31 new coronavirus cases in the last day, with eight from arrivals from abroad. There were no reported deaths.

Authorities announced visitors from Bulgaria and Romania will need to present a negative test for the virus, taken over the 72 hours preceding their arrival. This measure will go into effect Tuesday.

Greeces health minister Vassilis Kikilias says eventual vaccination against the coronavirus will not be mandatory, but strongly recommended. Kikilias says vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with serious underlying diseases, will have priority.

Total confirmed cases in Greece stand at 4,166 infections and 201 deaths.

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ROME  Failure to wear a mask inside stores in the southern city of Salerno has proven costly.

Three people in the port city in the Campania region received 1,000-euro ($1,150) fines on Saturday, Corriere della Sera reported.

Campania Gov. Vincenzo De Luca signed an ordinance on Friday establishing fines up to 1,000 euros for not wearing masks in closed public places. Similar fines were handed out on the tourist island of Ischia, in three cafes and in a restaurant, also in the Campania region.

Campania accounted for 21 of Italys 275 new virus cases on Saturday, according to Health Ministry officials. Five deaths were reported in the nation of 60 million since Friday, raising Italys confirmed death toll to 35,102.

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MONTEZUMA, N.M.  Federal immigration officials have rescinded a directive that would have kept international students from attending colleges in the United States, but its not going to help the United World College.

United World College is a global school system that teaches an International Baccalaureate curriculum at 18 schools on five continents, with only three in the Western Hemisphere.

Most of the students who attend the northern New Mexico school still are shut out from entering the U.S. because of travel bans and their inability to obtain F-1 visas due to the closure of consulates worldwide.

School officials say about three quarters of the 220 teenage students are from foreign lands.

Students can participate in online courses, but officials many dont always have access to the internet.

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NEW YORK  Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the number of people hospitalized in New York with the coronavirus is dropping to the lowest levels.

The Democratic governor says there were at least 646 people hospitalized in the state on Friday, a new low since March 18 and down slightly from the previous day.

Daily statewide statistics show New York with more than 750 new confirmed cases. The number of reported deaths in the state rose on Friday by one, to 10. New York has a total of more than 32,000 confirmed deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The true number of cases is likely higher because many people havent been tested and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.

New York, once a pandemic hot spot, has avoided a surge in new cases so far. Cuomo has emphasized vigilance by wearing masks and social distancing to help contain the virus.

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BERLIN  A German cruise ship has set sail for the first time since the industry was shut down because of the coronavirus, with strict precautions for passengers and crew.

The TUI cruise ship Mein Schiff 2 -- My Ship 2 -- set sail for the weekend cruise in the North Sea on Friday night, the dpa news agency reported.

Occupancy was limited to 60% so passengers can keep their distance. There were 1,200 people on board compared the ships normal 2,900 capacity. The ship sailed from the port of Hamburg toward Norway, and passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on Monday.

Passengers and crew are required to stay 1.5 meters (5 feet) away or wear protective masks and wont serve themselves at the ships buffet. All passengers filled out a health questionnaire before boarding and had temperatures checks.

After being shut down for months, German cruise ship companies hope shorter, strictly controlled trips will help restart the business.

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LONDON  Swimming pools and gyms in England are reopening for the first time since the U.K. went into lockdown as public health officials extol the benefits of exercise in fighting COVID-19.

The government has announced a fresh attack on obesity as part of the move, hoping that a fitter nation might be able to minimize the impact of future waves of the virus.

But Jane Nickerson, chief executive of Swim England, says that there had been financial pressure on pools even before the pandemic and that without government support many wont open this year  or ever.

She told the BBC that funding pools actually saves money because of the impact they have on social cohesion, crime prevention, education attainment and health benefits. Learning to swim is also a life skill.

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MULTAN, Pakistan  A Pakistani health official says 14 Chinese engineers and experts have tested positive for the coronavirus while working on a power project in central Pakistan.

Rana Yousaf, a medical doctor at the state-run Behawalpur hospital, said Saturday that the Chinese were brought to the hospital a day earlier amid tight security and that all of them were listed in stable condition.

It is the first time that authorities have confirmed infections among Chinese working in the country.

Currently, an unspecified number of Chinese are working in various parts of Pakistan on CPEC-related projects.

The development came hours after Pakistan reported 24 new deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the countrys lowest number of daily fatalities from the virus in more than a month.

Pakistan has recorded 271,887 cases and 5,787 fatalities.

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PARIS  Frances coronavirus infection rate is continuing its worrisome upward creep, with health authorities saying the closely watched R gauge is now up to 1.3, suggesting that infected people are on average contaminating 1.3 others.

Also increasing is the daily number of new cases, up to 1,130 on Friday. In their daily statement on the French outbreak that has claimed 30,192 lives, health authorities warned that the country is going backward in its battle and that infection indicators now again resemble those seen in May when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

We have thus erased much of the progress that wed achieved in the first weeks of lockdown-easing, health authorities said.

They appealed for a return to collective discipline, asking that people work from home and get tested if they have any suspicions of infection.

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JOHANNESBURG  Africas total confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 800,000.

Thats according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

South Africa has more than half the reported cases on the 54-nation continent. But infections are now climbing rapidly in other countries including Kenya, East Africas economic hub, with more than 16,000.

Africa was a major concern even before the first case was reported on the continent on Feb. 14, as the World Health Organizations declaration of a global health emergency in January cited the threat to fragile health care systems.

Africas are the least-equipped in the world, and health experts have warned the virus could smoulder in parts of the continent for a long time. Africa now has 810,008 confirmed cases.

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NEW DELHI  India began its first human trials of a coronavirus vaccine candidate as the worlds second-most populous country recorded nearly 49,000 new cases.

The additional infections take Indias total to more than 1.3 million on Saturday, with surges seen in a quarter of the countrys 36 states and union territories.

India has tallied 31,358 deaths, including 757 in the last 24 hours. It has reported a much lower death rate than the worlds two other worst-hit countries, the United States and Brazil. Johns Hopkins University showed the U.S. has more than 4.1 million cases (144,000 deaths) and Brazil with 2.2 million cases (85,000 deaths).

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a premier teaching hospital in the capital of New Delhi, says it has administered the first dose of a trial COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.

The candidate vaccine, Covaxin, is among nearly two dozen in human trials around the world. AIIMS is among the 12 sites selected by the Indian Council for Medical Research for conducting the two-phase randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of Covaxin.

Countries are making giant bets on various vaccine candidates, entering into purchasing agreements with pharmaceutical companies for delivery if and when regulators deem the doses safe and effective.

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Sanaa:

Heavy fighting occurred between Yemen rebels and loyalist forces on Saturday around the city Taez in spite of a 48-hour ceasefire announced by a Saudi-led coalition, fighting the insurgents began following US pressure.

A few hours after the ceasefire took effect at midday (0900 GMT), fighting still raged around the flashpoint southwestern city, where violence has killed dozens this week, despite clashes subsiding on several fronts.

Clashes were heaviest in the town of Salo, southeast of Taez, military sources said, reporting casualties on both sides.

Inside Taez itself, rebel rocket fired into a residential district killed one civilian and wounded two, the sources added.

Intermittent fighting was also reported in Nahm near the capital Sanaa, in Shabwa in the south and Sarwah to the east.

The ceasefire comes after a push by US Secretary of State John Kerry who this week met rebel representatives in Oman and also urged the government to come on board.

At first the government, which has deep reservations about a UN peace blueprint it believes undermines its authority, rejected the peace bid before later agreeing to observe it.

Yemen's government has come under huge pressure to back down in the face of an international outcry over the mounting civilian death toll from 20 months of conflict.

"There are international pressures to observe a ceasefire and to resume (peace) negotiations," a source close to the presidency, requesting anonymity.

The 48-hour truce could be extended if the rebels hold fire and allow aid into besieged loyalist enclaves, said a coalition statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in Yemen and nearly 37,000 wounded since the coalition intervention began in March 2015, the United Nations says.

"We really hope that the war will end. All Yemenis are very tired of the conflict," said Khaled al-Waysi, a resident of Sanaa.

Another resident, Sadeq Juhaifi, said: "We want one of the parties to be courageous enough to announce long-term peace, not just a two or one-day ceasefire."

An official document has been issued by the defence ministry ordering all pro-government forces to abide by the ceasefire, report violations, and reserve the right to respond to any rebel breaches.

A spokesman for forces allied to the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels, Brigadier General Sharaf Luqman, confirmed that they would also abide by the ceasefire.

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The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has recommended to the Union Home Ministry that cinema halls all over the country be allowed to reopen in August.

I&B Secretary Amit Khare indicated this at a close-door industry interaction with the CII Media Committee on Friday. He said his opposite number in the Home Ministry, Ajay Bhalla, will take the final call.

Khare said that he has recommended that cinema halls may be allowed to reopen all over India as early as August 1 - or at the latest, around August 31.

The formula suggested is that alternate seats in the first row and then the next row be kept vacant and proceeding in this fashion throughout.

Khare said that his ministry's recommendation takes into consideration the two metre social distancing norm, but tweaks it gently to two yards instead. The Home Ministry, however, still has to revert on the recommendation.

Cinema owners, present in the interaction, however, pushed back and said this formula is unwise and merely running films at 25 per cent auditorium capacity is worse than keeping the cinemas shut.

The attendees at the meet included media CEOs like N.P. Singh of Sony, Sam Balsara (Madison), Megha Tata, (Discovery), Gaurav Gandhi (Amazon Prime), Manish Maheshwari (Twitter), S. Sivakumar (Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd), and K. Madhavan, Star & Disney, and also Chairman, CII Media Committee.

The OTT platforms present, including Gandhi of Amazon Prime, did not push back. Some Bollywood producers, notably those of Amitabh Bachchan's "Gulabo Sitabo", have posted their movies on OTT, rather than live out the lockdown uncertainty.
Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the past week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world.

The rate of cases has been increasing not only in countries like the United States, Brazil and India, which have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks, but in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel, among others.

Many countries, especially those where officials eased earlier social distancing lockdowns, are experiencing a second peak more than a month after recording their first.

We will not be going back to the old normal. The pandemic has already changed the way we live our lives, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week.

Were asking everyone to treat the decisions about where they go, what they do and who they meet with as life-and-death decisions  because they are.

The Reuters data, compiled from official reports, shows a steady rise in the number of countries reporting record daily increases in the virus that causes COVID-19 over the past month.

U.S. President Donald Trump stands next to a U.S. map of reported coronavirus cases as he speaks about the administration's plan for reopening schools during a coronavirus (COVID-19) news briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 23, 2020. Photo: Reuters

At least seven countries recorded such increases three weeks ago, rising to at least 13 countries two weeks ago to at least 20 countries last week and to 37 countries this week.

The true numbers of both cases and deaths are almost certainly underreported, particularly in countries with poorer health care systems, health experts and officials say.

For this report, the Reuters data was restricted to countries that provide regular daily numbers.

A surge in cases usually precedes a rise in deaths by a couple of weeks.

The United States remains at the top of the case list, this week passing more than 4 million cases and recording more than 1,000 deaths for four consecutive days.

Brazil and India  which epidemiologists say is still likely months from hitting its peak  have also exceeded one million cases.

A Protective Services Officer wearing a face mask patrols Flinders Street station in Melbourne after it became the first city in Australia to enforce mask-wearing in public as part of efforts to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), July 23, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Second wave

The data reveals a growing number of resurgent cases in countries across all regions.

In Australia, officials enforced a six-week partial lockdown and made face masks mandatory for residents in the countrys second-largest city, Melbourne, after a fresh outbreak.

Australia and Japan, which also posted a daily case record this week, both warned of a rise in infections among young people, many of whom celebrated the end of social restrictions at bars and parties.

In Mexico, which also posted a daily record this week and has the fourth-highest death toll of any country, officials warned that a downward trend in case numbers that began in mid-June  about the time the city began relaxing social distancing measures  could reverse.

A healthcare worker checks the temperature and pulse of a resident during a check-up camp for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Mumbai, India, July 4, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Based on the rate of hospital admissions over the past week, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said, hospitalization levels by October could exceed those registered in June, the height of the pandemic.

It is important to recognize that if we do not change the trend, there could be exponential growth, she said.

In Europe, where the summer vacation season is in full swing, a new daily record figure in Spain is likely to deter tourists from visiting one of the continents most popular destinations.

In Africa, Kenya recorded a record high daily case number less than two weeks after reopening activity, including domestic passenger flights.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who had announced international flights would resume on Aug. 1, has summoned officials to an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the surge in cases.

In the Middle East, Oman imposed new restrictions that begin on Saturday in addition to a two-week lockdown that will overlap the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha after reporting a record number of cases.
Jackie Chan is no doubt an inspiration to many action films in Asia and the whole world, thanks to his rididculous stunts that no one thought are possible.

Now 66, Jackie is a true movie legend, with his Hollywood Walk of Fame a clear proof of his impact to the industry.

However, while the cheeky martial artist may have mastered a lot of moves throughout his active years, his popularity didn't come easy. After all, some of his stunts put him at a great risk.

1. Snake In The Eagle's Shadow

The 1978 film "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" caused one of the most famous injuries Jackie Chan ever had.

The action got too real during its filming after the movie crew accidentally let Jackie use a real, sharp sword in a fight scene. This caused his hand to bleed for real, and the scene made it into the final cut of the film.

Aside from having a bloody hand, the actor also lost one tooth after Hwang Jang Lee kicked out one of his teeth.

2. Police Story

Jackie ended up having broken bones while filming five out of eight movies in the "Police Story" film series.

In 1985, the movie welcomed the martial artist by giving him a broken vertebrae, laceration and second-degree burn. Jackie also had the same injuries in "Police Story 2," but things got even worse in the next installments.

During the filming of "Police Story 3" in 1992, he broke his ribs, a shoulder and a cheekbone after getting hit by a flying helicopter. He sacrificed his nose and hand again in "First Strike" and "New Police Story," respectively.

3. Vanguard

The worst incident that almost killed Jackie happened during the filming of his latest movie, "Vanguard."

According to china.org.cn, per Straits Times, the actor got trapped under a rock during a shoot at sea.

Jackie also opened up to The New Paper about the experience through an e-mail interview.

"The torrent was strong and I wasn't able to swim my way out, and the rescue team took time to reach me. I told myself to stay calm and hold on. I wasn't injured but I could have died from the accident," Jackie Chan wrote.

4. Armour of God

Jackie familiarized suffered more injuries in 1991 in the film "Armour of God."

Per Cinema Blend, the action star fell during a chasing scene. He grabbed in every tree he saw, but he ended up hitting a rock. Eventually, his back pain started and his whole body went numb.

"By the time the numb passed, then I feel my air and I see the blood. We go to the hospital... I almost died," Jackie recalled.

He also told Yahoo that the accident caused a piece of bone to puncture through his skull and into his brain.

5. City Hunter

While riding a skateboard looked easier than his martial arts moves, Jackie, unfortunately, broke his foot and dislocated his shoulder and knee while recording a skateboard chase scene.

Due to his injuries, he needed a stunt double for the first time to accomplish the scene.

READ MORE: Piers Morgan Suffers From Horrifying Accident Months After COVID-19 Scare
Former Kyrgyz Diplomat Implicated In Customs-Fraud Case Freed From Custody

By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service July 24, 2020

BISHKEK -- A former Kyrgyz diplomat mentioned in investigations into the high-profile killing in Istanbul of a Chinese citizen of Uyghur origin, whose statements to reporters led to a corruption scandal that shook the country in November, has been fined and released from custody.

A spokeswoman for Bishkek's Birinchi Mai district court, Aizada Momunova, told RFE/RL on July 24 that the former consul-general in Istanbul, Erkin Sopokov, was ordered to pay 300,000 soms ($3,920) but given no jail time when the verdict and sentence were announced on July 10.

There was no official announcement about Sopokov's verdict and sentence at the time.

The court's website said on July 24 that Sopokov made a deal with investigators and pleaded guilty to abuse of office and illegal enrichment. No more details were provided.

Sopokov was fired from his post in Istanbul and arrested following the assassination of Aierken Saimaiti, a Chinese national of Uyghur ethnicity, who was shot dead at an Istanbul cafe in November.

Investigators revealed that Saimaiti used a vehicle with diplomatic license plates that belonged to Sopokov.

Sopokov was accused of illegally lending his Range Rover to Saimaiti and other individuals, illegally earning $200,000 and misusing government-provided benefits.

Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) has said that Sopokov may have been involved in wider corruption activities revealed by Saimaiti to RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service and the Kyrgyz news site Kloop, who used the data in an investigation titled Plunder And Patronage In The Heart Of Central Asia.

The investigation implicated former State Customs Agency Deputy Chairman Raimbek Matraimov in a corruption scheme involving hundreds of millions of dollars transferred out of the country.

Earlier in June, the UKMK claimed reporters with RFE/RL had received money from Saimaiti, who served as the journalists' source in the joint investigation.

RFE/RL strongly rejected the allegation, calling them "the latest attempt in a long-standing campaign of retaliation against journalists by corrupt individuals seeking to protect their wealth and power."

Matraimov and his family have denied any links to Saimaiti or corruption in the customs service, and filed a libel suit over the investigation.

RFE/RL staff have received death threats in connection with the publication, which triggered street protests in Kyrgyzstan following its publication in November.

Last month, lawmakers approved the findings of a parliamentary commission that concluded Kyrgyzstan was not involved in the alleged money laundering uncovered in the joint journalistic investigation.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/former-kyrgyz- diplomat-implicated-in-customs-fraud-case-freed -from-custody/30745565.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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I saw this baby fight for life: This big lie stunned Abby Johnson

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Abby Johnson's incredible transformation from Planned Parenthood clinic director to one of the most powerful and prolific voices in the pro-life movement has understandably attracted a lot of attention, with her story being told in the book and movie "Unplanned."

WATCH: SEE PRO-LIFE 'BEAUTIFUL LIVES' SERIES ON PURE FLIX WITH A FREE TRIAL

And now Johnson is sharing additional elements of her stunning journey in Pure Flix's "Beautiful Lives," a new TV series that features Johnson speaking with other former clinic workers and abortion industry workers who have found true freedom after leaving their careers behind.

In the first episode of the series, Johnson reveals how she first came to join Planned Parenthood as a volunteer and, over the course of subsequent years, rose through the ranks to become a clinic director.

"I was so good at justifying sin at that point in my life that I could justify just about anything," she said, noting that she was truly lost and adrift during that time in her life.

Watch a preview of Johnson discussing her journey in "Beautiful Lives" (and see the series here):

Among Johnson's responsibilities at the clinic was handling money the facility made from its abortion procedures  something she now looks back on with clearer vision.

"It was my job to take the money to the bank and after a full day of committing abortions. ... I would have two large cash bags ... just full, I mean overflowing with cash," she said. "It was nothing to have $20, $30,000 in these bags. I didn't really see it then, but now I recognize how lucrative it really was and that it truly was a cash business."

Johnson shared that she started having reservations about her role at the clinic when she was told that the organization would build "the largest abortion facility in the western hemisphere."

READ ALSO: EX-ABORTION WORKERS REVEAL WHY THEY BECAME PRO-LIFE  AND TRANSFORMED

The facility was slated to perform abortions later on in pregnancy  and while many people were excited, Johnson said she didn't quite feel right about it.

But the final straw came when Johnson was asked to assist a doctor during an ultrasound abortion; what she saw changed everything.

"During that abortion on a 13 week old baby ... I saw this baby fight for his life against the abortion instruments," she said. "I had believed that the unborn didn't have any sensory development, didn't feel anything."

READ ALSO: HE SAVED 16,000 UNBORN BABIES LIVES AND HELPED RESCUE ABBY JOHNSON

Johnson continued, "And so to see this, I was surprised, and then [I] also realized it had been this big lie and then I thought, 'What else have we been lying about?'"

Watch "Beautiful Lives" today on Pure Flix to see more of Johnson's journey, and to meet other women just like her.

This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free trial here.

Billy Hallowell, author of "The Armageddon Code," has contributed to TheBlaze, the Washington Post, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Mediaite, and the Huffington Post, among other news sites. Through journalism, media, public speaking appearances, and the blogosphere, Hallowell has worked as a journalist and commentator for more than a decade.
The guidelines that emerged from the executive committee closely mirrored the reopening recommendations issued by the White House. There were few specific benchmarks following the first phase of a statewide reopening on May 18  after about six weeks of sweeping restrictions  with movement into new phases premised instead on adequate health care capacity and the absence of a resurgence of the virus. In early June, DeSantis announced that much of the state could move into the second phase, lifting restrictions on bars and movie theaters, on the same day the state recorded 1,317 new cases, the largest surge in six weeks.
A member pf the House of Representatives, Iduma Igariwey (Afikpo North/Afikpo South), Ebonyi State of the PDP has called for constitutional backing to give legitimacy to the state judiciary and also legislative autonomy.

Mr Igariwey in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja said the Executive Order 10 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari needed constitutional backing

The lawmaker said though Mr Buhari had recently signed Executive Order 10 to cure the habit of tampering with the funds of state legislatures and judiciary, it did not go far enough as it was bereft of constitutional flavour.

The lawmaker said as it stands, the expenditure meant for the State Houses of Assembly and the State High Courts were issued from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State.

He lamented that the states appropriate for the assemblies and judiciary, adding that this had affected the independence of the state legislature and the judiciary.

He added assemblies were often starved of funds and also made to dance to the whims and caprices of governors.

READ ALSO:

Such lacuna had given room for state governors to push back against the noble intentions of Executive Order 10, he said.

According to him, the alteration of Section 121(3) sought by the lawmakers is intended to charge any amount standing in the credit of the houses of assembly and the judiciary of a state.

This is directly upon the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation to be paid directly to the heads of the bodies in the states by the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Such alteration would make the two arms of government at the state level more independent and accountable in line with the tenets of democracy, he added.

Meanwhile, the bill has passed second reading at the house while the speaker has referred it to the house committee on constitution review.
Canada: Canadians with ancestral origins from mainland China, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, India and Philippines will hold a rally outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to condemn the oppression of Beijing's Communist regime towards Hongkongers, Tibetans and occupied East Turkestan, as well as Beijings aggression towards its neighboring countries of India and the Philippines on July 26.

The protestors will demands for immediate release of the two Canadians, Michael Korvig and Michael Spavor who have been detained in China in December 2018, and charged with espionage in China.

''We demand Beijing to respect the fundamental human rights of one million Uyghur Muslims who are detained in concentration camps to be indoctrinated with the Communist Party propaganda,'' said one protestor who is associated with Vancouver Uyghur Association.

This is the first multi-nationality multi-ethnicity rally will be held in Canada against the Chinese Communist Partys aggression towards its own people and other foreign countries.

''With the Indo Canadian community, we commemorate the 20 Indian soldiers who were killed by Chinese soldiers on defending their countrys border along the barren and uninhabited stretch of mountains in the Himalayas,'' said another protestor associated with Friends of Canada India Organization.

There is anger against China worldwide for imposition of the new National Security Law which severely erodes Hong Kongs autonomy under the One Country Two Systems principle and demand for free navigation of the South China Sea and oppose the unilateral construction and territorial claim of artificial islands and military bases by Communist China which threaten the sovereignty of nations including the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

The rally will be hosted by Canada Tibet Committee & the Tibetan Community, Friends of Canada India Organization, Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada, Vancouver Society of Freedom, Democracy & Human Rights for China,Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM) and Vancouver Uyghur Association shows there support the people in Tibet who speak out against the Communist regimes corruption and violation of freedoms of religion and expression but are arbitrarily imprisoned for so-called terrorism and separatism.

They urge the Government of Canada to unite with other free and rule-based nations in standing up to Chinas encroachment and secure the immediate release of the two Michaels.
The Sri Lankan government have been successful in curbing the community spread of coronavirus infection in the country as it has not witnessed a single community spread case for almost last three months, head of COVID-19 task force reportedly said. Army Commander, Lt General Shavendra Silva reportedly said that all the positive cases since April 30 were those who were infected from Sri Lankan expatriates whose return was facilitated by the government. He added that the authorities have not found any single case within the community since April 30.

READ: Postal Voting For Over 700,00 Sri Lankan Officials Begins Amid New COVID-19 Threat

Government halts repatriation

Silva further added that Sri Lanka has been able to successfully curb the social spread. As per the reports, the government stopped repatriation of its citizens from various countries after witnessing rising number of infections. Silva said that nearly 20000 people who were brought back were under institutional quarantine and another 5,000 returnees are currently under quarantine. According to the government tally, Sri Lanka's total coronavirus toll stands at 2,764 with 11 deaths. Nearly 600 patients are undergoing treatment at hospitals. The country lifted its lockdown restrictions in June.

READ: WHO Says Sri Lanka And Maldives Eliminate Measles, Rubella

On the other hand, the postal voting for over 700,000 Sri Lankan officers, who will be on duty on August 5 for the parliamentary polls, began on Monday amidst special security measures, following a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. The voting will go on for 5 days with two days reserved next week for those who fail to cast their vote this week. Over 700,000 officers who will be on election duty on August 5 are eligible to cast their vote.

READ: India In Talks With Sri Lanka Over Its Request For Debt Relief: MEA

READ: Sri Lankan Port Workers Protest Against Proposed Deal With India

Image: PTI
Zareen Khan says people still assume Salman Khan helps her find work: "I cannot be a monkey on his back"
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The Higher Education (HE) sector is responding to the Johnson governments disastrous handling of the Covid-19 pandemic by allowing temporary contracts to expire and freezing all recruitment. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, 33 percent of academic staff in the UK were on fixed-term contracts in 201718.

According to the University and College Union (UCU), 30,000 jobs in higher education are threatened overall. An indication of the impending jobs massacre is as follows:

1,100 fixed-term contract staff are at risk at Kings College London.

The University of Readings vice-chancellor says 500 full-time jobs, or their part-time equivalent posts are at risk.

At the Royal College of Arts in London over 90 percent of staff are on temporary contracts, with 200 jobs at risk.

At the University of Liverpool 536 contracts are either due to expire or have already expired.

At the University of Sheffield 116 fixed-term contracts have expired and remaining fixed-term posts are being reviewed, based on anticipated student numbers and our financial challenges. The university denied it planned to sack 8,000 staff and rehire them on lower pay. They said, however, that as a last resort the mass sacking of university staff and their rehiring on different, i.e., inferior contacts, remained an option.

Amid this crisis the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) released a briefing paper that paints a picture of large financial losses in the HE sector, threatening the closure of major universities. Universities are facing big losses across a range of income sources and investments, said authors Elaine Drayton and Ben Waltmann, whose paper is titled, Will universities need a bailout to survive the Covid-19 crisis?

The IFS is opposed to any government intervention to save potentially insolvent universities. They argue that the poorest universities must be culled as an example to the others that survive, as rescuing failing institutions may weaken incentives for others to manage their finances prudently in the future.

The IFS estimates that HE sector losses in the long term may fall between 3 billion and 19 billion (between 7.5 percent and 50 percent of the sectors overall annual income). It estimates long-term losses of 11 billion, more than a quarter of the universities annual income.

The HE sector is financially dependent on the enormous fees gouged from international students. The IFS estimate 2.8 billion losses from fewer international students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those attracting most international students are the older Russell Group, who trade off their international ranking within the worlds top 100 universities.

The IFS assume that enrolments from the European Union (EU) will halve in 202021 due to travel restrictions and disruption to administrative services  as well as health concerns.

What the IFS describes as the Lightly regulated Alternative Providers, elsewhere known as the Wild West of the HE sector, educates around 3 percent of all HE students. Many of these providers are fly-by-night operations that rely exclusively on extortionate tuition fees. With a large share of international students enrolled at these establishments they are at a significant risk of insolvency, potentially leaving students unable to complete their degrees. These businesses employ large numbers of lecturers, office, and support staff.

The IFS argues that universities losses will not be stemmed unless they make significant numbers of staff redundant. It recommends that cost savings could reduce the overall bill by only 600 million or around 6% without redundancies.

HE in the UK is largely dependent upon a highly qualified pool of part-time lecturers to do the bulk of undergraduate teaching. The IFS advises that institutions with a larger proportion of temporary staff will likely be able to make larger savings, blithely acknowledging, this may impact teaching quality.

The IFS says that as many as 13 universitiesnot namedare most at risk of closure and could go bankrupt. These institutions educate around 130,000 students (5 percent of all students in the UK). They will not be viable in the long term insists the IFS, without government investment or debt restructuring. A targeted bailout aimed at keeping these institutions afloat could cost around 140 million.

Josh Hillman, director of education at the Nuffield Foundation, which funded the IFS research, calls for a change in the curriculum offered by some universities to alleviate financial pressures. Hillman argued for a recommendation from the Sugar Review of post-18 education in England to introduce a lifelong learning loan allowance for tuition fees that would encourage enrolment in higher education courses below degree level.

Six months ago, the IFS released a study calling for a reduction in HE student numbers. Their paper confirmed what many graduates already knowtheir degree does not lead to increased earnings. For many, it leads only to heavy debts and low wages. But this is not an argument for reducing student numbers and educational opportunities for potential students, but rather for a substantial increase in the wages many graduates earn.

The latest IFS study was released while the Conservative government is applying additional scrutiny to universities and outcomes for graduates, with some ministers looking to restrict the numbers taking so-called low-value courses.

Ben Waltmann, who co-authored their latest paper on university debt, noted that the IFS found the government benefited from extra tax revenue and national insurance contributions of between 110,000 per man and 30,000 per woman with a degree qualification above the costs of study to the government.

But, he argued, That is mainly because high-earning graduates go on to pay an awful lot of tax. But this analysis also shows that the government makes an overall loss on financing the degrees of nearly half of all graduates. These losses are concentrated amongst those studying certain subjects. For creative arts, for example, the losses are substantial.

The logic of this argument is that only a tiny elitethe sons and daughters of the bourgeoisie and upper-middle classwill be entitled to graduate and post-graduate qualifications, while other institutions that remain afloat will be forced to concentrate on short vocational courses.

The cuts being proposed are the outcome of several decades of the marketisation of further and higher education. This was pioneered by the 1997 Blair Labour government. In 2009, the head of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, Peter MandelsonBlairs closest adviserpublished a report titled Higher Ambitions, outlining a goal of entrepreneurial universities less reliant on central funding.

In 2017, the Tories Higher Education and Research Act established the framework for the wholesale marketisation and privatisation of the sector.

Faced with the loss of the livelihoods of tens of thousands of workers, Jo Grady, president of the University and College Union (UCU), only remarked on how the report highlighted the need for a government bailout of HE. The government has to now step in and guarantee lost funding for universities so they can weather this crisis and lead our recovery on the other side, she said.

Grady wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to declare, While the government appears to recognise the importance of further and higher education to our recovery, the very limited actions taken so far have been inadequate to the great challenges the sector faces and to the crucial task of maintaining the confidence of students and staff.

I would welcome the chance to discuss this with you further, concluded Grady.

The opposition of the union bureaucracy to any fight to defend thousands of their members jobs, terms, and pay was summed up by the Unite union regional officer for the University of Sheffield, Harriet Eisner. She politely requested that university management become more business savvy. We are appalled at the callous attitude that the University of Sheffield has displayed to its dedicated workforce. It is a wealthy institution with a lousy business model.

In the face of this assault and the refusal of the unions to lift a finger in opposition, education workers must establish rank-and-file committees, independent of the unions, to unite workers and students based on the struggle for a new socialist political movement. Central to this fight is the defence of high-quality, publicly funded education as a universal right.
A 21-year-old wrongly accused of murdering PC Andrew Harper is seeking compensation from the police.

Jed Foster spent a month in custody last summer after being arrested and charged with Harper's murder in August.

After new evidence was found, proceedings against him were dropped and the 21-year-old has now begun legal action against Thames Valley police.

He is claiming unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution, according to The Sunday Times.

Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were convicted of the police officer's manslaughter after the police officer was dragged to his death behind their car.

Jed Foster, 21, has begun legal action against Thames Valley police claiming unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution

PC Harper, 28, had tried to stop the thieves stealing a quad bike and his ankles were lassoed by the trailing loading strap as the teenagers tried to escape in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August last year.

For more than a mile he was towed helplessly behind the Seat Toledo by his feet as the car reached speeds of up to 60mph with driver Long, 19, swerving violently to try and release the stricken officer.

Mr Foster told the BBC: 'Newspapers targeted me and my family even though I had not been convicted. They acted as though I was guilty.'

He added that he was told he 'should be hanged or hang himself' and he was targeted with abuse because of his family's traveller heritage.

While Mr Foster was in police custody last year, then 20, his family and lawyer continually denied his involvement.

Mr Foster spent a month in custody last summer after being arrested and charged with PC Andrew Harper's (pictured) murder in August

The charges were dropped after a further investigation discovered Mr Foster's phone had not been at the scene of the quad-bike theft or the area where Pc Harper was killed, according to the Oxford Mail.

Thames Valley police told The Sunday Times it had been notified of the claim by Foster's solicitors.

They added: 'It would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage.'

Prosecutors at the Old Bailey said on September 19 last year that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction and moved to end the case against Mr Foster, from Pingewood near Burghfield.

Chief Crown Prosecutor Jaswant Narwal said: 'The CPS has discontinued the case against Mr Foster in relation to the ongoing investigation into PC Harpers death in Berkshire.

'The CPS has now reviewed a full file of evidence from the police and concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction.

'The decision to charge Mr Foster was taken on the threshold test which is applied when a full file of evidence is not available.'
By David Milliken and Graham Keeley

LONDON/BARCELONA (Reuters) - Britain abruptly imposed a two-week quarantine on all travellers arriving from Spain after a surge of coronavirus cases, a dramatic and sudden reversal on Saturday to the opening of the European continent to tourism after months of lockdown.

The quarantine requirement takes effect from midnight (2300 GMT on Saturday), making it almost impossible for travellers to avoid it by rushing home.

The British foreign ministry also advised against all but essential travel to mainland Spain, a move likely to prompt tour operators to cancel package holidays and trigger claims against insurers.

Europe's biggest travel company TUI said it was cancelling all departures on Sunday to Spain from the United Kingdom, and was urgently reviewing future flights.

"We're incredibly disappointed that we didn't get more notice of this announcement, or that this decision wasn't made yesterday, as many Brits travel on holiday at the weekend," said TUI's UK managing director, Andrew Flintham.

EasyJet and British Airways said they did not plan to cancel flights over the coming days.

Spain's Canary and Balearic Islands are not covered by the advice to avoid travel to the mainland, but holidaymakers returning to Britain from the islands will still be subject to quarantine on return.

Britain's government urged employers to be "understanding" towards staff who are unable to return to work for two weeks after coming back from holiday.

Transport minister Grant Shapps himself will be subject to quarantine, after a spokesman confirmed that he is currently on holiday in Spain.

The British move followed steps this week by other European countries. On Friday Norway said it would re-impose a 10-day quarantine requirement for people arriving from Spain, while France advised people not to travel to Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia.

But the total collapse of tourism from Britain would have far more impact. Britons made up more than 20% of foreign visitors to Spain last year, the largest group by nationality. Tourism normally accounts for 12% of Spain's economy.

Story continues

Spain had been on a list of countries that the British government had said were safe for travellers to visit - meaning tourists returning home would not have to go into quarantine.

The announcement of such lists just weeks ago had allowed Europe's tourism sector to begin to revive after the near total shut-down prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Responding to the British measures, Spain said on Saturday it was a safe country with localised, isolated and controlled outbreaks of the coronavirus.

A Spanish Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Spain "respects decisions of the United Kingdom" and was in touch with the authorities there.

The British move will affect not just Spain's tourism sector but airlines and travel companies struggling to get back to business.

Britain's opposition Labour Party said the news was "deeply concerning" and called for support for British people affected.

A 'SAFE' COUNTRY

Antonio Perez, the mayor of Benidorm, a resort on Spain's Costa Blanca that is hugely dependent on British tourists, called the move "another tough blow".

"We have suffered a lot this year and then this happened. We thought that the British were going to come back but this makes things harder for now," he said.

Spain was one of the worst hit countries in Europe by the pandemic, with more than 290,000 cases and over 28,000 deaths. It imposed very strict lockdown measures to contain the spread, gradually easing them earlier this summer.

But the last few weeks saw a surge of cases, forcing local lockdowns to be reimposed in some areas.

On Friday Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told CNN that like many countries around the world that have managed to control the disease, Spain "has outbreaks but the governments -- both national and regional -- are working to isolate cases as soon as they appear".

The Catalonia region reported 1,493 new coronavirus cases and three deaths on Saturday. The regional government has urged residents of Barcelona to stay at home, and ordered all discos to shut from Saturday for the next 15 days.

Britain itself has been the worst hit country in Europe by the pandemic, with more than 328,000 cases and an official death toll of more than 45,600.

(Reporting by David Milliken; Additional reporting by Graham Keeley in Barcelona; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Frances Kerry and Daniel Wallis)
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low 13F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low 13F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
<! NLC president Ayuba Wabba: asks Federal Government to cancel stamp duty on rent >

By Joan Nwagwu/ Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to cancel the six per cent tenancy and lease stamp duty recently announced by the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President said this on Saturday in Abuja.

Wabba said that the Congress was dismayed by the new policy stipulating a six per cent stamp duty for every tenancy and lease agreement in Nigeria.

He said that the Congress condemned the agreement as the new policy came at a time when the socio-economic pressure arising from COVID-19 dislocations was affecting many of Nigerians.

According to him, the NLC rejects this new stamp duty policy on rents and leases as it will worsen the situation faced by Nigerian workers most of whom, unfortunately, are tenants.

It is also alarming that we are having hike in taxes and user access fees when other countries are offering palliatives to their citizens.

We call on the Federal Government and the Federal Inland Revenue Service to rescind this harsh fiscal measure as it is boldly insensitive to the material condition of Nigerians which has been compounded by the Covid-19.

Nobody would want to be a tenant if they had alternative. This means that tenants which this new policy targets are some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

It would be illogical, insensitive and inhuman to churn out laws that make our poor go to bed at night with tears in their eyes, he said.

Wabba noted that the principle of public taxation especially progressive taxation all over the world was that the rich subsidizes for the poor and that every tax policy that would be enforceable must create a safety net for the poor.

Accommodation is a fundamental right guaranteed by Nigerias constitution. It is unimaginable that tenants who are in the most vulnerable group would be expected to pay 6 per cent tax for accommodation when sales tax is 1.5 per cent.

This is indeed a great injustice against the Nigerian poor. Government must take deliberate steps to avoid institutionalising the widespread belief that it is a crime to be poor in Nigeria.

We understand that the government needs money to run the business of governance especially at this time of economic challenges all over the world.

But the answer is not in further exploiting the already exploited. There is no doubt that there are other painless ways of mobilising funds to deal with the exigency of the times, he said.

He therefore said that one of such ways of mobilising funds was to reduce official graft and corruption.

Wabba said that it does not make sense to ask Nigerians to make sacrifices when they are daily regaled of putrid stories of how public officials are accused of swallowing money in billions and making a comic of fainting afterwards.

Second, there are thousands of unoccupied houses in different parts of the Federal Capital Territory and indeed many cities in Nigeria belonging to very affluent members of the society.

As we have always demanded and canvassed, Government should tax such property in order to relieve Nigerias daunting housing deficits and to generate the needed funds to run government business.

While we expect the reversal of the 6 per cent tenancy and lease stamp duty policy, we remind government that its highest responsibility is to ensure the security and welfare of every Nigerian, he said.

Related
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said that it would mark the first anniversary of being in office in the current term by outlining the achievements of the BS Yediyurappa-led government in Karnataka starting 27 July, through a series of events.

After the May 2018 assembly elections in which BJP emerged as the single largest party but short of a majority, the Congress and JD(S) had come together to form a coalition government after Yediyurappa unable to prove his numbers had to resign within three days of being sworn in. However, the coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy collapsed after 14 months in power when 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs resigned and eventually crossed over to BJP.

Yediyurappa was sworn in on July 26. So, as a part of its first anniversary celebrations, the party is planning a host of events. Deputy CM Ashwath Narayan said that on July 27 a booklet containing all the achievements of the government would be released. From July 28 till the end of the monsoon season across all 58,000 booths in the state the party plans to plant more than one crore saplings.

From July 29 to 31, the BJP is planning a house-to-house outreach of 50 lakh households to inform them about the achievements of the government. On August 1, it intends to hold a virtual rally to be addressed by CM Yediyurappa and state unit party chief Nalin Kumar Kateel which BJP says will be attended virtually by one crore people.

On Saturday, speaking to the media at the state BJP headquarters Jagannath Bhavan Deputy CM Ashwath Narayan claimed that when it came to power the state was suffering from drought and in a short while large parts of the state were inundated with floods. Later we had to face bypolls and now the Covid-19 situation which we are tackling under the guidance and leadership of PM Modi, he added

Ashwath Narayan said in spite of the challenges the state government ensured Rs 6,000 crore relief for the flood-affected, two lakh families were given Rs 10,000 each, Rs 911 crores was released for the repair of 1.25 lakh homes, Rs 1,185 crores was released for the farmers whose crops were destroyed.

Political analyst Manjunath said that while the BJP government which earlier faced a precarious situation is stable with a simple majority it faces several challenges including having to come to terms with a post-Yediyurappa leadership situation in the state, continued dissidence among loyalists who feel that only defectors have been rewarded and the poor financial position of the state.

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Linkedin Gilang Kembara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 09:15 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066930c3a 3 Opinion South-China-Sea,China,maritime-boundaries,Code-of-Conduct,ASEAN,maritime-border,border-clash,CSIS Free

A series of events, ranging from social unrest in the United States, Hong Kong and much of Europe to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected more than 15.6 million people and killed over 630,000 of them, should prove that 2020 has so far been a very difficult year to navigate.

The South China Sea has not been spared the nail-biting tension of 2020. As claimant states are preoccupied with efforts to fight the pandemic, numerous worrying incidents have occurred within the maritime territory, exacerbating the animosity among the states. The presence of external actors has added strain to the geopolitical turmoil.

Violations of sovereign rights form one of the most pressing issues in the South China Sea. The biggest incident so far was the West Capella standoff after Malaysia started an oil and gas survey in late 2019 within the Malaysia-Vietnam Joint Defined Area.

The operation of the West Capella drillship prompted Beijing to dispatch several China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels to trail, and harass, the drillship and its supply vessels. Vietnam also scrambled some of its maritime militia into the area to observe the drillship.

Meanwhile, Malaysia doubled-down on its initial move by deploying the Royal Malaysian Navys KD Jebat, a 2,270-ton guided missile frigate, to protect the West Capellas operation. At one time the Malaysian warship forced a CCG vessel to stand down.

Beijing has simultaneously initiated a showdown with Malaysia at the Luconia Shoals, where CCG vessels maintain a near-constant presence off the coast of Sarawak. At the culmination of it all, China sent its survey vessel Haiyang Dizhi 8, along with a flotilla of coast guard and paramilitary vessels.

In response to the standoff, the US maintained a presence there for a month with an array of multi-day patrols involving the US Navy, and a flyby of US Air Force bombers. On top of that, the US conducted five Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea in the first half of the year to challenge the unilateral claims of China on the entirety of the South China Sea, and to maintain the act of innocent passage by any ships on the high seas and held a joint military exercise with Australia in April.

Another incident pitted China against the Philippines at Commodore Reef in February. It started when Philippine Navy corvette BRP Conrado Yap encountered a Peoples Liberation Army Navy corvette during a patrol mission in the area. As the Philippine Navy radioed the PLA Navy to continue to their next destination, the PLA Navy insisted that the Commodore Reef area was a sovereign territory of China. BRP Conrado Yap later identified that the PLA Navy had their weapons aimed toward the Philippine Navy.

This incident not only amounts to a violation of Philippines EEZ but also to the illegal use of threat in high seas, which is in direct breach of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, to which China is a party.

The rising tension caused a spillover effect on Indonesia, with CCG vessels constantly seen trespassing into Indonesias Exclusive Economic Zone from December 2019 to January 2020.

The turmoil has gone unabated when the negotiation of the Code of Conduct (CoC) in South China Sea has been put on hold, mostly because of the pandemic.

The talks on the CoC, however, have been subject to criticism in the first place. One American scholar commented that the current draft, passed in September 2019, had very little agreed upon. Some points are still very contentious, such as dispute settlement procedures, and fishing and seabed management. Meanwhile, a Singaporean scholar said that, as the negotiation was suspended, Beijing was consolidating its presence amid the COVID-19 outbreak. As ASEAN member states have their hands full in dealing with the pandemic, Beijing wants to raise its leverage in the negotiation when it restarts.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is another source of disputes among claimant states in the South China Sea. A fleet of more than 300 Vietnamese fishing vessels ventured into Chinese waters around February 2020. Some vessels were identified to operate with their transponders switched off. Several Chinese analysts suggest that some vessels were there to spy on Chinese military facilities.

Several cases of illegal fishing were also identified venturing into Indonesian waters. An incident in March saw Indonesian authorities capture five Vietnamese fishing vessels and detain the 68 crew members. In the following month, two Vietnamese fishing vessels were seized in the North Natuna Sea.

There seems to be no indication that the situation in the South China Sea will simmer down anytime soon. With the US set to hold an election in November, President Donald Trump cannot afford to back down against Chinas assertive behavior within the South China Sea.

This will encourage emboldened Southeast Asian claimant states to fight further aggression, as the Philippines has demonstrated in its decision to suspend termination of its Visiting Forces Agreement with the US.

It only shows that claimant states need support to stake their claims within the area.

With the CoC negotiation stagnating in these pressing times, there will be a lot clutter to clean up before any agreement could be pushed forward between the South China Sea littoral states.

_____________

Researcher at Department of International Relations, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia. The original article was published in CSIS Commentaries.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
When people think of true crime podcasts, they inevitably think of Serial. But the genre is vast, and the podcasts listed here represent that diversity: a mother who investigates the death of her own son, a journalist recovering the lost history of a nearly forgotten race massacre, two friends telling each other stories about their favorite serial killers of color. They all have one thing in common: These stories are also about how racism and inequality intersect with the deeply flawed systems of criminal justice.

Produced by the digital news outfit The Intercept, Somebody is an investigation into the 2016 death of 22-year old Courtney Copeland in Chicago. What makes the show stand out is its host, Shapearl Wells, who is Copelands mother. After the police refused to release any information or look into the night Copeland was found outside a police station with a fatal bullet wound, Wells decided to get to the bottom of what happened herself. The result is a deeply personal story of a mothers pursuit of justice, enhanced by the music and testimony of one of Copelands friends from high school, Chance the Rapper.

The recent HBO series Watchmen renewed Americas attention to what is thought to be one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history: the race massacre that destroyed Greenwood, an affluent district in Tulsa, Okla., known as Black Wall Street. In this meticulously narrated podcast, the reporter Nia Clark uses new and archival interviews to paint the fullest picture of the intertwined economic and racial conditions that exploded into two days of mass death and property destruction at the hands of white terrorists, and of what happened in the aftermath.

There is an epidemic of violence against Native women in North America. The U.S. Department of Justice found that Native American women are murdered at a rate of more than 10 times the national average, and one in three Native women will experience sexual violence at some point in her life. A Canadian national inquiry last year called the countrys crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in recent decades a Canadian genocide. The investigative reporter Connie Walker, who is Cree and from the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan, tells the stories of some of these women and girls in Missing and Murdered. In the first season, Walker hosted an eight-part series on the 1989 unsolved murder of 24-year-old Alberta Williams in British Columbia. The second season centers on the unexplained disappearance of a Saskatchewan girl, Cleopatra Semaganis Nicotine, who was, along with her five siblings, a victim of the forced separation of Indigenous children from their families by social workers in Canada, known as the Sixties Scoop. But Cleo vanished, and her family has spent decades trying to find her, believing she was raped and murdered. Walkers shoe-leather reporting eventually does answer the question: What happened to Cleo?
Company Established To Make Purchases On Iran's Behalf To Settle Iraq's $5 Billion Debt

Radio Farda July 24, 2020

An Iranian trade official said Friday a company has been established in Iraq which will make purchases on behalf of the Iranian government to settle Baghdad's accumulated debts to Iran amounting to $5 billion.

The secretary-general of the Iran-Iraq chamber of commerce Hamid Hosseini told Fararu website in Tehran that the money in question is deposited in Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI). He added that based on a mutual agreement Iran will provide the new company with list of "goods, commodities and raw materials" it needs, and the company will buy the goods and ship it to Iran.

Iraq owes Iran money for gas and electricity and other goods imported from Iran which due to U.S. sanctions cannot be transferred to Iranian banks or the country's overseas accounts.

Iran's Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati after a visit to Iraq on June 17 said an agreement had been reached for the payment of Iraq's debts by food and medicine exports to Iran.

According to Hamid Hosseini, the money which is currently held in a special account by Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) will be used to pay for the "basic commodities" purchased by the newly established company on behalf of the Iranian government. Iraq, however, enjoys a U.S. waiver which allows electricity imports from Iran.

Iranian officials have repeatedly spoken about Iraq's $2 billion debt for gas and electricity imported from Iran. Hossein has not disclosed if the $5 billion debt includes the said $2 billion.

Iranian officials say Iran's trade with Iraq amounts to around $12 billion a year but details of the trade between the two countries has not been announced since the spring of 2019 when Iraq stopped publishing statistical data on its foreign trade.

During the recent visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mostafa al-Khadimi to Tehran Hassan Rouhani reiterated that the volume of the trade between the two countries should increase to $20 billion a year.

In July 2019 Iraqi sources said Baghdad was planning to introduce a financial mechanism similar to Europe's INSTEX to be able to continue gas and electricity imports from Iran in return for food and medicine, the two items that are not covered by U.S. sanctions.

Iran exports non-oil commodities such as cement as well as gas and electricity to Iraq. In the year between March 2018 to March 2019, Iran exported close to $9 billions of products to Iraq, which was 37 percent higher than in the previous year.

Iraq is the second biggest importer of Iranian non-oil commodities but the volume of Iran's imports from Iraq is very small.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/company-established -to-make-purchases-on-iran-s-behalf-to- settle-iraq-s-5-billion-debt/30745210.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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A group of migrant workers, who returned to Bihar from Jammu and Kashmir following some respite in nationwide restrictions, have set up a paver block manufacturing workshop at Madhopur-Bairiya village in Gaunaha block of West Champaran.

These 12 migrants are among the 46 workers identified by the district administration to be transformed into entrepreneurs from labourers.

We are getting good support here and we need to excel in our business. Days are not far off, when we would be able to give employment to others if things went our way, said Suraj Kumar, 28, who has about 14 years of experience in manufacturing of paver at a factory near old Rawalpora airport in Srinagar.

Coronavirus has certainly been a factor and an eye-opener for us. The biggest problem lies in the fact that we chose to be defensive and not to risk anything in our lives, said Maksudan Yadav, a resident of Madhopur-Bairiya village, a worker at the unit.

Also Read: Patna tops Bihars districts with 316 Covid-19 cases; Bhagalpur, Gaya take tally near 40,000

Their employer described them as hard workers. Its certainly a loss for us as they had pretty good experiences ranging from two years to 14 years with us. However, our door is always open for them, said Umar Bashir, who runs JD group of industries in Srinagar.

Within one month of working together, as many as 14 workers, 12 of them from Srinagar, have churned out about 75,000 pebbles (12x12 with one inch thickness), besides flower pots (about 60 pieces), cement bench (one piece), bed, tables and chairs.

All the materials needed such as stone dust, pebbles, sand, colour, hardeners and cement are readily available here, said Om Prakash Yadav.

We used to earn 3.5 for each block in Srinagar which had to be shared among ten to twelve workers. However, we managed to save close to 1 lakh in seven to eight months of working due to the volume of production, said Rahul Yadav.

Watch:Bihar floods | Over 10 lakh people affected, 1 lakh+ evacuated: SDMA

While, they have received orders for paver blocks from the panchayat and block officer, district development commissioner (DDC) also placed an order of 6,000 paver blocks.

The orders from panchayat and block office have been placed. We are helping them to get a loan from the bank, said Harimohan Kumar, block development officer (BDO), Gaunaha.

West Champaran district magistrate (DM) Kundan Kumar said the whole concept is aimed at turning migrant workers into entrepreneurs.

A multi-pronged strategy was adopted ranging from micro-detailing of their skills to backward and forward linkage (raw material procurement and marketing for finished products), to making udyami mitra mandal (a group of productive people) during their stay in quarantine itself, said Kundan Kumar.

He added that senior officials have been engaged to help them set up their businesses and to open up new avenues for them as entrepreneurs as beneficiaries of Bihar governments Nav Parivartan Yojna and bank loan scheme.

Meanwhile, a group of 30 entrepreneurs from Noida, Gandhinagar, Ludhiana and other places visited Bettiah recently.

The DM says they were apprised about the benefits they would receive from the district administration if they chose to outsource their work and source products from home grown units.
Ren Zhiqiang, who spoke against censorship and other sensitive topics, disappeared from public view after publishing an essay that accused Xi of mishandling the outbreak

Beijing: The former chairman of a state-owned real estate company who publicly criticised President Xi Jinpings handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and will be prosecuted on corruption charges, the party announced Friday.

Ren Zhiqiang, who had become known for speaking up about censorship and other sensitive topics, disappeared from public view in March after publishing an essay online that accused Xi of mishandling the outbreak that began in December in the central city of Wuhan.

Ren, 69, is accused of corruption, embezzlement, taking bribes and abusing his position at a state-owned company, the Discipline Inspection Commission of Xicheng District in Beijing said on its website.

The former chairman and deputy party secretary of Huayuan Group was expelled from the ruling party and his case was turned over to prosecutors, the agency said. It gave no details of the offenses.

Xi, who became ruling party leader in 2012, has suppressed criticism, tightened censorship and cracked down on unofficial organisations. Dozens of journalists, labor and human rights activists and others have been imprisoned.

In a commentary that circulated on social media, Ren criticised a 23 February video conference with 1,70,000 officials held early in the pandemic at which Xi announced orders for responding to the disease.

Ren didn't mention Xi's name but said, standing there was not an emperor showing off his new clothes but a clown who had stripped off his clothes and insisted on being an emperor.

Ren criticised propaganda that portrayed Xi and other leaders as rescuing China from the disease without mentioning where it began and possible mistakes including suppressing information at the start of the outbreak.

People did not see any criticism at the conference. It didn't investigate and disclose the truth, Ren wrote, according to a copy published by China Digital Times, a website in California. No one reviewed or took responsibility. But they are trying to cover up the truth with all kinds of great achievements.

Ren had an early military career and his parents were both former high officials in the Communist party, leading some to call him a princeling, an oft-used reference to the offspring of the founders of the Peoples Republic  including Xi.

That status might have provided him with some immunity from prosecution, although he appears to have crossed a line by criticising Xis personal leadership, whether by name or implication.

Ren ran into trouble a few years ago, when state media reported he had been accused of violating party political discipline. His party membership was put on probation for one year. He had an early spell of trouble in the mid-1980s.
It would be difficult to nominate a worse candidate than Hillary Clinton, but the Democrats will with the nomination of Joe Biden.

Biden called President Trump the first "racist" president. This is plain historical ignorance, stupidity, and lying.

About ten presidents, most of them Democrats such as Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, and Van Buren, owned slaves. Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, segregated federal employees. But the truth does not matter to Biden.

Given today's divisive political and cultural climate, to accuse the president of racism, without any evidence, is defamatory and corrosive to our country, especially after the Russia Hoax.

Contrast Biden's unfounded accusation against President Trump with his fond remembrances of working with fellow segregationist Democratic senators. Biden said he worked "civilly" with Democratic segregationist senators such as Senator James Eastland. Biden said:

Even in the days when I got there, the Democratic Party still had seven or eight old-fashioned Democratic segregationists. You'd get up and you'd argue like the devil with them. Then you'd go down and have lunch or dinner together. The political system worked. We were divided on issues, but the political system worked.

As late as June 2019, Biden described "segregation" as a difference on "issues," as if segregation is an accepted view on the political issue of race relations. How does Black Lives Matter accept Biden as the nominee?

Biden made a litany of racially insensitive remarks. Most well known is when Biden said Obama was the "first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright, clean, well spoken. That's a storybook man" (emphasis added).

Biden said "first," as if there were no articulate, bright, clean, well spoken black Americans before Obama. How about Martin Luther King, Jr.? Professor Thomas Sowell? Condoleezza Rice? Justice Thurgood Marshall? Justice Clarence Thomas?

Despite this, Obama selected Biden as his V.P., which is strong evidence to rebut Biden's statement that Obama is "bright."

A comprehensive analysis of Biden's career that shows how unqualified he is for the presidency was written by a union progressive activist, Ronald Dixon, who recounts Biden's history of racist assumptions, corruption, lying, plagiarism, and mental decline, titled "The Long List of Reasons Why I Will Never Vote for Joe Biden."

But CBS, ABC, NBC, MSN, CNN, the Washington Post, the N.Y. Times, and other members of the media wing of the Democratic Party have ignored and will ignore all past comments and conduct by Biden and will ignore current statements by Biden that evidence his incompetency due to his declining mental state.

The Democrats and the media know that Biden is mentally incompetent. But they do not care. They care only to beat President Trump. The Democratic media will protect Biden and contribute to further dividing the country on race.

Biden was always a lying, corrupt politician. Now he is a mentally incompetent, lying, corrupt politician. A perfect fit for the modern Democratic Party and the media.

Image: Marc Nozell via Flickr.
The World Health Organization reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Friday, up by 284,196 in 24 hours, with the United States and Brazil accounting for almost half the total, France 24 reports.

Deaths from Covid-19 rose by 9,753, the biggest one-day increase since a record high of 9,797 deaths on April 30.

The previous WHO record for new cases was 259,848 on July 18.

The WHO reported 69,641 new cases in the United States, 67,860 in Brazil, 49,310 in India and 13,104 in South Africa. The largest increases in new deaths were 3,876 in Peru, 1,284 in Brazil, 1,074 in the United States, 790 in Mexico and 740 in India.

Peru recently reviewed its Covid-19 data and in one day increased its total death toll by 3,000 to a total of over 17,000 fatalities.

India on July 17 became the third country in the world to record more than 1 million cases of the new coronavirus, behind only the United States and Brazil. Epidemiologists say India is still likely months from hitting its peak.

Cases in Brazil crossed the 2 million mark on July 16, doubling in less than a month as the country adds nearly 40,000 new cases a day. A patchwork of state and city responses has held up poorly in Brazil, in the absence of a tightly coordinated policy from the federal government.
Greg Page has recalled what went through his mind when suffering a heart attack at a Wiggles reunion concert in January this year.

The 48-year-old told The Weekend Australian on Saturday that he remembers three things: breathing heavily, lying on the ground and waking up in hospital.

'And looking up at the ceiling and just feeling unwell, but not in a bad way. I just felt absolutely exhausted,' the former Yellow Wiggle added.

Reflection: Former Yellow Wiggle Greg Page (right), 48, recalled to The Weekend Australian on Saturday what went through his mind, the moment he suffered a heart attack during a reunion concert in January. Pictured on A Current Affair prior to the attack

Greg went on to express his gratitude to those who helped save his life.

'The fact that those people stepped up to have a go at saving a life, I am so grateful. Had they not stepped in, I would be dead,' he said.

Towards the end of the group's performance at the Castle Hill RSL in Sydney on January 17, Greg dramatically collapsed at the side of the stage.

'Had they not stepped in, I would be dead': Greg went on to express his gratitude to those who helped save his life. Pictured leaving hospital after recovering from cardiac arrest

In his first interview since the attack on radio station 2GB in February, Greg said he had no warning signs.

He had even seen a doctor just weeks earlier, who had run him through a series of stress tests.

Greg said while his cholesterol was a 'little high', it was 'nothing to be concerned about'.

Health scare: In his first interview since the attack on radio station 2GB in February, Greg said he had no warning signs. Pictured recovering after his cardiac arrest

Consulted doctors beforehand: Greg said while his cholesterol was a 'little high', it was 'nothing to be concerned about'. Pictured on 2GB radio

'I went happily on my way, Wiggle-d my butt off that night, and nearly didn't make it,' he recounted of the concert.

Despite his heart attack, Greg said he still considers himself to be 'fitter' than he's ever been, and said he was carrying more weight when he left The Wiggles in 2013.

'I felt really good. No warning signs, no symptoms, so when the show was coming up, I thought, "Yeah, okay, I'll just walk a little bit harder this morning, go a little bit faster",' he said.

Branding The Wiggles concerts 'tough', Greg said he was determined to get into the best physical shape he could before the one-off reunion concert.

Shaping up: Branding The Wiggles concerts 'tough', Greg said he was determined to get into the best physical shape he could before the one-off reunion concert. Pictured (L-R) Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt, Greg and Anthony Field in London in June 2006
Returned ballots, misprinted ballots, and significant mail delays were just some issues New Jersey voters encountered during the July mail-in primary, and county clerks say significant improvements would have to be made if the November election is held the same way.

Lack of awareness surrounding the elections was one of the biggest hurdles counties has to overcome, Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello told NJ Advance Media this week as county offices neared the end of a three-week stint of finalizing results.

We had quite a few people that were saying, why did I get a ballot mailed to me?, because they didnt know that was the way that the governor had ordered the election to be conducted for this election, Sollami-Covello said, saying a lack of voter awareness was just one of the issues her office faced in the primary election.

Less than 20% of New Jersey voters knew the election had been moved to July, a Rutgers Eagleton poll found.

The state really didnt step up on (education). I never saw any of their stuff. They claim they did a campaign but I never saw it, Hunterdon County Clerk Mary Melfi told NJ Advance Media.

Early education will be key to a smooth November election, both clerks said.

We know November is coming, and we know more or less that were going to be dealing in some way with the coronavirus, Sollami-Covello said. I hope we get some kind of information, it will just help us in planning and preparing.

Spokeswomen for the governors office and the Division of Elections declined to comment Thursday morning. A plan for the general election has not yet been announced.

Having advance notice of how the election will be conducted will allow clerks offices to begin printing and designing the ballots, and order larger-than-usual amounts of mailing supplies, like envelopes, Sollami-Covello said.

In a typical election, Mercer County needs about 27,000 envelopes, Sollami-Covello said. This year, her office sent out about 250,000 pieces of mail.

That number includes ballots sent to all registered Democrats and Republicans, and party affiliation forms for all unaffiliated voters.

Should all registered voters automatically receive a mail-in ballot this fall, that could place a significant strain on the postal system, both said. There were over six million registered voters in New Jersey during the 2019 general election.

Despite being told, years ago, that election mail had priority, the postal officials advised the clerks some elections mail did not have priority including some of our sample ballots, Sollami-Covello said, adding that it caused delays.

Some completed ballots were mailed back to senders after the post office scanned the wrong barcodes, and the USPS could see significant delays in November, Melfi said.

When you have the entire state voting by mail you need to have the post office has to be prepared for it, Sollami-Covello said.

Having ballots automatically sent also creates the possibility that deceased voters, or voters who have since moved and registered elsewhere, would get a ballot, Melfi said. Voters are typically only removed from the rolls if the clerks office is informed theyre no longer eligible to vote in that county.

Melfi said her office got back about 1,500 ballots that they sent out, something she attributed to garbage data in the system.

It just doesnt give a lot of confidence in the system when erroneous ballots go out, she said.

Both clerks said they saw higher voter turn-out, but that the bulk of votes were cast through the mail. Official voter turn-out numbers were not yet available.

Voters were able to cast provisional ballots at limited polling locations, and ballot booths were available to voters with disabilities.

Melfi believes it will be possible to have wide-spread in-person voting in November, should the severity of the pandemic remain the same, and that in-person voting could have safely happened in July.

There were people who wanted to vote on a machine, she said. Everything loosened up, you also had (Murphy) at the center of the (George Floyd) protest, and then people were just very, very angry that they couldnt vote on the machine.

When asked if the issues her office encountered during the July primary could be remedied, Melfi was blunt. No, I dont think it would be fixed in time for the November election, she told NJ Advance Media.

A Division of Elections subcommittee made up of clerks from several counties will be meeting with officials from the governors office in the coming weeks to discuss how the general election will be conducted, Sollami-Covello said.

We asked that the governor notify us what type of election were going to be having no later than August 10, which is the date of the drawing for the county to draw the ballot positions, Sollami-Covello said.

Support for a primarily mail-in election was sharply divided among party lines, a Rutgers Eagleton poll published in May found. Seventy percent of Democrats supported voting by mail, while 72% of Republicans opposed it.

The New Jersey GOP strongly opposes an all-mail election similar to the Primary for the Fall Elections. There were dozens of problems, both big and small, and its impossible for people to have confidence in this system, New Jersey Republican Chairman Doug Steinhardt said, citing rejected ballots, ballots sent to deceased voters, and issues with the USPS as causes for concern.

Philip Swibinski, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Democratic Committee, called the primary by and large a success.

(Murphy) was able to find a solution that allowed people to exercise their vote in a safe way and provide flexibility for people, particularly in urban areas, where there are difficulties voting by mail, Swibinski said, referring to the ballot drop boxes and provisional in-person voting.

It was still too early to make a judgement for the November election, Swibinski said, adding, Everyones preference is to have a traditional election if that is safe, but I think the governor will make the best decision for the state.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

July 24, 2020



NEW YORK, July 24, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on critics of a State Department document on unalienable rights:

On July 16, the U.S. State Department, led by Secretary Mike Pompeo, issued its "Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights." Since that time, it has become increasingly evident that its critics, at home and abroad, are using the same playbook.

In the United States, the Center for American Progress is leading the way. In the United Kingdom, openDemocracy Limited (it publishes openDemocracy.net) is the key source. Both have released statements critical of the Report and both are funded by the Ford Foundation and George Soros's Open Society Institute, two notoriously anti-Catholic and pro-abortion entities.

The Center for American Progress is a large-scale organization that was founded by John Podesta. He was White House Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton and chairman of Hillary Clinton's failed presidential campaign; he also worked in the Obama administration. Today this enormously wealthy institution is run by Neera Tanden. She also worked in the Clinton and Obama administrations and was active in Hillary's bid for the White House.

The Center for American Progress employs left-wing experts covering 21 different issues, one of which is Religion and Values. Unlike its support for LGBT rights, it shows very little enthusiasm for promoting religious rights. Indeed, it is more interested in detailing how religious liberty can be a problem.

Thus, it was not surprising to learn that it would release a letter signed by more than "30 faith leaders" warning against Pompeo's "new push to put property rights and religious freedom at the forefront of American diplomacy." What was surprising is that the signatoriesmostly pro-abortion and pro-gay rights activists (including those who falsely claim a Catholic status)would actually go so far as to say that by giving primacy to religious freedom, the Report "will weaken religious freedom itself."

What's that? Only left-wing religious leaders would argue that giving prominence to religious freedom would weaken it. These same people would never say that giving prominence to LGBT rights would weaken those rights.

They are upset with the "hierarchy of rights" outlined in the Report. They argue that when it comes to rights, "none should be subordinate to another." Though they do not mention LGBT rights, it is clear from their political leanings and affiliations that they had these rights in mind when they expressed concern that the Report might "justify marginalizing certain rights."

The analysis provided by openDemocracy, "Justifying American Exceptionalism: The Commission on Unalienable Rights Undermines Modern Human Rights," is more specific.

This so-called "independent global media platform" is comprised of left-wing philanthropists and activists from around the world. It was founded in 2000 to "ensure that marginalized views and voices are heard." For the uninitiated, that does not include the most marginalized views and voices in the Western world today, namely those of a religious or conservative persuasion.

The openDemocracy document, like the letter issued by the Center for American Progress, is not happy with the elevated status given to religious liberty in the Report. It is particularly incensed over the high profile given to the Declaration of Independence. "There is no mention of the French Revolution or the Enlightenment which formed the background for the Declaration of Independence," it says.

Not to be picky, but it is not certain how the French Revolution, which began in 1789, could have "formed the background for the Declaration of Independence," which was written in 1776. But who cares about history?

Perhaps Mary Ann Glendon, who heads the Commission, should have mentioned that the reason why we must give priority to unalienable rights is because the French Revolution decimated them.

She could have cited, for instance, the murder of the Catholic clergy, the plunder of Catholic property, and the bloodstained attempts to destroy Catholicism in all of its vestiges. She might have ended by agreeing with historians that the French Revolution was the world's first totalitarian regime. But this is probably not what these sages were thinking.

Unlike the Center for American Progress, openDemocracy cites LGBT rights several times. It is these newly invented rights that really fires the globalists. They want to make sure that when the First Amendment guarantee of religious liberty clashes with the homosexual agenda, the former loses every time.

Both the U.S. and the U.K. organizations are miffed that the Report does not mirror the universality of rights noted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Report does not dodge this anticipated complaint, noting that while the Universal Declaration "does not explicitly establish a hierarchy of rights," it is the duty of the U.S. State Department to "determine which rights most accord with national principles, priorities, and interests at any given time."

It might also be said that among the rights mentioned in the Universal Declaration that these organizations want to put on the same plane with religious liberty is the "right to rest and leisure" (Article 24).

More rest and leisure for these geniuses is exactly what the doctor ordered.
On July 20, Nancy Pelosi said that if President Trump refuses to accept the results of the November election, he will have to be "fumigated" out of the White House. Fumigation is a technique used against insects, and the idea that human beings are insects has a long history in totalitarian discourse. Hitler described Jews as "vermin" and "parasites," a form of dehumanization that is always just one step away from physical violence. Speaker Pelosi should apologize immediately, and profusely, for her use of this inappropriate rhetoric.

Most thoughtful persons would agree that labeling another an "insect" is uncivil. A cultured individual who practices civility is tolerant of the opinions and beliefs of others, and indeed, toleration is the best measure of civility. One may be a Catholic, but he practices tolerance toward other Christian and non-Christian forms of belief, even including atheism and agnosticism. He may be a liberal, but he values the opinions of conservatives and treats conservatives with respect.

By this measure, Joe Biden and the radicals who now support him have not been civil. Biden now expresses contempt for conservative policies before even considering their potential value. So it was with President Trump's pledge to buy American-made goods. That pledge of "America First" drew harsh criticism from Biden and his party  until Biden stole the idea and made it part of his own platform. Biden could not bring himself to admit that Trump was right. That sort of contempt for another is the essence of incivility.

Like most liberals, Biden's contempt is all-encompassing. In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., ultimately decided in Hobby Lobby's favor by the Supreme Court, Biden sided with those who would force persons of traditional Christian faith to pay for employees' contraceptives. Indeed, it was Biden's Affordable Care Act that forced Hobby Lobby to provide all twenty FDA-approved contraceptives to employees. The Obama administration was intolerant of traditionalists when it wrote the contraceptive mandate into the Affordable Care Act, and Biden would only double down on this intolerance if he sought to restore the mandate to his "expanded" version of Obamacare.

Hobby Lobby was not an isolated case of liberal intolerance. In every free speech case that arose during the Obama years, Biden seemed more than willing to force his opinions on others.

The Michael Flynn case is a good example. After denying all knowledge of the decision to go after Flynn, Biden corrected himself but said he played no part in the decision. Then it came to light that he attended a key meeting at which that very decision was made, and that he apparently argued in favor of investigating Flynn, as confirmed by Peter Strzok's handwritten record of the meeting. Was V.P. Biden "civil" in his treatment of Gen. Flynn? Was he "tolerant" of the incoming administration? Has he ever been tolerant of these who oppose him?

Biden still wants to impeach the president because he investigated Biden and his son's dealings with Ukraine's Burisma Holdings. So the president, sworn to uphold the law, is to be impeached for investigating what appears to be corrupt dealing with a foreign power? What next? The president should have nothing to do with enforcing the law?

Well, yes. Biden has voiced no support for sending federal agents to Portland, Oregon, or to other cities. Former education secretary Arne Duncan, Biden's associate in the Obama administration, has denounced the idea of sending federal agents into Chicago to quell the violence. Biden has been cagey, but he may be just as opposed as Duncan.

To sit by and watch hundreds of persons shot and killed in Chicago and in other cities across America is not a mark of tolerance or concern. Biden pretends to be the special friend of blacks, but he is willing to see thousands gunned down, even though those killings could be prevented. Not just that: he and his party condemn those who want to prevent the killings.

Biden's position is not just wrong  it is intolerant and uncivil. Is it civil to say that police should not defend the lives and property of citizens? Is it tolerant to say police have no right to defend themselves when under attack? But that, in effect, is what Biden is saying.

Civility is far more than "consideration" or "good manners." It is the difference between savagery and civilization. Contempt for others is the first step on the path toward genocide. It's not just impolite; it's dangerous for liberals to suggest that southerners are the descendants of "traitors," or that military bases must be renamed because of their connection with Southern leaders.

Is V.P. Biden unaware of New England's Hartford Convention, with its secessionist agenda, or of extensive spying for Britain on the part of New Englanders during the War of 1812? If Southern secession was "traitorous," would Mr. Biden not admit that the role of New Englanders in the War of 1812 (and again in the Mexican-American War) was worse than traitorous, and that places and monuments named for New Englanders must be renamed? In light of New England's past behavior, should the New England Patriots be renamed the New England Turncoats?

Another word for contempt is arrogance, and arrogance of the worst kind is on display in the mainstream media's attitude toward the president, in the attitude of liberal politicians toward our nation's history, and in the treatment of citizens like the McCloskeys by a St. Louis prosecutor. Radical attacks, not just on property and individuals, but on faith, history, and culture, are proof of the contempt in which liberals hold the rest of the population. These attacks continue year after year, and they are splitting our nation apart.

As we enter the last three months of the presidential campaign, we will see even greater examples of incivility. As bad as it has been for three and a half years, the left's treatment of President Trump will exhibit new depths of contempt, arrogance, and intolerance. Sadly, half of the electorate will see nothing wrong with this. The public is used to it by now. After decades of Schumer, Pelosi, Obama, and Biden, public taste has been coarsened to the degree that it accepts a bald-faced lie or slanderous charges of racism or sexual assault.

We live in an age of incivility both in our personal dealings and in the public arena. We retreat to our homes and switch off the political commentary, hoping for an hour of peace. But if Biden is elected, there will be nowhere to hide. Biden's tax plan will strip away the prosperity that makes our comfortable homes possible, and he will remove the police protection that makes life safe. The streets will fill with looters, vandals, and anarchists, and Biden will sit back, as he does now, and excuse their behavior as a legitimate form of protest.

Excusing violence of this kind, and committing the violence of property theft via taxation, is hardly civil. It resembles the thuggish behavior of tyrants everywhere, from Mao to Chavez to Hitler and Stalin. None of these men was "civil" in his behavior, and Biden appears not to be so, either.

As conservatives, we continue to call for civility, and we refuse to lower ourselves to the name-calling and slander so common among liberals. Even as liberals move toward violence and autocracy, we wish to preserve a democratic society based on respect and tolerance. We will not lower ourselves to incivility, even in these times of anarchy and political division.

Jeffrey Folks is the author of many books and articles on American culture including Heartland of the Imagination (2011).

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr.
Two young children hold signs through the car window that make reference to the 2020 U.S. Census as they wait in the car with their family at an outreach event in Dallas. Thousands of census takers are about to begin the most labor-intensive part of Americas once-a-decade headcount. Read more

ORLANDO, Fla.  If President Donald Trump succeeds in getting immigrants in the country illegally excluded from being counted in the redrawing of U.S. House districts, California, Florida and Texas would end up with one less congressional seat each than if every resident were counted, according to an analysis by a think tank.

Without that population, California would lose two seats instead of one, Florida would gain one seat instead of two and Texas would gain two seats instead of three, according to the analysis by Pew Research Center.

Additionally, the Pew analysis shows Alabama, Minnesota and Ohio would each keep a congressional seat they most likely would have lost during the process of divvying up congressional seats by state known as apportionment, which takes place after the U.S. Census Bureau completes its once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident. The bureau currently is in the middle of the 2020 census.

Federal law requires the Census Bureau to hand over the final head-count numbers used for apportionment to the president at the end of the year, but the bureau is asking Congress for an extension until next April 30 because of disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Every resident of a state is traditionally counted during apportionment, but Trump last Tuesday issued a directive seeking to bar people in the U.S. illegally from being included in the headcount as congressional districts are redrawn. Trump said including them in the count would create perverse incentives and undermine our system of government.

At least four lawsuits or notices of a legal challenge have been filed seeking to halt the directive. Some opponents say it's an effort to suppress the growing political power of Latinos in the U.S.

The president's directive breaks with almost 250 years of tradition and is unconstitutional, according to a lawsuit filed by Common Cause, the city of Atlanta and others in federal court in the District of Columbia. Other challenges have been filed or are in the process of being brought by the ACLU on behalf of immigrant rights groups, a coalition of states led New York Attorney General Letitia James and civil rights groups already suing the Trump administration over an effort to gather citizenship data through administrative records.

Trump issued the order to gather citizenship data on U.S. residents through administrative records last year after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked his administrations effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census form. Opponents said a citizenship question would have discouraged participation in the nations head count, not only by people living in the country illegally but also by citizens who fear that participating would expose noncitizen family members to repercussions.

The Democratic-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform is asking Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham and other officials to testify about the Republican president's directive at a hearing next Wednesday.

During a conference call on Saturday, the chair of the House committee, Democratic U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, called the order blatantly unconstitutional and illegal.

Congress is empowered to determine how the census is conducted, not the president, Maloney said.
Medical staff take charge of passengers in a COVID-19 testing center, set up in the arrival hall of the Charles de Gaulle international airport in Roissy, north of Paris (AP)

Frances coronavirus infection has rate crept higher as health authorities warn the country is going backwards in its battle against the pandemic.

Elsewhere in Europe, Spain has cracked down on nightlife, while German authorities were confident enough to send a cruise ship out to sea with 1,200 passengers for a weekend test of how the industry can begin to resume.

French health authorities said the closely-watched R infection gauge is now up to 1.3, suggesting that infected people are contaminating 1.3 other people on average.

Expand Close A resident wearing a mask to curb the spread of the coronavirus stands near a shuttered store that offered visa application services outside the United States Consulate in Chengdu in southwestern Chinas Sichuan province (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Frances daily new infections are also rising  up to 1,130 on Friday.

Covid-19 has already killed at least 30,195 people in the country and infection indicators now resemble those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

We have thus erased much of the progress that wed achieved in the first weeks of lockdown-easing, health authorities said, adding that the French appear to be letting down their guard during their summer holidays, with those testing positive making less of an effort to self-isolate.

They appealed for a return to collective discipline, asking people to work from home and get tested if they have any suspicions of infection.

In Spain, Catalonia became the latest region to crack down on nightlife, trying to halt new infection clusters.

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The wealthy north-east region  home to Barcelona  ordered all nightclubs to close for 15 days and put a midnight curfew on bars in the greater Barcelona area and other towns around Lleida that have become contagion hot zones.

Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warn that the country that lost 28,000 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing the start of a second major outbreak.

Despite the concerns, some European countries continued to gradually reopen.

A German cruise ship set sail for the first time since the industry was shut down.

Mein Schiff 2 sailed from the port of Hamburg towards Norway on Friday night, and passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on Monday.

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The ship had only 1,200 people on board compared with its normal 2,900 capacity.

But with many other cruise companies now looking toward trips in 2021, interest is sure to be high in how Germany, which has been praised for its handling of the pandemic, can kick off the struggling cruise industry.

In other parts of the world, the pandemic appears to have the upper hand.

India, which has the worlds third-highest infections behind the United States and Brazil, reported its death toll rose by 740 to 30,601.

It saw a surge of more than 49,000 new cases, raising its total to over 1.2 million. The home ministry issued an advisory calling for Independence Day celebrations on August 15 to avoid large gatherings.

South Africa, Africas hardest-hit country, reported more than 13,000 new cases, raising its total to more than 408,000.

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South Korea reported more than 100 new coronavirus cases for the first time in four months. The 113 new cases included 36 workers returning from Iraq and 32 crew members of a Russian freighter.

Worldwide, more than 15.7 million infections and over 640,000 deaths have been reported, according to data compiled from government announcements by Johns Hopkins University.

Experts say all those figures understate the true toll of the pandemic, due to limited testing and other issues.

In the United States, which has the worlds worst outbreak, Texas, which has been struggling with the virus, braced for the arrival of Hurricane Hanna, which could make everything more difficult.

The storm is heading for Nueces County, one of the states coronavirus hotspots.

In Mississippi, governor Tate Reeves tightened controls on bars to protect young, drunk, careless folks.

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Bars already were limited to operating at 50% capacity. Now patrons will have to sit down to order alcohol and sales stop at 11pm.

New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered bars closed and banned restaurants from selling alcoholic drinks to take away.

The call came after more than 2,000 new cases were reported for the surrounding state of Louisiana, including 103 in New Orleans.

The United States has suffered more than 145,000 deaths and has more than 4.1 million confirmed cases.

In Australia, premier Daniel Andrews of the southern state of Victoria announced five deaths and 357 new cases.

Victoria, where the death toll has risen to 61, earlier closed its border with neighbouring New South Wales.

In Yemen, 97 medical workers have died of the virus, a serious blow to a country with few doctors that is in the midst of a five-year-old war, the humanitarian group MedGlobal said in a report.

The overwhelming death toll will have immense short-term and long-term health effects, said the reports lead author, Kathleen Fallon.
Sachin Gokhale alleged that the government-empanelled agency employed by the Maharashtra CEO shared its registered address with an ad agency that was owned by the national convenor of BJP IT cell.

The Election Commission has ordered an inquiry into the allegations that a digital advertising agency linked to the BJP's IT cell was hired by the Maharashtra poll panel ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections.

Saket Gokhale, a journalist-turned-activist, alleged on Twitter that the firm Social Central, hired for for social media purposes, had direct links with the BJP.

Maharashtra, at the time, was ruled by the saffron party.

EC spokesperson Sheyphali Sharan, responding to Gokhale's tweet, said the poll panel has sought a detailed report from the Maharashtra CEO: "Regarding tweet of Mr Gokhale @SaketGokhale Commission has sought detailed factual report in this matter from CEO Maharashtra with respect to alleged locale of the incident immediately."

Gokhale, in a series of tweets, had claimed that the government-empanelled agency employed by the Maharashtra CEO shared its registered address '202 Pressman House, Vile Parle, Mumbai' with an ad agency owned by Devang Dave, national convenor of IT and social media for BJP's youth wing.

Shocking details: Election Commission of India literally hired the BJP IT Cell for handling their social media in Maharashtra in the run-up to the 2019 State Assembly Elections. Thread   Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) July 23, 2020

The activist claimed that the address '202 Pressman House, Vile Parle, Mumbai' on the social media advertisements put out by the Maharashtra Election Commission belonged to Signpost India, which was an empanelled agency under the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis government.

Browsing through the old social media adverts of the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra, something very strange stood out. The Chief Electoral Officer reports to the ECI. In each of the ads, the address seemed to be the same: "202 Pressman House, Vile Parle, Mumbai" (1/6) pic.twitter.com/OAGJ2xiSet  Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) July 23, 2020

As per records, the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) had appointed Signpost India Private Limited for social media publicity work of Election Commission of India, Maharashtra, in 2018.

Gokhale further claimed that that Dave was also a founder of pages such as 'The Fearless Indian' and 'I Support Narendra Modi' on Facebook.

"The above pages are full hateful content of BJP IT Cell," Gokhale claimed.

Maharashtra CEO Baldev Harpal Singh, who has held the office since June last year, told The Print a detailed report has been sought of the facts".

The Indian Express quoted Dave as saying, "Baseless allegations are being raised against me to suit the political narrative of Opposition parties. I'm being targeted as I come from a middle class background with no political legacy. My legal team is going through the accusations and will reply soon."

Congress leaders have also demanded an inquiry into the matter.

Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said in a press conference on Friday: "The appointment of a BJP office-bearer clearly indicates the CEO office failed in its duty. I have requested the chief election commissioner of India to conduct an inquiry into it."

Reacting to the incident, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant also demanded an investigation.

"We demand an inquiry into this serious issue by an independent Election Commission panel. The EC is supposed to work independently. Here a company of a national office bearer of the BJP youth wing was instrumental in handling social media of CEO Maharashtra. What about EC data? Why was the firm's background not checked?" he asked.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections were held in October 2019.

Gokhale has also accused BJP workers of harassing him and threatening to kill him after he publicly opposed the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya city on 5 August amid the coronavirus crisis.

Gokhale on Friday moved the Allahabad High Court seeking a restraining order on the bhoomi poojan or ground-breaking ceremony for the Ram temple.

He had argued that around 300 people would gather at a single location and violate the social distancing guidelines to contain the spread of the coronavirus. His petition was dismissed.

Hours after the verdict, Gokhale tweeted a video that showed a group of four to five men walking around his residential complex and chanting Jai Shri Ram. The activist alleged that the men, who'd threatened his mother, were members of the RSS.

With inputs from PTI
Covid-19 hits Imperial County hard amid surging California cases

Men wait at dawn on Friday in order to be the first in line to enter a bookkeeping shop to fill out unemployment forms near the US-Mexico border in Imperial County, California, which has been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Unemployment claims in California have reached their highest levels in almost three months, with surging coronavirus cases upending plans to reopen the economy.

Imperial County currently suffers from the highest death rate and near-highest infection rate from Covid-19 in the state. The rural county, which is 85% Latino, borders Mexico and Arizona and endures high poverty rates and air pollution, while also being medically underserved. In California, Latinos make up about 39% of the population but account for 55% of confirmed coronavirus cases.

(Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP)
Orange County's oldest Jane Doe murder case has been solved after 52 years with the help of genetic genealogy.

Authorities identified the victim as Anita Louise Piteau and she was killed in March 1968. The suspect was Johnny Chrisco, who was discharged in the army after three years, when he failed a psych exam.

The psych exam found Chrisco to have "a pattern of being quick to anger, easy to feel unjustly treated, chronically resentful, immature, and impulsive," according to a report. The suspect was 28 years old when he killed Piteau.

"The death of a 26-year-old woman, who was left in a farm field raped, beaten and her neck slashed haunted generations of Huntington Beach police officers, who refused to give up on identifying Jane Doe and finding the person, who robbed a young woman of a lifetime of memories," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer was quoted in a report.

Spitzer noted that after more than five decades, Jane Doe was named and identified her killer through investigative genetic genealogy; something that could not be done in old-fashioned police work.

The Victim

Piteau was 26 when she was murdered by Chrisco. Her remains have been returned to her surviving family. A memorial service in her home of Maine has been held in her honor.

Investigators, who helped in solving the case, attended the memorial service. Huntington Beach Police Chief Rob Handy thanked the authorities, who worked on solving Piteau's case.

Handy said he was extremely grateful and proud of the extraordinary efforts of the active and retired members of the Huntington Beach Police Department and the Orange County district attorney's office.

Piteau's niece noted that the news that her aunt was identified was a comfort to her. She said she was glad that Piteau was found.

Piteau was one of the seven children. She wrote to her mother, a month before she was killed, that she was working as a waitress and would be home in May.

Piteau was discovered on March 14, 1968 by three boys in the area of Newland Avenue and Yorktown Street.

Orange County District Attorney's Office said Piteau was raped and her neck was slashed when she was found.

She was known as Jane Doe for all these years and had been buried in an unmarked grave in Newport Beach before her remains were returned to her family in Maine. The relationship between Chrisco and Piteau was not clear.

The Suspect

No one knew the real identity of Piteau and the only clue to her presumed killer was a cigarette butt found nearby.

Analysis of evidence from the victim's sexual assault kit and clothing resulted in a male DNA profile in 2001. Still, there was no identification.

The cigarette butt that was found to match with the profile developed from the assault kit, but it did not lead to any suspect. Chrisco was not part of the presumed killers in the 1968 crime.

He was then listed in 2016 as one of six deceased veterans, who were unclaimed by family or friends.

Check these out:

'Blindspot' Fall Finale: Another Layer of Mystery for 'Jane Doe'

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By Min Seung-ki







2020-07-24()

With the global cancellation of events hosting large audiences, local and international artists have turned to technology to promote their music amid this concert-hiatus.







Korean boy band BTS recently had success with its online live-stream concert the "Bang Bang Con."







On June 14, BTS performed to an enthusiastic audience of 750,000 fans worldwide. Just as any physical concert would, the live stream showcased the performance of some of the band's hits, along with songs from the most recent album, "Map of the Soul: 7."







The concert was streamed to about 107 countries and was a notable commercial success, earning an estimated 25 billion won.







It was a part of BTS's efforts to promote connectedness in the uncertain time of social distancing. On the "Late Late Show with James Corden," group leader RM offered a word of hope to fans, saying: "I think it's quite a difficult time for everyone in the world right now. It may seem like we're isolated, but we're still connected."







Before the concert, BTS made its commitment to coronavirus efforts known through measures such as a 1.2 billion won donation to live-concert crews affected by the pandemic and the band's Twitter-based #BTS of the Day trend  which updates fans on BTS's social-distancing routine  in an attempt to stay connected.







This is not the first time BTS has stepped up to tackle crises. Throughout their career, band members have focused much of their songs on talking about social issues that are important to young people today.







Distilling their own experiences, they sing about passion, self-love and social marginalization in narrative-based albums such as "Young Forever" and "LOVE YOURSELF."







Being at the forefront of such dialogue, BTS has grown to be more than just a K-pop band, but a voice for international youth that even the wider public can respect. In 2018, BTS was invited to make a speech at a U.N. conference, where band members emphasized the need to follow passion and, most importantly, to "love yourself."







BTS's awareness of its global influence is perhaps what sets the band apart from its peers. The group's socially conscious actions  such as the large donations made to the COVID effort  demonstrate its dedication to utilizing its influence for a good cause.







What is of further significance is that BTS has mobilized fans to emulate their idols. In April, the BTS fan club "ARMY" donated an estimated 537 million won to the COVID-19 effort.







Galvanizing fans to be change-makers, BTS has demonstrated that combating the pandemic requires a global effort. Ultimately, perhaps what BTS and its Bang Bang Con demonstrate is more far-reaching than merely the group's global impact  rather, it goes to show that even small contributions can promote clarity and hope in this time of uncertainty.











The writer is a 12th grader at Seoul International School.


Passengers with their luggage on their way to reach Howrah station and board a long route train, during the complete lockdown in the state to curb the spread of coronavirus, in Kolkata. (PTI)

It has been four months to the day since India was put into lockdown to ward off the coronavirus. During the anxious days of Lockdown 1.0,the peak was promised in a few weeks, and then late May. But when the lockdown was eased in May, the only peaks in sight were the Himalayas from Saharanpur.

Where then are the peaks of COVID? In the last few weeks, talk of India soon approaching the COVID-19 peak have begun to be heard in murmurs.

First, it was Public Health Foundation of India president Dr K Srinath Reddy who said that coronavirus incidence could peak in mid-September in India but added that different states could witness different peak periods. Now, it is Prof GVS Murthy of the Indian Institute of Public Health who has reiterated Dr Reddy's message elaborately.

There cannot be a uniform peak in COVID-19 cases in a large country like India and each state has its own trajectory based on when people there were exposed to the infection, Murthy told PTI on Saturday.

Now, among the states and Union Territories, Delhi is predicted to peak by the end of July or early August. While Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra  some of the worst-affected states in India  are likely to witness the corona peak in September, which is in line with Dr Reddy's prediction.

South of Vindhyas: Come September

"States like Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu should be able to achieve the maximum number of cases by mid-September," Murthy said, adding that these states are currently reporting high numbers but won't do so after mid-September.

Tamil Nadu may peak a bit quicker because it boiled up faster. The state with over 2 lakh confirmed cases of COVID-19 can witness its corona peak by the middle or the third week of August. However, the influx of guest workers made it worse for the southern state. Health minister C Vijaybaskar had blamed guest workers, especially those coming from Maharashtra, for the spurt in cases.

Maharashtra has also been held up as one of the contributors to the spurt in Karnataka. The latter state has nearly 91,000 cases but what is more worrying is the slipping recovery rate of patients. Karnataka now has a recovery rate of around 37 per cent, which is much lower than the national average of 63.54 per cent. Moreover, Karnataka's state of affairs is worth noting because just few weeks back, it was being hailed as a success story in contact tracing.

Already under the scanner for alleged under-reporting of cases and fatalities, Telangana has become one of the corona hubs since June. Since June 3, when the state crossed 3,000 cases, the total number of cases has risen by 1,637 per cent. In addition, the state has one of the lowest testing rates, with just 3,37,771 people tested so far.

With testing likely togo up after multiple criticisms of the state administration's handling of the pandemic, there are also chances of cases piling up. So, Telangana witnessing a September looks like a possibility.

Kerala, however, deserves special mention. "Kerala,you have seen now. They thought they had seen the end of COVID. Suddenly, in the last over 10 days, Kerala has had a much larger number of cases than before," Murthy told PTI.

Kerala was being hailed as a model state even by the WHO, which said, The state governments prompt response to COVID-19 can be attributed to its experience and investment made in emergency preparedness and outbreak response in the past. However, the relaxation of the lockdown and the return of Non-Resident Keralites contributed to the rise in cases.

That Kerala has recorded over 1,000 cases thrice in the last four days, is a reminder that the virus is not going away anytime soon.

Guest workers delay peak in states

However, states like Jharkhand, Murthy said, may peak at a later time as the virus began to spread only after the return of guest workers from COVID-19 hubs like Mumbai and Delhi.

"In states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and parts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the peak will take much longer. The peak would be somewhere towards the end of September or October for those states which had low reporting earlier," he said.

Murthy's assessment specially holds true in the case of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh  two of India's biggest migration pools.

As noted in an earlier article, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh had very low rates of infection in comparison to their populations until April 30. That date holds a major significance in India's lockdown story because the Central government began running special trains to ferry guest workers from the next day. Consequently, the numbers of COVID-19 cases began to rise in these two states.

In terms of numbers, Bihar just had 425 confirmed cases of coronavirus on April 30. It now has 36,314 cases of coronavirus. Percentage-wise, this translates to a whopping 8,444 per cent rise in cases. Moreover, Bihar continues to lag behind in testing its population, with just 4.42 lakh tested so far.

Uttar Pradesh does not fare any better. The state has 63,742 confirmed cases of COVID-19. This figure was just 2,211 on April 30. So, there has been a 2,780 per cent rise in the total cases of coronavirus. Notably,eastern UP, economically backward and sending more migrants to West and South India, became the new cause for concern after the influx of guest workers. Varanasi, in eastern UP, is the third-biggest corona hub in UP after the Lucknow-Kanpur urban agglomeration.

Chhattisgarh is an interesting case. The state just had 40 cases on April 30 but now has nearly 7,000 cases  a massive spurt of over 17,000 per cent in less than three months. Interestingly, the state was being hailed for its effective lockdown before returning guest workers undid the gains.

Delhi to see an early peak

On Saturday, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal declared victory against the COVID-19 pandemic but said the battle is far from over. He said in the last one month, the number of coronavirus cases in Delhi has gone down,deaths have reduced, recovery rate has improved and positivity ratio has lowered.

There is truth to Kejriwal's statement. The number of coronavirus cases in June rose by 319 per cent but only by 48.27 per cent in the 25 days of July. Most likely, the growth rate will still be in two digits by the end of July, when Murthy predicts the city-state's corona cases will peak. The recovery rate, too, has improved from 66.79 per cent on June 30 to 87.29 per cent on July 25.

Thus, one may even infer that Delhi, aided by superior medical infrastructure and testing facilities, may already be in the peak stage and the coming few weeks could see a further reduction in the total number of cases.

But implicitly, Murthy may have also reinforced the notion that urban areas equipped with better infrastructure can ward off epidemics better than underdeveloped regions.

Long story in short: India has to brace for a long haul before the only peak in peoples minds will be the snow-clad Himalayan peaks.
The Fairport Harbor School Board has approved the creation of three new accounts within the districts budget for money that is received through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

Better known as the CARES Act, this economic relief package totaling more than $2 trillion was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in late March.

During the Fairport Harbor School Boards special meeting on July 16, district Treasurer Sherry Williamson asked the panel to authorize the establishment of three accounts, identified by number, specifically for CARES Act funds.

What these are, are three different pots of money that are going to be made available through CARES Act funding coming through the federal government, Williamson said during the meeting, which was held remotely through a video conference. These are new fund account numbers and in order to put them on the books, I need your approval.

The accounts are reserved for money from these three CARES Act programs:

* The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. Williamson said Fairport Harbor Schools has been awarded $99,902 in ESSER money.

Thats primarily to be used for (personal protective equipment), like hand sanitizer, masks, that type of thing, she said.

* The Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund. As of July 16, the date of the boards special meeting, Gov. Mike DeWine had not announced the amounts of federal funding he will allocate to Ohio school districts through the GEER program.

But that is forthcoming for sure, Williamson said. We just dont know the number.

Williamson didnt respond to a July 21 email from The News-Herald, seeking an update on the status of GEER funding.

* The Coronavirus Relief K-12 Fund. Williamson said she was notified on July 16  the same day of the board meeting  that Fairport Harbor Schools was awarded $26,461 in this funding category.

I just havent got all of the specifics on the use of it, she told the board.

After Williamsons explanation of the three accounts, School Board member Bill Lukshaw asked Superintendent Domenic Paolo to guesstimate how much the district would spend during the 2020-21 academic year on personal protective equipment and cleaning to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

I think were going to start the year with 2,500 child size masks and 2,500 adult size masks, Paolo said. And then were going to look at purchasing face shields.

Paolo said he didnt believe that the purchase order for that initial quantity of face coverings would come to more than $5,000 or $6,000.

The district isnt buying a huge quantity of face masks and shields ahead of time, since the health and safety risks posed COVID-19 can change frequently, the superintendent said. These uncertainties could force school districts to forgo plans to hold all classes in-person, and instead shift to a hybrid system of in-person and online instruction, or offer online learning only.

So we dont want to stockpile a whole bunch (of masks and face shields), but want to be able to continue to restock as we go through (the novel coronavirus pandemic), he said.
There have been 18 COVID-19 deaths in Pottawattamie County.

Matt Wyant with Pottawattamie County Public Health clarified the total on Friday, noting a death at Risen Son Christian Village had recently been added to the total at the state level, clearing up confusion from Thursday.

There have been six deaths at Risen Son amid an outbreak at the long-term care facility.

On Friday, Ray Dickison, chief operating officer and leader of a COVID-19 task force for Risen Son parent company Christian Horizons, said the number of residents with COVID-19 remains at 21. He said four have recovered.

An additional staff member has tested positive, putting the total at 16, with 10 recovered.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Pottawattamie County neared 1,000 on Friday afternoon -- there were 99 listed around 2:30 p.m., an increase of 25 from roughly 24 hours earlier, according to coronavirus.iowa.gov.

The website reported 13,100 tests in the county, for a 7.6% positive rate. The state listed 731 recoveries.

Reynolds extends restaurant rules, bottle redemption can resume Sunday

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation Friday extending an order that bars and restaurants require patrons to remain at least 6 feet apart to limit spread of the coronavirus.

The proclamation does not extend the suspension of the requirement for retailers to accept empty bottles and cans for redemption of the container deposit  mean redemptions at area stores will resume on July 26. The head of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association lamented the move.

IGIA has concerns about accepting containers for redemption inside stores where there is not adequate space, separation and machines to handle them, Iowa Grocery Industry Association President Michelle Hurd said in a release.

The association said retailers around the state are "extremely concerned" about how to deal with these containers and the sanitation challenges they pose.

A number of our retail members feel the situation is not right for them to begin accepting containers at this time, says Hurd. Accepting containers inside our stores while we are still dealing with the risks associated with COVID-19 presents an increased risk to the health and safety of our employees and customers.

The Iowa Grocery Industry Association asked consumers "to consider taking their containers to a redemption center or to a location that has a redemption room separate from the store."

The governor's proclamation also extends other requirements, including that bars and restaurants patrons each have seats at a table or bar and that operators maintain increased hygiene practices." In addition, the governor's order extends existing rules for fitness centers, casinos, senior citizen centers and other businesses.

Reynolds this week encouraged residents to wear masks in public but has declined to issue requirements that people wear masks. She also has said local officials don't have the authority to institute mask orders.

The state COVID-19 website listed 41,137 cases Friday afternoon, up from 40,634 the day before. The site listed three new deaths, for a total of 821, along with 29,204 recoveries.

Hospitalizations for the virus were slightly down, to 230 from 232 on Thursday. That included 72 who were being treated in intensive care units. Iowa reached a peak of 417 COVID-19 hospitalizations on May 6.

Available space and equipment to treat new patients in the state's hospitals remained steady, with 39% of the states hospital beds available and 79% of its nearly 800 ventilators available on Friday.

That included 180 beds and 60 ventilators available in Regional Medical Coordination Center region four  which includes Pottawattamie, Mills, Harrison, Cass, Crawford, Shelby, Fremont, Montgomery, Page, Adams, Audubon and Taylor Counties. There were five patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and four in intensive care on Friday.

Information about COVID-19

Symptoms in people who have been exposed to coronavirus can include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

The symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Most people experience mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks.

Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the use of masks when out in public. Make sure it covers the mouth and nose. Face shields are an option as well, as they cover the eyes.

Public health officials recommend:

Stay home as much as possible.

Self-monitor for symptoms.

Call your physician if symptoms appear.

Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper arm/elbow.

Wash hands frequently with soap and water.

Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces.

COVID-19 testing is available in Pottawattamie County via two TestIowa locations: All Care Health Center, 902 S. Sixth St., and Western Historic Trails Center, 3434 Richard Downing Ave.

To get tested, residents must complete the online assessment at testiowa.com to schedule an appointment.

For those struggling with mental health during the pandemic, yourlifeiowa.org has several resources, including a hotline at 855-581-8111 and a text-friendly line at 855-895-8398.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center has a COVID-19 screening app  1-Check COVID.

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Due to the 2700 or so students at Central, some lunch periods typically have from 500 to more than 650 teenagers in the cafeteria at one time, Walsh said. The states current guidelines limit the capacity of cafeterias to 50, the same as for a classroom. District officials say the state is late in clarifying what kind of walls or barriers could be installed temporarily in the cafeteria to divide it safely into multiple spaces of 50 people each.
Ritchie Torres has not yet been elected to Congress, nor has he  at the time of writing  officially been declared the winner of the Democratic primary in New Yorks 15th Congressional District (though his chances look good). But already, the Bronx politician is ruffling some feathers on Capitol Hill.

Torres, a Bronx native who identifies as Afro-Latino, wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post on Sunday arguing that if elected to Congress, he should be allowed to join both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. There is an antiquated rule that prohibits members of Congress from joining both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Torres wrote. You have to pick a side, so to speak. You can be either Black or Latino, but never both. In real life, however, I am both.

Rep. Karen Bass of California, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, later clarified that theres no official written rule preventing members of the caucus from also joining the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, but acknowledged that it has been their tradition, mainly because the issue hasnt come up often. As Politico reported, four members of the Congressional Black Caucus are also members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Bass, too, appeared slightly irked with Torres, saying that the potential new congressman didnt reach out to the caucus about whether he would be welcomed in. We will have to have a discussion about the article that Ritchie Torres wrote about the Black Caucus, because Im sure it was not perceived well by members of the caucus, Bass told Politico.

Still, with Torres applying public pressure before he even makes it to Washington, an unofficial tradition could fall by the wayside. As Congress becomes more diverse, some of its most powerful caucuses could too. It is absolutely something we are going to take up and figure out how we deal with, Bass said this week.

Torres, however, is not the first person to be in this position. In fact, New York alone has a handful of members identifying as Black and Latino. Rep. Antonio Delgado, who was elected in 2018, is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, while Rep. Adriano Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Delgado did not respond to a request for comment and Espaillat declined to be interviewed for this article.

But Espaillat actually raised this same issue in 2017, when he wanted to join both the Black and Hispanic caucuses. The first Dominican American elected to Congress, Espaillat first joined the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and later tried to join the Congressional Black Caucus as well. He was ultimately not let in. Bass told Politico it was because of a specific situation unrelated to Espaillats ethnic background, but wouldnt go into detail about it. Politico reported in 2017 that some members of the caucus were angry that Espaillat had challenged former Rep. Charles Rangel, one of the caucuss founding members.

But the question of who should be allowed to join the Congressional Black Caucus goes back to its founding in 1971, Domingo Morel, an assistant professor of political science at Rutgers University, Newark, told City & State. From its very founding, there were debates about how inclusive the body should be. For instance, you had Shirley Chisholm  from New York, from Brooklyn  who had a significant Puerto Rican constituency, and she was advocating for a more inclusive body, Morel said.

While Bass said that its not in the caucuss bylaws to keep members from joining other racial and ethnic caucuses, some said there are clear historical reasons for keeping the Congressional Black Caucus distinct from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Members decided that for various reasons, it makes sense to be specifically the Congressional Black Caucus, because the Black community needed a body in Congress that spoke to the challenges of Black America, of Black citizens, Morel said.

Today, Congress is more racially and ethnically diverse than it has ever been. Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American members make up 22% of Congress, so those hard lines could blur in the future. Youre going to see that I think a little bit more as Congress begins to reflect the country at large, increasingly, said Carlos Algara, an incoming assistant professor of political science at the University of Texas at El Paso. I think Ritchie Torres is going to be the beginning of a trend  particularly in these more diverse communities where progressive challengers are really taking hold.

Robert Preuhs, a professor of political science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said that one of the goals of both the Black and Hispanic caucuses has been to increase the representation of their communities in elected office. As diversity improves, part of the impetus to keep the bodies distinct could fade. Some of the critical mass that each group was aiming to achieve in terms of membership in Congress is getting close to being met, Preuhs said. Still, racial and ethnic diversity in Congress lags behind the general U.S. population.

But while Preuhs said that the Black and Hispanic caucuses overwhelmingly agree on the issues and vote together on legislation, its possible that their campaign or election wings could come into conflict. Those are the groups that probably have the strongest desire to maintain those distinctions, as they try to advocate for either African American or Latino candidates  particularly in districts where there are large populations of both African Americans and Latinos, and theres one seat to compete over, Preuhs said.

Torres noted in his Washington Post op-ed that his experience and perspective is inseparable from his identity as a Black and Latino man. Expecting Afro-Latinos like myself to be politically alienated from our own blackness  at a time when Black Lives Matter has become the rallying cry of a racially awakened nation  is the cruelest of ironies, he wrote. Asking someone to choose one community to identify with formally is a kind of fracturing of their identity, Morel said. This is part of their identity, and then asking them to only pick one  its part of an experience that they are rejecting, he said.

Along with preventing Torres and others in his position from having to reject part of their identity, joining both caucuses also comes with practical advantages  especially if he is elected this year and faces primary challengers in the heavily Democratic district in 2022. It makes perfect sense why he would want to join both caucuses, Algara said. He can go back to his different constituencies and say to the African American constituency, Im working on these issues that are important to your community, and then he can go back to the Hispanic constituencies and say, Im working on these issues that are important to your communities.

Joining any caucus at all, Algara added, allows new members to rise in ranks, move up in Democratic circles and have an avenue to advocate for ones own interests. That may be especially true of the Congressional Black Caucus. I would argue the Congressional Black Caucus is perhaps the most prominent caucus on the Hill, Algara said. This caucus protects its members, they have access to caucus-based donor networks and theyre able to collaborate on legislation.

Though Torres still has a few steps before his potential caucus membership becomes a reality, he could end up being the first member of both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus  yet another barrier hed be smashing. Im happy to see that Rep. Bass is bringing this to the body to have a conversation about it, and I think its only a matter of time before they decide to change this tradition, Morel said. Whether its now or in the near future, its probably inevitable in my view.
July 24, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - In a Foreign Affairs article in March titled Why America Must Lead Again, Joe Biden claimed that the world does not organize itself, and promised to place the United States back at the head of the table among the nations of the world.

But Bidens premise that the world can only be organized under the direction of the United States, and that the country should aspire to such a dominant position at this moment in history, are out of touch with global reality. It is a view Americans should challenge if we want to avoid endless wars and a debilitating new arms race.

Highlighting these dangers, Bidens Foreign Affairs article appeared with a huge photo of U.S. troops firing heavy artillery into a town in Afghanistan at the height of Obamas escalation of that war in June 2011.

An in-depth report in Defense One on June 30, based on interviews with dozens of Biden insiders, explained how his foreign policy views have reassured military-industrial interests that were worried by the impact of the growing progressive movement on the Democratic Party.

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Biden may not radically change the nations military, Defense One concluded, or even slash the bottom line of the Pentagons $700 billion budget.

These conclusions are consistent with Bidens record as a Senator and Vice President. Biden only once voted against a U.S.-led war, the first Gulf War in 1991. And that was largely a party line vote, in which 45 out of 55 Democratic Senators voted against the use of military force to overturn Iraqs invasion of Kuwait, at the behest of its royal family.

But Biden seems to have learned a perverse lesson from that war, since he later expressed regret for his vote and never voted against a war again. The next time Congress voted on a bill to authorize the use of military force, over Kosovo in 1999, Biden wrote the bill himself. His war bill failed in the House in a rare 213-213 tie, but the United States and NATO attacked Yugoslavia anyway, in a war that was illegal under both U.S. and international law.

As the bombing campaign escalated, killing thousands of civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure from Kosovo to Belgrade, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that the United States and NATOs decision to go to war without U.N. Security Council approval had set the world on a dangerous path to anarchy. Biden responded, Nobody in the Senate agrees with that. There is nothing to debate. He is dead, flat, unequivocally wrong.

Biden then played a key role in the propaganda blitz for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. As John Feffer and Stephen Zunes wrote later, In his powerful position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he orchestrated a propaganda show designed to sell the war to skeptical colleagues and the American public by ensuring that dissenting voices would not get a fair hearing.

During his final twelve years in the Senate, Biden never once voted against a military spending bill. As Vice President, despite the illusion of Obama as a peace President, which even fooled the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Biden was a senior member of an administration that set a post-World War II record for military spending and dropped more bombs and missiles on more countries than Bush and Cheney did.

To Bidens credit, he did oppose the 2011 regime change operation that plunged Libya into endless chaos. Biden also argued against sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, but then supported a policy shift from large-scale U.S. occupations to a greater reliance on bombing, shelling, and covert and proxy war, which Obama adopted and Trump has continued.

The continuing chaos caused by the United States wars in the Middle East, the guerrilla wars now raging across much of Africa, and the rubble and unmarked graves of Ramadi, Kobane, Mosul, Raqqa and other cities in Iraq and Syria are a damning testimony to the Obama and Trump Administrations war policies.

They have succeeded in reducing U.S. casualties and shifting Americas wars off our TV and computer screens, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of largely uncounted civilian deaths.

In fact, Bidens claim that the world needs America to lead it now seems like the punchline to a bad joke, considering that the United States cant deal with a pandemic that China, New Zealand, Vietnam, Germany, Cuba, and other better-organized societies have already containedsimply by prioritizing the health of their people over business interests for a relatively short period of time.

In the United States, the pandemic was instantly politicized and exploited as a new opportunity for corporate bailouts. U.S. leaders cavalierly treated the health of the public as secondary to the economy, a euphemism for corporate profits and stock prices, and their own political interests.

In June, months into the pandemic, the United States still had only 37,000 contact tracers, barely a third of the 100,000 minimum that public health experts advised. By April, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tom Frieden, pointed out that the United States would need 300,000 contact tracers if it was to match the scale of Chinas response in Wuhan.

Now a surge in new cases, across the Western and Southern United States, has inevitably led to a tragic ever-rising death toll, with no end in sight.

In reality, the United States has been the main obstacle to the world organizing in recent years.

There are forty-seven multilateral treaties that the United States has either not signed, signed but not ratified, or withdrawn from. They range from the Convention on the Rights of the Child to the Convention on Cluster Munitions to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. And this list doesnt include Trumps disastrous decision to pull out of the nuclear agreement with Iran, or his withdrawal from the World Health Organization in the midst of a pandemic.

U.S. leaders blame their abysmal record of international obstruction on partisan politics, but other countries with contentious domestic politics somehow manage to ratify treaties, cooperate with the United Nations and play a part in international affairs.

Only the United States acts like a spoiled child, demanding a seat at the head of the table before it will cooperate on anythingand then still refuses to cooperate. The U.S. undermined the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, insisting instead on voluntary, non-binding targets in the Paris Agreement. Then, as the U.S. boosted its oil and gas production to their highest levels ever, it withdrew from the agreement anyway.

In economic terms, no single country dominates today's world economy or international trade. The United States, China, and the European Union are roughly equal in the size of their economies and their international trade, but even the combined GDP and external trade figures for all three only account for about 45 percent of the worlds trade and economic activity. The world we live in today is a diverse, multipolar world of 196 countries, where billions of people live, work, and interact with each other, and all deserve a voice in our common future.

Far from earning the U.S. a position of privilege and authority among nations, the U.S.s non-cooperation and illegal military and economic warfare are serious problems that the American people and the world must address and peacefully resolve before it does even greater harm.

Amid all of the rancor of U.S. politics, many of the older Americans who are Bidens base in the Democratic Party wistfully remember President Kennedy and the much mythologized brief shining moment when a young, glamorous President turned the White House into a vision of Camelot, and everything seemed possible.

The most powerful symbol of the original Camelot was King Arthurs Round Table, at which he and all his knights and guests sat as equals. This identification of Kennedy with King Arthur was a symbol of his popular image as a man of the peopledespite his privileged background.

So, heres an idea for Biden and his foreign policy advisors: Stop pretending that all of Americas problems began with Trump, and that our failed bid for global military dominance has somehow earned our next President a seat at the head of the table when he sits down with his counterparts from the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, Bidens past loyalty to the military-industrial complex does not bode well for the kind of leadership we need. So if Biden is elected, it will be up to peace-loving Americans to demand an end to the United States illegal military and economic warfare, before it does even greater harm.

Nicolas J S Davies is the author of Blood On Our Hands: the American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq. He is a researcher for CODEPINK: Women for Peace, and a freelance writer.

Medea Benjamin is co-director of the peace group CODEPINK. Her latest book is Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic.

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The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
The federal Child Care Subsidy system - where families pay fees and receive a means-tested rebate - restarted on July 12. NSW-funded preschools are still free until October.

Kara Huxtable with her 21-month-old son. Kara works in the travel industry and has been stood down. She is considering cutting back on childcare due to the cost. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

SDN reported centres were 87 per cent full, compared with 94 per cent in July 2019. KU attendance was also down year on year to 86 per cent.

The hit to household income and working hours mean childcare bookings are down both compared with earlier in the pandemic when fees were free and this time a year ago.

Families are pulling their children out of childcare since the reintroduction of fees this month, with a number of operators reporting significant falls in enrolment.

KU chief executive Christine Legg said since the end of June families had completely withdrawn 134 children from KU's centres in the CCS system - about 4 per cent of children across the network. Many other families had dropped days.

"For every child that drops out, you wonder what's going to happen," Ms Legg said. "We've been really concerned also about the effects of COVID on children who are going to school next year, who may have only had one year in an early childhood setting."

Other operators have seen similar falls, with the sector bracing for an exodus of families in the next few weeks as household budgets feel the squeeze. Another cliff is looming in September when JobKeeper and the Coronavirus Supplement for JobSeeker and Parenting Payment move to a lower rate.

Ms Legg said it was "early days" and she expected the decline to continue. A survey of KU families last month, with 893 responses, found about 28 per cent planned to reduce childcare days once the system reverted to the fee and subsidy model on July 12 and many planned to rely more on grandparents to help out.

SDN chief executive Kay Turner said the number of bookings for permanent days had fallen up to 10 per cent in the two weeks since July 12.
Even as I write the title for this article, I wonder: Is that in fact possible? Can we be prepared for a hostile takeover?

The other day I was speaking with a friend about the ongoing insanity in some of our greatest cities: Seattle, Boston, NYC. We bemoaned the reappearance of the democratic socialist in the United States. It seemed incomprehensible to usand horrifying, like a slow-growing metastasis or an insidious dementia. I wondered how we could prepare ourselves for the eventuality of a horde of lunatics reaching our otherwise peaceful community or worseoccupying the White House.

With years of experience as a doctor of pharmacy in critical incident work, including 9/11, she was the right person to ask. I also knew that her understanding of these things had been shaped by having had a father who risked his life in the Dutch Resistance, survived and escaped three concentration camps, and lived to be liberated from Nazi Europe. He was a complex man with a two-sided nature: aloof and critical but also a hero, having sacrificed a good part of his health and emotional well-being in order to save Jews and Christians he didnt even know.

I asked her a simple question: if you had a time machine and wanted to warn your father, or the Jews or Ukrainians in the late '20s and early '30s, what would you tell them?

Her response surprised me: Keep your eyes open, look for the truth, dont be afraid to speak up, keep the faith and trust in God.

While I wholeheartedly agreed with her reliance on the Lord, my heart co-opted my tongue with the words I had expected to hear from her: I would tell them to run as fast as they can, now, get out, drop everything and come here, to us. The image of a hen gathering her chicks with the shadow of a hawk passing overhead came to mind.

And in 1932, that was a blessed and real option. Today, for us, however, theres no us anywhere else. Where would we go? France? The United States, the last great hope of millions upon millions of refugees, is under siege from within. It appears that in this world, as Americans, we really are on our own.

Now what?

Is there more than one way to be prepared? Is there any way to be truly prepared? The following are just some options.

Prepare by Arming Ourselves.

The first piece of legislation enacted after Hitler took power was the confiscation of weaponry in the civilian population.

He was a madman, but he was no fool. He knew that you couldnt shove a well-armed populace into cattle cars or ghettos. We know that the next step in Germany was to defund the police. The only weapons then were in the hands of goose-stepping soldiers.

In the Second Amendment of the Constitution our forefathers saw the danger of ever- consolidated power in an oligarchic government and they made the most important provisionresistance.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

This form of preparation is normally best left in the hands of younger people who have access to the wisdom of the experienced. Whether thats possible given our current demographic status is the subject of another discussion.

Prepare by Building a Cache.

It is a common understanding that Mormons have a years supply of foodstuffs and other essentials in the basements of their homes. The toilet paper craze of 2020 has made the wisdom of their ways perfectly clear. Things we took for granted as ubiquitous can disappear overnight.

What to store? Tools, batteries, warm clothes, paper towels, candles, precious metals, freeze-dried foods, medicines, water, water and water. Have a list. Dont forget a freshly-stocked backpack, cash or some other form of tender. A subset: keep a percentage of your portfolio liquid and readily available.

Prepare to Take a Stand

At some point you will be called either to stand up for what you believe and what you know is right or to surrender. To take a stand, you may be required to lay down your life.

The stakes might just get that high. Take stock. Be honest. What do you stand for? What are you willing to die for? To live for? How important is liberty? How important is comfort? Consider an older call to stand in strength:

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 1 Peter 3:13-14

Prepare in the Spirit

This is, in my mind, the most important option. We are still one nation under God, whether or not it trends. It entails that we take the time now to cultivate relationships, spend time in prayer, and trust in the right things, which are overwhelmingly not in this world. On the geopolitical map in the natural world, we may be alone, but in truth we are not. We are held together and empowered by the Creator who really does know what He is doing. Even when we cant see itor understand it. And, when (or if) the time comes for us to show what were made of, we may be braver and stronger than we can imagine from our more comfy vantage points right now.

My friends father is a powerful example, even 70 years later. She shared a story shed only recently learned from her elderly aunt.

Her father, who was about 18 years old at the time, had hidden the family car in a nearby woods, camouflaged by a thicket. Hed kept it so he could smuggle Jews out of Germany and into homes with hiding spaces. On one occasion, with lives literally and immediately in the balance, he arrived at the border between Holland and Germany only to be confronted by soldiers who demanded to inspect his papers. He told them in perfect German that the commander himself had given him his orders. The soldier said, We need to see the orders. Well call the commander ourselves.

Thinking on his adrenalized feet, he said, You go right ahead. Hes in a foul mood. Better you than me.

They let him through.

Can you ever be prepared for something like that? I dont know.

My husband is sure that washing his car is a ritual that inevitably brings rain. Sometimes I have a similar idea about preparationsif you spend a lot of time preparing and have it all perfectly organized, nothing will happen.

I sure do hope I'm right about that.

Judith Acosta LISW, CCH, is the author, The Worst is Over and The Next Osama.

Image credit: Needpix public domain
BEIJING>> Four decades after the U.S. established diplomatic ties with Communist China, the relationship between the two may have reached a turning point.

Tensions have reached new heights on what has always been a rocky road, as the ambitions of a rising superpower increasingly clash with those of the established one. China ordered the closing of the U.S. Consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu on Friday, in rapid retaliation for the closing of its consulate in Houston.

Two weeks ago, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asked aloud if relations could stay on track. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered an answer: The time has come to change course.

The old paradigm of blind engagement with China simply wont get it done, he said in a speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Southern California. We must not continue it. We must not return to it.

It was Nixons visit to China in 1972, the first by an American president since the Communists took power in 1949, that upended a Cold War paradigm and paved the way for the normalization of relations in 1979.

The United States had been a close ally of then-Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek in World War II and for three decades recognized Taiwan as the government of China after Chiang fled there when he lost control of the mainland in 1949.

Relations between Washington and the Communist government in Beijing began to thaw in the 1970s, as Chinas ties with the Soviet Union deteriorated and leader Mao Zedong sought a counterweight to its more powerful neighbor.

A new leader, Deng Xiaoping, visited the U.S. in 1979 after the establishment of diplomatic ties, smiling in photos as he tried on a cowboy hat in Texas. The Houston consulate that is being shut opened later the same year. It was Chinas first in the United States.

Setting aside political differences, the U.S. and China promoted economic, social and cultural ties that were briefly interrupted a decade later by Chinas military crackdown on the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijings Tiananmen Square.

Economic links grew exponentially in the following years, with heavy investment by U.S. businesses in China and an accompanying Chinese trade surplus that has reached $350 billion annually.

The relationship was punctuated by bouts of tension. The U.S. continues to support Taiwan militarily, and the Clinton administration sent an aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait in 1996 after China fired missiles toward the island.

In 2001, a Chinese fighter jet and a U.S. Navy surveillance plane collided over the South China Sea, a vital shipping lane in the Asia-Pacific region. China detained the U.S. crew for days after its plane made an emergency landing at a Chinese base.

As China has grown into the worlds second-largest economy, behind only the U.S., it is increasingly viewed as a competitor, both economically and militarily, and a potential challenger to the Western-led democratic model that has dominated the post-World War II era.

Election-year politics in the U.S. are fanning the flames, as President Donald Trump appears to be using friction with China to drum up support among his base. Whether or not he is reelected in November, underlying differences will remain.

We are looking at a structural change in the relationship, which will continue even if Trump does not get a second term, said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at Londons School of Oriental and African Studies.

Militarily, American and Chinese warships often jockey for position in the South China Sea. Economically, the U.S. is leaning on its allies to exclude Chinese telecom leader Huawei from their mobile networks, raising the specter of cybersecurity. On human rights, the U.S. is imposing sanctions over Chinese policies in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang,

Tougher U.S. views on China have now been baked into the system, Tsang said.

Pompeos speech was the latest in a series of sharp criticisms aimed at China by Cabinet-level U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Attorney General Bill Barr.

Although Trump earlier played up what he called a warm relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, communication between the sides has fallen to new lows.

The kind of engagement we have been pursuing has not brought the kind of change in China that President Nixon hoped to induce, Pompeo said. The truth is that our policies  and those of other free nations  resurrected Chinas failing economy, only to see Beijing bite the international hands that fed it.

Chu Yin, a professor at the University of International Relations in Beijing, said Americans who advocated engagement are disappointed that Chinas economic growth and the emergence of a middle class has enhanced the legitimacy of the ruling Communist Party rather than sparking democratic change.

Trumps domestic political strategy has added some explosive elements to the structural problems in the relationship, he said.

China will not take Pompeos speech seriously. It is the last cry of a lame duck, Chu said. China wants to have dialogue with a U.S. politician who is more commensurate with the status of a major country.

He declined to forecast the future, saying: Let us be more patient at this turbulent time.
The South Africa government has ordered the shut down of public schools due to the rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the countr...

The South Africa government has ordered the shut down of public schools due to the rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the country.





The government had reopened many schools in the country to allow students in their final years at primary and secondary school to return to learning.





However, while addressing the nation on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the cabinet has decided that all public schools should take a break for the next four weeks.





He said schools will be closed from July 27 and are scheduled to reopen on August 24, adding that the academic session which is scheduled to end in December will be extended.





We have taken a deliberately cautious approach to keep schools closed during a period when the country is expected to experience its greatest increase in infections, the president said.





President Ramaphosa also announced a 500 billion rand ($30bn) social relief and economic support package to help fund the health response and assist those in greatest need.





South Africa has recorded 408,052 coronavirus cases, with over 6,000 deaths making it the fifth-highest in the world.





As of July 15, A total of 7,021 South African police officers had tested positive for COVID-19.





Over 5,000 health workers have also been infected with the virus.





In Nigeria, the government had reversed its decision to reopen schools, citing safety purposes.





At least 55 students and staff of a Ghanaian high school contracted COVID-19 after schools were reopened in the country.




The spread of fake news is at an all-time high in the midst of the coronavirus onslaught. Majority of the news currently being circulated on social media platforms have a questionable status; often they have more than one element of falsification.

This news mainly pertains to details of repatriation flights, preventive measures, treatment for Covid-19, information regarding containment zones or impending lockdowns in various areas, etc.

Social Media Matters (SMM) along with the Institute for Governance, Policies and Politics (IGPP) carried out a survey regarding Fake News generated and perceived by the regular population during this time. With around 3,752 questionnaires filled out from across India, the survey generated a detailed understanding by a variety of people belonging to different age groups and states across India.

While the majority of participants lied in the age-group of 18 to 25 (2,766 respondents) it was closely followed by the age-group 25 to 35 with 565 respondents.

According to the survey supported by Sarvahitey and Youth Online Learning Opportunities:

69 percent respondents reported receiving fake news regarding COVID-19, during the lockdown

74 percent of the recipients belonged to the age category of 18-25 years.

88.4 percent reported the major source of Fake News to be WhatsApp, followed by Facebook (42.5 percent) and Instagram (reported by 21.96 percent)

70 percent of the respondents reported cross checking and verifying news which seems fake

The major sources of fact checking were Google Search (48.8 percent) and Government sources (36.6 percent)

Nearly 84 percent stated that they do not trust such news

76 percent stated they inform others regarding the spread of fake news, once recognised

89 percent were aware that the dissemination of fake news is a crime as per the law, only 30 percent stated to report such news.

95 percent respondents felt that there is a need to raise more awareness regarding the reporting mechanisms for fake news.

Commenting on the outcomes, Amitabh Kumar, Founder of Social Media Matters said: "Misinformation is probably the most complex phenomenon of the information age, as it attacks the basic fragment of our modern society, which is an informed citizen. We need to take up a systematic approach to ensure we build capacities of fact seeking."
Meik Wiking has helped bring the Danish idea of hygge (HEW-guh) to the rest of the world with his Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and with his book The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living. As he defines it, hygge is the art of creating a nice atmosphere ... the pursuit of everyday happiness.

How hygge has been generally translated to the home, however, is in cozy winter fires, hot chocolate, sheepskin blankets and candles. We wanted to know: How can we achieve this cozy ideal during the spring and summer months, while were all at home .. and its hot outside?

Wiking says we can achieve the key elements of hygge  atmosphere, presence, pleasure, gratitude and togetherness  as easily during the summer as we can during the winter. He recommends picnics, games, bike rides and reading books outside in the shade. We also talked to interior designers and a cookbook author about ideas for creating this cozy feeling inside the home.

Trade out textiles

When you choose lighter bedding, everything feels soft and cozy ... light and airy at the same time, says Shelly Lynch-Sparks, founder and principal of Hyphen & Co. design firm in New York City. She recommends linen sheets or, even lighter, 100 percent organic cotton sheets. Matteo is her favorite brand for high-end sheets; she also likes cotton sheets from CB2. The Citizenry is where she goes for linen quilts.

Textile accessories deserve a swap, too. In the winter, its alpaca wools and sheepskins ... 100 percent wool blankets. Whereas in the summer, we transition to Turkish towels, softer linens that are lighter, colder, she says, recommending Turkish towels from Serena & Lily and Parachute. Even if its 100 degrees out, if you have the air conditioning on, you still feel like you can cozy up with a blanket.

Alison Giese of Alison Giese Interiors in San Antonio, Texas, also likes to add linen curtains; she recommends Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn.

Highlight special objects

Giese says she likes to help clients create homes with soul. Practically, that can be as easy as shopping your home. For me personally, it has to do with the home telling the story. ... [It can be] art that weve collected from places weve traveled. ... It can be a bowl that we picked up from an artisan market. Bring out prints or postcards from places youve been and get them framed. She recommends sending extra-special objects  say youve got those kids lovies that are now rags  to commercial photographer Shana Novak of the Heirloomist, which specializes in turning heirlooms into fine printed art.

Bring furniture back to life

If you have inherited furniture that you love and have always wanted to refinish, now is a great time to do that, Giese says. It tells a story; it doesnt mean that youre dishonoring your loved ones by changing the fabric. ... Youre just making it you. " Reupholster a chair or sofa, or paint an old cabinet. These are decisions that can help you feel more at home.

Clear out the clutter

The lines down the street at Goodwill donation drop-offs indicate that many of us are already doing this, but just as we like to pare down to shorts and sandals in the summer, its also a good time to clear out the home of things we dont need or want. Everything feels so weighty on the brain that if theres something we can do to declutter, visually organize, it helps, Giese says. Even rolling up blankets that are normally out and putting them in baskets helps lighten the look of a room.

Move nature inside

Everybody has adapted to this whole neutral-[colored] environment, which we stand by, Lynch-Sparks says, but color in the home in the summer brings the outside in. Pick up a fresh bouquet of flowers, change the throw pillows to ones with light and bright colors and patterns, or move a bowl of fresh fruit front and center on a kitchen counter or dining table.

Create cozy outdoor stations

Sarah Copeland, author of the cookbook Every Day is Saturday, has two kids underfoot this summer in her New York home, and the kids summer activities have been canceled. To make their home feel more spacious, she set up stations outdoors. One is a patio with a couch. This year, Ive invested a lot more energy into it, she says. I added a solar pendant light, I put pillows out, I put out a lot more potted plants. Saturdays and Sundays, we have brunch there. She also put up a hammock on an old crabapple tree and added pillows, even putting a rug underneath it. Thats where we could have lunch in the shade or read together, she says. At night, they might light a fire in their firepit for smores  or even use it to cook dinner.

Copeland also bought an eight-foot stock tank from Tractor Supply and set it in on a large circle of crushed marble (so the kids dont slip getting in and out). To keep it clean, she uses chlorine tablets in a dispenser and removes the dispenser before anyone gets in. Shell let the kids play while she works nearby or hop in with them after a workout or yoga session. At night, she and her husband enjoy it under string lights. (Note: Farm supply stores are selling out of stock tanks everywhere. Call around to your local stores and get on their waiting lists.)
The nursery of the European Investment Bank will close down at the end of August as trade unions have finally been able to work out an agreement.

Luxembourgish trade unions OGBL and LCGB had been working for months on a way to save the jobs of the people employed by the nursery of the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Both trade unions are highly critical of the closure and the fact that the staff's 25 years of work activity is being completely disregarded. In the end, a social plan for the 44 employees was signed, including the adjustment of early retirement as well as support for finding a new job.

The nursery has room for about 100 children with 150 children on the waiting list. Employees were informed by the children's parents of the facility's closure.
ix UK universities also revealed they had been hacked earlier this year

A leading homeless charity has become the latest victim of a major data breach that saw six UK universities and several companies attacked by hackers.

Crisis confirmed that the contact details of hundreds of supporters had been taken in a cyber-attack that affected software provider Blackbaud.

The charity added they were 'confident' the hackers were unable to access the encrypted financial information of everyone who had previously donated to Crisis.

In a letter to supporters, Chief Executive Jon Sparkes said he was 'incredibly frustrated' by the breach and that the organisation was carrying out a full investigation.

Homeless charity Crisis confirmed that the contact details of hundreds of supporters had been taken in a cyber-attack that affected software provider Blackbaud

'We have recently been informed about a cyber-attack that has affected one of our suppliers called Blackbaud, who host our supporter database as well as databases for a number of other organisations,' he said.

'The cyber-attack resulted in details of some of our supporters being accessed. This included names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers. All financial information held by Blackbaud is encrypted and we are confident that this has not been breached.

'Blackbaud have informed us that, to the best of their knowledge, all of the details that were accessed have now been destroyed and there is currently no evidence of the data being used. Blackbaud has set out further details about the incident here.

'The breach affected a system that we stopped using in early 2018. Any information that you have given to us since then has not been affected. Please see further details below.'

The charity added they were 'confident' the hackers were unable to access the encrypted financial information of everyone who had previously donated to Crisis

Mr Sparkes added that while the risk appears to be very low, supporters should be wary of unknown phone calls or potential email scams.

The news comes days after six UK universities revealed that students and alumni had had data stolen in the attack targeting US-based cloud computer provider Blackbaud.

Blackbaud paid the hacker an undisclosed ransom after they were promised that all data - which included phone numbers and donation history in some cases - was destroyed.

The South Carolina-based company said the ransomware hacker 'did not access credit card information, bank account information, or social security numbers'.

Hackers have stolen student data from six UK universities (including the University of Leeds, pictured) in a global cyber attack targeting US-based cloud computer provider Blackbaud

Blackbaud paid the hacker an undisclosed ransom after they were promised that all data - which included phone numbers and donation history in some cases - was destroyed. Pictured: The University of York was one of the institutions affected

The attack - which also affected a Canadian University and a US design school - happened in May but was not publicly addressed until this month.

The South Carolina-based company said the ransomware hacker 'did not access credit card information, bank account information, or social security numbers' of students it universities, including Reading (pictured)

The University of York, Oxford Brookes University, Loughborough University, University of London, University of Leeds and University of Reading are apologising to students, faculty and donors for the breach.

Ambrose University in Canada and Rhode Island School of Design in America were also hit - as were Human Rights Watch and charity Young Minds, BBC News reports.

A statement on the company's website read: 'After discovering the attack, our Cyber Security team - together with independent forensics experts and law enforcement -successfully prevented the cybercriminal from blocking our system access and fully encrypting files; and ultimately expelled them from our system.

'Prior to our locking the cybercriminal out, the cybercriminal removed a copy of a subset of data from our self-hosted environment.

'The cybercriminal did not access credit card information, bank account information, or social security numbers.

'Because protecting our customers data is our top priority, we paid the cybercriminals demand with confirmation that the copy they removed had been destroyed.'

The attack - which also affected a Canadian University and a US design school - happened in May but was not publicly addressed until this month. Pictured: Oxford Brookes University was one of the ones affected

The University of York, Oxford Brookes University, Loughborough University, University of London (pictured), University of Leeds and University of Reading are apologising to students, faculty and donors for the breach

The FBI, National Crime Agency and Europol usually advise against paying what the hacker demands.

The statement adds: 'Based on the nature of the incident, our research, and third party (including law enforcement) investigation, we have no reason to believe that any data went beyond the cybercriminal, was or will be misused; or will be disseminated or otherwise made available publicly.'

One of the impacted former students, cyber-security specialist Rhys Morgan said: 'My main concern is how reassuring - impossibly so, in my opinion - Blackbaud were to the university about what the hackers have obtained.'
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday that the government has prepared eight bills for legislation on anti-money laundering and terror financing with a view for Islamabad to move from the Financial Action Task Force's grey list to the white list.

In its third and final plenary held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic in June, the FATF decided to keep Pakistan in the "grey list" as Islamabad failed to check flow of money to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The plenary was held under the Chinese Presidency of Xiangmin Liu.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava last month said that Pakistan's continuation on the grey list vindicated India's position that the country had not taken any appropriate action against terror networks operating from its soil.

Paris-based FATF put Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action by the end of 2019 but the deadline was extended later on due to COVID-19.

Talking to the media in his home town of Multan, Qureshi said on Saturday that the government was pursuing legislation to fulfill some demands of the Paris-based anti-money laundering group.

"India has been trying to push Pakistan into the FATF's black list. If this were to occur, you know better than I, the effects it will have on the economy," he claimed.

Qureshi said that concrete steps were being taken by the government to get Pakistan removed from the grey list.

Earlier, Pakistan had rejected as "fabricated news" the reports about its continuation on the FATF's grey list, saying no "new decision" was taken about it at the virtual plenary of the global terror financing watchdog.

Qureshi said that the government has prepared eight bills for legislation on anti-money laundering and terror financing with a view for Pakistan to move from the FATF's grey list to the white list.

He said a joint meeting of the government and opposition lawmakers would be held on Monday to discuss draft laws concerning the FATF. He said eight bills about the FATF had already been shared with the opposition parties ahead of the meeting.

He said the proposed new laws were prepared in consultation with the FATF experts.

With Pakistan's continuation in the 'grey list', it will be difficult for the country to get financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, ADB and the European Union, thus further enhancing problems for the nation which is in a precarious financial situation.

If Pakistan fails to comply with the FATF directive by October, there is every possibility that the global body may put the country in the 'Black List' along with North Korea and Iran.

The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

The FATF currently has 39 members including two regional organisations -- the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council.
Catalonia has shut down all nightlife activity in the entire Community as coronavirus infections soar to nearly 1,000.

922 people have been diagnosed with the virus and the statistics show an increase in cases amongst the over 65s and the young and many of them had no symptoms.

The worst affected Community is Aragon with 298 infections, followed by Catalonia with 133, Madrid with 107, Navarra with 93 and Andalusia with 70 and surveillance has been intensified in Barcelona and Zaragoza.

In the last seven days there were 921 new cases in Catalonia, 229 in Madrid, 194 in Aragon, 154 in Navarra and 136 in the Basque Country.

Aragon, Catalonia and Madrid account for 60% of new infections in the last 24 hours with 1,343 in Catalonia, but some of those were from previous days.

Propagation focus

After several outbreaks of Covid-19 in various areas of Spain over the last week, nightlife has become the focus of attention and the Health Authorities in all regions have started shutting down or limiting activities.

In Catalonia, the Generalitat ordered the closure of all discos, dance halls, nightclubs and shows to try to stop the transmission of the virus. All musical activities, dance floors and outdoor spaces have also been suspended.

Madrid has restricted nightlife but has not imposed an outright ban.

Castilla-La Mancha has announced that new regulations are awaiting approval which will require anyone entering nightlife venues after 0100 to supply their ID and phone number in order to facilitate tracking in the event of Covid-19 infection.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- For Americans, the stakes in the November election are huge. For Europeans, they may be even bigger.

Thats an exaggeration, but only slightly. Since May 9, 1945, the U.S. has kept the peace and prosperity on the continent, which in the previous three decades had set off wars that killed more than 100 million people. The Europeans themselves deserve immense credit for finally getting off of each others throats and forming a series of trade and legislative organizations that reached its apogee as the European Union. However, as my Bloomberg Opinion colleague Niall Ferguson wrote on July 19: Europeans like to give the EU credit for the fact Europe is no longer the worlds number one battlefield, but Americans understand that it has been the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the presence of U.S. troops that have really kept the peace. They are rightly proud of that achievement.

Theres not been so much to be proud of lately. The U.S. is clearly the side dragging the transatlantic relationship into the mire. President Donald Trumps words (insulting European leaders, fawning over dictators) and actions (ordering U.S. troops withdrawn from Germany, slapping tariffs on everything from airplane parts to single-malt whiskies) have placed 75 years of shared success at risk. How serious is it?To answer that question, I talked to someone with a foot on either side of the ocean: Anne Applebaum, whose latest book is titled, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. A longtime fixture in Washington foreign-policy circles, first as a columnist at the Washington Post and currently at the Atlantic, Applebaum lives in Poland with her husband, Radek Sikorski, who was that nations foreign minister from 2007 to 2014. Here is a lightly edited transcript of our discussion: Tobin Harshaw: Lets start with the $850 billion European Recovery Fund that EU leaders hashed out this week. There were people talking about this as the continents Hamilton Moment. Do you see an eventual United States of Europe?

Story continues

Anne Applebaum: One of the oddities about the EU is that for all the complaining that its overbearing and that it's telling people what to do, its central structures are really quite weak  at least outside of trade, the one area where members have seen it as in their interests to cede power to the European Commission. But the EU doesn't have the ability to run a proper fiscal policy, let alone a foreign policy or defense policy. Because of that, it has a very weak voice in the world.

I dont think we need a United States of Europe, but I would like to see the EU play a bigger role in geopolitics, to represent a set of values, in opposition to the values of Russia and China. I would like it to think about projecting stability and prosperity into its neighboring regions  Eastern Europe, North Africa  and to play a bigger role in international institutions.

But it is also true that it has to get there through means of consensus  and so thats going to take a long time, if it ever happens.

TH: How much desire do Europeans have for that?

AA: It depends whom you ask, and when. But don't underestimate the desire of millions of Europeans for Europe to have a bigger voice in the world. As 27 separate countries, they arent really heard, and there are many who would like that to change.

TH: Do you think that a tighter fiscal union would be the driver in all this?

AA: It may well be that a tighter fiscal union would transfer more power to the European collective, that shared monetary instruments will be the tool that brings countries together. Personally, I would prefer that the EU consolidate around foreign and defense policy, but Europe integrates thanks to crises, and this is the one that we have at the moment.

TH: Governments like those in Poland and Hungary  what we call the illiberal regimes  are driving a wedge into Europe. Is the illiberal movement an anomaly or a long-term trend?

AA: Its a long-term trend. Hungary is no longer a democracy. I don't believe an opposition political party can win a national election in Hungary  the playing field is too tilted. Note that Hungary is now doing deals with Russia and China; I believe the prime minister, Viktor Orban, knows he could eventually wind up outside of the European Union.

TH: And Poland?AA: Poland is more complicated. There are reasons to believe that democracy can be preserved  the opposition is very large, independent media still exist, the economy is big and diverse  although we'll see what happens over the next three years. But Polands destruction of judicial independence may pose an even greater problem for the EU, which needs its member states to have reliable courts for all kinds of business reasons as well as political reasons. European companies and people need to have faith in the idea that courts will treat you fairly. Polish courts are in danger of no longer meeting that standard.

TH: Are there tangible connections between these countries that have turned illiberal and the populist movements in Western Europe?

AA: Yes. There are connections between the Hungarian ruling party, the Polish ruling party, the far-right in Italy, the far right in France and to a lesser extent the far-right in Spain. All of them have links to the U.S. too, to the Trumpist part of the Republican Party, as well as the online alt-right.

Some of the links are personal: the party members and leaders meet one another and go to conferences together. There are also connections between their followers online. They copy one anothers posts and promote one anothers ideas. They will often fixate, as a group, on one particular incident; after the Notre Dame fire last year, many began posting and tweeting about alleged Muslim responsibility, or using the fire as a symbol for the supposed destruction of Christianity.

TH: There's probably no way to quantify the damage that Trump has done to the transatlantic alliance. But how fixable is it? Or is it permanent?

AA: The idea that America would always be a voice for democracy and for freedom, the idea that America would always be a reliable ally for Europeans as well as Americas partners in Asia is probably gone forever.

TH: Wow. Thats quite a statement.

AA: Of course President Joe Biden would seek to revive these alliances. But unless there's a major change inside the Republican party  unless, post-Trump, it is taken over again by people who seem to have genuine interest in America's alliances around the world  then I think there will always be the fear, another lost election and we lose America again.

For many, many decades, U.S. foreign policy has maintained a bipartisan consensus around a few issues, and one of them was the alliance with Europe. If that is no longer the case, if the Republican Party is no longer interested in alliances, then Europeans will rightly see that one of the political parties favors them and the other one doesn't, and that it is time to start planning a world without the U.S.

Its beginning to happen already. French President Emmanuel Macron is arguing for a deeper and more integrated Europe partly because he wants Europe to prepare for a world in which the U.S. is, if not hostile, then no longer a friend.

TH: In that case, is there a future for Republicans and conservatives who want to engage with the world and promote democracy  so-called Never Trumpers?

AA: It depends on what happens in the election  not just whether Trump loses, but how he loses. I think if he loses quite badly, if the Republicans lose the Senate, then perhaps there's a chance for a different kind of Republican leadership to emerge.

If Trump wins, or if he loses but only by a little bit, then Don Jr. or Tucker Carlson or someone else who wants to continue Trumps nationalist politics may well take over.

TH: I'm assuming you were being sarcastic about Donald Trump Jr. and Tucker Carlson.

AA: No. Tucker Carlson concerns me a lot  Trump was proof that you don't have to be a politician to become the party leader or to become president. Now other celebrities will seek to use their popularity and their Facebook followings in politics.

TH: Finally, I had one personal question for you. I'm wondering how being married to a prominent Polish politician complicates your role in writing about these things, and how do you keep your home life and your journalism separate?

AA: This is the main reason why I wrote Twilight of Democracy the way I did. It is not a magisterial political science treatise about illiberalism in Europe and America, its not a piece of third-person reporting or an objective history. Its written in the first person, it includes some elements of memoir or my own experiences and it really tries to explain what my biases might be  precisely because I am part of the story.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Tobin Harshaw is an editor and writer on national security and military affairs for Bloomberg Opinion. He was an editor with the op-ed page of the New York Times and the papers letters editor.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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RTHK: Singaporean pleads guilty to spying in the US

A Singaporean man who set up a fake consulting site to solicit information from US government and military workers has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of Chinese intelligence, the Justice Department said on Friday.

Sentencing for Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, will be in October, according to the department. The US is cracking down on Chinese spying, with the FBI having interviewed dozens of visa holders about their possible ties to Chinese intelligence.

On Friday a Chinese researcher who took refuge in the San Francisco consulate was expected to appear in court on allegations she lied about her Chinese military service, while the US counterintelligence agency chief warned China and other nations could interfere with November elections. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2020-07-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
GREENWICH  Sacred Heart Greenwich held a drive-through graduation celebration last month. But on Friday, the Class of 2020 had an opportunity to say a final in-person goodbye to their beloved school.

Dressed in white dresses, the 82 graduates gathered across from Salisbury Hall for an outdoor graduation, celebrating a senior year they wont forget.

The graduates were seated under a large tent for the ceremony. They practiced social distancing, but the group, which had been through so much in this year of COVID-19, felt especially close on this day.

In the spirit of togetherness, the gathering was just the students and some of their teachers. The ceremony was livestreamed for their families, keeping the size of the gathering small enough to follow public health guidelines.

But the bond and friendships shared by Sacred Hearts graduating seniors throughout their scholastic careers at the all-girls Catholic school was evident.

Sacred Heart has felt like a second home to me, valedictorian Valentina Grether said. We were not only chosen and accepted to attend Sacred Heart, we ourselves chose the school. We all share a special bond.

Indeed, the students senior year was unique, as Grether noted.

I always said senior year would fly by, but I never thought it would Zoom by, said Grether, drawing laughs as she referred to the many online meetings for distance learning. It always amazes me how well-prepared we think we are, but life is full of surprises.

Plenty of senior moments were lost, co-salutatorian Caroline Badagliacca said, but there are a lot moments she and her classmates cherish.

The last day of school was March 11, something none of us expected to be possible, Badagliacca said. Leaving school that day, I joked about us graduating over Zoom. But as time went by, it became less and less funny and more and more disheartening.

But I found myself thinking back on my 10 years here and I found that I had many fond memories. It became clear to me what stands out are the small memories  they are what matter most, she said.

Badagliacca recalled going to a New York Mets game with her classmates and singing the Sacred Heart song.

Happiness is not always derived from the big events, we should be grateful for the joy we found in the little experiences we enjoyed each day, she said. There are many blessings for us to be thankful for.

Attitude with gratitude was the theme of the senior class, which chose yellow as their color.

As we leave Sacred Heart, I challenge you to treat every day like its a bright yellow senior spring we wanted, Badagliacca said.

Elisa Howard, also a co-salutatorian, remembered how her classmates welcomed her after she transfered in as a junior.

Transferring to Sacred Heart afforded me the opportunity of new beginnings and forging a new path, Howard said. I met my 81 Sacred Heart classmates, each of whom I call my sisters. I have witnessed them become accomplished athletes, writers, film makers, artist, actresses, musiciians, scientists and so much more.

Nicole Seagriff, a 2003 Sacred Heart graduate was the commencement speaker. Seagriff serves as the on-site medical director of the Norwalk and Stamford locations of the Community Health Center. She has managed clinical compliance and operations of the health centers since 2015.

A Boston College graduate with a masters degree from Yale, Seagriff is president of the Pink Agenda. The nonprofit organization raises money and awareness among young professionals for breast cancer research.

If you look hard enough, you can see a silver lining in every situation, Seagriff told the graduates. Yellow is your color and yellow symbolizes, being cheerful and optimistic.

She stressed the significance of remaining optimistic and noted that life can get off course at times. Her aunt lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 47, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer as a 27-year-old.

All of you will have something that you need to overcome, Seagriff said. Your plans can go off course and you can be left with nothing but your attitude and the manner in which you pick up the pieces.

Though she has been in the role as Sacred Hearts head of school for only two weeks, Margaret Frazier said she knows the Class of 2020 was special.

The only way I know the girls is through the interview process, but I know they represented the school so well, Frazier said. I know from their teachers and the former head of school what great leaders they were. They really did center on an attitude of gratitude. They started with that as their theme in August and in many ways it was a wonderful omen of what they had to grapple with.

Before introducing the graduates, Sacred Heart Greenwich Dean of Students Karen Panarella presented the schools special Goals and Criteria Awards.

Giselle Grey and Taylor OMeara received the goal No. 1 award, which they received for how they demonstrated a personal and active faith in God.

Malika Amoruso and Pamela Rosenburgh were chosen for goal No. 2 award for displaying a deep respect for intellectual values. Stephanie Guza and Elizabeth Hisler received an award for the values and social awareness they exhibited. Olivia Andrews and Jennafer Washington were presented with an award for displaying their Christian values in the community.

Mary Marcogliese and Cassidy Willie Lawes were selected for an award for showing personal growth in an atmosphere of wide freedom.

Erin OConnor (Alumnae Community Service Award), Katherine Harkins (Class Spirit Award), Sarah Carter (Greenwich Award), Elizabeth Colligan and Christine Guido (Lucie White Award) and Salome Alfaro (Maureen Taylor Memorial Award) were each chosen for special awards.

The Sacred Heart Greenwich Class of 2020 includes: Alice Adams, Salome Alfaro, Rachel Ali, Malika Amoruso, Olivia Andrews, Leah Atkins, Caroline Badagliacca, Caroline Baranello, Konstantina Barker, Grayson Bennett, Zada Brown, Edilia Bueno, Cameron Calcano, Sarah Carter, Emma Caruso, Claire Chmiel, Alexa Choy, Bridget Cobb, Elizabeth Colligan, Sophia Curto, Celia Daigle, Elle de Alessandri, Lillian DeConcini, Gabrielle DiBiase, Julie Drago, Megan Farrell, Georgia Ferguson, Sydney Gallop, Olivia Gasvoda, Sophia Georgas, Ashley Giannetti, Valentina Grether, Giselle Gray, Christine Guido, Isabella Gunningham, Stephanie Guza, Carly Haines, Bridget Hamlet, Victoria Hannett, Katherine Harkins, Aubrey Hash, Linley Himes, Elizabeth Hisler, Kara Hodge, Elisa Howard, Zoe Kassapidis, Kathryn Keller, Sydney Kim, Peyton Lauricella, Mary Marcogliese, Julia Matthiesen, Avery McCloskey, Grace McDevitt, Nicole Mellert, Caitlyn Mitchell, Kathleen Murray, Grace Nemec, Erin OConnor, Taylor OMeara, Gabriella Petrizzo, Christine Plaster, Michaela Pond, Jacqueline Prata, Paige Pucel, Isabella Quinson, Isabella Rogers, Pamela Rosenburgh, Amelia Sheehan, Morgan Smith, Mariana Soto, Eliza Stanley, Nicole Tapia, Daniella Tocco, Renata Trevino, Elizabeth Trimble, Kellie Ulmer, Arielle Uygur, Piper Van Wagenen, Jennafer Washington, Julia Welsh, Cassidy Willie-Lawes and Elexa Wilson.
CHICO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 24, 2020 / AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTCQB:AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies, infrastructure construction and forestry conservation, announced that it has received two orders totaling $200,000.

The order is for a refurbished Taylor Machine forklift. The forklift has a 40,000-pound capacity and is shipping to a logistics company located in Washington.

CEO Lee Hamre commented, "We have had a good week and believe sales will be strong through the remainder of the year. We appreciate our customers, employees and shareholders for their continued support."

About AmeraMex International

AmeraMex International sells, leases and rents heavy equipment to companies within multiple industries including construction, logistics, mining, and lumber. AmeraMex, with a US and international customer base, has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service. Follow AmeraMex on Twitter @ammx_intl and visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net or www.hamreequipment.com for additional corporate information, online heavy equipment inventory/ pricing and videos.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "potential," "continue" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

Story continues

Investor and Media Relations

McCloud Communications, LLC

Marty Tullio, Managing Member

Office: 949.632.1900 or Marty@McCloudCommunications.com

SOURCE: AmeraMex International, Inc.





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Mumbai, July 25 : Following a sustained campaign by villagers and support from Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray, the Centre has bowed down to save a 4-centuries old banyan tree and a crucial tiger corridor in Maharashtra from various developmental projects, officials said here on Saturday.

Aditya Thackeray had written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and the Union Coal Ministry for the twin objectives of saving the old tree from a highway project in Western Maharashtra and a commercial mining project that would hit a tiger corridor in Vidarbha region.

The Union Coal Ministry was planning to auction the Bander coal mine in Tadoba Tiger Sanctuary, Chandrapur district, which would have destroyed more than 1,200 hectares of prime forest land, plus the tiger corridor linking the reserve with sanctuaires in Wardha and Amravati districts.

Bowing to a plea by Aditya Thackeray, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod, former union minister Jairam Ramesh and others, on July 21, the Centre said the Bander Coal Mine auction was withdrawn since the region (Bander) falls in an eco-sensitive zone declared by the Union Ministry of Environment.

In another victory, a massive banyan tree with a shady spread of over 400 sq. metres, standing beside the famed Yellamma Temple in Bhose village, Sangli district was threatened by the expansion of the Solapur-Sangli-Kolhapur-Ratnagiri Expressway.

The Yellamma Temple Trust, Bhose villagers and environmentalists led by Bandu Dhotre recently organized a protest by hugging the banyan tree and sought intervention of Aditya Thackeray in their mission.

Aditya Thackeray wrote a letter to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on July 16, urging that the highway could be realigned to save the tree which is not only historical but also a natural home for many rare birds, mammals, monkeys and insects.

Last Wednesday, a team from National Highways Authority of India visited the spot for a survey and to discuss the issue in detail with Bhose villagers, the temple trustees and environmentalists.

NHAI officials concluded that it would not be necessary to cut off the banyan tree but trim its branches a bit for the highway to run beside without causing any obstructions to the traffic and realign the service road to save the tree.

In tweets on the two issues, Aditya Thackeray expressed gratitude to the central ministers and the CM and others for their gesture which had helped save the tiger corridor and the banyan tree in the state.

Last week, CM Uddhav Thackeray wrote to the Centre on the gauge conversion of the 176-km long Akola-Khandwa line passing through India's oldest Melghat Tiger Reserve, and sought a realignment of the project.

In late June, the state government issued a notification declaring 29.53 sq.km in Dodamarg sub-district of Sindhudurg as the Tillari Conservation Reserve which houses many wild animals and also is a tiger corridor for reserved in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Brasilia: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday (July 25, 2020) said that he has tested negative for coronavirus, which is reportedly the first time since he contracted the virus on July 7.

"RT-PCR for Sars-Cov 2: negative," the 65-year old tweeted in Brazilian.

- RT-PCR para Sars-Cov 2: negativo.

- BOM DIA A TODOS. pic.twitter.com/CkdV59yGXP  Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) July 25, 2020

Earlier on Wednesday, he had tested positive for the third time.

President Jair Bolsonaro had first tested COVID-19 positive on July 7.

Before contracting the virus, he was seen without a face mask on various occasions and was also quoted saying that his history as an athlete would protect him from the virus and that it would be nothing more than a "little flu" were he to contract it.

Bolsonaro had tested negative three times in March after meeting with the US President Donald Trump in Florida. Multiple members of his delegation to the US had later contracted the virus.

Meanwhile, Brazil has recorded more than 22.27 lakh coronavirus infections, along with 82,771 deaths to date.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - A search and rescue crew on Friday discovered the body of a missing photographer along a hiking trail in western Colorado, authorities said.

The Mesa County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that the body of Conrad Earnest, 62, was found near Glade Park, south of Colorado National Monument. An autopsy was pending.

The cause of death was under investigation but wasnt considered suspicious, authorities have said.

The announcement came after Grand Junction police reported that a missing person report had been filed for Earnest on Thursday.

Earnest specialized in nighttime photography, and The Associated Press recently published a photo hed taken of the comet Neowise above Colorado National Monument.

Searchers discovered the body after locating Earnests vehicle in Miracle Rock campground.
OTTAWA, July 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Meladul Haq Ahmadzai, CEO of Taleam Systems , the Afghanistan foreign occupation is likely to intensify within the region for many years to come which includes Pakistan taking an active role in the war.



In 2017, Ahmadzai visited Afghanistan to introduce his business, Taleam Systems in the peace process of Afghanistan, and he recalls that a lot of interest was received by the political representatives and as well as by the various embassies in Kabul.

He says, Everyone wants to live in peace in Afghanistan and when you work for peace, everyone will join you.

Today, there is a strong push for peace from the American side, after the February peace agreement, however the so-called peace isnt in the favourable interest of all needy Afghan people.

According to reports published by the USA government, the government has spent trillions of war dollars in Afghanistan, but the conflict has intensified.

Meanwhile, three political figures have been elected to American administration since the war, and they havent achieved any goals yet.

Ahmadzai provides practical examples, Taliban arent defeated, and peace is not yet created, even though they say one thing and do the exact opposite. He further adds, The peace signing was commenced in Qatar and didnt include any civilians nor any Afghan officials.

Ahmadzai also met with current Foreign Affairs Minister of Afghanistan, Haneef Atmar, when he visited Canada in 2013 to discuss Canadas role in the war and peace operations in Afghanistan. Mr. Atmar lost the Afghan election to President Ashraf Ghani by withdrawing his candidacy from the 2019 election which were postponed twice. He is now moving the peace agenda forward.

Ahmadzai says, If these leaders [Afghans and Americans] do not bring peace to Afghanistan  they will be proven as failure leaders on the face of the earth, forever.

The current and future war situation of Afghanistan:

Afghanistan is not only fighting Taliban forces at the present time, but as well as fighting Pakistani forces on the border. The United States force left their bases near the border to Afghans. Afghanistan is a poor country. Another war is expected to rise against the Russians (formerly known as Soviet Union). Russia hosted the first civilian conference in Moscow. Pakistan wants to claim superpower in South Asia. Recent exist of Pakistani Ambassador in Kabul, denied Taliban safe heavens in his country during an interview on live tv. Business activities between the two nations have reduced significantly due to COVID-19 pandemic.

About Taleam Systems:

Taleam Systems is a technology business in Canada which was founded by Meladul Haq Ahmadzai in 2011. To learn more about Taleam Systems, visit www.taleamsystems.com

Media contact:

Meladul Haq Ahmadzai

CEO, Taleam Systems

Phone: 613-521-9229

Email: melad@taleamsystems.com
Popular Iranian-born Australia-based Islamic cleric, Mohammad Tawhidi a.k.a Imam of Peace is seeking the arrest of Nigerian Ruler, Muhammadu Buhari, over the continues killings of Nigerians in Northern Nigeria.

The hashtag, ArrestBuhari, is currently trending on twitter, after Tawhidi called out Buhari for releasing thousands of Boko Haram Terrorists because they repented.

See what he wrote below:

He shouldnt resign. He should be arrested and dragged into the back of a police van and locked up. This corrupt person freed thousands of Boko Haram Terrorist because they repented. Theyre now massacring Christians.

Buhari freeing thousands of Boko Haram terrorists because they repented is treason. They have killed thousands since then, and he is responsible. #ArrestBuhari

Charged for corruption should be the last thing he worries about. Buhari should he charged for collaborating with the Fulani CULT and striking a deal to free thousands of Boko Haram Jihadists who have killed thousands this year alone! #ArrestBuhari

In the same vein, Reno Omokri, Aide of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, joined the trend.

He tweeted: For the murderous activity of herdsmen, bandits and other militias, without his government doing anything really tangible to put an end to these killings of innocent Nigerians, but rather making excuses for them, I fully support #ArrestBuhari

BREAKINGTIMES reports that the Nigerian military recently released 608 repentant Boko Haram suspects who have undergone rehabilitation.

The authorities say they have been de-radicalised and can re-enter society, but critics are sceptical about whether they have repented.

Over 30,000 people have been killed in Boko Harams ten-year insurgency.
Welcome to 307 Votes: as complete a guide as youll find to every single Statehouse race in Wyoming, contested or uncontested.

The Star-Tribune is examining every legislative district in an attempt to give you a rough idea of what direction the state is headed as we barrel toward one of the most critical elections in Wyomings history.

Check each print edition of the Star-Tribune ahead of Aug. 18 for a rundown of a new district, and visit Trib.com to find our collection of every one that has been published so far.

In todays installment, we take a look at the seat to be vacated by Rep. Scott Clem of Gillette.

House District 31: Gillette

Waves were made in the Wyoming political world earlier this year when controversial Republican Rep. Scott Clem announced he was on his way out this year after four terms in the Legislature.

Shortly after the news broke, however, he had already picked his successor, endorsing local businessman John Bear, a hard-line fiscal conservative and a veteran who, in recent weeks, has developed a sophisticated presence on social media and run an active campaign in this deep-red district on the outskirts of Gillette.

In a series of videos on social media, Bear has made it very clear where he stands on a number of key issues: Hes for limited government. Hes pro-Second Amendment, touting his role as a member of his churchs security team. And he opposes any new revenue options through corporate or income taxes, touting unspecified spending cuts across government at a time Gov. Mark Gordon has warned of the state beginning to cut into the bone after years of trimming the fat from government.

Bear also mirrors many of the boilerplate values of social conservatism that have come to define the immovably red House District 31 over the years: I am pro-life, I am pro-God, I am pro-gun and I am pro-traditional family values, he said in an early video about his candidacy. He has also publicly expressed doubt about best practices regarding fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, including questioning the efficacy of face masks in helping to slow the spread of the virus following talks of mask mandate ordinances.

The idea of wearing a mask for protection from or against Covid-19 is not scientifically proven* to be effective and the customers in Jackson, Laramie, and most everywhere else know this, Bear wrote in a July 13 Facebook post, despite the fact that scientists and health experts say the opposite. That is why they dont lay down and comply with some fear-gripped individuals idea of safe behavior. For any government entity to dictate the use of an unscientific method of behavior is a move toward tyranny.

His pathway to general election wont be easy. Local builder Micky Shober, a former school board member, Campbell County Commissioner and third-generation resident of Gillette, should present a huge obstacle for Bear, boasting both the experience and the connections any candidate would need to be successful here.

Could it flip? As a GOP stronghold, the real question in HD-31 is not whether control falls out of Republican hands but in which direction local voters choose to go. Bear, now the establishment pick, mirrors an ethic seen among numerous challengers in competitive GOP races around the state with an aversion to new taxes and an appeal to traditional values cherished by Wyomings most hard-line conservatives.

Shober, on the other hand, could easily be seen as a more pragmatic candidate. He has been tested in numerous elections and, with nearly three decades of experience in public office, he could potentially have greater leverage with voters on fiscal issues at a time of immense economic uncertainty for the state of Wyoming.

Ultimately, the fate of HD-31 will come down to how hard each man campaigns. While the district is one of the states largest, boasting more than 14,400 residents as of the 2010 census, it is also one of its most apathetic on election day. Fewer than 2,700 people voted in Clems 38-point landslide victory in 2018 despite 71% of the district  or 10,224 people  being of voting age, good for an estimated turnout of about 26%. (Statewide, general election turnout for people of voting age was about 46%.)

The district can be competitive in a primary environment, however. In Clems inaugaural run in 2014, he managed to outrun environmental scientist Brenda Schladweiler by just 66 votes in what turned out to be the only competitive primary HD-31 has had this decade. (Unless, of course, you count former House Speaker Tom Lubnaus resounding 28-point victory in the 2010 primary over Republican John D. Robertson, who is now challenging fellow Gillette Rep. Bill Pownall in the HD-52 race.)

Note: Because there is not an incumbent in this race, there is no vulnerability score.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 16:12 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406693d651 4 National American,Bali-Airport,Bali-Police,Interpol,Porn,pornography,pornographic-content Free

A recently captured Interpol fugitive, 50-year-old American Marcus Beam, who is wanted for alleged investment fraud in the United States, allegedly produced and sold pornographic videos to make money while hiding out in Bali, police have said.

Investigators of the Bali Polices general crimes division and the Counter Transnational and Organized Crime (CTOC) task force arrested Beam and his female friend, a 48-year-old identified as WPC on Thursday.

He made pornographic movies to make money on the internet. That was one of his activities to survive in Bali. He made a lot of contacts with local people, Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Petrus Reinhard Golose said at Bali Polices headquarters in Denpasar on Friday as reported by tempo.co.

He explained that Beam had been living in Bali since January. During his stay, until he was captured, he and his female friend allegedly uploaded their personal adult videos onto a website to make money to cover his living costs.

Deputy director of the Bali Polices general crimes division Adj. Sr. Comr. Suratno added that the authorities had only managed to find one adult video of the identified "dozens". The police also named WPC as a witness.

Beam and WPC, both American nationals, were arrested at a villa in Badung regency, Bali. Authorities also confiscated a passport, five mobile phones, one folding knife, 14 sex toys and 13 other electronic devices as evidence.

Beam has been accused of embezzling around US$500,000 from investors in Chicago, US. He reportedly used the money for his personal expenses instead of placing it in investment funds.

After previously being detained by US authorities in September, he allegedly escaped the US in January using a passport that listed a different name.

Despite there being no extradition treaty between Indonesia and the US, Petrus said that Beam would be sent back to his home country under an agreement between the two countries police forces. (mfp)
Taylor Swift surprised-released a new album called Folklore on Friday, and like all her albums, its bound to be a hit. But will Folklore live on in folklore? Will we pass it on, generation to generation, around a campfire? I dont know, it could; maybe someone will think to save it because it literally says folklore on it? And just how folkloric is this thing, anyway? (Are these true stories of the common people? Myths handed down through the decades? Pastoral tales of the American countryside?)

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In the spirit of treating this album as an important historical artifact, here is an analysis of the subjects Taylor Swift sings about on it. People! Places! Things! Planets? Read on for a breakdown.

People

Real

 Bill: His full name is William Hale Harkness, and he was Rebekah West Harkness second husband (of four). On The Last Great American Dynasty, a song about his wife, Rebekah (about whom there is more below), Swift does a good job telling listeners what the other important thing to know about him is: He was the heir to the Standard Oil name and money.

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 The Bitch Pack: This is the name for Rebekah West Harkness group of friends (you might say, squad), who helped Harkness gain her reputation for being outrageous. Were not sure, based on available info, who was in the Bitch Pack or how many members it had, so were going to make some assumptions out of quantitative necessity. For the purposes of our statistical analysis, lets say that there were three Bitch Pack members, because with Rebekah, that makes four, and everyone knows the best cliques have four members.

 Dali: Salvador Dali was a painter known not only for his surrealist, Dada work, but also for his eccentricities, particularly his signature pencil mustache. If Rebekah Harkness was playing card games with him, it means she kept some pretty wild company.

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 Rebekah West Harkness: A 20th-century socialite (she died in 1982) who used to own Taylor Swifts Rhode Island mansion. Seems like a good bet that her story resonated with Swift: She was one of the richest women in the world as well as a target for media criticism and public disdain.

Fictional

 Peter: As in Pan, the title character in J.M. Barries classic story. Peter is our cultural shorthand for immaturity and the struggle of leaving adolescence.

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 Wendy: The other main character in Peter Pan, the one who ultimately did the responsible thing and left childhood behind.

Unclear

 Betty: The person who is being addressed in the song Betty. James, the narrator, knows he messed up and is asking if shell ever grant forgiveness. As to whether shes a real person, theres not a whole lot to go onand yet that hasnt stopped fans from speculating that shes named after everyone from Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds third daughter (the other two are named James and Inez, which, see below) to Karlie Elizabeth Kloss to Rebekah Harkness, nickname Betty.

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 Inez: Someone who passed gossip concerning James onto Betty. Its unclear if shes the other woman in a love triangle with Betty and James or just a generally loose-lipped person.

 James: The narrator of the song Betty, the one who wants to be forgiven. Fans offering queer readings of the song suggest that James could be a woman, like one of Lively and Reynolds daughters, or like Ms. Swift herself, who was named after James Taylor.

Places

Urban

 LA: A city that Taylor Swift (or the narrator) traveled to with a love interest early on in their relationship, as recounted in the song Invisible String. Also a notable city for a lot of other reasons, obviously.

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 New York: Taylors home base for a few years and the city she sings about on 1989s Welcome to New York. She continues to keep a residence there. And sing about it, apparently!

 St. Louis: The Missouri city Rebekah West Harkness came from.

Rural/Pastoral

 Holiday House: The historic name for Swifts mansion in Rhode Island, which dates back to Rebekah West Harkness years there.

 The Moon: A rock thats orbiting our planet, and Swift compares its distance from Earth to how much she loves someone in Seven. May not technically qualify as rural or pastoral, but it definitely aint urban.

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 Saturn: A planet that Earth shares a solar system with. By the rules of My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas, there are three planets between it and us. Once again, its great distance from us is meant to represent the copious amounts of love Swift has for the subject of Seven.

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 The Lakes: Probably referring to the Lake District in England, a historic national park thats home to many lakes, although well know better once weve heard Folklores bonus track of the same name. It seems more likely to be those lakes than the U.S.s Great Lakes or another group of lakes because Taylor Swift is dating an Englishman, actor Joe Alwyn, and as you might have heard, she has spent time with him in England.

Both

 Centennial Park: There are several parks with this name, but Invisible String is probably referring to the one in Nashville, where Taylor Swift lived for years and still keeps a home.

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 The High Line: A park in New York City built on out-of-service railway tracks, but also a backdrop for romantic moments in ballads.

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 India: A country in South Asia thats home to more than 1.3 billion people, and also, for the purposes of this song, a place that the young protagonists in Seven hope to escape to avoid a seemingly abusive father.

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 Pennsylvania: A large state with many cities and towns in it that is most notable for being the U.S. state where Swift grew upspecifically at a Christmas tree farm in its southeastern region.

 Rhode Island: The smallest state, and the one that contains the mansion owned formerly by Rebekah Harkness and currently by Taylor Swift, the site of historically important 4th of July parties.

Things

Brands

 Levis: A brand of jeans worn by someone who is an object of the affection of the narrator of the song Cardigan.

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 Standard Oil: A now-defunct oil company that was dismantled for its monopolistic activities but not before robber barons used it to become filthy rich. This money was eventually passed on to heirs, and in the case of Standard Oil, much of it went to William Hale Harkness, Rebekah West Harknesss second husband.

Periods of Rest

 August: Many peoples least favorite month, making it a thematically appropriate time in which to set songs about failed love affairs, such as the Folklore song of the same name, August.

 Sunday: Either the seventh or first day of the week, depending on who you ask, and if youre Taylor Swift, a good day to take in a matineewhile contemplating loves lost.
During spring break, when college students' stress levels typically falls and sleep levels increase, rates of depression and anxiety soared, researchers said after monitoring behaviors among young people during the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

After tracking the moods and movements of about 200 Dartmouth College students for more than two years, the researchers noted that the public health crisis had spurred higher-than-normal stress levels and bouts of sedentary behavior - an average of 21 hours per day - suggesting students followed social distancing orders and avoided traveling during the initial outbreak of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Jeremy Huckins, a lecturer on psychological and brain sciences, and Andrew Campbell, a researcher and computer science professor, are using an app called StudentLife to monitor students' locations, phone usage and travel patterns. This is the first time researchers have used sensor data from phones to gather behavioral insights into the way students reacted to the public health crisis, said Campbell, who helped develop the app.

"It sort of sits in the background quietly," Campbell said of StudentLife. "We can analyze those locations to look at how many places the student visits per day, every day. We can look at phone usage, so how much a student is using their phone. Like, unlocking their phone, for example."

Researchers also use StudentLife to issue weekly surveys and gauge students' moods and stress levels. Self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression spiked in March, when students were asked to leave campuses and finish their courses online, Huckins said.

Students around that time were also preparing for final exams, already one of the most stressful times during any term. They were adjusting to shelter-in-place policies and coping with social isolation when researchers noticed a marked increase in stress levels.

Researchers noted students were anxious and depressed around spring break, when stress levels typically drop and sleep levels increase, Campbell said.

"We didn't see that at all during spring break because most of them had to go back home," he added. The campus had shuttered to slow the spread of covid-19.

And when students went home, they stayed there during the first few weeks of the pandemic.

"Many people wouldn't expect college students to listen to social distancing orders, but these students did," Huckins said. "We found that when social distancing was recommended by local governments, students were more sedentary and visited fewer locations on any given day."

The study, published last month in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, suggests the impact of the coronavirus reaches beyond physical health and safety. More Americans are dealing with the mental health effects of spending more time indoors, away from loved ones and, in many cases, unemployed, experts say. But mental illness has long been a pressing concern for college students: More than 40 percent have felt "so depressed that it was difficult to function," according to a 2019 report from the American College Health Association.

Advocates worry students will struggle to get help as their mental health continues to deteriorate. After students left campuses last semester for their homes in other states, many schools scaled back clinical therapy services. A patchwork of licensure laws that, in many cases prevent psychologists from practicing across state lines, made therapy inaccessible for thousands of students.

Campus health centers have been offering group counseling sessions on Zoom and wellness webinars to fill in the gaps, particularly for students who cannot access therapy at home. But even with students heading back to campuses in the fall, the way care is delivered will likely look very different from a year ago.

Huckins and Campbell are still analyzing data recorded during the final weeks of the school year, which will provide insight into the way students adjusted to remote learning. Preliminary data show students also experienced higher-than-normal levels of anxiety and depression through the summer.

But researchers still don't know how students will be affected long term.

"An unresolved question is if mental health and physical activity will continue to degrade over time, or if we will see a recovery, and how long that recovery will take," Huckins said.
Charges filed in Independence homicide KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has charged 23-year-old Arieous K. Walton-Merritt with 2nd Degree Murder and Armed Criminal action in the shooting death of Matthew Bland-Williams Thursday night. Independence police were called to a residence around E. Wigwam Drive and E. Wigwam Place to investigate a shooting.

A glimpse at the narrative from charging dox and image via police as violence spikes across the metro . . . Read more:
Two Tulsa County men have been named in a federal criminal complaint that alleges they both lied when applying for multiple Paycheck Protection Program loans from the Small Business Administration.

Ibanga Etuk of Tulsa and Olusola Ojo of Owasso made initial appearances this week before a Tulsa federal court magistrate, who approved bond for both.

According to an affidavit written in support of the criminal complaint, Etuk and Ojo applied for six SBA PPP loans between them totaling $1,152,000. The men told various banks from which they were seeking financial assistance that they did not own any other businesses when applying for each loan.

The statements were false because Etuk and Ojo applied for multiple PPP loans each, using different companies in which they had ownership interests, says the affidavit, written by an agent with the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

In at least four cases, the pair listed an address in the 5500 block of South Peoria Avenue as the location for the businesses.
New York photographer Timothy Leach shot engaged couple John Nicotera and Erica Pendrak under the rare Neowise comet. (Screenshot: Instagram/tleach18)

A breathtaking photo has captured two once-in-a-lifetime experiences: A couple getting engaged under a comet that appears once every 6,800 years.

On July 18, New York photographer Tim Leach documented the starry engagement of John Nicotera and Erica Pendrak as they observed the Neowise comet, an astronomical wonder that, according to NASA, resembles a fuzzy star with a bit of a tail and wont be seen again in this lifetime. The comet was discovered on March 27 and generated excitement last week as it traveled through the inner solar system.

Nicotera, 33, a physical education teacher at OHM BOCES Oneida Schools was to propose at Oregons Crate Lake National Park, but in May, the couple canceled their vacation amid the pandemic. I had to come up with Plan B, he tells Yahoo Life.

As a lover of space and the outdoors, Nicotera wanted to catch the comet, and realized that proposing at Old Forge in the Adirondack Mountains was the perfect alternative. I couldnt wait to blow Erica out of the water, he says.

Timothy Leach photographed John Nicotera and Erica Pendrak of New York getting engaged under the Neowise comet. (Screenshot: Instagram/tleach18)

However, that evening, Nicotera was so distracted that he forgot his binoculars at home. So he quickly called his friend Leach and asked him to join the couple on the mountain, divulging his plan to propose. Naturally, Leach brought his camera.

Pendrak, 26, a first-grade teacher at Deerfield Elementary School in Utica, didnt notice the bulging square box in the pocket of Nicoteras sweatshirt. It was so hard to hide the ring, he tells Yahoo Life. You could tell there was a something in there so I covered it with my hand until the sun went down.

At 10 p.m., Nicotera signaled to Leach that it was time. It was an amazing moment, he says. It felt like I was falling in love with her all over again.

As the photographer snapped away, Nicotera knelt on the ground and asked Pendrak, Are you ready? and held up a square-cut princess diamond ring. I was completely shocked, she tells Yahoo Life. We called our parents right away.

Story continues

The couple, who already framed one of Leachs photos, cant believe the timing. It blew my mind that we got this photo, Nicotera tells Yahoo Life. And  that she said yes.

John Nicotera proposed to Erica Pendrak under the stars  and a historic comet  in July. (Photo: Courtesy of John Nicotera)

Read more from Yahoo Life:

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Thousands of Portlanders amassed late Friday downtown and witnessed another tense face-off with federal officers, who used tear gas and shot impact munitions toward protesters.

The Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse has been the site of repeated overnight confrontations between federal officers embedded inside and demonstrators gathered outside. Many people pushed the fence and some protesters threw objects over it, and at one point early Saturday, a successive series of fireworks sent from the crowd exploded past the courthouse fence.

The tactics federal officers have used to defend government buildings  and the repeated praise of those actions from President Donald Trump  have brought national attention to Portland. The heightened federal response arrived weeks after nightly protests against police violence and systemic racism.

The looming predictability of tear gas deployed by federal officers has prompted protesters to prepare more each night, in part by bringing leaf blowers to deflect the gas toward officers and stop it from spreading.

The federal force has also refueled the turnout at the demonstrations, which started in late May after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.

At least 4,000 people poured Friday night into the citys core. It was the largest crowd since early weeks of the protests that started 58 days ago.

The night started with a rally on the steps of the downtown jail next to the federal courthouse on Southwest Third Avenue. A parade of vehicles, many adorned with Black Lives Matter decorations, circled around the area. The drivers honked the car horns in rhythm with the crowds Black Lives Matter chant.

Jakob Perez, of Portland, decided to attend because he said he had grown disgusted with the federal presence and the political grandstanding by Trump.

I love that so may people are here, Perez said. This is our city.

Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, the councils most vocal police reformer, spoke to the crowd from the Justice Center steps. She praised the movement for creating pressure to adopt police reforms. She encouraged protesters to keep pressing for change, including her installation as police commissioner, which Mayor Ted Wheeler shot down days earlier.

Who knows more about policing in Portland than a Black woman whos been on the front lines for 30 years? Hardesty asked, drawing cheers. She led the crowd in chanting, We will not fail!

The large crowd expanded after 9 p.m. when a march from the waterfront arrived. Many marchers wore distinct colors tied to specific professions or community groups. Social workers wore green. Dining industry workers wore chef coats. Health care workers wore blue. Groups of parents, who started the collective attire trend nearly a week ago, wore yellow and orange.

They were accompanied by at least 25 people arrived with marching band drums, and twice as many people arrived with tambourines and other shakers.

The preparations for the long night ahead began early in the parks across the street from the Justice Center and courthouse. Many people prepared for the long night ahead by setting up booths offering first aid, protective gear and food, at the volunteer Riot Ribs stand.

Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer, a Democrat who represents parts of Northeast and Southeast Portland, sat perched on a stone structure at the north corner of the Justice Center. She held a sign that said, Hate has no place here.

Keny-Guyer said she and other elected officials attended the demonstration, and that she had joined one earlier in the week, as well.

By 10 p.m., the massive filled Third Avenue for two blocks between Madison and Salmon streets and stretched nearly an entire block west.

Jordan Brookes, a social worker, said he planned to document the protest and the police response to it. Brookes, who is Black, said he moved to Portland after he said police in Texas refused to investigate his report that he had been assaulted in a racist attack.

He said he believes both Democrats and Republicans have used the recent protests for police reform as a platform, rather than as a way to support the Black Lives Matter movement. He said he believes people should attend the protests before forming opinions about what is happening.

Whether its a good opinion or a bad opinion, you gotta be down here just to acknowledge the fact that something is happening, Brookes said.

By 10:30 p.m., a line of veterans stood in front of the federal courthouse, preparing for the looming confrontation. A row of women tied to the Wall of Moms group also staged near the courthouse.

Most of the crowd remained focused on the Justice Center rally. Together, thousands of people chanted, Its a revolution!

Sisters Amy Martin and Kara Martin also stood among the crowd. The sisters said they avoided the recent protests at first out of fear of contracting COVID-19. But the arrival of federal law enforcement galvanized them to overcome their anxiety.

Black lives are so important, Kara Martin said. And it is important to have the right to protest. To see that wasnt happening was disconcerting.

At 11 p.m., protesters actions by the fence brought tear gas from federal officers.

Several people had started to push the fence, which wavered to pressure unlike the two prior nights. A concrete barricade prevented the fence from fully toppling over. It was unclear if anything else happened to bring about the response by federal officers. The gas caught the thousands there off guard.

Federal officials used a loudspeaker to order people to stop tampering with the fence. A group of people did not stop. Federal officers released more gas and shot impact munitions, including pepper balls, toward the protesters on the front line.

Within 15 minutes, most of the crowd outside the Justice Center had either left or shifted toward the courthouse. Someone used a projector to display, The fence is a lie, onto the side of the Justice Center facing the courthouse.

Federal officers continued to release irritants and shoot projectiles toward the crowd from inside the building. Several protesters stayed near the front line and used leaf blowers to try to contain the gas near the courthouse.

Within minutes, a stream of federal officers emerged from the courthouse and staged directly next to the fence, at times shooting impact munitions at protesters feet away. Most people moved back several yards.

Many of the officers near the perimeter wore dark uniforms that said Homeland Security.

Officers mostly retreated inside the courthouse by 11:25 p.m. in a cloud of gas.

Dozens of protesters quickly returned close to the fence, and many people started pushing it. Some people used an angle grinder to cut into it. After fireworks launched from the crowd exploded past the fence, federal officers streamed out just after 11:30 p.m.

Federal officers defended one side of the fence, and frontline protesters tried to hold ground from the other side.

Officers remained outside even after the tension lowered. The face off continued past midnight. Several people played drums, and the crowd chanted, No justice, no peace! At least 1,000 people remained in the area.

Many front line protesters worked together to stay in tight groups in an effort to thwart police tactics to break them up. A line of women with the Wall of Moms stood in the intersection nearby, forming a line on the south edge of the protesters.

Around 12:30 a.m., officers again released tear gas that hung in the air. People used leaf blowers to try to disperse it, including one man with a commercial landscaping model.

Many people returned after the gas started to clear. Some began pushing the fence, which already was leaning. Some protesters nearby set off a series of fireworks toward the courthouse. Federal officers continued to stand guard.

Around 12:50 a.m., federal officers used a loudspeaker to declare the gathering unlawful for a second straight night. Most people did not leave. Some people continued to push the fence and throw water bottles over it.

More officers streamed out of the building, and the Federal Protective Service issued repeated warnings for people to stop.

As the tension started to escalate, several hundred people were still downtown.

At 1 a.m., federal officers set off more tear gas. Leaf blowers revved back up on both sides. At least two federal officers carried them to direct the gas toward the crowd.

Federal officers also shot impact munitions. The crowd decreased in size, but quickly reconvened each time the tear gas dissipated. Federal officers at times launched devices such as tear gas canisters over the fence. Protesters sometimes tried to deflect them or throw them back. The showdown and flare ups continued past 2 a.m.

The crowd decreased in size to a few hundred. Several dozen people stayed near the fence and periodically launched objects or fireworks over the fence. The Federal Protective Service again used a loudspeaker to order people to go.

Most people stayed on Salmon Street, past the northwest corner of the courthouse. A group of people clustered together to form a defensive line as a pile of pallets burned behind them in the middle of the street.

Since the arrival of federal law enforcement in late June, protesters have employed more organized tactics to resist. People have also arrived in more protective gear. Many wear helmets and gas masks, and some carry homemade shields.

Video footage captured after Oregonian/OregonLive journalists left downtown showed a few dozen federal officers emerged on Third Avenue around 2:30 a.m. The officers press people north for at least one block, past the pallet fire. As officers advanced, they shot less-lethal munitions and set off devices that emitted sound and other irritants.

Portland police made its first audible action of the night, by using a loudspeaker to order people to leave or be subject to riot control agents such as tear gas.

Several videos showed several Portland police cars then arrived near Fouth Avenue and Taylor Street around 2:40 a.m., 10 minutes after federal officers advanced on the crowd. It was unclear what local police were doing.

Portland police issued a statement just before 4 a.m. to say they had responded to reports of a stabbing at Southwest Fifth Avenue and Salmon Street, two blocks away. They disclosed no other details other than to say the victim was hospitalized and the suspect was arrested.

Police also said officers went to Third Avenue and Salmon Street to help make sure firefighters were safe when they put out the pallet fire near the intersection.

On Wednesday, Portland City Council issued an immediate ban for all Portland police employees to stop cooperating with federal law enforcement.

-- Piper McDaniel, For The Oregonian/OregonLive, @piperamcdaniel

-- Ted Sickinger, tsickinger@oregonian.com

-- Alex Hardgrave, ahardgrave@oregonian.com

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist

SC directs states to reach out to 10,000 kids orphaned due to Covid-19, pay compensation

COVID-19: Vietnam bans wildlife trade to avoid new pandemic risk

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, July 25: Vietnam has banned the import of wildlife and wildlife products to reduce the risk of new pandemics.

"The Prime Minister orders the suspension of imports of wildlife - dead or alive - their eggs... parts or derivatives," said the order released on the Vietnamese government website.

"All citizens, especially officials... must not participate in illegal poaching, buying, selling, transporting... of illegal wildlife."

Coronavirus: Why a permanent ban on wildlife trade might not work in China

The order also said, "The country will also resolutely eliminate market and trading sites which trade wildlife illegally."

Conservationists of the Southeast Asian country welcomed the move saying , "This trade must be banned as a matter of international and public health security."

Scientists have long warned that the wildlife trade can be an incubator for infecteous diseases like COVID-19.

COVID-19 linked to increased risk of stroke: Study

The origins of the current pandemic are thought to lie in the wildlife trade, with the disease emerging in bats and jumping to people via another, as yet unidentified, species, also could include rats, civets and pangolins.

Meanwhile, after being hit hard by previous epidemics, Vietnam imposed an extensive, early lockdown and has reported no coronavirus deaths so far.
Iran strongly reacts to threatening Mahan Air passenger plane by US military jets

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 24, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi has said that investigations are underway about an incident on Thursday night in which two American jets threatened an Iranian passenger jet on the Syrian air.

Mahan Air passenger plane was on route to Beirut, Lebanon when it was threatened by two military jets.

The pilot of the Iranian plane says when he was talking to the pilots of the fighter jets to ask them to keep distance they had said that they were American.

Although the Iranian plane finally landed in Beirut Airport, some of its passengers were immediately taken to hospital.

The Syrian official SANA news agency also said that the fighter jets were American and had took off from an air base in Syria.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that after completing information about the incident, Iran will take the necessary political and legal measures in this regard.

Mousavi also said that Iran's Permanent ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-e Ravanchi has talked with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stressing that in case any incident that may occur to the Iranian plane on its way back home, the United States of America would be held responsible.

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Harry and Meghan have said they were not interviewed for the book. (Getty Images)

Meghan Markle did not want to stop serving the Queen because she had given up her life for the monarchy, according to a new book which has been touted as being their side of the story over the shock exit from their senior royal roles.

Finding Freedom is said to have been written with the participation of those closest to the couple and there are reports its publication has caused concern with palace courtiers.

One of the claims it makes is that it was the lack of support Prince Harry felt from within the family that drove the couple to quit their working roles - not Meghans ambitions.

The book, out next month, has been serialised in The Times, and spokesperson for the couple, currently living in Los Angeles, confirmed they were not interviewed themselves, as had been reported.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Yahoo UK: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom.

This book is based on the authors own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.

Read more: This year's must-read royal biographies, from Harry and Meghan's 'real story' to feuding princes

Harry and Meghan made the announcement after visiting Canada House. (Getty Images)

However nothing was denied as the first extract was released in The Times.

Among the books claims are that Kate and Meghans relationship never progressed from distant politeness and that William left his staff to represent him during the talks with Harry about the future for the Sussexes.

But the relationship between Kate and Meghan was an offshoot of the real issue - that Harry did not feel supported by his family.

While some courtiers blame Meghan for the decision the couple took to leave their senior roles, the book quotes her speaking to a friend, who she told: I gave up my entire life for this family. I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. Its very sad.

The authors add that Harry long wanted distance, saying: Its why he gravitated toward the military, had always avoided the pomp as much as he could, and didnt give his child a title. He long craved a life away from the prying eyes of the media. Meghan simply emboldened him to make the change.

Story continues

Harry, Meghan and Archie now live in LA. (Getty Images)

Read more: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reveal Archie has never left their LA home as they sue paparazzi for invasive photographs

The book is written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, both royal reporters based in the UK. Scobie is former presenter on Yahoos Royal Story, and is the royal editor for Harpers Bazaar. Durand is a contributor for Elle and Oprah Magazine.

Scobie covered Meghans final engagement as a senior royal, and said the couple was crushed by having to step back.

Harry and Meghan moved to Los Angeles at the end of March, keen to get there from Canada before the border between the two countries closed.

They have been volunteering and working with community leaders as they prepare to launch a non-profit foundation, Archewell.

On Friday, they filed legal papers against unknown paparazzi who have been using drones and long lens cameras to take photographs of their son, Archie, in the home they are staying in.
(Photo : REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro) A paramedic wearing protective gloves arranges test tubes with blood samples to be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) anti-body test, at a camp in Karachi, Pakistan July 24, 2020. (Photo : REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro) A paramedic wearing protective gloves takes a blood sample from a man to be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) anti-body test, at a camp in Karachi, Pakistan July 24, 2020.

With the total confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide nearing the 16 million mark, it is critical to know how the numerous studies for a COVID-19 vaccine ensure protection against the virus.

According to a BGR report, As COVID-19 survivors produce certain antibodies against the disease, how long will they be immune? Some researchers say such resistance is comparable to human immunity with other coronaviruses. If this is true, then it would mean survivors may again acquire COVID-19 after a year, which would then require regular vaccination to stay protected.

Worse, recent research claims that within two to three months of infection, antibodies might vanish from the blood. However, we would still be protected with white blood cells naturally engage with the virus and produce new antibodies.

This makes a breakthrough testing kit significant as it claims to measure the strength of human antibodies to repel the virus and immediately provide results on a certain type of antibody.

GenScript Biotech published a study in Nature on Thursday, July 23. It was about a test that analyzes neutralizing antibodies in a patient's bloodstream. The new surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) called cPass is different from other tests that check all antibodies in the blood.

According to the study, cPass detected neutralizing antibodies from patients with 95%-100% sensitivity and 99.93% specificity, compared with the traditional cell- and virus-based detection test (cVNT).

How does it work?

GenScript promises to release test results within an hour, which is much faster than traditional antibody tests that take a few days to give results.

The cPass test was used in two groups of patients in Singapore and China. It does not require a live virus and biosafety control since it uses a different testing principle.

GenScript Vice President for Marketing Eric Wang said the test does not examine the antibody itself but checks the blood for anything that halts the binding of the virus to the hACE2 receptor. "It's a functional assay that specifically looks for the neutralizing antibody," he said.

The researchers also proved that the cPass test still detected significant neutralizing activity levels even with a low level of IgG and IgM antibodies. Wang explained that those who got inflicted with a virus generate various antibodies, although only a small fraction binds to the virus and prevents it from infecting a cell. These are called neutralizing antibodies. He also told Forbes that the patient may still be immune to the virus, even with just a small amount of neutralizing antibody.

The European Union has already approved the use of class SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit while it received provisional authorization in Singapore. Meanwhile, it is under review for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

While future testing will still be done, cPass is already a great development in antibody testing. It could be used to confirm if COVID-19 patients are developing neutralizing antibodies as well as to measure the strength of immunity within a population after an outbreak or getting vaccines.

Currently, tests cannot detect antibodies after three months, so studies that track the disease and measure herd immunity will not have accurate data.

Read also: Who is this Actor that Healed From COVID-19 Using the U.S. Remdesivir?

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Gyms and indoor fitness centres have now reopened in England after being forced to close their doors for four months due to the coronavirus outbreak.

According to reports on social media, people were eager to get back into their fitness routine as many gyms had queues outside from as early as 8am.

But gyms will not look the same as pre-pandemic; there will be new rules and ways of operating to keep everyone safe.

For example, in many gyms, changing rooms and showers will not be available.

Similarly, clients will be required to have their temperature taken upon entry and equipment-use will be limited.

How will this impact the overall gym experience? And will such restrictions inhibit peoples workouts?

As gyms reopen in England, The Independent spoke to four people about what their experiences were like.

Ruth Harrison-Davies, Huddersfield

(Ruth Harrison-Davies)

It was REALLY well managed, there was directional signage everywhere, lots of hand sanitiser stations, and routes around the gym to ensure people didnt cross paths.

The equipment has been moved around to give people enough space to workout without being on top of others.

My friend and I did some yoga in the studio and each had our own space.

Obviously its odd, and everyone probably feels a little uneasy  but thats how you feel in every situation now.

The only downside is not being able to shower. I never thought Id love to train again, but seeing my friends and supporting my local business is really important to me. Im super happy to be back, it feels fantastic.

Aaron Schiavone, Cheltenham

(Aaron Schiavone)

It felt great to be back at my gym this weekend and I enjoyed seeing old faces again.

It was quiet but I expected nothing less. Its going to take some getting used to and PTing may be trickier but Im sure Ill adapt. If Im honest, I have a great gym a home so Im going to keep training there for now.

Tim Caldwell, Leicestershire

(Tim Caldwell)

I was slightly anxious but excited about heading back to the gym.

I had no need to worry. Theyd planned everything perfectly, anti-bacterial wipes on every station, sanitiser on the way in and all around and anti-bacterial spray available too.

It was quiet, but you could see how happy people were to be back giving it everything on the equipment! There was a class going on too. The new normal at the gym seems workable to me. I loved being back there exercising  but I might ache a bit tomorrow!

Linda Sage, Leeds

(Linda Sage (Linda Sage)

At 7.50am this morning, I was queueing to go into the gym, who would have thought!?

My lockdown has been very sedentary as Ive been launching a new business, so I was thrilled to be on the move. I promised myself to workout at home, but the right time never seemed to arrive.

The gym in the East of Leeds is very large and spacious, only about 10 people went in with me, but many more were there by the time I left. I stayed just over an hour, it was easy to get onto the machines and use the weights. Everyone was respectful, wiping down each piece of equipment after using it and chatty on the bikes and treadmills at a distance.

The changing rooms were spotless and I was the only one in there. I pushed myself but not too much, as I do want to be able to walk tomorrow!

I live alone and although I have seen hundreds of people virtually over these past few months, I have only spoken to about eight people in real life. It was so nice to actually have some normality and see people again in the gym.
WASHINGTON - Federal regulators have recalled dozens of hand sanitizers - many widely available through Walmart and other national retailers - because they contain dangerous and potentially fatal levels of wood alcohol.

Hand sanitizer demand has skyrocketed during the pandemic as Americans were urged to wash their hands often to guard against the coronavirus. That's sparked a slew of new brands to rush into the market. But the Food and Drug Administration has identified at least 77 brands that say they contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) on their labels but later shown to contain methanol, or wood alcohol.

Methanol can be toxic when absorbed through the skin, the agency said in an advisory, and can cause blindness. It can be lethal if ingested.

Because the products are mislabeled, consumers wouldn't be able to tell which hand sanitizers actually contain methanol. The FDA keeps a running tally of the recalled products on its website.

The recalled products are manufactured by various companies, all in Mexico, and have been carried by such retailers as BJ's Wholesale Club, Costco and Walmart. The FDA included several types of Blumen brand hand sanitizer on the recall list and said an import alert was attached to them earlier this month to prevent them from entering the country.

At the onset of the U.S. outbreak, Americans loaded up on hand sanitizers, disinfectants and other household cleaning supplies to combat the virus. In turn, many companies shifted their production efforts to meet the heightened demand, including distilleries that pivoted to making hand sanitizer instead of alcoholic beverages. But the run on hand sanitizer also attracted new manufacturers that failed to ensure rigorous product quality.

Since May, at least seven people have died and dozens have been hospitalized in Arizona and New Mexico after ingesting hand sanitizer containing methanol, according to state health officials. At least some of the cases were related to alcoholism, officials have said. Though hand sanitizer should not be consumed, some people have been drawn to its high alcohol content.

The FDA also advises Americans to be wary of products that claim to be "FDA-approved," as none exist, or say they provide protection for "up to 24 hours."

The agency encourages health professionals and consumers to report adverse affects or product quality issues with hand sanitizers on its website.

Public health professionals have called frequent hand-washing as a key defense against covid-19. If soap and water are not readily available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent ethanol.
Six migrants who landed in Cala Truja, in Sant Josep, in Ibiza have been arrested by the Guardia Civil.

They were spotted by the Armed Institute at around 1 oclock in the morning and all of them are young men from Algeria, according to the Government Delegation.

Theyve been transferred to Guardia Civil units in Sant Josep and land patrols are continuing to search for more migrants who are believed to be in the area.

Its the third patera to be spotted in Balearic waters in 48 hours; two others were intercepted on Friday near Cabrera with 31 migrants onboard.

A total of 18 boats with 223 occupants have arrived in the Balearic Islands so far this year.

6 pateras arrived in Cabrera; 5 in Majorca, 3 in Ibiza and one in Formentera.

The first two arrived on January 2; 14 were intercepted by the Guardia Civil near Cabrera and 11 others were detained in Ibiza.

On February 9, another 18 were spotted near Cabrera, the next day a patera arrived at Sant Josep de sa Talaia, in Ibiza and on February 13 another 13 were intercepted near Cabrera. Two more pateras were spotted near Cabrera, one on February 18 and February 24 with 16 people onboard.

There were no boats found during the coronavirus lockdown, but on June 17 a boat carrying 6 adults and one minor arrived in Ses Salines in Majorca, on June 18 another boat was found half a kilometre from Ses Salines lighthouse, and 7 migrants were apprehended and on June 22, a patera arrived in Cala Martina, in Santa Eularia, Ibiza with 11 migrants onboard.

Five boats arrived in Cabrera, Majorca and Formentera on June 29 with 57 immigrants onboard.

The first boat with 13 occupants was detected by the Integral External Surveillance Service, or SIVE, just west of Cabrera and the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard intercepted it at sea.

The Guardia Civil found another boat on the beach in Colonia de Sant Jordi and 14 migrants were arrested.

Two dinghies were found on Playa El Caragol, a few miles from Ses Salines Lighthouse.

17 migrants were arrested in Formentera after a boat was found near Sa Mola lighthouse.

Last year 41 boats with 507 occupants arrived in the Balearic Islands.
People wearing face masks are seen at the entrance of the Menarock Life aged care facility, Essendon, Melbourne, Australia on July 14, 2020, (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

An Aged Care Response Centre Formed in Victoria to Assist With Growing Crisis

The Commonwealth and Victorian governments have established an aged care response centre to assist with the growing crisis in the sector, which has been severely hit by the second wave of COVID-19.

Victoria recorded a further five deaths on Saturday, bringing the national total to 145.

The latest deaths involved four women in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and a man in his 80s.

There are now over 500 infections in aged care facilities across the state, evenly split between health workers and residents.

The new Victorian aged care response centre will assist with workforce provisions, the prevention of outbreaks and support for providers.

That is a very important step forward in helping to coordinate, helping to ensure rapid response where these cases are occurring, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters on July 25.

Staff shortages are a problem in Victoria as workers are required to self-isolate while awaiting test results, and only allowed to work at one site.

Senior federal Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher said the impact of the COVID-19 on aged care homes has highlighted the fragility of insecure work in the sector.

Victoria recorded a further 375 virus cases on Saturday, which Hunt described as stable but significant numbers.

NSW recorded 15 new cases on Saturday. Eight were associated with the Thai Rock restaurant cluster in Sydney and six were returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

Colin Brinsden in Canberra
Will the feminisation of farming in Asias transition economies have a similar effect? There are no guarantees. Evidence so far has shown that increased representation in agriculture does not necessarily contribute to womens socio-economic empowerment.





by Caroline Rath





South Asias record on gender equality is quite depressing, to say the least. The region has the worlds highest rate of child marriage, and domestic violence against women is pervasive. Women are over-represented in unpaid work, and under-represented in the labour force, even in countries, such as Sri Lanka, which has invested heavily in girls schooling. Yet, there is one sector where women are taking over  agriculture  that could present a much needed opportunity for women economic empowerment.









As South Asian economies develop, men are increasingly chasing jobs in manufacturing (or overseas), leaving women responsible for a growing share of agricultural labour. In Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, the share of economically active women working in farming now ranges from 60 percent to 98 percent. In each of these countries agricultural sectors, women outnumber men.





A comparable shift occurred in some high-income countries during the Second World War. As men left for the battlefield, women filled the vacant civilian jobs, including farming. In America, for example, the share of women agricultural workers jumped from 8 percent in 1940 to 22.4 percent in 1945.





When the war ended, women were not simply going to return to the pre-war status quo. In some sectors, especially higher-skill positions, the Second World War labour shock seems to have directly and permanently changed womens paid employment. More generally, however, women had sampled the economic and personal freedom that employment provides, gained marketable skills, and proved their capabilities. Womens wartime experience thus gave powerful impetus to the movement for gender equality. The number of European farming women has been slowly increasing in recent years. The most recent data suggests that, on average, around 30 percent of farms across the European Union are managed by a woman.





We should also notice that, even if agriculture remains the main employment sector for women in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, it accounts for a huge part of the population in the western world as well. Within the European Union, in 2016, for example, women working in agriculture accounted for 35 percent of the total working population in the sector and more than 40 percent in some member states such as Austria (45 percent), Romania (43 percent) Poland, Greece, and Slovenia (41 percent in each).





But, will the feminisation of farming in Asias transition economies have a similar effect? There are no guarantees. Evidence so far has shown that increased representation in agriculture does not necessarily contribute to womens socio-economic empowerment.





In fact, even as women take on more agricultural duties, their decision-making power remains limited. In Bangladesh, for example, the microfinance revolution and non-government-organisation-led training programmes have enabled thousands of rural women to become frontline workers and even start their own small businesses since the 1990s. The country now leads South Asia in closing the gender pay gap. Yet, in agriculture, women have about half the power of men, measured by variables like asset ownership and control over income.





On top of that, a research carried out in India has found that womens growing participation in agriculture is strongly linked to several indicators of poverty. This at least partly reflects the fact that womens entry into the paid workforce is not accompanied by any reduction in their already-heavy burden of unpaid labour. And a rising proportion of women employed in the agricultural sector are not paid for their work at all.





Add to that the unpredictable nature of agricultural production, and, as researchers in India say, The feminisation of agriculture may better be described as the feminisation of agrarian distress. In the Indian state of Maharashtra, mounting debts have led to a doubling of suicides among women farmers in the past four years.





By contrast, in rural Bangladesh, empowerment, such as the ability to influence purchasing decisions and join voluntary associations, has contributed substantially to their life satisfaction, regardless of their economic status.





How, then, can South Asian governments translate rising women participation in farming into genuine empowerment? One approach focuses on income earned outside the home. Data from rural Bangladesh show that it is not paid employment per se that increases women farmers autonomy, but rather employment outside of their husbands farms. In Bangladesh, the microfinance revolution and non-government-organisation-led training programmes have enabled thousands of rural women to become frontline workers.





Yet the fact is that most women in agriculture in South Asia are working on family farms, where they cannot earn an independent income (or, in many cases, any income at all). One way to tackle this could be to promote exports of high-value-added agricultural products, such as seafood. Formalising the production process could encourage the monetisation of women labour and improve working conditions, as export-oriented manufacturing of readymade garments, textiles, and footwear has done in many emerging Asian economies.





Female force: gender distribution of the agricultural labour force in target regions

Technology can also help by enabling women to circumvent barriers rooted in social norms. For example, even as Bangladeshi women do more on farms, they are traditionally excluded from aquaculture. The USAID-funded Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition projects low-costgillnets, however, have enabled Bangladeshi women to harvest small fish from small local ponds quickly and easily, so that they do not have to compete with men for access to larger sources.





Similarly, digital technology can improve womens ability to sell their products. In many places, women are excluded from markets, and a male family member must be present for the sale of crops; that would not be the case online. Governments should support the development and dissemination of such technologies, which could also enable women to assert more purchasing power, such as over agricultural inputs, and put an end to the digital divide so that women can have more of such opportunities.





Another crucial element of an effective strategy for empowering women in South Asias agriculture sector is the reduction of unpaid labour for which they are responsible. Pursuing this objective is tricky, given that in patriarchal societies, interventions that empower women at the expense of male family members are sure to provoke formidable resistance. But productivity-enhancing schemes can help to pave the way for the more equitable distribution of domestic duties.





The tale of womens vulnerability is shamelessly corny, and many groan at the old cliche: Women are vulnerable and powerful  victimised and empowered  through food. With the right policies and effective use of technology, we can tip the scale in the right direction.





The writer is a Pakistani-based freelance journalist focusing on health and women and gender equality.




After the coronavirus hit this country of 39 million, doctors began receiving a torrent of abuse from families of COVID-19 patients, escalating the already high scale of violence in Iraq.

The pandemic has further revealed the fragility of Iraq's health system.

Health authorities announced the first coronavirus case in February, in a patient who traveled from Iran to study in Iraq's holy city of Najaf.

It quickly spread across the country.

Inadequate measures from the government, corruption and a lack of medicines added to the struggle of health care workers seeking to deal with the virus.

Violence against us is not a new challenge, but when COVID-19 virally spread across the country, violence doubled, said Dr. Saif al-Madhloom, 28, who works at the Al-Dayer primary health care center in Basra province.

Many people, particularly those who are living in conservative and religious areas, believe that the virus is a political game or a hoax and they ignored World Health Organization advice for social distancing, hand washing, the wearing of face masks and the avoidance of gatherings.

About 90% of patients who visited hospitals and health care centers denied the existence of COVID-19 and assumed that it was a political conspiracy. Therefore, lots of patients refused to be tested for COVID-19, claiming that they had acquired a cold, Madhloom added. Our hospitals lack any kind of safety measures; there are shortages of medications and medical appliances.

Many videos circulated on social media platforms showing local residents attacking medical workers who were trying to do tests for the coronavirus. Observers in Baghdad and Basra told Al-Monitor that the government did not take any tangible measures to help health care workers in such situations, which meant that medical personnel had to fend for themselves.

We are subjected to verbal and physical abuse on a daily basis. When we announce the death of a patient, the patient's relatives are going to destroy needed and scarce medical devices, such as the mechanical ventilator," Madhloom told Al-Monitor.

Abdulameer Mohsin Hussein, the head of Iraqi Medical Association told Al-Monitor, We tried to pressure the government to take security measures to stop the verbal and physical attacks on doctors and medical personnel, however, and the prime minister and the head of the Supreme Judicial Council issued some instructions to prevent such attacks but they were ink in paper, nothing has seen on the ground

Many doctors are subjected to tribal threats that compel them to waive their personal rights and close cases and complaints in the courts. The attacks increased dramatically with the spread of corona, and it is happening on a daily basis, especially in the governorates of Thi Qar, Basra, and Baghdad. He added.

Several doctors in Basra city who asked not to be named told Al-Monitor that they decided to leave the country after receiving threats, saying seeking a better and safe life abroad is the best choice for them.

There is a great desire among a large number of doctors to flee home and to stop them from escaping the country, the government did not give them their graduation documents and any document proving that they are doctors, Said Hussein. We currently have more than 20 000 documented doctors living outside Iraq, like Britain, America, Sweden, Australia, Denmark, UAE, Qatar, Turkey and many other countries, Hussein added.

Madhloom said abuse came not only from local residents but from police who were supposed to provide security to medical staff.

The Iraqi Health Ministry failed to manage the pandemic, he said. Although the Health Ministry is following WHO guidelines and protocols, that was only ink in paper and it is a media show. In fact, the picture is quite different. There are few hospitals to contain the growing number of patients and there is a scarcity of diagnostic tools and therapeutic devices.

He said that when he asked his medical director for essential protective equipment, the response was, You are an emergency room doctor, so you do not need that equipment.

Madhloom said, Since March, I have spent a third of my monthly salary to buy face masks, sterilizers, gloves and other personal protective equipment.

In part as a result of this lack of equipment, 592 doctors had gotten COVID-19 up to June 19, and more than 30 died, he said. The infections of doctors continue at an alarming rate, he added.

He said it is very difficult to tell or convince patients or their families that the patients have COVID-19 or are suspected of having it. He said that he recently received the body of an old woman whose case record showed she had had a temperature of 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) "and I refused to issue her a death certificate until I reported the case to the health authorities to take a sample. But her family threatened to kill me if I reported it to the health authorities. He said, However, the security team of our emergency department protected me until the local police force reached the building to investigate the incident.

Iraqs total coronavirus cases from Feb. 24 to July 24 number 104,711, with 71,268 recoveries and 4,212 deaths, according to the Health Ministry.

Working in tribes-majority areas, mostly in the southern part of Iraq, multiplied challenges for doctors, and many have faced verbal and physical abuse. This has come on top of negative depictions of doctors in the media, which makes them a scapegoat for Iraq's health care troubles.

Dr. Haneen Mustafa Mahdi, 27, who is from Baghdad but works in Qurna Public Hospital in the north of Basra province, was the victim of a tribal threat.

She said: A woman accompanying a patient hit and insulted just because I asked her to give me the patients full name to document that the patient refused to be tested, arguing that the test is expensive; in fact that was not true, medical service in Iraq mostly is free in charge." Mahdi said: "She left bruises and scratches on my entire body.

After the incident, I departed the hospital to avoid suffering more violence. She said, I filed charges against her and police arrested her, but she was then released as the city has no specific prison for women.

The tribal power in southern provinces, particularly in Basra city, prevents the government from holding many perpetrators accountable, and prevents security forces from enforcing the law.

The patient's clan asked me to pass on the complaint; otherwise, my family and I will be under the threat of death, Mahdi said. In order to save my life, I asked health authorities to transfer my paperwork from Basra to my city, Baghdad, and I am waiting for their response.

She also said, In particular, the shortage in medical supplies continues to hamper patients' needs, giving us the challenge of treating patients with very limited care.

Legislator Ali al-Ghanimi, a member of the parliamentary crisis cell, told local media outlets that hospitals treating coronavirus patients need an additional protection force to prevent violent acts from patients' families or tribes.

Ghanimi added: "The current situation really requires support for hospitals that treat coronavirus patients, with trained security forces to protect frontline workers and prevent any attacks on health personnel."
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Berlin, Germany  Sat, July 25, 2020 17:09 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669403b7 2 News Germany,coronavirus,COVID-19,travel,travelers Free

Germany will offer free coronavirus tests to all returning travelers in new measures agreed Friday, as concerns grow over a rise in infections due to summer travel.

"Those returning from risk countries should be tested, and those returning from non-risk countries will also have the option," said Berlin health minister Dilek Kalayci after the measures were agreed by the health ministers of Germany's 16 states.

The tests would be initially non-mandatory, and the costs would be covered by the state, she said.

The new measures will see test facilities installed at airports across the country so that those returning from risk zones can be tested directly on arrival.

Those who refuse a test or test positive on arrival will be forced to quarantine at home for 14 days.

Frankfurt, Germany's largest airport, had already been offering tests for a fee.

Berlin's city government has meanwhile announced that it plans to introduce airport tests from next week.

Read also: Germany's Bavaria plans free coronavirus tests at airports

Those returning from non-risk countries would not be tested at the airport, but could receive a free test from their local health authority, said Kalayci.

Germany's public health institute RKI currently considers 130 nations worldwide to be "risk countries", with EU and Schengen area neighbors among the exceptions.

The new measures come amid growing fears that a rise in summer tourism could lead to a surge in coronavirus cases in Germany, which has fared relatively well in the crisis so far.

This week, the eastern city of Cottbus recorded its first new cases in three months after a family of four tested positive after returning from holiday to Mallorca.

Traditionally a popular destination for German tourists, Mallorca has recently tightened its coronavirus regulations after a rise in the number of cases.

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn has repeatedly warned against allowing Mallorca to become a "second Ischgl", in reference to the Austrian ski resort which became one of Europe's coronavirus hotspots early in the pandemic.
YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. Spouse of the Armenian prime minister Anna Hakobyan commented on the recent clashes between Armenians and Azerbaijanis abroad.

In a Facebook post, Anna Hakobyan said on July 13, when the active military operations have started on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border as a result of the Azerbaijani attack and had a tendency to deepen, she has urged the Azerbaijani women and mothers to call on their countrys leadership to stop the military operations and do not endanger the lives of Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers.

I did this as author of the Women For Peace campaign, which aims at uniting women against wars, creating a favorable environment so that the leaders of the conflicting countries will search for solutions to conflicts around negotiation table.

Several mothers of Azerbaijani soldiers responded to this call through Azerbaijani media outlets greatly controlled by the leadership, and the answer was the following: As a mother of a soldier I state: Fight. Go ahead Azerbaijani soldier. Fight. Homeland is the only mother of soldier. The fight for the homeland is a sacred fight.

Thus, according to the Azerbaijani state propaganda, the Azerbaijani mothers rejected my call on stopping the military operations and moving towards peace. Instead, they announced that they are sending their sons to fight and die in the sacred fight. A large number of Azerbaijanis were killed in the following days, Anna Hakobyan said.

She said its already several days the sacred fight for the homeland has gone beyond the boundaries of the conflict zone.

Azerbaijanis living in Russia, different European countries started various actions against Armenians in that cities in order to avenge their killed compatriots. Firstly, they were stomping on Armenian apricots, then banned the sale of the apricot in the trade centers owned by them, then attacked the Armenian women during the protest, set on fire the vehicle of the Armenian embassy, broke the cars, stores of Armenians, attacked and beat an Armenian man.

The Azerbaijani actions didnt go unanswered: our compatriots, of course, had to defend themselves, she said, adding that now not only the life of soldiers is under danger, but also the life of Armenians and Azerbaijanis living in Moscow, Brussels, Los Angeles, etc.

I urge the Azerbaijani women and mothers to be more courageous and join the Women For Peace campaign.

As violence brings new violence, Anna Hakobyan said.
Remote learning for school-aged children this fall will look significantly different from remote learning offered by Massachusetts school districts this past spring.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released guidance Friday regarding remote learning.

Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley emphasized that while top education officials want as many students as possible returning to classrooms, remote learning must be offered to all.

The Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance requires districts and schools to prepare a plan that includes three learning models: in-person learning with safety requirements, a hybrid model of in-person and remote learning, and a plan for full-time remote learning, guidance issued Friday states. Remote learning will be necessary for students who will not be attending school in-person, as part of a hybrid learning model, and in case changing COVID-19 conditions require a shift to full remote learning as determined by local and state leaders.

Massachusetts school districts pivoted to remote learning in mid-March amid a growing number of coronavirus cases, leaving educators scrambling to teach their students. Some offered remote classes over Zoom while other districts relied on take-home work packets for students.

Technology gaps limited remote learning options for thousands of Massachusetts students this spring. About 9% of students dont have reliable internet access and about 15% dont have their own computer, tablet or phone, having to rely on devices shared with siblings, parents or guardians to log into classes. State officials addressed this gap and issued guidance to help close it.

The 17-page guidance released Friday differentiates between remote learning expectations in the spring and the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.

Massachusetts school districts must create three educational plans: a return to in-person classroom; hybrid of in-person and remote learning; and fully remote learning.

Many districts have said social distancing mandates will force them to offer a hybrid of in-person and remote learning, welcoming students back to the classroom physically on a rotating basis.

State education officials have encouraged districts to prioritize bringing student groups considered high risk of falling behind their classmates back to in-person learning full time, including:

Students with disabilities and English learners, particularly those with more intensive needs

Students whose parents/caregivers report that they do not have access to reliable internet or a suitable learning space at home (particularly students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity and students in foster care or congregate care)

Students who are significantly behind academically

Students who were disengaged and/or who struggled significantly during previous remote learning periods

Early learners (pre-kindergarten through fifth grade)

Ultimately, families will decide whether their children will attend in-person classes or continue remote learning. All schools must offer comprehensive curriculums for remote learning, including meeting the specialized needs of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and English Language Learners.

Parents with children who have pre-existing medical conditions are encouraged to speak with their pediatricians to discuss their individual medical needs.

Its likely districts will shift back to remote learning again this fall - either temporarily or for an extended period - following a rising number of COVID cases in students and staff or the larger community.

To address technology gaps experienced by thousands of children this spring, districts should ensure that every individual student and educator has access to an appropriate device (such as a laptop, Chromebook, or tablet) and adequate internet (such as through household broadband or a wireless hotspot) to use for remote learning, according to the state guidance issued Friday.

Districts are encouraged to allocate funding from grants made available to cities, towns and districts, including $25 million made available to districts through Remote Learning Technology Essentials grants.

Regardless of the learning model chosen, schools must offer 180 days of class and students must receive a minimum of 900 and 990 hours of structured learning time for elementary and secondary students, respectively.

Structured learning time is defined in the regulations as time during which students are engaged in regularly scheduled instruction, learning activities, or learning assessments within the curriculum for study of the core subjects and other subjects. In addition to classroom time where both teachers and students are present, structured learning time may include directed study, independent study, technology-assisted learning, presentations by persons other than teachers, school-to-work programs, and statewide student performance assessments.

As part of ensuring students are engaged, attendance will be taken daily for in-person and remote classrooms. For remote schooling, attendance may be traced by students submitting assignments online, logging onto online learning platforms or attending virtual check-ins. Parents and guardians are responsible for ensuring their child attends daily for both in-person and remote learning.

Following statewide school closures this spring, districts could chose two educational models for the remainder of the school year: resources and supports, which included sending packets and assignments home to students; or instruction and services, which included structured learning time, teletherapy, and video conferencing.

For the 2020-2021 school year, schools must offer only the latter learning option, offering remote students a regular and consistent schedule of classes, interventions, services, and therapies including frequent interactions with teachers and other staff members to ensure participation.

The consistent schedule of classes, interventions, services, and therapies must include time students spend interacting directly with teachers and related service providers on a regular basis, as well as some independent work time, as appropriate, and opportunities for interacting with classmates, the guidance states. Synchronous remote lessons or tele-therapy sessions can be provided via telephone or video conferencing. Students might also benefit from asynchronous pre-recorded videos of lessons to follow at home. For students receiving the majority of their daily instruction through special education, teachers and therapists should assign supplemental work (beyond lessons taught synchronously or asynchronously) during the school day that can be accomplished independently with guidance from and accountability to the teacher or therapist.

Grades are back, as is state testing. While many schools transitioned away from offering a letter grade this past spring, student performance will be graded across in-person, hybrid and remote learning.

State education officials urge schools to consider exemptions for students experiencing extreme circumstances - such as family members severely ill due to COVID-19 - and ensure they receive additional supports.

All students will be required to take the MCAS tests in the spring, according to the state guidance issued Friday.

Earlier this week, state education officials offered a glimpse into how in-person learning will look this fall.

Major facility changes will occur in most schools, including but not limited to: reconfiguration of desks in classrooms to allow for social distancing; installation of plexiglass barriers; and installation of additional hand-washing hand sanitizing stations.

In the weeks before reopening in September, schools are asked to create an inventory of all their available spaces, including classrooms, auditoriums and libraries and consider such spaces for additional classrooms to allow for smaller class sizes.

Outdoor spaces should also be considered, weather allowing. As feasible, consider the use of outdoor spaces for classes, breaks, meals, and other activities. Some jurisdictions have considered tents, platforms, and other not-permanent structures in spaces adjacent to buildings, such as courtyards, play areas and parking lots.

The guidance calls for students to spend as much time as possible with a single group of students, rather than shifting from room-to-room and mixing with other groups of students.

Classrooms will feature student desks facing forward with at least 3 feet from seat edge to seat edge, the reopening guidance states, though 6 feet is encouraged when possible. All students will have assigned seating in their classrooms.

This distance, in combination with students and school staff wearing masks, will allow for lowered transmission rates, Nelson said. We feel comfortable, the medical community feels comfortable with that plan, she said Tuesday.

While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has recommended maintaining a physical distance of at least 6 feet, the World Health Organizations guidance calls for people to keep a 3-foot distance.

COVID-19 is mostly spread by respiratory droplets released when people cough, sneeze or talk. Research suggests the droplets only travel up to three feet, Sandra Nelson, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told state education officials last month.

All staff and students in second grade and older will be required to wear masks. Students in kindergarten and first grade will be encouraged, but not required to wear masks.

Face shields may be an option for those students with medical, behavioral, or other challenges who are unable to wear masks/face coverings, the guidance states. Transparent masks may be the best option for both teachers and students in classes for deaf and hard of hearing students.

Parents or guardians should supply their children with reusable masks which should be washed daily. Schools will have extra disposable face masks available if needed.

Students are recommended to have at least two mask breaks per day for recess and meal time. During these times, students must be at least 6 feet apart.

Consider using tape or other markers to identify where students should be to maintain 6 feet of separation, the guidance states. Hand washing facilities or hand sanitizer must be available upon entering and leaving this space. Provide napkins or paper towels for masks to be set on (inside face up) when removed. Consider adding signage in mask break areas on how to properly put on and take off masks. As mask wearing is recommended for children younger than second grade, it is important to note that these students may need additional mask breaks during the day.

Playgrounds can be used during recess - with limitations. Staff must monitor students, who will be required to wear masks and physically distance on playground equipment.

School transportation will significantly differ when students return to in-person learning this fall.

All staff and students, regardless of age, will be required to wear masks at all times. Exemptions to the mask mandate will be made for students with medical and/or behavioral reasons.

Bus drivers and monitors will be trained on watching for possible symptomatic students. If a student shows symptoms of being sick while getting on the bus, state education officials said they should not be allowed to board and their caregiver should take them home. That protocol assumes a parent or guardian is waiting at the bus stop with the student.

Upon boarding the bus, students will go to assigned seats, with students seated no more than one to a bench, alternating sides for each row. Children from the same household will be allowed to sit together but all others will be required to maintain at least three feet of physical distance while seated.

The new guidelines will significantly decrease the number of students on each bus. An 83-passenger bus in operation will now be able to seat up to 27 passengers - 33% capacity.

A 47-passenger bus is now limited to 15 passengers.

A 14-passenger bus may only be used to transport 6 people.

With the decreased capacity, Massachusetts school districts will encourage parents and guardians utilize alternative modes of transportation, from driving children to school daily, carpooling with a specific group of families or children walking to school.

A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs shows the majority of Americans believe such safety measures are necessary for schools to reopen.

Of those surveyed, less than 8% believe K-12 schools should reopen for normal in-person instruction.

About 14% sought to have schools reopen with minor changes while 46% believe major adjustments are necessary for the safety of students and staff.

An additional 31% said they dont believe schools should reopen this fall, instead continuing remote learning.

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On July 25, 1972, Democratic vice presidential nominee Missouri Sen. Thomas Eagleton told reporters he had undergone electric shock treatments for exhaustion. Sen.George McGovern, the presidential nominee, pledged his support of Eagleton. But 18 days later, Eagleton withdrew as the vice presidential nominee. This is the Post-Dispatch coverage of that fateful day Eagleton opened up about his medical background.

CUSTER, South Dakota - The health of Senator Thomas F. Eagleton emerged today as a possible major issue in this year's presidential campaign with his disclosure that he had received psychiatric help, including electric shock treatments, for exhaustion resulting from overwork.

The vice-presidential nominee startled reporters at a press conference here by announcing that on three occasions between 1960 and 1966, he had voluntarily hospitalized himself for physical and nervous exhaustion. He made the disclosure with Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota, the presidential nominee, at his side. The two men had met earlier today to map plans for their campaign.

McGovern said he has not known about Eagleton's medical history, but expressed the fullest confidence in his running mate and said he would have picked him for that position even if he had known all of the facts that Eagleton disclosed today.

McGovern called the St. Louisan "fully qualified in mind, body and spirit" to be Vice President and, it necessary, to take over the office of President. Eagleton said his decision to disclose his medical history had been triggered by the "rapidity with which rumors about my health were developing in Missouri." He said he felt it was legitimate for the press to make inquiries about his health.

A number of such inquiries have been made to his staff since his selection as the vice-presidential nominee in Miami Beach 12 days ago. The first of the three occasions on which Eagleton said he had voluntarily hospitalized himself for what he termed nervous exhaustion and fatigue occurred between Dec. 1, 1960, and Jan. 1, 1961, or a few days later.

He entered Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, where he said he was under the care of his family internist, Dr. William D. Perry. The second occurred between Christmas of 1964 and New Year's Day 1965, when he spent four days at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for a physical examination. The third occurred in mid-1966 when he returned to the Mayo Clinic for about three weeks.

Under questioning, Eagleton acknowledged that he had received psychiatric help when hospitalized in I960 and again during his stay at the Mayo Clinic in 1966. He said there had been no psychiatric care involved in the brief visit to the clinic in 1964. In speaking of the 1960 and 1966 hospitalizations, he said, "I received counseling from a psychiatrist, including electric shock treatment."

He said he had received no such treatment since 1966. When he was asked what advice he had received from psychiatrists, he said he had been told "to learn to pace myself ... not work from sunup to sundown . . . avoid exhaustion." He said he had received a prescription of sleeping pills, although it was not clear when these had been prescribed. When he was asked the purpose of the electric shock therapy, he said, "At that time, it was part of the prescribed treatment for exhaustion and depression."

Eagleton said his symptoms during the periods that led to his hospitalization had included a feeling of exhaustion, accompanied by some depression, and a stomach problem, which he described as "a nervous stomach" caused by fatigue. With a grin he remarked, "It's not too different from that fellow in the Alka Seltzer ad who says, 'I can't believe I ate the whole thing.' "

Eagleton attributed his problems to his "hard-driving, intense" nature. "As a younger man, I drove myself too far," he said. He attributed his problem in 1960 to his intensive campaign that year for Missouri Attorney General and to his efforts on behalf of John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. He said he had stumped Missouri almost without rest and had "pushed myself terribly, terribly hard."

He did not explain the circumstances that led to his reported exhaustion in 1964 when he was elected lieutenant governor and in 1966. In reply to a question Eagleton replied that his physical problems had not been related to drinking. "Alcohol was not involved in any iota, way, shape or form."

He said rumors concerning drinking had "plagued me through the years." Rumors about his health also have followed his political career in Missouri, especially in his successful campaign for the Seante in 1968.

But these rumors "never surfaced publicly," he said.

Eagleton said he had not informed McGovern of his medical background before his selection for the vice-presidential nomination. He said he had decided that it should be brought out publicly and that he had come to South Dakota with the intention of disclosing it after discussing it with McGovern.

"In seeking the second-highest office in the land," Eagleton observed, "one's life becomes more and more an open book." When he was asked why he had never disclosed his medical background previously, he replied that doing so was not an experience that one enjoyed.

Eagleton said that he has enjoyed "good solid health" since his hospitalization. He said he had learned to pace himself.

He expressed confidence that he could devote his full energies to the forthcoming campaign, but "on a measured basis." He said he had learned to take a day off and would follow this practice in the campaign. He noted that he received physical examination last Friday in the Senate Clinic and was found to be in good health.

Additional tests were performed yesterday at the Bethesda, Md., Naval Hospital and Eagleton predicted that the results would be favorable. "So far," he remarked, "doctors have told me that I'm two pounds overweight and have half a hemorhoid." The remark brought laughter from the reporters.

Eagleton said he first informed McGovern of his illnesses in a conversation the weekend after the Missourian was selected for the vice-presidency. McGovern said when he had asked Eagleton whether there were any significant problems in his past that might interfere with his serving as the vice- presidential choice, the St Louisan had said there were none. "I agree with that decision and am fully satisfied," McGovern said.

McGovern noted that in considering running mates, he had requested suggestions from about 20 members of Congress, among others. With one or two exceptions, he went on, Eagleton was on all the congressional lists, often as the first choice and more frequently as second to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.

"I have not the slightest doubt about the wisdom of se lecting him or entrusting the American government to him," McGovern said. "I would not have hesitated one minute to select him if I had known all the facis he has disclosed today."

McGovern emphasized that "many men who have served in the presidency suffered from far more serious illnesses than Senator Eagleton has had." He praised Eagleton for what he called his "candor and openness" in making today's disclosure. He said he had been unaware of the rumors that Eagleton referred to concerning his health.

When asked whether he thought the Republicans would seek to exploit the disclosures for political advantage, Eagleton said, "I can't speculate" on that. Eagleton flew here from Washington last night for conferences with McGovern. From here, Eagleton is to go to California and Hawaii on his first campaign swing. The Missourian is known to feel that the most urgent task facing the Democratic ticket is the need for an immediate start in winning back the support of regular party leaders in a number of key states. Eagleton believes that he and McGovern should wait before approaching the leaders of organized labor. Also on the agenda for discussion today was the nature of Eagleton's campaign.

Particularly at issue is how he is to carry out his assignment of replying to the strong attacks expected from Vice President Spiro T. Agnew. Eagleton is known to feel strongly that he should not try to match rhetoric with Agnew who has won a reputation for harsh, partisan and personal attacks. Not only does such an approach "not suit Eagleton's style, but he fears that its similarity to Agnew's technique would make it ineffective.
Gloria DeSoto, 92, bottom left, visits with her family, reflected in the glass in their car, from a window of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, N.Y. on June 11. Read more

Q: What should I consider to safely visit a loved one at a senior living community during the pandemic?

A: Over the last several months, local, state and federal officials have taken many precautions to help keep our communities safe as we work together to contain the spread of COVID-19.

As we continue to proceed with caution, it is especially important to take extra safety precautions when you are around those who may be more susceptible to contracting the virus, due to older age or existing health conditions. If you or a family member is planning to visit a loved one at a senior living community, once visitation is again permitted, be sure to take into account the following considerations.

Be informed of up-to-date safety measures. We must remain mindful of safety guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. These organizations can serve as a starting point for up-to-date safety recommendations, such as tips for making an effective mask, effective handwashing technique, as well as suggestions for a safe, enjoyable and socially distanced visit. Be sure to check the website of the senior living organization that you are visiting to learn about any community-specific procedures before you arrive.

Be mindful of your own health. If you are feeling ill in any way  listen to your body, take necessary precautions, and stay home. Be sure to also be mindful of your recent travels. If you have visited an area that is considered high risk, or if you have been in contact with someone who has contracted the virus, stay home. Virtually spending time with the senior citizen in your life is the best approach if you are feeling under the weather, whether you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or anything else.

Be aware of your surroundings. Being mindful is key when being on campus at a senior living community. Be sure to wear a mask upon arrival. If possible, avoid touching any communal surfaces, such as handrails, doors and light switches. If you happen to come in contact with these surfaces, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands. And, as difficult as it might be, remain socially distant (six feet away) from your loved one. If the opportunity arises, spending time outdoors in the fresh air is best at helping reduce the potential spread of the virus.

After all, we are all in this together. Taking all safety precautions into account before visiting a senior living community can protect the health of your loved one and that persons friends. Be sure to contact the senior living community ahead of time to ensure that you can safely visit.

Donald Brislin is the medical director at Wesley Enhanced Living Doylestown.
Mrs. Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has distributed 300 outboard Motors to Fishermen within the Central region at Elmina in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality.



At a brief ceremony to distribute the motors, the Minister said the 300 were the first batch of 1,300 outboard motors set to be distributed to Fishermen at subsidized prices this year.



She indicated that the distribution was part of the Governments fishing support scheme for fishers intended to boost the livelihoods of fishers and their communities.



Artisanal fishing communities are generally characterised by low incomes and poor living conditions with an estimated poverty incidence of 30 percent, which happens to be the highest in the country



Speaking on the criteria for selection, the Minister said there was a committee, which ensured that beneficiaries were fishermen and were identified by their biometric cards and canoe numbers.



She explained that consideration was not based on political affiliations and so none was taken out of the process.



Mrs. Quaye who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Krowor Constituency in the Greater Accra Region re-announced that the close season for the year 2020 had been put on hold.



Giving reasons for the non-closure, she said  we started the engagement again but unfortunately the pandemic didnt allow us to get through and that explains why we could not enforce its operation.



The Minister also indicated that her outfit had done a lot to combat illegal fishing and what would be unique this year would be the passing of the Collaborative Management Policy to engage with paramount chiefs, chief fishermen, sub chiefs, and all opinion leaders within the fishing sector to add ideas together in curtailing illegal fishing practices.



Last year, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development closed the fishing season for inshore and artisanal fishers, from May 15 to June 15 and industrial trawlers from August 1 to September 30.



This was done after extensive consultations between the Ministry, fishermen associations, and other key stakeholders inconsistent with the Fisheries Regulations and Marine Management Plan.



The closed fishing season is a period fisherman are prohibited from fishing in the ocean to enable the fingerling to grow and ensure heavy catch upon resumption of fishing activities.



Nana Obrenu Daabum III, The President of the Central Region Canoe Fishermen Council, expressed gratitude to the Minister and urged fishermen to efficiently put their outboard motors to use.



Nana Kojo Kondua VI, Paramount Chief of Elmina Traditional Area appealed to the Ministry to as a matter of urgency distribute the additional 1,000 outboard motors at the earliest time to effectively aid the work of fishermen in the country.



He appealed to those who were yet to benefit, to patiently wait for their turn.



A beneficiary, Mr Isaac Sam Aggrey also thanked the Ministry and the Government for duly fulfilling its promise, saying, it will boost the fishing industry and help improve their income and livelihoods.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Four Katyusha rockets struck a military base hosting US-led coalition troops south of Baghdad today, a day before the base's scheduled handover to the Iraqi army.

The attack on Besmaya base this afternoon caused no casualties, Iraqs Security Media Cell said in a statement. The rockets, which were launched from the al-Dainiyah area in Diyala province, caused some material damage to the base, the military said.

On Saturday, the US-led coalition in Iraq is scheduled to hand over control of the Besmaya base, where Spain has led the training of Iraqi security forces since 2015.

No group claimed immediate responsibility for the rocket attack, the latest in a spate of similar incidents targeting coalition troops that have been blamed on Iranian-backed Shiite militia groups.

Over the 4th of July weekend, rockets were launched at Baghdad International Airport and the citys heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the US Embassy. Last month, on the eve of a highly anticipated meeting between American and Iraqi officials, a rocket landed near the US Embassy.

In March, three service members  two American and one British  were killed in a rocket attack on Camp Taji, a base north of Baghdad hosting US troops. The United States retaliated with overnight strikes targeting weapons depots belonging to Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite militia that US defense officials blamed for the deadly strike.

The United States also accuses the group of the December rocket attack that killed an American contractor at a base in Kirkuk. Tensions reached a boiling point soon after when a US drone strike in Baghdad killed Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani. The United States has designated the militia's new leader, Ahmad al-Hamidawi, a global terrorist.
By PTI

LOS ANGELES: Netflix has decided to not go ahead with a prank show with actor-comedian Chris D'Elia who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.

In June, many women shared their stories on social media, alleging that D'Elia tried to engage with them sexually, when some of them were as young as 16 at the time of the alleged encounters.

Many also accused him of sending inappropriate messages to them and attempting to solicit nude photos from them.

The actor-comic, however, dismissed all the allegations, insisting that all of his relationships have been "legal and consensual".

According to the Los Angeles Times, D'Elia had closed a deal with Netflix to make a show with one of his best friends, fellow comedian Bryan Callen, when the allegations against him surfaced.

The nonscripted series was to focus on the relationship between the two comics and their affinity for pulling high jinks, according to sources familiar with the deal.

A spokesperson for the streamer said the show had not yet gone into production and that it was scrapped after D'Elia's accusers went public in June.

The 40-year-old comedian is best known for shows like "Whitney" and "Undateable".

He recently starred in the second season of Netflix series "You" in which he played the role of a comedian who sexually abuses teenage girls.

D'Elia also guest starred in the Comedy Central series Workaholics as a paedophile who pursues boys.
Kolkata Police seized a huge quantity of Yaba tablets worth around Rs 2.5 crore in the international market and arrested two drug peddlers in connection with it from the Port area of the city, a senior officer said on Saturday. The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police conducted a raid and arrested two drug peddlers linked to an international racket from Nimak Mahal Road under West Port Police Station limits on Friday following a seizure of around 50,000 pieces of Yaba tablets, he said.



Yaba tablets are also called Amphetamines or party drugs.

"The price of the seized Yaba tablets is approximately Rs 2.5 crore in the international grey market. It seems that the duo were trying to smuggle the drugs to Bangladesh," he said.

The arrested duo will be produced before the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Court on Saturday, the officer added.
Part of the large crowd at the protest

Darren and Coleen ONeill with their children Roan, Noah and Finn pictured at the protest. Photo:Colin Bell/pressphotos.ie

Usually, around 11am on a Saturday morning, there's not too much stirring around the back roads of Togher. It's a quiet, peaceful place, a place to live, enjoy life, raise a family. But last Saturday, at a crossroads where the old Tavern pub once greeted people from far and wide, the nearby former community hall was at the centre of attention.

Closed on this occasion, it is very much at the heart of a community campaign - one that is set to rage as far as Dail Eireann this week.

The centre is home to Scallywags creche, and has been for nearly two decades.

It is pretty unique in these parts, a staff of 15 employed and providing a baby room, creche and after school service, right up to 5.30pm.

Indeed, a bus collects children from the nearby school and drops them safely to the centre during the school year. When it comes to a facility, this is a lifesaver for parents.

The problem now is that Scallywags is closing its doors. It is a 'community' creche, with all the benefits that brings, and at the heart of it is that word - 'community'.

Recently, the Board of Management contacted parents and staff with the news that the creche was closing, almost immediately. To say that people are shocked is an understatement.

There are many reports about the move, be it numbers, COVID 19, etc, but the overwhelming feeling last Saturday is that this is a viable entity, and come September, will have the children to support it.

Sinead Hanratty is a mum who has three kids in the creche and has used it for six years.

'I would be sorry to see it close. There is no where in Mid Louth like it,' she states.

That's true. People come from Dunleer. Philipstown and Clogherhead to it and closure would mean a very diffiicult search for working parents to find another place - especially so late in the summer.

Maria Matthews is a teacher whose story sums up many aspects of rural Ireland at the moment.

The creche works under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme, providing early childhood care and education for children of pre-school age. The scheme is offered in early years settings (pre-schools, Montessoris, creches, playgroups) for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, 38 weeks of the year.

She sees the value in it in her profession, in that respect, it is vital.

Her husband works 7am to 7pm, she would have to rely on her parents for childminding.

We have come through a mindfield of COVID-19 reports in respect of older people - a threat that has not gone away, merely subsided for the moment.

'Do I go back to my parents and put them at risk,' she asks, a question shared by many others.

She knows the day to day staff in the creche and as a unit, they cannot be matched.

She will be finishing with the service, but this is a fight for everyone, including those to come.

'It is vital and is not only a creche, but it's a social outlet. We need to keep it,' she urges.

Local councillor, Colm Markey, who uses the creche, says there is a bottom line. Put all the issues in the background to one side and 'reopen the place'.

Another local, James Markey, did his own poll of parents planning to use the service come September and found 31 interested in coming back.

'The service is needed and someone needs to step in. There is a lot of frustration and I have spoken to the County Childcare Committee and they've said they'll work with anyone to put something in place,' Colm remarked.

'We don't want a row, just a resolution and a continuation of the service,' James added

The dozens of parents were joined by local political figures, including three TDs, Imelda Munster, Ged Nash and Fergus O'Dowd.

Deputy Munster said her report would be going directly to the minister this week.

She sees the national problem of childcare and the very basic need, especially in rural areas to allow people to go to work and at the same time have their children in a safe environment.

'People have mortgages to pay. They have to be allowed to go to work.

'I'll be asking the minister why is this creche closed,' she stated bluntly. 'Parents in rural areas depend on places like this.

'If another board comes in to keep it going, who cares, as long as those doors are open again. This closure has let an awful lot of people down.'

For Ged Nash, it was a unique visit to a crossroads for a protest.

'I've been at many protests and meetings, but this is the first time I've been at a demonstration to keep a community creche open. That tells its own story.

'I think about the staff too and the consulation process with them.

'But there is a clear demand and this place can be rescued.

'I'll be working to get the measures people need and I would agree to mediate - in good faith - in the best interests of the community. This is just the start.'

Fergus O'Dowd said a creche like this is a 'vital local service' and he'd be working with his colleagues to sort out the issues.

Senator Erin McGreehan, Cllrs Pearse McGeough and Hugh Conlon also addressed the large crowd with Cllr Conlon saying this was a parish hall and belonged to the community.

The overwhelming view is simple - the fight has begun to save an important part of Togher's future.
Supreme Court Justice John Roberts is facing backlash from conservatives after siding with the court's liberals in a ruling allowing Nevada to cap church attendance at 50 people, while movie theaters and casinos are allowed to host hundreds of patrons.

Roberts joined a 5-4 majority in Friday's ruling that denied a rural Nevada churchs request late Friday to strike down as unconstitutional a 50-person cap on worship services as part of the states ongoing response to the coronavirus.

The high court refused to grant the request from the Christian church east of Reno to be subjected to the same COVID-19 restrictions in Nevada that allow casinos, restaurants and other businesses to operate at 50 percent of capacity with proper social distancing, even if their normal capacity is in the hundreds or thousands.

Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley argued that the hard cap on religious gatherings was an unconstitutional violation of its parishioners' First Amendment rights to express and exercise their beliefs.

Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by President George W. Bush, was slammed by Republicans, who accused him of forsaking religious liberty

Roberts, appointed by President George W. Bush, was slammed by Republicans, who accused him of forsaking religious liberty.

'John Roberts has abandoned his oath,' tweeted Texas Senator Ted Cruz. 'But, on the upside, maybe Nevada churches should set up craps tables? Then they could open?'

'What happened to that judge?' tweeted Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas.

'Freedom of religion is our first freedom. Yet SCOTUS has ruled that casinos can host hundreds of gamblers, while churches cannot welcome their full congregations. Justice Roberts once again got it wrong, shamefully closing church doors to their flocks,' Cotton added in a statement.

The majority ruling was issued without explanation, but Justice Neil Gorsuch issued a stinging one-paragraph dissent, saying in part: 'The world we inhabit today, with a pandemic upon us, poses unusual challenges. But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel.'

Three other justices wrote strongly worded dissenting opinions on behalf of the four conservatives who said they would have granted the injunctive relief while the court fully considers the merits of the case.

Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley is seen in April. The church sued over state restrictions that impose 50% capacity caps on businesses, but 50-person caps on churches

Guests arrive at Bally's Las Vegas grand reopening celebration on Thursday in Las Vegas

'That Nevada would discriminate in favor of the powerful gaming industry and its employees may not come as a surprise, but this Courts willingness to allow such discrimination is disappointing,' Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a dissent joined by Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh.

'We have a duty to defend the Constitution, and even a public health emergency does not absolve us of that responsibility,' Alito said. 'The Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. It says nothing about freedom to play craps or blackjack, to feed tokens into a slot machine or to engage in any other game of chance.'

Kavanaugh also wrote his own dissent, saying 'In my view, Nevada's discrimination against religious services violates the Constitution.'

David Cortman, senior counsel for Georgia-based Alliance Defending Freedom representing the church, said in an email sent to The Associated Press late Friday that they were disappointed in the ruling but will continue to work to protect Calvary Chapel and others 'from discriminatory policies that put religious groups at the back of the line for reopening.'

'When the government treats churches worse than casinos, gyms, and indoor amusement parks in its COVID-19 response, it clearly violates the Constitution,' he said.

The office of Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month after a U.S. judge in Nevada upheld the state's policy that allows casinos and other businesses to operate at 50 percent of normal capacity.

Las Vegas showgirls pose for photos during the Bally's Las Vegas grand reopening on Thursday

Casino's which have capacity limits in the thousands, will be able to host hundreds of guests

The appellate court in San Francisco is still considering the appeal, but it has denied the churchs request for an emergency injunction in the meantime. Its ruling July 2 pointed to the Supreme Courts refusal in May to strike down Californias limit on the size of religious gatherings.

The church in Nevada's Lyon County appealed to the Supreme Court six days later, asking for an emergency injunction prohibiting the state from enforcing the cap on religious gatherings at least temporarily while the justices consider the merits of the case.

'The governor allows hundreds to thousands to assemble in pursuit of financial fortunes but only 50 to gather in pursuit of spiritual ones. That is unconstitutional,' its lawyers wrote in their most recent filing to the high court last week.

The church wants to allow as many as 90 people to attend services at the same time - with masks required, sitting 6-feet apart - at the sanctuary with a capacity of 200. Other secular businesses in the state that are allowed to operate at half capacity include gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and water parks.

Nevadas lawyers said last week several courts nationwide have followed the Supreme Courts lead in upholding state authority to impose emergency restrictions in response to COVID-19.

'Temporarily narrowing restrictions on the size of mass gatherings, including for religious services, protects the health and well-being of Nevada citizens during a global pandemic,' they wrote.

Alito said in the lead dissent that by allowing thousands to gather in casinos, the state cannot claim to have a compelling interest in limiting religious gatherings to 50 people - regardless of the size of the facility and the measures adopted to prevent the spread of the virus.

'The idea that allowing Calvary Chapel to admit 90 worshipers present a greater public health risk than allowing casinos to operate at 50 percent capacity is hard to swallow,' he wrote.

Kavanaugh said he agreed that courts should be 'very differential to the states' line-drawing in opening businesses and allowing certain activities during the pandemic.'

'But COVID-19 is not a blank check for a state to discriminate against religious people, religious organizations and religious services,' he wrote in his own dissent. 'Nevada is discriminating against religion.'
Manager Magazin reported on Wednesday that Daimler AG, with the full support of the IG Metall union, is drastically increasing the number of jobs being cut at the automaker. Instead of the previously announced 15,000, now 30,000 jobs are to be destroyed worldwide. The shareholders reacted enthusiastically. The news had only just broken when the Daimler share price skyrocketed.

Nobody should believe that the mass layoffs at Daimler have already reached the endpoint with this announcement. Daimler workers and millions of employees in companies associated with the automotive industry should regard these dismissals as the beginning of a broad campaign of unprecedented attacks.

Daimler corporate headquarters Mercedes-Benz plant Unterturkheim [Credit: World Socialist Web Site]

Since the founding of Benz & Cie. by Karl Benz in 1883, there has never been such a massive attack on the workers. The job cuts at Daimler, the flagship of the German automotive industry and the engine of the German economy, herald a wave of redundancies in other areas of the industry as well.

On the same day, IG Metall announced that there will be massive job cuts in many companies, according to its information. The union assumes that at least 300,000 jobs in the metal and electrical industries are in acute danger. At the same time, the union announced it would do nothing about this, except intensify its collaboration with the corporations and the government. Above all, it is pleading for an extension in short-time working to up to 24 months, to relieve the companies.

Manager Magazin has published a chart describing 10 production sites worldwide as wobbly candidates threatened with closure or cutbacks. The sites are located in Germany, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Poland, France and Finland, and employ 43,400 workers.

A week ago, Daimler announced a loss of 1.68 billion for the second quarter of 2020. Analysts had expected an even higher loss. According to Daimler, market recovery has been stronger than expected. In June, there had been strong growth, it said. Nevertheless, Daimler boss Ola Kallenius said, But there is still a lot to do. ... We must continue our systematic efforts to further lower the companys break-even point through cost reduction and capacity adjustments.

The head of Daimler clearly stated that there would be further layoffs and cost-cutting programmes. Manager Magazin headlined its piece Kallenius is taking things seriously and quoted a supervisory board member saying, Hes going through with it now. Daimlers CFO Harald Wilhelm commented, We cannot accept our cost structure in the long term. Lowering Daimlers cost base was a task for the entire current decade, he said.

What the WSWS wrote about the works councils salami tactics at the beginning of last week has now been confirmed. Works council head Michael Brecht has announced the groups real reduction plans only in slices. Otherwise, the works council and IG Metall would lose control of workers.

Two weeks ago, Daimler head of personnel Wilfried Porth outlined the companys plans in a detailed interview with the Stuttgarter Zeitung, pointing out that Daimler would have to save far more than 1.4 billion. Therefore, far more employees than planned would have to be laid off. He said that management was conducting intensive negotiations with the IG Metall works council to work out a strategy.

The recent announcement of 30,000 redundancies is the result of these intensive negotiations. But even that is not the end of the story. Porth, for whom workers are only numbers in balance sheets and annual reports, has already announced there will be no sacred cows. Everything that the workers have fought for in the pastcollective agreements on shift bonuses, holiday pay and Christmas bonusesmust be called into question, he said.

Daimler management and IG Metall know that they risk an uprising by the workers if the extent of the plans they have worked out behind the workers backs were revealed immediately and fully. That is why the works council is pretending to be clueless when announcing the bad news, claiming to have known nothing.

In reality, the leading works council members and trade union officials sit on the supervisory board and economic committee. Not only are they well informed, but they also present their own plans for job and social cuts, which were previously drawn up by the trade union Hans Bockler Foundation.

More and more workers recognise the hostile manoeuvres and machinations of IG Metall. The Stuttgarter Zeitung interviewed workers during the shift change on Monday after the interview with Porth was published. All those expressing their anger did not want to give their names, as a precaution against reprisals.

One worker, who had been employed in the steel melting shop for 30 years, expressed concern that many young workers would lose their jobs. The Stuttgarter Zeitung quoted him saying that this applied especially to those who were just starting out, since those who came last usually had to go first when jobs were cut.

Five days after the interview with Porth, the two leading works council members, Michael Brecht and Ergun Lumali, admitted in an e-mail to all workers that they were holding intensive talks with management, but did not disclose any details. The e-mail merely stated that additional measures were necessary to further stabilise Daimlers financial situation.

As if they were managers themselves, they wrote, Nobody doubts that the situation is serious. And of course, the current coronavirus crisis and the changes in the automotive industry are weighing on our economic situation. That is why we are in intensive talks with the management. ...

Personnel Manager Porth made it unmistakably clear that layoffs were on the table. The goal could not be achieved exclusively voluntarily. Brecht, Lumali and IG Metall have no plans to counter this threat. Instead, their e-mail shows they are completely on the side of the board of directors and see their main task in reassuring the employees and keeping them quiet.

They try and put them off by pointing to the company agreement on safeguarding the future, which allegedly includes job security until 2030. In fact, the agreement stipulates that this will no longer be the case if economic conditions change.

The day before he sent the scandalous e-mail, Brecht had explained at a video press conference held at the Benz plant in Gaggenau what it was really about. He said, Not only the works council but both sides had to look for solutions in economic crises. We have instruments to reduce personnel costs in a crisis, but there can never be a one hundred percent guarantee.

The trade unions are loyal partners of the exploiters, not only in Germany but all over the world. Workers must be clear about the class character of the trade unions. They play a central role in preventing an independent mobilisation and united struggle to push through the workers demands.

The coronavirus crisis and the technical changes in the automobile industry are a welcome opportunity in the eyes of investors and shareholders to sack many thousands of workers, to destroy the social gains they achieved in the past, and to introduce slave-like conditions in the factories. Whatever the human cost of the crisis, the main priority is to increase profits. That is the real reason for ever-new cuts programmes and factory closures.

The unions defend the capitalist profit system and are closely linked to the nation state; they will always act against the interests of the workers. It is high time that Daimler workers opposed the conspiracy of the board of directors and the works council.

Cuts in wages and social benefits will not save any jobs, but only pave the way for further redundancies. All jobs, wages and social gains must be defended. When Brecht & Co. declare that this is not possible because it endangers the profits of the board of directors, millionaires and capital owners, it only means that the defence of jobs and wages requires a fight against capitalism.

The right to work and decent wages stands higher than the obscene enrichment of the major shareholders and their henchmen. The works councils must be forced to disclose all the details of their secret negotiations with management.

Car workers face the task of breaking with the unions and their bought-and-paid-for works council members, forming independent action committees, joining together internationally and fighting for a socialist programme. We call on all readers and especially Daimler workers to contact the WSWS to discuss these issues and to organise a common struggle to defend jobs.
Three university professors have become overnight millionaires after a 'major breakthrough' in their coronavirus drug.

Ratko Djukanovic, Stephen Holgate and Donna Davies created their Southampton-based company Synairgen almost two decades ago.

Shares in the company, which was involved in a successful trial of a drug to treat COVID-19 this week, sky-rocketed by 3,000 per cent almost overnight.

Professor in medicine Djukanovic, 65, saw his 0.56 per cent stake in the company jump in value in one day from around 300,000 to 1.6m, reported The Guardian.

The 0.59 per cent stake held by Holgate, 73, a professor of immunopharmacology, rose to 1.7m.

Ratko Djukanovic (pictured), Stephen Holgate (top left) and Donna Davies (top right) created their Southampton-based company Synairgen almost two decades ago

It is thought the third founder and professor of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 67-year-old Davies, holds a similar-sized stake through another company.

In a study of 101 people, coronavirus patients who were given a special formula of the professor's interferon drug, SNG001, were two or three more times more likely to recover than those given a placebo.

Patients given the drug directly into their airways via a nebuliser, a powerful inhaler, were 79 percent less likely to become seriously ill with the disease.

For those on the drug breathlessness was 'markedly reduced'.

Richard Marsden, Synairgens chief executive, told The Guardian: '[For them] it doesn't get better than seeing a drug you created treating real patients, and the side-effect of that is you make money If people are clever and find something useful, they should get rewarded economically.'

Their shares in the company, which was involved in a successful trial of a drug to treat COVID-19 this week, sky-rocketed by 3,000 per cent almost overnight

Kaye Flitney is one of the 101 people enrolled in the clinical trial carried out by British pharmaceutical firm Synairgen

The three professors, who first discovered people with asthma and chronic lung disease lack a protein called interferon beta in 2004, are now worth more than a million pounds each.

Interferon beta can help the body fight off the common cold. If the missing protein is replaced the body's natural defences are better able to beat a viral infection.

The clinical trial results were published on July 21, and by lunchtime Synairgen shares were up by 540 per cent.

The company directors' combined 2.6 per cent stake has now been valued at more than 7million.

Marsden, who holds 0.3 per cent of stocks, said the 204p share price at close of day Friday was 'reasonable'.

'It is a major breakthrough in the treatment of hospitalised Covid-19 patients,' Marsden added. 'We couldn't have expected much better [trial] results than these.'

The trial has now been expanded to patients suffering with milder coronavirus symptoms at home, in an effort to lower the number of cases in hospitals.

And the drug manufacturer Rentschler has been ordered to start producing more than a million doses of the drug ahead of an anticipated second wave in the winter.

BORIS JOHNSON SAYS HE IS NOT CONFIDENT BRITAIN WILL GET A COVID-19 VACCINE BY THE END OF 2021 Boris Johnson said there may not even be a Covid-19 vaccine ready by the end of next year and that we 'can't count in it riding over the hill like the cavalry'. Speaking in a television interview this morning the Prime Minister said he has his 'fingers crossed' but couldn't be 100 per cent confident that a vaccine will be found. The British public must keep following social distancing, washing their hands and wearing masks in confined spaces, Mr Johnson said, to 'drive the virus down by our own collective action'. His comments come as officials today announced deals with two foreign pharmaceutical firms to buy 90million doses of separate experimental vaccine candidates. UK officials are now taking a spread-betting approach to vaccines, buying up stocks of various untested ones that they think could work, in the hope that one or more of them will pay off. Agreement has been reached for 30million doses from German firm BioNTech and the US company Pfizer, and 60million doses from France's Valneva. The figure is in addition to the 100million doses of vaccine that are being developed by Oxford University in partnership with AstraZeneca, as well as another at Imperial College London which started human trials in June. Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the new agreements would 'ensure the UK has the best chance possible of securing a vaccine that protects those most at risk'. But the government's vaccine tsar today scuppered hopes of Oxford's vaccine  one of the front-runners in the world's race against time for a jab  being ready for September. Oxford scientists have already said they are '80 per cent' confident they can have their jab available for the autumn. Kate Bingham, chair of the UK's Vaccine Taskforce, revealed she was still 'hopeful' it would be ready by the end of 2020 but admitted that academics are unlikely to get enough data to prove it works until the end of the year. Results of the first wave of trials of the Oxford jab  called AZD1222  are set to be published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet today. But the results will not prove it can save lives, meaning it won't be licensed and rolled-out yet. Advertisement

Synairgen started setting up their clinical trial in February and March to ensure a drug was ready by the time coronavirus became a problem in the UK.

But others haven't been so lucky, with a former long-suffering investor selling their fund holdings last month for less than 10m, a quarter of their value today.

Neil Woodford, who was known for taking bets and investing on early-stage medical stocks, was one of the biggest investors in Synairgen through his equity income fund.

The next stage for Synairgen is gaining the approval of worldwide medical regulators so the treatment can be brought to market.

Independent experts previously said Synairgen's trial would 'represent by far the biggest breakthrough in Covid-19 treatment to date' if the results are verified.

The only drug scientifically proven to treat the disease at present is a 5 steroid known as dexamethasone, which slashes death rates by up to a third.

Southampton-based Synairgen is a publicly traded firm, meaning it was obligated to release the preliminary results due to stock market rules.

The trial involved 101 Covid-19 patients who had been admitted at nine UK hospitals and required oxygen support. Half of the recruits were given the drug, while the rest took a placebo.

The trial was carried out on a double blind basis, meaning neither the researchers nor the 101 patients knew who was receiving SNG001.

Three people died after being randomly assigned the placebo, while there were no deaths among those who received the drug, Synairgen said.

Studies have shown key high risk groups for Covid-19, including older people and those with some chronic diseases have lower levels of interferon beta.

Separate trials in asthmatic patients have shown SNG001 is well-tolerated, boosts the lungs anti-viral defences and helps lung function during cold or flu infection.

The inhaler turns SNG001 into a fine mist so it can be inhaled deep into the lungs, with the hope it will trigger a stronger, more targeted anti-viral response.

Interferon beta is already used as an injection to boost the immune response of people with multiple sclerosis.

The trial's chief investigator, Tom Wilkinson, professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Southampton, said if the results are replicated in larger studies it will be 'a game changer'.

He added: 'The results confirm our belief that interferon beta, a widely known drug that, by injection, has been approved for use in a number of other indications, has huge potential as an inhaled drug to be able to restore the lungs' immune response, enhancing protection, accelerating recovery and countering the impact of Sars-CoV-2 virus.'

Stephen Holgate CBE, professor of immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton, said recognising that the coronavirus 'is known to have evolved to evade the initial anti-viral response of the lung' was a valuable insight.

'Our treatment of giving high local concentrations of interferon beta, a naturally occurring antiviral protein, restores the lungs ability to neutralise the virus,' added Professor Holgate, who is also the co-founder of Synairgen.

He said it would work on 'any mutation of the virus or co-infection with another respiratory virus such as RSV or influenza, as could be encountered in the winter if there is a resurgence of Covid-19'.

Reacting to the findings, Professor Francois Balloux, a geneticist at University College London, tweeted: 'Preliminary results from a clinical trial suggest interferon beta reduces the risk of developing severe #COVID19 disease by 79 per cent.

'If confirmed, this would represent by far the biggest breakthrough in #COVID19 treatment to date.'

Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, added: 'The results seem very impressive, and although accepted that the trial is small with just over 100 participants, a 79 per cent reduction in disease severity could be a game changer.

'It would be good to see the full results once presented and peer-reviewed to make sure they are robust and the trial conduct was rigorous.

'Also, with small numbers comes less certainty on the true level of benefit, or whether benefits vary between people with differing risk characteristics. Such work would require a larger trial but, even so, these results are very exciting.'

But Professor Steve Goodacre, an expert in emergency medicine at the University of Sheffield, said: 'These results are not interpretable.

'We need the full details and, perhaps more importantly, the trial protocol. The trial should have been registered and a protocol made available before any analysis was undertaken.'

Synairgen will now have to present its findings to medical regulators around the world before it is approved.

Health chiefs will review the findings and decide whether to approve the treatment so doctors can treat Covid-19 patients with it.

The firm's chief executive Richard Marsden told the BBC it would be able to deliver a 'few hundred thousands' of doses each month by the winter.

Because the study was quite small  only involving 100 patients  the trial may have to be scaled up before getting approval.

This process could take months, although governments around the world might be open to fast-tracking the drug if they are impressed by the findings.

British ministers have approved the Ebola drug remdesivir for emergency use on patients suffering life-threatening symptoms of Covid  despite evidence about its effectiveness still being mixed.

Only one drug, the 5 steroid dexamethasone, has so far been conclusively proven to treat coronavirus.

The Recovery trial found it reduced the risk of death by 35 per cent for patients on ventilators  the most dangerously ill  and by a fifth for all patients needing oxygen at any point.
To see Neowise, Grandfather Mountain was chosen for its clear view at an elevation of nearly 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) But to benefit from the view, the weather has to cooperate. On Friday night, a giant thundercloud blocked the view on Grandfather Mountain as the comet appeared, thwarting the attempts to photograph it.

But on Saturday, both photographers were successful -- Broome atop the mountain again this time, and Horne at a lower elevation.

According to NASA, the nucleus of the comet is three miles (4.8 kilometers) across. It emits a tail of dust and possibly two tails of gas as it moves through space at around 144,000 mph (232,000 kph). Now making its way back toward the outer solar system, the comet has come as close as 64 million miles (103 million kilometers) to Earth.

The comet should remain visible through the end of July and possibly into August across the Northern Hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye and can be spotted below the Big Dipper, but a good pair of binoculars or a telescope will enhance your view. A clear night with limited light pollution is important for success.

It's named for the NASA spacecraft, Neowise, that first spotted it.

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Keen to counter Chinas influence in Sri Lanka, India on Friday extended a $400 million currency swap facility with Colombo to help its economy recover from Covid-19 crisis.

The currency deal between Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka would help Sri Lanka mitigate the risk of future fluctuations on the rates of interests on the loans from India.

Read: India, China agree on 'early and complete' disengagement of troops from eastern Ladakh

Earlier this week, officials of the two governments also held discussion on rescheduling of repayment of about $840 million debt by Sri Lanka to India. Another round of discussion will be held on postponing repayment of loan as requested by Rajapaksa government.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo said that it would continue to facilitate such engagement as a part of New Delhis overall commitment to work with Sri Lanka to counter and mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi says govt rubbishing his warnings on Covid-19, China

New Delhis twin moves to help Colombo came even as China of late renewed its attempt to further expand its footprints in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan government recently constituted a panel comprising five officials to review the deal Sri Lanka inked with India and Japan in May 2019 for development of the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port.

The Sri Lankan government also accepted the demand of agitating workers to install in the ECT the three gantry cranes imported from China for the adjacent Jaya Container Terminal. New Delhi suspects that China had orchestrated the stir so that Colombo could initiate the review of the deal for developing the port.

China already holds the majority share in the adjacent Colombo International Container Terminal.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

Sri Lanka is one of the Indian Ocean nations where China is trying to outsmart India to spread its geo-strategic influence. The tiny island nation had to lease out the Hambantota Port to China for 99 years after its construction by a company based in the communist country resulted in a huge debt burden for it.

The second of Mahinda Rajapaksa's two consecutive terms (2005-2015) in the office of Sri Lankan President had seen China expanding its footprints in the Indian Ocean island nation, causing much unease to India. He had ignored the security interests of India and allowed China to develop strategic assets, like Hambantota Port, in the island. He had also allowed two nuclear submarines of the People Liberation Army Navy of China to dock at the Colombo Port, raising hackles in New Delhi.
China informs U.S. to close its Consulate General in Chengdu

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 12:47, July 24, 2020

Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday informed the U.S. Embassy in China of its decision to withdraw its consent for the establishment and operation of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu.

The ministry also made specific requirements on the ceasing of all operations and events by the Consulate General, said a statement issued by the ministry.

On July 21, the United States launched a unilateral provocation by abruptly demanding that China close its Consulate General in Houston, the statement said.

"The U.S. move seriously breached international law, the basic norms of international relations, and the terms of the China-U.S. Consular Convention. It gravely harmed China-U.S. relations," said the statement.

"The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States. It conforms with international law, the basic norms of international relations, and customary diplomatic practices," said the statement.

"The current situation in China-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see, and the United States is responsible for all this. We once again urge the United States to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track," the statement added.

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States  Sat, July 25, 2020 07:05 544 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406692e776 2 Entertainment New-York-Times,Serial,podcast,Serial-podcast Free

The New York Times said it will acquire Serial Productions, which created a hugely popular long-form news program credited with sparking today's podcast boom.

Created by the producers of "This American Life," the gold standard of US public radio shows, Serial Productions introduced the podcast called "Serial" in 2014.

It popularized the "true crime" documentary genre but also delved into investigative work of its own.

In its first season, Serial probed the case of Adnan Syed, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of his former girlfriend, which he said he did not commit. The 12-part podcast prompted a court to reopen the case, which went all the way to the US Supreme Court, but in the end it left in place a ruling that he must stay in prison for life.

The four seasons produced by Serial were downloaded a total of 625 million times.

Terms of the acquisition were not announced.

After the purchase, Serial Productions will keep making podcasts with that brand name and be amplified by the Times, the paper said in a statement Wednesday.

The acquisition will also allow Serial Productions to produce more series than it had in the past.

Serial Productions is preparing to launch its first podcast as a unit of the Times on July 30, called "Nice White Parents."

"To understand whats wrong with our public education system, you have to look at whats arguably the most powerful force in our schools: White parents," the paper said in an ad for the series.

The Times entered the world of podcasts in 2017 with a current events program called "The Daily," which instantly became one of the most popular in America.
Two women look at the beach in Barcelona (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

Holidaymakers returning from Spain will have to quarantine for 14 days after Covid second wave fears convinced ministers to remove the European country from the UKs safe list.

The so-called travel corridor with Spain has been shutdown after it reported more than 900 new daily infections for the past two days.

The decision means those coming back from the popular holiday destination will have to self-isolate for two weeks upon their return to UK after all four administrations  England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland  opted to join forces over the move.

The fresh measures, which will come into effect from midnight tonight, not only caught unsuspecting members of the public off guard, but ministers too.

Spain has been removed from the lists of countries from which passengers arriving in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempted from the need to self-isolate Government spokesman

It has been confirmed Transport Secretary Grant Shapps  whose department announced the rule change  flew to Spain on Saturday morning to start his summer holiday, meaning he will have to quarantine for a fortnight if the travel corridor remains suspended by the end of his trip.

A UK Government spokesman said: The Joint Biosecurity Centre together with Public Health England have updated their coronavirus assessments of Spain based on the latest data.

As a result, Spain has been removed from the lists of countries from which passengers arriving in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempted from the need to self-isolate.

Protecting public health is our absolute priority and we have taken this decision to limit any potential spread to the UK.

Expand Close Transport Secretary Grant Shapps flew to Spain for his holiday on Saturday morning (Jonathan Brady/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Transport Secretary Grant Shapps flew to Spain for his holiday on Saturday morning (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Weve always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country where necessary.

Both our list of quarantine exemptions and the FCO travel advice are being updated to reflect these latest risk assessments.

The reintroduction of quarantine measures will apply to those returning from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, such as Palma and Ibiza, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed.

The Foreign Office is now advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain.

Employers are being urged by the DfT to be understanding of those returning from Spain who now will need to self-isolate following the sudden advice change.

But the move is likely to cast doubt on thousands of peoples holiday plans as they weigh up the risk of travelling to Spain and the need to stay home for two weeks upon arriving back in Britain.

Expand Close Passengers returning to England from holidays in Spain are set to be asked to quarantine (Steve Parsons/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Passengers returning to England from holidays in Spain are set to be asked to quarantine (Steve Parsons/PA)

Neil Hunter, 45, from Sittingbourne in Kent, booked a 10-day break to Lanzarote last December.

Due to leave on Tuesday, he told the PA news agency: We were going as a family, my wife Amanda, and teenage daughter Bethany but to be honest, since this announcement, Im unsure whats going to happen as I work as a train driver, and I dont think my employer will accept me having to isolate due to going on holiday.

Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warn the country that lost 28,000 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing the start of a second major outbreak.

On Thursday, the Spanish health ministry reported 971 new daily infections, the biggest daily increase since Spains lockdown ended.

Catalonia became the latest region to crack down on nightlife, trying to halt new infection clusters.

Expand Close The Catalonia regional government has shut nightlife venues in Barcelona, and on Friday officials in Madrid said they were considering a similar step (Manu Fernandez/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Catalonia regional government has shut nightlife venues in Barcelona, and on Friday officials in Madrid said they were considering a similar step (Manu Fernandez/AP)

The wealthy north-east region  home to Barcelona  ordered all nightclubs to close for 15 days and put a midnight curfew on bars in the greater Barcelona area and other towns around Lleida that have become contagion hot zones.

The quarantine rules for those returning to Scotland from Spain had only been lifted this week by First Minister Nicola Sturgeons administration, in what has proved a quick U-turn.

Scotlands Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: The decision to exempt Spain earlier this week, was taken when the data showed there was an improvement in the spread of the virus.

But clearly the latest data has given us cause for concern to overturn that decision.

Expand Close SNP Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf confirmed the change for travellers arriving into Scotland from Spain (Jane Barlow/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp SNP Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf confirmed the change for travellers arriving into Scotland from Spain (Jane Barlow/PA)

Northern Ireland health minister Robin Swann said: The decision to remove Spain from the exempt list was not taken lightly.

I have spoken with my counterparts across the UK today and we agree that the recent upsurge in new positive cases in different parts of Spain are a cause for concern.

As of midnight tonight, anyone returning or visiting Northern Ireland from Spain, including its islands will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

Labours shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the news would be deeply concerning for families currently in Spain or who were planning a trip, and called for ministers to release details explaining how people affected would be supported.
25.07.2020 LISTEN

A suspect has led the police to exhume the skeletal remains of a man he has allegedly admitted to have murdered three years ago.

The police said the suspect, Yakubu Atubiga, alias Phobia, 38, a resident of Fawobotoso in the Ahafo Ano North District in the Ashanti Region, had initially denied killing Martin Kwabena Amuzu, but after further interrogation, he admitted burying the head of the deceased in an anthill, while he dumped the other parts of the body in an abandoned well.

He consequently led the police to retrieve the skull and other skeletal parts.

Missing

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Godwin Ahianyo, said some time in August 2017, one Mr Gyau reported to the police of the disappearance of Amuzu, who was then 32 years.

He said on July 7, this year, the police in Tepa received intelligence that in August 2017, Atubiga had shot and killed Amuzu on a farm at Kwame Baah cottage.

According to the PRO, one Akwasi Twumasi had found Amuzus body on a cocoa farm and went to inform Nana Bowie, the chief of the cottage, about it, but the chief asked him not to tell anyone about it.

Mr Ahianyo said following the intelligence, Atubiga was arrested, together with the deceaseds former employer and Twumasi.

Exhumation order

Mr Ahianyo said on July 20, this year, the police secured an exhumation order from the Tepa District Court, and together with officers from the Environmental Health Unit and the Ashanti Regional Crime Scene Team, went to exhume the skull, together with a pair of white rubber slippers and a multi-coloured T-shirt suspected to belong to the deceased.

The following day, he said, the suspect again led the police to an abandoned well at the cottage where he claimed he had dumped some of the skeletal remains of the deceased.

The bones and the skull had since been deposited at the Tepa Government Hospital for preservation and DNA analysis.

---graphic.com
Tahawwur Rana, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India

The 2008 Mumbai attack was one of India's most horrific terrorist attacks in which 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem. (PTI)

Washington: A US court has rejected the USD 1.5 million bail application of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who has been declared a fugitive by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case, describing him a flight risk.

Rana, 59, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

He is a declared fugitive in India.

US District Court Judge in Los Angeles Jacqueline Chooljian, in her 24-page order dated July 21, denied bail to Rana arguing that he is a flight risk.

Describing Rana as a flight risk, the US government opposed his release on bail, arguing that if he were to flee to Canada, he may escape the possibility of a death sentence in India.

Given the stakes, an allowance of bail in any amount would not guarantee Rana's presence in court. Granting bail would invite the possibility of embarrassing the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs, straining its relationship with India, Assistant US Attorney John J Lulejian had told the court.

On the other hand, Rana's attorney told the court that the 26/11 accused is not a flight risk and has proposed a USD 1.5 million bond for his release.

Rana, in his defence, has argued that the US' decision not to extradite his co-conspirator, Headley, to India is inconsistent and bars his extradition.

While Rana has presented a robust bail package and proffered conditions which significantly mitigate the risk of flight, the court cannot find that he has negated the risk of flight and accordingly grants the Detention Request (of the government) on that basis, Judge Chooljian said.

For someone facing conspiracy to murder and murder charges in India, the incentive to flee to avoid extradition is strong, the court said.

Pakistan-born Rana completed Army Medical College there, and served in the Pakistani Army as a doctor for more than a decade, but eventually deserted.

He is currently a Canadian citizen, but was a resident of Chicago where he had a business. According to the court papers, he has also resided in and travelled to Canada, Pakistan, Germany and England and speaks seven languages.

If he flees to Canada, he could effectively avoid exposure to the death penalty as such country's extradition treaty with India contains a provision which allows extradition to be refused if the offence for which extradition is requested is punishable by death in India and is not punishable by death in Canada unless India gives assurances that a death penalty would not be executed, federal prosecutors had said.

There is no question in the court's mind that given Rana's significant foreign ties, particularly to Canada, and the potential death penalty awaiting him in India if he is extradited on and convicted of the most serious pending charges, he is a flight risk, the court said.

According to the court papers, Rana had tested positive for COVID-19 at Terminal Island in Los Angeles on April 28, 2020, but was asymptomatic and has since recovered.

He tested negative in the last three tests on June 13, June 15 and June 25.

According to the federal prosecutors, between 2006 and November 2008, Rana conspired with Headley, also known as "Daood Gilani, and others in Pakistan to assist Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harakat ul-Jihad-e-Islami, both US-designated terrorist organisations, to plan and carry out the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Pakistani-American LeT terrorist Headley was involved in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack.

India seeks his arrest on a number of offences, including the conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit forgery for the purpose of cheating, and murder under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He is sought for his role in 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The 2008 Mumbai attack was one of India's most horrific terrorist attacks in which 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem.

Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive, was hanged to death on November 21, 2012.
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 20:33:00|Editor: huaxia

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HANOI, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam on Saturday reported four new cases of COVID-19 infection, including a community case, bringing its total confirmed cases to 417 with zero deaths so far, according to its Ministry of Health.

Among the new cases, a 57-year-old man from central Da Nang city is Vietnam's first COVID-19 case in the community after the country went through over three months without any cases of local transmission, said the ministry.

The other three cases are Vietnamese citizens aged from five to 34, who recently returned to the country from Russia and were quarantined upon arrival, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, as many as 365 people have totally recovered from the disease as of Saturday, said the ministry.

Vietnam has recorded no deaths of COVID-19 so far and there are over 11,800 people being quarantined and monitored in the country, Vietnam News Agency reported. Enditem
York police have charged a driver after a cyclist was hit and killed in a Friday crash thats now under investigation by Ontarios police watchdog.

According to the Special Investigations Unit, a York Regional Police officer was conducting radar speed enforcement around 7:10 a.m. when he saw a car speeding north on Keele Street. The officer then began following the car, which hit a cyclist near the intersection of Keele Street and Cavell Avenue a short time later, rolling over.

The cyclist was found dead near the crashed vehicle.

York police on Saturday said the driver fled the scene and was only found two hours later in the area of 15th Sideroad.

Police also said they have identified the killed cyclist as a 54-year-old resident of Richmond Hill, adding a post-mortem exam will confirm his identity.

Investigators would like to thank the media and our community for their assistance with identifying the cyclist, police said.

Neither the SIU nor York police have released details of the officers pursuit of the speeding driver.

The SIU is the civilian body that investigates all reports of police interactions that result in death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault against an officer.

The agency says six investigators, a forensic investigator, and a collision reconstructionist have been assigned to the case.

York police say 20-year-old Drake David Tye Paul, of Toronto, was charged with the criminal offences of failure to stop causing death, and dangerous driving causing death.

Police are asking witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage or surveillance video in the area to contact police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7704, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Miriam Lafontaine is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @mirilafontaine
JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot`s son Vaibhav on Saturday alleged that the BJP is "conspiring" to topple Congress-led state government in the state. Meanwhile, Congress workers in large numbers staged demonstrations at several places in Rajasthan against the BJP, accusing it of trying to dislodge the Ashok Gehlot government.

Addressing party supporters during a protest rally in Jaipur against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vaibhav Gehlot said, "BJP at the Centre is involved in the conspiracy to topple democratically elected Rajasthan government. For the last one and half years, we have worked for farmers, we have effectively tackled coronavirus. I think BJP cannot deal with it and hence they are conspiring to topple Congress-led Rajasthan government."

"BJP toppled the government in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka but I am sure that this time BJP has chosen a wrong state. This time Congress workers are united in Rajasthan and they will not able to fulfil their dreams of toppling the government," he added.

Vaibhav Gehlot also questioned the Governors move for holding assembly session. "What is the reason to not hold assembly session at a time when the Rajasthan government has called for assembly session. In Madhya Pradesh, they have called assembly session in the middle of a pandemic. When the Rajasthan government is calling for the session, they are not allowing the session," Vaibhav Gehlot said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sought time to meet Governor Kalraj Mishra to give a fresh proposal for convening Assembly session. In a letter to CM Gehlot, Governor Kalraj Mishra had on Friday said that latter had sought to politicise the desire of the government for assembly session and the decision that has to be taken and he was hurt by it.

Rajasthan Governor`s Secretariat had said on Friday that state government presented a paper to convene the session of the Assembly at very short notice on the night of July 23.

It said 21-day notice is required for the session to be called according to normal procedures.

The Congress government is pushing for a session of the Assembly so that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot can prove his majority on the floor of the House after the Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to rebel leader Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs.
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Three people were injured in downtown Louisville when a member of an armed black militia group carrying semiautomatic weapons accidentally discharged a firearm as they marched to a demonstration.

Despite earlier reports that the shots were fired as a result of an argument between the group and a far-right organization gathered nearby, it was later confirmed that a member of the Atlanta-based Not F*****g Around Coaltion' (NFAC) had accidentally fired on other members as they assembled in Baxter Park.

An estimated 350 armed members of the group had gathered there before marching toward the main protest site in downtown Louisville, where about 50 member of the far right militia group Three Percenters were also gathered.

Just hours after the shooting, the leader of the NFAC vowed the group would return to Louisville to burn this motherf****r down' if the investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor is not completed in four weeks time.

John 'Grandmaster Jay' Johnson delivered a fiery speech from the steps of the Metro Hall on Saturday afternoon as he called the group to take action if the truth about Taylors death was not released.

He accused the investigation of looking to rework the crime scene to cover up what happened to the 26-year-old EMT, who died by police fire following a no-knock raid on her apartment on March 13.

Following his speech, the members of the armed group were called on the take an oath that they would protect black lives and to take action if Johnson's ultimatum was not met.

Member of the NFAC as they take an oath to prevent the murder of black people during a demonstration on Saturday

Paramedics push a stretcher as police officers investigate a shooting that happened during an armed rally held by an all-black militia group called NFAC in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

A piece of medical equipment lies on the ground as police officers investigate a shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Police ring the area with yellow tape as they investigate the shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

A supporter of an all-black militia group called NFAC stands near the police officers who investigate a shooting on Saturday

The members of the #NFAC are speaking now pic.twitter.com/p8NTJzneep  Shaquille Lord (@ShaqWLKY) July 25, 2020

I would ask anyone who is not a member of the NFAC to turn and face them, Johnson said as he called on those dressed in black to place the hand in the air.

I will never allow the murder of another black man, woman or child, whether the killer is white or black. I am the NFC, for life, m**********r they cried after Johnson.

Earlier Saturday, Baxter Park was the staging area for NFAC members before they were expected to march toward Jefferson Square Park near City Hall, where approximately 50 members of the Three Percenters militia gathered.

Louisville police formed a barricade to separate the two opposing camps but no violence was reported.

Five people were arrested, however, for charges such as disorderly conduct and obstructing a highway.

'It has been a tension-filled day for all of us,' said Deputy Chief LaVita Chavous, despite the protests remaining peaceful.

She said that they were aware of the ultimatum given by Johnson but said they stood behind the right to peacefully protest.

Chavous did, however, criticize those she claimed are 'hiding behind the right to peacefully assemble and using it as a platform to tear up and destroy our city'.

Authorities feared the worst when shots had been heard in Baxter Park earlier that day.

However, the Louisville Metro Police Department later confirmed that the shooting was a result of a firearm that accidentally discharged. The three wounded victims were rushed to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Well burn this b**** to this ground



Watch the entire video of Grandmaster Jay in reference to #BreonnaTaylor #Louisvilleprotests @WLKY pic.twitter.com/sqmm5ESmvo  Shaquille Lord (@ShaqWLKY) July 25, 2020

Leader Johnson asked the NFAC to put their hands in the air as they made a pact to return in four weeks time

John 'Grandmaster Jay' Johnson delivered a fiery speech from the steps of the Metro Hall on Saturday afternoon as he called on the NFAC to take action if the truth about Breonna Taylors death was not released

Members and supporters of an all-black militia group called NFAC hold an armed rally in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Members of the Kentucky Three Percenters Militia line up as members and supporters of an all-black militia group called NFAC hold an armed rally in Louisville

Members of the Atlanta-based NFAC were seen outside Central High School in Louisville on Saturday

The show of force was meant as a protest of the authorities' decision to so far decline to bring criminal charges against the police officers involved in the fatal March shooting of a 26-year-old black EMT

NFAC members are seen above during a rally outside Central High School in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

NFAC members prepare to set out on a march from their staging area in Louisville's Baxter Park on Saturday

NFAC militia members aim their weapons skyward as they prepare to march toward Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

NFAC militia members prepare to set out on a march toward Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Despite the shooting, NFAC members marched five blocks toward City Hall, where they stood several hundred feet from the Three Percenters militia.

There Johnson expressed his fury that the investigation into Taylor's death was expected to take a further four months.

The militia leader said that he had recently spoken to Attorney General Daniel Cameron who is running the investigation and delivered him with an ultimatum that the group would take action if they didnt have a result within four weeks.

'I told him, "You ain't got four months",' Johnson said to the crowd, which included NFAC members and other protesters.

He added that Cameron told him Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer had only handed over the case to him last week and that there is believed to be a lot of information missing from the night of the raid on Taylor's apartment.

'There was no crime scene,' Johnson told the group, according to WDRB.

'There was no report. There was no ballistics. There was no blood and toxicology. Matter of fact, there wasn't nothing. So when they gave it to the AG, and he said, "Where's the case?" The mayor said, "I gave you enough. Do your job".'

'And they thought that s**t was gonna go away,' Johnson told the group. "But you motherf****rs aint stupid.'

He continued that he had asked Cameron if the cops involved in Taylor's death would be arrested. So far, only one of them has been fired.

'I'm going to do what I need to do,' Johnson claimed Cameron answered.

'Four weeks from today, we gonna come back here, and we should have an answer,' he said.

According to WDRB, Cameron acknowledged that he spoke to Johnson but denied that he said the investigation will take four months.

'As was confirmed earlier this week, the conversation between Grand Master Jay, Metro Council President David James and the Attorney General was productive,' the statement from Cameron read.

'The Attorney General reiterated his commitment to a thorough and independent investigation into the death of Ms. Taylor, but he did not comment on any specifics related to the timeline of the investigation.'

The simultaneous demonstrations in Louisville by the NFAC and the right-wing Three Percenters organization took place a day after some 76 protesters were arrested on Friday.

Police on Saturday police sealed off several roads in the downtown area where the demonstrations were taking place.

One of the five people arrested, a Black Lives Matter supporter, allegedly tried to burst through a police barricade that was set up to divide the two opposite camps.

Johnson was surrounded by members of the NFAC as he delivered the ultimatum to Attorney General Daniel Cameron

Members of an armed, all-black militia known as NFAC approach City Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Members of NFAC make their way ahead of the group to secure locations as they march in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

A protester displays their pistol in a holster calling for a response to the killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Grandmaster Jay (right), the leader of NFAC, speaks during a rally on in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Members of NFAC make their way ahead of the group to secure locations in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Two members of the armed militia are seen above in Louisville, Kentucky, during a demonstration on Saturday

The militia leader, Grandmaster Jay, is seen in the center as he leads NFAC members toward City Hall

Members of NFAC rest after a march toward City Hall in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Grandmaster Jay (left), the leader of NFAC, speaks with police before a march of his group and supporters in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Grandmaster Jay is seen second from right leading militia members on a march toward City Hall in Louisville on Saturday

An armed NFAC member is seen above marching alongside his fellow militia members in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

A member of the NFAC militia looks on as fellow members take a rest during a march in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Grandmaster Jay (right) begins to lead the NFAC militia during a march toward City Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

In recent weeks, scores of Black Lives Matter demonstrators have been demanding the arrest of the Louisville police officers involved in the fatal shooting of 26-year-old EMT Breonna Taylor.

'Once it gets to that point where it looks like the government is non-responsive to the will of the people, the Constitution says to [form a] militia to address the grievances of the people,' Johnson said in his speech.

'I didnt write it,' Johnson said of the Constitution.

'They (the founding fathers) wrote it. We just abide by it. So thats our destination, because when it looks like the government is being indifferent to the people, the people have the right to form themselves - and arm themselves  to ask those questions.'

Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was fatally shot when police officers burst into her Louisville apartment using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation.

The warrant to search her home was in connection with a suspect who did not live there and no drugs were found.

The shooting set off weeks of protests, policy changes and a call for the officers who shot Taylor to be criminally charged.

Armed members of the black militia NFAC are seen above just before a march in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

NFAC members are seen above lining up in formation during a march in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Armed members of the NFAC are seen above during a march in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

The NFAC, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, is in Louisville, Kentucky, to back protests demanding the arrest of three police officers who fatally shot Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black EMT, in her home in March

NFAC members are seen above carrying firearms during a march in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

NFAC members are seen lining up in formation just before setting off on a protest march in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

One officer has been fired, but no charges have been filed. Investigations into the shooting are continuing.

Johnson said earlier this week that up to 5,000 members of the NFAC could take part in the demonstration in Louisville.

'Were there to get an answer, not to fight a war,' he said. 'This is for Bre.'

During an earlier speech to a crowd of supporters on Friday night, Johnson also said he had been in dialogue with several senior Kentucky officials, including representatives from Mayor Greg Fischer's office, Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Cameron, a Republican and Kentuckys first African American state attorney general, said that he still has no timeline for when his office will conclude its investigation of the Taylor case.

In recent weeks, protesters have been staging demonstrations outside Cameron's home demanding felony charges be brought against the three police officers.

'We've chanted, we've sung, nothing has changed,' Johnson said when asked about his organization's presence at the rally on Saturday.

Members of the Kentucky Three Percenters militia are seen above lining up outside city hall in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

The Three Percenters militia is considered an extremist group by the hate-monitoring organization Southern Poverty Law Center

The Three Percenters derive their name from the false claim that 3 per cent of colonists fought in the American Revolutionary War against the British

Louisville police officers are seen forming a barricade to separate the Three Percenters militia members from Black Lives Matter sympathizers on Saturday

A Three Percenters militia member holds a cigar and an M-16 semiautomatic rifle in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

Two members of the Three Percenters militia are seen above in tactical gear near city hall in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday

As of early Saturday afternoon, two people were arrested by Louisville police. Three Percenters militia members are seen above

'Whats the definition of insanity? Doing something over and over again and expecting different results.'

Tara Brandau, a member of the Three Percenters, told the Courier Journal that she heard several members of a group affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan planned to come to the protest.

Brandau said that the Three Percenters did not support the KKK group's plan.

'We don't want no KKK,' Brandau said.

If the KKK does show up, Louisville police plan to deploy more officers to set up another barricade to keep the peace, according to the Courier Journal.

Local black residents interviewed by the Courier Journal said they support the NFAC's presence at the demonstrations.

Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot and killed at her home in Louisville, Kentucky on March 13. A coroner says she died from gunshot wounds almost instantly, but her boyfriend says she was coughing and gasping for air for five minutes

The state of Kentucky has some of the nation's most liberal gun laws. Residents are permitted to openly carry their firearms in public if they are licensed to do so.

The presence of highly armed factions is prompting public officials to warn residents to stay away for fear of possible violence.

'The potential for violence will be heightened as we will more than likely have a number of highly armed groups representing very different viewpoints as well as other groups all situated within a block of each other,' Louisville city council member Kevin Kramer, a Republican, said.

'While efforts are being made to ensure a safe environment to all persons present, I would caution you that the potential for violence will exist.'

Kramer said he was worried that law enforcement agencies did not have all of the necessary tools to ensure that the situation did not spin out of control.

'As an elected official I would like to stand up and say our city is safe and we're going to protect you, but I've watched the way that the police department has been instructed to respond in the past, and I don't have a lot of confidence that the police department is going to have the resources that they need should something go wrong,' he said.

On its website, the right-wing Three Percenters group says it isn't an anti-government militia but 'we will defend ourselves when necessary.' The group takes its name from the false claim that three percent of American Colonists fought in the Revolutionary war.

The group was founded in 2008 in response to Barack Obama's election as president, which sparked some allegations of racism against the Three Percenters.

Those accusations intensified after the group provided security in 2017 for the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in which neo-Nazis protested alongside other far-right organizations.

Demonstrators at the event chanted 'Jews will not replace us,' waved 'White Lives Matter' flags, and one neo-Nazi, James Alex Fields, drove his car into a crowd of anti-racist protestors, killing a 32-year-old woman named Heather Heyer.

Although the Three Percenters have since distanced themselves from the Unite the Right rally, the Southern Poverty Law Center still considers them an anti-government group. The group has also grown in Canada, where it has been described as an anti-Muslim militia.

Protests against racism and police brutality were expected to continue in cities like Louisville and other parts of the country this weekend even as President Trump has pledged to expand a federal crackdown by sending in armed Homeland Security officers to help keep the peace.

Louisville officers Jonathan Mattingly (left), Brett Hankison (center), and Myles Cosgrove (right) are accused of killing Breonna Taylor inside her apartment, but haven't been arrested

Trump announced on Wednesday he will send federal agents to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to help combat rising crime, expanding the administrations intervention into local enforcement as he runs for reelection under a 'law and order' mantle.

Using the same alarmist language he has employed to describe illegal immigration, Trump painted Democrat-led cities as out of control and lashed out at the 'radical left,' which he blamed for rising violence in some cities, even though criminal justice experts say it defies easy explanation.

'In recent weeks there has been a radical movement to defund, dismantle and dissolve our police department,' Trump said Wednesday at a White House event, blaming the movement for 'a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders and heinous crimes of violence.'

'This bloodshed must end,' he said. 'This bloodshed will end.'

The decision to dispatch federal agents to American cities is playing out at a hyperpoliticized moment when Trump is grasping for a new reelection strategy after the coronavirus upended the economy, dismantling what his campaign had seen as his ticket to a second term.

With less than four months until Election Day, Trump has been warning that violence will worsen if his Democratic rival Joe Biden is elected in November and Democrats have a chance to make the police reforms they have endorsed after the killing of George Floyd and nationwide protests demanding racial justice.
As Australias coronavirus fatalities mounted on a daily basis, the national cabinet that effectively rules the country outside the constitutional framework of parliament, yesterday reaffirmed the pro-business policies that have resulted in a major spike in infections over the past six weeks.

The gathering of state, territory and federal government leaders graphically demonstrated that the official response to the pandemic is dictated by the profit interests of the corporate elite, not public health or science. Their media statement said they discussed easing restrictions and getting the economy moving again.

Acting chief medical officer Paul Kelly said the main issue at the meeting was to recommit to the suppression strategy adopted at the beginning of the pandemic.

This involves allowing community transmission of the virus to continue, on the pretext that any outbreaks can be contained. Its consequence has been the resurgence of infections, with the pandemic spiralling out of control.

A woman gets tested at a drive-through COVID-19 testing center in Fawkner, Melbourne [Credit: @JoanWil85024201, Twitter]

There are some 4,000 active cases in the state of Victoria, the current epicentre, with hundreds of new infections every day. This compares with just two new cases across Australia on June 9, shortly after the governments began their premature lifting of partial shutdown measures.

The reaffirmation of this strategy was a rebuke of epidemiologists, who have called for adequate lockdown measures, especially in the Victorian capital of Melbourne. They have raised the need for the closure of all schools, along with non-essential workplaces, both of which have been major centres of transmission.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison gave voice to the ruling elites criminal indifference to the health and safety of ordinary people. He declared there was some better news from Victoria. On the same day, 300 new cases were announced in the state and seven people died. Five more deaths were announced this morning, bringing the total to 18 over the past three days, the fastest increase in fatalities yet, together with 357 new cases and 15 in neighbouring NSW.

Morrison insisted that the national cabinet would proceed with its three-stage plan, unveiled at the end of May, for the full reopening of the economy, even as the virus spreads.

Addressing the National Press Club yesterday, federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg spelt out the calculations. A strict elimination strategy would cripple our economy and require us to shut down many more sectors and not allow anyone to enter the country, he said.

Instead, workers are being pushed back into unsafe workplaces to allow for the resumption of corporate profit-making. Some 80 percent of infections in Victoria have originated in workplaces, including factories, warehouses and retail outlets.

The national cabinet is also imposing a further pro-business restructuring of the economy, centred on massive tax cuts for the wealthy, a union-enforced overhaul of industrial relations and the elimination of red-tape.

The only other substantive announcement from the meeting was a streamlining of environmental regulations. All the leaders agreed to fast-track some 15 corporate developments, worth an estimated $17 billion.

Morrison said there was unanimous support for single touch approvals for projects, reducing to a minimum any scrutiny of the environmental impact of big business developments.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 fatalities are set to soar. There are some 206 coronavirus patients in Victorian hospitals, with 42 in intensive care. That compares to fewer than 20 hospital patients at the beginning of July.

Morrison flatly rejected any suggestion of failure by aged-care operators, despite the sector emerging as the main centre of death and serious questions being raised about safety measures.

There are now 536 cases linked to 40 aged-care facilities across Melbournes metropolitan area, with five new outbreaks detected late last week. Of Victorias seven deaths on Friday, five were linked to nursing homes.

Staff members, many forced to work without personal protection equipment, are being infected in the dozens. They are among the most exploited and lowly-paid sections of the working class. Many are employed on a part-time basis in multiple facilities, creating the conditions for widespread transmission.

Professor Julian Rait, Victorian president of the Australian Medical Association, warned on Thursday that the sector may not have a sufficient healthy staff to continue functioning. We are concerned aged care may be so under pressure in just the next few days it will cause collapse and severe system stress, Rait warned. Already there are reports of aged care employees being bussed in from interstate.

The Victorian Labor government of Premier Daniel Andrews is continuing the policies that resulted in large fatalities at nursing homes in the neighbouring state of New South Wales early in the pandemic. It is refusing to hospitalise most aged care patients who test positive, even though they are in an extreme at-risk demographic, instead waiting until they are gravely-ill.

There is a shortage of capacity in the chronically underfunded public healthcare system. By today, 313 healthcare workers had contracted COVID-19. According to media reports, hundreds more have had to self-isolate after coming into contact with the virus. Already a reserve of doctors who do not normally work in the hospital system has been called upon, in an attempt to prevent a collapse of staffing levels.

Some 20 percent of those hospitalised are under the age of 50. That refutes the claims of many politicians and media outlets that young people are unlikely to fall seriously ill after they contact the virus.

Four of the patients in Victorian hospitals are school-aged children. Their plight demonstrates the criminality of the Labor governments resumption of face-to-face classroom teaching for older students last week. Within days, multiple schools have been forced to close after cases were identified.

Michelle Spence, a senior intensive care nurse at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation yesterday: What we are seeing now is young people who are going to die. There is no doubt about it. And these are people who are 30s, 40s, 50s, who have no past history.

The Herald Sun reported yesterday that some doctors are forecasting up to 700 weekly hospital admissions in Melbourne, if urgent action is not taken. Some were calling for the immediate imposition of harder stage four lockdown measures, to prevent a collapse of the hospital system.

Attempts to trace the disease have broken down. Most new cases announced each day are under investigation, so their source of origin is unknown. After a testing blitz last month, the Victorian government is again restricting access to tests. Individuals who have no symptoms, even if they have been in high-risk environments, can only be tested if they are contacted by the health authorities.

Infections in industry are surging. There are more than 40 cases at a Colac abattoir in regional Victoria, where there were no known cases at the beginning of the week.

Andrews has repeatedly accused ordinary people of failing to self-isolate after having been tested. In fact, most test recipients were not instructed to do so. Many, moreover, have been condemned to go to work, despite feeling unwell, because they are employed on a casual basis without sick leave.

There are now some 1,500 Australian army personnel in Victoria, patrolling streets and knocking on peoples doors, threatening residents with fines and detention for allegedly failing to self-isolate. Another 1,500 military personnel are deployed in other states, including manning roadblocks.

The mobilisation of the military is a warning of the repressive measures being prepared, amid mounting opposition to the disastrous official response to the pandemic and the pro-business offensive against the working class.
Grease prequel movie Summer Loving moves ahead View(s):

The Grease prequel Summer Loving has taken a move forward at Paramount with the hiring of a new director.

Brett Haley, 36, has been picked to direct the film about the budding romance between greaser Danny and nice girl Sandy, according to a press article Monday by Deadline.

The musical film Grease premiered in 1978 and was based on the 1971 stage musical of the same name that premiered in Chicago before making its way to Broadway.

Grease starred John Travolta, 66, as Danny and Olivia Newton-John, 71, as Sandy. The 1978 Grease film focused on high school teens Danny and Sandy who enjoy a summer fling and then learn they attend the same high school.

The film was directed by Randal Kleiser, 73, who previously had directed Travolta in the 1976 made-for-TV drama film The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.

Grease was an immediate commercial and critical success and was the highest-grossing musical film ever at the time.

It spawned a sequel Grease 2 starring Michelle Pfeiffer, 62.

The couple before reuniting famously detailed their romance in the song Summer Nights in which Sandy emphasised the romantic nature of their relationship while Danny highlighted their physical attraction.

Haleys directing credits include: Ill See You In My Dreams, The Hero, Hearts Beat Loud and the teen romantic drama All The Bright Places that was released in February by Netflix.
Trump administration announces new guidelines to block nonimmigrant students taking 100% classes online from entering US for the fall term, bars school officials from issuing Form I-20, after rescinding guidelines against international students amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trump administration has announced new guidelines that will block any new student planning to enrol in the online-only study from entering the United States.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in the statement, said that nonimmigrant students in new or initial status after March 9 will not be able to enter the US to enroll in a US school as a nonimmigrant student for the fall term to pursue a full course of study that is 100 per cent online.

The order comes in a week after the ICE had revoked the older restrictions on foreign students amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Additionally, designated school officials should not issue a Form I-20 to a nonimmigrant student in new or initial status who is outside of the US and plans to take classes at a SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Program)-certified educational institution fully online.

Also read: US inaugurates China Working Group to counter threats from CCP

Also read: Distrust and verify new US policy in dealing with China: Mike Pompeo

International students who are already in the US or are returning from abroad and already have visas will still be allowed to take classes entirely online, according to the update, even if they commence with in-person instruction but their classes begin to move online as the pandemic worsens the situation.

The new guidelines come after the ICE rescinded previous guidelines that could send thousands of students largely enrolled in universities but also some in grade schools  home.

ICE continues March guidance for fall school term https://t.co/rHFf0Jtpo2 pic.twitter.com/cv2MEMVZJp  ICE (@ICEgov) July 24, 2020

The rule was criticized by states and educational institutions as a way to pressure colleges and universities to reopen their campuses with in-person classes during the pandemic. It comes as coronavirus cases are spiking in states across the country.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Trump administrations international student ban.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, challenges the order and calls it cruel, abrupt, and unlawful action to expel international students amidst the pandemic that has wrought death and disruption across the United States.

Also read: Covid outbreak likely to get worse before improving: Trump

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Federal agents were seen wrestling a protester holding a US flag and a leaf blower to the ground as the latest violent crackdown on demonstrations in Portland lasted through the night.

The footage, posted to social media, shows at least four heavily-armoured officers subduing a protester as he lies in the road. The sounds of flash bangs can be heard in the background as other armed officers stand by and smoke from tear gas drifts past.

One officer kneeling over the protester takes away the flag  which at one point covers the officer's head  while another removes his leaf blower, a domestic tool used by some demonstrators to disperse tear gas.

Ryan Malia, who posted the video to Twitter, referred to the "takedown of that dangerous patriot with the American flag and leaf blower".

About 3,000 people are thought to have taken part in the latest protests in Oregon's largest city, which lasted into the early hours of Saturday morning. Police said some of their officers were injured, and at least one person is thought to have been arrested.

Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Show all 13 1 /13 Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Federal officers arrest a protester after she crossed a fence line set up around the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse on July 23, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Getty Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland A protester wears a mask and googles outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse during a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Oregon AP Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Federal officers advance on demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Activists address protesters as they take part in a rally against police brutality in Portland, Oregon AFP via Getty Images Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Demonstrators in Portland, Oregon shield themselves with umbrellas as federal officers launch tear gas outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse during a Black Lives Matter protest on 24 July, 2020 AP Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Federal officers use chemical irritants and projectiles to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters near the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland A firework explodes as US federal agents and local police guard the Justice Center during clashes with Black Lives Matter protesters in downtown Portland, Oregon EPA Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Black Lives Matter protesters shake fencing outside the Justice Center in downtown Portland, Oregon EPA Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland A federal officer sprays a demonstrator with a chemical irritant during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Demonstrators march during a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Oregon AP Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Black Lives Matter protesters in downtown Portland, Oregon EPA Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Members of the "Portland Mom Brigade" wave placards and shout slogans as they take part in a rally against police brutality in Portland, Oregon AFP via Getty Images Federal agents clash with protesters in Portland Activists hold up signs as they take part in a rally against police brutality in Portland, Oregon AFP via Getty Images

Groups taking part included the Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers Against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives and the "Wall of Moms", a group of mothers dedicated to peacefully protesting against the deployment of federal agents.

However, footage from previous protests has shown members being attacked with tear gas and pushed by militarised agents wearing camouflage.

Donald Trump deployed federal officers to Portland to crush ongoing protests over racial justice which have swept the country in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis in May.

Critics have accused the president of deliberately escalating the issue and suggested he is trying to paint the mayhem in Democratic-run Portland as a foretaste of what would happen if his rival Joe Biden wins.

However, the president has doubled down, saying he is planning to send up to 60,000 more federal agents to address unrest in other Democratic-led cities such as Chicago.

The federal agents  from US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Protective Service  have been accused of arresting people without giving a reason and driving them away in unmarked vans. Many do not wear insignia.

Mayor Ted Wheeler, who was tear-gassed this week as he joined protesters, says the federal presence is exacerbating a tense situation and has repeatedly told them to leave.

However, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf denied that federal agents were inflaming the situation and said Mr Wheeler had legitimised criminality by joining demonstrators, whom Mr Trump has called "anarchists and agitators".

On Friday night protesters shot fireworks and threw bottles at the central courthouse and shook a fence surrounding it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Care homes have had a torrid time during the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of lives have been lost, staff safety has been compromised and relatives have been unable to see their loved ones.

This desperate situation has spread a pall over the entire sector. But Caretech Holdings focuses on care for children and young adults with complex needs, from autism to anorexia.

The business has proved resilient throughout lockdown, the board is optimistic about the future and, at 4.27, the shares look cheap.

Support: Caretech runs short breaks with activities such as wall climbing

Caretech was founded by Farouq and Haroon Sheikh, two Kenyan-born entrepreneurs, who came to this country as children. Having forged a career in property, the brothers wanted to build a business that made a genuine contribution to people's lives.

Starting with one home in 1993, the Sheikhs developed the business over the years and listed on AIM in 2005. Today, Caretech has more than 500 dedicated care homes, schools and other facilities and looks after 4,500 people, aged five to 45.

Unlike homes for the elderly, which tend to house dozens of people, most of Caretech's places are limited to a handful of residents and people often stay for a decade or more. Staff ratios are high, too.

The business employs about 10,000 people, many of whom have been with the company for years.

The group recognised the importance of treating employees well early on so there is a consistent focus on training, decent pay and appreciation of the workforce.

Around 900 employees own shares in the business - a high proportion for a company of this kind.

These and other shareholders have done well. The group has increased its dividend every year since 2007, rising from 3p back then to 11.7p last year.

Revenues and profits have risen more than 20 per cent annually since flotation and further double-digit growth is expected.

Farouq and Haroon still lead the business, as chairman and chief executive respectively.

Last month, they unveiled robust half-year figures for the six months to March and said the company had been resilient through lockdown.

Underling their optimism, the interim dividend was increased by 7 per cent to 4p, with analysts forecasting a full-year payout of 12.8p, supported by continued growth in sales and earnings.

Caretech was not immune from the Covid-19 pandemic. At one point, hundreds of staff were self-isolating and the group had to take extra care to ensure residents were looked after properly.

Among residents however, there have been no deaths from coronavirus, at least in part because they are mostly young and fall outside known high-risk categories.

Looking ahead, prospects for this business are sound.

According to independent consultants, Caretech's part of the social care market is worth around 15billion, that is the amount spent annually on children and young adults with complex needs.

Caretech is one of the largest companies in this sector but it still has a market share of around 5 per cent so there is plenty of room for growth.

Most of the people that Caretech looks after are in residential care but the group also runs specialist schools, helps young adults to live alone and visits children in families. There is a specialist foster division, too, focusing on children with particular needs.

In almost every case, however, users are funded by local authorities, who are increasingly keen to outsource social care to private sector operators.

Here, Caretech comes into its own, with high quality-control scores and a reputation for helping young people to become more self-sufficient and, therefore, less dependent on public sector support.

Many of its peers are small, family businesses, with fewer resources than Caretech. The group has already acquired several such firms and more acquisitions are expected.

Caretech is developing new technology as well, designed to improve the way residents are monitored and treated. And there are overseas ambitions.

The Sheikhs recently invested in a Dubai-based medical centre focused on children and adults with psychological problems and they are looking closely at Saudi Arabia, which has roughly the same number of children with complex needs as this country, even though its population is half that of the UK.

Midas verdict: Caretech shares were more than 5 earlier this year before plummeting to little more than 3 in the dark days of March. They have recovered since then but, at 4.27, there is still plenty of long-term potential  and an impressive dividend-paying record, too. Buy.
Patima, who asked to withhold her last name for fear of reprisal, has been raising nine children in Kayseri, Turkey, since 2014, when the Turkish government resettled her in the country from Thailand as part of a group of Uyghur women and children. She was five months pregnant when she fled persecution in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) with her husband Aziz Abdulla and their children to Thailand on Feb. 16 of that year, walking for nearly a month before illegally entering Thailand without passports. The Chinese government had refused to issue them travel documents, citing political reasons. Shortly after arriving, her family members and nearly 200 other Uyghurs they met up with inside Thailand were apprehended by local authorities, separated into two groups of men and women with children, and sent to a detention facility.

Patima and her childrenthe youngest of which was born in detentionhad been held in the facility for more than a year, after which authorities began conducting medical exams on the women. Those who were deemed weaker in health or had small children with them were sent to Turkey, a country that has cultural similarities with the Uyghur people and regularly offers them safe harbor. Thailand turned over 173 Uyghurs to Turkey on June 30, 2015, one of whom was Patima, but a week later, Turkish authorities deported 109 Uyghurs to China.

After arriving in Turkey, Patima and her children were given papers and provided with government-subsidized housing and other forms of aid. Her husband is still in detention in Thailand and while she has been able to speak with him regularly by telephone to verify that he has not been forcibly deported to China, his health is not good. Patima also knows little about her remaining family back in the XUAR and fears for their safety. She recently spoke to RFAs Uyghur Service about her experience escaping the XUAR, which she decided to flee after her husband was blacklisted by the government and because they were under scrutiny for flouting the regions strict family planning measures.

Two hundred of us were detained. It was all over the news  We were afraid and so we kept saying that we were Turks  We had gotten rid of everything that could identify us as Chinese citizens when we left ... We did this because we feared [the authorities] would kill us if we were sent back to China.

They separated the men and women and put us in different places. There were 70 of us, young and old. Seventy of us were together in a room of six or seven square meters (65 or 75 square feet). Women and children only  Five of the [youngest] kids were with me. They took the men to a place three hours away  If we behaved well, they would bring the men to see us once a month. There was a hall where theyd take us. We would meet in the hall so the men could see the children, around an hour at a time. They would bring the men in handcuffs. We would see them, chat with each other, and then they would take them off to lock them up again  The kids would cry and chase after the car that took him away, screaming dont take our father.

Three-and-a-half months later I gave birth to my son. There were a number of women who gave birth there, many boys and girls were born inside the prison. I gave birth to my son a month before Ramadan began, in June 2014. When I started having contractions there was a Thai person there, they took me to the hospital. I gave birth at the hospital  My husband wasnt there. He wasnt even able to name our son ... They brought him out to see our son seven days after I gave birth. He was handcuffed, [but] they brought him. He saw him again forty days after he was born.

End of detention

[Around six months into our detention], everyone was sick and couldnt really walk  Now when I think about itI didnt think about this at the timethey were probably checking on whether we would be able to stand the treatment we would get back in China. They only took the women for checks. They took 18-year-old women [back to China]. But people like us, who were weak and had small children with them, they sent us to Turkey  There were a lot of healthy young people, people who had put their hopes in Turkey ... They were well-studied. The young women who were sent back, they were so smart too.

We asked what was going to happen to our husbands if they stayed behind. They said they didnt know. They told us that we could save ourselves and our children, and so we went along with it with that in mind  My children are now studying at Turkish schools, in different grades. Theyre showing a lot of promise and theyre being educated well, so were happy.

I have not contacted anyone back in the homeland. I dont want anything bad to happen on account of me. I heard something happened to one of my sisters. Two years ago, I heard she was in prison. I dont know what the situation is.

[Aziz] calls me secretly. He has to because hell get in trouble if they see it. Ive been able to know that hes okay because of that  Ill tell [the kids], Hes in Thailand, kids. Pray for him. Hell come someday, But they ask me Why doesnt he come now? I tell them he has to stay there but that theyll bring him here too, Allah willing. Her voice breaks: It makes them cry. I also want to cry. [...] I wont show the kids, I dont let them know what Im feeling. They dont know. I have to be brave for them.

Reported by Gulchehre Hoja for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Elise Anderson. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been lashing out at the Centre relentlessly, on Saturday attacked the anti-poor government for what he said was earning a profit during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The former Congress presidents tweet came after the railways ministry said the Indian Railways generated Rs 429.90 crore revenue through fares collected for Shramik Special trains till July 9.

There are clouds of the disease, people are in trouble, one can make benefits - the anti-poor government is earning by turning a disaster into profit, Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

He also attached a report about the railways revenue along with his tweet.

The railways started operating the trains from May 1 to ferry migrant workers stranded in cities back to their villages after the national lockdown.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

A senior ministry official said on condition of anonymity, that the national carrier, however, spent around Rs 2400 crore in operating Shramik Trains, adding that the revenue generated should be taken as receipt only in lieu of expenses incurred by the railways in running of Shramik trains.

The ministry had said in June said the average cost of fares for migrants aboard Shramik Special trains was Rs 600 and added that it spent around Rs 3,400 per person to operate the train.

Railways operated 4,496 special trains between May 1 and July 9, ferrying 6.3 million people.

Gandhi has been leading his partys attack on the Centre over a number of issues, including the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the border standoff with China, for some time now.
In search of Lanka King Ravanas blueprints View(s):

That is all we wanted. All these months the Sri Lanka people have suffered from this global menace called the coronavirus. Most often they have been confined to their homes, their movements restricted, their necessities curtailed and even their elections postponed as the medical fraternity fought a rear-guard action to halt the spread of the pandemic.

For many their lives and finances were a shambles even for a few months  offices closed, schools shut and everything that they would consider their orderly lives turned on their heads.

The only means of communication with family and friends was by electronic means and that too for those who could afford it for many workers have been sent home, no pay or just half or less.

The Colombo 7 glitterati, several of whom are commercial moneybags who do not keep their earnings under mattresses, would still be in high spirits even if their regular wateringholes would have run dry because of closed door.

Only the arrack drinking fraternity or those able to afford the Dankotuwa Special have now been freed from their accumulated thirst and would be celebrating.

In fact I thought they were still celebrating their release from the medico/military diktats when I received a message that there are vacancies for researchers who can trace any historical documents pertaining into an ancient story.

At first I thought it was an inebriated individual who was yet to recover from a weekend of booze trying to inject some humour into days of dreary living at home.

So I turned to the Indian media for proof that this was no leg pull, as some might say. After all any complimentary reference to an ancient king that ruled Sri Lanka must surely raise the hackles of some of our brethren across the Palk Strait. Especially if the Lankan Royal pinched a few things (including Sita) from the other side and did a quick journey back across the narrow straits carrying his treasures in his aerial chariot which some proud Sri Lankans say is the first of its kind.

As I thought (Indo-Sri Lanka relations being what they right now over Colombo habours east terminal etc) some Indian media did not spare their sarcasm. An Indian channel called WION said curtly: When populist strongmen have little else to offer, they offer pride and try to influence the way the past is perceived and use these manufactured perceptions to consolidate their grip on power.

In a more sober report, The Hindus Colombo correspondent Meera Srinivasan started by saying Sri Lankas aviation authority has said it will lead a research project to study the mythological character Ravanas aviation routes.

The person who sent me this remarkable story was insistent that it was no joke and that Ravana memorabilia will be up for grabs now that an advertisement by the Civil Aviation Authority has asked the public for any relevant documents and literature.

Apparently the project intends to bring out an authoritative narrative of King Ravana as there are many stories reports Srinivasan. Now if I was Srinivasan, I would have pursued the matter further and asked why the hurry to nail King Ravana, unless it is part of an Indian rope trick to denigrate Ravana who some Indians call demon king.

After all, he has been around for 5,000 years and more. Cannot the poor chap be given a decade or two to stay around without might be called his corpus delicti of sorts being disturbed by those who dig up graves and holy premises looking for buried jewellery and ancient artifacts.

Perhaps we might have learnt more about Ravana and sooner too had this proposed research project been handed over to a task force. One gathers this is a five-year project and that is quite a task, if you ask me.

One might have thought that this could have waited till the election was over in less than two weeks. I cannot see Ravana taking his Dandu Monara and flying off for a quiet holiday in the Maldives or the Seychelles and let the 16 million registered voters do what they want with those new health requirements at election time which some claim have been bent or omitted from the original June list.

I doubt whether Ravana would have been able to do what the King of Thailand King Maha Vajiralongkorn did when he was Crown Prince. Being a licensed pilot he would have his aircraft readied and fly off to the

blue yonder.

A Sri Lankan official had told Meera Srinivasan that there are many stories about Ravana. Their job would be like separating the wheat from the chaff,

as the saying goes. That is if they can find wheat.

In this process of separation, might somebody tell us technologically backward people what Ravana used as fuel for him to fly so many different routes. And if they started on this job earlier and made a few dandu monaras to ferry back home some of the stranded Sri Lankans in various cities round the world without taxing Sri Lankan Airlines which is in a bad shape anyway from what I hear. Why we could have saved a dollar here and a dollar there without exerting all this pressure on our external reserves as economists keep on telling the country.

I dont mean economists whose tales of economic boom in the past instead of economic gloom had knowledgeable Sri Lankans at home and abroad scratching their balding pates.

What is more important right now to rescue Sri Lanka from economic degradation? To search for remnants of Ravanas flying peacock or how to plug the countrys diminishing external reserves when $299 billion is due by the end of the year?

Is Ravana to go to international donor agencies and aid givers and, like Oliver Twist, ask for more or bury himself still deeper before he is discovered and told to take his flying machine and do some aerial acrobatics to collect some money before the new parliament meets? But then, to judge by those who are likely to return to Diyawanna Oya many of them will be of little value to kick the economy back into place.
El Gran Inka taps into 19th Century Peru, through Chifa Wok, to meet the challenging times

As the coronavirus pandemic enters month six, businesses continue to find innovative ways to survive. No industry has faced this need to adapt more than restaurants, which have endured cutbacks, closures, and reopenings with significant restrictions in place. Despite this, the islands culinary leaders are committed to providing Key Biscayners with quality dining experience.

One restaurant went all the way back to 19th Century Peru for innovation inspiration. El Gran Inka, located in the Winn Dixie Plaza, has launched a new concept -- Chifa Wok -- as a veritable restaurant-within-a-restaurant.

Chifa is a culinary style based on Chinese-Cantonese elements, fused with Peruvian cooking traditions and ingredients. It was originally brought to Peru by East Asian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chinese immigrants first arrived in Peru in 1849 to work in coastal sugar plantations and mines, build railroads, and extract guano for fuel.

The first Chinese-Peruvian fusion restaurants opened in Limas famous Chinatown around 1920, and some of those chifa establishments continue to deliver quality cuisine there to this day.

Though it originated in Peru, the chifa spread to neighboring Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, and now, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, it has come to the Key Biscayne thanks to Inka Foods LLC, the owners of El Gran Inka.

Manager Jorge Vega said Chifa Wok is intended to expand options for island residents by offering Peruvian cuisine and traditions.

Chifa Wok offers healthy, delicious dishes at accessible prices, according to Vega. The menu is as rich and varied as chifas tradition. You can enjoy traditional foods like lettuce wraps with chicken, chicken dumplings, wonton and eggrolls. And you can taste the fusion with items like Dynamite Shrimp, tempura shrimp, and vermicelli noodles with sriracha mayo.

The main course menu includes traditional Chinese-Cantonese specialties like Chinese rice, Lo Mein, Chop Suey, Sweet & Sour Chicken and Tataki Beef.

If you go

Chifa Wok is located at 606 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne. Chifa Wok operates for take-out and delivery only. For orders or more information, call (305) 365-7883.
Banker Sumit Awasthis boss gave him a blank expression when he messaged him that he would not be able to attend the daily review since he was unwell.

But you are at home, why cant you attend a call, was the boss reply 10 minutes later.

The message was clear: no sick leaves during remote working.

Amidst remote working due to the coronavirus-led lockdown, Indian companies seem to be subtly indicating to staff that sick leaves are to be largely avoided unless there is a case of hospitalisation due to COVID-19.

In a regular office work environment, unwell employees are encouraged to stay at home to ensure that colleagues at the workplace do not get infected. But, now that it is remote working, human resource policies have not undergone a change.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Team managers across large and small firms seem to be reluctant to offer sick leaves, instead encouraging colleagues to just be present online.

But, since there is no certainty about how long the remote working will continue, it may be the time for HR teams to start working on sick leave policies for work-from-home (WFH) scenarios.

Moneycontrol spoke to a few human resource professionals across companies. The consensus seemed to be that employees cannot take advantage of the system. In HR terms, this meant that sick leaves could not be used 'as an excuse' to escape daily duties during WFH.

Companies where there is no fixed limit on the number of sick leaves an employee can take are now looking at whether this system needs a re-look. The idea is to exclude 'mundane' ailments like cough, cold and fever.

"We are in a tough environment. Employee health is important, but instances of some taking sick leaves even when they are not unwell is not uncommon. During the lockdown when economic activity is already at a standstill, we cannot allow that. Hospitalisation and serious ailments are understandable but not regular flu-like conditions," said Pune-based Harish Sathe who heads the human resource function for a financial products distribution firm.

In pre-COVID-19 days, in case an employee was a part of a strategic meeting or a project and was unwell, he/she would be asked to log in from home. But, what should be the protocol now? That is what is on the minds of HR teams.

The ideological war between trusting employees and ensuring high productivity even during lockdown has left the company top management wondering what to do.

Employee fatigue during lockdown is already on the rise as per multiple accounts shared by salaried professionals across companies in India. With economic uncertainty and the allied stress, employees have been feeling the pressure to report to work (remote working) even if they are unwell.

On company books, while this would show as an excellent performance by the staff merely on the number of hours clocked in each day, productivity would suffer in the long run.

I am constantly told that it is just an email, one presentation or one video meeting. But, when I am sick, how will I be able to concentrate? questions advertising industry executive Ayush Gonsalves.

In fact, he added that, even when his team members have been unwell, they have been made to attend video calls lying on bed.

What purpose does this serve. Isnt a person who is unwell supposed to rest? he asked.

No middle ground has been reached so far. What HR manuals need to do is to clarify that sick leave means the right to be completely absent from office duties, even if it is a trivial task like responding to an email or attending a daily review call.

It is not the location of the workplace that should determine the eligibility to take a sick leave. The criteria should purely be whether an employee is healthy to complete the daily task or not.
Fire investigators stand outside the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 24, 2020. (Matt York/AP Photo)

Fire at Arizona Democratic Party Headquarters Deliberately Set: Police

The fire that consumed the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix was a case of arson, authorities said.

Phoenix police spokeswoman Sgt. Mercedes Fortune told local reporters that evidence points to the fire being started on purpose. Its definitely an arson, she said.

Phoenix Fire Department Capt. Rob McDade concurred. After investigators collected evidence, they determined this was indeed a human-caused fire, he said at a press conference, according to the Associated Press.

The fire broke out around 1 a.m. on Friday at a building that also houses the Maricopa County Democratic Party headquarters.

Maricopa County Democratic Party Chairman Steve Slugocki said in a statement: We are all still in a state of shock. Knowing that this fire was set deliberately is disturbing news, but I am relieved no one was injured.

The Arizona Democratic Party said it was cooperating with authorities on the investigation into the fire.

The fire is devastating but we refuse to let this be a distraction. We feel more empowered than ever to turn Arizona blue, Chairwoman Felecia Rotellini said in a statement.

Phoenix Police block the entrance outside the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 24, 2020. (Matt York/AP Photo)

Our eyes remain on the prize of electing Democrats who will put Arizonans first. Thank you to all who have sent their love and support and have reached out to help, she added.

Video footage from the interior of the building showed heavy damage. Democrats described the building as completely ruined. The party asked for donations to help rebuild.

Republican Party of Arizona Chairwoman Kelli Ward called the arson an act of cowardice.

Violence of any kind is unacceptable. Any person committing an act of violence, especially politically motivated violence, against any individual, party, or group in Arizona must be held accountable and prosecuted to the maximum extent of our laws, she said in a statement.

Adrian Fontes, county recorder, said the fire wouldnt affect the upcoming elections.

Authorities urged anyone with information to call the Phoenix Police Department.
Supporters of Shahid. Buttar, the November election opponent of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are rallying around him after an East Coast comedian accused him of sexually harassing her on and off for years starting nearly two decades ago.

A Medium post published this week by Maryland resident Elizabeth Croydon attempted to draw a different picture of Shahid, than the one we know to be true, several progressive activists in the Washington area, where Buttar used to live, said in an open letter.

Shahid. stands for peace, justice, and democracy. He embodies anti-oppression principles and has a demonstrated record of practices that promote equity and inclusion, said the signers, who include Code Pink cofounder Medea Benjamin, a well-known former Bay Area activist who now lives in the Washington area.

Croydon wrote that Buttar pursued her for sex and mocked her when she said she had been celibate for several years by choice. She wrote that we on the left must hold ourselves to a higher standard as we are committed to creating a just and equitable world, free from sexual misconduct, misogyny and bullying.

Two progressive groups that have endorsed Buttar in his campaign to deny Pelosi re-election to her San Francisco seat said they were investigating Croydons accusations. San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston pulled his endorsement of Buttar, a democratic socialist activist and attorney.

Buttar said Croydons charges are false.

Sexual harassment is despicable, Buttar said. Those who exploit structural sexism and power imbalances must be exposed. I am committed to putting survivors interests before my own.

He added, Every survivor must be heard, and I hope to be allowed the same opportunity to be heard as well.

The accusations against Buttar dont ring true to some in the Washington activist community who say they know both him and Croydon.

Its totally out of character. Theres nothing mean or nasty about him, Benjamin told The Chronicle. He wouldnt insult women like that.

Benjamin said Buttar is one of these guys who is politically correct in so many ways. I know him as someone who is a feminist, who is very much against the patriarchy and calls people out on it. Hes very careful about how he talks about women. Hes very politically evolved.

Polly Miller, who worked with Buttar on an anti-police-brutality campaign several years ago, said in an interview, He worked with Code Pink. Its all women.

Croydons depiction of Buttar, she said, did not match anything I ever saw.

Pat Elder, a longtime activist and journalist who has worked with Buttar on a half-dozen wealth inequality and antiwar campaigns, said he could not imagine Shahid. carrying on like that. I respect the man and his intellect and his character.

Croydon said Friday in an email that the open letter was part of a smear campaign against her.

Spending campaign time and resources on discrediting a sexual harassment survivor by essentially calling me crazy is the oldest trick in the abusers playbook, she wrote.

In an interview, she added that no one can speak to my direct experience of Shahid.

I wanted to come forward about this much earlier, but I was terrified to do so, Croydon said. People can hold their opinions, but they cant speak to my direct experience.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
With the reopening of many of the regions museums, its possible to see art again. And maybe, because of the deprivations and horrors of four pandemic months, well see it differently.

At least thats the way I feel after a mini-binge of museum-going, in which I caught up with two exhibitions I had planned to see this spring, along with a third that had not been on my radar. This change of perception doesnt spring from big changes in the museum experience: the new protocols of advance reservations, face masks, sanitizer stations, and one-way traffic flow to encourage social distancing.

Rather, after this forced fast, the art itself seems stranger, more alive, and deeply textured. I suppose you can lose yourself in a smartphone screen, but not as you can in a painting.

Back in March, I had been planning to review the Woodmere Art Museums show Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia, which opened in February (and reopens this weekend, through September 9.) Then suddenly, everything closed.

Instead, I wrote a column about looking at art online, which was well-intentioned but perhaps a bit wishful. You can learn a lot about art online, but you cant really experience it.

 READ MORE: Why we turn to art in this difficult moment, and where to find virtual tours

Next up on my pre-pandemic schedule would have been the Michener Art Museums Rising Tides: Contemporary Art and the Ecology of Water, which reopened Monday and will continue until Jan. 20. I decided to catch up with that, too. And because the Mercer Museum, which is across the street from the Michener, has reopened with 200 Years of Bucks County Art, through Dec. 31, I decided to make the most of my trek to Doylestown.

At Woodmere, an explosion of life

The Woodmere show spotlights the work of three artists: Barbara Bullock, born in 1938; Charles Searles (1937-2004); and Twins Seven-Seven (1944-2011). The first two grew up in Philadelphia and studied art here. Twins, as he was called, was Nigerian, but he spent much of his life here and all were involved with the Ife-Ife Black Humanitarian Center, founded by the dancer Arthur Hall in North Philadelphia in 1968.

Hall quickly expanded the center, which began as the home of his dance company, to include many other artistic activities. Both Bullock and Searles taught there.

Ife-Ife, now the Village of Arts and Humanities, was part of a movement by Black artists in many American cities to connect with and reflect on their African heritage. Twins initially served as a kind of cultural emissary from West Africa, with a special insight into the spirituality of the Yoruba people. His art drew from and extended these traditions  though, like Bullock and Searles, he was not making traditional art.

After these long gray months, the Woodmere show feels like an explosion of life. The works incorporate the gestures and rhythms of African dance that was at the heart of Ife-Ife, and the colors and patterns Bullocks and Searles work are wonderfully vibrant. Twins used a more subdued palette, but he more than made up for it with intricate draftsmanship, painting, and incisions.

His works, including paintings on cloth, low reliefs on plywood, and drawings, each evoke a cosmos with multiple layers of life: Birds feathers are fish, peoples eyes sometimes contain whole faces. There seems to be no ground, no end, just endless, obsessively created layers. Once, when he was asked to decorate a shopping bag, he drew a bag on it; its in the show.

 READ MORE: More to do this week: Day trips, events, and the Barnes Foundation reopens

Searles was the first graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts to use a traveling fellowship to go to Africa. In contrast to Twins, his work is rooted in the abstract principles taught in art school. The African inspiration lies in his ebullient use of bold, clashing patterns. A few years later, exploration of juxtaposed pattern and ornament would become an art world trend, but Searles work has a sense of music and movement that is unique.

Bullock seems to have been influenced by the way Twins layers his images, but while his almost need to be examined with a magnifying glass, Bullocks strong, graceful, challenging figures make their presence felt across a room.

This is true of works on traditional rectangular canvases, such as Stiltdancers (1982). It is doubly true of the later works in which she cut and shaped the canvas to eliminate all background and let the bodies of her healers, angels, and dancers stand on their own against the gallery wall. Their strong form permits her to cover the figures with enigmatic shapes and figures.

It's a great show to help you open your eyes again.

At the Michener, a show-stealing new name

Micheners Rising Tides was originally scheduled to honor the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Moreover, all seven artists in the show are women, which was meant as a tribute to the centenary of womens suffrage. The artists are all local and the works are mostly very recent.

They range in medium from Diane Burkos crackly paint and photographic imagery of disintegrating glaciers, to the late Paula Winokurs porcelain versions of cores extracted from glaciers and Stacy Levys room-sized installation that uses glass bottles to model the Delaware River and its floodplain.

Perhaps because I am preoccupied with looking at things I cant see through a screen or in a photograph, I was particularly moved by an Emily Brown charcoal drawing of what appears to be a featureless sea. If you look carefully, though, you can see the faint wake of a boat that might have passed minutes ago.

In a time when our lives have been dominated by a virus too small to see and impacts we may not know we are having, this modest drawing with its ghost of a human presence seems particularly pertinent.

Marguerita Hagan, a ceramicist who is new to me, effectively steels the show. Her subject is life in the oceans, ranging from single-celled diatoms to coral reefs, firefly squid, and blue whales. There is an entire wall on which 53 of these works are mounted, with an animated image of earth projected onto it.

Among Hagans individual works, one standout is The Beautiful Woman Has Come (Nefertiti), an evocation of the spawning of a brain coral. A label says the artist sees this effusion of life as a broadcast for our oceans and planet.

Rising Tides was hung and about to open when the shutdown came, so its spacious installation with a relatively small number of works is not a result of the pandemic. It does, however, appear to be a model for the Michener going forward.

Similarly, most of the works that appeared in the museums recent exhibition of the Lenfest collections of Bucks County impressionist and modern art are currently being shown in two large galleries, with far greater separation between them in the past. These are really the heart of the Micheners holdings. The spacious installation lets us see them in a new, and presumably healthy way.

Across the street, more Bucks County art

200 Years of Bucks County Art at the Mercer Museum includes some of the same artists as the Michener, including Daniel Garbers radiant October (circa 1918), which was a gift from the artist to the eccentric, acquisitive founder of this mad museum, Henry Mercer. Still, as the exhibition reminds us, most of these well-known Bucks County artists actually came from elsewhere.

The emphasis here is really not so much on the artists as on the Bucks County Historical Society, whose collection this is. The show begins with an enormous Civil War scene, The Rescue of the Colors (1889), by William T. Trego, which depicts an incident in which members of the 104th Pennsylvania volunteers kept their flag from being captured by Confederates. It was given to the society by John Wanamaker, himself.

Far to the left, holding his wounded arm, is William Watts Hart Davis, founder of the Bucks County Historical Society. Mercer later took over as president, and his interest in artisanship and folklore influenced the collection.

You have probably already seen some of the 60 or so versions by Edward Hicks of The Peaceable Kingdom, with its pussycat tiger, white draped Jesus, and often, William Penn in the corner. There is one of those here, along with a full-sized Penns Treaty. What I had never seen was his Washington at the Delaware (1833), a sign that once hung on the Pennsylvania side of the bridge at Washingtons Crossing. Mercer is said to have found it in an attic.

Much of the show consists of portraits of varying quality that constitute something of a whos who  judges, bankers, industrialists  of white post-Civil War Bucks County. There is one Black face, a 1947 watercolor of Nelson Derry, a nursery worker. A few months ago, the exhibition might have struck many as being merely fusty. Now I see it more problematically as Im moved to think deeply about how our history is packaged and promoted, and who gets represented.

Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia: Bullock, Searles, and Twins Seven-Seven though Sept. 9 at Woodmere Art Museum. Information and timed tickets at woodmereartmuseum.org.

Rising Tides: Contemporary Art and the Ecology of Water through Jan. 20 at the Michener Art Museum, Doylestown. Timed tickets required via michenerartmuseum.org.

200 Years of Bucks County Art through Dec. 31 at Mercer Museum, Doylestown. Open every day 11-6, with special hours from 10 to 11 for seniors and the immunocompromised. Closed between 1 and 2 p.m. for cleaning. Information: mercermuseum.org/visit.
It was certainly something we knew was going to be a significant step in the process, Bergin said. We knew going in it was likely that we may be asked to make some changes and we knew there would be a lot of discussion on it. So were glad to have that crossed and we feel like its probably one of the last major hurdles until we start construction.

They were able to continue work on the project while awaiting approval, which means it is still on track to be completed as part of its original timeline, Bergin said. Contractor bid requests will be going out in January and organizers expect to break ground in March or April 2021. All work would ideally be done in August 2022. They now expect the loan application to be approved, Bergin said.

We are really excited to keep moving forward, Bergin said. Were so glad that its still on track.

The project will add about 22,000 square feet to the building and renovate 14,000 existing square feet of space in the original space. The new extension will provide a teen space and additional programming library officials say is needed.


As pressure grows for teachers to return to their classrooms this fall, concerns about coronavirus risks are pushing many away. Some are finding other jobs while others are mobilizing in an effort to delay the reopening of schools.

Among those choosing early retirement is Liza McArdle. She is a 50-year-old high school language teacher in New Boston, Michigan. She thought about the health risks and other issues, such as trying to teach French and Spanish while wearing a face covering. She also thought about how she might have to teach students online and decided it was time to go.

Were always expected to give, give, give. Youre a teacher. You have to be there for the kids, McArdle said. She said now teachers are being asked to risk their lives because children need to be in school.

Teachers unions have begun pushing back against what they consider unnecessarily fast reopening plans. The largest unions say reopening should depend on whether school districts have the ability and money to enforce rules that keep students and teachers safe.

On Monday, a teachers union launched a legal case to block the reopening of schools in Florida. State officials said school districts should reopen schools unless local health officials decide it is unsafe.

Teachers in several U.S. cities have called for the school year to start with online classes. Some have joined protests in Arizona. Three teachers in the state, who shared a classroom during summer school, got infected with the virus. One of them reportedly died.

Regina Fuentes is a high school teacher in Columbus, Ohio. She told the Associated Press that teachers and students shouldnt have to go back to school just to save the economy. Fuentes is entering her twenty-second year of teaching.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said her union is pushing for safety in reopening schools. But she has not ruled out the possibility of strikes.

A recent study from the non-profit group Kaiser Family Foundation examined the health of teachers. It found that nearly 25 percent of the nations teachers are at a higher risk of serious illness from the coronavirus because of health conditions or age. That is nearly 1.5 million teachers.

A survey by the Michigan Education Association last month asked about 15,000 teachers about their plans. Twenty-three percent said they were considering retiring early or leaving their jobs because of COVID-19. Seven percent said they planned to leave.

Not all teachers are concerned. Karen Toenges said she would love to restart face-to-face lessons with her young students in Orlando, Florida. She disagrees with people who say it is not safe. Even as cases sharply rose in the state, Toenges, who is 60, said she has not been covering her face and is not worried about getting COVID-19.

It really has become a political issue, which really bothers me, Toenges said. But school reopening plans could get a lot more difficult if large numbers of teachers leave.

Mary Morris has been teaching for 30 years in Toledo, Ohio. She will not return this fall to the Catholic school where she teaches. A temporary change to online learning this spring caused her to cry. But at that time, she still decided to stay another year.

Then she tried to start planning for kindergarten lessons. The new virus safety rules include: Keep children separated. Do not share play things. Continuously clean all objects used to teach counting.

Everything that I believe in, I cant do, Morris said. Its all going to be paper and pencil. And thats when I sat down and I thought, What am I doing?

Other teachers feel their only choice is to stay.

Retiring now is not financially possible for Deb Waddell, a 61-year-old science teacher who misses her students. But she worries. She and her close family have health conditions that put them at a higher risk than healthy people. She is hoping to get an online teaching position for her rural district in Columbia, Kentucky.

Waddell said she has spent part of her summer working on changes to her classroom lessons. And she got surplus masks. But she is not happy thinking about wearing one all day in a room where the heating and cooling system is, she said, older than her. She also ordered clear eye coverings to help her avoid touching her eyes, which dry out because of a health condition.

David Kitzmann teaches wood and metal work at a high school in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Kitzmann, who is 61, said explaining his own higher risk to students could help push them to keep wearing masks, washing their hands and social distancing.

He said he would hate to see any of the students or teachers die from the virus. And if were smart, we dont have to.

Im Alice Bryant.

Reuters news agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

mobilize  v. to come together to take action on an issue

kid  n. a child or young person

union  n. an organization of workers in an industry that is formed to support their interests as a group

district  n. an area established by a government for official purposes

survey  n. an activity in which many people are asked a series of questions to gather information about what most do or think about something

lesson  n. a single class or part of a course of instruction

kindergarten  n. a school for children who are younger than grade school age

mask  n. a covering used to protect your face or cover your mouth
After carmaker Renault announced the firing of 747 employees at its plant in Sao Jose dos Pinhais in the southern state of Parana, more than 7,000 of the factorys workers voted unanimously in favor of a strike, which began on Wednesday.

This slashing of jobs comes on top of the termination of 300 workers on temporary contracts in mid-May. The end of their contracts was anticipated by the corporations reduction of up to 70 percent of their hours and wages, which were funded by the Brazilian government.

In June, about 400 Nissan workers were fired at the plant in Resende, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. As the two companies operate under a partnership, the factories in Resende and Sao Jose dos Pinhais have a shared production structure.

Workers assembly at the Renault factory in Sao Jose dos Pinhais [Source: Youtube]

Anger among Renaults workers has been ignited by the fact that most of those laid off this week were employees out because of work-related injuries, or even due to coronavirus infections.

There are several employees, several friends, who have respiratory problems and have been dismissed because they are at risk, said a worker interviewed on the picket line. We heard of people who tested positive for COVID-19 but were dismissed in the same way.

The worker reported being fired while he was on leave because of a work-related accident, and that he received the notice by e-mail. Im here not only for myself, but also for the others, he said. Theres a [fired] fellow worker of mine who was having surgery; his surgery was yesterday.

You did your part, but youre just another statistic, just another number, he declared. Unfortunately, thats what happens in big corporations. Youre making profit, youre giving your blood, youre working overtime ... I have worked Saturdays and Sundays. But once you get hurt and you cant help 100 percent anymore, goodbye.

On Wednesday night, the police attacked the picket line of hundreds of workers and their families at the factory gates. Demanding that they let company buses pass, the police pointed their guns at the workers and arrested four union delegates.

The destruction of jobs at Renault-Nissan is taking place in the context of skyrocketing unemployment in Brazil. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, from the beginning of the pandemic until May, about eight million jobs were wiped out in the country. For the first time since the survey began, more than half of the Brazilian working-age population is unemployed.

The explosion of the social crisis has been restrained, until now, in large part because of the emergency aid of 600 reais (about US$115) offered by the government, which reached 43 percent of Brazilian homes in June. The payment of the benefit is scheduled to stop at the end of August.

The crisis facing Brazilian workers is rooted in what are essentially international processes. The recent layoffs in the Brazilian factories are part of plans by Renault-Nissan for massive cuts in jobs and closures of plants around the world that were announced by the corporations in May.

After receiving a 5 billion bailout from the French government, Renault announced plans to slash 15,000 jobs around the world, 4,600 of them in France. Nissan, on the other hand, has since 2019 declared its intention to cut 12,500 jobs. After the pandemic, it escalated this threat to 20,000.

Renault plant in Sao Jose dos Pinhais, Parana [Credit: Gilson Abreu/Agencia Estadual de Noticias do Estado do Parana]

Last month, thousands of Nissan workers in Spain went on strike against the closure of the companys Barcelona plant, which threatened 2,500 jobs and another 20,000 indirectly linked to its production.

In the midst of this situation, the Metalworkers Union of Curitiba region, which is directing the strike, and the Brazilian trade unions as a whole, seek to divert the Renault workers strike towards a nationalist program of competition for jobs and international investments.

A statement signed by all the trade union federations, including the Morenoite-led CSP-Conlutas, declared: We repudiate the intransigent attitude of the current management of the Renault plant in Sao Jose dos Pinhais/PR, because we know that the company has been receiving fiscal incentives from the Parana state government precisely to generate and maintain jobs.

The investments they referred to were provided under the Parana Competitivo program, which has been providing massive tax exemptions to Renault and other large transnational corporations, creating more profitable conditions for them to establish their plants in the state rather than in other regions of Brazil or other countries.

Such programs, defended by the unions and implemented widely by Workers Party governments, under such programs as Inovar-Auto, represent the interests of the capitalist class and only pave the way to new rounds of wage and job cuts. This is precisely the program that the trade unions have been fighting for in recent weeks in their demonstrations for a Production Resumption Agenda.

The only way forward for Renaults workers lies in directly confronting the profit interests of the corporation. The transnational character of the auto companies also poses the necessity of Brazilian workers coordinating their struggle with autoworkers internationally, who are suffering the same attacks.

This will only be possible through the creation of rank-and-file committees, politically independent of the unions, that will fight not only for jobs but also for the right to work under safe conditions defined and regulated by the workers themselves.
Canadian seniors are facing financial strain, like their younger counterparts, in the 2020 health crisis. They are also the most vulnerable in contracting the deadly coronavirus. If youre eligible to receive the Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) benefits, did you receive the $500 one-time boost?

The OAS and GIS extra payments were made available on the week of July 6, 2020. This emergency financial support exclusive to seniors will cost the federal government around $2.5 billion in total. Each recipient can use the money to spend on essential needs and cover increased costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial security

The much-needed federal aid came a little bit late as opposed to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which is the pillar of Canadas COVID-19 Response Plan. Still, it will serve its intended purpose. The measure is tax-free and on top of a seniors existing benefits.

Eligible OAS pensioners will receive $300, while eligible GIS pensioners will get $200. If youre a recipient in both, you should have received a total of $500 this month. Canadas minister for seniors, Deb Schulte, reiterated the governments desire to give its senior citizens greater financial security amid the pandemic.

Roughly 6.7 million will get the one-time OAS pension payment, while approximately 2.2 million will partake of the extra GIS. Schulte also mentioned the more than four million low- and modest-income seniors who benefited from the special top-up payment through the Goods & Services Tax (GST) handed out in April 2020.

Reliable pension supplement

Canadian retirees can better navigate a crisis if there is a pension supplement. Investing in a high-yield dividend stock like the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSX:CM)(NYSE:CM) can lighten the financial burden.

This $41.96 billion financial institution is the fifth-largest bank in Canada. The bank stock is currently trading at less than $100 and paying a lucrative 6.18% dividend. A $60,000 investment will deliver $309 in monthly passive income. The amount is slightly higher than the one-time OAS boost in 2020.

Story continues

CIBC is a reliable pension supplement, given the banks impeccable 152 years of dividend payment history. The track record signifies that you can take a position in the bank today and keep it for good. Your earnings are not a one-time thing but are perpetual

For long-term investors growing their nest eggs, the $60,000 will swell to $199,069.93, assuming CIBC maintains the yield for the period. The dividends are safe, because the bank maintains a payout ratio of not more than 65%.

Valuable help

Based on the Canadian Red Cross survey results, seniors are doing okay during the health crisis. Dr. Paul Hebert, Medical and Science Advisor for the Red Cross, confirmed the revelation: It turns out that overall seniors fare pretty well and have over the course of the last several months. He mentioned the number of programs in support of the elders. Dr. Hebert also noted that people are less worried about making ends meet. I would suppose the OAS and GIS boost are helping the seniors a great deal.

The post Retirees: Did You Miss Your Chance for a $500 OAS and GIS Boost? appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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Fool contributor Christopher Liew has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020
Apples contract manufacturing partner Foxconn has started to assemble the current generation of iPhone units -- the iPhone 11 lineup -- in its plant near Chennai, India, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.

A small batch of locally manufactured iPhone 11 units has already shipped to retail stores, but the production yield is currently limited, the person said, requesting anonymity as matters are private. Apple, in general, has ambitions to scale up its local production efforts in India, the person said.

The local production of current iPhone 11 models illustrates Apples further commitment to India, the world's second largest smartphone market, as it explores ways to cut its reliance on China, which produces the vast majority of iPhone models today.

Apples contract manufacturing partner, Taiwan-based Wistron, first began assembling older iPhone models in 2017. But until now, Apple has not been able to have an assembly partner produce the current generation iPhone model in India.

Wistron, which has locally assembled older iPhone SE, iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 models in the past in its Bangalore plant, currently assembles iPhone XR units in India. Apple discontinued the local production of iPhone SE and iPhone 6s last year, the person said.

Piyush Goyal, Indias Minister of Commerce and Industry, tweeted on Friday that Apple had begun assembling iPhone 11 models in India. Apple did not comment on this story.

Assembling handsets in India enables smartphone vendors -- including Apple -- to avoid roughly 20% import duty that the Indian government levies on imported electronics products.

Xiaomi, Vivo, Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus and a range of other smartphone companies have inked deals with contract manufacturers across India in recent years to produce much of their locally sold smartphone units in the country itself.

Xiaomi, which has been the top smartphone vendor in India since late 2018, said earlier this month that nearly every smartphone it sells in India is produced in the country.

Story continues

Apple has been exploring ways to ramp up its production in India for years, but the company has struggled to find contract manufacturers that adhere to its safety and quality standards, people familiar with the matter have told TechCrunch.

News outlet The Information reported in March that some of Apples other contract manufacturers have attempted to enter -- or expand in -- India, but have run into regulatory and local law issues. Pegatron, another assembly partner of Apple, plans to set up a local subsidiary in India and begin operations in the country, according to Bloomberg.

Foxconn, which counts India as one of its biggest markets, plans to invest $1 billion in its operations in the country, Reuters reported earlier this month. In June this year, New Delhi announced a $6.6 billion plan to attract top smartphone manufacturers.

Apple plans to launch its online store in India in a few months and open its first brick-and-mortar retail store next year, chief executive Tim Cook announced earlier this year. The online stores launch in India remains on track despite the pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said.

The iPhone maker currently commands roughly 1% of the smartphone market in India, but is among firms that dominate the premium handset segment (phones priced at $400 or above). Apple has also been the least impacted smartphone maker in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)  A plane carrying a Chilean man accused of murdering a Japanese student in France took off from Santiago's airport Thursday bound for Paris, where he will face trial for the alleged 2016 slaying.

Nicolas Zepeda, 29, had been under house arrest at his mothers apartment in the Chilean resort of Vina del Mar since the Chilean Supreme Court approved his extradition in May. He is charged in France with premeditated murder in the alleged slaying of Narumi Kurosaki, whose body was never found.

Judge Jorge Dahm Oyarzun, who presided over the proceedings in Chile against Zepeda, said in an email The Associated Press had access to that he had lifted the house arrest order and instructed police to allow Interpol officers to transfer the defendant to the airport.

Zepeda was transferred to the airport in Chile's capital Wednesday night. He was turned over to French officials and the plane to Paris took off Thursday.

Today this stage in the process is closed and what remains is for French authorities to proceed with the process of judging Nicolas Zepeda, said Antonio Segovia, director of the International Cooperation and Extraditions Unit of Chile's Attorney General's Office.

Kurosaki disappeared on Dec. 5, 2016, from her apartment in France. Zepeda returned to Chile before her disappearance was investigated. Authorities allege he was the last person to be with Kurosaki before she disappeared.

During court proceedings in Chile, Zepeda acknowledged that he had visited Kurosaki at her apartment on the night she disappeared, even though their romantic relationship had ended. He said they had consensual sex.

Zepeda's lawyer, Joanna Heskia, has said the case doesn't meet the standard needed for extradition and lacks the necessary proof demand by Chilean law that a crime was committed because the student's body hasn't been found.
(Natural News) Letter carriers in Maine are accusing the postmaster of Portland of delaying the delivery of priority and first-class mail in order to allow packages from Amazon to be sorted and delivered on time.

An official complaint was filed by the president of the local mail carriers union, Mark Seitz, who is also a postal employee. It was filed with the Office of the Inspector General against Postmaster James Thornton. The complaint claims that thousands of deliveries that dont come from Amazon are being delayed in favor of those coming from the retail giant.

The complaint said: Thornton is willfully delaying thousands of first-class and priority parcels so that fourth-class Amazon parcels can go out for delivery instead.

Other postal workers have backed up the accusations. Although the Postal Service has not been willing to comment on the allegations, they have said that they are trying to manage a surge in package deliveries due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The complaint comes just weeks after new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy implemented major operational changes and money-saving measures at the agency that many critics feared would lead to slower mail delivery and hinder the post offices ability to compete with delivery services in the private sector.

According to the Press Herald, mail carriers typically sort out small amounts of mail each morning before they head out for their route. Any mail that remains unsorted when they leave is retrieved at midday or handled by an assistant carrier.

However, letter carriers at the Portland post office have recently been told they must stop sorting mail by 8:30 AM, which is a full hour and a half before most of the carriers go out on their routes. They are then sent home whether they have made all their deliveries or not at the end of their shifts in order to cut overtime costs while first-class packages remain unsorted overnight in the post office.

This means that important first-class mail containing paychecks, medications and other important communications are getting left behind in favor of packages from Amazon. The area under Thorntons purview includes between 80,000 and 100,000 households.

Postal service problems across the country

Its a problem thats not just confined to Portland. Ryan Grim of The Intercept posted a USPS document on Twitter that said city carriers will not be sorting any mail in their morning operations. Instead, they will simply retrieve mail pulled down from the day before. In other words, first-class mail that is already delayed will be delayed even further as carriers will no longer sort newly arrived mail in the mornings and deliver it. The sorting is now taking place at the end of the day instead. Discussing the new initiative, Grim wrote that were watching the deliberate destruction of the Post Office unfolding in front of us.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a sharp drop in mail volume. Although Congress approved emergency relief funds to the tune of $10 billion for the USPS in March, the money has yet to be released.

President Trump has called the Postal Service a joke that exists to serve Amazon. He said: The Postal Service is a joke because theyre handing out packages for Amazon and other internet companies, and every time they put out a package, they lose money on it.

In 2017, President Trump asked in a tweet why the post office is making Amazon richer and the Post Office dumber and poorer.

If the USPS cant even be trusted to deliver traditional mail on time, its no wonder so many people are concerned about the prospect of mail-in ballots. Weve learned that 1,600 voters ballots were found the morning after election day at a Chicago mail processing facility recently, and countless others did not receive their absentee ballots in time to use them. Perhaps the post office was too busy delivering Amazon packages?

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

TheHill.com

CommonDreams.org
Dil Bechara has registered the biggest ever opening for Disney+Hotstar, the streaming service tweeted on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the films release. The film marks actor Sushant Singh Rajputs final role, after his death on June 14. Sushant died by suicide at the age of 34.

A film that will always be etched in the hearts of all Bollywood fans. Your love has made Dil Bechara the biggest movie opening. Ever, the Disney+Hotstar account tweeted.

A film that will always be etched in the hearts of all Bollywood fans. Your love has made Dil Bechara the biggest movie opening. Ever. #DisneyPlusHotstar #Lovebreaksrecords#DilBechara #DisneyPlusHotstarMultiplex pic.twitter.com/dwrnmumjVd  Disney+ Hotstar (@DisneyPlusHS) July 25, 2020

Shortly after its release, the film became one of the top trends on Twitter, and for a brief time, boasted a perfect 10/10 score on IMDb. The rating has since fallen to 9.8, with over 50000 votes. The film has received positive reviews, for Sushants performance and its strong emotional resonance.

Dil Bechara is an adaptation of John Greens 2012 novel The Fault in our Stars, about a young girl with cancer and the charismatic boy she meets while undergoing treatment. The book was previously adapted into a hit Hollywood film, directed by Josh Boone and starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in lead roles. If The Fault in Our Stars was a YA cancer drama about two people who refuse to take any of the platitudes seriously, Dil Bechara is primarily a romance of two star-crossed lovers, the Hindustan Times review noted.

Also read: AR Rahman says a gang is spreading false rumours about him in Bollywood, stopping him from getting work

Sushant plays Emmanuel Rajkumar Junior, also known as Manny, while newcomer Sanjana Sanghi plays Kizie Basu. Dil Bechara is directed by Mukesh Chhabra, who makes his directorial debut after many years as a successful casting director in Bollywood. The film features a soundtrack by Oscar-winner AR Rahman.

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Australia and the United States are set to launch a joint bid to counter disinformation campaigns from countries like China and Russia, as Beijing and Washington trade consulate closures in a sharp escalation of diplomatic tensions between the world's two largest economies.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds will fly to Washington on Sunday for major talks with their US counterparts at the most tense time for relations with China since diplomatic links were established in the 1970s.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne says this is the most important AUSMIN meeting in her time. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The ministers plan to agree on measures to counter disinformation campaigns by authoritarian states, boost health security in the Indo-Pacific and help the region recover from the coronavirus crisis.

Senator Payne and Senator Reynolds, who will have to self-quarantine for 14 days when they return to Australia, will have a series of meetings with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper as part of the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations.
On a Thursday evening in late January, a 56-year-old man went by ambulance to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre with a fever and persistent dry cough.

He and his wife had returned to Toronto one day earlier from a three-month visit to Wuhan, China, where a novel coronavirus was circulating with reports of patients becoming critically ill with a pneumonia-like illness in hospital.

This was Jan. 23, back when few people outside the medical community were worried about a new coronavirus, not yet officially named by scientists.

Canadians were still mourning the victims of the downing of an airliner by an Iranian missile, and in Ontario, headlines were dominated by teacher strikes and debate over whether the slumping Maple Leafs could make the playoffs.

That evening, only the paramedics who transported the patient, a handful of Sunnybrook staff and select top public health officials knew Canada might have its first coronavirus patient.

Given his travel history and symptoms, strikingly similar to those reported by Chinese physicians, Sunnybrooks emergency department staff immediately isolated the patient in a special room. They donned personal protective equipment, notified an infectious disease physician and cared for the patient, knowing they must wait at least two days to find out if he had the virus.

Even then, those closest to the case did not predict it was the start of what Canada would experience during a global pandemic that would upend daily life, trigger economic disaster, stretch hospitals and health-care systems to the breaking point and lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world.

We didnt fully realize it at the time, said Dr. Jerome Leis, Sunnybrooks medical director of infection prevention and control. You have to remember, at this time, this was still the epidemic phase of the outbreak. The virus was only circulating in a few parts of the world, countries were only seeing a few imported cases.

We didnt know this was a moment in history.

Now, six months after laboratory tests confirmed on Jan. 25 this patient had what we now call COVID-19, the virus has infected 113,000 Canadians and 8,881 have died.

For the first time, key players in Canadas first COVID-19 case share an inside look at what happened in the hospital and the laboratory as they worked to contain a new and potentially deadly virus.

The stakes were high; we didnt want to miss the diagnosis or make the wrong call, said Leis, also an infectious disease physician. We all appreciated the significance of being able to confirm whether or not COVID-19 had been imported to Canada.

Like most urban hospitals, Sunnybrook has long been prepared for the arrival of a dangerous pathogen in its emergency department, from Ebola to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) to something entirely new.

We know we are an international community and one flight away from becoming a new epicentre of an outbreak, said Leis. We prepare like this is a real possibility.

In the emergency department, real-time data on different pathogens circulating worldwide is integrated into the triage booth so a nurse will be able to flag a patient according to their symptoms and travel history. Patients who screen positive are segregated in a special room to limit transmission within the hospital. And there is a stockpile of PPE for staff, including head coverings and boots, for potential outbreak scenarios.

We were definitely not starting from scratch, Leis said, noting the hospitals experience with SARS in 2003. We were drawing on a lot of lessons learned from prior epidemics and we able to nimbly react to this novel virus.

I think hospitals across the country were doing much the same thing, but the patient happened to show up on our doorstep on January 23.

Leis was not in the hospital when the patient, whom the hospital wont identify, was wheeled into the emergency department, with the paramedics and attending hospital staff wearing full PPE.

But a colleague called shortly after his arrival and relayed the patients travel history, vital signs and symptoms of fever and dry cough.

Its a phone call that I will never forget, said Leis, who rushed to Sunnybrook to assess the patient. We knew immediately that this could be the first case.

He and the team decided to admit the patient, whose chest X-ray showed signs of pneumonia in both lungs, to hospital for observation. They were worried his condition would rapidly worsen, a trajectory described by Chinese physicians treating such patients, Leis said.

Despite their preparations, Leis and his colleagues knew little about the virus, which scientists had described as a novel coronavirus just two weeks earlier.

At that time, only a handful of countries had identified a positive patient  the first case in the United States was identified Jan. 20  and the disease was then primarily understood to be similar to a viral pneumonia.

When we admitted this first case, we did not yet know how this virus was transmitted, said Leis, noting the first scientific paper describing the virus and its symptoms was published Jan. 24. We didnt know how long people remain infectious. We didnt yet know the specific measures that needed to be used to interrupt transmission.

We were literally reading about this virus hot off the press as we were managing this case, educating ourselves on the go.

Dr. Vanessa Allen, chief of medical microbiology at the Public Health Ontario Laboratory, was among the select few to be alerted to Canadas first potential case of COVID-19 in the hours after he was admitted to Sunnybrook.

Like her hospital colleagues, Allen had been preparing for weeks for the potential arrival of the new coronavirus in the province.

She recalls being worried after reading a notice in late December describing cases of unexplained pneumonias tied to a Wuhan wet market. On Jan. 3, she received an email alert with more details of the cases in Wuhan, and though she was on holidays, Allen initiated new protocols for the lab to prepare for possible cases.

One week later, after the team had spent days running tests on pathogens similar to the new virus, Chinese scientists published its genetic data.

On January 11th, the sequence came out, Allen said. We ran our first sample that weekend.

By Jan. 23, the lab had verified its approach with the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg and had already tested a handful of samples from Ontario patients suspected to have COVID-19.

We never said no to a sample being tested at PHO, she said. If you were the microbiologist on call during that time, you never slept because you were vetting so many calls from hospitals, though none of those ended up being positive.

But Allen, who spoke to Leis on Jan. 24, knew this case was different; everything  his travel history, his symptoms and the fact that his wife was also ill  pointed to him being the first patient with COVID-19.

It was very compelling, she said. Right then we knew we had to do many checks and balances.

Kathryn Rego knew there was a patient with a potential case of the new coronavirus before she arrived at Sunnybrook for start the start of her 12-hour shift on Jan. 24.

The registered nurse with 14 years of experience oversaw the 28-bed unit that Friday and Saturday and helped ensure those who entered the patients room followed protocols and wore proper PPE.

We knew he was being tested and that it would probably take 24 to 48 hours to find out the results, she said. At that time, our biggest concern was our personal safety but there was never a question or concern of whether we would take care of him.

I can only imagine how very lonely he was, isolated in the room. But he was very co-operative and willing to put on a mask when a staff member came in his room. He wanted to work with us to make sure everyone was safe.

On Saturday, early in the afternoon, Rego recalls looking up from a task to see Leis and another physician walking down the hall towards her. The pair stopped in front of her and said, We have to talk.

I got this sinking feeling in my stomach of like, oh my God, now what?

Quickly, Regos nursing instincts took over and she gathered the dozen people working on the unit that day  the nurses, the cleaners, the support people  into a room with Leis and the other physician. Quietly and clearly, Leis shared the news and said a press release would be released later that day.

Then, Rego said, he answered everyones questions.

Some of our staff had worked in 2003 during SARS, Rego said. They needed to know that they would be safe. Dr. Leis came back every day and kept answering all of our questions.

Months later, Rego said its strange to think back to those initial days of Canadas first COVID-19 patient. Now, caring for such patients has become commonplace.

I cant believe its been six months, she said. At the same time, it feels way longer than that.

Looking back, we had no sense that our lives would change at that moment.

Typically, Dr. Samira Mubareka, a microbiologist at Sunnybrook and a scientist at the hospitals research institute, would not go into a patients hospital room.

But during the week Canadas first COVID-19 patient was in hospital, Mubareka, wearing full PPE, entered his room several times to collect samples from the patient himself and from the air, surfaces and materials around him.

She and her team wanted to start learning everything they could about this new virus and are grateful the patient agreed to help.

It all happened so quickly, she said, noting the hospitals ethics board and legal team were involved in securing consent from the patient. Within 48 hours, we were in his room collecting samples.

We wanted to learn about the burden of virus in the room. This has implications for not just how we manage the patient but the environment as well.

Mubareka, who would in March announce she and other Canadian colleagues had isolated the SARS-CoV-2 virus, said looking back on the first patient reveals a seismic shift  in the scientific understanding of the disease and in how much her life has changed.

In retrospect, this patient arrived in Toronto early in this pandemic, within a month of the virus being reported. That is astonishingly quick.

The patient, who was discharged from hospital one week after being admitted to isolate at home, did not get critically ill with COVID-19 and did not require supplemental oxygen. His wife, the countrys second patient, had a mild case of the disease. Both were followed by Toronto Public Health and remained at home until they tested negative for the virus.

Leis and his colleagues published their experience with Canadas first case of COVID-19 in a February article in the Lancet. At the time, it was among the few cases describing a mild course of the illness, he said.

Now we know the vast majority of patients with COVID-19 do not need to be hospitalized, but it was important to learn early on who needed to be hospitalized and who did not, said Leis. Leis was also a co-author on a CMAJ study that outlined public health efforts to track airplane passengers who sat near the patient and his wife on their flight home to Toronto, and showing no other linked COVID-19 cases.

Leis, who says hes been running on adrenalin for months, can still clearly remember the around-the-clock efforts of those 48 hours in late January: staff had to care for the patient and ensure other health-care workers and hospital patients were protected. The provincial and national laboratories had to co-ordinate and triple-check the tests; Leis recalls making many late-night and early-morning calls to Allen at Public Health Ontario before confirming the first positive case.

Results had to be communicated  to the patient, his family, the staff who cared for him  and to public health officials at all levels of government, culminating in a Saturday press conference.

It felt like weeks went by in a matter of days, so much happened.

Sunnybrook has since identified more than 400 cases of COVID-19, admitting more than 150 patients with the virus to hospital and more than 50 to critical care, said Leis. But no matter how much time passes  or how many other COVID-19 patients stream through the hospital  Leis said he wont forget that first patient.

These are the cases that remind you why you love being an infectious disease physician. We are often engaged in assessing cases that are on the limit of our understanding. A novel pathogen like this is one of the reasons we went into infectious diseases.
A German cruise ship is testing the water amid the coronavirus pandemic, setting sail for the first time since the industry was shut down months ago.

The TUI cruise ship Mein Schiff 2  literally My Ship 2  set sail for a weekend cruise in the North Sea late on Friday night, the dpa news agency reported.

The ship is using strict precautions to keep passengers and crew as safe as possible. Occupancy was limited to 60% so passengers could keep their distance from one another, although that level was not reached.

The ship sailed off with 1,200 passengers on board compared to its normal 2,900 capacity. It was not reported how many crew were also on board.

The ship sailed from the northern port of Hamburg for Norway, and passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on Monday.

On board, passengers and crew are required to stay 1.5 metres (5ft) away from one another or wear protective masks and they will not be able to serve themselves at the ships buffet.

All passengers also had to fill out a health questionnaire before boarding and had their temperatures taken.

After being shut down for months, German cruise ship companies are hoping that shorter, strictly controlled trips will help restart the business that has been devastated by the pandemic.

The cruise ship industry was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic (dpa via AP)

Starting on August 5, the AIDA cruise operator will sail from Hamburg with its first trip since the pandemic shut operations down months ago, with a second to leave on August 12 from Rostock and a third departing on August 16 from Kiel, dpa reported.

Germany has been widely lauded for its efforts to contain its coronavirus outbreak.

It has reported over 206,000 infections but kept deaths to 9,124  only one-fifth of Britains death toll.

Germany is now in the process of reopening its economy, with strict guidelines on social distancing, mask use and personal hygiene measures.

US health officials last week extended the American ban on cruise ships through to the end of September as coronavirus infections rise in most US states, including Florida, a popular departure site for Caribbean cruises.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention chief, Dr Robert Redfield, said in the order that the cruise industry has not yet controlled the transmission of the virus on its ships.

Dozens of coronavirus outbreaks have hit cruise ships, including the highly-publicised Diamond Princess outbreak off Japan that saw 712 infections and 13 deaths.
A man in the central city of Da Nang has been confirmed as Vietnams 416th novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient by the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, becoming the country's first case of community transmission in 100 days.

The confirmation was made during a government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Saturday morning.

The 57-year-old man in Da Nangs Lien Chieu District had previously tested positive for the virus three times and a fourth test was also conducted on Friday.

The result of his fifth test by the Hanoi-based National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology came back positive on Saturday morning.

It is unclear how the man, who has not traveled outside Da Nang for over a month, contracted the virus.

105 people in close contact with the patient have been tested for the virus. All of their results have come back negative.

The Center for Disease Control in Da Nang City is currently conducting further contact-tracing and zoning people that had close interaction with the man for more testing, the committee said.

The committee added that mass screening will be conducted in at-risk areas in Da Nang, using quick test kits made in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, PM Phuc has advised people to stay calm.

Authorities previously decided that flights bringing Vietnamese back from other countries as well as those carrying overseas experts to Da Nang will be redirected to other airports to minimize risks of transmission.

Prior to the confirmation of patient No. 416, Vietnam had not recorded a local transmission of COVID-19 since April.

However, there have been a number of illegal border-crossing cases involving Chinese nationals discovered by Vietnamese police recently.

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has thus requested the Ministry of National Defense to beef up control in border regions and closely monitor small and open trails to prevent illegal entries into Vietnam.

The committee also asked the Ministry of Public Security to regularly screen for any case of illegal entry and pay attention to construction sites, companies, education venues, hotels, and guesthouses.

All Vietnamese localities are also requested to encourage local people to notify the authorities immediately if they detect any cases of people illegally entering the country.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
It's not often we experience nationalistic pride, a moment which unites us all. The odd sporting triumph, a successful export not making a show of themselves on telly, Americans dying their rivers green for Paddy's Day, it's a rare occasion when we all rise as one and say, 'Jaysus, isn't it great to be Irish?'

But we got there earlier this year, became a nation once again; and not just for a few minutes, but for a sustained period of time, days, weeks, months.

Now though, we're fed up of doing our bit, of sacrificing our own needs for the good of the country - sure 'tis only a kip anyway.

Because after approximately three months of diligence, of widespread patriotism and solidarity, we are back to looking after the most important people in our lives: ourselves.

If you were brave enough to venture outdoors on Sunday you would have been left in no doubt that, for the vast majority, Covid-19 is old hat, a rapidly receding storm which has all but blown over.

Thronged beaches, packed trails, shopping thoroughfares with hardly room to move, it wasn't so much a case of normality returning as the hounds being unleashed.

But this isn't another sermon about the dangers of a second wave, of a shared responsibility to beat this thing into submission. Because I was there too. I was at the beach, I walked those trails, I ambled through town. And I did so without fear for, not just my own safety, but for the safety of others.

And I wasn't even wearing a mask - I know what all the evidence says but I'm just not afraid of the coronavirus anymore.

You can call me selfish, lambast me for not taking into consideration the welfare of others, but even when I do take into consideration the welfare of others; the elder members of my family, those with underlying illnesses, people whom I care dearly for who are most at risk; I'm still not afraid.

This is partly down to the relatively low figures in Wexford where I live: at the time of writing there is grand total of 223 positive cases of Covid-19 in a county of around 150,000 people. Those numbers would give anyone confidence.

Mostly though, it's down to the word from on high, or the lack thereof.

Where once the message was clear and absolute, it's now equal parts wishy and washy. Take this 'green list' for example. How can we seriously be asked to steer clear of local pubs - places where the same arses sit on the same stools night after night, year after year, until infinity - while at the same time be told we can fly on a plane to a different country, one with a unique ecosystem, a biodiverse region which, even under normal circumstances, would have an impact on our fragile little constitutions.

Not only that. If and when we do get to these countries, these farflung utopias, we will not only be rubbing shoulders with concerned residents but also other tourists, people from America, the UK, countries in which the virus is still rampant.

And finally, to put the cherry on the icing on the cake, the residents of these lavish, green nations will be able to visit us ad hoc, stroll in and out of our airports with abandon.

I know the airlines are struggling for business and that those in power are trying to stimulate one more piece of the economy. But is it not all a little upside-down? In one instance we're being informed this is the year of the staycation, the summer to revisit the holiday destinations of our youth.

Yet we must do so without being allowed to visit any pubs - well, aside from the ones selling a couple of chicken nuggets for 9 and calling it a substantial meal.

Meanwhile, having waxed lyrical about the virtues of Kerry, of Wexford, Mayo, Donegal, we're being told that yes you can have your sun holiday this year, and not only that, we'll even pick somewhere out for you.

Is it any wonder we've lost our sense of unity, decided 'to hell with it' and reverted to type. Covid-19 is either a grave threat to the welfare of the nation or it's not.

It's either dangerous enough to have us all tread lightly, to wear masks, avoid pubs, holidays, hurling matches, or it's not.

We've shown we can do what we're told. But first we have to be told what to do.
She admitted to detectives on the night of her arrest that she wanted to kill her ex and told them it was because he wanted her to sell drugs and that if she did not do so, he would kill her. Arcigas father testified that after she broke up with her ex-boyfriend, her car was stolen and police later found it burning.
In the main opposition PDP, nothing is impossible.

So prepare for this: That Nigerias most unstable politician and ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar returns to the party he dumped less than two years ago.

No news!

In 2014, under President Goodluck Jonathan, a band of renegades in the PDP, led by Buba Galadima, struck out of the PDP, then ruling party. By 2018, Galadima led back allthen incumbent Speaker, Senate president, lawmakers other bigwigs numbering 17 in the nPDP, a bloc foxy pols pestering the APC.

Two years after, something just gave. The hotfooted politicians are taking another moonlight flit. Former Speaker Yakubu Dogara tripped out first on July 24. Others are on Dogaras hill, according to Mai Mala Buni, Yobe governor and chairman of the APC caretaker committee.

Among those others are the partys big enchiladas: Atiku, ex-Sen President Bukola Saraki, former Kano Gov. Musa Kwakwanso, Sokoto Gov Aminu Tambiwal, former Gov. Murtala Nyako, PDPs ex-national chairman Kawu Baraje. Then come small fries like former Sen. Dino Melaye, and other reps.

Two things canor willbring these carpetbaggers: lust for power and APC carrot dangling.

Sources told the National Daily what pissed Dogara off in the PDP.

After helping Gov. Mohammed Bala and the party to win election, they all turned against him.

The friction didnt just happen. Dogara has ambitionlike his predecessor Tambuwal, who is now a governor. Bala, however, wont sit that watching Dogara scuttle his re-election plan.

The foremost among the nPDP, now prowling about in the PDP, have lofty goals, too. Atiku wants to be president; Saraki wont want to be buried politically; Galadima and Baraje want to become holdovers in the PDP politics.

And in the current APC struggling not to crumble, no help is too small.

Well, we are meeting all our aggrieved members particularly (those) who have interest in coming back to the party, Buni said.

They should feel free to do so. We are assuring them and there is no crime in double assurance.

With this carte blanche , the APC should warm up for surprises.
Cruise, the San Francisco self-driving car startup backed by General Motors, has called test drivers back to work to resume what it says are full operations, in apparent defiance of pandemic health orders.

The company, like others, stopped operating in March when San Francisco and other Bay Area counties issued shelter-in-place orders. But it began using its fleet for meal deliveries to needy people in April, an essential service allowed under the rules. As a result, Cruises white Chevy Bolts, which always have two safety drivers aboard, continue to be a familiar sight on city streets.

Not all of the cars are delivering food. Some are what Cruise calls R&D vehicles that it said support the delivery cars. But some drivers say Cruise is using the food deliveries as a pretext to resume full testing, a charge first reported by the Verge.

Safety is always our top priority, and we have been working with regulators and public health officials every step of the way to make over 50,000 food deliveries and counting to vulnerable citizens in San Francisco, Milin Mehta, Cruise spokesman, said in an email.

Cruise competes with Waymo, a sister company to Google, as well as Uber and a host of startups. Amazon recently bought a smaller rival, Zoox, for a sum reported to be more than $1 billion. The rivals are racing to create the perfect robot car, which depends on racking up test miles on city streets. Cruise cars logged 831,000 miles in the state from Dec. 1, 2018, to Nov. 30, 2019, according to a report it submitted to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Autonomous vehicles had their learning interrupted by the pandemic.

Kate Munsch / Special to The Chronicle

In April, Cruise said it would deploy some autonomous cars to help deliver food for two nonprofits, the San Francisco- Marin Food Bank and SF New Deal. It allowed drivers, who were then on furlough, to volunteer for the paid assignment.

In June, Cruise emailed all its drivers, whom it calls AVTOs, for autonomous vehicle test operators, telling them to return to work.

Final call for return to work said a Cruise Google document reviewed by The Chronicle. Cruise is resuming full operations and calling back all AVTOs, said both the Google doc and the email, which also was reviewed by The Chronicle.

Cruise told The Chronicle it needed more drivers as it scales the food delivery operations, although its nonprofit partners said there had been no recent increase in deliveries.

The company also said it needs to deploy R&D vehicles to support its charitable food deliveries. For instance, it operates the non-delivery cars to confirm that its digital maps, software and hardware are working, it said.

But two drivers interviewed by The Chronicle said thats a ruse to allow Cruise to log more test miles. The drivers said that food deliveries account for a fraction of road time and that they are doing the same types of assignments as before shelter-in-place orders. The Chronicle granted them anonymity in accordance with its policy on anonymous sources because they feared losing their test-driver work at a time of record-high unemployment.

We are in no way, shape or form supporting any food delivery, said one driver. This is a clever way for them to continue gathering miles in the endless quest to launch an autonomous vehicle.

In asking drivers to return to work, Cruise said the California Department of Public Health gave it explicit permission for R&D vehicles.

It provided The Chronicle an email from the health departments essential services inquiries section, sent to a trade group, that read in its entirety: Thank you for your inquiry about Research and Development for Autonomous Vehicle Grocery, Food and Essential Services Delivery. These services are considered essential.

The California health department said in an email that it does not provide individual businesses approval for operation.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health, which has jurisdiction in the city, said in an email that food delivery is allowed, but emphasized that other autonomous vehicle testing is not allowed in San Francisco.

It added: If someone continues to violate the law, they can be shut down or face other serious penalties.

John Cote, a spokesman for the city attorneys office, echoed that food delivery is allowed but other autonomous vehicle testing is not. He noted that San Francisco has the right to set stricter policies than the state.

Were not going to disclose specifics about any particular investigation until it is appropriate to do so, but we will take the steps necessary to protect San Franciscans during this global pandemic, he said in an email.

Both the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and SF New Deal say they appreciate Cruises help. The food bank said Cruise does about 280 grocery deliveries a day to low-income seniors, working Monday through Saturday.

SF New Deal, which pays San Francisco restaurants to prepare food for vulnerable people, said Cruise handles about 35 deliveries every day of meals to community partners, such as churches. The locations receive multiple meals, so for each delivery Cruise typically deploys two or three cars, which can accommodate about 40 meals in the back seat (the trunks are filled with its technology).

Kate Munsch / Special to The Chronicle

SF New Deal is backed by Emmett Shear, who co-founded video-game streaming service Twitch with Cruise co-founder and CTO Kyle Vogt.

Weve had a very positive experience with Cruise, said Lenore Estrada, SF New Deal executive director. Getting delivery drivers is so difficult and so expensive. If you have to pay for it, it decreases the amount of money you have to spend on food.

Cruise, which has 201 autonomous cars and 556 safety drivers approved by the DMV, said only about 40 to 45 cars are now operating, but didnt say how many drivers are working. It declined to say how many cars do food delivery as opposed to the R&D function.

However, drivers said that Cruise is running cars around the clock, including swing shift and graveyard shift times when food delivery would not occur. Cruise said it runs some of its R&D cars at night.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Drivers sit side by side in the Bolts front seats, one behind the wheel ready to take control if the car has an issue, and the other in the navigators seat taking notes.

Cruise took steps to help safeguard the drivers from contagion, including assigning them to the same partner every day, requiring temperature checks, mandating mask wearing, improving air filtration, and stipulating that cars be sanitized before and after each shift.

The drivers said they appreciated those efforts, but still worry about spending eight hours in a cars close confines with another person.

You dont always know what their household looks like, what their social bubble looks like, one driver said of his work partner. Theres always this fear and uncertainty.

In internal Slack messages reviewed by The Chronicle, several Cruise drivers discussed their fears of returning to work at a time when virus cases were surging.

San Francisco said its Community Emergency Response Team investigated a complaint of inadequate social distancing at Cruises Brannan Street headquarters, and found that the protocols were adequate.

Drivers also expressed concerns on Slack threads after a driver at Cruises South San Francisco facility tested positive for the coronavirus last week.

Cruise said it has a robust contact-tracing program for anyone who has contact with infected staffers, which includes a mandated waiting period to return to work. It said it could close facilities and do deep cleaning depending on specific situations, without saying what it did in the South San Francisco case.

Cruises test drivers are employed by Aerotek, a nationwide staffing agency. Their pay starts at about $23 an hour and increases over time. They can also earn attendance bonuses that start at $50 a week and range up to $200 a week if they put in 40 hours. Cruise said taking sick days would not hurt attendance records to earn the bonus.

Inside the newsroom Anonymous sources:The Chronicle strives to attribute all information we report to credible, reliable, identifiable sources. Presenting information from an anonymous source occurs extremely rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and all other on-the-record options have been exhausted. In such cases, The Chronicle has complete knowledge of the unnamed person's identity and of how that person is in position to know the information. The Chronicle's detailed policy governing the use of such sources, including the use of pseudonyms, is available on sfchronicle.com. See More Collapse

Drivers said they were grateful to be employed, but worried about the timing of being recalled to work just as virus cases are surging.

Id like to know that theyre operating within the bounds and guidelines of the law, one driver said. I want to make sure theyre not breaking the law and putting our lives at risk needlessly.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Who was that mysterious primary subsource to whom Christopher Steele turned for the good stuff in his infamous dossier? Paul Sperry reports for RealClearInvestigations:

The mysterious Primary Subsource that Christopher Steele has long hidden behind to defend his discredited Trump-Russia dossier is a former Brookings Institution analyst  Igor Iggy Danchenko, a Russian national whose past includes criminal convictions and other personal baggage ignored by the FBI in vetting him and the information he fed to Steele, according to congressional sources and records obtained by RealClearInvestigations. Agents continued to use the dossier as grounds to investigate President Trump and put his advisers under counter-espionage surveillance.

The 42-year-old Danchenko, who was hired by Steele in 2016 to deploy a network of sources to dig up dirt on Trump and Russia for the Hillary Clinton campaign, was arrested, jailed and convicted years earlier on multiple public drunkenness and disorderly conduct charges in the Washington area and ordered to undergo substance-abuse and mental-health counseling, according to criminal records.

In an odd twist, a 2013 federal case against Danchenko was prosecuted by then-U.S Attorney Rod Rosenstein, who ended up signing one of the FBIs dossier-based wiretap warrants as deputy attorney general in 2017.

Danchenko first ran into trouble with the law as he began working for Brookings  the preeminent Democratic think tank in Washington  where he struck up a friendship with Fiona Hill, the White House adviser who testified against Trump during last years impeachment hearings. Danchenko has described Hill as a mentor, while Hill has sung his praises as a creative researcher.

Hill is also close to his boss Steele, who shed known since 2006. She met with the former British intelligence officer during the 2016 campaign and later received a raw, unpublished copy of the now-debunked dossier.

It does not appear the FBI asked Danchenko about his criminal past or state of sobriety when agents interviewed him in January 2017 in a failed attempt to verify the accuracy of the dossier, which the bureau did only after agents used it to obtain a warrant to surveil Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The opposition research was farmed out by Steele, working for Clintons campaign, to Danchenko, who was paid for the information he provided.
You wear a mask, social distance and make liberal use of hand sanitizer whenever youre out of the house, just like the experts advise.

But what about when youre at home? What can you do to keep yourself and your family safer from COVID-19 inside the house?

One obvious place to look is in your homes heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, because all inside air eventually passes through it. Since we know the coronavirus is mostly transmitted by air, it makes sense to focus your efforts there.

But be wary. The virus is so new  thats why its called a novel coronavirus  theres a lot even the experts dont know yet.

Still, lots of claims are being made about products that promise to zap viruses out of the air like so many arcade ducks. Some, such as highefficiency air filters, are relatively inexpensive. Other options, including retrofitting your HVAC system with an ultraviolet light disinfecting unit, can cost thousands, and the jury is still out on their real-world effectiveness against the coronavirus.

Even if these steps wont make you 100 percent safe from COVID-19 at home, they all will make your indoor air cleaner and so contribute to your respiratory health, which is always a good thing.

We talked to a number of experts to find out what homeowners can  and cannot  do to keep the air in their home as free of the virus as possible.

Filters

slobo /Getty Images /iStockphoto

The first place to look is your HVACs air filter.

Viruses are very small. A micron is a millionth of a meter, and viruses are a fraction of a micron in size. Naked coronaviruses are rare in the wild, though; they usually come encased in tiny liquid droplets emitted when someone coughs, sneezes or just speaks. These particles can hang in the air for minutes or hours.

A high efficiency air filter should be able to remove most viruses in the air, said Max Sherman, a retired senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California and the Residential Team leader of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers epidemic task force.

Air filters are rated according to the minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV. Ratings range from one to 16, and the higher the number, the finer the filtration.

On ExpressNews.com: What lessons have San Antonio residents learned about life during the coronavirus pandemic?

We recommend filters with MERV ratings of 13 or higher, Sherman said. These can catch even submicronic particles.

MERV 13 filters are available on amazon.com starting at about $18 each.

But even if a filter can remove aerosolized viruses, theres no guarantee its going to protect you.

If a husband and wife are sitting next to each other and he has COVID and coughs, the filters not going to be able to remove the virus before it reaches her, said Ian Cull, president of the Chicago-based indoor air quality consulting firm Indoor Sciences. Maybe if the filter is between them, but its not going to do much good in the air handling unit.

A good filter will remove dust, allergens, air pollution and other microorganism in the air such as bacteria, mold and yes, viruses, he adds.

But it shouldnt be your first line of defense.

Disinfecting Ultraviolet Light

Courtesy Fresh-Aire UV

Ultraviolet light been used as a disinfectant for decades to destroy pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms in high-risk setting such as hospitals and, more recently, in schools, office buildings and restaurants.

Its use in homes is still debatable.

A type of UV light called UVC is used as a disinfectant. The light can inactivate H1N1 influenza as well as the coronaviruses SARS and MERS-CoV.

(Since viruses are not considered living things, they cannot be killed.)

A recent Italian study that went online June 26 on medRxiv, which runs unpublished papers awaiting peer review, found that exposuer to UVC also inactivates SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

A residential UVC disinfection system will generally cost between $900 and $1,600, according to Phil Wistner, HVAC manager with Aramendia Plumbing Heating & Air. They can be installed in less than an hour.

On ExpressNews.com: Thanks to social media and good Samaritans, Reba the Costco hen went from Instacart stowaway to Facebook celebrity

Another alternative are stand-alone ultraviolet lighting units, which are available starting at about $100.

These are helpful especially if you have someone in the house who is at a higher risk for COVID, Sherman said.

Outdoor Air Ventilation

Outdoor air ventilation is a fancy term for bringing more fresh air into the house. The more fresh air, the more any virus in the air is diluted.

While building codes usually call for commercial buildings to have outdoor air ventilation systems, in most cities, including San Antonio, they arent required in residential homes.

In nice weather, the best, and cheapest, way to ventilate is simply to open a window. But in San Antonio, with its high temperatures and higher humidity, this isnt always reasonable. Too much heat and humidity can strain an air conditioning system, making it burn more electricity.

There are several ways to bring in outside air without overwhelming your system, but one of the best is called energy recovery ventilation.

This involves the installation of a unit containing two fans, one that draws fresh air into the home, the other that pushes stale air out. As the two air streams pass one another, air from inside the house cools (or heats) and dehumidifies air coming in from the outside, so the HVAC system doesnt have to work as hard.

Usually it will take a two-person crew from two to four hours to install an energy recovery ventilation system which, depending on the size of the home, will cost between $5,000 and $6,000, according to Wistner.

Richard A. Marini is a features writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Richard A., become a subscriber. rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini
For me, the clocks will all stop at 10am on October 1 when Jenni Murray presents her last Womans Hour.

The woman with an iron wit in a velvet voice is giving up her beloved job after 33 years to write more books, present new radio shows and enjoy her 70s with her husband John and their two sons.

I wish Jenni well. She has long been a heroine of mine. For millions of us, she has been the calm, clever, considered friend we always wanted to hear from and listen to.

For me, the clocks will all stop at 10am on October 1 when Jenni Murray presents her last Womans Hour

And yet Jennis also a forensic interviewer. She was the one who asked Monica Lewinsky why she hadnt washed Bill Clintons parting gift to her from that blue dress.

Then of Hillary Clinton, why shed stayed with a man who had cheated on her. Margaret Thatcher, Benazir Bhutto  Jenni interviewed everyone who was anyone.

She became the friend and commentator of womankind. We travelled with her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and lost her hair. We found echoes of our own lives when she described her battles with her mum and with her weight.

Many agreed with her when she was bold enough to venture into the gladiatorial arena of trans women, saying be trans, be proud  but dont call yourself a real woman . The LGBT lobby was enraged, and I wonder if that was the moment Jenni realised the Beeb was no longer her natural home.

The great personalities of the BBC  Jenni, Libby Purves, Jeremy Paxman, John Humphrys, both the Dimblebys, Andrew Neil  are disappearing before our eyes.

Theyre being replaced by navel-gazing, metropolitan chat-show hosts obsessed with a diversity agenda that ignores the views of the majority.

Jenni is the best kind of feminist. She has been fearless, principled, provocative and brave, a brilliant broadcaster with the ability to touch millions of us.

And I know for certain what a tough job it will be to replace her. Because I once stood in for Jenni for a few days and I was utter rubbish.

Shell be the toughest act to follow. If her microphone is taken over by co-presenter Jane Garvey, who has perfected the grating tone of the dentists drill, it will be the end of the programme.

The great personalities of the BBC  Jenni, Libby Purves, Jeremy Paxman, John Humphrys, both the Dimblebys, Andrew Neil (above) are disappearing before our eyes

Despite having to put up with these chauvinists, the gorgeous blonde is not suing the bank over sexism, but over a bonus she believes she was denied

So who boobed?

Financier Amanda Staveley was described by former Barclays banker Stephen Jones as thick as s*** with large breasts.

She was also called a tart who slept with clients and a dolly bird by his colleagues.

She accepted Joness apology, adding she was saddened he had resigned.

Despite having to put up with these chauvinists, the gorgeous blonde is not suing the bank over sexism, but over a bonus she believes she was denied.

Proof she is a class act  not a daft tart with big t**s.

A rapper called DMO Deejay brought the M60 to a standstill as he and his boy racer fans took videos of themselves while they blocked the motorway.

What were the police doing during this outrage that delayed motorists for 90 minutes? Probably on the hard shoulder taking the knee.

BBC presenter Jane Hill was close to tears reading news that the three teenage travellers who killed PC Andrew Harper were convicted not of murder but manslaughter  and rejoiced at it.

Shed just heard his wife Lissies heartbreaking statement. A nation wept with them both at the gross injustice of it all.

Harry and Megs feel the heat

Megs and Harry are suing an unknown snapper for breach of privacy after he took drone pictures of baby Archie in the grounds of their 14 million Beverly Hills mansion.

Poor loves  they believed they were escaping the horrid UK media but they now find themselves in the maw of the carnivorous LA paparazzi.

Had they not decided they were too big and too good for the Royal Family, they could still be raising Archie in the seclusion of Windsor where their privacy was ensured.

Pardon me for not squatting at the altar of that exercise chappie Joe Wicks, who is taking a break from his lockdown videos

Joes certainly fitter financially

Pardon me for not squatting at the altar of that exercise chappie Joe Wicks, who is taking a break from his lockdown videos.

Yes, hes raised 580,000 for the NHS, but in the meantime hes gathered 3.8 million online followers and a ten-book deal with more lucrative TV projects on the horizon.

Im sure his intentions were altruistic, but Joe will not be the only one who through selflessness becomes a virus multi-millionaire.

After Coleen Rooney believed shed trapped a friend leaking stories about her, she outed Rebekah Vardy to her two million Twitter and Instagram followers.

Rebekah says she was left suicidal by the false allegations made while she was heavily pregnant, because of the vile abuse on social media. Your baby deserves to be put in the incinerator and so do you, fat-nosed c***, one person told her.

The next time Coleen parades her wholesome family and holidays before us, we should all recall the cruelty she has inflicted on a former friend.

Stuart was a softie

The Brexit campaigner and spread-betting millionaire Stuart Wheeler has died, aged 85. I recall him fondly as the only man who has ever given me a cheque for 1 million (as you would)  it was for the Tory fighting fund when I worked for the party.

He also paid for my suite in Knightsbridges The Capital hotel for a month during the 2001 election. He was such a softie he knew it was the only place that would allow my three-legged old moggie Ronnie to stay with me.

Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis takes to the cover of Tatler looking sultry. Inside she poses wearing vertiginous stilettoes, a skintight couture suit and evening gloves next to, of all accessories, her grey whippet.

Yes she looks fabulous, but will she ever stop milking that Prince Andrew interview. And no complaints please from her in the future for us not taking her seriously as a journalist.

My fantastic Aunty Dot died this week, refusing treatment for cancer and going out her own way, bravely, at 89, probably puffing on her last cigarette.

We only ever had one row, when I forgot to mention her role in the familys morning rituals in a book I wrote about my Dads childhood in the Aussie bush.

So I am making amends: Dots role was to walk the cow to school  the only place that had any grass.

So Whoopi Goldberg believes that even though her hit movie Ghost took half a billion dollars, it is a victim of racism and not considered alongside other classics.

Would it have been different if I had been short and cute and blonde? she ponders. Indeed  no identikit blonde could have had Whoopis comic timing.

Churchgoers at Sheffield Cathedral are bereft that their famous traditional choir has been disbanded to be replaced by one that better reflects its local mixed urban community.

Bring it on, herald the tambourines, invite Stormzy to rap  and see your congregation shrink to nothing. One thing we practising Christians can do in the face of such nonsense is vote with our feet, and go to another church.

Churchgoers at Sheffield Cathedral are bereft that their famous traditional choir has been disbanded to be replaced by one that better reflects its local mixed urban community. Reverend Canon and Vice Dean, Keith Farrow is pictured above outside Sheffield Cathedral

Westminster Wars

Well done Chancellor Sunak for awarding doctors, police and the Army pay rises

How utterly ridiculous that the Intelligence and Security Committee believe the result of the Brexit referendum was influenced by those pesky Russians bent on world domination, and what an insult to the 17.4 million Brits who voted Leave, to imply that an email from a Ruskie would have changed their mind.

Well done Chancellor Sunak for awarding doctors, police and the Army pay rises.

But why include all teachers in the list of deserving CV fighters when so few of them were in the frontline as they sat back on full pay during lockdown and their unions thwarted Government plans to get kids back to school?

Bizarre that, of the 71 million aid we give China, 500,000 was for supposedly supporting human rights, when we knew it was imprisoning its Uighur Muslim population, and re-educating, torturing and even sterilising them?
Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the countrys military should accelerate its drone warfare research and training.

On a visit to a military university in the northeast of the country, he also called for a drive to train more pilots as part of the ongoing efforts to boost the Peoples Liberation Armys capabilities.

Now we already have advanced aircraft and air defence weapons, we must also have a triumphant spirit, which is the soul of a strong army, Xi told students at the PLA Air Force Aviation University in Changchun on Thursday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

Xi added the training of a pilot embodies the expectations of the [Chinese Communist] party and the people, and the hope to build a strong military.

He also said: Drones are profoundly changing war scenarios. It is necessary to strengthen drone combat research, education and training, and accelerate the training of drone pilots and commanders.

Zhou Chenming, a Beijing based military analyst, said: China is in need of large numbers of warplane pilots due to its rapid drive to beef up its air force capabilities in recent years.

Last year, China commissioned its second aircraft carrier the Shandong, which means it will need at least 70 pilots, along with more supporting flight officers.

Zhou also said that drones cannot be overlooked because of their increasing importance in carrying out espionage or aerial attacks.

Xis Thursday visit came one week ahead of Chinas Army Day on August 1 and amid renewed tensions between China and the United States.

Earlier this month, the US conducted an air defence drill in the South China Sea, involving two aircraft carrier groups in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Story continues

The US has also dispatched reconnaissance aircraft and electronic surveillance planes that approached Chinas coast numerous times in recent weeks, activities which prompted complaints from Beijing.

The two countries relationship further deteriorated this week when the two sides ordered the other to close a consulate.

Chinas worsening ties with the US is the biggest reason for China to ramp up its military capabilities, especially its air force capabilities, said Hong Kong-based military commentator Song Zhongping.

China lacks strategic attacking capabilities, especially in areas far away from its shores, Song said, adding that rapid aerial responses were assuming increasing importance in modern warfare.

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Two police officers revived a 3-year-old boy Friday afternoon at the Wyckoff Family YMCA after he stopped breathing, authorities said.

Wyckoff officers Robert Schlossberg and Michael Scalise were dispatched to the YMCA at 12:30 p.m. and were told the boy was unresponsive and was turning blue, according to a statement from the Wyckoff Police Department.

Schlossberg and Scalise performed CPR on the child while attempting to clear his airway of any obstructions and he eventually began to breathe on his own, police said.

It was unclear Friday evening why the boy stopped breathing.

He was taken to a local hospital by the Wyckoff Ambulance Corps and Paramedics from Valley Hospital but his condition was not released.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Thunderous creaks and crashes reverberated throughout the lower decks of the Kapitan Dranitsyn in February as it carved a course through 1,000 miles of dense Arctic ice pack toward the North Pole.

The sound was incredible, said Jeff Bowman, a biological oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, like steel being shredded. Its the sound of every shipwreck movie that youve ever watched  but amplified. Its quite a horrific sound, and that never ceases so long as the ship is moving.

For four weeks, the Russian icebreaker inched at a walking pace through the ice to deliver Bowman and 60 other scientists and engineers to the Polarstern, a 400-foot ship that had been lodged within the sea ice for nearly five months. Once aboard, they would join in an unprecedented yearlong research mission to the northernmost reaches of the Earth, collecting data crucial to understanding and predicting climate changes affecting the entire globe.

The Kapitan Dranitsyn presses through sea ice on Feb. 23, 2020. (Photo: John Cassano)

What happens in the Arctic impacts global weather patterns, atmospheric carbon and sea level rise. Arctic ice sheets are melting at alarming rates and the region is warming twice as fast as other parts of the world.

Launched in September, the $160.3 million MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) program is the largest Arctic expedition in history. A collaboration among a consortium of international polar research institutions led by Germanys Alfred Wegener Institute, it is the first time scientists will be able to measure climatic conditions in the Arctic at every point in the year  including in the middle of winter, when it is dark 24 hours a day, the ice is at its thickest, and temperatures fall as low as minus 40 degrees (which, in addition to being brutal for researchers and causing the malfunction of critical machinery, happens to be the temperature at which the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales converge).

To make this possible, the Polarstern  the center of the expedition and one of the worlds most powerful icebreakers  is locked among the floes to drift with the natural movement of the sea ice for 12 months, from the coast of Siberia across the pole toward Greenland.

Story continues

An aerial view of Polarstern, embedded in the Arctic ice. (Photo: Michael Gutsche)

If Polarstern is the International Space Station, the Kapitan Dranitsyn is one of several space shuttles bringing supplies and a rotating assembly of hundreds of researchers from 20 countries, and returning others home.

After leaving the Norwegian city of Troms in the relative warmth of September, the Polarstern wound its way to the 85th parallel  5 degrees shy of the North Pole  through ice that was fragmented and easier to penetrate. When it encountered an ice floe big enough to support operations, it moored, letting the shifting frozen landscape enclose it. Nature would chart its course from there.

Around the ship, crew erected a temporary city of research stations called the ice camp, with monitors and sensors stretching as far as 20 miles away. From there, researchers are studying the ice itself and measuring changes in thickness. Some bore holes through it to capture fish and test the temperature and salinity of the water as far as 2.5 miles down. They launch weather balloons and drones into the air, monitoring wind and humidity, and sensing aerosols that have traveled from distant parts of the globe. Six guards keep lookout for polar bears.

Scientific teams drill into the ice to extract core samples on the afternoon of Dec. 15, 2019. (Photo: Esther Horvath)

By having Polarstern be a central observatory, you can have people on the ice throughout the day, for months and months at a time, said Frank Rack, a MOSAiC program manager from the National Science Foundation.

Whereas in Antarctica there are permanent research stations to serve as bases for scientific expeditions, that simply doesnt happen in the central Arctic, because there is no land, Bowman explained. Its ocean. The only way you can do it is by putting a ship there. And the number of ships that are capable of doing that are very, very few and far between.

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Researchers sample water for lead, with Polarstern in the background. (Photo: Torsten Sachs)

Bowman, one of about 90 Americans on the mission, was in the third wave of researchers to arrive at the ice camp. His research focuses on microscopic organisms that live in the upper regions of the ocean. The Amazon rainforest may be known as the lungs of the planet, he said, taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and breathing out oxygen, but about half of the photosynthesis that takes place on Earth is being carried out by single-celled phytoplankton at the oceans surface.

Only a fraction of that is happening in the polar North, but its an important fraction that scientists know very little about. From their position at the bottom of the food chain, these phytoplankton communities really drive the dynamics of the ecosystem ... but we dont have a baseline understanding of what that ecosystem is doing, Bowman said.

MOSAiC is giving researchers their first look at how the process changes as the ice melts and freezes, in a part of the Earth where the sun  the very engine of photosynthesis  doesnt rise for months at a time. One of the things Bowman wanted to learn is how much carbon dioxide is being taken in by photosynthesizing phytoplankton versus how much ends up being released back into the air at different times  an equation that determines the net amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere and sequestered in the system.

Storms and brutally cold temperatures make science difficult at the top of the world. (Photo: John Cassano)

That balance is key to predicting whether the Arctic will become more of a source or a sink of carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. The oceans absorption of heat has enormous implications for the global climate.

Bowman was supposed to stay on the Polarstern until early April, when ski-equipped jets would fly in from Svalbard, Norway, land on a runway on the ice, and whisk him and his colleagues away. But by then, the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading fast. With international travel severely limited, the April personnel exchange was postponed and the team at the Alfred Wegener Institute scrambled to arrange a stopgap solution. They requisitioned a pair of 19-seat Twin Otter planes from Canada. Bowman, with an infant son at home, scored a seat.

He left the ice on April 22, making eight connections through Greenland and Canada on his way back to California. As youre getting closer and closer and closer to civilization, things are getting more and more bizarre, Bowman said, describing the journey from the pristine Arctic to the evolving chaos of the rest of the world.

A polar bear guard stands watch on an ice ridge. (Photo: Lukas Piotrowski)

The rest of the people scheduled to return in April stayed on the Polarstern until the middle of May and didnt reach port until June. The length and timing of the remaining crew rotations have been rejiggered, but the mission will continue as planned until the ship frees herself from the ice in September.

Bowman was relieved that the pandemic didnt shut down MOSAiC the way it has stopped field research around the world. (Really, if theres a team equipped to handle the complex logistics of sudden disaster, its probably the folks who built a floating ice city at the North Pole and populated it with 600 people from 20 countries.)

We lack these baseline observations in the central Arctic in a way that we dont lack for virtually any other place on the globe, he said. So the ingenuity that has been employed to keep this thing going is very heartening to see. And its going to have tremendous scientific payoff.

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Related...

Arctic In Dire Condition As Climate Change Ravages Long-Frozen Region, Report Warns

How This Arctic Doomsday Vault Could Save Us From A Global Food Crisis

The Coronavirus Could Set Conservation Efforts Back By Years

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
Amit Sadh On Seeking Payments For On Set Helpers: My Tweet Was An Ultimatum To All Those Not Paying These Guys
The US will not be on Irelands green list for safe travel and the UK is also very unlikely to be included, the countrys foreign minister has said.

Simon Coveney said the list, which is due to be published on Monday, will not be particularly long.

Currently people arriving in Ireland from overseas  with limited exceptions such as essential supply chain workers  are required to fill in a passenger locator form and self-quarantine for 14 days.

People crossing the border from Northern Ireland are not subject to restrictions on their movement.

Travellers arriving in Ireland from countries on the new green list will not be required to isolate for two weeks.

People can still enter Ireland from countries not on the green list, but they will be required to self-isolate.

Simon Coveney said the green list will not be particularly long (Julien Behal/PA)

The Irish Government continues to advise citizens not to travel abroad for holidays this summer.

However, people who do choose to visit countries on the green list will not be required to quarantine themselves on their return.

Mr Coveney said Cabinet decisions on which countries would be included on the list will be based on science and epidemiological data and not politics.

He said countries will be excluded from the green list if their Covid-19 infection rates exceed a set threshold.

I think theres no question that the US will be on the green list, it wont be, he told the Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk.

And I think its very unlikely our closest neighbour either will be under that threshold that we set.

And thats really unfortunate because the two countries that we would like to be opening up to, in terms of international travel, are the UK and the US, given the integration between our economy of those two countries and of course the number of visitors that would like to come here to spend money in hotels and have holidays here and so on.

So, I think its very unlikely that either the UK or the US will be on that green list.

Its not going to be a particularly long list.

Three further deaths and 34 additional cases of Covid-19 were recorded, the National Public Health Emergency Team said on Friday.
I give thanks to God for bringing me back home safely after spending seven wonderful, memorable and historic days in Gusau with my friend and brother, His Excellency Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle of Zamfara state.

I was received in Zamfara with joy, love and kindness wherever I went and I was treated as if I was a son of the soil. It really was awesome and I was humbled and surprised.

The overwhelming majority of the people of Zamfara state are warm, humble and kind-hearted and I urge every Nigerian to visit the state to see it for themselves.

During the course of my trip I saw the wonderful things that Matawalle has done in the state over the last one year since he came to power and how he has restored peace in most parts of the state and brought hope, joy, strength, confidence and prosperity to the people.

Whilst there I learnt about the massive gold and diamond reserves and mines in the top soil of the state which, once the ban on mining is lifted and after proper development and extraction, will eventually propel Zamfara to be the richest and most prosperous state in Nigeria.

I also visited one of the three massive Ruga settlements that were under construction and discovered how this initiative has resulted in a lasting peace process and healing amongst the various hitherto warring communities in the state.

I saw the massive infra-structural development that is going on in the state and witnessed the strong collaboration that exists between the state and Federal Government to fight and crush the local terrorists by deploying soldiers and police in strategic locations.

I went to every nook.and cranny of the state and when I paid a courtesy call on His Royal Majesty, Alhaji Garba Tambari, the Emir of Maradun, I was warmly received and treated to a massive and sumptuous lunch at the palace which was attended by hundreds of people.

This was a great honor for me and I was touched by it. What made it all the more moving was the fact that the Emir had been in the defunct National Party of Nigeria with my father and he knew him well. We had much to talk about!

The following day His Royal Majesty, Alhaji Muhammad Makwashe, the Emir of Shinkafi, and the Shinkafi Emirate Council conferred me with the ancient and historic title of Sadaukin Shinkafi, which means the "warrior/hero" of the Shinkafi Emirate.

I was deeply humbled by this great honor and this is all the more so because I never expected it. I thank his Royal Highness and the Emirate Council for the confidence they have bestowed in me and I pledge to live up to their expectations and build bridges of peace, mutual respect and harmony between our various communities and people.

After meeting so many other leaders in the state and exchanging views and ideas with various political groups and NGO's I spent much of the time resting, thinking and meditating about the importance of peace, bridge-building, unity and understanding in our country which are sentiments that my brother Governor Matawalle also cherishes and holds dear.

We spoke extensively into the early hours of the morning virtually every night and we agreed to build bridges between the north and the south and between members of the Christian and Muslim faith in order to save Nigeria and pull her back from the brink.

I might add that this is something that he has been in the forefront of doing well before he became Governor and I am glad to see that he has continued, with even greater zest and zeal, after he became Governor.

It could well be that this is precisely why God removed his predecessor in office and put him power. The Lord never makes mistakes and His timing is always perfect.

In my view the path that Matawalle has chosen proves his quality and worth as a leader and I have a feeling that over the next few years he will play a critical role in the affairs of this country and will be instrumental in keeping her together.

In order to make Nigeria a just, noble, civilised, humane and equitable society that regards every single Nigerian as being equal regardless of tribe or faith we must identify those on both sides of the north/south divide that are moderate, reasonable and rational, that believe in fairness, equity, justice and equality and that understand and appreciate the importance of peace, unity, mutual respect and understanding

Once we are in a position to identify such people we must then resolve to join forces and work with them in our quest to build a better, greater, fairer and safer Nigeria in which all of our compatriots can live in peace and harmony.

It is because Matawalle believes in this that he and I are close and have been so for years.

Thankfully there are many other leaders in the core north that think like him such as Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, Governor Bala Mohammed, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi (Wambai Shinkafi), former Governor Ahmed Makarfi, Alhaji Tanimu Kabiru Turaki SAN, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, former Governor Sule Lamido, Col. Sambo Dasuki, General Aliyu Gusau and Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim Imam.

These are reasonable, rational and enlightened men who have a deep knowledge of history, a keen sense of justice and who represent the last hope for Nigerian unity.

I say this because, unlike some that are in power in our country today, they do not believe in using violence as a means to an end and neither do they believe in or are part of any hidden religious or ethnic agenda.

They do not believe in hegemony, suppression, subjugation, tyranny or racial and religious domination and persecution and they see themselves as being Nigerians before being anything else.

These are the type of people that those of us with like minds from the south can work with, join hands with and build a new Nigeria with. We have a duty to our respective people and an obligation to our God to do no less.

Most importantly, as leaders, we must never be led, moved or motivated by hate or pain but rather by compassion, understanding and a deep appreciation of the virtues of decency, equity and justice.

We must give hope and inspire rather than encourage division and endless strife. We must attempt to heal the wounds of the past rather than attempt to inflict new and even more painful ones.

It is leaders that have this mindset, regardless of their faith or where they come from in the country, that can save Nigeria from a frightful and dangerous implosion and total collapse.

If we fail to identify and build bridges with such leaders Nigeria is not only doomed but is also destined for a long and terrible war which no sane person wishes for and which will not augur well for our people.

Worst of all is the fact that no-one will ever win such a war: we will all lose and we will all end up shedding tears for many years to come.

This is why we must build bridges no matter how difficult it may be and no matter how many hurdles may be put in our way.

We must build bridges regardless of the insidious motives and misconceptions that many that know no better and that have been poisoned, embittered and blinded by hate have attributed to those of us that have opted to indulge in such a noble gesture and exercise.

We must build bridges even though a few shallow, undiscerning, feeble-minded, misguided, naive, gullible, ignorant and politically-motivated individuals believe and see our quest as nothing but an exercise in futility and a total capitulation to tyranny and injustice.

We must build bridges even though the extremists on both sides of the divide shall hate us and cast aspertions on the character of those of us that seek to do so.

We must build bridges because everything, including the future and very existence of our people, depends on it.

The easiest path to tread in any controversy or complex situation is one of conflict, acrimony, confrontation, extremism and ultimately violence and war. We have all trod that path in the past in various degrees but, if pursued to the bitter end, it leads to nothing but mutual annihilation and utter destruction.

Both Islam and Christianity confirm the wisdom and beauty of dialogue and bridge-building and only the enlightened can appreciate the fact that dialogue does not mean capitulation.

An attempt to make peace and engender good relations with those that have like minds and similar values cannot be described as cowardice, betrayal, compromise or weakness.

As a matter of fact the opposite is the case and it is rather those that refuse to seek peace and build bridges and that refuse to even talk to those that they perceive wrongly and erroneously as their adversaries and life-long sworn enemies that are the cowards.

Followers can afford to harbour such irresponsible sentiments but leaders cannot do so because it would result in drastic and dire consequences.

I believe that it is appropriate and wise to always extend a handshake where one is offered. Only the mad and blind and those that trade, thrive and derive sadistic pleasure in the shedding of innocent blood and the destruction of lives and property refuse to do so.

Such people have no place in a civilised society or at the table of peace and we should not allow their negative rantings and cynical disposition to distract or deter us from making that peace and building that bridge.

On my 6th day in Zamfara Matawalle and I went to Sokoto state to meet with our mutual friend and brother Governor Aminu Tambuwal where we spent the night.

Again we had fruitful and productive discussions about how to move the country forward and I was once again received with nothing but love and understanding.

Contrary to the expectations of many Sokoto is actually a very peaceful and beautiful ancient town and all those I met there treated me with love and respect.

Before leaving Sokoto and in the company of the two Governors, I paid a courtesy call on His Eminence, Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar IV, the Sultan of Sokoto.

I was deeply humbled by his kind words, wise counsel, deep knowledge and insight and genuine warmth and I thank him for receiving me.

This was the first time that I had the privilege of meeting with the Sultan and I was very impressed with his deep and profound understanding of the complex issues that our country and people are faced with and his remarkable knowledge and recollection of our history.

The Muslim community in Nigeria is blessed with a truly great and wise leader who is worthy of nothing but the greatest respect and the highest honor.

I am convinced that as long as we have political leaders and traditional rulers that are ready to work together and that are prepared to communicate regularly and dialogue frankly and candidly, no matter how hard that might be and no matter what we may have said and done to each other in the past, there is still hope for Nigeria.

We must forgive one another for past hurts and slights and we must attempt to put our differences aside and recognise our common humanity. That ought to be the guiding principle and focus as from today and it shall certainly be mine.

There is no gain saying that in all faiths, in all races and in all tribes we have both good and bad. Not one tribe or faith is free of evil men and not one is made up of solely demons or angels.

All tribes and races have both and what is reckless, dangerous, unacceptable and indefensible is for us to demonise a whole race or a whole faith simply because of the actions of a few. And to a large extent many of us have been guilty of doing that in varying degrees over the years.

I am committed to continue to resisting all forms of evil and tyranny, to speaking for the voiceless, to defending the defenceless and to stand for the oppressed just as I have been doing, at great risk to my life and liberty, for many years.

That will never change and neither will I ever compromise or prostitute my principles and values. I will never compromise with evil or betray my faith and neither will I ever bow before hegemony or tyranny.

I will never be a slave to anyone or allow others to enslave my people and neither will I ever give up on or forsake the struggle for freedom, equality, liberty and equity in our country.

I will continue to resist and speak against all forms of subjugation and injustice in the South and the Middle Belt but henceforth I will also speak up for the many victims of oppression, mass murder, ethnic cleansing, slaughter, injustice, wickedness and genocide in the core north as well.

They are also being butchered and slaughtered like flies by evil souls, bandits and terrorists from mainly outside our shores and not enough of us acknowledge or recognise this. Not enough of us really care.

Not enough of us acknowledge their sufferings or speak against the evil that they have been subjected to by uncaring leaders and vicious and barbaric terrorist organisations.

A situation where up until Matawalle came to power in Zamfara just one year ago up to 300 to 500 people were being killed every day is unacceptable. This was the case yet the rest of the country said nothing.

Wherever I see injustice and wickedness being unleashed on any Nigerian I will continue to fight it because that is my calling. I will no longer fight for just some of our people but rather for all of them.

We cannot just fight for our tribe but we must fight for all tribes. We cannot just fight for our region or zone but we must fight for all regions and all zones. We cannot just fight for our faith but we must fight for all faiths.

That is leadership. That is courage. That is righteousness and decency. That is God.

I love the people of the core north as much as I love the people of the south east, the south south, the south west and the Middle Belt.

I love the people of Zamfara as much as I love the people of Plateau, Southern Kaduna and my great in-laws in the south east who have always and will always have a special place in my heart.

We must bring peace to all our people and we must fight for all of them, both Christians and Muslims. We are after all, all God's children.

I thank Matawalle, the man of the moment and the man of peace, for building this bridge and I would encourage other northern and southern leaders to take a cue from him and do the same.

We may disagree on many things but there can be no doubt that we all agree on the importance and benefits of peace, unity, love, mutual respect and mutual understanding.

That is the only way to make Nigeria what our forefathers wanted her to be. That is the only way to make us strong and relevant in the wider world and in the international community. That is the only way forward.

That is the only way to build and establish a new, promising, inspiring and restructured Nigeria. May God guide us.
In fall 2016, Mosley proposed sending fraudulently obtained financial aid funds from Howard to Johnson, prosecutors said. Johnson would then give half the proceeds to Mosley in cash or electronic transfers, prosecutors said. As part of the scheme, according to the government, Mosley sent the funds to Johnsons student account even though he was no longer a student or employee of the school. Prosecutors said Mosley forwarded more than $107,000 to Johnsons bank account from November 2016 to May 2017.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- K2 Gold Corporation (K2 or the Company) (TSX-V: KTO; OTCQB: KTGDF; FRANKFURT: 23K) is pleased to report positive additional exploration results from the its Mojave gold project (Mojave) located in Inyo County, Southern California.



The Company also announces that it is accelerating the expiry date of the common share purchase warrants (the Warrants) issued by the Company pursuant to the previously announced private placement that closed on August 27, 2019.

Mojave Exploration Update

Please CLICK HERE to view all figures related to this news release.

Dragonfly

A total of 24 samples were collected on the Dragonfly and results ranged from 0.02  19.8 g/t Au with 10 samples returning >1 g/t Au and 4 samples returning >10 g/t Au. The sampling indicated that the high-grade mineralization is focused along a series of NW-SE trending, SW dipping, extensional zones up to 10m in width. These occur between NNW trending, west dipping, sinistral strike-slip faults which are the focus of higher-grade mineralization. The mineralization is associated with an overlapping assemblage of silicification and sericite-clay alteration, multiple generations of stockwork quartz and quartz-carbonate veining. In addition the rocks have undergone intense iron-oxide alteration within a sequence of conglomerate, limestone, and siltstone.

Dragonfly was discovered by BHP and hosts some of the strongest oxide gold mineralization reported on the property to date, including historic chip results of 4.2 g/t Au over 42.67m, rock samples up to 22.53 g/t Au, and significant historic drilling intercepts including 1.54 g/t Au over 24.38m, starting at surface, and 3.84 g/t over 12.19m, starting at 42.19m depth, from CM97-4.

Gold Valley

Prospecting was also completed on the Gold Valley target located 750 metres NW of Dragonfly. This gold target has less than 10% rock outcrop and is primarily defined by a strong soil anomaly. Soil sample results range from trace to 385 ppb Au, with 8 samples returning >100 ppb Au in colluvium (see Company news release dated June 1, 2020, available on SEDAR). Isolated ridges of silicified limestone and conglomerate with stockwork quartz-carbonate veining and localised iron-oxide mineralization occur in the area and are associated with NW oriented structural zones. One rock sample of the altered material returned 0.17 g/t Au. The ridges occur within a broad area of colluvium and are hosted within a 400m wide structural zone that is interpreted to be parallel to the Dragonfly structural zone which is of similar width, based on this prospecting program and re-interpretation of recent WorldView-3 data. There is potential for additional zones of alteration/mineralization beneath shallow cover on the target and will be assessed in future programs.

Story continues

The Gold Valley consists of a 700m x 650m gold in soil anomaly that occurs along a NNW extension of the structural trend that hosts the Dragonfly zone. Dragonfly and Gold Valley are separated by colluvial cover that potentially masks the geochemical response in this area. It is interpreted that the two targets are connected beneath cover and would form a 2.3km trend of alteration and anomalous gold mineralization.

Acceleration of Warrant Expiry Date

K2 is accelerating the expiry date of the Warrants issued by the Company pursuant to the previously announced private placement that closed on August 27, 2019.

Under the terms of the form of Warrant, the Company is permitted to accelerate the expiry date if the common shares of the Company have traded on a stock exchange at a volume weighted average price of $0.50 or higher for a period of 10 consecutive trading days (the Acceleration Event). The Company is pleased to confirm that an Acceleration Event occurred as of July 23, 2020. Accordingly, the Company has chosen to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants to August 22, 2020.

Holders of the Warrants now have until 4:00 p.m. (Vancouver time) on August 22, 2020 to exercise the Warrants in accordance with their terms. If not exercised by such time and date, the Warrants will expire.

Qualified Person

Jodie Gibson, Vice President of Exploration and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.

About K2

K2 is a well-financed gold and silver exploration company with projects in SW USA, Yukon and Alaska. The Company is focused on Mojave, a 5,830 hectare oxide gold project located in southern California. The geographic location of Mojave enables the Company to have year-round news flow on multiple surface gold targets that have been successfully drilled in the past by majors BHP and Newmont. Silver and base metals were mined on the western side of the property around the turn of the last century. Besides affording immediate drill targets based on the Companys recent rock and soil sampling, the property also has high priority undrilled locations in the vicinity of historical trench results such as 4.2 g/t gold over 42.7m.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Stephen Swatton

President and CEO

K2 Gold Corporation.

For further information about K2 Gold Corporation or this news release, please visit our website at www.k2gold.com or contact Investor Relations at 604-354-2491, or by email at info@k2gold.com.

K2 Gold Corporation is a proud member of Discovery Group. For more information please visit: www.discoverygroup.ca.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the exploration program at Mojave, including results of drilling, and future exploration plans at Mojave. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its planned activities, and the Company's inability to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies. The reader is referred to the Company's public disclosure record which is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except as required by securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. No securities of the Company have been or will, in the foreseeable future, be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the 1933 Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 21:06:00|Editor: huaxia

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by Dana Halawi

BEIRUT, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Miguel Ibrahim, a 17-year-old student, planned to travel to China during this coming academic year for his bachelor degree in computer science.

However, the young man's study plan changed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide.

Instead, Ibrahim will attend the computer science program at the Lebanese American University and then will travel to China to continue his master's degree focusing on artificial intelligence.

"I was very keen to start my major in China because the country is very well known for its advanced technology," he said, adding that the major would have also cost him less in China.

For 19-year-old Reem Dirani, she had to leave Paris in the middle of her academic year to return to Lebanon and continue her studies online, due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Dirani, who came back to Lebanon in March, was enrolled in the first year of law studies at the Sorbonne University.

"I came back and we continued our courses online which was a bit complicated due to the internet connection issues in Lebanon and the uncertainty as to whether we will be going back to Paris for the second academic year or continue our studies online," Dirani told Xinhua.

Many Lebanese students travel abroad for bachelor or master's degrees, which they think would grant them better jobs opportunities in multinational companies all over the world.

Asharq al-Awsat local newspaper reported earlier this year that the number of Lebanese immigrants reached 61,924 in 2019 compared to 41,766 in 2018, equivalent to an increase by 42 percent. Enditem
EgyptAir received its seventh Airbus A320Neo from France, a statement by the national airline said, as it announced its highest operating rate since the resumption of flights earlier this month.

The seventh Airbus A320Neo, arriving from Frances Toulouse, is part of a total eight A320Neo jets contracted by EgyptAir, as well as seven A321Neo jets set to join the carriers fleet later.



With the operation of the newly-received aircraft, EgyptAir becomes the first company to operate both the Airbus A320Neo and Airbus A220 modern aircraft in its fleet in the Middle East and Africa.



According to EgyptAir, the A320Neo Family will offer up to 20 percent savings in fuel burn per seat by 2020, two tons of additional payload, and 500 nautical miles of more range.



Its operating costs are lower, along with a nearly 50 percent reduction in engine noise and NOx emissions 50 percent below the current industry standard.



The arrival of the new Airbus model comes hours after EgyptAir announced on Friday that it saw its highest operating rate since the resumption of flights on 1 July.

The national carrier said it has operated 41 international flights, including regular, domestic and air cargo flights, to fly around 4,000 passengers.

Last week, EgyptAir said it will increase the number of international destinations to which it is operating regular flights from 30 to 35 starting August.

The number of domestic trips to Egyptian coastal cities and tourist hubs will also be increased in a bid to stimulate local tourism, it said.

Egypt, in a bid to offset losses by the aviation sector, reopened its airports for international flights for the first time in more than three months since a flight suspension was put in place over the coronavirus.



Foreign tourists are now allowed to fly to three coastal governorates only, which have recorded the lowest numbers of coronavirus cases in the country, with more cities planned to reopen for foreign visitors in later stages.

Travellers must sign at departure airports that they are free of the virus prior to boarding their planes, while those coming from countries with high rates of coronavirus are required to submit test results to prove they are virus-free before travelling.

EgyptAirs occupancy rate during the first stage of operation is 60 to 70 percent, the company said.

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While some vaccines for the coronavirus are now entering the final phase of testing, its unlikely any will be approved until late this year or early next. But even as cases continue to rise, health experts say there is some reason for hope. Dr. Amesh Adalja is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security - focusing on infectious disease and pandemic preparedness. Soledad OBrien talks with him about combating the pandemic and some of the most promising treatments available.
How wives of this top naxal formed dubious companies to deposit demonetised currency

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 25: The National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet in connection with a PLFI terror funding case in Jharkhand.

The charges were filed against Shakuntala Kumari, wife of Dineh Gope, Hira Devi, Jaiprakash Singh, Amit Kumar and Fuleshwar Gope.

The case pertains to the seizure of Rs 25.38 lakh in demonetised currency, belonging to Dinesh Gope, the chief of the People's Liberation Front of India. The money was to be deposited in the SBI branch, Ranchi on November 10, 2016, by Gope's associates after demonetisation. The state police arrested four persons.

PLFI extortion: NIA arrests key accused in Jharkhand

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive for Coronavirus | Oneindia News

After the NIA took over the probe, six more persons were arrested. Searches were conducted at various places. Properties worth Rs 90 lakh were seized and other incriminating material recovered. Shakuntala Kumari and Hira Devi, both wives of Gope were arrested on January 30 2020.

Investigation has revealed that Shakuntala Kumari formed three dubious Companies viz. M/s Bhavya Engicon Pvt. Ltd. and M/s Shiv Aadi Shakti Minerals Pvt. Ltd., in partnership with another arrested accused Sumant Kumar, and an unregistered company M/s Palak Enterprises in her own name on the directions of absconding charge-sheeted accused Dinesh Gope.

Hira Devi had also formed a dubious company viz. M/S Shiv Shaktisamridhhi Infra Pvt. Ltd, in partnership with arrested accused Fuleshwar Gope. All these companies were formed for channelizing the extorted levy amount into legitimate means by depositing the money in the bank accounts of the said dubious companies for investment in properties and vehicles and for furthering the terrorist activities of PLFI.

PLFI extortion: NIA arrests two top operatives

Further, it was revealed during investigation that the above arrested five accused persons conspired with Dinesh Gope, and deposited/ transferred huge amounts of extorted money in the individual bank accounts of Shakuntala Kumari and Hira Devi both wives of Dinesh Gope, for purchasing properties and for their personal use.

NIA has attached their bank accounts, along with closing balance, amounting to Rs.19,93,817/- and two cars of approximate value Rs.25 lacs under section 25 of the UAPA Act as proceeds of terrorism.
Nestled between the eastern edge of the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, Slovenia has made up for its diminutive size through its dependability as a member of the European Union's mainstream.

But under a leader who returned to power in March just as Europe was engulfed by the coronavirus, the homeland of Melania Trump has taken a nationalist turn. The first former Yugoslav republic to join the bloc and the first ex-communist state to adopt the euro, Slovenia is now firmly in the awkward camp of EU skeptics that laud her husband Donald Trump's brand of polarizing politics and attack Brussels and Berlin.

Prime Minister Janez Jansa is a Marxist-turned right-wing anti-immigrant, a two-time convict and a former dissident journalist who has undergone another political reinvention after steering his country into the EU during the first of now three terms. The 61-year-old has allied with Hungary's Viktor Orban, the continent's populist-in-chief whom European officials accuse of undermining democracy. And like his counterpart in Budapest, the Slovenian premier has strengthened his hand during the covid-19 crisis.

Jansa's new direction is already being felt. As the EU sought to rally support for its financial package to tackle the fallout from the pandemic, he backed Hungary and Poland in a dispute with Brussels over their attitude toward rule of law, widening the ideological split between east and west.

At home, he's denounced weekly protests against his government as "an organized death threat" and chastised prosecutors for failing to jail demonstrators who are calling for him to step down and accuse his government of corruption.

Jansa is now trying to overhaul the public broadcaster. Vera Jourova, vice president of the European Commission for values and transparency, said on Thursday she was watching Slovenia with concern.

The result is that the pandemic may actually help strengthen his grip on power, according to Zarko Puhovski, a political science professor at the University of Zagreb in neighboring Croatia.

"One would be fooled to think of Jansa as just another populist politician, as he is far more capable than that," said Puhovski, who has known Jansa since they were both political activists before the breakup of Yugoslavia. "Even as a dissident, Jansa was never interested in human rights, and he's kept on that course. He's always liked revolutionary methods."

Once a member of the Communist Party, Jansa was thrown out in the 1980s for criticizing the way it organized the army. He was tried and convicted in 1988 for exposing communist military secrets, then later emerged as a right-wing politician after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Jansa served as defense minister during the brief war when Slovenia split from the rest of former Yugoslavia in 1991.

During his first stint as prime minister, he ushered Slovenia into the EU in 2004 and the euro three years later before losing power. His second administration ended in scandal, and he was convicted in 2013 for taking a bribe in a military procurement deal. He went briefly to jail before his two-year prison term was overturned by the Constitutional Court.

Jansa returned to power after his predecessor, Marjan Sarec, resigned with the aim of triggering an early election and winning more support. He instead poached Sarec's coalition partners and formed his own government. He has won praise for acting quickly to contain the spread of coronavirus in Slovenia, becoming the first leader in the EU to declare the epidemic over in mid-May.

A prolific Twitter user, key to gathering support for his message is a pugnacious presence on social media and via his own television show aired by a broadcaster that he partly owns. With familiar them-against-us motifs, he blames journalists and non-government organizations for undermining the country.

"Jansa's relationship with media is that of conflict and antagonism," said Marko Milosavljevic, journalism professor at the University of Ljubljana and a member of an experts group for media at the Council of Europe. "In that regard he is very similar to Trump."

After facing a rebuke from EU officials-he has described women reporters as "retired prostitutes" and journalists at the public broadcaster RTVSLO "idle liars"-his administration wrote to the Council of Europe explaining that Slovenian journalists "all have their origins in the former Communist regime."

Jansa's ruling Slovenian Democratic Party, or SDS, has now proposed a package of laws that would gut RTVSLO's budget by lumping much of it together with the state news agency STA. The result could trigger about 600 job cuts, or more than a quarter of RTVSLO's workforce, according to Igor Kadunc, the broadcaster's general director. The proposal would also grant power to government to bypass parliament and directly appoint supervisors of STA.

"I am watching with concern the works on the new law, which is covering the media and I might want another call with the relevant minister in the Slovenian government to understand better what they are planning," Jourova, the vice president of the European Commission, said. "Slovenia should not follow Hungary."

Jansa's spokeswoman said any response should come from the Ministry of Culture, where officials weren't immediately available for comment on Thursday. The minister, Vasko Simoniti, has said the changes included in the draft law are designed to transform RTVSLO into a dynamic institution committed to professionalism. In an interview with Demokracija magazine this week, he said the broadcaster was a "stronghold of communism."

Other media outlets that have shifted to ownership under Jansa allies include Planet TV, sold by state-owned Telekom Slovenije to Hungary's TV2 Media in July, and publisher Nova Obzorja, whose minority owners include the SDS.

But Jansa's main support comes from Nova24TV, which he owns with Orban's Hungarian allies and members of the SDS. It broadcasts the program "Conversation with the Prime Minister," in which Jansa talks with the host before taking questions from viewers.

"There is a massive offensive going on through mass media, universities, cultural industry, multinational institutions, some political parties," Jansa said during a video conference with Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic this month. "We need to fight for our people, for Europeans, our heritage, our nations, freedom, our way of life and our future."
A murder investigation has been launched after a man died after being hit by a van in south-east London.

Three men have been arrested following the incident, which took place just minutes after a stabbing in Belmont Road, in Chislehurst, on Friday night.

The blue van did not stop and was later found abandoned close to where the collision had occurred, near Slades Drive.

The pedestrian, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene, near a pub in Chislehurst, just after 9.30pm.

His next of kin has been informed.

Police remain at the scene in Chislehurst, Bromley / Alisa Igoe/Ashfield Lane Group

Just before 9pm, police were called to nearby Belmont Lane following reports of around 10 men fighting in the street.

Upon their arrival, officers found two men with stab wounds.

Paramedics and an Air Ambulance rushed to the scene to take the men  aged 30 and 26  to a south London hospital for treatment.

Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

They have since been arrested on suspicion of the pedestrian's murder.

A 20-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday. He remains in custody at south London police station.

Police believe the stabbings and the road death are linked / Alisa Igoe/Ashfield Lane Group

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, investigating, said: All three men sustained their injuries in a small area close to the Gordon Arms pub.

"I believe that there are people who may have witnessed the fight, and one of the victims being struck by a van, who are yet to speak with us. I would urge them to come forward.

I would also like to hear from anyone who captured any images on their mobile phones. This could play an important part in our investigation.

A crime scene remains in place.

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8721 4622 or police via 101 quoting reference Cad 8031/24July.
Sumi Sukanya dutta By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is set to undertake a crucial research project to assess the immunological response to Covid-19 amid concerns that antibodies against SARS CoV 2 may not be long-lasting. Through the exercise, scientists will also try to examine at what level of infection prevalence can herd immunity be expected in any area.

For the project, ICMR scientists will collaborate with researchers at the AIIMS-Delhi where a cohort of recovered Covid-19 patients will be studied over a period of time to assess their antibody levels and its role in coming months. Sources told this newspaper that an ICMR expert group on surveillance and epidemiology has approved the proposal and a protocol for the study is now being designed.

We need to examine whether the population, at least, in high exposure areas, is any closer to herd immunity which will depend on the type of antibodies produced, a source at the ICMR said.For example, are they neutralising antibodies? And how long will they last or how quickly might they wane?... We could do these studies on people at least in containment zones with high exposure levels, he added.

Experts explained that immune memory appears critical for both herd immunity  whether from natural infections or the vaccines.

So far, what we have understood is that while antibodies that Covid-19 pathogen triggers do not last long, it also spurs T-Cell memory response which is a good thing for both herd immunity and development of vaccines, said virologist Dr J Muliyil. A recent and first of its kind longitudinal study  in which subjects are observed over a period of time without any intervention - immune response of over 90 patients and healthcare workers who had recovered from the disease  was published from the UK.

It was seen that antibodies that can destroy the virus peaked about three weeks after the onset of symptoms and then dropped rather swiftly. The blood test of the recovered patients also revealed that while 60 per cent of people showed very potent antibody response at the height of their battle with the virus, only 17 per cent retained the same potency three months later. Also, antibody levels declined as much as 23-fold over the period and in some cases, there were no detectable antibodies at all.
New Delhi:

A new study by researchers at the University of New Mexico has suggested that a handful of walnuts every day can help young men tackle life's daily stress.

Researchers say that the nutrient-dense fruit can lead to a happier state-of-mind.

The study found a significant improvement in mood in young, healthy men who consumed walnuts every day for eight weeks.

"In the past, studies on walnuts have shown beneficial effects on many health outcomes like heart disease, diabetes and obesity," said researcher Peter Pribis, Professor at University of New Mexico in the US.

"Our study was different because we focused on cognition, and in this controlled randomised trial (CRT) we measured mood outcomes in males and females," Pribis added.

The participants of the study were 64 students between the ages of 18-25.

The participants were asked to eat three slices of banana bread every day for sixteen weeks -- eight weeks of banana bread with walnuts and eight weeks of banana bread without walnuts.

The nuts were finely ground into the dough so the two banana breads were similar in taste and appearance. While eating banana bread with walnuts the participants consumed half a cup of walnuts daily.

The mood of the students was measured at the end of each eight-week period.

"We used a validated questionnaire called Profiles of Mood States (POMS)," Pribis said.

"It is one of the most widely used and accepted mood scales in studies on cognition. The test has six mood domains: tension, depression, anger, fatigue, vigor, confusion and also provides a Total Mood Disturbance score (TMD)," Pribis explained.

(With inputs from agencies)
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A Cuyahoga County Jail officer was suspended for a week without pay for unnecessarily pepper-spraying an inmates face, even after other officers pinned the inmate to the floor, and for a second incident in which his inattention nearly allowed an inmate to escape.

Officials also removed Frederick Barthany, a seven-year veteran officer, from the jails Special Response Team as part of his discipline.

Members of the team, known as the Men in Black because of their paramilitary gear, have been accused in lawsuits and in criminal cases of abusing inmates, conspiring with inmates to smuggle drugs in the jail and other misconduct.

A November 2018 U.S. Marshals Service report singled out the team for routinely abusing and threatening inmates, including threatening inmates interviewing with the marshals team of investigators.

The county disciplined Barthany on June 10, but did not release records on the case until Friday. Body camera video recorded both incidents, but the county has not yet released those.

Barthany on Oct. 27 pepper-sprayed inmate Deonte James, who at the time was jailed on charges of drug possession and harassment by an inmate.

James injured a finger earlier in the day and nurses treated him in the jails medical unit. He became disruptive and another officer ordered James to stand up so he could handcuff him, according to records.

James pulled away from the other officer. Barthany sprang from his seat and shouted: O.C. his (expletive), according to records, making a reference to pepper-spray.

Barthany shot pepper-spray at the inmates face several times from less than six inches away. The jails policies say pepper-spray is supposed to be fired from at least three feet away in order to avoid seriously injuring someones eye.

Two officers pinned James to the ground but Barthany shot another burst of the pepper-spray into James face from about one inch away, according to disciplinary records.

The records do not say if James suffered any injuries during the incident. Barthany told investigators he was unaware of the three-foot rule and records show he last trained on the use of pepper spray in 2014.

On Jan. 28, Barthany let an inmate walk through a set of locked doors without checking her identification.

Barthany at the time worked in the master control room, which put him in charge of locking and unlocking certain key doors across the jail. Barthany told investigators he had never worked in that role before.

The inmate, Melissa Baer, walked through locked and sliding doors. Barthany never asked for her identification, as he is required to do for anyone walking through the doors.

Baer then hid by a nearby office and crept along a wall until she got to a service elevator, according to the records. She made it one of the basement floors of the jail before two corrections officers spotted her.

Barthany later told human resources he never saw Baer.

Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Deonte James. It has since been corrected.

Read more from cleveland.com:

Body camera video shows now-charged Cuyahoga County Jail officer kick docile inmates arm for no reason

Ohio Attorney General charges new inmate in drug, cellphone smuggling ring involving officers at Cuyahoga County Jail

Cuyahoga County to pay $140,000 to jail inmate attacked by officer while praying days after interview with U.S. Marshals over jail conditions
Dr Ulf Nehrbass, the general director of the Luxembourg Institute of Health, Prof Paul Wilmes, Alexander Skupin, and Dr Vic Arendt from the CHL were guests on RTL Radio on Saturday afternoon to discuss the most recent developments of the coronavirus crisis in Luxembourg.

Dr Vic Arendt, a doctor at the CHL in Luxembourg City, stated 18 out of 20 beds are taken in the hospital. 4 places are available in the intensive care unit, 2 patients are currently being treated there.

He stressed that not only elderly people are at risk of experiencing a severe course of the disease: 10 to 15% of patients have to be rehabilitated with over half of them being under 50 years of age.

During the first wave, 60 of CHL's staff members were infected while on duty. 10 have been infected as of right now.

Dr Arendt suggested to increasingly test young people who have a more active social life and frequent bars and cafes. Discussions are still ongoing about whether further bans are necessary, or if people should be forced to get tested if they are changing locations frequently.

The researchers agreed that it was more important to raise awareness and call for people to assume self-responsibility. Dr Arendt expressed scepticism and countered that you could not always rely on common sense. Belgium for instance recommends restricting contact to 15 people per week.

The general director of the Luxembourg Institute of Health, Dr Ulf Nehrbass, stated that between 30 and 40% of positive cases are being detected indirectly through large-scale testing as contact tracing is applied to the positive cases, which make up 15%.

The focus of the tests will be narrowed down in the near future. Every household in the 9 municipalities that are currently most affected will receive an invitation to get tested  about 42,000 households in total.

Researchers of the Covid-19 task force also published projections on Friday which indicated a less severe development of the second wave than what was initially feared a few days prior. However, the country could still end up with a shortage of places in intensive care units at the end of August or the beginning of September, if the number of new cases does not go down.

More young people are currently getting infected compared to the first wave. Dr Arendt stated that this could lead to only 10% of patients requiring treatment in hospitals compared to 20% during the first wave.

On the subject of a tracing app, Prof Paul Wilmes argued that while an app could be an additional tool to help trace infections, it would never replace analogue tracing.

The researchers also agreed that the large-scale testing efforts are effective. As the number of new cases increases, more and more people are willing to participate. However, Dr Nehrbass admitted that the efforts were not explained well enough at the beginning.

Another question that was discussed was whether Covid-19 tests at the airport should be made mandatory. While the guests agreed that this was mainly a political issue, they did also state that these tests were also very effective, stating that the virus also came into the country from outside in February/March.

Researcher Alexander Skupin stated that the second wave was initially only expected for after the summer period. He explained that the researchers expected figures to evolve differently. However, he also agreed that it was good that the second wave seems to be developing slower than expected.
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While Saul Alinsky can be connected directly to both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Im not aware that such a clear connection exists between the founders of the BLM movement and Alinsky, who died in 1972. But there is no doubt that they share his philosophy of cultural revolution.

In his insightful, 2009 mini-book, Barack Obamas Rules for Revolution: The Alinsky Model, David Horowitz quoted an SDS radical who wrote, The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.

As Horowitz explained, In other words the cause  whether inner city blacks or women  is never the real cause, but only an occasion to advance the real cause which is the accumulation of power to make the revolution. That was the all consuming focus of Alinsky and his radicals.

When it comes to BLM, the purported issue, namely, that Black Lives Matter, is not the ultimate issue. Instead, a larger cultural revolution is the ultimate issue. (As many have noted, the founders of BLM are both Marxists and radical feminists, with two of the three women identifying as queer activists.)

And so, the mantra that Black Lives Matter specifically means blacks who are victims of white police brutality. Black lives in the womb do not matter. Blacks getting gunned down in gang violence do not matter. Black toddlers killed in random shootings do not matter. Not even blacks killed by black police officers matter  at least not nearly as much as blacks killed by white officers.

Those white officers, in turn, represent the larger system, which, we are told, is fundamentally racist. And it is that system that needs to be overthrown.

Thus, The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.

If the issue was the issue, then BLM should have been applauding President Trumps efforts to introduce police reform.

Instead, Trump is vilified as a white supremacist and racist, and BLM wants him removed. In fact, that is one of their stated goals.

As for the police, their very existence is part of the oppressive system. They must be defunded and abolished, and attacks on them are justified.

Of course, it doesnt take a sociology professor to understand that the BLM movement is not primarily focused on the well-being of the black American community.

After all, what is the connection between police brutality and statues of Christopher Columbus?

There is no connection, other than the revolutionary logic which says: white police brutality is part of Americas racist heritage, which started with slavery. And Christopher Columbus, who discovered America, enslaved native inhabitants of the West Indies. Therefore, in the name of BLM, his statue must be destroyed (along with many other statues).

And what is the connection between police brutality and the vandalizing of synagogues and burning of church buildings?

There is no connection, other than the revolutionary logic which sees church buildings as symbols of an oppressive, discriminatory religious system that also must be overthrown.

And lets not forget the statues of a white Jesus and a white Mary. They too must be toppled.

As for the synagogues, thats easy. The Jews are always part of the oppressive system. The Jews are always evil. Everyone hates the Jews.

Terry Crewes was right to say to Don Lemon that, There are some very militant type forces in Black Lives Matter and what I was issuing was a warning that extremes can really go far and go wild.

Absolutely. We see the wild extremes on the streets of our cities every day. And plenty of the extremists are young whites, some of whom are more into revolution than into justice.

Diamond and Silk were right to tweet, If What Don Lemon say is true about BLM being only about police brutality, then why are they still protesting? We don't see police killing black lives. It's black lives killing black lives.

Ah, but black lives are not the primary issue. Instead, the issue is revolution.

Thus, over time, the concern about blacks being killed by the police will be drowned out by the larger call to overthrow America as we know it.

After all, America is depicted as the worlds hotbed of racism and oppression, the evil empire that must be brought down, especially when compared to . . . Well, especially when compared to a utopian Marxism.

BLM is playing by the book. Alinskys book.

For good reason Gregory A. wrote on Medium.com, Its time to stop supporting this anti-American organization that is working to sow division, spread lies, and destroying the country. Their playbook comes straight from Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky who dedicated his book to Lucifer. They arent looking for unity, but to destroy anyone who doesnt agree with their radical Marxist philosophy. Black Lives Matter leaders know how to cause chaos and to turn us against each other. Individuals and corporations must stop pandering to this organization that is working to tear the country apart.

Precisely so.
Royal Princes are born, not elected. And for Harry, Prince William is the only other person in the world who understands what it is like to be a British prince of the blood in an age when the role of the Royal Family is under such scrutiny  from society, the press and social media.

That is why the saddest part of the litany of complaints attributed to Prince Harry in the book Finding Freedom is the split between the brothers and their wives. Once known as the Fab Four, it was hoped they might even help safeguard the future of the British Monarchy. Yet today the Cambridges and Sussexes barely speak, a situation made all too public at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March, Harrys final engagement as a working royal.

As the authors of Finding Freedom note, there was no more than a brief, tight-lipped smile. William nodded, stony-faced. Meghan was barely acknowledged. She, it is suggested, tried to catch the eye of the Duchess of Cambridge  to no avail. Yet this icy encounter was the first time the once-close brothers had seen each other since the famous Sandringham Summit in January, which struck a deal for the Sussexes to leave behind their royal duties and move to North America

The negotiations had driven a final wedge between the Sussexes and the Cambridges, the book reveals, with William left hurt by Harry and Meghans decision to post about private family affairs on their website, Sussex Royal. The revelations offer a fresh understanding of why, that day in March, there was such simmering resentment under the barely maintained composure of William, Harry and their respective wives. Further disclosures today spell out yet more detail on how the relationship between the two couples soured.

Yet today the Cambridges and Sussexes barely speak, a situation made all too public at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March, Harrys final engagement as a working royal

There was Williams apparently dismissive reference to Meghan as this girl when discussing Harrys developing relationship. Another senior insider went further, rudely describing the American actress as Harrys showgirl while a high-ranking courtier gossiped that theres just something about her I just dont trust.

Meghan had hoped, at least, that Kate would reach out to her in those early days, according to the book, and was deeply disappointed when she did not. The Cambridges had an open invitation to visit the home in Oxfordshire where Harry and Meghan were based from May 2018 until March 2019 but they failed to make the trip.

These small slights  whether merely perceived or not  soon added up.

It might seem easy to blame the arrival of Meghan among the royals for the new atmosphere of tension and, at times, anger. And certainly, she was used to a different way of working, as Finding Freedom makes clear. She complained about having to take a back seat and didnt seem to understand compromise. Her success had built on determination and the fact that she had always refused to give in.

In my view, she also had overly romantic, unrealistic expectations about what the Royal Family and the institution of the Monarchy, with its castles and palaces, was all about. From the TV interview that marked the launch of the Fab Fours charitable foundation in February 2018, it was obvious Meghan didnt fully comprehend how someone as calm and careful as the Duchess of Cambridge operated. If she did, she had no respect for the kind of complicit acceptance that is so much part of Kates character. Add to that the fact that the Sussexes felt bitterly that everything they tried to do was superseded by William and Kates higher status as Royals  as the book claims  and it was a perfect storm.

They had to take a back seat, the authors write. Sometimes they would be told their projects had to wait when the Prince of Wales or Prince William had an initiative or tour being announced at the same time. The book points out that the relationship between Kate and Meghan struggled to get past the cool politeness of their first meeting. They were cordial on the surface yet the two women barely seemed to speak.Harry and Meghan felt that their wishes were being disregarded, that they were being patronised by courtiers and family and that, say the authors, they had been driven to plotting their escape from the Royal Family in secret. There was genuine hurt on both sides.

But the real roots of the dispute between the Sussexes and Cambridges lie much deeper in the shared past of the two brothers.

In particular, there is the difference in character between the two princes. Harry appears to think he has done his share of conforming and weight-pulling and his voice for change deserves to be heard. William, on the other hand, being the important one, as Harry frequently describes him, has accepted the restraints of his position.

It began when they were still young boys. William always showed a notable reluctance to put himself on public show. He disliked being recognised and was embarrassed by royaltys display of pomp. Harry, on the other hand, loved it and told William if he didnt want to be King, hed take on the role.

For the fundamental fact is that Harry is just not happy being second-in-command, both in terms of hierarchy or finances. He likes being in control and subconsciously resents Williams superior financial position and future power.

For the fundamental fact is that Harry is just not happy being second-in-command, both in terms of hierarchy or finances. He likes being in control and subconsciously resents Williams superior financial position and future power

Im not the important one, Harry often said. A view that was enforced when he saw his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, who only ever focused her attention on William. But instead of disappearing into anonymity, Harry became the golden ticket. People wanted to hear what he had to say and know what he wanted to do. He appeared in military fatigues in war zones during his fulfilling Army career.

By comparison, William appeared worthy and dull. William married his long-term girlfriend, Kate Middleton, while Harry had a string of blonde and leggy lovers. Suddenly their roles appeared reversed. But they were not.

It was William, not Harry, being prepped for the throne. It was when William reminded Harry of their mothers advice  not to marry in haste  that an invisible line seemed to have been crossed.

You havent known her very long. Are you sure youre doing the right thing? he asked Harry.

Furious that his brother should appear to be anything other than 100 per cent supportive of his decision to marry Meghan, Harry convinced himself the family were also against his choice.

When Archie was born, Kate made overtures of friendship but, to the Sussexes, it came too late. Meghans friends complained she felt there was no support for her.

It was William, not Harry, being prepped for the throne. It was when William reminded Harry of their mothers advice  not to marry in haste  that an invisible line seemed to have been crossed

But the rift between the couples was confirmed publicly in October, when the couple gave an interview to ITNs Tom Bradby in which Harry, when asked about his relationship with his brother, said stuff happens and that we are certainly on different paths at the moment.

Before leaving to spend six weeks in Canada at the end of last year, Harry spoke to Charles and the Queen about the need for change. As the book outlines, he felt at once used for their popularity, hounded by the press because of the publics fascination with them and then disparaged back within the institutions walls.

It didnt help, say the authors, that when the Queen gave her speech in the Green Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day last year, it was with photographs of the Cambridges and their children, Charles and Camilla, Prince Philip and a black-and-white image of her father  the line of succession that so obviously excluded Harry.

Relations worsened further in January when the family negotiated Meghan and Harrys new roles. William didnt take their plans well. He also remained upset that private family matters were being made public by the couple on their Sussex Royal website. As a Palace source told the books authors: Its not anger. Its hurt.

But being who they are has given William and Harry a lot to contend with. Their childhood was a maelstrom of conflicting emotions that included arguments, separation, divorce and death, which turned their lives into an international soap opera. The stability so vital to childrens development was denied them and that produced problems that even in adulthood they are still trying to resolve.

Perhaps Prince Philip should have the last word. He has carefully avoided becoming involved in the Harry and Meghan debacle. But if he ever had a good piece of advice to give his grandson it was when asked if he missed being able to walk unnoticed in a public place.

He replied: Its like saying, Dont you miss going to the Moon? I mean, I just havent had the opportunity of going to the Moon. You cant go through life desperately wanting to be somebody else, wanting to do something else all the time. He is right. And, from this new book, it is clear that it is something William has accepted but Harry has not.

l Ingrid Seward is editor in chief of Majesty magazine and author of the forthcoming book Prince Philip Revealed: A Man Of His Century to be published by Simon & Schuster.
The guidance does not carry the force of law, and its unclear how much influence it will have with school systems. Many large districts, including those in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York, have already said they will not return to fully in-person school when classes resume. Some school districts had planned a hybrid system, with children in school buildings some of the time, but have retreated and are planning to begin the year fully remote.
India: Woman brutally murdered by Hindu radicals for converting to Christianity

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A woman in India who had recently converted to Christianity was brutally murdered by four youths associated with a Hindu fanatic group, marking the fifth religiously motivated killing of a Christian in the country in less than two months.

UCA News reports that four youths were arrested in connection with the murder of a Christian woman, Suman Munda, 25, killed in Redhadi, a village in Khunti district, on July 19.

A local pastor who requested anonymity told International Christian Concern that Munda converted to Christianity six years ago. After learning of her conversion, radical Hindu nationalists started harassing her.

When relatives visited Mundas house they could not find her, they later discovered her body at a deserted place near her home.

I suspect that it is the handiwork of a Hindu fanatic group. Christians here have been facing a serious threat from it. The fanatic group is asking us to go back to Hinduism. We are scared and our people are shattered, Bishop Binay Kandulna of Khunti told UCA News.

Last month, Ramji Munda, 27, was murdered in the same district. Villagers believe the Christian man was killed by an anti-Pathalgadi group that safeguards tribal peoples rights.

It is a matter of serious concern because the state witnessed a Christian man killed only last month in the same district. The administration as well as leaders should take note of it and take appropriate steps, Kandulna said.

Persons of any faith are a creation of God and we have to respect all, but some vested interest groups are trying to target minorities in the state to spread hatred among various faiths who are otherwise peace-loving people.

We condemn the killing and appeal to the administration to take strict action against the culprits. It is very unfortunate that we have lost a precious life.

Munda was the fourth Christian to be murdered in India in the last two months. Previous killings included a woman, a teenager, and a pastor  all targeted for their faith.

On May 25, Bijaya Mandavi, 38, was found dead in the jungle near Baddi village in Kondagaon district of Chhattisgarh. Her body was partially decomposed and reportedly surrounded by street dogs when police discovered it.

In June, Sombura Madkami, a 14-year-old Christian boy from Kenduguda village, located in the Malkangiri district of Indias Odisha state, was brutally murdered by fanatics who've harassed Christians of Kenduguda village for years.

On July 10, a Maoist group in the Gadchiroli district of Indias Maharashtra state shot and killed Munshi Dev Tado, a 28-year-old Christian convert and father of four children, ages 6, 5, 4 and 1. The pastor and his family began to suffer persecution after leaving the Maoist Naxalite movement and converting to Christianity several years ago.

Additionally, numerous reports have emerged of Indian Christians facing various forms of harassment for their faith amid the coronavirus pandemic.

One report documented how Christians and other non-Hindus in India are being denied government-issued food rations amid the coronavirus pandemic unless they renounce their faith.

India is ranked No. 10 on Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it's most difficult to be a Christian. The watchdog notes that persecution against Christians has worsened since Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.

Persecution Relief, which tracks anti-Christian persecution and harassment in India, reported 293 cases of Christian persecution in the first half of 2020. In 2019, it recorded 527 cases compared to 447 in 2018.

Additionally, a report from the Delhi-based Evangelical Fellowship of India documented 135 cases of persecution that occurred across India in the first half of 2020.

The report notes that in recent years, the lack of police action in response to such attacks has emboldened Hindu extremists to persecute Christians without fear of any consequence.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on April 28 urged the U.S. State Department to add India as a Country of Particular Concern to its list of countries that engage in or tolerate egregious violations of religious freedom.
The WHO's European chapter pointed to rising cases on the continent over the past two weeks, saying tighter measures may be needed to curb the spread. (AFP)

Copenhagen: The World Health Organization expressed concern Friday over a coronavirus resurgence in Europe as Britain joined France, Germany and Austria in announcing tighter mask rules and greater testing.

Europe accounts for a fifth of the world's more than 15 million infections and remains the hardest-hit region in terms of deaths, with 207,118 out of more than 630,000 globally since the virus emerged in China late last year.

The WHO's European chapter pointed to rising cases on the continent over the past two weeks, saying tighter measures may be needed to curb the spread.

Europe like other regions is struggling to balance restrictions to halt COVID-19 against the need to revive economies as people there emerge from some of the world's toughest lockdowns.

A three-year-old girl died in Belgium, becoming the country's youngest known coronavirus victim, in a further wake-up call for a continent that has recently lifted shutdowns.

"The recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases in some countries following the easing of physical distancing measures is certainly cause for concern," a WHO-Europe spokeswoman told AFP.

"If the situation demands, reintroduction of stricter, targeted measures with the full engagement of communities may be needed."

In Spain, health authorities are facing worrying outbreaks in Aragon and Catalonia, where officials have reintroduced local restrictions and urged residents in Barcelona and its suburbs to leave home only for essential trips for two weeks.

We have to monitor what's going on, see where we need to take action and act early," said health ministry official Maria Jose Sierra.

"If the important outbreaks are controlled quickly and if we manage to ensure that there are no (other) outbreaks of such magnitude, we will have a much more contained situation."

On-the-spot tests

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday met his top ministers to discuss contagion measures, and his prime minister Jean Castex later announced on-the-spot tests would be required for travellers visiting from 16 high-risk countries including the United States.

France has yet to resume general travel to and from these countries so the tests will be for returning French citizens and residents.

Masks are now mandatory on public transport, in shops and enclosed spaces across France and there are fears that the summer holidays could see a spike in cases with people flocking to beaches and tourist spots.

Britain on Friday made it compulsory to wear a face-covering in shopping centres, banks, takeaway outlets, sandwich shops and supermarkets, following the lead of Scotland.

Exceptions have been made, including for children under 11 or people with respiratory problems, but others who refuse to cover their nose and mouth risk a fine of up to 100.

Germany will offer free coronavirus tests to all returning travellers in new measures agreed Friday.

And Austria made face masks mandatory again in supermarkets, food stores, post offices, bank branches and health care facilities along with public transport and pharmacies.

"It was a mistake to lift mandatory mask use so soon," said one shopper, Andreas Poschenreither.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jul. 25

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Spain amounted to $493.9 million over first five months of 2020, compared to $945.3 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee.

The share of Spain in total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover was 1.4 percent during the reporting period of 2020 which is compared to 2.5 percent during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export to Spain amounted to $433.5 million over the period from January through May 2020 compared to $892.3 million during the same period of 2019.

Spains share in total volume of Kazakhstans export amounted to 1.9 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 3.7 percent during the same period of 2019.

In turn, Kazakhstans import from Spain amounted to $60.4 million over the reporting period compared to $73.02 million during the same period of 2019.

Spains total share in Kazakhstans import was 0.5 percent during the reporting period of 2020 which is flat year-on-year compared to 0.5 percent during the same period of 2019.

The total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover amounted to $34.9 billion over the period from Jan. through May 2020 which indicates a decrease from $37.5 billion during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export amounted to $22.3 billion during the reporting period of 2020 ($23.6 billion in the same period of 2019), whereas import amounted to $12.6 billion ($13.9 billion).

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
A federal judge on Friday denied a request by Oregons attorney general to restrict tactics used by federal officers in Portland, finding the state lacked legal standing and presented scant evidence to support allegations that the officers were illegally snatching people off city streets.

U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman issued his ruling on the 58th consecutive day of protests against police violence and systemic racism following the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

Because it has not shown it is vindicating an interest that is specific to the state itself  I find the State of Oregon lacks standing here and therefore deny its request for a temporary restraining order,' Mosman ruled in the 14-page decision.

Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum had urged the judge to bar federal officers from engaging in unconstitutional police state-type tactics, alleging they have violated the rights of protesters to exercise free expression and assembly, be free from unreasonable search and seizure and receive due process.

The attorney general and her lawyers referenced two incidents last week by men in camouflage fatigues who stopped 29-year-old Michael Pettibone on a downtown street about 2 a.m. on July 15, placed him in an unmarked van and took him to the federal courthouse for questioning. Another person was shown the next day on a widely circulated social media video being led away to an unmarked dark van by men in camouflage, later identified as Border Patrol officers.

The suit was filed against the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Protective Service.

The judge determined for the purposes of a court hearing held Wednesday on the suit that Pettibones stop was likely done without probable cause, but that he had little information about the unidentified man in the video.

On Twitter last week, Mark Morgan, a senior official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, referred to a person in a video and said Border Patrol officers moved the suspect to a safer location'' for questioning to avoid a large and violent mob, suspecting he had previously assaulted a federal officer or destroyed federal property. Morgan provided no further information about the encounter.

Mosman said in his ruling that the State has presented just one example of an arrest without probable cause and one example of an unreasonable seizure. That is the sum total of the evidence before me that underpins the legal injuries the State asserts in its brief. In both instances of a federal seizure it is either admitted or clearly visible that the agents uniforms say Police.

Beyond the two examples, the state failed to show that the federal officers were involved in any widespread, unlawful practice or that others would be harmed in the future, Mosman found.

It has presented no evidence of any official orders or policies and has presented no evidence that these allegedly illegal seizures are a widespread practice, the judge wrote. Despite the broad language in the complaint, Oregon has shown  at most  that this type of seizure has happened twice.

State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said she was disappointed by the decision but remains hopeful that federal officers will alter their tactics.

I believe all Oregonians have a right to know which federal law enforcement agencies are policing our streets, and why they are detaining peaceful protesters, she said in a statement. While today the court declined to issue an immediate order putting a stop to those tactics, we are, nevertheless, hopeful these abuses will stop and no other Oregonians will be subject to them or to the chilling effect they have on the right to engage in peaceful protest.

Rosenblum was particularly disturbed by the finding that the state didnt have standing in the case.

While I respect Judge Mosman, I would ask this question: If the state of Oregon does not have standing to prevent this unconstitutional conduct by unidentified federal agents running roughshod over her citizens, who does? Individuals mistreated by these federal agents can sue for damages, but they cant get a judge to restrain this unlawful conduct more generally. Todays ruling suggests that there may be no recourse on behalf of our state, and if so that is extremely troubling.

Attorney Sheila Potter, deputy chief trial counsel in the Attorney Generals Office, had argued that secretive maneuvers by federal officers make other protesters fear theyll be grabbed off the citys streets. They create a chilling effect on free speech and assembly and could cause people masquerading as federal agents to spirit people away, she said.

But Mosman wasnt convinced, calling the states suggestion that seizures by law enforcement could lead to kidnappings by private parties a bridge too far.

The injury the state asserts is entirely conjectural. First, the state candidly admits that it does not have a shred of evidence that counter-protesters have ever, anywhere, kidnapped a protester or anyone associated with protests, he wrote. Second, the asserted interest rests on an utterly implausible inference. The States reasoning is that counter-protesters, once they learn of seizures of protesters by federal agents, will dress up like police and go out on private missions to kidnap protesters. This despite the fact that such kidnappings are Measure 11 felonies in Oregon, punishable by mandatory minimum sentences of up to 70-90 months in prison.

David M. Morrell, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney, had argued that the state didnt have standing to sue the federal government and failed to prove that the detention of Pettibone or the person captured on video was unlawful.

He urged the judge to use caution and not direct how police should do their jobs. What the state was seeking could curtail investigatory stops by officers, known as Terry stops, which are based on a different legal standard of reasonable suspicion rather than probable cause and are a lawful investigatory tool, he said.

Attorneys for the state also had asked the judge to require federal officers to verbally identify themselves and explain who they are and why theyre stopping someone.

But Mosman wrote: The injury the state asserts  a chilling of its citizens speech  is not actually redressable by the requested remedy, given that citizens could still believe they might be kidnapped even if police are required to verbally identify themselves. Apparently, the word police and other official insignia on uniforms has not quelled this fear among the public, and it is highly questionable whether the requested relief would do so either.

His denial of a temporary restraining order followed a decision a day earlier by another federal judge in Portland, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon, who granted the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon a temporary restraining order that exempts professional and certified journalists from federal officers orders to disperse during crowd control disturbances. The order lasts 14 days.

Jann Carson, interim executive director of the ACLU of Oregon, was dismayed by Mosmans decision but vowed to keep the pressure on the federal forces.

While the decision in the states lawsuit is disappointing, federal agents should not for a minute think their unconstitutional actions will go unanswered, she said in a statement. The ACLU will be in court again to hold federal agents accountable for their unconstitutional attacks on the right to protest.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

Subscribe to Facebook page

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Buses in Stapleton have been detoured by the MTA for the past month after several instances of vandalism along their regular routes, leaving riders without their usual service and sparking outrage over a response that City Councilwoman Debi Rose calls punitive.

In late June, the MTA detoured a handful of key bus lines -- the S51/81, S52, S74/84, S76/86 and S78.

Five bus routes were detoured late last month after seven incidents over the course of nine days in which an individual vandalized buses in customer service in the Broad Street/Tomkins Avenue area, including a bus operator being injured on June 25 due to a trash can being thrown at his bus, according to an MTA spokesman.

The NYPD could only confirm that two incidents had been reported.

An entire community is being denied bus service by the MTA because of these unfortunate incidences, said Dow Kevin Buford, a resident of Stapleton. This has taken place with no public notice, no public input, this is just something that the MTA decided to do.

Why should an entire community suffer because one person did something that was wrong? Because thats exactly what is happening right now and its been going on for over a month, he added.

On July 14, the detours were reduced to three routes -- the S52, S74 and S78 -- and were adjusted to align more closely with the regular routes.

The MTA says that the individual in question struck again on July 16, breaking the window of an Access-A-Ride vehicle in the area, though an NYPD spokesperson told the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com that they had no record of the incident.

First and foremost is the safety of our customers and bus operators and we will not sacrifice that in our delivery of service as we work with the NYPD and local officials to remedy this issue. Detours will be in effect until we feel confident that our operators, customers and buses will be safe on their original routes, said MTA Bus Company President and Senior Vice President of NYC Transit Department of Buses Craig Cipriano.

ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS'

Councilwoman Rose (D-North Shore) wrote to MTA CEO and Chairman Pat Foye on July 14 to demand action on the rerouting, particularly given the heat of summer.

The re-routing of five bus routes, the S51/81, S52, S74/84, S76/86 and S78, for more than three weeks is a disproportionate and punitive response, Rose wrote. It puts a tremendous burden on my constituents, forcing them to walk several blocks in excessive heat for a re-routing that was never properly publicized. I cannot imagine this happening in any other neighborhood.

In an interview with the Advance/SILive.com, Buford also voiced serious concerns about how the detours are affecting the most vulnerable members of the Stapleton community by forcing them to walk farther than necessary during whats been an incredibly warm summer.

You have people that are disabled, people that are elderly, mothers with small children, nobody can get a bus in Stapleton, Buford said. Imagine you live in Stapleton and you need to go Staten Island University Hospital to visit the clinic. The S52 is the bus that you take, but you cant get the S52 there anymore, now you have to walk.

Not to mention the impact that this is having on local businesses. Transportation is the lifeblood of businesses. Thats how our cities and our communities grow, he continued.

Buford called the MTAs decision absolutely outrageous and said this is the first time hes heard of the MTA rerouting service for an extended period of time as a result of vandalism.

You think about it, there are plenty of stories where people assault subway conductors, maybe on 34th Street, for example. They dont just stop running the trains on 34th Street because of that, the subways continue, Buford said.

If we shut down service every time someone did something wrong then we wouldnt have anything running in New York, he added. You wouldnt have train service. You wouldnt have cab service. You wouldnt have ferry service. You wouldnt have anything.

POLICE HAVE RECORD OF TWO INCIDENTS

Although the MTA has alleged seven incidents of vandalism against buses in the area, an NYPD spokesperson could only confirm two of the occurrences: One on Wednesday, June 24 and one on Thursday, June 25.

On June 24, around 5:30 a.m., an unknown person threw a glass bottle at the window of a bus, causing it to crack, before fleeing in an unknown direction, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

On June 25, a bus driver parked at the corner of Bay Street and Canal Street claimed an unknown person busted and damaged the bus windshield, but no injuries were reported, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

Both investigations remain open at this time.

Councilwoman Rose said she is engaged with the NYPD, as well as the transit agency, to work toward restoration.

I am working with the MTA, the transit union and the NYPD for a full restoration of all Stapleton bus routes, following multiple incidents of a person throwing items at buses near Tompkins Avenue and Broad Street. The safety of all drivers and riders is paramount, but I believe that several weeks of rerouting service -- and forcing passengers to walk blocks in intense heat -- is a disproportionate response. Resolution of this problem is long overdue, Rose said.

DETOUR DETAILS

The following detours remain in effect for the S52, S74 and S78 buses.

S52

S52 buses are detoured from Tompkins Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue to Beach Street and Union Place.

When traveling northbound on Tompkins Avenue, buses turn right onto Vanderbilt Avenue, left onto Bay Street, left onto Water Street, right onto Beach Street and then resume their regular route.

When traveling southbound on Beach Street, buses turn left onto Union Place, right onto Bay Street, right onto Vanderbilt Avenue, left onto Tompkins Avenue and then resume their regular route.

S74

S74 buses are detoured from Targee Street and Vanderbilt Avenue to Bay Street at Victory Boulevard.

When traveling northbound on Targee Street, buses turn right onto Vanderbilt Avenue, left onto Bay Street, left onto Water Street, right onto Wright Street and then resume their regular route.

When traveling southbound on Bay Street, buses turn right onto Victory Boulevard, left onto St Pauls Avenue into Van Duzer Street and then resume their regular route.

S78

S78 buses are detoured from Tompkins Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue to Beach Street and Union Place.

When traveling northbound on Tompkins Avenue, buses turn right onto Vanderbilt Avenue, left onto Bay Street, left onto Water Street, right onto Wright Street and then resume their regular route.

When traveling southbound on Beach Street, buses turn left onto Union Place, right onto Bay Street, right onto Vanderbilt Avenue, left onto Tompkins Avenue and then resume their regular route.
Pompeo's speech full of ideological bias, Cold War mentality: Chinese FM

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/24 17:07:42

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo maliciously attacked the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China's socialist system, and he made remarks that ignored the facts, were full of ideological bias and turned black into white, which showed his Cold War mentality, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

All of these are an assortment of China-related political lies made by US officials recently. China has expressed firm opposition and lodged solemn representations to the US side, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, said at Friday's media briefing.

Some US politicians have deliberately stirred up ideological disputes, talked about changing China, denied China-US relations, and provoked China's relationships with other countries. Their purpose is to suppress China's development and divert the public's attention from their own country, Wang said.

"These tricks cannot fool the Americans and international community. It must be emphasized that China has no intentions to change the US in terms of its social system, and the US cannot change China either," Wang said.

Wang's remarks were made after Pompeo made a speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library on Thursday, in which he said his country's engagement with China was a failure and called for Chinese people and countries in the "free world" to "change" the CPC. His speech was denounced by Chinese analysts as "cliche" and "crazy."

Wang pointed out that Pompeo's speech was in the Richard Nixon Presidential Library. Nixon himself was the "icebreaker" of China-US relations. The two countries' history is just and any attempt to reverse the course of history will not succeed, Wang said.

We urge the US government to abandon its Cold War mentality and ideological bias, stop its negative words and deeds, and create conditions that normalize bilateral relations, Wang said.

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The report stated that "ISIS Indian affiliate -- Hind Wilayah -- which was announced on May 10, 2019, has between 180 and 200 members." According to the report, there are significant numbers of ISIS operatives in Kerala and Karnataka.

The revelation was made in the 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team which was released on Thursday.

The report also states that AQIS is planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its former leader Asim Umar.

About AQIS, the reports point out that the terror outfit operates under the Taliban umbrella from Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar Provinces. It reportedly has between 150 and 200 members from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan.

"The current leader of AQIS is Osama Mahmood, who succeeded the late Asim Umar. AQIS is planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its former leader," the report stated.

Active on Social media

ISIS and al-Qaida remain active on social media, using platforms and messaging applications to share information and communicate with followers for the purposes of recruitment, planning and fundraising, the report stated.

Although the Europol operation in November 2019 to remove extremist content from Telegram appears to have had some impact on the ability of IS to disseminate its message, the group has found ways to mitigate the clampdown.

To achieve a wide dispersal of video and audio messages in April and May 2020, IS used several smaller platforms and file-sharing services, including Dropbox, Files.fm, Internet Archive, Microsoft OneDrive, Nextcloud, Ok.ru, Rocket.Chat and Vimeo.

For messaging, ISIS and al-Qaida are looking for tenable alternatives to Telegram.

In a May 2020 issue of Ibaa' magazine, ISIS affiliate Hei'at Tahrir al-Sham had actively urged its followers and other militant groups in the Syrian Arab Republic to move permanently away from Telegram, Facebook Messenger and Viber and instead use other end-to-end encryption applications such as Conversations, Riot, Signal and Wire.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)

--IANS

sk/arm


By SA Commercial Prop News





The China Construction Bank and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Ltd (IDC) have joined forces to finance the development of a new 120-room Park Inn by Radisson in Cape Towns Foreshore district.

Brought together by specialist financiers, Construct Capital, the project will see this fast growing area receive some much needed middle-income accommodation though an innovative approach to raising funds by Construct Capital.

In these tough times, funding, specifically for hotels, is not easy to come by so we rely on a creative, entrepreneurial approach to each project; one that often involves multiple and diverse partners. This method is working well for us," says Ryan Wintle of Construct Capital.

The IDC is committed to promoting tourism, both leisure and business, in the Cape, as well as creating jobs. The Cape Town hotel industry has experienced a huge increase in capacity in the last three years; the strongest growth has being in the 5-star segment while the number of rooms in the 3-star market has increased only marginally.

The IDC is conscious of the difficult trading conditions in Cape Town and takes comfort in that the 3-star Park Inn on the Foreshore is capitalising on the opportunity to develop additional rooms to address this growing demand, which is driven by cost-conscious business travellers and the domestic travel market. IDC takes a long term view in investments in the hotel industry and expects trading conditions to improve.

The hotel is expected to create 71 permanent jobs; this is in line with IDCs strategy of facilitating job creation and the transfer of skills, to be undertaken by Rezidor, the hotel operator.

The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing global hotel companies, has tapped into the demand for middle-market hotel rooms in Cape Town, redeveloping an office building in Heerengracht Street in the CBD, near the Cape Town International Convention Centre and within walking distance of the V&A Waterfront.

The hotel features a RBG Restaurant & Bar, gym, business centre, rooftop conference room for 120 people, a rooftop terrace, a bar and a swimming pool, all with spectacular mountain and harbour views.

After the successful 2010 launch of their first Park Inn by Radisson in Sandton, Johannesburg the group is up-beat. Says Andrew McLachlan, Rezidors SA-based vice-president for business development for Africa and the Indian Ocean islands: While Cape Town has a proliferation of luxury accommodation, we identified a demand for middle market, comfortable, well-positioned hotels; the Park Inn by Radisson fits perfectly into this.

The founders of Construct Capital, Clifford Kupritz and Ryan Wintle, which focuses on development finance and traditional commercial property finance, have managed development loans in excess of R3bn, bringing extensive banking and development experience. According to Kupritz, this new hotel is ideally positioned in terms of its locality and market and while funding for new hotels has been incredibly difficult to come by, they were still able to raise funds for the right projects

Betts Townsend is acting as the project, development and construction management team. They boast many major projects to their name; some of the most recent include the Southern Sun Hotel Hyde Park, Fairmont Zimbali, Oprah school for girls and the retail pod extension at Canal Walk.

The hotels position is ideal, lying close to Cape Towns financial district and the highly successful CTICC, which recently announced plans for a massive expansion, in light of growing demand for this world class facility. The expansion forms part of a R4.5bn urban regeneration project, which includes retail space, a hospital and an office tower in the area.
Vietnam has been seriously implementing its commitments related to climate change at both global and regional levels, especially within the ASEAN framework,

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said while addressing a teleconferenced high-level open debate of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on July 24.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at the teleconferenced high-level open debate on July 24 (Photo: VNA)

This event, themed Climate Change and Security, was held by Germany, which holds the UNSC presidency in July, and the Like-Minded Group. It was attended by senior representatives of 21 member states of the UN and the EU, along with speakers who included a UN Assistant Secretary-General and experts from some research institutes and non-governmental organisations.

In his speech, Deputy PM Minh pointed out adverse effects of climate change on livelihoods, lives, food security, and water sources of millions of people.

As Vietnam is one of the nations most vulnerable to climate change, especially sea level rise and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta, he affirmed effective response to climate change is vital to Vietnams sustainable development.

He held that enhancing international cooperation is key to sustainable peace and prosperity for all people around the world, stressing the UNSC needs to address the root causes of conflicts, such as poverty, injustice, militarism, and disregard for international law.

The official also suggested the UNSC should include in its conflict analysis consideration of climate change impact, which is key to developing strategies that can address all aspects of crises and conflicts in a comprehensive and sustainable manner.

The council should support efforts of the entire UN system to cope with climate change while paying special attention and providing assistance to developing, least-developed, small-island and land-locked countries suffering heavily from climate change.

Climate change is a global challenge that requires a global response in which multilateral cooperation coordinated by the UN is essential, according to Minh.

At the debate, participants shared the view that climate change is a serious threat and also a factor that can worsen challenges to international peace and security, particularly in instability and conflict-hit areas, and even lead to new disputes and conflicts.

They emphasised that the UN should seek comprehensive solutions to these challenges and improve its responsiveness to climate change-related security risks. They also affirmed the importance of multilateral mechanisms, with the UN playing the central role.

Despite recognising the link between climate change and international security, some countries said climate change should be resolved via other mechanisms on development and the environment, instead of at the UNSC which originally focuses on traditional threats to international peace and security.

Climate change is one of the priorities that Vietnam is promoting in its position as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for 2020-2021./.VNA
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

Trend:

Two of the largest and most influential Jewish organizations in the US and the world - the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Los Angeles Office of the American Jewish Committee (AJC-LA) - condemned violent assaults on Azerbaijani community members by an Armenians on July 21 in Los Angeles, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Ministry.

It is unacceptable that several Azerbaijani community members were violently assaulted at Tuesdays demonstration outside the Consulate General of Azerbaijan. Freedom of speech and assembly are sacrosanct, and violence against peaceful counter-protesters is a threat to American values and civil society," AJC-LA said.

"We urge LAPD to investigate these assaults fully and, if appropriate, file hate crime charges. We send our heartfelt prayers to the victims for their speedy recovery.

Simon Wiesenthal Center called the events 'shocking and disturbing'.

"LA is home to people with ties to all nations including Armenia and Azerbaijan. LA should be a place of reconciliation, not mob violence outside a Consulate. Freedom to protest is a basic right but never a license for violence. LAPD right to investigate a hate crime that sent Azerbaijanis to hospital.

The clashes between Azerbaijanis and Armenians in Los Angeles were triggered by gross ceasefire violations by Armenian armed forces on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the direction of Tovuz district of Azerbaijan. The fighting continued in the following several days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian armed forces.

Meanwhile a group of Armenians living in Los Angeles, California, attacked and injured a group of Azerbaijanis who gathered to peacefully protest the Armenian aggression.

The incident took place July 21 in front of Azerbaijan's Consulate in the city where Armenians verbally and physically assaulted Azerbaijanis across the street, despite tight security measures by the L.A. Police Department.
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 5 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

VHP plans Diwali-like celebrations for mega Ram temple event in Ayodhya

The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have planned Diwali-like celebrations in Ayodhya and across the state on August 5, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over bhumi pujan of Ram Mandir in the temple town. Read more

What if people die?: CM Uddhav Thackeray warns against lifting lockdown

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray strongly backed and justified his decision to not rush in to lift restrictions that are put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), adding would those demanding lifting of the lockdown take responsibility for the fatalities. Read more

I have a joke trend takes over Twitter. Whats your witty punchline?

Trust Twitter to often present you with such online trends and memes which will tickle your funny bone and make you giggle uncontrollably. The latest in the list is I have a joke trend and people are grabbing this opportunity to share all sorts of tweets. Read more

International Friendship Day 2020: History and significance

They say friends are the family you choose, and if youre lucky enough to have the ride or die kinds, youre set for life. True friendships are based on the mutual understanding that no matter what circumstances, the bond between them would remain. It is to honour this very connection that International Friendship Day is celebrated on July 30 each year. Read more

Seven mistakes? Are you kidding me?: Irfan Pathan lambasts Steve Bucknor for umpiring howlers in 2008 Sydney Test

Irfan Pathan is not pleased with Steve Bucknor despite the former ICC umpires acceptance of the errors he committed during the 2008 Sydney Test between India and Australia. Bucknor made as many as seven mistakes in the match, which created controversy for biased umpiring and cost India the Test by 122 runs. Read more

Google is reportedly collecting data from rival apps to improve its own products

Googles advantage over third-party Android developers might be extending above and beyond just building apps for an OS it owns, According to reports, Google has been collecting and studying usage data from competing apps to help develop its own apps better. Read more

IIT Kharagpur researchers develop novel technology for Covid-19 rapid test

A team of researchers from IIT Kharagpur in West Bengal has developed a portable rapid diagnostic device that can test samples to detect Covid-19 infection within an hour for Rs 400 only. Read more

Watch: 2 terrorists, including top Lashkar commander, killed in J&K encounter

Two terrorists were neutralised by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on July 25. An encounter took place in Ranbir Garh, near Srinagar, when the Indian Army was carrying out a cordon and search operation. Terrorists opened fire on the forces, leading to retaliation. Watch more

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(Natural News) As part of efforts to fight a recent spike in violent crime, President Trump has announced that he will be sending extra federal law enforcement agents to cities like Chicago and Albuquerque.

The move is part of Operation Legend, which was named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he was sleeping at his home. The operation is being carried out by the Department of Justice to keep violent crime under control throughout the nation.

According to Trump, hundreds of law enforcement agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will be sent to the selected cities to reduce crime, particularly gun violence.

One city that has seen a significant rise in violent crime recently is Chicago. So far, 414 people have been murdered in the city this year, marking a 50 percent rise over the same time period last year. On the weekend of July 17 alone, more than 60 people were shot there and 14 were killed.

In a speech at the White House, Trump said: The effort to shut down police in their own communities has led to a shocking explosion of shootings, killing, violence, murders. This rampage of violence shocks the conscience of our nation and we will not stand by and watch it happen.

The DOJ has said that more than 100 officers from the ATF, DEA and FBI will join existing local, state and federal task forces in investigating violent gangs in Chicago along with drug trafficking operations and gun crime. DHS and the U.S. Marshals Service will be sending a further 100 agents each to help with the operation.

Federal agents not welcomed by everyone

The move comes at a time when the Trump administration is being criticized for sending federal forces to Portland, Oregon, to protect the citys federal buildings and monuments. There have been more than 50 consecutive days of rioting in Portland that began in late May in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler claims that the unrest grew after federal agents were sent to the city and has made no secret of his desire for them to leave.

Protesters there have claimed that federal agents are not wearing identifying insignia. That has been disputed by acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, who insists federal officers are wearing identification and that officers are only arresting individuals who have committed crimes. Federal agents there are now being subjected to doxing by the antifa and Black Lives Matters operatives who are threatened by their presence.

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot says that agents being sent to Chicago are different from the ones involved in controversy in Portland. Although she has been critical of the events in Portland, she appeared somewhat receptive to the agents being sent to her city.

The day after the initial announcement, Trump added Detroit, Milwaukee and Cleveland to the list of cities where Operation Legend will be expanded over the coming three weeks. Although the protests in Detroit have not been as violent as those seen in other cities, there has been a jump in violent crimes there following the lifting of coronavirus restrictions, with shootings rising by seven percent.

New York City has also seen a lot of violent crime recently, but New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that Trump told him federal agents will not be sent to the city at this time. Instead, any potential deployment of agents will be discussed between the President and the Governor before a decision is made.

Trump also announced that the DOJ will be giving out more than $61 million in grants that will help local and state law enforcement agencies hire new police officers.

He said: Every American no matter their income, their race or their zip code should be able to walk their city streets, free from violence and free from fear.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FoxNews.com

Governor.NY.gov
More snow on the way in Pennsylvania; here's how much to expect
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks to an estimated 10,000 people as they gather in Brooklyns Cadman Plaza Park for a memorial service for George Floyd, in New York City on June 4. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

New York City Mayor Quotes Karl Marx in Interview

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio quoted Karl Marx during a radio interview, the second time a major Democrat has quoted a communist this month.

De Blasio in an appearance on WYNC said that his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, focused on the business community and the elites, while he has not.

I am tempted to borrow a quote from Karl Marx here, he said, adding soon after: Theres the famous quote that the state is the executive committee of the bourgeoisie. And I use it openly to say, no, I actually read that when I was a young person, I said, well, thats not the way its supposed to be. The business community matters. We need to work with the business community.

We will work with the business community, but the city government represents the people, represents working people and, you know, mayors should not be too cozy with the business community. Governors should not be too cozy with the business community, he continued.

Respect them, listen to them, sometimes they have great ideas, sometimes they offer real help. There are more and more people in the business community, to be fair, who are seeing the problems and the inequalities, and actually are starting to speak up about it more. But I want them to act.

Communism is a radical form of political theory derived from Marxs theories, which calls for continued wars among classes. In countries that have implemented it, communism has led to tens of millions of deaths.

De Blasios office didnt respond to a request for comment on criticism hes facing for his remarks.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said the fact de Blasio recited Marxs remarks from memory pointed to him being a Marxist.

De Blasio wants to turn New York City and our country into a communist society, she said in a statement on Twitter.

German social, political, and economic theorist Karl Marx. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Bill Neidhardt, a former spokesman for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a self-described socialist, is now de Blasios press secretary.

Neidhardt responded to a post about his bosss remarks by saying, Show me the lie! He later added on Twitter, I appreciate the materialistic approach.

De Blasio has a history of links with communism. He remarked positively on the communist Sandinistas of Nicaragua in 2013, and a mayoral spokesperson told an outlet in 2018 that he remains committed to the highest ideals of the Sandinistas. The mayor and his wife went to Cuba, which was ruled by communist dictator Fidel Castro, in 1994 for their honeymoon.

De Blasio last year quoted Che Guevara, the Cuban revolutionary, at a rally in Miami, something he later apologized for.

I did not know the phrase I used in Miami today was associated with Che Guevara and I did not mean to offend anyone who heard it that way. I certainly apologize for not understanding that history, the mayor wrote in a social media post at the time.

De Blasio has also widely promoted the Black Lives Matter movement, which was co-founded by three women, two of whom describe themselves as Marxists.

Earlier in July, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden quoted Mao Zedong, the former communist leader of China, during a virtual fundraiser.
Production on Season 4 of Killing Eve has been postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Deadline reports the delay is due to its tapestry of European location shoots, which last season included London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bucharest and Tuscany.

The delay will almost certainly push back its premiere date in 2021.

A spokesperson for the show said: Killing Eve shoots across multiple European locations. Due to the uncertainty of the world as a result of Covid-19, no shooting schedules for Killing Eve season four have been locked in at this point and there are various scenarios in play.

Fiona Shaw who plays Carolyn, head of the Russia Section at MI6, recently told TV Tonight, Ive enjoyed our trips abroad and I hope we can get to more of them!

We normally film in September, but your guess is as good as mine.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan joined huge crowds on Friday for the first prayers at Hagia Sophia in nine decades, sealing his ambition to restore Muslim worship at an ancient site long revered in both Christianity and Islam.People pray as they visit Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque after Friday prayers, in Istanbul, Turkey. (Image: Reuters)
Kate Compton, an expert in artificial intelligence, responds to Holli Mintzers Legal Salvage.

Ive begun collecting vintage brooches. I started after reading a theory that Queen Elizabeth was communicating secret political shade through her choice of accessories. They also reminded me of my grandmother, a woman with that refined 1950s hostess style that I learned to associate with being an adult. I can wear one to feel like the sort of formidable grand dame that I imagine myself growing into as I age. Each one has a tarotlike network of personal meanings, based on age and style and provenance, allowing me to walk into a meeting with a stylish accessory that simultaneously acts as a secret declaration of my intentions. (I have several for friendship, one for lying, and one for ruthlessness.) My collection is also pleasurably tactileI can open the treasure chest and watch my hoard glitter or stroke the gems. And at $20 per vintage brooch, they are a cheap indulgence in a stressful time.

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As humans, our possessions mean many different things to us. Their value may be practical. We need a blender to make smoothies and a bike to get to work on time. But many objects also have sentimental value and hook into the complex web of human emotions and relationships. We may have aspirational objects that tell us who we want to be (someone who goes camping more, exercises more, would wear those impractical shoes). We also keep nostalgic objects that remind us, through memory or our senses, of people or values that we want to remember. Sometimes our collections simply spark joy (in Marie Kondos words) in some unknowable way.

In Legal Salvage, we meet three collectors: Mika, Ash, and Roz. We also learn about people who abandoned power tools or neon signs or commemorative saltshakers in their storage lockers. We dont know what these objects meant to the vanished collectors. Were these treasured keepsakes to be kept safe? An unwanted inheritance? The final resting place of a failed business or broken home? We know more about Mika, Ash, and Roz because they tell us what they like. Ash likes band shirts and records; Mika likes historical replicas and small precious things; Roz enjoys bright colors. They all want quick-selling objects to stock their online shops. And Roz is an A.I.

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Well, Roz is an A.I., and also simultaneously a corporate email help-desk, Mikas friend, and a forklift, because like many of our real-world A.I.s, shes a network made up of a few physical devices (phones and robots) and an unknown number of distributed digital programs. We can imagine that Mika and Ash get their personal tastes from their past experiences, and their professional taste from sales experience. But how does Roz know what she likes?

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Its not surprising that Roz could have opinions about what could sell in her shop: Sales optimization is one of the most lucrative and ubiquitous forms of A.I. in our modern lives. Facebook has trained a neural network to identify many kinds of used goods, and at Thredup, an A.I. sorts, tags, and prices used clothing to optimize profit. These systems can look at a photo of a shirt and calculate some useful facts about its style and color, even though they cant physically sift through a pile of old clothes. (Manipulating fabric is still one of the hardest A.I. problems!) These systems are intended to be low-bias statistical processors for turning a grid of pixel data into an output, like There is a 70 percent chance that is a green polo shirt. But aside from the pixel data, they dont know what green or polo is, or even what a shirt is for.

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So what is taste and how might Roz (or any A.I.) develop a personal style without needing to be a person? A.I. practitioners have tried many approaches to making systems that want particular things, as long as were willing to measure want by what the system turns toward. This isnt a wholly strange way to define the desires of an unknowable alien mind. I might say a plant seeks sunlight because it turns its leaves upward, or that water wants to flow downhill, or that my cat has a favorite toy. Our futuristic-sounding word cybernetics came from an ancient Greek word meaning the person who steers a ship, and it means just that: A cybernetic system is one that is steered by something. A 1984 thought experiment by Valentino Braitenberg proposed tiny physical robots that are steered by two photo sensors controlling two wheels, and no brain in between. (You can even build them!) There are only four ways to hook up such a simple configuration, and each has a different personality based on its relationship with light: Love would drive toward a light source and stay there forever, Hate would charge through the light into the darkness, Fear would steer away from any light, and Curiosity would approach a light only to veer off in search of new lights. It doesnt take a mind for an A.I. to have preferences!

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In 2001, Rob Saunders project The Digital Clockwork Muse created another set of A.I.s with preferences, in the form of a virtual community of simulated artists. Each tiny artistic agent had a different way to make tiny abstract pictures. Each agent also had a way to interpret art that it saw, a self-organizing map that could define its own categories of similar-seeming art. Each time an agent saw a new piece of art created by another agent, it would add the art to its map, cementing categories that it had seen many examples of and shifting categories as it encountered something new. This meant that each agent had its own personal calculation for novelty based on its own experiences, like we do. And like human art critics, they liked art that was a little bit novel but not so unfamiliar that they couldnt fit it into their categorization at all. This principle is called the hedonic curve: We arent excited by things weve seen before, but we also dont enjoy things that are so strange that we cant relate them to our past experiences.

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We develop sentimental relationships with the objects in our lives because they become entangled with our experiences, our relationships, our memories, and our values . The objects that were important in our past often establish our expectations and preferences for future objects. But an A.I. will have a very nonhuman view of the objects it encounters, and its memory of objects will be drastically different than ours. The A.I. of Googles DeepDream project, when trained on nothing by dog pictures, hallucinated dogs onto a blank page. But it doesnt know dogs as living, barking three-dimensional animalsit knows them as statistically significant patterns of pixels, so its impressionistic rendering of dog-ness is a famously unsettling pattern of writhing noses and legs.

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In Legal Salvage, Roz has worked alongside Mika and Ash for several weeks. Like our modern A.I.s, she has been given new training data each time they hold up a plate and say midcentury Fiestaware, very collectible or look at this awful paisley tie, so she may be creating new categorizations in her program for  70s, retro, fine, collectible, and even what Mika likes. Some of her objects might have sentimental connections to her experiences with Ash and Mika. But her experiences are not human experiences, and she will look at objects very differently than the humans do, and she might have developed some very alien preferences based on her own unique way of seeing the world through remote cameras and graspers.

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Roz may have a complicated relationship with uniqueness and age, two things that often determine the value of vintage objects. In The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, essayist Walter Benjamin looks around his world in 1935, with its mass-printed books, perfectly reproduced photographs, and printed copies of art, and wonders how, when the Mona Lisa can be simultaneously in a museum and on a million postcards, art can survive without its unique existence at the place where it happens to be. He calls this the aura, the specialness of an object that cant be reproduced and is fundamentally linked with its physical form and its unique journey through time. The cheap print of the Mona Lisa lacks aura. That is, until one particular postcard from a memorable vacation becomes a part of someones life, and that card, unlike all the others, gains its own aura of uniqueness, nostalgia, and time. Reproduced objects start out with no aura but gain it as they interact with our messy emotional lives. Mika notices the absence of this when she looks at the 3D-printed trappings of her world: reprocessed and printed, again and again with no memory of the forms theyd once taken. These objects arent sentimentalthey are too ephemeral and indistinguishable to have a relationship with the humans who own them or the world that produced them. Uniqueness, though, is in the eye of the beholder: Mika can hold an object in her hand and feel its uniqueness, but Rozs perception of the world comes through photos, and to her, a photo of the object is the object, and not unique at all.

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Roz herself might be as perfectly reproducible and reconfigurable as a filament-printed chair. A.I. systems are unlike any minds we are familiar with, in that they can be endlessly and uniformly reproduced. While Roz fears being deleted, she doesnt mention that she could just as easily be copied into a million identical A.I. backups (and as corporate software, probably was). Like Benjamin faced with a Xerox machine, we dont yet have stories about how to deal with a mind in an age of mechanical reproduction. Does Roz have aura? Is she unique and collectible, or a commodity? Like the 70s-reproduction-of-Victorian-era-Roman-revival necklace that Mika finds, Roz is a machine reproduction of a human mind. But she is also part of humans lives, Ashs and Mikas and her future customers, and so becomes something unique, a collectible sentimental object that collects sentimental objects.

This story and essay, and the accompanying art, are presented by AI Policy Futures , which investigates science fiction narratives for policy insights about artificial intelligence. AI Policy Futures is a joint project of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University and the Open Technology Institute at New America, and is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Google.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
As today marks exactly 8 years since the passing of the late former president Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, it was expected that members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), friends, family members and sympathisers will gather together to mark the anniversary.



However, this was not the case for this year's anniversary of the late president as two different events have been held at the Asomdwe Park in Accra to commemorate the 8th anniversary of the death of the late president, Professor Evans Atta Mills.



Former Spokesperson at the Presidency and now Chief Executive Officer of the Atta Mills Institute, Koku Anyidoho earlier this morning held a remembrance and wreath-laying ceremony for his late boss.



Former President Jerry John Rawlings, together with some members of parliament were at the ceremony to also lay their wreaths to commemorate the late Mills.



Mr Anyidoho also used the opportunity to cut the sod for the refurbishment of the Atta Mills Institue.



Meanwhile, at the time of filling this report, the NDC and other sympathizers of the opposition party were yet to hold their memorial service for the late Evans Atta Mills.

Source: Ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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She broke down in tears on Monday night, after she narrowly missed out on winning the MasterChef finale.

But Laura Sharrad appeared focused and carefree this month, seen mingling with the locals at her pasta restaurant, Nido Bar, in Adelaide, South Australia.

The 24-year-old cut a casual figure in a black and white striped shirt and blue jeans, as she ensured the smooth running of the eatery alongside husband Max.

At her stomping ground! MasterChef runner-up Laura Sharrad (pictured) was pictured at her pasta restaurant, Nido Bar, in Adelaide, South Australia this month

Laura kept light on her feet in black slip-on shoes, and tied her brunette locks into a low ponytail.

She opted for minimal makeup, showing off a radiant and blemish-free visage.

Laura appeared in high spirits ahead of the devastating loss, as she engaged in friendly conversation with locals at a table out front.

Partners: Laura co-owns the eatery with husband Max (left), who looked ready to work with an apron on top of his casual attire

All smiles: Laura appeared in high spirits ahead of the devastating loss on Monday night's finale episode of MasterChef: Back To Win

Casual chic: The brunette cut a casual chic figure in a black and white striped shirt, blue jeans and black slip-on shoes

In profile: Laura tied her brunette locks back off her face, and opted for minimal, yet elegant makeup

Max was ready for customers to walk in, wearing his apron on top of his casual attire.

Laura was later pictured collecting used coffee cups and plates, no doubt preparing herself for the evening's bookings.

The brunette placed runner-up in Monday's MasterChef finale, with Emelia Jackson taking home the trophy and the $250,000 cash prize.

Social: Laura and Max mingled with the locals at a table at the front of the eatery

Banter: Max appeared to be showing the group something on his iPhone

Friendly: Laura and Max were also seen chatting with another male, who appeared to be a local

Quick break: They were no doubt enjoying the quiet pace ahead of that evening's dinner bookings

Laura was undone by her overly icy gelato dessert, which was accidentally left in an open freezer.

Nursing a badly burned hand sustained during the competition, Laura broke down in tears.

'I can't speak, I can't speak,' she gasped, before managing to compose herself.

Thirsty work: Laura ensured the group had plenty of water on hand

Finished second: Laura placed runner-up on Monday night's episode of MasterChef: Back To Win, with Emelia Jackson winning the title

Prizes: Emelia took home the trophy and the whopping $250,000 cash prize

Emotional: Laura understandably broke down in tears after learning she had placed runner-up

'I'm pretty gutted. I'm not gonna lie. But, I'm so proud of her. She is amazing and she deserves this so much. Like, she's come so far. To watch her grow has been amazing,' Laura said.

'To reconnect with her has been amazing. To eat her food has been amazing. She really deserves this. She really, really does.'

There was good news for Laura, however, who was gifted $30,000 to help grow her business.

Heartfelt: However, she said she was 'proud' of Emelia and 'deserves this so much'
'No titles' were used during a Megxit lunch between Prince Harry and the Queen, where the pair were able to be just 'granny and grandson' before the Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle quit the Royal Family, a new book has claimed.

Extracts of the Finding Freedom biography, which are being serialised this weekend in The Times and Sunday Times, detailed the intimate lunch between the Duke of Sussex and Her Majesty on March 1, where the royals were able to be just 'granny and grandson'.

The first release of the book last night said the meeting was initiated by Her Majesty, who invited the prince to her apartment at Windsor Castle for a final heart-to-heart ahead of his and Meghan Markle's final royal appearance in Britain.

According to the book, her appeal to meet for a poached salmon and salad lunch at Windsor Castle was to repair family ties that had been badly strained by the couple's announcement of Megxit.

'This time it would just be the two of them for Sunday lunch,' the book reads.

''No titles,' an aide said. 'Just granny and grandson'.'

'Sitting at the Queen's dining room in her Windsor Castle apartment, it was just like the old days,' the serialisation, published in the Times, adds.

The Queen told Prince Harry (pictured together) he will 'always be welcomed back' during four-hour rift-healing talks at Windsor Castle, according to a new book

The first release of the book last night said the meeting was initiated by Her Majesty, who invited the Duke of Sussex to her apartment at Windsor Castle for a final heart-to-heart ahead of his and Meghan Markle's final royal appearance in Britain

According to the book, the Queen's invitation was a means of repairing family ties that had been badly strained by the couple's announcement of Megxit

Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, has been written by royal watchers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, described as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's 'cheerleaders'

'While he had lost respect for parts of the institution, and even certain family members at points, the Queen was still one of the most important women in his life.

'As they tucked into a roast lunch, the Queen made it clear to Harry that she would always support him in whatever he decided to do.

'Though a 12-month trial period had already been promised to Harry earlier in the year, their conversation was also a reminder that should he and Meghan ever want to return to their roles, they were always welcome.'

'It's been made very clear they can come back whenever they want, when they're ready,' a source involved with the negotiations said.

A day after the final meeting, an insider told the Sun the Queen ended the chat by telling Harry he is 'much loved and will always be welcomed back.'

'The Queen had a lot to talk to Harry about and this was the ideal time for them to both say their piece,' the royal source added in March.

'Sunday was the first time the Queen has had the chance to talk to Harry on his own and really find out what his plans are. It was a much more relaxed environment and they were both able to speak their mind.'

The source added the monarch was 'very upset' about Meghan and Harry's decision to leave for North America and 'would love to see more' of her nine-month-old great-grandson Archie.

'She accepts at the moment that his mind is made up and he intends to live in North America,' the source added.

The source in March added the monarch is reportedly 'very upset' about Meghan and Harry's decision to leave royal duties and 'would love to see more' of her nine-month-old great-grandson Archie

Harry and the Queen had lunch together on at Windsor Castle (file image)

'However she also wanted to make it clear that the arrangement can only work if they do not exploit their royal status and try to 'cash in'  that's why she wouldn't let them use the word 'royal' for their foundation.'

The Queen also reportedly made it 'very clear' to Harry that he and Meghan are 'always able to come back if they change their minds' and will be welcomed with 'open arms'.

Among the books other findings, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were said to be frustrated that William and Kate got all the best official roles and felt 'cut adrift' from the Royal Family and 'viper' courtiers'.

In the first release last night, it was revealed that Harry and Meghan were upset they had to take a 'backseat' to other family members such as Prince William and Prince Charles who were given priority for their own projects.

The biography is written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who are fans of the couple and have set out to 'correct the record' and shift the spotlight on to their charitable ventures.

The Sussexes say they did not contribute to the book, but Scobie and Durand's account is based on extensive insight from friends of the couple.

Their account claims that Meghan and Harry battled against courtiers who feared they would become more popular than the Royal family itself and singles out William and Kate for criticism over their alleged freezing out of the couple.

Scobie has also hinted at racism within the Royal ranks, saying 'there are individuals who may like to take a look at how they view the world'.  and the book claims the couple were 'propelling the monarchy to new heights around the world'.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend The Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House on March 05, 2020 in London

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020

The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, cited 'serial intrusions' of privacy of the couple's 14-month old child, and came as a measure to protect him from the 'manufactured feeding frenzy'. Pictured is Meghan and Harry with Archie in 2019

In a tearful remark to a friend, the Duchess of Sussex claimed she gave up her 'entire life for this family' and then had no choice but to quit - but adds she 'couldn't imagine wanting to set foot in anything royal again' after Megxit.

It also describes how Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, attempted to go straight to the Queen, 94, to settle Megxit after flying in from Christmas in Canada .

It claims the infighting and suspicion over the couple's royal role and desire to break free from the 'straitjacket' of royal life, became so bad that Harry believed he was been blocked from seeing his grandmother, the Queen

In other explosive revelations revealed in the excerpts last night:

Harry felt 'unprotected' by his family and disparaged within palace walls for being 'too sensitive and outspoken';

He believed that some of the old guard 'simply didn't like Meghan and would stop at nothing to make her life difficult';

Senior courtiers in other households felt that the global popularity of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex 'needed to be reigned in';

The royal 'establishment' feared the popularity of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex 'might eclipse that of the Royal Family itself';

Meghan's relationship with the Duchess of Cambridge was so frosty that at their final engagement in March Kate refused to even make eye contact with her sister-in-law;

Harry felt let down by his brother, Prince William, who is said to have barely acknowledged his existence at the Westminster Abbey event for the Commonwealth;

While negotiating their split from the Royal Family the biggest argument was about money. One aide joked that Meghan should launch a range of beauty products

After being told that the Queen wouldn't be available to speak to him until January 29, Harry even considered making a detour to Sandringham from Heathrow airport with his wife to 'plead their case'.

He had touched down briefly in the UK after spending Christmas in Canada with baby son, Archie, The Times reports.

He is said to believe the problems were down to senior courtiers in other royal households  the so-called 'men in grey suits'  who were intent on 'reining in' the couple's popularity, which they feared would outshine other senior royals.

A friend of the couple apparently describes the palace 'old guard; as 'the vipers', laying bare Harry and Meghan's contempt and distrust.

The book acknowledges that the couple's decision to keep everyone in the dark over their plans to quit royal duties and move abroad created a 'lot of ill will in the household and especially in the family'.

But it says that Harry and Meghan didn't feel they had a choice.

It says Harry felt that palace officials 'simply didn't like Meghan and would stop at nothing to make her life difficult'.

Relations were also said to be fraught between the princes' wives, Meghan and Kate. The book claims that one stand-offish episode at a charity polo match was a snapshot of the pair's 'cordial but distant rapport'

Meghan and Harry have only been spotted out a handful of times since their move to LA in March, most recently leaving an appointment in Beverly Hills, as the friend explained the couple is starting to feel 'cooped up', leaving Meghan ready to get out of town for her birthday. Pictured on July 10

'He felt ... used for their popularity,' the books says.

Behind-the-scenes wrangling following the memorable Sandringham Summit is also plotted in the pages of the biography.

After Harry and Meghan dropped their bombshell statement announcing the intention to step down as senior royals, the Queen gathered the Family at her Norfolk residence to map out a way through the crisis.

In subsequent meetings that week with aides, Harry said he felt 'in front of a firing squad' as accusations of leaking were thrown from both sides.

Sources have told the Mail that the biography will lay bare the 'pressure cooker' of anger and resentment the couple felt as working royals.

It chronicles the tensions sowed between the so-called Fab Four of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan, once seen as the future of the monarchy.

The book claims the couples hardly spoke at the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey despite not having seen each other since January.

The book's authors, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, said: 'Although Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her.'

Mr Scobie told the Times: 'To purposefully snub your sister-in-law... I don't think it left a great taste in the couple's mouths.'

Relations were said to be fraught between the princes' wives from the inception of Meghan's entry into the monarchy.

The book claims that one stand-offish episode at a charity polo match was a snapshot of the pair's 'cordial but distant rapport'.

'While the doting mothers were photographed next to each other with their children, the two appeared to barely exchange a word,' the authors write.

The book adds that Harry and Meghan 'liked being in control of their narrative' in the early days of their marriage, the authors say.

Meanwhile the book claims that Prince Harry, not Meghan, was the one who wanted to distance themselves from public life, and he craved an existence 'away from the media'.

A source close to the couple said in the book: 'Fundamentally, Harry wanted out. 'Deep down, he was always struggling within that world. She's opened the door for him on that.'

A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the couple did not contribute to the book, but he did not deny the content of The Times's extracts.

The spokesman said: 'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom.

Insiders told The Telegraph that even before Prince Harry met Meghan in 2016, there were tensions between the brothers.
A former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Saturday said he resigned from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2010 due to the rampant corrupt practices in many government agencies.

He said this was as a result of the failure of the leadership of these agencies.

Mr Kwankwaso, a former presidential aspirant, resigned from the board of the NDDC in 2010.

Mr Kwankwaso also said he resigned his appointment because of official corrupt practices in the commission that he doesnt want to take part in.

The former governor told BBC Hausa that the rampant corruption in the NDDC was due to greed and desperate moves by government officials to accumulate wealth.

Mr Kwankwaso has equally been accused of graft in the past.

Daily Trust reported how a petition was written against the former governor to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged diversion of N3.8 billion local government funds in the 2015 general election.

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The petition accused Mr Kwankwaso of compelling Kanos 44 council chairmen to fund his presidential campaign with N70 million each.

Mr Kwankwaso denied the allegations.

In 2020, he and his estranged successor, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, were also accused of being complicit in a N35 billion defence contract fraud, a charge he also denied.

I hate corruption

On Saturday, Mr Kwankwaso said he hates corruption and would not be a part of it.

Many times people who sabotage the economy through stealing, nothing is done to them and they end up being with (in) the government.

All these happenings in the NDDC is because the leaders are not vigilant enough. If the leaders are responsible and vigilant over the huge amount of money being released, even through borrowing, and which is later embezzled, the government would have prevented this, the former governor added.

However, when asked why he could not expose the corrupt activities while in the NDDC, he said the corrupt practices there were unprecedented

A lot of controversies have emerged in the commission in the past one month.

Due to criticisms of the operations of the commission, the president had in 2019 ordered a forensic audit of its operations from 2001 to 2019.

The investigations so far, including another one being done by the Senate, have revealed misappropriation and outright diversion of critical funds meant to better the lot of the people in the largely impoverished region.
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and for public health and safety reasons, the Laytown Races Committee has reached the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 race meeting which was due to take place on Laytown strand on Tuesday September 1.

'Laytown Races is in a unique position as we race under temporary facilities and our racetrack on the beach is a fantastic amenity, open to the public. As the health and safety of Laytown and Bettystown residents, sponsors, racegoers, jockeys, trainers, stable staff and racecourse staff is our number one priority, the committee had too many concerns about how we could implement social distancing during racing, especially on the beach and in the village,' Joe Collins, Laytown Races Chairman, said.

'After consultation with all the key stakeholders including the Gardai, Horse Racing Ireland and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Body, the committee reached the very difficult decision to cancel our 2020 race meeting but we are already looking forward to welcoming everyone back to our 2021 race fixture.'

The Laytown Races Committee would like to re-assure all customers, who have already paid for admission tickets and corporate hospitality, that they will receive a full refund.

'The refund process will start immediately, however, please bear in mind that the sales team are working remotely due to the current Government restrictions. We appreciate everyone's patience during the refund process,' they added.
Getty Kasole, a relative newcomer to street activism, advised the moms on how to conduct themselves, including being mindful of how others might view their actions. Skipping away from trouble, she said, is less panic-inducing than running. Kasole said she has been to about 10 protests since May, and none had fallen into chaos. She wanted to keep that streak going.
You're faced with a big decision so your second brain provides what's normally referred to as 'gut instinct', but how did this sensation reach you before it was too late?

The Enteric Nervous System (ENS) is an extensive network of neurons and transmitters wrapped in and around the human gut with the prime function of managing digestion, but researchers at Flinders University are delving into the complexity of this brain like system to uncover it's secret capabilities.

In a new study published in the eNeuro journal, Professor Nick Spencer's laboratory has identified a particular type of neuron in the gut wall that communicates signals to other neurons outside the gut, near the spinal cord and up to the brain.

There is significant interest in how the gut communicates with the brain as a major unresolved issue because of growing evidence that many diseases may first start in the gut and then travel to the brain, an example of which is Parkinson's Disease. The new study has uncovered how viscerofugal neurons provide a pathway so our gut can "sense" what is going on inside the gut wall, then relay this sensory information more dynamically than was previously assumed to other organs, like the spinal cord and brain which influence our decisions, mood and general wellbeing." Professor Nick Spencer

The results reveal why the ENS might play an increasingly important part on human health, and could shed light on potential new treatments for conditions like Parkinson's disease.

This study represents a big step towards understanding ENS functions and the complexity of the gut and brain connection through the neurons that allow communication in the body.

Professor Spencer says there is increasing interest in understanding how the nervous system in the gut (ENS) communicates with the brain, to give us all those sensations we know of.

"What is particularly exciting about the gut, is that it is unlike all other internal organs (e.g. heart, liver, bladder) because the gut has its own nervous system, which can function independently of the brain or spinal cord. Understanding how the gut communicates and controls other organs in the body can lead to important breakthroughs for disease treatment and this is an important step in the right direction."
Who Is Bulgaria's 'Potbelly' And Why Do People Claim He Controls The Government?

By Ron Synovitz July 24, 2020

Delyan Peevski is a powerful businessman, media mogul, and lawmaker from Bulgaria's opposition Movement for Rights and Freedom (DPS).

A central figure in the country's business and political scene for years, Peevski is now at the center of political allegations that led Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to reshuffle his cabinet this week.

Following two weeks of anti-government protests and claims that the ruling GERB party is controlled from behind the scenes by Peevski and the DPS, Borisov on July 23 announced he was replacing his ministers of the interior, economy, finance, and tourism.

Two days earlier, Borisov's government had survived a no-confidence vote in parliament called by the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) over a series of corruption scandals involving GERB politicians.

GERB's regional coordinators announced before the vote that they had demanded Borisov replace his interior, economy, and finance ministers.

A July 15 statement from the GERB party said the dismissals were necessary to "eliminate insinuations that GERB and the three are directly controlled by the DPS and Peevski."

President Rumen Radev, who is backed by the BSP, has charged that a "mafia" controls Borisov's government and the country's notoriously politicized judiciary.

Who Is 'Potbelly'?

Borisov fully rejects the president's claims. But on July 16, the prime minister used the nickname "Shishi" to identify the key figure in the allegations of DPS control.

Borisov also suggested that the previous BSP-DPS coalition government had been under the control of "Shishi." Asked by RFE/RL to clarify those remarks, Borisov's press office said he was referring to "Mr. Peevski."

"Shishi" comes from the Bulgarian word for "potbelly" and the nickname is used on Bulgarian social media to refer to Peevski. But Borisov's remarks were the first time a Bulgarian leader uttered the nickname in a public statement.

Hristo Ivanov, leader of the rival opposition coalition Democratic Bulgaria, charges that some of Borisov's ministers and the judiciary are stooges chosen by Peevski and his party.

According to Ivanov, Peevski has used his clout from behind the scenes to pressure the GERB-led government into appointing his choices for ministry and judicial posts -- including the prosecutor-general, Ivan Geshev, and other prosecutors.

Ivanov kick-started Bulgaria's recent wave of anti-government protests on July 7 when he live-streamed his attempt to land a boat on a closed-off public beach along the Black Sea coast near the summer home of the retired DPS founder Ahmed Dogan.

Ivanov was turned back by guards that, according to Radev, were from the National Protection Service (NSO), which is responsible for protecting the president, prime minister, and other high-ranking public officials.

Radev says the NSO has no mandate to protect former politicians like Dogan. And Ivanov claims the incident highlights covert links between Borisov's government and the opposition DPS.

Street demonstrations spread after prosecutors on July 9 raided the offices of Radev's presidential aides in Sofia for what they said was an investigation into influence peddling and disclosure of state secrets.

Protesters say the raids are part of a long history of abuses by GERB officials and politicized prosecutors who target their rivals.

Radev in 2019 had tried to block the government's appointment of Geshev as prosecutor-general amid street protests claiming he would do little against high-level government corruption.

The protesters have vowed to continue demonstrating until Borisov's entire government resigns along with Geshev.

Dogan's Movement

The DPS claims to represent the interests of Bulgaria's ethnic Turks and other minorities.

It was founded in 1990 by Dogan, at the time a dissident leader of ethnic Turkish Bulgarians whose rights had been stripped away by the forced assimilation policy and mass expulsions in the 1980s under communist dictator Todor Zhivkov's regime.

Dogan has been credited by U.S. diplomats with helping Bulgaria defuse significant potential for ethnic strife in 1990 by his willingness to reach a political compromise with former Bulgarian Communist Party officials in the renamed BSP.

Rights and freedoms stripped from ethnic Turks and other Muslim minorities under those policies were restored after that deal was reached, along with basic rights for all Bulgarians.

Bulgaria has since recognized the communist-era crackdown on the country's Muslim minorities as an act of ethnic cleansing.

Over the years, Dogan led the DPS in governing coalitions with the BSP as well as with the BSP's rivals.

Even in opposition, the DPS has historically held considerable political sway as a swing-vote bloc in parliament.

With 25 lawmakers currently in the 240-seat National Assembly, the DSP continues to hold that clout as Bulgaria's third-strongest political party behind GERB and the BSP.

Dogan officially retired as DPS chairman in 2013. But he is still the party's "honorary chairman" and remains one of the country's most powerful political figures.

In 2014, Borisov described Dogan as the "best politician" in Bulgaria, citing his ties to a powerful private media group and key judicial figures. "Dogan was the first to realize that if he had a media empire and control over the judiciary, he could rule" without formally being in power, Borisov told the news website Mediapool.bg in 2014.

'Undisputed Media Mogul'

The "media empire" Borisov referred to is that of the 39-year-old Peevski, described in 2016 by Radio Bulgaria as the country's "undisputed media mogul," with control over 20 newspapers, a private TV channel, and news websites.

Peevski started his political career in 2001 at the age of 21 as the youngest member of former Bulgarian King Simeon II's government. Later, he joined the DPS and represented the party as the deputy head of the Emergency Situations Ministry in 2005 as a member of Dogan's party.

As a favored up-and-coming protege of Dogan, Peevski soon built up his business and media holdings, while holding various public offices and winning a seat as a DPS deputy in parliament.

In 2013, he was appointed by a BSP-DPS coalition government as the head of the State Agency for National Security. But he resigned from that post after just one day amid mass protests against the appointment.

By 2016, Peevski reportedly owned several construction companies and allegedly was behind shadowy offshore companies that own Bulgartabac, the country's largest manufacturer and seller of tobacco.

Bulgartabac has been accused by Turkey's Financial Crime Investigation Board and the Turkish government of being one of the biggest cigarette-smugglers in Turkey.

Ankara has also accused Bulgartabac of being closely linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says a cluster of companies controlled by Peevski account for some 80 percent of the print media in Bulgaria, as well as private television and websites.

"Corruption and collusion between media, politicians, and oligarchs is widespread in Bulgaria," the Paris-based media watchdog says. "The most notorious embodiment of this aberrant state of affairs is Delyan Peevski, who ostensibly owns two newspapers (Telegraph and Monitor) but also controls a TV channel (Kanal 3), news websites, and a large portion of print media distribution."

Meanwhile, RSF says, Borisov's government "continues to allocate EU and public funding to media outlets with a complete lack of transparency, with the effect of encouraging recipients to go easy on the government in their reporting, or to refrain from covering certain problematic stories altogether."

RSF also says that "judiciary harassment of independent media" has been increasing in Bulgaria under Borisov's government.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/who-is-bulgaria-s -potbelly-and-why-do-people-claim-he- controls-the-government-/30745743.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders protested against the high power bills at BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) Bhavan, state energy minister Nitin Raut on Friday said it was wrong on the part of the Opposition party leaders to protest.

He also reiterated that the bills were high owing to summer and the lockdown period. In a press statement on Friday, BJP Mumbai unit chief Mangal Prabhat Lodha, however, alleged that his party leaders were subjected to rude behaviour by the police and BEST staff.

The BJP leaders also burnt power bills as a mark of protest on Friday.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tanushree Venkatraman Tanushree Venkatraman is a Multimedia Correspondent covering civic issues and governance in Mumbai. ...view detail
A Luxor hospital that served as an isolation facility for coronavirus patients will no longer function as a quarantine hospital due to receiving no new virus patients, state-run MENA news agency reported.

Director of Isna Hospital Elham Mohamed said only six coronavirus patients, who have now tested negative for the virus, remain in the hospitals intensive care unit due to their critical condition.

No new cases were detected in the past week, the hospitals director said, adding that 42 patients have been discharged in the past 24 hours.

In the past weeks, Egypt has announced the closure of several of its isolation hospitals as detected cases continue to drop; most notably El-Negelah isolation hospital, the countrys first quarantine facility for coronavirus cases.

Last month, Egypt announced that El-Negelah hospital would no longer receive coronavirus patients and would return to normal operations after sterilisation and disinfection measures are undertaken, according to Taleb.

Egypt had increased the number of hospitals receiving COVID-19 patients as well as quarantine departments in fever hospitals nationwide, Mohamed Taleb, the hospital's deputy director, told Ahram Online last month.

Egypt continues to see a significant drop in detected coronavirus cases, registering less than 1,000 daily cases in the past few weeks.

The total infection tally has reached more than 91,000, with 4,518 fatalities recorded.

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By Margaret Kimberley

July 24, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Donald Trumps attacks on Venezuela, Syria and Iran are criminal, but Joe Biden vows to be even worse.

There is no congressional opposition to Trumps acts of aggression which are literally killing people around the world.

The corporate media in this country can endlessly repeat lies about Russia paying Taliban bounties, but ignore important information that is public and easily provable. A recent example is President Donald Trumps announcement of some sort of an attack against Venezuela.

While visiting the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in Florida, Trump gave an interview to Noticias Telemundo and said the following, Something will happen with Venezuela. Thats all I can tell you. Something will be happening with Venezuela.

The United States chose a puppet president to replace the elected president Nicolas Maduro, increased sanctions, attempted to send mercenaries to destabilize the country, and charged Maduro and his wife with drug trafficking. The U.S. puppet state known as the United Kingdom ruled that it will keep more than $1 billion worth of Venezuelan gold instead of turning it over to its rightful owners. The heist against Venezuela totals $24 billion in stolen and frozen assets. The wall that Trump said Mexico would pay for was actually paid for with ill gotten gains from Venezuela.

The heist against Venezuela totals $24 billion in stolen and frozen assets.

Venezuela has been under constant attack from the United States and its allies for years with the Trump administration making the most blatant regime change efforts. But the media who ordinarily pillory Trump are either silent or support these attacks. Trumps remarks should have made headlines. The president of the United States once again declared some sort of hostilities against Venezuela but his words garnered hardly any attention.

Trump has placed the United States on the precipice of war in a variety of ways. He has withdrawn the U.S. from nuclear treaties with Russia that were ratified decades ago. His war of words against China is not merely rhetorical. Uttering slurs about the Wuhan virus and always adding the word communist along with the word China are not just stunts. Inciting violence in Hong Kong was part of a larger scheme to weaken an economic and political rival.

The U.S. is waging war by other means all over the world. The war against Syria is lost. There will be no regime change there by military means, so Trump resorts to stealing oil, burning wheat crops and increasing sanctions that restrict access to food and medicine. Israel, the U.S. partner in crime, bombs Iranian defense facilities in hopes that they can finally see their war fantasy come to reality.

Waging war by other means all over the world.

But none of these incidents receive sufficient coverage. If they are commented upon at all, the news relies on the ubiquitous anonymous intelligence source, or others who will parrot the official line. One must know where to look to find decent analysis.

The new devastation wrought upon Syria is either unreported or celebrated by the corporate media. There has been no critique of the policy, no one pointing out that a war crime is being committed in the name of the American people. In fact, the Washington Postapplauded the fact that the aptly named Caesar Act has helped crash the Syrian currency. They could have added that it helped increase suffering too.

Shrieking about Russiagate, Ukrainegate, Bountygate or any other gate that will be cooked up is smoke and mirrors for the masses and propaganda for the duopoly. There is no congressional opposition to Trumps acts of aggression which are literally killing people around the world.

War crimes are being committed in the name of the American people.

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Sadly, neither these policies nor the corporate media response will be different if Joe Biden becomes president. Bidens Venezuela policy is the same as Trumps. His attacks have in fact been further to the right. When Trump expressed a willingness to talk to Maduro, he backtracked after Biden condemned any effort to talk. Trump talks tough on Venezuela, but admires thugs and dictators like Nicolas Maduro, was Bidens twitter rejoinder.

The end result of these machinations is that Russia and China are closer than ever, as both countries seek protection from U.S. imperialism. They try to keep the U.S. and its puppet state allies from interfering in their countries or destroying Syria or Iran or Venezuela and thereby making themselves impotent. Iran and China recently reached an agreement which will build Irans infrastructure and supply China with discounted oil for the next 25 years. While the media here keep Americans ignorant with ridiculous stories about Russian bounties, the targeted nations work together for their own benefit.

Only people with the interest and wherewithal to seek out independent media know how their country threatens the world. After all, Trump issued a public threat against Venezuela and it hardly registered as a blip on a screen. When the U.S. goes too far and the world faces a hot war, ignorant Americans will not know what hit them. They may babble about the latest fake scandal or cry out They hate us for our freedoms, but the rest of the world wont care and ignorance will be no defense.

Margaret Kimberleys Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well at patreon.com/margaretkimberley and she regularly posts on Twitter @freedomrideblog. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com. - " Source " -

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Five Christians have been killed in the past two months in India

In the wake of the recent murder of a young Christian woman in Jharkhand, Bishop Binay Kandulna of Khunti appeals for religious tolerance, saying that "we have to respect all."

By Vatican News

A young woman, constantly harassed for her Christian faith, has been murdered by unknown assailants in Redhadi, a village in the Khunti district of Jharkhand.

Suman Munda, a 25-year-old Christian, was discovered dead in a deserted place near her home on 19 July after a search by family relatives who had come to visit her but could not find her.

This sad development makes Suman Munda the fifth victim in a disturbing trend of murders of Christians in India in the past two months.

On 24 June, another Christian, Ramji Munda, 27, was killed on the outskirts of his village in Khunti district in Jharkhand, Eastern India.

Lamenting the situation, Bishop Binay Kandulna of Khunti said that it is a matter of serious concern because the state witnessed a Christian man killed only last month in the same district.

Local media reports indicate that the Police are questioning four suspects in connection with the murder.

Christians worried

According to a local pastor, Munda converted to Christianity about six years ago and had since then been continuously harassed by some radical Hindu nationalists for her decision. He pointed out that other Christians in that area are still faced with that challenge.

We are scared and our people are shattered, the pastor said expressing his concerns.

We have to respect all

Calling for religious tolerance, Bishop Kandulna said, Persons of faith are a creation of God and we have to respect all.

But, he pointed out, some vested interest groups are trying to target minorities in the state to spread hatred among various faiths who are otherwise peace-loving people.

We condemn the killing and appeal to the administration to take strict action against the culprits, he said, adding that it is very unfortunate that we have lost a precious life.

Other victims

Between 25 May and 10 July, four Christians  a man, a woman, a teenage boy and a pastor have been killed for their faith in the Asian country.

The killings took place in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

Persecution Relief, an ecumenical forum that supports persecuted Christians in India, recorded 527 cases of Christian persecution in 2019 compared to 447 in 2018, 440 in 2017, and 330 in 2016, with 293 cases in the first half of 2020.

Between January 2016 and June 2020, therefore, there were 2,067 crimes inspired by religious intolerance against Christians in India.
The Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre (Gender Centre) on Saturday ended a weeks training for 60 Community Based Action Teams (COMBAT) on preventing violence against women and girls through enhanced education.



The Centre is a womens rights advocacy organisation in Accra with 25 years of experience working in various parts of the country to promote the rights of women and girls.



The training formed the first part of two series, on the theme: COMBAT: A Community Structure to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls.



It had six participants each from the 10 communities in the Agona East and West districts of the Central Region, who were appointed by their community leaders based on merit.



The communities were Amponsakrom, Mensakrom, Somanya, Agona Gyasi, Agona Kokwado, Agona Kwaman, Agona Nkum, Agona Otwekrom, Nananwora and Ahomadonko.



Mrs Dorcas Coker-Appiah, the Gender Centre Executive Director, at the closing ceremony in Accra, commended the participants for availing themselves for the training and subsequent advocacy work in their respective communities.



Topics treated included gender roles and stereotypes, defining violence, root causes, myths, and types and profile of violence.



She advised them to be skilful in the presentation of the information and knowledge acquired to their people and ensure their choices of words did not offend or were misinterpreted.



You must rather influence change in attitudes and thinking on issues of human rights violations, especially those against women and children. Dont take the position of the police or experts, but be bold and clear in sharing the knowledge you have acquired during this training, she said.



Mrs Coker-Appiah, therefore, urged them to contact the Centre for further resources and information should the need arise during their outreach programmes.



She explained that the phase two of the training would take participants through information on the basic laws, constitutional provisions as well as other legal instruments on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) as well as equip them in the advocacy component of their various outreach programmes.



She said VAWG was a global human rights violation and public health issue, with significant negative health consequences.



In Ghana, recent estimates of its prevalence and incidence indicated a high occurrence with 28 per cent of women reporting at least one form of violence in the past year, and 45 per cent prevalence of a lifetime violence.



Again the passage of the Domestic Violence Act 732 in 2007 had had limited impact on the lived experience of rural populations in Ghana and that the COMBAT was a rural response strategy to protect the rights of women and girls through state-based structures, Mrs Coker-Appiah said.



Mr Justice Panford, a representative of the COMBAT from Agona Kokwado, commended the Centre for giving participants the opportunity to serve both the people and the nation.



He said the training had broadened his knowledge on issues of gender and on VAWG and expressed confidence that with that knowledge he would be able to change the perception of his community to enhance the socio-economic development of women and girls.



Mesdammes Margaret Adu and Agnes Acquah, both from Agona Otwekrom, pledged their commitment to intensifying advocacy on womens rights in their community to ensure females were accorded the desired respect and provided opportunities to develop to their potentials without any hindrance or violation.

Source: GNA









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Protect people 'fleeing war, violence', UN refugee agency urges Poland

24 July 2020 - The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Friday encouraged Poland to fall in line with its international obligations, and allow asylum seekers access.

Anne-Marie Deutschlander, the acting regional Director for Europe of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), appealed to the Polish authorities to facilitate access to asylum procedures.

"People fleeing war, violence and persecution need protection", she spelled out.

'Dichotomy' of obligations

This came one day after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that by denying access to asylum procedures, Poland violated several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.

"Refusal to grant them entry at the border, without properly assessing their claims, is in dichotomy with the country's obligations", maintained the UN Official.

The deeply Catholic country has named security concerns for restricting entry to refugees.

News media cited a non-governmental organization in reporting that since 2016, the annual number of asylum applications has fallen from a 8,000 to 14,000 annually to 4,000 a year.

Managing borders

UNHCR has consistently reiterated the legitimate right of States to manage their borders.

However, under international law, States are also obliged to protect those who seek asylum by permitting them access to territory and safe reception.

This obligation is fulfilled by accepting an application for granting the refugee status from a foreigner, passing him or her across the border and providing a safe shelter for the time of examining his case, according to the UN refugee agency.

Applying for refugee status is a fundamental human right of those who flee their country for fear of persecution.

It is guaranteed by the provisions of international law, including the Geneva Convention of 1951 to which Poland is a party.

UNHCR reminded that safe border management and providing safe haven for refugees are not mutually exclusive and that the agency remains ready to assist any Government in effectively combining the two.



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Roy Den Hollander, the misogynistic lawyer suspected of murdering a federal judge's son in New Jersey before committing suicide, has been confirmed as an official suspect in the fatal shooting of a California men's right attorney.

Last week, anti-feminist lawyer Den Hollander was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on July 20, the day after the ambush attack that killed U.S. District Judge Esther Salas' 20-year-old son and wounded her husband.

Salas, who was downstairs in the basement at the time, was not harmed in the shooting.

And on Friday, investigators officially confirmed that 72-year-old Den Hollander was a suspected of killing 52-year-old Marc Angelucci on July 11 in San Bernardino County, California.

Officials released photos showing Den Hollander at LA's Union train station on the same day Angelucci was shot dead in front of his home.

Men's right lawyer Roy Den Hollander (pictured) has been confirmed as an official suspect in the fatal shooting of fellow men's rights lawyer Marc Angelucci

Well-known men's rights activist Marc Angelucci, 52, was fatally shot on July 11 in front of his Crestline, California home

A second photo appeared to show Den Hollander departing the California train station on July 11, the same day of Angelucci's death

Den Hollander and Angelucci were involved in separate federal lawsuits seeking to force the U.S. government to require all young women to join men in registering for a possible military draft.

Den Hollanders lawsuit, filed in 2015 on behalf of a woman in New Jersey, was assigned to Salas. He withdrew as the lawyer in the case a year ago after being diagnosed with cancer.

Investigators shared a glimpse into the ongoing case with a press release and two photos that showed Den Hollander at a California train station ahead of Angelujcci's murder.

Judge Esther Salas (left) was in the basement of her home when a gunman shot her 20-year-old son Daniel (far right) and injured her husband Mark (center)

Den Hollander arrived at a train station in San Bernardino on July 7 and rented a car, the county sheriff's office said Friday in a news release.

Authorities released a photo of a man, who is wearing a blue face mask, at the train station carrying items away from a food stand.

Officials said Den Hollander later drove the rental car to Angelucci's home, where he shot and killed him.

Den Hollander then drove away and boarded a train out of California from Union Station in Los Angeles.

Authorities shared a photo of Den Hollander arriving at a California train station five days before Angelucci was murdered nine days before he allegedly attacked Judge Salas' family

A photo at the station shows a man, again masked, wheeling a suitcase. Both photos appeared to show the man wearing a near-identical outfit of a dark blazer, a button-up shirt and dark shoes.

It was not immediately clear if Den Hollander took a train across the country, and if the same gun was used in the shootings and the suicide.

Angelucci was the founder and former president of the NCFM chapter in Los Angeles.

The group, founded in 1977, describes itself as a 'gender inclusive, nonpartisan, ethnically diverse organization  committed to ending harmful discrimination and stereotypes against boys, men, their families and the women who love them.'

He was a board member at the time of his death.

The organization released a statement on their website upon his death saying: 'Mark was extremely well-spoken and a skilled publicist for mens issues.'

'While wildly successful on the legal front, he was a fabulously down-to-earth, loving man when not demolishing opponents in courtrooms to promote justice.

'Rest In peace, our dear fallen soldier. No finer man ever walked the planet.'

The National Coalition for Men shared this image of Angelucci saying: 'While wildly successful on the legal front, he was a fabulously down-to-earth, loving man when not demolishing opponents in courtrooms to promote justice...Rest In peace, our dear fallen soldier. No finer man ever walked the planet'

Angelucci joined NCFM as a law student in 1997 afer seeing a friend physically abused for years by his wife and denied domestic violence services because he is male, according to the groups website.

He went on to sue battered womans shelters to force them to accept men too.

In 2001 he formed the Los Angeles chapter of NCFM and served as its president until 2008.

When he died, Den Hollander had items related to both Salas and New York State Chief Judge Janet M. DiFiore.

He also had a typed document that contained information about a dozen or so other women, some of them judges, two sources with first-hand knowledge of the material told The Associated Press.

Three judges known to be on the list declined to comment or did not return messages from the AP seeking comment.

In both the California and New Jersey attacks, the suspect appeared to pose as a FedEx delivery driver, a law enforcement official previously told the AP.

The official could not discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Den Hollander described himself as an 'anti-feminist' attorney who filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of 'ladies night' promotions at bars and nightclubs, sued Columbia University for providing womens studies classes, and sued news organizations over what he said was biased coverage.

Den Hollander (pictured) was a self-proclaimed men's rights activist who challenged Columbia University for offering women's studies classes

He also had a trove of sexist, racist and offensive writings that he published over the years.

His hatred manifested itself in an offensive self-published book and online postings that called Salas 'hot' but 'lazy.'

Den Hollander, an apparent Trump supporter, also criticized Salas for being being to appointed to the U.S. DIstrict Court for New Jersey by former President Barack Obama.

In his rambling, 1,700-page book titled Stupid Frigging Fool, Hollander referred to Salas as 'this hot Latina Judge in the U.S. District Court for New Jersey whom Obama had appointed.'

He wrote: 'At first, I wanted to ask the Judge out, but thought she might hold me in contempt.'

Elsewhere in the book, he called her a 'lazy and incompetent Latina judge appointed by Obama.'

The book's dedication reads: 'To mother. May she burn in hell'.

In one of his online ramblings, he complained that Salas was taking too long to rule on his case.

Federal judge Esther Salas (pictured) previously resided over one of Den Hollander's cases, but he withdrew as the lawyer when he was diagnosed with cancer

'Just unbelievable, by now we should have been knocking on the U.S. Supreme Courts door, but lady unluck stuck us with an Obama appointee.

'Female judges didnt bother me as long as they were middle age or older black ladies.

'They seemed to have an understanding of how life worked and were not about to be conned by any foot dragging lawyer.

'Latinas, however, were usually a problemdriven by an inferiority complex,' he fumed.

And he had written online about posing as a FedEx delivery person to speak with a young girl, which mirrors the alleged tactic he used at the door to the judge's home.

Hollander had recently been diagnosed with cancer and was suing a hospital which treated him, claiming malpractice. He also declared bankruptcy several years ago.

He came into contact with Judge Salas in 2015 when he was hired to represent a 17-year-old girl who sued Selective Service System, claiming the military's male-only rule when enforcing a draft was discriminatory.

There has not been a military draft for more than 40 years, and women are able to enlist in the military voluntarily if they are qualified.

Daniel Anderl, 20 (left), is pictured. He graduated from St. Joseph High School of Metuchen and was preparing for junior year of college in the fall

The judge and her family were the targets of an assassination attempt on Sunday evening at their home in North Brunswick Township, New Jersey. The house is pictured on Monday morning

Last week, Hollander allegedly shot dead 20-year-old Daniel Anderl (center) and critically injured Mark Anderl (right)

Judge Salas allowed Hollander's case to proceed, which was a win for him.

In 2019, Hollander was however removed from the case when his client replaced him for unknown reasons.

It remains unclear why Hollander wanted to target Salas and her family. She was presiding over a case that he was once involved in but that he was removed from when his client changed her lawyer.

On July 20, Hollander is believed to have arrived at Judge Salas' home at around 5pm.

He knocked on the door and Daniel answered. Hollander is thought to have opened fire immediately, shooting him in the heart.

The young man's father then went to the front door and was shot multiple times before Hollander fled.

Judge Salas, who had been downstairs, ran up the staircase when she heard the commotion, according to her brother.

Den Hollander later committed suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and authorities discovered his body inside a car in Catskills.

Anti-feminist 'killer attorney' who murdered son of a federal judge dressed as a FedEx deliver called his model ex-wife 'ugly' and forced her to 'strip for his friends'

The anti-feminist lawyer suspected of murdering a New Jersey judge's son had a pattern of concerning behavior that included calling his ex-wife 'ugly' and forcing her to strip for his friends.

Since his death, it's been revealed that Roy Den Hollander had made racist remarks about Salas in a rambling self-published book, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, shared several rants online that threatened 'Feminazis' to 'be careful' and was potentially linked to a second murder in California.

But on Thursday, new details revealed in court documents obtained by The Sun showed a pattern of disturbing behavior from Den Hollander.

Alina Shipilina, a model, married Den Hollander in her native country of Russia before the couple moved to New York in 2002.

Court documents reportedly revealed an abusive and misogynistic relationship Den Hollander had with his former wife, Alina Shipilina

The months spent together in New York would be some of the couple's last before they divorced later that same year.

'When we moved... he started to ask me about my past relationships and it happened everyday ... he started to humiliate me and call me names like a monster and... ugly,' Shipilina told court officials during a 2008 immigration review.

The reported abuse from Den Hollander was so bad that Shipilina filed a battered souse petition against him in 2002, but it was later dismissed in 2004.

Shipilina added in court documents that Den Hollander forced her to work in a New York strip club as a topless waitress for nearly two years.

'Every day he used to walk me, he used to meet me at 4am at home, and if I happen (sic) to be late home a few minutes, he started to abuse me that I already commenced to sleep with somebody, and this was like this every week,' said Shipilina.

According to her, Den Holland further tried to humiliate her by bringing his friends into her workplace and requested lap dances in front of them.

'He used to come in and buy dances with his friends in front of my eyes, and he forced me to dance - lap dance, topless - for him in front of him. He used to pay my name, you cannot refuse,' said Shipilina.

'When he was next to me, and it was very hard for me because it hurt me because I love my husband and I just wanted to only do this for my husband.'

Den Hollander (left) claimed in a federal case filed against Shipilina (right) that she tried to take advantage of the Violence Against Women Act to remain in the United States

Alina Shipilina (left) and Den Hollander (right) were married in Russia before moving to New York in 2002

Den Hollander reportedly never stopped 'doing everything to try and damage her.'

He made a bid to get Shipilina deported from the United States as recent as last year - despite their marriage ending around 20 years ago.

And on Valentines Day 2008, court documents obtained by The Sun showed the Den Hollander tried to contest his ex-wife's claims with a federal case and argued they were made up by Shipilina to remain in the United States under the Violence Against Women Act.

The Violence Against Women Act, signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1994, was a feminist ploy to manipulate men, according to Den Hollander.

'As the law created by feminist lobbying now stands, alien females prone to criminal pursuits can become permanent residents and eventually U.S. citizens by simply saying their American husbands abused them, and it will not matter that these females are lying, committed crimes of moral turpitude  or used fraud and perjury to gain entry into the U.S. and to stay here,' wrote Den Hollander.

'In practice and intent, the Violence Against Women Act  create a process by which the Constitutional rights of American men who take or consider taking foreign wives are violated in order to rectify the feminists inability to make American men love them.'

Nicholas Mundy: '[Den Hollander] really had a terrible hatred for all women  particularly women in power like judges  and he was hellbent on trying to exact revenge on anybody that he thought crossed him. Pictured: Den Hollander and Shipilina

Shipilina (left), an immigrant from Russia, said in court documents that Den Hollander forced her to work as a topless waitress at a New York state strip club

Since Den Hollander's death, a number of people familiar with the anti-feminist lawyer said they warned authorities that he could be public hazard.

Attorney Paul Steinberg told New York Post that he warned the New York state court system more than a decade ago that Den Hollander should go through a metal detector before entering the courthouse

'My concern was he was going to bring in a gun and shoot a female judge,' said Steinberg.

Shipilina's attorney, Nicholas Mundy, said Den Hollander was 'dangerous and creepy' towards the women in his life.

'He really had a terrible hatred for all women  particularly women in power like judges  and he was hellbent on trying to exact revenge on anybody that he thought crossed him,' said Mundy.
In a bid to combat the coronavirus disease outbreak, Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday asked officials to take the total number of RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests to one lakh per day by July 27 (Monday) across the state.

Reviewing the Unlock-2 phase during a high level meeting at his official residence, Yogi Adityanath said 10 lakh testing kits should be procured for every 10-day period.

Adityanath also said that while conducting the spot review, chief secretary and additional chief secretary, health, should focus on contact tracing, door-to-door survey, rapid antigen tests and ambulance services.

The death toll due to the coronavirus disease outbreak in Uttar Pradesh has mounted to 1,387, while the states caseload has reached 63,742. The state on Saturday reported 39 more deaths due to Covid-19 and 2,971 fresh cases, the highest single-day spike in the state. As of July 23, 17.05 lakh samples were tested in the state. At over 20.42 crores, Uttar Pradesh remains the most populous state in India but also the state which is not testing enough people, as the statistics show.

The (spot) review should be held at a health centre or a medical college, he said, adding that the doctors should take rounds in hospitals and medical colleges.

The officials should also focus on the number of beds in Level-1, L-2 and L-3 Covid hospitals, availability of oxygen in L-1 hospitals, oxygen and ventilators in L-2 hospitals and specialist doctors for co-morbidity patients in L-3 hospitals. They should also keep track of the home quarantine and paid isolation facilities, he said. The chief minister has asked the officials to send a proposal to the Centre to buy advance life support ambulances.

In the meeting, the Adityanath also asked the chief secretary and additional chief secretary of health for a spot review of health services in Kanpur Nagar and Jhansi divisions on Saturday and in Prayagraj and Mirzapur divisions on Sunday.

A report of the review meetings should be made available to him, the chief minister said, adding an action plan based on points given for the review meetings should be prepared. The divisional commissioners should implement the action plan. The nodal officers should camp in the districts allotted to them for five days to effectively implement the arrangements there, the chief minister said to the officials.

Calling for effective cleanliness and sanitisation during the weekend special campaign, he said the urban development, rural development and panchayati raj departments should intensify the drive.

Sanitisation, spraying of anti-larva chemicals and fogging should be done both in rural and urban areas, he said, adding that water-logging should be removed.

The campaign to check spread of Covid-19 and other contagious diseases should be conducted with team spirit, he said.

Work should be allocated separately for chief medical officers and deputy chief medical officers and monitored on a day- to-day basis, the chief minister said.

Patients should not be kept in holding areas and their medical treatment should start immediately, he added.

Of the 39 new deaths, five each were reported in Kanpur and Varanasi, followed by four in Gorakhpur, two each in Prayagraj, Bareilly, Firozabad and Sultanpur.One death each was reported from Lucknow, Jhansi, Moradabad, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Sambhal, Hardoi, Sant Kabir Nagar, Rampur, Etawah, Kannauj, Mau, Pilibhit, Rae Bareli, Bhadohi, Bahraich and Balrampur.
New Delhi: Amid the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak, a complete lockdown for months kept moviemakers away from sets. Now, with a few relaxations in place, TV and film shoots have begun, following social distancing guidelines. Yoodlee Films has emerged as the first production studio off the blocks to start shooting for two full-fledged feature films.

Comedy Couple  starring Saqib Salim and Shweta Basu Prasad, is directed by Nachiket Samant and a Marathi horror comedy titled Zombivali  directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, starring Amey Wagh, Lalit Prabhakar and Vaidehi Parshurami, which will be starting shoot next week in Latur.

All the precautionary measures against the pandemic are taken care of by the team.

Siddharth Anand Kumar, Vice-President, Films and Events, Saregama, people from the production house have been in touch with health-care experts to monitor every shooting schedule. In fact, they have designated a COVID Officer on the set, who is in charge of ensuring the strictest measures of hygiene and sanitization is followed.

We have employed specialised personnel on the sets who are responsible that all health and safety measures are followed to the T, by everyone. Though we have masks, face shields, and sanitisation tunnels in place, these COVID officers will reinforce our safety efforts. COVID is a reality we are all grappling with, but to mouth, the cliche  the show must go on, albeit with a twist here and there ! said Kumar.

He added that at no point can the team at Yoodlee Films relax even after all the measures are in place. We are always on the lookout for even the slightest of symptoms and we will tackle them on a war footing but with a calm, rational approach."

It's a great feeling to get back on sets! Shooting in this time is a different experience altogether, - a curiously strange one given the situation we find ourselves in. But Yoodlee Films are taking all precautions, and safety for all to the highest standard is being ensured. The actors and crew are a great sport too, making it a unique and fun experience!" said director Nachiket Samant.

For the film 'Comedy Couple', online auditions were conducted and finalised virtually.

Yoodlee Films has produced movies like 'Hamid' which bagged two National Awards, Axone and Chaman Bahar which earned audience love in abundance.

So are you looking forward to 'Comedy Couple' and 'Zombivali'?
Mavin Records CEO Don Jazzy Friday night led a revolt against the new regime of fees announced by NIPOST for couriers. In a trendin...

Pls @NipostNgn , our attention has been drawn to an increase of licence fee, which was not part of the regulation I earlier APPROVED for you. Your Chair and PMG were YESTERDAY contacted to put the implementation on hold and send a report to our ministry by Monday. Best wishes! July 25, 2020

In a trending post on Twitter, Don Jazzy drew the attention of the supervising minister, Dr Isa Pantami to the outrageous fees.Under the new regime, courier or delivery firms operating as Special SME will pay N250,000 to obtain a licence and N100,000 to renew it.Firms operating at municipal level, will pay N1,000,000 registration fee and N400,000 renewal fee.Firms operating at state level, will pay N2million and regional level, N5million.National couriers will pay N10m and international N20million.This wasnt well thought out, I must say, Don Jazzy stated in a tweet that went viral and triggered the hashtag #SayNoToNipostFee.It would only aggravate the struggles of many young Nigerians. How do we encourage them to be involved in economic building if we initiate policies that would hamper their businesses. The FG and @NipostNgn need to reconsider, he wrote.On Saturday, Don Jazzy doubled down with his campaign, this time tagging the minister, Isa Pantami.Good morning @DrIsaPantami, we hope you can hear the cry of young Nigerians. As the Minister supervising @NipostNgn we hope you can do something about this sir. #SayNoToNipostFee.The campaign got some fillip from Dr Joe Abah, who also fired a tweet at Pantami:Good morning, Honourable Minister @DrIsaPantami. Have you considered the effect of the@NipostNgn Courier Licence requirements on the digital economy, small business and self employment? It appears to go against your vision. I would like to understand the logic please. Thanks.At a time when govts all around the world (including Nigerian state govts) are reducing taxes, granting tax holidays and helping out small businesses, the Federal Govt wants to enforce Stamp Duty and NIPOST Courier Licence fees? I dont get it, Abah said in another tweet.The complaints got to the minister, who responded that he did not approve the new fees and that he had ordered NIPOST to stop it since Friday.The response appears not to have cooled tempers as the hashtag #saynotoNIPOSTfees zoomed to the first place in Nigeria Twitter.Commenters wondered why the Nigerian government wants to asphyxiate its citizens with all manners of taxes.Gimba Kakanda summarised the sentiment: The same country that grants big businesses tax waivers, is here to kill courier and logistics firms, which are mostly new and owned by youths.For a country with unbelievably high unemployment rate, this is both insensitive and unwise. Nigerians deserve better.
New Delhi, July 25 : Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has reportedly exposed hundreds of customer email addresses while sending out a mass mailer for a research study to a select number of users.

Instead of putting email IDs of customers in the "BCC" field, the company ended up copy-pasting hundreds of email addresses in the "To" field.

This resulted in all recipients of the research email receiving hundreds of customer email addresses, Android Police reported on Friday.

The exact number of users affected in this goof-up is currently unknown but one among the listed told Android Police that the number is in "hundreds".

OnePlus was yet to comment on the development.

In November last year, the company revealed a major data breach in which customer's information such as name, contact number, email, and shipping address was exposed.

OnePlus said hackers gained access to past customer orders. Exposed information included details like customer names, contact numbers, emails, and shipping addresses, but not passwords or financial details.

Before that, OnePlus reported its first security breach in which credit card information of nearly 40,000 customers was exposed through the company's official website.

OnePlus manufactures premium devices like 8 and 8 Pro and has entered into the mid-price segment with the 'Nord' brand in India and Europe.
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Soccer fans wearing protective masks while they enter for a soccer match between Viettel and Duoc Nam Dinh of the Vleague after the Government eased nationwide lockdown following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Nam Dinh

Laos and Vietnam confirmed new cases of the coronavirus Friday, the first in more than three months in two countries praised for success in keeping the pandemic at bay, health officials in the Southeast Asian nations said.

Laos was lauded by the World Health Organization last month for exemplary handling of the COVID-19 epidemic, during which the government did all the right things to stop it spreading.

Vietnam has been among the most successful countries in tackling COVID-19, reporting no deaths among its 95 million people, a record that was attributed to effective contact tracing, strict quarantines, and early testing.

The strategy was swiftly deployed with the help of the military, public security services, and grass-root organizations, said the International Monetary Fund in an analysis.

Effective and transparent communications won the populations buy-in, and contains broader lessons for developing countries, the IMF said June 29.

Foreign nationals figured in two of the three cases reported in Laos and Vietnam.

In Laos, a 32-year-old South Korean national who is an expert working on the Nam Ngiep 1 dam project in Bolikhamxay province, tested positive Thursday evening.

The Korean man had flown from Japan to Laos Vientiane International Airport via South Korea and was in his fifth day of quarantine at the Mekong Riverside hotel in Vientiane.

He was part of a team with four other South Korean experts, who were also under mandatory 14-day quarantine in the same hotel.

Phouthone Muangpak, Laos deputy health minister, told a news conference Friday that the man had tested negative prior to entering the country.

This case was checked in Japan already. He flew from Osaka to Tokyo, then to South Korea to change flights, said the deputy minister.

He tested negative and had a health certification paper. In Vientiane, we checked him again to make sure. It must have been that the virus had not yet matured enough to show up in his snot and saliva. That is why it wasnt detected, he said.

From the beginning of his quarantine on Sunday, the Korean expert had remained in his hotel room and was brought food and water by hotel staff. He also had his temperature taken every morning and evening, as required by the quarantine protocol.

After he tested positive, the other 109 passengers who entered the country on the same flight were sent to several different quarantine areas.

An official from the Lao health department told RFA Friday that he was admitted to the Vientiane Friendship Hospital on Thursday.

The South Korean citizen is receiving treatment in an isolated room with no contact from anyone on the outside, just like at the hotel, said the official.

Though it is the countrys first documented case in over three months, citizens told RFAs Lao Service that they were only slightly worried about a potential second wave of COVID-19 because they trust the governments preventative measures.

He was in quarantine and was being watched closely so that he wouldnt go all over the place, so its not a problem. Were staying mainly at home and everyone is still wearing masks, a Vientiane resident told RFA.

Another Vientiane resident told RFA, I saw the announcement, but I think it wont be a problem. We live far from the new case that came from South Korea.

According to figures from Laos health ministry, through July 24, a total of 24,749 people have been tested for the virus, but including the South Korean technician, only 20 have tested positive. The other 19 have already been cured.

Two test positive in Vietnam

Vietnam also confirmed two COVID-19 cases Thursday, breaking a streak of no new cases in 99 days.

A Myanmar sailor who arrived from Japan on June 23 on the Vietnamese bulk carrier Ipanema went into quarantine July 6 at the Van Long hotel in Quang Ninh province, only to test positive on Thursday.

The patient is undergoing treatment at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.

The health ministry reported another case, a 58-year-old man in the city of Danang, but have yet to identify the source of transmission. The man has not been out of the city, but he had contact with his neighbors and attended a wedding recently.

The man entered the Danang hospital July 20 after developing a cough and breathing difficulties. Doctors initially diagnosed him with pneumonia, but collected samples for a coronavirus test.

These were sent to the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi, and the results were confirmed in Nha Trang Friday.

The man had been in contact with more than 100 people over the past few days. Many of these, including his family tested negative.

Vietnam has reported 413 cases through Friday, 273 of which are in people arriving from foreign countries.

Reported by RFAs Lao and Vietnamese Services. Translated by Manichanh Phimphachanh and Huy Le. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
U.S. Says Russia Tested Anti-Satellite Weapon In Space

By RFE/RL July 24, 2020

The United States has accused Russia of conducting the test of an anti-satellite weapon in space that Washington fears could be used to threaten critical U.S. and allied satellites.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that a small space vehicle on July 15 inspected one of its satellites up close "using special equipment." However, the United States said on July 23 that the craft actually had a different mission.

"The Russian satellite system used to conduct this on-orbit weapons test is the same satellite system that we raised concerns about earlier this year, when Russia maneuvered near a U.S. government satellite," said General John W. Raymond, commander of Space Command and the head of the U.S. Space Force.

He said it was consistent with Russia's stated military doctrine to deploy weapons that could potentially neutralize U.S. and allied space assets.

The United States has accused Russia and China of trying to weaponize space.

President Donald Trump in December formerly created the Space Force to focus U.S. efforts on defending itself from space-based weapons.

Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day, but it is unclear if they discussed the July 15 event.

Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth, the head of the British government's space directorate, supported the U.S. conclusion.

He wrote on Twitter that the Russians had launched a projectile "with the characteristics of a weapon."

Space Command said that on July 15 a Russian satellite, designated Cosmos 2543, "operated in abnormally close proximity to a U.S. government satellite" before moving on to another Russian satellite, where it released an object at high speed.

Space Command said the test "is inconsistent" with the space mission described by Russia.

The actions of Cosmos 2543 were similar to those of another Russian satellite launched in 2017 that raised concerns in Washington about Moscow's behavior in space.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-says-russia-tested-anti- satellite-weapon-in-space/30744607.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Air passengers from commercial hotspots like New York, Singapore and Dubai could be made exempt from quarantine in bid to boost economy.

It is hoped plans for a new Covid-19 testing system, which would mean passengers from 'red' countries with high coronavirus numbers would not have to isolate for two weeks upon arrival if they tested negative for the virus, will encourage business travel.

Under the new scheme, which has been put to the government for approval, the UK's business traffic could reopen, including to key countries such as the US, which is currently classified as a 'red' country' due to its escalating coronavirus figures.

The new testing system, which the government is being urged to approve, would see all passengers tested upon arrival and is hoped to encourage a more business travel

Currently those wishing to go on holiday in the UK are facing a two-week quarantine when they return from restricted countries and testing is unlikely to be introduced until the end of next month.

There are also increasing concerns that popular holiday destination Spain, which has seen a rise in coronavirus cases since the easing of its national lockdown, could be soon added to the red list.

Aviation services companies Swissport and Collinson proposed to introduce a test-on-arrival scheme, with nurses swabbing all passengers as they arrive.

The scheme will be piloted at Heathrow and the organisations hope to roll it out to other airports.

Passengers will swabbed when they arrive at the airport and will receive their results within seven hours

The test swab will then be taken for testing to a biotech lab near the airport, using the same transportation protocols the NHS uses for at-home swab tests.

Passengers will receive their results within seven hours.

It is hoped the procedure, if approved by the government, can restore public confidence in aviation and travel and in turn be a boost to the wider economy.

Managing director for medical and security assistance at Collinson Scott Sunderman said 'tens of thousands' of people could be tested every day, reports The Times.

Other countries, such as Dubai, Russia and Hong Kong, have already begun testing airport arrivals.

In Jersey, passengers are given the option of taking a test meaning those who get a negative result do not have to isolate in the country for two weeks.

Airline bosses wrote to the UK, US and EU governments urging them to agree a joint-testing programme

Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade said the lack of flights between the UK and the US has resulted in trade coming to a standstill and warned more jobs could be lost if the testing policy is not altered.

In a bid to kick start the aviation industry, the Department for Transport has created a 'restart, recovery and engagement' group made up of representatives from across the sectors, including airports, airlines and unions.

A testing sub-committee has also been set up, tasked with analysing the industry's bid for in-airport testing.

This week the bosses of British Airways, United, Lufthansa and American Airlines wrote to the UK, US and EU governments urging them to agree a joint-testing programme to help reopen transatlantic travel.

The airlines finished the letter by saying: 'Nobody will benefit from a prolonged closure of this most indispensable corridor for global aviation.'
Ben Affleck has been getting serious with girlfriend Ana de Armas, as they quarantine together at home.

And the two-time Academy Award winner recently expanded their little family by one, with the addition of their new pup Salsa.

He put on a casual display Saturday, as he wrangled her older dog Elvis, while stepping out with De Armas to get lunch in Los Angeles, during a break from quarantine.

Inseparable: Ben Affleck has been getting serious with girlfriend Ana de Armas, as they quarantine together at home

The 47-year-old caught the adorable Maltese, as it escaped from their Brentwood home, while they headed for the day.

He donned a white printed t-shirt, which was trimmed in maroon at the collar and sleeves.

Affleck complemented the look with brown skinny jeans and a pair of olive green zip-up high-top sneakers.

He finished the ensemble with a pair of black gradient aviators on his head, as well as a blue face mask.

Casual outing: Affleck put on a casual display Saturday, while stepping out with De Armas to get lunch in Los Angeles, during a break from quarantine

Classic t-shirt: He donned a white printed t-shirt, which was trimmed in maroon at the collar and sleeves

Cool dad: Affleck complemented the look with brown skinny jeans and a pair of olive green zip-up high-top sneakers. He finished the ensemble with a pair of black gradient aviators on his head, as well as a blue face mask

Runaway pup: The 47-year-old caught De Armas' adorable Maltese Elvis, as it escaped from their Brentwood home, while they headed for the day

Summer chic: De Armas, 32, served a summer chic lunch look in a skintight sleeveless ankle-length ribbed sherbet orange maxi dress

Hats off: She accessorized the look with a white fedora, black wayfarers, matching sandals and a black leather YSL crossbody bag. Not present was their new puppy Salsa, whom she introduced last week to her 3.2million Instagram followers

De Armas, 32, served a summer chic lunch look in a skintight sleeveless ankle-length ribbed sherbet orange maxi dress.

She accessorized the look with a white fedora, black wayfarers, matching sandals and a black leather YSL crossbody bag.

Not present was their new puppy Salsa, whom she introduced last week to her 3.2million Instagram followers.

The Knives Out star posted some precious photos with the black and white Havanese, the national dog of her native Cuba.

New addition: The Knives Out star posted some precious photos with the black and white Havanese, the national dog of her native Cuba

Baby Salsa: De Armas captioned the cute set of photos with her new furry friend: 'Welcome to the family Salsa'

Pupply love: In addition to Elvis, she's also been spotted out with Affleck, walking his German Shepherd named Hutch (pictured in July, 2020)

She captioned the cute set of photos with her new furry friend: 'Welcome to the family Salsa.'

In addition to Elvis, she's also been spotted out with Affleck, walking his German Shepherd named Hutch.

The couple was first romantically linked back in March, when they vacationed in her hometown of Havana, before jetting off to Costa Rica.

Affleck and De Armas met back in the fall, on the set of their new movie Deep Water, which filmed in New Orleans.
Britain's charities are facing soaring numbers of complaints of abuse and mistreatment.

A total of 5,730 serious incidents  the majority concerning the safeguarding of vulnerable people, including sex cases  were reported to the Charity Commission in 2019/20.

This is the equivalent of 15 incidents every day, and represents a 47 per cent increase on the year before, according to the watchdogs annual report. In 2018/19 there were 3,895 serious incidents.

The statistics come amid claims that aid workers are continuing to abuse and exploit refugees with Labour MP Sarah Champion saying she is shocked by claims that little is being done to stop it.

Safeguarding incidents are those which have resulted in or risk significant harm to beneficiaries and other people who come into contact with the charity through its work.

Britain's charities are facing soaring numbers of complaints of abuse and mistreatment with a total of 5,730 serious incidents reported to the Charity Commission in 2019/20

They can include serious sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment complaints, as well as cases of neglect, bullying or racial discrimination.

Britains foreign aid charities have been mired in a sex abuse crisis since it emerged that Oxfam workers had used prostitutes during a humanitarian crisis in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake there.

Earlier this week, the Daily Mail revealed that aid charities made 452 incident reports relating to safeguarding, of which three in five related to sex cases.

But todays revelations suggest the problem is much more widespread among charities than previously thought  and is also a serious problem outside the aid sector. In 2019/20 there were 3,411 safeguarding incidents reported across the sector  nearly 60 per cent of the total.

The most common type of harm reported is abuse and mistreatment, the watchdog said. This includes sex cases but the report did not reveal the proportion. Other serious incidents included 897 reports of fraud and 43 claims that charity staff were linked to terrorism or extremism.

The commissions annual report for 2019/20 said the abuse and mistreatment of people remained the most prominent threats in the charity sector.

It also revealed that the number of whistleblowers breaking cover to speak out about practices at their charities soared by a third to 247.

The commission has used its regulatory powers against charities 1,962 times  up 5 per cent in a year. It has concluded 181 statutory inquiries into charities  up 17 per cent on the year before.

Britains aid sector has been mired in controversy for two years, with major organisations such as Oxfam and Save the Children admitting huge failings. This week the Mail revealed that significant numbers of staff at the Department for International Development had also been implicated for the first time. In 2019/20 there were 26 safeguarding cases reported.

Helen Stephenson (pictured), the Charity Commission's chief executive, said: Over the past few years, we have seen grave governance failings in some household name charities. As recent inquiries have shown, if charities fail in their responsibility to keep people safe, we will not hesitate to take action.

The Charity Commission would not reveal which charities had sent in the most incident reports, but recently the watchdog has investigated serious failings at the Royal National Institute for the Blind, where children were found to be at risk of harm.

The regulator handed the charity an official warning following serious concerns about services provided at its Pears Centre childrens home in Coventry. The issues included medication errors, use of physical restraint and failure to answer questions on an unexplained injury to a child.

It has also launched an investigation into a charity-run cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne, which has been hit by allegations of sexual abuse and harassment.

Charities have to report all their serious incidents to the Charity Commission.

Helen Stephenson, the watchdogs chief executive, said: Over the past few years, we have seen grave governance failings in some household name charities. As recent inquiries have shown, if charities fail in their responsibility to keep people safe, we will not hesitate to take action.
'As a person who has seen the treasure, I am worried about its safety.'

IMAGE: The Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

"We do not know the exact value of the treasure. National Geographic says it is worth $3 trillion. Some say it is worth $1 trillion. It could be anything between $1 trillion and $3 trillion," Professor M G Sasibhooshan, historian and expert on the Padmanabhaswamy temple, tells Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com in the concluding segment of his interview.

The high court verdict in 2011 was in favour of the state. It asked the state to set up a trust to take control of the management of the temple.

Yes.

But the Supreme Court in its verdict mentioned the Puri Jagannath temple and also the Chidambaram temple where the priests had a say in the administration of the temple.

Following the same pattern, the court decided to give same powers to the royal family and also the priest of the temple.

Now, the family will have a say not only in the rituals of the temple, but in the administration and accounts also.

The court says that the senior-most member of the royal family should see any transaction above Rs 15 lakhs.

This trust also should nominate an advisory committee consisting of three members, in which the royal family has two nominees; one a member of the family and a chartered accountant whose name will be proposed by the family.

The third member will be a retired judge, nominated by the chief justice of Kerala.

This advisory committee has no authority to take any decisions, it can only advise the temple on its affairs.

So, if you look at these two committees, you will see that the royal family has equal or more say in both the committees.

Can we say that compared to the high court judgment which gave power to the state government, the Supreme Court verdict totally excludes the state from the affairs of the temple?

Yes. The state government can nominate only one member in the committee, perhaps someone from the Devaswom Board.

They will not be able to appoint a CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions, the Communist Party of India-Marxist trade union) leader or a Congress leader to administer the temple!

The state government will not have any direct control on the temple.

It is this fact about the verdict that made the devotees of the temple very happy.

I am using the words 'direct control' because at present, the temple has armed police to guard the treasure, and it is provided by the state.

The state has spent Rs 11 crores from 2011 to 2020 to safeguard the treasure.

The Supreme Court has now asked the temple to return this Rs 11 crores to the state.

The court further said that hereafter it was the responsibility of the temple to take care of the treasure.

The temple has to shell out a large amount to pay the salaries of the security personnel.

Is that the reason why some said the temple had to go begging to the state for money?

Yes. The temple will not be able to spend such a large amount on security. It has to seek the help of either the state government or the central government for this.

Personally, I feel the temple may have to pledge the treasure to the Reserve Bank of India.

One thing is certain, nobody will be able to sell even a single coin from the treasure as everything has been accounted for. The cataloguing of the treasure is complete.

It is said that the ruler of Travancore took money from the treasure in 1931 when there was a recession. Is it true?

Yes, it is true. You can see the reports in The Hindu and Deepika newspapers. This is also mentioned in a book written during that period on Travancore, and published by the Oxford University Press.

The treasure is part of our history and culture. Should it not be exhibited in a museum?

The museum is a good idea, but unless it is handled well, it will become dangerous.

As a person who has seen the treasure, I am worried about its safety.

We do not have a single good museum in India. Moreover, the maximum number of thefts have taken place in museums.

Why not a set up a museum exclusively for this?

How long will it take to build a good and safe museum? It may take at least 10 years! It will not happen tomorrow or next year.

Yes, if there is a museum, the temple can recover the cost of safeguarding the treasure from the income from the museum.

Can the Archaeological Survey of India take over the treasure?

ASI can take over only if it is a treasure trove. This is a private property, and also an accounted property.

Should such a treasure remain in some dark secret chamber? Should the people not have the right to see them?

Yes, everyone is of the opinion that the public should see and enjoy the treasure. No sensible person will say that it should remain in a dark chamber.

Another issue is, we do not know the exact value of the treasure. National Geographic says it is worth $3 trillion. Some say it is worth $1 trillion. It could be anything between $1 trillion and $3 trillion.

It is also a fact that this is not the real value as you cannot put a value on antique items.

In case you build a museum, you need not display all the one lakh items in the museum; you cannot also. Maybe you can display 100 to 200 items for the public.

The rest can be pledged to the RBI, and if it is included in the gold reserve, the country can even raise the value of Indian rupee.

This way, the temple also can get some income from the RBI. This is how I look at it.

Many describe the Supreme Court judgment as a landmark one. Do you feel it is one?

It is a very important judgment.

For the last many decades, politicians have been administering the temples of Kerala. In fact, the state government argued for a Guruvayoor model in the running of this temple also.

Everybody knows how Guruvayoor temple is controlled by the political class.

Yes, the judgment is important because it stops the interference of politicians in the running of temples.
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Boris Johnson is to give Britains treason laws the biggest shakeup since 1695 in a bid to counter the growing threat of hostile states like Russia and China.

In the wake of severe criticism from Parliaments Intelligence Committee in the Russia report, increased hostilities with China and legal loopholes that could see returning IS fighters walk free, a three-pronged attack is being drawn up by Ministers.

This would see a new Treason Act, a new Espionage Act to track foreign agents and influencers, and a rewriting of the Official Secrets Act to make it fit for the digital era.

Boris Johnson is to give Britains treason laws the biggest shakeup since 1695 in a bid to counter the growing threat of hostile states like Russia and China

Downing Street sources say the PM wants the new measures on the statute books within months rather than years.

The package of support for Britains security services will bring the UK in line with allies like America and Australia.

A Government source said: We want to strengthen our response to reduce the threat posed by hostile state activity in the UK and make the UK a harder environment for adversaries to operate in.

The Treason Act will see anyone who swears an allegiance to a foreign power or organisation criminalised if they operate in or attempt to enter the UK.

It would close the legal loophole that could see IS converts like Shamima Begum escape justice if they returned to the UK due to a lack of specific crimes committed domestically.

It would close the legal loophole that could see IS converts like Shamima Begum escape justice if they returned to the UK due to a lack of specific crimes committed domestically

Meanwhile, the Espionage Act would create a register of foreign agents of influence operating in the UK as well as clamping down on British citizens aiding the nations enemies.

As well as tackling traditional spy activity, the security services want tougher measures to reign in British bankers, lawyers and services suppliers who work to flout weak current laws in order to aid hostile regime figures and foreign criminals at will.

Many of these measures were drawn up in 2019 by Sajid Javid, who sets out in todays Mail on Sunday below the scale of the threat faced by Britain.

The Russia report revealed that since the Cold War ended, 96 per cent of British security capacity has gone towards tackling the threat of terrorism, with just four per cent countering hostile states.

But in his first response to the incendiary report, the former Home Secretary has launched a passionate defence of Britains security services, who were criticised by senior MPs.

On the multiple hostile state threats they are facing, Mr Javid says: Our brilliant security services will always have to make difficult decisions in prioritising their efforts, but we can no longer afford to treat state threats and terror threats as an either/or.

He adds: It is crucial that we give the police and security services more legal tools. Too often, it feels as if our laws work against a common sense of justice and security.

And Mr Javid urges more international cooperation by the forces of freedom.

SAJID JAVID: We must treat the threat of Chinese and Russian cyber attacks as seriously as we do terrorists

In the Cold War television thriller Deutschland 83, theres a scene in which a young East German spy is ordered to photograph a report in the possession of Natos top analyst.

After breaking into his hotel room, the spy finds the report is stored on a floppy disk. Having sent it back across the Iron Curtain, the fiasco ends with his boss staring at the disk in bewilderment, asking his colleagues: What the hell am I supposed to do with this?

They hadnt developed a computer that could read it.

It is crucial that we give the police and security services more legal tools. Too often, it feels as if our laws work against a common sense of justice and security, writes Sajid Javid, pictured above

This is a quaint reminder of the days when technology worked to the Wests advantage and there were limited ways for foreign countries to interfere with domestic life.

Thats a bygone era, as made clear by the House of Commons Intelligence and Security Committees report on Russias activities.

I gave evidence to the committee and am not divulging any sensitive intelligence to say that it was right to conclude Russias cyber capabilities pose an immediate and urgent threat to our national security.

Since the 1990s, we have made well-intentioned attempts to work with Russian business and their government. This has spiralled into members of the Russian elite  with close links to Putin and his intelligence services  extending their influence across the British establishment and using London as a financial laundromat.

The prime duty of any government is to protect its citizens  but its not just the physical safety of British citizens thats on the line. National security is a necessary first line of defence against those who seek to undermine the values that are the foundation of our society: fair play, tolerance and the rule of law.

We have sought to share these values with the Russian government and tried to integrate them into the international community.

But that good faith has been abused. The brazen attack on Salisbury with a deadly nerve agent showed that Putins regime has no intention of even pretending to abide by international norms.

Meanwhile, Chinas behaviour in Hong Kong and its shocking oppression of minority Uighurs show that it can no longer expect to always be treated as a fair partner.

Their ambassador in London says the UKs response to these events amounts to interfering in Chinas domestic affairs. But hasnt China been doing exactly that in the UK and around the world for years?

The brazen attack on Salisbury with a deadly nerve agent showed that Putins regime has no intention of even pretending to abide by international norms

Similarly to Russias blurring of state and corporate activity, Beijing has been accused of using state-backed businesses to orchestrate the takeover of strategic UK companies. Where this fails, they have sometimes resorted to corporate espionage to get at sensitive information.

The arrest of a former Rolls-Royce engineer suspected of selling secrets to Beijing about Britains new F-35 stealth fighter jet is just one reminder of why we need to keep our guard up. So how do we step up our efforts to thwart the growing threat from hostile states?

I believe we need to take it as seriously as terrorism. That means more resources, more powers, and more international cooperation.

Our brilliant security services will always have to make difficult decisions in prioritising their efforts, but we can no longer afford to treat state threats and terror threats as an either/or.

It is crucial that we give the police and security services more legal tools. Too often, it feels as if our laws work against a common sense of justice and security.

The recent Court of Appeal decision on Shamima Begum is just the latest example.

Regardless of the final outcome of her case, once the teenager who went to join IS is back in Britain, it will prove impossible to subsequently remove her.

As for espionage and hostile state activity specifically, our laws are more suited to the era of floppy disks than the world of WikiLeaks.

Thats why, as Home Secretary, I warned about serious gaps in our powers and announced a new Espionage Bill to plug those holes and give our security services the legal authority they need to tackle the threat.

This kick-started work in three related areas. First, a requirement for foreign agents to register upon arrival, making it far easier to prosecute those that try to fly under the radar.

Second, updating our Official Secrets Act, taking economic espionage as seriously as our state secrets.

And third, repurposing our ancient treason laws to cover Britons who operate on behalf of a hostile nation or go abroad to fight alongside terrorist groups.

But we cannot do this alone. If the forces of freedom are divided, the forces of authoritarianism will rule. Thats why its vital we bolster alliances with all those who share our values, starting with a strategy of solidarity between our Five Eyes partners  Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America.

We must also extend a hand to other like-minded nations such as Japan and South Korea, and encourage some EU members to be less neutral in this battle of values.

In these turbulent times, its understandable to feel anxious about the power shifts in the world. However, the Five Eyes and our freedom-loving allies are more than capable of rising to the challenge.

A fist is stronger than five fingers. If we unite together, domestically and internationally, I wouldnt bet against us.
President Donald Trump is sending federal law enforcement into the big cities run by Democratic mayors, where murder and gang shootings are out of control and where once vibrant downtown areas are on their way to becoming ghost towns.

And naturally, the Democratic mayors, backing Joe Biden, are on the defensive, upset that the president might win political advantage, even as the mayors feud with their own police departments, as the violence rises in their towns, as children are gunned down.

But these Democratic cities are also where left-wing billionaire George Soros has spent millions of dollars to help elect liberal social justice warriors as prosecutors. He remakes the justice system in urban America, flying under the radar.

The Soros-funded prosecutors, not the mayors, are the ones who help release the violent on little or no bond.

In Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, and elsewhere, it is the mayors who are the faces of their cities, not the prosecutors.

And the mayors properly take the heat as the violence spikes.

How do the people process all of the politics, amid those stories counting the dead and wounded?

Politicians speak with their tongues. Taxpayers dont hold news conferences. But they do vote with their feet. And they leave.

The mayors play to their base, condemning Trump publicly for federal overreach, even as their overwhelmed police departments welcome all the help they can get.

Chaos is indeed a ladder.

If Trump truly wants to help the cities, he might privately call the mayors and ask them about the prosecutors backed by Soros.

These prosecutors are among the few politicians in America who have delivered on their promises. They promised to empty their jails through the social justice warrior policy of decarceration. They also help give repeat, violent criminals little or no bond when arrested.

And in many of the violent cities, the prosecutors have delivered on their promises, not to keep the violent in jail, but to let them out.

In Democratic Chicago, for example, the Soros prosecutor is Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx. In her 2020 campaign, she reportedly received at least $2 million from a Soros backed political action committee.

Foxx doesnt have a stellar legal reputation. Her office is under investigation for how it handled that Jussie Smollett fiasco. But shed like to climb the ladder and become a U.S. senator.

And Lori Lightfoot takes the heat. Shell have to decide whether to call Foxx out herself, or just keep taking that heat.

Foxx put out a memo on June 30 reinforcing her wokeness, informing Chicagos City Hall and police that she will not prosecute peaceful protesters.

In the hours after the Floyd protests here, many were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and curfew violations. These are tools used by mayors to compel order in cities.

But Foxx doesnt see it that way. She sides with the woke.

A recent Chicago Tribune investigation found that of 162 offenders arrested and charged with felonies before the Floyd protests  and who were bailed out by liberal social justice warrior groups  more than 1 in 5 were charged with new offenses.

Other Soros-backed prosecutors in other cities play a similar game.

They wont anger their base when they release violent offenders back into poor neighborhoods to commit other violent acts on poor people. The left is their base. This is what they want, what Soros paid for.

In Democratic cities across America, the shootings increase, the murder rates soar, and street gangs are emboldened. Meanwhile, the angry white woke world, with their Black Lives Matter allies, continue to attack public monuments to Western culture. And police.

I suppose this is the place where Im supposed to adopt Newspeak and characterize the mayhem as mostly peaceful protests. But no.

If youre a Democrat, you might worry that Trump will score political points by sending federal agents to the violent cities.

If youre a Republican, or an independent with a new police scanner app on your cellphone, waiting for your firearm owners permit in the mail, you might say its about time.

And if youre trapped in one of the violent urban neighborhoods, youre hoping that your children wont be killed as they sit on your front porch.

You can see that something is growing in the big cities:

An overwhelming sense of lawlessness.

John Kass is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Email jskass@chicagotribune.com.

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Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal met with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell during a working visit to Brussels on July 23. During the meeting, Ukraines PM expressed hope that preparation of the joint declaration of the 6th Eastern Partnership Summit will be started in the near future.

"Ukraine expects efficiency and is ready to make every effort for a successful summit. The declaration should confirm the European aspirations and European choice of partners, as well as support for their territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders," Shmyhal said, the Government portal informs.

According to the Prime Minister, the new agenda of the Eastern Partnership Summit beyond 2020 should include the following key tasks: launching an additional format of EU + 3 associate partners dialogue; strengthening security cooperation; gradual integration of partners into the EU internal market; extending the benefits of the Digital Single Market to partners and reducing charges for roaming with EU; getting access to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA); concluding Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA).

Denys Shmyhal stressed that the parties should make every effort to implement the tasks of 20 Deliverables for 2020 which still remain unfulfilled: "I mean the signing of the common aviation area agreement. It is necessary to find an opportunity to sign this agreement with Ukraine as soon as possible."

"We rely on the European Commissions support in this matter. This will contribute to further development of the Ukrainian aviation industry, increase in the number of flights and passenger traffic," the Head of Government added.

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In 1955, at a meeting of the Moscow Surgical Society, a sensational exhibit was presented to the assembled guests. On the platform close to the audience, a large white dog was brought in. The dog looked happy, cheerfully wagging its tail, and unintimated by the large crowd of eager guests in front of him. He seemed particularly unconcerned by the unnatural appendage protruding from the side of his neck.

Just a few days before the meet, the dog had undergone a major surgery during which the Soviet scientist Vladimir Petrovich Demikhov had attached to the side of his neck a second head, acquired from a small brown-haired puppy. Both the hound and the decapitated head of the puppy were alive and reacting to stimuli. And even as the surgeons watched, the puppy's head gave the ear of its host a nasty bite. The white head snarled.

Vladimir Petrovich Demikhovs demonstration sent shockwaves through Russias medical community, but this was not the first time our Soviet Dr. Frankenstein had ruffled feathers in his quest for medical breakthroughs. In 1937, at the age of only 21 and still a student, the young Vladimir had shocked his professors by creating the first artificial heart, which he successfully implanted into a dog. The dog survived for five hours. After graduation, Demikhov continued his experimental research, eventually performing successful heart and lung transplants, and later, liver and kidney transplantation on dogs and cats. Some of his patients survived for a month. His experiments with bypassing the coronary arteries were more satisfying. Four of the dogs survived for as long as 2 years. One dog operated in 1953 survived for 7 years.

Encouraged by his successes, Demikhov began moving to bolder experiments. In 1954, he performed his most controversial experimental operation, where he grafted the head and forelegs of a small puppy to the neck of a large adult dog.

When the multiple dog regained consciousness after the operation, the puppy's head woke up and yawned. The big head gave it a puzzled look and tried at first to shake it off, reports Time.

The puppy's head kept its own personality. Though handicapped by having almost no body of its own, it was as playful as any other puppy. It growled and snarled with mock fierceness or licked the hand that caressed it. The host-dog was bored by all this, but soon became reconciled to the unaccountable puppy that had sprouted out of its neck. When it got thirsty, the puppy got thirsty and lapped milk eagerly. When the laboratory grew hot, both host-dog and puppy put out their tongues and panted to cool off. After six days of life together, both heads and the common body died.

Demikhov created many such medical monstrosities. With time and experience, the survival rate of the animals improved, until one hybrid dog survived for 29 days.

When news of his pioneering surgeries spread throughout the western world, it raised many eyebrows and even more ethical questions regarding the acceptance of such procedures and their true medical need. But Demikhov could clearly see the future.

The final goal of our experiments was to make transplantation of the heart and other organs in humans possible, Demikhov wrote in a monograph.

Vladimir Petrovich Demikhov

In 1960, Demikhov published his book Experimental Transplantation of Vital Organs where he described in details the different approaches and surgical techniques. Soon afterwards the book was translated and published in several western countries, and for a long time was the only monograph in the field of transplantation of organs and tissues.

In his Landmarks in Cardiac Surgery, author Stephen Westaby recalled that in 1962, when an article on Demikhovs head transplantations was published in the Cape Argos newspaper, Doctor Christiaan Barnard, a young South African cardiac surgeon at the Groote Schuur Hospital, remarked that anything those Russians can do, we can do, too. That same afternoon, he reproduced the experiment by transplanting the head of a dog onto another dog. The dog survived for several days.

Christiaan Barnard would later perform the worlds first successful transplantation of a human heart from a person who had just died from a head injury.

In 1997, a year before Vladimir Demikhovs death, Dr. Barnard wrote in a letter to one his colleagues, crediting his own success to Demikhov's earlier experiments.

He was certainly a remarkable man, having done all the research before extracorporeal circulation. I have always maintained that if there is a father of heart and lung transplantation then Demikhov certainly deserves this title, Barnard wrote.

Despite his contribution to medical science, very few recognized Demikhov, especially by his own country. The true value of his experiments were acknowledged by the Russian state only at the end of his life, when he was awarded the Order for Services for the Fatherland in 1998, the year of his death.

Demikhov performing experimental surgery in Leipzig.

The last dog head transplant performed by Vladimir Demikhov on January 13, 1959 in East Germany.

References:

# Simon Matskeplishvili, https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/38/46/3406/4706202

# Igor E. Konstantinov, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763473/

# Russia Beyond, https://www.rbth.com/science-and-tech/326540-dog-heads-demikhov-soviet-medicine

# Time, http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,891156,00.html
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Co-Founder and President LCDR Greg Keeley, USN (ret) joined Morning Joe (MSNBC) for the official announcement this morning.

America's Military and Intelligence community are under threat  from within. Two years after President Trump belittled the CIA and threw his support behind Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, the integrity and reputation of our national security apparatus continues its dangerous decline.

Council On American Security (CAMSEC) Logo

"The 'blue on blue' crisis is the gravest domestic existential threat faced by American security professionals in generations. Our military and intelligence veterans took an oath to defend the American people and our Constitution from tyranny  both foreign and domestic. This moment is about country, not politics," said Council President LCDR Greg Keeley, USN (ret), "Enough is enough."

What is the Council on American Security (CAMSEC)?

The Council on American Security's mission is to

Support the men and women who keep us safe

Restore America's standing abroad

Defend the institutions underpinning America's freedom

The Council is non-political.

Its ranks are made up of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats.

The Council takes its marching orders from the Constitution, not any political party.

Donald Trump's fatally misguided and cavalier approach has emboldened our enemies and demoralized our protectors. Council members have served in the military, intelligence community, and homeland security services. Generals to privates, Admirals to sailors, Station Chiefs to rookie recruits  all swore an oath to protect our country.

An oath to the Constitution. Not to a political party. Not to a personality.

The President must be held accountable for making Americans less safe and failing miserably as Commander-in-Chief.

CAMSEC seeks a return to principled, informed, and credible national security leadership. We took an oath to defend this country once, and now step forward to defend it again. To do that President Trump must be defeated on November 3rd.

PAID FOR BY THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN SECURITY. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Learn More: www.camsec.org

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Friends, family, and residents of Chicagos Logan Square neighborhood attend a vigil on June 29, 2020, for 10-year-old Lena Nunez, one of 17 people fatally shot in the city the last weekend of June. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Something Needs to Be Done: Some Chicagoans Welcome Deployment of Federal Officers, Others Skeptical

CHICAGOMany Chicago residents who have lost loved ones to violence say President Donald Trumps recent decision to send federal law enforcement help is goodas long as it doesnt mean a surge of officers on the streets, and as long as its accompanied by community support to address the root problems of violence.

Trump announced July 22 he would send federal agents to help with investigations in Chicago amid a surge of fatal shootings. Attorney General William Barr said the Chicago operation is different from that of Portland, Oregon, where federal agents recently moved in to suppress rioting. They drove in unmarked vans, wore military-style camouflage, and made arrests.

The operations were talking about [in Chicago] are the standard anti-crime fighting activities we have been carrying out around the country for decades, Barr said. [The federal agents] will be working to solve murders and to take down the violent gangs.

Chicago resident Ebonie Martin told The Epoch Times, I am so sick of the violence and something needs to be done, and she approves of Trumps plan.

Martins 17-year-old son was fatally shot on his way to a grocery store in Chicagos South Deering neighborhood five years ago. The alleged shooters were members of the LAFA street gang.

He wasnt in a gang, Martin said, and was targeted by mistake. Unlike the majority of gang killings in Chicago, which go unsolved because witnesses are scared to testify, her sons case was solvedwith the help of federal agents.

The investigation took years, but finally resulted in charges against two LAFA gang members. It was a collaborative effort between federal, state, and city law enforcement under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, formed to combat drug and gun trafficking.

Another resident, Ashley Whiters, said of Trumps move: I think thats worth a try. Nothing else seems to be working. Her brother Jeffrey Whiters was fatally shot near a bus shelter in Chicagos South Side seven years ago. His murder case remains unsolved.

Freddrica Nicholas, a resident of the violent Englewood neighborhood, lost her daughter Destiny, 24, in 2019. She was shot at a gas station in broad daylight, in the company of a friend who had gang associations, Nicholas said.

Nicholas started her own investigation when police werent making much progress. She asked people around the area of the shooting about what they saw and identified the culprit, but no witnesses would testify out of fear of the gang members. The police told her they couldnt do anything without that testimony.

We need help, Nicholas told The Epoch Times. Thank you, President Trump.

I appreciate this move, due to all of my tax dollars spent on cameras that appear to be of no or little help in solving all of this gun violence, she said.

Crime scene tape remains on a fence near the Rhodes funeral home, where 15 people were shot July 21 during a funeral for a shooting victim, in Chicagos Auburn Gresham neighborhood on July 22, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Friends, family, and residents of Chicagos Logan Square neighborhood attend a vigil on June 29, 2020, for 10-year-old Lena Nunez, one of 17 people fatally shot in the city the last weekend of June. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

This Is Not Going to Help

Not all residents are happy about Trumps actions. Some disagree with the move. Some are merely skeptical that it will make a real difference.

He is not helping the situation by sending federal agents here. I would respect him more if he dealt with the real issues of gun violence across this country, Antionette Mitchell told The Epoch Times.

Her son Ireal Mitchell, 22, was fatally shot in 2016. She believes the solution to violence is to invest in disadvantaged communities and pass gun laws.

Aisha Oliver works with youth in Chicagos Austin neighborhood through an organization she founded four years ago, Root2Fruit Foundation. Austin, on Chicagos West Side, has seen its share of the citys fatal shootings. Two of the victims there in July were young childrena 7-year-old girl in one incident, and a 3-year-old boy in another.

Oliver said Mayor Lori Lightfoot inherited the crime problems from former mayors Richard Daley and Rahm Emanual, and it wasnt fair for Trump to criticize her.

Hes disrespectful to our mayor and governor, Oliver said.

She said sending in federal agents is not going to help. Its going to make things worse.

Oliver believes in local residents taking care of their own community.

Ive been organizing, connecting, and helping others in Austin since I was 19, she said. Black and brown people have to stick together more than ever now.

We Need Investment

Celeste Campbell has also been helping youth in Austin for years, providing them with clothes. Some black teens in Austin were lured into gangs just to have money to buy clothes for themselves, Campbell said.

Her son Matthew Rodgers, 24, was fatally shot in 2016.

If Trump wants to send feds to Chicago, OK, send the Department of Human Services to create jobs, and the Treasury Department to bring some money to develop abandoned communities, Campbell told The Epoch Times.

We need investment and opportunity.

Two out of five Austin households earn below $25,000 annually, according to a Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning report released in June.

Celeste Campbell, whose son died by gunfire, calls for an end to the violence. (Courtesy of Celeste Campbell)

James Highsmith is the director of violence prevention for Project Helping Others Obtain Destiny (Project H.O.O.D.) on Chicagos South Side.

For too long, shootings and murders in our community have gone unsolved, he told The Epoch Times.

Solving murders is what counts.  [It doesnt matter] who does it.

He hopes the federal agents can help solve crimes. But he also hopes they will not get too hands-on, making a show of force on the street.

To stop the violence, you occupy the black community? How does that look?

James Highsmith was a gang leader and spent years in prison, but now works as head of a violence prevention team with Project H.O.O.D. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Pamela Bosley, whose 18-year-old son was fatally shot 14 years ago in a church parking lot in the Roseland neighborhood, is the founder of Purpose Over Pain. Its a group that helps parents who have lost children in Chicago shootings.

I am praying that these federal agents, if they are sent here, do not come in and treat us like Portland, she told The Epoch Times. The South and West Side of Chicago do not need more military policing. This will only exacerbate tensions in our communities.

We need the federal agents that are being sent here to concentrate on solving the 80 percent unsolved homicide cases, including my son Terrell Bosleys unsolved homicide case, Bosley said.

Only about 1 in 5 murder cases involving black victims in Chicago are cleared (which generally means charges have been laid or an offender identified), according to an analysis by WBEZ radio. Nationally, the murder clearance rate is almost three times higher, at 60 percent, according to the FBI.

The mayors office released a statement on July 22 following a phone conversation Lightfoot had with Trump about the federal agents being sent in: Mayor Lightfoot maintains that all resources will be investigatory in nature and be coordinated through the U.S. Attorneys office.

The Mayor has made clear that if there is any deviation from what has been announced, we will pursue all available legal options to protect Chicagoans.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a press conference in Chicago, on April 16, 2020. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Homicide Numbers Spike

The most recent data released by the Chicago Police Department, ending July 19, shows 414 murders to date this year. Chicago had 275 murders by July 19, 2019; 2020 has seen an increase of 51 percent so far.

A feature by the Chicago Tribune published in January looks at homicide rates in the city since the 1950s. In the late 50s, the number of homicides was around 300 annually.

But 1960s Chicago was marked by turbulent change with the number of homicides nearly doubling from the start of the decade to its end, the article states. Some civil rights protests turned violent as the citys fraught racial history was on full display.

Violence continued through the 1970s, with 1974 holding the record for highest number of homicides970. That decade, there were around 800 homicides annually. In the 80s, they dropped slightly, closer to the 600-to-700 range annually. In the 90s, they spiked again, reaching above 900.

Over the past two decades, homicides declined dramatically, staying stable under 500 annually for many years. But in 2016, a sudden spike hit above 760. Numbers declined again over the next few years, with 492 homicides in 2019.

Yet 2020 has already had almost as many homicides as all of 2019.

My first duty as president is to protect the American people, Trump said in the East Room at the White House on July 22. The citizens of Chicago are citizens of America, and they have the same right as every other American to live in safety, dignity, and peace.

We will work with local police to identify violations of state and local laws to help ensure that offenders are caught and jailed for their crimes.
New Delhi, July 25 : After Delhi seemed to be overwhelmed by the Covid-19 catastrophe, a respite may be in sight with the number of cases beginning to decline consistently, and it appears that the curve may plateau soon. An AIIMS doctor suggests one of the crucial factors, which helped Delhi tide over the health crisis, is aggressive testing, but emphasised that people should not lower their guard against the viral infection.

Speaking to IANS, Dr Neeraj Nischal, Associate Professor in Department of Medicine at AIIMS, contended that "it is clear that policy of test, trace, isolate and treat cases is bound to decrease the number of cases. This is exactly what is happening in Delhi, as cases have begun to decline".

"I would like to add the other crucial reason for decline in cases is due to participation of the people. Most people diligently followed social distancing norms, which eventually helped," he added.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a recent statement, said: "We have increased testing in Delhi. Initially, on testing 100 people, around 31 were found to be corona positive, and today, only 13 out of 100 people are found to be corona positive. These things show that the situation is under control, and is not as terrible as it was one month back." Queried on the possibility of herd immunity against the backdrop of the recently conducted sero-surveillance in Delhi, Nischal insisted though cases have begun to decline, people should avoid making visits to malls or forming large crowds.

"People should not lower their guard (after it appears, we have passed the peak of the viral infection). To develop herd immunity, a large section of the population has to be infected, which has not happened in Delhi yet," he said.

In Delhi, out of the 11 districts, eight have sero-prevalence of more than 20 per cent. In the central, northeast, north and Shahdara districts, the sero-prevalence is 27 per cent.

Delhi's southwest area has 12.95 per cent sero-prevalence, the least in the city, followed by south and west Delhi at 18.61 per cent and 19.13 per cent, respectively.

In the period between June 27 July 5, it was found that 24 per cent people developed antibodies from Covid-19 virus, which means that 24 per cent people have got infected by the virus and then recovered.

Queried on this sero-surveillance, Nischal said: "Not sure for how long these antibodies will last. It is a matter of debate how protective these antibodies are, therefore, it is essential that people continue to take precautions." He insisted if people do not follow social distancing, then the city could face another surge in cases.

"The future of vaccines is bright. But to see that future, we have to survive the present. Social vaccine is the need of the hour. Maintaining social distance, wearing face mask, maintaining cough etiquette and hand hygiene will help in saving people not only from Covid-19, but also from other infections." (Sumit Saxena can contacted at sumit.s@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Engine builder Maurice Petty answers reporters' questions on his way to the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Jan. 29, 2014, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Petty joins his brother Richard Petty in the Hall. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

Legendary engine builder and NASCAR Hall of Fame member Maurice Petty died Saturday. He was 81.

The brother of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty was Petty Enterprises chief engine builder as the team became one of the most dominant in NASCAR history. According to Richard Petty Motorsports, drivers recorded 212 Cup Series wins with engines built by Petty.

The Chief was one of the most talented mechanics in NASCAR history, NASCAR CEO Jim France said in a statement. He provided the power that helped Petty Enterprises define dominance in sports. While he was known for his work under the hood, Maurice played multiple behind-the-scenes roles, doing whatever it took to help deliver his cars to Victory Lane. On behalf of the France family, I offer my condolences to the friends and family of Maurice Petty, a true NASCAR giant.

Maurice Petty also drove in NASCAR and was a Daytona 500-winning crew chief. Petty made 26 career Cup Series starts as a driver and had seven top-five finishes and 16 top 10s. He was the crew chief for Pete Hamilton when Hamilton won the 1970 Daytona 500.

Petty was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014 and became the first engine builder to make the Hall thanks to his familys success. While Richard got many of his 200 career Cup Series wins with engines built by his brother, Lee Petty also won dozens of races with engines built by his son. The patriarch of the Petty family won 54 races in his NASCAR career and the Pettys are the only family with three members in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

      

Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

More from Yahoo Sports:
Protestors demonstrate against California's stay-home order as a masked pedestrian walks in Huntington Beach on April 26. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Your article, "'I don't believe it': Huntington Beach a symbol of mask resistance as doubters abound," promotes a dangerous and divisive narrative.

The majority of Huntington Beach residents are wearing masks in public when physical distancing is not possible. I encourage all in our community to follow suit, and I encourage the news media to focus on the vast majority of people who are following proven, scientific guidelines, rather than provide a platform for a loud minority.

The loss of more than 140,000 American lives because of the coronavirus is heartbreaking, and the politicization of this pandemic is only increasing the death toll here in Orange County and across the country. Our success or failure depends on the actions of each one of us. As we continue to fight this virus, common sense and common decency will go a very long way.

Masking is a smart, effective way to limit transmission of this virus. It is one of the most critical (and few) tools that we have to fight COVID-19. I wear a mask to protect myself and others, and I hope you do too.

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach)

..

To the editor: I have often been on the verge of writing to the Los Angeles Times. This is the time I proceed.

I am so angry with the people who give ridiculous excuses for not complying with the state mandate to wear a mask. This requirement violates none of our rights. In this article, I read the worst excuse of all: One man said he is concerned that wearing a mask "disrupts the breathing pattern."

This man does not know what a disrupted breathing pattern is until he is ill with COVID-19. In fact, the virus could stop his breathing pattern altogether. I hope this doesn't happen to him or any of his friends or family.

Please, wear a mask. Do it to protect others and yourself.

Barbara Wilks, Fullerton
Both FirstEnergy and Householder were successful. Householder surged to power with his election as House speaker in January 2019, and FirstEnergy got its bailout. Tens of millions of dollars were then spent to fund a campaign that prevented Ohio voters from deciding in a ballot issue whether they were in favor of paying more on their electric bills to help keep the struggling plants afloat.
Mohammad Tawhidi, popularly known as Imam of Peace, has led a social media campaign for the arrest of President Muhammadu Buhari over ...





Mohammad Tawhidi, popularly known as Imam of Peace, has led a social media campaign for the arrest of President Muhammadu Buhari over the rising insecurity in the country and the governments decision to free repentant Boko Haram terrorists.





The Muslim influencer and reformist Imam is leading the campaign with the hashtag #ArrestBuhari now trending on number one on Twitter.





The Nigerian military had reintegrated 601 ex-Boko Haram terrorists into the society.





They include 14 foreign nationals from Cameroon, Chad and Niger.





The Coordinator, Operation Safe Corridor, Major General Bamidele Shafa made the announcement on Saturday.





The former fighters were freed at the DRR Camp in Mallam Sidi, Gombe State.





Reacting to the development, Imam of Peace tweeted, Buhari should be arrested, dragged into police van over insecurity





Nigerians are rejecting the re-integration of Boko Haram militants into society. Theyre asking for them to be taken to the Government House since the President freed them. #ArrestBuhari.





Raise your voices against freeing thousands of Boko Haram terrorists. #ArrestBuhari.




Sinclair Broadcast Group asked its dozens of local affiliates across the U.S. this weekend not to air a controversial interview conducted on its program "America This Week," which touted conspiracy theories that NIAID director Anthony Fauci started the coronavirus.

Why it matters: Sinclair has been caught up in controversies around journalism ethics before. Most notably, it asked journalists at affiliates to read pro-Trump scripts about "fake news" in 2018.

Catch up quick: The interview, conducted last week, features host by Eric Bolling, interviewing researcher and activist Judy Mikovits and her lawyer Larry Klayman, a right-wing activist, about the coronavirus.

In the interview, Mikovits says she believes that Fauci "manufactured the coronavirus" in monkey cell lines and paid for and shipped the cell lines to Wuhan, China. That assertion has been widely discredited by scientists and health officials.

Details: In a series of tweets, the broadcast giant said it decided to delay the episode's airing and "will spend the coming days bringing together other viewpoints and provide additional context."

"All stations have been notified not to air this and will instead be re-airing last weeks episode in its place."

not to air this and will instead be re-airing last weeks episode in its place." "We would also like to clarify that at no point did we air the 'Plandemic' documentary, nor do we have plans to."

that at no point did we air the 'Plandemic' documentary, nor do we have plans to." "This documentary has been widely discredited and we as a company do not support the baseless claims that were rebutted during the original segment."

and we as a company do not support the baseless claims that were rebutted during the original segment." "Further, we valiantly support Dr. Fauci and the work he and his team are doing to further prevent the spread of COVID-19 and are proud to have welcomed him to 'America This Week' as well as our stations via our national bureau to update and inform viewers."

Be smart: Mikovits came under fire earlier this year when a video she posted with similarly falsified information about Fauci's role in the pandemic went viral on social media.

Even big social media sites, which are usually more hesitant than traditional media companies to remove misinformation, yanked the video from their platforms.

The big picture: In the past few years, Sinclair as a company has solidified its reputation as a right-wing broadcaster by investing in a slew of conservative hosts and commentators.

Go deeper: The coronavirus conspiracy news cycle
According to VASEP, an association representing seafood producers and exporters, Vietnams shipments of squid and octopus grew by 6.5% to more than US$48 million after three consecutive months of decline.

But total revenues in the first six months still fell by nearly 17% to US$240 million.

The Republic of Korea remains the largest buyer of Vietnamese squid and octopus, accounting for 42.5%. Exports to the country surged by 23.5% in June after months of contracting, resulting in an overall decline of 15% in the January-June period.

Japan was the second largest importer with a share of 24.4% but the figure for the first six months of 2020 also fell by 21%.

Squid and octopus exports to the EU registered the sharpest drop, plunging by 45.7% against the same period of 2019 and reaching just US$17.5 million.

But shipments are expected to improve with the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement scheduled to take effect in August with the tariffs on such seafood eliminated.

China ranked fourth in importing squid and octopus from Vietnam but witnessed the strongest and most steady growth, with revenues up 156% in June to US$4 million.

Total exports to the worlds second largest economy in the first six months of 2020 rose by 54% to US$17.8 million.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Over 8,200 police personnel have contracted coronavirus infection in Maharashtra so far, while 93, including seven officers, have succumbed to it, an official said on Saturday.

As per official data, more than 8,200 personnel tested positive for coronavirus while implementing prohibitory orders, of which 6,314 recovered from the infection.

A total of 1,1611 infected personnel, including 214 officers, are currently recuperating at various hospitals, the official said.

Of the 93 deaths reported in the department, Mumbai police alone accounted for more than 52 fatalities, he said.

At least 2,07,543 offences have been registered in Maharashtra since the coronavirus-induced lockdown was imposed on March 22 to contain the viral spread, the official said.

The police have arrested 31,671 persons for violation of lockdown norms during the period, he said.

Apart from this, fines to the tune of Rs 16. 87 crore were collected from lockdown violators, till date, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 21:04:17|Editor: huaxia

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BANGKOK, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reassured the public Saturday that the six Thai soldiers who tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Hawaii are currently in state quarantine centers.

The six soldiers were part of the 150 Thai soldiers who participated in the military operation called "Lightning Forge 2020" since July 1.

All returned to Thailand on July 22. Ten had high fever. Later six out of the ten soldiers tested positive for COVID-19.

The CCSA said that the six patients, aged between 20 and 32, had fever, cough, runny nose, rashes and diarrhea and were deemed patients under investigation.

The CCSA had earlier warned all Thais in the United States to stay vigilant, as the latter had recorded more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 for the fourth straight day on Friday, as well as more than 73,700 new COVID-19 cases, its second-highest single-day increase.

Meanwhile in Thailand, the country had reported zero cases of local transmission for the past two months.

Three new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Thailand on Saturday, all imported and are in state quarantine. Cumulative infections in Thailand, to date, are 3,282. Enditem
A health care worker use a nasal swab to test Eric Rodriguez for COVID-19 at a pop up testing site at the Koinonia Worship Center and Village on July 22, 2020 in Pembroke Park, Florida.

As coronavirus case counts pile up across the U.S., President Donald Trump continues to blame testing  in rallies, interviews, and on Twitter  for the recent surge in the outbreak.

"If we didn't test, you wouldn't be able to show that chart," Trump said in response to a question from Chris Wallace about rising U.S. Covid-19 cases in a Fox News interview that aired on July 19. "If we tested half as much, those numbers would be down."

But a CNBC analysis of testing data found that even as the U.S. has increased its testing capacity, cases of the virus are being found at a higher rate, a pattern that contradicts what epidemiologists say should be happening as a country gets a pandemic under control.

"That claim is patently false," said Dr. Yonatan Grad, a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard, in response to the idea that increased testing explains the recent outbreak. "It is at best misleading, and at worst intentionally subverting public health responses."

In interviews with CNBC, epidemiologists pointed to the "percentage of positive tests" as a way to understand whether the growth in U.S. coronavirus cases is due solely to increased testing. When coronavirus tests are in short supply, only the sickest individuals are typically tested, causing the share of positive tests out of total tests to be high. But as more tests become available, those with mild or no symptoms  who are less likely to have Covid-19  are able to get tests, which would lead to a lower positivity rate if the virus were not spreading.

The percentage of positive tests in the U.S. has increased from 5.4% on Memorial Day to 8.6% on July 23, according to a CNBC analysis of data from the Covid Tracking Project. Daily testing nationwide has nearly doubled over that period, from an average of 410,000 daily tests performed on May 25 to more than 775,000 daily tests as of July 23. To account for daily reporting fluctuations, CNBC's analysis used a seven-day average of cases and tests to calculate percent positive rates.
Photo: Google Maps The site of a fatal altercation between two panhandlers in Nelson, B.C. in 2019

A man has been sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for killing another street-entrenched man in an altercation over a panhandling spot in Nelson, B.C.

Miles Halverson, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter after kicking Matthew Reeder in the head on June 5, 2018. Both were long-time members of the Nelson street community and had known each other for years, and for the most part, were friends.

This senseless death arose from a dispute over a prime panhandling location, wrote BC Supreme Court Justice David Crerar in his sentencing decision Friday. It was particularly shocking to the small and relatively peaceful community of Nelson.

The same day prior to the killing, police had broken up a fight between Halverson and Reeder at a panhandling spot at 685 Baker Street. Considered one of the best panhandling spots in Nelson, Halverson believed he had the exclusive right to it.

At around 1 p.m., Halverson returned to the spot to find Reeder sitting there.

He yelled at him to move, and in a single motion with his right foot, the standing Halverson kicked Reeder, who was still sitting, in the side of the head full force while wearing steel-toed boots. The entire incident was captured on surveillance and observed by multiple witnesses.

Reeder immediately slumped forward. The skin behind his ear turned black. His face and hands turned purple. He would die in Kelowna hospital 30 hours after the kick.

Halverson continued to yell at the unresponsive man he had just kicked, waving his arms, until a bystander stepped in.

Halverson left the scene and went to a liquor store where he told an employee he knew well, I think I killed Mattie. I booted him in the head.

Police arrested him a few blocks away. Halverson initially denied involvement in Reeders death, but soon admitted he had kicked him.

The police report records that he was visibly upset when he talked about Mr Reeder: he described him as a friend with whom he regularly had shared drinks, the sentencing judge wrote.

Halverson has a long criminal record with 43, many violent, previous convictions. Most of his offenses were related to alcohol and he completed residential treatment for alcoholism, in 1995, 2011, and 2014. Each time, however, he slipped back to drinking with his longest sober stint being seven months.

In victim impact statements submitted by Reeders mother, father, and brother, "they do not focus on vengeance or anger."

Instead, they express a very humane desire that Halverson receive the assistance he needs, towards rehabilitation and ultimate reintegration in society. At the same time, the family has stated that they wish to ensure that Mr Halverson never does anything like this again, Justice Crerar said.

The victims family participated in the Collaborative Sentencing Project with Halverson, recommending that he receive the necessary rehabilitation programming that he has in [the] past neither received nor sustained.

The Crown sought a four to six year sentence, while the defence argued for one to two years.

Justice Crerar pointed to Halversons lengthy violent previous criminal record, noting that a longer sentence is likely needed to help with extended rehabilitation efforts.

He has been unable to sustain or benefit from programmes in [the] past while in society on his own without active assistance and supervision. Programmes aimed at education, anger management, and alcohol control will be more effective in custody, where past programmes have failed. The mandatory sobriety resulting from custody will also assist in these efforts.
Expansion Funds for Big Data Firm Quantexa

British big data and analytics firm Quantexa has raised $64.7m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to expand further into North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.



The company, which is headquartered in London, with additional offices in New York, Brussels and Sydney, has developed proprietary Contextual Decision Intelligence technology (CDI) which uses real-time entity resolution with network analytics and artificial intelligence to combine vast and disparate data sets. In 2017, the company raised $3.3m in funding, and doubled the size of its London office; then a year later, management consultancy Accenture invested an undisclosed sum in the business.



The latest round has been led by Evolution Equity Partners, with participation from existing investors Dawn Capital, AlbionVC and HSBC. New investors British Patient Capital and ABN AMRO Ventures also joined previous investor Accenture Ventures in this round, which brings the total funds raised to date to $90m. Quantexa will also use the funds to expand into additional sectors, while developing more platform applications across financial services, and broader cross-sector capabilities.



CEO Vishal Marria (pictured) comments: 'We are thrilled that Evolution Equity Partners and British Patient Capital will be joining our team, alongside the strategic investment from ABN AMRO Ventures. Together with the continued trust and commitment from our existing investors, we will drive the next phase of Quantexa's growth. This investment will accelerate our product innovation roadmap and enable us to invest further into Europe, North America and Asia Pacific regions, as well as expand into new locations'.



Web site: www.quantexa.com .




"We're all now digital bankers, whether you wanted to be or not, says Donna Turner, chief operations officer at Early Warning, the parent company of Zelle. What we see right now is this perfect storm for the bad guys to really focus and dive in."

Online banking scammers may target older people for several reasons, says Brian Krebs, a journalist who runs the respected cybercrime website KrebsOnSecurity. After decades of work, older adults are more likely to have higher incomes and greater assets. They are often perceived, fairly or not, to be less tech savvy and more inclined to answer the phone.

Isolation can also be a factor, particularly amid the pandemic, notes Amy Nofziger, director of fraud victim support at AARP. When people are in crisis  and who's not in crisis or at an elevated emotional level right now with COVID  they actually want to connect and speak with somebody, she says.

Phishing: Don't get hooked

The first defense against banking scams is knowing that a reputable bank will not contact you out of the blue and ask for your Social Security number, online account password or other personal information. It won't ask for money. Anyone that does is almost certainly phishing.

This type of scam isn't new, but scammers have gotten really, really sophisticated at it, says Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention programs at AARP.

These scams start with an email or text that appears to come from a real financial institution, down to an authentic-looking logo. These spoofed communications carry urgent but phony warnings about problems with an account or transaction.

You might be directed to call a supposed customer service line (where you'll be pressed for personal information like a Social Security number), or to click on a link that takes you to a fake banking website. That could be a trap to infect your device with malware that allows crooks to track your keystrokes and capture account credentials.

Signs of phishing can include misspellings and poor grammar; email or web addresses that resemble but don't quite match the real domain (look for a switched letter or extra punctuation mark); or generic greetings like Dear Valued Customer."

But even these clues can be tricky, Stokes says: Some fraudsters purposely put them in emails to weed out people that would be more aware from clicking through or calling the bogus help line.

"It's akin to a marketing strategy. Get people who are sufficiently fraud-savvy to opt out by ignoring the lure, she says. Those who remain are the ones that will be easier to deceive.

"Vishing, or voice phishing by phone, has also gotten orders of magnitude more sophisticated and harder to detect, says Krebs.

For example, scammers may come armed with information about you, gleaned from social media or a prior data breach (a kind of targeted attack called "spear phishing"). They'll mention personal details like your birth date, where you work or the last four digits of your Social Security number to make their claim to be from your bank more convincing.

Know whom you're talking to

If you get a call like that, hang up immediately. Similarly, don't reply to an email or text that seems at all suspicious, and don't call a phone number listed in one.

Nor should you necessarily trust a number found via Google search, chat room or social media. For the same reason, don't ask Alexa on a smart speaker to connect you either, experts caution.

"Just about every major company is being targeted by the bad guys, Krebs says. They spam all these forums and you end up calling scammers for help."

To find out if there's an actual issue with your account, contact the bank via a channel you know to be legitimate, like the customer service number printed on your bank statement or the back of a debit card.
The U.S. assesses that Russia supplied Wagner forces operating in Libya with fighter aircraft, military armored vehicles, air defense systems.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has received new evidence that the Russian Federation continues positioning military equipment in Libya and supplying weapons to the front line through Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner Group.

"Russia continues to play an unhelpful role in Libya by delivering supplies and equipment to the Wagner group. Imagery continues to unmask their consistent denials," U.S. Marine Corps Maj.Gen. Bradford Gering, AFRICOM director of operations, said in a statement posted on AFRICOM's official website.

Read alsoBloody trail of Russian military in Libya  media

According to him, it is assessed that the Russian Federation continues to violate UN Security Council Resolution UNSCR 1970 by actively providing military equipment and fighters to the front lines of the Libya conflict.

The U.S. assesses that Russia supplied Wagner forces operating in Libya with fighter aircraft, military armored vehicles, air defense systems, and supplies.

The latest imagery details the extent of equipment being supplied to Wagner. Russian military cargo aircraft, including IL-76s, continue to supply Wagner fighters. Russian air defense equipment, including SA-22s, are present in Libya and operated by Russia, the Wagner Group or their proxies. Photos also show Wagner utility trucks and Russian mine-resistant, ambush-protected armored vehicles are also present in Libya.

"The type and volume of equipment demonstrates an intent toward sustained offensive combat action capabilities, not humanitarian relief, and indicates the Russian Ministry of Defense is supporting these operations," Gering said.
A Corvallis resident's rally attracted about two dozen mid-valley residents in support of the Thin Blue Line. It also attracted over a dozen Black Live Matter demonstrators  many of whom set out to explain the tumultuous history of the Thin Blue Lines symbolism as it relates to the modern civil rights movement.
New Delhi, July 25 : A day ahead of launching voter registration in Jammu and Kashmir for its online 'Referendum 2020' campaign, which seeks secession of Punjab from India, banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) group has activated a direct hotline from United States to woo people in the Valley infected with COVID-19.

Intelligence agencies have issued alerts across Jammu and Kashmir soon after the information leaked that the secessionist group has announced to give Rs 2,000 to every novel coronavirus infected persons in the Valley irrespective of their religion.

As per information, SFJ has offered financial support for four days between July 25 and July 28 -- an attempt to gain sympathy from residents of Jammu and Kashmir for its illegal 'Referendum 2020' agenda.

In its message to people of Jammu and Kashmir, who are affected by the coronavirus, the SFJ has asked them to contact the group at its COVID-19 Hotline via WhatsApp on +19175796400 or email at support@sikhsforjustice.org to get the aid.

The group, experts in the security wing suggest, wants to establish its base in Jammu and Kashmir and it recently gave a call to Sikhs residing in the Valley to support its online 'Referendum 2020' campaign beginning from July 26.

The SFJ, which was banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs in July last year for advocating 'Referendum 2020', moved towards Jammu and Kashmir to get support of people there after it failed to gain sympathy for 'Referendum 2020' voter registration in Punjab and Delhi earlier this month.

The action of the group followed inputs that the Sikh community across India has rejected the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) sponsored propaganda of 'Referendum 2020'. The Pakistani intelligence agency ISI has been backing the malicious campaign launched by the SFJ as a large number of Pakistani Twitter handles have started tweeting in favour of the so-called 'Referendum'.

Dubbing Sikhs in Kashmir as "freedom fighters and Sikh soldiers", the US-based Khalistani radical outfit has urged them to support its most infamous agenda 'Referendum 2020'.

Intelligence reports suggest that the secessionist group has given a call to the Kashmiris in the Valley to support the July 26 opening of voter registration in Jammu and Kashmir.

The attempt is to get the support of the estimated three lakh Sikh population residing across Jammu and Kashmir.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the head of SFJ, had claimed that the group has planned to launch the July 26 voter registration for Punjab Independence Referendum in Jammu and Kashmir with "Ardaas" ceremonies from Gurudwara Chhati Patshahi in Srinagar and Gurudwara Simbal Camp in Jammu.

Pannun is among the nine pro-Khalistanis who were designated as terrorists by the Indian government earlier this month. US-based terrorist Pannun has been playing a major role in the 'Referendum 2020' campaign.

Pledging the SFJ's full support to the cause of holding a UN-approved plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, Pannun has urged the Kashmiri Sikhs to support Referendum 2020. The group claims that an "independent Khalistan will pave the way for freedom of Kashmir".

The SFJ launched similar voter registration on July 4 and 19 in Punjab and Delhi respectively through Russian and Canadian portals to propagate its anti-India agenda to demand Khalistan, a separate homeland for Sikhs in Punjab.

The SFJ is supported by Pakistan-based handlers to provide money and logistical support to radical Sikh elements in Punjab to carry out subversive activities.

The SFJ is headed by Avtar Singh Pannun and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who have started advocating Khalistan as well as the online secessionist campaign for Referendum 2020.

(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  The motion for reconsideration filed by Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa and former writer-researcher Rey Santos Jr. on their cyber libel conviction has been denied.

The Regional Trial Court Branch 64 in Manila has denied the 132-page motion Saturday for lack of merit after the two journalists were convicted for cyber libel on June 15.

In the motion, Ressa and Santos cited 13 errors committed by Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa in her verdict, including defining updating a story as republication, and the consideration of complainant Wilfredo Keng as a private citizen.

READ: Maria Ressa, ex-Rappler writer appeal cyber libel conviction before Manila court

However, the court stressed that discussion has been exhaustively made and no new matters were raised regarding the issues on republication, the liability and non-representation of the accused, and the damages suffered by private complainant Wilfredo Keng.

It also stood by its ruling, saying that Keng is a private citizen.

It is notable that both accused are raising the public figure defense for the first time During trial, no evidence was adduced by the defense to show that the status of Keng falls within the definition of a public figure, the court said.

Human rights groups and netizens have slammed Ressa and Reyes conviction, saying that it is a blatant attack on press freedom. Recently, media giant ABS-CBN has been denied a fresh 25-year franchise by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises.

In April, the Philippines has fallen two places in the World Press Freedom Index, placing 136th among 180 nations. The Reporters without Borders noted that in the report, the country has state troll armies that use weapon of disinformation on social media.

CNN Philippines Senior Correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report.
Courtesy San Antonio Fire Department

One person is dead and two people were taken to the hospital with injuries after a plane crashed behind a South Side residence Saturday morning.

The crash occurred near Stinson Field in a residential area near Espada Road into a backyard space, according to San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Woody Woodward.
HAMILTON  A new CFO is coming to town.

Yolanda Hill, a municipal employee from Cumberland County, will begin serving as Hamiltons chief financial officer and finance director effective next Monday.

I am excited to have Yolanda join my leadership team and fill this critical position, Mayor Jeff Martin said Friday in a press statement. I am thankful for her willingness to serve and am confident that the residents of Hamilton Township will be well-served by her ambition, experience and dedication to public service.

Hill previously served as an accountant for the City of Vineland in South Jersey, where she learned the ropes of municipal finance over the last seven-plus years, records show.

I am eager to work with Mayor Martin and for this new opportunity to serve the residents of Hamilton Township, Hill, a certified municipal finance officer since 2016, said Friday in a press statement. I look forward to building a strong financial foundation for Hamilton and finding long-term solutions to build its economic health.

Although Hill will report to work on Monday, her permanent employment status must be approved by Hamilton Council.

This nomination requires, and is expected to receive, the consent of the Hamilton Township Council, the Martin administration said Friday in a news release announcing Hills employment.

The freshman mayor and all five members of Hamilton Council are registered Democrats.

Even if Hamilton Council approves Hill as CFO, the governing body may not necessarily want her to be paid top dollar.

Hill collected about $67,000 in annual salary as a finance department employee in the City of Vineland, according to active pension records.

Hamiltons former CFO John Barrett received $144,351 in annual salary before resigning in disgrace last month.

Barrett stepped down June 1 after an administrative law judge found him accountable for conduct unbecoming a public official. Barrett abused Hamiltons sick-leave policy, among other transgressions cited in public documents.

Hamiltons new business administrator, Kathryn Monzo, dually served as BA and interim CFO over the past few weeks. She receives at least $170,000 in annual compensation.

Prior to Monzos interim stint, Ulrich Al Steinberg Jr. was serving as Hamiltons acting CFO for much of this year, but he suddenly departed effective May 31 as a direct result of the New Jersey Division of Pensions decision to rescind their prior approval of his employment agreement, according to Bianca Jerez, Martins chief of staff.

The state rescinded Steinbergs employment because the Martin administration had paid him too much in salary for part-time work, according to Monzo.

Hamilton Council is currently considering an ordinance that would subject the CFO to a salary range as low as $110,000 and as high as $144,000.

If the salary ordinance is approved on second reading, Hill may receive compensation almost equal to what Barrett earned for doing the same work or she may earn substantially less than her predecessor.

If Hamilton Council passes the ordinance and confirms Hill as CFO, she will earn a salary far above and beyond the five-figure salary she collected in her prior government finance job.

Hill is a graduate of Rowan University with a Bachelor of Arts in accounting, according to the Martin administration. Her previous work experience in the City of Vineland is proof that she understands the cutthroat world of municipal finance, where decisions frequently have to be made affecting taxpayers and public employees.

Hamilton Township and the City of Vineland, however, are not exactly identical communities.

Vineland has about 60,000 residents as a small city, while Hamilton remains one of New Jerseys largest communities by population with almost 90,000 residents.

In the area of general budget appropriations, Hamilton Township spends more money on basic government services than Vineland.

For example, Hamiltons adopted 2020 municipal budget calls for $107.4 million in general appropriations, whereas Vinelands adopted 2020 budget calls for approximately $71 million in general appropriations.

Vineland, however, has more overall spending than Hamilton Township, primarily because Vineland has a $10 million dedicated water and sewer utility budget, a $102 million dedicated electric utility budget and a $5 million dedicated solid waste utility budget.

In addition to its general ledger, Hamilton has an $18 million dedicated sewer utility budget but no electric utility budget.

In terms of the municipal workforces, Vineland has about 120 full-time employees and 570 part-time employees, while Hamilton has about 560 full-timers and 30 part-timers, according to user-friendly budget data.

Hamilton Township in recent years had several financial shortcomings, according to a 2018 auditing report that discovered an unusual transaction, among other questionable findings. Meanwhile, a newly released auditing report suggests the City of Vineland had clean financial practices last year.

An auditing firm conducted a cursory review of Vinelands 2019 operations and did not identify any deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be material weaknesses and found no instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards.

When campaigning for office and after getting elected, Martin promised to promote workplace diversity within Hamiltons municipal government, saying he would look to hire qualified women and people of color.
Quarantine for many teachers and students as COVID-19 cases rise View(s):

Around 200 teachers and students in five districts are undergoing quarantine, with PCR tests being conducted across the country. As of July 23, three school children have tested positive for COVID-19, the Education Ministry said recently.

The Ministry also said provincial authorities have been instructed not to reopen any schools in the Rajanganaya and Welikanda education divisions before August 10, as the latest COVID-19 clusters were found in those areas.

All Government schools will reopen for Grade 11, 12 and 13 students on July 27, and school sessions will go on until 3.30 p.m. The Ministry also said all schools should follow the Health Ministry guidelines issued to school authorities.

The Health Services Director General recommended that the other grades commence classes from August 10 onwards, the first Monday after the general election, an Education Ministry official said.

Meanwhile, the Gampaha Medical Officer of Health (MOH)s office had conducted PCR tests on students of a school in Gampaha, after a teacher of the school tested positive for COVID-19.

Students who had attended his tuition classes too had to undergo PCR tests.

With the Grade Five Scholarship examinations postponed to October 11 and Advanced Level examinations to begin on October 12, due to COVID-19 related school closures, the Education Ministry said the second term school vacation would be held from October 9 to November 12. (NF)
COVID-19 confirmed cases surge across the globe in its fatal march. Two prominent American doctors specified a probable solution: the heartburn medication Pepcid as a novel coronavirus remedy.

There has yet to be published studies or information whether the active ingredient in Pepcid, famotidine, would be effectual to combat the coronavirus.

An almost $21 million government-funded study to test if the over-the-counter heartburn medication could be a COVID-19 remedy candidate fizzled. This was amid accusations of scientific misbehavior and conflicts of interest, according to a whistleblower remonstrance, interviews, and internal government data.

The Trump government provided funding assistance to a study of famotidine, the major ingredient in Pepcid. This was despite a lack of the aforementioned published studies or data to allude that large doses would be effectual against the coronavirus, reported "Arkansas Democrat Gazette."

Back in early April, when government scientists were made aware of a proposal to fund millions for federal research to examine Pepcid, they did not take it seriously, indicated records obtained by The Associated Press.

That did not stop the Trump government from granting an emergency contract to scientists testing Pepcid on ailing coronavirus positive patients, reported "New York Daily News."

The Pepcid project is now fazed by an ambiguous future. Northwell Health, a New York health care provider designated to launch the testing at its hospitals, halted the trial on hold due to the lack of admitted COVID-19 patients in New York.

According to internal government emails, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the clinical trial fast approval despite a top agency official being concerned that the supposed daily injections of large doses of famotidine as a coronavirus remedy for ailing patients was bordering on unsafe.

Also Read: Bringing Comfort During a Crisis: Perks of Camping Amid COVID-19

The aforementioned emergency contract is currently undertaking assessment following a government whistleblower's allegation that a senior administration official was rushing the deal without necessary scientific scrutiny suitable for a huge federal award.

Northwell is partnered with the pharmaceutical company in Florida that received the contract, Alchem Laboratories.

The Pepcid undertaking highlights what critics tout as the Trump government's disregard for science and anti-corruption measures. Such regulations are designated to shield against taxpayer dollars going to funding projects that are not based on more meticulous science or at the hands of political cronies.

Meanwhile, the doctors who initially elevated the Pepcid idea are confined in a bout for credit and accusations of scientific misbehavior.

A vaccine or an effectual cure could be made available before the Pepcid study concludes.

The Trump administration had little information regarding which to base a funding settlement on Pepcid and COVID-19, according to critics; there was no high profile research on famotidine's capacity to combat the coronavirus to sustain a trial involving hundreds of patients.

"The evidence used to support the trial is extremely weak," according to Dr. Steven Nissen, Cleveland Clinic cardiologist and regular adviser to the FDA, on the clinical trial of Pepcid as a coronavirus remedy. "And I've been very critical of this approach to the COVID-19 epidemic, which I've likened to throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. I consider trials like this one to be largely a waste of time and money."

Related Article: 85 Babies Under Age 1 Test Positive for COVID-19 in Single Texas County?

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A US official linked espionage at the Houston consulate to Chinas pursuit of research into a COVID-19 vaccine.

Chinas Houston consulate, which is due to be closed on Friday, has been one of the worst offenders in terms of Chinese espionage in the United States and its actions went well over the line of what was acceptable, senior US officials said on Friday.

The US ordered the consulate closed this week, leading China to retaliate on Friday by telling Washington to shut its consulate in the city of Chengdu, as relations between the worlds two largest economies deteriorate.

In a briefing for journalists, a senior State Department official linked espionage activity at the Houston consulate to Chinas pursuit of research into a vaccine for the new coronavirus.

The official said China had been very clear about its intent to be first to the market with a coronavirus vaccine.

The medical connections here arent lost on me and  the medical connection in Houston is also pretty specific, the official said.

A medical worker holds a small bottle labelled with a Vaccine COVID-19 sticker [File: Dado Ruvic/Reuters]

While the official gave no details of what aspects of vaccine research may have been targeted or where, Texas is home to the Galveston National Laboratory, an anchor lab for the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease Biodefense Laboratories Network, which supports government-funded research.

The lab is located on the campus of the University of Texas Medical Branch, where researchers have been conducting COVID-19 vaccine research. University officials declined to comment.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has described the US allegations as malicious slander and the consulate closure as unreasonable.

A senior US Justice Department official said it was accepted that consulates of all countries were bases of operations for foreign intelligence services.

Its understood that there will be some activity here by those services, he said. But, he added, The sum total of the Houston consulates activities went well over the line of what were willing to accept.

At some point, you say, enough is enough and you decide which are one of the worst offenders, he said.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said malicious slander is behind an order by the US government to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, and maintained Thursday that its officials have never operated outside ordinary diplomatic norms [AP Photo/Ng Han Guan]

The Justice Department official said that while illegal, the activities were not necessarily amenable to criminal charges, due in part to the diplomatic immunity that consulate officials enjoy.

The senior State Department official said, despite the disagreement between the two countries, US diplomats who had been withdrawn from China earlier this year because of the coronavirus outbreak there would continue to return.

The Chinese side has been cooperative in that; they understand the need to get back to balance, he said.

A flight bound for Shanghai carrying US diplomats left the US on Wednesday as Washington pressed ahead with its plan to restaff its mission in China.

According to a July 17 internal State Department email seen by Reuters, more such flights are planned.

It said these included a tentative July 29 flight to Tianjin and Beijing that was in the initial planning stages, while a target date for another flight, to Guangzhou, was still to be determined.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Mumbai, July 25 : For the second consecutive day, Maharashtra notched a decline in Covid-19 cases and deaths, though Mumbai's death toll crossed the 6,000 mark while over 2 lakh persons were cured till Saturday, health officials said.

The state notched 9,251 new Covid cases, down from the highest - 10,576 on July 22, though fresh cases continue to soar in the 8,000-plus range in the second half of July.

The number of deaths in the state continued to remain in the 200-plus range with 257 fatalities notched on Saturday. However, this was lower than the single day's record toll of 298 recorded on July 23.

With the fresh fatalities, the state's death toll went up to 13,389, while the total cases rose to 366,358 - both highest in the country.

According to Saturday's figures, there was one death roughly every 6 minutes and a stupendous 385 new cases every hour.

The state recovery rate increased for the second day from 55.99 per cent to 56.55 per cent on Saturday, while the current mortality rate stood at 3.65 per cent.

The Health Department said that of the total cases till date, 145,481 are active cases.

On the positive side, 7,227 recovered patients returned home on Saturday, taking the total number of discharged patients to 207,194.

Of the total 257 fatalities, Pune again notched the highest deaths, at 72, overtaking Mumbai for the second day running.

Mumbai recorded 52 deaths, taking up the toll in the country's commercial capital to 6,036 and the number of corona cases increased by 1,080 to 108,060.

There were also 49 fatalities in Thane, 12 each in Nashik and Solapur, nine each in Palghar and Jalgaon, seven in Kolhapur, six in Raigad, five in Ratnagiri, four in Aurangabad, three each in Sangli and Jalna, two each in Dhule and Nanded, one each in Nandurbar, Satara, Sindhudurg, Beed, Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Wardha and Nagpur, besides 1 from another state.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated a fully-equipped 50-bed Covid hospital in the Reliance Industries Ltd. educational complex in Nagothane, Raigad district, set up under the guidance of RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani and Director Hital Meswani.

Thackeray also inaugurated a new Covid-19 testing lab in Kalyan with a capacity of 3,000 tests in Kalyan and dedicated Corona Care Centres in Kalyan and Dombivali towns - all in Thane district - in the presence of Guardian Minister Eknath Shinde, Collector Vijay Suryawanshi and others.

The Shree Kutchi Kadva Patidar Samaj, Dombivali, has helped set up a 210-bed hospital including 60 beds with oxygen and 10 in ICU, plus accommodation for over 100 doctors, nurses and staffers, while the Asra Foundation of Kalyan has also set up a 194-bed hospital with 100 oxygen beds and 10 semi-ICU beds.

The MMR (Thane division) remains on the edge with the current toll increasing by 116 to reach 8,895 and a staggering 3,523 new cases, pushing up the number to 220,840.

Thane's cases have touched 84,851 with 2,298 fatalities to emerge as the second worst-hit district after Mumbai in the state.

Pune district has now 73,007 cases, with the death toll increasing to 1,738 on Saturday.

With 72 more deaths, the Pune division's death toll crossed has reached 2,270 and the case tally touched 83,423.

Nashik division has 1,042 fatalities and 26,783 cases, Aurangabad division 528 deaths and 14,216 cases, Akola division 213 fatalities and 6,075 cases, Kolhapur division has 176 deaths and 6,432 cases, Latur division 170 fatalities and 3,843 cases, and Nagpur division recorded 50 deaths and 4,433 cases.

Continuing the trend of the past week, all the eight divisions recorded fatalities on Saturday, while Chandrapur remains a zero Covid death district till date.

Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home quarantine increased to 894,509, while those in institutional quarantine went down to 44,603 on Saturday.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Malcolm X once stated that the black communitys greatest enemy was the white liberal. If he were living now, perhaps that perspective would change and narrow to white liberal women. Many of us recognize that white, educated, liberal women are becoming the enemy of any remnants of traditional culture.

Over the last few years, these white, guilt-ridden women have become a force for promoting identity politics and the demonization of men. One does not see this more than in the professions of human behavior and mental health. As an East coast therapist, I have heard stories about microaggressions concerning race, sexual orientation, and sexual identity. For those of us who do not subscribe to this increasingly fanatical, Orwellian creed, we either self-isolate or are ostracized. The silence of dissenting voices is the mandate of these Left-wing females.

A couple of years ago, I ended a friendship that was increasingly eroding over politics. This person, a therapist also and a once-upon-a-time uninformed moderate, would deny political discourse was the reason. Still, on a fateful day, she asked how I could have voted for Donald Trump being the moral person she thought I was. As the conversation unfolded, she emphasized to me that she was now quite knowledgeable about the political landscape. When I asked her thoughts about Kanye Wests support for Donald Trump, it was evident she had not heard about this topic. She looked equally dumbfounded when I questioned if she knew who Valerie Jarrett was. After a frosty exchange about not including me in a gathering that would be dominated by her Democrat friends, we parted ways. Later, I confronted her about taking the moral high ground as she voted for a woman whose moral scruples had a great deal to be desired. Also, I wondered about her holier-than-thou attitude as she joined the Lefts chorus in denying Barack Obamas follies.

Since that time, most who are within the behavioral health disciplines have increasingly embraced the extreme language of the left. Although other enlightened diversity experts promote the narrative, female therapists are at the forefront signing their names with preferred nouns and pronouns such as She/Her/Her. Now, there are at least thirty-seven pronouns. Another friend of mine, a therapist who worked on a college campus, became so confused with some of the pronouns that she asked a student if she could just refer to them by name. Begrudgingly, the student said yes.

Therapists now often identify clients as cis-gendered, those who maintain their assigned birth sex. Straight, or gay, no longer suffices. Most therapists are women and are driving the narrative. A few months ago, one therapist courageously questioned the idea of people having casual sex in such realms as polyamory. She indicated how some viewed these behaviors as hurting them. Unfortunately, this therapist received pushback on this old-fashioned and judgmental position. At some point, she caved, thanking another therapist for enlightening her.

Mental health professionals are less shy about expressing their social justice ideals, but these activities extend to other disciplines of education. Many well-degreed females from all professions are joining together as fair and just sisters to upend society. These purportedly illuminated women emphasize the significance of differences, but only involving those in agreement with their standards. How about those between men and women? We cant say, never mind do. These so-called oppressed women often blame white men for the patriarchy inflicted on them. As in other cultures, women often set the tone for societal norms. We could say that about societies where the women carry out Female Genital Mutilation to advanced countries where women insist they are no different than men.

I have seen several older and young women who have acknowledged the emptiness of the hook-up culture, which arose out of being liberated to be like men. Although there was no name for it, one of my long-term, over sixty-year clients acknowledged the pressure of the 1970s and 80s concerning these issues. Even back then, such behavior for women went from being pinned with a scarlet letter to being rewarded with a badge of honor. Did most of these women feel good about themselves? The answer to that is a resounding no. Will they admit that publicly? No, again.

More recently, I heard two different examples of this kind of behavior. One of my lovely thirty-year-olds recently became engaged. This client felt a need to discuss some residual shame about chaotic behavior from long ago. These random activities occurred during a drunken haze. I reminded this woman that the culture had set the tone, but more importantly, the behavior had ceased. I also emphasized that like it or not, men and women are different, to which she agreed.

A few months before COVID, a delightful client, a college student, was going out on the town with her friends. She told me they would probably drink and hook up. When I asked what the hook-up meant, kissing or more, including sex, she said rather sheepishly that it depends, because it is part of the culture. This Gen-Zer is a composite of many young women who succumb to this peer pressure. Most of them anesthetize themselves to endure the lack of connection with a stranger disguised as an intimate coming together.

White, educated, liberal females are not retreating from their collective mantra any time soon. Under the guise of "white male oppression," they continue to set the stage for increased moral relativism and cultural rot for all. These mama bears are allowing their children to be indoctrinated by this feel-good because it is a feel-right portrayal of history, literature, art, science, and politics. Until these formally educated women become truly enlightened about their vast freedom and power, society will continue to slide into a slow but steady decay. Ladies, wake up. It is time to get genuinely woke.

Elizabeth Naham is the pen name of a mental health professional
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 21:42:44|Editor: huaxia

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by Grant Alexander

CAPE TOWN, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has been ravaging South Africa since March 5, with the tourism sector being the hardest hit.

For several days, the tourism industry has organized protests in major cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg to press their demand for fully reopening the tourism industry. In Cape Town, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Parliament on Friday.

The COVID-19 lockdown, enforced since March 27, has forced the closure of many small businesses in the tourism sector.

Tourism income for the tourist accommodation industry decreased by 98 percent in May of 2020, compared with May of 2019, according to the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA).

The council revealed that more than 68 billion rand (about 4 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism has been lost due to the national lockdown.

Moreover, about 600,000 direct tourism jobs will be lost in 2020 due to COVID-19, the council said.

New scenario models by the World Travel & Tourism Council indicate up to 197 million job losses if the industry is only widely opened again by September.

The South African government foresees that domestic leisure tourism will likely only be able to resume in December and international travel next year.

In April, South African Minister of Tourism Mmamaloko Kubayi-Ngubane announced a COVID-19 tourism relief fund of 200 million rand, but little of that money reportedly has reached its recipients.

This was one of the reasons that were believed to be behind the protests.

If the sector remains closed, the knock-on effects will be felt in other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and banking, according to the TBCSA.

"If the government does not open inter-provincial leisure travel this week, mass retrenchments will start within the sector," Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of TBCSA, said.

This will be further propelled by benefit of the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme coming to an end and insurance companies refusing to pay legitimate claims, Tshivhengwa said.

Inter-provincial travel will bring hope to the industry and mitigate mass retrenchments, he said.

David Frost, Chief Executive Officer of Southern Africa Tourism Services, told Xinhua that they would rather engage with the government than taking them to court.

David Raad, owner of Cafe Caprice in Cape Town, said he supported the protests.

"We put tables out in the street just to show solidarity to the restaurants and hospitality sector that have been left out in the cold," Raad told Xinhua, adding that "we've been harshly hit with the lockdown."

The hospitality industry is battling with the ban on alcohol sale and a evening curfew, said Raad.

Athol Williams, who runs the MD Star Travel (South Africa) based in Cape Town, said the pandemic has seriously damaged his company, grinding the business to a complete halt.

"I am tourism-dependent, that is my bread and butter ... All my money, everything is gone. I've got nothing, no bread on the table; I am sitting at home doing no work," Williams told Xinhua.

Fredirich Bernard of Citi Walking Tours said that most of the people in the tourism industry have depleted their savings.

"We've turned over every resource we can, we've begged, borrowed and we are at the end of tether," he said. Enditem
Osmania University's decision comes after UGC released revised guidelines on 6 July, in which they had asked universities to conduct end-semester examinations and 'compulsory' backlog examinations by September end.

The Osmania University, Hyderabad has announced that it will hold end-semester regular, backlog and improvement examinations in the months of August and September.

According to a report by India Today, the university has said that regular, backlog and improvement exams will be held for Bachelor of Legislative Law (LL.B) courses including LL.B (3 year), LL.B HONOURS (3 year), BA.LL.B (5 year), BB.A LL.B (5 year), and B.COM LL.B (5 year) and Master of Law (LLM).

The report says that the university has asked students to submit their examination fees by 12 August. They can submit it by 19 August with late fees as well.

The report adds that the university will also take regular, backlog, and improvement exams for Master of Applied Management (MAM) and 5-year Integrated BBA/MBA courses.

Students of these subjects need to submit their examination fees by 6 August or by 14 August with late fees.

As per a report by NDTV, Osmania University's decision comes after UGC released revised guidelines on 6 July where they had asked universities to conduct end-semester examinations and 'compulsory' backlog examinations by September end.

The report adds that the UGC guidelines are now being assessed by the Supreme Court following a plea filed by 31 students challenging them. The apex court is slated to hear the matter on 30 July.

Meanwhile, according to a report by The New Indian Express, Osmania University campus will perhaps soon turn into a Green Campus. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has initiated mass plantations wherever vacant space is available across the campus.
On the east side of Ft. Laramie sits a large, metal grain bin. As of now, there is nothing remarkable about it  the community hopes to change that soon.

We are working on beautifying our little town, Vickie Shinley, of Vickies Saloon, said. The grain bin is a perfect place.

The mural will be approximately 12 feet by 17 feet and it will include several elements including a red iron bridge, a Native American, a mountain man, Old Bedlam and the convergence of the Laramie and Platte rivers.

A Community Day will take place downtown from 1-10 p.m. Saturday to raise money for the project. Those donations will be combined with a matching community grant.

Beginning at 1 p.m., local crafters and vendors will be selling their wares and a silent auction will kick off, ending at 6 p.m.

From 1-3 p.m., there will activities for children under 10 including a duck pond, crafts, bobbing for apples and crafts. There will also be self-directed family games at the Presbyterian Church Field including corn hole, lawn darts, ring toss, frisbees and volleyball.
Can South Los Angeles teach America how to lead? Thats the promising question behind the news that Karen Bass is a top contender to be the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Bass is best known as a consensus-building and uncommonly kind politician who has served South L.A. in the Assembly and in Congress over the past two decades. But far more important than her political career is Bass role in a larger story about South L.A.s transformation into a better place  and about what true leadership looks like now.

South L.A., with 850,000 people covering 50 square miles, is the size of San Francisco. At the heart of its complicated story is Community Coalition.

Bass and other activists started Community Coalition in 1990 amid the crack cocaine epidemic. Since then, it has been built  through block-to-block work that rarely gets media notice  into a California success story.

The coalition works on a broad array of issues  from nuisance abatement to college access  because it organizes around the varied concerns of residents, not a poll-tested political agenda.

The wonderful paradox of the coalition is that its focus on street-level organizing has made it extraordinarily successful in developing leaders for the city and state.

Its leadership philosophy almost seems contrarian: You rise not by self-promotion, but by empowering your neighbors, and learning how to follow their lead.

Bass and her unflashy, collaborative style embody this approach, but she is just one of hundreds of coalition alumni in Southern California governments and civic institutions. Among these leaders are L.A. City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Albert Retana, an organizer who, after a stint in the Obama administration, returned to serve as the coalitions president and CEO.

Bass was a physicians assistant when she gathered neighborhood activists in a living room 30 years ago to address crack cocaines toll on their community.

The goal of the group  originally called Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment  was that South L.A.s people should be more involved in solving such problems.

That premise still defines Community Coalitions stated mission to elevate the voices of our members, shift power to the community, and tackle the root causes of poverty, crime and violence. But in method it is flexible and adapts to new challenges.

In its early efforts with the crack epidemic, it tried several tactics before discovering that shutting liquor stores was most effective at countering crime and drugs.

From there, the coalition branched out  to almost everything. It developed a youth organizing program, led efforts to reform foster care and advocated successfully for more school construction and college prep classes.

The work often built on itself. After the group started to organize the King Estates neighborhood around nuisance abatement, residents suggested revitalizing Martin Luther King Jr. Park. So the coalition held an Easter egg hunt, which evolved into Power Fest, a popular music festival.

Bass departed in 2004 to enter politics, but the group kept increasing its reach. It has sought to remake the justice system, address structural racism, transform the built environment and give neighborhoods more power over economic development.

Such work led it into ballot measure politics, notably the statewide tax hike Proposition 30 and the criminal justice reform measures Props. 47 and 57. This year, the coalition has started a center offering national fellowships in organizing.

In all of this, it has been sensitive to South L.A.s demographic changes, with Black people leaving and Latinos arriving. The organization carefully balances Black and Latino representation among its leaders, and at meetings. sociologist Manuel Pastor of the University of Southern California has credited the group with helping to make South L.A. a model of ethnic sedimentation, where ethnic groups build on each others histories, rather than ethnic succession, where conflict arises as a new group replaces an old one.

The notion of South L.A. as a national model for anything may seem odd to an America that still associates the area with gangs and riots. But no place could be more relevant to a country that finds itself near rock bottom.

Over the past 30 years, crime in South L.A. declined by more than two-thirds, access to health care expanded, schools opened and education improved, homeownership increased, and transportation, arts and food options exploded. Is there any doubt that the United States could benefit right now from emulating the Community Coalitions devotion to cultivating new leaders and building unity from the ground up?

If Joe Biden picks Bass as his running mate, its a safe bet that coalition organizers, past and present, will be leaders in a new administration.

And given their track record, the prospect of a South L.A. vice presidency might offer Americans something that is hard to find these days:

Hope.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square.
New Delhi, July 25 : The government's proposal to ban 27 pesticides, accounting for 15-20 per cent of the Rs 45,000 crore organised agrochemical sector revenue, is unlikely to impact manufacturers materially due to a troika of reasons, rating agency CRISIL said.

First, the ban is unlikely to be implemented in the current fiscal due to the Covid pandemic and as seen in the past, such bans are implemented in a phased manner. Second, manufacturers are getting ready with substitutes, given that ban on some of these products was anticipated, And third, exports of these products (40 per cent of revenues) are being permitted on a case to case basis, the agency said in its report on the sector.

An analysis of 31 CRISIL-rated agrochemicals firms, accounting for 87 per cent of the organised agrochemicals sector revenue in fiscal 2020, shows as many as 25 of them generate less than 15 per cent of their revenue from the pesticides proposed to be banned. The balance six have 15-50 per cent exposure, and of these, many also have a high share of exports.

The government issued a draft ban order in May 2020, citing high toxicity level of these 27 pesticides, and their impact on soil health. These products were initially identified based on the recommendations of the Verma committee made in 2015.

The government has sought responses from stakeholders by mid-August 2020.

Given the pandemic-induced challenges faced by both, farmers and agricultural input suppliers, the government is likely to implement the final ban only from the next fiscal, that too in a phased manner, the analysis said.

Besides, over 50 per cent of annual sales of these products will be completed in the ongoing kharif season of fiscal 2021.

According to Sameer Charania, Director, CRISIL Ratings, "Anticipating the ban, most firms had already begun to diversify their product basket and geographical reach in recent years. That, along with the expected phased implementation of the final order, will allow firms to realign their product portfolio through generic substitutes and co-marketing opportunities, and soften the blow on revenues." Additionally, the government is permitting exports, which account for 40 per cent of revenue for these products, on a case-to-case basis. Notably, 20 of these 27 pesticides are exported to regions such as Latin America, United States, Asia Pacific and European Union, where there is no ban on their usage. In the past, too, the government allowed exports of banned products where firms had contractual obligations.

Net-net therefore, there will be only modest impact on revenues.

"Considering the ban will be implemented in phases in the domestic market, we expect revenue growth for the CRISIL sample set to moderate by 200-400 basis points (bps) over the medium term, compared with healthy 10-12 per cent growth anticipated for fiscal 2021. Also, operating profitability, which stood at 16-17 per cent in fiscal 2020, could moderate 100-150 bps, given that the banned products enjoy healthy margins," said Rajeswari Karthigeyan, Associate Director, CRISIL Ratings .

The ban is unlikely to impact the credit profiles of agrochemical firms, which have strengthened over time due to steady demand and profitability as well as prudent capital spending and working capital management. The estimated median gearing and interest cover of the sample set stood at an estimated 0.47 time and 6 times, respectively, at the end of fiscal 2020, providing for sufficient loss absorption capacity.

That said, 10 per cent of the sample set with high share of these 27 products (25-50 per cent of revenue) and limited alternative products will be vulnerable to the ban.
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Reactions continue to trial the defection of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara to All Progressives Congress APC in Bauchi State.

In line with this development, Alhaji Hamza Koshe Akuyam, Bauchi State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the PDP sheltered Dogara and gave him opportunities to nominate commissioners in Bauchi State as reward to his contributions in the 2019 general elections.

Alhaji Koshe Akuyam in telephone interview, Friday told WikkiTimes that He (Dogara) has been part of the administration; he nominated commissioners and other political appointees serving in this administration.

Alhaji Akuyam maintained that there is no iota of internal political imbroglio that forced Dogara out of the fold of the PDP.

I am not aware of anything like sidelining of Yakubu Dogara, AkuyAm expatiate.

Barr Dogara, according to Akuyam, is still a card carrying member of the PDP because he has not officially notified the party about his impending intention to dum the party for another.

We heard it and taking it as one of the stories of the social media; I am not denying nor confirming it. But as a party, we have not received any notice from him. Until he does that, he remains our member, Akuyam maintains.

As soon as we received his notice of leaving, then we will talk. For now, I will not say more than that.

Alhaji Akuyam opined that when Dogara first dumped the APC for PDP because of internal crisis rocking the party at that time, he publicised his defection.

However, Salisu Zakari, close political associate of Dogara, remarked his boss has not officially decamped to the APC. Dogara is bolt enough to announce his exit if at all he finalise all the processes needed to do so.

He has not officially decamped to the APC, in his capacity, he will announce his political movement anytime, Slisu said.

Zakari confirmed submissions of the Bauchi State PDP Chairman saying but for now, I can tell you that he has not officially returned to the APC.

But Zakari affirms that the APC has been staging clandestine moves to lure Dogara back to the party.

There are moves to get him back to the APC but it has not been wrapped up yet.

Zakari said Dogara is expected to visit President Muhammad Buhari when he returns from Mali. But this does not mean that he has returned.

On its part, Bauchi State Chapter of the APC through its PRO, Adamu Jalla Gamawa said we were in celebration mode. We have caught a big fish out of the stormy water of the PDP administration in Bauchi. The chic has indeed come back to roost.

APC said Dogaras return to the party will help it regain its lost glory.

We have learnt our lessons and have made the necessary corrections that will make us win future elections in the state.
S Lalitha By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: The Rs 5,500 crore Cauvery Water Supply Scheme Stage V project is picking up pace after the three-month lockdown. The project will augment the citys drinking water supply by 775 Million Litres of Water per Day (MLD) by March 2023.The present 1,450 MLD of Cauvery water pumped to Bengaluru by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) does not cater to greater Bengaluru. The Stage V project will supply water to 110 villages in Mahadevapura, Dasarahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Byataranyanapura and Bommanahalli, besides increasing supply to current areas.

A senior BWSSB official said that not much work could take place from April to June due to the lockdown but has begun now.BWSSB Chairman N Jayaram told The New Indian Express that the project is divided into four packages split between Larsen & Tourbo, SPML Infra and Mega Engineering Private Limited. Laying of an 80km transmission pipeline from Thoraikadanahalli to carry water, build a pumping station, two Ground Level Water Reservoirs in Bengaluru East and West, and setting up additional Treatment Plants at Hebbal, K&C Valley and Vrishabhavati Valley are part of the project, he explained.

L & T has started work, while SPML is likely to begin work on laying a 28km transmission line from Harohalli to Vajrahalli by August 15, he said. Asked about the delay, Jayaram said there were issues with the bank guarantee and performance guarantee documents submitted by SPML. We sorted it out a couple of days ago and they will start work next month, he added.

The main funder is Japanese International Cooperation Agency which will offer a Rs 4,550 crore loan to BWSSB. JICA is ready with the funds. It funds 84% of the project while 8% will come from the BWSSB Board and the State government each, he added. Asked if the deadline would be impacted due to delays, the Chairman said, It is a 3-year project. So the delay can be compensated. We will try to ensure the March 2023 deadline is met. If not, it might get delayed by two-three months, he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined thousands Friday in the first Muslim prayers in Hagia Sophia since the Istanbul landmark was controversially converted back into a mosque. Massive crowds gathered inside and outside the UNESCO World Heritage site, some draped in Turkish flags and others waving Islamic banners. Erdogan put their number at 350,000 but that figure could not be independently verified. Some scuffles broke out between worshippers and police as crowds scrambled to get into the overcrowded plaza in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, where people had camped out the night before. Inside, the faithful, wearing protective face masks, took photos as they waited for prayers to begin. As the call to prayer reverberated from the Hagia Sophia's four minarets, huge crowds spread prayer mats on the lawns outside. Inside, the president, wearing an Islamic skullcap, recited a verse from the Koran. In a sermon, the head of the state religious affairs agency, Ali Erbas, said the reopening "is the return of a sacred place, which had embraced believers for five centuries, to its original function." Also in attendance was Erdogan's ally and leader of the ultranationalist MHP, Devlet Bahceli, but no opposition party leaders were present. - Galvanising voters? - The Hagia Sophia was built as a cathedral during the Christian Byzantine Empire and converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. In 1934, modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ordered it be turned into a museum. But Turkey's highest administrative court, the Council of State, cancelled that decision earlier this month, arguing that the building had been registered as a mosque in its property deeds. Experts see Erdogan's move to turn Hagia Sophia back into a mosque as an attempt to galvanise his conservative and nationalist base amid economic uncertainty exacerbated by the virus outbreak. The timing of the first prayer is significant as it coincided with the 97th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, which set modern Turkey's borders after years of conflict with Greece and Western powers. Greece has condemned the move as a provocation to the "entire civilised world". "What is happening in (Istanbul) this day is not a show of force, but proof of weakness," Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement. "Especially to us Orthodox Christians, Hagia Sophia today is in our hearts more than ever. It is where our heart beats." - 'Bad starting point' - One of the EU's most senior officials warned that Ankara was undermining its ties with Europe. "As a Greek, I'm quite bitter. I'm feeling quite angry about it," European Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas told a press briefing. "I think that Turkey at a certain point should decide what their geopolitical stance should be, and who they want to align themselves with in the future," warned Schinas, going further than the EU's statements of concern to date. "Will Turkey want to work along with the European Union and base themselves on European values? And, if that's the case, what's happening today with the Hagia Sophia is really a bad starting point." In Greece, church bells pealed at midday and flags were flown at half-mast as the head of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos, described the conversion back into a mosque an "unholy act of defiling". Ankara has dismissed international criticism, and insisted that tourists -- some 3.8 million last year -- would still be able to visit the mosque and see its famous Byzantine mosaics. The mosaics, plastered over for centuries when the building served as a mosque, will now be hidden by curtains during prayer times since Islam bans figurative representations. For many Muslims, the reconversion is nevertheless a landmark event. "We see this as the second conquest of Istanbul," said Selahattin Pamukcu, 33, who had come especially from the Aegean region of Izmir. "This is the moment when Turkey breaks its chains. Now it can do whatever it wants, without having to submit to the West," added Selahattin Aydas from Germany. burs-raz/spm/wai
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 11:37:16|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The bilateral agreement between the European Union (EU) and China on geographical indications (GI) will help Italy emerge from the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Italian trade and agricultural associations.

"It's an important result for Italy," said David Pontello, a regional coordinator with Confagricoltura, a leading agricultural group, expressing hope that the agreement will help the Italian export market to stabilize the prices.

A spokesman for Coldiretti, the Italian agricultural association, said the deal was a "recognition of the value of Italian" food and drinks. Assolatte, a dairy industry association and Federalimentare, a food industry group, also made similar supportive statements this week.

The GI agreement, signed in November last year by EU Trade Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan and Zhong Shan, China's minister of commerce, is the first major bilateral trade agreement that will protect each side's 100 geographical indications, including 26 Italian products.

There are various types of Italian dairy, alcohol and meat products on the agreement, including different cheese, wine, grappa and cured meats.

The Council of the EU on Monday adopted decisions on the signature of the agreement, while the date and place for the signature of the agreement has not been set yet. Once signed, the agreement will then need to receive the consent of the European Parliament before it can be concluded and enter into force, according to a Council statement.

The deal will expand to cover an additional 175 GI names from both sides four years after its entry into force. It also includes a mechanism to add more geographical indications thereafter, the statement said. Enditem
DENPASAR, Indonesia - An Australian man walked free from prison on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali on Saturday after serving one year for possession of cocaine in a nightclub.

Former Melbourne nightclub promoter William Cabantog and his fellow Australian David van Iersel were arrested last July in a police raid at the Lost City Club in the islands trendy Canggu neighbourhood with 1.12 grams (.04 ounces) of cocaine in the pocket of Cabantogs jeans.

Police initially said that Cabantog, 37, who was described as a hospitality consultant, was well known for circulating cocaine in Canggu, where the nightclub was managed by Van Iersel, 39. But during the trial, the two men were able to convince the judges that the cocaine was only for their own use.

Cabantog was sentenced to 12 months and Van Iersel got nine months.

Van Iersel was deported to Australia two days after being freed on April 21.

Cabantog, wearing a mask and a black T-shirt with a picture of a prisoner behind bars and words Myuran hope, was escorted Saturday through a crush of reporters outside the Kerobokan prison in Denpasar, the Bali provincial capital, into a waiting car. He made no comment.

Myuran Sukumaran and another Australian, Andrew Chan, were convicted as the ringleaders of the drug smuggler group dubbed the Bali Nine and executed by a firing squad in 2015, causing a diplomatic furor between often testy neighbours Indonesia and Australia.

The eight men and one woman were arrested in 2005 for attempting to smuggle 8.3 kilograms (18.3 pounds) of heroin from Bali to Australia.

The only woman in the group, Renae Lawrence, had been freed in 2018. Another member, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died from cancer in the same year, while five others had their sentences increased to life on appeal.

Yulius Sahruzah, the Kerobokan prison chief of warden, said Cabantog will be placed in a detention cell at the immigration office while waiting for a flight to Australia.

He said a stay in the immigrations holding cell usually would be no more than one day, but Cabantog may stay longer because of reduced flights in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Indonesia has very strict drug laws and convicted traffickers are often executed by a firing squad. More than 150 people are on death row, mostly for drug crimes, and about a third of them are foreigners.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has filed an application to the Supreme Court for a review of the judgment that confirmed the exclusion of the old voter ID and birth certificate as requirement for the compilation of a new voter register.

In the run-up to the commencement of the compilation of the new voter register, the EC removed the old voter ID and the birth certificate from the list of primary requirements for the compilation of a new voter register.

Having argued that the decision will disenfranchise thousands of Ghanaians, the NDC dragged the EC to court seeking the court to compel the electoral body to accept the use of the old IDs and birth certificate.

On June 25, 2020, the Supreme Court dismissed the two suits from the main opposition party that was seeking the use of the existing old voter identification card and birth certificates as the source documents for the upcoming voter registration exercise.

The NDC has on July 24, 2020, disclosed that they have filed an application for the review of the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case involving the current voter registration exercise.

Our lawyers have raised many serious issues with the judgment of the Supreme Court. We respectfully hold the view, that the Supreme Court in several cases, arrived at its conclusions without due and proper regard for existing laws, and in many cases, without the requisite supporting evidence, a statement from the NDC signed by National Communication Officer Sammy Gyamfi has said.

The party says it has placed it concerns before the Supreme Court for it to take a second look at its own judgment, and if possible, change its position on matters that they think are fundamental to citizenship and the right to vote in this country.

Read the full press release from the NDC below:

PRESS RELEASE

Friday, 24th July, 2020

NDC APPLIES FOR REVIEW OF SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT ON EXCLUSION OF BIRTH CERTIFICATES AND EXISTING VOTER ID CARDS FROM VOTER REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS.

This afternoon, the National Democratic Congress caused to be filed an application for the review of the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case involving the current voter registration exercise, which judgment was delivered on 25th June 2020.

As a political party, when the judgment was delivered, we did not hide our disappointment, but we were powerless to do anything about it at the time because the reasons for the judgment were not given until 15th July 2020, 20 days after the judgment was announced.

After that, our lawyers went to work; and true to our expectation, they have come back with a number of very cogent reasons why they think the judgment of the Supreme Court was wrong.

We have therefore placed our concerns before the Supreme Court for it to take a second look at its own judgment, and if possible, change its position on matters that we think are fundamental to citizenship and the right to vote in this country.

Our lawyers have raised many serious issues with the judgment of the Supreme Court. We respectfully hold the view, that the Supreme Court in several cases, arrived at its conclusions without due and proper regard for existing laws, and in many cases, without the requisite supporting evidence.

Two issues however stand out among our complaints.

1. We take a critical view of the holding of the Supreme Court that our birth certificates are worthless as proof of our identity, and thereby, our nationality. As our lawyers have stated in their arguments in the review application; .......Registering births and deaths has been a basic element in official national record keeping for decades. The certificates resulting from these registers are well known and, with respect to the birth certificate in particular, its relevance for public purposes such as obtaining a passport is very well established. Indeed, it is not only in Ghana that this is the case. Throughout the world, the keeping of official records of birth and the use of the resulting birth certificate for public purposes is well established.

A Ghanaian birth certificate shows ones date and place of birth, age, parentage, and nationality; precisely the kind of information that would be required for any form of voter registration.

Our lawyers have also pointed out that Because the connecting factors relevant to determination of nationality are primarily place of birth and parentage, birth certificates are definitely evidence of great importance for citizenship determination.

This is particularly so, as the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana has enacted a law, National Identity Register (Amendment) Act, 2017, Act 950, which affirms the efficacy of a birth certificate as an identification document that proves citizenship. We therefore find it surprising and worrying, that the Supreme Court would hold that A birth certificate is not a form of identification.

2. The Supreme Courts decision that holders of existing voter ID cards cannot use same as a source of identification, is also a matter of great concern to us as a political party. It is our view, that holders of existing voter ID cards have acquired rights based on the fact that the Electoral Commission have gone through a process of identifying them, ascertaining their ages and nationality and has adjudged them to be eligible to vote.

This data appears on the face of each voter ID card and in our view, should constitute prima facie identification of its holder for the purpose of any fresh voters registration exercise. What surprises us is that, it is the same Electoral Commission which issued these cards at high expense to the state, that is now alleging strenuously, with hardly any proof, that its own process of issuing those cards was so poisoned that those cards should not be accepted as proof of identity. This we maintain is arbitrary, whimsical and capricious.

These exceptional circumstances, are what have necessitated the present application for the review of the judgment of the Supreme Court on this matter.

As a key stakeholder in Ghanas electoral process and our constitutional democracy as a whole, we feel deeply concerned about holding democratic institutions accountable. And accountability, in our considered opinion, includes not allowing democratic institutions to indulge in self-deprecation as it is the case now with the Electoral Commission.

Again, it is our conviction, that as a Political party which birthed this fourth republican democracy, we owe it a duty to God and country, to use every available legal opportunity, to defend and protect citizenship rights provided under same. Hence, our determination to pursue this all-important matter to its logical conclusion. May posterity be our judge.

Signed.

Comrade Sammy Gyamfi

National Communication Officer
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A Chinese envoy on Friday told the United Nations Security Council that China has been actively tackling climate change, while stressing that all countries should implement the obligations under the Paris Agreement.

"China has been actively tackling climate change and implementing the Paris Agreement while fighting COVID-19 and promoting economic recovery," Zhang Jun, permanent representative of China to the United Nations, told the Council's ministerial-level open debate on "climate and security" in open videoconference format.

"We pursue green development, put people first, and make every effort to address environmental issues to meet our people's aspiration for a better life. China earnestly implements the basic state policy of resource conservation and environmental protection, and promote ecological progress to build a beautiful China," said the ambassador.

On the achievements that China has scored in climate action, Zhang said that China's carbon dioxide emission in 2018 was 45.8 percent lower than 2005, meeting the emission reduction target two years ahead of schedule. In 2018, the share of non-fossil fuels in China's total energy consumption reached 14.3 percent. A quarter of the world's newly afforested area since 2000 is in China. The Chinese people now enjoy more blue skies thanks to the improvement of air quality.

"We are vigorously promoting international climate cooperation, advancing the development of a green Silk Road, helping relevant countries develop renewable energy projects such as hydro power, wind power and photovoltaics to achieve energy transition and green development, setting an example for the international community," the ambassador added.

Speaking of the obligations of flighting climate change, Zhang said that all countries should firmly support multilateralism instead of putting oneself first, implement the obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, especially the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" and respective capabilities, and build a fair, equitable and win-win global climate governance system.

"Climate change is, in essence, a development issue, rather than a security issue. There is no direct linkage between the two. Solution of climate change rests on sustainable development," the envoy said.

He urged the international community to respect the differences of countries, especially developing countries, and help them cope with the difficulties.

The Secretariat of the UNFCCC, UN development system and resident coordinators should, in accordance with their mandates, mobilize efforts of all sides to provide targeted support for climate change response and economic and social development, he said.

"The Security Council, as the body handling international peace and security issues, should act in line with the mandates of relevant resolutions, analyze security challenges and security implications of climate change for countries concerned, and discuss and handle relevant issues on a country-specific basis," the ambassador added.

Talking about the relations between nature and the human being, Zhang said that both "share a community of life."

"What hurts nature hurts humans. The outbreak of COVID-19 reminds us again that no country or individual is immune to global challenges, and solidarity and cooperation is needed most. Climate change endangers the future of humankind and requires joint efforts of us all," said the ambassador.

Germany, which is the council president this month, co-sponsored the meeting with nine other Council members - Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Niger, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, Britain, and Vietnam.

Climate-security matters remain controversial in the council. China, Russia and the United States have strong reservations about the organ's engagement on such matters. China and Russia have expressed concern that council involvement in this area encroaches on the prerogatives of other UN entities, which they maintain are better equipped to handle this issue. Russia also believes that climate change is fundamentally a sustainable development issue with only tangential links to international peace and security, according to the Security Council Report (SCR), whose mission is to advance the transparency and effectiveness of the Security Council.
The Armenian army won both the April war and the fighting in Tavush, former Armenian Ambassador to the Vatican Mikayel Minasyan said on his Facebook.

"Thank God, the Armenian army, from the general to the soldiers, has always performed the task set before it perfectly. And, yes, there was a victory in April, and, yes, there was a victory in combat positions during the Tavush events," he noted.

He also touched upon the words of gratitude addressed to the generals who ensured the victory in the Tavush direction. Minasyan noted: "You are talking about generals, but I do not know about any newly-minted generals who ended up in Tavush, general of the third corps Grigory Khachaturov did not start his journey with Nikol from Gyumri, did not walk with him, and Nikol Pashinyan and Anna Hakobyan did not appoint him to the post. This is the same Grigory Khachaturov, who was the general of the third corps even before Nikol seized power in the country."

He also noted that the third corps, as far as he knows, did not use the weapons purchased over the past three years: "Consequently, the weapons and types of weapons are the same, the officers have not changed either, and there have been no changes in the General Staff either. Do you know what has changed? Your perception, you perceive it as a victory, because now there is no opposition that would declare that it is a defeat."

According to him, during the April war, the Armenian Armed Forces won, but Nikol Pashinyan and his associates propagated the opposite.

"There are solid facts, the army is being robbed now," he added.
Less crowds, more restrictions at this years Kandy Esala Perahera By L.B. Senaratne View(s): View(s):

The Kandy Esala Maha Perahera began yesterday with Indiri Raja carrying the golden karanduwa. It will continue until August 4.

The water cutting ceremony will take place at Getambe temple on Augsut 4 early in the morning. It will be followed by the day Perahera.

The Randoli Perahera will begin on July 30, after the conclusion of the Kumbal Perahera on July 29.

At 6 p.m. yesterday, the entire route for the first Kumbal Perahera was cordoned off by policemen on foot and horseback, so only pass-holders could enter the area. Earlier in the day, the streets were cleaned by the Kandy municipality.

On the final night of the Perahera, when the Pulliyar Kovils representatives would proceed for rituals within the Sri Dalada Maligawa, only ten people would be given entry into the Maligawa in accordance with health guidelines.

Senior Police Superintendent Sudath Marasinghe and District Secretary Tissa Karunaratne expressed regret for not being able to allow devotees and others to enter the area where the Perahera would take place. They said it could be viewed on television as provided by the Sri Dalada Maligawa authorities.

The water supplied to dancers and drummers in the Perahera would also be restricted. Volunteers would be at ten locations with sealed water cups. Afterwards the empty cups would be collected by another volunteer, and another would throw them away in a disposable bag.
Israeli army helicopters struck military targets in southern Syrian on Friday in retaliation for earlier "munitions" fire towards Israel from inside Syria, escalating tensions between the bitter rivals.

The strikes came hours after America's top general Mark Milley made an unannounced visit to the Jewish state for talks on regional security including Iran, a key ally of the Syrian government.

Israel said early on Friday "munitions" were fired from the Syrian side of the security fence towards Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, which the Jewish state has occupied since the 1967 Six Day war.

A vehicle and a civilian building were damaged, according to an earlier Israeli army statement.

In response, "attack helicopters struck military targets in southern Syria belonging to the Syrian Armed Forces".

"A number of targets were struck, including SAF observation posts and intelligence collection systems located in SAF bases," the statement said.

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that Israeli missiles hit three targets, leaving two people "lightly wounded" while starting forest fires.

Israel did not directly blame Syrian forces for the munitions fire, but said it held the Damascus government responsible for the incident.

Israel has over the past two days announced a reinforced troop presence on its northern border.

Several Israeli media outlets reported that the moves were made in response to an increased threat from the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which has a significant presence in Syria.

On Monday, five Iran-backed fighters were killed in an Israeli missile strike south of the Syrian capital Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian regime, said one of its fighters was among the dead.

Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the country's civil war in 2011, but rarely comments on such operations.

Israel announced an initial enhanced troop deployment to the north on Thursday and additional measures on Friday, hours before the airstrikes.

The army said that in ordering the redeployment it had "elevated its readiness against various potential enemy actions".

It added that it held the Lebanese government responsible for all actions emanating from Lebanon, without referring to Hezbollah.

Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alternate premier and Defence Minister Benny Gantz and Israel's army chief Aviv Kohavi, during his visit.

Gantz said the trip underscored the close security ties between Washington and the Jewish state and warned Israel was "ready for any scenario and any threat".

"I do not suggest our enemies to test us," Gantz said in a statement.
New Delhi/Ladakh, July 25 : A month and a half after the violent face-off with Indian soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Chinese troops have disengaged but built and retained several news constructions in the Pangong Tso area, as per the latest satellite images.

Early this month, both the countries withdrew from the disputed Patrol Post 14 (PP14) in Galwan Valley where 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops had been killed in a violent clash on June 15. The withdrawal created a 3km buffer zone between both sides in the Galwan valley but the face-off continued in the Pangong Tso area.

Image Source: IANS News

Satellite images of July 15 obtained by IANS from Maxar show that though Chinese constructions at the Foxhoke point have been taken down, the PLA has set up several red tarpaulin tents and build up its earthen defences there.

Image Source: IANS News

"It is clear that these are Chinese tents because PLA's tents are red tarpaulin and the trails lead to the Chinese side. Also, PLA uses only square tents and Indians use round and igloo-shaped tents," a senior defence analyst confirmed to IANS.

The images also show at least two major installations of Indian tents, with the upper white cluster of tents of igloo shape and the lower green cluster of tents of round shape. In this region, no trail leads from Chinese side.

Image Source: IANS News

"Several other tents are also visible on the heights over Finger 4 marking the LAC exactly where Google Earth says the LAC is," the analyst said.

The LAC between India and China in the mountainous cold desert of Ladakh runs through land and water including the 135 km-long Pangong Tso, which is the world's highest saltwater lake.

The slopes of the mountains surrounding the lake jut forward into Pangong Tso at eight different points which are assigned numbers and called "fingers". Though all the eight fingers are Indian territory but over time, PLA troops have slowly made incursions and now reached upto Finger 4. Before the June 15 clash in Galwan Valley, Indian and Chinese troops were locked in violent face-off in Pangong as well.

On Friday, India and China, in their 17th round of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs meeting, reiterated their agreement for complete disengagement and de-escalation.

Official sources confirmed that there has been "no breakthrough in talks" held between India-China on Saturday. "There was usual talk of both sides working on disengagement etc, while on the ground, China keeps holding ground near Finger Five in Pangong. Both sides are consolidating their positions. More Commander level talks have been proposed," a source said.

The government, sources said, has ordered over 1,000 Rafael BNET Software Defined Radios to be used by Indian Air Force in Ladakh. The equipment provides high-speed (100 Mbps) reliable connectivity (jam proof) for broadband data, voice and video on the move, which will vastly help to get accurate information about the situation along the LAC.

The radios will also enable all land, sea and air radio units to function in a single, seamless, scalable mobile ad hoc network. Of the 1000 plus radios, 400 are being being supplied by Israel and the rest will come from Hyderabad. The equipment will be in use from August 15, official sources said.

-- Syndicated from IANS
BAGHDAD (AP)  A German arts curator abducted earlier this week in Iraq was freed on Friday in a raid by Iraqi security forces near the capital, Baghdad, officials said.

Hella Mewis was freed in an early morning operation southeast of Baghdad, when security forces raided a location based on intelligence they had obtained regarding her whereabouts, a security official said.

Another security official said she had been found blindfolded. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give press statements.

Iraq's Interior Ministry personnel, intelligence officials and police had worked to free Mewis by monitoring surveillance footage, among other methods, a statement from the ministry said.

Brig. Khaled Al-Muhanna, a spokesman for the ministry, said Mewis' abductors have not been arrested. An investigation is underway to bring the perpetrators to justice.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Mewis was handed over to the German Embassy in Baghdad. He said he was very relieved that Mewis is free and thanked the Iraqi authorities who supported us comprehensively during this time and contributed decisively to this case ending well.

Mewis was reported missing by friends and activists on Tuesday. Security officials said she was kidnapped outside the Baghdad arts center where she worked. There was no claim of responsibility for the abduction and officials did not mention whether any ransom had been demanded.

Mewis is well known on the art scene in Iraq and is an ardent supporter of mass anti-government protests. She is a beloved figure in Baghdad, where she has resided for seven years and runs an arts program for young Iraqis. She was often seen on her bicycle zipping along the bustling Karada Street, an unusual sight in a city where foreigners are often cautious of the unpredictable security situation.

Her abduction  two weeks after the killing of prominent Iraqi researcher and commentator Hisham al-Hashimi by unknown gunmen  prompted alarm among Iraqi activists and other foreigners living in the country.

Story continues

Elsewhere in Iraq, four rockets landed on Basmaya military base south of Baghdad later on Friday, causing minor damage, the military said. The attack came a day before Spanish coalition troops were scheduled to withdraw from the base.

A preliminary investigation found the rockets were launched from nearby Diyala province. Rocket and mortar attacks have targeted coalition forces and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in recent weeks. The U.S. has blamed Iran-backed militia groups.

There was no claim of responsibility for Friday's attack.

___

Associated Press writers Samya Kullab in Baghdad and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Singaporean National Pleads Guilty to Acting in the United States as an Illegal Agent of Chinese Intelligence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, July 24, 2020



Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, entered a plea of guilty today to one count of acting within the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign power without first notifying the Attorney General, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  951. Yeo's plea was entered via videoconference before the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The announcement was made by John G. Demers, Assistant Attorney General; Michael R. Sherwin, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Washington Field Office; and Alan E. Kohler, Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division.

"The Chinese Government uses an array of duplicity to obtain sensitive information from unsuspecting Americans," said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's National Security Division John C. Demers. "Yeo was central to one such scheme, using career networking sites and a false consulting firm to lure Americans who might be of interest to the Chinese government. This is yet another example of the Chinese government's exploitation of the openness of American society."

"Today's guilty plea underscores the ways that the Chinese government continues to target Americans with access to sensitive government information, including using the Internet and non-Chinese nationals to target Americans who never leave the United States," said Michael R. Sherwin, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. "We will continue to prosecute those who use deceptive practices on the Internet and elsewhere to undermine our national security."

"At the direction of Chinese intelligence operatives, the defendant targeted U.S. government employees and an Army officer to obtain information for the government of China. Mr. Yeo admits he set up a fake consulting company to further his scheme, looked for susceptible individuals who were vulnerable to recruitment, and tried to avoid detection by U.S. authorities," said Alan E. Kohler Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. "But this isn't just about this particular defendant. This case is yet another reminder that China is relentless in its pursuit of U.S. technology and policy information in order to advance its own interests. The FBI and our partners will be just as aggressive in uncovering these hidden efforts and charging individuals who break our laws."

"Mr. Yeo admitted that he not only provided valuable information to Chinese intelligence, but also that he knowingly recruited others in the U.S. to do the same," said FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater. "The tactics Mr. Yeo used to target cleared individuals on professional networking social media sites are just one facet of the full court press China employs on a daily basis to obtain non-public U.S. government information. The FBI urges citizens, especially those holding security clearances, to be cautious when being approached by individuals on social media sites with implausible career opportunities. We are committed to holding those accountable who attempt to work for Chinese intelligence and other adversaries to the detriment of our national security."

"The Diplomatic Security Service is firmly committed to working with the U.S. Attorney's Office and our other law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of crime and protect our national security," said Galen J. Nace, Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence of the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).

As outlined in the statement of offense, Yeo began working with Chinese intelligence officers as early as 2015, initially targeting other Asian countries, but then focusing on the United States. In response to taskings from his Chinese intelligence contacts, Yeo worked to spot and assess Americans with access to valuable non-public information, including U.S. military and government employees with high-level security clearances. After Yeo identified American targets, he solicited them for non-public information and paid them to write reports. Yeo told these American targets that the reports were for clients in Asia, without revealing that they were in fact destined for the Chinese government.

Yeo made use of various social media sites to carry out the taskings given to him by Chinese intelligence operatives. In 2018, Yeo created a fake consulting company that used the same name as a prominent U.S. consulting firm that conducts public and government relations, and Yeo posted job advertisements under that company name. Ninety percent of the resumes Yeo received in response were from U.S. military and government personnel with security clearances, and he passed resumes of interest to one of the Chinese intelligence operatives.

Yeo also used a professional networking website that is focused on career and employment information to carry out the taskings he received from Chinese intelligence officials. Yeo used the professional networking website to find individuals with resumes and job descriptions suggesting that they would have access to valuable information. After he identified individuals worth targeting, Yeo followed guidance he received from Chinese intelligence operatives regarding how to recruit potential targets, including identifying their vulnerabilities, such as dissatisfaction with work or financial difficulties.

The maximum penalty for a violation of 18 U.S.C.  951 is ten years. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The defendant's sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for Oct. 9, 2020 before the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan.

The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI's Washington Field Office and DSS. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas N. Saunders and Erik M. Kenerson of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, along with David Aaron of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division. If you suspect you have been the target of a recruitment scheme, contact your local FBI Field Office.

Attachment(s): Download Signed Statement of Offense

Topic(s): National Security

Component(s):

National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - District of Columbia

Press Release Number: 20-695

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In 1979, late Olusola Saraki and Abdulganiyu AbdulRazaq tested their popularity and political prowess at the poll for the first time. Mr AbdulRazaq lost the governorship contest to Mr Sarakis candidate.

40 years later, his son, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, reclaimed that victory, thus occupying the governors seat in the state.

Mr AbdulRazaq, a diplomat, politician and legal icon, took his last breath in the early hours of Saturday.

According to the family, the 93-year-old died in Abuja and plans are underway for his burial. He is survived by his 90-year-old wife, Raliat AbdulRazaq, children and grandchildren.

The deceased was a member of the Federal Parliament from 1964 to 1966 as the Federal Cabinet Minister of State for Transport.

He then became the Kwara State Commissioner of Finance, Health and Social welfare from 1967 to 1972.

Mr AbdulRazaq was a member of the Capital Issues Commission from 1973 to 1978 and has also been a member of the International Commission of Jurists since 1959.

Relationship with the Sarakis

Before the 1979 election, Mr AbdulRazaq was not a stranger to the Sarakis. The relationship dated as far back as the 60s.

In 1962, Mr AbdulRazaq was appointed Ambassador of Nigeria to Cote dIvoire and one of those who met him at the port as part of the Nigerian community in Abidjan turned out to be the father of Olusola Saraki, Muttahiru Saraki.

According to him, in an interview with The News in 2010, he brokered a peace meeting with Mr Saraki and Emmanuel Alabi. The two were fighting over the leadership of the community.

Mr AbdulRazaq settled the rancour by declaring Mr Saraki the leader and Mr Alabi, his deputy. The arrangement was welcomed by both. In fact, it earned him the respect of the elder statesman.

I said from their looks, Mr Saraki would be the older person. And because of that, I said I was recognising him as the leader of the community. And against my expectation, Alabi stood up and prostrated before Saraki, holding his leg and saying: I accept you as my leader. And I told him he would be Sarakis deputy.

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The resolution of the problem endeared Mr Saraki to him to the point that he slapped his son, Olusola Saraki, for stretching out his arms for a handshake with Mr AbdulRazaq.

I stood up to greet Sola and he stretched out his hand for a handshake. The father got up and slapped his face, saying: Thats my god you want to shake hands with. You should prostrate. But I said we were both young men, within the same age group. I made light of it, saying we knew how to greet each other. That was how I met Sola Saraki.

Subsequently, he advised the younger Saraki, who is now late, to return home to participate in politics.

He heeded the advice and declared interest in representing Asa local government in the parliament under the Northern Peoples Congress. Unfortunately, Mr Saraki lost to one Mr Babatunde, whom the party had decided to return unopposed.

Political Rivalry

The Sarakis became a force to reckon with in Kwara State after Mr AbdulRazaq lost his political grip of the state in 1979.

Relying on Mr AbdulRazaqs reputation and popularity, Great Nigerias People Party (GNPP) presented him as its governorship candidate in the 1979 gubernatorial election, while Mr Saraki decided to support Adamu Attah.

At the end of the contest, Mr Sarakis candidate defeated Mr AbdulRazaq to become the first democratically elected governor in Kwara State.

Also, in 1999, Alimi AbdulRazaq, contested for the Kwara governorship under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the Saraki-sponsored retired Admiral Mohammed Lawal of the All Peoples Party (APP).

Olusola Saraki

In 2003, Bukola Saraki contested for governorship of Kwara State under the PDP, against AbdulRazaks in-law, Mohammed Lawal; and in 2011 AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq contested under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) against the Bukola Saraki sponsored Fatai Ahmed of PDP. Later in 2015 AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq contested for the Senate under the PDP against Bukola Saraki of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, in the 2019 governorship election, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, displaced the Saraki hegemony by winning all the seats sponsored and supported by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He won a landslide against Rasaq Atunwa, who was supported by Bukola Saraki.

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Contesting the Sarakis ancestry

Mr AbdulRazaq was one of those who disputed the Sarakis claim to Ilorin indigeneship, until his death.

At a press conference in Abuja in August 2009, Olusola Saraki told his audience that he is essentially of Malian origin. His great-grandfather, allegedly a Fulani, he said, migrated from the West African nation to settle in Ilorin about 200 years ago.

Responding to that claim, Mr AbdulRazaq said that the Sarakis patriarch once told him that he hailed from Abeokuta.

I told him I am from Ilorin. Alhaji Saraki said he was an Egba man from Abeokuta. By this time, I didnt even know the existence of Olusola Saraki. So, the man told me he was from Abeokuta, but he went to a Quranic school in Ilorin at Agbaji, an area reputed for Islamic scholarship. The man, with his own mouth, told me he was an Egba man from Abeokuta. And as of that time, I knew of no existence of any member of his family. This was in early 1963, he spoke about their first meeting.

His thoughts on restructuring

In an interview with ThisDay, in commemoration of his 90th birthday, he argued the feasibility of restructuring, which has been a subject of debate for a while.

He said it is very healthy for a Federation to periodically review its grundnorm to ensure peace, order, stability, and good governance.

Restructuring is an enigmatic term, it is like the proverbial elephant, your view depends upon where you stand. Essentially, political restructuring also has its mischief, which is attempting to gain maximum advantage for your community, ethnic group, state or region.

The problem is that, in a Federation like ours, your gain is someone elses loss, as political restructuring comes with economic, if you like, serious financial implications. Can we realistically collapse States into regional governments? Will devolving more revenue share to States and Local Governments, ensue better responsible usage and higher impact on the communities? How can States become self- sustaining, and depend less on the Federation account?

He, however, believed that the constitution of Nigeria has all the essential organs, powers and mechanisms in place for a just, fair-minded and socially conscious executive, legislative or judicial officer to efficiently operate and impact fairly on the society at large.

Of course, you may rightly tinker with aspects of the constitution to cure new realities; however, in a constitutional democracy, it can only be done through the lawmakers, the Houses of Assembly and the Parliament, here the National Assembly. With all due respect, the President cannot by fiat or Executive Order, command constitutional review, he said.
Washington, July 25 : Nearly 28 million people in the US may be forced to leave their homes as a number of states were ending bans on evictions enacted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns over public health during the crisis, experts have said.

A number of US state governments introduced eviction bans in March as COVID-19 ravaged the country's economy and forced millions of Americans into unemployment, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, the moratoriums have already expired in 29 states and are about to end in others.

According to data by Princeton University's Eviction Lab, eviction bans have been lifted in cities including Houston, Cincinnati, Cleveland and St. Louis.

In Milwaukee, the largest city in the state of Wisconsin, eviction filings dropped to nearly zero after the state introduced an emergency ban in March.

But after the order was lifted in May, evictions surged past the pre-pandemic levels, the Princeton lab's data showed.

Earlier this month, a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland found that in 44 cities and counties, eviction filings by landlords have almost returned to the levels where bans were never enacted.

The massive displacement amid the coronavirus outbreak has raised concerns among health experts.

Displaced families are less able to shelter in place, thus creating conditions for the virus to spread widely, said Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

"In these cases where social distancing is difficult or impossible, the likelihood of them contracting and spreading coronavirus increases exponentially," Yentel said on Friday.

"A key tenet of prevention in a pandemic is to have the infrastructure that will minimize transmission from person to person," said Nasia Safdar, an infectious disease physician.

"Any activity that breaks down that structure ... makes containment of a pandemic exceedingly difficult," she added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
WILLEMSTAD:---The bodies of aviator Christine Martens and tactical coordinator Erwin Warnies have been transferred to the families by Defense. This happened this afternoon with military ceremonies at Eindhoven Air Base. Colleagues carried the Dutch-flagged caskets on their shoulders from the KDC-10 transport aircraft. That landed on Dutch soil around 1 p.m. Soldiers of the navy and air force formed a guard of honor. The 2nd class oldest category lieutenants were killed last Sunday when the NH90 maritime attack helicopter in which they were seated crashed in the Caribbean Sea. The 2 crew members who survived the crash accompanied their killed colleagues to the Netherlands. A crew carries through a military guard of honor. In the background, the KDC-10 flew the bodies from Curacao to Eindhoven Air Base. Professional and dear colleagues Minister Ank Bijleveld-Schouten at the ceremony at Eindhoven: It is terrible what happened. We are all deeply affected and sympathize with the immediate families, friends, and colleagues and will support and help them where possible. The defense has lost 2 dedicated, professional, and dear colleagues. Christine Martens and Erwin Warnies have always devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the safety of other people, said the minister. State Secretary Barbara Visser, Commander of the Armed Forces Lt. Admiral Rob Bauer and the commanders of the Navy and Air Force, Vice Admiral Rob Kramer and Lt. Gen. Dennis Luyt, also supported the relatives with their presence. Derived on Curacao Soldiers placed on Curacao, personnel of the Coast Guard and the crew of Zr.Ms. Groningen did the colleagues killed with a ceremony last night. A carrier crew took the bodies to the KDC-10. This air force aircraft departed from Hato airport in Curacao. Heart-warming reactions The helicopter crash hit many people inside and outside the armed forces. Thousands of heart-warming reactions came in through the condolences register on defensie.nl. It is still possible to express condolences. After closure, the register is handed over to the next of kin.
Brazils Supreme Court ordered them blocked as part of a probe into an alleged disinformation campaign by the presidents allies

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gestures as he speaks to supporters in the garden of the Alvorada Palace. (AFP)

Rio De Janeiro: Twitter and Facebook suspended the accounts Friday of 16 allies of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro after a Supreme Court judge ordered them blocked as part of a probe into an alleged disinformation campaign.

Tension has been soaring between the far-right leader and the court, which is investigating allegations that members of his inner circle ran a social media campaign to discredit the court, as well as slander and threaten its judges.

The two US social media giants are also facing increasing pressure to act more aggressively against hate speech and false information on their platforms.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said in his court order -- which enforced an earlier May ruling -- the accounts must be blocked to stop "the ongoing dissemination of fake news, slanderous accusations, threats and crimes" against the court.

The affected accounts include high-profile figures such as conservative former lawmaker Roberto Jefferson, business magnate Luciano Hang and far-right activist Sara Winter.

Visitors to their Facebook and Twitter pages in Brazil, though not other countries, saw messages indicating they were blocked.

"This content isn't available right now," read their Facebook pages.

A Twitter notice explained: "Account withheld in Brazil in response to a legal demand".

A linked message said the company "was compelled to withhold the original Tweet in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order."

The owners of the blocked accounts reacted furiously.

Winter called the court order worthy of a "dictatorship," while Jefferson drew a comparison to Nazi Germany.
Some residents in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region on Friday remembered the late former President John Evans Atta Mills for his peaceful nature, and wished his soul peaceful rest with his maker.



The residents who shared fond memories of the late President with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Bolgatanga, described him as a man of peace who used to preach peace and ensured Ghanaians enjoyed peace.



Dr Vida Nyagre Yakong, a Senior Lecturer at the School of Allied Health Sciences of the University for Development Studies in Tamale, told the GNA that I remember Prof Mills for his peaceful nature; his love for peace and all-inclusive governance and father for all attitude.



According to her, the late President made efforts to support women's empowerment in a special way which was good for the country's progress.



I was at the time of his passing, studying for my PhD in Canada and I remember when I heard about his passing I felt like there was no hope for Ghana. He will forever be remembered in our hearts, Dr Yakong said.



Mr Nicholas Nambirigya Azebire, a Broadcast Journalist with Yem Radio, a local radio station in the Municipality, also said I remember him for the fact that he was a peace maker who worked to unite Ghanaians. He was a true reflection of a Statesman.



He said the late President carried out his political activities devoid of insults, adding that was a true reflection of leadership. May his soul rest in peace.



Mr Maxwell Setani, a nurse at the Upper East Regional Hospital, recalled that the late President Mills was tolerant and respected the rule of law, he had Ghana at heart and allowed the law to take its course, he said.



Generally, he was a peaceful man, Mr Setani noted.



Madam Theresa Abaayamga, a resident of Dangmeo, a suburb of the Bolgatanga Municipality, said the late President Mills was an advocate of peace, he was very gentle and never used offensive words on his opponents.



Another resident, Mr Elijah Ndeogo Amoah, said In fact there is nothing more urgent than returning thanks and recognition to those who deserve it.



He said Late President Atta Mills brought Single Spine which has improved workers pay compared to the time Single Spine was not there. We will forever miss him.

Ms Doris Bawa, an Over-the-Counter medicine seller, asked what she remembers of the late President, immediately said I remember him for his usual statement my brothers and sisters.



The late President Mills died on July 24, 2012 at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.

Source: GNA









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JAIPUR: Adversity can bring out the best in you, if you have the will. Meet Prakash of Dhorimanna village in Barmer: he has scored 99.2% and stood second in the 12th standard exams of the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education. Poverty and absence of basic facilities in that remote desert zone has been his constant companion, as also his will to succeed.

He has some regret, though: he couldnt get the full 100%. He secured 100 marks in Hindi and History, 99 in Hindi Literature and English, and 98 in Political Science. I had worked hard and expected to score full marks in all subjects, he said.

Prakashs father, Chainaram Kamtha, is a daily wage construction labourer and hardly earns enough to feed his family. A paralysis attack in his leg recently makes it even tougher for him to work. The sons grand success has given him new hope. Its all blessings of God of course my son is very hard working. The youngster and his four siblings have roughed it out no matter what.

This success is the result of Prakashs hard work. He studies a lot and has a sharp brain, says his mother Santoshi Devi, a home-maker. In our village, power cuts are a serious problem. My sister and I had to often study under the torchlight says Prakash. He had scored 96.17 % marks in his 10th board exams. He continued to study in a government school and upped his study hours from 7 hours daily to about 9 hours. He stays away from TV, mobile phones and other distractions.
Several celebrities, including actor Shekhar Suman and actor-politician Roopa Ganguly, as well as politician Subramanian Swamy have come forward with a request for an inquiry to be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. The Bollywood actor died by suicide on June 14, 2020, at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai.

Sushant   CBI     letter  PM Modi   Acknowledge | FilmiBeat

Subramanian Swamy, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha recently reached out to advocate Ishkaran Bhandari and asked him to "look into facts of the case".

Soon after, Swamy wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting a CBI inquiry to be held in the case. The letter to the PM stated that the case should be probed by the CBI, as he believes that big names in Bollywood connected to the underworld are pressurising the Mumbai police.

PM Modi has reportedly acknowledged the letter and written back to Swamy. The letter has led many fans to believe that the government has considered the demand and investigation may take place soon.

Dr Subramanian @Swamy39 had written letter dr 15th July 2020 to @narendramodi @PMOIndia on the mysterious death of Actor Sushant Singh Rajput & asked for CBI investigation, Now Namo by letter dt 20th July has acknowledged the letter pic.twitter.com/1updoiWQFq  Jagdish Shetty (@jagdishshetty) July 25, 2020

On July 25, Subramanian Swamy also asked other MPs to write to PM Modi. He wrote in a tweet, "All those who want CBI inquiry into the circumstances of SSR's unnatural death should ask their constituency MPs to write, like me, to PM asking for a CBI inquiry." He also claimed that the investigation is likely to happen. "At the very minimum the CBI can to begin with investigation of the induced or assisted suicide crime under Sections 306 and 308 read with Section 120 A and B of IPC."

Last week, Home Minister Amit Shah responded to a request by politician Pappu Yadav for a CBI probe into Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide case. Amit Shah said the letter has already been forwarded to the concerned ministry.

Sushant Singh Rajput Death Case: Amit Shah Forwards Pappu Yadav's Letter Seeking CBI Probe

Dil Bechara: Hansal Mehta Reveals Hotstar Crashed As Sushant Singh Rajput's Film Released
We are members of support groups in two communities in rural Ontario raising their voices against dire threats facing our Migrant Agricultural Worker (MAW) neighbours.

On June 28, one of us presided over a Catholic memorial mass for Juan Lopez Chaparro. He died after contracting the COVID-19 virus while working at a farm near Simcoe, Ontario. The father of four children, he came from Mexico to support his family, who asks us to remember him as a hard working man and a man of peace.

Over 200 more migrant workers at this farm tested positive for COVID-19 have tested positive. A majority of new infections in Ontario are among MAWs.

Most are impoverished people of colour from countries such as Mexico and Jamaica. Some employers require MAWs to work before completing their quarantines. However, workers who finished their quarantine, and then caught the disease, were infected after working in Canada.

Many MAWs cannot practice social distancing. Many have to work without masks and other personal protective equipment. Typically, they live in close quarters. Sleeping in bunkhouses, with several bunk beds to a room, eating in crowded cooking areas and sharing bathrooms contribute to high risk of transmission.

Ontarios policy multiplies these dangers. MAWs who test positive, but are asymptomatic, must work. No other group of workers in Canada has to work when tested positive.

This Ontario government protocol contradicts Ottawas science-based position that those who test positive should not work. Hundreds of health professionals signed an open letter to Ontarios chief medical officer, noting its demonstrated health risk to MAWs and the communities in which they work.

Its too late to save the lives of Lopez Chaparro or Bonifacio Eugenio Romero and Rogelio Munez Santos, two more MAWs who died from COVID-19, but its not too late to demand that our governments save the lives of others.

We know agricultural employers who do their best to protect MAWs from the virus. The problem is that MAWs who have better conditions are the lucky few. Governments must enforce decent work and living standards for MAWs.

The National Farmers Union Ontario is calling for permanent resident status to provide MAWs rights to live and work here, together with other rights Canadian workers enjoy, including health care and other employee benefits.

Our community group supports MAWs in Lynden and Burford, Ont. Were a diverse bunch of neighbours and friends; farm workers, farmers, doctors, students, faith leaders, nurses, home makers, retired folks, teachers and librarians.

We make community meals, sometimes for almost 100 MAW friends who help put on the dinners and grow much of the food.

Most MAWs in our area are Catholics, so we host a much appreciated Catholic mass in Spanish in our local United Church.

Each September we celebrate Mexican Independence Day together. We sing the Mexican national anthem loud enough to shake the church walls.

We collect used bikes and clothing, do food drops, and organize English classes. Our librarians provide library cards, books and films in Spanish, and free internet services to help our friends keep in touch with their families.

The doctor on our team provides medical support. A local farmer praises our clinic for giving medical services offered and covered by OHIP without having to go through farm management, giving them greater freedom, control over their own needs, and privacy. Many employers deport MAWs when they report injuries or illness.

Our friends deeply miss their families in Mexico. We all talk about what theyre doing, funny things they say, like friends do.

Its up to all of us to protect our MAW neighbours. Call your local municipal councillor and your provincial and federal parliamentary representatives. Ask them to ensure our food is produced safely without putting lives at risk. Find ways to be hospitable to all our neighbours, including those whose humanity some of our politicians deny, endangering their lives.
Mumbai, July 25 : Actor Saurabh Saraswat feels working with dark content does not mean an actor has to mentally put himself in a dark zone.

Saurabh realised this while working on his latest web series "Mafia".

"It was a dark thriller, but I didn't put myself into any sort of dark zone. I am a trained actor and so I used my craft to create my character Ritwik. I feel it's important to have a craft, otherwise there are chances of dwelling into your character's life, which in turn can affect your life," he said.

"The only challenge was the language. Being a non-Bengali, I had to learn Bangla but honestly, the director made things really easy for me when he constantly encouraged me to focus on the performance and use English wherever I was having difficulty with the dialogues. Otherwise, it was a joyful journey to portray Ritwik," said the actor.

"Mafia" is about six college buddies who reunite for a bachelorette party that turns into a game of whodunnit as the past returns to haunt them.
BLMs future will depend on its ability to deliver wins  and minimize its losses. The months of nightly protests in Portland, Ore., which started as a reaction to Floyds death, have since then come to look less like a rainbow of hope and more like a descent into anarchy. Portland is also where President Trump has decided to plant his flag and cast BLM as the root of all chaos, supposedly necessitating his deployment of federal agents wearing camouflage and armed with rifles, if only so he can deflect attention away from the virus and declare himself the law-and-order candidate.
On the Frontline Against China, the US Coast Guard Is Taking on Missions the US Navy Can't Do

Competition with China has drawn more Pentagon resources to the Pacific, but the most visible U.S. military presence there...
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New Delhi: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Sub Inspector allegedly shot dead his senior before killing himself in the Lodhi Estate area of the national capital, officials said on Saturday.

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The incident took place around 10:30 PM on Friday at 61, Lodhi Estate, a bungalow allotted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), they said.

Officials said an argument took place between Sub Inspector Karnail Singh (55) and his senior Inspector Dashrath Singh (56).

Photo The SI allegedly killed the Inspector with his service weapon and later shot himself dead, they said.

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An inquiry is being conducted to ascertain the reason behind the incident, they said.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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The US embassies in Armenia and Azerbaijan condemn manifestations of violence that do not meet the general principles of peaceful assembly and demonstrations, the US Embassy in Armenia reported on Facebook.

"The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan and the U.S. Embassy in Baku condemn acts of violence as inconsistent with the universal principles of peaceful assembly and protest. The United States takes seriously its obligation to protect diplomatic facilities and is working with local law enforcement to support this effort. Freedom of speech and peaceful assembly are protected by the U.S. Constitution, however, acts of violence will be addressed by law enforcement as appropriate. We call on all demonstrators to engage peacefully and exercise restraint," the statement said.
London, July 25 : Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi has been ruled out of the FA Cup final against Chelsea scheduled to be played on August 1 because of a hamstring injury.

Mustafi sustained the injury during Arsenal's 2-0 semi-final win over Manchester City at Wembley last week. Arsenal were strong in their defence against City, with Mustafi and David Luiz proving key performers in that game.

"Will miss remaining matches of this season. Further details on recovery programme will be confirmed in the coming days," the Premier League club said in a statement.

The 28-year-old, who arrived at the club from Valencia in 2016, has received plenty of criticism for his inconsistent displays. However, under Mikel Arteta, he has started 12 of Arsenal's last 15 Premier League games.

The FA Cup final will be the Gunners' only chance to secure the ticket to Europa League, as they are confirmed to finish outside the Premier league's top six after their loss to Aston Villa.
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Dil Bechara

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjana Sanghi, Sahil Vaid, Saswata Chatterjee, Swastika Mukherjee

Direction: Mukesh Chhabra

Rating: * * * (three stars)

By Vinayak Chakravorty

Let us just pretend I am not dying. That line does become more than a filmi dialogue when Sushant Singh Rajput utters it at one point. It sounds eerie, is ironic given the sadness it exudes and, in retrospect, would seem to have a discomforting note of prophecy somewhere.

The line becomes pertinent because it reminds us "Dil Bechara" can perhaps never be regarded or dissected as just another Bollywood film, whatever its cinematic quality or flaws. This is the last time Sushant connects with his fans doing what he did best -- acting -- and he does so in a film about death. Watching him go, you are reminded once again he was an artiste who could simply, effortlessly turn a mundane scene into something endearing.

Indeed, mundane is the word that comes to mind. Mukesh Chhabra's directorial debut plays out like an action replay of the original film it is an official remake of. For the love of laziness, Chhabra and his screenwriters (Shashank Khaitan and Suprotim Sengupta) have actually copied several scenes ditto from "The Fault In Our Stars".

Despite that utter lack of filmic creativity, the overall exercise is redeemed by its stellar cast. For, the triumph of "Dil Bechara" is not just about its lead actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Thumbs up reactions are in order for lead actress Sanjana Sanghi, too, and the three primary supporting actors who prop the show -- Swastika Mukherjee and Saswata Chatterjee as the heroine's parents, and Sahil Vaid as the hero's best friend. Despite weak roles, the film is watchable primarily for its actors.

Sushant and Sanjana strike up as much chemistry as the tearjerker melodrama lets them. They are Emmanuel Rajkumar Jr (Manny for short) and Kizie Basu -- which explains the film's original title "Kizie Aur Manny" -- and their love story starts off hinged on the tested formula of 'opposites attract'.

The normally withdrawn Kizie is suffering from thyroid cancer and she finds solace visiting graveyards to watch funerals of strangers. Soon enough, though, a rush of comic drama hurtles into the narrative, when Kizie bumps into the effervescent Manny, who is in remission after osteosarcoma left him with a severed leg.

Manny's buddy JP is suffering from glaucoma, and their dream is to make a Bhojpuri film inspired by Rajinikanth hits. Manny asks Kizie if she would be the heroine of their film. Although she dismisses it as a joke initially, she is irresistibly drawn to Manny's exuberance.

The narrative tries maintaining the languid, bittersweet mood that defined "The Fault In Our Stars" -- the 2014 film as well as John Green's 2012 bestseller novel -- as the story of Kizie and Manny gradually moves towards the expected bleak shades. A trip to Paris from the initial smalltown backdrop of Jamshedpur is in store. We are introduced to Saif Ali Khan in a cameo that does not do justice to either the actor's talent or the important motif the sequence tries to highlight.

In fact, a lot of relevant plot points get diluted owing to the directorial obsession to create situations that evoke either extreme mirth or sorrow.

Beyond the acting, another aspect that reveals a level of excellence is AR Rahman's music, bringing alive some fine songwriting by Amitabh Bhattacharya. It has been a while that Bollywood had a love story with a consummate soundtrack where every song resonates in your mind ("Kabir Singh" last year would perhaps be the last notable example). Rahman, returning with a fullfledged Hindi romantic album after quite a while, may not have delivered his best ever, but the maestro as always remains a cut above.

In a nutshell, "Dil Bechara" looked promising with its advantage of a saleable imported story material, plus good acting and songs, besides the overwhelming memory of Sushant Singh Rajput that makes every frame seem just that much more special. Yet, the original storyline is lost in translation as the makers resort to mindless rehashing. Somewhere, you feel Sushant should have had a superior final bow.

(Vinayak Chakravorty can be reached at vinayak.c@ians.in)

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- Syndicated from IANS
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A 16-year-old boy accused of accidentally fatally shooting the driver of a car during a June chase with Cuyahoga Heights police also faces charges in connection with a gang-retaliation shooting in 2018 that ended with a 5-year-old girl wounded.

The teen, suspected of being a member of the street gang the Bam Boys, is charged in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court with involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and possessing a weapon with a felony record in connection with the June 9 fatal shooting of Earnest Mitchell, 19.

A warrant was issued for his arrest last week and the U.S. Marshals are searching for him.

He also faces separate charges of attempted murder and felonious assault in the March 12, 2018 shooting that injured the young girl and a 16-year-old boy. He denied the charges in that case, which is on-going.

The teen sat in the passenger seat of the stolen SUV Mitchell drove during the July 9 chase with Cuyahoga Heights police, according to police and court records.

The chase started on Interstate 77 near the Harvard Avenue exit when police tried to stop the SUV because it was used in an early attempted break-in at a Valley View gun store.

At some point during the chase, the teen accidentally shot Mitchell in the chest, according to court records and police.

The SUV crashed into a ditch in a field on Heidtman Parkman, near Worthington Industries steel processing plant, in Cleveland.

Cleveland police said their officers found Mitchell dead inside the car and that several people ran from the SUV after the crash.

Cuyahoga Heights police said no officers fired a shot during the chase, nor had any physical contact with anyone inside the SUV.

The teen, who was 14 at the time, is also one of two people charged in connection with a March 12, 2018 shooting that police said was retaliation over the previous killing of 15-year-old Javelle Bam Swift, a member of the Quincy Boys gang that renamed themselves the Bam Boys in his honor.

The two teens fired several shots from an SUV at a 16-year-old boy who is the brother of one of two men charged in connection with Swifts slaying. A bullet hit the 16-year-old boy in the chest, but he survived.

A 5-year-old girl walking with her mother in the area was hit in the leg by a stray bullet.

Read more from cleveland.com:

University of Akron police investigating sexual assault at off-campus house

Cuyahoga County Jail officer suspended for pepper-spraying inmate at close range, and separately allowing another inmate to nearly escape

Woman shot to death in Elyria, police say
The U.S. military has accused Russia of supplying more offensive weapons and fighters to Libya in an attempt gain a foothold in the North African country.

U.S. Africa Command's (AFRICOM) latest accusation against Russia on July 24 comes as Libya's rival camps face off in a potentially bloody battle over the strategic central coastal city of Sirte.

The Pentagon released photos it said showed Russia continues to provide supplies and equipment to the Vagner group, a Russian private military company.

It said Russian military cargo aircraft are supplying Vagner fighters and their proxies with air-defense equipment, trucks, armored vehicles, and fighter jets.

"The type and volume of equipment demonstrates an intent toward sustained offensive combat action capabilities, not humanitarian relief, and indicates the Russian Ministry of Defense is supporting these operations," General Gregory Hadfield, AFRICOM deputy director of intelligence, said in a statement.

The U.S. military has previously accused Moscow of deploying fighter jets to Libya and earlier this month said the Vagner Group had laid land mines and improvised explosive devices in and around the capital, Tripoli.

Russia is using the Vagner group "as a proxy in Libya to establish a long-term presence on the Mediterranean Sea," AFRICOM said.

Russia, mostly through the Vagner Group, has been helping Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) in the east of the country in their fight against the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli. France, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates also back Haftars forces.

Turkey, which has deployed troops, drones, and Syrian rebel mercenaries to Libya, supports the government in Tripoli, alongside Qatar and Italy. Ankara's intervention in Libya in January turned the tide of the war by rolling back Haftar's offensive against Tripoli.

Turkey and Russia, the main external power brokers in Libya, have been seeking an elusive cease-fire.

In an escalation, Egypt's parliament this week approved a direct troop intervention in Libya if Turkey-backed forces from Tripoli advance on Sirte.

A battle over Sirte threatens to unleash direct conflict between Turkey, a NATO member, and U.S. allies in the region.

The United States supports a cease-fire, paving the way for a political solution in the country.

Libya has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed popular uprising ousted and killed the country's longtime dictator, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, in 2011.
Democrats contend that their candidates are doing as much as anyone could expect with the novel coronavirus still raging in many states, suggesting that the Republican senatorial nominee in Alabama, Tommy Tuberville, is the most shut-in candidate in the nation. Tuberville refused to debate former attorney general Jeff Sessions in the primary and has yet to agree to debate Sen. Doug Jones (D) in the general election campaign in a state that Trump won by nearly 30 percentage points.
Just a few negative online restaurant reviews can determine early on how many reviews a restaurant receives long-term, a new study has found.

The study, published online earlier this month in the journal Papers in Applied Geography, also found that a neighborhood's median household income affected whether restaurants were rated at all.

"These online platforms advertise themselves as being unbiased, but we found that that is not the case," said Yasuyuki Motoyama, lead author of the paper and an assistant professor of city and regional planning at The Ohio State University.

"The way these platforms work, popular restaurants get even more popular, and restaurants with some initial low ratings can stagnate."

The study evaluated reviews in Franklin County, Ohio, from the websites Yelp and Tripadvisor of about 3,000 restaurants per website. Franklin County, home to Columbus and Ohio State, is also home to the headquarters of more than 20 restaurant chains. Previous research has found that the food industry considers consumer preferences in the area to be a litmus test for the broader U.S. market.

The researchers collected reviews for restaurants published in May 2019, then analyzed those reviews by rating and geographic location. They considered demographics for each neighborhood, and noted the socioeconomics of each neighborhood, too, based on household income.

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The study found that restaurants with a smaller number of reviews on sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor had higher likelihood of a low rating.

"The more reviews a restaurant received, the higher the average rating of the restaurant," said Kareem Usher, co-author of the paper and an assistant professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State. "But this has implications: If one of the first reviews a restaurant receives comes from a dissatisfied customer, and people check that later and think 'I don't want to go there' based on that one review, then there will be fewer reviews of that restaurant."

The opposite is true for restaurants that receive positive reviews or a large number of reviews: More people are likely to review those restaurants, improving the likelihood that a restaurant's average rating will be higher.

The study found that 17.6 percent of restaurants with only one to four reviews received a low rating on Yelp. But that decreased to 9.3 percent for those with between five and 10 reviews. On Tripadvisor, those with one to four reviews had a 5.6 percent probability of having a poor review, going down to 0.6 percent for those with five to 10 reviews.

Researchers also found that restaurants in several of the poorest neighborhoods in Franklin County tend not to be rated on the sites. However, the researchers did not find a direct link between a neighborhood's socioeconomics or racial makeup and the average rating of the restaurants there.

Motoyama cautioned that the study had some limits: It was conducted in one county, and future work could expand to include other areas around the country. The high level multivariate analysis could only use the Yelp data, as the majority of key information in Tripadvisor was missing. The researchers also did not analyze the content of the reviews, which could offer additional clues about bias.

But, he said, the study does indicate that online review sites can have significant effects on a restaurant's success or failure -- and suggests that, perhaps, the sites can set up policies that might be more fair.

"Maybe these online platforms can withhold reviews until a restaurant gets a certain number of reviews -- say, 10 or more," he said. "That way if there are two or three customers who are very dissatisfied with a particular experience, they are not directing the restaurant's success or failure."
US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper (L) and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2nd L) attend a joint news conference with Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne (2nd R)and Australia's Defence Minister Linda Reynolds in Sydney on August 4, 2019. (SAEED KHAN/Getty Images)

US-AU Talks Never Been More Important: Marise Payne, Linda Reynolds

Australias foreign and defence ministers say upcoming talks with their US counterparts are more important that ever, with Chinas actions undermining security and freedoms in the region.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds are flying to Washington DC on July 26 for the annual AUSMIN talks with their Trump administration counterparts.

China is expected to dominate discussions in next weeks face-to-face talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Defence Secretary Mark Esper.

Never has it been more important that we, as allies, sit down together and find every possible way to advance our shared interests, Senator Payne and Senator Reynolds write in The Weekend Australian on July 25.

Sweeping and vague national security legislation imposed on Hong Kong has undermined the rights, freedoms and futures of millions of people.

Coercive actions in the South China Sea, such as the escalation of disputes and militarisation of disputed features, continue to create tension that destabilise the region.

Cyber attacks are on the rise, while authoritarian governments imperil hopes for an open, interoperable, reliable and secure internet.

The ministers foreshadowed Australia-US agreements to target infectious disease and disinformation, and to support regional economic recovery, increase military co-operation and enhance supply chains.

Sydney
New Delhi [India]: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday distributed 100 electric potter wheels to 100 trained artisans in his Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency via video conferencing from Delhi, under Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

Seeking to empower and associate marginalized potters' community with India's quest to become 'Aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant), the Union home minister distributed the potter wheels, an official statement said.

As per the statement from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Shah said the initiative would go a long way in strengthening the marginalized potters' community while also reviving the traditional art of pottery.

"I am glad to see the change that has ushered in the lives of our potters. Our government in the Centre is always concerned about the better livelihood of the Prajapati community. The distribution of electric chaak is a gift from our Prime Minister Modi to the people of Gujarat," Shah said.

"Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana is one such step towards making the potters' community "Aatmanirbhar". I am hopeful that KVIC will continue to work for the benefit of marginalized sections," he added.

The Home Minister assured the potters that arrangements, including a tie-up with the railway, will be made to provide proper marketing channel for selling their products.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena informed that more than 17,000 electric chaaks have so far been distributed across the country benefiting nearly 70,000 people of the potters' community.

"This has impacted the lives of potters in a big way. With electric chaaks, the production of clay items has increased by manifold. At present, nearly 2 crore kulhars are made every day across the country. Potters are successfully selling these kulhars at 400 railway stations which is a perfect marketing platform for them," Saxena said.

Since the launch of Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana in 2018, the KVIC has trained nearly 750 potters from different villages in Gujarat. Besides training them in pottery making, KVIC has also distributed them with electric potter wheels and other equipment like blunger machines for mixing of clay.

This has eliminated drudgery from the process of pottery making and also resulted in increasing the production and higher income of potters by three to four times.

In Gandhinagar district, KVIC has trained 100 potters and distributed 100 electric potter wheels and 10 blunger machines. The average income of potters under Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana has gone up from nearly Rs 3000 per month to nearly Rs 10,000 per month.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 01:09:24|Editor: huaxia

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A health worker (R) carries out a door-to-door temperature screening in order to control the spread of COVID-19, in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, on April 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 12,693 after 760 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed on Friday, the highest daily increase in the East African country.

ADDIS ABABA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 12,693 after 760 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed on Friday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health said.

This is so far the highest daily increase in the East African country.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, in a statement issued on Friday, revealed that from the total of 7,264 medical tests that were conducted within the last 24 hours, some 760 of them have been tested positive for COVID-19, eventually bringing the total number of cases in the country to 12,693.

An official sprays disinfectant on a train in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, on March 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

The ministry said 5,785 patients who were tested positive for COVID-19 have so far recovered, including 140 in the last 24 hours.

The ministry further said a total of 6,706 COVID-19 patients are still undergoing medical treatment, out of which 68 are in severe condition.

Three more patients succumbed to the COVID-19, bringing the death toll of COVID-19 to 200, according to the Ethiopia Ministry of Health on Friday.

Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation with about 107 million people, confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13.
A six-year-old grandson of a trader was rescued and four people who allegedly abducted him were arrested after an encounter in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda district on Saturday, officials said. Some persons, allegedly carrying identity cards of the Health Department, had come to a locality in Colonel Ganj on Friday afternoon on the pretext of distributing masks, according to police.

The grandson of gutkha trader Rajesh Kumar Gupta was standing at a distance when the suspects approached him to give hand sanitiser and pulled him inside the vehicle. Later, the family got a call from a woman for a ransom Rs 4 crore, a police official said. In a joint operation, the special task force (STF) and the police rescued the child and arrested four kidnappers following an encounter, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said.

The car used for kidnapping and three weapons have also been recovered, Awasthi said, adding that two of the abductors had also suffered injuries during the encounter. A reward of Rs 2 lakh has been declared for the joint team of the STF and police, which successfully carried out the operation, the official added.

ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar also reached the spot on Saturday morning. The STF recovered the Alto car used in the kidnapping, a .32 bore pistol and two 315 bore pistols.

Speaking to the media after the incident, ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar said, Several police teams were deployed immediately after FIR was lodged in the incident. This morning an encounter took place at village Para after getting a tip-off from an informer. The kidnappers were taking the child to another place by car and during the encounter, the kidnapped child-Namo was recovered safely and the two kidnappers Umesh Yadav and Deepu Kashyap were injured. At the same time Suraj Pandey, his wife Chitra Pandey and his younger brother Raj Pandey were arrested. Injured miscreants are undergoing treatment.

ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar also informed that reward was announced by the state government for the teams involved in working out the case and the investigation was still going on to ascertain if some more people were involved in kidnapping.
"Kate Middleton pregnant," "Is Kate having a post-coronavirus baby," "Are Prince William and Kate having baby No.4" -- these are just some of the questions about the Cambridge couple that you'll see when you do a quick search about their baby plans.

Prince William and Kate Middleton both grew up in a small family. The future king always has himself and Prince Harry growing up, while Kate has two more siblings Pippa and James. Because of this little family background, it is believed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could also stick to keeping their gang small as it is today.

At the age of 38, both Prince William and Kate are relatively young and could still make another baby. While there will always be pressure for the Cambridges to add another member to their family, it looks like the couple for nine years are now happy and contented with their three adorable kids.

Below are some reasons why it is unlikely for the public to see another royal baby from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Prince William Does Not Approve

Earlier this year, the doting mother-of-three addressed the possibility of having baby number four, even if it has only been two years since she last gave birth.

During the Cambridges' visit at the Bradford City Hall in West Yorkshire England in January, Kate subtly confirmed that she is not expecting another baby anytime soon when asked about it.

Nonetheless, instead of simply shutting down the idea, Kate casually passed the ball to her future king husband.

"I don't think William wants any more," Kate said.

It is not the first time that Kate expressed Prince William's unwillingness to expand their family. During their visit to Northern Ireland in February 2019, Kate admitted feeling a little "broody" after meeting a 5-month-old baby James Barr.

Kate could not resist gushing over the little boy and told the baby's father: "He's gorgeous. It makes me feel broody."

The baby's father then casually asked: "Baby number four?" To which Kate laughed and replied: "I think William would be a little worried."

More Workload = Less Time for Baby Making.

Following the decision of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to step down as senior members of the royal family, Prince William and Kate were left with more workload and royal duties.

With the absence of two senior working royals, the Cambridges would have to work double-time with royal engagements, which would probably take a toll on their private times together.

Just like any other couple, being too busy at work could sometimes lessen the time allotted for baby-making. And with the stress and pressure they have to endure as future king and queen, Prince William getting Kate Middleton pregnant could be unlikely.

Kate Middleton Pregnant After Coronavirus Quarantine? Nah, They're Busy With Zoom

Due to the lockdown restrictions brought by the coronavirus pandemic, Prince William and Kate had more time to stay-at-home with their kids and have quality time for each other.

Speaking to New Idea, royal commentator Phil Dampier said he is convinced that it will only be a matter of time before the Duke and Duchess jumped on the coronavirus baby boom this year.

But as we all have witnessed, Prince William and Kate continued their royal duties at home by utilizing virtual calling apps like Zoom to connect with medical frontliners and those highly affected by the pandemic.

With that, it is safe to assume that the quarantine was spent on "business as usual" rather than a babymaking business.

READ MORE: Prince Andrew Stars In Secret Epstein Video With A Topless Woman [REPORT]
An Australian dad has abducted his son from a children's home and fled across Europe with the boy's mum after their autistic seven-year-old was placed into care.

Martin den Hertog's non-verbal autism was mistaken as the result of psychological abuse, his parents Conrad and Katya have claimed.

Martin was five years old when he was taken into Dutch state care after a neighbour reported them to Child Protective Services in February 2018.

The couple, 49 and 34, fought a lengthy custody battle, but eventually made the dramatic decision to snatch their son from the children's home, south of Amsterdam.

They have been on the run and are now in hiding after taking their son from the De Hondsberg Institute on June 24, The Australian reported.

The desperate parents feared their son, whose autism is severe, would spend his life in 'an institute for the mentally disabled' after a 'misunderstanding'.

Martin den Hertog (pictured, left) and Katya den Hertog (right) abducted their son Martin (centre) after he was seized by Dutch Child Protective Services in February 2018

The now seven-year-old (pictured, with Mrs den Hertog) spent the past two years in an institution after authorities mistook symptoms of his autism as signs of abuse, family claim

'The decision to take Martin was simple when faced with no alternative. He showed us how to escape and we fulfilled his wishes,' Mr den Hertog said.

The couple had only been allowed to see Martin 13 times since February 2018, and a court dismissed their last effort for the family to be reunited in Australia.

Mr den Hertog, originally from Port Stephens on the NSW mid-north coast, said the family were forced to seek asylum in Poland after losing faith in the Dutch justice system.

The family have now abandoned their businesses, friends and home to start a new life with Martin after what they believe was a terrible misunderstanding.

'The Dutch CPS revealed their plans in court to lock up Martin in a Dutch institute for mentally handicapped people for the rest of his life, until he dies as an old man, despite the fact he's only ever being diagnosed with autism,' he explained.

Mr den Hertog said Polish police were searching for them under a European arrest warrant, but his lawyers had arranged preliminary agreement for an asylum meeting.

The father-of-one said the couple spent weeks planning Martin's abduction before taking him during an unsupervised visit at the De Hondsberg Institute.

'What really motivated us was Martin expressing his desire to escape from the Dutch institution with us during family visits, by repeatedly running out of the property through an escape route he had found himself and beckoning us to follow,' he explained.

Mr den Hertog said the couple took Martin (pictured, together) from the De Hondsberg Institute, south of Amsterdam, on June 24 and fled to Poland

Mr den Hertog, who relocated to the Netherlands in 2002, said they followed Martin's escape route and had driven to Poland before police even raised the alarm.

The couple were initially reported to police for keeping Martin, who was not yet been diagnosed as autistic, in a room with closed curtains - a cultural faux pas in the Netherlands interpreted as a sign of abuse.

Five police officers, a judge, and social workers stormed into the family's Amsterdam home in the middle of the night and wrenched him away from his parents.

Authorities noticed that he had a development delay and presumed it had been caused by neglect or abuse.

Despite several experts identifying autism as the cause, Mr den Hertog said the CPS refuse to confirm their opinion in a bid to avoid embarrassment.

The family have not revealed their current whereabouts but confirmed that Martin was happy and healthy.

A Polish police spokesman said authorities were investigating the den Hertogs' situation but could not provide details.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have also said they were unable to discuss the case for privacy reasons.
Publicans across north Wexford are still coming to terms with the news they have to wait until August 10 to open their doors, as phase four of the government's plan to reopen the country is delayed.

Pubs serving food have now been open for almost a month, with gardai locally reporting a high level of compliance with regulations and guidelines.

Pubs that do not serve food continue to play the waiting game and there was disappointment on Wednesday last when it was announced that they would not be allowed to reopen yesterday (July 20) as expected.

Joe Browne of Gorey's Brownes bar said that there is now inequality in the sector.

'The majority of us were ready to open, but we got nothing at all in terms of guidelines to tell us how to prepare. Life must come before commerce, I understand that, but the government need to treat us with a little bit of respect and give us some sort of chance.

'Everything was based off a Dublin model and I really don't think they understand rural Ireland. The majority of the pubs would not be packed out, because they never really came back as strong after the recession. Many pubs might only have four or five a night, during the week definitely and this could be the final nail in the coffin for a lot of small rural publicans.

'Especially in Wexford, we all know that after August 15, the summer season is over. That gives us five days to make up for five months lost.

'During the lockdown, there was solidarity between publicans because everyone was in the same boat but when they started opening the pubs that serve food first, that was unfair because we should have all been treated the same. What's the difference, as Danny Healy Rae said.

'There's always a few bad apples in any bar, but we wouldn't under any circumstances condone anyone breaking the law. We need an equal pitch for everyone. The Vintners are keeping in contact with us but they are not getting the information from government. When the pubs that serve food opened they were given a couple of days beforehand on what was needed and we have got nothing.

'I don't think some pubs will be able to survive it unless the government give grants - not loans - and reduce the VAT because they'll have to help us in some way and it's better than having people on job seekers.

'It's very disappointing. We had put up prospects and God knows what, brought hand sanitisers in and all of that PPE is very expensive. We've had no turnover for the last five months, we're still paying out on light, heat, insurance. It's not looking good at the moment.

'Even if we were opening this week, we had gotten no guidelines whatsoever, it's unbelievable. We have to protect our customers, staff and we want to know what to do. We're getting our information from what we read off the papers and see on the news really,' he said.

Riverchapel publican Jimmy Fleming of Jimmy'z bar and new venture Paddy Blues in Gorey described feeling disgusted by the announcement on Wednesday last.

'I, like most pubs, had just got fresh stock delivered that Wednesday morning in anticipation for opening. We had set out our tables a metre apart, we'd only have six at a table maximum even families, installed hand sanitisers, paper towels instead of the hand dryer. Staff had trained up online for Covid safety so we were ready and organised. It wasn't cheap, and the staff have been working flat out the last three weeks so I more-so feel sorry for them, their hearts sank when they were told.

'We got no inkling that we were going to stay closed, it was leaked to the press, and the Vintners had been working hard trying to communicate with pub owners and the government so it was just a massive blow to everybody.

'I don't think the government realises what it has done here leaving it to the last minute, as it makes no sense to have pubs open already serving food,' he said.

Trying to make the most of what's left of the summer season, Jimmy'z will be open and serving food from this week onwards.

Meanwhile Browne's is hopeful that the annual Skittles tournament can go ahead as soon as doors open in some capacity.

Jimmy Fleming said that simply, he had to open up even as a social capacity but feels that there's a sense of blame associated with pub owners.

'I'm a positive person but after Wednesday, I looked at the four walls and said to myself "What am I doing here". It's people's lives and mental health they're dealing with and they don't seem to think that it has an affect. The staff are deflated and an awful lot of people are being punished here.

'Publicans are responsible people, and now the government is promoting house parties by doing this. We are going to operate safely to protect ourselves as well so it's not a free for all.

'All we're doing is serving the public a few pints and we're fine with the gardai doing checks as that's their job. So far 99 per cent of pubs are compliant already so I don't see the harm in opening the rest of them.

'Foreign travel is still happening and there appears to be one standard for us and another for that, they aren't closing the airports,' he said.
One often finds the world of true-crime inspiring cinema. We previously recommended the best Bollywood films that were based on real-life crime stories. This time, we dig deeper and bring to you, critically acclaimed regional films based on horrific real-life stories.

Dhananjoy

This 2017 Bengali drama directed by Aridam Sil and starring Anirban Bhattacharya, Mimi Chakraborty and Kaushik Sen in lead roles, tells the story of security guard Dhanajoy Chatterjee, who was convicted in the gruesome murder of Hetal Parekh.

Based on circumstantial evidence and Hetal's mother's testimony, Dhananjoy was tried and given the death sentence. He spent 14 years in prison appealing for justice, including to the President of India. Arindam gives a heartbreaking performance as the titular character whereas Mimi plays Advocate Kavya Sinha, who fights for his freedom.

Rakht Charitra 1 and 2

Ram Gopal Verma's Rakht Charitra series starring Vivek Oberoi, Abhimanyu Singh and Surya in lead roles is the real life story of gangster-politician Suryanarayana Reddy also known as Maddelacheruvu Suri (played by Surya), who was the key accused in the assassination of Telugu Desam Party leader Paritala Ravi (played by Vivek) in 2005.

The films, in gory details, show the chain of events unfolding due to two warring political factions in Andhra Pradesh. Many men from both sides of the rivalry were killed off, while Maddelacheruvu Suri himself was shot and killed by assailants in 2011. Suri is said to have watched the films before he was shot.

Atanka

This 1986 classic is still regarded as one of the best works by Bengali director Tapan Sinha. Starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Prasenjit and Satabdi Roy in lead roles, it is the true story of a teacher who witnesses a murder orchestrated by a group of his ex-students. He is then subjected to torture and harassment from his students who try to keep him from going to the cops.

With haunting performances, especially from Soumitra Chatterjee as the helpless aged teacher who battles his conscience and his family's safety, it is also a gripping thriller that will hold your attention to the very end.

Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha

This Malayalam mystery thriller written and directed by Ranjith is based on the first ever recorded murder in Kerala. Starring Mammootty in a triple role, along with Mythili and Shweta Menon, this critically acclaimed film won four Kerala State Film Awards including the Best Film Award in 2009.

The film tells the story of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances. The woman's in-laws claim that she died due to seizures, but examination of the body shows her to be raped and murdered. After three men are arrested and then released for lack of evidence, the case becomes cold and an unsolved mystery for 52 years after a police officer from Delhi returns to his village to solve the case. He was apparently born on the same day the woman was killed. This thriller is full of twists and turns and a must watch.

Kalloori

This 2007 coming-of-age Tamil drama by Balaji Shakthivel is based on the heartbreaking Dharmapuri bus burning incident that happened in 2000. Three college girls of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University were burnt alive after AIADMK members burnt the bus they had boarded to protest late TN Chief Minister J Jayalalitha's conviction in the Kodaikanal Pleasant Stay Hotel case.

The film stars debutants Tamannaah and Akhil, and tells the story of a group of friends in college, who take in the depressed new student Shobana (Tamannaah) under their wing. The film tracks the life of different members of the group and how they have different struggles and aspirations in life. Even though the film is based on a heinous crime of mob frenzy, it still chooses to portray the lives of the victims through their friendship, love and aspirations and not the tragedy that happened to them.
On 20 July Congress came back to work after the 4th of July holiday and expectation is high that they will draft a fourth and likely final stimulus relief package amid the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Many states started to reopen their economies back in May, since then they have seen major spikes of new Covid-19 cases in many states, which is in turn forcing them to reconsider the extent of the opening up, with governors being forced to shut down some sectors of the economy in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.



Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who has been advising the White House at times during the crisis, has suggested that many states reopened too soon or they did not follow the safety guidelines and this is why they have been forced to now take drastic measures. Millions of Americans continue to struggle financially during this outbreak leading experts to argue there is a high chance a new relief package could be approved by the end of the month.

It is expected that this new bill will provide for a second round of stimulus checks, as well as bonuses for returning to work or getting a job and will likely extend the unemployment benefits that are set to expire on 31 July. Congress has roughly two more weeks to approve legislation before they go off on summer recess, meaning the next couple of days are key for millions of Americans.

Covid-19: Help from local governments

If you live in Orange County in Florida, you may be eligible for a one-time $1,000 payment per household. Orange County is the latest county to offer a cash payment to its eligible residents as a result of financial support from the CARES Act.

In other places, the financial assistance is more targeted in terms of what you can spend it on or who is eligible. For example, in Jacksonville, Florida, the city council approved a plan to give 40,000 residents a cash payment of $1,000.

In Montgomery County, Texas, homeowners are waiting on $500 payments. Applications were supposed to open on July 1, but it was delayed because the county was still awaiting approval from the U.S. Treasury. Approval is required under the CARES Act, according to Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack.

In Louisiana, officials are also taking a targeted approach to additional help, aiming to put more money in the pockets of people who kept the state running. Cashiers, bus drivers, law enforcement, health care workers and other individuals working on the front lines in Louisiana may be able to receive a $250 check.

Under the CARES Act, eligible individuals earning an adjusted gross income of $72,000 or less received a $1,200 payment. The legislation, enacted by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, was designed to help Americans at the beginning of the pandemic and also provided for an additional $500 per dependent child up to a maximum of three per household.


Short-covering and position-squaring ahead of todays weekly government storage report is helping to underpin prices early Thursday. The move represents a slight follow-through to the upside following yesterdays strong finish.

On Wednesday, prices once again firmed on short-covering and position-squaring as traders ignored calls for moderating temperatures, choosing instead to focus on the government report, which is expected to confirm an improved supply/demand balance.

At 10:06 GMT, September natural gas futures are trading $1.732, up $0.014 or +0.81%.

U.S. Energy Information Administration Weekly Storage Report

At 14:30 GMT, the EIA will release its weekly storage report. Traders are looking for a sub-100 Bcf storage injection for the four consecutive week. The consensus is for a storage injection of 37 Bcf.

Natural Gas Intelligence (NGI) says, Ahead of the report, a Bloomberg survey found injection estimates ranging from 28 Bcf to 46 Bcf, with a median of 36 Bcf. The average of a Wall Street Journal poll was 35 Bcf, with a low estimate of 28 Bcf and a high of 41 Bcf. A Reuters poll found estimates ranging from 28 Bcf to 46 Bcf and an average of 36 Bcf. NGI estimated a build of 35 Bcf.

The forecasts compare with a 44 Bcf storage build in the same week last year and a five-year average increase of 37 Bcf.

Short-Term Weather Outlook

According to NatGasWeather for July 23-29, Hot high pressure continues to stretch from California to Texas with highs of mid-90s to 110s, while uncomfortably hot and humid with 90s across the South, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Coast. The Northwest will cool into the 70s-80s the next few days as a weather system arrives. Cooler expectations will also continue across the Midwest as a weak cool front with showers track through. Heavy showers are expected along the Gulf Coast/Texas Friday-Saturday due to a weak tropical depression. After briefly again becoming hot this weekend across the Great Lakes and Northeast, a cooler trending system will arrive early next week with highs of 70s-80s.

Story continues

Hurricane Outlook

Its that time of year in the U.S. so lets go over a few things before getting to the short-term forecast. Firstly, hurricanes that move through the Gulf of Mexico toward platforms and natural gas production facilities in Texas, Louisiana and the Florida panhandle, tend to be bullish for natural gas because they can lead to lower production. Secondly, hurricanes that hit Florida tend to be bearish for natural gas prices because they lead to power outages and hence lower demand.

I say this because there are a lot of analysts out there who think that all hurricanes are alike. They arent. I live in Florida. I think I should know a little more about the subject than the other guys.

That being said, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Wednesday Tropical Storm Gonzalo formed early Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean. With potential for winds of 75 mph or more, NHC projected the storm would become a hurricane Thursday, though it remained far from land and was more than 1,000 miles east of the Windward Islands, NGI reported.

The hurricane should be monitored since we still dont know its path. Secondly, its in the Atlantic Ocean and nowhere near the Gulf of Mexico facilities. I wouldnt trade off the news yet.

Daily Forecast

The cash market is weak and the 15-day outlook is shedding cooling degree days. So falling temperatures tend to be bearish because they weigh on demand. Remember, professionals are looking two-weeks into the future so todays EIA report has to be extremely bullish to generate any meaningful upside pressure.

There are also concerns over demand destruction from COVID-19 and uncertainty over LNG exports to Asia and Europe.

When you add up all the factors, conditions are bearish. Maybe too bearish. Continue to trade the trend, but be prepared for some counter-trend shenanigans by the hedge funds. They may feel the need to generate a rally just to shake the tree a little.

Look for buy stops to be triggered over $1.738 and $1.786 if there is a short-covering rally. The trend turns up on the daily chart over $1.845.

As long as the trend remains down, $1.583 remains the next target. Temperatures will determine how fast we get there.

For a look at all of todays economic events, check out our economic calendar.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:
Drought-stricken Australian cotton growers will be millions of dollars short after the collapse of a Chinese importer left thousands of cotton bales stranded.

Chinese companies are increasingly shifting imports away from Australian growers towards domestic production in Xinjiang, the north-western Chinese province home to the persecuted Uighur Muslim minority. It comes as textile companies in China report the cost of Australian cotton is too high.

Industry sources, who declined to be named because the commercial negotiations were confidential, said privately owned Chinese merchant Weilin had committed to buy up to half the Australian cotton crop this year, which for the 2019-20 season came in at 600,000 bales.

Cotton production has been affected by the drought. Credit:Peter Braig

Weilin offered growers about $620 a bale, at least $15 above the next best offer. But when the offer from its buyer in China dried up, it was unable to fulfil the contracts leaving growers hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket.
<! Buhari during Diaspora Day event >

Nigerias President, Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday disclosed that remittance inflow by Nigerians in Diaspora has exceeded $25 billion annually in the last three years.

Buhari also urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to actively participate in the countrys Post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.

In a video message to commemorate this years Diaspora Day, observed on July 25 of every year, Buhari appealed to his compatriots, whose home remittances exceeded $25 billion annually in three years, not to abandon their fatherland in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past three years, Nigerians in the diaspora have brought in over $25 billion annually as home remittances to the Nigerian economy through official and non-formal channels.

This is about 6.0% of our annual GDP and upwards of 80% of our annual budget. This has impacted on livelihoods of Nigerians in terms of education, health, housing and estate development, industry, trade and investments, agriculture and technology/skills transfer.

In terms of diaspora home remittances, Nigeria is rated as number one in sub-Saharan Africa and this is still growing especially with the advocacy and mobilization programmes of the newly established Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).

Nigerians in Diaspora are also known to be engaged in skill transfer in ICT and industry. They are also active in our universities as lecturers, and in carrying out medical missions.

It is, therefore, my sincere hope that even with the depressed economy under stress in the year 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigerians in the Diaspora will rise up to the occasion of not abandoning their country of origin, but be active in our Post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts, he said.

Buhari told participants from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania at the webinar event that his three-point agenda for the Nigerians in Diaspora remains the same and particularly relevant on the auspicious occasion.

Reiterating the agenda, the Nigerian leader said: You are our Ambassadors-at-large by your behaviour and character in your host countries. Whatever legitimate endeavour you choose, you must excel and be the best. Do not forget home, Nigeria, by giving back and engaging in its development.

The President also used the occasion to commend the support and contributions of Nigerians in the Diaspora to the socio-economic development of Nigeria, recounting fond memories of his several interactions with them at town hall meetings.

While congratulating them on this years celebration, Buhari said the Federal Government set aside July 25 of every year to celebrate Nigerians in Diaspora estimated to be over 17 million.

According to him, the Day is also to facilitate networking among the Diaspora with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the Government, the Diaspora State Focal Point Officers and other private and Civil Society Organization participants in the implementation of a practical framework for the effective engagement of the Diaspora for national development.

Speaking on the theme of this years celebration,Leveraging Diaspora Resources for National Development in a COVID-19 Era, the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa said the focus of the 2020 celebration is indicative of the mandate of NiDCOM as well as what the agency has accomplished since its creation.

Since its establishment a year ago, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has a lot to celebrate. This is because the passion and consistency that saw to the establishment of the commission have been maintained and sustained.

The activities we have executed, those ongoing, and the ones that are yet to take off are all definitive, of the theme. Our interaction today is expected to mobilize you to key into some of the programmes and chart improved or better ways on how to achieve them, she said.

On Diaspora voting, Dabiri-Erewa announced that the Commission was working with the National Assembly to make it a reality.

Among other initiatives, she said NiDCOM is partnering with the OPS WASH  the umbrella body for private engagement to support the declaration to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2024.

We plan to mobilize millions of Nigerians in the Diaspora to fund a toilet per household. A global project will soon be launched and we look forward to all Nigerians in the Diaspora to participate in this most needed project, she said.

In his remarks, the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Amb. Zubairu Dada said the Ministry would continue to stress the importance of engaging with Nigerians in the Diaspora at the state, national and international levels in advocating the Diaspora potentials in the post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.

The Minister thanked members of the Diaspora who have donated to the COVID-19 response, especially those that were channeled to the grassroots through the states.

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Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, announced that government schools in state will not charge any admission, re-admission or tuition fee from students for the 2020-21 academic session on account of the Covid-19 crisis.

As far as private schools are concerned, the state government had already moved court, said the CM.

Captain, while addressing #AskCaptain session, announced provisional admission in Class 11 for the 31,000 Class 10 students in the open school system, who could not be promoted amid the covid crisis based on internal assessment, as no such assessment exists for them. He announced a cash prize of Rs 5,100 each to 335 students who scored above 98% in Class 12.

On restriction of two persons in a seven-seater vehicle, when buses are allowed to ply with full capacity, the CM said economic viability has forced government to allow this. But even now, passenger traffic is as low as 25-30% of normal, he said.

SWEET SHOPS TO REMAIN OPEN ON AUG 2

Sweet shops in Punjab will be allowed to remain open on August 2, in view of Raksha Bandhan.

On movement of inter-state buses on the festival, the CM said there are no restrictions on buses as far as Punjab is concerned, but other states might have imposed curbs.
A delegation of the opposition BJP which met Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra late Saturday afternoon lashed out at chief minister Ashok Gehlot for his statement on Friday that people of the state will picket the Raj Bhavan if Governor didnt convene a session of the Assembly soon.

BJP state unit president Satish Poonia who led the 15-member delegation to the Raj Bhawan said, The CM and his government is guilty of pushing the states peace and calm into anarchy. There were scenes of anarchy on the streets in the state today and the CM, who is also the home minister of the state, is morally responsible for this.

Demonstrations were held at district headquarters on the call of the ruling party in clear violation of Covid-19 guidelines by the Disaster Management Authority. The fact that district administrations remained mute spectators to these violations shows the state governments apathy towards the coronavirus pandemic, Poonia said.

The delegation submitted a memorandum to the Governor in which they pointed out that CMs statement on Friday -- about threatening to picket the Raj Bhavan -- was a criminal act under section 124 of the IPC.

The CM came to the Raj Bhavan with his MLAs, who shouted slogans which led to anarchy. The pressure on the Governor to get a decision in their favour is a derogatory attempt to threaten Constitutional institutions. They also violated Covid-19 advisory on social distancing, the BJP said in the memorandum.

The delegation demanded action and legal protection from the Governor, the Constitutional head of the state, at a time when the common people of the state were suspicious of the government.

Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria, deputy leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore and Jaipur Rural MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore were part of the delegation.

What Congress government did at the Governors House was a low-point in Rajasthan politics. There is no governance. Those in power are lodged at a five-star hotel since weeks. People are suffering due to various issues, ANI quoted Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore as saying.

Congress spokesperson Archana Sharma maintained that the BJP was trying to delay the assembly session.

The meeting of the BJP delegation with the governor reflects that the BJP was conspiring with some MLAs to topple the government. They are trying to delay the session and it is their tactics to topple the government in which they have not been successful. The meeting also proves that we have a majority.
Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, on July 24 urged all competent forces to remain vigilant and stand ready to cope with new developments of the pandemic.

Speaking at a meeting of the committee, Dam lauded efforts made over the recent past in fighting the epidemic.

However, nothing is absolute safe, he said, warning of the risk of coronavirus transmission as Vietnam has land border routes running 4,000km and has implemented flights carrying foreign experts to the country and Vietnamese citizens, including COVID-19 cases, from pandemic-hit areas.

Given this, competent agencies need to tighten their management and make plans to bring home Vietnamese people in line with the domestic capacity for pandemic prevention and control, Dam requested.

Right after any risk is detected, prompt actions must be taken to prevent the spread of the virus in the community, he stressed.

Regarding the suspected case in the central city of Da Nang, the Deputy PM appreciated the localitys quick response to the incident, including contact tracing and quarantine measures.

The final test result should be announced by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, slated for July 25 morning, he said.

However, whether the test result is negative or positive, we still need to continue implementing measures as we have done in response to positive cases, he ordered.

Contact tracing, quarantine and testing are compulsory in response to suspected or confirmed cases within the community, he emphasised.

The case in Da Nang is a signal helping to raise the preparedness of localities, as well as the entire medical system, Dam said, expressing his belief that preparedness and observance of regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control would prevent the disease from spreading in the community.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long, Acting Minister of Health, reported that the ministry has rolled out all necessary countermeasures, and sent a working group to Da Nang right on July 24 to assist the locality in dealing with the case.

On July 23 night, Da Nang conducted testing on people who had close contact with the man, and their test results turned out negative, he said, adding that all of them are still put under quarantine.

At the meeting, many experts urged people to continue wearing face masks in public places, and suggested tightening management at border gates and areas, and strictly handle people illegally entering Vietnam.
Vietnam suspends wildlife trade as pandemic prods action

WORLD: Vietnam, one of Asias biggest consumers of wildlife products, has suspended all imports of wild animal species dead or alive and vowed to eliminate illegal markets across the country.

animalswildlifeChineseCoronavirusCOVID-19health

By AFP

Saturday 25 July 2020, 12:49PM

Pangolin is a favoured medicinal dish in Vietnam, one of Asias biggest consumers of wildlife products, but the government has now suspended all imports of wild animal species dead or alive. Photo: AFP

The directive signed by the leader of the communist country follows an international scandal over the sale of wildlife, which has been blamed as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic in neighbouring China.

It is a major victory for conservation groups who have in the past accused Vietnamese authorities of turning a blind eye to the rampant trade in endangered species inside and across its borders.

The prime minister orders the suspension of imports of wildlife - dead or alive - their eggs... parts or derivatives, said the order released Thursday (July 23) on the government website.

All citizens, especially officials... must not participate in illegal poaching, buying, selling, transporting... of illegal wildlife.

Among the most frequently smuggled animal goods are tiger parts, rhino horn and pangolins used in traditional medicine.

Despite the high prices they command - with ingredients trafficked from as far as Africa - there is no scientific evidence of their health benefits in humans.

Vietnam locked down swiftly to dodge a major health crisis as COVID-19 emerged, but its economy has been hit hard.

The country will also resolutely eliminate market and trading sites which trade wildlife illegally, the edict said - warning of a crackdown on the poaching, trafficking, storing and advertising of animals, birds and reptiles.

Anti-trafficking group Freeland hailed the move as the most stringent to control the wildlife trade since the pandemic broke out.

Vietnam is to be congratulated for recognising that COVID-19 and other pandemics are linked to the wildlife trade, said Steven Glaster, its chairman.

This trade must be banned as a matter of international and public health security, he added.

China, the worlds biggest market for illegal wildlife products, has enacted a similar ban. Vietnam has gone further by taking aim at online sales and imposing an indefinite ban on the trade.

While welcoming the move, conservationists warn enforcement will be a challenge across a country with long porous borders and poorly paid officials who can be bent by cash.
Rajasthan political crisis: Congress MLAs to stage protest against Governor today

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Jaipur, July 25: Rajasthan Congress has decided to take the fight against Governor Kalraj Mishra to the streets and would be protesting against the Governor's decision to not agree to the demand made by the State Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for calling an Assembly session.

It is reportedly said that the Congress has decided to protest in all the districts today. Congress workers have been asked to hand over memorandums to the district collectors for the Rajasthan Governor.

Governors six points on assembly session discussed by Rajasthan Cabinet

In a tweet, Govind Singh Dotasara, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief said, "All Congress workers are requested to follow the guidelines issued by the state government regarding corona are followed during the protest tomorrow, July 25. All people are to protest at the DCC office and no more than 50 people are to gather. Five people will go to the Collectorate and hand over a memorandum to the Collector for the Governor."

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive for Coronavirus | Oneindia News

Earlier, Congress MLAs held a sit-in protest inside the Governor house demanding the Rajasthan Assembly session be called. The move came after CM Gehlot alleged that the Governor, despite the state government's demand for calling an assembly session, has not allowed so.

Rajasthan cabinet meeting over holding of State Assembly session begins at CM Ashok Gehlot's home

The state Chief Minister accused the Governor of acting under pressure from above, implying that the Centre had prohibited the Rajasthan Governor, Kalraj Mishra, from agreeing to the state government's request to call for an Assembly session.

The Rajasthan government feels that if a short assembly session is called for, then they can go in for a show of strength at the Assembly where the rebel MLAs from Sachin Pilot group can be pressurised to participate. If a whip is issued by the chief whip, then in case if the rebel MLAs do not abide.

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Story first published: Saturday, July 25, 2020, 10:54 [IST]
John MacArthur says Grace Community Church has duty to remain open

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Pastor John MacArthur of Californias Grace Community Church announced that his church would continue to hold in-person services despite state-mandated restrictions banning in-person worship services.

About two weeks after California indefinitely closed churches and other businesses in more than 30 of the state's 58 counties as part of its response to the coronavirus, author and theologian MacArthur has given a biblical basis for his decision. Compliance would be disobedience to our Lords clear commands, he wrote in a statement to the congregation on Friday.

Government officials have no right to interfere in ecclesiastical matters in a way that undermines or disregards the God-given authority of pastors and elders, MacArthur wrote.

Christ is Lord of all. He is the one true head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18). He is also King of kingssovereign over every earthly authority (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). Grace Community Church has always stood immovably on those biblical principles. As His people, we are subject to His will and commands as revealed in Scripture. Therefore we cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship or other regular corporate gatherings. Compliance would be disobedience to our Lords clear commands. Some will think such a firm statement is inexorably in conflict with the command to be subject to governing authorities laid out in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. Scripture does mandate careful, conscientious obedience to all governing authority, including kings, governors, employers, and their agents (in Peters words, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable [1 Peter 2:18]). Insofar as government authorities do not attempt to assert ecclesiastical authority or issue orders that forbid our obedience to Gods law, their authority is to be obeyed whether we agree with their rulings or not. In other words, Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 still bind the consciences of individual Christians. We are to obey our civil authorities as powers that God Himself has ordained. However, while civil government is invested with divine authority to rule the state, neither of those texts (nor any other) grants civic rulers jurisdiction over the church. God has established three institutions within human society: the family, the state, and the church. Each institution has a sphere of authority with jurisdictional limits that must be respected. A fathers authority is limited to his own family. Church leaders authority (which is delegated to them by Christ) is limited to church matters. And government is specifically tasked with the oversight and protection of civic peace and well-being within the boundaries of a nation or community. God has not granted civic rulers authority over the doctrine, practice, or polity of the church. The biblical framework limits the authority of each institution to its specific jurisdiction. The church does not have the right to meddle in the affairs of individual families and ignore parental authority. Parents do not have authority to manage civil matters while circumventing government officials. And similarly, government officials have no right to interfere in ecclesiastical matters in a way that undermines or disregards the God-given authority of pastors and elders. When any one of the three institutions exceeds the bounds of its jurisdiction it is the duty of the other institutions to curtail that overreach. Therefore, when any government official issues orders regulating worship (such as bans on singing, caps on attendance, or prohibitions against gatherings and services), he steps outside the legitimate bounds of his God-ordained authority as a civic official and arrogates to himself authority that God expressly grants only to the Lord Jesus Christ as sovereign over His Kingdom, which is the church. His rule is mediated to local churches through those pastors and elders who teach His Word (Matthew 16:1819; 2 Timothy 3:164:2).

Read the full statement here.

On July 13, the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that churches, fitness centers and businesses in several industries in 30 California counties would be ordered to shut down again unless they can operate outside or through pick-up services. As of Saturday, the order now applies to some 33 counties with two others on a government monitoring list.

MacArthur said the government is specifically tasked with the oversight and protection of civic peace and well-being within the boundaries of a nation or community.

God has not granted civic rulers authority over the doctrine, practice, or polity of the church, he continued. The biblical framework limits the authority of each institution to its specific jurisdiction. The church does not have the right to meddle in the affairs of individual families and ignore parental authority. Parents do not have authority to manage civil matters while circumventing government officials.

The pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, therefore, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction, and faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services, he added.

In late May, immediately after President Trump declared churches to be essential and said they should be allowed to reopen as long as they adhere to the CDC's health guidelines, the Ninth Circuit decided in favor of Newsoms statewide stay-at-home order and rejected an emergency motion to allow for in-person religious services to proceed in California. Follow the Ninth Circuit's decision, the elders of Grace Community Church said they would continue to delay the church's reopening "and leave it in the hands of God.

For a state like California to decide that abortion providers, marijuana dispensaries, and liquor stores are essential while churches are forced to the back of the line via a seemingly endless series of moving goalposts and ever more restrictive hoops to jump through, is the very essence of upside-down Romans 1 immorality, the church stated at the time. We stand against it plainly, and moving forward, we are striving to pursue every biblical and legal means to oppose it.

However, the churchs statement added, Even so, for now, the Ninth Circuit decision is sadly the law of the land in California, and we gladly submit to the sovereign purposes of God.

Other California pastors are also deciding whether to continue to comply with Newsom's second round of lockdown restrictions ban in-person church gatherings indefinitely or to defy the order and meet in-person.

Greg Fairrington, pastor of Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin, California, said in a Facebook video posted July 14 that he would be holding in-person services.

"I believe my mandate as a pastor is to obey the Word of God. And part of what we do is worship together as a church," Fairrington said. "We are not going to allow our government to use data that is not supported factually to shut the church down."

However, Pastor John Cox of Riverpark Bible Church in Fresno told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that Romans 13:1 tells Christians to submit to government.

"It put us in a tricky spot. We want to be who God ordered us to be. But also, [we] want to be gracious and submit to leadership," Cox said. "We don't want to worship in defiance or to stand against the government, but as the people of God."

Cox said that Riverpark services would be online and not in-person for the time being. The primary issue, according to Cox, is the vagueness of the order. He said, knowing what is permitted and what is not can be difficult to distinguish.

Last week, the Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church, which has campuses throughout the state, and Harvest International Ministries, a nonprofit corporation with 162 member churches statewide and over 65,000 affiliates worldwide, filed a complaint in federal court against Newsoms COVID-19 executive order that they say also bans church members from holding Bible studies and other small group meetings in their homes.

As part of the exercise of its sincerely held religious beliefs, Harvest Rocks Church campuses also have numerous Life Groups, which meet in the homes of members of the Church to worship together, engage in Bible study, fellowship with one another, and minister to the needs of each other, the complaint explained.

Harvest Rock has and exercises a sincere religious belief that Life Groups are an essential way for the church to fulfill its mission and to foster a healthy, vibrant, and growing Church community such that its members can gather together to grow in the Lord, mature in their faith, and understand the Scriptures better.
(Ari Liloan / For The Times)

Remember the good old days (a few months ago), when you could leave your home for the day with a tall tumbler of coffee and a car well-stocked with water, confident in the knowledge that when your bladder came calling, you could find quick and easy relief at the nearest coffee shop, gas station or fast-food restaurant?

Because after a couple of hours, you were likely ready for another Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew anyway, right? At least that's how it worked in my world, where regular caffeine was such a workday requirement that by the time I got home, the interior of my car was full of empty cups.

In truth, I probably owe my caffeine addiction to my bladder: I had to buy a new coffee every few hours so I could justify using a coffee shop's public bathroom when I was working outside the office.

But the easy days of ubiquitous public restrooms are but memory, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns that have shuttered the seating areas  and toilets  of many coffee shops and restaurants.

Even the old reliable go-to, the gas station, has become an iffy proposition.

"Apologies for the inconvenience" doesn't really help when you need a toilet urgently. This Arco in Compton was among gas stations, restaurants and coffee shops with closed restrooms during the pandemic. (Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)

Is there any dance more urgent than racing into a gas station in pursuit of a restroom only to discover it's closed to the public and trying to think, "What do I do now?" over the screams of your near-bursting bladder?

The staff at the Central 76 station in Riverside, just off the 91 Freeway, have seen that look more than once. "Lots of people come here from other stations saying, I have to go!'" said assistant manager Cesar Mungaray. "And if we notice people heading to the wall [outside], we go to the door and shout, 'Hey, we have restrooms open inside,' because when they have to go, they'll go outside."

So maybe it isn't my imagination, that whiff I keep smelling in parking lots these days.

In fact, I now have a far better understanding of what homeless people have been facing for years: If people won't let you in, where can you go?

Story continues

The problem comes at a time when, for many of us, taking a drive seems like the last fun, safe, socially distanced thing we can do these days to get out of the house. But any drive that takes us too far from home leads right back to the problem at hand: where to go when nature calls.

Sharokina Shams, spokeswoman for the California Restaurant Assn., says many food establishments have closed their restrooms to minimize coronavirus exposure for their employees.

Not an unwarranted concern, considering that the coronavirus has been found in the raw sewage at Yosemite National Park.

A basic reality, however, is that restrooms get dirty, and surfaces that get lots of touching, such as doorknobs, sink handles and toilet seats, need to be cleaned. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are demanding  requiring plenty of disinfectants and cleaning supplies  which can be difficult to manage when staffing is thin. Complicating matters is when the on-site restrooms are also the only available restrooms for employees to use.

And what about a business owner's liability if an employee gets sick after cleaning a restroom? Easier just to shut it down.

For Nahal Noorzady, co-owner of the 14th Street Chevron and car wash off the 91 Freeway in Riverside, closing bathrooms is a struggle between her sympathy for travelers and basic dollars and cents.

Chevron has instructed its stations to keep restrooms open for customers, she said, but they have closed one of their two restrooms to the public, reserving that for employee use.

Noorzady says she understands the need for public toilets, but paper towels and cleaning supplies have become more expensive and harder to buy. "I used to be able to buy a four-pack of paper towels for $23.99. Now I can only buy one pack at a time, and it costs $45." Noorzady added: "If I can't buy soap, I'll have to close my restrooms."

Many restaurants and coffee shops have closed their restrooms during the coronavirus pandemic to protect customers and their employees. (Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)

My friend tells me to do what truck drivers do  sit in my car and reach for a portable urinal. Thats what the Tinkle Belle is for, she said. (For the uninitiated, the Tinkle Belle is one of many clever devices on the market that allow women to urinate standing up, without baring all.) But this is not a happy thought. What if I misalign my "female urinary device" and send urine streaming all over my shoes and floor mat a few minutes before my next interview? What if someone walks by my car and happens to glance inside?

Give me a good bush to stand behind, or even a deserted field, and Im OK, but out in a parking lot or a city street  aargh. Somebody must have a restroom open somewhere.

And therein lies the rub. A few places do, based on my unscientific sampling these past few weeks, but if youre on the freeway and you have to go, you dont want to start guessing who might be open and make the wrong choice. After a few of those near-miss encounters, your bathroom quest can become a little crazed.

If you are lucky enough to find a public bathroom, remember some common-sense strategies, inspired in part by the CDC: Wear a mask, social distance if theres a crowd, and try not to unnecessarily touch anything  especially your face.

If possible, use a paper towel or tissue to open and close doors, then toss it in the trash  not the toilet, where it can cause a clog. (You might want to carry extra tissue or travel soap with you, as you never know when TP or cleaning supplies may be scarce.) Ideally, use hot water and soap to clean your hands on the way out.

And dont linger; the longer you stay, the more exposed you are to any airborne germs from the last toilet flush or visitor. Finally, use hand sanitizer when you get back to your car.

So potential solutions come down to dehydration (which isnt foolproof) or lots of strategic planning.

Pepe Garcia, assistant general manager of the solids divisions in the L.A. City Public Works Department, drives into Los Angeles from Perris every day, a good 75-mile trip one way, and he's opted for strategic planning.

"After 30 years of traveling the same roads, you find little pit stops along the way," he said. But when the pandemic came, and his go-to stops were closed, he had to move to Plan B: He's identified a few places along his route that he knows will be open and always stops there now on his way to work, even if the need is not urgent.

"I'm getting older, and I don't hold it like I used to, so I just anticipate that I won't be able to go all the way without stopping," he said. "I've got it down to a science; it's become routine. Otherwise, it's just a guessing game and you have to bounce from gas station to station until you find something."

So here is my unscientific anecdotal advice about managing your bladder during the pandemic:

1. Do some shopping

These days, the most reliable place to find an open restroom is in grocery stores or big-box stores like Target, Costco or Trader Joe's. Of course, this means finding a parking space, sprinting through the parking lot and then praying there's no line, but you can be reasonably certain that these stores will keep their restrooms open and clean.

2. Visit a park

Most city buildings are closed to employees and the public at large, but park bathrooms are still open, at least in the city of Los Angeles, said spokeswoman Rose Watson. The city lists its parks and their addresses on its website, if you want to bookmark those locations for easy searching, but be warned, small "pocket parks" don't usually have restrooms, Watson said. Good rule of thumb: If the park is big enough to have a recreation center, it will also have restrooms, which are typically open from dawn to dusk, she said. And  bonus!  those restrooms are usually near the parking lots, so you shouldn't have to run too far to get relief.





3. Pre-scout your route

Most digital maps show businesses along the freeways, so make a note of exits that lead to a sure pit stop and then call ahead to make sure.

4. Invest in a portable urinal

It can't hurt to have a screw-top urinal in your car, for those absolutely desperate moments when you can't find any other place to go. One of Amazon's top picks is supposedly spill-proof and even has a glow-in-the-dark lid so you can find it at night. Women should investigate the vast new world of female urination devices or "pee funnels," such as the Tinkle Belle, Amazon top-rated Sunany (with a funnel tip small enough to fit inside an empty water bottle), the GoGirl (No. 1 bestseller on Amazon), the Easy Peezy and the Shewee (one of the earliest FUDs on the market and now available in 10 colors!). There are also plenty of compact, portable toilets on the market, some for as little as $19.99.

5. Look for rest stops

State-maintained rest areas are still helpful on long hauls, provided they're not closed for maintenance. This is where Garcia's advice comes in handy: Go whenever you can, because who knows when the next opportunity will show up.

6. Pack a bag

Because accidents do happen, it's especially smart these days to have a little bag in your car with wipes, tissues, plastic bags (one for damp garments, another for soiled tissue) and a change of clothes. (And maybe even shoes, in case your pee funnel slips.) Some extra hand sanitizer would be helpful too, along with a towel to wrap around yourself if you have to go somewhere in wet pants to change.

And remember, things could be worse. You could never have packed a bag at all.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 16:02:13|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. airlines have received an emergency order issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directing an inspection of critical engine parts of certain Boeing 737 airplanes following reports of single-engine shutdowns during flights.

Under the order, about 2,000 Boeing 737 twin-engine airplanes would be inspected across the United States, the FAA said Friday.

The order, or the emergency airworthiness directive, applies to models 737-300, -400, -500, -600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and 900ER series airplanes, the FAA said on Thursday. These versions are called 737 Classics and 737 NGs. The grounded Boeing 737 Max is not included in the ordered inspection.

The FAA directed relevant passenger jet owners and operators to inspect the airplanes parked for at least seven days or flying fewer than 11 times following resumption of operation, as the regulator had received four reports that certain engine valves were stuck open.

Passenger airplanes normally have at least two engines. Corrosion of these valves on both engines could result in a total power loss without the ability to restart. This condition, if not addressed, could lead to compressor stalls and dual-engine power loss without the ability to restart, forcing pilots to make off-airport landings, the FAA said in the order.

In response, Boeing said it is providing inspection and replacement information to airplane owners.

"With airplanes being stored or used infrequently due to lower demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, the valve can be more susceptible to corrosion," Boeing said in a statement. Enditem
RACINE  Although statewide data is available on how many people are hospitalized with COVID-19, it remains functionally impossible to find out how many people locally are hospitalized with the potentially deadly coronavirus.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is reporting that 9.3% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the state have at some point been hospitalized. Thats 4,327 hospitalizations out of 46,917 cumulative positive cases, as of Friday.

Hospitalization data shows 187 COVID patients being treated in Wisconsin hospitals currently out of 9,688 active cases  a current hospitalization rate of 1.9%. That number matches the states current death rate of 1.9%, with 878 statewide deaths out of 46,917 total confirmed cases so far.

But The Journal Times has not been able to obtain current hospitalization data for any medical facility in Racine County.

City and county staff said that data could only be provided by hospitals. But Ascension Health  which operates the countys largest medical facility, Ascension All Saints Hospital, 3801 Spring St.  declined to share the data.

Ascension deferred to the DHS website for statewide and regional hospital capabilities data. But that website doesnt have local numbers with that much specificity. It only shows cumulative case counts for whole counties and the statewide hospitalization rate.

Racine County has the third-highest positive rate per capita in the state, with 1,452 cases per 100,000 residents, behind only Milwaukee County with 1,838 cases per 100,000 residents. Brown County is in a close third with 1,420 cases per 100,000 people, followed by Kenosha County with 1,308 cases per 100,000.

But that number is based on the total number who have tested positive since March, not the number who are currently positive.

Shared resources, incomplete data

Mark Schaaf, the countys communications and media relations director, said in an email that some patients from Racine County are hospitalized at facilities outside the county, and that some patients who reside outside the county are hospitalized at facilities here.

The citys hospitalization numbers come through contact tracing efforts, not from hospitals directly. As of July 17, at least 165 residents from the Racine Public Health Departments jurisdiction (which, in addition to the city, includes the villages of Elmwood Park and Wind Point) have been hospitalized at some point from COVID-19, according to that data.

The count of 165 makes a hospitalization rate of 10.2% out of 1,614 total cases since they started being tracked here in March. But its unclear how many of those hospitalized cases are current. Within Racine County, 69 people have died, 27 of whom were within the Racine Public Health Departments jurisdiction.

The hospital systems do not inform this department (the City of Racine Public Health Department) on how many individuals who are City of Racine residents and COVID-19 positive within their inpatient facilities, Public Health Administrator Dottie-Kay Bowersox said in an email.

Still some extra capacity

What appears clear is that hospitals in Wisconsin are not overwhelmed at the moment, but they could be if a spike in cases arrives.

According to DHS data, 22% of hospital beds are available statewide. But in the states southeast region, which includes nine counties that have been among the hardest hit in the state (including Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee), only 13% of beds are available.

There is more space, relatively speaking, in this regions intensive care units. Statewide, 19% of people with active COVID cases are in ICUs. Fourteen percent of people in the southeast region with active COVID cases are in ICUs.

There are still more than enough ventilators, at least for the time being. The state has a supply of 1,665 ventilators, with 247 patients currently receiving mechanical ventilation, according to state data. In the southeast region there are 599 total ventilators available, with 124 patients (more than half of the states total) currently placed on ventilators.

Eric Johnson and Lauren Henning contributed to this report.

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Adam Rogan Reporter-Local Editor Adam does a little bit of everything with the JT, from everyday news to localizing state & national politics. He grew up in Racine County, believes in the Oxford comma and loves digital subscribers: journaltimes.com/subscribenow | @Could_Be_Rogan Follow Adam Rogan Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
With over 1 crore Covid-19 samples tested so far, the Indian Council of Medical Research is set to get 3 new high-throughput labs in Noida, Kolkata and Mumbai via a video conference helmed by PM Modi; state Chief Ministers expected to partake in the virtual event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate three new high-throughput labs of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Noida, Kolkata, and Mumbai through video conference on July 27.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers Yogi Adityanath, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray are expected to take part in the virtual event.

One of the oldest medical research bodies across the world, the ICMR helps in coordinating and promoting biomedical research in the country. Currently, it is helping with COVID-19 tests across the country on a daily basis. It has tested 1,54,28,170 samples till July 23 and it has tested 3,52,801 samples on Friday.

Also reason: China funding North-East insurgent groups along Myanmar-Thailand border: European think-tank

Also reason: With a spike of over 48,000 cases in 24 hours, Indias Covid-19 tally crosses 13 lakh mark

Across the country, there are 12,87,945 confirmed cases. Of them, 8,17,209 have recovered, while 30,601 have lost their lives due to coronavirus.

Also reason: Cyberabad police commissioner launches Ambulance services for Hyderabad

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For Houstons health care systems, 2019 was an age of expansion, both physically and virtually  the last semblance of normal growth before COVID-19 took over its intensive care units.

Houstons top-performing hospitals began building and adding flashy services to accommodate demands for quality health care in the region, home to the worlds largest medical center complex. From brand-new office towers to virtual intensive care units, all have played a role in preparing for the largest public health crisis in a generation, and for what comes next.

All of that work certainly is paying off now, said Dr. David Callender, Memorial Hermann Hospital Systems president and CEO, in terms of our ability to accommodate additional patients as well as offer advanced care at our locations.

Memorial Hermann Hospital System, which ranked first in the 2020 Chronicle 100 survey of hospitals, has the most licensed beds of any hospital system in Houston at 4,168 in 17 hospitals. The system unveiled a $700 million renovation of the Susan and Fayez Sarofim Pavilion last year, bringing more than 100 new beds to the Texas Medical Center and more than doubling its emergency care capacity.

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Before that, Memorial Hermann announced a $250 million expansion project adding features such as more parking, operating rooms and intensive care space to its campus in The Woodlands.

The move to telemedicine, which has been on the rise in the last decade, ended up becoming a boon in the age of the coronavirus. Virtual doctors visits appeal to both patients, who can see their physicians without fear of catching COVID-19 in a waiting room, and doctors, who can fit more appointments into their days.

At Houston Methodist, No. 3 on the Chronicle 100 list at 3,035 beds and eight hospitals, doctors have long advised patients over video calls.

In 2019, the hospital began pursuing the creation of a virtual intensive care unit for physicians to look in on patients from afar  an unexpected necessity as the emergency room filled with patients sickened by a new, contagious virus, said Roberta Schwartz, Houston Methodists chief innovation officer.

Physicians who used to hold up a phone, Schwartz said in May, and tell me phones are not doctors, are now telling me they'll never return to the way they practiced before.

HCA Houston Healthcare, No.2 on the Chronicle 100s list of top hospitals, followed Memorial Hermann closely, with 4,039 licensed beds and 13 hospitals in the area. The national hospital chain, based in Nashville, Tenn., also introduced new technologies and services at its Houston locations last year, including Life Flight to transport critically ill patients to hospitals.

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com

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In the 17th meeting of the Working Mechanism of Consultation and Coordination held on Friday, India and China have unanimously agreed to quicken the disengagement process along the LAC for a smoother revival of bilateral relations between the two countries, another review meeting to be held soon.

India and China on Friday reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas at the 17th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) and agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), de-escalation from India-China border areas and full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for smooth overall development of bilateral relations.

They also agreed that another meeting of senior commanders may be held soon so as to work out further steps to ensure expeditiously complete disengagement and de-escalation.

The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) in External Affairs Ministry and Director General of Boundary and Oceanic Dept of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation.

A External Affairs Ministry release said that the two sides reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas and the ongoing disengagement process along the Line of Actual Control (LAC )in the Western Sector.

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They agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for smooth overall development of bilateral relations, the release said.

The two sides noted that this was in accordance with the agreement reached between the two Special Representatives (SRs) during their telephonic conversation on July 5, 2020.

They agreed in this regard that it was necessary for both sides to sincerely implement the understandings reached between Senior Commanders in their meetings till date. The two sides agreed that another meeting of the Senior Commanders may be held soon so as to work out further steps to ensure expeditiously complete disengagement and de-escalation and restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas, the release said.

The two countries have held military and diplomatic consultations following face-off between troops of two sides in Eastern Ladakh and the military build-up by China.

The 16th meeting of WMCC on India-China Border Affairs was held earlier this month.

Recent media reports have said that Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) was not in a mood to de-escalate the situation on LAC as it has a continued deployment of around 40,000 troops in its front and depth areas for the Eastern Ladakh sector.

WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas, as well as to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation, including between their border security personnel.

Also read: Amid calls for assembly session, Gehlot alleges pressure on governor

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Dateline Myanmar Workers and Farmers Reject Parties, Push New Voices for 2020 Election

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Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, well discuss why labor and farmer representatives have decided to contest the coming election as independent candidates and what difficulties they are facing under COVID-19 restrictions. Lawyer U Htay, who is the legal advisor to the Confederation of Trade Unions in Myanmar (CTUM) and will run in the election representing workers, has joined me to discuss this. Im The Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni.

I heard that 11 representatives of CTUM will run in townships with large populations of factory workers and farmers such as Hlaing Tharyar, Kawhmu and Htantabin townships [in Yangon]. How much have you prepared? What are your expectations and what are the constraints imposed by COVID-19 restrictions?

U Htay: There are three federationsthe CTUM, the MICS [Myanmar Industries Craft and Services Trade Union Federation] and the AFFM [Agriculture and Farmer Federation of Myanmar]that are officially registered with the Ministry of Labor and have representatives in national-level committees and tripartite groups. Through negotiations with trade and farmer unions, and with civil society organizations engaged in protection and promotion of laborers and farmers, we decided to field independent candidates to represent laborers and farmers.

As everyone knows, laborers and farmers make up over 70 percent of the countrys population. We also voted for [the National League for Democracy (NLD)] to secure its landslide victory in the 1990 election. People cast ballots, not because they were solicited to do so, but because they wanted to see changes. But unfortunately, changes did not happen. In 2015, we voted again for the NLD and secured its landslide victory, in the hope that we will see some changes. But changes did not happen as we expected.

We voted for the party because we respect the labor policies enshrined in its election manifesto. The minimum wage was set at 3,600 kyats [per day] (US$2.61) on August 28, 2015. According to the Minimum Wage Law, a new rate must be set every two years and should have been set in 2017. But the NLD government failed to make this happen. The new rate was set at 4,800 kyats (US$3.48) on May 14, 2018, 255 days after it should have been set. This means workers did not receive 1,200 kyats per day for a total of 255 days. According to Article 5 (h) of the Minimum Wage Law, the new rate must be set in at least every two years, and but now it hasnt been set since May 2018. The new rate is already two months behind.

Basic salary is important for laborers to support their families while there is no overtime and no bonuses or other allowances during the COVID-19 crisis. Laborers are losing their labor rights as the current governmentthat we voted forhas failed to follow the laws. This is the reason we have decided to contest the election: because the government we voted for ignored our rights.

There are three kinds of labor issues. The first is about low pay and demand for other allowances. The second is concerned with their rights enshrined in existing laws. Laborers complain that they do not have the rights enshrined in the laws, and as far as Im concerned, they have never made unreasonable demands beyond existing laws. The third is about redundancy and termination. COVID-19 has worsened these problems. Some factories have resumed operations despite the fact that they did not meet the COVID-19 health regulations. No action was taken against such factories though trade unions have filed complaints against them. Factory owners sack workers, reduce their workforce and terminate contracts under the excuse of COVID-19, leaving workers jobless. Workers are facing hardship. Under such circumstances, we had to decide what to do.

YN: So one of the reasons you activists decided to run as independent candidates in the coming election is because the NLD party, which we voted for with high expectations in 2015, failed to realize the interests of laborers and farmers?

UH: Yes, it is.

YN: What are the difficulties imposed by the election laws for independent candidates in soliciting public support on the ground?

UH: For political parties, once they are registered, it is easy for the people to know their logos and policies. But for independent candidates, we havent even submitted candidacy applications to the Union Election Commission (UEC). The applications are to be submitted between July 20 and August 7. Also, we can only come to meet constituents during the campaign period. So the election law is not fair for independent candidates regarding campaigning.

As everyone knows, the UEC made an announcement on July 2 about the rights to campaign [allowing Union-level officials to campaign in the coming election]. Then, the NLD made an announcement that its party chairperson [State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] and vice-chairman [President U Win Myint] will contest the election [and thus have the right to campaign], with reference to the UEC announcement. So the ruling party has an advantage even during the COVID-19 crisis.

Again, as the ruling party, it has been in contact with the people and media since it came into office. It is also taking the lead role in fighting COVID-19, so it has been able to reach everyone. Meanwhile, other political parties do not have that chance to secure public support, so there is a gap between the ruling party and other political parties, and the gap is larger for independent candidates. We dont even have designed logos. We are restricted by election law from doing so at this point in time. Only once the UEC sets the campaign period will we be allowed to meet voters. It is not fair as independent candidates only have a limited time to meet voters. There is also a gap between the ruling party and other political parties.

We are also handicapped by COVID-19 restrictions. We held a press conference at Sky Hotel in line with safety guidelines on July 6. Journalists came and there were around 60 to 70 people, including representatives of farmers and labors. Though we organized the press conference in line with safety guidelines, the relevant ministry has asked us not to use hotels in future press conferences. So it is difficult for us to even hold press conferences and meetings. Though we are candidates, we have not submitted candidacy applications. Only after we submit applications can we talk to relevant election commissions. But political parties can talk to relevant election commissions as they are already registered.

Most factory workers are internal migrants and they are tenants who live in back-to-backs, hostels and squats. Usually, they do not have household registration certificates, and most of them do not have citizenship ID cards. They cant afford to pay grease money to get citizenship ID cards. They were not included on voter lists in 2015 and before, and most of them are still excluded from the list now. So we will have to first try to get them enfranchised. We raised the issue last year on May Day and said that workers are losing not only their labor rights but also citizen rights. We called for suffrage for them.

YN: Factory workers are the most vulnerable in the COVID-19 crisis. Many factories were forced to close and many workers were made redundant. The government provided some food and cash to cushion the impacts. What is your view on the governments actions to ease the impacts of COVID-19 on workers?

UH: Roughly, there are two problems during the COVID-19 crisis: workers are struggling due to redundancy and unemployment, so the government provided basic food to those who are struggling to make ends meet. But factory workers do not get the assistance because they are classified as having regular income. They get no assistance from the government. They only get assistance from the EU and ActionAid, which provided assistance in collaboration with trade confederations and trade unions.

While many workers were axed due to COVID-19, many were denied their rights under labor laws such as to overtime payment, bonuses and so on. So workers initiated collective bargaining as per the law. Because of the governments ban on public gatherings due to COVID-19, lawsuits were filed against workers under the Disaster Management Law or labor laws. The law allows collective bargaining, but there are still no rules about it. The factory workers pressed their demands in the same way they have since 2012. But this time, it violates the governments ban on public gatherings and they are sued under existing laws. The existing mechanism cant protect them. The workers pressed the demand in line with ILO conventions, the Labor Organization Law and the Labor Dispute Settlement Law. But the existing government mechanisms cant protect them from being sued.

As everyone knows, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of employers and employees met on April 22. In response to the discussion of the representative of the employer, the government issued an instruction on April 24 banning mass protests, and employees were sued as a result of that instruction. The government fulfilled the request of the employers, though it failed to protect the employees.

Since around the end of January, we have told the authorities that some factory owners have deliberately fired trade union leaders on the pretext of COVID-19. But there was no response. We can accept if they are made redundant due to COVID-19. But most of those factories are still operating and they have hired daily wage earners in the place of the trade union leaders who they have dismissed. We raised this issue with the [Labor] Ministry officials on March 30. We accept the fact that factories may have to close due to COVID-19. But they have to abide by existing laws.

According to the Labor Organization Law, if a factory is to be closed, [the relevant ministry] must be informed 14 days prior, permission must be sought from the township conciliation body and relevant factory workers and trade unions must be informed. Those factories closed without giving notice. The current government does not stand by the law. There were many factories that operated against the instructions of relevant ministries. No actions were taken against them despite the fact that employees complained to relevant authorities. So actions were only taken against employees and not employers.

YN: How much are you confident about winning the coming election despite the problems you have mentioned?

UH: We decided to contest the election because we feel we can no longer rely on lawmakers of political parties. We cooperated with political parties previously on labor and farmer issues, and we have come to understand that their policies on workers and farmers are only intended to drum up public support so that they can win the election and form the government. It is not that they designed those policies based on their first-hand experiences.

Unlike them, we have first-hand experiences and we are also taking a part in discussing related laws and rules. This is the difference. So we feel like we have to do it ourselves, and we believe only we can represent the voices of farmers and workers either in government mechanisms or Parliament.

But at the same time, we have also analyzed the election results: only six independent candidates won in the 2010 general election and only five independent candidates won in 2015. So independent candidates have less chance of winning compared to those with political parties. But there is also a difference here: in previous elections, independent candidates ran based on their personal beliefs. But we are running as the representatives of trade unions to promote the interests of farmers and workers, so we believe we will win the support of the grassroots. We may only have a few seats in the Parliament. But we have the largest force outside Parliament. We many only have a few seats, but we will have a say in discussions, submitting and discussing motions and proposals, asking the government questions, discussing matters related to taxes and burden and having a say in Union-level committees.

We believe we will be able to achieve certain things if we can push inside the Parliament by using the rights of the citizens outside the Parliament. This is why we decided to run in the election. Farmers and workers are excluded from reform processes such as charter reformwe make up the majority of the countrys population, but we are excludedand farmers and workers have never been represented in the countrys peace process. Farmers and workers must be allowed to participate. The right to participate is important in democracy. We intend to make a connection between inside and outside Parliament, and therefore decided to run in the election with the strong belief that we can do this.

Farmers and workers make up the majority of the country. Though there are many parties in the Parliament, we have the largest base of support from the people. We believe we will be able to make the government and ruling party hear the voices of farmers and workers to some extent, and we believe they will respect the voices we convey.

YN: Thank you for your contributions!

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She has graced the top ten of Tatlers Best Dressed list, is a clothes designer of note and also an ambassador for the British Fashion Council.

Now Samantha Cameron, who launched her label Cefinn three years ago, has created a face mask for a care worker charity  and recommends making them pretty and colour co-ordinated.

Speaking on the day that masks became mandatory, she said: In these difficult times, a pretty face mask can be a little more uplifting to see when you are out and about. Sometimes you want or need to be a bit more colour coordinated.

Samantha Cameron, who launched her label Cefinn three years ago, has created a face mask for a care worker charity

Mrs Cameron, 49, designed a 25 mask to match her cobalt Leopard Pansy print dresses after being approached by her former special adviser Isabel Spearman, who writes a newsletter The Daily Dress Edit.

She is one of five designers who created coordinating masks and dresses for the Match Your Mask campaign, raising money for The Intensive Care Society, the only organisation in the UK to support overstretched intensive care workers.

Mrs Cameron posted a photograph of herself on Instagram in Cefinns 390 Silk Pussy-Bow Midi Dress and matching mask.

The design is now sold out and she is considering whether to create another.

She said: As it is now compulsory to wear a face mask in stores and on public transport, many people will want to stay safe and use masks that are stylish and sustainable.
Under-fire Civil Service high-flyer Antonia Romeo was at the centre of a fresh bullying storm on Saturday night after a former colleague broke cover with a slew of new allegations.

This newspaper has learnt the mandarin tipped to become Whitehall's top official was accused of breaking strict Government procurement rules to acquire free paint and furnishings for her 9 million grace-and-favour apartment.

And she was accused of allowing her husband's firm to use the taxpayer-owned property in New York's elite Upper East Side for work events free of charge and threatening junior staff who raised objections to her behaviour.

As the new British Consul General in New York in 2016, Mrs Romeo insisted the luxury condo's 'granny' decor be repainted. But her 100,000 refit plan was rejected on grounds of cost by the Foreign Office, given it had already recently been redecorated.

So Mrs Romeo had staff approach luxury UK paint brand Farrow & Ball to help redecorate the flat in return for free promotion and a taxpayer-funded drinks reception at her residence. A similar approach was made to soft-furnishing firm The Rug Company.

Antonia Romeo (centre left) is at the centre of a fresh bullying storm after a former colleague broke cover with a slew of new allegations

Last night, allies of Mrs Romeo insisted she was working to achieve value for the taxpayer and 'bang the drum for Britain'.

But concerned officials complained to London that the freebie deals were struck outside of the usual procurement rules, amid fears it left the Government open to being sued by rival firms.

Mrs Romeo is also accused by former colleagues of threatening the careers of anyone who questioned her plans and bullying staff who objected. She categorically denies these claims.

However, colleagues have revealed Farrow & Ball provided tins of 'Strong White' paint that retails at 75 for a five-litre tin, helping drive down the cost of the redecoration to between $30,000 and $40,000 (31,250), including $16,000 to ship Government artwork to New York.

The firm claims the shade 'is both strong by name and strong by nature' prompting officials in the New York consulate to refer to Mrs Romeo by the nickname 'Strong White' behind her back.

An ex-FCO official also claims they had to step in after Mrs Romeo allowed her management consultant husband John to use the taxpayer funded flat in the Beekman Regent Condominium free of charge for work events.

Companies using the residence for corporate events were charged around $1,500, but Mrs Romeo was accused of not charging husband John's firm Oliver Wyman for a number of events in the first few months in New York where he had also been posted.

Eventually an arrangement for Mr Romeo to pay for future events was implemented and her allies last night insisted there was no special treatment for her husband  and claims otherwise had been audited and dismissed.

Mrs Romeo was accused of breaking strict Government procurement rules to acquire free paint and furnishings for her 9 million grace-and-favour apartment (above) as the new British Consul General in New York in 2016

This row forms part of a dossier of complaints about Mrs Romeo sent by consulate staff to the Foreign Office in 2017, triggering a formal probe into her behaviour in which she was later cleared.

But the 2017 investigation sparked fury in the FCO with senior officials writing of their 'frustration and concern' at the perceived whitewash. Now the dossier of complaints about Mrs Romeo has been made public for the first time.

Spanning 12 months and seen by this newspaper, the cache has detailed listings of allegations through Mrs Romeo's year in charge in New York including disputed tirades against junior staff who were often reduced to tears.

Shortly after Mrs Romeo took over in the plum Consulate role in New York in June 2016, staff began compiling evidence of her sharp behaviour toward them.

One official, Cassie Farrelly, wrote that month: 'I have reason to believe, based on comments and on Antonia Romeo's conduct thus far, that she will continue to bully me and use her position of authority to retaliate against me/punish me for doing a core function of my job  financial management and ensuring we plan for and stick within our allotted budget  and pointing out what our budget can and can't afford with regard to her redecorating requests.'

Mrs Romeo is alleged to have told one official: 'I don't like hearing the word 'no'. It's proof that you're lazy and you're not doing your job.'

And in November 2016, a senior consulate staff member resigned citing Mrs Romeo as a driving factor in her decision to leave.

Mrs Romeo's 100,000 refit plan was rejected on grounds of cost by the Foreign Office. Her staff were said to have approached luxury UK paint brand Farrow & Ball to help redecorate the flat in return for free promotion

Mrs Romeo is also accused of telling another official that perceived curtness in an email was a 'career limiting move that could only happen once'.

A Whitehall source disputed this, saying 'words and phrases that the complainant ascribed to others were not accurate'.

The dossier also gives a detailed account on the astonishing rows over the Farrow & Ball issue. Mrs Romeo's behaviour toward the Consulate's estates manager, who questioned the redecoration, was seen as bullying by others  including an alleged threat to report the junior staff member to then UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft and Washington Ambassador Kim Darroch.

The dossier claims one heated moment involved Mrs Romeo 'cornering' the staff member 'and trying to bully her into providing her maintenance team to do Antonia's requested painting'.

'She said 'Do I need to have Matthew tell you to do this?' and also that she would be talking to Ambassador Darroch to ensure it happened, both of which were perceived [by the official] as Antonia threatening her for not telling her yes.'

Again a Whitehall source disputed this and said 'it is categorically not true that any threats were made'.

According to the dossier, civil servants were also instructed to beg fashion labels on behalf of Mrs Romeo for expensive garments for her to wear at parties and tickets to catwalk events worth hundreds of dollars. Officials raised 'tricky questions of how to handle requests staff receive from senior staff to solicit gifts, loans, benefits'.

Mrs Romeo's colleagues said Farrow & Ball gave tins of 'Strong White' paint that retails at 75 for a five-litre tin, prompting officials in the New York consulate to refer to Mrs Romeo by the nickname 'Strong White' behind her back

And emails seen by this newspaper show the Luxury Goods Trade Officer for UK Trade & Investment raised her 'discomfort' at this.

The dossier reads: 'It's one thing if the company approaches us to offer us tickets, items etc and we then arrange to accept them on loan or at a discount but there's something slightly more questionable about actively seeking out free items or favours from companies.'

The Mail on Sunday's revelations last week that the Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Trade had been investigated for bullying and misuse of expenses were branded sexist by her defenders.

Whitehall trade union boss Dave Penman said there was 'a whiff of misogyny' about the expose of the leading woman tipped to become the next Cabinet Secretary.

EVEN ANDY WARHOL WASN'T ENOUGH FOR HIGH-FLYER The centrepiece of the official residence of Her Majesty's Consul General in New York is Andy Warhol's iconic Silver Jubilee pop art portrait of the Queen. Purchased for the Government Art Collection from Christie's in 2008, it has not been visible to the public since 2013, but is the backdrop for glitzy celebrity-heavy parties thrown by the UK's man or woman in the Big Apple. But for incoming Consul General Antonia Romeo, this priceless British treasure was not enough. She requested that more artwork be sent but officials baulked at the 11,000 price tag to ship out more pictures from London, and the 5,000 cost to send back others. Last night, ex-Consulate staffer Cassie Farrelly said: 'I joined the FCO over five years before Mrs Romeo's appointment, as part of a massive restructuring effort designed to reduce costs. 'I took this responsibility seriously. At a time when public services in education and healthcare were still being cut, demanding unnecessary and costly renovations that didn't meet policy seemed questionable.' Advertisement

And allies of Mrs Romeo angrily claimed the revelations were part of an orchestrated plot to stop her succeeding outgoing Sir Mark Sedwill to become the first female head of the Civil Service.

However, it is concern about her suitability for that role that has prompted former colleagues to lift the lid on working for Mrs Romeo.

Cassie Farrelly, the FCO official who worked with Mrs Romeo in New York and raised complaints, has spoken publicly for the first time. She came forward to declare that the vast majority of those who complained about her behaviour were women, adding: 'I know this, because I'm one of them.'

Speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday, the incensed American citizen added: 'I don't detect misogyny at work in raising reasonable questions about Mrs Romeo's suitability to govern 430,000 employees based on the treatment I personally received and observed.'

And she has blasted Mrs Romeo's 'use of taxpayer-funded resources for personal benefit; her penchant for threatening any civil servants who, in service of their obligations to British taxpayers, sought clarification her diktats followed policy'.

Ms Farrelly, who left the FCO in 2017, continued: 'In one example involving me directly, when Mrs Romeo demanded that hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds be spent renovating the taxpayer- owned Consul General's residence to suit her preferences, I sought instead to follow clear FCO policies on estates management and procurement. I and my colleagues offered a variety of lower cost options within policy. Mrs Romeo responded by threatening my job security.

'She painted me as incompetent and insubordinate to one of my line managers  an individual who had control over my performance review  claiming I was 'looking for excuses' not to do my job.

'On the contrary, as the corporate services manager for one of the largest posts in the U.S. Network, stewarding taxpayer funds responsibly was a large part of my job. Maintaining duty of care for employees was another.'

In an interview she added: 'As Mrs Romeo herself has said in one of her many media pieces, 'Leaders can't have a bad day.'

Even better leaders take full responsibility for their actions and conduct when they have fallen short and work to address them. They do not let allies cover for them or hide behind straw man claims of sexism.

'And while female leaders who are effective and accomplished shouldn't be held to a higher standard or a biased one that penalises them because they're not warm and fuzzy enough, nor should they be allowed to meet a lesser standard of integrity and ethics when stewarding public resources and trust.'

The centrepiece of the official residence of Her Majesty's Consul General in New York is Andy Warhol's iconic Silver Jubilee pop art portrait of the Queen (above). But Mrs Romeo, requested that more artwork be sent

Last night, a Government spokesman said: 'These allegations  which all relate to a single grievance from a former employee  were investigated fully at the time, with involvement from the Government Chief People Officer, and it was determined by the Civil Service Chief Executive that no misconduct had occurred.

'The complaints were dismissed and she was cleared.'

And allies of Cabinet Office boss Sir Mark Sedwill, who Mrs Romeo is in contention to succeed, moved to throw a protective arm around the beleaguered official.

A source close to Sir Mark said: 'Antonia is a brilliant civil servant and has been outstanding at promoting British interests abroad. It's precisely her effective leadership and energy at DIT that will help win trade deals for Britain and enhance our place on the global stage.'

But public purse watchers the TaxPayers' Alliance hit back, saying: 'Being halfway around the world does not give consulate fat cats the right to ignore value for money for the taxpayers back at home.'

Boss John O'Connell added: 'Questions need to be asked about the procurement of cushy creature comforts for the Consul General, after officials had apparently refused a costly refurb of the residence.'
The new 3D mammography machine takes images at every depth of breast tissue to both improve and ease detection of early breast tumors. It is proven to detect 20 to 60 percent more invasive cancers.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care Expands Advanced Breast Imaging Technology

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Southwestern Vermont Health Care has invested $750,000 in the latest breast imaging technology for its newly renamed Breast Health and Imaging Center, formerly SVMC Women's Imaging.

The funds purchased two Hologic Selenia Dimensions 3-D Mammography units. Both provide proven superior clinical performance compared with less recent technology.

"Our aim is to give patients and providers the crucial information they need to make decisions for further care, if needed," said Melissa Spiezio, SVMC's director of Imaging Services. "This advanced technology will help us meet that goal for years to come and to do so more efficiently and more comfortably than ever."

The new 3D mammography machine takes images at every depth of breast tissue to both improve and ease detection of early breast tumors. It is proven to detect 20 to 60 percent more invasive cancers.

Compared with 2D technology, the new machine may also reduce the need for repeat tests and callbacks by up to 40 percent. This technology is especially important for patients with dense breast tissue, which is more difficult to image.

"This is a far more powerful device than we have ever used before," Spiezio said. "It is very exciting to leverage this technology and the skills of our experienced and compassionate technologists for the benefit of our patients."

SVMC Breast Health and Imaging Center has added hours on some evenings and Saturdays, as needed, providing convenient access to those who have difficulty making weekday appointments. The practice also added a breast imaging navigator, Jacqueline Spika. She works closely with the Oncology Nurse Navigator, Rebecca Hewson-Steller, to provide guidance and support for patients breast health needs.

In addition to the new machines, the center was renovated to make care more welcoming and comfortable for patients.

In addition to 3D mammography, SVMC Breast Health and Imaging Center also provides breast, thyroid glands, carotid artery, and pelvic ultrasounds. In cooperation with SVMC Endocrinologist Amy Freeth and rheumatologist Dr. Matthew Stanishewski, the practice provides Dexa bone densitometry for the diagnosis of osteoporosis and likelihood of bone fracture.

The American College of Radiology recommends beginning screening mammograms at age 40 and continuing annually thereafter. SVMC's 3D mammography falls within FDA guidelines for radiation exposure.

SVMC Breast Health and Imaging Center is open 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and some evening and Saturday hours. The team welcomes anyone who has a referral from their primary care provider, OB/GYN or certified nurse midwife. Once patients have obtained a referral, they should call 802-447-5541 ext. 2, to schedule.
The European Commission tried to "re-write" Irish tax law to make all Apple European profits taxable in Ireland, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe insists.

He told the Dail yesterday that there was 'no basis' for the Commission's 2016 decision, which would have obliged Apple to pay 13bn to the Irish Exchequer.

It had "misrepresented" the position of Irish law and the activity of Apple, Mr Donohoe said, and Ireland had thus a duty to appeal in its own right.

It was not a case of illegal State aid, as Commissioner Margrethe Verstager had ruled after a two year investigation, and the General Court of the European Union had struck it down, he said.

"This case did have a significant effect" on Ireland's reputation, the Minister said,

Mr Donohoe said that Ireland had not given a selective or special tax rate to any individual company and said there had been "mismatches" between the Irish and tax codes.

"There has been inappropriate and unfair labelling of our tax system, including by some members of this House because of our low tax rate," he said.

The decision of the court 'has fully justified our decision to appeal," he added.

In its decision, the General Court of the European Union ruled that as a matter of Irish tax law, Apple's intellectual property assets belonged at its headquarters in Cupertino, California and not in Ireland, and it said that as a result of that, the taxable profits of the Irish branches should have reflected their activities and not the entire activity of the multinational group.

However, the Court ruling also reaffirmed the right of the Commission to investigate tax laws and tax rulings under State aid law.

Sinn Fein spokesman on Finance Pearse Doherty said an Irish subsidiary of Apple had paid "an effective tax rate of 0.05pc for ten years".

He added that Ireland's "tax system is tarnished", warning that the European Court could well overturn the judgement on appeal.

It is not yet clear whether the Commission will appeal the ruling, although tax analysts say that any determination of aid would be well below 13bn sought in the original case, the largest brought under EU law.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: With India mulling to invite Australia to join the next Malabar naval exercise, a top US diplomat has said that Canberra's participation in the drill along with the other three Quad members will be hugely beneficial to reinforcing behaviours that are going to be necessary for them to defend their mutual interests.

Deputy Secretary of State Steven Biegun made the comments on Thursday in front of the members of the Senate Foreign Relations during a hearing on US policy regarding China. India is considering inviting Australia to the next edition of the annual naval exercise.

Sources familiar with the development in India said that New Delhi was favourably considering Australia's interest to be part of the Malabar exercise and a formal decision is likely to be taken in the next couple of weeks.

The indication of India's willingness to include Australia in the Malabar exercise comes in the midst of a bitter border row between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh.

"India just recently invited Australia to participate in the Malabar exercises, which is now going to allow all four members of the quad to participate in a military exercise together that will be hugely beneficial to reinforcing the behaviours that are going to be necessary for us to defend our mutual interests," Biegun said.

Quad or quadrilateral coalition represents four countries - India, Japan, Australia and the US. So far, India, Japan and the US have been taking part in the annual naval exercise that started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between the Indian and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean.

Japan became a permanent member of the exercise in 2015. The Quad was set up with an aim to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and check China's increasing efforts to expand military influence in the region.

Biegun said that the US has launched a robust cooperation in the Indo-Pacific quad. The US is collaborating very closely with countries in the Indo-Pacific for regional approach and globally. "The United States is actively advancing a strategy to pursue our interests. Specifically, in relation to the Indo-Pacific, we're working very closely with our ASEAN partners," he said.

"Our policy successfully stands on four pillars. First is unity at home. Second is close partnership with our friends and allies around the world. Third is effective military deterrence. And fourth is a powerful economic alternative to China," he said.

"We have to work on all four of those together, but the part about international cooperation will be fundamental. I actually think if we get all four of these right, we produce the best outcome with China as well. Because if China sees that that's how the world is aligned against its efforts, it will have the best incentive to change its behaviour in a peaceful manner, as well," Biegun said.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

China has impeded commercial activity like fishing or mineral exploration by countries like Vietnam and the Philippines.

In his testimony, he expressed concern over China's increasing military assertiveness, economic coercion and state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, including among others against India, Australia, Canada, the UK, ASEAN members, the European Union, and several other European countries.

"As part of a comprehensive approach, we are engaged with allies and partners in the G7, the G20, and NATO to highlight the threat that the PRC (People's Republic of China) poses, not just to the United States' interests but also the interests of our allies and partners," he said.

"We are broadening partnerships across the transatlantic community, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. Across the Indo-Pacific region, the United States is deepening relationships with the countries that share our values and interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific," Biegun said.

"Last September, we held a ministerial-level meeting of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, marking a new milestone in our diplomatic engagement in a new Asian quad in the region. We are enhancing our alliances with Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand, which have helped sustain peace and security for generations, and we are furthering our cooperation with ASEAN, an organisation central to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the senior US diplomat said.
According to a study published in Nature Biotechnology, the sVNT is capable of detecting the functional neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that can block the binding of the coronavirus spike protein to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) host receptor, which mimics the virus-host interaction.

The sVNT was developed by scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School, in close collaboration with National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)'s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) Singapore, and GenScript Biotech.

The scientists in Singapore and China validated the test across two patient cohorts, with a sample size of 250 from China and 375 from Singapore, achieving 99-100 per cent specificity and 95-100 per cent sensitivity.

"The sVNT kit can detect functional NAbs in an hour and differentiate them with binding antibodies (BAbs), without the need for live virus or a biocontainment facility.

It also has the ability to detect total receptor binding domain (RBD)-targeting neutralizing antibodies in patient samples, in contrast to most SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests published or marketed, which are isotype-specific.

This makes the sVNT accessible to the broader community for both research and clinical applications," said Professor Wang Linfa, Director of Duke-NUS' Emerging Infectious Diseases programme. Prof Wang is considered among the most recognised international experts on emerging zoonotic viruses and is currently serving on multiple WHO committees on COVID-19.

Infection or immunity to the virus is diagnosed by the presence of NAbs in a patient's blood sample, which would block the RBD-ACE2 interaction.

At this critical moment of the international response to the COVID-19 outbreak, there is an urgent need for a robust serological test that detects NAbs, for accurate assessment of infection prevalence and protective immunity at the individual and population level.

Antibody tests, such as the conventional virus neutralization test (cVNT) and the pseudovirus-based virus neutralization test (pVNT), remain the only platforms for detecting NAbs. However, both require live viruses and cells, highly skilled operators, and days to obtain results. Other assays, such as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detect Babs but are unable to differentiate between BAbs and NAbs.

The sVNT can also measure NAbs from different animals in a species-independent manner. It can therefore be a powerful tool to investigate the role of animals in the transmission of COVID-19 from natural reservoirs to intermediate hosts.

"It is an increasingly critical clinical question about what proportion of patients with COVID-19 develop antibodies to COVID-19, how long it lasts, and whether antibodies protect patients from reinfection. Neutralizing antibody is the gold-standard serological platform to determine this.

Unfortunately, the conventional virus neutralisation assay is laborious, time-consuming and requires Biosafety Level 3 for COVID-19.

The sVNT developed by Prof Wang, in collaboration with the national COVID-19 PROTECT study, makes it accessible to all hospital laboratories, and is a great advance in COVID-19 serological assays," said Associate Professor David Lye, Director, Infectious Disease Research and Training Office (IDRTO), and Senior Consultant, NCID.

Dr Sidney Yee, CEO of A STAR's Diagnostics Development Hub, said, "Due to the SARS outbreak in 2003, researchers in Singapore have gained important insights into that virus, which shares some similarities with SARS-Cov-2.

A STAR supported the clinical tests in this collaboration with Duke-NUS by sharing data drawn from our research experience in SARS. We are happy to have contributed to the validation of this innovative test, which will be instrumental in our fight against the global pandemic."

We are very pleased that Prof Wang's work has come to fruition. This is great news for scientists researching herd immunity and vaccine efficacy as they will now have access to this innovative research tool to accurately determine the level of neutralising antibodies in a population. We believe the test will shed new light on the current plaguing mysteries of COVID-19." Mr David Martz, Vice President, New Product Management, Life Sciences Group, Duke-NUS Medical School

The sVNT kit is commercialised by GenScript and offered worldwide under the brand cPass for research use only. GenScript has also filed for Emergency Use Authorisation with the US Food and Drug Administration and this filing is currently under review.
A very pretty, floral-themed greetings card sits in front of my desk. It's from my cousin in France and it was sent to me in January, wishing the family a wonderful 2020, happy days and lots of new projects for a year that symbolises flawless vision: 20/20.

Ah, January 2020! How long ago that seems now. It shimmers like the portrayal of the last golden summer before the First World War. And now we look back thinking, "We didn't know when we were lucky."

In that far-off time, we could hop on a train, coach or plane without thinking twice. With a credit card in the wallet, any destination, anywhere, was available at the click of a mouse. In that prelapsarian era, the word "staycation" didn't carry overtones of grim duty or the enforcement of not much alternative.

Remember how we could go anywhere so spontaneously: pop into a pub or a restaurant on a whim, without ever a thought of social distancing, face shields or masks? How we could blithely wander into an art gallery without carefully booking a "slot"?

Remember how you could just lift the phone and get a ticket for a concert, or for a performance at the theatre which contained more than one performer? Will the theatre ever recover from this catastrophe? Not in my lifetime.

The movies in an actual cinema - remember that? Without maintaining appropriate distancing. And movies which featured moments of quite explicit intimacy, too. How are they going to shoot love scenes in the future? How are they going to shoot movies at all? Small wonder Normal People was such a hit - it might be the last time, for years to come, when actors can get up close and personal. We didn't recognise when life was normal.

Remember how, in church services, we were enjoined to exchange the "handshake of peace" with the person next to us, and it was a true moment of community feeling. For a visitor to a parish, it felt so welcoming and inclusive.

Recall how we could hug and kiss as much as we liked - sometimes there was a little too much social kissing, occurring on every other television show and among the fashionable "ladies who lunch" - but now, how extrovert and effusive it all seems!

Effusiveness was an admired element of national exuberance, like the Italians or the New Yorkers. That was before we were told that effusiveness is one of the deadly carriers of the pandemic. Italians and New Yorkers caught the virus in droves because of their gregarious ways - and because they talked loudly. Talking loudly is another danger, because it facilitates the emitting of particles.

Remember how multi-generational family life - as practised among many Mediterranean families - was praised for its solidarity and support? Now, the multi-generational family is said to be a multi-spreader.

Remember how people could plan a wedding with easy joy, or, in the sad circumstances of a funeral, a wide circle of family, neighbours and friends could pay their respects? Remember what a comfort it could be when a funeral brought a large gathering to honour the departed?

Remember how, just a few years ago, there was a heated debate, all over Europe, about the wearing of female Islamic garments like the burqa and the niqab, covering half the face? Some countries, like France, Austria and Denmark, banned these garments as unacceptable for security reasons. Others decided it wasn't in their tradition for the government to tell citizens how to dress. So Ireland, and Britain, did not ban the Islamic face coverings because, although it is part of our cultures to see the full face, a strict law infringed on the citizen's choice to wear what they like. But now, we'll all be wearing face coverings.

Remember how cheering it was to hear a choir singing - and how rewarding it was to join a choir? Choral singing was known to be one of the best exercises for anyone with a pulmonary condition: now it is regarded as deadly.

They were the days, my friend! We didn't know when we were blessed.

Yes, we all perfectly understand why things changed, and why measures had to be taken to protect the populace from a highly infectious - though not always, or even usually, fatal - pandemic.

And there's a feeling, too, that we owe it to the families who have lost loved ones with Covid-19, that we pay our respects by observing the restrictions which have been laid upon us.

But we can still look back with nostalgia to the way things were, and remember the freedoms we enjoyed, the spontaneous pleasures, the vast array of choices that we took for granted. Which won't come back, as they were, for some time yet.

Yet, there is this: by heck do we appreciate every small benefit that now comes our way! Every journey, every outing, every social gathering, every kiss and hug, will be valued to the high heavens after this long exercise in self-denying asceticism!
Marrakesh:

A work plan has been adopted by nearly 200 countries, including India, for the implementation of Paris climate agreement by 2018 during a key UN summit in Marrakesh overshadowed by Donald Trump's threats to withdraw the US from the historic pact.

After two weeks of negotiations, the Marrakesh climate change summit also underscored the urgent need for early action on part of developed countries to make emission cuts in accordance to their commitments in the Kyoto protocol which still has four years to go before its expiry in 2020.

With discussions centered mainly on procedural issues, the Marrakesh meeting went into overtime on Friday night with many countries including India raising some concerns over a few draft proposals.

The decision sets up the stage for an early implementation of the Paris agreement which was negotiated as a successor regime to the Kyoto protocol for the post 2020 period.

Paris agreement finalised in December in the year 2015, entered into force in less than one year.

The conference which was dominated by reports that US under its President-elect Trump threat to pull out from the pact, conference president Salaheddine Mezouar brought down the gavel, passing a document in which parties agree to meet again in 2017 to "review progress".

The conference saw a political call being given on Friday asking countries to combat climate change as a matter of "urgent priority" while noting that climate is warming at an "alarming and unprecedented" rate.

"Meanwhile governments set a rapid deadline of 2018 to complete the rule book for operationalising the Paris Agreement to ensure confidence, cooperation and its success over the years and decades to come," an UNFCCC statement said.

Mezoua said the Kingdom of Morocco is fully engaged in the success of this COP and will energetically carry out its role as President.

At the outcome of the last fifteen days, our vision has been consolidated and we are working to make concrete progress and to carry out breakthrough actions from now until the end of 2017, he said.

"It will be necessary to respect the commitment of USD 100 billion dollars from now until 2020. Faced with the magnitude of what is required for dealing with the impacts of climate change, turning billions into trillions is indispensable.

"2017 must be the year of large scale projects, of mobilizing finance and accessing financial facilities that will be necessary for adaptation," Mezoua said.

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A mass demonstration in Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk on July 25 against President Vladimir Putin's replacement of a popular governor, Sergei Furgal, is the largest seen in the city since the protests over the issue began there 15 days ago. Protest leaders and independent journalists said there were well over 50,000 people demonstrating, which would make it the largest anti-government protest there since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Group of men thought to be US officials break open door and enter Chinas consulate in Houston after staff depart.

A group of men has forced open a door at the Chinese consulate in the city of Houston and entered the diplomatic mission shortly after staff there vacated the building on the orders of the United States government.

The closure of Chinas Houston consulate on Friday marks a sharp deterioration in relations between the worlds two biggest economies, with China retaliating by ordering the shutdown of the US mission in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

The 72-hour deadline for the Houston missions closure ended at 4pm local time on Friday, and Chinese officials were seen loading large sacks of objects and documents onto U-Haul trucks and tossing more into Dumpster bins.

They were jeered on by a small group of protesters who carried flags expressing support for US President Donald Trump.

Shortly after the last of the Beijing diplomats departed, law enforcement officials cordoned off the area and men who appeared to be US officials pried open a rear door. Then, two uniformed members of the US State Departments Bureau of Diplomatic Security arrived to guard the door.

Neither the men nor the security officials answered reporters questions.

Law enforcement officers pull open a back door at the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas [Mark Felix/AFP]

Einar Tangen, political analyst and adviser to the Chinese government, called the US officials entry into the Houston consulate highly unusual and against diplomatic protocol.

There are now concerns that perhaps this is a Trojan Horse situation where they go in and try to find incriminating documents that they will use as a political campaign to vilify China, he told Al Jazeera from Beijing.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called the Houston consulate a hub of spying and intellectual property theft on Thursday  a claim Chinese officials dismissed as malicious slander.

Beijing then ordered the USs Chengdu consulate shut, saying the move was a legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by Washington.

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin later told reporters that some US staff in the Chengdu consulate were engaged in activities outside of their capacity, interfered in Chinas internal affairs, and endangered Chinas security and interests.

He did not say how.

The tit-for-tat moves came as ties between Washington and Beijing deteriorate to what experts say is their lowest level in decades. The two nations are at loggerheads over issues ranging from trade and technology to the new coronavirus pandemic, Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea and its clampdown on Hong Kong.

On Saturday, dozens of police officers were stationed in front of the US mission in Chengdu and staff could be seen pushing trolleys as several consulate vehicles came and went. The US mission has until 10am on Monday to vacate the building, according to the editor of Chinas Global Times tabloid.

Police officers march past the US Consulate General in Chengdu, China [Thomas Peter/ Reuters]

Al Jazeeras Katrina Yu, reporting from Chengdu, said people in the city have been quite supportive of the order to close the consulate here, saying they support Beijing taking a strong stance at what they consider unjustified moves by the US.

Yesterday, there was a man who came and quite cheekily set off firecrackers in front of the building in celebration. He was arrested but on Chinese social media, he was hailed as some sort of a hero.

Amid the deepening spat, the US Department of Justice has pressed charges of visa fraud against four Chinese scientists working in the country, accusing them of hiding their ties to Chinas Peoples Liberation Army.

The department also said a Singaporean man had pleaded guilty to using his political consultancy in the US as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence.

Meanwhile, in a major policy speech in California on Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on free nations to triumph over the threat of what he said was a new tyranny from China.

Today, China is increasingly authoritarian at home, and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else, Pompeo said.

If the free world doesnt change Communist China, Communist China will change us, he said.

The speech drew sharp criticism from Beijing, with Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry, saying Pompeos remarks suggested he wants to launch a new crusade against China in a globalized world.

What he is doing is as futile as an ant trying to shake a tree, she wrote on Twitter. Its about time that all peace-loving people in the world stepped forward to prevent him from doing the world more harm.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, who is infected with COVID-19, wears a protective face mask as he talks with supporters during a Brazilian flag retreat ceremony outside his official residence the Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil. (AP)

Rio De Janeiro: Twitter and Facebook suspended the accounts Friday of 16 allies of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro after a Supreme Court judge ordered them blocked as part of a probe into an alleged disinformation campaign.

Tension has been soaring between the far-right leader and the court, which is investigating allegations that members of his inner circle ran a social media campaign to discredit the court, as well as slander and threaten its judges.

The two US social media giants are also facing increasing pressure to act more aggressively against hate speech and false information on their platforms.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said in his court order -- which enforced an earlier May ruling -- the accounts must be blocked to stop "the ongoing dissemination of fake news, slanderous accusations, threats and crimes" against the court.

The affected accounts include high-profile figures such as conservative former lawmaker Roberto Jefferson, business magnate Luciano Hang and far-right activist Sara Winter.

Visitors to their Facebook and Twitter pages in Brazil, though not other countries, saw messages indicating they were blocked.

"This content isn't available right now," read their Facebook pages.

A Twitter notice explained: "Account withheld in Brazil in response to a legal demand".

A linked message said the company "was compelled to withhold the original Tweet in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order."

The owners of the blocked accounts reacted furiously.

Winter called the court order worthy of a "dictatorship," while Jefferson drew a comparison to Nazi Germany.
Zarif lashes out at US audacity to compound lawlessness upon lawlessness

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 24, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in message slammed US audacity to compound lawlessness with lawlessness, saying these outlaws must stop before disaster.

"U.S. illegally occupies territory of another State and then harasses a scheduled civil airlinerendangering innocent civilian passengersostensibly to protect its occupation forces," Zarif wrote in his Twitter account on Friday.

"Audacity to compound lawlessness upon lawlessness These outlaws must be stopped before disaster," he added.

Mahan Air passenger plane was on route to Beirut, Lebanon when it was threatened by two military jets.

The pilot of the Iranian plane says when he was talking to the pilots of the fighter jets to ask them to keep distance they had said that they were American.

Although the Iranian plane finally landed in Beirut Airport, some of its passengers were immediately taken to hospital.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that investigations are underway about an incident on Thursday night in which two American jets threatened an Iranian passenger jet in the Syrian air.

After completing information about the incident, Iran will take the necessary political and legal measures in this regard, he noted.

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Reward doubles for information in LeGend Taliferro's homicide With the investigation into the shooting death of a 4-year-old boy in Kansas City, Missouri, stalled, federal authorities have doubled the reward to $50,000 for information that leads to an arrest. LeGend Taliferro was and killed June 29 as he slept.

Our blog community broke this story on Thursday, a day later we're glad to see MSM follow-up . . . Meanwhile, authorities hope that the additional cash breaks the silence we've seen from the community . . . Checkit:
Tamil Nadu on Saturday breached the grim milestone of two lakh coronavirus cases with the biggest daily spike of 6,988 fresh infections, pushing the tally to 2,06,737.

The death toll climbed to 3,409 with 89 fatalities.

The number of those discharged today after recovery was 7,758, taking the recoveries to 1,51,055, a health department bulletin said.

Continuing with the aggressive testing, health workers tested 64,315 samples,pushing the aggregate to 22,87,334.

Chennai reported 1,329 new cases, and the state capitals tally stood at 93,537.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, on Saturday distanced themselves from a new unofficial biography, which claims to expose details behind the rift that saw the couple step back from Britains royal frontline earlier this year.

Finding Freedom, which is being serialised in The Times this weekend, has claimed that Harry and Meghan were barely speaking to Harrys elder brother, Prince William, and his wife Kate Middleton by March. It also claims friends of the Sussexes, who are now based in California, referred to some Buckingham Palace officials as vipers.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said.

This book is based on the authors own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting, the spokesperson said.

The books authors, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, write about a culture of increasing tension between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and other members of the royal family in the lead up to the royal split which became official from April 1.

They say the Sussexes felt their complaints were not taken seriously and believed other royal households were leaking stories about them to the press.

There were just a handful of people working at the palace they could trust, the authors write. A friend of the couples referred to the old guard as the vipers. Meanwhile, a frustrated palace staffer described the Sussexes team as the squeaky third wheel of the palace. In extracts from the book published in the newspaper, the authors claim Prince William was hurt by internal royal family affairs being made public.

As Meghan tearfully told a friend in March: I gave up my entire life for this family. I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. Its very sad, the book notes.

The biography, which is formally released on August 11, is expected to portray Harry and Meghan as pioneering forces with the ability to modernise the monarchy, thwarted by grey suits at the palace who they feel failed to support them as well as a hostile tabloid press.

It will cover actress Meghan Markles arrival as Prince Harrys girlfriend a few years ago and dramatic events ever since, leading up to their decision to forge a new life in the US with their son Archie this year.
After gaining admission to the bar in September 1836, Abraham Lincoln practiced law across the state.

In Morgan County, he had a small, but intriguing, number of cases.

In all, Lincoln had connections to at least 26 cases in Morgan County. He filled a variety of roles in the countys cases, and argued some of them in person. In other instances, he was retained by local parties to handle appeals in the Illinois Supreme Court.

Sometimes, Lincolns law partners were retained, not necessarily the future president himself. Still, those cases would have passed through Lincolns Springfield law offices, and he would have earned a share of the fees in the partnership.

One Morgan County case was particularly salacious. Cabot v. Regnier, which originated in Menard County in May 1843, was a slander case involving a schoolmistress, Eliza Cabot Torrey, and one of the two doctors of New Salem, Francis Regnier.

Cabot sued Regnier for $5,000, alleging that he had publicly stated that she committed fornication with another man. She retained a heavy-hitting counsel, including Lincoln, Jacksonvilles Murray McConnel and Edward D. Baker, a former Carrollton resident who later would be elected U.S. senator from Oregon.

Also arguing for the plaintiff was Thomas Harris, a four-term Congressman from Petersburg, for whom the Macon County village of Harristown is named.

At the time, Lincoln was only seven years removed from his former home of New Salem, which was largely abandoned by 1838. Though Regnier, a French descendant, was one of the more cultured residents of New Salem, his character was certainly in question. Cabot, meanwhile, was described by one modern writer as almost friendless.

Regnier claimed innocence, but the court rejected a special plea of justification, that the spoken words were true. The jury founded for Cabot, but awarded only $12.

Still, the court later allowed Cabot a new trial, citing partiality on the jury. A change of venue to Morgan County was also allowed, and the case was filed in Jacksonville.

A total of 70 witnesses testified in both proceedings, and in the new trial, the jury sided with Cabot and awarded $1,600 in March 1844. This time, Regnier appealed to the state Supreme Court, claiming that the court had refused to allow evidence on Cabots poor character.

The appeal was filed in Springfield and Cabot retained Lincoln, Harris, and Stephen T. Logan, Lincolns law partner from 1841 to 1844.

However, the high court upheld the judgment and the award in December 1845. Supreme Court justice Norman Purple declared that the Morgan County court had acted properly in the exclusion of part of Regniers evidence, but had not prohibited him from proving Cabots character issues.

Citing three Regnier witnesses, Purple stated his doubt that the opinions of three people accurately reflected the views of the community. He added that, character is too valuable to permit it, in a court of justice to be destroyed, or even sullied by a report derived from a majority of three persons only.

However, the dispute continued. Regnier had not paid the judgment, which had increased to $2,013.77, and had conveyed 190 acres of his property, plus two lots in Petersburg, to his brother, Felix, a former Jacksonville resident.

Believing Regnier conveyed the lands to avoid paying the judgment, Cabot sued once again in Menard Circuit Court through her husband, and Torrey et ux v. Regnier & Regnier was on.

Once again, Cabot retained an impressive legal team, including Lincoln, Baker, Harris, and Albert Bledsoe of Springfield, who later served as assistant secretary of war for the Confederacy.

Regnier claimed that he had not committed fraud in the conveyance, but he had expected a lower judgment on the slander suit. He argued that the conveyance was intended to settle debts from a failed store in Jacksonville, as well as his earlier medical education. Eventually, the parties settled, finally bringing a close to the matter in October 1848.

Though Lincoln was normally unflappable, he apparently held Regnier in low esteem. After the presidents death, his former law partner, William Herndon, researched a biography of Lincoln, and received a letter from one man concerning the case. The letter claimed that Lincoln offered a denunciation of Regnier that was as bitter a Phillippic as was ever uttered.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville. He can be reached at ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.
Retail investors are more speculative than long-term investors and their participation too could have caused this swing in prices in the mid and smallcaps, Umesh Mehta, Head of Research, Samco Group, said in an interview with Moneycontrols Kshitij Anand.

edited excerpts:

Q) It was a steady week for markets. What were the factors which contributed to the rise?

A) The main factor which contributed to Niftys up move was the increase in FPI flows of over Rs 5,000 crores in the past nine trading sessions. This sudden inflow directly into the secondary markets after the lull of over 3 months was a big booster.

Positive news on stage 3 trials for the COVID-19 vaccine also kept the momentum of the market going. If this werent enough, the EU approved a stimulus package of $850 billion which retained the positive sentiment on D-Street.

Additionally, early corporate numbers also surprised estimates with banks reporting a decline in the percentage of accounts opting for a moratorium and IT companies delivering operational efficiency. This bout of good news from different corners led to aggressive buying in the equity markets.

Q) Nifty50 climbed 11,200 levels this but it is now approaching crucial resistance levels. What are the important levels which one should track in the coming week amid F&O expiry?

A) This is the sixth consecutive week when Nifty has closed the week in the green. The level of 11,240 would be an important resistance level to watch out for in the coming week.

The immediate support is placed at 11,000 and a break below 10,900 may lead to short-term weakness. It has also been observed that Bank Nifty which has been an all-weather partner has seen a fall in momentum.

The banking index has formed a bearish Shooting Star pattern but managed to close on a mildly positive note. The divergence between Nifty and Bank Nifty is also going on for the last three weeks. It is advisable to maintain a cautiously bullish outlook on the Nifty going ahead.

Q) Small & midcaps underperform in the week gone by. Does it seem like investors prefer to book profits?

A) Reversion to mean is kind of a law of gravity in the stock market, through which returns mysteriously seem to be drawn to norms of one kind or another over time- John Bogle.

This could be one of the reasons for small and midcaps to have underperformed the benchmark indices. More so, retail turnover has increased to about 57 percent of the average cash volumes on the exchanges in the first quarter FY21 while daily deliveries have seen a dip.

This certainly shows that retail investors are more speculators than long term investors and their participation too could have caused this swing in prices in the mid and smallcaps.

Q) Sectorally, what seems to be driving the rally in the energy, banks as well as financial space?

A) Management commentaries from banking stalwarts on moratorium indeed sounded promising with a caveat that there could be a likely turnaround slowly.

However, the results declared by HDFC Bank and Axis Bank superficially seem decent but it certainly seemed to be hanging on the leeway provided by RBI which is delaying NPA classification due to the unprecedented situation.

Financial services have also witnessed people staying indoors transacting digitally to procure insurance policies for their loved ones.

The fact that more people are working from home is giving them time to trade and invest, which is working well for D-Street and driving the rally in certain stocks.

Q) Bulls pushed Gold price to hit fresh record highs. Is it too late to buy now? If not, what is the kind of percentage which one can hold in the portfolio?

A) Gold prices have hit a record high but investors shouldnt short just yet. The stimulus packages announced by the US, Japan and EU have the potential to cause a big up move in commodities as well.

People are looking to diversify and in the process are inching towards gold and silver as an asset class which is driving the prices even higher.

Investors should not sell their holdings in these commodities as there is more potential for it to record higher highs. 5-10 percent of ones portfolio can be allocated to gold for at least the next few years.

Q) Any top 3-5 trading ideas which investors could look at for the next 3-4 weeks?

A) Instead of commenting on stocks, I would describe a sector I am bullish on. The IT sector would be a good bet for the medium to long-term.

They have shown efficient cost reduction measures in the current quarter and the demand for orders will drive up margins going forward. The growth for IT stocks is also backed by the new normal of working from home and optimising supply chains to function digitally.

A need to strengthen cloud-based infrastructure will also drive up topline demand. In all, digital is the way forward and will be a theme to look out for in the coming months.

: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
It is an iconic Sydney arts institution that presides over Circular Quay, boasts some of the city's biggest names on its board and brings in revenue of $23 million a year.

But the Museum of Contemporary Art has been accused of allowing a "toxic culture" to fester within its walls, with former staff members speaking out about their perceived mistreatment, and a current employee taking her case to the Industrial Relations Commission.

The museum has been in damage control for weeks after a former staffer wrote about her "traumatic experience" while working as a trainee and a gallery host, alleging she had been badgered about her appearance and accused of "cheating" her way into the job by misrepresenting her circumstances.

Museum of Contemporary Art director Liz Ann McGregor Credit:James Alcock

In the post, published on Medium, Chinese-Australian artist Lilly Lai argued the MCA failed to properly handle reports of "blatant racism or verbal abuse from visitors", and lacked policies to protect people of colour. Ms Lai conceded in the piece that her performance had "been getting poorer and poorer", and she frequently called in sick.
The virus swept through the region like past plagues that have travelled the river with colonizers and corporations.

It spread with the dugout canoes carrying families from town to town, the fishing dinghies with rattling engines, the ferries moving goods for hundreds of miles, packed with passengers sleeping in hammocks, side by side, for days at a time.

The Amazon River is South Americas essential life source, a glittering superhighway that cuts through the continent. It is the central artery in a vast network of tributaries that sustains some 30 million people across eight countries, moving supplies, people and industry deep into forested regions often untouched by road.

But once again, in a painful echo of history, it is also bringing disease.

As the pandemic assails Brazil, overwhelming it with more than 2 million infections and more than 84,000 deaths  second only to the United States  the virus is taking an exceptionally high toll on the Amazon region and the people who have depended on its abundance for generations.

In Brazil, the six cities with the highest coronavirus exposure are all on the Amazon River, according to an expansive new study from Brazilian researchers that measured antibodies in the population.

The epidemic has spread so quickly and thoroughly along the river that in remote fishing and farming communities like Tefe, people have been as likely to get the virus as in New York City, home to one of the worlds worst outbreaks.

It was all very fast, said Isabel Delgado, 34, whose father, Felicindo, died of the virus shortly after falling ill in the small city of Coari. He had been born on the river, raised his family by it and built his life crafting furniture from the timber on its banks.

In the past four months, as the epidemic travelled from the biggest city in the Brazilian Amazon, Manaus, with its highrises and factories, to tiny, seemingly isolated villages deep in the interior, the fragile health care system has buckled under the onslaught. Cities and towns along the river have some of the highest deaths per capita in the country  often several times the national average.

Tyler Hicks, a photographer for The New York Times, spent weeks on the river, documenting the spread of the virus. In Manaus, there were periods when every COVID ward was full and 100 people were dying a day, pushing the city to cut new burial grounds out of thick forest. Grave diggers lay rows of coffins in long trenches carved in the freshly turned earth.

Down the river, hammocks have become stretchers, carrying the sick from communities with no doctors to boat ambulances that careen through the water. In remote reaches of the river basin, medevac planes land in tiny airstrips sliced into the lush landscape only to find that their patients died while waiting for help.

The virus is exacting an especially high toll on Indigenous people, a parallel to the past. Since the 1500s, waves of explorers have travelled the river, seeking gold, land and converts  and later, rubber, a resource that helped fuel the Industrial Revolution, changing the world. But with them, these outsiders brought violence and diseases like smallpox and measles, killing millions and wiping out entire communities.

This is a place that has generated so much wealth for others, said Charles C. Mann, a journalist who has written extensively on the history of the Americas, and look at whats happening to it.

Indigenous people have been roughly six times as likely to be infected with the coronavirus as white people, according to the Brazilian study, and are dying in far-flung river villages untouched by electricity.

Even in the best of times, the Amazon was among the most neglected parts of the country, a place where the hand of the government can feel distant, even nonexistent.

But the regions ability to confront the virus has been further weakened under President Jair Bolsonaro, whose public dismissals of the epidemic have verged at times on mockery, even though he has tested positive himself.

The virus has surged on his governments disorganized and lacklustre watch, tearing through the nation. From his first days in office, Bolsonaro has made it clear that protecting the welfare of Indigenous communities was not his priority, cutting their funding, whittling away at their protections and encouraging illegal encroachments into their territory.

To the outsider, the thickly forested region along the Amazon River appears impenetrable, disconnected from the rest of the world.

But that isolation is deceptive, said Tatiana Schor, a Brazilian geography professor who lives off one of the rivers tributaries.

There is no such thing as isolated communities in the Amazon, she said, and the virus has shown that.

The boats that nearly everyone relies on, sometimes crowded with more than 100 passengers for many days, are behind the spread of the virus, researchers say. And even as local governments have officially limited travel, people have continued to take to the water because almost everything  food, medicine, even the trip to the capital to pick up emergency aid  depends on the river.

Scholars have long referred to life on the Amazon as an amphibious way of being.

The crisis in the Brazilian Amazon began in Manaus, a city of 2.2 million that has risen out of the forest in a jarring eruption of concrete and glass, tapering at its edges to clusters of wooden homes perched on stilts, high above the water.

Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, is now an industrial powerhouse, a major producer of motorcycles, with many foreign businesses. It is intimately connected to the rest of the world  its international airport sees about 250,000 passengers a month  and, through the river, to much of the Amazon region.

Manaus first documented case, confirmed on March 13, came from England. The patient had mild symptoms and quarantined at home, in a wealthier part of town, according to city health officials.

Soon, though, the virus seemed to be everywhere.

We didnt have any more beds  or even armchairs, Dr. Alvaro Queiroz, 26, said of the days when his public hospital in Manaus was completely full. People never stopped coming.

Gertrude Ferreira Dos Santos lived on the citys eastern edge, in a neighbourhood pressed against the water. She used to say that her favourite thing in the world was to travel the river by boat. With the breeze on her face, she said, she felt free.

Then, in May, dos Santos, 54, fell ill. Days later, she called her children to her bed, making them promise to stick together. She seemed to know that she was about to die.

Eduany, 22, her youngest daughter, stayed with her that night. In early morning, as Eduany got up to take a break, her sister Elen, 28, begged her to come back.

Their mother had stopped breathing. The sisters, in desperation, attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. At 6 a.m., the sun rising above the city, dos Santos died in their arms.

When men in white protective suits arrived later to carry away her body, the sisters began to wail.

Dos Santos had been a single mother. Life had not always been easy. But she had maintained a sense of wonder, something her daughters admired. In everything she did, Elen said, she was joyful.

Her mothers death certificate listed many underlying conditions, including long-standing breathing problems, according to the women. It also listed respiratory failure, a key indicator that a person has died of the coronavirus.

But her daughters didnt believe she was a victim of the pandemic. She had certainly died of other causes, they said. God would not have given her such an ugly disease.

Along the river, people said similar things over and over, reluctant to admit to possible contagion, even as the health of their siblings and parents declined. Many seemed to think their families would be shunned, that a diagnosis would somehow tarnish an otherwise dignified life.

But as this stigma led people to play down symptoms of the virus out of fear, doctors said, the pandemic was spreading quickly.

After Manaus, the virus travelled east and west, racing away from the regions health care centre.

In Manacapuru, more than an hour from the capital, Messias Nascimento Farias, 40, carried his ailing wife to their car and sped down one of the regions few country roads to meet the ambulance that could carry her to a hospital.

His wife, Sandra Machado Dutra, 36, gasped in his truck.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he prayed over and over until he handed her to health care workers. They were lucky. She survived.

But for most people living along the river, hundreds of boat miles from Manaus, the fastest way to a major hospital is by plane.

Even before the virus arrived, people in far-flung communities with a life-threatening emergency could make a frantic call for an airplane ambulance that would take them to a hospital in the capital.

But the small planes turned out to be dangerous for people with COVID-19, sometimes causing blood oxygen levels to plummet as the aircraft rose. Very few of the airlift patients seemed to be surviving, doctors said.

Instead, physicians and nurses found themselves flying their patients to painful deaths far from everything and everyone they had loved.

One morning in May, a white plane touched down at the airport in Coari, about 230 miles from Manaus.

On the tarmac on a stretcher was Delgado, 68, the furniture maker, barefoot and barely breathing.

Dr. Daniel Sergio Siqueira and a nurse, Walci Frank, exhausted after weeks of constant work, loaded him into the small cabin. As the plane rose, his oxygen levels began to dive.

Delgados daughter Isabel turned to the doctor in a panic. My father is very strong, she told him. He is going to make it.

When the Delgados finally reached the hospital in Manaus, Isabel was stunned by the scenes around her. Despairing relatives held up loved ones who had crumpled under the burden of disease, hurrying them in for treatment.

At the same time, patients who had managed to survive COVID-19 staggered out, into the jubilant arms of family and friends.

I was just there, she said, praying that God would save my father.

Delgado died a few days later. When Isabel found out, the doctor started crying with her.

She had no doubt that the river her father loved had also brought him the virus. Soon, she and five other family members fell ill, too.

When the coronavirus arrived in the Americas, there was widespread fear that it would take a devastating toll on Indigenous communities across the region.

In many places along the Amazon River, those fears appear to be coming true.

At least 570 Indigenous people in Brazil have died of the disease since March, according to an association that represents the countrys Indigenous people. The vast majority of those deaths were in places connected to the river.

More than 18,000 Indigenous people have been infected. Community leaders have reported entire villages confined to their hammocks, struggling to rise even to feed their children.

In many instances, the very health workers sent to help them have inadvertently spread the virus.

In the riverside hamlet of Sao Jose da Fortaleza, Chief Iakonero Apurinas relatives sent word, one by one, that they couldnt eat, that they heard voices, that they were too sick to get up.

Soon, it seemed to the chief that everyone in her community was sick.

Apurina, 54, said her group of 35 Apurina families had survived generations of violence and forced labour. They had arrived in Sao Jose da Fortaleza decades ago, believing that they would finally be safe.

It was the river, said the chief, that had sustained them, feeding, washing and cleansing them spiritually.

Then the new disease came, and the chief was ferrying traditional teas from home to home. Soon came her own cough and exhaustion. A test in Coari confirmed that she had caught the virus.

Apurina didnt blame the river. She blamed the people who travelled it.

The river to us is purification, she said. Its the most beautiful thing there is.

Miraculously, she said in mid-July, not a single person among the 35 families had died.

In Tefe, a city of 60,000 people nearly 400 miles along the river from Manaus, the virus had arrived with gale force.

At the small public hospital, where officials initially planned to accommodate 12 patients, nearly 50 crowded the makeshift COVID-19 unit. Dr. Laura Crivellari, 31, the hospitals only infectious disease expert, took them in, doing what she could with two respirators, no intensive care unit, many sick colleagues  and no one to replace them.

At one of the worst moments, she was the only physician on duty for two days, overseeing dozens of critically ill patients.

The constant death pushed Crivellari to her breaking point. Some days she barely stopped to eat or drink.

At home, she shared her anguish with her partner. She was thinking of giving up medicine, she said. I cant carry on like this, she told him.

The pandemic has been brutal on medical workers around the world, and it has been particularly difficult for the doctors and nurses navigating the vast distances, frequent communication cuts and deep supply scarcity along the Amazon.

Without proper training or equipment, many nurses and doctors along the river have died. Others have infected their families.

Crivellari knew her city was vulnerable. Its a three-day boat ride from Manaus to Tefe, with ferries often carrying 150 people at a time.

Our fear was that an infected person would contaminate the whole boat, she said, and thats what ended up happening.

By early July, the daily deaths in Tefe were dropping, and Crivellari began to celebrate the patients she had been able to save. She no longer thinks of quitting medicine.

Tefe, as a whole, took a cautious collective breath.

The virus, at least for the moment, had moved to a new place on the river.

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LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - EasyJet and British Airways told customers on Saturday they did not plan to cancel flights over the coming days, after Britain's government advised against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain due to COVID-19.

Earlier on Saturday TUI , Europe's largest tour operator, said it was cancelling all holiday departures scheduled for Sunday.

"Our flights are currently expected to operate normally," British Airways told one customer on Twitter.

An EasyJet customer service representative told another customer: "We plan to operate our full schedule in the coming days." (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Sandra Maler)
SC to hear Rajasthan Speaker's plea against high court order at 11 am on Monday

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, July 25: The Supreme Court will hear Rajasthan speaker CP Joshi's plea against the state high court order staying the disqualification proceedings against 19 lawmakers led by Sachin Pilot at 11 am on Monday.

The top court on Thursday allowed the Rajasthan High Court to pronounce order on plea of 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including sacked deputy CM Sachin Pilot, against the Assembly Speaker's notice for initiating disqualification proceedings against them, but said that it would be subject to the outcome of the petition before the top court.

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi however failed to get any interim relief on his plea alleging that the high court cannot interdict the disqualification proceedings undertaken by him under 10th schedule of the Constitution.

Rajasthan Crisis: State headed for constitutional crisis, says BJP after meeting Governor

Observing that the "voice of dissent" in a democracy cannot be shut down, the Supreme Court had refused to accept the request of Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi to either stay the matter pending before the high court or transfer it to the apex court.

Joshi has challenged the Rajasthan High Court's July 21 order, which said the verdict on the petition filed by the 19 MLAs, challenging the disqualification notices, will be pronounced on July 24 and asked him to defer the disqualification proceedings till then.
Patrick County is the latest danger area for the coronavirus, as the number of cases are rising and attributed to a long-term care facility in the county.

Its numbers have been shooting up over the past three days, with 10 new cases on Thursday, 14 new cases on Friday and four on Saturday, as measured and reported by the Virginia Department of Health, bringing Patricks total number of coronavirus cases to 89.

One of the last five counties in Virginia to be without the coronavirus, Patrick County has had three deaths since June 1, and 14 people hospitalized.

VDH and the West Piedmont Health District would not name which facility might have been the scene of the outbreak, but Stuart has two large long-term care facilities: The nursing home Blue Ridge Therapy Connection has 190 beds, and its neighbor and sister facility, The Landmark Center, an assisted-living facility, has 75 beds.

Both facilities have been difficult to pin down to any answers as to whether or not they had coronavirus cases identified there, though on Friday afternoon an employee of The Landmark Center said their facility has not had any positive cases at all.

Cynthia Mabry, who did not give her job title, said that there were no coronavirus cases at The Landmark Center. When asked specifically if there ever had been any cases diagnosed at any time, she said, We have never had any case in The Landmark Center.

Blue Ridge Therapy Connection, on the other hand, has been much more difficult to pin down. Calls and emails made to administrator Anthony Brunicardi on Friday morning had not been answered or returned by Saturday.

On Thursday, in response to questions from the Bulletin, Brunicardi sent a press release which did not answer whether or not the facility had experienced positive cases. As well as standard comments on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and other agencies as well as safety measures, it included the line, there is reason to believe that Blue Ridge Therapy Connection residents will be affected by the virus.

When asked again specifically whether Blue Ridge Therapy Connection had experienced any positive coronavirus tests among staff or residents, Brunicardi wrote in a separate email, We currently do not have any known positives for COVID-19 in the facility. He did not reply to a follow-up question on whether any person who was not physically present in the facility at the time of his answer had tested positive earlier.

Meanwhile, Stanleytown Health and Rehab had four employees and three patients who had tested positive for the coronavirus, Administrator Kennedy Flynn said.

VDH tracks cases by where the person lives, not where he or she might have been tested, hospitalized or quarantined.

The numbers now come for Patrick County to 89 total cases, with 14 hospitalized and 3 dead. Adjusting for population, thats 504 cases per 100,000 people, 79 hospitalizations per 100,000 and 17 deaths per 100,000.

Henry Countys new cases rose by five on Saturday, with two new hospitalizations. That brings totals to 429 cases, 45 people hospitalized and five dead. Looking at it by population, thats 842 cases per 100,000 people, with 88 hospitalizations and 10 deaths per 100,000.

Martinsville saw no changes in its numbers at Saturdays report: 149 cases, 21 hospitalized and one dead (previously, two had been reported dead. A VDH spokesperson in other instances of changed numbers had attributed changes in figures to changes in ways information had been tallied).

Across Virginia, the VDH reports 83,609 cases, with 7,570 hospitalizations and 2,075 deaths.

The CDC on Saturday reported 1,024,492 total cases in the United States, with 143,868 total deaths.

Holly Kozelsky is a writer for the Martinsville Bulletin; contact her at 276-638-8801 ext. 243.

Holly Kozelsky is a writer for the Martinsville Bulletin; contact her at 276-638-8801 ext. 243.

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By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijans First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva has called on international human rights organizations to give fair assessment of hate crimes committed against Azerbaijanis by Armenians throughout the world in recent days.

I call on numerous non-government organizations, including Freedom House, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch who have declared protection of human rights as their mission, to give impartial assessment of the acts committed. For some reason, we dont hear from them. I do hope that these organizations are principled enough to move away from the policy of double standards and make statements based on facts, Aliyeva said.

The first vice-president highlighted the fact that the peaceful and patriotic actions of Azerbaijanis in support of their homeland, pre-agreed with relevant government agencies of respective countries, were met with physical violence, aggression and inhuman hatred by members of the Armenian diaspora.

Well-prepared and trained provocateurs took advantage of their large numbers to attack and injure peaceful protesters. In a number of cases, aggressive Armenian groups attacked Azerbaijanis who could not resist the outnumbering enraged crowd, she said.

She urged law enforcement agencies of the United States, Belgium and other states to conduct a thorough investigation into these events, give them an appropriate legal assessment and bring all those responsible to justice, because evil must be punished.

The decades of hatred and the ideology of phobia of Azerbaijan are bearing fruit  some Armenians throw stones at peaceful Azerbaijani protesters in the centre of world capitals, while others fire heavy artillery at the homes of Azerbaijani citizens, Aliyeva said.

Furthermore, Aliyeva touched upon other crimes committed by Armenians against the Azerbaijani people.

There have been many instances of such crimes against the Azerbaijani people in history. Suffice it to recall the massacre of the peaceful Azerbaijani population of the city of Khojaly by Armenian armed forces in the early hours of 26 February 1992. Those tragic events have been recognized as an act of genocide by more than 10 states and condemned at the level of international organizations, Aliyeva said.

On that bloody night, militants armed to the teeth killed 613 people with particular cruelty, 421 civilians were tortured and humiliated, 1,275 people were missing or taken prisoner, and the city itself was almost completely burned out. As a result of the received gunshot wounds, more than a thousand civilians became disabled. Among those killed were 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly. Eight families were completely destroyed, 25 children lost both parents and 130 lost one of them. Fifty-six people were burned alive, the First Vice-President said.

At the same, Aliyev touched upon the murders of a two-year-old Azerbaijani child and a 76-year-old resident by Armenian armed forces.

The murder by Armenian aggressors of two-year-old Zahra Guliyeva, who died together with her grandmother in the aftermath of shelling of the Alkhanli village of Fuzuli district on 4 July 2017, is just as indicative. Or the killing on 14 July 2020 of Aziz Azizov, a 76-year-old peaceful resident of Tovuz district who died as a result of artillery shelling of civilian targets by the Armenian armed forces, she said.

The first vice-president emphasized that for more than 30 years now, Armenians with the help of the large diaspora, have been conducting frenzied anti-Azerbaijani propaganda in an effort to justify these cruel crimes.

It is no secret that the absolute majority of slanderous campaigns against our country are also inspired and financed by the Armenian diaspora, she added.

Noting the degree of hatred and aggression among members of Armenian diaspora, Aliyeva said:

How else can one explain the fact that stones are thrown at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and peaceful demonstrators are injured in the political centre of united Europe, in Brussels?

Aliyeva urged unity among Azerbaijanis in demanding all platforms a fair investigation into the recent acts of violence committed against Azerbaijanis.

AT the same time, we must remember that we cannot be like barbarians and bandits who are driven by cave hatred and intolerance. Our struggle should be conducted exclusively within the legal framework, she added.

And let no-one doubt, no provocations can ever force us to deviate from the true path. We are millions, but we have a common goal  the defence of the Motherland, the restoration of its territorial integrity and historical justice Because Karabakh is Azerbaijan! Aliyeva concluded.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
FILE PHOTO: Small bottles labelled with "Vaccine" stickers seen near a medical syringe in front of displayed "Coronavirus COVID-19" words in this illustration

BEIJING (Reuters) - Animal tests of a potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Chinese researchers show it triggers an immune response against the novel coronavirus, offering some promise as it goes into early-stage human trials, according to a peer-reviewed study https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0092-8674%2820%2930932-6

ARCoV is a messenger RNA vaccine which uses technology similar to candidates being developed by Moderna and BioNtech and Pfizer. It is the second potential COVID-19 vaccine that China's military-backed research unit has moved into clinical trials.

Results of trials of ARCoV in mice and monkeys, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Cell on Thursday, show both single and two-dose inoculations induced strong antibody and T-cell responses against several COVID-19-causing virus strains.

However, researchers conducting the trial cautioned they were not yet able to see how long the ARCoV-induced antibodies might last or how strong their protection might be to other strains that cause COVID-19 but were not tested in the study.

ARCoV is stable at 25C (77F) for at least a week, researchers said, which could make it more attractive for potential immunisation campaigns in hard-to-reach populations in places where cold-chain storage and transportation are not always reliable.

While no COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for sale yet, more than 150 are in development globally with an aim to help end the global pandemic that has claimed over 600,000 lives. But whether any will succeed remains far from clear.

(Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Tony Munroe in Beijing, editing by Kate Kelland and Himani Sakar)
AYODHYA: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday (July 25, 2020) said that the ancient holy town of Ayodhya will be developed as the ''pride of India and the world.''

"We'll make Ayodhya the pride of India and the world. Cleanliness should be the first condition. There is an opportunity for Ayodhya to prove through self-discipline its capability and be the way the world expects to see it," the Chief Minister said.

The monk-politician said this shortly after his arrival in Ayodhya to review the preparations for the Ram Temple ground-breaking ceremony scheduled to be held on August 5.

He also held a meeting with Ayodhya MP, MLAs and members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, which is mandated by the Supreme Court to oversee the Ram Temple construction work, and the local administration.

During the meeting, M Yogi confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Ayodhya next month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5, according to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the president of the temple trust.

The Chief Minister earlier offered prayers to Lord Ram at Ram Janmabhoomi site and placed Laxman, Bharat and Shatrughan on new 'asanas' at the Ram Janambhoomi.

The construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya will begin after the Bhoomi Pujan, which will be attended by several chief ministers, ministers from the Union Cabinet, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, held its second meeting last week.

In March this year, the 'Ram Lalla' idol was shifted to a temporary structure near Manas Bhawan in Ram Janmabhoomi premises till the completion of the construction of Ram temple.

The Supreme Court had on November 9 last year directed the Central Government to hand over the site at Ayodhya for the construction of a Ram temple.

The Prime Minister had on February 5 announced the formation of a trust for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The 15-member Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has been mandated by the central government to oversee the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Navi Mumbai :

In Navi Mumbais Vashi, Rs one crore, in demonetised Rs 1,000 currency notes has been seized from a luxury car and four persons have been detained in this connection, police said.

"Acting on a tip-off, police laid a trap. When the car came and halted near a housing complex at Sector 28 in Vashi last evening, the police team checked the vehicle and found two bags full of currency notes of Rs 1,000 denomination," an official release by Navi Mumbai Police said.

The four occupants of the vehicle, Prasad R Patil (36), an estate agent from Uran in Raigad district, Harishchandra Shinde (60), builder from Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, Pramod Padle (43), property agent and Avinash Jail (31), a cloth merchant, both from Byculla in Mumbai, have been detained and are being interrogated, Inspector Ashok Rajput said.

During interrogation, the accused said they had come to Vashi to get the old notes exchanged, but did not reveal the source of the cash and where they planned to get the notes exchanged, police claimed.

"As the four persons did not provide any documentary evidence of the source of the cash, the Income Tax Department has been informed about it. Their car worth Rs 10 lakh has also been seized," they added.

A case has been registered at Vashi Police Station and further probe is on, police added.

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India's drug regulator has cancelled the rapid diagnostic kit import licenses of three firms and suspended that of 16 others saying the USFDA has removed the manufacturers from their list of coronavirus serology test kits with directions that they should not be distributed.

The three firms are Cadila Healthcare, MDAAC International and N W Overseas while the 16 companies include Transasia Bio-Medicals, Cosmic Scientific, Inbios India, S D Biosensor, Accurex Biomedicals, Biohouse Solutions and Trivitron Healthcare among others.

The companies were issued a show cause notices on July 17 asking why their import licenses shall not be cancelled since the diagnostic kits of the manufacturers have been removed by USFDA with direction that it should not be distributed from the list of product of serology test kits for COVID-19 disease, according to an official order by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

They were directed to submit their reply by July 20, failing which it would be presumed they have nothing to say in the matter and action deemed fit will be initiated under provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

"Your response to the show cause notice has not been found satisfactory with respect to removal of said kit, by USFDA from their list mentioning not to distribute," the DCGI order issued to the 16 companies on July 21 stated.

"However, it has been mentioned by you to not to cancel your said import license for the above product. Therefore, in public interest, your import license for above product becomes inoperative and stands suspended, till further orders," it said.

As for the three companies whose licenses were cancelled, the orders said, "Your response to the show cause notice has not been found satisfactory with respect to the removal of said kit, by USFDA from their list mentioning not to distribute."

"Further, it has been mentioned by you that you intend to surrender your license for the above product. Therefore, in public interest, your import license for above product becomes inoperative and stands cancelled with immediate effect," the order issued on July 21 read.

Also Read: Banks sanction Rs 1.30 lakh crore, disburse Rs 82,065 crore loans to MSMEs under credit guarantee scheme

Also Read: Vedanta delisting to become costlier by Rs 4,000 crore at current market price
Sushant Singh Rajput's last release, Dil Bechara, is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar without any cost of admission at all. Despite that, the film was leaked online by Tamilrockers, a piracy website that has been bothering film and television studios for years now.

According to a report in Pinkvilla, the leaked version is available in an HD quality. The film landed on Tamilrockers, within hours of its official release on the streaming platform.

Tamilrockers regularly leaks high profile projects. It puts up the content as soon as it is released or aired. The quality is often high definition. They previously leaked movies such as Penguin, Petta, Maharshi, iSmart Shankar, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, Dear Comrade, Saaho and Hindi Medium.

Meanwhile, Dil Bechara has broken a significant record as its IMDb rating climbed to 10 within half an hour of the release. With over 21 thousand votes, the current IMDb rating of Dil Bechara stands at 9.8.

Dil Bechara shows Sushant Singh Rajput as Manny who is suffering from osteosarcoma while Sanjana Sanghi plays the role of Kizie Basu battling thyroid cancer. At present, the film is at the top position on IMDb in its 'Top Rated Indian Movies' list, defeating Kamal Haasan and R Madhavan's 2003 Tamil film Anbe Sivam.

Dil Bechara's trailer, released on July 6, also became the first film trailer on YouTube to receive more than 10 million likes. Previously, the trailer had broken the record for the most-liked video in 24 hours of release. It has been viewed over 70 million times in less than 10 days. The most-liked video on YouTube currently is Despacito, by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee. The video has accumulated over 38 million likes.
Since earlier this year, William Ducker has not liked going to the supermarket and navigating a shopping cart around the aisles.

Everybody is very worried about touching communal objects, and Im one of those guys, said Ducker, a professor at Virginia Tech.

But unlike everybody, Duckers field of expertise made him realize he could alleviate that worry.

Im a surface chemist. ... I look at surface coatings, he said. I thought I could fix this problem.

So Ducker and a team of graduate students at Tech created a liquid coating that destroys SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, when the coating solidifies on everyday items such as doorknobs and pens.

The thin layer of copper-based coating retains its virus-disabling property for at least six weeks, meaning such surfaces would no longer need frequent cleanings. Ducker says he thinks the coating could be effective for years, but is only confident about a few weeks because the coating has only existed for that long.

Last week, Ducker and colleagues became one, if not the first, team to publish an academic paper showing that such a coating is effective against the new coronavirus. A Surface Coating that Rapidly Inactivates SARS-CoV-2 appeared July 13 in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, a journal published by the American Chemical Society.

The surface coating is made from particles of cuprous oxide, which can be made out of recycled copper pipes and wires, bound with polyurethane, a varnish commonly used to finish wood.

Although previous research has established cuprous oxide as effective against viruses, SARS-CoV-2 is a novelty. While conducting a Google Scholar search on the longevity of the virus on surfaces, Ducker came across the research of Leo Poon, a professor at the University of Hong Kong and a leading expert on emerging viruses.

Ducker emailed Poon: Would he be interested in testing the new coronavirus on his coating? Poon replied about 20 minutes later, and they began a collaboration.

Honestly, I was unbelievably excited when Poon said he agreed to test it, Ducker recalled. And then after we found out it worked, oh my God, I was just so excited. I think this is just such a great thing.

After about an hour on glass or stainless steel painted with the coating, the effectiveness of virus samples was reduced by about 99.9% on average, the paper says.

Poons team put bits of SARS-CoV-2 in little drops that mimic a respiratory droplet  which is how COVID-19 spreads  and plopped them on the coated surfaces. After varying periods of time, they lifted off the droplets and measured their viral communicability by attempting to infect a monkey kidney cell, a standard mimic of a human cell.

After being exposed to the coating, droplets could no longer infect the monkey cell, Ducker said.

Poon did not respond to two emails seeking comment for this story.

Swapan Ghosh, a polymer scientist in India who has developed a silver-based anti-viral coating, said the novelty of the paper lay in the experiments ability to test it on SARS-CoV-2.

Its good work, because in this pandemic, its very diligent work, so I appreciate it, Ghosh said.

Ghosh questioned whether the surface coating would work in the dark, since light activates the antiviral properties in cuprous oxide. He also wondered whether the toxicity of the copper elements should be measured.

Ducker agreed testing the coating in the dark would be interesting, but doesnt foresee that happening because the experiments are done in high-level biological safety labs that make such a test tricky. He also said since not many people will touch surfaces in complete darkness, the practicality of such a test is limited.

And while copper compounds are generally safe for humans  think about handling pennies  Duckers paper notes that cuprous oxide can harm marine life. Specifically, he noted adverse effects on the reproduction system of a certain type of mollusk.

There arent a lot of mollusks growing on peoples doorknobs, so thats not that big a problem, Ducker said.

The surface coating remains effective even after being treated with disinfectants, the experiments found. And while one cannot distinguish by touch between a plain pen and a pen coated in the material, Ducker said, its coppery appearance signals to people that its safe to touch.

The actual product, I think what Im after, is people being and feeling safe, Ducker said, which is why he wants to call the material SafetyCoat. That was always my objective.

And he foresees widespread application. He has tested the surface coating on a shopping cart handle, a pen and a credit card reader Enter button, among other everyday objects.

Its not just like an esoteric thing where there might be a doorknob across the presidents office that has a coating. We can apply this everywhere, Ducker said.

A university spokesman said Friday there are no current plans for Tech to use the coating as part of its cleaning regimen when campus reopens next month.

For now, Ducker is focused on looking for investors who could help bring the surface coating into the mainstream.

I definitely want to mass produce it, he said. I want it all over the place.

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<! Melaye at the Obaseki rally. Image grab from Channel TV video >

Former Kogi-West senator Dino Melaye stole the show Saturday at the start of the re-election campaign of Governor Godwin Obaseki in Benin.

Called to address the physically distanced crowd at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Melaye warned all those who plan on rigging the September election to shelve the idea.

To the surprise of his audience, he said anyone contemplating such plan will Receive COVID-19.

He chanted the curse, like a prayer warrior, repeatedly: Receive COVID, Receive COVID, Receive COVID.

He directed his curse at Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello and Kano governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, who he referenced by innuendo as those who put dollars in pocket.

The Obaseki campaign has reportedly mounted billboards in Benin, attacking the Kano governor.

Obaseki is campaigning for a second term in office on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, after he defected from his original platform, the All Progressives Congress.

When I was thrown out in the rain, and the political storm, you gave me the umbrella to shield me, the governor said at the campaign while thanking the PDP.

He also urged supporters to shun all forms of misconduct during the election, slated for September 19.

We do not want bloodshed, he said.

Watch melaye on YouTube

Related
The Indonesian government has decided to scrap its daily coronavirus briefings, a move labelled "suspicious" and designed "to hide some bad numbers" by the country's journalists' union.

The daily briefings - an event that governments the world over have implemented to inform their citizens about the pandemic - were cancelled this week as part of a shake-up of the government's handling of the crisis.

President Joko Widodo announced a new National Economic Recovery and COVID-19 Response team, led by the country's coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto and the Minister for State-owned Enterprises Erick Thohir.

A motorist has her temperature checked at a checkpoint in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday. Credit:Bloomberg

Abdul Manan, the head of the Alliance of Independent Journalists, said it wasn't clear why the briefing was scrapped but "in such a difficult time, it is best that the government does not make drastic changes as it could create suspicion that it tries to hide some bad numbers, for instance".
Wicklow businesses are being urged to refocus on being prepared for Brexit, which may have a longer lasting impact on the Irish food and agribusiness sector than Covid-19.

Ifac, the farming, food and agribusiness professional services firm, is advising Wicklow SMEs and business owners in the food and agribusiness sector to refocus on Brexit readiness.

David Leydon, head of Food and AgriBusiness at Ifac, warns that businesses have been feeling the strain for the past four months, especially with diminished cash reserves.

'These very businesses face the challenge of gearing up again to handle Brexit on top of the ongoing management of Covid-19. Notwithstanding this, Covid-19 has shown the resourcefulness of the food and agribusiness sector, the logistics capability, and its ability to keep supermarket shelves stocked,' said Mr Leydon.

'It was also good to see that companies who use the UK as a land-bridge to the Continent will be able to use 'green lanes' at continental ports from Cherbourg to Rotterdam and avoid inspections and hopefully delays. UK companies will need to go through the 'red lanes' for inspection.

'Also positive is that many of the larger food and agribusinesses have a risk mitigation plan in place for Brexit, are actively planning and meeting on a weekly basis once again, have a Brexit co-ordinator internally and have external advisory support especially on tariffs. In summary, they are investing resources in preparing for a range of Brexit scenarios.'

However, there is no clarity on what type of Brexit businesses are preparing for, eve with their risk mitigation plan in place.

Mr Leydon added: 'It's a different scenario for the SME sector who have exposure to the UK market. We have consistently found that these businesses don't have the resources to invest in deep Brexit planning. This is a big concern. We need more support for this cohort.

'The Enterprise Ireland (EI) Be Prepared Grant in place for Brexit is only available to EI clients. This grant should be opened up to non-EI clients too, just like the EI Financial Planning Grant in response to Covid-19. Hopefully, this will be part of the memo Minister Coveney is bringing to Cabinet by mid-July to deal with Brexit.'

For SME business owners, his advice is to have their customs registration number (EORI number) in place, as well as being clear on the correct tariff and taric classification for their products. He said they should have a deferred payment account for customs duties on products they import, and ensure that a VAT assessment has been completed for both GB and NI.

Mr Leydon said communications with stakeholders, customers, suppliers, logistic providers and bankers should be increasing on Brexit, with some scenario planning taking place.

A strong financial plan is also imperative in case of a difficult start to 2021, he said.
The Supreme Court on Friday fixed hearing on a decade-old contempt case against advocate Prashant Bhushan on August 4 indicating that it would not allow his father and senior advocate Shanti Bhushan to be joined as a party in the proceeding. The apex court had issued a fresh contempt notice against the same lawyer this week for his tweets directed against the judiciary and the present CJI which is listed for hearing on August 5.

Bhushan faced contempt over an interview given to Tehelka magazine in September 2009 where he had said that half of the last 16 CJIs were corrupt. His father intervened in the case bringing out evidence against the CJIs in a sealed cover and offering to go to jail if his son was punished for contempt. The contempt plea against Bhushan was moved by senior advocate Harish Salve who assisted the Court as amicus curiae (friend of the Court).

The hearing on the contempt petition started in January 2010 and was last heard on May 2, 2012. When the matter was taken up after a gap of 8 years by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, the Bhushan camp requested the Court to put off hearing in the case till physical court resumes.

Shanti Bhushan who appeared through video conferencing told the bench, I find it very hard to address the Court through video conferencing. This matter has waited for 10 years. It can wait for a few more weeks till physical court hearing resumes.

But the Court bluntly put to him, You are too much senior to be impleaded (joined as party) in this case. Its a suo moto contempt petition. We are not impleading you. The former law minister insisted that a decision to not implead him should be taken after hearing his application. The bench replied, Your application repeats what is stated by your son. You have said, Im ready to go to jail if he is punished. All this argument is made out of love and affection. We understand our responsibility.

For Prashant Bhushan, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan submitted to the Court that his case records were at Kasauli and cannot be procured. He requested for time to prepare on the question of having a Constitution Bench to hear the matter. He also raised doubts on Salve leading the contempt when he has not been officially appointed as amicus in the contempt case.

The bench, also comprising Justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murari, said, We will give you time as per your satisfaction. At least, let us start hearing it. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, another contemnor in this case, said, This is not a matter where something impending is going to happen, unlike any demolition matter. This hearing can wait for some more time. It has waited for 10 years.

The bench remarked, Through the virtual court, we are hearing all matters, including constitution bench cases. We will hear you all patiently. The Court posted the matter on August 4 stating that it would like Salve to assist the Court on the next date.
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Maldives, Government of

Global Credit Research - 25 Jul 2020

Singapore, July 25, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") reviews all of its ratings periodically in accordance with regulations -- either annually or, in the case of governments and certain EU-based supranational organisations, semi-annually. This periodic review is unrelated to the requirement to specify calendar dates on which EU and certain other sovereign and sub-sovereign rating actions may take place.

Moody's conducts these periodic reviews through portfolio reviews in which Moody's reassesses the appropriateness of each outstanding rating in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. Since 1st January 2019, Moody's issues a press release following each periodic review announcing its completion.

Moody's has now completed the periodic review of a group of issuers that includes Maldives and may include related ratings. The review did not involve a rating committee, and this publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future; credit ratings and/or outlook status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

The credit profile of Maldives (issuer rating B3) incorporates the sovereign's "ba3" economic strength assessment, taking into account the economy's relatively weak global competitiveness outside of the tourism industry, as well as incorporating the possibility of significant economic loss stemming from Maldives' exposure to natural disasters and climate change, particularly given the economy's reliance on natural assets-based tourism; its "b3" institutions and governance strength, which incorporate the challenges associated with developing institutional quality in a small island nation, and capacity constraints to fiscal and monetary policy effectiveness; and "b1" fiscal strength, which takes into account anticipated deterioration in debt affordability in the coming years, as well as the contingent liability risks posed to the government's balance sheet from government guaranteed debt. Susceptibility to event risk is "b", driven by government liquidity risk. This assessment incorporates our expectation of a sharp rise in the government's gross borrowing needs, as well as intermittent access to external financing through a relatively narrow range of investors and a variety of official lenders, all in the run-up to repayment on a sovereign bond that falls due in 2022.

Story continues

This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period.

The principal methodology used for this review was Sovereign Ratings Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Michael Higgins Analyst Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Marie Diron MD - Sovereign Risk Sovereign Risk Group JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077

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Abu Dhabi Ports, an ADQ company, has been assigned as the primary custodian of all of Abu Dhabis waterways and marine ecosystems, through the creation of Abu Dhabi Maritime.

The move is designed to fortify Abu Dhabis position as a world-leading centre for maritime activities, said a statement.

Abu Dhabi Maritime has been formed by the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) based on an agreement between Abu Dhabi Ports and DMT, in which both entities agreed to cooperate in launching a wide variety of integrated services and facilities.

The joint effort is in line with Abu Dhabi Governments strategy to integrate and streamline governance and oversight of priority growth sectors, and delivers on the leaderships vision as reflected in the Abu Dhabi Plan Maritime, the statement said.

Abu Dhabis waterways covers 45,000 sq km along a 2,400 km stretch of coastline, which hosts 17 commercial and community ports, over 100 maritime facilities, over 1,000 companies, and provides for over 40,000 vessel movements per year.

Leveraging on Abu Dhabi Ports maritime expertise, the new entity will function as a consolidated single point of regulatory entry with a mandate to implement effective maritime services and state-of-the-art infrastructure, supported by highly-qualified human resources and upholding the highest health, safety and quality standards.

Abu Dhabi Maritime will be supported by a new Maritime Advisory Council, which will represent the interests of key partners and customers including, government entities, ports, individual users, communities, and marine service companies.

Falah Mohammad Al Ahbabi, DMT Chairman and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Ports, said: With the establishment of Abu Dhabi Maritime, we will deliver on the emirates Plan Maritime, and take the regulatory oversight of our maritime sector to the next level. By working closely with our strategic partners, we will achieve our goal of placing Abu Dhabi among the worlds top-five maritime centres, in line with our leaderships expectations.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Abu Dhabi Ports Group CEO, said: An important component of Abu Dhabis rise as a major global maritime centre has been our wise leaderships emphasis on regulatory excellence. Establishing Abu Dhabi Maritime serves to advance our emirates goal of becoming a world leading maritime centre through the pursuit of regulatory advancement, fulfilling the needs of the maritime sector and attracting more direct foreign investment.

Captain Saif Rashid Al Mheiri, Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Maritime, said: The new entity will commence its work by implementing a comprehensive regulatory framework, developing world-class maritime infrastructure, and introducing consolidated strategic planning for coastal zone management. Our synergistic approach backed by a highly interactive digital single window portal will ensure that Abu Dhabis maritime waterways and ecosystems continue to attract new investors and increase the maritime sectors contribution to the growth of our national economy.

Under its mandate, Abu Dhabi Maritime will oversee all of Abu Dhabis waterways and the people who use them. It will be responsible for drafting, monitoring and enforcing regulations and codes, as well as developing and maintaining all waterway infrastructure and assets.

As part of its next steps, the entity will soon launch the new expansion of Delma Port, which will accommodate more than 60 local fishing dhows, in addition to new slipways, a digitalised booking system serving the wider boating community, and mooring facilities in four Marine Protected Areas in coordination with the relevant entities. These efforts will also be supported by the launch of the Abu Dhabi Maritimes official website, which will serve as the single window portal for the entire Abu Dhabi maritime community. - TradeArabia News Service
The Bishops in the Ivory Coast advocate for peace, justice and reconciliation amid rising political tensions ahead of the countrys presidential elections scheduled for October.

By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ

The Bishops in the Ivory Coast highlight the importance of justice, peace and reconciliation in the country amid rising political tensions ahead of the presidential elections slated for 31 October.

Their recently-released 79-page pastoral letter is entitled The Church in Cote dIvoire at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. In it, the Bishops stress the importance of social cohesion in order to build an Ivorian society that is ever more fraternal and open to all, respectful of the dignity and rights of the human person and concerned to establish among all citizens bonds of friendship, trust and mutual respect.

The pastoral letter, composed of 83 points, is divided into three parts: A Church called to live communion with God, others and creation; A Church-communion at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace; and the commitment of all to build a society of peace.

According to the Bishops, only an authentic reconciliation accomplished in truth and justice will bring lasting peace to the Ivorian society.

Reconciliation

Regarding reconciliation, the Bishops insist that it must be inclusive and participatory in the sense that it must not exclude any antagonism.

Reconciliation, the Bishops continue, must be accompanied by courageous and honest acts: meeting the protagonists of the crisis, listening to each other, rebuilding a common history, accepting the painful past, taking into account the sufferings of each and every one, accepting the motivations, reasons and causes of the crisis.

Justice

According to the Bishops, promoting a just order, respecting the principle of subsidiarity and fighting corruption are the necessary conditions for attaining justice in the Ivory Coast.

The Bishops bemoan the fact that in recent years, government authorities of all ideological tendencies in our country have always tried to manipulate justice according to their interests.

The manipulation of justice, the Bishops said, is done either to deny Ivorian nationality, to sell it off, or to make a political opponent ineligible, or to hand over to international justice certain compatriots while others responsible for crimes enjoy their freedom.

Peace

The Bishops argued that it is not enough to organize elections for the country to be at peace. Rather, what is needed is to cultivate love and fraternity among ourselves, through words, actions and relationships marked by conviviality.

The role of the Church

In the Bishops opinion, the Church has a vital role to play on the pathway towards peace in the West-African country.

It is, therefore, all the sons and daughters of Ivory Coast, Bishops, priests and all consecrated persons, including non-consecrated persons, who are called to build and consolidate peace.

Therefore, the Bishops pointed out, the loss of credibility and discredit in the mission, requires of us a renewed and resolute attitude to resolve the conflicts within the Church. Furthermore, they insist:

The Church will only be able to contribute credibly to the construction and consolidation of social cohesion in Ivory Coast if pastors and lay faithful are reconciled among themselves."

Rising tensions in the Ivory Coast

Ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for 31 October, political tensions are rising in the West-African country.

Incumbent president Alassane Ouattara had previously announced his decision to withdraw from the presidential race in the upcoming elections. However, the death of Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly on 8 July revived tensions. Opposition parties are complaining they are being intimidated in a bid to discourage them from vying for the countrys number one position.

Further compounding these tensions, the countrys politicians are debating whether or not the elections should be postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis which has infected 15,253 Ivorians and caused 94 deaths as of Saturday.
Nebraskas count of new COVID-19 cases has taken a definite turn higher, with totals not seen since late May.

While two hospital systems say they are not experiencing a surge in patients, health experts warn that hospitalizations will rise even more in the coming weeks as the new cases progress.

Dr. Kelly Cawcutt, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the associate medical director of infection control and epidemiology, said the Nebraska Medical Center has seen an increase in patients after experiencing a low several weeks ago.

She urged people to take steps now to prevent spread of the coronavirus. She said that includes taking masks and social distancing seriously.

Said Cawcutt, We could really see things kind of go sideways and see substantial increases in cases if were not all cautious.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, Nebraska saw its highest three-day count of new cases  971  since May 27 through 29, when cases were coming down from the states initial peak.

Douglas County this week saw its highest three-day run of new cases  476  since the end of May.
miodrag ignjatovic/iStockBY: JON HAWORTH, ABC NEWS

(NEW YORK) -- The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 638,000 people worldwide.

Over 15.6 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations' outbreaks.

The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 4.1 million diagnosed cases and at least 145,376 deaths.

Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.

5:07 p.m.: Florida to discuss reopening bars, official says



The same day Florida became the state with the second-highest number of cases, a government official announced that discussions would begin on how to reopen bars "as soon as possible."



Halsey Beshears, Floridas secretary of Department of Business & Professional Regulation, wrote in a Facebook post that he will set meetings starting Friday throughout the state with breweries and bars to discuss ideas on how to reopen.



"We will come up with a Safe, Smart and Step-by-step plan based on input, science and relative facts on how to reopen as soon as possible," Beshears wrote in a Facebook post.



2:24 p.m.: Alabama rolls out plan to test every college student



Alabama outlined its plan to provide free COVID-19 testing for every college student attending a public four-year or two-year college in the state when returning to campus.



The plan -- called GuideSafe -- would require students get tested within 14 days of entering a college campus.



It was not immediately clear how many college students were enrolled in public colleges in Alabama, however the largest university in the state -- The University of Alabama -- had 38,103 students in 2019.



The move is an effort to "maintain a safe environment and slow the spread of COVID-19," according to the GuideSafe website.



Students will receive an email with a link to register and schedule the testing.



The samples will then be sent to a lab and run in 24 hours, with students receiving another email about their test results.



The test will be a self-administered nose swab.

12:44 p.m.: Florida becomes state with 2nd highest number of cases

The Florida Department of Health reported an additional 12,199 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 414,511.

The state now has the second-most confirmed cases, behind California and surpassing New York, which was at one point the state with the highest number of cases.

Deaths and hospitalizations also increased. Florida has recorded 5,894 total deaths, with an increase of 126, and 23,730 hospitalizations, with an increase of 505.

There are 9,002 active hospitalizations.

Miami-Dade has been the hardest-hit county, with 3,396 new cases and a positivity rate of 19.7%.

Broward County trails behind with 619 new cases and a positivity rate of 13%.

12:35 p.m.: LabCorp receives authorization for pool testing

Commercial lab giant LabCorp received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, allowing it to test groups of individuals -- known as pool testing -- for COVID-19 infections.

"LabCorps unique matrixed pooled strategy for COVID-19 provides an efficient testing approach for populations by allowing for larger groups of samples to be tested at one time," the company said in a statement, adding that their methodology can "quickly provide quality test results for individuals within the group, without requiring retesting in the majority of cases."

Five people can be tested at once, according to the company.

If there is a positive sample in the pool, LabCorp said it can identify the individual positive sample in the pool using its robotic testing platform. Pooled testing can reduce the number of tests required in specific populations, optimize laboratory testing supplies, and increase testing capacity.

Pool testing can reduce the number of tests required in specific populations and can increase testing capacity. It can be used for populations at low risk of COVID-19, when testing demand exceeds laboratory capacity or when testing reagents are in short supply.

11:40 a.m.: Georgia Senate candidate experiencing symptoms after wife tests positive

The wife of Georgia Senate candidate, Jon Ossoff, has tested positive for COVID-19 and Ossoff is experiencing symptoms but has not yet been diagnosed, a statement from his campaign read.

Ossoff is awaiting his results.

He has not held any in-person campaign event in over a month and plans to self-isolate in quarantine until he and his wife get clearance from their doctor, according to the campaign statement.

Kramer is an OB/GYN physician at a local hospital.

"We will keep the public informed with updated information, but right now we are just praying for the familys health and full and speedy recovery," the campaign statement read.

11:13 a.m.: Stark rise in cases, deaths, hospitalizations continues in Florida

The Florida Department of Health reported an additional 12,199 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 414,511.

Deaths and hospitalizations also increased. Florida has recorded 5,894 total deaths, with an increase of 126, and 23,730 hospitalizations, with an increase of 505.

There are 9,002 active hospitalizations.

Miami-Dade has been the hardest-hit county, with 3,396 new cases and a positivity rate of 19.7%.

Broward County trails behind with 619 new cases and a positivity rate of 13%.

10:24 a.m.: NY sees another record low for hospitalizations

New York, once the epicenter of the pandemic, has recorded 646 hospitalizations as of Saturday -- the lowest number since March 18, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

There were also 149 intensive care unit patients, another record low since March 16, according to the governor.

"New York State's numbers continue to show progress in the midst of alarming increases in COVID-19 cases throughout the country and a renewed need to ensure compliance with state guidance here at home," Cuomo said.

Of the 71,466 test results reported to the state, 1.05% were positive.

The total number of confirmed cases in New York is 411,200 and there have been 25,103 deaths. The majority of deaths and an overwhelming number of cases have been in New York City.

8:40 a.m.: Brazil's Bolsonaro tests negative for COVID-19

Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro tested negative for COVID-19. He did a PCR test on Friday night according to the Presidential office and received the results today from BRASILIA Military hospital.

5:55 a.m.: Social media influencer arrested, apologizes for breaking Hawaii's mandated 14-day quarantine

A 20-year-old woman from Birmingham, Alabama, has been after violating Hawaii's mandated 14-day quarantine order.

Anne S. Salamanca arrived in Honolulu on July 6, and four days later, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) learned she was out in public breaking the States mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The HTA subsequently provided the attorney general with videos showing her dancing in a store and dining out with friends.

Hawaii Attorney General Clare E. Connors said, The fact Ms. Salamanca has so many followers makes her actions that much more dangerous and concerning. The spread of misinformation can have very severe consequences during an emergency situation like we are in now.

Salamanca was arrested in Waipahu and booked before relatives bailed her out of jail. She is the 24th person on Oahu arrested by the Dept. of the Attorney General for violating the travel self-quarantine order

3:01 a.m.: Hundreds of Texas bar owners pledge defiance to governor's order

Hundreds of Texas bar owners say they'll defy Governor Greg Abbott's mandate that ordered them closed after a surge in coronavirus cases.

Approximately 800 bar owners have promised to participate in an event organized by Fort Worth bar owner Chris Polone called the "Freedom Fest" where bar owners have pledged to open their doors in defiance of the governor's orders which could place their state liquor licenses in jeopardy.

Abbott had previously allowed bars to reopen with restrictions but ordered them to close again on June 26 after the state experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Bars must adhere to safety measures that include taking customers' temperatures before entering, maintaining social distancing, requiring face coverings and having hand sanitizer available.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is aware of the event and will be conducting inspections, said commission spokesman Chris Porter. Violators of the order could face a 30-day suspension of their liquor license.

1:14 a.m.: New Orleans closing bars, prohibiting takeout alcohol sales

Mayor Cantrell made the announcement at a press conference Friday afternoon, saying, Since we moved to Phase 2, the city has seen an unfavorable trend with the COVID-19 virus.

As of tomorrow 6 a.m., all bars and restaurants in the city of New Orleans will be prohibited from selling takeout alcohol beverages. So what this essentially will mean is bars will be closed throughout Orleans Parish, Mayor Cantrell said.

The closure of bars & restricting social gatherings are both recommendations made by the @WhiteHouse #Coronavirus Task Force due to Louisianas surging numbers. Dr. Avegno: We agree that restricting activities that are clearly tied to the spread of the virus is common sense.

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Kabul: A joint operation conducted by National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have neutralized 31 terrorists that include 13 Pakistani terrorists belonging to Jaish e Mohammad (JeM). There is a report that one JeM terrorist has been captured alive.

Sources from security agencies reveal that Pakistan notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is orchestrating another terror attack in Afghanistan and India.

Pakistan's ISI is engaged in providing arms and training to various terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

The operation is still underway in Mirza Khel in Khogyani district of Afghanistan since July 24. In which a total of 31 terrorists have been killed that includes 18 Afghan Taliban and 13 Pakistan terrorists belonging mostly to JeM, said sources.

The developments highlight Pakistan's complicity in aiding Taliban to create unrest in Afghanistan.

This came after the Afghan Security Forces (ASF) destroyed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) camp at the Afghanistan Pakistan border and killed two LeT cadres. The operation that took place on June 29 lasted for two hours in which Abu Bakar, LeT commander from Khyber Agency in Pakistan, was killed and his body was left on the Afghan side.

Afghan forces carried out an operation on a report that LeT had established camps in Wargah and Tordarah on the border and were launching attacks on Afghan forces from there.

Members of Taliban were also present during the operation and it is believed by sources, the causalities on LeT and Taliban side is much higher as the dead and injured were taken by those who were fleeing back to Pakistan in vehicles.

The development comes even as Pentagon in its report on Afghanistan said the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region remains a sanctuary for various terror groups. These groups include al-Qaeda Core (AQ), al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K).

The report also highlighted the "close ties" al-Qaeda's regional affiliate -- AQIS has maintained with Taliban.

Earlier in June, a United Nations (UN) report said that about 6,500 Pakistanis as foreign terrorist fighters are present in Afghanistan that included 1,000 from Pakistan-based terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Most of the JeM and LeT fighters are co-located with Taliban fighters and are hand in glove with them, the report said.

Analysis believes Islamabad has been arming and sheltering Taliban to gain influence in Afghanistan and aiding and abetting terrorism in the region.
TRENTON  Police accountability must just be a talking point for Mayor Reed Gusciora.

But does he really mean it?

Gusciora refused to say how he felt about body-camera footage that showed Trenton cop Derek Simpson purposely trying to hide a flask that he found inside councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilsons vehicle Feb. 2.

I dont have an opinion, he said. I wasnt there. Its under investigation.

Gusciora talked a mean game this year about supporting police reform in the wake of George Floyds death.

He favored AG Gurbir Grewals push to make public the names of officers throughout New Jersey who were disciplined for serious infractions. And he even suggested Trenton might model its approach after Paterson.

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh pledged to make public by July 15 the names of current and past police officers who have been fired, suspended or demoted for more than five days because of misconduct.

Those efforts have been stymied as several powerful police unions are litigating the AGs directives before the Appellate Court, which scheduled arguments for September.

When it came down to weighing in on what appeared to be a clear-cut example of officer misconduct, Gusciora resorted to an elementary game of duck, duck, goose.

Im not making a comment while the matter is being investigated, he said. I have a lot of pressing things, business of the city, that Im working on today. I dont have time for it.

The mayors spokesman later sent The Trentonian a statement saying: We expect all officers to follow standard investigatory protocol whenever there is a crash with serious bodily injuries, regardless of the profession, race, or background of the individuals involved. In particular, suspected alcohol use should always be thoroughly investigated.
KITCHENER  Mark LaForme of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation is pleased that local residents are interested in the archeological dig unearthing Indigenous artifacts on Fischer-Hallman Road in south Kitchener.

But he also hopes that interest sparks a desire to find out more about the people who first called this land home.

Personally, I think thats wonderful. I welcome that, but at the same time I would welcome them to learn the history of the land, LaForme said. These artifacts are there because we were here a long, long time ago.

LaForme is director of the bands department of consultation and accommodation, created to address the federal and provincial governments duty to consult Aboriginal communities about proposed land development when their treaty and traditional lands are affected.

Representatives of three First Nations  the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Six Nations of the Grand River, and the Haudenosaunee Development Institute  are at the Fischer-Hallman site to share their knowledge and expertise with the archeologists doing the excavation.

Its our heritage. Its very important to us, said LaForme, who encourages Waterloo Region residents to learn more about Indigenous history and treaties.

His ancestors, whose original homelands were at the mouth of the Credit River, signed eight pre-Confederation treaties with the British government covering four million acres of southern Ontario.

The Fischer-Hallman site is on the lands that are addressed in the Between the Lakes Treaty signed in 1792 to grant some lands to members of the Six Nations who lost their homes fighting on behalf of the British in the American Revolutionary War.

Rights to the land were not given up in the treaty, but rather it was an agreement to share with Six Nations, LaForme said. It is still our treaty lands.

Thats why they want to make sure any cultural heritage found on that land is dealt with in a respectful way.

We want to ensure when the archeology is being done, its being done in a manner we are certain is proper, LaForme said.

Typically at a site, he said the digging is done by students supervised by a professional, and having a First Nations representative there helps students to learn early that Indigenous cultural heritage is important.

The field representative will oversee the archeological work, such as ensuring all artifacts are properly identified in soil being screened.

Already about 1,000 artifacts have been found at the site, first documented during a survey in fall 2018 as part of the preliminary work on a regional road reconstruction project.

LaForme said the finds bring all kinds of excitement but the discoveries are also bittersweet, because the artifacts are kept by the archeological firm in charge of the excavation. He said it doesnt become an archeological site until its found, and then it is desecrated.

Thats our cultural heritage thats being taken away from us, LaForme said.

When a development is going ahead, the least that can be done is to have someone representing the affected First Nations on-site to ensure its done with respect, he said. Only in the past decade did those consultations begin in Ontario, but the growing acknowledgement First Nations communities need to be involved heartens LaForme.

We have a long way to go yet, but its a start. Its a step in the right direction.

His department has grown substantially since being established in 2015. Last year, 48 people were out in the field but thats down this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Currently, people are out at about 30 development sites on treaty land.

Were busy, LaForme said. The municipalities are learning about us and theyre starting to engage with us.

He said theyre not opposed to development. Rather, they want to be involved where possible.

By working with us, we can help those projects along.
With India considering an invitation to Australia to join the next Malabar naval exercise, a top US diplomat has said that Canberra's participation in the drill along with the other three Quad members will be hugely beneficial to reinforcing behaviours that are going to be necessary for them to defend their mutual interests.

Deputy Secretary of State Steven Biegun made the comments in front of the members of the Senate Foreign Relations during a hearing on US policy regarding China. India is considering inviting Australia to the next edition of the annual naval exercise. Sources familiar with the development in India said that New Delhi was favourably considering Australia's interest to be part of the Malabar exercise and a formal decision is likely to be taken in the next couple of weeks.

The indication of India's willingness to include Australia in the Malabar exercise comes in the midst of a bitter standoff with China in eastern Ladakh. "India just recently invited Australia to participate in the Malabar exercises, which is now going to allow all four members of the quad to participate in a military exercise together that will be hugely beneficial to reinforcing the behaviours that are going to be necessary for us to defend our mutual interests," Mr Biegun said.

Quad or quadrilateral coalition represents four countries - India, Japan, Australia and the US. So far, India, Japan and the US have been taking part in the annual naval exercise that started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between the Indian and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean. Japan became a permanent member of the exercise in 2015. The Quad was set up with an aim to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and check China's increasing efforts to expand military influence in the region.

Mr Biegun said that the US has launched a robust cooperation in the Indo-Pacific quad. The US is collaborating very closely with countries in the Indo-Pacific for regional approach and globally. "The United States is actively advancing a strategy to pursue our interests. Specifically, in relation to the Indo-Pacific, we're working very closely with our ASEAN partners," he said.

"Our policy successfully stands on four pillars. First is unity at home. Second is close partnership with our friends and allies around the world. Third is effective military deterrence. And fourth is a powerful economic alternative to China," he said. "We have to work on all four of those together, but the part about international cooperation will be fundamental. I actually think if we get all four of these right, we produce the best outcome with China as well. Because if China sees that that''s how the world is aligned against its efforts, it will have the best incentive to change its behaviour in a peaceful manner, as well," Mr Biegun said.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. China has impeded commercial activity like fishing or mineral exploration by countries like Vietnam and the Philippines.

In his testimony, he expressed concern over China's increasing military assertiveness, economic coercion and state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, including among others against India, Australia, Canada, the UK, ASEAN members, the European Union, and several other European countries.

"As part of a comprehensive approach, we are engaged with allies and partners in the G7, the G20, and NATO to highlight the threat that the PRC (People's Republic of China) poses, not just to the United States'' interests but also the interests of our allies and partners," he said.

"We are broadening partnerships across the transatlantic community, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. Across the Indo-Pacific region, the United States is deepening relationships with the countries that share our values and interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific," Mr Biegun said.

"Last September, we held a ministerial-level meeting of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, marking a new milestone in our diplomatic engagement in a new Asian quad in the region." "We are enhancing our alliances with Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand, which have helped sustain peace and security for generations, and we are furthering our cooperation with ASEAN, an organisation central to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the senior US diplomat said.

Also read: India, China agree on 'early, complete' disengagement from eastern Ladakh
A friend of Amber Heard has claimed she was concerned that Johnny Depp might accidentally kill the actress.

Raquel Pennington alleged she felt an obligation to stay close to Ms Heard for her (Ms Heards) safety.

In a written witness statement submitted in the Hollywood actors libel trial against The Sun newspaper, Ms Pennington said: Many times over the course of their relationship, Amber has confided in me about Johnny abusing her, both physically and verbally.

Of course, there were also periods of joy and positivity during the course of their relationship.

Ms Pennington claimed that the first time she was really scared for Ambers life was the Australia incident.

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Ms Heard, 34, has claimed Mr Depp subjected her to a three-day hostage situation in Australia in March 2015, alleging he was violent towards her.

Mr Depp, 57, denies the allegations.

In her statement, Ms Pennington said that after Amber recounted the alleged incident to her, she voiced my concerns to Amber that Johnny might accidentally kill her while he was intoxicated or delusional like he was in Australia.

The statement adds: But Amber continued to think she could help him and that things would get better, and I felt an obligation to stay close for her safety.

Ms Pennington gave her account of an alleged incident on May 21, 2016, at Mr Depp and Ms Heards LA penthouse.

Ms Heard has alleged that during a violent row, the Edward Scissorhands actor threw a mobile phone at her, which he denies.

Ms Pennington claimed that at 8.06pm that evening, Ms Heard sent her a text asking her to come to her apartment right away.

Ms Pennington was living with her then fiance, Josh Drew, in another of Mr Depps penthouses at that time.

In her statement, she claims that she found the couple 12 feet apart, and Ms Heard asked her to call for help, saying, he hit me with the phone, while Mr Depp was yelling obscenities, shouting shes a f****** liar. Get the f*** out of here. Oh, poor her. A little phone hit you. Poor f****** you. Oh, oh, so sorry.

She alleged that when Mr Depp started to walk towards Ms Heard, she stepped in front of him to shield her from him, with my hands up, lightly touching his chest, and said stop, please.

Ms Pennington claimed: To this he replied, get your f****** hands off me.

He knocked my hands out of the way. I said stop again and put my hands out again to stop him. Johnny yelled obscenities at me, directly into my face. He yelled at me to get the f*** out.

Ms Penningtons statement also says that later that evening, after the alleged incident, she went to two penthouses, including Ms Heard and Mr Depps, to check the damage and find Ms Heards purse and phone.

It says: I discovered broken belongings, including my beads that had been thrown against the wall.

Ambers belongings had been ransacked, framed photos had been smashed, and glass broken.

In the hallway there were puddles of spilled wine on the floor and splashed on the walls.

Ms Pennington claimed a first set of officers arrived, questioned Ms Heard in the couples apartment, and saw the damage as nothing had been cleared up.

The statement adds: Later on two more officers came to the apartment. We told them that a first set of officers had already come through and swept the scene, and that we still did not wish to file a report.
Health minister Robin Swann has asked his cross-border counterpart to consider new laws and data-sharing agreements to help track international travellers arriving on the island.

Mr Swann has written to Stephen Donnelly expressing concern about the "inability" of both jurisdictions to capture and share information about passengers transiting through one part of the island to the other.

In the letter, Mr Swann told Mr Donnelly that his officials were facing "serious impediments" in monitoring travellers who cross the border having landed in the Irish Republic from an at-risk country.

Such passengers are required to self-isolate in Northern Ireland for 14 days.

Mr Swann said the system was reliant on people filling in a passenger locator form within 48 hours of entering Northern Ireland. He said if they failed to fill in those forms, the authorities here had no way of tracing them.

"The logical solution is to ensure that all international travellers landing on the island of Ireland provide data which is accessible for compliance checks in our respective jurisdictions," Mr Swann wrote.

"I would welcome the opportunity to engage with you on this with a view to finding a rapid resolution, including the introduction of new legislation and data-sharing agreements as required.

"I believe this would be a significant achievement which would demonstrate our commitment to working together to effectively address common challenges."

On Thursday, the Executive agreed to write to the UK and Irish governments requesting that a meeting of the British Irish Council is convened to discussing travel issues presented by Covid-19. The council includes the two governments and representatives from all the devolved regions in the UK.

There are some significant differences in policy adopted on both sides of the border. The Irish Republic's green list of countries deemed safe for travel only extends to 15 nations while a similar list issued by Stormont includes almost 60 destinations.

Ireland's Department of Health said consideration was being given to further enhancing north/south cooperation on overseas travellers, including adding information sharing.

"Minister Donnelly and minister Swann and their public health experts and officials are in close ongoing contact on a broad range of Covid-related issues," a spokesperon said.

"Contact tracing continues on an all-island basis, and information shared North and South, as it has been from the beginning of this public health emergency."
By Express News Service

KOCHI: The Kochi airport is scheduled to receive nine repatriation flights on Saturday, including Air India operations from Frankfurt in Germany and San Fransisco in the USA. The evacuation flights scheduled for Saturday include an IndiGo flight from Muscat, Air India Express from Dubai, FlyDubai from Dubai, Air India Express from Abu Dhabi, Indigo from Kuwait, Air India Express from Muscat and Air Arabia from Sharjah. The airport received eight flights on Friday. Departure operations to international destinations started gaining momentum as Emirates operated two services to Dubai.
Spending school vacations helping out on his grandparents tiny farm in a remote part of India didnt exactly inspire a love for farming in Ranveer Chandra.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 25/7/2020 (543 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Spending school vacations helping out on his grandparents tiny farm in a remote part of India didnt exactly inspire a love for farming in Ranveer Chandra.

But these days, the lead scientist with Microsofts FarmBeats division sees agriculture through a different lens as he puts some muscle behind data-driven agriculture.

"Even though I did not like it at the time, in hindsight, those few months every year did expose me to the most primitive forms of agriculture that are being used in those parts of the world and that has been the thread of my research at Microsoft," said Chandra, who obtained his PhD in computer science at Cornell University.

Chandra was the opening speaker at Ag in Motion Discovery Plus, a virtual version of the annual farm show hosted this week by Glacier FarmMedia.

Normally the show would have taken place at its site northwest of Saskatchewan, where it draws 30,000 visitors from across the northern Great Plains over three days.

Hosting visitors in person this year became impossible owing to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings, so the events team took the show to farmers via the internet.

It was only fitting to feature a speaker focused on what many see as a new era for agriculture, one in which farmers will be able to fine-tune their management acre by acre, rather than crop by crop or field by field.

Chandra sees potential for farmers in all parts of the world to harness the power of data to support decisions that improve their bottom line but also to protect the environment.

As farmers begin to use sensors, drones, satellite imagery and mapping tools, they are able to monitor changing conditions in real time. This increases both the capacity and the precision with which they can apply fertilizer and crop-protection products, placing more inputs where they will do the most good and sparing the cost if the returns arent there.

But even though these tools are widely used in other industries, agriculture has been slow on the uptake. Chandra said cost and rural connectivity issues are the key factors that prevent farmers from putting these new technologies to work.

"Even the slightest drop in price will help with adoption. For widescale adoption, I think the price needs to come down by 10 times," he said.

Microsoft researchers have looked for ways to co-ordinate data collected from site-specific sensors with lower-cost data collected by drones and satellites to stitch together maps of farm fields. While lacking the precision that would come from locating a soil sensor every 10 metres or so, which is cost-prohibitive, the stitched-together data is vastly more accurate than what currently exists.

In poorer parts of the world where drones are still too expensive, they are using cellphone cameras attached to helium balloons to collect information that can help farmers. In a real-world example, farmers living on a flood plain who are restricted from marketing crops touched by floodwaters can now identify which parts of their fields can be salvaged and areas where the crop must be destroyed.

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Another approach that might apply to Western Canada is using TV white space frequencies  those empty channels on your television  to expand the range of Wi-Fi on a farm so data can be transmitted from the field to the farmhouse computer.

The white space frequency technology expands the Wi-Fi range in the order of miles outside of the farms central router, rather than feet. That increases the ability to transmit data from in-field sensors or aerial imagery to support decisions affecting how crops are managed, or for monitoring livestock or weather conditions.

"This, along with satellite and other technology, can help address some of the connectivity issues in rural Canada," he said.

Chandra believes we are nearing a tipping point to widespread adoption of increased data-driven decision-making among farmers in industrialized countries.

But there is much work yet to be done in countries where farmers still farm like his grandparents, which is still how about 70 per cent of the worlds food is produced.

Laura Rance is vice-president of content for Glacier FarmMedia. She can be reached at lrance@farmmedia.com
Houston Chinese Consulate Likely Burned Secret Reports on Spy Operations: Former Chinese Diplomat

The Chinese consulate in Houston that was recently forced to close likely burned secret documents detailing spy operations and instructions from the Chinese regimes leadership, according to a former Chinese diplomat.

This week, the Trump administration in an unprecedented move ordered the Chinese consulate in Houston to shut its doors, accusing it of being a hub of spying and intellectual property theft.

Local firefighters on Tuesday night responded to public complaints of a fire burning at the Chinese consulate, although they werent allowed access to the facility. It appears to be open burning in a container within the courtyard of the Chinese consulate facility, Houston fire chief Samuel Samuel Pena told local outlet KTRK at the time.

Chen Yonglin, a former senior diplomat at the Chinese consulate in Sydney, Australia, who defected in 2005, told The Epoch Times the staff was likely burning files on a range of sensitive issues from espionage operations to directives from the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) central organs.

He said they would have been destroying documents classified as secret or confidential. This would include reports from spies within the Chinese community; intelligence reports on overseas bodies critical of Beijing, including persecuted spiritual group Falun Gong; and internal policy documents from central authorities.

These are the kinds of documents that the CCP would really not be willing to have released, Chen said.

The Chinese regime has a higher classification of top secret, he noted, but the circulation of those documents is restricted to top CCP leaders. Those documents were thus unlikely to be housed at the consulate, Chen said.

When Chen defected more than a decade ago, he revealed that the regime had 1,000 spies in Australia. He said that Chinese consulates and embassies are mandated to influence local officials and elites. They also mobilize overseas Chinese students and members of the Chinese community to advance the CCPs agenda.

Chen agreed with Senator Marco Rubios (R-Fla.) characterization of the Houston consulate as a central node of the Communist Partys vast network of spies and influence operations in the United States following news of the U.S. order.

The consulate was of high strategic importance to Beijing, Chen said, because of the high-tech sectors that are based in the Houston region, including the aeronautical, biomedical, and petroleum industries. Describing the CCP as a parasite, Chen said the Party relies on stealing American technology in these advanced fields to fuel its technological and economic growth.

FBI Director Christopher Wray recently said the agency has more than 2,000 investigations across the country linking to China. He described the CCPs state-sanctioned theft of U.S. technology and trade secrets as being on a scale so massive that it represents one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history.

In a briefing on Friday, a senior State Department official said the Houston consulate has been involved in attempts to steal U.S. research into COVID-19 vaccines.

A Justice Department official said that while its accepted that all diplomatic missions conduct some level of espionage activity, the operations run out of the Chinese consulate in Houston went well over the line of what were willing to accept.

According to the New York Times, David R. Stilwell, the State Departments head for East Asia and the Pacific, said the Houston consulate has a history of engaging in subversive behavior, and was the epicenter of the Chinese militarys efforts to steal American research.

Citing a law enforcement document, the New York Times reported that FBI investigations implicated the Houston consulate in attempts to steal medical research and other sensitive information from institutions in the area; endeavors to pursue more than 50 researchers and academics to join Chinese recruitment programs designed to facilitate the transfer of sensitive research to Chinese institutions; and coercion of Chinese nationals in the United States who are wanted by the regime.

Stilwell also said the Houston consul general and two other diplomats were recently caught using false IDs to escort Chinese travelers to a charter flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, the New York Times reported.
Ecuador's foreign minister has informed China and other countries fishing in the Pacific about Quito's determination to defend its marine rights in the exclusive zone around Galapagos Islands and the mainland

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th July, 2020) Ecuador's foreign minister has informed China and other countries fishing in the Pacific about Quito's determination to defend its marine rights in the exclusive zone around Galapagos Islands and the mainland.

"Ecuador will make [fishing vessels] respect its rights regardless of flags," Luis Gallegos said at an online meeting between the foreign ministers of Latin American countries and China, as quoted by his ministry.

The ministry specified that the top diplomat had meant the country's exclusive economic zone in the Pacific Ocean, which is home to many unique species of fish and animals that are threatened by illegal and unregulated fishing.

According to the diplomat, the Foreign Ministry has notified China and other countries whose vessels are operating in this part of the Pacific Ocean about the ban on entering the exclusive zone around the Galapagos Islands and the country's mainland.

In 2017, Ecuador seized a Chinese vessel that carried about 300 tonnes of frozen fish, including hammerhead sharks, which are considered to be endangered animals. The crew was sentenced to a $6 million fine and jail terms from one to four years.
Police investigate the scene of a shooting in Chicago, Ill., on July 4, 2020. (Carly Behm/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

DOJ Announces First Federal Arrests in Chicago Under Operation Legend

Three people were federally charged last week with offenses related to illegally possessing guns or ammunition in Chicagothe first arrests made in the city in connection with the Justice Departments (DOJ) Operation Legend, officials said.

The arrests followed the Trump administrations announcement on July 22 the expansion of the departments program aimed to reduce violent crimes in Chicago and other cities around the nation. The operation, named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while sleeping in his home, was started in Kansas City, Missouri, as part of Trumps promise to assist cities that have have been hit by a recent string of violence.

Romeo Holloway, 21, was arrested on July 21 by federal and local law enforcement officers for allegedly possessing a loaded handgun containing 10 rounds of ammunition, including a bullet in the chamber, according to a criminal complaint. He was charged with one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

A few hours later, on July 22, federal and local law enforcement officers arrested Darryl Phillips, 22, for allegedly possessing a machine gun while they were executing a court-authorized search warrant. During the search, authorities discovered a semiautomatic handgun in a bedroom on the property.

Upon review, an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) special agent determined that the firearm was equipped with a device that transforms a semi-automatic gun into one that can automatically fire more than one shot without manually reloading, the criminal complaint stated.

Chicago police arrested Darryl Collins, 30, on July 22 for allegedly possessing ammunition, which was found in a loaded handgun; he was charged with one count of illegal possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

Both Collins and Holloway were previously convicted of criminal offenses and arent lawfully allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition, prosecutors say.

Operation Legend has strengthened our efforts to apprehend and charge illegal gun offenders in Chicago, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John R. Lausch Jr. said in a statement.

Under Operation Legend, we are working closer than ever with the Chicago Police Department, ATF, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to arrest and prosecute individuals engaging in violent crime in the city.

If convicted, the men face up to 10 years in federal prison.

The DOJ said on July 22 that more than 100 officers from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and ATF will be directed to augment existing joint federal, state, and local task forces investigating Chicagos violent gangs, gun crime, and drug trafficking operations. Meanwhile, the U.S. Marshal Service and the Department of Homeland Security have also committed to sending about 100 agents each to support the operation.

Chicago is currently facing a significant increase in violent crime, with at least 414 homicides this yearwhich is about a 50 percent increase compared to the same time last year, Trump said. Over the weekend of July 17, more than 60 people were shot in Chicago, where 14 were killed.

This rampage of violence shocks the conscience of our nation and we will not stand by and watch it happen, Trump said. No mother should ever have to cradle her dead child in her arms simply because politicians refuse to do what is necessary to secure their neighborhood and to secure their city.

The DOJ is also sending federal law enforcement agents to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and plans to further expand Operation Legend into Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee.
However, the hospital authorities have denied the allegation saying that she did not approach them to admit her husband to the hospital.

Bhopal: Death of a patient in a government hospital in Guna in Madhya Pradesh has sparked a controversy with his widow alleging that he died for want of medical treatment.

However, the hospital authorities have denied the allegation saying that she did not approach them to admit her husband to the hospital.

Guna district collector Kumar Purushottam on Friday ordered a magisterial probe into the matter.

I got a report from the hospital authorities on the incident. The hospital authorities claimed that she did not take initiative to get her husband admitted to the hospital. But, the hospital authorities should have shown sensitivity in such a case. I have ordered a magisterial probe into it. Action will be taken against those found responsible for the incident, the district collector said.

The woman, Arti Rajak Dhakad, told the media that she had approached the counter of the hospital to get the registration slip to admit her sick husband , Sunil Dhakad(30), to the hospital on Wednesday evening.

However, she was not given the registration slip.

She tried in vain to get her husband admitted to the hospital the whole night of Wednesday, leading to his death on Thursday morning.

The district collector however said the registration slip system to get admission by patient to the hospital has been suspended since last two months.

Purushottam however said the woman was seen in the hospital on Thursday morning.

The report submitted to the district collector by the hospital authorities said the patient was not seen in the hospital the woman never tried to get him admitted to the hospital.

The patient was not brought inside the hospital, civil surgeon of the hospital SK Srivastav told this newspaper.

It was not clear yet as to why the patient was not admitted to the hospital since it has now been established that the woman was seen in the hospital on Thursday morning.

The hospital authorities have later made arrangements to send the body along with the woman and her four-year-old son to their village in Ashok Nagar in Madhya Pradesh.

The couple was married four years ago without consents from their respective families. Hence, their respective families maintained distance from them.
<! Lota Chukwu >

Nigerian actress Lota Chukwu is urging her followers to not forget to live in the present while focusing on the future.

The actor who gained popularity after starring in popular Nigerian TV series, Jenifas Diary alongside Funke Akindele, Juliana Olayode, said shes learning to be excited about things again.

Check her write up here.

Everyone tells you the danger of holding on to the past and not enjoying the present. What they dont tell you is the tragedy of living your life solely for the future, so much so, you never bask in the present.  Lota Chukwu Elixir (@TheLotaChukwu) July 24, 2020

I want to learn to be excited about things again. I actually miss it.  Lota Chukwu Elixir (@TheLotaChukwu) July 24, 2020

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US Takes Over Chinese Consulate in Houston, Officials Say Closure of Facility Not Random

U.S. federal agents and local law enforcement entered and took over the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, on Friday, following a deadline issued by the Trump administration to close the facility.

The eviction comes as U.S. government officials told reporters that the decision to order the closure of the Houston diplomatic facility was not random.

The U.S. State Department had on July 22 ordered the consulate to close giving a deadline of 4 p.m. on Friday. Around 4:40 p.m., a man believed to be a State Department official entered the consulate with a number of others after a small back door was forced open, reported the Houston Chronicle.

A sign directs visitors outside the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, Texas, on July 22, 2020. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

Ahead of the eviction deadline, Houston police had set up barricades to close off streets near the building, the Chronicle reported.

Consular officials departed the facility in vans bearing diplomatic plates just prior to 4 p.m., reported The Associated Press. By that time, federal agents could be seen checking the locked doors of the consulate, and a locksmith was seen working to crack the lock on one of the doors.

A group of some 100 protesters against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had gathered across the street around the time of eviction, Reuters reported.

The closure order for the consulate was to protect American intellectual property and Americans private information, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said on July 22. Senate Intelligence Committee acting Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called the facility a massive spy center for the CCP, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused it of being a hub of spying and intellectual property theft.

Early on Friday, Beijing ordered the U.S. consulate in Chengdu in Chinas southwestern province of Sichuan, to shut down, in an apparent retaliation.

National Security Concerns, Houston Facility Not Random

A senior Justice Department (DOJ) official told reporters in a teleconference on Friday that the Chinese consulate in Houston was implicated in an investigation of grant fraud at a Texas research institution, and that the decision by the United States to target that particular consulate was not a random selection.

Consulate officials  were directly involved in communications with researchers and guided them on what information to collect, the DOJ official said, adding that the Houston consulate was among those that promoted talent plan memberships, which can create incentives to steal intellectual property.

The Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, on July 23, 2020. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

The United States has alleged that the Houston Chinese consulate harbored Chinese spies who tried to steal data from facilities in Texas, including the Texas A&M medical system and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

The DOJ official said that the closure of one consulate as opposed to every facility is intended to send a message to the remaining [Chinese] officials that theyve got to knock it off.

The espionage and influence activities run out of a consulate can rise ultimately to a level that threatens our national security, the DOJ official said, later adding that there has been an increase in malign activity, intelligence activity over time, and at some point you say enough is enough, and then you decide who is one of the worse offenders, noting that it is certainly not random that we picked Houston.

A senior intelligence official said that theft of intellectual property and technology were prime concerns.

We see this kind of behavior across the board. Houston in particular, though, their [science and technology] collectors were particularly aggressive and particularly successful. I think that is the reason why we tended towards Houston as well, the intelligence official told reporters.

The DOJ had on Thursday announced charges against four Chinese researchers for hiding their ties to the Chinese military. One of the researchers, Tang Juan, who was working at the University of California, Davis, was taken into custody on Friday.

The senior DOJ official said that the charges represent a microcosm of a broader network of individuals in more than 25 cities.

That network is supported through the consulates here. Consulates have been giving individuals in that network guidance on how to evade and obstruct our investigation, the official said.

Tang had fled to and taken refuge in the Chinese consulate in San Francisco after being questioned on June 20 by FBI agents, prior to being arrested.

The DOJ announced on July 21 that two Chinese hackers were indicted for having stolen millions of dollars worth of trade secrets and other sensitive information from businesses and government agencies, and attempting to steal COVID-19 research.

Roughly 80 percent of all economic espionage prosecutions brought by the DOJ allege criminal conduct intended to benefit the CCP. China is involved in some way in about 60 percent of all trade secret theft cases, according to the DOJ.

Ivan Pentchoukov, Frank Fang, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iran lodges protest with ICAO over US aggression on passenger plane

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 24, IRNA -- Iran lodged protest with International Civil Aviation Organization over the US aggression on Iranian passenger plane, calling for urgent action, Iran's Civil Aviation Organization said on Friday.

Iran Civil Aviation Organization said in the wake of US jet fighters' aggression against Mahan Air flight 1152 which happened in international corridors in Syrian sky, some of the passengers were injured due to the pilot's reaction to prevent accident.

After being certain about the plane's safety, decisions have been made with regard to returning passengers to Tehran from Beirut.

Based on Annex 13 to Chicago Convention, the US military jets breached the international convention concerning civil aviation.

Iran Civil Aviation Organization called on the Syrian Government to hold inquiry into the US aggression promptly and precisely.

Iranian technical team has also started probe into the incident since plane's arrival at Imam Khomeini International Air Port.

Iran Civil Aviation Organization terms US aggression against Iranian passenger plane as example of clear violation of International Law concerning civil aviation.

Mahan Air passenger plane was on route to Beirut, Lebanon when it was threatened by two military jets.

The pilot of the Iranian plane says when he was talking to the pilots of the fighter jets to ask them to keep distance they had said that they were American.

Although the Iranian plane finally landed in Beirut Airport, some of its passengers were immediately taken to hospital.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that investigations are underway about an incident on Thursday night in which two American jets threatened an Iranian passenger plane in the Syrian air.

Mousavi said that Iran's Permanent ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-e Ravanchi has talked with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stressing that in case any incident that may occur to the Iranian plane on its way back home, the United States of America would be held responsible.

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- The late Ken Okoth served as Kibra MP from 2013 to July 26, 2019, when he succumbed to cancer

- As an MP, he proved beyond doubt he was passionate about education especially in slum areas having been born and raised in Kibra informal settlement

- His brother Imran was later elected Kibra MP on November 8, 2019, in a hotly contested by-election

The family of the late Kibra MP Ken Okoth has held a memorial service to remember and celebrate his life one year after his death.

The service that was attended by close family friends and relatives was held at Our Lady of Guadeloupe Church in Kibra.

READ ALSO: Chania Boys principal collapses in office, dies in hospital

Family and friends of the late Kibra MP Ken Okoth at Our Lady of Guadeloupe Church in Kibra on Friday, July 24. Photo: Edwin Sifuna.

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: I don't regret quitting Tanga Tanga, I'll fight for Uhuru to the end - Cate Waruguru

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) where the late Okoth was a member shared photos of the one-year anniversary service.

"ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna today joined family, friends and relatives of the late Hon. Ken Okoth, for the memorial service to remember the departed legislator who until his death a year ago was MP for Kibra. The memorial service was held at the Our Lady of Guadaloupe Catholic Church in Kibra,"the Orange Party tweeted.

Kirinyaga woman rep Purity Ngirici said Kenya would forever preserve the late MP's legacy in uplifting the lives of Kibra residents.

"I join Kenyans in celebrating the first anniversary of the late Ken Okoth. This nation will always preserve his great legacy and if theres a mantra mheshimiwa left behind is that theres honour in serving Wanjiku," she said.

Okoth lost the battle to colorectal cancer on July 26, 2019.

The ODM politician revealed in March 2019 he had been diagnosed with cancer and flew to seek specialised treatment in France where he stayed for five months.

He returned home in July 2019 and was spotted for the first time at a public education function in his Kibra constituency.

The late Ken Okoth served as Kibra MP from 2013 until his death on July 26, 2019. Photo: Ken Okoth.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Njia bora za kukabiliana na kuenea kwa upara hasa katika wanaume

As an MP, Okoth proved beyond doubt he was passionate about education especially in slum areas having been born and raised in Kibra informal settlement.

His body was cremated at Nairobi's Kariokor crematorium on August 3, 2019, in a private event attended by family members and a few close allies.

Okoth's brother Imran was later elected Kibra MP on November 8, 2019, in a hotly contested by-election.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

I stopped Miguna from strangling Uhuru - Moses Kuria - Part One | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Two couples had their eyes on the sky while getting engaged, capturing a rare comet the moment the question was popped.

The Neowise comet is a rare comet that only comes around every 6,800 years, according to NASA, and would only be seen in the sky until July 23.

To make their proposals to their girlfriends even more special, two different menwith the same ideadecided to use the comet as a backdrop.

Heres how the proposals came together.

A last-minute masterpiece

For John Nicotera, the cosmic event ended up being a plan B. His original plans to propose to his girlfriend, Erica Pendrak, 26, in Oregon, fell through due to the pandemic.

(Courtesy of @tleach18)

Ive been very bummed because I was going to do it a Crater Lake and it was going to awesome, he told CNN.

Nicotera, who is a self-proclaimed space junkie, had been following the comet, and after blanking on how to make up for his planned proposal, it clicked.

This could be our engagement, he said he thought to himself. This is not going to happen in our lifetime or five generations lifetimes.

Nicotera decided to take Pendrak up to Old Forge, New York, near his familys camp to see the comet. He had been in touch with his friend Tim Leach, who was an avid photographer and lived in the area, to get a feel for the best spot.

On the way, he realized he forgot binoculars. He called Leach hoping he had a pair he could borrow, but he unfortunately did not. The two then decided to meet up with their girlfriends together so they could see the comet through Leachs camera.

(Courtesy of @tleach18)

Nicotera then spilled the beans to Leach about proposing, and the two came up with a last-minute plan. They didnt even finalize it until right before Nicotera proposed.

The couples were taking pictures with the comet when Nicotera knew it was his moment. He walked over to Leach and told him in the next picture he was doing it.

Every single star was out  it was too special to let it go, he said.

He got down on one knee and asked Pendrak to marry him. The funny part was he had to tell her not to move for seven seconds to get the shot. After they celebrated, they staged another photo to make sure the euphoric moment was captured.

Tim froze time for us so we could live this moment forever, Nicotera said. Ive never seen anything so beautiful.

The perfect setup

Brian Thompsons proposal to Hanna Allen, 28, also included a stunning picture-perfect shot of the Neowise.

Brian is very much into photography  and love, loves taking pictures of stars and astrology, Allen told CNN.

Brian Thompson decided to give Hanna Allen a proposal that was out of this world. (Courtesy of Brian Thompson)

He had been tracking the comet, and she said she had not seen it yet, so he decided to take her out to the farm where they live in Bahama, North Carolina, so they could take a picture with the cosmic wonder.

He had the light shining on me so he could get us in the picture, so I couldnt see anything, she said. So then he just pops up out of nowhere and is down on one knee asking me to marry him.

She said she had no idea that he was going to propose and was so excited she didnt even care about the humidity or the fact that she was wearing sweatpants.

He told me he proposed to a one-in-a million under a comet we only see every 6,800 years, Allen said.

All of his friends are mad at him because he set the standard because who else would propose under a comet, she joked.

CNN Wire contributed to this report.
As we all know, Apple is one of the most successful companies of all time. Since its initial public offering in 1980, its shares have gone on to appreciate almost 1,000 times over -- and that's not even including dividends, which Apple has been paying since 2012.

While Apple has already grown to extreme heights with a market capitalization of nearly $1.7 trillion, investors may be wondering what company may become the "next" Apple, if there even is such a thing.

One candidate could be brewing over in China. This upstart smartphone maker has just a $50 billion market capitalization, or 1/34th the size of Apple. Yet its business looks remarkably similar to Apple's, and recent results show it's having success, even in difficult times like these.

Xiaomi is shaking up smartphone sales in emerging markets

Chinese smartphone-maker Xiaomi (OTC:XIACY) was founded in 2010 and went public in 2018. Though technology stocks have done quite well since that time, Xiaomi's stock still sits a bit below its IPO price today, despite a recent rebound. The company's market cap, around $49 billion, is also far below the $100 billion value it initially attempted to get in its IPO.

Yet peering under the hood, Xiaomi's business has actually been performing quite well during that time, and its business model looks remarkably similar to Apple's, albeit with some slight differences.

How Xiaomi is like Apple

Like Apple, Xiaomi aims to delight its smartphone customers with a first-class experience, leading to evangelism and loyal users across the globe. Like Apple, Xiaomi has also expanded its brand and attached it to a wide variety of other electronic devices under its internet-of-things (IoT) appliance segment. As Apple rolled out ancillary devices like the iPod, the iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Homepod, and earbuds, Xiaomi has been even more aggressive, attaching its name to home appliances, smart TVs, smart watches, robot vacuum cleaners, internet routers, streaming TV "Mi" boxes, earbuds, electric scooters, and more.

Also like Apple -- and most importantly for Xiaomi's financials -- Xiaomi has grown its suite of high-margin internet services for its users. This division includes advertising revenue, online games, its Youpin e-commerce platform, fintech services, and video subscription services delivered through Xiaomi's smart-TVs and "mi box" streaming platforms.

How Xiaomi isn't like Apple

While Xiaomi has a very similar business model to Apple, it's also slightly different in a couple of ways. First and most important, while Apple is a premium smartphone vendor, Xiaomi began its journey as a low-priced vendor. In fact, the company's founder has vowed to cap the company's hardware net margins at 5%.

While that may not be music to shareholders' ears, it could actually be a very smart strategy. That's because a high volume of users will increase Xiaomi's services, which have a very high gross margin, usually in the 60% range, though last quarter, it fell slightly below that due to a lower advertising mix amid COVID-19. That's compared with the company's smartphone gross margin of 8.1% and IoT appliances gross margins of 13.4%.

In a positive sign, services have greatly increased its mix in Xiaomi's overall revenues, growing from just 4.9% of sales in 2015 to an all-time high of 11.9% of sales last quarter.

Apple Q1 2020 Percentage of Revenue Gross Margin Products 77.1% 31.3% Services 22.9% 65.4%

Xiaomi Q1 2020 Percentage of Revenue Gross Margin Smartphones 61% 8.1% IoT products 26.1% 13.4% Internet services 11.9% 57.1%

Unlike Apple, Xiaomi doesn't have a proprietary operating system as Apple does in iOS. Though Xiaomi touts its MIUI operating system as unique, it's an adapted form of the ubiquitous Android operating system.

Positive recent results

Despite Xiaomi being less profitable than Apple, it's growing faster and expanding its overall margins, even in the pandemic-fueled first quarter. Xiaomi grew revenue 13.6% last quarter, and gross profits surged 44.9%, as gross margins increased from 11.9% a year ago to 15.2% as internet services grew 38.6%, outpacing the hardware segments.

While China shipments fell as it was the first place where COVID-19 cases broke out, Xiaomi continued to grow impressively overseas, retaining the top market share in India and increasing shipments 79.3% in Western Europe, becoming the No. 1 phone vendor in Spain for the first time. International accounted for half of Xiaomi's revenue for the first time last quarter, showing that its affordable phones aren't just a Chinese phenomenon. Impressively, Xiaomi was one of only two large phone vendors to grow overall shipments in the pandemic-fueled first quarter.

Meanwhile, 5G opens another opportunity. At quarter-end, Xiaomi launched an affordable 5G phone in China, the Mi 10 Lite Zoom Edition, at just 2,099 Chinese renminbi (just under $300), as well as the Mi 10 Lite 5G in international markets for 349 euros (just under $400).

Could Xiaomi become the next Apple?

It remains to be seen if Xioami can become a trillion-dollar company like Apple one day, but shares still look compelling today. Despite Xiaomi growing 13.6% last quarter and Apple's revenues staying basically flat, Xiaomi trades at around 33.5 times trailing earnings, while Apple trades at 30.2 times trailing earnings -- nearly the same valuation, despite Xiaomi's higher growth prospects.

Xiaomi management also apparently feels shares may be undervalued and recently authorized a $4.3 billion share-repurchase program in June, or almost 10% of its current market cap.

Risks to consider

Investing in Xiaomi entails some risk as it's a Chinese stock, and U.S.-China tensions may affect its business. However, Xiaomi doesn't have any U.S. operations at this point and appears to be doing just fine in Europe. Therefore, it's hard to see how trade tensions will directly affect Xiaomi. In fact, they could possibly benefit the company, should smartphone competitor Huawei run into trouble.

With a price still below its IPO two years ago and a business model similar to Apple's (only growing faster), Xiaomi belongs on the watchlist of anyone looking for the "next Apple" who's also comfortable investing in Chinese companies.
The new punitive measures by the US administration will affect Syrias civilians, not their leaders. For the Syrian government, they open the door to terrorism. For Fr Amer, the problem "is not only material; meanwhile, an entire generation of young professionals is leaving. Donors and business people are afraid to send money and resources.

Damascus (AsiaNews)  The situation in Syria "is complicated at all levels" by ongoing conflicts in some regions and sanctions, which are "impoverishing" the country and forcing "an entire generation of young professionals to flee, this according to Fr Amer Kassar, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Damascus.

For the clergyman, There is not only a material problem, like money and resources, but also one of trust and hope in the future". This is compounded by the fact that the initiatives promoted by the Church also suffer from the punitive measures "and so she cannot guarantee hoped for help.

Speaking about the situation in Syria, Fr Amer points out that fighting is still going on "in the north-west, in the Idlib area, where various terrorist groups are clashing and civilians are caught up in the violence.

In the north-east "the problem is with the Kurds, who have prevented students from taking exams in recent days". The Kurds want to change the curriculum to make it Kurdish-Arab, separate from the Syrian one.

Conversely, "For those of us who live under government rule, the biggest problem is the economic situation, noted the 42-year-old Syro-Catholic priest.

Life has become very expensive; prices have increased whilst wages have remained the same, about 25-30 US dollars a month. Products, like food and basic necessities, are available but people cannot afford the 'luxury' of buying them.

Sanctions have interrupted "the purchase of goods from abroad, including medicines," putting the health system in crisis at a moment of "severe stress" due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, the Trump administration said that it would put more "political and economic" pressure on the Syrian government, with new sanctions, aimed also at President Assad's wife.

Washington's goal with the Caesar Act is to isolate Syrias leaders and force them to sit at UN-brokered peace talks from a position of weakness and inferiority.

However, despite the rhetoric and propaganda, the only effect of the new punitive measures, which come on top of those already imposed by the United States and the European Union, would affect the Syrian population, as some Christian leaders pointed out recently.

Ordinary Syrians rather than Syrias rulers will pay the heavy price for this, as prices rise, the national currency tanks, and shortages appear in stores.

Reacting to US policy, Syrian leaders have accused Washington of seeking to starve the [Syrian] people, opening the door for "terrorism" to the return to the war-torn country.

Syrias Foreign Minister, Walid al-Moallem, also believes that an attempt is underway to sway Syrias presidential election next year. As far as he is concerned, Assad will remain in power as long as the Syrian people want him to stay.

Meanwhile, donors, businesses and ordinary people are afraid of sending money or goods to Syria for fear of running up against sanctions" by the United States and Europe, Fr Amer explained.

Restrictions affect the people, not the government or the president he added. We are the ones who suffer; we are the ones without money to buy food to eat. These measures end up starving ordinary people.

In addition, the escalating crisis "is forcing more and more young doctors, engineers, graduates to flee, leaving the country "without an entire generation that should be the engine of its growth. They leave for lack of trust and hope in the future.

The clergyman adds that "Syria was rich; we had tourism, industries. Now there is nothing left and it is worse than during the darkest moments of the war. The only hope today is to have a small flat and some food on the table.

The Church is trying "to provide some support to the poorest families, but even we cannot do a lot since we have fewer funds and resources. Projects and initiatives have stopped because aid from abroad is blocked.
Following the detection of its first omicron case Saturday in Haidian district of Beijing, the Chinese capital locked down certain communities and office buildings just weeks before the Winter Olympics and the Lunar New Year holiday. The city opened 30 emergency testing points in Haidian on Monday as it rushes to contain the spread

Jan 19, 2022 05:37 PM
A Donard mother of one who is losing her sight has launched a fundraising campaign to help pay for treatment which may help to save her sight.

Mother of one, Heidi Kennedy (35), was diagnosed with a rare eye condition ten years ago which is causing her to lose her sight. Heidi's father, Pat Kennedy, is hoping that the campaign will help to save what is left of his daughter's sight.

Mr Kennedy said Heidi has around '10 per cent vision in both eyes. The right eye is the worse one and the other is on the way and not a hope in sight'.

In 2011, Heidi was driving home to visit her parents when she was first affected by the condition.

'She was coming along the road in a car and all of a sudden, everything went grey. There was no colour left in her eyes. So she panicked, pulled the car over and rang us,' Mr Kennedy said.

Heidi was rushed to the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin and after tests, it was determined that vessels at the back of Heidi's eyes were bleeding. In 2012, an operation was carried out to remove a blood clot in Heidi's left eye and help to restore her sight. It took several months for Heidi to recover from the operation according to her father. While the operation was initially a success, her sight began to deteriorate again.

The rare condition involves the growth of blood vessels into the eyes and when too many vessels grow, they burst and bleed causing massive haemorrhages into the backs of the eyes which causes a visual impairment.

The now 35-year-old was treated with injections into her eyes every four weeks in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but unfortunately this treatment has not been successful.

Two years ago, Mr Kennedy said the family received the news that Heidi was losing the sight in her right eye.

'The doctor told her the right eye is dying, coming to the end of its life and she was going blind. She was roaring, we all were.'

In recent weeks, Heidi was told by her consultant that the vision in her left eye was also deteriorating.

'They told her the bad news two to three weeks ago, that the left eye is going as bad as the right. She said "what does that mean?" The doctor replied, "Heidi, you are about to get plunged into darkness and I can't stop it. If I could, I would." He told her "I can't operate because the bleeding is not clotting. If I open up and go into an eye that's bleeding, there's no end to the damage could be caused."'

While there are no other treatments available in Ireland which may help the now 35-year-old, there are clinics in London and Spain which may be able to help save what's left of Heidi's sight.

'They can't tell us if they can cure her or not. All they can say is we'll bring her over for a week or two for tests. Only then will they decide, but the expense to get over there the first time, none of us have it.'

Heidi had been due to marry her fiance in June, however, their big day was postponed due to Covid-19.

The family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help with the costs of travelling abroad and have so far raised over 4,000.

'She said she looks at my face or her mother's face, she only knows who we are when we speak. We look like wobbly jelly like she's looking through water bubbles. Everything looks wobbly to her, the next day the vision might improve a little bit, but then there are other days when she can't see nothing...the light in the house hurts her. The sunlight kills her.'

For more information about the campaign, log onto https://ie.gofundme.com/f/save-and-bring-back-my-sight.
Is SLT a state institution or a private company? By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

Is Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), a state owned company or a private institution? A fresh dispute has arisen over the status of SLT after the Ministry of Information and Mass Media decreed that, the legal status of SLT is an institution which functions as an entirely private company.

This was informed to employees by SLT CEO Kiththi Perera recently following a decision taken at a meeting held at the Ministry under the direction of Presidential Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera and attended by Minister Bandula Gunawardena and senior officials.

The decision was conveyed to SLT authorities by Ministry Secretary Chulananda Perera in a letter dated 25.06.2020.

This has raised many questions as the SLT is listed under Departments, Statutory Institutions and Public Corporations of the Ministry of Information and Mass Media in a gazette notification dated 10-12-2019.

The two main shareholders of SLT are the Government of Sri Lanka which hold 49.5 per cent stake in SLT through the Secretary to the Treasury and Malaysias Global Telecommunication Holdings (GTH N.V.) which owns a stake of 44.98 per cent. The balance shares are publicly traded on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE).

This national telecom provider has been managed as a state-owned listed company in the CSE since 1996 up until now with majority board members including the chairman being nominees of the Treasury on the directions of the government in power.

All the SLT management decisions and actions during previous governments were taken in accordance with ruling party policies by board members appointed by the state (Treasury) with the consent of members appointed by GTH N.V.

SLT trade unions allege that the proper management of the company has been affected by interference of politically-appointed chairmen and board members severely disrupting business management, administration and industrial peace.
Guwahati/Agartala/Shillong, July 25 : Triggered by the rise in COVID-19 cases, various governments in the northeastern states have taken some stringent measures including lockdown and night curfew in a bid to arrest the spread of the deadly contagion, officials said on Saturday.

A complete three-day lockdown was announced by the Tripura government from Monday while, the Meghalaya and Nagaland governments have enforced the curbs in the state capitals.

In Manipur, the 14-day statewide complete lockdown and curfew began from Thursday. So far 2,176 coronavirus positive cases were found in Manipur and 656 remain active and 1520 people recovered from the disease.

Among the northeastern states, Assam has registered a massive rise in COVID-19 cases in July because of the return of around 300,000 people from other states.

Given the spike, the Assam government has taken a series of steps, including door-to-door sample tests in vulnerable areas, weekend lockdown (Saturday and Sunday) and 21-day lockdown in the Kamrup (Metro) district, till July 19.

Of the total of Assam's 29,921 COVID-19 positive cases so far, around 13,000 cases found alone in the Kamrup (Metro) district. Assam has 33 districts. Of the 76 deaths due to the corinavirus in Assam so far, 35 deaths took place in the Kamrup (Metro) district.On late Saturday night, Assam has active cases 8,081 while 21,761 people recovered from the dreaded disease.

After Assam, 11 people so far have succumbed to the virus in Tripura with 3,777 positive cases so far. On late Saturday night, the state recored 1,617 active cases while, 2,131 patients have recovered.

Tripura's law and Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath has announced the three-day statewide lockdown from Monday morning. The night curfew across the state would also continue.

Nath, who is the spokesman of Tripura government, however, announced certain relaxations with some conditions in essential services and business including grocery, milk, vegetables, fish and meat shops and markets. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who also holds the Health Department, in a speech televised in the local channels, urged the people to maintain strict social distancing and hygiene to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Meghalaya government too has announced a complete lockdown for four days in capital Shillong and its outskirts from July 26.

Director of Health Services, Aman War said that with Shillong headquartered East Khasi Hills district is the worst-affected district of the state with 466 active cases which include 286 BSF personnel, 159 civilians and 29 Armed forces personnel. In all, 94 patients have recovered so far.

The mountainous state so far registered 585 positive cases with 87 recovered from the virus and five people, including a veteran doctor, died. Of the 585 positive cases, 319 belong to the Border Security Force and various other armed forces.

A complete lockdown was imposed in Nagaland capital Kohima on Saturday till July 31, while it would come into effect in the state's important commercial town Dimapur from Sunday till August 2. The state has so far recorded a total of 1,289 positive cases with 7,441 active cases and four deaths.

Another northeastern state Arunachal Pradesh crossing the 1,000-mark on Saturday recorded 1,056 positive cases so far. The state now has 661 active cases, while 392 people have recovered from the disease and three died of the infection.

In Mizoram, so far 361 COVID-19 positive cases found and currently 178 are active cases.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer, who was an expectant father, died on Friday after a months-long battle with coronavirus, officials said.

This marks second coronavirus-related death among LAPD employees and officer Valentin "Val" Martinez was the first sworn LAPD officer to have died from the deadly coronavirus.

Martinez, 45, worked on the force for 13 years, according to Los Angeles Times. He worked as a patrol officer and was presumed to have come in contact with the virus while on duty, LAPD Chief Michel Morre said.

The KTLA had a copy of a statement from LAPD released Friday, saying Martinez lost his "courageous battle with coronavirus" that morning. The ABC 7 reported that the flags at Mission Hills police station, where Martinez worked, were lowered to half staff to honor the fallen police officer.

Martinez was survived by his 20-week pregnant partner, his mother and his siblings. A page dedicated to the officer's death said Martinez and Megan Flynn were having twins.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to his loved ones, friends, and his Mission Area family as they grieve the loss of a fallen hero," read the department's statement. Moore said he has allowed wearing the mourning band in honor of the fallen officer.

Moore noted that the Mission Station had received an "outpouring of love and support."

Martinez Helped A Heart Attack Victim

The police officer was honored before by his department for his 13 years of service and for his efforts to help save a heart attack victim.

"All of our officers have placed themselves, and their families, at increased risk throughout the response to the COVID-19 pandemic," a statement from the Los Angeles Police Protective League Board of Directors read. They said Martinez was a "hero" that left the earth too early and they want to honor the officers' sacrifices.

A GoFundMe Page Was Created

To help with the costs for his funeral and providing for his children, a memorial fund was set up. Martinez was described as a "loving partner" and a "valued colleague."

It also said Martinez tested positive for the coronavirus in late May. The page details his battle with the coronavirus at home for a week before he was rushed to Henry Mayo Hospital after his symptoms grew worse.

From there, he was moved to a Santa Monica hospital, where he was put on life support and his condition got more severe.

Coronavirus in LAPD

As of Wednesday, the LAPD reported a total of 437 employees who tested positive for the coronavirus. Of those employees, 254 were self-isolating and getting better after exposure. On the other hand, 237 returned to work, officials said.

Martinez is the second LAPD employee to have died from the virus. In early July, Erica McAdoo was the first member of the LAPD work force, who died from it. McAdoo was a senior detention officer, who died after weeks of fighting with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Moore believed that the boom of COVID-19 cases in LAPD may be partly linked to a wave of protests that started in late May. The department faced criticism from protesters that said officers did not wear masks at protests or on the streets.

However, Moore said their command staff requires their employees to wear masks whenever they can. He added that they also push officers to be as careful as much as they can.

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Linkedin Lies Marcoes (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 10:18 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066936265 3 Opinion CEDAW,United-Nations,women-empowerment,women-rights,gender-based-violence,gender-equality Free

The day before the commemoration of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which falls July 24, I exchanged greetings via WhatsApp with Ibu Saparinah Sadli and Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, two prominent figures in the implementation of this convention. I asked them which of the issues in CEDAW was most relevant nowadays, as this year marked the 36th anniversary of Indonesias passing the convention into law.

Ibu Sap, as we call her, was one of the most eminent persons, along with Ibu Achi Luhulima, the late Ibu TO Ichromi, the late Ibu Sumhadi, Ibu Syamsiah Ahmad, Nursyahbani, and several others, who were active in disseminating CEDAW.

But Ibu Sap sent a pessimistic message to me. Other than activists and Komnas Perempuan [the National Commission on Violence against Women], are there still any government officials or legislators who remember CEDAW? This question left me thinking. Indeed, who (still) remembers CEDAW today?

CEDAW is one of the most fundamental human rights agreements in the United Nations system of international agreements. It contains a guarantee of substantive equality for women through elimination of all forms of discrimination based on gender prejudice.

The UN adopted the convention in 1979. It is a global agreement that defines the principles of womens rights as human rights. It contains norms and standards for the obligations and responsibilities of each state party for eliminating discrimination against women.

Indonesia passed the convention into law on July 24, 1984 under Law No. 7/1984. Since then the convention became legally binding and mandated Indonesia to take efforts to eliminate gender-based discrimination against women and to report its progress. The government has an obligation to produce reports on developments in its implementation of elimination of gender discrimination.

Ibu Saps question is therefore relevant here. We simply need to ensure that the government is really doing something to eliminate gender-based discrimination and report it to the CEDAW Committee at the UN. As far as I know, Indonesia has often failed to submit the reports.

The most relevant issues with regard to discriminatory practices actually remain the same from year to year. Nursyahbani has reminded us about two important issues. First is eliminating stereotyping of women, which is currently becoming even more serious due to the rise in primordial and conservative religious views in defining the roles and status of women.

Rumah KitaB is currently conducting research in five regions to see how gender norms are applied to women, particularly women who work. Statistics show that womens participation in the (formal) work force only stands at 58 percent against 80 percent for men.

The participation rate is stagnant in the productive years, particularly for women who hold mid-level positions. They resign after they marry and have children. Their income is too low to hire a nanny to care for their children, while the state also fails to provide safe and inexpensive day care centers.

The other even more serious problem is the growing belief that a good woman is one who stays at home. A process of domestification is occurring as a result of conservative ideological views based on religious arguments.

We should be thankful that the legal age for marriage has now been set at 19 for both males and females. Yet the efforts to prevent child marriage still require hard work, as 20 regions still record an inexcusably high rate of child marriage.

In fact, the Marriage Law needs an overhaul as it condones gender inequality. The law contains an article which explicitly states that the man (husband) is the head of the household, while the woman (wife) is a housewife. This definition leads to practices that are incredibly discriminatory against women, with far-reaching consequences, including in the world of work.

Normatively, women are always seen merely as supplementary breadwinners, whatever their actual marital status. In reality, there are many women who head households, whether married, single, abandoned by husbands or divorced, and are the main earners of support for their families. The Women Breadwinner Empowerment (PEKKA) Foundation has reported a rise in the number of members, and the average age of women breadwinners is getting lower.

Given their supplementary status, working women in every sector are vulnerable to marginalization or exclusion. And even when they manage to perform, they lack sufficient bargaining power to support themselves as employees. They are also vulnerable to violence, including sexual assault.

For Indonesia, CEDAW is indeed a pearl of great price. Efforts are needed to explore it further. The outreach on CEDAW needs to be mobilized again, as its pioneers did in the early 1990s. Some of them were grouped under the Womens Studies Center of the University of Indonesia, who partnered with NGOs concerned with the issue of elimination of gender discrimination.

Implementation of CEDAW should not be entrusted to state institutions, such as the Womens Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, because discriminatory practices continue to occur everywhere. We need a large-scale campaign on the benefits of the implementation of CEDAW for fulfillment of womens rights, with achievements that will be duly noted by the UN and by countries that are concerned about gender-based discrimination.

***

The writer is researcher at Rumah KitaB. The original article was published on rumahkitab.com.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
The names of both the victim and the victims friend were redacted from the report.

The victim came out of the bathroom with a stab wound, according to the document. In an interview with detectives, he said the man who followed him into the bathroom, later identified as McNeil, stabbed him in the chest and middle torso.

Another man was also stabbed and suffered serious injuries to his left lung, according to the document. Video footage shows Cummings taking a knife from his pocket and stabbing him.

The name of that victim was also redacted from the report.

Man gets 15 years after police find 100 fentanyl bags in Tropicana hotel room MAYS LANDING  An Atlantic City man was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison after police

After the altercation, three witnesses were chased by two men involved in the fight, according to the document. The witnesses told troopers they thought they were targeted after recording the fight on a cellphone, but troopers later learned they took just one photograph.

Laney and Walker were identified as the two suspects, according to an affidavit, and they were captured on the casinos exterior video surveillance robbing one of the witnesses of a cellphone, their identification and about $218.
Lawyers for a senior executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei say her extradition hearing should be ended because comments by US President Donald Trump reduce her to a pawn in a political-economic contest.

Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huaweis founder, at Vancouver airport in late 2018. The US wants her extradited to face fraud charges, but her arrest has infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent Chinas rise.

The US accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of US sanctions.

It says Meng committed fraud by misleading the HSBC bank about the companys business dealings in Iran.

In recent court filings, Mengs lawyers argue the US is using the extradition to secure a trade advantage and say that is undermining the integrity of Canadas judiciary.

They say the foundation of the judicial process in Canada has been destroyed and request a stay of proceedings for abuse of process.

The filings point to an interview with Mr Trump two weeks after Mengs arrest in which he was asked if he would become involved in the case if he thought it would secure a trade deal with China.

I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary, Mr Trump said.

Mengs lawyers say the US is not interested in justice.

The president and his administration have no real interest in the merits of the criminal proceeding  but are intent on using her chase as a bargaining chip in a trade dispute, the filings say.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking on Huawei in Washington earlier this month. Meng Wanzhous case has caused tensions in Chinas relations with Canada and the US (Andrew Harnik/AP)

A key part of the US case against Meng deals with an August 22, 2013, meeting at a Hong Kong restaurant at which she is accused of using a PowerPoint presentation to give misleading information to HSBC executives about Huaweis relationship with Skycom.

The filings say US officials selectively summarise information from only a few slides and omit highly relevant information that was on two slides.

Story continues

In May, Meng failed in a bid to end the extradition process when a Canadian judge ruled the allegations against her could constitute a crime in Canada as well.

Mengs arrest has soured relations between Canada and China.

In apparent retaliation, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor.

China has also placed restrictions on various Canadian exports to China, including canola oil seed. China also handed a death sentence to a convicted Canadian drug smuggler in a sudden retrial.

Meng remains free on bail in Vancouver.
China's foreign minister has asked Germany not to yield to Washington's pressure to take sides, just hours after US secretary of state Mike Pompeo was seen as criticising Berlin for "failing to stand up for freedom in Hong Kong".

Speaking after his call with Wang Yi, German foreign minister Heiko Maas stressed the need for dialogue on critical issues with China, in a snub to Pompeo's call for an end to empty engagement with the Chinese authorities.

The leading economies of Asia and Europe also vowed to complete talks "as soon as possible" over the investment agreement between China and the European Union, Chinese state media Xinhua reported. Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU council.

Wang's call with Maas came a day after Pompeo delivered a hawkish speech on China, in which he called on democratic nations to form an alliance against the Chinese Communist Party and dismissed the need for empty engagement with it.

"Some anti-China forces in America have deliberately created ideological confrontation and openly threatened other countries to take a side. They confront China out of the US' self-interest," Wang said in the virtual meeting. "Any conscientious country with an independent will shall not join forces with it."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (second from left) chats with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas via a video link in Beijing on Friday. Photo: Xinhua alt=Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (second from left) chats with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas via a video link in Beijing on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

"[Washington's] intention is to attempt to completely break off China's development progress, for which any means was possible, even without bottom lines," Wang told Maas "upon his inquiry of Sino-US relations", according to the foreign ministry.

The Chinese foreign minister said "China would not allow the US to do whatever it wants".

Story continues

Maas told his Chinese counterpart that it is important to uphold "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong, on the same day that the EU was understood to have finalised a draft of action against the Hong Kong government after Beijing imposed the national security law in the city.

"It is, and remains, important to us that Hong Kong's autonomy and the freedoms guaranteed in Basic Law, including freedom of expression, are guaranteed in accordance with the international law commitments made by China," he said, according to the German foreign ministry.

He added: "China is an important partner for us, but also a competitor and systemic rival. Maintaining cooperation is important to us. At the same time, it is also crucial that we stay in dialogue, especially on critical issues."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticised nations that he said lacked the courage to stand with America in its disputes with China. Photo: Reuters alt=US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticised nations that he said lacked the courage to stand with America in its disputes with China. Photo: Reuters

In a swipe at an unnamed country, Pompeo said on Thursday: "It's true that some nations lack the courage to stand with us, for the moment. One Nato ally of ours won't stand up for freedom in Hong Kong because they fear Beijing will restrict access to China's market."

EU officials generally see this remark as being directed against Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel has openly dismissed calls for wider visa schemes for Hongkongers after China imposed the national security law.

She said existing asylum measures were enough and Europe needed to engage China.

Pompeo's speech, however, dismissed the need for engagement with President Xi Jinping's China.

"The old paradigm of blind engagement with China has failed. We must not continue it. We must not return to it," he said.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
After Britain, Germany Emerges as Next 5G Battleground

By Natalie Liu July 24, 2020

Following Britain's decision to ban Chinese tech firm Huawei from its 5G telecom network, Germany is emerging as the next potential battleground to check China's expansion of influence in world affairs, which is increasingly seen as a serious challenge to democratic institutions worldwide.

Germany's decision on whether to include Huawei equipment in its own network "is still up for grabs," said Reinhard Buetikofer, a member of Germany's opposition Green Party who chairs the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the People's Republic of China.

Britain's decision "may very well have an impact on the decision Germany is about to make," Buetikofer said in a phone interview from Berlin.

Buetikofer said Britain's plan to include Huawei in its next-generation network  which was abruptly reversed in a dramatic announcement last week  had been held out as a model by German supporters of the Chinese telecom giant.

"In the past, supporters of having Huawei construct Germany's 5G network often pointed out: 'Look, the Brits knew that much more about Huawei than we do, if the Brits are not doing anything about it, why should we?'" But Britain's July 14 decision has pulled out the rug from under that argument.

Buetikofer, a strong advocate for decoupling his country from Huawei, greeted the British announcement with a challenge to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"Now it's Berlin's turn to move!" he tweeted. "Does the chancellor really want to be the stumbling block preventing a united EU + transatlantic + 5Eyes stance?"

The Five Eyes is a nickname for an intelligence-sharing alliance comprising the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

A German decision to exclude Huawei from its network would be a diplomatic win for the United States, which lobbied hard for the British reversal and is bringing pressure on other countries to follow suit. The Americans warn that Huawei equipment may contain "back doors" that will allow China to spy on sensitive communications.

"We hope we can build out a coalition that understands the threat and will work collectively," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a trip to Britain and Denmark this week.

But Buetikofer said his objections to the Chinese company are not influenced by the pressure from Washington. "I oppose Huawei's playing a part in the German 5G network not because I want to do the U.S. a favor, but because I think it is a threat to German national security," he said.

As in other countries, the German argument over Huawei is rooted in a larger debate about the best way to deal with China's rising power.

Merkel emphasizes the importance of "dialogue" with Beijing, unswayed by the fierce international reaction to its new security law restricting long-established rights in Hong Kong. But others, including a significant number of German lawmakers, believe Beijing is not only an economic rival, but one that is doing all it can to replace democratic norms around the world with its own style of authoritarian rule.

German Free Democratic Party legislator Johannes Vogel has argued that Beijing has been explicit in stating that goal. "It would be naive if we didn't take their assessment at face value," wrote Vogel, the deputy chair of the German-Chinese Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Merkel has also argued in favor of Huawei on the basis of a "no-spying pact" her government secured from the company.

But Buetikofer points out that Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei is a member of China's ruling Communist Party.

"Don't take us for idiots," he remarked during a recent podcast.

Analysts have warned that China could retaliate against an unfavorable decision on Huawei by targeting Germany's auto industry, and Buetikofer acknowledged to VOA that the industry plays a significant part in his country's economy.

Nevertheless, he said, "Germany's national interest is not synonymous with the interests of Volkswagen, just as the U.S.'s national interest is not synonymous with the interests of GM."

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Here's a look at some business news in western Montana:

This week, the U.S. Treasury awarded Missoula-headquartered nonprofit community lender MoFi $65 million in New Markets Tax Credits to lend to businesses and projects in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, according to a press release from MoFi.

"The NMTC Program was authorized under the Community Renewal and Tax Relief Act of 2000 to help stimulate private investment and economic growth in low-income and rural areas," the release stated. "Communities and local businesses that can benefit from the program typically are unable to access capital for projects that help create jobs and growth in these areas."

NMTC funding is awarded once a year through a highly competitive process by the Treasury. Since 2008, MoFi has received NMTC awards totaling $631 million, and has financed more than 45 projects across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming that created and retained nearly 4,400 jobs. Prior awards have helped build or expand manufacturing facilities, community food banks, medical centers, grocery stores, homeless shelters, mixed-use buildings and more.

Montana Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines are supporters of the NMTC Program.

Whether its our bars and breweries, mom-and-pop shops or outdoor recreation companies, Montanas small businesses are the heart and soul of our local economies and our state, Tester said in a statement. During this time of crisis, when so many of these businesses are facing uncertain futures, it's absolutely critical that we make investments into Montanas main streets. This tax credit will help MoFi provide businesses with the resources they need to be successful, create jobs and opportunities, and help jump start our states economy.

Daines also said the credits will boost the local economy.

This critical funding will help create jobs and support small businesses across Montanas communities, Daines said. I will continue working to ensure Montanans can get back to work and keep our small businesses up and running.

MoFi's press release stated that because of the recent economic downturn related to COVID-19 and the NMTC programsjob creation record, discussions are taking place to consider how the program can again help with recovery.

Its challenging to attract economic investment to low-income communities in Montana in good times, but especially so during a pandemic," said Dave Glaser, MoFis President. "The NMTC permanently extended would give us a predictable source of capital to fuel Montanas economic recovery through COVID-19 and beyond."

Roosterloo, a new restaurant that opened in the spring of 2019 by the Missoula International Airport, has closed.

"We have decided to close," a social media post stated. "It has been quite a difficult year for a new business. We will resurface again, not sure where or when, but we will! Thank you Missoula for all of your support and understanding."

U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines announced this week that $5,941,992 in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds have been approved for the Missoula Urban Transportation District. These funds were appropriated through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Montanas transportation infrastructure is essential for the safety of folks in Missoula and also for the bottom line of Main Street businesses that power one of our states largest economies, Tester said. These funds are a critical investment that will help hard hit workers and state agencies keep the wolf away from the door and make sure infrastructure in rural America is not cast aside during this crisis.

Mountain Line is proud to have continued providing essential service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, helping keep our community going even during the height of the shutdown in Missoula, said Corey Aldridge, General Manager of Mountain Line. I am proud of our team for how quickly we adopted new safety measures and policies, from sanitizing our buses multiple times a day to mandatory masking since May."

However, the new policies have a financial cost, Aldridge continued.

"The CARES Act funding is not only helping us offset immediate capital needs, but is allowing us to put safeguards in place so we can continue providing essential service as we head into an uncertain economic future.

The funding will address immediate needs, including offsetting costs for software upgrades to help communicate fluctuating schedules to riders more efficiently. The funding will also support software for Mountain Line's ADA Paratransit service to increase messaging capabilities and make service more efficient and safer.

This critical funding will support the transportation needs of Montanans in Missoula during the COVID-19 pandemic, Daines said. I will continue working to ensure we support public transportation routes for Montanans.

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The police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested a pastors son for allegedly raping a five-year-old girl.

The suspect, Victor Felix Ukpong, 29, was said to have raped the little girl in his bedroom at House 28 Okon Dan Street in Abak Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, recently when the girls mother temporarily left her in the custody of the pastors family while she went to the market, the police in the state said in a statement on Saturday.

The cleric, whose name has not been mentioned in the police statement, is a pastor to the victims mother, the police said.

The police spokesperson in the state, N-nudam Fredrick, said in the statement the suspect was arrested on June 2.

Five other persons have also been arrested across the state for alleged involvement in rape cases, Mr Fredrick, a chief superintendent of police, said in the statement.

One of the suspects, Edet Godwin Edet, 27, of Ikangta Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area was said to have raped a 12-year-old whom he lured with a job offer as a salesgirl in his provision shop.

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The police said the suspect worships in the same church with the victim.

The police said after he allegedly raped her, the suspect, Mr Edet accused the victim of stealing his five hundred naira just so he could send her away.

The suspect who, according to the police, has confessed to the crime, inflicted the victim with a cut on her head, using a machete.

The other cases as announced by the police are as follows:

Following a tip-off on 3/7/2020 at about 2:30pm, Operatives of Ikot Abasi Division apprehended one Inyang Ufot Umoh m, aged 45yrs of Ikwa, Ikot Abasi L.G.A who forcefully had unlawful carnal of an 8-year-old girl on 3/4/2019. Investigation revealed that the suspect absconded from his residence after committing the crime to evade arrest, but was arrested as he resurfaced on 3/7/2020.

Responding to a distress call on 11/7/2020 at about 10:00 pm, Detectives of Essien Udim Division promptly apprehended one Effiong Peter Akpan m, aged 40years, who hails from Adiasim Ikot Ekon village, Essien Udim L.G.A for conspiring with one other suspect, now at large and gang-raped a 12-year-old girl in a bush.

Following a complaint on 14/7/2020 at about 5.00pm, Detectives of Ikot Ekpene Division apprehended one Etimbuk Moses Isong m, aged 16 years, of Nto Nsek, Ikot Ekpene L.G.A who lured a 13-yr-old girl with five hundred naira (N500.00) and had unlawful carnal knowledge of her in his provisions shop.

On 13/7/2020 at about 5:00pm, Operatives of Ikot Udota Division apprehended one Samuel Ekpo Udo m, aged 28 years, of Effoi Idung Nsedep, Eket L.G.A who forcefully had unlawful carnal knowledge of a 12-year-old girl in a nearby bush.

The police vowed that Akwa Ibom would never be a safe haven for rapists and other sex offenders and urged residents to promptly report rape cases to the police.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has put Sen. Kamala Harris of California, along with several other Black women, on his shortlist to be his running mate. But, like the others, Harris has some downsides. (Associated Press)

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden pledged months ago to pick a woman as his running mate. Now hes under increasing pressure to make that pick a Black woman. Biden has no shortage of candidates if he goes that route, among them Sen. Kamala Harris of California, former national security advisor Susan Rice, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Rep. Val Demings of Florida and Rep. Karen Bass of Los Angeles.

These women are well known to the public, have good political credentials and are Democratic Party stalwarts. Thats all good, but unfortunately, none of them is perfect. With Donald Trump in possession of the bully pulpit of the presidency, the race is likely to get much tighter, and Biden will need a vice presidential candidate who is a strong draw for the kind of voters essential to his defeating Trump.

He also needs someone who can help make up for a key Biden liability: his age. If elected, Biden will be 78 on inauguration day, the age of average life expectancy for U.S. men. That means his vice presidential pick will be scrutinized carefully for her readiness to assume the presidency should Biden die in office.

Harris has repeatedly been named as Bidens likeliest choice. She has name recognition, was a top state prosecutor and is a tough campaigner. But, like the other candidates, she also has liabilities. Chief among them, in the era of George Floyd, is her background as a prosecutor. Many Black voters are wary of someone on the prosecutor's side of a justice system seen as racially biased and have loudly said so. In a Civiqs-Data For Progress poll of battleground states last month, Abrams was the top pick of Black voters, with Elizabeth Warren coming in second, ahead of Harris. And if Black voters are wary of Harris, moderate to conservative independent voters will be wary because she is a California liberal.

Rice has foreign policy experience, a deep Obama administration connection, and name recognition. Unfortunately, part of that recognition can be summed up in one word: Benghazi. The GOP would have a field day hammering her all over again for her alleged failures in the wake of the attack on U.S. diplomatic outposts there in 2012, when Rice was ambassador to the United Nations. Rice also has held no elected office, so shes an unknown on the campaign trail.

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Demings gives Biden a possible leg up in Florida, a potentially crucial state for him. She gets high marks for her stint as Orlando police chief, where she managed to mix law and order with compassion. However, with police practices under a hot glare, her law enforcement background could torpedo her with some Black voters.

Bottoms has a reputation as a tough local administrator, and she has national name recognition from her battle to rein in the scandal-ridden Atlanta Police Department and for standing up to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemps bullying attempt to force her to reopen Atlanta schools. The operative word with her, though, is local. Running a city and running a vice presidential office are far different things.

Abrams would have been at the center of the VP conversation if she had won the governorship in Georgia, which is fast becoming a key swing state. But she didnt, which likely makes her a nonstarter.

Bass is a staunch progressive, and the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Shes been in the forefront of the charge against Trumps policy wrecking ball on everything from healthcare to police abuse. Unfortunately, despite Bass sterling credentials and political savvy, she would be Cuba-baited to death by Trump and the GOP for her trips to Cuba and alleged softness on the Castros.

In 2020, theres more on the line for a Black female on the ticket than simply being another first. Shell be ruthlessly picked apart, scrutinized and vilified by the GOP, drawing far more fire, I suspect, than any other vice presidential candidate in living memory.

Ultimately, any of the Black women on Bidens short list would give him something of a boost with Black voters, who are essential to his election. But thats not enough. His pick will need to provide a strong motivation for Blacks to turn out, since a big drop-off of Black voters in 2016 in key states was a big part of why Hillary Clinton lost. And it will also need to draw other voters who may not be incentivized to turn out for a white moderate in his seventies.

For those reasons, Harris should be the pick. Shes tough, experienced, relatively young and progressive. And her background as a prosecutor could help cancel her negatives among voters in the heartland. One more plus is that there's no risk in losing a Democratic Senate seat, since her replacement would undoubtedly be a Democrat.

Harris or no, a Black womans job on the ticket will be to give Biden a real boost. Thats a big assignment, and it ensures that whoever gets the nod will be on the hot seat for the next three months.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a political analyst and author of "Whats Right and Wrong With the Electoral College." He is a weekly co-host of the "Al Sharpton Show" on Radio One and host of the weekly "Hutchinson Report" on KPFK-FM (90.7) in Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.




Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Fiji, Government of

Global Credit Research - 25 Jul 2020

Singapore, July 25, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") reviews all of its ratings periodically in accordance with regulations -- either annually or, in the case of governments and certain EU-based supranational organisations, semi-annually. This periodic review is unrelated to the requirement to specify calendar dates on which EU and certain other sovereign and sub-sovereign rating actions may take place.

Moody's conducts these periodic reviews through portfolio reviews in which Moody's reassesses the appropriateness of each outstanding rating in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. Since 1st January 2019, Moody's issues a press release following each periodic review announcing its completion.

Moody's has now completed the periodic review of a group of issuers that includes Fiji and may include related ratings. The review did not involve a rating committee, and this publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future; credit ratings and/or outlook status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

The credit profile of Fiji (issuer rating Ba3) reflects the country's "ba3" economic strength, which balances moderate per capita incomes against the economy's small scale, reliance on tourism and agriculture, and vulnerability to climate change; its "ba2" institutions and governance strength, which takes into account progress on structural reforms as well as increased policy credibility and effectiveness that support economic management, although voice and accountability remains limited; the government's "ba3" fiscal strength, which reflects rising government debt, although the large captive source of domestic financing and increasing engagement with development partners for external financing lowers funding costs and supports debt affordability; and "baa" susceptibility to event risks driven primarily by domestic political risk, which incorporates a low probability, high impact scenario of political instability, including through a change of leadership, that would hinder the government's ability to implement policies aimed at increasing the country's economic resilience and consolidating its public finances over the medium term, while material government liquidity risk reflects limited financing options outside of the national provident fund in long-term borrowing domestically.

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This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period.

The principal methodology used for this review was Sovereign Ratings Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Christian Fang Asst Vice President - Analyst Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Marie Diron MD - Sovereign Risk Sovereign Risk Group JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077

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Black Lives Matter protesters try to move a projectile launched by federal officers at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Friday, July 24, 2020, in Portland, Ore. Since federal officers arrived in downtown Portland in early July, violent protests have largely been limited to a two block radius from the courthouse. (AP)

Portland: Thousands of people gathered in Portland streets for another night of protests Friday, the same day a U.S. judge denied Oregon's request to restrict federal agents' actions when they arrest people during chaotic demonstrations that have roiled the city and pitted local officials against the Trump administration.

By 8 p.m. a few hundred people, most wearing masks and many donning helmets, stood near the fountain on Salmon Street Springs, one spot where groups meet before marching to the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and the federal agents there. They chanted and clapped along to the sound of thunderous drums, pausing to listen to speakers.

Among various organized groups, including Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives and the Wall of Moms,'' was Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who spoke to protesters outside the Justice Center.

By 9:40 p.m. crowds of people, pressed shoulder to shoulder, packed the streets chanting Black Lives Matter'' and Feds go home'' as they carried signs and marched to the courthouse.

The Federal agents, deployed by President Donald Trump to tamp down the unrest, have arrested dozens during nightly demonstrations against racial injustice that often turn violent. Democratic leaders in Oregon say federal intervention has worsened the two-month crisis, and the state attorney general sued to allege that some people had been whisked off the streets in unmarked vehicles.

U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman said the state lacked standing to sue on behalf of protesters because the lawsuit was a highly unusual one with a particular set of rules.''

Oregon was seeking a restraining order on behalf of its residents not for injuries that had already happened but to prevent injuries by federal officers in the future. That combination makes the standard for granting such a motion very narrow, and the state did not prove it had standing in the case, Mosman wrote.

Legal experts who reviewed the case before the decision warned that he could reject it on those grounds. A lawsuit from a person accusing federal agents of violating their rights to free speech or against unconstitutional search and seizure would have a much higher chance of success, Michael Dorf, a constitutional law professor at Cornell University, said ahead of the ruling.

The federal government acted in violation of those individuals' rights and probably acted in violation of the Constitution in the sense of exercising powers that are reserved to the states, but just because the federal government acts in ways that overstep its authority doesn't mean the state has an injury,'' he said.

The clashes in Portland have further inflamed the nation's political tensions and triggered a crisis over the limits of federal power as Trump moves to send U.S. officers to other Democratic-led cities to combat crime. It's playing out as Trump pushes a new law and order'' reelection strategy after the coronavirus crashed the economy.

Protesters in Portland have been targeting the federal courthouse, setting fires outside and vandalizing the building that U.S. authorities say they have a duty to protect. Federal agents have used tear gas, less-lethal ammunition that left one person critically injured and other force to scatter protesters.

The lawsuit from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum accused federal agents of arresting protesters without probable cause and using excessive force. She sought a temporary restraining order to immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians.''

David Morrell, an attorney for the U.S. government, called the motion extraordinary'' and told the judge in a hearing this week that it was based solely on a few threadbare declarations'' from witnesses and a Twitter video. Morrell called the protests dangerous and volatile.''

Rosenblum said the ramifications of the ruling were "extremely troubling."

While I respect Judge Mosman, I would ask this question: If the state of Oregon does not have standing to prevent this unconstitutional conduct by unidentified federal agents running roughshod over her citizens, who does?" Rosenblum said in a statement. "Individuals mistreated by these federal agents can sue for damages, but they can't get a judge to restrain this unlawful conduct more generally.''

Before the federal intervention, Mayor Ted Wheeler and other local leaders had said a small cadre of violent activists were drowning out the message of peaceful protesters. But the Democrat, who was tear-gassed this week as he joined protesters, says the federal presence is exacerbating a tense situation and he's repeatedly told them to leave.

Homeland Security acting Secretary Chad Wolf denied that federal agents were inflaming the situation in Portland and said Wheeler legitimized criminality by joining demonstrators, whom Trump has called anarchists and agitators."

In the lawsuit, Oregon had asked the judge to command agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Protective Service and the U.S. Marshals Service to stop detaining protesters without probable cause, to identify themselves before arresting anyone and to explain why an arrest is taking place.

Agents have arrested 28 people in Portland this week, including seven from Thursday night's protests, when they again used tear gas to force thousands of demonstrators from crowding around the courthouse. Protesters projected lasers on the building and tried to take down a security fence. They scattered as clouds of gas rose up and agents fired crowd control munitions.

The Department of Homeland Security said that during Thursday's demonstrations one federal officer was injured and that no injuries to protesters or rioters have been reported.''

Wolf said Tuesday that at least 43 people have been arrested on federal charges at that point.

They face federal charges including assaulting federal officers, arson and damaging federal property, U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams said. All the defendants are local and were released after making a court appearance.

U.S. officers working to protect the courthouse have been subjected to nightly threats and assaults from demonstrators while performing their duties,'' according to a statement from Williams' office.

The Oregon attorney general's motion was one of several lawsuits against authorities' actions. A different federal judge late Thursday blocked U.S. agents from arresting or using physical force against journalists and legal observers at demonstrations.
Cybersecurity researchers revealed Thursday a newfound vulnerability in an app that controls the worlds most popular consumer drones, threatening to intensify the growing tensions between China and the United States.

In two reports, the researchers contended that an app on Googles Android operating system that powers drones made by China-based Da Jiang Innovations, or DJI, collects large amounts of personal information that could be exploited by the Beijing government. Hundreds of thousands of customers across the world use the app to pilot their rotor-powered, camera-mounted aircraft.

The worlds largest maker of commercial drones, DJI has found itself increasingly in the crosshairs of the US government, as have other successful Chinese companies. The Pentagon has banned the use of its drones, and in January the Interior Department decided to continue grounding its fleet of the companys drones over security fears. DJI said the decision was about politics, not software vulnerabilities.

For months, US government officials have stepped up warnings about the Chinese governments potentially exploiting weaknesses in tech products to force companies there to give up information about US users. Chinese companies must comply with any government request to turn over data, according to US officials.

Every Chinese technology company is required by Chinese law to provide information they obtain, or information stored on their networks, to Chinese authorities if requested to do so, said William R. Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. All Americans should be concerned that their images, biometrics, locational and other data stored on Chinese apps must be turned over to Chinas state security apparatus.

The drone vulnerability, said US officials, is the kind of security hole that worries Washington.

The security research firms that documented it, Synacktiv, based in France, and GRIMM, located outside Washington, found that the app not only collected information from phones but that DJI can also update it without Google reviewing the changes before they are passed on to consumers. That could violate Googles Android developer terms of service.

The changes are also difficult for users to review, the researchers said, and even when the app appears to be closed, it awaits instructions from afar, they found.

The phone has access to everything the drone is doing, but the information we are talking about is phone information, said Tiphaine Romand-Latapie, a Synacktiv engineer. We dont see why DJI would need that data.

Romand-Latapie acknowledged that the security vulnerability did not amount to a backdoor, or a flaw that allowed hackers into a phone.

DJI says its app forces updates on users to stop hobbyists who try to hack the app to circumvent government-imposed restrictions on where and how high drone can fly.

This safety feature in the Android version of one of our recreational flight control apps blocks anyone from trying to use a hacked version to override our safety features, such as altitude limits and geofencing, Brendan Schulman, a DJI spokesman, said in a statement. If a hacked version is detected, users are prompted to download the official version from our website.

He added that the feature was not present in software used by governments and companies.

Neither Synacktiv nor GRIMM disclose their clients, but both have done work for aerospace companies and drone manufacturers that could potentially compete with DJI.

A Google spokesman said the company was looking into the claims in the new reports. Synacktiv did not find the same vulnerability in the drone-makers iPhone application. Apples App Store is available in China.

This research is a good reminder that organizations need to pay attention to the risks associated with the various technologies theyre using for operations, said Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Some of the privacy concerns about the drones are common across many applications that scrape far more information than consumers may realize. But other potential vulnerabilities outlined by the researchers come from attempts to straddle the radically different internet environments in China, where the government can demand user data with near impunity, and in other places, like the United States, where broader legal protections exist.

For instance, DJIs direct link to the Android app was most likely designed as a workaround for Chinese policies that block Google in China, forcing companies to send Android app updates themselves. App-makers in China must rely on a chaotic and competitive clutch of websites and app stores to get their products to the consumer. Under such limitations, updates are not easy, and some companies craft software that can be upgraded directly when needed.

Much of the technical data that the app collects fits with Chinese government surveillance practices, which require phones and drones to be linked to a users identity.

Such features look more like vulnerabilities in places like the United States. And with US-China ties at their lowest in decades, Washington has taken an increasingly dim view of such issues, assuming that if Beijing can exploit a flaw in technology, it eventually will.

An icon of Chinese innovation, as well as a longtime security concern in the United States, DJI has struggled to allay worries about the safety of its drones, which shoot movies, guard power plants, count wildlife and assist military and police. For years, it has responded repeatedly to reports of vulnerabilities with patches and has worked closely with the U.S. government to quash other fears.

Still, security researchers with Synacktiv said the pattern of problems in DJIs code and its quickly implemented fixes, which suggested that the company was already aware of some of the problems but had not fixed them, were also reason for concern.

It is the mix of all of that which has made us suspicious, Romand-Latapie said. It makes the application quite dangerous for the user if they are not aware of what the application is capable of doing.

Synacktiv did not identify any malicious uploads but simply raised the prospect that the drone app could be used that way.

A New York Times analysis of the software confirmed the functionality. An attempt to update the app directly from DJIs servers delivered a message indicating that the phone The Times used did not meet the qualifications for an update package.

While the federal government has largely stopped using Chinese-made drones, state and local governments continue to use them, although they have the option of using a professional version of the app that has additional security measures.
While Kidman was not "locking down" in a cramped hotel room, Day argued photos showing her strolling around the expansive grounds of her property with her family were not entirely indicative of the actual situation. "It's absolute garbage. She is paying for all her own security and following all the rules, they are in isolation," Day said, informing PS Kidman was using the time for pre-production for the upcoming project Nine Perfect Strangers. Nicole Kidman is using the quarantine time for pre-production of an upcoming project. Credit:AP The new TV series will pump $100 million into the local economy during its 19-week shoot, a welcome relief for the local film industry, which has been reeling from the COVID-19 shutdown. It is unclear if her co-star Melissa McCarthy is already in the country, though Welsh actor Luke Evans was posting selfies on Wednesday, presumably having completed his mandatory quarantine. The NSW government states that those returning from overseas can be exempt from staying at a quarantine hotel if there are "strong medical, health or compassionate grounds".

Loading Hearst's search for new mag partner The head honchos at Harper's Bazaar HQ in New York are not too happy with what has been happening to their beloved fashion bible in Australia. The magazine was unceremoniously killed off on Tuesday, four days after publisher Bauer Media was taken over by private equity firm Mercury Capital. Bauer shut most of the international titles it publishes under licence here, including Elle, InStyle and Men's Health, but it was the axing of Harper's Bazaar - first launched in Australia in 1984 under the editorship of Lee Tulloch - which truly rattled the local magazine market. The Harper's Bazaar masthead is owned by the wealthy American Hearst family and has been an icon of international glamour and style around the world for decades. For many years it was a joint venture between the Hearsts and former ACP proprietors the Packers. In 2017 it became a licensing agreement between Hearst and Bauer, which was due to expire at the end of the year.

PS can reveal the bad blood set in around two years ago when Harper's Bazaar Australia was firmly under the control of German-based Bauer, and the Americans were concerned it was not keeping up with global publishing trends, including the push towards digital media. Hearst's global editorial director Kim St Clair Bodden discreetly flew to Sydney to meet with various publishing executives about forming a new alliance in Australia to publish the magazine. It remains to be seen if a new partner will emerge, but in other parts of the world Hearst has done similar transitions for its other titles, including Elle. In the 1990s, when Harper's Bazaar was producing bumper issues of 300 or more pages in Australia packed with luxury advertising, the local edition was one of the most profitable in the world for the Hearsts and Packers. While arch rival Edwina McCann at Vogue Australia is no doubt relishing all the extra ad revenue about to go her way, the loss of such a prestige brand from the market does not bode well for the overall luxury sector, which has boomed in Australia over the past decade. Meanwhile there was nothing luxurious about how the 40 staff, including loyal Harper's Bazaar editor Eugenie Kelly, were shown the door at Bauer this week. As one put it to PS: "No speeches, no thanks, no cards ... not even a bloody cake. It really was very shabby treatment. People might think it's all Ab Fab, champers and glamour on those magazines, but in reality we worked out arses off, the days of $25,000 photo shoots are long gone. We pulled off miracles on a shoestring."

Motorcycle champion Mick Doohan. Credit:Chris Hyde Doohan's 'Depp-cleaning' Long before COVID-19 had venues "deep cleaning", millionaire motorcycle champion Mick Doohan had been doing a bit of "Depp Cleaning". Doohan is the owner of the Coomera Waters mansion which has starred so prominently in the sensational court claims regarding Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his former wife Amber Heard. In 2015 the couple famously rented - along with their pet dogs Pistol and Boo - Doohan's pile, while Depp was filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. It was claimed in a London court that Depp allegedly used blood from his severed finger  an injury he claimed happened when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him  to paint messages on one of Doohan's mirrors during the rampage which left the home "completely destroyed".

The damage bill was reportedly more than $200,000, with blood throughout the house, furniture smashed and artworks defaced. The same property has hosted several other big-name celebrities, including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their children, along with pop star Pink. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp in 2016. Credit:AP Depps former house manager Ben King told the court the floors had to be re-sanded, the curtains cleaned, paintwork and plasterwork replaced, and chipped-stone benches repaired after Depp's stay. Depp told the court he was a "party" to the damage, most of which he claimed was caused by Heard.

David Bowie, Iggy Pop and A Country Practice The latest edition of Britain's MOJO magazine has an extraordinary revelation buried away in a piece on the late, great David Bowie: he was a huge fan of '80s Aussie soap opera A Country Practice, a passion he shared with his mate Iggy Pop. Fiona Porteous, daughter of actor Shane Porteous who played Dr Terence Elliott in the series, confirmed this was the case. In 1987 she tagged along with her father and two siblings to a concert at the Sydney Entertainment Centre after Bowie had requested to meet with one of the show's stars. Musician David Bowie, pictured in 1995, was a fan of Australian drama A Country Practice. Credit:AP "There was no way Dad was going to that concert without his three teenage kids! We got to meet him before the concert. It was an amazing experience and I remember we all towered over him, David was quite short, and how exhausted he looked," Fiona Porteous told PS.
Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill heralded face masks as the new look for hitting the shops.

The Sinn Fein MLA urged the public to play their part in defeating Covid-19 as she posted a picture of herself in a shop wearing a face covering.

Confusion around the Executives fudge on coverings deepened on Friday, with ministers and MLAs continuing to send out mixed messages.

The Executive said it has given itself powers to make the wearing of coverings in stores mandatory from August 1 but that it will not enforce that law until August 20 in the hope people will wear them voluntarily.

Health Minister Robin Swann said he remains unconvinced people will wear masks without being forced to do so.

In a statement issued by the SDLP on Friday, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said there should be a clear message that the public must wear a face covering when in enclosed spaces where social distancing could not be maintained.

The partys deputy leader said it was vital to protect the 98,000 people who have been shielding from the virus.

We must look out for each other and act to keep each other safe from Covid-19, she said.

The wearing of masks is already mandatory on public transport.

Alliance Party MLA Kellie Armstrong told BBCs Nolan Show she believed wearing a face mask was compulsory from Friday.

She said: We need clarification on the masks, we need people to wear them and from today if youre going to a shop you need to put on a face mask.

What we need people to understand is if youre going into a shop, wear a face mask, where social distancing cannot happen, wear a face mask.

Mr Swann, meanwhile, said the advice was clear  a day after his 29-minute U-turn.

A statement in which Mr Swann welcomed the mandatory use of face coverings was sent out in error on Thursday, with a second release merely welcoming the campaign to encourage use.

Retail groups Retail NI and the Belfast Chamber had said they were concerned about shop workers being left having to enforce the wearing of coverings  leaving them open to abuse from non-compliant customers.

The PSNI was asked by the Belfast Telegraph what role, if any, it would take.

Acting Assistant Chief Constable Sam Donaldson said: Once we have full details of any new legislation we will issue officers with guidance.

Mr Swann said on Friday: It should not be a surprise to anyone that at times there are different views, both in wider society and around the Executive table, and that compromises are often required.

However, there is a strong consensus face coverings should be worn in shops and other indoor settings. The key issue here is how best this can be achieved.

I appreciate the debate over whether and when this should be mandatory has taken up a lot of air time. That should not distract from the responsibility on all of us to cover up every time we go to the shops.

Mr Swann said his views on the subject are on the record and have not changed.

I remain unconvinced that the necessary level of compliance will be achieved without some element of enforcement. That said, I would be delighted to be proved wrong on that front. The onus is on everyone on all sides of the debate to work together to achieve our shared objective.

I welcome the fact that the Executive has agreed to introduce the power to enforce a mandatory position from August 20. Make no mistake  if I believe enforcement is needed from August 20, then I will not step back from making that happen.
With results still awaited more than four months after the elections in Guyana, India on Saturday said it looks forward to the early conclusion of the electoral process in the Caribbean nation in the interest of democracy.

"India further hopes that the outcome of the election is respected by all parties," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in response to media queries on the election impasse in Guyana.

India has been closely following developments of the general and regional elections held on March 2, 2020, he said.

It has been more than four months since the elections in Guyana and the results are still awaited, he noted.

"As a time-tested friend of Guyana, India looks forward to the early conclusion of the electoral process in the interest of democracy in Guyana," Srivastava said.

David Granger, the long-serving president, initially appeared to have won the polls, but the opposition People's Progressive Party (PPP) alleged fraud and both sides agreed to a recount.

The new results suggested Granger had lost. The government has been refusing to accept it and has repeatedly gone to court to delay the official declaration of results.
Air France has resumed flights between Paris and Yerevan, French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacote informs, Public Radio of Armenia reports.

The flights will be carried out on weekly basis.

For more information on the flights its necessary to contact Sabera Tours.
STAMFORD  A former executive assistant for a Stamford commodities trading business turned herself over to police earlier this week and was charged with stealing just over $324,000 from her employer.

Police say the woman rang up 700 purchases from Amazon worth more than $135,000 during the three years that she was allegedly stealing money from her employer.

Stamford police Financial Crimes investigator Mike Stepien, who investigated the case, said the South End commodities trading company came to police in June to report that the executive assistant, Nadia Lewis, 33, of Riverview Avenue, who had been laid off as a result of the coronavirus, might have stolen as much as $200,000, police said.

When police looked into the matter they found that she took even more, police said. Her attorney Brittany Paz, did not return a call seeking comment.

The company credit card that police saiy Lewis used was linked to an Amazon account in her employers name, police said.

That ... allowed the company to take a closer look at the over 700 purchases that she claimed had been made for the companys benefit, Stempien said. But after looking at the majority of items purchased, it was clear that these were not related to the businesses.

Stempien said many of the purchases were for lingerie, baby clothes, women's clothing, diapers and other personal items, the majority of which were shipped not to her company address but to her Shelton home, he said.

We literally went through all 700 purchases to confirm the amounts and see that the company's investigation matched what we were seeing, Stempien said.

But the bulk of the amount allegedly stolen, $189,000 worth, appears to have involved Lewis making payments from the company via PayPal to a personal event-planning business run by Lewis, Stempien said. He said a portion of the Amazon purchases appeared to have been made for the event-planning business.

Stempien said the alleged thefts occurred between late 2017 and March 2020, when the company became suspicious.

Lewis turned herself in to police on Monday, police said, and was able to post 10 percent of her $75,000 court appearance bond.

She is scheduled to be arraigned on a charge of first-degree larceny on Sept. 21.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
Above, Igor Iggy Danchenko (Twitter)

By Paul Sperry, RealClearInvestigations

July 24, 2020

The mysterious Primary Subsource that Christopher Steele has long hidden behind to defend his discredited Trump-Russia dossier is a former Brookings Institution analyst -- Igor Iggy Danchenko, a Russian national whose past includes criminal convictions and other personal baggage ignored by the FBI in vetting him and the information he fed to Steele, according to congressional sources and records obtained by RealClearInvestigations. Agents continued to use the dossier as grounds to investigate President Trump and put his advisers under counter-espionage surveillance.

The 42-year-old Danchenko, who was hired by Steele in 2016 to deploy a network of sources to dig up dirt on Trump and Russia for the Hillary Clinton campaign, was arrested, jailed and convicted years earlier on multiple public drunkenness and disorderly conduct charges in the Washington area and ordered to undergo substance-abuse and mental-health counseling, according to criminal records.

Fiona Hill: She worked at the Brookings Institution with dossier "Primary Subsource" Igor Iggy Danchenko (top photo), and testified against President Trump last year during impeachment hearings.

In an odd twist, a 2013 federal case against Danchenko was prosecuted by then-U.S Attorney Rod Rosenstein, who ended up signing one of the FBIs dossier-based wiretap warrants as deputy attorney general in 2017.

Danchenko first ran into trouble with the law as he began working for Brookings  the preeminent Democratic think tank in Washington  where he struck up a friendship with Fiona Hill, the White House adviser who testified against Trump during last year's impeachment hearings. Danchenko has described Hill as a mentor, while Hill has sung his praises as a creative researcher.

Hill is also close to his boss Steele, who shed known since 2006. She met with the former British intelligence officer during the 2016 campaign and later received a raw, unpublished copy of the now-debunked dossier.

It does not appear the FBI asked Danchenko about his criminal past or state of sobriety when agents interviewed him in January 2017 in a failed attempt to verify the accuracy of the dossier, which the bureau did only after agents used it to obtain a warrant to surveil Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The opposition research was farmed out by Steele, working for Clinton's campaign, to Danchenko, who was paid for the information he provided.



A newly declassified FBI summary of the FBI-Danchenko meeting reveals agents learned that key allegations in the dossier, which claimed Trump engaged in a well-developed conspiracy of cooperation with the Kremlin against Clinton, were largely inspired by gossip and bar talk among Danchenko and his drinking buddies, most of whom were childhood friends from Russia.

The FBI memo is heavily redacted and blacks out the name of Steeles Primary Subsource. But public records and congressional sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirm the identity of the source as Danchenko.



In the memo, the FBI notes that Danchenko said that he and one of his dossier sources drink heavily together. But there is no apparent indication the FBI followed up by asking Danchenko if he had an alcohol problem, which would cast further doubt on his reliability as a source for one of the most important and sensitive investigations in FBI history.



The FBI declined comment. Attempts to reach Danchenko by both email and phone were unsuccessful.



The Justice Departments watchdog recently debunked the dossiers most outrageous accusations against Trump, and faulted the FBI for relying on it to obtain secret wiretaps. The bureaus actions, which originated under the Obama administration, are now the subject of a sprawling criminal investigation led by special prosecutor John Durham.



Rod Rosenstein: In an odd twist, a 2013 drunkenness case against Danchenko was prosecuted by then-U.S Attorney Rod Rosenstein, who ended up signing one of the FBIs dossier-based wiretap warrants as deputy attorney general in 2017.

One of the wiretap warrants was signed in 2017 by Rosenstein, who also that year appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller and signed a scope memo giving him wide latitude to investigate Trump and his surrogates. Mueller relied on the dossier too. As it happens, Rosenstein also signed motions filed in one of Danchenkos public intoxication cases, according to the documents obtained by RCI.



In March 2013  three years before Danchenko began working on the dossier  federal authorities in Greenbelt, Md., arrested and charged him with several misdemeanors, including drunk in public, disorderly conduct, and failure to have his [2-year-old] child in a safety seat, according to a court filing . The U.S. prosecutor for Maryland at the time was Rosenstein, whose name appears in the docket filings .

The Russian-born Danchenko, who was living in the U.S. on a work visa, was released from jail on the condition he undergo drug testing and participate in a program of substance abuse therapy and counseling, as well as mental health counseling, the records show. His lawyer asked the court to postpone his trial and let him travel to Moscow as a condition of his employment. The Russian trips were granted without objection from Rosenstein. Danchenko ended up several months later entering into a plea agreement and paying fines.

In 2006, Danchenko was arrested in Fairfax, Va., on similar offenses, including "public swearing and intoxication," criminal records show. The case was disposed after he paid a fine.

At the time, Danchenko worked as a research analyst for the Brookings Institution, where he became a protege of Hill. He collaborated with her on at least two Russian policy papers during his five-year stint at the think tank and worked with another Brookings scholar on a project to uncover alleged plagiarism in Russian President Vladimir Putins doctoral dissertation  something Danchenko and his lawyer boasted about during their meeting with FBI agents. (Like Hill, the other scholar, Clifford Gaddy, was a Russia hawk. He and Hill in 2015 authored Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, a book strongly endorsed by Vice President Joe Biden at the time.)

Igor is a highly accomplished analyst and researcher, Hill noted on his LinkedIn page in 2011. He is very creative in pursuing the most relevant of information and detail to support his research.

Strobe Talbott of Brookings with Hillary Clinton: He connected with Christopher Steele and passed along a copy of his anti-Trump dossier to Fiona Hill.

Hill also vouched for Steele, an old friend and British intelligence counterpart. The two reunited in 2016, sitting down for at least one meeting. Her boss at the time, Brookings President Strobe Talbott, also connected with Steele and passed along a copy of his anti-Trump dossier to Hill. A tough Trump critic, Talbott previously worked in the Clinton administration and rallied the think tank behind Hillary. rallied

Talbotts brother-in-law is Cody Shearer, another old Clinton hand who disseminated his own dossier in 2016 that echoed many of the same lurid and unsubstantiated claims against Trump. Through a mutual friend at the State Department, Steele obtained a copy of Shearers dossier and reportedly submitted it to the FBI to help corroborate his own.

In August 2016, Talbott personally called Steele, based in London, to offer his own input on the dossier he was compiling from Danchenkos feeds. Steele phoned Talbott just before the November election, during which Talbott asked for the latest dossier memos to distribute to top officials at the State Department. After Trumps surprise win, the mood at Brookings turned funereal and Talbott and Steele strategized about how they should handle the dossier going forward.



During the Trump transition, Talbott encouraged Hill to leave Brookings and take a job in the White House so she could be one of the adults in the room when Russia and Putin came up. She served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council from 2017 to 2019.

She left the White House just before a National Security Council detailee whod worked with her, Eric Ciaramella, secretly huddled with Democrats in Congress and alleged Trump pressured the president of Ukraine to launch an investigation of Biden and his son in exchange for military aid. Democrats soon held hearings to impeach Trump, calling Hill as one of their star witnesses.

Congressional investigators are taking a closer look at tax-exempt Brookings, which has emerged as a nexus in the dossier scandal. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the liberal think tank is prohibited from lobbying or engaging in political campaigns.

Under questioning by Republican staff, Hill disclosed that Steele reached out to her for information about a mysterious individual, but she claimed she could not recall his name. She also said she couldnt remember the month she and Steele met.

He had contacted me because he wanted to see if I could give him a contact to some other individual, who actually I dont even recall now, who he could approach about some business issues, Hill told the House last year in an Oct. 14 deposition taken behind closed doors.

Congressional investigators are reviewing her testimony, while taking a closer look at tax-exempt Brookings, which has emerged as a nexus in the dossier scandal.

Registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the liberal think tank is prohibited from lobbying or engaging in political campaigns. Specifically, investigators want to know if Brookings played any role in the development of the dossier.

Their 501(c)(3) status should be audited, because they are a major player in the dossier deal, said a congressional staffer who has worked on the investigation into alleged Russian influence.

Hill, who returned to Brookings as a senior fellow in January, could not be reached for comment. Brookings did not respond to inquiries.

Ghost Employee

As a former member of Britains secret intelligence service, Steele hadnt traveled to Russia in decades and apparently had no useful sources there. So he relied entirely on Danchenko and his supposed network of subsources, which to its chagrin, the FBI discovered was nothing more than a social circle.

It soon became clear over their three days of debriefing him at the FBIs Washington field office  held just days after Trump was sworn into office  that any Russian insights he may have had were strictly academic.

Danchenko confessed he had no inside line to the Kremlin and was clueless when Steele hired him in March 2016 to investigate ties between Russia and Trump and his campaign manager.

Christopher Steele, former British spy, leaving a London court this week in a libel case brought against him by a Russian businessman. Dossier source Danchenko's drinking pals fed him a tissue of false rumor and speculation for pay which Steele, in turn, further embellished with spy-crafty details and sold to his client as intelligence.

Desperate for leads, he turned to a ragtag group of Russian and American journalists, drinking buddies (including one whod been arrested on pornography charges) and even an old girlfriend to scare up information for his London paymaster, according to the FBIs January 2017 interview memo, which runs 57 pages. Like him, his friends made a living hustling gossip for cash, and they fed him a tissue of false rumor and speculation  which Steele, in turn, further embellished with spy-crafty details and sold to his client as intelligence.

Instead of closing its case against Trump, however, the FBI continued to rely on the information Danchenko dictated to Steele for the dossier, even swearing to a secret court that it was credible enough to renew wiretaps for another nine months.

One of Danchenkos sources was nothing more than an anonymous voice on the other end of a phone call that lasted 10-15 minutes.

Danchenko told the FBI he figured out later that the call-in tipster, who he said did not identify himself, was Sergei Millian, a Belarusian-born realtor in New York. In the dossier, Steele labeled this source an ethnic Russian close associate of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, and attributed Trump-Russia conspiracy revelations to him that the FBI relied on to support probable cause in all four FISA applications for warrants to spy on Trump adviser Carter Page -- including the Mueller-debunked myth that he and the campaign were involved in the DNC email hacking operation.

Danchenko explained to agents the call came after he solicited Millian by email in late July 2016 for information for his assignment from Steele. Millian told RCI that though he did receive an email from Danchenko on July 21, he ignored the message and never called him.

There was not any verbal communications with him, he insisted. Im positive, 100%, nothing what is claimed in whatever call they invented I could have said.

Millian provided RCI part of the email, which was written mostly in Russian. Contact information at the bottom of the email reads:

Igor Danchenko

Business Analyst

Target Labs Inc.

8320 Old Courthouse Rd, Suite 200

Vienna, VA 22182

+1-202-679-5323

At the time, Danchenko listed Target Labs, an IT recruiter run by ethnic-Russians, as an employer on his resume. But technically, he was not a paid employee there. Thanks to a highly unusual deal Steele arranged with the company, Danchenko was able to use Target Labs as an employment front.

It turns out that in 2014, when Danchenko first started freelancing regularly for Steele after losing his job at a Washington strategic advisory firm, he set out to get a security clearance to start his own company. But drawing income from a foreign entity like Steeles London-based company, Orbis Business Intelligence, would hurt his chances. He was desperate to find a salaried position with a U.S.-based firm, he told the FBI.

So Steele agreed to help him broker a special arrangement" with Target Labs, where a Russian friend of Danchenkos worked as an executive, in which the company would bring Danchenko on board as an employee but not put him officially on the payroll. Danchenko would continue working for Steele and getting paid by Orbis with payments funneled through Target Labs. In effect, Target Labs served as the contract vehicle through which Danchenko was paid a monthly salary for his work for Orbis, the FBI memo reveals.

Though Danchenko had a desk available to use at Target Labs, he did most of his work for Orbis from home and did not take direction from the firm. Steele continued to give him assignments and direct his travel. Danchenko essentially worked as a ghost employee at Target Labs.

Asked about it, a Target Labs spokesman would only say that Danchenko does not work with us anymore.

Brian Auten: He wrote the memo on the FBI's interview with the Primary Subsource, which is silent about Danchenkos criminal record.

Some veteran FBI officials worry Moscows foreign intelligence service may have planted disinformation with Danchenko and his network of sources in Russia. At least one of them, identified only as Source 5 in the FBI memo, was described as having a Russian kurator, or handler.

"There are legions of connected' Russians purveying second- and third-hand  and often made-up -- due diligence reports and private intelligence, said former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker. "Putin's intelligence minions use these people well to plant information.

Danchenko has scrubbed his social media account. He told the FBI he deleted all his dossier-related electronic communications, including texts and emails, and threw out his handwritten notes from conversations with his subsources.

In the end, Steele walked away from the dossier debacle with at least $168,000, and Danchenko earned a large undisclosed sum.

The FBI interview memo, which is silent about Danchenkos criminal record, was written by FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Brian Auten, who was called out in the Justice inspector general report for ignoring inconsistencies, contradictions, errors and outright falsehoods in the dossier he was supposed to verify.

It was also Autens duty to vet Steele and his sources. Auten sat in on the meetings with Danchenko and also separate ones with Steele. He witnessed firsthand the countless red flags that popped up from their testimony. Yet Auten continued to tout their reliability as sources, and give his blessing to agents to use their dossier as probable cause to renew FISA surveillance warrants to spy on Page.



As RCI first reported, Auten teaches a national security course at a Washington-area college on the ethics of such spying.
The coronavirus stimulus package: What you need to read

The latest: White House proposes $1.8 trillion American Families Plan

American Families Plan: Read the White House fact sheet | Whats in Bidens $1.8 trillion American Families Plan?

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Stimulus FAQs: What you need to do to get the third stimulus payment | The Post answers your stimulus questions

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Child Tax Credit FAQ: The Democratic plan to give most parents $250 a month

Tell the Post: Are you waiting on a stimulus check, loan or unemployment assistance from the latest economic relief plan?
US federal agents have again used tear gas in a bid to disperse a large crowd of protesters outside the federal court in Oregon states Portland city after multiple fireworks were shot towards the building during a Black Lives Matter demonstration.

Thousands of people gathered on Friday night in Portlands streets hours after a US judge denied Oregons request to restrict federal agents actions during protests that have roiled the city and pitted local officials against the Trump administration.

A few hundred people, most wearing masks and many donning helmets, gathered near a fountain before marching to the Hatfield Federal Courthouse, where the federal agents were stationed.

Beginning at 9pm (04:00 GMT on Saturday), the crowd pressed shoulder to shoulder, packed the area and overflowed into the streets as they chanted Black Lives Matter and Feds go home to the sound of drums.

As the night carried on, protesters shook the fence surrounding the court and shot multiple fireworks over it. Minutes later, tear gas was thrown into the crowd by the federal agents deployed by President Donald Trump to tamp down the unrest.

The agents have arrested dozens during nightly demonstrations against racial injustice that often turn violent.

Federal agents have arrested dozens during nightly demonstrations against racial injustice in Portland [John Rudoff/Anadolu]

Legal challenges

The clashes in Portland have further inflamed the nations political tensions and triggered a crisis over the limits of federal power as Trump moves to send US officers to other Democratic-led cities as part of his new law and order re-election strategy after the coronavirus crashed the economy.

Democratic leaders in Oregon say federal intervention has worsened the two-month crisis, and the state attorney general alleged in his lawsuit that some people had been whisked off the streets in unmarked vehicles.

US District Judge Michael Mosman said the state lacked standing to sue on behalf of protesters because the lawsuit was a highly unusual one with a particular set of rules.

Oregon was seeking a restraining order on behalf of its residents; not for injuries that had already happened, but to prevent injuries by federal officers in the future.

That combination makes the standard for granting such a motion very narrow, and the state did not prove it had standing in the case, Mosman wrote.

Legal experts who reviewed the case before the decision had warned the judge could reject the case.

The federal government acted in violation of those individuals rights and probably acted in violation of the constitution in the sense of exercising powers that are reserved to the states, but just because the federal government acts in ways that overstep its authority doesnt mean the state has an injury, said Michael Dorf, a constitutional law professor at Cornell University.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat who was tear-gassed this week as he joined the protesters, said the federal presence is exacerbating a tense situation and he has repeatedly told them to leave.

Homeland Security acting Secretary Chad Wolf denied that federal agents were inflaming the situation in Portland and said Wheeler legitimised criminality by joining demonstrators, whom Trump has called anarchists and agitators.
"For God's sake, open the pubs again before we all become alcoholics," is the epigram that summed up Ireland at the height of the pandemic. At this stage, if our aim is to curb the rising number of coronavirus infections recorded by Nphet, it's a case of: For God's sake, open up ALL the pubs.

And while we're at it, in the interest of pragmatic civil liberties - and in the face of the traditional Irish pub becoming an endangered species - is it time to consider the concept of personal responsibility when it comes to going out for a few pints?

Closing down a third of the country's pubs won't stop people gathering together over drinks; it'll just drive social drinking out of a controlled, visible environment and into an illicit, hidden one.

It's nonsensical, unnecessary, short-sighted and counter-productive. It's infantilising - and a classic example of rules for the sake of rules.

Pubs across Europe have re-opened, yet here in Ireland, we've come up with some kind of mad Father-Ted-crossed-with-Garda-Patrol segregation policy on licensed premises. It's bonkers.

Only those that serve food are open, leaving 3,750 pubs with their shutters down since March.

Yet, if all pubs were opened at the same time, the supply-and-demand balance would have meant social distancing could have been achieved more easily. Instead, we had the Covid-19 citizen police out with their iPhones taking evidence of people on the city streets drinking, which they tut-tutted was "not allowed".

Instead of scolding these people who, in fairness, had the basic sense of responsibility to stay out in the fresh air, the simple solution for public health was to open all premises and increase the space.

A few photos on Twitter of craic-starved young people getting over-excited in the good weather and sitting on pavements, pints in hand, was enough to postpone the reopening of all pubs, to a scheduled date of August 10. It's an overdue reopening that needs to go ahead.

Dublin city centre social life bears no resemblance to the culture of pubs in country towns, many in counties where there are currently very few coronavirus cases.

Yet they were the most harshly punished: 60pc of rural pubs do not serve food. It's hard to comprehend how they will survive the closure of business for almost half a year.

Padraig Cribben of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland made sense when he said: "This is a decision made by policy makers divorced from reality about life in rural Ireland."

Donal O'Keeffe of the Licensed Vintners Association pointed out: "It has to be acknowledged that the pubs that are closed are not responsible for the growing levels of infection. Yet it is these same pubs asked to take a further financial hit."

More magical thinking is evident in the rule that patrons can only have a drink once they've had a substantial meal - something I haven't come across since the Ambassador nightclub in Co Kildare, circa 1996.

How exactly does this policy protect in any way from the virus?

The 105-minute time limit is the most ridiculous of all - defeating the whole purpose of pub tradition by putting a clock on your head, or else making a superspreader event more likely, as drinkers move venue.

The continued closures mean that while the virus may be banished from bars, it's only going to emerge in homes, as house parties spring up in their place.

Strangely, the decision to leave the "wet pubs" closed was not connected to any outbreak in the pubs already open. That was a successful dry-run that should have bode well for re-opening on schedule on July 20.

Instead, it was spurred on, in part, amid growing concern amongst policy-makers about the spread of Covid-19 at house parties.

We've seen it already in Killarney this month, where a weekend-long house party in a holiday home, attended by around 30 young people from all over Ireland, led to a virus cluster alarm. One person there had been diagnosed with Covid-19, and since then, at least one person from the group has tested positive for it.

Young people who want to party aren't going to bother ringing up the local pub and booking a time slot, to sit there like pensioners having a midday meal with their drink before having to leave again. That's the opposite of youth and freedom.

Instead, they're going to each others' houses, where there's no-one around to spoil their fun. They're going to make a booking to go for a weekend away in a free house, where they won't have to deal with the local polis coming in, checking if people sitting together are blood relatives.

But it means they're at bigger risk: at home, there won't be hand sanitising stations, social distancing etiquette or hygiene standards, as there are in a pub. Nobody will be wearing face coverings.

A pub may be a high-risk environment because, as the experts say, drinking and social distancing are mutually exclusive. Being in a pub, however, would be far less dangerous than spending a weekend at a house party. The danger lies not in what you can see, but what you can't.

It would be very unwise to undermine the gravity of this killer virus.

Ultimately, though, we are going to have to move to a model of personal responsibility around pub outings, for the survival of all.
Virus Outbreak Mask Fashion FILE - In this July 14, 2020, file photo, a firefighter wears a face mask with the colors of the French flag, prior to the Bastille Day parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. Masks made of cotton and other washable materials have become a big seller as face coverings have emerged as one of the most effective ways to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)

SALEM, Ore. (AP)  They can be colorful or come in basic black, make a political statement or just a funny one.

Masks made of cotton and other washable materials have become big sellers, and an emerging fashion item, as face coverings have been increasingly mandated around the world to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Sales are expected to get another boost after Britain and France announced this week that they will require masks in public indoor spaces. That could help France's textile and luxury goods companies unload a surplus of masks that numbered 20 million in June.

In addition, at least 25 U.S. states are requiring masks in many indoor situations. Oregon on Wednesday even began requiring masks outdoors if people can't stay 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

In a sign that masks are becoming a fashion trend, Vogue magazine recently listed 100 "aesthetically pleasing" selections. The fashion magazine's recommendations include a mask with beaded accents from Susan Alexandra. The cost: $70. Masks made from vintage quilt tops, by Farewell Frances, go for $25.

After U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi began wearing masks that matched her outfits, people watching her on news channels noticed they had a Donna Lewis label on them. The boutique in Alexandria, Virginia, became besieged by purchase orders and soon ran out of the labels, which customers demanded.

The boutique now has a huge backlog of orders, co-owner Chris Lewis said.

I'm shipping them all over the world now, Lewis said. Orders are so furious, I can't keep up.

Perhaps showing some fashion sense, when President Donald Trump wore a mask publicly for the first time Saturday, he chose a navy-blue one that bore the presidential seal and matched the color of his suit.

Thanks to mask sales, Etsy, the online crafts marketplace, has seen revenue jump. In April alone, Etsy sold 12 million masks, generating $133 million in sales.

If face masks were a stand-alone category, it would have been the second biggest category on Etsy in the month of April, CEO Josh Silverman said.

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Second-quarter revenue, to be announced in August, will likely show mask sales are red hot.

Black masks are in highest demand, followed by white and floral patterns, Etsy spokeswoman Lily Cohen said.

We are seeing lots of unique variations on masks, including personalization with names and monograms ... styles with animal faces or lips, she said.

There's also the comical, like the one that says, Resting mask face.

Also available are masks saying, Black lives matter with an image of a raised fist. Some businesses have told employees they can't wear them, sparking debate about appropriate workplace attire and the desire to show solidarity with the fight against racism.

Masks can show patriotism as well as activism.

In Paris, a firefighter wore a face covering with the colors of the French flag before marching in the Bastille Day parade celebrating the national holiday this week along the Champs Elysees. Others at a protest across town wore yellow masks, representing the yellow vest movement against economic injustice that began in late 2018.

Workers at restaurants and other businesses are wearing masks with corporate logos. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown wears one showing the state flag.

In Colombia, dozens of fashion companies have pivoted to producing masks, including ones with colorful images of toucans, jaguars and other tropical designs that normally go on expensive swimsuits. South Africans often sport masks made of colorful African fabrics.

But for many consumers, plain white will do.

When Uniqlo, a major Japanese clothing retailer, put its white cool and dry masks with breathable fabric on sale in June, shoppers lined up at stores and crashed its website. Supplies sold out in hours.

___

Follow Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky.
She's been making waves in Weatherfield as Daniel Osbourne's buxom new love interest Nicky Wheatley.

And Coronation Street's Kimberly Hart-Simpson looked every inch the soap star as she stepped out for a girls' night wearing a plunging pink pinstripe mini dress in Manchester on Friday.

The blonde beauty, 33, sizzled in the frock which boasted a lace-up bodice and a sweetheart neckline which clung to the actor's ample cleavage.

Stunning: Kimberly Hart-Simpson looked every inch the star as she stepped out for a girl's night wearing a plunging pink pinstripe mini in Manchester on Friday

Kimberly teamed her thigh-grazing dress with a pink candy-striped blazer which she later used as a makeshift umbrella to protect against the Manchester drizzle.

The actress carried a simple black shoulder-bag with a gold chain strap and finished off her look with a pair of white mules and a glamorous red pedicure.

Former Hollyoaks star Kimberly styled her golden locks in loose waves, and sported full lashes with a glossy pink lip while a set of diamond studs added a touch of bling.

Corrie's newest recruit had upgraded from the Rover's Return and enjoyed a night out at Manchester's exclusive 20 Stories bar with a female friend.

Stylish yet practical: Kimberly teamed her thigh-grazing dress with a pink candy-striped blazer which she later used as a makeshift umbrella to protect against the Manchester drizzle

Irish actress Kimberley strutted onto the cobbles last month, to play sex-worker Nicky and has already ruffled a few feathers.

Having been acting for over a decade, the actress spoke of how she went from her job as a McDonald's boss to her dream job on Corrie in an interview with The Sun.

Kimberly said: 'Ive been watching Coronation Street from the womb. I have been brought up on it. No one would dare ring our house phone when Corrie was on.

Girls' night: Former Hollyoaks star Kimberly styled her golden locks in loose waves, and sported full lashes with a glossy pink lip while a set of diamond studs added a touch of bling

Huge achievement: Kimberly Hart-Simpson has spoken of her joy of joining the Coronation Street cast as she revealed it was her father's dying wish for her to star on the soap

'My dad was a massive Corrie fan. Every time I went to him, even if I hadnt seen him in a month, hed want me to shut up while it was on. I think it might have mattered more to him than I did.

'Unfortunately, I lost my dad in 2007. One of the last things he said to me was, "Just do me a favour and get on Corrie, love." We had that shared connection with it.'

Kimberly went on to talk about how she became one of the youngest-ever managers of McDonald's at a branch in Oldham at aged 16.

Debut: The actress made her debut earlier this month as grieving Daniel Osbourne's new love interest Nicky Wheatley

Kimberly tried to break into the acting industry but struggled to get through to the final audition stages.

After launching her own brand in fashion, the blonde beauty decided to go back to acting and it was there she landed a role in Hollyoaks.

The actress played the brief role of Beverley in an episode of the Channel 4 soap earlier this year, and has also appeared in the Sky One comedy Mount Pleasant.

Soap star: The actress played the brief role of Beverley in an episode of Hollyoaks earlier this year, and has also appeared in the Sky One comedy Mount Pleasant

Dreams do come true: The actress announced the exciting news on social media earlier this month

Kimberly said she has moved in with her mum during lockdown after struggling to pay for her house.

The actress is currently signed up to feature into the soap until the autumn and will star alongside widower Daniel (Rob Mallard), who lost wife Sinead to cervical cancer last October.

She says she will have a few run-ins with the feisty Tracy Barlow- Daniels stepsister. The actress announced the exciting news on social media earlier this month.

Kimberly re-posted the announcement which had been made by her management, explaining her first scenes on the soap would air on 19th June

She captioned the post: 'After nearly decade of auditioning ... believing ... Its happened. Proudest moment of my life.'
Near the end of his 2019 autobiography, Bob Lazar writes, Im no kind of hero.

With each passing day, that seems less true. I know what youre thinking: Is this idiot really devoting a column to a controversial UFO whistleblower during a global pandemic? Should I stop reading this tinfoil claptrap right now and spend the next few minutes on something more productive?

Answers: 1. Yes. 2. Probably.

OK. To everyone still here, why is Bob Lazar on my mind? Because I just read a New York Times story  No Longer in Shadows, Pentagons U.F.O. Unit Will Make Some Findings Public  that includes a buried nugget about how astrophysicist and Pentagon contractor Eric W. Davis gave a classified briefing to government officials in March about retrieved off-world vehicles not made on this earth.

I know. Its nuts. If you ever watched The X-Files, the U.S. government has basically done a 180 on UFOs. For nearly a century, intel gathering under clandestine programs  Project Mogul, Project Sign, Project Grudge, Project Blue Book, Project Ozma  had one guiding principle: blanket denial.

The stated goal was to investigate UFO sightings. The outcome was official excuses.

UFOs were weather balloons or street lamps or migrating birds. They were illusions refracted by the natural world. They were fantasies of deranged imaginations. They were not real.

All of that has changed dramatically, starting with a 2017 New York Times blockbuster that revealed the existence of the U.S. governments Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, created a decade earlier to analyze unexplained phenomena. The Navy has since publicly verified three videos that show unidentified aircraft violating the laws of aerodynamics. Apparently, there are more.

What was once the stuff of supermarket tabloids is now taken seriously by politicians and scientists.

So isnt it time Bob Lazar got a second hearing in the court of public opinion?

The man put Area 51 on the pop-cultural map in 1989, when during an interview with Las Vegas investigative reporter George Knapp, he made claims that would have sent Fox Mulder to a fainting couch. Lazar said he had worked at a top-secret military base, S-4, near Papoose Lake, where his job was to reverse-engineer crashed alien flying saucers. It was like hearing someone casually say they provided dental care to the Loch Ness Monster. Im sorry, what?

I remember thinking Bob must be smoking crack out of a Bunsen burner.

But heres the thing: 30 years later, nothing Lazar said has been disproven. Nothing.

Oh, I know the skeptics want to discredit him based on flimsy allegations he falsified his education or previous employment with the Los Alamos National Laboratory. But did he? Knapp visited that lab with Lazar many moons ago and they were granted access without showing credentials. Security recognized Lazar, who gave Knapp a guided tour while waving to former colleagues who waved back. I can tell you right now, if I wander into the Globe and Mail newsroom and start waving at people, Im going to get tackled and escorted out by security. You cant fake working at a place. So if Lazar really worked at Los Alamos  which officially has no record of him  why should we question his Area 51 claims?

There is also no record of Lazars birth. Does that mean he does not exist?

Id then go several steps further and ask, Why should we doubt anything Lazar says about UFOs?

In a video authenticated by the Navy this year, a spacecraft is rotating and flying belly-up, exactly as Lazar described in the 80s. Its eerie. When he first talked about Element 115 as a possible power source of antigravitational propulsion, it didnt exist on the periodic table. Now it does. Is that not a strange coincidence? What about his sketches that could now be blueprints for UFOs?

As far as I can tell, Bob Lazar has been vindicated at every turn. And you know what?

The world owes him an apology.

But if you google Lazar, you get sucked into a black hole that suggests he is a fraud, liar, conspiracy theorist and UFO hoaxster. What he was saying in 1989  we have recovered crashed alien saucers that defy everything we know about the universe  was a stick of dynamite to rational thought. But what he was saying then is now backed up by the official record. Please read Lazars autobiography Dreamland, or watch the Netflix doc Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers, and tell me why you still think he is a deceptive kook. Spoiler alert: You cant do it.

Lazar has never once tried to profit from the whistle-blowing that ruined his career. Hes not on any lucrative speaking circuits. Hes not selling kitschy T-shirts of Little Green Men. He goes about his business in the shadow of infamy and ridicule. Thirty years later, he just wants to move on and change the subject. He wants breathing room amid the suffocation of terrestrial doubt.

But if, as reported this week, more UFO revelations are forthcoming  and they involve new insights on retrieved meta-materials not of this world  isnt it time to set the record straight on our most famous UFO whistleblower? Isnt it time we landed this flying saucer on consensus?

Bob Lazar is either a diabolical liar or some kind of hero. He cant be both.

But what he could be, now more than ever, is an invaluable tour guide into the unknown.
New Mexicos Inspection of Public Records Act makes clear the public is entitled to the greatest amount of information possible about its government and guarantees everyone access to public records. The law, commonly known as IPRA, has become a key tool not only for journalists but for citizens, allowing them to access records such as police reports and 911 tapes, government contracts and emails of public-sector employees.

Its transparency is a key mechanism for keeping government accountable.

But it is not without safeguards. Law enforcement records exempt from IPRA include those that reveal confidential sources, methods, information or individuals accused but not charged with a crime. Unfortunately, for years many N.M. police departments have taken that a step too far, asserting police reports cannot be made available due to an ongoing investigation.

Thats why a New Mexico Supreme Court ruling last week is so significant. It finally puts an end to the its under investigation excuse while preserving the confidentiality of police sources and methods and uncharged individuals.

The Albuquerque Journal, Santa Fe New Mexican, Rio Grande Sun and New Mexico Foundation for Open Government attempted to resolve the dispute in a 2005 settlement with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, but police compliance was lacking from the outset. Many police departments continued to deny IPRA requests for reports citing an ongoing investigation, while other cities said they werent subject to the settlement and the agreement only applied to DPS.

The unanimous state Supreme Court ruling July 14 should put an end to that. The court ruled IPRA does not create a blanket exception allowing law enforcement agencies to withhold police records simply because of an ongoing criminal investigation. For anyone interested in keeping their law enforcement agencies responsible to the public that pays their salaries, it was Christmas in July.

It was also a victory for Andrew Jones, the brother of James Boyd, who was shot and killed by Albuquerque Police Department officers after a standoff in the Sandia foothills in March 2014. Jones had asked DPS to release records of its investigation, but his request was denied, partly because the FBI requested the records not be released because of its ongoing investigation. Jones sued DPS, and the Foundation for Open Government and the ACLU joined with an amicus brief. The district judge sided with the department, as did the N.M. Court of Appeals. But the final word from the state Supreme Court overruled both courts, finding Jones should have been granted summary judgment because there isnt an ongoing investigation exception under IPRA. Our justices also ruled there is no exception for producing records if federal agencies are also investigating a crime.

Instead of focusing on whether there was an ongoing investigation, our Legislature was concerned with the specific content of the records, Justice Barbara J. Vigil wrote in the opinion.

As the exemption allows, police reports sometimes contain information about confidential sources and methods or individuals accused but not charged with a crime. But rather than take the time to redact that information, many police agencies have denied the requests in full. The Legislature and governor amended IPRA in the wrong direction in 2019, requiring the redaction of identifying information of alleged victims and non-police witnesses in police records related to several crimes, including sexual assault and stalking. Like the ongoing investigation excuse, the amendment sounds good until you realize it makes it easier to cover up poor police work.

The Supreme Court ruled law enforcement records containing both exempt and nonexempt information cannot be withheld in toto. Agencies are now required to separate out the exempt information and release the nonexempt information for public inspection. While that may mean an additional expense for police agencies to do the parsing, its a good investment that will get the public more timely access to records related to public safety and help keep our law enforcement agencies transparent and accountable.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
A former Melrose Place actress who has already served a sentence for a fatal drunken driving crash could go back to prison.

The complicated legal history of the case against Amy Locane, 48, includes three sentences imposed by two judges, as well as numerous appeals.

It stems from a crash in March 2010 that killed Helene Seeman and seriously injured her husband, Fred, as they turned into their driveway in Montgomery Township in central New Jersey.

Amy Locane Bovenizer (pictured in 2013) could go back to prison even though she has already served a sentence for a fatal drunken driving crash, after an appeals court ruling this week

DUI crash: The fourth sentencing stems from a crash in March 2010 that killed Helene Seeman and seriously injured her husband, Fred, as they turned into their driveway in Montgomery Township in central New Jersey

Locane's case has bounced around the New Jersey court system for several years as prosecutors have sought a longer sentence than the one initially imposed by a judge in 2013.

This week, an appeals court ruled that a different judge incorrectly resentenced her last year, and sent the case back for another sentencing.

The ruling issued Wednesday also rejected Locane's argument that sentencing her again violates double jeopardy protections since she's already completed her sentence and parole term.

James Wronko, Locane's attorney, said Friday he would appeal to the state Supreme Court, a process that could take several months to play out.

'Ms. Locane has been out of prison for five years, and it's been two years since she completed parole,' Wronko said. 'During this entire time she has done everything they've asked her to do, and it's difficult to explain to her two girls why five years later, Mommy's being put back in prison.'

The actress contended the crash was an accident and that a third motorist, whose car Locane had bumped into at a traffic light minutes earlier, distracted her by honking at her and chasing her.

A state expert testified Locane's blood alcohol level was likely about three times the legal limit and that she was driving roughly 53 mph (85 kmh) in a 35-mph (56-kmh) zone at the time of the crash. The actress is pictured here in 2005

James Wronko, Locane's attorney, said 'Ms. Locane has been out of prison for five years, and it's been two years since she completed parole. During this entire time she has done everything they've asked her to do, and it's difficult to explain to her two girls why five years later, Mommy's being put back in prison.'

The indictment didn't mention intoxication, but a state expert testified Locane's blood alcohol level was likely about three times the legal limit and that she was driving roughly 53 mph (85 kmh) in a 35-mph (56-kmh) zone at the time of the crash.

She was convicted on several counts including vehicular manslaughter, and faced a sentencing range of five to 10 years on the most serious count. The state sought a seven-year sentence, but the trial judge sentenced her to three years. An appeals court ruled he misapplied the law, but at a resentencing, the same judge declined to give Locane additional time.

This week's ruling criticized state Superior Court Judge Kevin Shanahan, who resentenced Locane last year to five years, for employing 'a methodology all his own' and ignoring an earlier appeals court's instructions on how he should weigh mitigating and aggravating factors in the case.

Complex case: The appeals court also held that Locane waived double jeopardy protections when she voluntarily began serving her initial sentence while the state was still appealing it

Amy is pictured in a recent snap with daughter Avery, 11, and Paige, 13

The appeals court also held that Locane waived double jeopardy protections when she voluntarily began serving her initial sentence while the state was still appealing it.

'When the government timely appeals an initial sentence or a sentence imposed at a re-sentencing, a defendant is put on notice that the sentence may change and he or she cannot acquire a legitimate expectation of finality,' the judges wrote.

Wronko disputed that analysis and said Locane didn't voluntarily surrender in 2013 but that the state sought to revoke her bail and the judge agreed.

Locane acted in 13 episodes of the popular Fox series and has also appeared in several movies.
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) staff are preparing a 10-person group of firefighters to assist the U.S. Forest Service in fighting wildfires in the western United States, the agency announced Friday.

The group, known as a module, will deploy to the Modoc National Forest area in northeastern California.

Two DEEP staff members, Western Connecticut Fire Control Officer Amy Burgess and Justin Wiggins, an Environmental Analyst with DEEPs Fisheries Division, are part of the team. One crew member is a state of Rhode Island forestry employee, and the rest are private sector firefighters.

DEEP maintains a roster of agency staff members and personnel who have been certified to fight forest or wildfires, the agency said. Crew members must complete a rigorous training program and participate in an annual physical work capacity test and refresher training.

The state maintains the capability to participate in a reciprocal aid program operated by the U.S. Forest Service.

Under the program, personnel from other parts of the nation are available to assist Connecticut in the event of a fire emergency or other natural disaster in return for the support of Connecticut personnel when needed.

DEEP expenses directly associated with these deployments are reimbursed to the state by the U.S. Forest Service.

The crew assembled at DEEPs Eastern District Headquarters in Marlborough Friday afternoon.

The team will be following USDA Forest Service COVID-19 protocols, including pre-screening for COVID-19, and daily COVID-19 screening upon arrival and throughout the assignment. The crew is traveling via rented cars, and the deployment will be for 21 to 29 days, including travel time.
Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) has announced 24 new badges designed to help girls practice ambitious leadership in the areas of automotive engineering, STEM career exploration, entrepreneurship, and civics, many of which remain male-dominated.

In a year of unprecedented global change, our country's need for strong, broad-minded and decisive leadership has never been greater. Through new and existing programming, Girl Scouts aims to equip the next generation of female change-makers with the breadth of knowledge, skills and experiences they need to take charge and do good for the world, both now and in the future.

The new Girl Scout badges include:

 Entrepreneurship (grades K12). Girls develop an entrepreneurial mindset as they engage in age-appropriate exercises that help them create and pitch a product or service that solves a problem. They build their own business plan and think about topics like production, cost, profit, marketing and competition. Three in four of today's girls are interested in becoming an entrepreneur, but more than half also say they need more support in this area; these badges are designed to fill the gap. Funded by Susan Bulkeley Butler and designed in collaboration with VentureLab.
Police in Da Nang said on Saturday they have detected several Chinese nationals having illegally entered Vietnam as part of an ongoing mass inspection of foreigners in the central city.

The mass inspection of foreigners staying in Da Nang, with particular focus on Chinese nationals, was launched in accordance with the directions of the municipal police at a meeting on novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) prevention and control on Friday.

As of the end of Saturday morning, police in Son Tra District had examined 14 local households accomodating foreigners, 374 guesthouses, hotels, homestays, rental houses, resorts and apartments.

Police officers discovered nine cases of Chinese nationals having illegally entered Vietnam and 14 other cases yet to declare their temporary residence to local authorities.

Of the nine Chinese people who made an illegal entry into the country, two are being quarantined at the hospital while the other seven are being isolated at a centralized COVID-19 quarantine camp as per regulations.

A series of cases involving Chinese people illegally entering Vietnam were discovered recently in central Vietnam, including in Da Nang.

Particularly, an administrative inspection at 39 Duong Tu Giang Street in Khue My Ward of Ngu Hanh Son District on July 11 found four Chinese citizens who had illegally entered the country/

On July 16, 24 Chinese citizens who had illegally entered Vietnam were found in another inspection at the East Sea hotel on Loseby Street in Son Tra District.

Da Nang Police have launched an investigation into the case of "organizing for people to illegal enter Vietnam."

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
July 25 : Disha Patani has always impressed us with her social media posts. The Malang actress latest post took away her fans gloomy quarantine feelings as she brightened up their weekend mood.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Disha shared a picture where she is looking stunning in a breezy, blue and white micro floral dress while she flaunts her perfectly coloured tresses and red lips, as she poses for the camera. While the post got viral, her friend and Tiger Shroffs sister, Krishna Shroff, wrote, Guuurrrlll, along with a fire emoji in the comments section.

The tiny strappy dress featured a plunging neckline as the Baaghi actress looked sultry with the soft sun rays falling on her face. Complimenting her simple dress, Disha wore natural makeup, while she looked fresh with red lip colour.

Meanwhile, on the work front, it is reported that Disha will soon resume shooting for Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai, along with Salman Khan, in a Mumbai studio. Around 10 days shoot is left for the film. Earlier, the cast of Radhe was supposed to fly to Azerbaijan to shoot an action sequence and a song, which has been called off as overseas shooting is still not safe. Helmed by Prabhu Deva, the movie also stars Randeep Hooda and Jackie Shroff. Disha will also be seen in the sequel to Ek Villain, and KTina.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday transferred 15 IPS officers, including Kanpur SSP Dinesh Kumar P.

According to an official statement issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi, Preetinder Singh has been made the new Deputy Inspector General/Senior Superintendent of Police of Kanpur.

He was earlier posted as the DIG Aligarh range. Dinesh Kumar P has been posted as Jhansi SSP, according to the order.

His transfer comes days after the Kanpur encounter involving slain gangster Vikas Dubey in which eight policemen were killed and he recent kidnapping and gruesome killing of a 27-year-old lab technician in Kanpur.

Lab technicians murder triggered public outrage and gave the opposition parties an opportunity to attack the Yogi government over declining law and order in the sate.

Five people, including a woman and two friends of S Yadav, have been arrested in connection with the case, according to police.

Meanwhile, the state government has also transferred Amethi SP Khyati Garg. She has now been posted as Lucknow DCP.

On July 17, a mother-daughter duo from Amethi attempted self-immolation outside the Chief Minister's office in Lucknow alleging inaction in a case.

The woman with 90 per cent burn injuries died and her daughter with 15 per cent burns is undergoing treatment in the civil hospital, according to officials.

Among others, DIG, Chitrakoot, Deepak Kumar has been appointed as Deputy Inspector General/Senior Superintendent of Police, Ayodhya.

Ayodhya SSP Ashish Tiwari has been transferred to the Railways.
Summerland Cert: 12A, 1hr 39mins

Rating:

Proxima Cert: 12A, 1hr 47mins

Rating:

Cinemas  at least in England  have been open for three weeks now, sustained by a mix of popular classics, more recent films that had their original cinema run curtailed by the pandemic and one or two low-profile new releases. But this coming Friday is the day when cinema gets serious again. Yes, for the first time in more than four months, there will be starry new films in English cinemas.

Audiences will have to be patient: it will be a slow and unpredictable return to anything like cinematic normality, as the further postponement of Christopher Nolans long-awaited Tenet only last week made clear. But among those getting the big-screen treatment this week  albeit in our now socially-distanced cinemas  is Summerland, a sun-drenched wartime drama starring Gemma Arterton.

Summerland is a sun-drenched wartime drama starring Gemma Arterton as Alice, a reclusive writer whose live is upturned by the unwelcome arrival of an evacuee from London

Artertons presence and the wartime setting make comparisons with Their Finest, in which she also starred, inevitable. But this, despite all its essential likeability, isnt quite in the same class, held back by a storyline too prone to heaping one improbability on to another. But if you liked Ladies In Lavender, The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society, or the picturesque South Coast setting of Mr Holmes, this is definitely worth a look.

Arterton plays Alice, a reclusive and ill-tempered writer living alone in a cottage by the sea trying to finish her latest book on folklore. Floating islands and pagan concepts of heaven are her current obsessions, but all that comes to a halt when a knock on the door heralds the arrival of a local do-gooder dragging Alices worst nightmare behind her: a boy, Frank, an evacuee from London. Alice  something of a stranger to warmth and compassion  is furious.

She refuses to cook for him, make his bed or even show him where school is the next day. But Frank has a certain resilience and charm, together with a genuine interest in her work. Anyway, if she did throw him out after a week  as she threatens to  what sort of film would that make? Especially as there are all those intriguing flashbacks to what looks like rather more than a friendship between Alice and a beautiful fellow student, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Director Jessica Swale, making her feature-film debut, gets lovely performances from a cast that also includes the likes of Tom Courtenay (above), Penelope Wilton and Sian Phillips

Jessica Swale, who writes and directs, has considerable experience in the theatre but here makes her feature-film debut. She gets lovely performances from a cast that also includes the distinguished likes of Tom Courtenay, Penelope Wilton and Sian Phillips in modest supporting roles. But while some of the folklore-inspired images she uses are magical and moving, her complex storyline ultimately feels too contrived  and a little clumsy  for its own good.

On paper, Proxima looks a near-perfect film to belatedly kick-start the cinematic summer: it has the air of a sci-fi space adventure; has one of those cool single-word titles in the tradition of Interstellar, Solaris and Serenity; and, arguably best of all, the gorgeous former Bond girl Eva Green is its star. A mildly sexy, space romp is surely just what those long-silent box-office tills have been waiting for.

Alas if First Man was a rollercoaster ride about man (and they were all men) slipping the surly bonds of Earth, Proxima  directed and co-written by French film-maker Alice Winocour and playing out in subtitled French, German and Russian as well as English  is a disappointingly Earth-bound drama about whether female astronauts can ever slip the surly bonds of motherhood.

Lift-off is never quite achieved in Proxima despite an extremely good Eva Green (above with Zelie Boulant) leading the cast as an astronaut about to spend a year on the ISS

A subdued Green, to be fair, is extremely good as Sarah Loreau, a late choice for a year-long mission to the International Space Station as preparation for a future manned mission to Mars. But her daughter definitely doesnt want mummy to disappear into space for a year.

The problem is that none of this is really new enough or interesting enough to grab us, especially if youve gone in expecting  not unreasonably  a space film, or if you saw the similarly themed Lucy In The Sky with Natalie Portman last year. Lift-off is never quite achieved.
Americas Racial Reckoning: What you need to know

Full coverage: Race & Reckoning

Demographic changes: How the racial makeup of where you live has changed since 1990

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George Floyds America: Examining systemic racism through the lens of his life

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Family members of poet Varavara Rao, accused in the Elgar Parishad case, have moved the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking a direction toa Mumbai hospital, where he is being treated for COVID-19, and prison authorities to provide "transparent" updates on his health status.

The petition filed on Friday stated that the family was compelled to approach the rights body as they were denied any information about his condition or his treatment at the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. Today, we are compelled to write this letter to you, as we are denied any information about his condition or his treatment at the Nanavati Hospital.

From the time he was shifted out of Taloja Jail to St Georges hospital to Nanavati hospital, the only official information provided to the family was that he had tested positive for the COVID-19, they said.

Denial of any information on Rao's health is a direct violation of NHRC's July 13 order, whereby it had specifically directed the prison authorities to provide all the necessary medical care and assistance to the poet with intimation to his family members, they added.

Seeking NHRC's intervention, the family sought official updates on his health and line of treatment every six hours. Rao, 80, was undergoing treatment in Mumbai hospitals since July 16 after being tested for coronavirus positive. He is behind bars for about 22 months and had approached the special NIA court, seeking bail on medical grounds and the prevailing COVID-19 situation.
Colombo: The Reserve Bank of India has signed necessary documents for extending a USD 400 million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka to boost the island nation's draining foreign exchange reserves due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Indian High Commission here said on Saturday.

The currency swap arrangement will remain available till November 2022, the Indian mission said in a press release.

Sri Lanka in April said it was set to enter into an agreement with the RBI for a currency swap worth USD 400 million under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework to boost the foreign reserves and ensure financial stability of the country which is badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa made an additional request to India for a special USD 1.1 billion currency swap facility.

"Breaking Good News! Reserve Bank of India signs document for USD 400 million currency swap facility to #SriLanka till Nov 2022," the Indian mission tweeted on Friday.

"After debt repayment rescheduling discussions yesterday, this development is another example of India's strong commitment to work with #lka in post #COVID19SL economic recovery," it said.

The High Commission has conveyed this information to senior officials in the Government of Sri Lanka and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the statement said.

Earlier, on July 14, Deputy High Commissioner Vinod K. Jacob had met and discussed the currency swap arrangement with the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Prof. W.D. Lakshman, it said.

The two countries also held technical discussion on rescheduling of bilateral debt repayment by Sri Lanka on July 22.

An Indian delegation comprising senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and the EXIM Bank interacted with representatives from the Department of External Resources of Sri Lanka through a video conference.

"The High Commission has remained closely engaged in fruitful bilateral cooperation with Sri Lanka on all matters of mutual interest. It would be recalled that on July 22, the High Commission facilitated constructive technical discussions on rescheduling of bilateral debt repayment by Sri Lanka," the statement said.

The meeting was a sequel to telephonic conversations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on May 23 and with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 27.

The next round of technical discussions between the two sides on rescheduling of debt repayment is expected to be held soon.

"These positive developments illustrate active implementation of the leadership-level commitment to work together for addressing the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and further the mutually beneficial India-Sri Lanka partnership, including in the economic domain," the statement said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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BRIDGEWATER, N.S.Police in Nova Scotia are investigating possible sightings of a suspect accused of attempting to kill a police officer by stabbing him in the neck.

Bridgewater police say its officers and the RCMP responded to a possible sighting of Tobias Charles Doucette near Glen Allan Drive in Bridgewater, N.S., on Friday afternoon.

After police arrived, a second possible sighting was received in the area of Hollingsworth Drive.

Police established a perimeter around the search area and attempted to locate Doucette into the evening hours, but were unable to do so, said Danny MacPhee, Bridgewaters deputy chief, in a statement released late Friday evening.

Bare footprints were located in the search area adding to the credibility of the tips.

Police said the last time Doucette was seen, he was not wearing any shoes.

On Saturday night, they reported another possible sighting  this time in Lunenburg County. RCMP urged people in the area of Conquerall Mills Road and Highway 3 to stay indoors and keep their doors locked.

Doucette was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly struck an officer in the neck with an edged weapon as police responded to a domestic violence call Monday night at a hotel in Bridgewater, N.S. He was also charged with assault on his common-law partner.

The RCMP have focused their search for the Cape Breton man in Conquerall Bank, N.S. where he was believed to be on Tuesday.

He was spotted by an RCMP dog and handler, but police say he escaped into nearby woods after allegedly stabbing the dog with a stick.

After going several days without finding any trace of him, police decided to direct their search resources based on the strength of tips received on Doucettes potential whereabouts.

Wilbert Marshall, the chief of Potlotek First Nation where Doucette is from, pleaded on Thursday for the 31-year-old to turn himself in to the authorities.

Please surrender yourself. Nothings going to happen to you. I promise that, Marshall told reporters during a news conference alongside the RCMP.

Bridgewater police Sgt. Matthew Bennett, who was injured in Mondays incident, is recovering following surgery.

Doucettes common-law partner was treated for minor injuries sustained in the same incident, while the injured police dog was reported to be in stable condition.

Police are asking anyone who has information Doucettes whereabouts to call their local police agency immediately and reminding the public not to approach him.

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A new chapter in the 60-year history of Grand Seiko opens with the inauguration of an entirely new studio dedicated to the production of Grand Seikos mechanical watches. It will be home to the craftsmen and women who assemble and adjust each and every Grand Seiko mechanical watch.

The Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi was declared opened on July 20th, 2020 in a ceremony that took place simultaneously at the Wako building in Tokyo and at the studio in Shizukuishi. In Tokyo, Shinji Hattori, the Chairman and CEO of Seiko Watch Corporation, was joined by the studios distinguished architect, Kengo Kuma, while, in Shizukuishi, the Governor of Iwate Prefecture, Takuya Tasso, graced the occasion with his presence alongside the studios directors.

As he announced the opening of the studio, Shinji Hattori said, The studio provides the ideal environment for our craftsmen and women to bring Grand Seikos mechanical watches to life and for the next generation of watchmakers to be trained and their skills developed. It embodies Grand Seikos philosophy, The Nature of Time, and is clear evidence to the world of our dedication to the art of mechanical watchmaking.

Explaining his design for the studio, Kengo Kuma said, Grand Seikos view of the importance of nature is reflected in every corner of its design and construction. I greatly enjoyed the challenge of making the clean room, where watches of the highest precision are assembled, from wood. To balance natural materials with the rooms high technology technical requirements was a new and intriguing task. The studio has a floor area of 2,095 square meters and not only gives the Grand Seiko watchmakers an enhanced working environment but also opens up future production potential.

The Hi-beat 36000 80 Hours is the first new creation made at the new studio in Shizukuishi  Grand Seiko

The studio also incorporates an exhibition space where visitors can immerse themselves in Grand Seikos history as well as explore the manufacturing characteristics that make Grand Seikos mechanical watches so special. Events will be held at which visitors can try their hand at assembling a mechanical watch themselves in a dedicated space known as the Studio Seminar Room.

The heart of the studio is the clean room where the watches are assembled  Grand Seiko

A lounge on the second floor looks out at Mt. Iwate, the mountain that inspires many aspects of Grand Seikos designs. The lounge contains an exhibition that explains the world of Grand Seiko and will also showcase the brands first concept creation, a watch movement which will reveal the full extent of the ingenuity and skill of every one of Grand Seikos specialists, from designers to technicians. Full details of this remarkable concept creation will be released at a later date.

In addition, a Grand Seiko watch made exclusively for, and at the studio, will be presented in the lounge and will be available for purchase. It is a limited edition Hi-beat 36000.

Case back Hi-beat 36000  Grand Seiko

Hi-beat 36000  Grand Seiko

As soon as the Coronavirus situation allows, the new studio looks forward to welcoming visitors. For information and reservations, click here.

For information on the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, please visit the site below.
The Union secretary for civil aviation and chairman of airports authority of India (AII) on Saturday submitted the pre-feasibility report for the greenfield airport to be built in Pantnagar area of US Nagar district in the state, said officials.

The report was submitted by Union secretary for civil aviation Pradeep Kharola and chairman of AAI Arvind Singh during a meeting with chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in Dehradun on Saturday. They submitted the report after inspecting the land earmarked for the project along with state chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh earlier on Saturday, said officials.

According to a press release issued by the CM office on the development, both the Central officials informed Rawat that the land earmarked for the airport is a suitable one.

In US Nagar, 1,100 acres of land has been earmarked for setting up of a greenfield airport, built completely from scratch. The airport would be built with prospects of getting upgraded to an international one in future.

Also Read: Three people killed after car falls into river in Uttarakhands Nainital

Stressing on the importance of the soon-to-be-built airport and development of aviation infrastructure, CM Rawat said, It is very important to strengthen the air infrastructure in Uttarakhand from tourism, disaster and strategic point of view. For this, the ministry of civil aviation and the AAI, have been supported by the state government in every way.

He also said that, A lot of work has been done in the field of civil aviation in the state in the last three years with a large number of air services being introduced with the cooperation of the ministry of civil aviation.

Later, CM directed the state officials concerned to complete the necessary procedures for the greenfield airport at the earliest.

Pantnagar airport currently has about 267 acres of land with a 530 sqm of passenger terminal. The current handling capacity of the airport is 50 passengers in peak hours. With the creation of the greenfield airport, the capacity will increase considerably.
Published on 2020/07/24 | Source

New stills and behind the scenes images added for the Korean drama "Backstreet Rookie" (2020).

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Directed by Lee Myeong-woo

Written by Son Geun-joo

Network: SBS

With Ji Chang-wook, Kim Yoo-jung, Han Sunhwa, Do Sang-woo, Solbin, Kim Sun-young,...

16 episodes - Fri, Sat 22:00

A collaboration between Korea and China!

Synopsis

It's a romantic comedy where Choi Dae-hyeon meets Jeong Saet-byeol as a part-timer at his convenience store!

A pretty college girl came to Dae-hyeon's convenience store to do a late night job. This is Jeong Saet-byeol, a high school girl who gave Dae-hyeon a surprise kiss for a cigarette errand. Dae-hyeon is under stress as sales go up with male guests coming to see Saet-byeol. Despite all the tricks of Dae-hyeon, Saet-byeol likes him.

A love story by Jeong Saet-byeol, an unusual girl, will be played at a convenience store.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2020/06/19
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that he was not in favour of complete lifting of the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state only to address the economic concerns.

He said there was a need to strike a balance between the issues related to health and economy considering the challenge posed by the pandemic.

"I will never say that the lockdown will be lifted completely. But I have started reopening a few things gradually. Once reopened, it shouldn't be shut again. Hence, I prefer taking steps in phases. You can't just think about economy or health. There needs to be a balance between the two," he said.

Thackeray made this statement in an interview published in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Saturday.

The ongoing lockdown in the state will continue till July 31. From June onwards, the government had started lifting the restrictions in phase-wise manner under its 'Mission Begin Again' initiative.

"This pandemic is a global war. It has affected the entire world. Those countries which had lifted the lockdown in haste thinking that it was over, were again forced to impose it to curb the spread. In Australia, they had to rope in Army," he said.

"Many people are opposing lockdown. They say that lockdown is affecting the economy. To such people, I would say that I am ready to lift the lockdown, but if people die due to it, would you take the responsibility?...Even we are concerned about the economy," he said.

On the restarting of the suburban railway network in Mumbai, he said, "What if families fall ill and their houses are sealed? Therefore, everything would be done step-by-step."

Speaking about his government which has completed six months in office, Thackeray said that he was leading a three- party alliance government supported by some independents.

"This is not just Thackeray sarkar, but everybody's sarkar, especially that of the citizens of the state, who have accepted this experiment," he added.

After the assembly polls last year, the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress came together to form the government in the state.

Thackeray said the six-month period has been full of challenges like the coronavirus pandemic and Nisarga cyclone, which hit the coastal parts of the state on June 3.

"I am not bothered about the political challenges. People have faith in me," he said.

Talking about the coronavirus situation in Mumbai, he said, "There was never a need to call the Army in Mumbai. I am proud of the administration which rose to the challenge and set up jumbo field hospitals for treatment of coronavirus patients in the city."

Speaking about the criticism that he has not been to the Mantralaya, the state secretariat, during the pandemic, the chief minister said that technology helps people in doing all the work and there was no need to travel.

"I can be at home and cover the entire state with help of technology and take quick decisions. I am not saying one shouldn't move out. But when you go out, you are at one place only while through video-conference you can go everywhere," he said.

"I am not bothered what critics say till people trust me. I am honest with my work," he added.

On starting the academic year during the pandemic, Thackeray said e-learning was the only option.

When asked about Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis's recent visit to Delhi, Thackeray said sarcastically that he might have gone there to take stock of the coronavirus situation in the national capital.

"He goes to Delhi and speaks about Maharashtra's COVID-19 situation since he has given his MLA funds in Delhi," the CM said in an apparent reference to BJP MLAs donating to PM Cares Fund and not to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

"Recently, a survey listed Maharashtra chief minister as the best CM in the country. This caused stomach pain to many," he said.

"Coronavirus has many symptoms. Stomach ache may be one of them. Loss of taste is also a symptom," he said sarcastically when he was asked if life has become tasteless for some since the MVA government came to power.

Thackeray also rejected the criticism that his government had hidden the number of coronavirus victims.

"The WHO and Washington Post have taken note of the state government's efforts," he said.

With inputs from PTI

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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Dr Ray Walley from the GP Expert Advisory Group on Covid 19 says Ireland's membership of the EU will be a factor in purchasing doses.

"We're pretty lucky that we have signed into what the EU commission has organised so we're going to be part of the European wide access to vaccines.

"There are approximately three vaccines in phase 3 (meaning it is ready for efficacy testing), there are about 140 to 150 vaccines in production.

"You know we are a small country and we need to recognise that but we now have got access to a purchase capacity at the same level as the rest of Europe."

Worldwide demand

This comes as the Irish scientist leading the race for a Coronavirus vaccine says it is likely that a lot of people will be waiting some time for it.

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Professor Adrian Hill from the University of Oxford is currently working on a trial that is being described as "highly promising."

However, speaking to the Irish Independent recently, Mr. Hill says it is difficult to predict when supply would catch up with worldwide demand.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:



President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a telephone conversation, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenistans State News Agency.

The presidents called for the intensification of mutually beneficial partnership between their countries and within international organizations, in particular within Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The parties also discussed the issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, they noted the importance of developing a coordinated approach, as well as regular sanitary and quarantine measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The presidents also discussed environmental issues. In particular, they focused on the issue of the drying up of the Aral Sea, which had a negative impact on the climate and ecology.

During the conversation, the president of Turkmenistan congratulated the president of Uzbekistan on his birthday.

Earlier on June 23, 2020, a meeting was held between representatives of the two countries, where the parties discussed trade and economic cooperation, as well as discussed the current state and prospects of cooperation in the energy and water sectors.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva
A transgender teenager involved in a deadly school shooting in Denver in May 2019 sobbed Friday as he was sentenced to life plus 38 additional years in prison for murder.

Alec McKinney, 17, broke down on several occasions as he read a personal statement to Douglas County Court ahead of his sentencing, telling the judge, 'I don't deserve leniency'.

One student was killed and eight others injured during the 'heartless attack' mounted by McKinney and his alleged co-conspirator Devon Erickson, 19.

Kendrick Castillo, 18, was shot in the chest and killed after reportedly tackling Erickson and attempting to wrestle a handgun away from him. Erickson has pleaded not guilty to murder charges, and will face trial later this year.

In the lengthy 22-minute statement, McKinney apologized to his friends, family, and the victims and their families, as he admitted he doesn't 'know how to describe the sorrow I feel when I think of the victims'.

He also blasted those who idolize him for the school shooting as 'stupid' and implored them to seek help instead of picking up gun.

McKinney is believed to have mounted the attack in retaliation for being bullied because of his gender identity.

Alec McKinney, 17, sobbed during Friday's hearing in Colorado as he delivered a personal statement in which he apologized to victims and said he did not want a lighter sentence

Kendrick Castillo was killed during a shooting at the STEM School in May 2019

John and Maria Castillo asked for the longest possible sentence for the murder of their son

More than 20 victims also addressed the hearing Friday as they told Judge Jeffrey K. Holmes of the horror of the shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch on May 7, 2019.

Among those who spoke were the parents of 'I condemn you to hell. I will never forgive you, I hate you,' his father John Castillo said, as he addressed McKinney through a TV screen.

On the day of the shooting, McKinney and Erickson broke into Erickson's parents safe to steal firearms.

They then set a car alight before driving to school and opening fire on an English class.

Two people were also injured by a security guard who helped to detain one of the suspects.

Kendrick Castillo, 18, died after he tackled one of the suspects during the shooting

'I killed their innocence. I killed their ambitions. And I killed their sense of security. I not only physically killed people, I mentally killed people too. I don't know how to describe the sorrow I feel when I think of the victims,' McKinney said of the impact of his crime.

'The horror I caused is truly too much for anyone to bear.'

In February, McKinney pleaded guilty under a plea deal to a reduced number of felonies, including a first-degree murder charge.

He told police on his arrest that he was targeting students in the school who 'always made fun of him, "hated him," called him names and said he was disgusting for trying to be a guy'.

In his personal statement Friday, however, he admitted that he did not know some of the eventual victims of the attack.

'I don't deserve leniency, nor forgiveness. I don't want a lighter sentence,' McKinney continued.

McKinney called his own actions 'horrid, unforgivable, and cowardly' as he hit out at those who idolized him for the shooting and called them 'stupid'.

'How could you idolize someone who hides behind a gun, who hurt people, who was so weak they couldn't get help,' he said.

'Dont be a coward and hide behind a gun. Be brave and learn how to get help. Face what youre feeling.'

The teen also spoke of his victims who he described as funny, smart people, who made others smile.

'At the time I didnt fully think about how many people I would hurt. I was high, impulsive and hurt,' he said, addressing each one and apologizing

'The reasons I did this are stupid and pitiful.'

He addressed the Castillo family also and said that the thought of their pain is 'recurring in my nightmares'.

'I want every positive thing I do in life to be for him,' he added.

McKinney's troubled childhood had been widely discussed during his trial, according to The Lemar Ledger.

His father is said to have been absent and an absentee mother and drugs were used in the home. He said during his own statement that he used drugs himself.

Devon Erickson, 19, has pleaded not guilty to all the same charges McKinney originally faced in the shooting

McKinney was said to have struggled with his sexuality and become angrier with his experience.

He allegedly told police after the shooting that he targeted three students who bullied him for being transgender.

He also addressed his mother during his personal statement.

'To my mom, you have shown me that my love is truly unconditional,' he began.

'Most of my life I have felt obligated to take care of you. I never wanted anyone to hurt you again. Im sorry I did this to you.'

McKinney faced an automatic life sentence with the chance of parole after 40 years for the murder charge but Judge Holmes was to decide on sentencing for the 16 other charges.

He could have placed a maximum of 408 additional years to the life sentence.

Instead, McKinney was sentenced to 38 additional years added to his murder charge, despite victims calls for a maximum sentence.

John Castillo and his wife Maria were among twenty people who spoke, some remotely, during Friday's seven-hour hearing as they called for McKinney to receive the longest possible sentence.

'My sons life mattered and as long I am alive I will do anything and anything in power to make sure this evil killer will pay for what he did,' said the victim's mother Maria Castillo as she cried recalling the day of her son's death.

'I will never forgive. My only wish is to see him dead, burning in hell,' she added of McKinney.

'Look at my face you coward,' John Castillo said. 'I hope you know when you did this to a Castillo youre going to pay. You disgust me. Know that you are nothing and I'll fight you to the end.'

Among the others to testify were McKinney's teacher Gabriella Leddy who described him as 'one of my favorite students'.

She said that she had noticed he was struggling and reach out, inviting him to join the LGBTQ support group which she sponsored.

Leddy had been teaching in the room next to 107, where the attack took place. She told how she had text goodbye to her husband and daughter and how the smell of drywall still makes her vomit.

'This is a heartless attack that spit in the face of caring adults like me,' she said.

'I cannot express the amount of betrayal knowing it was Alec who orchestrated this evil attack. He must have known he was putting me and his classmates I thought were his friend in danger.'

His classmates and friends also expressed their shock that McKinney could have done this.

'I never judged him for one second,' Nui Giasoli said, telling judge she considered McKinney to be her best friend.

'It didn't matter to me if he was a boy or a girl. Yet I was his first target. He had a gun aimed at the back of my head. He was running to shoot. He was running to end my chance at my life. He was running to take me away from my mom.'

She added that she believed he was only now crying during the hearing because he had been caught.

'He made himself judge, jury and executioner of room 107,' Giasolli said. 'He hasnt shown any remorse. Hes not crying cause he regrets it  hes crying cause he got caught.'

STEM school middle school building in Colorado where shooter Devon Erickson and Alec McKinney carried out their attack on May 7, 2019

The shooters targeted an English class in the school, killing one. Eight others were shot

The mother of another friend spoke of the horror of learning that he had targeted her daughter.

'He stood behind her where she couldnt see and had a gun pointed at her,' the mom testified, according to 9News. 'She was a target despite the caring and respect she had shown him.'

'The event he [Alec] put into motion still haunts me to this day. How can someone you never knew hurt you so much?' added student Aidan Morrison. 'I hope you suffer in prison because you deserve it.'

McKinney, dressed in a dark polo shirt, himself delivered his own statement through which he broke down in tears on many occasions while apologizing to each of his victims as he said that he was not calling for 'leniency'.

He had earlier heard from his younger siblings Angel and Erica in a letter read out by his legal team during which McKinney broke down in anguish.

Friends of McKinney, pictured, spoke at the hearing and said that they could not believe that he had targeted them

'Alex has always been the glue of his family,' they said. 'We just hope to be able to see him face to face.'

McKinney's mother had also testified earlier in the day in which she apologized to the families her son had hurt.

'I know it's quite different but I've lost mine [son] too. We are also going to be left with these scars forever,' she said.

'But your son [Kendrik] was a hero and always, always will be.'

McKinney's defense had said that the teen had requested that they did not push for a lighter sentence but added that his mental health should be taken into consideration.

'It shocks me that Alec is the one who caused this. He is kind and he is caring. He will show everyone that he can change and he will continue to change while spending his time in the department of corrections,' they said.

'We must deal with the root of these problems - mental illness.'

McKinney was 16 at the time of the shooting so, even though he was prosecuted as an adult, he could be paroled after about 25 years in prison no matter what sentence he receives, unlike his alleged conspirator Erickson, who was 18 at the time.

According to 9News, under Colorado law, defendants who commit crimes as juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole

The minimum sentence for first-degree murder for a juvenile is life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years while the minimum sentence for an adult is life without the possibility of parole.

McKinney was sentenced to life with parole plus 38 additional years

McKinney pleaded guilty to charges for the wounding of six other people who were allegedly shot by either McKinney or Erickson and two other people who were mistakenly shot by a security guard responding to the shooting.

A judge could have sentenced McKinney to serve sentences for all the counts at the same time of his life sentence for the murder count or could tack on extra years for each of the other 16 counts on top of the life sentence.

Erickson, 19, has pleaded not guilty to all the same charges McKinney originally faced in the shooting.

His lawyers have portrayed McKinney as the ringleader who pressured Erickson to participate.

He is scheduled to go on trial in late September.

He will not face the death penalty if he is convicted.

Colorado became the 22nd state to abolish the death penalty this year but Erickson could have still been eligible for it because the shooting happened before that law was passed.

While Castillos' parents supported pursing capital punishment, District Attorney George Brauchler decided not to, noting that Erickson's lawyers could have argued against it because of his age, lack of a criminal history and other mitigating factors.
The North East Regional Minister, Solomon Namliit Boar, has hailed the ongoing mass disinfections of markets in the North-East Region.

Speaking to journalists on Saturday, July 25, 2020, at the forecourt of the North East Regional Coordinating Council ahead of the commencement of the phase two of the markets disinfections exercise in North East, the Minister said the mass disinfections have been really helpful as far as controlling the spread of coronavirus in the region is concerned.

According to him, since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Ghana in March, this year, only nine cases have been recorded in the North East Region.

The Minister said 80 of the cases were imported and are positively responding to treatment, expressing hope that very soon they will be discharged.

Part of the reasons for the low cases in the region, he stressed, was the mass disinfections of markets and the culture of adherence to the coronavirus safety protocols by residents.

According to him, Zoomlions spraying officers have been on top of their jobs, ensuring that markets are properly sprayed.

The cases that we have today are on the low side and I want to emphasize that exercise contributed a lot to that, he said.

The Minister thanked President Nana Akufo-Addo for his continuous efforts to ensuring that citizens of the North East Region live a dignified life.

He disclosed that the first phase of the Disinfection exercise was applauded by everyone in the region.

---Daily Guide
Turkish president joins hundreds of worshippers after iconic Istanbul landmark's controversial reconversion into mosque, Al Jazeera writes in the article Muslim prayers in Hagia Sophia for first time in 86 years. Muslim prayers have been held in the iconic Hagia Sophia for the first time in 86 years after the reconversion of the Istanbul landmark into a mosque earlier this month. The Friday prayers took place two weeks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan controversially declared the nearly 1,500-year-old monument open to Muslim worship after a top court ruled the building's conversion to a museum by modern Turkey's founding statesman in the mid-1930s was illegal.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site was built as a cathedral during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 537 but converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. It was designated a museum in a key reform of the post-Ottoman authorities under the modern republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Erdogan said last year it had been a "very big mistake" to convert it into a museum. Critics however accuse Erdogan, who has been in power for 17 years, of playing to his nationalistic base, with support eroding amid a global economic downtown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Towering over Istanbul's skyline, its breathtaking domes seemingly afloat, it is also one of Turkey's most popular tourist attractions, with 3.7 million visitors in 2019.

Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said Friday was "a very big day" in the city of some 18 million. "The heart of the city, the historical peninsula, is under total lockdown since last night," she said. In the sprawling square outside Hagia Sophia, authorities set up separate areas for men and women to worship on Friday, while more than 700 health personnel, 101 ambulances and a helicopter ambulance were available.

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya asked that people to bring four items - "masks, prayer mats, patience and understanding".

Turkey pledged to keep Hagia Sophia, whose floor has been covered with a turqoise carpet, open to tourists and welcome those of all faiths. Entry will now be free, while intricate mosaics of the Virgin Mary, baby Jesus and other Christian symbols will be veiled by curtains at prayer time. Recitation of the holy Quran will go on for the next 24 hours and the revered landmark will stay open overnight, according to state media reports. All five prayers will henceforth also be held daily at the mosque.

"We are ending our 86 years of longing today," said one man, Sait Colak, referring to the nearly nine decades since Hagia Sophia was declared a museum and ceased to be a place of worship. "Thanks to our president and the court decision, today we are going to have our Friday prayers in Hagia Sophia."

Aynur Saatci, another worshipper, said she was on holidays in the eastern city of Erzurum but decided to cut her holiday short in order to attend the service. "I immediately cut my holidays short and returned to Istanbul as soon as I knew we could pray in Hagia Sophia," Saatci said. "I'm deeply moved."

The United States, the European Union, Russia and various church leaders expressed concern at the change in status, while neighbouring Greece branded the move an "open provocation to the civilised world". The UN's cultural agency, UNESCO, said it deeply regretted Turkey's decision, which was "taken without prior dialogue".

Erdogan insisted, however, it was Turkey's "historical and sovereign right".

***

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy condemned the reaction of the Greek authorities to the first prayer in Istanbuls Hagia Sophia and the rally in Thessaloniki, the participants of which burned the Turkish flag. "Greece has reiterated its hostility towards Islam and Turkey under the pretext of a reaction to the opening of the Hagia Sophia mosque for prayer. We strongly condemn that the Greek government and parliament are provoking the public and publicly allowing our glorious flag to be burned in Thessaloniki," Aksoy stated.

The chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, Mufti Albir Krganov, expressed the hope that the resumption of prayers by Muslims in the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia will be accepted with understanding by other religions. He told TASS that for many believers Hagia Sofia "did not actually stop being a mosque." "Near the main temple there are minarets with crescents, a crescent is on the dome, all the necessary decorations are inside. Here we can say that prayers inside were suspended for 86 years, but the building remained a mosque."
Some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working to promote children and womens rights have condemned the beating to death of an old lady at Kafaba, a town in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region, saying such an act was barbaric and must not be tolerated.



They said We, the CSOs in Ghana, are deeply concerned and saddened that Ghana, after having made strides in the promotion of human rights and even signed onto a number of human rights charters and protocols including the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, will sit aloof and watch over this gross inhuman act meted out to this old lady.



This was contained in statement issued jointly in Tamale on Friday by Songtaba, ActionAid Ghana, NORSAAC and Reintegration Committee, and signed by Madam Lamnatu Adam, Executive Director of Songtaba.



An old lady named Akua Denteh, believed to be 90 years old, was on Thursday beaten to death at Kafaba by some residents of the area, who accused her of witchcraft and being behind certain strange happenings in the area including limiting the progress of the town.



The incident was captured on video, which has since gone viral on social media, and in the video, some of the people, who were beating the old lady, were heard saying Allahu Akbar.



The Ghana News Agency gathered that Police in the Region had retrieved the body of the deceased for autopsy and further investigations, but no arrests have yet been made.



The statement said We are concerned that violence against women continues to be one of the most pervasive manifestations of discrimination against women and violations of their human rights in Northern Ghana for witchcraft accusations based on suspicions and allegations.



It said This barbaric act is a serious gender-based violence situation and cannot be accepted in this 21st century when Ghana is a signatory to many international conventions and protocols to protect the lives and dignity of every Ghanaian. The Constitution of Ghana is supposed to protect every individual to enjoy their fundamental human rights and must be activated in situations like this.



It said The act of trial by ordeal has sentenced many women to live in excluded alleged witches camps, which for many years, Songtaba and the Reintegration Committee have worked on actively sensitising communities, and to disband these camps.



The statement called on law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of this inhuman act, adding CSOs in Ghana are giving the police a three-day ultimatum to effect the arrest since the faces of the perpetrators were very visible in the video.



It said It is rather unfortunate the perpetrators of this dastardly act are heard to be praising God saying Allahu Akbar. Violence has never been part of Islamic teachings and will never be and so. We, therefore, call on the Islamic community to speak up and condemn this unIslamic act that has been associated with a religion known to be preaching peace.



It called on traditional authorities to "condemn this act and support efforts to secure justice for the deceased".

It also called on the National Commission for Civic Education, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to support in promoting the sensitisation of communities on human rights violations to safeguard the rights of all citizens.

Source: GNA









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The children's doctors in Germany due to the Corona pandemic in the second half of the year on a stress test. "We fear, in fact, that it will come from the fall to an onslaught on our children and youth, medical practices," said the President of the professional Association of child and youth doctors, Thomas Fischbach, the German press Agency.

In the infection time, it was busy also so each year, "and in the case of a General weakening of children and youth doctor shortage". "If now  often starting from the kindergartens and schools themselves  in addition, children are still being sent, in which every snuff nose to Covid-19, then a Test is required, then we will not be able to manage this alone."

Fischbach called for, among other things, that parents should be able to keep with small infections their children for several days, without the certificate of the doctor at home and healthy-maintain. "There is a need but at last a generous day scheme for the caring parent, which must already fear partially to their Jobs."

The Association also criticized the current test criteria of the Robert Koch Institute, according to Doctors at the request of a Corona-Tests in the case of "acute respiratory symptoms of any Severity (...) is recommended in all patients regardless of risk factors". Small children had these symptoms in the context of a banal respiratory infections very frequently. "So it's not just affordable  even with the best intentions  to test every child with these symptoms. And it is also not useful. If large-scale Tests were wanted, so that was a primary task of the public health service.

Updated Date: 25 July 2020, 04:19
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan, North Sumatra  Sat, July 25, 2020 13:13 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066939cdf 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-korona-indonesia,North-Sumatra,USU,lockdown,university,Medan Free

North Sumatra University (USU) in Medan will suspend all activities for a week starting July 27 after five lecturers tested positive for COVID-19, while one of them has died from the coronavirus disease.

USU rector Runtung Sitepu said the late lecturer, identified as MHKS, taught at the School of Engineerings industrial engineering department.

The four other lecturers who tested positive for the virus were Runtung himself, vice rector Rosmayati and board of trustees member Darma Bakti. They are undergoing self-isolation.

USUs board of trustees and academic senate suggested closing the university from July 27 to Aug. 2.

Read also: Fears of new COVID-19 cluster at North Sumatra University as rector tests positive

During the lockdown, all lecturers and staff must work from home and participate in free swab testing at USU Hospital. This must be done to curb the spread of the virus at the university, Runtung told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

USU spokesperson Elvi Sumanti said the university had imposed strict health protocols, including routine disinfection and assigning different shifts for those working on campus. It also required all staff aged 45 and older to work from home.

Weve done our best to anticipate the contagion, yet there are still lecturers who have been exposed to the virus. These developments were out of our hands, Elvi said.

According to the governments official data, there were 3,320 confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Sumatra as of Friday, with 172 deaths and 879 recoveries. (aly)
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of "copying" Gujarat's initiatives and "selling" them as his own,after the latter tweeted that he had suggested the "one district, one product" concept for cluster development. Rupani said this concept was initially proposed and launched by then chief minister of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel,way back in 2016.

In his tweet, Rahul shared a news report from Solan in Himachal Pradesh about "one district, one product" survey being carried out by the Industries department for the Centrally-sponsored cluster development programme for micro and small enterprises.

"This is a good idea. I had suggested it some time back. Its implementation will need a complete change ofmindset," Rahul tweeted on Saturday.

Hitting back, Rupani linked a February 15, 2016 tweetfrom Anandiben Patel when she was CM. Patel is current Governor of Uttar Pradesh and holdingadditional charge of Madhya Pradesh.

In her tweet, Patel had talked about 'one village, oneproduct' concept and said it will be "initiated on pilot basis to preserve languishing crafts through focussed approach and support".

"Rahul Ji, Copying Gujarat's initiatives and selling them as your ideas does not show your smartness. I don't expect you to know details of anything, but your script-writers should know better! How about 'One defeat, one reinvention' policy for you?" Rupani tweeted.
At the end of June, Deere & Company, the farm and heavy equipment giant, announced a round of buyouts for salaried employees in the US. A week later, it sent notice it was laying off workers at two plants in Iowa: 82 at John Deere Davenport Works and 35 layoffs at its Deere Waterloo Foundry.

Last week, Deere revealed it had canceled its plans to lay off 82 workers at its Davenport Workers plant. The rest of the layoffs and buyouts will continue.

According to the Iowa Workforce Development, the Waterloo Foundry layoffs will go into effect August 3. The foundry currently has 409 active production employees and 99 salaried workers.

Deere Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois

Salaried Deere workers have between July 1 and July 31 to accept the buyout or risk being furloughed. Deere carried out a similar buyout program, also known as a voluntary separation program, last November. The buyout program is intended to force out higher paid, older workers to be replaced by lower-paid and lower-skilled workers. Jen Hartmann, Deeres director of public relations, said workers exempt from the buyout program are IT, manufacturers precision agriculture, data and analytics workers at Deeres Moline, Illinois, corporate headquarters.

Deere has laid off hundreds of workers since last August, when the company announced it would slash costs to increase profits through organizational efficiency, which the WSWS warned meant new rounds of layoffs.

The new layoffs come amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a decline in Deeres profits. Compared to last year, for its second quarter fiscal report, released in May, Deere saw a large drop in sales. Equipment sales fell 20 percent to $8.22 billion, farm equipment sales were down 18 percent to $5.97 billion and forestry equipment plummeted 25 percent to $2.26 billion. Overall, net income declined 41 percent to $666 million.

In a newsletter to stockholders, Deere said, Responding to [customer] demand in the face of the pandemic has been a challenge as a result of various regulatory, economic, and other barriers that have affected production facilities and the supply chain.

The pandemic, which the WSWS has described as a trigger event, is being seized on by corporations across the world to cut costs and boost profits. Deere is intent on making workers pay for the decline in sales.

Nothing, though, is being done by the United Auto Workers (UAW), which legally represents some 11,000 Deere workers, to stop the layoffs. Over the past decade, Deere has laid off thousands of workers with the full complicity of the UAW.

At the same time, the UAW has collaborated with Deere to keep its US plants open as the pandemic continues to sweep across the Midwest. Citing national security concerns by the Trump administration, Deere has kept all of its US plants running through various shutdown orders and restrictions.

In a joint letter published in May, Ray Curry, secretary-treasurer of the UAW, and Bradley D. Morris, vice president of global labor relations and continuous improvement at Deere, claimed that the health and safety of workers was their highest priority.

Meanwhile multiple Deere workers have fallen ill to the virus. In March, at least one worker tested positive at the Dubuque Works plant in Iowa, leading to a temporary shutdown lasting less than 24 hours. In April, a Waterloo Foundry worker tested positive, however the plant did not temporarily shut down. In May, a worker at the Grovetown, Georgia, tractor plant tested positive and the plant remained open.

It is likely that a high number of positive cases have gone unreported. A John Deere worker from Iowa told the WSWS, At least 30 workers have tested positive at the Waterloo Foundry plant. There have been quite a few out on COVID-19 protocol, meaning theyve tested positive and have to take ten days off. Its quite a ridiculous situation. Were being given a facemask to take home and wash every day. Meaning, we have to take this possibly contaminated mask home with us, which could infect family members. The company should be providing new face masks every day!

Deere workers confront a life or death situation. As the pandemic worsens, the UAW will do nothing to protect them. The union has completely abandoned autoworkers, which has led to multiple deaths and thousands of sickened workers.

Forming rank-and-file safety committees, autoworkers are fighting back by taking the safety and livelihoods of their brothers and sisters into their own hands. In the statement Build rank-and-file safety committees at every workplace to save lives! written by the FCA Jefferson North, Sterling Heights and Toledo Jeep Rank-and-File Safety Committees, calling for the expansion of rank-and-file committees, they wrote:

We call on all workersincluding autoworkers, educators, meatpacking workers, retail and service workers, logistics workers and airline workersto build rank-and-file safety committees. Workers in essential jobs must have PPE, regular testing and safe conditions. It is up to all workers to get on the same page and work together to fight this pandemic. The unions wont do it. Governors like Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan wont do it. They even want to reopen the schools, which would threaten the lives of millions of students and teachers. It is up to workers to defend ourselves. With the pandemic taking more lives every day, action is urgent.

Deere workers should heed the call from their brothers and sisters in the auto industry and form rank-and-file safety committees at their workplaces.

For help starting a rank-and-file safety committee at your factory, send an email to the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter at autoworkers@wsws.org to learn more.
Humans could live on the planet Mars if a fungi which spawned inside the Chernobyl nuclear reactor is used to protect against radiation, scientists say.

A layer of the fungus around 21 centimetres thick could 'largely negate the annual dose-equivalent of the radiation environment on the surface of Mars', researchers found.

'What makes the fungus great is that you only need a few grams to start out,' said Nils Averesch, Stanford researcher and study co-author told New Scientist.

'It self-replicates and self-heals, so even if there's a solar flare that damages the radiation shield significantly, it will be able to grow back in a few days.'

It has already been able to absorb harmful cosmic rays on the International Space Station, and could potentially be used to protect future Mars colonies.

In 1991, five years after the disaster which rocked Ukraine, the black fungi was found sprouting up the walls of the abandoned reactor which had been flooded with gamma.

A layer of the fungus around 21 centimetres thick could 'largely negate the annual dose-equivalent of the radiation environment on the surface of Mars', researchers found

Baffled how it managed to survive the extreme conditions, scientists examined the microorganism - and were even more excited with their findings.

Not only did it survive, but they discovered the fungi actually grew towards the radiation, as if attracted to it.

This is because of its large amounts of melanin - the pigment which turns skin dark - and allows the fungi to absorb normally harmful rays which it then converts into chemical energy.

In addition to not perishing, they discovered that the fungi - called cryptococcus neoformans - actually grows towards the radiation, as if attracted to it

Inside the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, where in 1991 a black fungi was found sprouting on the walls in the extremely harsh conditions

In the same way in which plants convert carbon dioxide and chlorophyll into oxygen and glucose via photosynthesis, the fungi sapped up deadly rays which allowed it to produce energy.

This process - hailed radiosynthesis - has captured the attention of scientists because of its potentially revolutionary implications.

Kasthuri Venkateswaran, a research scientist at NASA who is leading the experiments on the Cryptococcus neoformans fungi, believes that by extracting its radiation-absorbing power and manufacturing it in drug form, it could be used as a 'sun block' against toxic rays.

It would allow cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, nuclear power plant engineers and airline pilots to operate without fear of absorbing a deadly dose of rays, Venkateswaran envisaged to Scientific American magazine.

The fungi's radiation-converting power could also be used to power electrical appliances, with it being touted as a possible biological answer to solar panels.

One anonymous researcher who specialises in the field also mooted its prospective role in developing biotechnology.

They explained on an online forum: 'The fungi that grow in there (Chernobyl reactor) are radiotrophic fungi, that are rich in melanin.

Kasthuri Venkateswaran, a research scientist at NASA (right) and Professor Clay Wang of the University of Southern California (left) sent samples of the fungi into the International Space Station to see if it mutated further under the hiked radiation levels

The fungi's radiation-converting power could also be used to power electrical appliances, with it being touted as a possible biological answer to solar panels

'Melanin absorbs radiation and converts it into other forms of energy (including electric).

'My research is into the use of melanin in conjunction with water to convert electromagnetic radiation into electrical energy.

'This technology will probably find its place in biotechnology as it is non toxic and biocompatible.'

Advances in using the powers of the fungi for medicinal purposes were gradual, but have been boosted in recent years by an ongoing study which saw samples of it sent into space.

By growing it in the International Space Station, where the radiation level is hiked compared to that on Earth, Venkateswaran and Professor Clay Wang of the University of Southern California were able to monitor mutation.

When microorganisms are put under more stressful environments, they release different molecules, which could further out understanding of the fungi and how it can be used to develop radiation-blocking drugs for humans.

The results of the experiment are yet to be published, leaving the scientific community waiting with baited breath over findings which could revolutionise human's protection against radiation.
A Singaporean national on Friday pleaded guilty to charges of being a spy of China, the US Department of Justice said.

Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, entered a plea of guilty to one count of acting within the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign power without first notifying the attorney general.

The Chinese government uses an array of duplicity to obtain sensitive information from unsuspecting Americans, said US Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's National Security Division John C Demers.

Yeo was central to one such scheme, using career networking sites and a false consulting firm to lure Americans who might be of interest to the Chinese government. This is yet another example of the Chinese government's exploitation of the openness of American society, he said.

The guilty plea underscores the ways that the Chinese government continues to target Americans with access to sensitive government information, including using the Internet and non-Chinese nationals to target Americans who never leave the US, said Michael R Sherwin, Acting US Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Yeo admitted that he not only provided valuable information to Chinese intelligence but also that he knowingly recruited others in the US to do the same, said FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R Slater. The tactics Yeo used to target cleared individuals on professional networking social media sites are just one facet of the full court press China employs on a daily basis to obtain non-public US government information.

As per the guilty plea, Yeo began working with Chinese intelligence officers as early as 2015, initially targeting other Asian countries, but then focusing on the US.

In response to taskings from his Chinese intelligence contacts, Yeo allagedly worked to spot and assess Americans with access to valuable non-public information, including US military and government employees with high-level security clearances.

After Yeo identified American targets, he solicited them for non-public information and paid them to write reports.

Yeo told these American targets that the reports were for clients in Asia, without revealing that they were in fact destined for the Chinese government, the Department of Justice said.

At the direction of Chinese intelligence operatives, Yeo targeted US government employees and an Army officer to obtain information for the government of China.

He admitted he set up a fake consulting company to further his scheme, looked for susceptible individuals who were vulnerable to recruitment and tried to avoid detection by US authorities, said Alan Kohler, Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division.
John Apter, the national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says officers will be available as a last resort but that he hopes the public "will continue to do the right thing" to protect other citizens. In Belgium, health authorities said a three-year old girl has died after testing positive for COVID-19 as new infections surged 89 percent from the previous week.

Those in England can be fined as much as 100 pounds ($127) by police if they refuse. The British government had given mixed signals for weeks before deciding on the policy. Venues like restaurants, pubs, gyms and hairdressers are exempt.

New rules on wearing masks in England came into effect Friday, with people going to shops, banks and supermarkets now required to wear face coverings. The move came a day after Belgium imposed its own mask requirement to slow increasing coronavirus infections.

On Thursday, Belgian authorities beefed up restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus, including making masks mandatory in crowded outdoor public spaces. A country of 11.5 million, Belgium has been hard hit by the pandemic with 64,847 cases and 9,812 deaths recorded so far.

In Italy, the number of daily new infections reported Thursday jumped to over 300, the first time they had surpassed more than 300 since mid-June. Most of the new cases have occurred in northern Italy, where the outbreak in Europe began in February. But southern regions, relatively spared from the worst of the pandemic, have lately been seeing clusters of infections.

Many recent cases have been traced to people returning from abroad, most of them foreign workers from Asia, Eastern Europe or the Balkans. Other clusters were among migrants rescued at sea and southern Italy. But there have also been clusters sparked among vacationers, including in Riccione, a beach resort town on the Adriatic Sea, linked to a young woman's contacts in a disco.

Last week, the mayor of Capri, one of the two main towns on the tourist-mecca island in the Mediterranean off Naples, ordered people to wear masks while walking in the streets. Capri's main square, with its trendy cafes, and its narrow streets lined with luxury fashion shops, had been jammed with holiday-goers, many of them not wearing masks.

Three young Romans who returned home this week after a holiday were positive for COVID-19, Italian media said Friday. In Italy, masks must be worn in shops, banks, churches, on public transport and in all places where it's impossible to keep a safe distance apart, including outdoors.

Amid fears in Spain that poor living conditions for seasonal agricultural workers are creating coronavirus hotspots, that nation's farm minister on Friday said authorities are pressing employers to provide decent accommodations and transport. Spain's Health Ministry reported 971 new infections on Thursday in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily increase in the country since lockdown ended.

Some clusters in Europe have been linked to workplaces, including at a slaughterhouse in Germany. The company that runs the slaughterhouse that was at the center of a major outbreak last month said 30 more employees have tested positive for the coronavirus -- but most of them were old cases.

Authorities have linked more than 2,000 cases to the outbreak at the Toennies slaughterhouse in the western German town of Rheda-Wiedenbrueck, which led last month to a partial lockdown of the surrounding area. Those restrictions have since been lifted and the facility has reopened after a four-week closure.

And as scientists around the world search for a vaccine to halt the pandemic, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dismissed activists seeking to oppose vaccinations as "nuts." Johnson was promoting a campaign for flu vaccinations ahead of winter. Britain has Europe's worst recorded pandemic toll at over 45,600 deaths.

Overall, Europe has seen over 201,000 deaths in the pandemic, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Experts say the true toll of the pandemic worldwide is much higher than all reported numbers, due to limited testing and other issues.
Some of the state's most expensive private schools have been accessing the JobKeeper subsidy to keep staff amid deep financial uncertainty caused by COVID-19.

Boarding schools such as The King's School in Parramatta, St Joseph's College in Hunters Hill and The Armidale School in New England have qualified for the government wage subsidy after hits to their revenue of 30 per cent or more due to the economic downturn.

The King's School Parramatta has qualified for the government wage subsidy. Credit:Peter Braig

Teacher sources said other schools accessing the payment include Kinross Wolaroi in Orange, Frensham in Mittagong and St Pauls International College in Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands. These schools did not respond to The Sun-Herald by deadline.

Governments provide funding to supplement operating and teaching costs at private schools, but they do not support boarding houses directly. If students can no longer attend  including many of the 10-15 per cent of international boarders  revenue drops. Coronavirus restrictions forced many schools to close their boarding houses last term. Most boarders, apart from international students, have returned this term.
LAPD Officer Toni McBride has faced scrutiny after she fatally shot a man April 22. The discussion partly involves her status as a gun-toting model and her father's position with the Police Protective League. (Dillon Precision Products)

Ten years ago, after a controversial case in which an LAPD officer shot and killed a man armed with a knife, the department offered me a chance to virtually experience what its like to make a split-second decision about when to shoot.

I got a crash course on the Los Angeles Police Department's policy on the use of deadly force and then was sent into a video simulator room, where I was handed a service belt with a Glock semiautomatic. Then they started a video in which a series of actors played threatening suspects, and I had to figure out whether or not to shoot.

It wasnt easy. Deciding when a suspect might be a threat to an officer or other people can be complicated. And I was in a video game, not the real world, where the pressure has to be intense.

In one scene, a suspect in a domestic dispute shot and killed me before I reached for my weapon. In another, I shot and killed a man charging at me with a knife, but my trainer said I waited too long and could have been injured or killed by the suspect.

That last scene came to mind last week when I read a story by my colleagues James Rainey and Andrew J. Campa about an LAPD officer who shot and killed a man with a razor-edged box cutter April 22 just south of downtown L.A. The story quoted use-of-force expert Ed Obayashi, who defended the fatal shooting of 38-year-old carpet installer Daniel Hernandez by 23-year-old officer Toni McBride.

Obayashi called it a clear-cut justified shooting and said, There is absolutely no doubt in my mind this officer was facing an immediate threat to her life.

Im no expert just because I had a few minutes of video simulation training, but I see things a little differently. Before I explain what I mean, I should note that the story by Rainey and Campa offered up some interesting history about Officer McBride:

A slew of online videos show the  officer blasting away at targets, with prize-winning speed and accuracy, on a gun range in the Simi Valley foothills, the story said. She cavorted and strutted, sometimes within view of Hollywood glitterati, who used the same firing range to hone the gunplay they would use for movies and TV.

Story continues

McBride is the daughter of Jamie McBride, the face and mouth of the Los Angeles Police Protective League and an occasional actor who plays tough cops and street thugs. When the May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police led to nationwide demonstrations, Jamie McBride's response was to put up a Facebook post with a video of former LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates, who led the department during some of its most brutal, alienating years. "The CHIEF! Never sell out and back the troops! McBride wrote.

The sins of the father shouldn't be blamed on his offspring, and maybe Toni McBride has very different attitudes from her father. But, fairly or not, her status as a gun-toting model and shooting-gallery doyenne has brought additional scrutiny to the April 22 shooting, and two lawsuits alleging wrongful death and civil rights violations have been filed against McBride and the city by relatives of Hernandez.

McBrides attorney told The Times the officer admirably handled a fast-moving incident, but an attorney for the dead mans family countered, Do we want police officers to be gunslingers, or to live up to the LAPD motto, To protect and to serve?

According to the LAPD account  which includes video from officer body cams and civilian witnesses  McBride and a partner were responding to a call when they came upon an unrelated multi-vehicle accident. They were told that the driver of a truck was still in the vehicle and was trying to harm himself with a knife.

McBride capably tried to manage the chaotic scene, ordering civilians to move out of the way. She called for backup and asked her partner whether they had less-lethal weapons, but no response can be heard on the video. Hernandez exited his vehicle and walked slowly in McBrides direction, ignoring her calls for him to show your hands, stay right there and drop the knife.

Drop it, she said as Hernandez took another step toward her, and she fired twice. Hernandez fell to his knees, bounced back up, and McBride shot him two more times, knocking him down. She then fired twice more. Hernandez, motionless, was handcuffed by another officer. An autopsy found methamphetamine in his system.

By ignoring commands and advancing toward a police officer, Hernandez certainly put himself at risk, and McBride had to quickly decide how to respond.

She had fear at all times and was shooting at somebody she felt was coming at her and  toward the other citizens who were out there, McBrides attorney said.

But when McBride first fired, Hernandez appeared to be roughly 20 feet or more from her. If he had a gun, the shooting might be easier to justify, said a career law enforcement official who asked not to be identified.

A box cutter can certainly be a lethal weapon, but from a distance, it couldnt do much harm. So should McBride have tried harder to de-escalate the situation, possibly by taking cover behind her vehicle?

Sure, she was at risk, but that's part of the job, and couldn't multiple officers have subdued a single suspect who didn't have a gun with force, batons, Tasers, something less lethal? And once Hernandez was down, were the last two shots necessary, particularly given the bystanders who could have been hit if McBride missed?

The law enforcement official I spoke to predicted the LAPD investigation into the matter might find that the shooting was technically within policy, but the tactics McBride used could be found at fault.

I contacted an expert on deadly force named Chet Epperson, a retired cop and police chief who served in Illinois and is now a police policy consultant and president of Americans for Effective Law Enforcement. He watched the video and emphasized that he does not know what additional evidence exists.

But based on what he saw, Epperson said its fair to ask why additional de-escalation was not attempted, why McBride did not know whether less-lethal weapons were available, why she didnt take cover behind her vehicle to buy time and why she fired the last rounds after the suspect was down and the threat was diminished, and while bystanders were still in danger of being hit.

Without doing any measurements, there does appear to me to be some distance between the shooting officer and the suspect that has the weapon, Epperson said.

He wasnt up on his hands," he added about the rounds fired after Hernandez was down. "He wasnt running at the officer. He didnt pull a gun out. He wasnt throwing knives. I would highly question the additional discharge of firearms against a suspect when hes down, obviously down, not in a fighting stance but in a wounded position.

It could take up to a year to complete the official review of the shooting, and thats hard to comprehend. It's way too long, especially now that deadly force against people of color is under a microscope. And this isn't the only recent use-of-force case in L.A. County that's raised questions. Two months after the Hernandez shooting, 18-year-old Andres Guardado was shot in the back five times by a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy in a case with at least as many unanswered questions.

Sure, it's easy to second-guess police actions from a safe distance. But when lives are taken, it's a public duty to ask why, and to challenge the answers.

And even if Toni McBride is found to have acted appropriately, I think that as a general rule, if you want to be a cop who commands trust and respect, its not a good idea to be a modern-day Annie Oakley on social media, gleefully mowing down every target in sight.

steve.lopez@latimes.com
Stephan Francis will spend the next four years in jail for having a loaded AR-15 rifle and f
The Artfeel column returns to present art as a diversion during the COVID-19 crisis.

Music is about experiencing and being present, explains local classical pianist Matthew Kent Everett. Words are often not necessary.

This week, he was supposed to be on vacation in New York after his Carnegie Hall concert, a joyful celebration of his recent American Protege Concert Award win. The coronavirus and his elderly mothers ailing health, however, had other plans for him.

Instead, Everett, like the rest of us, is hunkered down at home. When he does venture out, its primarily to drive to Cypress Messiah Lutheran Church where he serves as the director of Musical Ministry and/or to care for his beloved 81-year old mother, Bettie.

A fall-risk and dementia patient, Everetts mother has reached the unenviable position of needing to move to an assisted living facility.

A global pandemic is not the ideal time to evaluate a new home for my mother. During the tours of assisted living centers, we are not allowed to interact with any of the residents and the social activities are very limited, Everett said. Needless to say, getting an accurate feel for each community has been difficult. We really need to know that, in addition to her being well cared for, she is comfortable and happy.

It is during these worrisome times Everett turns to his unwavering faith and to music. Both give him a sense of hope and purpose. He finds that music is a unique form of expression  one that is often more effective than words. It is something that helps him relax and heal, whether composing it, playing it or simply listening to it, and something he knows can help heal others by providing comfort for the soul like an audible bowl of chicken soup.

Currently, Everett is working on a musical project called Shades of Light and Colorful Characters. It includes a set of nocturnes  short night inspired musical pieces. His curated mix includes a work by Polish composer Frederic Chopin, several pieces by modern composers and Stardust, a nocturne Everett composed himselfi, nspired by a Lang Leav poem of the same name.

For now, Carnegie Hall can wait. Bettie is Everetts focus, and, as he plays his Stardust for her, he gratefully remembers the piano lessons she arranged for him when he was a child  musical teachings that released a passion that changed his life forever.

To listen to Matthew Kent Everetts Stardust visit https://youtu.be/XbU0xnIiWt0.

 Editors Note: Nickole Kerner Bobley, a local arts guru and former columnist for The Villager from 2017-2018 has graciously agreed to pen some special columns. She said, The Artfeel column returns to serve as a momentary mental diversion during the COVID-19 crisis.
A former teacher has told Portuguese police she believes she saw Madeleine McCann in a supermarket in Portugal three years ago.

McCann disappeared at the age of three from a resort in the Algarve on the evening of 3 May 2007.

The retired teacher claims McCann, who would now be 17, was talking in German to another girl in a supermarket near the city of Albufeira, 37 miles from the resort where Madeleine went missing.

She told police the unique marking in her right eye  which stems from a rare condition called coloboma  made her think it was Madeleine, according to Sky News.

The witness says she had realised it could be the girl and waited by the checkout, but did not catch another glimpse of her.

Recommended Portuguese police reopen rape case after Madeleine suspect accused

I saw the spot on her right eye and after some time I associated the face with Madeleine, but unfortunately it was too late, they had already left the supermarket, she said.

The ex-teacher, who contacted the McCanns Lisbon-based lawyer Rogerio Alves, said she spotted her in Apolonia supermarket on the resort of Gale.

She is set to tell her story anonymously in an interview on the investigative news show Sexta at 9 which is being broadcast on state-funded channel RTP on Saturday night.

Portuguese police will interview the witness, it is believed, but do not think the teenager she saw was Madeleine, Sky reported.

There have been nearly 9,000 alleged sightings in 101 countries. Madeleines has been branded the most intensely reported missing person case of modern times.

Recommended Madeleine McCann suspect appeals conviction for rape of pensioner

The retired teacher told her family she thought she had spotted Madeleine but only contacted police recently after seeing media coverage of Christian Brueckner, who is suspected of kidnapping the girl in 2007.

German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters has said he has evidence Madeleine is no longer alive. Wolters is attempting to put together a murder case against Brueckner.

Brueckner was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for raping an American woman in Portugal in 2005. The convicted paedophile is presently serving drugs and rape sentences in Kiel jail near Hamburg.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The export of leather goods from Turkey to Iran dropped by 82.03 percent from January through June 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, having made up $1.4 million, the Turkish Trade Ministry told Trend on July 24.

The ministry noted that Turkeys export of leather goods to Iran decreased by 54.63 percent in June 2020 compared to the same month of last year, amounting to $351,000.

In 1H2020, the export of leather goods from Turkey to the world markets decreased by 24.1 percent compared to 1H2019, having amounted to $630.5 million.

Turkeys export of leather products accounted for 0.8 percent of the country's total export volume during the reporting period.

Turkey exported $101.5 million worth of leather goods to the world markets in June 2020, which is 15.8 percent more compared to the same month of 2019. During this month, the countrys export of leather goods accounted for 0.8 percent of its total export volume.

Turkey exported the leather goods worth $1.5 billion from June 2019 through June 2020.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
While the 1936 Berlin Olympics featured the first modern Olympic torch relay, commemorating that isnt always looked on fondly, especially considering how the cauldron lighting in particular was orchestrated for Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahls 1938 film Olympia. Even general discussions of the torch relay and the Olympic cauldron have touched on that, sometimes with calls to get rid of the tradition altogether given its past.

So it probably wasnt a good idea for the International Olympic Committee to post a video and tweet that included footage celebrating that 1936 torch lighting Thursday, one they eventually wound up deleting after widespread criticism (including from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum) and apologizing to those who feel offended for.

Heres the preserved version of the initial tweet:

Heres more on that from The Associated Press:

The IOC apologized on Friday and deleted a Twitter message which some saw as celebrating Nazi Germanys hosting of the 1936 Olympics. Joining a message thread on Thursday one year before the Olympic cauldron is lit at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games, the International Olympic Committee used its official account to tweet a film about the first-ever torch relay entering the Berlin stadium. We apologize to those who feel offended by the film of the Olympic Games Berlin 1936, the IOC wrote on Friday. We have deleted this film, which was part of the series of films featuring the message of unity and solidarity, from the @Olympics Twitter account.

An Agence France-Press story (via Yahoo) has more on the specific criticisms the IOC took, including the one from the Twitter account of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum:

This is turning out to be quite a ThrowbackThursday already! Berlin 1936 marked the 1st Olympic torch relay to bring the flame to the cauldron. We cant wait for the next one in Japan, said the Berlin tweet, followed by #StrongerTogether. The cheery tone contrasted with the images which, as well as photos of black American sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens, also showed images of the lighting of the cauldron, carefully staged by film-maker Leni Riefenstahl to serve as Nazi propaganda. The 1936 Games were exploited by Adolf Hitler to promote Nazi ideas of racial supremacy. The volley of critical reactions included a tweet from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum which said the Nazi dictatorship used the Olympics to camouflage its racist, militaristic character and to impress foreign spectators with an image of a peaceful, tolerant Germany.

Here are the tweets the IOC sent on this front Friday from their @IOCmedia account:

However, we understand from specific reactions on social media that the film about the Olympic Games Berlin 1936, which includes Jesse Owens and Luz Long as well as the Olympic flame, was interpreted in the opposite way to that intended. (2/8)  IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 24, 2020

The story of Jesse Owens and Luz Long represents an iconic, historical moment, where the spirit of fraternity was demonstrated at the highest level. Jesse Owens, the legendary four-time Olympic champion, had to suffer at home from the painful reality of racial segregation. (4/8)  IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 24, 2020

Through his outstanding sporting achievements, he taught a resounding lesson to the Nazi regime, shattering its despicable fascist claims of racial superiority. He befriended his German competitor Luz Long, creating iconic Olympic moments of respect and solidarity. (6/8)  IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 24, 2020

We apologise to those who feel offended by the film of the Olympic Games Berlin 1936. We have deleted this film, which was part of the series of films featuring the message of unity and solidarity, from the @Olympics Twitter account. (8/8)  IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 24, 2020

That is quite the high-profile misstep. And the IOC could probably stand to be a little more careful with any future descriptions of the 1936 Olympics.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-26 01:41:25|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Tunisia signed a memorandum of understating (MoU) to expand tourism ties, Iran's deputy tourism chief Vali Teymouri announced on Saturday.

The agreement was inked by Iran's ambassador to Tunisia Mohammadreza Rauf Sheibani and Tunisian Minister of Tourism Mohamed Ali Toumi in Tunis, Tehran Times daily reported.

Despite the spread of the coronavirus in the world and restrictions on international tourism communications, Iran's Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts seeks to develop international tourism through its foreign missions in the target countries, said Rauf Sheibani.

Although there are many obstacles to the exchange of official delegations in the field of tourism at the moment, the ministry seeks to strengthen international tourism ties by using various tools in cyberspace and indirect communication, he added. Enditem
Senate Bill 686, Override veto of state employee whistleblower protection law: Failed 22 to 15 in the Senate

To override Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's veto of this bill, which would have prohibited state agencies from retaliating against employees for telling a legislator about problems at the agency. An override requires a two-thirds supermajority vote and so the bill will not become law.

33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

House Bill 5265, Overhaul state budget to reflect federal epidemic relief money: Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate

To adopt a revised version of the state budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year. This substitutes $1.008 billion federal coronavirus relief dollars for $538.7 million of state tax receipts that had been projected but won't be realized do to the epidemic and business lockdowns. The bill also makes some modest budget cuts and adjustments that reflect fewer demands on certain state functions and services due to the epidemic.

The state's Medicaid and other social welfare programs receive a large boost under the bill, including more federal "match" dollars tied to spending state dollars on Medicaid, and an outright grant of $600 million additional dollars for food stamps.

33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

House Bill 5265, Overhaul state budget to reflect federal epidemic relief money: Passed 104 to 0 in the House

The House vote on bill described above.

97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y

100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y

102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y

Senate Bill 373, Overhaul school budget to reflect federal epidemic relief money: Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate

To use federal coronavirus epidemic relief money, and a $350 million withdrawal from the state "rainy day fund," to fill holes in 2019-2020 education budget, brought about by a decline in state revenue caused by the epidemic and business lockdowns.

For the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30, public schools will actually get $136 million more revenue than the previous year under this budget. Community colleges and state university will see no changes in their net current-year appropriation amounts under the bill.

33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

Senate Bill 373, Overhaul school budget to reflect federal epidemic relief money: Passed 104 to 0 in the House

The House vote on bill described above.

97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y

100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y

102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y

House Bill 5910, Prescribe "e-learning" requirements for public schools: Passed 56 to 48 in the House

To prescribe requirements, standards, limitations and more on conducting public school classes electronically over the internet. Among many other things school districts would have to ensure that all students will have access, and that the specific needs of different students are met including special education students.

97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y

100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County N

102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y

House Bill 5912, Specify public school epidemic hours and methods eligible for funding: Passed 57 to 47 in the House

To revise and waive many of the rules on the required number of hours and days of public school instruction, including allowances for snow days, rules for conducting classes online, and the amount of state funding provided for both these exceptions to regular schooling, and to days on which fewer than 75% of a school's students are in attendance.

Public schools could continue to operate under distance learning plans during the coronavirus epidemic, but with added steps intended to assure students receive instruction and meet academic goals.

97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y

100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y

102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y

House Bill 5913, Require coronavirus lockdown student learning impact tests: Passed 55 to 49 in the House

To require all school districts to test all K to 8 students within the first 30 days of the 2020-2021 school year to measure proficiency in reading and mathematics. The bill would also revise some rules on students allowed to get "remote instruction," and create a committee to provide oversight to the state education department's pupil accounting process.

97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y

100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y

102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y

Senate Bill 956, Ban transferring coronavirus patients to nursing home: Passed 74 to 34 in the House

To ban transferring patients in a medical care facility who test positive for COVID-19 to nursing homes, with exceptions for patients who have recovered from the disease or nursing homes with a designated coronavirus area meeting standards specified in the bill.

Also, to require state regulators to create a "centralized intake facility" in each of the state's eight "health care regions" to treat coronavirus patients who are "ineligible for admission at a hospital."

97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y

100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y

102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y

SOURCE: MichiganVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, nonpartisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Please visit MichiganVotes.org.

Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting
Today, two tourists were injured by a rockfall in the mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria (KBR), the regional EMERCOM office informs.

A call was received, that in the Bezengi gorge of the Cherekskiy region on the Ural pass, a tourist from Venev and a tourist from Ufa asked for help at an altitude of 3600 m. As a result of the rockfall, they received various injuries," the statement reads, RIA Novosti reports.

By 14.00 Moscow time, the rescuers of the Elbrus search and rescue squad of the Russian EMERCOM evacuated the victims on a commercial helicopter to the republican clinical hospital in Nalchik.
Meladul Haq Ahmadzai

2020 Meladul Haq Ahmadzai Photo.

2020 Meladul Haq Ahmadzai Photo.

OTTAWA, July 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Meladul Haq Ahmadzai, CEO of Taleam Systems , the Afghanistan foreign occupation is likely to intensify within the region for many years to come which includes Pakistan taking an active role in the war.



In 2017, Ahmadzai visited Afghanistan to introduce his business, Taleam Systems in the peace process of Afghanistan, and he recalls that a lot of interest was received by the political representatives and as well as by the various embassies in Kabul.

He says, Everyone wants to live in peace in Afghanistan and when you work for peace, everyone will join you.

Today, there is a strong push for peace from the American side, after the February peace agreement, however the so-called peace isnt in the favourable interest of all needy Afghan people.

According to reports published by the USA government, the government has spent trillions of war dollars in Afghanistan, but the conflict has intensified.

Meanwhile, three political figures have been elected to American administration since the war, and they havent achieved any goals yet.

Ahmadzai provides practical examples, Taliban arent defeated, and peace is not yet created, even though they say one thing and do the exact opposite. He further adds, The peace signing was commenced in Qatar and didnt include any civilians nor any Afghan officials.

Ahmadzai also met with current Foreign Affairs Minister of Afghanistan, Haneef Atmar, when he visited Canada in 2013 to discuss Canadas role in the war and peace operations in Afghanistan. Mr. Atmar lost the Afghan election to President Ashraf Ghani by withdrawing his candidacy from the 2019 election which were postponed twice. He is now moving the peace agenda forward.

Ahmadzai says, If these leaders [Afghans and Americans] do not bring peace to Afghanistan  they will be proven as failure leaders on the face of the earth, forever.

Story continues

The current and future war situation of Afghanistan:

Afghanistan is not only fighting Taliban forces at the present time, but as well as fighting Pakistani forces on the border. The United States force left their bases near the border to Afghans. Afghanistan is a poor country. Another war is expected to rise against the Russians (formerly known as Soviet Union). Russia hosted the first civilian conference in Moscow. Pakistan wants to claim superpower in South Asia. Recent exist of Pakistani Ambassador in Kabul, denied Taliban safe heavens in his country during an interview on live tv. Business activities between the two nations have reduced significantly due to COVID-19 pandemic.

About Taleam Systems:

Taleam Systems is a technology business in Canada which was founded by Meladul Haq Ahmadzai in 2011. To learn more about Taleam Systems, visit www.taleamsystems.com

Media contact:

Meladul Haq Ahmadzai

CEO, Taleam Systems

Phone: 613-521-9229

Email: melad@taleamsystems.com




 Flash

Four "Katyusha rockets" on Friday landed in the military base of Basmaya in southeastern Baghdad without causing casualty, the Iraqi military said.

The attack took place in the afternoon when the first rocket landed on a warehouse of armored vehicles, the second on caravans in the camp, and the other two landed in an empty area, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

The attack resulted in material damage only, without causing injuries or deaths, the JOC statement said.

The initial information indicated that the rockets were launched from the al-Dainiyah area in the neighboring Diyala province, the JOC said without giving further details.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, but the Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq and the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone have been frequently targeted by mortar and rocket attacks.

Earlier in the day, Tahsin al-Khafaji, spokesman of the JOC, said in a statement that the U.S.-led international coalition forces, tasked with fighting the Islamic State (IS) militant group, will hand over the Iraqi security forces new military sites.

"The international coalition will soon hand over some of the sites agreed upon between the Iraqi government and the coalition under a timetable," al-Khafaji said.

Over 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support Iraqi forces in battles against the IS, mainly for training and advisory purposes.
Social media platforms act as sites wherein death, loss, and mourning are increasingly encountered and negotiated. With the online omnipresence of grieving, it becomes a constant challenge for women, especially those bereaved, to perform good grief.

The death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput has stirred many debates in and outside of Bollywood. Apart from industry-related issues like the prevalence of nepotism and favouritism to equal pay for behind-the-scene stakeholders, there was a parallel discourse regarding media and its practices pertaining to celebrity deaths/suicides.

While these debates continue to make for primetime debates, last week marked the one month anniversary of the actors death. His former partner (Ankita Lokhande) as well as his partner at the time of his death (Rhea Chakraborty), who are also public figures, started trending on Twitter. This trend was a result of them posting for the first time about the late actor on their social media profiles in the ways that they deemed fit. While Ankita posted a picture of a diya in her temple with a brief caption, Rhea posted a heartfelt message about losing her intimate partner.

This social media activity of both women was covered by many media outlets, who termed it as breaking their silence  as if grieving silently was an aberration from the prescribed behaviour of online mourning. This sentiment was also echoed by the Sanon sisters Kriti and Nupur; Kriti had been linked with the actor by the media at one time. There was a collective expectation from these women (who had been romantically associated with him) to perform their grief in a socially acceptable way. Their conformity, or the lack of it, to this unspoken norm of grief performance, was eventually labelled as per the good girl-bad girl dichotomy (the Madonna-Whore Dichotomy).

Rheas social media activity, in particular, has become a battleground for self-appointed #JusticeForSushant warriors to further exaggerate the 'bad girl' narrative wherein female sexuality is the vice, looked at as both dangerous and untrustworthy.

Social media platforms, the new social spaces, act as sites wherein death, loss, and mourning are increasingly encountered and negotiated. The empirical evidence on social media mourning suggests that the two basic ways of mourning are either engaging in mourning practices online or being confronted with other peoples mourning. This then leaves an individual to either visibly react towards the displayed practices or dismiss them because everything on social media is being watched so there is rarely any chance for a reaction that is not picked up by others. But what happens when a person refuses to facilitate the expected (semi) public expression of emotions?

With such online omnipresence of grieving, it becomes a constant challenge for women, especially those bereaved, to perform good grief. The term good grief is the one accompanied with a proper or correct way to grieve a loss and to restore the capacity for joy and satisfaction. This finds its roots way back in the Victorian era where the norms surrounding grief and mourning were adopted in solidarity with the Queen who indefinitely mourned the loss of her husband and performed elaborate rituals of marking herself in all-black garb and secluding herself. Closer home in India, the wearing of white clothes, breaking of bangles, hysterical removal of sindoor, and tonsuring of the widow were some of the practices followed after the death of the husband. The gaze of the voyeuristic onlooker is persistent in bringing forth stigma and distinctions of good grief relative to bad grief.

There is a strong cultural and gendered notion of displaying overt grief which is similar to the gendered division of labour, wherein women are disproportionately expected to do the emotional labour. Therefore, the expectation is that true femininity requires sensitivity and emotional expressiveness, in contrast to true masculinity which is equated to rationality and emotional control. This emotional division of labour coupled with the binary of good and bad women prescribes the correct way of grieving by the right woman.

Patriarchal notions and restrictions on womans behaviour and prescribing a good standard of performing gender is what defines the reactions of the audience in this day and time. Visibility of emotions thus becomes an integral part of grieving for a female intimate partner of the bereaved. In a country where grieving has undertones of gender, and caste, where grieving is turned into a commodity and mourning is labour, the question to be asked is whether grief can then be separated from performance and gaze, both of which have gendered undertones.

Is a womans grief good enough grief only if accompanied by a Rudaali-Esque wailing, especially when it is being consumed by millions of faceless people online?

Shivangi Deshwal is a gender-based violence prevention interventionist and feminist researcher. Sumati Thusoo is a research author at the Department of Sociology, Monk Prayogshala.

 Featured illustration  Namaah K for Firstpost
Azerbaijanis in the World Association issued a statement in connection with the attack carried out by the activists of the Armenian diaspora on Azerbaijanis in Brussels and Los Angeles.

"Azerbaijanis in the World Association strongly condemns the gross and illegal interference of the activists of the Armenian Diaspora in the peaceful action held on July 22, 2020 in protest against the strikes inflicted by the Armenian armed forces on civilian settlements continuing the policy of military aggression in violation of the ceasefire regime on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, " the statement reads, Trend reports.
T hree people have died after a plane crashed into an apartment block in Germany.

The microlight aircraft plunged into the housing complex in the city of Wesel, around 35 miles north of Dusseldorf, on Saturday afternoon.

The identities of the three victims have not yet been confirmed.

It is not known whether the pilot, who was earlier confirmed missing, is among them.

At least two other people were injured in the incident, including a child, a police spokesman told reporters.

Footage of the scene showed the roof of the building engulfed in smoke and flames following the crash.

Rescue forces are seen at the scene of the crash / REUTERS

The cause of the accident remains unclear, but eyewitnesses said the aircraft collided with a hot air balloon.
So why should Hindutva forces orchestrate a crusade against Gunasekaran and his ilk? Representational Image

Beyond the coronavirus induced retrenchments and salary cuts, Tamil journalism faces a challenge from Indias right wingers. Gripped by a fear of the impending 2021 state Assembly polls, they have launched their campaign in right earnest, not among the people but in the media.

It started with a vlogger named Maridhas, whose admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an open book, targeting a few prominent faces of Tamil television journalism, questioning their neutrality.

His prime quarry, M. Gunasekaran, heading the News18 Tamil channel, was suddenly stripped of his powers in the organisation and asked just to anchor a prime-time debate in an internal crackdown that happened a few days after the channel officially lodged a police complaint against Maridhas. A couple of other journalists were sacked and some others responsibilities reorganised.

But what was clearly evident was that it was not Maridhas who prompted the shuffle in News18 Tamil but mightier political forces were behind it.

That enraged not just mediapersons but television viewers and ordinary people, who took to social media to express their displeasure.

Countering the public anger was an orchestrated social media operation, which ensured that if a hashtag #ShameonyouNews18 trended on the top in the morning within hours #WelldoneNews18 came on top.

So why should Hindutva forces orchestrate a crusade against Gunasekaran and his ilk? Maridhas charge was that the Tamils channels were partisan  read as not falling flat at the BJPs feet  because their decks have been filled with persons subscribing to Communist and Dravidian ideologies.

Of course there is every possibility for that since the two ideological streams run deep into rural subaltern societies and such political thoughts might have influenced the first generation learners from poor homes.

But what raised the hackles of the Hindutva forces and their acolytes like Maridhas and Sandhya Ravishankar, a freelance journalist, is how those rural youth are in the newsrooms.

Ravishankars juggernaut rolled in to bolster what Maridhas had spoken against Gunasekaran with a longish article on her own website.

The common grouse is understandable given the fact that upper caste people, particularly Brahmins, dominate every walk of life, including mainstream print media, in Tamil Nadu.

Unfortunately, the Brahmins, who identify every emerging field and storm in as pioneers, had lost out on the Tamil news television industry though its precursor, Doordarshan, had its due share of Brahmins.

The private Tamil news television industry started in an unprofessional manner with earlier day channels run by political parties. Those that came in subsequently did not offer worthy career prospects.

Besides, those channels followed the early Doordarshan style of presenting news through readers who were not journalists.

So, in 2011 when Puthiya Thalaimurai was launched as a professional venture, they had to look for journalists working in the print media who knew and could speak Tamil properly. Thus was a crop from the English print media identified and among them was Gunasekaran, who had worked his way up the career ladder from a Tamil daily to a series of English dailies.

His wide knowledge of politics and impeccable spoken Tamil helped him enter and grow in the emerging industry. It was the case with a few others, whom Maridhas is angry with.

Those new breed of Tamil television personalities became popular and endeared themselves to the ordinary people through their debates and selection and presentation of news as they had their fingers in the pulse of the ordinary people, enabled by their own humble origins.

Those who joined them in the middle and lower level editorial positions were also from similar backgrounds though the top management honchos of the channels, who vetted their applications, were upper caste elites.

It so happened that when the BJP, realising the role the Tamil news channels play in shaping public opinion, started seeking them out, they found out that the channels were filled with people from subaltern communities and raised an alarm through Maridhas and some others of his ilk.

Yet, that Ravishankar, who claims to be a journalist, could be roped in to spread canards is something incredible. Its easy to dismiss it as a case of her settling personal scores.

While the fact that she was recruited in News18 Tamil by Gunasekaran himself knocks the bottom out of her prime allegation that only people from Dravidian background were taken into the channel, her impunity to write a highly defamatory piece raises doubts.

Of course she and Gunasekaran had had differences of opinion, which had primarily arisen from the cultural divide. But can personal dislike alone prompt a self-styled journalist to toe the line of Hindutva elements? Perhaps thats how the BJP works. It repulses and also embraces journalists?

It just depends on which end of the cultural spectrum one stands.
One glimmer of hope is that the mortality rate is low and the recovery rate is high. AP Photo

It looks like India is entering one of the most difficult phases of the spread of the pandemic Covid-19.

The daily number of new infections has been bordering on 50,000 of late; deaths stand at 1,000 a day or more.

At least two states, Telangana and Kerala, have openly talked of community spread in certain areas, even though the Union ministry of health and family welfare has not yet endorsed the development.

Reports from across the country, especially the south, indicate that the virus, after pummelling the big cities, is headed for the villages.

It was expected that India, the second most populous nation, will face spiralling numbers despite the assurance by the leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that a win over the virus was a question of a few days. And it is happening now.

One glimmer of hope is that the mortality rate is low and the recovery rate is high. Once the numbers spiral, community spread begins and the villages are impacted, then the scene could go for the worse.

World over, responsible governments regularly rework their strategies to contain coronavirus taking into account available information on the latest global experience.

But sadly, In India, such updating does not seem to be happening and the states are left to design their own plans, instead.

Even models that have been proved successful in the containment of the virus within the country have not been communicated across the states. The pattern Bhilwara and Dharavi followed successfully was to aggressively screen, test, isolate and treat.

However, such a plan is not followed in many states. Kerala, which resisted the progress of the pandemic in the early stages, has started slipping after people took it easy with quarantine and social distancing norms.

However, the state government has not yet decided to aggressively screen all the persons in the region where it suspects community spread.

Telanganas director of health services blames irresponsible people for the sudden surge but the state government is accused of conducting lower number of testing.

The latest studies that a large number of people in Delhi were asymptomatic underscores the need for aggressive testing as such people could spread the infection.

When it started, even the medical community had little idea as to how to combat the pandemic but as days passed, the protocol for the treatment became more robust.

Doctors are now more confident about bringing even vulnerable people back to life. Testing has become cheaper and results come faster and more accurate.

Such advancement must be made available to the people in the villages, too.

The cities have healthcare infrastructure, though it was overwhelmed in many places; the problem with the villages is that it does not exist in many places.

The long days of lockdown were supposed to be used to prepare ourselves for the peaking of the pandemic but there is little sign of it being done in any state.

Indias preparedness is going to be tested in the coming days, especially in the villages. The government must drop ad-hocism and turn to pragmatism.
Today the UN Human Rights Commission called on Nigerian authorities to immediately release prominent humanist and human rights defender Mubarak Bala, detained without charge on accusations of blasphemy, a potential capital offense.

Mubarak, President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, has been held by police in Northern Nigeria since April 28 this year and has not been permitted to see his family or his lawyers and has not been charged. His whereabouts are unknown despite many requests to the Kano Police Command and attempts to use the courts to end what is undisputedly an illegal detention.

The UN Human Rights Commissions experts said, The arrest and detention of Mr. Bala amounts to persecution of non-believers in Nigeria,

The police have not only refused to provide access to Mubarak, they have also refused to give proof of life.

Today, Mubaraks wife, Mrs. Amina Mubarak, spoke on video for the first time of her fears and how she has been affected by the past three months not knowing whether her husband is alive.

Mrs. Mubaraks video

The United Nations press release is here:

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26123&LangID=E
EMA adopts positive opinion on monthly vaginal ring to reduce HIV risk

SILVER SPRING, Md. (July 24, 2020)--The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) today welcomed a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the dapivirine vaginal ring for use by cisgender women ages 18 and older in developing countries to reduce their risk of HIV-1 infection. The monthly ring is the first long-acting HIV prevention product and is designed to help address women's unmet need for new methods given the persistently high rates of HIV they face, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Today's news opens the door to next steps needed to seek approvals for the ring in countries where the need is most urgent.

"The EMA's opinion is a significant step forward for women, who urgently need and deserve new, discreet options to manage their HIV risk on their own terms," said Dr. Zeda F. Rosenberg, founding chief executive officer of IPM, the nonprofit that developed the dapivirine ring and is the product's regulatory sponsor. "As we celebrate today's news with the many partners around the world involved in the ring's development, we also look ahead to the collective effort still needed to obtain country approvals to make the ring available to women in sub-Saharan Africa."

The EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use reviewed the ring under the Article 58 procedure, which it conducts in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) to facilitate access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries using the same rigorous standards as for products intended for use in the European Union. IPM submitted its Article 58 application in June 2017.

Global partnerships with researchers, trial communities in Africa, Europe and the United States, civil society, governments, industry and donors spanning 16 years of research and development led to today's positive opinion.

"This achievement is a testament to what partnerships can accomplish," continued Dr. Rosenberg. "We applaud the researchers in Africa, Europe and the US who expertly conducted studies that brought the ring to this exciting point--and especially thank the pioneering women who participated in the studies for their commitment to finding new woman-centered options that can fill a critical gap in the HIV prevention portfolio."

Efficacy data, including additional data provided during the EMA's review, showed that IPM's dapivirine ring reduced women's HIV risk by 35% with no safety concerns with long-term use. More recent data from open-label extension (OLE) studies of the product suggested greater HIV risk reduction, although those findings are based on statistical modeling and are therefore limited. The ring was also found to have a favorable safety profile in all clinical trials to date.

IPM submitted to the EMA for its assessment data from a package of studies, including two Phase III studies--The Ring Study led by IPM, and ASPIRE, conducted by IPM's clinical trial partner the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN)--two subsequent OLE studies, and a number of smaller safety studies.

In addition to working closely with the WHO during its review, the EMA's evaluation also included the testimony of two women living in countries in Africa where there is a high burden of HIV.

As the EMA requested, IPM will also conduct additional research among cisgender women ages 18-25 to better understand the ring's efficacy and to collect additional data on safety and potential ARV resistance. Results from the study could also inform strategies to support young women to use the ring consistently.

A potential new option to meet women's needs

As the EMA indicated, the monthly ring could be an important option for women who choose not to or are unable to use the daily oral antiretroviral (ARV) pill known as PrEP (or pre-exposure prophylaxis), now becoming more widely available in Africa. Oral PrEP is highly effective, but not all women are able to use it. In addition, although condoms will be indicated for use with the ring, they are not practical for women who are unable to negotiate their use with male partners or who are at risk of sexual or intimate partner violence.

"Women in Africa have been left behind by progress against HIV for far too long, and today's announcement is a landmark for women's HIV prevention," said Dr. Linda-Gail Bekker, professor of medicine and deputy director of the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, immediate past president of the International AIDS Society and national principal investigator for South Africa on The Ring Study. "Offering women multiple methods like the monthly ring and daily oral PrEP is vital to controlling the epidemic and to ensuring their sexual and reproductive health and rights."

The ring is designed to help reduce women's HIV risk during vaginal sex. Women insert the product themselves and replace it every month. Made of flexible silicone, the ring slowly releases the ARV dapivirine locally to the site of potential infection, with minimal absorption elsewhere in the body.

"Today's announcement brings us closer to a future where every woman has the opportunity to protect herself against HIV," said Paul Stoffels, MD, vice chairman of the executive committee and chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson, which granted IPM the rights to dapivirine and is partnering closely with the nonprofit to plan for the ring's potential rollout. "If we continue investing in the development of innovations like the dapivirine ring--and ensuring that they are accessible to those who need them most--I have no doubt we will see a day when HIV is a disease of the past."

Although new HIV infections are declining overall, biology and gender inequities make women more susceptible to infection than men. Every day, nearly 1,400 women in sub-Saharan Africa acquire HIV.

"Even as HIV/AIDS has increasingly become an epidemic borne by women and girls, the response to it has not kept pace," said Dr. Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the founding executive director of UNAIDS. "As the first long-acting tool for HIV prevention, the dapivirine ring could help change the course of the epidemic for women."

Next steps for potential country approvals and introduction

Given the urgency for women, IPM has been working with partners to shorten the time to potential introduction as much as possible, but rolling out the ring will require a collective effort by a range of global stakeholders, particularly as responding to COVID-19 alongside other priorities continues to challenge health systems. With strong political will and funding, it may be possible to begin making the dapivirine ring available sometime in 2021 in some communities in Africa where the need is urgent, pending several next steps, including:

WHO guidelines and prequalification: WHO will review evidence on the ring as part of its guideline process and consider using an abbreviated review of the product for prequalification, a quality assurance designation for medicines that facilitates access to medicines that meet global standards for quality, safety and efficacy.

Regulatory reviews in Africa: In parallel, the ring will be reviewed by regulators in each country where it would be used and, if approved, adopted into national HIV prevention policies. Because the EMA's Article 58 opinion is recognized by many countries in Africa and IPM is submitting to those countries through a process coordinated by the WHO, it may help accelerate national reviews. IPM plans to submit the first applications this year to countries in eastern and southern Africa where the need remains high, studies of the ring took place and where IPM can build on oral PrEP implementation (Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe).

US regulatory review: IPM will also submit to the US Food and Drug Administration in 2020.

Continued market and implementation research: Market and implementation research has been underway with partners for several years to inform demand creation strategies; develop information, education and communications (IEC) materials for women and healthcare providers; create product delivery models; and to map the supply chain networks needed for rollout.

Ring rollout: IPM will also continue working with governments, funders and other partners to discuss and plan for ring introduction.

"Women across Africa have been asking and waiting for new tools that put women in charge of their own health, so we welcome today's announcement," said Yvette Raphael, who leads the Advocates for the Prevention of HIV in Africa. "We now look to governments and funders, always in consultation with communities, to make sure the dapivirine ring reaches the women who need it."

IPM is collaborating with MTN to study the monthly ring among adolescent girls, pregnant women and breastfeeding women, who are also at elevated HIV risk. Results from these studies could inform next steps on potentially expanding the indication for the ring to these groups in the future.

Given today's news, IPM will accelerate development of follow-on rings that could help meet women's HIV prevention needs at different times in their lives, including a longer-acting three-month dapivirine ring and a multipurpose prevention ring designed to offer both HIV prevention and contraception. Both products recently completed Phase I safety clinical trials.

###

IPM is grateful for the generous support of our current donors whose investment in our work has brought us to today's positive opinion: the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the KfW Development Bank, Irish Aid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, UKaid from the Department for International Development, the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In addition, IPM also extends its thanks to donors whose previous support contributed to the ring's development, including: Belgian Development Cooperation; Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); European Commission (EuropeanAID Cooperation Office/AIDCO); Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (BMZ); M.A.C. AIDS Fund; The Government of Flanders; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Spain (AECID); Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sweden; Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID); Rockefeller Foundation; Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SAREC); The World Bank; and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

See the EMA's release on today's news here. Also see MTN's release and NIAID's release.

About dapivirine: Dapivirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that blocks HIV's ability to replicate itself inside a healthy cell. IPM holds an exclusive worldwide license for dapivirine from Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The license is designed to ensure that women in low-resource settings have affordable access to any dapivirine-based vaginal HIV prevention method.

About IPM: IPM is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing new HIV prevention tools like the dapivirine ring and other sexual and reproductive health technologies for women, and making them available in developing countries. IPM has offices in the United States, South Africa and Belgium. Please visit http://www. IPMglobal. org .

This story has been published on: 2020-07-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser (D.) issued a universal masking order for her city Wednesday but exempted lawmakers, judges, and federal employees.

The order mandates the wearing of masks in all indoor and outdoor settings where social distancing cannot be observed. No other designated profession is exempt from wearing a mask, except when a piece of work equipment would preclude mask use. Consequences for ignoring the order include fines of up to $1,000.

The mayors office did not respond to a request for comment.

Masking mandates have prompted contentious public discussion in the United States about the limits of government and the authority of public health officials. While such officials have been unified about the safety of masks, governors and mayors have differed as to how to enact these measures.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar By

Online Desk

Addressing citizens from her home, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee launched her blitzkrieg for the crucial 2021 state Assembly election through a "virtual rally" on "Shahid Dibas", a day that has gained significance for Bengal's polity.

With over 77000 screens set up across the state, Banerjee in her first public address ahead of the polls trained her guns on the BJP, accusing her rival of "destabilising governments in Opposition-ruled states".

Her rally comes a month after Home Minister Amit Shah sounded the poll bugle "virtually" on June 9.

With the COVID-19 pandemic denying politicians the opportunity to address rallies where a sea of humanity will have to jostle for space, both the TMC and BJP are now bracing to fight it out digitally in Bengal.

The TMC, which handed over its campaign duties to the Prashant Kishor-led I-PAC, is building an army of youth to counter the BJPs social media onslaughts led by its IT cell head Amit Malaviya -- a notorious spin master.

The only key contender yet to join the "virtual rally" bandwagon is the Left, who defiantly maintain that their work on the ground will outshine any virtual theatrics.

ALSO READ | Bengal polls: BJP to induct TMC turncoats with clean image to take on Mamata

"The Prime Minister and the Home Minister are in 24x7 election mode. When they launched their rally in Bengal last month, we were helping people on the streets. We have been extending support to the people of Bengal for over 110 days now. The BJP and TMC are oblivious to the sufferings of the people. Be it the migrant workers or those hit by Amphan or the flood-affected people, the CPM is helping everyone. We are exposing corruption. We are providing ration and relief and making people aware of the coronavirus," former Lok Sabha MP and senior CPM politburo member Mohammed Salim told The New Indian Express.

He argued that instead of "sitting behind the microphone", the foot soldiers of the party are extending help to the people on the street. "Left has activists and foot soldiers across the state. BJP doesn't have foot soldiers. They have rumour mongers," a dismissive Salim stated.

The Left's emphasis on their work on the ground comes at a time when they have revamped their approach to social media after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. From senior leaders addressing netizens live to organising Twitter storm (a sudden spike in activity surrounding a certain topic), they have been there and done that.

The Left, which had aggressively protested against the use of computers in early 2000, conducted their first "virtual politburo meet" earlier in June, a revolution for the revolutionaries indeed.

"This is nothing new for us. We are taking the help of mobile and technology to mobilise volunteers. We could make our organisation active through videos and audios. We are using virtual media for communication. We don't want to give it a brand name," Salim added.

READ| Mukul Roy sulks, rubbishes BJP's West Bengal poll tally projection

There is also the not-so-small matter of raising money and mobilising resources that might be prompting the Left's hesitancy. In a country where only 23.8 per cent of rural households have digital literacy, this is a key factor to run a full-fledged online campaign.

Salim pulled no punches while talking about BJP's and TMC's "virtual rally" expenses. "Of course, we can't hire a video van and put up 72-inch LED TVs on bamboo orchids. We don't have IT cells nor can we engage companies. The young minds, who are volunteering and helping people on the streets are our social media activists," he said.

Jadavpur MLA Sujan Chakraborty echoed Salim's views. "Let BJP and TMC show their money power, we will beat them in our ways," he insisted.

ALSO SEE:
"Our culture, our people, and the clients we are lucky enough to help have been our priority since my mother started the business over 50 years ago.

Family & Nursing Care is honored to announce that for the fourth year in a row, it has received the Workplace Excellence Award from the Alliance for Workplace Excellence (AWE). The company will be recognized for building and maintaining an incredible place to work. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, an in-person celebration will not be possible and instead a celebratory video will be posted to the AWE website in the coming weeks.

Honorees for these prestigious awards are selected based on their contributions to an innovative corporate culture, inventive management practices, workforce demographics, employee engagement and retention programs, commitment to corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion programs, workplace benefits and rewards, family-friendly policies, comprehensive growth and learning opportunities, and more.

We are humbled to receive the AWE Workplace Excellence Seal of Approval Award, said Neal Kursban, CEO of Family & Nursing Care. Furthermore, the fact that we continue to garner this award year after year is what makes this achievement particularly meaningful. Our culture, our people, and the clients we are lucky enough to help have been our priority since my mother started the business over 50 years ago.

Now in its 21st year of recognizing excellence in the workplace, the AWE most recently chose 39 total employers of all sizes and industries from across the United States for their exemplary commitment to building excellent places to work. All award recipients undergo a rigorous assessment process led by an independent review panel of business professionals and Masters and/or Ph.D. level students in the fields of business, industrial and organizational psychology, human resources, environmental science, public health, and diversity and inclusion.

Additional Details may be found at https://www.excellentworkplace.org.

About Family & Nursing Care

Since 1968, Family & Nursing Care has been the premier resource for in-home care services for older adults, dedicated to and recognized for their passion and commitment to serve, help, and enhance the quality of life and well-being of others. The company refers and provides caregivers who assist with activities of daily life, companionship, and also skilled nursing care. As one of the oldest, largest, and most well-respected resources for home care services in the Maryland and Washington, DC region, the company is dedicated to providing compassionate, progressive, and reliable home care services and continues to break barriers and set benchmarks for the home care industry. For more information, please visit http://www.familynursingcare.com.

About AWE

The Alliance for Workplace Excellence (AWE) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1999 by Discovery Communications, Mental Health Association (now EveryMind), and Montgomery County, Maryland. Over the past 21 years, AWE has been dedicated to empowering employers to build excellence in the workplace as a means of supporting the quality of life for employees, their families, and the community at-large. AWE is devoted to increasing the number of excellent workplaces within the business community through education and recognition as a means to enhance the quality of life of its citizens and empower economic growth. For more information: http://www.excellentworkplace.org
The New York Times Opinion section has been exploring how the United States can emerge from our current crises fairer and more resilient. The latest chapter of The America We Need series focuses on the kind of economy we need to live up to our nations founding ideals.

At our free virtual event on July 30, we heard from experts and U.S. workers who contributed to the series, and put your questions to them directly. David Leonhardt, a New York Times journalist, hosted the conversation with Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Robert B. Reich, a former U.S. secretary of labor and a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

How can compensation be determined more fairly? Should companies return to earlier practices of sharing profits with employees? How can we ensure that more jobs provide the ability to feed and house a family with dignity and security? Mr. Leonhardt, who writes The Morning daily newsletter, also spoke with readers profiled in our article about how much money Americans actually make.

Sign up for The New York Times Events newsletter. | Subscribe to Times Events on YouTube.
The last two episodes were a roller coaster ride of emotions. After spending the whole day together and the next day, Kim Soo Hyun chose to stay away from Seo Ye Ji.

It was the best sweet treat for the viewers who followed and tune in each week. After eight episodes, finally, they had their first kiss together. Kim Soo Hyun greeted Seo Ye Ji with a flower and a sweet, meaningful kiss early morning.

It was the same flower he gave when they were still young but she trampled the flower using her feet. After many years, she held the flower, smelled, and cherished it.

It was a special day for them, a dream that they once had become a reality. They had a long drive, went to the mountain, enjoyed the scenery, and took pictures together.

During her childhood, Ko Mun Young, played by Seo Ye Ji lost a friend she thought would be loyal and accepted her. She thought of Ju Ri to be her good friend but instead, she abandoned her. Choosing other friends over her, Ko Mun Young then decided not to trust anyone.

While Gang Tae played by Kim Soo Hyun, was conditioned by her mother to take care of his mentally disabled brother. He never had anything for himself to put importance with. All his life, what matters most is Sang Tae.

The two individuals who longed to be loved now experience the greatest joy in life. One day, they get to smile and see the beauty in life through each other's smiles.

But as the day ended, Gang Tae received one of the most heartbreaking words from Sang Tae, "I want my brother to die". Sang Tae's triggered points make him outburst into wild tantrums.

He went to the hospital to see him but their meeting turns out to be Gang Tae's breakdown. Hearing his brother's words of what is hidden subconsciously when they were still young came alive.

Reality hurts; he decides to shut down again, and Gang Tae then gives up on his happiness. Sang Tae was the possessive brother. A person with autism spectrum disorder has symptoms of being obsessive, routine, and gets easily anxious.



He advised Ko Mun Young to stay away from him as he wanted to focus on taking care of his brother.

Another soul got broken, Ko Mun Young felt crushed, knowing that she will be abandoned once again. She was ready to open and felt alive, darkness fell in and, loneliness hit her.

On her birthday, she spent it alone and was greeted with an unexpected visitor.

The drama series shows how one person can heal someone with words of comfort, action by being with the person, and love that fills the space of one's heart.

Another six episodes to go, we all can't wait to see more sweet moments with Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji. These love and hate relationships are making our hearts skip a bit.
In the slow process of easing Manitoba out of its pandemic restrictions, the Phase 4 proposal unveiled by Premier Brian Pallister earlier this week was most definitely an outlier.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/7/2020 (544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

In the slow process of easing Manitoba out of its pandemic restrictions, the Phase 4 proposal unveiled by Premier Brian Pallister earlier this week was most definitely an outlier.

The first three phases were within the confines of what was, at the time, accepted public health guidelines. Even as restrictions were lifted, Manitoba remained one of the least-affected jurisdictions in North America, proof that we were on the right track.

Phase 4, on the other hand, was not only out of step with previous phases, it was at odds with COVID-19 science and current epidemiological conditions.

The Phase 4 draft plan would have allowed travel without quarantine to and from eastern provinces, resumption of counter service in bars, and significant increases in the numbers of people allowed to gather indoors in places of worship, theatres and casinos.

Related Items Click to Expand Articles Jul 23, 2020: Province bows to demands to slow down reopening Danielle Da Silva

Phase 4 seemed blissfully ignorant that in early July, more than 230 scientists publicly urged the World Health Organization to revise its thinking on COVID-19 because of growing evidence that the virus lingers in the air indoors. That weakens the case significantly for increasing indoor gatherings, and puts a new emphasis on mandatory mask use.

Phase 4 also seemed to ignore what was happening back here in Manitoba, where the province is suddenly struggling to keep up with demand for COVID-19 tests. The rush to get tested is no doubt connected to the fact that, after a relatively quiet May and June, new confirmed infections are on the rise.

All these developments made for an unusual backdrop for Pallister's efforts to take one of the least restricted jurisdictions on the continent and open things up even more.

The province claimed that after an unprecedented number of responses to an online survey, the Phase 4 plans were pared way back. A 14-day quarantine is now still required for those returning from the east. Theatres, churches and casinos will only be allowed 30 per cent capacity. Plans to increase indoor the size of gatherings and counter service have been put on hold.

The revised Phase 4 plan matches the logic and reason of the first three phases. That only leaves two significant questions: who came up with the ambitious draft plan in the first place, and who or what convinced the government to backtrack?

When it comes to pandemic policy, it has always been very difficult to figure out who is driving the bus here in Manitoba.

Pallister and key ministers are certainly involved. And Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief public officer of health, is obviously a key figure along with the much-touted inter-departmental team of experts who advise the premier.

But when you try to find out who was chiefly responsible for Phase 4, things get pretty muddy.

At the July 23 news conference where the revised Phase 4 plan was unveiled, Roussin was asked about the proposal to eliminate the 14-day quarantine on travellers. Roussin said that plan was devised a few weeks ago when the epidemiology here and across Canada "supported the loosening of those restrictions." However, he also acknowledged that by the time the premier made his draft Phase 4 public, there was a clear "increase in incidence" of COVID-19 cases that required Manitoba to "leave those restrictions on for now."

In other words, Roussin pretty much confirmed that when Pallister unveiled the draft plan on July 21, it was already out of date. That clearly did not deter him.

Government sources say Pallister and his staff were still debating the exact details of Phase 4 on the morning he unveiled them, and that he wanted to go further than what was eventually included in the draft plan. That strongly suggests Pallister was ignoring the epidemiological evidence that Roussin cited, and relying more on his political instincts.

The awful truth about COVID-19  as verified by overly ambitious jurisdictions around the world  is that easing social and economic restrictions too fast leads to a surge in new cases. The virus is present everywhere, including Manitoba. All that it needs to explode is a failure to sustain economic and social restrictions.

Dan Lett | Not for Attribution A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world that is sent every Tuesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

That means here in Manitoba, where we have been largely spared the horrors of COVID-19 hot spots, we cannot rely on past luck to ensure future success. And we certainly cannot allow government policy to be set by online opinion surveys.

The mere suggestion that an unscientific, online survey posted on the province's website was enough to convince everyone to roll back the Phase 4 plans is too silly to merit serious consideration.

Even though Pallister's office has refused to release the actual survey results, there is every reason to believe they were mostly critical of Pallister's Phase 4 proposals. It is much harder to believe that the survey alone could have convinced Pallister to stand down.

It is more likely that the survey results were used as leverage by senior political staff or senior cabinet ministers to talk Pallister down from his ambitious Phase 4 cliff. If that's so, it marks an important watershed moment in the history of the Tory government.

It would mark one of the first times Pallister listened to someone other than himself on a matter of critical importance. That's either progress, or the beginning of the end of his suffocating control of this government.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
The Tripura government has decided to impose a three-day statewide total lockdown from Monday in view of the spurt in coronavirus cases, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said on Saturday.

The complete shutdown will begin at 5 am on July 27 and last till 5 am on July 30, he said. A formal order in this regard has been issued by Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar.

The lockdown would have 21 exemptions, including that to emergency and essential services as well as to print and electronic media.

According to the latest report, Tripura has reported a total of 3,778 COVID-19 cases of which 2,131 people have recovered. Eleven people have died due to virus.

In order to ensure that people strictly adhere to the curbs, the state government has decided to impose a fine on those not wearing mask and violating social distancing norms.

Those not wearing masks will be fined Rs 200 for the first time and Rs 400 the next time, the government order stated, adding a penalty of Rs 1,000 will be imposed on those flouting social distancing norms.

While announcing the fresh three-day lockdown, the chief minister thanked people for their cooperation during earlier shutdown and appealed to them to extend the same assistance this time again.

Deb claimed that Tripura was fighting against the coronavirus pandemic in a far better manner than many other states.

"Our fatality rate is only 0.29 per cent while the infection rate is far less than the national average. But, since there is no other more effective ways of fighting the coronavirus, we have to go for a brief lockdown period again," he said, adding rapid antigen test will commence soon.

Deb said the relief package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain effective till November and all benefits for the below poverty level (BPL) category, Antyodaya and priority groups among the APL category of people will continue.

The COVID-19 frontline workers, like the 'ASHA' workers, will be paid an additional incentive of Rs 1,000 per month along with their salary, Deb said.

Due to spike in COVID-19 cases, Tripura has made all arrangements for a statewide house-to-house survey from July 27 to identify patients, he said.

"Health workers, along with the ASHA and Anganwadi activists, will be involved in the week-long survey to find out COVID-19 patients. This will give a complete picture on the infection at grassroot level," state Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said.

In terms of COVID-19 fatality rate, he said, Tripura is in a better position with an average of 0.27 per cent as against 2.83 per cent nationally.

Even COVID-19 positivity rate is less in the state at 2.86 per cent vis-a-vis 8.36 per cent at the national level, Nath added.
Almost all people infected with coronavirus survive, but those who do succumb usually die two or more weeks after they are diagnosed. The most vulnerable to death and hospitalization are those over 65 or who have health issues such as diabetes, weakened immune systems or obesity.
WELLINGTON, Fla., July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barbuto & Johansson, P.A. (BARJO or the Firm) and Of Counsel, Neil Rothstein, Esq. (with over 30 years of Securities Class Action experience, including cases against ENRON and HALLIBURTON), announce that a Securities Class Action lawsuit has been filed against Insperity, Inc. (NYSE: NSP ) (the Company or Insperity), and encourages shareholders with losses exceeding $100,000 to contact the Firm to discuss the case and their options as class members. The deadline to petition the court to act as a lead plaintiff is September 21, 2020.



The case, Building Trades Pension Fund of Western Pennsylvania v. Insperity, Inc., et al., Case No.: 1:20-cv-05635-NRB, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased the Companys common stock between February 11, 2019 and February 11, 2020, inclusive (the Class Period). The lawsuit alleges that Insperity and certain of its executives made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operations and financial condition during the Class Period, causing artificially inflated prices of the Companys securities.

Specifically, it is alleged, in part, that the Company failed to disclose that Insperity was experiencing an adverse trend of large medical claims and that as a mitigating measure, the Company would be forced to increase the cost of its employee benefit plans, causing stunted customer growth and reduced customer retention. It is further alleged that the Company failed to disclose that the aforementioned issues were reasonably likely to, and would, materially impact Insperitys financial results.

If you purchased shares of Insperity during the Class Period and would like to discuss your right to recovery for your economic loss and application for lead plaintiff, you may, without obligation or cost, contact attorney Anthony Barbuto, at (888) 715-2520, or via email at anthony@barjolaw.com , or attorney Neil Rothstein via email at neil@barjolaw.com . The Firm believes strongly that the choice of a qualified lead plaintiff can have a significant impact on the successful outcome of a case.
July 25, 1930: Citizens are reminded they cannot vote in both primaries in Saturdays statewide balloting.

July 25, 1950: The city will ask bids on a new 750-gallon fire truck.

--H. Preston James, who most recently taught at Mississippi College, is new academic dean at Wayland Baptist College.

--Bruce C. Browning has been hired as elementary curriculum coordinator for the Plainview school district. He has been elementary principal in Spur the past four years.

--J.B. Oswald is observing his 93rd birthday. He came here in 1893 and he and his brother-in-law, Wayne Paxton, owned Paxton-Oswald Furniture and undertaking parlor. They gave the money to completely redecorate First Methodist Church here.

July 25, 1980: South Dakota is the destination of the College Heights Baptist Church Youth Choir. They will leave next Friday for a week-long mission trip to the tourist areas and churches in the Black Hills, according to Jay Harris, director.

--NEW BUSINESS  Gary Lloyd of the Chamber of Commerce Redcoats presents Mrs. Mary Guerra of Guerra Flowers, 808 W. 5th, her certificate of her first dollar profits. The Redcoats went to various businesses and presented certificates Thursday. (photo)

July 25, 1990: The Central Plains MH-MR Adolescent Residential Treatment Facility officially opened here Tuesday.
SwRI awarded contract to develop solar wind plasma sensor

SAN ANTONIO -- July 22, 2020 -- NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has awarded Southwest Research Institute a contract to develop the Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) for a satellite mission dedicated to tracking space weather. SWiPS will measure the properties of solar wind ions originating from the Sun, including the very fast ions associated with coronal mass ejections that interact with the Earth's magnetic environment.

"The satellite will collect solar wind data and coronal imagery to support NOAA's mission to monitor and forecast space weather events," said Dr. Robert Ebert, a principal scientist in SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division and SWiPS principal investigator. "Space weather refers to the variable conditions on the Sun and in space that can influence the performance of technology we use on Earth, such as electrical power grids, and disrupt satellite-based communication and navigation systems."

The Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) satellite will orbit the Sun at approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, a point known as L1. The satellite will make in-situ measurements of the solar wind, high-energy particles and the interplanetary magnetic field. SwRI will develop the solar wind instrument and maintain its ground system and support operations.

"The SWiPS sensor design is based on the Ion and Electron Sensor flown on ESA's comet mission, Rosetta," said Prachet Mokashi, a program manager in SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division and the project manager for SWiPS. "The compact design, low resource requirements and ideal data production make this a well-suited instrument for the SWFO-L1 mission."

A traditional strength of SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division is the design and fabrication of instruments for the in-situ measurement of space plasmas. These dilute ionized gases populate the immediate space environments of the Earth and other solar system bodies as well as interplanetary space.

"SwRI will play a key role in this new and exciting mission," said Dr. Jim Burch, vice president of SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division. "We are building both the solar wind sensor and the magnetometer for this project to collect data for the Space Weather Prediction Center."

NASA is planning to launch SWFO-L1 in 2024 as a rideshare with the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission. SwRI also plays a key role in that mission, managing the payload and providing scientific instruments to help analyze and map particles streaming from the edge of interstellar space and to help understand particle acceleration near Earth.

NOAA is responsible for the Space Weather Follow-On program. NASA is the program's flight system procurement agent, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is the lead for acquisition.

For more information, go to https:/ / www. swri. org/ space-instrumentation/ space-ground-based-instrumentation .

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This story has been published on: 2020-07-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Prince Harry and Prince Williams' relationship began to break down shortly after the younger royal announced he was going to marry Meghan Markle.

A new biography claims 'real damaging things were said and done' in the run up to the wedding.

However, Prince William took his brother aside in November 2017 and asked: 'Are you sure about this?'

Prince Harry and his brother Prince William fell out over the treatment of his wife Meghan, right and questions about whether he was certain he wanted to marry the American star

Prince William, pictured, asked his brother in November 2017 whether he was sure he wanted to get married, which caused tension between the princes

According to the book, Finding Freedom by Carolyn Durrand and Omid Scobie, the Cambridges 'did not make Meghan feel particularly welcome' when she arrived in Britain.

A source told The Telegraph: 'It wasnt a rivalry between the brothers but more a sense that they would be competing over who would lead on their various issues.

'Harry felt awkward as a plus one. Theyd turn up at premieres and there was this sense that he felt a bit like a spare part.

William and Harry together with the rest of the Royal Family on their way to a church service

'Long before Meghan he wanted to change things. He wanted to control his own narrative. He would say, "Why cant we use social media or record videos and cut out the press?"'

Kate and William, according to sources were happy with the traditional royal response of 'never complain, never explain'.

Instead, Harry and Meghan wanted to respond to every negative story.

Royals sources claimed this approach was counter productive with some claiming Meghan was 'very difficult to work for'.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-26 01:37:01|Editor: huaxia

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DOHA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Qatar's health ministry on Saturday announced 398 new infections of COVID-19, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 109,036.

"Some 330 people recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 105,750, while the fatalities remained 164 for the second day running," the official Qatar News Agency reported, quoting a statement by the ministry.

A total of 469,000 people in Qatar have undergone lab tests for COVID-19 so far, it added.

China and Qatar have offered mutual help during the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

On Feb. 21, five Qatar Airways cargo freighters flew to China carrying approximately 300 tonnes of medical supplies donated by the airline.

On July 8, Chinese health officials and medical experts held a video conference with their Qatari counterparts to share experience and expertise in fighting COVID-19. Enditem
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With the fresh fatalities, the state's death toll went up from 12,854 a day earlier to 13,132 now, while the total cases touched 357,117 - both highest in the country.According to Friday's figures, there was one death roughly every 5 minutes and a stupendous 401 new cases every hour added to the state tally.The state recovery rate increased for the second day from 55.09 per cent to 55.99 on Friday, while the current mortality (death) rate stood at 3.68 per cent.The Health Department said that of the total cases till date, 143,714 are 'active cases' (ill) and that this number is lower (favourable) vis-a-vis the number of patients cured and discharged, indicating a positive sign, said the health officials.On the positive side, 5,714 recovered patients returned home on Friday, taking the total number of discharged patients to 199,967 - considerably higher than the 143,714 'active cases' currently in the state.Mumbai district was pushed to the third position in terms of the fatalities recorded today with Pune and Thane overtaking in the count.Of the total 278 fatalities, Pune again notched the highest 74 deaths, followed by Thane's 56 deaths.Mumbai recorded 54 deaths, taking up the toll in the country's commercial capital from 5,930 to 5,984 and the number of corona cases increased by 1,057 to touch 106,980.Besides, Pune's 74, Thane's 56 and Mumbai's 54 deaths, there were 14 fatalities in Raigad, 11 in Nashik, 10 in Jalgaon, 9 in Solapur, 7 in Kolhapur, 6 in Palghar, 5 in Aurangabad, 4 in Nanded, 3 each in Ahmednagar, Jalna, Parbhani, Osmanabad and Satara, 2 each in Ratnagiri, Latur, Beed and Nagpur, 1 each in Dhule, Nandurbar, Hingoli and Yavatmal, besides 1 from another state.The MMR (Thane Division) remains on the brink as deaths spiral and cases pile up, with the current toll increasing by 130 for the second day running to reach 8,779 and a staggering 3,367 new cases, pushing up the number to touch 217,317.Thane cases have touched 83,189 with 2,249 fatalities to emerge as the second worst-hit district after Mumbai in the state.Pune district continues to zoom ahead by notching 69,919 cases, with the death toll increasing from 1,592 a day earlier to 1,666 on Friday.With 74 more deaths, the Pune Division's (comprising Pune, Solapur and Satara districts) death toll crossed has reached 2,185 and the case tally touched 80,032 - but remains behind MMR and Thane district.The next major region of concern is Nashik Division which crossed the 1K-mark of deaths, recording 1,018 fatalities and 25,838 cases, followed by Aurangabad Division notching 521 deaths and 13,775 cases, and Akola Division recording 210 fatalities and 5,887 cases.All the eight divisions recorded fatalities on Friday, while Chandrapur (out of total 36) remains a 'zero-Covid-death district' till date, though each division and district in the state notched fresh cases.Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home-quarantine increased from 874,267 to 888,976 now, while those in institutional quarantine went up from 45,222 to 45,838 on Friday.Source: IANS
The Niger state police command has arrested Sani Garba, a 32-year-old man, for allegedly raping a 60-year-old woman. According to PU...

The Niger state police command has arrested Sani Garba, a 32-year-old man, for allegedly raping a 60-year-old woman.





According to PUNCH, Garba, who was paraded by the command on Friday, revealed that he was attracted by the shaking buttocks of the elderly woman.





The suspect also said he enjoyed having sex with old women within his vicinity because he had no money to maintain a girlfriend.





He added that he had forcefully had sex with more than three elderly women in the community. He described his arrest as unfortunate, noting he regretted involving himself in what he called nonsense.





Since I didnt have money to maintain a girlfriend, I resorted to having sex with old women in my area and I enjoyed doing it. At times I would ask myself why am I into this nonsense? It is quite unfortunate that I found myself in this situation, he said.





Wasiu Abiodun, the commands spokesman, said Garba was arrested by operatives attached to B Division in Suleja axis of the state.





Abiodun added that the suspect would be arraigned in court after investigations into the matter are completed.





The suspect was said to have criminally trespassed into the elderly womans house on July 18 around 4:30 pm and allegedly raped her.





The development comes amid growing concerns over cases of sexual assaults in Nigeria.




File photo

VICTORY TWP.  The West Shore Community College campus will close on July 30 and 31, while the campus connects to the new City of Ludington water system.

The project will require a work crew to shut down the current well system, connect to the new system and activate the water tower which was erected on the campus earlier this spring. If the work proceeds as expected, full water service should be restored to the campus late on July 31.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai via video conferencing. Highlighting the contribution of youngsters in the country, PM spoke on a variety of topics from Swacch Bharat to black money.

Here are the live updates

#I know that I stand between you and Cold Play and so will make this brief

#Back in 2014, I enjoyed attending Global Citizen Fest in New York, this time around, my schedule didn't permit me to come in person

#Back in 2014, I had enjoyed attending the Global Citizen Festival in the beautiful Central Park of New York

#I always look forward to being among young people; it refreshes and re energises me; you bring an energy that is unparalleled

#You bring an energy and idealism that is unparalleled

#You've been smart in asking me to only address gathering & not sing, or else I'm sure you'd be asking money back that too in Rs100 notes

#The young people have taken the initiative of "Swacch Bharat Abhiyan" forward, be it of the country and black money

#Deeply grateful to you for working shoulder to shoulder with me in this cleanliness drive and look forward that you continue to do so

#India is a young country & our future is build on the choices you make and the actions you take; hope you too will seize the moment

#Your sons and daughters are beyond your command, your old roads ageing, please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The San Francisco Zoo is mourning the passing of Floyd, the zoo's regal and rather striking male reticulated giraffe.

The very popular giraffe was 18 years old when he died Friday.

"Floyd was truly one of our most beloved animals and a favorite among our guests because he was so recognizable and engaging," said Tanya M. Peterson, chief executive officer and executive director of the San Francisco Zoological Society. "We are heartbroken, but know that he has touched so many during his life, and contributed greatly to the population of reticulated giraffes in North America."

Floyd was born in 2002 at the Albuquerque Zoo and transferred to the San Francisco Zoo in 2004. During his life, he sired 11 offspring, and had 24 grandkids and five great-grandkids.

With one female offspring still residing at the Zoo, others of Floyd's progeny can be found all over the country, from California, Oregon to Tennessee and Alabama.

The reticulated giraffe, one of the more commonly seen giraffe species and subspecies found in zoological parks, is classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with populations in the species' native range -- northeastern Kenya, southern Ethiopia, and Somalia -- having declined by 50 percent due to heightened poaching. Floyd served as an important ambassador for his species, helping to educate the public about the need for giraffe conservation.

"In addition to being an incredible ambassador, our scientific research teams have been able to observe Floyd over the past several years, and he has been a principal subject for visiting science students," said Dr. Jason Watters, the zoo's executive vice president for wellness and animal behavior. "We are grateful for having the opportunity to work with this remarkable animal and learn so much from him.

At 18, Floyd was considered aged for a male giraffe, and like many geriatric animals, he was experiencing degeneration in his joints. The zoo's integrated animal care and wellness teams worked tirelessly over the past several months to provide Floyd with the comfort that is the aim for all of the zoo's animals, with particular focus on senior ones. As the tallest and oldest giraffe in the zoo's herd -- at 18-feet-tall and weighing more than 2,425 pounds -- his imposing size yet serene demeanor and independent spirit will be missed by zoo staff and zoo visitors.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 08:32 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066930663 1 News Baduy-tribe,Tourism-and-Creative-Economy-Ministry Free

The number of tourists in the indigenous Baduy tribes village in Kanekes, Lebak regency, Banten, should be limited to achieve sustainable tourism, the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry has said.

We have to control the number of tourists so that they will not come to the village in large numbers, the ministrys destination and infrastructure development undersecretary, Hari Santosa Sungkari, said as quoted by tempo.co on July 18.

Previously, the Baduy tribe community had asked the government to exclude the village from the list of Indonesias tourist destinations through a letter addressed to President Joko Jokowi Widodo dated July 6.

In the letter, which was signed by several Baduy cultural figures, such as Jaro Saidi, Jaro Aja, and Jaro Madali, the community stated that it felt disturbed by tourists, especially due to environmental pollution caused by tourism.

Hari said that his ministry was accommodating the request and considering a plan to develop an app for tourists who wish to visit the Baduy cultural area. Tourists would then be required to register through the app prior to their visit to Baduy.

[The apps] will notify the registrants if the number of tourists has exceeded the capacity, Hari said.

Read also: Baduy tribe remains free of coronavirus

Uday Suhada, a representative from the Baduy community, said that his community deemed the use of the term Baduy culture tourism incorrect.

According to Uday, the correct term is saba budaya Baduy (communal cultural bonds), as stipulated in Kanekes Village Law No. 1/2007 on Saba Budaya and Kanekes Cultural Community Protection.

Saba means silaturahmi [communal bonding], as well as mutual respect between each culture, Uday said.

The right understanding of the term is believed to be important, so that Baduy people and their guests respect each other while preserving the local value.

Baduy Dalam elder, Ayah Mursid, requested clear guidelines in implementing the saba budaya Baduy, such as which routes were allowed and which were off-limits for tourists. Mursid also suggested that the government build an information center aimed at introducing the tourists to the culture of the Baduy people prior to their visit.

In response, Lebak regent Iti Octavia Jayabaya said that her administration would provide a place near the Baduy tribes area for the requested information center. (dpk)
The polices astonishing peace and sovereignty spiel may have had its roots in redflagged portions of the new draft. PTI file photo

Can the police book environmental activists under UAPA?

It cannot, and hence the notice sent out to the company hosting an advocacy website that shot off a bunch of petitions to the environment minister against the controversial Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2020, threatening action under the law while ordering it to block access to the website has been withdrawn and a fresh one mentioning the appropriate section of the IT Act issued in its place.

The company has complied with said request. The action followed an email sent by the minister to Delhi Police.

The letter from the police said the mails to the minister had purportedly disturbed the peace and sovereignty of India, and hence it was pondering invoking of the UAPA.

The polices astonishing peace and sovereignty spiel may have had its roots in redflagged portions of the new draft. These aim to limit public engagement and expand the ambit of the governments discretionary power in clearing a project.

According to the draft, it is the government that decides on the strategic tag of a project and no information on such projects shall be placed in the public domain.

Additionally, the new draft exempts a long list of projects from public consultation. For example, linear projects such as roads and pipelines in border areas will not require any public hearing.

That would cover many of the biodiverse regions of the Himalayas in the Northeast. Widening of national highways are exempt from prior clearance.

Also, for ease of doing business, projects operating in violation of the Environment Act will now be able to apply for post facto clearance.

What is most astounding is that it is the developers themselves or a government authority who are the only ones permitted to bring to the ministry's notice violations of the Environment Act. The public is no longer allowed to fulfil this role.

This is the most pernicious clause in the draft. It is perfectly in line with the Narendra Modi governments new modus operandi of holding 10-minute video-conferences to clear scores of environment-destroying projects post the pandemic lockdown.

No wonder the environmentalists are up in arms against the new notification.

The UAPA typo, however, was a Freudian slip on the part of the police that betrays the thinking of their political masters. According to them, then, the climate warrior is the new terrorist.
Mumbai: Clarifying his take on lifting lockdown in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that he is not in favour of complete lifting of lockdown in Maharashtra, adding that we need to strike balance between health and economy amid the challenge posed by COVID19 pandemic.

"I will never say that the lockdown will be lifted completely. But I have started reopening a few things gradually. Once reopened, it shouldn''t be shut again. Hence, I prefer taking steps in phases. You can't just think about economy or health. There needs to be a balance between the two," he said in an interview published in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

The lockdown in Maharashtra will continue till July 31 and the state government had started lifting the restrictions in phase-wise manner under its ''Mission Begin Again'' initiative.

Thackeray also said, "This pandemic is a global war. It has affected the entire world. Those countries which had lifted the lockdown in haste thinking that it was over, were again forced to impose it to curb the spread. In Australia, they had to rope in Army."

Pointing out those opposing lockdown Thackeray said, ''they say that lockdown is affecting the economy. To such people, I would say that I am ready to lift the lockdown, but if people die due to it, would you take the responsibility?'', stressing that he is also concerned about the economy.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra continues to remain the worst affected state with 13,132 fatalities, followed by Delhi 3,777, Tamil Nadu 3,320.
Chennai, July 25 : The present and former Communications Ministers are claiming credit for their respective governments in getting US phone maker Apple Inc to have its top end iPhone 11 manufactured at Foxconn's plant near here.

Meanwhile, a top official of Indian Cellular & Electronics Association said soon there will be no cell phone imports.

Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, in a tweet on Friday, gave the chronology of manufacturing of top-end mobiles in India in the last few years.

"2020 - iPhone 11 2019 - iPhone 7 & XR 2018 - iPhone 6S 2017 - iPhone SE This chronology is a statement in itself as to how @narendramodi govt. has developed the mobile phone manufacturing ecosystem in India. It's only a humble beginning," he wrote.

On his part, DMK MP and former Communication and Information Technology Minister Dayanidhi Maran expressed his happiness on Apple's top end model iPhone 11's manufacture here.

In a tweet Maran said: "Happy to see @Apple manufacturing its top of the line #iPhone11 in #Sriperumbudur at the #Foxconn plant launched in 2006 by CM Kalaignar during my tenure as Union Minister for Comm & IT. The seeds of growth & development we sowed then continue to help India grow even today." The Foxconn plant was inaugurated by then Chief Minister and DMK President M. Karunanidhi in 2006.

With top end mobile phones also being made in the country, India Cellular & Electronics Association Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman told IANS: "Now there will be near zero import of mobile phones. Last year, the mobile phone imports were to the tune of Rs 7,000 crore out of the total market of Rs 190,000 crore." He said for high end phones like iPhone, the Indian market is very small but India can definitely become a global hub for exports to global markets.

Mohindroo also said India will be a big exporter of mobile phones. "From an export revenue of Rs 1,300 crore in 2017-18, the numbers went up to Rs 11,300 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 27,000 crore in 2019-20. We expect to hit Rs 100,000 crore exports by 2021-22." "Five years back the question was who is making mobile phones in India. Now the question is who is not making their phones in India," he added.

On his part, DMK legislator C.V.M.P. Ezhilarasan, President, Foxconn India Thozilalar Munnetra Sangam, affiliated to party's labour wing Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), demanded the company take back its old workers who were employed, prior to its closure some years back.

"The company has restarted operations with fresh recruits. They should hire back the old hands," he said.

"Foxconn had closed its Sriperumbudur plant without any prior notice in 2014, saying it was a temporary stoppage of production. Later it opened a new factory in SriCity in Andhra Pradesh. This issue was raised in the state Assembly by me," Ezhilarasan said.
"U.S.-China relations have been hitting all-time lows since the [coronavirus] pandemic started or, in particular, Hong Kong's national security law took effect," Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Beijing's Renmin University, told VOA. "There are still four months ahead of the U.S. presidential election and six months before the next administration takes office in the White House. During that period of time, Trump will no doubt make many other moves to worsen the relationship between both countries," the professor projected.

"It is an escalation [of diplomatic tensions]. And it is a new cold war that's been launched step by step by the U.S. and China," said Sang Pu, a political commentator in Hong Kong.

There are also calls in Chinese media and in a Twitter poll for Beijing to "punch harder" by shutting the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong as U.S. President Donald Trump hints at closing more Chinese consulates in the U.S. Two analysts who spoke to VOA say that if the reciprocal closings escalate, the U.S.-China relationship will be on a downward spiral, with the worst yet to come.

China has ordered the closure of the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu in retaliation for the U.S. decision to close China's consulate in Houston, Texas, by Friday.

 Election Gambit

Shi believes the Houston consulate shutdown is not only designed to provoke China, but a gambit by Trump to turn around his polling decline. He said China finds accusations made by the U.S. State Department groundless -- although the Trump administration said the closure of the Houston consulate was fully justifiable.

David Stilwell, who overseas policy for East Asia and the Pacific at the State Department, told The New York Times on Wednesday that the Houston consulate had a history of engaging in "subversive behavior" and was the epicenter of research theft in the U.S. He said Consul General Cai Wei and two other Chinese diplomats were caught using false identification to escort Chinese travelers on May 31 to the gate area of a charter flight from a Houston airport.

 Espionage and Scientific Thefts

Stilwell added that some of China's attempted scientific thefts in the U.S. had accelerated in the past six months and could be related to efforts to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus, according to the Times. In response, Cai denied the claim in an interview with KTRK-TV in Houston. "Where is the evidence?" he asked. He called the U.S. official a liar.

 Cold War-Style Confrontations

The U.S. has repeatedly clashed with China over trade and intellectual property issues, which Sang in Hong Kong said will not easily end because cold war-style confrontations between the two countries keep emerging. There is speculation the U.S. may next shut down China's consulate in San Francisco, California, because a Chinese researcher, charged by the FBI for concealing her ties with the Chinese military, has taken refuge inside the facility.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular media briefing that China's Houston consulate has done positive work in the past 40 years, saying "the U.S. claimed that China's Consulate in Houston was engaged in activities incompatible with its status, which is completely malicious slander." He added the consulate shutdown "severely damages the U.S.-China relations and is breaking down the friendship bridge between both sides."

 The CCP's Dissolution

Investors in China and Hong Kong are worried the consulate shutdowns could lead to the U.S. cutting official ties with Beijing or an eventual disconnect between the U.S. and Chinese economies, according to Liao Qun, chief economist at China CITIC Bank International Ltd.

The level of uncertainty is spelling bad news for investment, he said. If tensions escalate, "capitals may exit Hong Kong and China. In addition, the global trade will be hugely affected. If the U.S. cuts ties with China, their phase-one trade pact will be nullified, which will de-stabilize the (global) trade dynamics. So, it all depends on what comes next," Liao said.
The Narcotics Control Bureau has seized the highest amount of opium from Rajasthan's Chittorgarh this year, consignment suspected to belong to Madhya Pradesh based drug traffickers.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized nearly 234 kilograms of opium from Rajasthans Chittorgarh on Saturday, making it the largest opium seizure of opium in India this year, the agency said on Friday.

According to KPS Malhotra, Deputy Director of Operations of the NCB in Chittorgarh, the contraband was being sourced from Chittorgarh and was on its way to Jodhpur.

On Sunday, the Jodhpur Zonal Unit of the NCB raided the residence of R. Lal in the Shadi Village in Begun. A total of 233.976 kilograms of opium was seized. The intelligence we received pointed us to the fact that the consignment belonged to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan based drug traffickers, he said.

Two persons have been arrested  R. Lal and M. K. Dhakad, resident of Bhilwara. One car has also been seized in connection with the cases. Preliminary investigation revealed that the opium was sourced from an illicit cultivation area of Chittorgarh and was destined to Jodhpur, he added.

Also read: India-China agree on complete disengagement at LAC, restoration of peace in meeting

Also read: Yogi Adityanath to visit Ayodhya, review preparations for Bhoomi Pujan today

Malhotra also said that further investigation of the case is underway with a specific focus on the Drug Trafficking Network involved and the linkages they have in the licit opium production areas.

Cultivation of Opium is carried out in India in selected tracts notified by the Central Government in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Licenses are issued by the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) under the Ministry of Finance to eligible cultivators in the above three States as per the General Conditions relating to Grant of License framed by the Central Government.

According to Malhotra, during seizure and further investigation, it was been learnt that some of the legal cultivators, especially those in the districts of Mandsaur, Neemuch and Ratlam of Madhya Pradesh and Chittorgarh and Jhalawar of Rajasthan, divert it to the illegal channel and sell it to intermediaries for profit.

These intermediaries traffic this opium to other parts of the country for consumption and conversion to Heroin. The seized Opium, in this case, was also sourced from licit cultivation in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan, Malhotra said.

Also read: Hope Governor wont buckle under pressure: Gehlot

For all the latest National News, download NewsX App
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

Mrs J.W. writes: I hope you can help me, or at least warn others. My son, now aged 36, has severe autism and epilepsy.

When he was a baby, his grandparents bought him a 10 premium bond, and this has now won a 25 prize.

I did open a National Savings & Investments Direct Saver account in joint names, and after I explained what it was for, NS&I assured me it was fine.

What happens when money is invested with NS&I for a child who in adult life turns out to be unable to make decisions about it?

Now though, NS&I says its own premium bond cheque cannot be paid into this account, nor will it simply transfer the prize to this account.

The cheque has to go into a bank account, and my son has none and is not capable of opening one.

Tony replies: When you explained the problem to NS&I, you were asked to provide a medical report on your son, which would have cost far more than the 25 premium bond prize.

So, you told me, since you could neither bank the cheque nor encash the bond, NS&I was effectively 35 better off at the expense of your severely disabled son.

This left me in a quandary too. I never expect banks and similar institutions to discuss a customer's problems unless the customer gives written authority for this.

But because the whole point of your letter to me is that your son is not able to manage his own affairs, I could hardly ask for your son's signature to a letter of authority that would allow NS&I to speak to me.

With this in mind, I asked officials to consider the problem in principle. What happens, I asked, when money is invested with NS&I for a child who in adult life turns out to be unable to make decisions about it?

What can any family do if the amount of money involved is far smaller than the medical and legal bills involved in unlocking the cash?

And to take an extreme example, what would NS&I do if someone in your son's situation won the top premium bond prize of 1million?

Why has cost of transferring shares shot up? A.S writes: My wife and I had some shares with Saga, and when she passed away in January, I asked Saga to transfer her shares to me. I was told this would cost 8.50, but then I received a letter from Saga saying the price is now 89. I called Saga and was told they had reviewed their costs. Happily, this is a case of crossed wires and not a stunning tenfold increase in Sagas charges. Saga has told me it cannot find any mention of 8.50 in its contacts with you, and the fee of 89 only applies to anyone who does not have a Grant of Probate and wishes to use Sagas Small Estates service. You do have a Grant of Probate, so all you need is the transfer of your late wifes shares. If you had been transferring the shares to a new management firm, the fee would have been 15, but as you are keeping them with Saga, the transfer is free of charge.

NS&I staff were actually more helpful than I had expected.

They explained that if an investment is made for a child, it is controlled by a responsible person such as their parent until the child reaches 16.

If the child is then unable to take control of the investment, NS&I will request a medical report and ask who has been legally appointed to look after the customer's affairs.

But there is some wiggle room here. If the customer has been unable to understand such things since birth, and no major sums are involved, it is unlikely that anyone will hold a formal legal appointment to act on their behalf.

And in this situation, NS&I may decide that the original responsible person can simply carry on as before.

This discretion would not go as far as applying to a high value premium bond prize, though.

Then, NS&I staff would certainly ask that the responsible adult approach the Office of the Public Guardian, the Government official with the power to appoint a 'Deputy'  probably the same responsible adult  to claim the prize on behalf of the bondholder and to manage it for their benefit.

So, where does this leave you and your son? Your Direct Saver account is useful for some things, including receiving the automatic transfer of premium bond prizes, but there is no counter service for depositing cheques.

I am delighted to say that after some thought NS&I staff have come up with a solution.

They have decided that although your son is the bondholder, they have scrapped the cheque that was sent in his name. By the time you read this, you will have received a fresh prize cheque for 25, and this time it will be made out to you.

Parcel firm will not answer my query

B.M. writes: I sold an item on eBay which I sent via the carrier company Collectplus. I tracked the parcel, and Collectplus confirmed it was delivered and signed for.

However, the buyer contacted me to say nothing had arrived. Collectplus asked its driver to describe the property where the goods had been delivered, and his description did not correspond with the buyer's address.

I submitted a claim form to Collectplus, but heard nothing, so I emailed the chief executive Neil Ashworth, but he did not respond.

Signed for: The parcel was delivered but not to the address that matched the buyer

I jumped through the same hoops as you, asking Neil Ashworth and head of marketing Catherine Woolfe to look into your complaint.

Eventually, I discovered that although their names, pictures and job descriptions were still on the Collectplus website, they had actually left the company many months earlier.

I did find someone to help, though. He told me: 'The safe delivery of parcels is our number one priority, and we are sorry that Mr M's experience was not up to standard.'

Collectplus has now refunded the delivery charges and has compensated you for the value of the missing goods.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk.

Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
Not long after the early 2017 publication of a notorious dossier about President Donald Trump jolted Washington, an expert in Russian politics told the FBI he had been one of its key sources, drawing on his contacts to deliver information that would make up some of the most salacious and unproven assertions in the document.

The FBI had approached the expert, a man named Igor Danchenko, as it vetted the dossiers claims. He agreed to tell investigators what he knew with an important condition, people familiar with the matter said  that the FBI keep his identity secret so he could protect himself, his sources and his family and friends in Russia.

But his hope of remaining anonymous evaporated last week after Attorney General William Barr directed the FBI to declassify a redacted report about its three-day interview of Danchenko in 2017 and hand it over to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Graham promptly made the interview summary public while calling the entire Russia investigation corrupt.

The report blacked out Danchenkos name and other identifying information. But within two days, a post on a newly created blog titled I Found the Primary Subsource identified him, citing clues left visible in the FBI document. A pseudonymous Twitter account created in May then promoted the existence of the blog. And the next day, RT, the Kremlin-owned, English-language news and propaganda outlet, published an article amplifying Danchenkos identification.

The decision by Justice Department and FBI leaders to divulge such a report was highly unusual and created the risk it would help identify a person who had confidentially provided information to agents, even if officials did not intend to provide such a road map. The move comes at a time when Barr, who is to testify before lawmakers Tuesday, has repeatedly been accused of abusing his powers to help Trump politically.

Former law enforcement officials said the outing will make it harder for FBI agents to gain the trust of people they need to cooperate in future and unrelated investigations.

These things have to remain very closely held because you put witnesses at risk, said James W. McJunkin, a former FBI assistant director for counterterrorism. To release sensitive information unnecessarily that could jeopardize someones life is egregious.

A lawyer for Danchenko, Mark E. Schamel, said that because his clients name had already been exposed, he would not ask The New York Times to withhold it. He acknowledged that Igor Danchenko has been identified as one of the sources who provided data and analysis to Christopher Steele, the British former spy who compiled the dossier and whose last name has become shorthand for it.

Danchenkos identity is noteworthy because it further calls into question the credibility of the dossier. By turning to Danchenko as his primary source to gather possible dirt on Trump involving Russia, Steele was relying not on someone with a history of working with Russian intelligence operatives or bringing to light their covert activities but instead a researcher focused on analyzing business and political risks in Russia.

Spokespeople at both the FBI and the Justice Department declined to comment. An email sent to an address listed on the blog was not returned.

Trumps supporters on Capitol Hill have long sought access to Justice Department and FBI documents about the Russia investigation. The FBI director, Christopher A. Wray, told lawmakers in late 2017 that the bureau was wary of turning over records related to its effort to verify the Steele dossier to Congress. We are dealing with very, very dicey questions of sources and methods, which is the lifeblood of foreign intelligence and our liaison relationships with our foreign partners, he said.

But since his confirmation early last year, Barr and other Trump appointees have approved a wave of extraordinary declassifications that the presidents allies, including Graham, have used to attack the Russia inquiry.

Graham said he had asked the FBI to declassify the interview report after it was described in an inspector general report last year because he wanted the public to read it. He stressed that he did not know the identity of Steeles source and said he did not know whether the FBI released identifying information it should have protected, saying the bureau had appeared to be painstaking in redacting such details.

I dont know how he was exposed, Graham said in an interview Friday. I didnt see anything in the memo exposing who he was. I mean, you can believe these websites if you want to  I dont know. I know this: Its important for the country to understand what happened here.

In addition to their political implications, the documents have at times revealed the closely held secrets that Wray feared jeopardizing: sources of information and the methods used for gathering it.

Transcripts of recordings released in April resulted in the identification of a confidential FBI informant who had agree to wear a wire when talking to George Papadopoulos, a former Trump adviser who was convicted of lying to the FBI. Other released transcripts of a Russian diplomats conversations with former national security adviser Michael Flynn revealed that the bureau was able to monitor the phone line of the Russian Embassy in Washington even before a call connected with Flynns voicemail.

The unmaskings from the release of the FBI report have already spiraled beyond Danchenko. Building on the knowledge of his identity, another Twitter user named a likely source for Danchenko. Online sleuths were trying to identify others from his network who were cited but not named in the Steele dossier.

The release of Danchenkos interview summary likely put him and other sources in Russias sights, said Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Under Attorney General Barr, the levers of the Department of Justice continue to be weaponized in defense of the presidents political agenda, even at the expense of national security, said Warner, who did not confirm that Danchenko was Steeles primary source or discuss his committees own investigation into Russian election interference. Im deeply concerned by this release. There is no doubt that the Russians are poring over it to see if they can identify this individual or other sources.

Danchenko also cooperated with the intelligence committee on condition of confidentiality, according to two people familiar with its investigation.

Some posts on the blog that revealed Danchenkos name are dated before Graham released the interview report, but the Twitter user who promoted the blog said he or she had backdated the posts to change their order.

Born in Ukraine, Danchenko, 42, is a Russian-trained lawyer who earned degrees at the University of Louisville and Georgetown University, according to LinkedIn. He was a senior research analyst from 2005 to 2010 at the Brookings Institution, where he co-wrote a research paper showing that, as a student, President Vladimir Putin of Russia appeared to have plagiarized part of his dissertation.

According to his interview with the FBI, Steele contacted Danchenko around March 2016 and assigned him to ask people he knew in Russia and Ukraine about connections, including any ties to corruption, between a pro-Russian government in Ukraine and veteran Republican strategist Paul Manafort. Steele did not explain why, but Manafort joined the Trump campaign around that time and was later promoted to its chair. He was convicted in 2018 of tax and bank fraud and other charges that grew out of the Russia investigation.

Steele later expanded Danchenkos assignment to look for any compromising information about Trump.

By Jan. 13, 2017, the FBI had identified Danchenko, who soon agreed to answer investigators questions in exchange for immunity.

The FBI told a court it found Danchenko truthful and cooperative, according to the report by the Justice Department inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, although a supervisory FBI intelligence analyst said Danchenko may have minimized aspects of what he told Steele.

Graham said he wanted the public to be able to see for itself how the interview report clearly shows that the dossier was not reliable and they continued to use it anyway.

Danchenko did nothing wrong in accepting a paid assignment to gather allegations about Trumps ties to Russia and conveying them to Steeles research firm, Orbis Business Intelligence, said Schamel, who attended his clients FBI debriefings but whose name was redacted from the report about them.

Mr. Danchenko is a highly respected senior research analyst; he is neither an author nor editor for any of the final reports produced by Orbis, Schamel said. Mr. Danchenko stands by his data analysis and research and will leave it to others to evaluate and interpret any broader story with regard to Orbis final report.

The Steele dossier was deeply flawed. For example, it included a claim that Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen had met with a Russian intelligence officer in Prague to discuss collusion with the campaign. The report by the special counsel who took over the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, found that Cohen never traveled to Prague.

And Danchenkos statements to the FBI contradicted parts of the dossier, suggesting that Steele may have exaggerated the soundness of other allegations, making what Danchenko portrayed as rumor and speculation sound more solid.

The Steele dossier played no role in the FBIs opening of the Russia investigation in July 2016, and Mueller did not rely on it for his report.

But its flaws have taken on outsized political significance, as Trumps allies have sought to conflate it with the larger effort to understand Russias covert efforts to tilt the 2016 election in his favor and whether any Trump campaign associates conspired in that effort. Mueller laid out extensive details about Russias covert operation and contacts with Trump campaign associates, but found insufficient evidence to bring any conspiracy charges.

The dossier did play an important role in a narrow part of the FBIs early Russia investigation: the wiretapping of Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser with close ties to Russian officials, which began in October 2016 and was extended three times in 2017. The Justice Departments applications for court orders authorizing the wiretap relied in part on information from the dossier in making the case that investigators had reason to believe that Page might be working with Russians.

Page was never charged, and Muellers report only briefly discussed him. Horowitz scathingly portrayed the wiretap applications as riddled with errors and omissions.

Adam Goldman and Charlie Savage c.2020 The New York Times Company
Members of a protestor group affiliated with NFAC, most carrying firearms, gather to march in Louisville, Ky., on July 25, 2020. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

3 Injured in Shooting at Militia Protest Staging Area in Louisville

Update: Police officials are investigating the shooting as a negligent discharge.

Original story below.

Members of a heavily armed black militia group and Black Lives Matter protesters were among the groups demonstrating on July 25 in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, where at a staging area earlier in the day three people were injured in a shooting, local media reported.

Police said at least three people were injured in a shooting at Baxter Park, WHAS11 reported. Local journalists covering the days protests reported they saw members of the Louisville Metro Police Department confiscate a gun from members of the NFAC militia group, which stands for Not [Expletive] Around Coalition.

WHAS11 reporter Jessie Cohen posted photos from the scene on Twitter, showing some people hiding behind vehicles, others kneeling, and others standing by taking pictures on cellphones.

She wrote, We just watched two people be taken onto stretchers at Baxter square on 12th and Jefferson. Metro safe has confirmed reports of shootings & that there are multiple victims. We heard the noises when people scattered to get behind cars, & to take a knee.

Police in another photo posted by Cohen were setting up yellow tape in a park, while NFAC militia members took a knee on the grass nearby, while another photo showed what appears to be a police officer holding a shotgun by its barrel, with Cohen writing in the caption: We just watched LMPD take a shotgun from the scene that was within the perimeter of their tape.

Cohen later posted a photo showing members of the NFAC militia standing at the staging area in the park, with the caption: One of the members of the NFAC now talking to the crowd who are NOT NFAC members says We had a little accident, it happens, in an apparent reference to the earlier shooting.

Several citizen journalists on the scene recording video of the protests reported that the shooting involved an NFAC member accidentally discharging their weapon, leading to the injuries.

On July 24, Louisville Metro Councilman Kevin Kramer had urged people to stay away from the downtown area on the day of the protests, WDRB reports.

The potential for violence will be heightened as we will more than likely have a number of highly armed groups representing very different viewpoints as well as other groups all situated within a block of each other, he said.

While efforts are being made to ensure a safe environment to all persons present, I would caution you that the potential for violence will exist.

Video from the scene showed protesters of unknown affiliation walking near the staging area in the park, some holding signs. One protester seen in the footage held a sign with the words, I cant breathe, in reference to the police custody death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis in May when an officer knelt on his neck while he communicated having trouble breathing. The incident sparked widespread protests against police brutality, although some protests have adopted a broader agenda of drawing attention to the problem of racism, while others have called for defunding the police. Some protests have been hijacked by far-left groups such as Antifa with an apparent agenda of overthrowing social order.

Video later posted by Cohen shows members of the militia walking down the street. A live stream from the area posted by WHAS11 shows demonstrators walking peacefully, with the station reporting chants of Breonna Taylor and Justice for Breonna.

Taylor was killed on March 13 inside her Louisville apartment by police executing a no knock warrant in search of a drug dealer who had a suspected connection with her address. No drugs were found at the scene.

A man calling himself Grand Master Jay, identified by local media as the leader of the group, was cited as saying that the militia was formed to address grievances about the government.

Once it gets to that point where it looks like the government is non-responsive to the will of the people, the Constitution says to the form of the militia to address the grievances of the people, Grand Master Jay said, WRDB reports.

I didnt write it. They wrote it. We just abide by it. So thats our next destination, because when it looks like the government is being indifferent to the people, the people have the right to form themselvesand arm themselvesto ask those questions.

This is a developing story.
Photo: The Canadian Press The Ontario Court of Appeal is seen in Toronto on April 8, 2019. A law that bars a judge from imposing a conditional sentence for certain offences was struck down as unconstitutional on Friday in a decision likely to find its way to the country's top court. In a 2-1 ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal found the provisions of the Criminal Code run afoul of the charter because of their impact on Indigenous offenders. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel

A law that bars a judge from imposing a conditional sentence for certain offences was struck down as unconstitutional on Friday in a decision likely to find its way to the country's top court.

In a 2-1 ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal found the provisions of the Criminal Code run afoul of the charter because of their impact on Indigenous offenders.

"The impugned amendments deprive the court of an important means to redress systemic discrimination against Aboriginal people when considering an appropriate sanction," the court said. "The reality is that the act will result in more Indigenous offenders serving their sentences in jail rather than in their communities."

The decision comes in the case of Cheyenne Sharma, an Indigenous woman and mother of a small child who was caught in 2015 smuggling almost two kilograms of cocaine into Canada from South America. Evidence was the first-time offender was in desperate financial straits and faced eviction from her home.

Because Sharma is of Ojibwa ancestry and a member of the Saugeen First Nation, the trial court took her background of trauma into account on sentencing as required by the Criminal Code since 1999  the so-called Gladue principles.

However, another part of the code  enacted in 2012 by the former Conservative government under ex-prime minister Stephen Harper  bars community-based sentences for offences such as drug-trafficking that carry maximum penalties of at least 10 years in prison.

Sharma challenged the provisions  along with another that called for a two-year mandatory minimum sentence  as an infringement of her constitutional rights.

In February 2018, then-Superior Court justice Casey Hill, who sentenced her to 17 months in custody, declared the mandatory minimum rule unconstitutional but dismissed Sharma's challenge to the ban on a conditional sentence.

Sharma appealed, and various activist organizations intervened on her behalf. They argued that systems of discrimination based on gender, race, socioeconomic status and colonialism shape the experiences of Indigenous women.

Barring Indigenous people from conditional sentences as an alternative to prison time stops judges from fully applying the Gladue principles and denies offenders the full benefit, the groups said. The result, they argued, was that the provisions magnified the injustices the Gladue framework was intended to address.

The majority on the Appeal Court agreed.

"The impugned provisions, in their impact on Aboriginal offenders including Ms. Sharma, create a distinction on the basis of race," Justice Kathryn Feldman said for the court. "The provisions deny Ms. Sharma a benefit in a manner that has the effect of reinforcing, perpetuating and exacerbating her disadvantage as an Aboriginal person."

Friday's ruling, which the court refused to put on hold, applies to all offenders.

"This is a watershed moment in the law," Sharma's lawyer Nader Hasan said. "This decision will make sentencing more just for a significant number of people. It means that sentencing judges who want to dampen the effects of systemic discrimination will have another tool in their toolkit."

The Appeal Court set aside Sharma's prison sentence, saying a conditional term of 24 months less a day would have been appropriate. However, given that she had already served her custodial time, the Appeal Court substituted a sentence of time served.

In a lengthy dissenting opinion, Justice Bradley Miller said he found no charter breach and would have upheld the provisions. Parliament, he said, had the right to mandate prison time for offences such as drug-trafficking, regardless of who commits them.

"Parliament's legislative decision may be harsh. It may even be mistaken or unwise. But it is not ... discriminatory," Miller said.

The Native Women's Association of Canada, which was an intervener in the case, applauded the ruling.

"Our young women are over-represented in the prisons across this country, largely as a result of the legacy of historical wrongs committed against our people," NWAC president Lorraine Whitman said in a statement.

"The courts must be given options to keep them out of the correctional system whenever possible."
On a windy night with tropical storm Hanna brewing in the gulf, about 800 Atascocita High School seniors crossed the stage at Turner Stadium on July 24 during the penultimate ceremony of Humble ISDs graduation week.

The Class of 2020 left the field after singing their school song and throwing their red graduation caps in the air. Speeches included themes of resilience, after a community like the Lake Houston area that was struck by natural disasters is now graduating students who lived and thrived beyond the tragedies. Humble ISD is hosting the graduation in Humble at Turner Stadium with a 25 percent capacity in the stands due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, another unexpected struggle of the class of 2020.

GRADUATION: Humble High seniors expect to make a difference in the world

Senior Vice President Christian Newton gave the invocation, celebrating the fact that their class has finally reached their time for the celebration while overcoming unprecedented circumstances. His prayer was uplifting, thankful for their opportunity to celebrate their success and those who supported them, as well as hopeful for the future.

Highlighting what they missed at the end of their four years like prom and senior picnic, Senior President Zoe Bantolina said they were happy to be back together again to celebrate their accomplishments.

Ultimately, high school has been an unforgettable journey and I am very, very excited for what the future holds for all of us, Bantolina said. As our class law states, through rigor and through relevance, our purpose has no plight. Through relationships with others, our future is so bright. Individually, each and every one of us is equally unique and destined for greatness, but together we have made it here.

Salutatorian Jeremy Chauvin discussed the unusual four years they have endured throughout their high school experience, including Hurricane Harvey delaying their sophomore year by two weeks, destroying homes and neighborhoods. They also lost two classmates in an drunk driving accident between their sophomore and junior years, and had a senior year disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

But even in naming the most recognizable tragedies of each year of our classs high school experience, I know that I do not even come close to encompassing all the other disasters and individual struggles we have incurred, Chauvin said. But class of 2020, if I could describe us with one word it would be resilient. Despite all of the obstacles that have been placed in our paths, we have thrived amid adversity.

EDUCATION: Harris County, Houston order schools to delay in-person classes until at least Sept. 8

Valedictorian Gabrielle Karamihan, who will be attending the University of Texas at Austin for chemical engineering, focused on the light-hearted times of the high school experience with a humorous speech.

Although senioritis was something to be feared, it was instead overcome by the graduates seated before us who have continued to stay headstrong for the generations to come, Karamihan said. For the past four months when it seemed like the hopes weve held for the past four years were coming to an end, we have ventured out into the adult side of the world. We are going to be in textbooks but not for the things being taken from us. We are making it in because we would have made 2020  leaving the year better than how we found it.

On a more serious note, Karamihan said the pandemic cannot cast a shadow on their classs accomplishments and their resilience will help them continue to persevere. She urged students to go on to continue to live life bravely and boldly.

This is a part of us, and it is our opportunity to take the end of this chapter and build a new one for ourselves, Karamihan said. Yall have so many places to go and people to meet, however, the greatest successes in life lie within the lives touched. As we take flight, let us remember to take on life bravely and boldly, as Eagles we were raised to be, from today onward.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
Every one of us has a small but critical part to play in the battle against coronavirus. From washing our hands to wearing a face covering on public transport and in shops, every time we take one of these actions, we push the virus further into retreat.

But the best way to defeat this virus once and for all is finding a safe and effective vaccine, and, while scientists are leading the charge, the public can help by volunteering for trials.

We are asking people to register to participate in important clinical studies, helping to speed up the search for a vaccine and to end the pandemic sooner.

I am incredibly proud that, here in the UK, remarkable vaccine research is taking place right this second at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London.

'The best way to defeat this virus once and for all is finding a safe and effective vaccine, and, while scientists are leading the charge, the public can help by volunteering for trials,' says Business Secretary Alok Sharma

Backed with more than 130million of Government funding, this vital work is being led by some of the worlds best minds in science and research.

As a Government, we are backing every horse in the race to ensure the British public can be vaccinated against this disease as soon as possible. On Monday, we announced new partnerships with some of the worlds foremost pharmaceutical and vaccine companies, including the BioNTech/Pfizer alliance and Valneva  with many more in the pipeline.

Thanks to these agreements, we have secured early access to 90million doses of promising vaccine candidates, ensuring that people in the UK can be protected from the moment a safe and effective vaccine becomes available.

This is on top of a pivotal deal between AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford for 100million doses if the Oxford vaccine is successful. While incredible research is ongoing, it is only right we develop a new manufacturing base to produce millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine rapidly.

So we will invest in a new state-of-the-art Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Braintree, Essex. This facility will complement the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), which is currently under construction in Oxfordshire and will have the capacity to produce enough vaccine doses to serve the entire UK population in as little as six months.

Alok Sharma says: 'While incredible research is ongoing, it is only right we develop a new manufacturing base to produce millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine rapidly'

Over the past few months, we have been cautiously and gradually reopening our economy, and it is fantastic to see so many shops, pubs, hairdressers, and other businesses taking necessary steps to keep customers and workers safe.

But we all know that the best way to defeat this disease once and for all, and really get our economy firing on all cylinders again so we can protect and create jobs, is by finding a safe and effective vaccine.

Finding a vaccine takes time and there are no guarantees. We must remember that coronavirus is a new disease, which presents new challenges.

But I know our researchers will rise to this challenge, buoyed by the knowledge that the nation is standing behind them, willing them on to success. Volunteers can play their part by signing up at nhs.uk/researchcontact.

Every member of the public has a supporting role to play as we await that momentous breakthrough.
Sports

Liverpool staff breached touchline code, says Lampard

London Jul 25 (IANS) | Publish Date: 7/25/2020 12:03:01 PM IST

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has accused Liverpools backroom staff of breaching footballs touchline code during their heated clash in the Premier League game where the Reds were crowned champions with the trophy.

Lampard was involved in a foul-mouthed touchline altercation with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and his deputy Pep Lijnders during Chelseas 3-5 defeat at Anfield earlier this week and following the conclusion of the game, the Chelsea manager referred to their behaviour as arrogant.

Klopp hit back at Lampard after the latter branded the recently-crowned Premier League champions as arrogant.

Asked to detail touchline etiquette, Lampard was quoted as saying by Sky Sports, What is the code? I think when you speak between managers, and there are lots of decisions that go and you can hear it more clearly now without the crowd. And lots of managers will call for decisions and it may be right or wrong. And then you speak with each other.

But when people on the bench jump up and want to speak across to myself and then smirk and smile and then continue to do so for quite a while; I think that is past the code.

We are not arrogant. Frank was in a competitive mood, I respect that a lot, Klopp had told reporters as per ESPN.

From my point of view, in this situation (mid-match) you can say pretty much what you want... he came here to win the game, or get a point to help with Champions League qualification and I respect that.

What he has to learn is to finish it with the last whistle and he didnt do that. Speaking afterwards about it, is not okay. Frank has to learn this, he has a lot of time to learn as hes a young coach, but he has to learn this. We are not arrogant, we are pretty much the opposite. Final whistle, close the book and he didnt do that and thats what I dont like, he added.
Town becomes 14th community in Texas to ban abortion

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A Texas town has become the 14th local government to declare itself a sanctuary city for the unborn, rejecting the legitimacy of the United States Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade.

The City of East Mountain, official population 797, decided on Monday to become a Sanctuary City, with 3 City Council members voting yes and 2 abstaining.

Right to Life of East Texas, a pro-life advocacy group that has campaigned for such local ordinances, took to social media to announce the successful vote.

We are thankful for the support of the men and women of East Mountain Baptist Church and those from throughout the city who wanted to see this ordinance passed. This could not have happened without their support, they stated on Facebook.

May all of our churches and all of the residents of our cities do their part and call upon their leaders to pass good laws that protect the citizens and culture of their communities! As it says in Amos 5:15, may we all Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the city gate.

Since last year, several Texas towns and small cities have passed ordinances declaring their refusal to accept the legality of abortion with their municipalities.

This has included vowing to outlaw abortion if the Supreme Court decides to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which concluded that abortion was a constitutional right.

The first Texas city to pass such an ordinance was Waskom, which voted in June of last year to prevent abortion providers from conducting business within their jurisdiction.

Waskom Mayor Jesse Moore said in a statement quoted by Fox at the time that the pro-life ordinance was focused on preventing the possible creation of an abortion clinic in the city.

We decided to take things into our own hands, and we've got to do something to protect our cities and to protect the unborn children, stated Moore last year.

Seven of the towns experienced a legal challenged by the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union over their ordinances, which argued that they violated the Constitution.

Filed on behalf of the Lilith Fund and Texas Equal Access Fund, the ACLU dropped the lawsuit in May when the ordinances were amended to clarify that the abortion providers could perform abortion-related advocacy work in the towns.
Prosenjit Datta By

For Prime Minister Narendra Modis government, the much-hyped demographic dividend has turned into a nightmare. The problem was visible even in his first term. But eight quarters of continuous decline in GDP growth since March 2018 followed by a pandemic-induced lockdown that is pushing the economy into recession has brought the extent of the problem to the fore.

Instead of contributing to economic growth, a big chunk of the new entrants to the labour force is adding to our unemployment statistics. With 12 million people being added to the working-age population annually, but not enough job opportunities, it requires quick and effective short-term, medium-term and long-term policy interventions.

While the working-age population in India has been growing since the early 2000s, it is in 2018 that the number of people in the age bracket of 15-65 became larger than the number of people in the dependent age group (below 14 and above 65 years of age). This working-age population that is larger than the dependent age population is expected to remain till 2055.

As several studies have pointed out, a bulge in the working-age population or demographic dividend provides a great foundation for a sustained period of high growth. Several Asian nationsJapan, Thailand, South Korea, and more recently Chinahad taken advantage of the demographic dividend in their countries to grow rapidly for long periods. For India, the demographic dividend is coming at an opportune time when the population in large parts of the world is ageing.

Initially, things seemed to be running according to the script, especially starting in the late 1990s, as several things came together. Economic reforms opened up many sectors, bringing in capital and creating new jobs. Technology advances and globalisation threw up new opportunities like IT services and IT enabled services. A new generation of educated, English-speaking workforce came into the labour market at exactly the right time, creating perfect conditions for a sustained period of high growth from 1999 to 2010, despite the global financial crisis following the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

In the past decade, domestic policy missteps have seen the Indian economy performing erratically. Yet, there was always the conviction that the demographic dividend would play out despite temporary setbacks. When Prime Minister Modi talked about a $5 trillion economy by 2025, many commentators felt that the target was easily achievable. The new entrants to the workforce would add both production and consumption heft to the economy, boosting GDP growth to at least 8% plus, if not double digits.

The error was in not accounting for the education and quality of the people joining the workforce. All countries that have reaped the demographic dividends had invested heavily in education and skilling in the decades leading up to it. An educated workforce is both more productive and more capable of taking advantage of new opportunities. Education spends and reforms typically show up after a lag of a decade or more as a new generation of better educated and skilled youth join the workforce.

In India, a persistent problem that companies have complained of is the lack of educated and skilled manpower. This is true across industries and sectors. The common issue that crops up is that a large number of engineering, management or just plain graduates are incapable of being hired. While successive governments have paid lip service to the cause of education, the initiatives and the budgets have always been too little and too haphazard. India spends about 3% of its GDP on educationthough the target has been 6% for quite some time.

An IMD Business School report showed that India stands at the 62nd spot in terms of public expenditure per student and fares badly in measures of quality of education like student-teacher ratio and others. While on paper, Indias literacy rate has crossed 74%, several studies have shown that over 50% of students lack basic literacy and numeracy skills even after five years in school. The Union governments focus on higher education instead of basic schooling has also played a role. The other issue is the regulatory system, which is rather lax. This allows a huge number of sub-standard schools, colleges, management and technical institutions to flourish.

If the government wants to reap the benefits of the demographic dividend, it will need to completely refocus its education policies and work closely with states to fix both primary and secondary education (Education is in the concurrent list). In the short term, it needs to open up the education sector to attract global players while revamping the capability and powers of education regulators and boards. In the medium and long run, it needs to increase public expenditure on education on a sustained basis and use technology to impart it more efficiently.

The coronavirus pandemic has given a huge fillip to technology-enabled education. Technology also allows the government to rethink the education system and use its resources more efficiently and standardise learning. There is still time. But unless the right policies are put in place and the right budgets committed to education, India will miss the opportunity presented by a huge young population entering the workforce.

Prosenjit datta

Senior business journalist (prosaicview@gmail.com)
The dispiriting word on the street is that the COVID-19 pandemic isnt going away. As the population gears up to another round of staying indoors, an odd debate is unfurling in the media between so-called suppressionists and eradicationists. Such debates are useful when dealing with an acute outbreak for which we have effective countermeasures. But the COVID-19 crisis is more than a one-off outbreak, and the end is not in sight.

We're all in this together, and the solutions aren't for epidemiologists alone to decide. Credit:Karleen Minney

We have been here before. Our great-great-grandparents, faced with the influenza pandemic 100 years ago, also had no clear sense of when the end was in sight. They too worried about the social and economic costs of lockdown, resistance to mask-wearing and how to protect the most vulnerable. They too tried to make sense of disagreements within and between health experts, politicians, economists, the business sectors, front-line workers and teachers and education departments.

In the 1918/19 influenza outbreak, the states all came up with their own public health approaches. Borders were blocked, some states saved their people at the expense of the economy, others suffered terrible losses. Then, as now, there were no simple answers to these questions.

We dont have an evidence-based playbook to guide us through this crisis. People and communities are affected in different ways; they have their own ideas about the problem, its causes, the solutions and the impacts of the solutions.
Wearable tech and GPS navigation company Garmin went offline on Friday, locking its users out from updating their physical activity statistics as the result of what some reports suggest is a devastating ransomware attack.

In a statement, Garmin said it was experiencing an outage that affected the website and mobile app which people use to sync data from wearable devices to Garmins cloud servers.

This outage also affects our call centres, and we are currently unable to receive any calls, emails or online chats, Garmin said.

The warning that Garmins outage extended beyond its web servers suggested the problem was more widespread than it initially appeared.

A screenshot from a Garmin watch warning that servers were down.

Along with personal fitness tracking and GPS, Garmin also provides navigation services for aviation.

Sources told Taiwanese news outlet iThome that Garmins Taiwanese IT department sent notice to Taiwanese authorities about an attack on their systems and that it would be shutting down local production.

ZDNet also reported that Garmin employees referred to the incident online as a ransomware attack  specifically naming the new WastedLocker ransomware.

Garmin has not yet confirmed whether its massive outage was caused by ransomware or any such cyber attack.

Severe, widespread business disruptions are consistent with ransomware attacks.

This outage also affects our call centers, and we are currently unable to receive any calls, emails or online chats. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible and apologize for this inconvenience. (2/2)  Garmin (@Garmin) July 23, 2020

WastedLocker

If Garmin does turn out to be a victim of the WastedLocker ransomware, it wont be alone as this new strain of ransomware has been spotted in the wild since May.

Spread by the villainously named Evil Corp group, WastedLocker is typically used to target large US companies, attempting to lock their files and demand huge ransoms of up to $14 million in bitcoin.

The ransomware attack begins with delivery of a malicious zip file called SocGholish which Symantec found is hosted on over 150 legitimate websites  including major US news sites  that had been compromised.

Inside SocGholish is a piece of JavaScript that pretends to be a browser update. This gathers information about the host system before dropping another malicious program that connects with a command and control domain.

The attackers then work to escalate privileges, disable Windows Defender, stop all services, and start encrypting files.

Symantecs research team said the group behind WastedLocker were capable of penetrating some of the most well-protected corporations.

As such, WastedLocker is a highly dangerous piece of ransomware, Symantec said.

A successful attack could cripple the victims network, leading to significant disruption to their operations and a costly clean-up operation.

Unlike some ransomware groups, there is no evidence that Evil Corp uses WastedLocker to exfiltrate data for further extortion, sale, or secondary attacks.

Update: Garmin has confirmed reports that it suffered from a ransomware attack. In a statement, Garmin said it was "the victim of a cyber attack that encrypted some of [its] systems" and that no customer data or payment information has been exfiltrated.

Bleeping Computer verified Garmin was locked down by the WastedLocker ransomware through conversations with employees, screenshots of the encrypted files, and analysis of a virus sample.
The cover of the new album, Cursed Murphy versus The Resistance

To describe the subject matter for this week's column as a band would in many ways do the act in question a great disservice.

Cursed Murphy versus The Resistance is an innovative, ingenious and captivating vehicle for the spoken word adventures of author, Peter Murphy, and the musical tapestries of some of Wexford's foremost musicians including: Dan Comerford; the Gangus sisters, Rebecca, Tamara and Jasmin, and Kevin Dillon.

Next Friday the band will release its highly anticipated eponymous debut album on all digital platforms.

One of the most interesting albums to be released from an Irish act in a long time it offers up a treat of eclectic music and inspired lyrical messages.

'Burn Hibernia Burn' begins with a Gregorian chant styled, doomy, vocal line set to a subtle musical undercurrent.

An up-beat percussive backbeat is introduced before Murphy comes in with his trademark, spoken-word style vocal delivery.

This year the John Steinbeck classic novel, 'The Grapes of Wrath', celebrates its 81st anniversary.

For many, Tom Joad is the principal character in a book that tells a tale as relevant today as when it was released.

On 'Burn Hibernia Burn', Murphy reference's the book's standout character, Tom Joad, and he reveals a powerful social observation when he says: '..but when the coloniser's been and gone, the slave always enslaves his own, and someone makes a killing on the farm, Burn Hibernia Burn'.

The song has an infectious groove and a fantastic chorus hook, and the industrial nature of the music makes for intriguing listening.

The second track, 'Climb', has a fantastic beat and as the song progresses it becomes infused with a wonderful punky vibe.

Arguably, one of the more commercial tracks on the album it's repetitive nature means it gets inside your head with no intention of escaping.

That's the brilliance of top drawer songwriting, which this track exemplifies; it provides and escape for the listener but does so in a manner that means there is no escaping it once you've listened to it. Make no mistake 'Climb' is a track that will stay with you long after it's over.

'This Cursed Earth' has a very intriguing bass line.

It begins with some sparse, intermittent bass notes but the bottom end then vanishes before kicking in properly about 45 seconds in.

From an arrangement perspective its very interesting and works a treat.

At the 2' 20" mark there are high end bass notes used to emphasis the vocal line and, again, it's a wonderfully subtle component of the overall soundtrack

The song has a lovely groove but lyrically it carries a very strong message.

'The Bells of Hell' could be interpreted as a stark tale of solitude borne from one man's journey into self-destructive despair.

However, from a musical perspective the song is set to a rather frenzied, upbeat tempo.

'Foxhole Prayer' touches on the subject of spirituality and in a world where religious control and political apathy has led to a breakdown in societal morality, perhaps, the need for songs such as this has never been more important.

Personally, this is one of my favourite tracks on the album and it carries a hefty punch both musically and lyrically.

While there are a number of standout tracks on the album 'Cursed Murphy Blues' is the album's jewel in the crown.

It certainly displays enough authentic earthiness to pass the blues test but this is much more than just a standard 12-bar workout.

It also has an immensely catchy chorus.

Rhythmically, it possesses a wonderful beat and Comerford is able to flex his muscles in terms of the guitar patterns.

Many of the songs on the album are intricate observations of society and tracks like 'The Poor Mouth', with its shuffle beat, and 'Rise Again' highlight how clued in Murphy is to the world around him and the need for people to have something to believe in.

'Rise Again' also boasts a lovely intricate guitar pattern and it's also a song where backing vocals are utilised in exemplary fashion.

'The Resistance', perhaps not unsurprisingly, sums up all of the components that makes the band one of the most interesting acts on the contemporary Irish circuit.

'This is the resistance, prepare for war', sings Murphy and if ever a band tried to fight back against the wrongs of society this is it.

The album closes with 'We Are Dead Stars', which also features the Basciville duo, Cillian and Lorcan Byrne.

A thought-provoking track it provides the ideal culmination to an inspired collection of songs.
Deputy John Brady has joined calls for a public enquiry into the deaths from Covid-19 of twelve former residents of St Brigid's Nursing Home in Crooksling.

The first resident of Crooksling to test positive for Covid-19 was diagnosed on March 23 in Tallaght University Hospital. Shortly after that, all residents staying in Crooksling were moved elsewhere, with 46 residents transferred to Tymon North Community Nursing Home in Tallaght.

After the move from Crooksling, 17 former residents died, with 12 of those Covid-19 related. 34 members of staff also tested positive for Covid-19.

Deputy Brady wants Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to open a public enquiry into the deaths of the 12 former Crooksling residents.

He said: 'The treatment of our elderly citizens in nursing homes during the Covid-19 crisis is nothing short of a political disgrace. I believe that it's inevitable that they will be a public enquiry. What happened in St Brigid's Nursing Home in Crooksling needs to be specifically looked at as part of a public enquiry. 17 former residents of the Nursing Home died, 12 as a result of Covid-related illness. 34 staff also tested positive for the virus.

'On March 23, the first Crooksling resident tested positive for Covid-19, despite this the HSE seemed to fast-track plans to close the nursing home and 46 of the residents were transferred to Tymon North, two residents were moved to Baltinglass Hospital and one resident to the Maynooth Community Care Unit. The transfer of residents happened while eight of the residents were awaiting test results for the virus.'

Billy Timmins, former Fine Gael TD, and Cllr Gerry O'Neill have already insisted that any investigation into nursing home deaths due to the pandemic should include the move from Crooksling to Tymon North.

'Calls have been made locally for an investigation into the deaths of the residents of Crooksling, I support these calls,' added Deputy Brady.

'I have contacted the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and asked him to open a public enquiry to look at the entire situation that happened in Crooksling. The terms of reference need to include, who took the decision to move ahead and transfer the residents from Crooksling, why that decision was taken and when it was taken. It must also look at how the transfer was done.'

Deputy Brady feels many families with loved ones in nursing homes were let down by Government failure in efforts to prevent outbreaks at care facilities.

'I am very conscious that there are many families grieving at this difficult time and my condolences go to them. I believe there was a complete failure by the Government and the HSE to put a proper plan in place for nursing homes and some of our most vulnerable residents were completely failed by the State. We need to get the answers as to why this happened and learn from it, but we also need accountability.'
When coronavirus struck San Antonio in March, most of the citys major corporations sent their employees home to work remotely.

For much of the past two months, however, Valero Energy Corp. has had its entire headquarters staff back in the office, even as dozens of employees at the site have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks.

Since June 1, about 1,800 employees have been working from Valeros Northwest Side campus, where 43 workers have tested positive for COVID-19 since March, company memos sent to employees state.

Thirty-two of those cases have cropped up in the past month, according to a document  a running list of confirmed cases  that Valero officials has shared with employees.

The first employee at Valeros campus to contract the virus tested positive March 19.

Headquarters employees, mostly white-collar workers, were allowed to work from home beginning in mid-to-late March. Nearly all of them did, according to employees who asked to remain anonymous because they werent authorized to speak with the news media.

However, Valero officials eventually directed employees to return to the office by June 1.

Several employees said theyve asked why theyre barred from working from home.

They wont tell us. All they say is Valero is not a work-from-home company  its not in our culture, one employee told the San Antonio Express-News. They sent some corporate email saying, We work stronger together or something like that. Our CEO was adamant we need to be in the office.

Joseph Gorder, chairman and CEO of Valero since 2014, is a member of President Donald Trumps Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, which were established in April to help the nation recover from the coronavirus-driven economic crash.

Valero officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Valero, the worlds second largest independent oil refiner, produces gasoline, jet fuel and other refined products, and is designated an essential business thats part of the countrys critical infrastructure. The company operates 15 petroleum refineries and employs 10,000 workers globally.

Employees at the headquarters said they were able to conduct their jobs without a hitch while working remotely.

Workers at Valeros refineries may not be able to successfully work off-site, but employees said the back-office tasks performed at the corporate headquarters are different.

Most of the employees at the headquarters work in areas such as human resources, legal, accounting, business development and procurement.

I agree there are positions within Valero that are more in an operational standpoint, and they may not be able to work remotely, an employee told the Express-News. But I would say, overall, the majority of positions, at least at the San Antonio office, we could do remotely without any trouble or without any issues.

At NuStar Energy, the San Antonio oil pipeline and storage company, employees have been allowed to work from home through the pandemic. Exxon Mobil Corp. recently was at half-capacity at its headquarters campus north of Houston.

Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum, another oil refiner, had employees begin working remotely at the start of the pandemic, including workers at its North Side corporate office in San Antonio.

The company since has restricted access to the San Antonio facility, allowing entry only for workers whose jobs are essential and cannot be done from home, a spokesman said. He wouldnt specify how many employees currently are working in the office.

Some of San Antonios larger employers also have held off on bringing employees back to the office.

USAA, a insurance and financial services company, has about 96 percent of its 35,000-person workforce working remotely, CEO Wayne Peacock said in a recent interview.

At Frost Bank, spokesman Bill Day said between two-thirds and three-quarters of employees continue to work from home. Some have returned to work in the banks branches to hold appointments with customers.

Rackspace Technology, the managed cloud services company, has had most of its 6,800 employees working from home, including the 2,200 workers assigned to its Windcrest headquarters.

The state of Texas has put out guidelines to guide employers as they reopen offices. The state recommends employers clean and sanitize their facilities, screen employees with temperature checks and require face coverings.

The guidelines say businesses should attempt to stagger workers schedules so fewer people are in the office, and also continue to encourage individuals to work remotely if possible.

When they returned to Valero headquarters, workers said they received bags containing hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes and masks.

The company has hand-sanitizing stations throughout the campus, and signage is posted at entrances urging employees to socially distance.

Mask-wearing initially was optional, though the company on June 29 issued a directive requiring employees to wear face masks when unable to socially distance.

They started asking people to wear masks if they couldnt socially distance, but I will say no one was wearing masks, absolutely no one, an employee said.  And forget about social distancing. Youre walking through the halls where youre a foot away from someone, walking down stairs, going to the bathroom, break rooms  youre constantly being exposed.

Employees at Valero expressed concern that they would be the next to contract the coronavirus, potentially putting their household family members at risk.

The big issue for me is concern for my family, and its affecting my personal family life. All of my family, everyones trying to do the right thing  stay in quarantine as much as possible  and Im the exception to that, an employee said.

Were around (1,800 employees) that are then going back out through the community, going to grocery stores, whatever theyre doing, exposing not just the employees but the whole community to this, the employee said.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg didnt respond to requests for comment.

City Councilman Manny Pelaez, whose district encompasses Valeros campus, said he spoke with company leaders after learning of the confirmed cases at the site. He said he was satisfied with the companys precautions.

After learning about their health and safety protocols and special accommodations for staff, I was assured that Valero  one of the largest employers in District 8  is going above and beyond to do right by their employees and the community, Pelaez said.

Valero initially brought back workers in different departments at different times. But by June 1, nearly all 1,800 employees had returned to the headquarters.

Metro Health officials said that as long as companies follow the citys mandated safeguards  such as maintaining a mask requirement  they cant force an employer to have their employees work remotely.

We currently have widespread community transmission and every place/location that people have been in close quarters without practicing social distancing and use of face coverings is at risk for transmission/infection, Metro Health spokeswoman Michelle Vigil said in an e-mail. As long as a business is in compliance and ensures their employees safety, they are allowed to operate.

A Valero worker said morale has deteriorated in recent weeks as the number of confirmed cases at the site has risen.

For a company that always says Employees are our No. 1 asset, we value safety, all of that has gone out the door. Were just not even being treated like people. Our concerns are falling on deaf ears, the employee said.

Diego Mendoza-Moyers covers manufacturing, the automotive industry and the energy sector. To read more from Diego, become a subscriber. diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net | Twitter: @dmendozamoyers
In June he issued an emotional apology for playing black people on his noughties sketch show Bo' Selecta!.

And Leigh Francis was seen riding his bike through Primrose Hill in London while out with a friend on Saturday.

The Keith Lemon star, 47, put on a casual display as he stepped out in a Kaiser Chiefs T-shirt and wrapped a red scarf around his neck that could also double up as a mask.

Daily exercise: Leigh Francis looked relaxed as he headed out for a bike ride with a friend through London on Saturday

Leigh completed his look by wearing a pair of black board shorts and matching comfy high-top trainers.

Making sure to stay safe as he took to the road on the bike, Leigh wore a black helmet which had a sticker to mimic comic book character Venom's eyes.

He sported a close-cropped beard and his long blond locks were pulled back into pigtail braids over his shoulders.

Punk look: The Keith Lemon star, 47, put on a casual display as he stepped out in a Kaiser Chiefs T-shirt and wrapped a red scarf around his neck that could also double up as a mask

Casual chic: Leigh completed his look by wearing a pair of black board shorts and matching comfy high-top trainers

In June Leigh addressed his 'offensive' portrayal of various celebrities using blackface in an emotional apology.

Francis said he was 'deeply sorry for any upset' he caused for using blackface to dress up as celebrities.

The series, which aired between 2002 and 2006, featured the comedian playing a series of stars - including Michael Jackson, Craig David and Trisha Goddard - by wearing face masks to impersonate them.

In light of awareness being raised in regards to the Black Lives Matters movement, Francis tearfully admitted he 'didn't realise how offensive it was back then'.

Relaxed outing: Keith and his friend were seen enjoying a drink together before getting on their bikes for the afternoon

Safety first: Making sure to stay safe as he took to the road on the bike, Leigh wore a black helmet which had a sticker to mimic comic book character Venom's eyes

He captioned the post: 'I want to apologise to anyone that was offended by Bo'selecta. I'm on a constant journey of knowledge and just wanted to say I'm deeply sorry. #blacklivesmatter.'

In the video, the Celebrity Juice host said: 'My name's Leigh Francis. I play a character called Keith Lemon on television.

'It's been a weird few days, I've sat and thought about things and what I could post to help things.

'Back in 2002, I did a show called Bo' Selecta, I portrayed many black people. Back then I didn't think anything about it, people didn't say anything- I'm not going to blame other people.

Luscious locks: Leigh's long blond locks were pulled back into pigtail braids over his shoulders

'I've been talking to some people. I didn't realise how offensive it was back then.

'I just want to apologise, I just want to say sorry for any upset I caused whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David, Trisha Goddard, all people I'm a big fan of. I guess we're all on a learning journey.'

Francis later revealed that it had been a 'rubbish' day, he posted a pictured of a sewing machine with the caption: 'Since lockdown, I've become a dressmaker.

Sorry: In June Leigh addressed his 'offensive' portrayal of various celebrities using blackface in an emotional apology

Noughties show: The series, which aired between 2002 and 2006, featured Francis portraying a series of celebrities; including Michael Jackson (pictured) and Trisha Goddard

'Haven't actually, but I have learnt to sew a bit. Made four T-shirts. Who needs the shops! Hope you've had a nice day! Mine's been incredibly rubbish. Goodnight x.'

Trisha Goddard has since revealed that she has accepted a tearful apology from Francis following his racist depiction of her on his show Bo' Selecta!

The TV icon, 62, revealed she has received a personal message from the Celebrity Juice star after the sketch show left her feeling 'hurt, distasted and disgusted'.

Apology: Trisha Goddard has since revealed that she has accepted a tearful apology from Francis following his racist depiction of her on his show Bo' Selecta! (pictured)
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. (FILE PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore)

SINGAPORE  Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced his new Cabinet line-up during a live telecast on Saturday (25 July).

During his announcement, PM Lee said that the new Cabinet seeks to balance continuity, exposure and renewal, and be a team that leads Singapore through the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis and into the future.

First, continuity. In normal times, we need experienced ministers to provide steady hands, and also to mentor the younger ministers. And in this crisis, this need is even greater, he said.

"Secondly, I'm rotating the ministers, especially the younger ones to gain exposure and experience. We regularly do this during Cabinet reshuffles, and the intent is to expose the office holders to different portfolios, to gain both breadth and depth, to understand the intricacies of the issues and to see things from different perspectives. And ultimately from a national perspective.

"Thirdly, I'm renewing the line-up and bringing in fresh blood and promoting several junior office holders and backbenchers who have performed well. I'm also bringing in fresh faces from the newly elected Members of Parliament, including several from the private sector, and one of whom as a full minister. They will reinforce my team and offer new ideas and perspectives.

Among the key changes in the Cabinet, Ong Ye Kung will move from Education Ministry to head the Transport Ministry, replacing the retiring Khaw Boon Wan.

Lawrence Wong will assume Ongs previous position as Education Minister, while Desmond Lee takes over Wongs previous portfolio of National Development Minister.

Masagos Zulkifli will be the new Minister for Social and Family Development. His previous ministry of Environment and Water Resources has been renamed as Ministry of Sustainability and Environment (MSE), and will be helmed by Grace Fu.

We are renaming the industry to better reflect its future role, PM Lee said. Sustainability has become an increasingly important part of our national agenda. We are planning our climate change defences and managing our carbon footprint.

Story continues

COVID-19 has also shown Singaporeans how important the work is which goes on behind the scenes on issues like food security and safety. Water, of course, remains an important part of MSEs mission and it is part of sustainability.

37 political office holders in new Cabinet

In total, the new Cabinet will have 37 political office holders, the same as the previous Cabinet.

The line-up includes new Member of Parliament Tan See Leng, who will assume the roles of Second Minister for Trade and Industry and Manpower, as well as Minister in the Prime Ministers Office.

Tan See Leng has a depth of private sector experience as a medical professional and business entrepreneur, PM Lee said. In MTI (Ministry of Trade and Industry), he will add a private-sector perspective to economic policymaking to make sure our policies are effective in helping businesses and to address problems faced by the private sector.

Being also posted to (Ministry of) Manpower, he will help align our economic and manpower policies to reinforce each other.

Two Ministers of State have been promoted to full ministers. Maliki Osman is appointed Minister in the Prime Ministers Office, as well as Second Minister in Education and Trade and Industry.

Edwin Tong, meanwhile, takes over Fu as Minister for Culture, Community and Youth. He is also appointed Second Minister for Law.

Zaqy Mohamad will be promoted to Senior Minister of State. He will remain at the Ministry of Manpower and take up an additional appointment at the Ministry of Defence.

Low Yen Ling will be promoted to Minister of State, and take up new appointments at the Ministries of Culture, Community and Youth, as well as Trade and Industry. She will also remain as Mayor of South West District.

Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim will also be promoted to Minister of State, and take up new appointments at the Home Affairs and National Development ministries.

Sun Xueling will be promoted to Minister of State too, and take up new appointments at the Education as well as Social and Family Development ministries.

Leader of Opposition details in the coming week

The new Cabinet announcement comes two weeks after the General Election on 10 July, when the ruling Peoples Action Party won 83 out of 93 electoral seats, and 61.23 per cent of vote share.

PM Lee also said that he will announce details for the portfolio of the official Leader of the Opposition in the coming week. He had previously recognised Workers Party secretary-general Pritam Singh as the official Leader of the Opposition, after the opposition party clinched 10 electoral seats at GE2020.

Here is the list of office holders in the Cabinet, which forms the executive branch of the Singapore government:

Prime Minister: Lee Hsien Loong

Deputy Prime Minister: Heng Swee Keat

Senior Ministers: Teo Chee Hean, Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Prime Ministers Office  Ministers: Indranee Rajah, Maliki Osman, Tan See Leng Minister of State: Tan Kiat How

Defence  Minister: Ng Eng Hen Senior Ministers of State: Zaqy Mohamad, Heng Chee How

Foreign Affairs  Minister: Vivian Balakrishnan Second Minister: Maliki Osman Senior Minister of State: Chee Hong Tat

Home Affairs  Minister: K Shanmugam Second Minister: Josephine Teo Ministers of State: Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Desmond Tan

Trade and Industry  Minister: Chan Chun Sing Second Minister: Tan See Leng Minister of State: Low Yen Ling, Alvin Tan (Note: S Iswaran in charge of Trade Relations)

Finance  Minister: Heng Swee Keat Second Ministers: Lawrence Wong, Indranee Rajah

Manpower  Minister: Josephine Teo Second Minister: Tan See Leng Senior Minister of State: Zaqy Mohamad Minister of State: Gan Siow Huang

Transport  Minister: Ong Ye Kung Senior Ministers of State: Amy Khor, Chee Hong Tat Senior Parliamentary Secretary: Baey Yam Keng.

National Development  Minister: Desmond Lee Second Minister: Indranee Rajah Senior Minister of State: Sim Ann Minister of State: Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Tan Kiat How

Communication and Information  Minister: S Iswaran Senior Minister of State: Sim Ann, Janil Puthucheary

Sustainability and Environment  Minister: Grace Fu Senior Minister of State: Amy Khor Minister of State: Desmond Tan

Law  Minister: K Shanmugam Second Minister: Edwin Tong.

Health  Minister: Gan Kim Yong Second Minister: Masagos Zulkifli Senior Ministers of State: Koh Poh Koon, Janil Puthucheary Parliamentary Secretary: Rahayu Mahzam

Education  Minister: Lawrence Wong Second Minister: Maliki Osman Ministers of State: Sun Xueling, Gan Siow Huang

Social and Family Development  Minister: Masagos Zulkifli Minister of State: Sun Xueling Parliamentary Secretary: Eric Chua (Note: Desmond Lee in charge of Social Services Integration)

Culture, Community and Youth  Minister: Edwin Tong Minister of State: Alvin Tan, Low Yen Ling Parliamentary Secretary: Eric Chua

Other appointments, concurrent responsibilities:

Mayors  Central Singapore District: Denise Phua North East District: Desmond Choo North West District: Alex Yam South East District: Mohd Fahmi Aliman South West District: Low Yen Ling

Heng Swee Keat: Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Strategy Group, Future Economy Council, National Research Foundation (assisting PM)

Teo Chee Hean: Coordinating Minister for National Security, Smart Nation and Digital Government Group, National Security Coordination Secretariat, National Population and Talent Division, National Climate Change Secretariat

Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Productivity Fund Administration Board (assisting PM)

Indranee Rajah: Population matters (assisting Teo Chee Hean)

Tan Kiat How: REACH

S Iswaran: Cyber Security

Janil Puthucheary: GovTech

Vivian Balakrishnan: Smart Nation

Gan Kim Yong: Aging issues

Sim Ann: Municipal Services Office

Masagos Zulkifli: Muslim affairs, CDC matters (assisting Chan Chun Sing)

Chan Chun Sing: Peoples Association, Public Service Division

Low Yen Ling: Coordinator of Mayors

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

Other Singapore stories:

Robinsons at JEM among 4 new places visited by COVID-19 cases  MOH

COVID-19: Crowd control to be stepped up at hotspots like beaches, parks  Lawrence Wong

COVID-19: Don't eat, drink excessively in cinemas to minimise virus spread  MOH official

Woman to be charged with murder of 4-year-old daughter and disposal of corpse, 2 other suspects
To the editor:

I am supporting Myron Greene for sheriff of Midland County. Myron has 27 years of law enforcement experience and a lot of that time on road patrol, out with the public, dealing with what ever situation may arise, as they say out where the rubber meets the road, keeping us safe. As a Vietnam combat veteran, I can assure you that I want someone who has been out there in the trenches with the hands on experience it will take to get us thru, when it seems the whole world has collapsed. These are trying times and after the last four years we need true and dedicated leadership. Vote experience, vote dedication. Please vote Myron Greene for sheriff.
- Xolani Mzileni obtained 27 distinctions at varsity but what makes his story more inspirational is that he failed Grade 11

- He never gave up on his dream of attending university and once there he was able to realise his true potential and excelled

- He hopes to inspire other young people to pursue their dreams and never give up

Xolani Mzileni, 26, from Katlehong, South Africa has an amazing story of how he struggled in school, failing at one point, to eventually end up with 27 distinctions from varsity.

He is currently attending a masters student course in Operations Management at the University of Johannesburg.

READ ALSO: Femcee La Queen J stuns Kenyans after publicly saying she wants to be chewed by rapper King Kaka

Xolani Mzileni has achieved a great deal and never gives up. Photo: Xolani Mzileni

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: MCA Tricky confirms he's heading to Milele FM days after ditching Radio Maisha

His childhood was not easy, growing up in a township with very little in the way of services, no running water, healthcare facilities, proper housing and other essential services.

He began to realise his academic potential in Grade 11, which he failed,

TUKO.co.ke has learnt that instead of giving up, Xolani repeated Grade 11 and eventually matriculated in 2013.

He took a gap year from studying to sort out an issue with his ID book and worked as a day labourer.

His dream was to attend university and help the community, and he joined a tutoring programme in his community and taught life sciences and geography.

He decided to try applying for university and was successful and got a spot at the University of Johannesburg and enrolled in a diploma in a Management Services course.

Things were not easy, with no funding he was forced to sleep in lecture halls for three months and was lucky enough to get food from the Gift of the Givers (GOG).

READ ALSO: Serge Aurier: Brother of Spurs star Christopher shot dead in France

For his 2016 semester, he maintained an 85% average and went on to rack up a number of significant awards such as the diploma in Management Services and the Golden Key International Honour Society for being amongst the top 15% students in the University of Johannesburg.

He did not stop there are founded the South African Renewers of Hope (SARH) non-profit corporation.

He is the president of the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) UJ Society. Xolani is the current co-vice President for Golden Key International Honour Society UJ Chapter and we have been awarded Gold Status and Key Chapter award.

READ ALSO: Mwanamke Mkenya afariki dunia baada ya kugonjwa na lori Marekani

Recently he was appointed as the Influencer and Mentorship Manager a new App which is in development which aims to bring influencers and brands together.

With all his hard work and sacrifices, Xolani obtained 27 distinctions, graduated in record time for my diploma in Management Services with 83% overall average and also graduated with Distinction for my Honours/B-Tech in Quality.

He has also taken part in an international student exchange programme where he studied at the Appalachian State University, North Carolina in the United States of America.

His story is an inspirational one and he hopes to become a role model for youth in Africa and help them realise that they can achieve their dreams.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

I married a man every woman wanted - Pastor Joan Chege | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
FILE PHOTO: Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez looks on durring the session of the 138th legislative term at the National Congress in Buenos Aires

By Nicolas Misculin

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's government announced on Friday it will gradually loosen a lockdown that has lasted nearly four months in and around Buenos Aires to stem the spread of coroanvirus, though it later confirmed its highest daily infection count since the pandemic began.

President Alberto Fernandez said the gradual return to normal life will happen in several stages, with the first stage lasting until Aug. 2.

In capital Buenos Aires, which has been under the tightest restrictions in the country since March 20, shops, hair salons and some professional services will re-open.

Outdoor recreation activities will also be permitted. Schools will remain closed while officials analyze options for re-opening, said Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, who joined Fernandez for the announcement from the presidential palace.

The government had come under pressure to begin reopening after facing criticism from opposition lawmakers and growing protests in the streets of Buenos Aires against the lengthy lockdown.

Later on Friday, the government reported 4,518 new cases of coronavirus, the highest daily count yet. The country now has 119,301 confirmed cases, with 2,178 deaths, according to official data, numbers that are relatively low compared to many of Argentina's South American neighbors.

"The effort we made was very important ... We are among the countries with the fewest deaths," Fernandez said, adding that the government could choose to tighten restrictions if infections increase again.

"We are very far from overcoming the problem. What matters to us is that the health system does not collapse," he said.

The country went into national lockdown on March 20, with restrictions later eased in many parts of the country outside Buenos Aires. Its borders remain closed, though a ban on commercial flights is due to expire on Sept. 1.

(Reporting by Nicolas Misculin and Jorge Otaola; Writing by Cassandra Garrison and Adam Jourdan; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Cynthia Osterman)
Amid a national bicycle shortage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, there is a local opportunity for central Pennsylvanians to get some new wheels.

The Columbia Borough Police Department is hosting a bicycle auction Saturday morning to benefit the departments Bike Patrol.

Officials said around 55 bicycles will be auctioned. The inventory of bikes are from those that were picked up off the street, lost or stolen and were never claimed, according to officials.

The department only offered 20 on-site bidder spots due to state group gathering limits, all of which have been filled.

However, bidders still have an opportunity to snag a new ride. The auction will be live-streamed on Facebook.

Bidders must pay via PayPal or credit card; no cash will be accepted. The auction beings at 9 a.m.

The bicycles bought at the Columbia Borough Police Bike Auction can be picked up on Sadie Lane behind the Columbia Borough Building, which is located at 308 Locust St. in Columbia.

Officials reminded the public to wear masks and social distance when picking up purchases. Bicycles purchased through Facebook must be picked up between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas via video link in Beijing, capital of China, July 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The United States is entirely to blame for current difficulties in bilateral relations, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

Wang made the remarks while holding talks with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas via video link.

"In its attempt to interrupt China's development process completely, the U.S. is ready to do anything without the bottom line," Wang said, adding that recently some anti-China forces in the United States have deliberately fanned ideological confrontations, openly coerced other countries to pick sides and confront China for the selfish interests of the United States.

"No country with a conscience and independent spirit will stand with the United States in its attempt," Wang said.

Emphasizing that China still wants to achieve non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation with the United States, Wang said China will firmly uphold its national sovereignty and dignity, legitimate rights of development, as well as the basic norms governing international relations.

Regarding China-Germany relations, Wang called on both countries to actively implement the political consensus reached by their leaders and ensure the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties, to provide more stability and positive energy for the world, he said.

China is looking forward to seeing greater progress in its relations with the European Union during Germany's rotating presidency of the EU, Wang said.

Maas said Germany is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in vaccine development and post-pandemic economic recovery and jointly plan for important high-level exchanges between EU and China for the next step.

During the talks, the two sides agreed to work toward a comprehensive, balanced, and high-level China-EU investment agreement at an early date. Enditem
By Fabian Cambero SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The union of workers at Antofagastas Zaldivar copper mine in northern Chile told Reuters it had reached a contract deal with the Chilean-based miner, averting the risk of a walk-off. The workers at the mine entered mediation with the government over salaries and benefits on July 15, in a last-ditch bid to stave off a strike amid a coronavirus outbreak in the South American nation. Zaldivar, which is co-owned by Barrick Gold Corp, accounts for about 2% of Chile's annual copper production.

By Fabian Cambero

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The union of workers at Antofagastas Zaldivar copper mine in northern Chile told Reuters it had reached a contract deal with the Chilean-based miner, averting the risk of a walk-off.

The workers at the mine entered mediation with the government over salaries and benefits on July 15, in a last-ditch bid to stave off a strike amid a coronavirus outbreak in the South American nation.

Zaldivar, which is co-owned by Barrick Gold Corp, accounts for about 2% of Chile's annual copper production.

(Reporting by Fabian Cambero, writing by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Diane Craft)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi, July 25 : Delhi Police has booked Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) research scholar Sajid Bin Sayed for allegedly "promoting hate" through a tweet, where he accused Indian Army and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of 'devising genocide of Kashmiris.' Sayed, President of Campus Front of India in his post on Twitter said: "Indian Military execute system genocide of Kashmiris which is devised by RSS. The BJP govt should stop their territorial greed and ready to accept Kashmiris' right to self-determination guaranteed by the UN. It's high time to intervene in the issue by international bodies. #Kashmir." However, the tweet does not appear to be on Sayed's timeline anymore.

The JNU student was booked for "Promoting enmity among different groups"and "provoking breach of peace" on the complaint of a local resident of Kapashera in South West Delhi.

"We have received a written complaint and on the basis of the complaint an FIR under sections 153 A and 504 of IPC has been lodged. Legal action to follow accordingly ," said a senior police officer.
Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, blasted the Socialist Democrat House on Friday for voting to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol, including Alabamas Joe Wheeler, telling lawmakers to please, butt out of our business.

In a largely bipartisan 305-113 vote on Wednesday, the Democratic-led House voted to remove all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from display in the United States Capitol, and for other purposes.

The Georgia-born Wheeler voluntarily served for the Confederate Army, where he commanded cavalry units and led the 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment. He later served in the U.S. military as a two-star general and fought in the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American Wars.

After his military service, Wheeler represented Alabamas now-defunct 8th Congressional District during three separate stints from 1881 to 1900.

In a video posted to Twitter where he stood beside Wheelers statue, Brooks said the Wednesdays House vote was a tragedy, calling Wheeler an American hero.

Ignoring history & led by Socialist Democrats, the House voted this week to remove Alabamas statue of American patriot Joe Wheeler from the U.S. Capitol. Alabama should decide who we wish to honor. Socialist Democrat states should butt out! pic.twitter.com/LjQDCKMLB1  Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) July 24, 2020

I believe that it is a tragedy that people who do not know history, who dont care one twit about the real facts, who does not know what kind of American hero that Joe Wheeler is now wants to reject the choice of the state of Alabamas hardworking people and deny us and deny him the recognition that he deserves, Brooks said.

The congressman said it should be individual states, not Congress, who chooses which statues should represent states in the Capitols Statuary Hall.

Let us, the people of Alabama, decide who we want to honor in the United States Capitol ... and please, butt out of our business, he said.

Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, praised the House vote, saying removing the statues is the bare minimum Congress could do to achieve racial equality.

As our nation struggles to confront its history of systemic racism and inequality, we must all engage in the difficult, painful work of anti-racism. Symbolic gestures like removing the statues of Confederates who betrayed our country and fought to keep Black people enslaved is the bare minimum; low hanging fruit, Sewell said. Removing these statues is an important acknowledgment of the pain and repression caused by those who have defended slavery, segregation and white supremacy, but it is critical that we keep our eye on the prize and continue fighting for substantive policy change and cultural shifts that address our nations longstanding inequities and institutional racism.

Alabama currently has three statues representing the state in Statuary Hall: Wheeler, Helen Keller and Rosa Parks.

Its unclear whether the Republican-led Senate will take up the House bill.
KHABAROVSK, Russia  Watching the passing masses of protesters chanting Freedom! and Putin resign! while passing drivers honked, applauded and offered high-fives, a sidewalk vendor selling little cucumbers and plastic cups of forest raspberries said she would join in, too, if she did not have to work.

There will be a revolution, the vendor, Irina Lukasheva, 56, predicted. What did our grandfathers fight for? Not for poverty or for the oligarchs sitting over there in the Kremlin.

The protests in Khabarovsk, a city 4,000 miles east of Moscow, drew tens of thousands of people for a three-mile march through central streets for the third straight week on Saturday. Residents were rallying in support of a popular governor arrested and spirited to Moscow this month  but their remarkable outpouring of anger, which has little precedent in post-Soviet Russia, has emerged as stark testimony to the discontent that President Vladimir V. Putin faces across the country.

Mr. Putin won a tightly scripted referendum less than four weeks ago that rewrote the Constitution to allow him to stay in office until 2036. But the vote, seen as fraudulent by critics and many analysts, provided little but a fig leaf for public disenchantment with corruption, stifled freedoms and stagnant incomes made worse by the pandemic.
Missing the July 31 deadline could mean missing out on payment. Photo: Getty

Millions of British families who claim working tax credit, child tax credit or both have less than a week left to contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about changes to their circumstances or income.

Customers whose circumstances have changed in the last year or those who received a letter to reconfirm their income details need to contact HMRC by 31 July - or risk losing out on payment.

Tax credits are means-tested benefits that help provide extra money for people with kids, those on low incomes and disabled workers.

If you are claiming tax credits, HMRC will send you a renewal pack that tells you how to renew them, if the pack has a black line across the first page that says check now, youll need to make sure that your details are correct.

But, if the pack has a red line across the first page that says reply now, it means you have to renew your tax credit claims.

Missing out on the deadline could mean people receive incorrect tax credit payments and they may be asked to pay back any overpayments made.

Failure to inform HMRC about any changes within one month could result in a 300 ($384) fine. If you knowingly supply incorrect information, you could be fined up to 3,000.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Most UK employers expect to hire more staff soon

HMRCs director-general for customer services, Angela MacDonald, said: Tax credits provide much-needed financial support to our customers. But we know that many customers leave it to the last minute to renew their tax credits award.

The time to renew your tax credits is now, you dont need to wait until deadline day on 31 July.

People can renew their tax credits online, customers can log onto gov.uk to find out the progress of their renewal and when they can expect to hear back from HMRC.

Customers can also use the HMRC app on their mobile phones, to check the progress of their renewal, the schedule of the payments and how much they have earned for the year.

People who received an annual review pack or text and have already made their declaration, including confirming their income and circumstances, do not need to do anything else, HMRC said.

Story continues

However, customers who disagree with any of the information in the pack or letter or need to update any changes are advised to contact HMRC straight away.

READ MORE: UK employers have shed almost 650,000 jobs since coronavirus crisis began

In May, HMRC confirmed that people whose hours were impacted because of coronavirus would still receive their usual tax credits payments.

Those working reduced hours or who have been furloughed by their employer will not have their tax credits payments affected if they are still employed or self-employed, HMRC said.

HMRC said these customers do not need to contact them about this change and it will use the information it holds about the number of hours they normally work.

But people should tell HMRC if they or their partner lose their job, are made redundant or cease trading.

Low-income workers aged 25 and over are eligible for working tax credit, but those aged 16-24 can also claim it, if they have a qualifying disability or a child.

Child tax credit can be claimed by people who are responsible for at least one child under the age of 16, or under 20 if they are in full-time education - people dont need to be in work to claim it.

With the deadline fast approaching, customers have been warned about scams and to be aware of criminals sending out message purporting to be from HMRC.

Information about recognising genuine HMRC contact is on the gov.uk website.
Privatbank, In Amended Complaint, Claims Kolomoyskiy, Partner Laundered Nearly $800 Million

By RFE/RL July 24, 2020

Privatbank, the Ukrainian lender nationalized by the state in 2016, now claims its former owners laundered nearly $800 million in the United States.

After analyzing additional bank records, Privatbank filed an amended complaint in a Delaware court on July 21 against tycoons Ihor Kolomoyskiy and Hennadiy Boholyubov, claiming the men laundered $660 million through a group of U.S. companies called Optima and an additional $100 million through other U.S. entities.

The Kyiv-based lender is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation from the tycoons.

Privatbank filed its original Delaware lawsuit against the two men in May 2019, accusing them of laundering about $623 million in the United States. The case is ongoing.

The majority of the increase relates to $86 million that Privatbank claims was laundered by the men between 2008 and 2010 into two offshore accounts held by an arm of Renaissance Capital, a Moscow-based investment bank.

Privatbank is at the center of a fight between the National Bank of Ukraine and Kolomoyskiy, who is one of Ukraine's most powerful tycoons. The outcome of the fight will have repercussions for relations with the West.

Kolomoyskiy's media holding backed the campaign of comic-turned-politician Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who won the April 2019 presidential election in a landslide, raising concerns the tycoon has enhanced his influence in Kyiv.

Kolomoyskiy and Boholyubov owned and controlled Privatbank until December 2016, when the state nationalized it amid fears it would soon collapse due to a capital shortfall of $5.5 billion.

The National Bank accused the tycoons of using Privatbank as their personal piggy bank, claiming that more than 90 percent of its loan book went to related parties.

The Delaware lawsuit claims the tycoons acquired hundreds of millions of dollars worth of assets in the United States, including real estate and steel companies, through fraudulent loans issued by Privatbank to various companies controlled by the two men.

The money was then laundered into the United States through a dizzying array of transactions, the lawsuit claims.

Kolomoyskiy and Boholyubov deny the accusations and claim the takeover was politically motivated. They have sued to regain control of their bank.

Western officials and lending institutions want Ukraine to recoup some of the billions in losses borne by the state that they claim were caused by the tycoons' actions.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/privatbank-in-amended- complaint-claims-kolomoyskiy-partner-laundered- nearly-800-million/30745765.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Reporter

Sara Coello has covered the Charleston area's justice system for The Post and Courier since September 2019. She previously covered crime and courts at The Dallas Morning News.
Good morning! Morena koutou katoa. Kia pai te ra ki nga hoa me nga whanau.

A new day ahead with opportunities, so breathe it in and enjoy!

Expect some morning cloud followed by a mostly fine day with light winds.

Its a two-layer-clothing day with a high of 16 degrees and an overnight low of 4 degrees forecast. High tide around Tauranga itself is at 11.31am and low tide at 5.32pm. Sunset this evening is at 5.24pm.

Whats on today?

Tandem skydiving over Tauranga. Image: Supplied

Look skyward today to see a lot of people jumping from 12,000 feet for Red Cross over Tauranga. The jumps will take place between 9am and 12pm. More information here

Brain Watkins House. Photo: John Borren/SunLive

Brain Watkins House is a historic house museum at 233 Cameron Rd which is open to the public today from 2-4pm. $5 adult, children free. Phone 578 1835 for more information.

One of the many stalls at the Oropi Country Market

The Oropi Country Market is on at the Oropi Memorial Hall, 1295 Oropi Rd, from 9am  1pm. Come along to this boutique market featuring talented artists and crafters.

Gaming at Armageddon. Photo: Daniel Hines/SunLive

For a full day of pop culture entertainment with gaming, comics, anime, cosplay and virtual celebrity guests, come along to the Tauranga Armageddon Expo 2020 which is on from 9am  5pm today at the Baypark Arena.

A display at the Lion & Tusk Museum at Mount Maunganui. Photo: Daniel Hines/SunLive

The Lion & Tusk Museum is open today from 10am  3pm at Unit 10, 14 Portside Dr, Mount Maunganui. Come along and see the museum of the Rhodesian Services Association. Adults $10, under 12 have free entry.

The Incubator. Image: Supplied

At The Incubator Creative Hub at Tauranga Historic Village, there are many exhibitions, workshops and events happening daily. For more information click here. Exhibition hours are 10am  3pm.

What else is on today:

A Course In Miracles

A non denominational teaching aimed at bringing personal peace through forgiveness & love. 1pm, Grindz Cafe 50 1st Ave. Booking essential. Txt 0210 274 2502

Alcohol Ink Painting Workshop

Beginners create beautiful abstract designs or pictures with gold highlights on canvas or containers. 9th Aug 9:30-3:30pm. The Artery, Historic Village. Book @ www.theincubator.co.nz

Bible Seminar

1:45pm Greerton Senior Citizens Hall, Maitland St, Greerton. Title: Understanding Jesus Parables in the Bible. Interactive, Q&A. All welcome. Mary 573 5537

Brain Watkins House Open

Historic house museum, 233 Cameron Rd. 2-4pm. $5 adult, children free. Group tours school classes by arrangement. Ph 578 1835

Cold Wax Painting Workshop

Learn to use wax with photography & mixed media. Only $65, 9am-12pm The Artery, Historic Village. Book @ www.theincubator.co.nz. Ph 07 571 3232

Croquet

At Tauranga Domain, Cameron Rd, Sun, Tues, Fri, 12:45 for 1pm start. Beginners welcome. Ph Peter 571 0633

Enjoy Travel

Safe travel & home-hosting NZ & worldwide. Melbourne, Noumea 2021. Meet twice-monthly. friendshipforce.org.nz or Barbara 027 315 1136, Jonathan 572 2091

Golf Croquet

At Mt Maunganui, 45 Kawaka St, beside Blake Park. Tues, Thurs, Sun at 9:15am for 9:30am start. Visitors & new players welcome. Ph 07 575 5121

Katikati Tramping Club

Old Rotokohu Rd. Ph Gael 027 759 1084

Louis Mikaere Matariki Exhibition

Lost Children of Tane Mahuta exhibition by Louis Mikaere. The Peoples Gallery. Toi ka rere until 28th, The Incubator, Historic Village

Mah Jong Te Puke

12:45-4pm, Lyceum Rooms, 8 Palmer Ct. All players welcome. Beginners session available. Ph 027 430 6383

Maketu Market

3rd & 5th Sundays at Maketu Village Green. Set up from 7am. $10 per stall. Ph Carolyn 027 251 0388 or Maureen 021 267 1685

Ninja Knits Hook Up

Social knitting group of mad yarn bombers, sultry stitchers & happy hookers. First Sunday of month, 9am-12pm, The Incubator, Historic Village. www.theincubator.co.nz. Ph 07 571 3232

Oropi Sunday Market

9-1. Just 13 min drive from Greerton in vibrant Oropi Memorial Hall. An awesome array of stalls. Great day out! 1295 Oropi Rd

Papamoa Country Music Club

Enjoy a great afternoon at Gordon Spratt Reserve, 1pm, incl afternoon tea. See you there.

Papamoa Radio Control Yachts

DF65s sailing daily, pond behind Monterey key 1-3pm. All welcome. Ph Dusty 021 076 1252

Quakers In Tauranga

In hall behind Brain Watkins House, cnr Elizabeth/Cameron Rd 10am for an hour of mainly silent worship followed by tea/coffee & talk. All welcome. 543 3101 or 543 0355 www.quaker.org.nz

Radio Controlled Model Yachts

Sundays & Thursdays 1:30-4pm. Pond behind 22 Montego Dr, Papamoa. Sailing Electron radio controlled yachts for fun. Adult beginners welcome. Graham 572 5419

Soul Food

Relax, unwind, reflect, refresh, enjoy! Share in a selection of sacred & inspirational writings & music from around the world. Ph 543 0434

Standing Alone - Exhibition

An Exhibition by Sue MacDougall. The Incubator Gallery, Historic Village. Runs until 26th

Wonderland By Dance Avenue

An entertaining 2 hours of dance & drama. Alice & friends love to perform & share Wonderland with you. Today at 11am & 3pm. Go to baycourt.co.nz for tickets
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  Authorities have moved to July 31 the deadline for putting up barriers that will allow cohabiting couples to ride on motorcycles together.

The National Task Force Against COVID-19 led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has approved another extension for motorcycle riders to comply with the barrier which is a requirement for pillion riding, the Joint Task Force COVID Shield said in a statement on Friday.

PLt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, joint task force head, said that he had already coordinated with the Philippine National Police for the dissemination of information about the new deadline.

The deadline was supposed to be on Sunday, July 26, but it was extended due to "mounting requests" from motorcycle riders as they have a hard time buying materials for the protective shields, which should be based on two prescribed prototypes, Eleazar said.

The first design was proposed by Bohol Governor Arthur Yap which uses an acrylic barrier held by a steel frame attached to passenger foot pegs while the second one is the backpack-like design developed by ride-hailing firm Angkas.

Eleazar said motorcycle dealers across the country were already advised as to where motorcycle riders could avail of the approved barrier design, adding the barriers will also be sold online.

Back riding is allowed strictly for spouses and live-in partners for now, authorities have repeatedly said. This is to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, they said, but experts disagreed, noting the danger it poses.

Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, Inc. has said wearing helmets and face masks or balaclava is already an excellent measure in preventing infection.

Couples must present proof they live together when questioned by law enforcers or at quarantine control points.

In a briefing, a Department of the Interior and Local Government official said they recorded a total of 13,665 violators of the pillion riding policy. Of the number, 1,283 are unauthorized back riders, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said.
Tiffany Schambach was 16 and pregnant with her first child when she went to New Directions for the first time.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 25/7/2020 (543 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tiffany Schambach was 16 and pregnant with her first child when she went to New Directions for the first time.

She participated in Resources for Adolescent Parents, a program at the social services agency that supports young women who are pregnant or have children so they can attend school.

Over the next three years, Schambach earned her high school diploma and learned important life skills  all in a safe, non-judgmental environment.

"(The program) made a huge difference," says Schambach, 27. "I was in an area where everyone was a mother, so I wasnt singled out. It relieved a lot of the stress that comes with being a teen mom."

Schambach is one of the organizations many success stories, says New Directions CEO Jennifer Frain.

"People often underestimate others or hold them back, or tell them not to dream too much," Frain says. "New Directions is about how we can help people achieve their dreams. Were all about focusing on what (our participants) can do and how we can all work together to get them there."

With an annual budget of almost $59 million and a staff of nearly 1,000, New Directions provides myriad supports to people of all ages, including day services, 24/7 staff residential settings and independent living where staff provide assistance.

The organization, which envisions a community where all people are well and can achieve their dreams, celebrated its 135th anniversary last month.

It was founded by the Womens Christian Union and began as the Childrens Home of Winnipeg, providing a home for destitute and neglected children. It was the first agency of its kind in Western Canada. By the 1940s, New Directions offered family therapy services in addition to housing for homeless children. In the 1970s, it began offering programs to people of all ages.

Today, New Directions work falls under three categories: counselling, assessment, support and prevention programs; training and education; and home services and support programs.

"Some people just need one session," says Frain, a clinical psychologist who has worked at New Directions since 2001. "We have (other) people weve supported in one way or another for 50 years. Its really whatever the person needs or the family needs. Theres no box that anyone needs to fit in."

She fondly recalls one participant, who had an intellectual disability, and dreamed of being a long-haul truck driver. Some people in his life didnt believe he could do it, but the staff at New Directions supported him until he successfully passed the test to obtain the required drivers licence.

Years later, he returned to New Directions to share the exciting news that he had reached his goal of visiting all 50 U.S. states.

"We have programs that are full of people with amazing stories of recovery and having a better future, and going on to better things," Frain says.

She adds that she enjoys working at New Directions because it is an "innovative, creative, challenging place to work."

"I know why I get up in the morning and why I do what I do. I think everyone who works here shares that," Frain says. "The meaning of the work is not hard to find."

Thats the case for Schambach. Last year, she started work as a facilitator in the organizations Opikihiwawin programs. The programs respond to the needs of Indigenous adoptees and foster people in all stages of their lives by providing cultural education, supports and advocacy.

The cultural supports include art classes, language classes, powwow and hoop dancing classes, as well as visits by elders.

"Its a good environment," Schambach says. "We (create) close relationships with our participants and do a lot of activities together."

Working at New Directions is a dream come true for Schambach, who has aspired to work at the organization for many years.

A mentor at New Directions advised her to get a university degree first.

Schambach took that advice to heart. She graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a double major in psychology and criminal justice in June 2019.

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"Its really nice, because you know, at the time when youre really stressed out about school, it can be overwhelming and you dont really see the light at the end," she says. "Now its like, wow, I made it through that."

New Directions relies on government funding and individual donations.

There are three ways people can make a donation: contribute to the New Directions Endowment Fund, which is held at the Winnipeg Foundation; donate through CanadaHelps.org; or send a cheque or money order.

Frain invites anyone who is interested in making a donation to visit newdirections.mb.ca/donate for details.

"Were never satisfied with where we are," Frain says, adding that listening closely to participants is key to the New Directions approach. "Were always pushing to do better."

aaron.epp@gmail.com
(Natural News) An anti-white violent terror organization, the Not F**king Around Coalition (NFAC), is planning an armed rally throughout the city of Louisville, Ky on Saturday.

(Article by Shane Trejo republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

Far Left Watch reports that NFAC leader John Fitzgerald Johnson, aka Grand Master Jay, has proposed the replacement of the U.S. with a black ethnostate established by racist militant action.

NFAC's leader Grand Master Jay describing how he will build his black ethnostate inside the United States.

boasting they are all ex-military extremely disciplined & experts shooters..gonna end really bad for these guys.. pic.twitter.com/FKPCT8pRRC  Veritas News Feed (@veritasnewsfeed) July 5, 2020

During a recent terror demonstration at Stone Mountain, Ga., Grand Master Jay and his armed militia harassed white motorists while demanding slavery reparations.

https://twitter.com/ConservaMomUSA/status/1279854713396133890

The NFAC appears to echo the beliefs of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, which has even been designated by the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a hate group.

The black nationalist group, NFAC, that organized a large armed demonstration in Georgia appears to be a part of the Black Hebrew Israelites movement. This movement is even designated as a "hate group" but the far-left SPLC. A few images pulled from the NFAC founder's Instagram. pic.twitter.com/sYdVzdnSHE  Far Left Watch (@FarLeftWatch) July 5, 2020

Grand Master Jay has released a video address on YouTube telling his followers to be armed and ready for confrontation this Saturday.

Louisville Metro Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell noted that law enforcement is aware of the NFACs planned display and hopes to create a dialogue with the group to prevent any violence from taking place.

We have had several protests posted over the past several weeks, some of which have occurred and some which have not, Mitchell said. We will take the appropriate steps to prepare for whatever may occur.

Big League Politics reported earlier this month on how NFACs violent and menacing behavior in Georgia prompted a full-blown state of emergency:

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is calling for a state of emergency and putting 1,000 National Guard troops on the streets after an exceptionally violent weekend that saw a black terror militia enforce racial dominance with firearms. Kemp made the announcement that five people were killed in Atlanta over the weekend with over 30 people being shot. The most tragic of all the deaths was that of eight-year-old girl Secoriea Turner, who was gunned down near the Wendys recently burned down by a mob of Black Lives Matter (BLM) thugs. In his announcement, Kemp said that peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead. This lawlessness must be stopped and order restored in our capital city. I have declared a State of Emergency and called up the Georgia Guard because the safety of our citizens comes first, Kemp added. This measure will allow troops to protect state property and dispatch state law enforcement officers to patrol our streets. Enough with the tough talk. We must protect the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians. Perhaps even more alarming than the gun violence was the black terror militia that menaced white people with firearms at Stone Mountain. Roughly 1,000 anti-white terrorists demonstrated with arms at Stone Mountain, demanding that a Confederate mural be torn down. Members of the black terror mob harassed white drivers demanding reparations to slavery, as the U.S. begins to more closely resemble Somalia thanks to diversity and multiculturalism.

Until Black Lives Matter and all affiliates are classified as terrorists and swiftly dispatched, anti-white militant groups like NFAC will remain on the rise.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) will open a Book of Condolence at the Ghana International Press Centre (GIPC) in Accra on Monday, July 27, 2020, in memory of Dr Doris Yaa Dartey who died on Sunday, July 19, 2020.



The initiative by the GJA to honour the memory of Dr Dartey is in collaboration with the family of the late Communication Educator and Consultant.



A statement signed by Mr Kofi Yeboah, the General Secretary of the GJA and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, explained that the ceremony in memoriam will be held at the Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie Conference Hall of the GiPC to precede the formal opening of the Book of Condolence.



The National Executive of the GJA, Senior Editors and the inky fraternity in general, as well as representatives of media partners, are expected to attend the ceremony and sign the Book.



The late Dr Dartey worked in various capacities in the media industry in a career that spanned more than four decades, the statement said.



She was a lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism before travelling abroad for further studies and living there for a long period of time.



On her return to Ghana, Dr Dartey served as a member and, subsequently, chairperson of the Board of the state-owned Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL).



She was also a member of the National Media Commission, serving as one of two representatives of the GJA on the Commission.



Dr Dartey practised journalism as a columnist in the Weekly Spectator for almost a decade and also wrote many feature articles in other media outlets on a wide-range of issues of national importance.



In service to the GJA, Dr Dartey responded to the call to duty with alacrity and discharged her assignments with the utmost diligence, dedication, commitment and joy.



For almost a decade, she served as a member and, later, chairperson of the GJA Media Awards Committee, while discharging other invaluable services as consultant and facilitator at training programmes and other activities organised by the GJA.



There is no doubt that the death of Dr Dartey is a big loss to the media fraternity in Ghana and the entire nation. The GJA will forever remember and cherish her for her good deeds towards the Association. While wishing her safe journey to meet her Maker, we wish to express our deepest condolence to the bereaved family, the statement said.

Source: GNA









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Five more people have died from coronavirus in Victoria in the past day, as the state recorded another 357 new cases.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the five people who died ranged in age between their 60s and 90s.

Victoria now has 3995 active cases, including 313 healthcare workers and 500 people in aged care.

Of the new cases, 37 were from known outbreaks, 320 are under investigation, Mr Andrews said.
A Shelby County drug suspect is now charged with capital murder in a Birmingham slaying.

Ronald Lavance Steen, 29, is charged in the July 15 fatal shooting of 23-year-old Antonio Jermell Jackson.

Jackson was shot in the 2300 block of Ninth Court South shortly after 6:30 p.m. that Wednesday and was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital early the following morning. Jackson was found on the floor near the front of a residence in the Southtown public housing community.

The Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force on July 23 announced the arrest of Steen after a lengthy drug probe. The suspect was taken into custody July 17 on charges of trafficking heroin, trafficking opium, possession of a forged instrument (counterfeit currency), attempting to commit a controlled substance crime and two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive in the shooting.

As of Friday, Steen remained held in the Shelby County Jail on $570,000 bond. The capital murder charge will hold a no bond once he is transferred to Jefferson County.
Dublin, July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Coffee Pods and Capsules Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2020 - 2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The European coffee pods and capsules market is expected to witness a CAGR of 6.8% over the forecast period, 2020-2025.



The growth drivers of coffee pods and capsules in Europe over the past few years have been a combination of convenience, premium positioning, brand experience, and the ability of manufacturers to innovate and provide new products.



The popularity of coffee pod machines in significant markets such as the United Kingdom is significantly increasing, owing to a rise in the average retail selling price of coffee, which is driving the growth of the coffee pods market in the country. On the other hand, a significantly large number of consumers are switching from instant coffee to more premium options, such as fresh ground coffee pods and coffee beans, which is expected to boost the sales of coffee pods during the forecast period.



Key Market Trends



Increasing German Appetite for Coffee



Over the past years, Germans have shown a growing inclination towards coffee consumption, amidst the volatility in prices. Germany is Europe's largest importer of green coffee beans. Its coffee roasting industry is enormous, which facilitates the country to serve both its domestic market, which is the largest in Europe, and export markets. As of 2016, around 13% of the German population is drinking coffee made from a single-cup brewer every single day. This is due to the rise in demand for specialty coffees and single-serve methods in Germany. On the other hand, Germany's per capita coffee consumption is not among Europe's highest but is at 5.5 kg per year, which is higher than the European average of 5kg.



Supermarkets & Hypermarkets Leads the Sales Channel Segment



In terms of the sales channel, the demand for coffee pods and capsules in Europe is anticipated to be driven by supermarkets and hypermarkets, followed by on-trade channels, mostly because of "out of home" consumption.



Owing to a vast retail space and catering to a wide variety of preferences, the supermarkets/hypermarkets are the dominant channels for the sales of coffee products. Supermarkets/hypermarkets have an abundance of choices across brands and functionality. These markets sell both pods and capsules in a pre-determined price range, providing high-quality coffee. Supermarkets have also been offering an increasing range of coffees with unique characteristics, such as single origins.



Competitive Landscape



Major players operating in the European coffee pods and capsules market are Nestle, Luigi Lavazza, Starbucks, and JAB Holdings, among others. Nestle Nespresso holds a significant share in the market, as compared to the other players. The company entered partnerships as well as expanded its facilities across the region, in order to strengthen its consumer base and maintain its leading position in the market. Partnership and joint ventures are being the most adopted strategies that enable significant players to increase control over competitive pricing and gain competitive advantage.



Key Topics Covered



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Assumptions and Market Definitions

1.2 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

3.1 Market Overview



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Drivers

4.2 Market Restraints

4.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 By Product Type

5.1.1 Pods

5.1.2 Capsules

5.2 By Sales Channel

5.2.1 On-trade

5.2.2 Supermarket/Hypermarket

5.2.3 Specialty Stores

5.2.4 Online Retail Stores

5.2.5 Other Sales Channels

5.3 By Geography

5.3.1 Europe

5.3.1.1 Germany

5.3.1.2 United Kingdom

5.3.1.3 France

5.3.1.4 Russia

5.3.1.5 Spain

5.3.1.6 Italy

5.3.1.7 Switzerland

5.3.1.8 Rest of Europe



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Most Active Companies

6.2 Most Adopted Strategies

6.3 Market Share Analysis

6.4 Company Profiles

6.4.1 Nestle SA

6.4.2 Starbucks Corporation

6.4.3 Lavazza

6.4.4 Coind Group

6.4.5 Capsul'in



7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/f24hyv

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Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Bangladesh reached 221,178 on Saturday as about 2,500 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing that "2,520 new coronavirus positive cases and 38 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh", Xinhua reported.

"The number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 221,178, while fatalities stood at 2,874," she said.

According to the official, 10,446 samples were tested in the last 24 hours in labs across the country.

She said the total number of recovered patients in the country now stands at 122,090 including 1,114 on Saturday.

According to the official, the coronavirus fatality rate in Bangladesh stands at 1.30 per cent.

She also said that the current recovery rate is 55.20 per cent in the country.

Bangladesh recorded the highest 4,019 cases in a 24-hour period on July 2.

The country reported the highest 64 deaths of coronavirus patients in a day on June 30.
On Friday, July 24, the United States Department of Justice released the official court files of the Singaporean national, arrested for spying in America. According to the file, the Singaporean pleads guilty of working in a Chinese intelligence to spy in the Federal government. Here's how he did it.

China vs. USA: The hacking war issue

BBC reported Jun Wei Yeo, a Singaporean national, admits spying for the Chinese intelligence on Friday. He was charged with using his political consultancy in America.

Days before this, the U.S. government ordered China to close its consulate office in Houston, Texas. The office was said to be the capital of Chinese spying operations in the country.

Yeo's target revolves around Americans looking for a job. According to the investigation, Yeo was directed by Chinese intelligence to open up a fake consultancy office in the country wherein he also offers jobs.

He collects all the American applicants' resumes, mostly part of the U.S. military that had security clearances on its name. Once he got all the needed info, Yeo will segregate the resumes of the personnel they'll found interesting and submit it to the Chinese intelligence group.

Yeo described his job "to spot and assess Americans with access to valuable non-public information, including U.S. military and government employees with high-level security clearances."

More than 400 resumes were said to be submitted. Some of the applicants were working on the Air Force's F-35B stealth fighter-bomber project, a Pentagon army officer with Afghanistan experience, and a U.S. State Department official.

Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in a statement that Yeo has been "using career networking sites and a false consulting firm to lure Americans who might be of interest to the Chinese government."

"This is yet another example of the Chinese government's exploitation of the openness of American society," he added.

The hacking operation lasted for four years

Not only U.S. Military men were their targets, but the operation of Yeo and his team also started in 2015 up to 2019. This means that the Chinese spying operation lasted for four long years.

Officer Demers said that the reported crime was part of the Chinese Communist Party's plan to take advantage of the country's open society and exploit academic institutions.

Aside from Yeo, other Chinese personnel that got arrested were Tang Juan, who was arrested on Thursday night, and Chen Song.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Berlin: A Hamburg court convicted a 93-year old German man of helping to murder 5,232 prisoners, many of them Jewish, at a Nazi concentration camp in World War II and gave him a suspended two-year sentence in one of the last cases against Nazi-era crimes.

Rolled into the courtroom in a wheelchair and hiding his face behind a blue folder, Bruno Dey acknowledged he had been an SS guard in the Stutthof concentration camp near Gdansk in what was then occupied Poland, but he said his presence did not amount to guilt.

This did not convince the court in Hamburg which found him guilty on July 23 of being involved in the killings from August 1944 to April 1945. "How could you get used to the horror?" asked judge Anne Meier-Goering as she read the verdict.

About 65,000 people, including many Jews, were murdered or died at Stutthof, the museum's website says. Prosecutors argued that many were shot in the back of the head or gassed with the lethal Zyklon B gas.

As Bruno Dey was only 17-or-18 years old at the time of the crimes, he was tried in a youth court and sessions were limited to two to three hours per day due to his frail health. Prosecutors had called for a prison sentence of three years.

In his final testimony to the court, he apologised for the suffering of victims but stopped short of taking responsibility.

"I would like to apologise to all the people who have gone through this hell of insanity and to their relatives and survivors," he told the court on Monday, broadcaster NDR and other media outlets reported.

Some 75 years after the Holocaust, the number of suspects is dwindling but prosecutors are still trying to bring individuals to justice. A landmark conviction in 2011 cleared the way to more prosecutions as working in a camp was for the first time found grounds for culpability with no proof of a specific crime.
The Delhi Universitys St. Stephens College will be charging a penalty of 100 per day from hostellers who will not vacate their rooms till August 7, a move that has upset many students.

Students are unhappy with the latest notice and said it is unfair to them especially at this time when they are stuck in their home towns.

According to college principal John Varghese, the students have been sent repeated reminders since the beginning of July and the college has to fumigate and sanitise the rooms for the students who will be coming after the new session begins.

Considering the ongoing pandemic, and the many requests submitted by the resident junior members, students who are unable to vacate their rooms will be allowed to retain their rooms with a modest room rent charge of 100 per day starting from August 7, 2020, a notice posted on the college website said.

Resident Junior members are also hereby notified that, if and when the government gives the permission to reopen the residence facilities, all belongings and luggage will be moved a week prior to the date of residence reopening to facilitate necessary cleaning and renovations. In such occasion, the college will not be responsible for loss or damages, the notice added.

Prior to this, another notice was issued to the students on June 23 asking them to vacate their rooms.

A hosteller, who is currently in West Bengal, said the college is being unfair and is charging almost double the amount of what they would usually pay for the room.

He left Delhi for his home town two days prior to March 9, when the mid-semester break started.

The mid-semester break was till March 15 but before that the Delhi University announced that it would be closed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Subsequently, the lockdown was announced and we were unable to come back to Delhi. Even in the current situation, it is not safe to travel. Students are stuck in northeast and far off places and wont be able to come back in time to collect their belongings. We usually pay 1,400 as the room rent but going by the current rate, we will end up paying 3,000 for a month, the student said on the condition of anonymity.

He said that students have been provided the option to authorise their local guardians to collect their belongings but that is also not possible since the keys of the rooms are with the hostellers.

Another hosteller, who is stuck in Kashmir, cited the issue of unsafe travel during the pandemic and said that he has written to the dean (residence) but their has been no solution to the issue.

There are some students who live nearby Delhi and could travel by car and collect their belongings. But my local guardian lives in a containment zone and wont be able to travel in such a situation. It is unfair during this time, he said.

The college principal said that a section of students is circulating misinformation.

By the time the lockdown happened, a lot of the students had gone for the mid-semester break. Since the lockdown happened, they didnt come back. Nobody is talking about the fact that the college is not charging them from the period from the time they were not here till August 7. They have not been charged a single paise for the period they were not here, Varghese told PTI.

He said there were a few students who were there till June 30 and they would be charged only for the time they were here which means they wont be charged for July.

We have admissions and we have to get ready for the fresh set of students and in our hostels, applications are made every year. So we have to get ready the rooms, carry out repairs, fumigation, sanitisation and then get rooms for the fresh set of students, who will come, but we dont know when, he added.

Unless the things are removed, we cannot carry out either repairs or sanitisation, he said, adding that the dean (residence) has been telling all of them to remove their belongings and in case they are unable to come, they can authorise a friend or a relative in Delhi to come and remove their stuff.

Many of the students have done that, the college principal said.

From July onwards, regular notices and information have been going to the students and they have been given a deadline till August 7.

Now the lockdown has been opened up and there is no restriction on travel. What is preventing them? That will be true (about restrictions in certain places) but they are in direct communication with deans office and they have been asked to authorise someone here. I dont think a big number of students have their belongings still kept here, the college principal said.

Varghese said that what they are being asked to pay is not a rent but a penalty.

You deposit a luggage in an airport or railway stations cloak room and you are charged by the hour. But we have to be fair and we have to prepare for the students who are coming, he said.

In the current scenario, the process of sanitisation and cleaning is going to be a longer process, Varghese said.

He added that there are certain procedures that can be followed if the students have taken the keys with them and they are aware about the process.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky exchanged viewpoints on the Libyan crisis, stated the Egyptian presidency said.

Egyptian Presidency Spokesman Bassam Rady said El-Sisi received a phone call from Zelensky on Friday, during which they discussed issues of bilateral relations and MidEast developments.

Zelensky said he appreciates Egypts efforts to reach political resolutions to various crises in the Middle East.

The Ukrainian president affirmed his countrys desire to bolster relations with Egypt, as it represents a central pillar for the stability and security of the Middle East and the African continent.

He also expressed his aspiration for continued coordination and consultation with Egypt to boost bilateral relations between the two countries.

The phone call is part of intensive communications between Egypt and its international partners to discuss ongoing developments in Libya.

El-Sisi said earlier this month Egypt will send troops into Libya if the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and allied Turkish forces try to seize Sirte, which is located around 900 kilometres from the Egyptian border.

The strategic city, a key gateway to Libya's vital oil fields and facilities, is held by rival forces of military commander Khalifa Haftars eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), which is supported by Egypt, the UAE and Russia.

The Egyptian parliament has authorised the move, unanimously approving the deployment of armed forces abroad to defend Egypts national security amid the expansion of Libyas Turkey-backed GNA which has moved fighters to capture the key coastal city of Sirte.

The GNA, with the support of Turkey, recently extended control across most of the territories held by the LNA in northwest Libya, repelling a 14-month offensive by Haftars forces to capture Tripoli, and forcing them to pull back east towards Sirte. It said it will advance to capture Sirte and the inland Jufra airbase of the LNA.

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Transportation industry professionals and business community supporters will want to mark their schedules for an update on the Texas Department of Transpiration (TxDOT) projects and issues ZOOM Webinar hosted by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerces Infrastructure Planning Division on Thursday, July 30.

Related: Fort Bend Entrepreneur program aims to assist minority and disadvantaged businesses

The Webinar will be led by Eliza Paul P.E., District Engineer for TxDOT's Housston District Transportation program, who will cover current and future infrastructure projects in the Greater Houston Area with an emphasis on Fort Bend County. Paul oversees the planning, designing, building, operation, and maintenance of the state transportation system for the six counties in the Houston district. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Imperial College of Science and Technology in London in 1984 and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Houston in 1988. Paul began her career as an engineering assistant in the Houston District Laboratory in January 1989. During her career in the central Houston Area office, she played a key role in the oversight of over $750 million in the reconstruction of 10 miles of I-10 Katy Freeway. In July 2015, Paul was promoted to Deputy District Engineer for the Houston District.

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure Planning Division is under the leadership of Chair, David Gornet with Gornet Consulting, LLC, and aims to advocate for transportation, infrastructure and development programs throughout the region that promote opportunities for investment. Chamber officials say the webinar is sponsored by Aguirre & Fields LP; Costello, Inc.; OTHON, INC., Consulting Engineers; and TranSystems Corporation!

Related: Fort Bend County launches $22M COVID-19 relief grant program for small businesses

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is currently open online at www.FortBendChamber.com For information, contact Ryan Husid at 281-566-2163 or via email at Ryan@fortbendcc.org

knix@hcnonline.com
New Delhi, July 25 : India is looking at ways to restrict inward shipment of goods from China which are being re-routed through other countries such as Singapore and Malaysia with which New Delhi has trade agreements. Experts have suggested that India must make it mandatory for companies that are supplying goods to India to disclose their ownership pattern in detail.

New Delhi has already imposed stringent measures including the 'rule of origin', which implies that all global suppliers of goods will have to mention the country of origin to restrict cheap imports from other countries including China. However, authorities said that there is "enough evidence" to suggest that the dragon nation has conveniently circumvented the rule book. Based on the country of origin, goods either attract tariff concessions or duties.

Sample this. Chinese manufacturer Xinyi Glass is one of Malaysia's largest flat glass producers, which is also into exporting to other countries. It also has a plant in Canada. The Malaysia plant has a total installed capacity of 3,200 tonnes per day. Industry experts said that Malaysia's requirement a day is about 400 tonnes.

According to Glass Worldwide Official Journal, Malaysia exported $240.2 million worth of flat glass products in 2018-a jump of 149.7 per cent over the previous year. https://www.glassworldwide.co.uk/sites/default/files/afgm-articles/Malaysia.pdf Kibing Glass Malaysia, also a Chinese company, has set up manufacturing facilities in the southeast Asian country.

While New Delhi's imports of glass products increased-Malaysia being one of the countries which exported to India-domestic manufacturers have been complaining of oversupply. This is severely hurting glass manufacturers.

"Xinyi Glass began investing in Malaysia in 2014. Its phase-I project, which started commercial production in May 2017, included a 1200 tonnes/day line for float glass at Malacca," the journal said.

India and Malaysia signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in 2011.

Imports from Hong Kong, especially for electric and electronic items, too have been steadily increasing.

"We need to have a well thought-out mechanism to curb dumping. We must boost our manufacturers. Due to lopsided trade policies of the past, the manufacturing sector has been systematically destroyed," Swadeshi Jagran Manch national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan said, adding that Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat must be the thrusts to generate jobs and become self-reliant.

Nirupama Soundararajan, senior fellow and head of research, Pahle India Foundation, said that it is critical for India to reduce its dependence on China. "Indian manufacturers have the required capability but due to the cost factor-imports from China are cheaper -- the manufacturing sector has suffered," Soundararajan said.

She underlined the need for bringing in measures which will strop indirect trade between India and China.

It is no secret that finished imported goods are priced less compared to those made in India due to the skewed trade agreements. Most experts have acknowledged that the free trade agreements have not benefited India and that they need to be revisited.

Even before the government put in place stringent measures to restrict imports from China, the dragon had started using other countries such as Singapore and Malaysia besides Hong Kong to ship goods into India.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are suing over paparazzi photographs of their toddler son, Archie, their lawyer said in a statement.



The lawsuit was filed in California, where the family now lives.

"Every individual and family member in California is guaranteed by law the right to privacy in their home. No drones, helicopters or telephoto lenses can take away that right," lawyer Michael Kump said in a statement.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are filing this lawsuit to protect their young son's right to privacy in their home without intrusion by photographers, and to uncover and stop those who seek to profit from these illegal actions," he said.

Kump works at Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert LLP, attorneys for the duke and duchess.

Harry and Meghan's son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, is 14 months old. The family relocated to California after stepping back from the British royal family in January, but they have frequently complained about press intrusion on both sides of the Atlantic.

Related video: Harry and Meghan on how they use social media

In a separate lawsuit, Meghan is suing the publisher of the UK's Mail on Sunday newspaper over printed excerpts of a letter the duchess wrote to her father following her marriage to Prince Harry.

The couple have also told four newspapers  the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Mirror and the Express  that they will not be engaging with them in the future.

In a letter to the publications, the couple said they believe a free press "is a cornerstone to any democracy" but add that "there is a real human cost" to the way the tabloids go about their business.
Vietnam was back on high alert for the coronavirus on Saturday after medical officials in the central city of Danang detected the country's first locally transmitted case for three months.

Vietnam has imposed strict quarantine measures and carried out an aggressive and widespread testing programme during the pandemic, keeping its total tally of reported infections to just 417, with no deaths.

It had reported no locally transmitted infections for 100 days until Friday, when the Health Ministry said a 57-year-old man from Danang, a tourist hot spot, had tested positive.

State media reported late Saturday that the man was in critical condition, and specialised doctors had flown from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang to treat him.

Authorities said 50 people the patient came into contact with have been isolated. The ministry said 103 people connected to the patient were tested for the virus but all returned negative results.

It said more than 11,800 people are being quarantined throughout the country, including 147 at hospitals.

The government did not say how the man contracted the virus but said he had not left Danang for nearly a month. He was initially diagnosed with pneumonia. A fresh test on Saturday had confirmed the coronavirus infection, authorities said.

The case comes at a time when Vietnam was about to resume international commercial flights and as domestic tourism is surging.

Late on Friday, authorities in the capital, Hanoi, reinstated a recommendation to wear masks in public places.

Vietnam's ban on international commercial flights is still in place, but foreign experts and skilled workers have been able to enter provided they undergo mandatory quarantine.

Of the nearly 150 cases reported over the past three months, all were found in people who had been quarantined on arrival.
The Duchess was surrounded by an A-team of high-achieving women all wanting to promote their bosss world vision

There have been jibes about The Vipers in the Palace  courtiers who undermined Meghan and Harry at every turn. But the truth was the Duchess was surrounded by an A-team of high-achieving women all wanting to promote their bosss world vision. Sadly, they all eventually lost their jobs, as they either quit or found their roles made redundant when the Sussexes dramatically left The Firm.

Melissa Touabti

The Duchesss personal assistant quit in 2018 amid reports that she had been reduced to tears. The French assistant played a key role in the preparations for Harry and Meghans wedding in May 2018 but her departure just six months later was an early sign of tensions within the Sussex camp. Meghan was said to be deeply unhappy with how the departure of Touabti, who previously worked for Robbie Williams, was publicly depicted.

Samantha Cohen

Cohen, the Queens assistant private secretary, was planning to leave Buckingham Palace in 2018 but agreed to stay on to help guide the Duchess of Sussex through her first months in the Royal Family.

An Australian who joined the Palace press office in 2001, tough-talking Cohen was respected in Royal circles. She left as the couples private secretary last year to work for environmental charity Cool Earth.

Ms Pickerill had been tipped to become Meghans private secretary after Cohen before she unexpectedly quit as a key aide last May

Amy Pickerill

Ms Pickerill had been tipped to become Meghans private secretary after Cohen before she unexpectedly quit as a key aide last May. The former Treasury press officer had played a key role in Harry and Meghans tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga in October 2018  their first Royal tour as a married couple. Meghan described the loss of her assistant private secretary as very sad and sources insisted the split was amicable.

Natalie Campbell

Ms Campbell, a diversity campaigner, was Harry and Meghans big hire to lead their cherished Sussex Royal charity foundation.

She worked with Meghan on cookbook Together, which shone a light on the Hubb Kitchen, a group who came together to prepare fresh meals following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy. Poached from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges Royal Foundation in August 2019, she worked for the Sussexes for less than a year before leaving for a new job.

Ms Campbell, a diversity campaigner, was Harry and Meghans big hire to lead their cherished Sussex Royal charity foundation

Katrina McKeever

Deputy communications secretary Katrina McKeever quietly departed the Kensington Palace press office in September 2018.

She had a key liaison role with Meghans family, including her father Thomas Markle. In Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand say McKeever left on a good note with the Sussexes.

Fiona Mcilwham

Ms Mcilwham clinched her job as the couples private secretary after impressing them with her achievements as one of Britains youngest-ever ambassadors.

She completed a strategic leadership course at the Royal College of Defence Studies last year and lives in a 1 million house in North London with husband Daniel Korski, a former senior aide to David Cameron. Described as the safest pair of hands you can get she accompanied the couple on their tour of South Africa last autumn but then had to navigate the fall-out of their decision to step down.

Ms Mcilwham clinched her job as the couples private secretary after impressing them with her achievements as one of Britains youngest-ever ambassadors

Heather Wong

Glamorous Ms Wong was Harry and Meghans former deputy private secretary. She was tasked with focusing on some of the couples most cherished initiatives.

She previously worked in the Obama administration as deputy assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. She now works for Harrys new sustainable travel initiative, Travalyst.

Clara Loughran

The New Zealander, 33, first worked for the Cambridges where she met her now husband, PR executive Nick Loughran. She was handed a key role as the Sussexes project manager, overseeing their charitable projects and helping with their wedding plans. She lost her job when the couple left for a new life.
Thousands of demonstrators turned out in Portland and around the country Saturday, in solidarity with the citys opposition to federal law enforcement use of force and tear gas against protesters and marking two months since the day George Floyd was killed.

By early Sunday, protesters had breached the reinforced fence around the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland. Federal agents deployed multiple rounds of tear gas, and Portland police shortly after declared the gathering a riot about 1:15 a.m.

Saturday nights protest followed what has become a typical pattern, with the early evening peaceful, then a tense standoff at the fence around the federal courthouse, and finally provocation by protesters tampering with the fence and throwing fireworks, and federal agents responding with tear gas.

At the start of the night, thousands of people gathered peacefully in downtown Portland near the courthouse. Meanwhile, several thousand more demonstrators amassed at Alberta Park in Northeast Portland and started marching along Killingsworth Street and then down Northeast Martin Luther King Blvd. after 9 p.m., headed for downtown.

More protesters arriving downtown. Already a sizable crowd and its not even dark yet. pic.twitter.com/HCBVWXnAuG  Piper McDaniel (@Piperamcdaniel) July 26, 2020

As of 10:15 p.m., about 1,000 protesters were at the federal courthouse. Some protesters about 10:20 p.m. began shaking the fence, which had become a target for demonstrators.

The fence had been fortified by large concrete blocks around its base.

About 10:30, members of the so-called Wall of Moms lined up at the front of the fence, with Wall of Vets members behind them. At 10:50 p.m. the Federal Protective Services made a loudspeaker announcement to the crowd, ordering people not to tamper with the fence, which set off even more banging and pulling on the fence. At 10:52, the portico lights of the courthouse went dark.

Shortly thereafter, federal agents emerged from the courthouse, appearing to send out pepper balls to set off smoke. At 11 p.m., someone threw a water bottle over the fence, skimming a federal agent wearing camouflage. A protester was attempting to cut through the south corner of the fence with an angle grinder.

At 11:05 p.m., someone threw fireworks over the fence. Federal officers wearing camo gear, helmets and gas masks were lined up on one side of the fence. On the other, a mass of protesters and some media pressed close to other side of the fence. Members of the crowd held up dozens of cell phones to videotape events. People were yelling and taunting the federal agents, telling them to Go home. Others were trying to engage the agents, asking where they were from, and pleading their constitutional right to protest.

No tear gas had been deployed as of 11:10 p.m. but one federal agent carried what appeared to be a tear gas canister. Protesters threw many projectiles in a steady stream and some fireworks over the fence toward the agents. Federal agents used smoke as a deterrent and used a loudspeaker to warn protesters they would be subject to crowd control munitions.

At 11:20, the crowd was chanting Black Lives Matter and in a standoff with federal officers still lining the inside of the fence. They changed their chant to Feds go home.

Some protesters threw several large fireworks inside the fence about 11:22 p.m., setting off sparks and smoke. As a fire burned near the fence, tear gas was deployed for the first time and the Federal Protective Services declared the gathering an unlawful assembly. At 11:27, a photographer emerged inside the fence and starting taking photos of protesters lining the fence.

Some federal agents were carrying canisters that looked like cans of hairspray, marked MK-9, which is pepper spray. Protesters at the front of the fence held up brightly colored umbrellas to shield themselves and some brought buckets of water and submerged live tear gas canisters to stop the spread. Federal authorities told The Oregonian/OregonLive they estimated the crowd at about 5,000 at 11:30 p.m.

Protesters continued to set off fireworks after the Federal Protective Service for a third time announced the gathering was unlawful.

At 11:39 p.m., in a sort of changing of the guard, the camouflaged agents went back inside and the fence was briefly lined by blue uniformed agents. Then, they went back inside the courthouse as well. Protesters continued to shoot large fireworks toward the building and press homemade shields against the fence.

There was a lull around 11:45 p.m. after federal agents had retreated inside the courthouse. Protesters shouted I cant breathe, a reference to some of Floyds final words, as well as the words of several other Black men who died at the hands of police.

Cheers erupted as loud fireworks exploded near the giant pillars in front of the courthouse. Protesters shielded with their umbrellas someone trying to cut through the fence, while another person hit the fence with a hammer of some sort.

At 12:05 a.m. Sunday, the Federal Protective Service made another loudspeaker announcement, which was nearing drowned out by a barrage of fireworks from the crowd, launched at the building. Again, the crowd was told the demonstration was an unlawful assembly. About 12:15 a.m., a few federal agents emerged very briefly, then retreated inside. Another announcement via the loudspeaker came at 12:22 a.m., setting off banging on the fence. At 12:30 a.m., the feds again announced: This is the Federal Protective Service. If you continue to cut through our fence, youre subject to arrest and chemical munitions.

It did appear that the protesters vandalizing the fence were close to breaking through it at 12:45 a.m. A lone voice was heard to say, Ill huff, and Ill puff, and Ill blow your house down.

Some people brought out ropes as protesters continued to try to breach the fence at 1 a.m.

Another person walked through the crowd playing the song Raffi, the childrens singer, just wrote called Portland Moms, inspired by the Portland protesters.

Then just after 1 a.m., protesters breached the fence, jumping up and down on top of it as it toppled on its side. They continued to send fireworks against the building. One man with a shield ran toward the pillars and then backed away.

Federal authorities quickly deployed multiple rounds of tear gas against the invaders. The crowd was smaller than during its height but still quite large, numbering several thousand. After Portland police declared the gathering a riot, the crowd began to disperse west and federal agents formed a line at Fourth Avenue. Police said at 1:45 a.m. that they had given 12 warnings and they extended the closed area west to Interstate 405.

The Oregonian/OregonLive pulled back its team at 1:30 a.m. when photographer Dave Killen was hit with a rubber bullet.

Protesters are trying to tear down the fence surrounding the federal courthouse. pic.twitter.com/G0Yqe10ACA  Piper McDaniel (@Piperamcdaniel) July 26, 2020

A splinter group of about 1,000 demonstrators had briefly diverted to the Downtown Marriott hotel on Southwest Naito Boulevard between Columbia and Clay streets. As the crowd arrived, a young protester jumped up and spray-painted Black Lives Matter on the side of the Marriott. A white pickup truck, its bed filled with an amplifier, carried speakers to lead the crowd. It came to a stop in front of the Marriott, and speakers began addressing the demonstrators and leading them in chants. As they spoke, more people continued flowing into Naito. One speaker said, This will be a peaceful protest.

People inside the Marriott could be seen silhouetted as they looked out their windows or from their balconies down onto the crowd. Apparently some protesters believed federal authorities might be staying at the hotel, but The Oregonian/OregonLive could not independently verify that and an employee who answered the phone referred a reporter to a Marriott email. No one answered the email late Saturday.

Protesters marching to the Marriott hotel. Speakers say the Marriott is allegedly providing lodging to federal law enforcement officers. Thousands en route there now. pic.twitter.com/dRs5B2hNz5  Piper McDaniel (@Piperamcdaniel) July 26, 2020

One speaker said, We cannot forget, this is about the Portland Police Bureau ... We have to defund the police. The speaker emphasized that the violence at the federal courthouse wasnt effecting change and spoke about refocusing protests on the Black Lives Matter movement, echoing recent calls from the Black community in Portland.

E.D. Mondaine, president of the Portland branch of the NAACP, wrote in the Washington Post last week, As the demonstrations continue every night in Portland, many people with their own agendas are co-opting, and distracting attention from, what should be our central concern: the Black Lives Matter movement.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell released a video message Saturday, praising police and asking people to stop engaging in violent protests.

A video message from Chief Chuck Lovell about a call for peace. pic.twitter.com/TksujpqOQ2  Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) July 26, 2020

In Seattle, The Associated Press reported, police declared a riot Saturday following large demonstrations in the citys Capitol Hill neighborhood and deployed flash bangs and pepper spray to try to clear an area near where weeks earlier people had set up an occupied protest zone that stretched for several blocks. Via Twitter, police said they had made more than two dozen arrests for assault on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse. They also said they were investigating a possible explosive damage to the walls of the citys East Precinct police station.

The protest had started peacefully as a demonstration of solidarity with Portland. Protesters from Maine to New York City to Dayton, Ohio, also turned out to support Portlands pushback against federal authorities.

Some demonstrations happened elsewhere in Oregon as well. A small Black Lives Matter protest in Salem gathered near the Capitol with counter-protesters across the street. In Eugene, the Register Guard reported, a protest for the Black Lives Matter movement held in solidarity with Portland protesters Saturday night in Eugene almost immediately devolved into confrontation with counter protesters and later property destruction downtown.

Police declared a riot after the protesters has marched throughout downtown, some spray painting property, breaking windows and lighting trash cans on fire along the way.

The presence of federal agents in Portland ratcheted up nightly protests that had been dying down. Federal officers have arrested people using unmarked vans, gaining national attention. Many protesters have been tear gassed and had munitions shot at them, including Donavan La Bella, who has been in the hospital recovering for two weeks after being shot in the head by a deputy U.S. marshal.

Federal authorities defended their presence Saturday, saying they had to respond to damage to federal property. Also, four federal officers have suffered eye injuries from lasers and havent fully regained their vision, a senior supervising officer with the US Marshals Special Operations Group told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Also Saturday, the Portland Police Bureau announced a man had been arrested for an altercation after the protest early Saturday. After protesters moved away from the crowd about 2:30 a.m., some sort of conflict between two men occurred. Police arrived to find bystanders holding man for them and one man with a stab wound.

Blake D. Hampe, 43, was arrested and accused of second-degree assault. Police did not release information about what led to the stabbing.

Alex Hardgrave, Ty Vinson, Dave Killen, Maxine Bernstein and Piper McDaniel, special to The Oregonian/OregonLive, contributed to this report.

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
She spent lockdown with her beau Eddie Boxshall and recently called him 'The One'.

And Denise Van Outen appeared to be completely loved-up as she shared snaps from their sunsoaked getaway to Marbella, Spain, on Instagram.

The TV icon, 46, put on a cosy display with her partner while wearing a chic white linen dress and large Chanel handbag.

Loved-up: Denise Van Outen, 46, and her beau Eddie Boxshall, 47, looked every inch the happy couple as she shared snaps from their sunsoaked getaway to Marbella, Spain, on Instagram

Denise wore her blonde locks gently curled and donned a full face of makeup, including a slick of pink lipstick to accentuate her pretty features.

While in another snap Denise looked sensational as she posed up a storm in a stylish floral shirt with ruffled sleeves.

Eddie, 47, looked equally trendy in the images, wearing his black wide-frame glasses and a selection of dapper shirts.

The actress is launching WinMyDreamHome.com, which is a raffle to win a 500,000 London apartment.

She had jetted off to Marbella to join Love Island's Amy Hart, 27, and Georgia Harrison, 25, at TOWIE star Elliott Wright's famous restaurant Olivia's.

Making memories: The TV icon looked sensational as she posed with her partner while wearing a stylish floral shirt with ruffled sleeves

Short trip: She told her 431K Instagram followers that she had a 'lovely mini break' with Eddie

Denise, who is the voiceover for TOWIE, was at there to support former cast members Elliott, 40, and James Argent, 32, who hosted a special night on Thursday.

After Denise shared the gallery of images from the trip, Elliott's wife Sadie commented: 'Lovely seeing you both' alongside two love heart emojis.

Her and Eddie's trip abroad comes after Denise told MailOnline that her beau, was 'The One' given they didn't argue once during lockdown.

She said: 'After all of this I can honestly say that Eddie, out of anyone I've ever been with, is the person I genuinely get on the best with. We have got on so well.

Cool: Denise appeared to be in good spirits as she made the most of the good weather and enjoyed a spot of sunbathing

Staying safe: The couple made sure to don their face masks while out and about in Marbella

'We have not had one argument or fall out the whole of lockdown. We have really enjoyed each other's company.

'He is definitely The One. If there was ever a test then it's lockdown. We have had a lot of laughs together.'

Denise appeared to enjoy her quick break to Marbella without her 10-year-old daughter Betsy.

The star has ruled out having any more children but is still hoping to tie the knot with Eddie soon when they're able to without any social distancing.

She said: 'About three years ago we did talk about having kids, but I'm 46, Eddie is 47 and I know people do still have babies in their mid 40s but between us we have three kids and we love our lives at the moment.

Family life: Denise is mum to her 10-year-old daughter Betsy who she shares with ex Lee Mead. She is launching WinMyDreamHome.com a competition to win a 500,000 apartment

'I was obviously a single mum for five years of Betsy's life and it was hard at times but now she's older and we've got freedom to enjoy ourselves.

'But we have talked about getting married. We certainly wouldn't do it at the moment. We wouldn't want a socially distanced wedding.

'At some point it would be nice. We have discussed it and said it would be nice to do but it has to be the right time and this year isn't it.'

WinMyDreamHome.com is one of the newest national property raffles to launch in the UK, offering contestants the chance to win a luxury apartment valued at 500,000, in London and two runners up cash prizes of 10,000 and 5,000.
U.S. Claims Diplomatic Immunity For Covid-19 - Shuts Down Chinese Consulate By Moon Of Alabama July 24, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - On Tuesday the U.S. government ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas. The move comes amongst a slew of factless accusations of Chinese hacking and surveillance. While Trump, like Biden, is using anti-China propaganda as part of his campaign, the closure of the Houston consulate has nothing to do with it. But U.S. media fail to mention the real and unreasonable motive behind this move: The United States ordered China to close its diplomatic consulate in Houston within 72 hours, dealing another blow to the rapidly deteriorating relations between the two countries. China promptly vowed to retaliate, calling the move illegal. The State Department said the closure was made in response to repeated Chinese violations of American sovereignty, including massive illegal spying and influence operations. The unmentioned reason for the State Department's move is a squabble over virus testing and quarantining of U.S. diplomats who are supposed to return to China. In January, when the first outbreak of Covid-19 happened in the Chinese city of Wuhan the U.S. evacuated its consulate in the city. In total some 1,300 diplomats and their family members were moved out of China in January and February. In June, after China had defeated the outbreak, the U.S. announced that that it diplomats would return: U.S. ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, intends to resume operations in Wuhan in the near future, Frank Whitaker, minister counselor for Public Affairs at the embassy, said in an email to Reuters, without giving a specific date. But by then the U.S. had become Cootiestan while China had defeated the virus. Chinese public health officials insisted on testing and quarantining everyone who entered from the U.S. to protect their country from another outbreak. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter The State Department however rejected that: The United States has postponed flights for dozens of American diplomats who had planned to return to China later this month, after failing to reach agreement with Beijing over issues including COVID-19 testing and quarantine.

...

In a previously unreported June 30 email, Terry Branstad, the U.S. ambassador to China, told the mission staff that two charter flights for diplomats returning to Shanghai and Tianjin planned for July 8 and July 10 respectively had been scrapped and would be rescheduled. Protecting the health and safety of our community remains our guiding principle and our top priority in this unprecedented situation, Branstad wrote. This means that flight plans will not be confirmed until we have reached an agreement that meets these goals.

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A spokesperson for Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there had been close communication regarding the return of U.S. diplomats to China. The virus is still spreading overseas and China continues to be under a fair amount of pressure to prevent the import of cases from overseas, the spokesperson said in fax response to Reuters questions. The epidemic control measures for the diplomatic corps in China are applied equally across the board. China strives to preserve its hard-won achievement in countering the virus together with the diplomatic corps, and to provide good conditions and a good living environment for everyone to work and live in China. I have found no U.S. media which reported on this diplomatic conflict. Only Reuters and Asia Times noted it. China's request to test and to quarantine for fourteen days everyone who is coming from abroad is not unreasonable. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut demand similar for people coming from Florida and Texas. China has already had an expensive second outbreak with several hundred of cases in Beijing that was traced back to a visitor from abroad. It does not want another one. The U.S. says that its diplomats are immune under the Vienna Conventions. But Chinese officials claim that the virus is not a party of those agreements. They insist that legal and disease immunity are not the same: While Beijing agrees that US envoys and emissaries should retain their diplomatic immunity, Chinas public health authority insists no one is immune to the highly contagious novel coronavirus, and that the nation must not expose itself to the risk of returning Americans infecting the local population.

...

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday that Beijing would accord courteous and equitable treatment to all foreign representatives. He also revealed that his ministry had already fast-tracked procedures and helped a plane load of US diplomats to return to China at the end of May, without confirming if they had all been quarantined upon arrival. On his Weibo account, Zhao also took a swipe at Washingtons call for China to be more hospitable, saying if US President Donald Trump wants Americans to feel more welcome elsewhere, he should make America well again, alluding to the alarming resurgence of the respiratory disease across the country. But other posts on Weibo noted that when the first batch of about 60 US diplomats flew into Tianjin at the end of May, they were immediately flanked by more than 150 paramedics in hazmat gear, who whisked them to a fully-enclosed facility on the tarmac to collect their saliva samples. These Americans then spent more hours than their flight to China waiting in a partitioned lounge before Chinese doctors could given them a clean slate and allow them to leave. The squabble continues. The U.S. diplomats have not returned and the consulate in Wuhan has still not reopened. The U.S. order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston is obviously an attempt to press China into lifting its testing and quarantine demands for U.S. diplomats. The BBC falsely claimed that the Houston consulate was ordered to close because of a fire:

bigger That however turns cause and effect around. The consulate in Houston started to burn its confidential papers after it was informed that it had to close within 72 hours: The consulate was informed of the decision Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, calling it "an outrageous and unjustified move that will sabotage relations between the two countries."

...

KHOU-TV reports authorities responded to reports of a fire at the Chinese Consulate. Witnesses said people were burning paper in what appeared to be trash cans, the Houston Chronicle reported, citing police.

...

Houston police said in a tweet that officers responded to "a meet the firefighter" call at the Chinese Consulate building at 3417 Montrose Blvd. The tweet said smoke was observed in an outdoor courtyard area, and that officers were not allowed to enter the building. The real motive for the consulate closure can be discerned from the State Department's coded statement: The U.S., in a brief statement, did not provide any details on why the consulate in Texas was targeted. "The United States will not tolerate (China's) violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated (its) unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior," said the statement, which was attributed to State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. The "violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people" are an obvious reference to the Chinese demands towards arriving diplomats. In a tit for tat reaction the Chinese government is likely to permanently close the U.S. consulate in Wuhan: Late on Tuesday in Houston, media reported that documents had been burned in a courtyard at the consulate. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the consulate was operating normally, declining to comment further on those reports.

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We urge the U.S. to immediately revoke this erroneous decision. Should it insist on going down this wrong path, China will react with firm countermeasures.

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A source with direct knowledge of the matter said China was considering closing the U.S. consulate in Wuhan, where the State Department withdrew staff and their families early this year amid the coronavirus outbreak that first emerged in the central city. Closing the consulate in Wuhan will of course solve the problem for the U.S. diplomats who left Wuhan during the January outbreak and now expect to be allowed to return without being tested. That all U.S. media which I have read on the issue have failed to mention the diplomatic spat about testing should be of concern. But it of course relieves them from explaining the unreasonable behavior of the State Department which demands that its cooties infested diplomats can return to China without taking the necessary precautions. - " Source " - Post your comment below See also China orders U.S. consulate in Chengdu shut down The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
25.07.2020 LISTEN

An 87-year-old man has been shot dead by an unknown gunman at Tinglito, a village in the Kpandai District of the Northern Region.

The victim, Atta Yaw, was said to have a misunderstanding with some people, an issue currently before a court in Salaga. Although the reason why he was shot is not yet known, some people in the area say it may be as a result of the court case.

The incident is said to have happened in the middle of the night at his home.

Police in the region are yet to make any arrest as they are still investigating the issue.

The body of the victim has since been deposited at the Tamale Teaching Hospital morgue pending autopsy.

DSP Bernard Norgah, the District Police Commander for Kpandai narrating the incident to Citi News said, He [the deceased] was about 87 years. He was lying on a lazy chair in the compound of his house when an unidentified person shot him. It was around midnight. He was there with a friend. For now, we havent picked up anyone. We are still gathering information. The deceased has been sent to the morgue at Tamale pending autopsy.

Ghana has recorded a number of murder cases in recent times.

One of the most recent cases includes the killing of a police officer at his residence at Abeka-Lapaz, Accra on Sunday, July 19, 2020.

The officer, Abdul Rashid, worked with the Police Headquarters Counter-Terrorism Directorate.

 citinewsroom
Los Angeles, July 25 : Hollywood couple Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have decided not to throw a bash to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The couple celebrates 20 years of marriage on November 18.

"We won't be doing any great big party," Zeta-Jones told People magazine.

"Not that I'm a big party fan anyway. It would be nice to get all our friends together in one space, but we're not doing that until we're completely out of the woods. So I will raise my mask and let my husband passionately kiss me, then I will put it firmly back on." The actress has been spending the lockdown with Douglas, and their two kids --son Dylan and daughter Carys. It has been a family reunion for them as Dylan was away at college for a few years and Carys goes to a school in Switzerland.

"All of a sudden we were all back together again, and I have to say I loved it. I really loved it," Zeta-Jones said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Concerns are growing over the fate of human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, with his wife raising concerns that he may have been tortured during his time in the Linshi Detention Center in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong.



Ding has been denied permission to meet with either family members or a lawyer since his initial detention in the wake of a gathering of dissidents and rights activists in the southeastern port city of Xiamen.



The crackdown on the gathering is being coordinated nationwide by state security police in Shandong.



Detainees are being accused of subversion and held under "residential surveillance at a designated location" (RSDL) and criminal detention.



Dings wife Luo Shengchun said she had learned that he had been subjected to torture and degrading treatment while in the detention center.



"He's being deprived of sleep, and they have to sleep with the lights on, so he has 24-hour exposure to [fluorescent lighting] but no access to daylight," Luo said.



"He is being held in a constant sitting position and handcuffed to a steel chair."



"When there is no interrogation, he will be left to sit there, immobile, but he will be woken up again if he dozes off," she said.



She said that despite the lack of external signs of torture, the treatment is enough to be considered torture under international conventions.



"You may not see any marks on him ... but has been mentally tortured," Luo said. "I think they have escalated things since the , 2015 crackdown on rights lawyers."



"At least some people were allowed to meet with their lawyer back then," she said. "Now, it's worse, because everything is done in secret, so you can't gather any evidence."



Rights lawyer Xie Yang, who was among 300 lawyers, law firm staff and rights activists detained, questioned and otherwise harassed during the crackdown, said Ding, along with fellow activist Xu Zhiyong, are political prisoners, and therefore the usual rights protections accorded to suspects in China's criminal justice system don't apply to them.



"They want to step up the level of fear among the family members of political defendants and make them realize that they will get no protection from the law," Xie said.



"If the law gets in the way of the political aims of the ruling elite, then they'll just abandon it," he said. "They repeatedly told me when I was in the detention center that the law had no place there."



He said Ding and Xu were unlikely to be allowed to see a lawyer if they continued to refuse to "confess" to the accusations against them.



Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Nebraska first lady Susanne Shore criticized State Sen. Ernie Chambers on Saturday for comments he made about fellow Sen. Julie Slama.

On the floor of the Legislature on Monday, Chambers criticized Slama and Gov. Pete Ricketts for a campaign mailer that former Gov. Dave Heineman and Bob Kerrey, a former governor and U.S. senator, have called racist. The mailer juxtaposed a photo of Slamas opponent, Janet Palmtag of Nebraska City, with a photo of Chambers.

The ad said, in part, Janet Palmtag sides with Lincoln liberals, atheists and radical extremists.

Chambers said the ad was an attempt to scare voters in District 1 into voting for Slama, of Peru.

He called the flyer dirty politics and called on Slama to respond to criticism of it and to apologize to Palmtag.

Slama has not commented on the flyer since it began drawing criticism.
The flood fury, an annual menace in Bihar during monsoon, has marooned over half a dozen monuments, heritage sites and ancient temples in the northern parts of the state amid growing concern over the loss of these historic structures due to persistent damage and decay.

Some of the flood-affected structures include the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Union Ministry of Culture protected sites such as the Ashokan Pillar at Lauria in West Champaran district; the Buddhist stupa at Kesaria in East Champaran district and the remains of the fort of the ancient ruler Raja Bali at Balirajgarh in Madhubani district.

Religious places of interest such as Punaura Dhaam temple, the widely-regarded birthplace of Goddess Sita in Sitamarhi district; Haleshwarsthan, an ancient Lord Shiva shrine in Sitamarhi believed to have been built by mythological King Janak, who was the ruler of the ancient kingdom of Janakpur and the father of Goddess Sita as depicted in the epic Ramayana; and the ancient Bodhaayan temple in Sitamarhi district have also been affected by the flood.

The Kesaria Stupa and the Ashokan Pillar are surrounded by water, while the floodwater could enter the Punaura Dhaam temples main shrine anytime. The temple campus of Haleshwarsthan has turned into a veritable water pool.

We may lose these monuments and heritage sites for good, if the flood fury persists every year. Prolonged waterlogging and seepage will damage these ancient structures. Many historical remains are in danger of getting washed away, said CP Sinha, former director of KP Jayaswal Research Institute, a Patna-based institution that works in the field of history and archaeology.

If we lose these ancient structures, then the country will lose its historical evidence, he added.

Local residents have also expressed a similar apprehension.

Little effort is being made to protect these historical monuments from the annual flood fury. The Ashokan Pillar and Kesaria Stupa get inundated by floodwater every year. To make matters worse, even the recently excavated site near the Kesaria Stupa has been flooded, said Mukhia Chaudhary, a local resident.

Ramashankar Shastri from Sitamarhi district said Punaura Dhaam gets submerged by floodwater every year.

Sitamarhi has become a flood-prone district. The authorities need to make adequate arrangements to preserve the ancient historical sites, he said,

HS Naik, superintending archaeologist, ASI, Patna circle, said plans are afoot to preserve these ancient monuments and historical sites.

We will send our engineer to assess the extent of the damage at the Ashokan Pillar and the Kesaria Stupa after the floodwater recedes. Strategies are being worked out to preserve the ancient monuments and sites, he said.

A wall can be erected around the Ashokan Pillar to protect it from the floodwater. While some other strategy needs to be adopted to preserve the Kesaria Stupa, he added.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Reena Sopam Reena has been a journalist for over two decades. She has the experience of covering wide range of issues, including art, culture, archaeology, tourism, forest and women issues. She has also authored a book and is a recipient of the Ramdhari Singh Dinkar Award, given by the government of Bihar. ...view detail
Four dies as plane crashes in the picturesque area, close to the Gletscherspitze peak in Southern Swiss canton of Wallis on Saturday.

Giving confirmation to the incident through a statement, a regional police officer in Wallis, said that the plane came crashing at an altitude of over 3,000 meters.

According to him, the crash claimed the lives of two Swiss aged 50 and 56 and two Austrian Nationals, aged 46 and 50 respectively.

The Police in Wallis also revealed that, the moment them plane came crashing, a witness that saw the incident immediately called and reported. few minutes later, the same person called to say that smoke can be seen rising from the site.

Firefighters and rescue workers rushed to the crash scene, only to discover that all four persons two Swiss and two Austrians that boarded the plane died as a result of the crash, they stated.

The police further said that they are working together with the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board to investigate meticulously into the cause of the crash.
Actor Nithiin and Shalini Kandukuri are all set to start a new chapter in their lives as the duo is gearing up to get hitched on July 26. Fans and followers of the actor are eyeing for the big event which is going to be held at Falaknuma Palace Hotel in Hyderabad. To kick off the pre-wedding festivities, a Mehendi function was held post the 'Pelli Koduku' ceremony. The traditional ritual is performed to purify the groom and prepare him for his big day.

The actor had shared pictures from the ceremony on his Instagram handle, wherein Power Star Pawan Kalyan, director Trivikram Srinivas were seen gracing the event. In the photo, the Bheeshma actor can be seen in an off-white kurta- pajama with Chikankari work on it. On the other, Pawan Kalyan wore a light orangish kurta and dhoti along with a shawl. Sharing the picture, Nithiin wrote, "A big BIGGG thanku from the bottom of my heart to our POWERSTAR and TRIVIKRAM garu and ChinaBabu garu for comin over and blessin me today on my pellikoduku func!! Really means a lot to me."

In the picture, that has gone viral from the Mehendi function, Nithiin can be seen wearing a navy blue kurta, while Shalini looks ethereal as she dons a red lehenga with a western touch. She finished the look with a pearl neckpiece and matching accessories.

The big wedding will be held following all the lockdown norms with only close friends and family in attendance. Earlier, the actor was looking forward to tying the knot with his long-time girlfriend Shalini at a destination wedding in Dubai in the month of April. However, in wake of COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, the wedding was postponed for a future date.

Nithiin Gets Engaged To His Ladylove Shalini!

Nithiin And Shalini To Tie The Knot On July 26 In A Low Key Ceremony
Germany, Norway and France have tightened their health protocols for tourists returning home from Spain after an increase in coronavirus outbreaks on the Peninsula.

The Balearic Tourism Sector, CAEB and PIMEM are extremely anxious that the new restrictions will cause another wave of tourist reservation cancellations in Majorca and the other Balearic Islands.

CAEB has urged the Government to send a clear message to the emitting markets that the Balearic Islands is a safe destination and PIMEM agreed.

The Government must be constantly informing the markets in a truthful way about the measures adopted and the good management by companies offering tourist services, said Pimem President Jordi Mora.

The business effort has been very strong and now the Government must act accordingly to send positive messages to Germany and other markets. We are a safe, healthy destination and we must focus on that, added CAEB Chairperson, Carmen Planas.

Markets

Germany will offer coronavirus testing at airports to travellers arriving from high-risk areas and the rest of the passengers coming from abroad will also have access to tests.

Covid-19 testing is already available for passengers arriving at Frankfurt, Munich and Cologne/Bonn Airports for around 90 euros and tests will also be available in Berlin from next week.

The French Prime Minister, Jean Castex has advised French nationals not to travel to Catalonia as a preventive measure against coronavirus infection and other Spanish holiday destinations may be deemed risk areas in the coming weeks if there are more coronavirus outbreaks.

Minister Castex said the Government will also reinforce controls at French borders in the hope of containing the Covid-19 pandemic and coronavirus tests will be mandatory for travellers arriving from certain countries.

The Norwegian Minister of Agriculture and Food, Olaug Bollestad announced on Friday that all travellers arriving in Norway from Spain must now self-isolate at home for 10 days.
Many products have an average life expectancy of 10-15 years. If they cannot be commercialized, they will be 'put in mothballs' , said Nguyen Tan Dung, Chemical Technology and Food Dean of the HCM City University of Technology and Education.

Dung said many patented products cannot reach the market, even though businesses are thirsty for technological solutions to improve productivity.

Dr Tran Doan Son





In 2019, Vietnam for the first time saw the number of applications for patents exceeding 1,100, an increase of 42 percent compared with the same period of the year before.



Analysts say that the figures show the significant improvement of the commercialization of inventions at universities in Vietnam.



Associate Prof Dr Tran Doan Son from the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of the HCM City University of Science and Technology, owns nine patents.



His first product - equipment and process of steaming cashew nuts by saturated steam - was implemented in 2002. The invention avoids cashew nut loss during the production and improves productivity.

Many products have an average life expectancy of 10-15 years. If they cannot be commercialized, they will be 'put in mothballs'.

More than 95 percent of plants in Vietnam are currently using the technology. The invention brought him the first patent one year later.



In 2005, he invented equipment that makes fresh rice noodles to replace the manual production method. The equipment increases productivity while ensuring high quality and food hygiene.



In 2007, the first machine which integrates all the links of the rice noodle production process was officially introduced.



Most recently, equipment for making rice vermicelli invented by Son won a second prize at the 2020 HCM City Invention Award. The technology has been transferred to nine enterprises.



Son said there are now more favorable conditions for scientists and students to research and develop products. However, it is still difficult to commercialize inventions.



One of the reasons is that universities now focus on training, but they dont cooperate with businesses to commercialize their research works and inventions. As a result, many patented works are 'put in mothballs' or just used in teaching.

Dung said that many researchers give up the research halfway because they dont have enough money and patience to continue the research and bring their products into life.



In many cases, scientists and businesses cannot reach agreement about prices.



Researchers refuse to sell their inventions because they think they can sell later for better prices. However, products will become outdated after 10-15 years, Dung said.



Vietnams enterprises are mostly small (90 percent of them have capital of less than VND10 billion) and do not pay appropriate attention to technology renovation.

Thanh Lich

Young researcher shares his passion for AI When he was a student at university, Hoang Trung Hieu had eight scientific journals presented at international conferences.
New Delhi, July 25 : 69 per cent parents oppose the screen time limits for online classes proposed by the Government, as per a survey by LocalCircles.

Many parents have suggested that the limits should be higher and a separate category should be created for classes 6-8, as the curriculum and requirements of this group is different than those in primary school. Many parents want an increase the proposed screen time limits for online classes.

An 18 per cent parents said that the optimal time limit for online classes for classes 9-12 is 5 hours, 31 per cent said 4 hours, while 49 per cent said 3 hours. The Government has currently recommended 3 hours which means 49% parents want the limits extended.

Schools across the country have been closed for over 4 months now, with no estimates on when they would reopen. To bridge the gap, schools from across the country started conducting online classes for students which have been running well for majority of the school. The increased screen time and its effects on children is however an issue that some parents have been concerned about.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development recently came out with a fresh set of guidelines for online classes conducted by schools, limiting the on-screen time as well as the number of sessions per day.

To get a parent perspective on how long these online classes should be, Local Circles conducted a survey across the country and received 21,322 votes, which included responses from 239 districts of the country. MHRD, Government of India has recommended states to limit daily screen time for online school classes to classes 9-12 at 3 hours, classes 1-8 at 1.5 hours, pre-primary at 30 minutes with parents. Parents were asked what according to them is the best solution to this.

For classes 6-8, 18 per cent parents said the optimal time limit should be 4 hours, 31 per cent said 3 hours, 2 per cent said 2.5 hours, and 29 per cent said 1.5 hours. The Government has currently proposed 1.5 hours and 69% parents feel that they should be extended.

For classes 1-5, 18 per cent parents said time limit should be 3 hours, 38 per cent said 2 hours, and 42 per cent said 1.5 hours. Here again, the Government has proposed 1.5 hours and 56 per cent parents want the duration of online classes to be extended.

For pre-primary students, 56 per cent parents feel the optimal time duration would be 1 hour while 42 per cent said it would be 30 minutes. Again, here the Government has proposed 30 minutes and 56 per cent want it extended.

An earlier poll conducted by Local Circles had revealed that majority parents do not want the schools to restart till atleast their district and its 20 km radius reports zero cases for 21 days. 76 per cent parents had also said that it is unfeasible or very difficult for their child's school to operate with social distancing.

These MHRD guidelines are not binding but the State Government could enforce them and before that happens, these inputs will help the Government in rationalising them. The idea behind online classes according to majority of the parents should be to cover the curriculum while ensuring that the screen time is not excessive. Some parents feel that there should be standards on how these online classes are conducted such that use of screen once the classes are over is minimised.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
After months of anticipation, Netflix finally added the sequel to its trendy rom-com, The Kissing Booth, to its streaming platform. This isnt the only adorable comedy movie on this service, though. Netflix has a number of original and exclusive movies available for binge-watching. From Clueless to To All the Boys Ive Loved Before, here are a few of our favorites.

Jacob Elordi as Noah and Joey King as Elle on The Kissing Booth | Marcos Cruz/Netflix

The Kissing Booth and the sequel, The Kissing Booth 2

When Elle signs up to do a charity kissing booth, she finds herself coming face to face with her crush. Thats just the beginning of this Netflix original movie, The Kissing Booth, starring Joey King.

Now, the sequel to this movie, titled The Kissing Booth 2, is finally available for streaming on Netflix, which tells the story of these characters after Noah heads off to college. Will their romance survive the long-distance? Or will a new boy change everything for Elle?

RELATED: Is The Kissing Booth 3 Coming to Netflix? Joey King Says the Cast Wants to Return for Another Round

To All the Boys Ive Loved Before

Perhaps one of Noah Centineos most popular movies, To All the Boys Ive Loved Before tells the story of one girl whos written love letters to every boy shes ever liked. When Lara Jeans crushes all accidentally receive love letters, including her sisters ex-boyfriend, Lara Jean pretends to date Peter Kavinsky. Everything changes when the two start catching feelings for each other.

Clueless

Just in time for the anniversary of this film, Netflix added this 1990s classic to its streaming platform. Clueless is the story of one bright, persuasive, and incredibly stylist high school student named Cher.

Cher loves giving people makeovers and driving in her totally adorable Jeep. One of the things she doesnt love, though, is high school boys. Imagine dating one of them? Ugh, as if! Throughout this movie, Cher goes on a journey of self-discovery, even doing one of the most important makeovers of her life: a makeover of her soul.

Someone Great

Okay, so it might be a reverse rom-com, but Someone Great tells the story of one girl who discovers herself after a rough breakup. From the producers of Bridesmaids, this movie features Gina Rodriquez as the main character, who often has flashbacks from her picture-perfect relationship.

Now, shes determined to have one last New York City adventure before she packs it all up and leaves for San Francisco to pursue a new job opportunity. Its funny, its relatable, and its also available exclusively on Netflix.

Rom-coms like The Kissing Booth, as well as the movies sequel, are now available for streaming exclusively on Netflix. To learn more about this streaming platform and to subscribe, visit their website.

RELATED: The Kissing Booth 2 Stars Jacob Elordi and Joey King Reveal How They Found Balance After Their Public Romance and Split

RELATED: Hot off the Heels of His Broadway Debut in Dear Evan Hansen, Jordan Fisher Stars in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
When it came to finding 'something old' for her wedding last week, Princess Beatrice had a very special item indeed: a dress borrowed from her grandmother the Queen.

The original diamante-encrusted dress was designed by Norman Hartnell for Her Majesty to wear to a movie premiere in 1962.

Though her dress was old, it seems Beatrice was bang on trend. Vintage dresses are soaring in popularity, with many brides tweaking their grandmother's dresses.

Here, five women tell JILL FOSTER why they 'did a Beatrice' on their big day

When it came to finding 'something old' for her wedding last week, Princess Beatrice had a very special item indeed: a dress borrowed from her grandmother the Queen

GRAN ASKED, 'WHERE'S THE RUFFLE?'

Bridhe McGroder, 37, works in marketing. She married her husband at Hackney Town Hall in September 2017. The couple live in London and have a four-month-old daughter. Bridhe says:

I've always loved vintage clothes but it wasn't until I got engaged that I considered wearing my grandma Joan's dress from her wedding in 1947. My mum, Therese, had also worn it in 1980, so I tried it on and luckily it fitted. I never even tried another dress.

It needed a few alterations, but nothing major  the ruffle that had worked in the 1940s and 1980s had to go  so I took it to Splendid Stitches who took up the hem slightly.

They took some of the detail out but kept the beautiful vintage lace, originally from Ireland. It felt very special to have something with so much family heritage  plus it saved me a lot of money!

Bridhe McGroder (left), 37, works in marketing. She married her husband at Hackney Town Hall in September 2017. Pictured right: Ms McGroder's grandmother Joan

On the day itself, I felt fabulous and very privileged to be wearing something both Mum and Grandma had worn. Mum loved the changes I'd made. My grandma is still alive  she's 100 now  but didn't get to see the dress on the big day because she lives in New Zealand and was too frail to travel.

We had a second celebration there not long afterwards and I wore it again. She thought it was wonderful that I'd worn her dress, although her first words were 'Where's that ruffle?'

I was so proud to wear something so beautiful that two such inspiring women had worn before me.

I FELT LIKE SHE WAS BY MY SIDE

Charlotte Smith, 33, a personal assistant, married husband Alex, 33, a civil servant in 2016 in their home county of Devon. Charlotte is expecting their first baby in October. Charlotte says:

I'd seen photographs of both my mum and granny wearing the same dress for their weddings, in 1983 and 1958 respectively, but I always felt I'd probably want my own dress.

Charlotte Smith, 33, a personal assistant, married husband Alex, 33, a civil servant in 2016 in their home county of Devon

I'd seen photographs of both my mum and granny (pictured) wearing the same dress for their weddings, in 1983 and 1958 respectively, writes Charlotte Smith

But when I got engaged, I tried on 'the family dress' and it was a done deal  the champagne colour suited my skin tone.

We took the sleeves off to make it strapless and used the material to expand the dress. I think Granny  who died in 2011, aged 81  would have loved it. Wearing her dress was a way of having her there with me.

I discovered a little blue ribbon tied into the fabric  her 'something blue'  and it made me feel close to her.

NAN KEPT THE WEDDING DRESS IN THE SHED

Amie Chelsea Roberts, 30, works in public relations. She married Luke, 32, in 2013, in Florida. The couple live in Lincolnshire. Amie says:

I hate being the centre of attention, and wedding-dress shopping was my idea of a nightmare. But I needed a dress so I took my nan, mum and sister with me for moral support.

Every time I put on a dress, it didn't feel right. I kept saying: 'I want something with less of this or more of that', and my nan kept saying: 'Ooh, my dress was like that'.

I thought she was exaggerating. But after three days of fruitless shopping, I went back to her house and she persuaded me to try hers on. It wasn't in the best condition  she'd kept it in the loft and shed for 48 years.

Amie Chelsea Roberts, 30, works in public relations. She married Luke, 32, in 2013, in Florida. The couple live in Lincolnshire

Pictured: Ms Roberts' grandmother Ann Lovegrove on her wedding day in 1965

But when I tried it on, it simply felt right. When I walked into the room both Mum and Nan burst into tears. It was beautiful, fitted perfectly and, what's more, it was free.

I wanted to make it a little more modern as it had a very puffy underskirt, which isn't my style. With Nan's blessing, I asked a seamstress to make it more column-like and alter the neckline into a sweetheart style.

Nan got married in October 1965 in church, whereas I was getting married on a beach, so it needed to look less formal and be cooler due to the hot sunshine.

What was really strange was that I didn't need any alteration in the fit. Nan had exactly the same size 10 figure as me when she married at 18. She was thrilled to see me wearing it on the day and it made it extra special for me, too.

Amie's grandmother, Ann Lovegrove, 73, is a retired school administrator. She married her husband Brian, 76, in 1965. Ann says:

When Amie tried on my dress for the first time, I couldn't believe I'd ever been that slim! We dry-cleaned it and even soaked it in the bath for two days to remove all the marks.

I shed a tear or two when I saw her on her wedding day, wearing the dress I'd worn 48 years previously. It was meant to be.

I ADDED CRYSTALS AND USED THE FIVE-METRE TRAIN TO ENLARGE IT

Stephanie Langley-Poole, 33, an insurance director, married husband Tom, 32, who also works in insurance in 2018. The couple live in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Stephanie says:

My Aunt Jill wore my grandmother Pamelas wedding dress for her own wedding in 1979, and after Tom and I got engaged she mentioned that I should wear it, too.

When I tried it on, it was too small for my size 10 frame. It had a 5m train which I didnt like, and an awful pink lining. It definitely wasnt The One.

Stephanie Langley-Poole, 33, an insurance director, married husband Tom, 32, who also works in insurance in 2018

My Aunt Jill wore my grandmother Pamelas wedding dress (pictured) for her own wedding in 1979, and after Tom and I got engaged she mentioned that I should wear it, too, writes Stephanie

But I took it to a bridal alterations company which said it could use the fabric from the train to make the dress bigger; modernise it with Swarovski crystals down the back; and straighten the upturned collar.

By the third fitting I was considering alternatives. And then at the fourth fitting, just eight weeks before the wedding, all the alterations came together and I fell in love with it.

I was always very close to my grandmother, who died in 2008 at 79. My dad was very moved that I was the third woman in his family wearing her wedding dress.

WEARING IT MOVED GRANDAD TO TEARS

Kara Allsopp, 28, a nursery nurse, married Steven, 29, who works in retail in June 2019 in Sheffield, where the couple live. Kara says:

When I was little, I used to love dressing up in my nan Junes wedding dress. It was a gorgeous lacy tea-dress that shed worn in 1960.

After I got engaged, the more I looked at designs, the more I was drawn to her gown.

Kara Allsopp, 28, a nursery nurse, married Steven, 29, who works in retail in June 2019 in Sheffield, where the couple live

When I was little, I used to love dressing up in my nan Junes wedding dress, writes Kara

When I asked Nan if I could wear it, she broke down in tears. But she was 5ft 5in and Im 5ft 10in, so it needed rather a lot of altering. I took it to Vyn Johns - a vintage bridal couture company - and had the sleeves taken off, and the material was used to make the dress bigger.

Sadly, my nan never got to see me in it. After a few months of ill health she died three months before the wedding. My grandad Colin said hed understand if I didnt want to wear the dress any more, but I wanted to carry her up the aisle with me.

Both he and my dad were very emotional about seeing me in Nans dress.
State health officials announced another 14 people have died from coronavirus, bringing the statewide death count to 8,279.

Health officials also confirmed another 214 cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases statewide to at least 107,897. Thats based on 13,104 molecular tests reported on Friday.

There were also 124 new probable cases of the virus, which increases the number of probable cases to 7,088.

The number of coronavirus hospitalizations increased to 397 after falling by 181 on Thursday. The Department of Public Health noted in Thursdays report, which was made public nearly five hours later than normal, that the decline was due to a change in the way the hospitals communicated the data to DPH.

Officials noted in Fridays daily dashboard that because a federal change in hospital reporting requirements, there are issues with the accuracy of the hospitalization stats.

Given the importance of this particular metric, the state proactively validated the July 22 hospitalizations with nearly all acute care hospitals, officials wrote. Hospitals indicated that the daily variances are partially driven by a more accurate accounting of which patients should be reported as suspected COVID patients. DPH and the reporting hospitals are making every effort to mitigate these reporting challenges.

The latest data comes as Gov. Charlie Baker ordered that visitors coming into the state from states seeing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases must quarantine for 14 days or face a fine.

Effective Aug. 1, it will be mandatory for all travelers, including students going back to school, to quarantine for 14 days and fill out a Massachusetts Travel Form or risk a $500 fine each day they do not comply. Alternatively to quarantining, travelers can show a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to arriving in Massachusetts.

Visitors from eight states are exempt. They include New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Hawaii. Those states have been seeing a decline or a leveling-off of cases compared to other parts of the country.

But Massachusetts officials are still wary of the potential for more outbreaks locally. Officials on Cape Cod said they have seen an increase in cases over the past week. A party in Chatham that took place on July 12 is linked to at least 10 cases.

Earlier this week, Baker extended the states moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until Oct. 17 amid unprecedented unemployment levels during the pandemic, and filed a $5.5 billion interim budget for August while lawmakers continue assessing the economic fallout from the pandemic, and how it will impact the fiscal 2021 budget.

Coronavirus in Mass.: See cases, maps, charts and resources

Here are the cases listed by county:

Barnstable County: 1,680

Berkshire County: 636

Bristol County: 8,816

Dukes County: 64

Essex County: 16,883

Franklin County: 391

Hampden County: 7,228

Hampshire County: 1,076

Middlesex County: 25,190

Nantucket County: 30

Norfolk County: 9,895

Plymouth County: 8,956

Suffolk County: 20,793

Worcester County: 13,019

Unknown location: 328

Related Content:
The newest resident of Carlingford Lough made his debut as 'Finn' along the Greenore shore last week, much to the delight of young fans.

The dolphin has made the Lough home for many weeks, first appearing during the Covid-19 lockdown.

But with the easing of restrictions since June, the newly named dolphin has attracted many onlookers, eager to catch a glimpse of the jumps and dips.

With so much interest in the Lough's new resident, a group of local people decided to launch a poll to find the most popular name.

The group, behind the Carlingford Lough and Peninsula Facebook page held the online poll in recent weeks, revealing the clear favourite was Finn.

'As we don't know if the Dolphin is male or female, Finn works well as it is a popular name for both boys and girls. But if we can call our famous legend Finn or Fionn, we are sure the Dolphin won't mind.'

'We are aware that other people have been using different names but Finn and Bobby appeared to be the two most popular and were included in the poll. Of course everyone is entitled to refer to our latest visitor how they wish. The Dolphin certainly doesn't care! He/She certainly didn't look like they had a care in the world last week when Carlingford Lough Ferry recorded him 'belly flopping' near Greenore!'

The Argus has learned that the dolphin needed a little help in its first few weeks in north Louth, when divers on a training session came across it somewhat distressed, after plastic material in the water had become attached.

Members of the diving team managed to carefully remove the material, and the dolphin has been happily roaming the coastline ever since.

Marine debris, including plastic bags, and other non-degradable objects dumped along shorelines and in coastal areas can trap or choke dolphins, so local people are appealing to everyone who visits the coastline to be vigilant against any littering or dumping.

In cases of any interaction between small craft and large mammals within Irish waters, it also advised that when whales or dolphins are first encountered, craft should maintain a steady course, boat speed should be maintained below seven knots.

Anyone using the waters should also not attempt to pursue dolphins encountered.

Although dolphins will very often approach craft, as Finn has been spotted doing over the last few weeks, it is always advisable to allow them to approach a boat rather than attempt to go after them.
By Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian authorities said Saturday they detained a Bangladeshi man and will deport him for criticizing the government over its treatment of undocumented immigrants in a documentary by news broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Mohamad Rayhan Kabir has been on the run after police launched an investigation in the July 3 documentary following complaints that it was inaccurate and biased.

Al Jazeera has defended its journalism.

The Immigration Department said Rayhan, 25, was arrested by its intelligence unit on Friday.

The department had earlier revoked his work permit.

ALSO READ | Social media users exempt: Malaysia makes U-turn on license rule amid row with Al Jazeera

"This Bangladeshi national will be deported and blacklisted from entering Malaysia forever," immigration Director-General Khairul Dzaimee Daud said in a brief statement.

The documentary, titled "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown," investigated undocumented immigrants it said were at risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 2,000 migrant workers were arrested during raids in areas in Kuala Lumpur that were placed under tight virus lockdowns.

The Daily Star newspaper in Bangladesh quoted Rayhan Kabir as saying in a WhatsApp message shortly before he was arrested that he did not commit any crime.

"I did not lie. I have only talked about discrimination against the migrants. I want the dignity of migrants and my country ensured. I believe all migrants and Bangladesh will stand with me."

ALSO READ | 'Stateless' series review: Predictable yet painful story of the illegal immigration crisis

Police have grilled a group of reporters and staff from Al-Jazeera and said they would submit their findings to prosecutors for further action.

Authorities also said Al-Jazeera failed to apply for a license before shooting the documentary, but the broadcaster said it didn't need one.

Al Jazeera has called for the right to report freely without intimidation and urged Malaysia to drop the criminal investigation.

Rights activists have voiced concern over a clampdown on freedom of speech and media independence under new Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who took power in March.

Satellite television provider Astro was recently fined by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission for airing an Al-Jazeera documentary in 2015 over the 2006 murder of a Mongolian woman that allegedly contained "offensive content."

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose long-ruling party was ousted in 2018 polls but made a comeback as part of the new government, was implicated in the murder.

He is currently on trial on corruption charges.

Popular online news portal Malaysiakini and its editor face rare contempt proceedings from the attorney general over comments posted by readers against the judiciary.

Police also questioned an activist about a social media post alleging mistreatment of refugees at immigration detention centers.

A journalist from the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post was also questioned earlier about her reporting on migrant arrests.
State troopers said they found more than 900 bags of heroin, $2,500 in cash and an illegal handgun when they stopped two Vermont residents on Interstate 91 in Bernardston Thursday night.

Police said Richard Bump, 32, and Abbie Harrington, 24, both from Bennington, were traveling north in a black Hyundai Tucson just after 8 p.m. when Trooper Amanda McIntosh and her training officer, Trooper Michael Leslie, noticed the vehicle speeding and crossing marked lanes.

They executed a traffic stop and after a search found 930 bags of heroin, cash and a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun with two additional loaded magazines, police said.

Bump was charged with trafficking in heroin, conspiracy to violate drugs laws, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of an illegal firearm, improper storage of a firearm, possession of a firearm without an FID card, possession of ammunition without an FID carrying a loaded firearm, tampering with evidence of a crime, a marked lanes violation, speeding and throwing a lit cigarette or lit match from a vehicle.

Harrington was charged with trafficking in heroin, conspiracy to violate drug laws, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession or varying an illegal firearm, improper storage of a firearm, possession of a firearm without an FID card, possession of ammunition without an FID card, carrying a loaded firearm, tampering with evidence of a crime.

Both were ordered held in lieu of $7,500 cash bail pending arraignment in Greenfield District Court.
omg i remember being so in love w j stam in her heyday



that's why I joined LiveJournal!! there was some fashion community I was obsessed w. don't even remember the name of it now but I'm sure some of you guys were in it lol

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ontd_ff? (as it was known in it's more sanitized form lol)

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lmao the glory days

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_fashin? Or something like that?

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livejournal fashion communities were the best, my favourites ngl. that where i crushed on freja beha erichsen

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Regis philbin died 

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Why did I laugh so hard at this?

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Yeah, why did you?

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Ohwow

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It was definitely the babydoll look that because popular with Jessica, Gemma, and Lily

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Yeah she got suddenly VERY thin around the time she was dating that good charlotte creep

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I mean what do you think lol I mean what do you think lol

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I LIVED for Jessica Stam in the 2000s. Modeling is so fickle. I think about how Gemma Ward's career basically went off the rails bc she gained normal weight that one would going from teen to adult and she debuted her "new body" in a swimsuit on the runway and basically got torn to shreds.

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It feels like the nepotism models of today are sticking around much longer than her, Lily Cole, Cintia Dicker, etc. Must be the social media

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I loved Cintia Dicker back in the day

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Cintia has such a beautiful face, its ridiculous

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I thought Ali Lohan was Winona Ryder for a second

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why does this sound like it's being sung by the animatronic dolls from it's a small world?? truly terrible lmaooo

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She also dated Hurts' Theo Hutchcraft back in the mid-2010s

i read this as theo huxtable and was kind of interested before i remembered that theo huxtable is not a real person

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I remember when people used to say that Haylie sang on all of Hilary's albums for her. What a time.

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Lol Jessica Stam is in my icon!



I love Daisy Lowe. I dont think she does much these days but I follow her on Instagram. We need more Daisy Lowe posts tbh.

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Omg idk why I thought it was lindsay lohan nnnnn.







Jessica I'm so sorry

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I know its not them but for some reason I always think of Blair and Serena from gossip girl when I see that icon lol

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Lol its her and Cory Kennedy

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i thought it was mischa barton

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I also thought it was Lindsay Lohan

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She (well, kind of) was recently on a super high profile Tv show in the UK called Celebrity Snoop Dogs, where a camera is strapped to a (questionable) celebritys dog and the audience is meant to guess whose dog it is by their surroundings. Top tv moment of the year!



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Follow my Daisy Insta! @daisylowedaily

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An acquaintance of mine on Facebook posted a screenshot of Marilyn Manson liking Taylor Swift's post about her latest video lol. (It's this one: http://www.instagram.com/p/CDAsiz7jf9q ) Now that we know he's abusive, stayawayfromhergetajob.jpg

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Omg, Neversquare and Guccipucci are such a throwback. So dedicated to their niche faves!

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Guccipuccis icon never fails to make me laugh



I feel like I see them comment every now and then

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Ooh Neversquare has some Daisy (and other) icons on her personal journal! Might have to take some

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Omg

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An ONTD icon in the flesh!

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Haylie Duff looks like the oldest Jonas(forgot his name, won't google it)'s wife.



Gavin Rossdale is a really interesting character. His partners have been VERY different.



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Okay, maybe I'm really blind but Haylie Duff looks like Joanna Gaines but with lighter hair color.

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i see it!

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lol daisy lowe is one of those names i only know bc of ontd. along with gemma arterton

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Ill never understand the Gemma love



I did think daisy was really hot back in the day

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gemma had big tumblr fancast for any brunette character energy lol. second only to eva green

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Same. Gemma is just so boring to me.

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i dont think shes done many interesting things in film tbh but i did see her in a play on the west end in 2016 and she was extremely charming and cute in that, and i briefly interacted w/ her afterward so i have a soft spot for her lol

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the fact we gave aliana her own tag and didnt make her share with lindsay...lmao

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I was into Gemma back then after stumbling upon the Tess tv feature. She was just so naturally beautiful in that role with all its broke innocence.

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I still love Gemma! Something about her just feels so mysterious to me. Beautiful and cute at the same time. But I'm a sucker for a busty brunette, can't lie.

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All I remember about Gemma Arterton, aside from the fact that shes so gorgeous, is that she was born with six fingers on each hand. She had the two extra fingers amputated.

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The recent explosion of restaurant takeaways reveals that the lockdown's whole new world of eat-at-home experiences looks likely to become a permanent fixture. Long after the restrictive, damaging and depressing Covid-19 days become a memory, the green shoots of the takeaway economy will have taken hold and blossomed into an entirely new sector, the restaurant-at-home.

Three-course dinner kits, pre-mixed cocktails and paired wines are taking food lovers to new heights in their own kitchens and dining rooms. Whether this has a lasting impact on the numbers who actually go out to a restaurant for lunch or dinner remains to be seen. You can never replicate the joy and sense of occasion of a busy restaurant and that ambience and magic will keep us coming back for ever. In his book on the history of restaurants, William Sitwell shows us that we have enjoyed eating out for thousands of years, so it's hardly likely that we will forsake this habit in favour of takeaways just yet (although takeaways from Pompeiian restaurants were already a thing 2000 years ago).

Nonetheless, when the takeaways are as good as many of those I have enjoyed in recent months, there is little doubt that they are here to stay.

The latest discoveries in our house have come from Finegan & Son in Newry and Belfast's Roam Pop-Up. Both are similar in their approaches with high-quality ingredients in attractive packaging (the boxes and tubs within the main delivery cartons are as compelling and as full of mystery as the first moments of Christmas morning) and simple, well spelled out instructions.

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Finegan & Son's offer included a spectrum of thigh-slapping delights from a Killowen gin cocktail through to a hipster-tickling coffee from Honduras. In between the two are scallop and lobster croquettes with a wasabi, grapefruit, cucumber and tomato salsa, a hunk of Mourne lamb rump with truffle potato gratin, peas and calva nero and some very well judged jus, Mossfield organic Gouda with crackers and a chocolate fondant tart with gooseberry compote and creme fraiche.

Everything about the Finegan takeaway worked well including timings. Quality and invention in the summer truffle potato gratin and the top class fondant tart were a real demonstration of talent. The fact that you can keep the whole lot for a couple of days in the fridge meant we were able to spread the joy over the weekend.



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From the house of Roam Pop-Up came a not dissimilar menu including Kilkeel prawns in a katsu curry followed by lamb, dukkah roasted carrots and a velvety carrot mousseline, a small selection of cheese and prosciutto(!) and a very sinful chocolate mousse with orange jelly. The langoustine curry was as fine as it was exciting. Fresh and raw, the prawns were baked for a few minutes while the curry sauce was heated and prepared to be sprinkled over with puffed wild rice and black sesame seeds. The flavours reminded me of Robbie Millar's legendary and unforgettable lobster curry.

Adding glamour to the lamb and carrots was a mysterious black garlic emulsion.

What is significant about both Finegan's and Roam Pop-Up's dinners is the care and attention to detail. Countless little sealed pots containing just the right amount of spices, herbs, butter and other supporting artists added luxury and a sense of occasion. These are not just home dinners, these are proper, cheffy culinary moments where every ingredient and each appearance of the smallest accoutrement matters.

Ryan Jenkins, the force of nature behind Roam Pop-Up is full of survival ideas. His pop-ups have been a feature of Belfast for some time now and his next big thing is a contest with fellow pop-up artist, Alan Higginson at GaGa. The twin pop-off is due in the next few days in Panama in Belfast's McClintock Street and should be a must-attend.

Graeme Finegan's place in Newry is a beautifully airy restaurant where vegans and veggies are as well looked after. I'll never forget the jackfruit bao I had there last year.

Both deserve your support not just for now, but into the sunlit uplands of a post-Covid future!

The bill

Roam Pop Up 25pp

Finegan & Son 40pp
Western Connecticut is known for rolling hills, rich history, and industry, such as hat making. Once called the "Hat City of the World," Danbury thrived. Anyone familiar with Lewis Carroll's Mad Hatter may also be aware of the dangers of hat making, due to the industry's use of the potent toxin mercury. Starting in the late 1700s, Danbury hat factories were a point source of pollution, dumping large quantities of mercury into the nearby Still River.

Fashions change, the use of mercury in hat making was outlawed in 1940, and now all that remains of the once-thriving hatting industry in Danbury is its history -- or is it?

A group of researchers from UConn and Wesleyan University spent four years studying a stretch of the Still River, and found that the industrial waste of a century ago is still very much present in 2020.

Kayla Anatone '12 (CAHNR), a current PhD student at Wesleyan University, was interested in the local history but also in learning if "legacy" mercury was impacting the environment and making its way into the food web. She and co-authors from the UConn Marine Sciences department -- including PhD student Gunnar Hansen, Professor Robert Mason, Assistant Research Professor Zofia Baumann and Wesleyan University Professor Barry Chernoff -- recently published the findings in Chemosphere.

Baumann says there have been studies performed to measure some aspects of mercury pollution in the river, however the data has not been summarized in a systematic way, and this study is the first comprehensive investigation of the Still River.

Baumann explains that mercury is a global pollutant, with multiple sources. Though the element is naturally occurring at low levels, mercury emissions have tripled since the industrial revolution, when mercury-enriched coal and other fossil fuels were used to power industry. Mercury can be used in various processes and products, from filling thermometers to filling cavities in teeth, but in the case of hat making it was used to soften the felt to make it more pliable for shaping.

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To make the tracing of mercury through the environment even more complex, Anatone explains mercury can exist in numerous compounds and in either inorganic or organic forms. If mercury is in an inorganic form it does not move as easily through the food web. However some bacteria can convert the mercury to organic molecules, making them more "bioavailable" and readily enter the food web.

"The organic forms are the forms we are most concerned about, because organic mercury can accumulate in organisms such as humans and wildlife, and cause detrimental effects such as neurological damage," says Anatone.

The researchers performed the studies by sampling water, sediments, and tissues from a fish called the Eastern Blacknose Dace from seven sites on the river over the course of four years. Some of the sample sites were taken at former factory sites and some were reference sites for comparison. The results were staggering.

"The Still River watershed has significantly high levels of mercury in the fish no matter where the fish are from along the river," says Anatone. "Fish muscle tissue from six out of seven of the sites had concentrations that exceed EPA guidance levels for weekly mercury consumption. That was especially surprising because the fish are only about three inches in size and for them to be accumulating so much mercury, I just didn't expect it."

Anatone explains that they also found very high amounts of mercury persisting in the sediments: "All of the Still River sites which previously had hatting factories and direct point source pollution have concentrations in the sediment that exceeded the background levels of mercury found in sediments in other Connecticut sites."

Baumann says one aspect of the study is somewhat unexpected: "One of the really interesting findings in this study was that despite the very high concentrations of mercury in the sediments, at least it is my feeling based on the data that we have, is that a lot of the mercury is not bioavailable. Around one percent is available for further uptake in the food web, and that is what we are worried about essentially. Even though it is a pretty low percentage, it is impressive to see that it resulted in such high levels of bioaccumulation in the fish."

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Anatone and Baumann hope that this research will inspire conversations and action.

"Research like this is the only way to find out how things are really moving in the ecosystem," says Baumann. "These studies are what you can use to inform decision-makers. Do we need to remediate? Should we let it be? Should we warn people who angle there regularly? This info is really needed."

Anatone says at the very least, it is important to set fishing guidelines for these areas: "We studied Eastern Blacknose Dace. Humans don't eat dace but humans eat trout and trout eat the dace. I think it is important that guidelines for fishing are put into place, like catch and release, or these areas are made off-limits for fishing."

Though Anatone will be graduating shortly and will not be doing any further sampling, she is hopeful this research will motivate others to continue to study the Still River and the impacts of legacy mercury on the ecosystem and food web.

"This research is not simple, it takes a lot of effort and time. It would be interesting to carry on this work and measure in other organisms such as trout."

Baumann adds that the river presents a unique system for studying how mercury cycles through New England streams, especially now with the changing climate, this work is important: "We want people to get curious about this."
The Delhi High Court on Friday asked Common Service (CSE) centres to apprise it about the preparedness for conducting both mock tests and Open Book Examination (OBE) for the final year students of Delhi University (DU).

A single-judge bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh asked the academy owner to appear before it on July 27, the next date fixed for hearing, with a list of centres where mock tests and OBE will be conducted by the DU.

CSE Academy has been engaged by the Ministry of Electronics and Technology with an agreement with the DU for those students who do not have the facility to give online exams.

The bench was hearing a plea challenging DUs OBE. During the hearing, UGC counsel and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that several petitions challenging the UGC guidelines relating to final year exams are being heard by the Supreme Court and sought adjournment on the ground that these petitions should be heard after the top court hearing.

The court agreed with his submission and said that it will hear issues related to UGC guidelines after the top courts hearing.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Delhi University (DU) to submit before it the details of the varsitys mock tests, which are scheduled to begin from July 27.

On the next date, we would like to know how your (DU) mock tests went. Give us the entire data on the mock test, and how many students participated, said a division bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice S Prasad and deferred the matter for further hearing on July 28.

The court also observed that the top court is hearing a petition challenging University Grants Commissions (UGC) decision related to guidelines for conducting the final term examinations.

The Delhi HC was hearing a batch of petitions filed in connection with the final year examination of Delhi University, including one by the National Federation of the Blind.

Earlier, the apex court agreed to hear within the next two days a plea challenging a UGC circular dated July 6 and seeking the cancellation of final year examination in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
Patel, who headed the RBI from September 2016 till his sudden resignation in December 2018, says in his book thta the government seemed to lose enthusiasm for the new bankruptcy law in the middle of the year he left the central bank.

Though Patel does not name anybody in the book, the mid-2018 period he refers to is the time when Piyush Goyal held temporary charge of the finance ministry between May and August.

IMAGE: Urjit Patel (right) with former finance minister Arun Jaitley. Photograph: PTI Photo.

The move to dilute the new bankruptcy law caused disagreements between the government and the central bank, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Urjit Patel says in his book Overdraft: Saving the Indian Saver, released on Friday.

Patel, who headed the RBI from September 2016 till his sudden resignation in December 2018, says the government seemed to lose enthusiasm for the legislation in the middle of the year he left the central bank.

The rift centred around a February 2018 circular issued by the RBI, which forced banks to immediately classify borrowers as defaulters when they delayed repayments, barred defaulting company founders from trying to buy back their firms during insolvency auctions, and push them into bankruptcy if a resolution timeline wasnt met.

In a chapter titled The Empire Strikes Back, Patel writes the disposition with respect to the insolvency law or, more generally, in the conviction in the pathway, perceptibly changed in mid-2018. Instead of buttressing and future-proofing the gains thus far, an atmosphere to go easy on the pedal ensued.

Though Patel does not name anybody in the book, the mid-2018 period he refers to is the time when Piyush Goyal held temporary charge of the finance ministry between May and August.

Until then, for the most part the finance minister and I were on the same page, with frequent conversations on enhancing the landmark legislations operational efficiency; we sought feedback on changes to preserve the principles that formed the bedrock of the IBC; which tweaks were likely to work; and where resource improvements could help; etc. I suspect the government may have felt that the deterrence effect -- future defaulters beware, you may lose your business -- of the IBC had been achieved, and resolute follow-up to help complete the task was, therefore, unwarranted, he writes.

But deterrence, Patel writes in the book published by HarperCollins, works only if defaulters -- current and potential -- face economic consequences within a (reasonable) timeframe; otherwise we are in danger of a relapse to the days of the discredited Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 and Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993.

Patels comments offer a peek into a tussle between the RBI and the government, which led eventually to a U-turn when the Supreme Court last year struck down the RBIs February circular. The decision made the insolvency regime vulnerable, possibly brittle, Patel wrote, and warned that subsequent changes risk reversing gains from efforts to clean one of the worlds largest bad-loan piles.

Since the time-bound threat of insolvency application is not credible anymore, it is unclear what threat points will compel resolution in 180 days (or, for that matter, even 365 days), Patel writes.

Patel also says, in early 2019, the criteria were relaxed to graduate five loss-making banks out of the prompt corrective action, and recapitalisation of these PCA banks helped them meet the criterion on net non-performing assets (NPAs).

In addition, extension and augmentation of forbearance for medium and small enterprise loans were granted at the same time. At the upper end of this forbearance (loans of Rs 250 million), businesses with annual turnover of up to several hundred crores were beneficiaries. How does this square up with fairness in a country where the average per capita annual GDP is about Rs 150,000? he asks in his book.

We did not have to wait long for the camels nose to appear under the tent, forbearance to commercial real estate (living-dead borrowers) was granted in February 2020, he pointed out.
The Presidency has ferociously responded to the call by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), asking President Buhari to quit.

The government insisted the President would not accede to the demand of the opposition party.

According to a statement by spokesman Garba Shehu, Aso Rock accused the PDP of launching a whirlwind campaign by promoting undemocratic values and corruption.

Read the full statement:

At a time when the whole world is unifying to confront a common enemy, Nigerias opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has launched a whirlwind campaign promoting undemocratic values, the latest manifestation of which is the call for President Muhammadu Buharis resignation for allowing audits and investigation into several agencies of government, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Based on the statement issued by the embattled chairman of the Party, Prince Uche Secondus, it is clear that they would have liked the President not to investigate but to cover things up: to not wake the sleeping lion as voiced by another of their leaders.

In a democracy, an opposition party is as critical to the system as the ruling party but in the case of Nigeria, the leading party in opposition is afflicted by a life-threatening sickness, the undemocratic pandemic as a result of which they are trading away the nations democratic values.

The PDP government which exited the stage five years ago through a democratic election by voters dissatisfied with corruption on an industrial scale, policy paralysis, obsolete and decaying essential infrastructure appears to have forgotten the reason for their stunning defeat and seem hell-bent on the fooling the nation, yet again for another ride to power.

President Buhari will not resign. He is determined to continue the crusade against corruption, both legacy and recently unearthed cases, that are found to be shabbily handled, and in some cases unattended to by past administrations. The National Assembly, by virtue of its right to conduct its oversight function is currently carrying out own investigations. Additionally, the security and intelligence agencies are equally doing their part and must be given the time and space to conclude their work and present their reports.

The PDP cannot scare the government from probing the grave allegations made against MDAs and their chiefs because, failure to do so will amount to a historic betrayal of public trust.

The PDP cannot subject Nigerias democracy to subterranean attacks and continue to pretend that they are well-meaning.
An attempt by state health inspectors to survey the Rensselaer County-run nursing home this week led to a blowup between County Executive Steve McLaughlin and state and federal health officials.

State Department of Health spokesman Gary Holmes said the department sent surveyors to the Van Rensselaer Manor for a surprise inspection Monday at the request of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which had ordered the inspection following a report from the nursing home of four new suspected cases of coronavirus.

The inspectors were stopped mid-survey, he said, after McLaughlin showed up and insisted they conduct the survey under supervision. Holmes said this isnt standard practice.

We dont do that for the same reason we dont announce were coming beforehand, Holmes said. We want to observe conditions as they are.

After some back and forth, the inspectors decided to leave, he said.

McLaughlin, who went on Facebook Live Thursday afternoon and fumed about the incident, said he was concerned the inspectors posed a danger to residents since he didnt know if they had the virus or not.

I dont want anybody roaming free throughout the building, he said. You want to talk to our employees? Absolutely fine. Use a conference room.

Holmes said state health inspectors are tested weekly for the virus and are not allowed out on surveys if they are positive. They also wear personal protective equipment while inside the facilities, he said.

DOH surveillance teams have done more than 1,300 inspections  every single nursing home and adult care facility in the state at least once  and our teams have not encountered the type of resistance we witnessed at Van Rensselaer Manor, not once, but twice this week, Holmes said in an email.

Obstructing the DOH surveyors from doing their job then questioning their integrity is an affront to the agencys professionalism, he continued. We enforce strong infection control practices to save lives. Its unfathomable that County Executive McLaughlin would stand in the way of the process of protecting residents.

McLaughlin is a frequent critic of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. His Facebook Live briefings throughout the pandemic include heavy criticisms of the governor, and he has not been shy about defying the states reopening orders. In particular, he has taken Cuomo to task for his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. Earlier this month, he defied state guidelines and allowed visitation to resume at the county nursing home before the state had given the official the go-ahead.

McLaughlin sent a letter to state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker on Monday outlining his concerns over the attempted inspection, and told him our invitation to NYSDOH to tour or inspect the facility stands but ask that any such visit be an accompanied one.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

During his Thursday broadcast, McLaughlin also criticized a bureaucratic clown from CMS who he says tried to get him on record as having denied health inspectors access to the facility. He claimed the official drove up to the facility Thursday morning, at which point they got into a "pretty long argument."

CMS did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

The inspection finally moved forward Thursday, according to county operations director Rich Crist, after counsel for the state Health Department assured county officials their inspectors had tested negative for COVID-19.

McLaughlin, however, suggested during his Facebook broadcast that the department may have lied.

I dont trust this administration, thats the bottom line, he said. So I dont know if somebody down at DOH didnt just type up a letter saying, Oh, yes, these three people have been tested. 

Holmes confirmed Thursday that the inspection was completed, but said he was not aware of the results.

On Friday, Crist said an employee at the facility had tested positive, but said they dont work with patients or the public. To date, the nursing home has had six employees and one resident test positive for the virus.
At the conclave, IAF commanders held detailed deliberations on the China border row and security challenges facing the nation

New Delhi: At the end of a three-day brainstorming conclave, top commanders of the Indian Air Force on Friday drew up a broad roadmap for next 10 years to significantly enhance the country's aerial prowess to confront emerging threats including from the adversaries on the northern and western fronts, officials said.

The IAF commanders held detailed deliberations on the border row with China in eastern Ladakh, key short-term and long-term security challenges facing the nation and on the complex geo-political power play in India's neighbourhood, they said.

In his closing remarks, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria emphasised on the need for rapid capacity building, increase in serviceability of all assets and dedicated work towards effective integration of new technologies in the "shortest timeframes."

An IAF spokesperson said the Chief of Air Staff talked about the Vision 2030 for the force and laid down milestones for transforming it in the coming decade. He stated that it was important to recognise the nature of emerging threats in a rapidly changing world.

The official said the commanders held a series of discussions and carried out reviews on operational preparedness and strategies for countering security threats envisaged across the entire spectrum.

"They discussed the current situation and thereafter carried out a thorough review of the IAF's transformation roadmap for the next decade," spokesperson said.

In his address on the opening day of the conclave, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the IAF for its rapid deployment of assets at forward locations in responding to the border row with China, saying its Balakot strike and the current combat readiness have sent a strong message to the "adversaries."

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of the Army Staff Gen MM Naravane too addressed the conference and interacted with the commanders as well as the principal staff officers (PSOs) at Air headquarters.

The interactions covered a wide range of subjects including ways to ensure of jointness and ensuring integrated war fighting.

The spokesperson said the IAF chief underlined the need for work on the IAF's long term goals for building sustainable capability, employment of niche technologies and development of indigenous platforms and weapons.

"The chief stated that since human resource was the most valuable asset of the IAF, recruitment, training and motivation strategies should keep pace with the changing times," he said.

Officials said the commanders also deliberate on deployment of first batch of around six Rafale jets in the Ladakh sector by early next month as the aircraft are set to join the IAF's fighter fleet by 29 July.

The IAF has been carrying out night time combat air patrols over the eastern Ladakh region in the last few weeks, in an apparent message to China that it was ready to deal with any eventualities in the mountainous region.

The IAF has deployed almost all its frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft in key frontier air bases in eastern Ladakh and elsewhere along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China notwithstanding disengagement of troops by Chinese military from a number of friction points.

The IAF has also deployed Apache attack choppers as well as Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to transport troops to various forward locations

The IAF has also pressed into service a fleet of C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft as well as C-130J Super Hercules in transporting heavy military equipment and weaponry to several forward bases in the region.
(Newser)  Tropical Storm Hanna was upgraded to a hurricane Saturday, moving toward the Texas coast and threatening to bring heavy rain, storm surge, and possible tornadoes to a part of the country trying to cope with a surge in coronavirus cases, the AP reports. The storm, which is the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, was expected to make landfall Saturday afternoon or evening south of Corpus Christi, the US National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was centered about 100 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi and was moving west at 9 mph. Many parts of Texas, including the area where Hanna is expected to come ashore, have been dealing with a spike in coronavirus cases in recent weeks.

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But local officials said they were prepared for whatever the storm may bring: "And don't feel like since we've been fighting COVID for five months, that we're out of energy or we're out of gas. We're not," Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb said Friday. "We can do these two things together and we're going to win both of them." Corpus Christi is in Nueces County, where health officials revealed that 85 infants recently tested positive with COVID-19. Farther south in Cameron County, which borders Mexico, more than 300 confirmed new cases have been reported almost daily for the past two weeks. Officials reminded residents to wear masks if they needed to get supplies before the storm arrives or if they have to shelter with neighbors because of flooding. (Read about Hurricane Douglas.)
Canadas Natural Resources Minister Seamus ORegan said hes in talks with the U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette about finding a path to move ahead with oil pipeline projects, the Globe & Mail reported.

Hes somebody whos been in the energy business and with the energy department for quite some time. He does have that understanding so we do have conversations to make sure our joint interests are met, said ORegan in an interview with the Globe.

Canada is advocating for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to continue, the Globe said. Its also pushing for movement on the Line 3 replacement pipeline project between the two countries, which is awaiting final approval for the construction to start on the U.S. side, ORegan said, according to the Globe.
Rajasthan s embattled chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday took another swipe at Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat asking why the Centre hasnt taken any action even after his name has cropped up in a ponzi scam.

On Thursday, a Jaipur court had ordered the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police to probe the alleged role of Shekhawat, his wife, and three others, in the Rs 884 crore Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society fraud case.

Earlier, the Gehlot government and the Congress had accused Shekhawat of being involved in horse-trading and have alleged that his voice can be heard in audio tapes of purported phone conversations detailing a plot to topple the Rajasthan government.

First his name appeared in the tapes and now even in this case, Gajendra Singh jis name is increasingly appearing, so why has the government not taken any action and dismissed him, this is a matter of concern, Gehlot tweeted Saturday as he tagged a newspaper report on the scam that also named Shekhawat.

The court order came on a petition of two residents of Barmer, who, along with some 50,000 other people, invested in the scheme that offered interest between 10% and 12%. Ladu Singh, one of the petitioners claimed to have invested Rs 54 lakh and Guman Singh, the second petitioner said he invested Rs 14 lakh with Sanjivani Cooperative Society. They alleged that they got no return for their investments, and the money trail led to companies linked with Shekhawat and his wife.

Shekhawat has denied the charge of being involved in horse trading and said he is ready for a probe. The Union minister had denied any role in the states political crisis, and said that none of the voices in the tapes are his.

Gehlot had also named him in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about an alleged attempt by the BJP to bring down the Rajasthan government.
Images broadcast worldwide of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler getting tear-gassed alongside protesters made him an overnight standard-bearer for the growing movement against President Donald Trump's use of federal agents to tamp down violence in U.S. cities.

But for many Portland residents, of which 72 per cent are white, the moment felt ironic and hypocritical.

For while the city has appeared progressive on issues in the past whether it be the environment or wars overseas, when it comes to racism, the issue is far more complicated.

The state of Oregon had some of the most brutal anti-black laws in the nation which was essentially founded on principles of white supremacy.

Portland has been rocked by protests for two months but tensions have risen since federal agents entered the city. The protesters are pictured here on Friday night

In the 19th-century it was legal to whip any black person found in the state, while the Ku Klux Klan were dominant in Oregon's Legislature during the early part of the 20th century.

In the current climate, before federal agents arrived in the liberal city, local police repeatedly used tear gas on protesters, and Ted Wheeler - who is also the police commissioner - is increasingly unpopular with those who feel he couldn't, or wouldn't, control officers.

Before he was gassed this week, Wheeler fought to be heard over a hostile crowd screaming obscenities and then hecklers surrounded him as he left hours later with chemicals in his eyes.

The failure by the Democrat and sixth-generation Oregon resident to navigate this polarizing moment in his hometown reflects Portland's simmering internal struggle over its identity.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (above), a Democrat, was among those tear-gassed during another clash on Wednesday after he was mostly jeered by protesters as he tried to rally them

A city that prides itself on having one of the nation's most progressive resumes is being challenged to move even further left by a growing anti-police constituency that's elevating black voices during America's reckoning over racism. Those voices have long gone unheard in Portland, which is less than 6% black.

'The national imagination of Portland - and even to some extent Portland's imagination of itself - as a hotbed of progressivism and liberalism has never been matched by the political reality,' said Chris Shortell, a political science professor at Portland State University.

'It's not as liberal and progressive of a city as the national public holds it to be, and that's particularly true on race.' Shortell calls it 'the dark underbelly of Portland.'

'On the national level, you just see, "Hey, the mayor stepped out there and got tear-gassed!" But that covers over the reality of the local political situation,' Shortell said.

'It's something I joke about with my friends,' said chemist Seyi Fasoranti to the New York Times, who has been watching the Black Lives Matter protests in Portland with fascination. 'There are more Black Lives Matter signs in Portland than black people.'

But, Fasoranti says he believes the protests 'feel genuine'.

Black Lives Matter demonstrators gather demanding an end to racism and police brutality

As a state, Oregon is relatively homogenous with three-quarters of the state being white, but the average income level for black families in Portland is nearly half that of white residents.

'Really there are two Portlands that exist,' says Walidah Imarisha, a scholar of black history in Oregon to the Times. 'There's white Portland and Portland of color.

'There's massive racial disparities around wealth, health care, schools and criminal legal systems that white Portlanders just don't understand.'

Some protesters have admitted that it was Oregon's racist past and legacy of white supremacy that helped to spur them onto the streets.

'Bringing that history to light is definitely a motivating factor,' said veterinary nurse Liza Lopetrone to the Times.

Some speeches and chanting at the protests have referred to the state's legacy of slavery and the taking of land from Native Americans.

'Oregon has an extremely racist history. I'm not from here but I take responsibility for it now,' Lopetrone said.

Women, now known as the wall of moms, link arms to act as a shield for Black Lives Matter protesters outside the courthouse. Just days earlier, federal agents pushed back against the women with footage showing them shoving some of the women in the chest while using tear gas to break up the crowds

In the weeks since George Floyd's death by Minneapolis police, protests against racial injustice and police brutality have filled Portland's streets.

Days of peaceful marches that initially attracted up to 10,000 people devolved into smaller groups of demonstrators who set fires, vandalized buildings and smashed windows. Businesses and others have complained the city hasn't been able to restore order.

But when Trump sent 114 federal agents to quell the unrest earlier this month, the city once more began to turn out in force against what Wheeler has called an 'illegal occupation.'

Crowds of several thousand demonstrators show up nightly outside the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse to square off with federal agents armed with tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades.

Damany Igwe, 43, a black salesman has taken part in dozens of the protests and says that white crowds shielded him from police, all the while yelling 'Black power!'

'I feel the most protected that I ever have in my city,' Igwe said earlier this week to the Times.

'White people can't understand what we've been through completely, but they are trying to empathize. That's a beginning.'

But the role of white protesters has some criticism from some in the black community.

Moms link arms in front of protesters outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse during Thursday night's demonstration

In an op-ed for the Washington Post Mondaine called for a 'refocusing' to occur

In an opinion piece for the Washington Post the president of the Portland branch of the NAACP Rev. E.D. Mondaine, said that recent nights of violence has distracted from the original intentions of the protests and that there needs to be an immediate 'refocusing'.

'Portlands protests were supposed to be about black lives. Now, theyre white spectacle,' reads the headline in the Post.

'Unfortunately, "spectacle" is now the best way to describe Portland's protests. Vandalizing government buildings and hurling projectiles at law enforcement draw attention  but how do these actions stop police from killing black people?' Mondaine asked. 'What are antifa and other leftist agitators achieving for the cause of black equality?'

'Are they really furthering the cause of justice, or is this another example of white co-optation?' he wrote.

'I am not suggesting retreat. Instead, I am proposing that we take the cause of Black Lives Matter into those places where tear gas and rubber bullets and federal agents cannot find us, and where there is less risk of spectacle distracting from our true aims.

'In boardrooms, in schools, in city councils, in the halls of justice, in the smoky backrooms of a duplicitous government  that is where we will finally dismantle the gears of the brutal, racist machine that has been terrorizing black Americans and hollowing out the moral character of this nation since its inception,' Mondaine wrote.

The NAACP held a rally in an effort to 'refocus' the cause of the protests on the BLM movement

Jo Ann Hardesty, Mondaine's predecessor at the NAACP and who is now he first African American woman on the Portland City Council believes such criticism is unwarranted.

'There's a lot of new, aware folks who have joined into the battle for black lives,' she said at a news conference on Thursday.

'Both protest goals are important and one is not is more important than the other,' she said referring to protests over racial injustice and the presence of federal agents in the city.

While the city's anger is channeled against Trump and his federal forces, beneath every protest lies tension about what Portland is, what it should be and how it will get there.

It built its progressive reputation carefully over decades by breaking ground on issues like environmentalism, public transportation and urban planning. But on other progressive issues - racial politics and police reform key among them - Portland has fallen far short and to some, is proving slow to recognize that blind spot.

In a city that is 72% white, Black Lives Matter protesters are often white and outnumber their black counterparts

'We have this identity nationally as a city that is weird and progressive - you know, Portlandia,' said Gregory McKelvey, a Portland activist and police critic. 'But we really earned this liberal reputation at a time where having a mayor that said, "Yeah, I think two gay people should be able to get married" was seen as ... radically progressive. The rest of the country has caught up with us and our elected officials are still at that level of progressive.'

The city's overwhelming whiteness also informs the black community's impatience with reform. For years, Portland was an important base for neo-Nazi groups. Even now, right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer frequently hold rallies in the city.

'Portland in many respects is ... where you could assume consensus existed because some voices simply weren't heard, and that made it easier to govern and it made it easier to tell a story about what Portland is,' Shortell said of black residents. 'But now those groups have gained a voice.'

Some want to end all funding for police, others want to cut $50 million from their budget and still others want oversight reforms, such as an independent review board.

The Wall of Moms came out in force again Friday night linking arms in their yellow t-shirts

'Defunding the police is really a racial justice concern. It's racial justice concern No. 1,' said Mac Smiff, a black Portland resident who asked Wheeler pointed questions before the mayor was tear-gassed. 'The only reason we're doing graffiti and protesting is because you will not come to the table for what we ask for.'

City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, the first black woman elected to that position, demanded last week that Wheeler cede control of police to her. He declined.

'The city needs stability and leadership right now,' Wheeler's staff said in an emailed response to questions.

Federal agents in Portland, Oregon, have detained protesters in unmarked vans, teargassed crowds and beaten reporters in recent days, as Black Lives Matter rallies in the city near the end of their eighth consecutive week

'The community called for the mayor to join and listen, and hear their frustrations with him, the police bureau, and the city,' the statement said of Wheeler attending Wednesday's protest. 'Despite knowing that he would be subject to anger and harassment, the mayor felt it was important to go and stay.'

The statement said the mayor was working to hold the Portland Police Bureau accountable and defended what it called the city's 'historic, unprecedented reform' of the agency.

That includes a vote last month to divert nearly $16 million from the police budget to programs that support people of color. It eliminates school resource officers, a high-profile gun violence reduction team and transit officers. The police chief, a white woman, also stepped down in favor of a black man.

Wheeler is a 'decent man' but he is also 'a privileged white man who grew up among wealth and privilege,' Hardesty told The Associated Press. 'And so I don't know if he has what we need at this time. I can tell you that I have what we need to fundamentally change how policing happens in Portland - and I would be fearless about changing it.'

Hardesty wants to get a measure on the November ballot that would establish an independent police oversight system. She's been fighting to reform the Police Bureau for three decades and blasted those who said she settled by accepting less than a $50 million cut from its budget - a sign of the divisions even among those seeking change.

'I suspect there's a lot of progressive Portlanders who thought, `OK, they took $16 million out of the police budget, and that's a really good step. And for the people who are really on the emotional edge of this issue, that's not enough,' said Carl Abbott, a Portland State University professor emeritus of urban studies and planning.

'What does a good, well-meaning, progressive white protester do? They go out and march in the peaceful protests, they put Black Lives Matter signs in their windows and read books on how to be a better ally and then try to do it,' he said. 'But none of those actions penetrate the culture of the police force, and that is the nub.'
There cannot be a uniform peak in COVID-19 cases in a large country like India, says expert.

Mumbai: Health workers arrive to conduct door-to-door screening of residents of Dindoshi in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, at Goregaon East in Mumbai, Saturday. (PTI)

It has been four months to the day since India was put into lockdown to ward off the coronavirus. During the anxious days of Lockdown 1.0,the peak was promised in a few weeks, and then late May. But when the lockdown was eased in May, the only peaks in sight were the Himalayas from Saharanpur.

Where then are the peaks of COVID? In the last few weeks, talk of India soon approaching the COVID-19 peak have begun to be heard in murmurs.

First, it was Public Health Foundation of India president Dr K Srinath Reddy who said that coronavirus incidence could peak in mid-September in India but added that different states could witness different peak periods. Now, it is Prof GVS Murthy of the Indian Institute of Public Health who has reiterated Dr Reddy's message elaborately.

There cannot be a uniform peak in COVID-19 cases in a large country like India and each state has its own trajectory based on when people there were exposed to the infection, Murthy told PTI on Saturday.

Now, among the states and Union Territories, Delhi is predicted to peak by the end of July or early August. While Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra  some of the worst-affected states in India  are likely to witness the corona peak in September, which is in line with Dr Reddy's prediction.

Delhi to see an early peak

On Saturday, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal declared victory against the COVID-19 pandemic but said the battle is far from over. He said in the last one month, the number of coronavirus cases in Delhi has gone down,deaths have reduced, recovery rate has improved and positivity ratio has lowered.

There is truth to Kejriwal's statement. The number of coronavirus cases in June rose by 319 per cent but only by 48.27 per cent in the 25 days of July. Most likely, the growth rate will still be in two digits by the end of July, when Murthy predicts the city-state's corona cases will peak. The recovery rate, too, has improved from 66.79 per cent on June 30 to 87.29 per cent on July 25.

Thus, one may even infer that Delhi, aided by superior medical infrastructure and testing facilities, may already be in the peak stage and the coming few weeks could see a further reduction in the total number of cases.

But implicitly, Murthy may have also reinforced the notion that urban areas equipped with better infrastructure can ward off epidemics better than underdeveloped regions.

Guest workers delay peak in states

In states like Jharkhand, however, the peak may arise at a later time as the virus began to spread only after the return of guest workers from COVID-19 hubs like Mumbai and Delhi.

"In states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and parts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the peak will take much longer. The peak would be somewhere towards the end of September or October for those states which had low reporting earlier," he said.

Murthy's assessment specially holds true in the case of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh  two of India's biggest migration pools.

As noted in an earlier article, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh had very low rates of infection in comparison to their populations until April 30. That date holds a major significance in India's lockdown story because the Central government began running special trains to ferry guest workers from the next day. Consequently, the numbers of COVID-19 cases began to rise in these two states.

In terms of numbers, Bihar just had 425 confirmed cases of coronavirus on April 30. It now has 36,314 cases of coronavirus. Percentage-wise, this translates to a whopping 8,444 per cent rise in cases. Moreover, Bihar continues to lag behind in testing its population, with just 4.42 lakh tested so far.

Uttar Pradesh does not fare any better. The state has 63,742 confirmed cases of COVID-19. This figure was just 2,211 on April 30. So, there has been a 2,780 per cent rise in the total cases of coronavirus. Notably,eastern UP, economically backward and sending more migrants to West and South India, became the new cause for concern after the influx of guest workers. Varanasi, in eastern UP, is the third-biggest corona hub in UP after the Lucknow-Kanpur urban agglomeration.

Chhattisgarh is an interesting case. The state just had 40 cases on April 30 but now has nearly 7,000 cases  a massive spurt of over 17,000 per cent in less than three months. Interestingly, the state was being hailed for its effective lockdown before returning guest workers undid the gains.

South of Vindhyas: Come September

"States like Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu should be able to achieve the maximum number of cases by mid-September," said Murthy, adding that these states are currently reporting high numbers but won't do so after mid-September.

Tamil Nadu may peak a bit quicker because it boiled up faster. The state with over 2 lakh confirmed cases of COVID-19 can witness its corona peak by the middle or the third week of August. However, the influx of guest workers made it worse for the southern state. Health minister C Vijaybaskar had blamed guest workers, especially those coming from Maharashtra, for the spurt in cases.

Maharashtra has also been held up as one of the contributors to the spurt in Karnataka. The latter state has nearly 91,000 cases but what is more worrying is the slipping recovery rate of patients. Karnataka now has a recovery rate of around 37 per cent, which is much lower than the national average of 63.54 per cent. Moreover, Karnataka's state of affairs is worth noting because just few weeks back, it was being hailed as a success story in contact tracing.

Already under the scanner for alleged under-reporting of cases and fatalities, Telangana has become one of the corona hubs since June. Since June 3, when the state crossed 3,000 cases, the total number of cases has risen by 1,637 per cent. In addition, the state has one of the lowest testing rates, with just 3,37,771 people tested so far.

With testing likely to go up after multiple criticisms of the state administration's handling of the pandemic, there are also chances of cases piling up. So, Telangana witnessing a September looks like a possibility.

Kerala, however, deserves special mention. "Kerala,you have seen now. They thought they had seen the end of COVID. Suddenly, inthe last over 10 days, Kerala has had a much larger number of cases than before," Murthy told PTI.

Kerala was being hailed as a model state even by the WHO, which said, The state governments prompt response to COVID-19 can be attributed to its experience and investment made in emergency preparedness and outbreak response in the past. However, the relaxation of the lockdown and the return of Non-Resident Keralites contributed to the rise in cases.

That Kerala has recorded over 1,000 cases thrice in the last four days, is a reminder that the virus is not going away anytime soon.

In short, India has to brace for a long haul before the only peak in peoples minds will be the snow-clad Himalayan peaks.
After law school, and a particularly unpleasant stint with a large Center City law firm back in 1989, I decided to abandon that high five-figure salary (back in 1989 five figures meant something) and turned to my true love: Teaching.

One day, after having spent the previous evening sleeping on the floor of my office after spending seven straight hours researching some arcane point about property reassessments in Northwest Philly, I printed out my resume and essentially begged any school that would have me to give me a job. I honestly didnt care what they would have me doing, although since I didnt have a teaching degree I limited myself to private schools. And God bless them, the Haverford School called me for a mid-year interview, having just lost their French teacher.

The next two years were spent instructing petit garcons how to ace their AP exams, and the year after that was devoted to teaching French and Spanish at Friends Select. The Quaker environment was an interesting departure from the Catholic school regimentation I knew (and loved) and it took a while to get used to ten year olds calling me by my first name. I ended my five year run as an educator at Villa Maria Academy, where I can promise you no one was calling me by my first name. In fact, to this day some of my old students on Facebook still refer to me as Mademoiselle Fleurs.

Despite my vastly different experiences in the realm of academia (and the need to adapt to a vastly different sort of student body between all boys on the Main Line, all girls on the Main Line and sophisticated mini-adults in Center City), I can honestly say that teaching provided me with some of the happiest years of my life. I knew that I was doing something important, that I was having an impact on young people and that there really was nothing more honorable, outside of military service, than going into a classroom and unlocking these developing minds.

Fast forward two and a half decades, to a place where teachers are now complaining about having to go back and do what they profess to love: Teach in a classroom. While I have had some unfortunate experience with teachers unions in the past (as an observer, not a member) I was always convinced that the grievance from the professionals was based upon their desire to better the lives of and conditions for students. It really never occurred to me that someone who would enter one of the service professions would be hyper focused on their own needs to the exclusion of their kids.

But that, sadly, is what I see happening these days as some school districts announce that they will reopen in the fall. It is reasonable that some of these adults are wary of being exposed to a virus that has not yet been tamed by science, and which is still wreaking havoc in some parts of the country (even though infection does not equate to mortality). I know that the uncertainties attached to this disease give one pause, and provide significant challenges to reopening the schools. And yes, I am fully aware that there is not enough money, time or even initiative at the local level to guarantee a fool-proof, completely sanitized, thoroughly germ-free environment.

I get it, this isnt a black-and-white-slam-dunk-we-got-this-zero-sum-either-or-situation. This is hard, and the consequences of getting it wrong are serious.

But by the same token, the only ones I see engaging in finger pointing and end-times sort of rhetoric are teachers who do not want to return to the classroom, and their supporters. I have seen on social media that virtually anyone who wants their child to return to the classroom in September is not only considered tantamount to a child abuser, but also wants teachers to die. I do not need to reproduce the posts here, because they are legion and you can do your own research, but there is no question that those of us who think it is imperative that children get back to the business of normalcy, or at least near-normalcy, are considered anathema. Worse than that, we are selfish, dare I say it? Trump supporters.

And that is what angers me the most. When I was a teacher, politics were irrelevant. That is likely because I taught in private schools, and my specialty wasnt all that controversial (unless you count the times I taught the kids how to curse in a foreign language, which I only did to keep their attention focused in the last weeks of the semester). But now, everything must be squeezed into the pro-Trump or never-Trump categories, with those of us who simply want to recapture the evanescent beauty of childhood for our kids turned into beastly creatures with a death wish. I understand that politicians would engage in that sort of gamesmanship.

I even get that some parents would do the same, having had my own battles with the sort of person who says, I am paying your salary, dammit, I get to tell you what and how to teach.

But I would have never expected that from members of a profession I always loved, admired, cherished and held in the highest esteem. These men and women who are comparing a premature return to classrooms to a death sentence should speak to soldiers who have taken incoming fire on a foreign battlefield, EMT workers, emergency room doctors or the police officers who are on the front lines every day, including those when we are not dealing with a pandemic.

I dont mean to dismiss the real concerns of teachers who might feel particularly vulnerable to infection, including those who are older, have pre-existing conditions or dont want to expose vulnerable family members to what they perceive as a risk. These are things that can and should be dealt with clinically, rationally, with an eye on the balance between safety and the mental health of cooped up children.

But that is not what we have been doing, because some people see this as just another opportunity to attack a president they despise, or advance some agenda that has absolutely nothing to do with their own health, or the welfare of children. And they have whined loudly enough, all the while calling it concern, that at least one school district (the big one in Philly) has decided to rethink its plans to reopen in the fall. The nuns who taught me would have told these fainthearted professionals to act like adults, study the facts and charts, and dispense with the hysterics. The children are watching.

Months ago I wrote about the toll being taken on high school seniors who were losing out on all of the important rites of passage, markers like graduation, parties, senior weeks and final farewells. Many of the emails I received in response were sympathetic, but also suggested that it was necessary to do everything possible to stop the spread of COVID.

Back then, I grudgingly agreed. Now, as I see teachers in particular (not all, but far too many) moving the chains and pushing back the goalposts, I am beginning to wonder if we even want to see the light at the end of this tunnel, or if it is in the best interest of some people to freeze us in a holding pattern indefinitely.

This cannot continue. Again, the children are watching us. Lets be worthy of the trust they place in us, and bring them back into a world they recognize, and deserve, before they become used to sitting in their bedrooms with absolutely no human contact. Christa McAuliffe once said, I touch the future, I teach. Its time some of these educators stopped living, scared and anchored in the past.

Christine Flowers is an attorney and a Delaware County resident. Her column usually appears Sunday. Email her at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
An Alameda County sheriffs employee died Friday evening from coronavirus complications, marking the second sheriffs employee to die in a 24-hour period, authorities said.

The employee, who was a non-sworn staff member, died from COVID-19 complications, according to the Alameda County Sheriffs Office.
TROY, Ala.  In the coming days, John Lewis will be brought to the halls of power. He will lie in state in the Capitol in Washington, as well as in the statehouses in Alabama and Georgia. He will be mourned by lawmakers and governors and the many other influential figures he came to know during more than 30 years in Congress.

But before all that, he came home.

You know now when I look at all the accolades, the pictures I see all the time, I think about where he came from, Ethel Mae Tyner, Mr. Lewiss sister, said of her brother, the Georgia congressman and civil rights leader, during a memorial service on Saturday in Troy, Ala., the small town where he grew up on a farm raising cotton.

His brothers and sisters shared their pride in seeing how Mr. Lewis, who died on July 17 at the age of 80, ascended and in the work he did along the way. But while the world knew John Lewis the activist and congressman, his family sought to memorialize the brother they called Robert, his middle name, used only by those closest to him.

Robert, they said, was the boy who wanted to be a pastor and preached to the chickens on the farm. Robert was one who was afraid of thunder and lightning, dashing inside whenever storm clouds would fill the sky. They saw Robert grow into the man who, as Mr. Lewis always put it, looked to stir good trouble.
US authorities have arrested Seattle-based Mukund Mohan, a serial entrepreneur and former executive at Amazon and Microsoft, for allegedly defrauding the Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) with forged documents and embezzling more than $5.5 million in Covid-19 relief funds.

Mohan was arrested and charged by the US Attorneys Office in the Fed PPP scam on Thursday.

He submitted fake and altered documents, including fake federal tax filings and altered incorporation documents in support of PPP applications for six shell companies he owned.

He then transferred some of the money to his Robinhood brokerage account for his personal benefit, the US Attorney alleged in its complaint, reports The Seattle Times.

Mohan, who studied computer science in Mysore University and became director of engineering at Microsoft in the US, was very popular in the startup ecosystem in Bengaluru.

He was currently serving as chief technology officer at online Canadian building materials retailer BuildDirect.com.

According to the report, Federal PPP loans are intended to help businesses retain workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

But Mohans companies didnt employ a single worker, according to the US Attorneys office.

For example, Mohan submitted forged documents to a lender of a company called Mahenjo Inc and showed that the shell firm had dozens of employees and paid millions of dollars in employee wages and payroll taxes.

Mohan claimed to the lender, Peoples Bank, that the $431,250 PPP loan would retain 24 jobs, according to a database maintained by the federal agency overseeing the programme, the report mentioned.

Mohan actually purchased Mahenjo in May from a company that specialises in aging shell corporations.

Mohan previously worked as a director of product management at Amazon Business and a director of engineering at Microsofts Cloud and Enterprise Business.

The US Attorney also claimed that Mohan received $304,830 in PPP loans for another company called Zigantic LLC, which does not have a business license and has never paid employee wages or payroll taxes.

Mohans son is the companys chief marketing officer, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Mohan has promoted himself for years as a builder and marketer of successful tech firms, even giving a speech on Budding Entrepreneurs at the TEDxMSRIT summit at Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bengaluru in 2013. Mohan and the tech companies where he worked did not comment on the development.
New Delhi:

More than 250 civilians have been assisting police personnel in southwestern range in managing long queues outside banks and ATMs as part of the Police Mitra initiative by Delhi Police, which will be formally launched on Saturday.

In the southwestern range, comprising west and southwest districts, 294 civilians, including 49 women, have been deputed outside banks and ATMs which are being thronged by people after the Centre demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.

ALSO READ: (Demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes: 10 days later, 10 things that you should know)

West and southwest districts have 166 and 128 Police Mitras respectively. The scheme will formally be launched today but they have been helping our staff for the last few days. They help in pacifying people in queues, said Dependra Pathak, Joint Commissioner of police (Southwest).

The southwest range is the first to roll out the initiative and other districts will follow suit in the next few weeks. Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma had last month issued standing orders to implement the initiative.

ALSO READ: (Watch video: Scan new currency notes to watch PM Modi's landmark speech on demonetisation)

Under the initiative, every police station will have civilian volunteers, whose number will depend on the area, and they will help police in crime prevention and establishing a better public-police interface.

Those with good social record will be enrolled. Their job will be to help police in addressing issues like drug addiction, maintaining communal harmony in the area.

The idea was suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Directors General of Police and Inspectors General conference last year where he had stressed that police forces should work on bridging the gap between them and the society.
Maybe you saw the big Page One story in The Chronicle a few days ago about how the Bay Areas biggest planners think the region might look in 2050. The center of the region might well move to Santa Clara County, but there will still be major housing and transportation problems. It will be a different Bay Area.

But thats a problem for another generation. Right now we should be worrying about how the region will look in 2021. Thats the year that counts. Not 2020. Weve written this year off. The worldwide epidemic has ruined 2020, and it doesnt look like things will improve until an effective vaccine is developed to control the coronavirus. Maybe by next spring, if we are lucky.

Maybe by then we can go out to dinner in a nice restaurant, or invite friends over for dinner, or even fly away and celebrate April in Paris. Throw away the masks and live a normal life.

But that all depends on how we ride out the storm in the next few months, how we keep alive the best of the old world so that it survives in the new one.

Things will never be the same, and thats for sure. The whole world will be different. You know what they say: All politics is local. Personally, Im not as worried about how Paris, or London or Tokyo are changed as I am about my own hometown.

And San Francisco is beginning to unravel this summer. You can see it in big ways and small. Stand on Market Street, and watch the Muni buses heading to and from downtown, empty. You wonder: Will downtown San Francisco ever come back? You hear about Louis restaurant closing down, a victim of the pandemic. Its been there forever, out by the Cliff House. We always called it Louies, like an old friend. It was not one of those places beloved by the food elites. A good place for breakfast or maybe a patty melt for lunch. Manhattan clam chowder on a foggy summer day. A one-of-a-kind place and irreplaceable.

A dreary year: no Stern Grove music this summer, no opera this season, no symphony, no Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, no Fleet Week. Pride came and went, virtually.

You look around and begin to wonder: As long as everybodys going to work at home, why do we need those big office buildings? And why should anybody commute into the city? And what about all those nifty lunch places in the Financial District and South of Market? Will they survive without the lunchtime crowd?

I wonder about the little neighborhood restaurants and the mom-and-pop coffee shops. I worry about the old-time places and the new and hip shops and restaurants on Valencia Street. The last time I was down there it looked shabby, like a small town headed downhill.

I miss those dark bars, like the Philosophers Club in West Portal, Li Po in Chinatown and those open-at-6 a.m. joints that specialized in happy hour for the night shift.

I miss going to the ballpark to see the Giants. I liked the crowds, the noise, the Sheboygan dogs and complaining about the overpriced beer. I watched the first games on TV, the stands empty, the players in masks, the fake crowd sounds. It was as real as a Zoom meeting or a virtual love affair.

I dont mean this to be nostalgic, like one of those Herb Caen Sunday columns about the Good Old Days, but these big and small things are what make San Francisco what it is. Otherwise wed be San Jose with hills.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Keeping the essence of San Francisco alive will be a challenge. Weve been through it before. They threw the key away when the Sir Francis Drake Hotel opened in 1928. The Roaring 20s were in full roar, and the country was booming. San Francisco had a huge building boom that transformed the place  the Standard Oil Building, the Shell Building, the Telephone Building and the towering Russ Building, 436 feet and 32 stories above Montgomery Street  the Wall Street of the West.

But then a worldwide depression ended it all with a crash. Thousands were out of work. Private investors did not build a San Francisco skyscraper taller than the Russ Building for 37 years. My parents and all their friends were scarred by the Great Depression, always worrying that another collapse was on its way.

And here it is brought on by a virus  what looks like a worldwide economic crisis. You dont have to look far in San Francisco to see it. The Sir Francis Drake, the hotel that would never close, has suspended operations, at least temporarily, because of the collapse of the travel and tourist industry.

Thats a big loss. Heres a small one: the nail salon at 30th and Dolores streets, where I used to wait for the J streetcar, has gone out of business, killed off by the pandemic. I wonder what will happen to the people who worked at the Sir Francis Drake. I wonder what will happen to the people who worked at the nail salon. I wonder what will happen to our city when this is all over.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @CarlnolteSF
In the wake of the still to come gubernatorial election in Edo, come the 19th of September 2020, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has recently reaffirmed to foil any attempt of rigging the election by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The vow was made by the party, during the flag-off of the present governor, Godwin Obasekis re-election campaign in Benin.

The National Chairman of the Party, Prince Uche Secondus, Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, all gave their different views concerning issue of possible rigging by APC.

Nation Chairman of PDP party, Uche Secondus, while outlining the need for having an election in September that is corrupt free and also fair for that matter, solicited with President Buhari to provide adequate security operatives that will protect the electorates coming to vote for preferred candidate.

According to him, it behoves the President of the Federation, to take charge of proceedings by ensuring the election is free and fair. Any contrary development beside this will not be acceptable by the party.

Similarly, Governor Wike posited that this election will be rigged by no one, adding that nobody will be able to preempt the outcome or result of the September gubernatorial election.

We at PDP, will do everything humanly possible to ensure that we retain the State, all you voters have to do, is to turn up, support and defend your casted votes. We also believe that with what Governor Obaseki has so far done, we believe the results will no doubt favour him, he explained.

According to the Governor, APC is still hopeful that the election will favour them. The reason is they have always believed in rigging elections to be in their favour, it will however be different this time around.

In the same vein, Governor Tambuwal of Sokoto State stated that the incumbent governor, Obaseki should always ensure closure to God; and that the people of Edo State should come out in mass to vote and as well, defend their vote.

I am therefore urging President Buhari to ensure that the election is free and fair, even as there have been questions about his leadership capabilities. He should ensure the whole process goes well, he added.
The minister and the Indian envoy jointly inaugurated the building of the school located in Hathazari Upazila of Chattogram, through video conference from their respective residences here on Thursday, while the function was conducted by Indian Assistant High Commissioner in Chattogram, Anindyo Banerjee with local lawmaker Anisul Islam Mahmud as special guest.

In her speech, Das stressed India's engagement in spreading education in Bangladesh and said such cooperation will be continued in the future.

"Besides interaction at the government level, India is also undertaking various capacity building projects covering social and human development aspects which are of direct benefit to local communities in Bangladesh, through the High Impact Community Development Project."

Under the HICDP, India extends support to building projects in various sectors such as education, IT, health, restoration of museums, cultural and heritage structures, disaster management, and urban development.

Thanking the Indian government for taking such initiatives earlier also, the Information Minister said: "The relationship between India and Bangladesh is genuine and historic. In many states, including the neighboring states of West Bengal and other states of India, we speak the same language, we hear the chirping of the same birds, we are born and raised in the same river basin. The Indian government has continued to play a role in the economic development of Bangladesh since independence."

Lauding the Indian government's role in Bangladesh's economic uplift, he said bilateral trade relations have reached a new high through India sending products to its northeastern states, using the roads of Bangladesh after unloading containers from ships at Chattogram Port.



He said the development of a country is not sustainable without the development of neighboring countries and this has been realised by the leaders of Bangladesh and India.

He also said construction of this building will benefit students, as well as the entire village, as per a statement of the Indian High Commission.

Local MP Anisul Islam Mahmud said: "We hope that this kind of cooperation from India will continue in the future. On behalf of the people of Hathazari, I would like to thank the Indian government."

Apart from the construction of the science building, a sum of 7 lakh takas has also been allocated for computers and other educational materials.

The construction of the building, whose foundation stone was laid by then Assistant High Commissioner of India in Chittagong, Somnath Haldar on July 26, 2017, was completed in January but the inauguration programmme was delayed due to the Covid pandemic, the Indian mission said.

--IANS

sumi/vd
The past few months has witnessed a gloomy atmosphere descend on Japanese and Korean streets in Ho Chi Minh City due to a huge shortage of customers, with many business outlets ceasing operations.

Le Thanh Ton street in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City is renowned for attracting many Japanese customers, leading to the location being dubbed Japanese street.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sharp decrease in the number of foreign guests, causing the majority of activities on the street to come to a standstill.

With very few foreigners visiting bars, business owners have struggled to pay the rent or looked for new tenants.

Many shops have been forced to close, leaving owners in distress. A number of local property owners have tried to find new tenants who they can rent to.

Although local landlords have reduced the rent by 10%, many businesses still cant afford the costs for the time being.

Dong Ho, a property owner on Le Thanh Ton street, explains that local enterprises are unable to pay the rent because they receive so few customers during the day. I have been unable to find a new renter for months, he cries out.

The dining, beauty, and bar services on offer on the street are mainly aimed at Japanese nationals living locally. However, the last three months since the end of the social distancing order has seen staff outnumber customers at establishments throughout the area.

Before the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the street had been packed with guests all day and night .

Van Trung, a local restaurant owner, says he has been running the restaurant for six years, but never before has his business come to a standstill like at present.

Many restaurants struggling to survive the crisis rely on investments from Japan, Trung says.

A bar owner shares that his business has seen no profits for the past two months.

A Korean street located in Phu My Hung urban area of District 7 in Ho Chi Minh City is no exception. The past six months has witnessed plenty of local outlets halt operations due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Many properties along the street have advertisements offering them out to rent.

A local coffee shop has been closed for days.

The majority of local properties have dropped their rental price.

A Korean-style restaurant has no customers during peak hours.

Although property owners have moved to decrease rental prices, they are still struggling to find new tenants.

VOV/Zing
This story was written by Robin Schatell.

Everyday I walk past Abrons Arts Center. I live across the street. I see it out my window. Empty. Quiet. Still. It makes my heart sink seeing it dark. Its gallery walls blank, amphitheater steps silent and doors locked. So I checked in recently, over the phone, with Craig T. Peterson, Artistic Director of the Abrons Arts Center, to see how someone used to overseeing a vibrant cultural space that offers performance presentations, exhibitions, education programs, and residencies, is managing this time of quarantine.

I came away from our conversation with a longing for community. Togetherness. That feeling that comes from the collective sharing of values, or place, or an experience. In Abrons case, this means gathering together in a theater, or auditorium, gallery, or classroom. It means watching a dance performance, attending an art opening, or taking a guitar lesson.

These days, we all wonder when we will be do this again. We also have started to wonderwe have no choice, reallyif togetherness needs to be physical. Its been close to five months and all the gatherings we have attended have been remote, save for a few outdoor dinners on the street. Can you get the same feelings from a screen? Alone with your screen? Its funny, our kids have screen time in their DNA. We monitor them, tell them too much screen time is bad. But now, its all weve got. Were here with our screens, trying to get as much stimulation as we can, to squeeze out as much human contact that a live projected image will allow.

Craig is most sad about not being able to gather his community. It brings with it an identity crisis. We have our real estate, our space, he said. We have our human capitalour constituents, our artists, our teachers. What are we good for without those?

All of us in the arts are in an identity crisis. What are we good for? Craig may not know the answer to that, but he knows, as I do, that artists are equipped for crisis. We are flexible, adaptable and used to performing with little support, and even fewer resources. This gave Craig an idea. As he said to me, they (his Abrons production team) have all the skills needed to organize large groups of people to do complex projects.

So, with its theater spaces and galleries dark, Craig partnered with Abrons parent organization, Henry Street Settlement, and Vision Urbana, a Lower East Side organization, and started a food pantry. Instead of furloughing or laying off his tech and operations staff, he put them to work sourcing, packing and delivering close to 850 meals a week. John Harper, Abrons dedicated Director of Operations, returned to the city from the quarantined safety of his familys home in Virginia, to lead the project.

For Craig, Abrons utilizes its space and community to problem solve. The gatherings are fundamental to this dance. Its challenging not to be able to have a place to gather. But the food pantry has grown into much moreit has become a project that brings not only staff together, but also many local artistsJulie Atlas Muz, Jenny Romaine, Aaron Landsman, Emily Johnson, Flaco Jiminez, among otherswho show up every week to help.

During the second week of food delivery, Craig and his education team collected artwork from Abrons childrens classes and put them in the food bags for homebound seniors. One senior colored in her art piece and sent it back. So, Craig, brilliantly, ordered supplies and art kits, adding them to the meal packets. Were nourishing peoples souls with art, and their bodies with food, he said. At least theres that.

Apart from running the food pantry, Abrons continues to support artists during COVID-19 in creative new ways. In early April they launched an Artist Community Relief Fund to support local artists and arts workers affected by the pandemic, giving away close to $30,000 in small emergency grants. Ali Rosa-Salas, Director of Programming, has been pushing out all of Abrons digital programming since the lock-down. Its monthly AAC Sound Series, a digital platform that features sound-based work by New York City artists, continues through August with A Language of Intimacy, presented with Boston Center for the Arts. The work features nine artists exploring the concept of intimacy in light of the social distancing required during this pandemic.

This past Thursday, July 23, Abrons brought people together on the steps of its Amphitheater, masked and at a safe, socially distanced six-feet-apart, for a candlelit Kinstillatory gathering and care and protection procession to the East River, led by its Social Practice AIRspace Resident Artist Emily Johnson. The mission: To wield love, provocations, and poetry for healthy and indigenous and Black centered futures, and to honor and give gratitude to the 1,000 trees that will be killed when East River Park is destroyed in September.

So, Craig figures it out, manages to still use his space, and his human capital, to bring us all together. To keep the art going.

In the time since Craig and I spoke, a very visible addition to his food distribution program has materialized in front of Abrons amphitheater a white community fridge, courtesy of a mutual aid partnership between Abrons and the activist group, In Our Hearts  offering free food for anyone in need. The sign reads: Take What you need. Leave what you dont. Comida Gratis. The fridge was empty when I passed it on this particular afternoon, but I imagined it stocked full of fresh fruit, and sandwiches, juices, produce and cheeses for those who are hungry.

Robin Schatell has been an active NYC arts & culture advocate, producer, manager, and curator for nearly three decades. She lives on Grand Street in Lower Eastside.
A day after leading a 'dharna' at the Raj Bhawan in Jaipur, Rajasthan Chief Minister on Saturday said Congress MLAs will meet the President and hold a sit-in outside the Prime Minister's home, if needed, to settle the crisis in the state.

Gehlot's remarks came on a day when Congress workers held demonstrations across the state, protesting against the "BJP conspiracy" to topple the state government and demanding a session of the state assembly.

Gehlot, who chaired a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Saturday afternoon, said his government would approach President Ram Nath Kovind if needed. The CLP meeting took place at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur where MLAs loyal to him have been lodged since a tussle for power broke out between Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot.

"We will go to Rashtrapati Bhawan to meet the President, if needed. Also, if required, we will stage a protest outside the Prime Minister's residence," said Gehlot a day after Congress MLAs protested at Jaipur's Raj Bhavan against Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra's stand on not calling an assembly session.

The political situation in the state is unlikely to come to an end anytime soon, with Gehlot on Saturday saying the MLAs in his camp might have to stay at the Fairmont Hotel for at least 21 days more.

At the CLP meeting, Gehlot indicated the plan was to have a floor test to prove that the majority of Congress MLAs and allies are with him in the tussle for power. "He said the government has the majority and wants to go to the assembly floor," said a statement issued by Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi after the meeting.

According to the party's statement, Gehlot told the CLP that it was a fight to save democracy, adding the strategy for the future will be planned after taking feedback from the MLAs.

"Wherever we need to go, be it Rashtrapati Bhavan or outside the Pradhan Mantri's residence, we aren't going to stop," the statement quoted Gehlot as saying.

Apparently referring to the Raj Bhawan dharna, AICC spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the unity shown on Friday was "amazing" and it will be remembered how 102 people together defeated those trying to crush the Constitution.

Gehlot chairs another Cabinet meeting

The Rajasthan Cabinet met again on Saturday to revise a proposal to be sent to Mishra requesting him to convene a session of the Assembly. Gehlot had chaired a meeting of the Cabinet on Friday night to discuss the points raised by the governor on its earlier proposal.

The Cabinet has now asked that the session be held on July 31, after its earlier demand that it should begin on Monday.

Gehlot was expected to meet the Governor and submit the note to him, but the meeting was yet to take place till late on Saturday.

In the evening, a 15-member BJP delegation met the Governor, expressing its opposition to the Congress dharna at the Raj Bhawan and the remarks Gehlot made the previous day. The chief minister had accused the Governor of not calling a session as he was under "pressure from above", indirectly blaming the BJP government at the Centre. He had also said that "we will not be responsible" if the people of the state gherao the Raj Bhawan.

The Congress government is pushing for a session of the Assembly so that Gehlot can prove his majority on the floor of the House after the Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

Mishra on Friday asked the Gehlot government why it wanted to call an Assembly session to secure a vote of confidence if it already had the majority. The governor posed the query in a six-point questionnaire entailing a note sent by the Raj Bhawan to the state Parliament Affairs Department, the Raj Bhawan said in a statement.

In his note to the state government, Mishra emphasised that "no one is above the Constitutional dignity and no pressure politics should be resorted to". He also pointed out that neither had any date for convening the session been mentioned in the Cabinet note, annexed with the government's request, nor had the Cabinet given its approval to it.

The government has neither given any reason for calling the session on such a short notice nor proposed any agenda for it, said the governor, pointing out that a 21-day notice is mandatory for calling an Assembly session.

In the statement, the Raj Bhawan added that Mishra had also asked the government "to ensure the independence and freedom of movement of all members of the legislative assembly".

On Friday, Gehlot said a letter was forwarded to the governor on Thursday night for calling the session, but he had not taken any decision on it.
In the first public accounting of Gregorio Palominos performance on his federal food relief contract, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official said the San Antonio event planner fell 250,000 food boxes short of what he was supposed to deliver.

They supplied about 500,000 boxes. They did not supply the entire amount of their contract, Bruce Summers, administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, told members of a House Agriculture subcommittee last week in Washington.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

Palominos $39 million contract with the USDA called for him to deliver 750,000 boxes of produce, protein and dairy to food banks and other nonprofits in the southwestern U.S. under the Farmers to Families Food Box program. The boxes are intended for families in need, to ease hunger during the coronavirus pandemic.

Its unclear how the federal agency determined that Palominos company, CRE8AD8, delivered about 500,000 boxes. The USDA wouldnt provide details about which entities received how many boxes, not just for CRE8AD8 but for other companies involved in the program, raising the ire of U.S. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Ohio, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

We have no idea what you are doing. Nor do you, because you cant answer the questions, she said in her closing remarks. Who is getting the food?

Are you paying somebody to really give it to people that should have it? We have none of those answers.

Palomino told the San Antonio Express-News in an email Friday that his company has delivered hundreds of thousands of boxes to food banks, hundreds of truckloads of food and millions of pounds of food to nonprofits.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

CRE8AD8 LLC served dozens of underserved regions within our contract and over 80 nonprofits and food banks in the SW Region, he said in the email.

But he provided no specifics about which nonprofits received boxes or how many went to each one.

Through bills of lading, other records and interviews, the Express-News has verified that Palominos company delivered at least 182,000 boxes, most of them  147,000  to food banks affiliated with Feeding America in seven states. The rest went to other nonprofits, churches and faith-based groups.

At last weeks hearing, Greg Ibach, the USDAs undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said CRE8AD8 was paid only for the amount of boxes they actually delivered.

Chip Somodevilla, Staff / Getty Images

The company will not collect the full $39 million, Ibach said, adding: The fact that they maybe came up a little bit short on their numbers, they were not rewarded financially for not delivering those boxes.

Palominos contract was one of the largest awarded to the nearly 200 companies chosen by the USDA in the first round of the food box program, which ran from May 15 through June 30. The USDA was criticized for selecting several companies with little demonstrated experience with large-scale food distribution, food banks and suppliers in a process that bypassed bids from more established companies in the food industry.

At the hearing, USDA officials defended the companies they chose.

Every firm, including that one (CRE8AD8), provided information in their proposal that showed that they had been involved in the distribution of food and had the ability to go out and procure food, pack it in boxes and deliver it to nonprofit organizations, said the Agricultural Marketing Services Summers, whose wing of the USDA oversees the program.

But the focus of CRE8AD8 (pronounced create a date) was planning weddings and corporate events. Palomino lacked a Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act license when he landed the USDA contract May 8. The license is required to buy or sell more than 2,000 pounds of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables in any given day, according to the USDA website.

Palomino applied for the license and received one from the USDA in a matter of days. He made his first delivery May 28: 235 boxes to the San Antonio Food Bank, according to a bill of lading from the food bank.

Ibach told the congressional committee that after the department became aware of the concern that surfaced among Congress, among the media, about that contractor the USDA sent officials to CRE8AD8s facilities to speak with that contractor.

We re-verified that they were capable of trying to fulfill their contract, Ibach said.

Fudge was blunt in her criticism of the USDAs selection process after the two-hour hearing.

Because USDA has rushed this program out the door, there is very little quality control with regard to who gets these contracts and who is qualified to actually meet the need, Fudge said. Tens of millions of dollars have gone to inexperienced contractors that still havent delivered anywhere near what theyve promised.

As one food bank executive explained today, if USDA had gone through established and capable channels, this problem could have been avoided. This is a humanitarian effort, not a gravy train.

The USDA said in late June that it would grant extensions into the second round of the food box program, which covers July and August, to well-performing contractors.

CRE8AD8 didnt get an extension, a USDA spokesperson said.

In his email Friday, Palomino said, Weve exhausted our award to the maximum capability and were not up for an extension.

All deliveries under the contract had to be completed by June 30, the USDA spokesperson said.

Eric Cooper, San Antonio Food Bank CEO, also testified at the House hearing. While he praised the USDA for initiating the program, which is continuing at least through December, he said hed like to see accountability improved.

Working with a local contractor here in San Antonio, we struggled to meet basic things like labeling. Some of the protein boxes, which should have been a diverse variety of protein, contained five 5-pound boxes of peppered chicken labeled for commercial use, he said. We had to reach out to the manufacturer, which was in California, to get heating instructions to include in all the boxes we distributed.

He said equity also needs to be addressed.

Equity between those that got food and those that didnt, Cooper said. Some areas got a lot of produce, some got zero. Some got dairy, some got none. Having no distribution plan with just a thought to work with any 501(c)3 (nonprofit) seemed a little willy-nilly.

torsborn@express-news.net

Tom Orsborn covers sports news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Tom, become a subscriber. torsborn@express-news.net | Twitter: @tom_orsborn
A probe into the potential spread of COVID-19 among Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics has identified areas of concern in protocols that were in place at the time.

EMS Chief Kevin Smith said Toronto-based Mortimer Khoraych Professional Corp. was brought in to conduct an independent investigation, after a paramedic tested positive for the potentially deadly virus in April.

That forced 26 other paramedics into 14 days of self-isolation, after they had been in contact with the individual while within the workplace.

There were some systems issues that certainly we can look at improving, said Smith. These really are about how information is exchanged.

At the time, Smith said, information was changing hourly and new information was coming down from all levels of government.

It was really about making sure the information was being communicated as effectively as possible because of the ever-changing environment  From there, its about clarity of how the information is interpreted and what that actually means to directions that are put in place.

Smith said the focus of the investigation was on staff compliance with policies Niagara EMS had in place at the time, after the investigator determined those policies were sound and appropriate.

Although all paramedics immediately began using full personal protective equipment when responding to calls as the pandemic hit the region, he said this paramedic was in close proximity with colleagues in the station and those sorts of areas, who didnt have masks on, then of course there was concern with possible exposure.

At the time, masks were in very short supply, he said.

Smith said none of the 26 paramedics who had been in contact with the individual tested positive for COVID-19.

Although a total of five paramedics have been diagnosed with the virus since the pandemic began, their illnesses were acquired in the community, not in the workplace.

The incident that was investigated was the only case where we had someone in the workplace and then found out that they actually tested positive, Smith said.

He said disciplinary actions were taken against at least one employee as a result of the investigation, but he would not divulge the details since its a human resources issue.

We have now addressed all of the issues with the people involved, he said.

RELATED STORIES Council EMS chief hopes lessons learned during COVID-19 continue after pandemic passes

For instance, he said, they are now working to ensure heightened awareness among staff to make sure they are paying attention the best they can and were giving them the information the best we can in this ever-changing environment.

Smith said Mortimer Khoraych was called in because of the serious situation of having a worker in the workplace and finding out they were positive.

We felt it was best and our union, CUPE Local 911  agreed that bringing in an outside person that could look at this without having the specific background of what had been happening in the workplace leading up to that, looking at it really through a fresh lens, was the right way to handle it.

Smith said the investigator interviewed 21 witnesses over a six-week period prior to developing the confidential report.
A Ballykelly-based company has reacted to the increased demand for personal protection equipment and is now manufacturing one million face masks a week.

The family behind the hugely successful company that already produces clinical seating, Seating Matters, set up Paragon Health.

Having seen the need for high quality medical masks, the family repurposed and expanded their medical device factory to manufacture disposable, medical masks under the Paragon Health banner.

The factory is now producing these masks for domestic use and for export.

The Tierney family have invested significantly in the new company which director Martin Tierney said created 25 jobs in the construction phase and provided security for those employed in the factory.

He said: "In today's environment, our health service, transportation, retail and hospitality sectors cannot continue to function based on importing PPE from abroad.

"We currently export to Australia, USA, UK and Ireland with approximately half of our total produce sold within UK and Ireland.

We saw the need for high quality medical masks and so we established one of the largest medical mask manufacturing operations in the UK to supply our healthcare workers, the public, tourists and travellers. Within Northern Ireland alone the demand for PPE is enormous and it would be great to see our local health service demands met by a local company, providing local jobs.

"It is naturally our goal to provide as much employment as we can in the local area."

In preparation for the production of the face masks, the company needed to build a clean-room, manufacturing space, sterilisation facility and decontamination chamber.

Mr Tierney continued: "In the challenging times created by this coronavirus pandemic, Paragon Heath is poised to play a key role in getting back to work safely and to supply PPE for future waves of Covid-19.

"We are going to become a long term PPE manufacturer, providing to local and foreign markets.

"With a capacity in excess of 1,000,000 masks per week, we have the ability to serve local demands and to export items around the world."
Bhubaneswar, July 25 : Odisha reported 10 more Covid-19 deaths, highest in a single day, taking the state's total death toll to 130, informed the health department on Saturday.

The deaths have been reported from Ganjam (3), Balasore (2), Sundergarh (2), Rayagada (1), Jharsuguda (1) and Gajapati (1) districts.

The positive tally also mounted to 24,013 with a huge spike of 1,320 new cases in the last 24 hours.

While 887 cases have been reported from different hotspot areas, the remaining 433 are local contacts, said the department.

Hotspot Ganjam district recorded 560 cases followed by Khordha (174), Gajapati (90), Puri (90) and Rayagada (65).

The number of active cases in the state rose to 8,650 while 15,200 patients have recovered so far.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Police search a bunker in Siderno, Italy, during a crackdown on the 'Ndrangheta Mafia's multibillion-dollar cocaine-trafficking enterprise. (Franco Cufari / European Pressphoto Agency)

It seemed like an excellent deal for an Italian company struggling because of the coronavirus.

The Milan-based web design company in June applied for a government-backed loan worth about $290,000 to help get through the pandemic-related economic downturn. The funds were released, but there was a significant problem: The company had not lost revenue; it had never generated any business.

The firm was apparently a money-laundering front for the Greco clan, a branch of the powerful Ndrangheta Mafia based in Calabria that controls most of the cocaine trafficking in Europe, according to authorities.

The owner of the company, which prosecutors did not publicly identify, was one of 27 suspects who had been monitored by anti-Mafia investigators for months  since before the pandemic hit  for alleged tax fraud and Mafia activity, Milans chief anti-Mafia prosecutor, Alessandra Dolci, said in an interview this week.

"They were naturally trying to profit from the recent measures taken by the government to finance the countrys economic and business system, Dolci said in her office in Milans palatial courthouse.

Almost 40% of all businesses in Italy are at risk of going bankrupt because of the coronavirus crisis, according to a July report by the National Institute of Statistics. Starting in mid-March, the country went into a near-total lockdown for more than two months as it battled the coronavirus, which as of Friday had killed more than 35,000 people in Italy and more than 634,000 worldwide.

The Italian government has passed a number of stimulus bills in response to the crisis, including a 25-billion-euro package in March and a 55-billion-euro relief plan adopted July 16. This week, the European Commission approved a bloc-wide 750-billion-euro coronavirus recovery plan that will allocate 209 billion euros to Italy.

But with Italy's notorious red tape, authorities say, the Mafia has been quick to intervene while the funds were waiting to be dispersed. In several southern towns, Mafia associates were seen handing out groceries, masks and cash loans to families in need.

Story continues

This goodwill helps achieve the crime syndicates real goal: using the financial crisis to infiltrate the legitimate economy.

The Mafia is always ready to intervene in moments of opportunity, prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi of Palermo, Sicily, said during an online news conference. These opportunities can also be created by an economic crisis.

Police this month executed search warrants that covered the homes and businesses of suspects throughout the country, from Lombardy and Veneto in the north to Sicily and Calabria in the south.

In Milan, authorities arrested eight people and froze assets worth 7.5 million euros, more than $8.5 million. The suspects stand accused of committing tax fraud and creating false invoices to obtain money allocated by the Italian government for businesses experiencing financial hardship because of the pandemic.

Other investigations are underway as organized crime groups attempt to take advantage of the pandemic, authorities say, by gaining access to government stimulus funds.

Police and prosecutors said they expected more arrests down the road.

In the northern region of Lombardy, the area hit hardest by the pandemic, masks and personal protective equipment were nearly impossible to find for most of March. Almost immediately, wiretaps picked up on Ndrangheta associates looking for stocks of masks and personal protective gear that they could sell for inflated prices, Dolci said.

The word Mafia is typically used as a catchall to describe four different organized crime groups that have been active in Italy since the late 19th century. The groups  which include the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the Neapolitan Camorra  are organized differently but operate in much the same way, buying struggling cash-heavy businesses such as bars and restaurants, and using them to launder money from drug trafficking and other illegal activity.

They also extort legitimate businesses into serving as hidden partners, meaning the business works on behalf of the Mafia but hides its affiliation with organized crime. The Mafia-controlled business seems clean, but in fact its proceeds route back to the criminal enterprise.

Starting in about the 1950s and 60s, Italys Mafias began to evolve beyond street-level criminal enterprises dedicated solely to black-market drugs, weapons and prostitution. They also began to position themselves as sophisticated white-collar criminals active in high-stakes industries such as construction, energy and waste management.

About 10 years ago, the Italian government introduced an anti-Mafia certification for businesses that apply for public contracts and funds. The local district office for the Ministry of the Interior performs an investigation to determine whether the companys owners and close associates have ever been convicted of Mafia activity or Mafia-adjacent crimes, such as drug dealing, said Anna Sergi, a professor at the University of Essex who specializes in organized crime.

Normally the anti-Mafia certification is presented along with the rest of the application documentation, and the companys proposal isnt even considered without one.

But sometimes during emergencies  the pandemic qualifies  lawmakers allow a company to self-certify and assume the burden of declaring itself Mafia-free to access the funds more quickly. The government then follows up later with an investigation, and if the certification isnt confirmed, the funds must be returned and the business can be prosecuted for fraud.

The problem, Sergi said, is that if thousands of businesses are self-certifying and the money gets allocated, it can be difficult to recover the funds.

We are in this situation where if everyone testifies and gets the money allocated, it becomes really difficult to stop the progress, Sergi said.

If you discover at a later stage that there was Mafia involvement, how do you undo what youve already done? she said.

The latest coronavirus stimulus bill included a new safeguard to the self-certification process by imposing a penalty of up to six years jail time for anyone who lies on the self-declaration form. Before, the penalty depended on different variables outlined in the countrys anti-fraud statutes.

The more recent approach puts an extra burden on the judicial system because prosecutors have to prove that the suspect lied instead of making a mistake, Sergi said.

What they should be doing is putting those resources toward facilitating the checks at the beginning, she said. So instead of having say four people work on it, have 10 people facilitate the certification, and perform the controls as they should be done.

But with the country facing bankruptcy and in dire need of an injection of liquidity, there wasnt any choice but to simplify the financing upfront and then step up control efforts after the funds were disbursed, Dolci said.

Its a delicate moment for the history of our country, she said. This financing is there because it goes to Italys survival.

Sergi, Dolci and other analysts stressed that Mafia infiltration of coronavirus-related financial recovery efforts is not an Italy problem but said other governments werent dealing with the problem head-on.

Sergio Nazzaro, spokesman for the Italian Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission, said Mafia-style groups take in an estimated 100 billion euros a year  far too much to launder in Italy alone. Some European countries seemed to be in denial about how powerful the Mafia is outside Italy and how easily Mafia activity could derail economic recovery efforts in other countries, he said.

That's in part because acknowledging the Mafia's presence can be bad for business, he said.

For example, forming a shell company in Italy will automatically raise Mafia-related suspicions with the financial police, but forming a shell company in countries such as the Netherlands and Luxembourg wont attract scrutiny.

If youre the Mafia, youre going to move the money wherever theres opportunity, Nazzaro said.

He said the Mafia has survived for so long because it constantly evolves; as soon as lawmakers find a solution, organized crime finds a way around it. That means that cooperation among countries and among different agencies  finance ministries, police departments, even agriculture departments  will be crucial to stopping the Mafia.

Youre not going to fight the Mafia with a gun; youre going to fight it with intelligence and information, he said.

Dolci agreed that the Mafia operates in a globalized world and said the problem required better international cooperation. The Mafia would no doubt try to access the European recovery funds, she said.

We have to be better than ever, but we will, she said as she gestured toward the July 14 arrest documents. I have faith. After all, we got this one.

Brancolini is a special correspondent.
Resident Doctors in Abuja has recently extended the ultimatum given to the Federal Government in meeting with their demands to an additional three weeks.

The President of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, speaking on behalf of members of the association, bemoans the manner in which the government treats the case. They are handling our demands with levity; which at this stage, is considered not encouraging.

According to him, the development came due to the unsettled conclusion by the association, prior to the response of the government to their demands.

He stated that their going for strike will be considered eminent, should the government exceeds the three weeks ultimatum and their demands not met. Nothing will stop the association and its members to commence the promised strike action, he added.

Contained in their demands, the Union urged the Federal Government to obtain group life insurance for the workers, provide adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Medical Residency Training Funding, hazard allowances, as well as reinstating the shortfall in their salary from year 2014 to 2016.
Mr. Khaliq and Ms. Oport are among hundreds of victims and family members at the center of a yearslong process to remove Sudan from a U.S. government list of state sponsors of terrorism. Doing so will open the way for the East African country to move toward economic stability, and potentially greater democracy, after a generation of oppression.

Yet the payment disparity between victims who were Americans at the time of the bombings and those who were not has delayed  and could derail  the deal. It has divided Congress and created a rift between the victims and their lawyers as the United States grapples with how to correct unequal or discriminatory standards in its legal system.

Its cold  why would they even think of compensating the Kenyans at a lesser percentage than the Americans? said Ms. Oport, who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenyas capital, for 15 years before she immigrated to the United States in 2002 and became a citizen in 2010.

I can only say its discrimination, she added.

She called the international employees at American embassies abroad the backbone of the missions by keeping operations running and recounted returning to work a few days after the blasts to pick through the rubble for documents that would have been lost. The recognition of equality is very important, she said.
Weather Alert

.An arctic cold front will move across the region on Wednesday, causing rain to change to snow Wednesday afternoon and evening. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST THURSDAY... * WHAT...Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of one inch with localized higher amounts and ice accumulations of a light glaze. * WHERE...Portions of southwest Indiana, western Kentucky and southern Illinois. * WHEN...From 4 PM Wednesday to 6 AM CST Thursday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute, especially along the Ohio River. The transition from rain to a wintry mix and snow may not occur closer to the Tennessee border areas until this evening. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The combination of gusty winds, falling temperatures and wind chills, and falling snow will cause hazardous travel. Freezing of residual moisture on roads from rain earlier Wednesday could also cause icing of roads and walkways. Black ice issues could linger through the early morning hours. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. &&
Most other school districts in the metro area have announced plans to bring all students back for in-person learning.

Teacher Molly Davies said teachers are not just worried about their health, but the health of families who live in areas of Omaha that have been hit hard by COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. She said its not that teachers want to be exempt from any risk.

If the community is not willing to do the minimum of masking so that we can slow the spread, it is very difficult for us to accept that youre going to put additional risk on us, our students and our students families, she said.

Taylor said being away from her students has been very painful and to think teachers are speaking up just because they dont want to go back to work is an absolute disgrace to our profession.

What we dont want to do is to kill our children, Taylor said.

Teacher Cathy Scurlock said she wants to return to the classroom and teach her students in person when its safe. Until then, Scurlock said remote learning is the best option.
As the mural boom continues apace all across Milwaukee, the Villard Avenue Business Improvement District #19 today announced a new large-scale five-mural art project to be installed along Historic Villard Avenue in the former North Milwaukee.

The five mural sites are the Carter Christian Academy on 35th Street; Oasis (nightclub) on Villard Avenue; the former CCA Wellness and Fitness Center on 35th Street; The ArtHaus (theater) on 35th; and MotorKings Auto (formerly Ps Automotive), on Villard Avenue.

Artists can submit proposals based on the theme of "Cultural Pride" to the BID, which will then name the selected projects around the week of Aug. 10-15 and artists will be notified the next week.

Painting dates will be scheduled between Labor Day weekend and Saturday, Sept. 19.

The BID says that the murals, "aim to celebrate the creativity, talent and pride of the Villard community."

"There was a lot of feedback about supporting the culture of the people that live in the area with regard to recruiting and supporting black owned businesses," says BID director Angelique Sharpe.

"They want to see Sherman Phoenix-like models of business, which we know is predominately black owned. So this is the thought process behind having a cultural mural theme  to give a nod and some respect to the culture of the people that have been surviving through the last several decades of economic disinvestment in the area."

This project is funded by BID #19 and organized by Wallpapered City, which has worked to to create many mural projects in the Milwaukee area, including Black Cat Alley on the East Side, a series of murals this summer in West Allis and the mural project installed in East Tosa last summer.

Support for the project has also come from Havenwoods Economic Development Corporation, the City of Milwaukee's Environmental Collaboration Office, Milwaukee City Development's NIDC Community Improvement Program and a $25,000 anonymous gift.

For details on submissions, please contact Angelique Sharpe or Stacey Williams-Ng.
A standoff Saturday morning at a west Birmingham home ended peacefully when the suspect surrendered to waiting officers.

West Precinct officers were called to a home in the 5900 block of Malcolm Avenue about 6:20 a.m. The initial report was that a woman had been shot, though not with life-threatening injuries, and that a man was still inside the home with at least one small child. He had not responded to efforts by police to communicate with him.

Birmingham police are on the scene of a standoff on Malcolm Avenue in Birmingham's Roosevelt City area.

West Precinct Commander Capt. Scott Thurmond said officers responded to the home at 6:20 a.m. after a woman had been assaulted there. She was able to escape the house, but the man and an infant boy were still inside. The woman was taken to the hospital with an injury to her arm from flying glass after she was shot at by the suspect.

Family members of both the suspect and the female victim were on the scene for much of the morning. For hours, the suspect refused to responded to police. They roped off a large perimeter in the neighborhood and the tactical team was been called in.

About 10 a.m., the suspect gave up and exited the house. Tactical officers ran to greet him, handcuff him and put him in a waiting patrol car. An officer carried the infant boy out of the home.

Thurmond said the baby was checked out by medics on the scene and was not injured. DHR workers also were at the location.

The suspect now faces domestic violence charges. Police are securing the house and will obtain a search warrant for inside.
From last years Extradition Bill incident to last years District Council election, the consistent goal of the US and other Western anti-China forces has been to disrupt Hong Kong by training their political puppets to seize governance power and influence the political trends of Hong Kong, and then contain Chinas development.

Ahead of the 2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo) election, Benny Tai, a US puppet for years, coordinated illegal primaries and attempted to seize power through the election, paralyze the government and spread his burn with us mentality in Hong Kong.

This years LegCo election is now under the shadow of interference from the US and other Western anti-China forces.

Hong Kong belongs to China and it is not a pawn of anti-China forces. US puppets must not be allowed to have governance power in Hong Kong.
In the battle against this pandemic, a few people recover, some in critical condition while others pass on. Truly! Individuals with underlying health conditions are biting the dust, be that as it may, have we contemplated what happens to individuals with hidden health issues, for example, hepatitis and are unaware?

Across the world, 290 million people are living with viral hepatitis unaware. Only 10% of people living with hepatitis B and 19% living with hepatitis C know their hepatitis status. (WHO,2020)

Researchers and public health officials are trying to find out, among other things, the transmission rate, risk factors and who is most likely to become seriously ill. Though much stays obscure, its clear that people with hidden health conditions and those with compromised immune systems have a higher likelihood of severe illness. This may include people with a liver disease such as hepatitis.

Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver. The five (5) most common viral hepatitis are A, B, C, D, and E. Recently, the hepatitis G virus was identified. Hepatitis A and E are transmitted through contaminated food, water, poor hygiene and close contact with carriers of the virus. Hepatitis B, C and D are transmitted through blood, sexual intercourse, bodily fluids, kissing, sharing syringes and blades, and touching wounds of infected persons. Hepatitis G being the newly discovered viral hepatitis route of transmission is no different from that of B, C and D.

Studies have found that, hepatitis A and E are acute; lasts for a short time - less than six(6) months and hepatitis B, C, D and G may progress to chronicity; more than six(6) months.

Hepatitis B and C are currently the most common viral hepatitis in Ghana with 78% and 5-10% prevalence respectively. Symptoms of viral hepatitis starts from absence of symptoms (asymptotic) to mild or moderate features such as jaundice-; yellowish discoloration of the skin and eyes, poor appetite, malaise and progressing to a chronic liver failure .

The burden of the disease as dictated by a high prevalence rate, calls for an open mediation. This is substantiated by the fact that, more than half of patients with COVID-19 showed varying levels of liver disease. This is partly due to the relatively weak immune system of hepatitis patients for which reason they are rendered powerless in the face of the COVID-19. That notwithstanding, its a common place to find a hepatitis patient especially hepatitis C positive person with an attending heart problem

All hepatitis positive persons are at risk of adverse outcomes from the virus (COVID-19). Dont panic! The best thing you can do is to focus on ways that you can protect yourself because those small things can be enough to provide an extra layer of protection for you. All ill hepatitis patients should attempt to adhere to strict social distancing measures as much as they can to minimize their chance of exposure to COVID-19. Lets all practice good handwashing with soap and water, good sanitation, personal hygiene, and good safe food hygiene as dictated by the COVID-19 measures.

To those who do not know their status, hold on! Dont be grateful yet!

Get tested to know your status. Be vaccinated against hepatitis A, B and E. Although there is no vaccine for C and G, a vaccine against A and B provide immunity for C. Without finding the undiagnosed and linking them to care, millions will continue to suffer, and lives will be lost especially in this COVID-19 period. Once again, get tested to know your stand so that when you come into contact with the virus, you can cautiously take care of yourself.

Source

World Health Organization. World Hepatitis Day 2020. 2020 retrieved on 25 July 2020 from https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2020/07/28/default-calendar/world-hepatitis-day-28072020.
An occasional roundup of unusual OPP news releases:

On July 10, a woman broke into a house on Road 157 in the Listowel area and decided to stay a while.

While inside the house, the suspect changed into the homeowners clothes, and drank a beverage, OPP said.

The homeowners were gone at the time.

A suspect, 40, was arrested on foot nearby and charged with breaking and entering, possession of meth and failing to comply with probation.

This has similarities to a 2018 case where a fentanyl addict broke into a Cambridge house, liked what she saw and decided to stay.

The woman, 29, put food in the fridge, changed the bed sheets and lived there for three days, until the real tenant returned from an out-of-town trip. Before leaving, the woman stole $10,500 in goods, including shoes, clothes, purses, cash, photos and family heirlooms. She left behind needles and cigarette butts.

She was sent to jail for eight months.

Ha ha, we stole your car

Stealing the car wasnt enough. They had to rub it in.

On July 15, at 1:30 p.m., two youths found the keys in a car parked at a home in Dunnville, 60 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, and drove off.

The youths then drove around the neighbourhood and taunted the vehicle owner before dumping the vehicle nearby and fleeing on foot in an unknown direction, OPP said.

Insult to injury?

The driver of a farm tractor was charged after it collided with a train.

At 11 a.m. on July 14, the tractor was hauling a flatbed loaded with hay on Daniel Road, in South-West Oxford Township, 15 kilometres south of Ingersoll, when it collided at a crossing with a slow-moving Ontario Southland Railway train.

The tractor driver, 62, of London was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was charged with failing to stop at a railway crossing.

Daniel Road was closed for six hours to remove the damaged tractor.

Wrong place to park

An SUV idling in the Wiarton OPP detachment parking lot at 11:25 a.m. on July 14 aroused the suspicions of an officer. When the officer approached, a strong odour of cannabis was detected.

The driver became very agitated, refused to identify themselves and sped out of the parking lot, OPP said.

Police gave chase but the driver got away. He and the SUV were later found in Sauble Beach.

A local man, 30, faces eight charges, including dangerous driving, fleeing police and driving a vehicle with cannabis readily available.

Brother, can you spare a litre?

He asked the wrong person for gasoline.

At 9 a.m. on July 14, police were told of a black sedan speeding and passing unsafely on Highway 17 near Wawa, between Sudbury and Thunder Bay. Police also learned the driver was a suspect in a gasoline theft.

A few hours later police found the car in Lake Superior Provincial Park. They tried but failed to stop it with spike belts.

A short time later, the driver of the vehicle requested gasoline from an off-duty OPP sergeant north of Wawa, police said. On-duty officers were immediately advised. The roadway was contained by officers and the vehicle was eventually located stuck with the two occupants attempting to free it.

The pair fled on foot into a wooded area. They surrendered the next morning and face a long list of charges.

Two people from Windsor, 23 and 28, face a long list of charges.

Oops

On July 16, the driver of a tractor-trailer failed to set the brakes when he stopped at a Highway 401 service centre near Mallorytown, 65 kilometres northeast of Kingston.

The rig rolled away on its own and into the on-ramp ditch, OPP said. Nine tickets were issued  seven for the driver, two for the company  and the truck was taken out of service for 72 hours. It was a dangerous situation that could have resulted in serious injuries.

Oh yeah, we need a key

Thieves stole a motorcycle but didnt take it far.

On July 13, at 1:40 a.m., police responded to a house in Simcoe, 40 kilometres south of Brantford, where unknowns had entered a garage and stole the bike.

The motorcycle was subsequently located in the bushes nearby and was returned to its rightful owner, OPP said.
Dozens of polychromatic ice pops tumble to the floor every time I open my freezer, little frozen jewels of fruit that pack a punch on naked feet.

Thats because my family cant stop making ice pops. A silicone mold has been our best purchase of the pandemic. Theres been watermelon, peach and blackberry ice pops, whose seeds got so hard and scratchy that only my 4-year-old would eat them (looking like an extra from The Walking Dead every time). I love that its easy for my kids to help without frustrating me (#pandemicneeds), and they like to experiment by mixing fruits and adding bits (most recently gummy worms). Homemade ice pops stay good for a month, so who cares if there are 33 in my freezer? We got this.

Our pandemic pops made me curious about the deeper story of ice pops. The result is three unique ice pop recipes that help tell a brief, incomplete history and evolution of global ice pops.

People have strong feelings on terminology, and the brand name Popsicle has evolved to mean all ice pops in the U.S. I define ice pop as a water or milk-based frozen dessert that is quiescently frozen (not aerated like ice cream), so it forms a solid block of ice. In my opinion, it doesnt matter if its on a stick. Plenty of countries make ice pops in plastic bags because its cheaper, including Brazilian sacole, Filipino ice candy and Mexican bolis.

When it comes to the history of ice pops, historians usually rally around one story: In 1905, a tween American boy named Frank Epperson accidentally froze a cup of soda outside overnight with a stirrer. He started selling the Epsicle around his neighborhood. In 1924, he patented it as the Popsicle.

I havent found anyone who has studied ice pops in non-Western countries (let me know if you have), but it is known that China was harvesting and storing ice in 1100 B.C., and Persia (Iran) was by 400 B.C. Ever try Indian kulfi? Its like ice cream but frozen solid like an ice pop, sometimes on a stick, and its been in India since the 16th century (in Turkey and Iran even longer). So was Epperson really the first?

Celeste Noche / Special to The Chronicle

African diaspora

For my own ice pop inspiration, I wanted to learn more about traditions around the world and local BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) companies.

In Senegal, ice pops are called creme glace, says Nafy Flatley, owner of Teranga in San Francisco. Creme glace features seasonal fruits, vegetables and spices, and is typically made in bags. Growing up in Dakar, Flatleys family owned one of the few freezers in the neighborhood in the late 70s, so her grandma (Wolof tribe) would sell ice pops from their home: tangy tamarind with spicy ginger, tart, creamy baobab with earthy moringa, sweet carrot with hibiscus for color, mango when in season. Nutmeg, rose petals and black pepper were common, and creamy pops used homemade yogurt, coconut milk or tiger nuts. Flatley used to make ice pops for Teranga, and plans to offer them in La Cocinas Municipal Marketplace, coming soon to the Tenderloin.

After falling in love with paletas in Guadalajara, Mexico, Mike Taylor launched Bliss Pops in Redwood City in 2012. Taylor is Black and Japanese American, influences you see in his menu. There are fruit pops and birthday-cake pops, also Southern flavors for his Alabama father like cognac bacon maple, and flavors for his Japanese mother, like adzuki. She used to drive 1 hours to Wichita, Kan., for a Japanese grocery, and Id get red bean pops, Taylor says. He taught me that home freezers incorporate moisture from the air, which leads to icy, diluted flavors, so using more sweetener and stronger flavors are key.

I love that Flatleys grandma used black pepper. When I heard about her pineapple ginger mint black pepper pop, it consumed me. Perfection is unattainable, but this comes close: sweet, acidic, refreshing and subtly spicy. Flatley noted that acidic fruits can become more sour when frozen, so Taylors advice on sweetness was vital to this recipe.

Celeste Noche / Special to The Chronicle

Mexican diaspora

Paletas arrived in Mexico in the early 20th century, and today, every Mexican town and city has its own paleteria (paleta shop). Paleta comes from palo, which means stick, and is made from ripe fruit like mango and tamarind (often with chile salt or chamoy), or milk, like arroz con leche. Fany Gerson launched La Newyorkina, a Mexican paleta and frozen dessert company, in New York City in 2010. The Mexico City native also wrote the books My Sweet Mexico and Paletas.

Paleterias have a reach-in freezer with a glass top. Everything is stacked up, so many colors and textures that the anticipation of going there was incredible, Gerson says. Her tip is to use the ripest fruit so you can use less sugar. A paleta shouldnt be too sweet.

As Gersons My Sweet Mexico explains, the Aztecs traditionally gathered ice from volcano tops to preserve food and medicine for emperors, and eventually made desserts with it. Spain colonized the country in 1519 and made ice expensive; only the upper class could afford frozen treats. The tradition survived in the black market until Spain left in 1823, and then frozen desserts became a bridge between social classes. This treat that started out being only available to the very wealthy, she says, is now available to everyone.

Gerson opened her brick and mortar after President Trump was elected, and immediately experienced racism, which she links to Trumps anti-Mexican sentiments. It was also a struggle to charge more for her paletas. There is this assumption that because Im Mexican, it should be worth less, she says. She feels motivated to present her Mexican culture in a beautiful way, despite the noise.

Nancy Rosales founded Pepitos Paletas in San Francisco circa 2007.

Celeste Noche / Special to The Chronicle

My parents worked in the fields, and my dad would occasionally take us out to pick strawberries with him, she says. It was hard work, but the young teen learned a lot. That was my dads way of teaching us its either this or you go to school, Rosales says. The reward was making paletas with the strawberries.

While her business has experienced struggles, its now a women-run co-op that focuses on agave-sweetened paletas made to order. She created a handmade box that keeps pops chilled for eight hours for delivery. For flavors, Tradition is always important, but its not always flavors traditionally found in paletas, she says. She reinvented a sweet corn soup her family eats into a caramelized corn pop, and her caramelized yam pop is a family side dish.

Inspired by Gersons cookbooks, my next ice pop paired tart red hibiscus with super ripe peaches. Pureeing peaches with the skin on gives the ice pops a delicious velvety texture.

Asian diaspora

Growing up, Taiwanese American food writer Grace Hwang Lynch would cool off with homemade mung bean ice pops. This Taiwanese tradition comes from chilled dessert soups known as tien tang, she says. Its typically beans or grains cooked in water with rock sugar, occasionally with condensed milk, coconut milk or tapioca balls. Their ice pops came from a summer soup with mung bean and tapioca, because mung bean in Traditional Chinese Medicine is a cooling food, Hwang Lynch says. She believes ice pops in Taiwan go at least as far back as the 1950s, where her mom ate them in Taipei. Mung bean ice pops are hard to find in the U.S., so she makes her own (you can find the recipe on her blog, Hapa Mama).

In 2005, Jaymes Luu started Fat Face in Davis, selling at farmers markets. Luus strength is bold, creative flavors. His family immigrated from Vietnam when he was 1 and lived in Louisiana and Florida. I do things that I love and I like ... helping people be more adventurous with food, Luu says. Theres mango sticky rice, strawberry shortcake matcha, makrut lime with avocado. His plum basil jasmine and apricot lavender play with aromatics, and he crowdsources flavors, like Thai tea with sweet potato, and bacon and egg, an eggy custard with bacon caramel. Luus tip was genius: Freeze a spoonful of your ice pop base before freezing the entire batch to taste and adjust flavors.

My last pop was inspired by Hwang Lynch and Taiwanese bean pops. Indian sweets are often made with lentils, so I took the filling of a sweet stuffed flatbread, vedimi (a.k.a. puran poli), and made it a pop. With nutty toor dal, jaggery, toasted pistachios, toasted coconut and cardamom, it tastes like a frozen mithai (Indian sweet) on a stick. I cried. Ice pops are emotional.

I want to research this until we have a complete world history of ice pops (hey book publishers!). A bonus has been teaching my kids about traditions around the world through eating sweets. What do ice pops look like in your family or culture?

Leena Trivedi-Grenier is a freelance writer living in the Bay Area and winner of the 2020 Association of Food Journalists award for best food essay and second place for best column. Email: food@sfchronicle.com Instagram @leenaeats Twitter: @Leena_Eats

Pineapple Ginger Mint Black Pepper

Makes 10 ice pops

This flavor combination is a favorite for Senegalese immigrant Nafy Flatley, owner of Teranga. A ripe pineapple is key; choose one that smells sweet and yields to slight pressure. The mint, ginger and black pepper are balanced so that no one flavor overpowers the other, but feel free to adjust based on what you like. This is made for a 3.25-ounce ice pop mold with 10 slots and sticks. Add water to any leftover base for a flavorful punch.

 to 2/3 cup (90 to 130 grams) granulated sugar

1 pounds peeled, cored pineapple (from a 4-pound ripe pineapple)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons mint chiffonade

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Instructions: Taste your pineapple. If its not very sweet, use the higher amount of sugar. Heat the sugar and 1 cup water in a small pan over medium-high heat, stirring, until it comes to a boil and the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, pour syrup into a bowl and place in fridge or freezer for 20 minutes until cool.

Small dice  cup of pineapple and set aside. Rough-chop the remaining pineapple, and puree it with the cool syrup, lime juice, mint, ginger, black pepper and salt. Taste and adjust flavors. Skim off any foam, fill the molds  full, then freeze for 30 minutes. Add in the pineapple chunks and top with more base, leaving  inch at the top of each mold. Place lid on, then set in freezer on a flat surface. Slide in the sticks and freeze until solid, 6-8 hours.

To remove ice pops from mold: Get a bowl or container large enough to submerge most of the mold and fill it with warm (not hot) water. Dip the mold in the water for 20 seconds, then place on a towel. Remove the lid, and while one hand is pressing on each side of a single ice pop, use the other hand to slowly but firmly pull up on the stick. If it doesnt slide, dip mold in water and try again. Place each ice pop in a plastic bag into the freezer immediately. Repeat until all ice pops are unmolded. Let ice pops chill in the freezer for at least one hour before eating to help resolidify. Eat ice pops within one month.

Vedimi Pops

Makes 10 ice pops

This ice pop was inspired by Asian bean ice pops, and its based off of a filling for a sweet Indian stuffed flatbread known as vedimi or puran poli. All three sugars play a role: the jaggery lends a caramel-y flavor common in Indian mithai (sweets), the granulated sugar rounds out the sweetness and the corn syrup brings down the melting point of the ice pop, making it creamier straight from the freezer. Find toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas), powdered jaggery and green cardamom online or at an Indian grocery. This is scaled for a 3.25-ounce ice pop mold with 10 slots and sticks.

Dal

 cup toor dal, soaked for 20 minutes (optional), rinsed until water runs clear and drained

Dash of kosher salt

Base

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1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon ground green cardamom

1 cup coconut milk + up to 1 cup more

10 strands of saffron

 cup (125 grams) powdered jaggery

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (around 37.5 grams) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

 ounce corn syrup

 cup (70 grams) toasted unsweetened coconut

2/3 cup (65 grams) toasted chopped unsalted pistachios

To cook the dal: On the stove top, put the dal, 1 cup water and salt in a medium pot, bring to a boil, then lower heat until its simmering. Cover with a lid and cook until the dal is completely soft, stirring occasionally, roughly 20 to 25 minutes. If the water evaporates before the dal is cooked, add more. Spread the dal on a plate and place in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool, then puree in a blender or food processor with  cup water until smooth. Set aside. Rinse and dry pot.

To make the base: Heat coconut oil in the clean pot, then add cardamom, stirring for 5 seconds until its fragrant. Add pureed dal, 1 cup coconut milk, saffron, jaggery, granulated sugar, salt and corn syrup. Heat and stir over medium-high heat until all sugar has dissolved, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, add the coconut and pistachios and stir well. Pour into a measuring cup. If its under 3 cups, add more coconut milk, then cool in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. The dal will thicken when cool, so use up to  cup of coconut milk to make it pourable again. Pour into molds, leaving  inch of space at the top of each one. Place lid on, then set in freezer on a flat surface. Slide in the sticks and freeze until solid, 6-8 hours.

To remove ice pops from mold: Get bowl or container large enough to submerge most of the mold and fill it with warm (not hot) water. Dip the mold in the water for 20 seconds, then place on a towel. Remove the lid, and while one hand is pressing on each side of a single ice pop, use the other hand to slowly but firmly pull up on the stick. If it doesnt come out, repeat process. Place each ice pop in a plastic bag and into the freezer immediately. Repeat until all ice pops are unmolded. Let ice pops chill in the freezer for at least one hour before eating to help resolidify. Eat ice pops within one month.

Hibiscus Peach Paletas

Makes 10 ice pops

Fany Gersons Paletas cookbook inspired this recipe, which balances tart red hibiscus flowers with sweet peaches. I like using peaches bordering on overripe so I can use less sugar, but if yours are less ripe, the hibiscus flavor will come through more (both ways are good). I discovered that leaving the skin on the peaches yields an ice pop that is velvety and rich. This is made for a 3.25-ounce ice pop mold with 10 slots and sticks. Add water to any leftover base for a flavorful punch.

Agua fresca

1/3 cup (12 grams) red hibiscus flowers

 cup + 2 tablespoons (75 grams) granulated sugar

Base

2 cups sliced ripe peaches, skin on (2 large peaches)

3 tablespoons to  cup (37 to 49 grams) granulated sugar

 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)

To make the agua fresca: Rinse flowers in cold water, drain. Put 1 cups water and sugar in a medium pot and bring to boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and add flowers. Let steep for 30 minutes, then strain and taste liquid. Adjust sugar if needed, then cool in the fridge. Measure, and if under 1 cups, add more water. Set aside.

To make the base: Taste the peaches. If they are not that ripe/sweet, use the larger amount of sugar. Mix peaches with sugar and salt, mash until juicy and let sit for 30 minutes to draw more juice out. Puree the peaches and juices with the agua fresca until smooth. Taste and add lemon juice if needed to balance acid or more salt. Pour into molds, leaving  inch of space at the top of each one. Place lid on, then set in freezer on a flat surface. Slide in the sticks and freeze until solid, 6-8 hours.

To remove ice pops from mold: Get a bowl or container large enough to submerge most of the mold and fill it with warm (not hot) water. Dip the mold in the water for 20 seconds, then place on a towel. Remove the lid, and while one hand is pressing on each side of a single ice pop, use the other hand to slowly but firmly pull up on the stick. If it doesnt slide, dip mold in water and try again. Place each ice pop in a plastic bag and into the freezer immediately. Repeat until all ice pops are unmolded. Let ice pops chill in the freezer for at least one hour before eating to help resolidify. Eat ice pops within one month.
Jennifer Oghenewaire Nikoro

In spite of being physically-challenged from birth, Jennifer Oghenewaire Nikoro, a young Nigerian lady, was able to achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer against all odds. The graduate of Ambrose Ali University (AAU) and the Nigerian Law School in Kano tells DAVID ADENUGA how she drew strength from disappointments, heartbreaks and other discouraging circumstances to surge forward.

Were you born with disability?

Yes. I was born like this. I was born without the right forelimb.

Tell us about your childhood experience

I am the third child in a family of six. Only one of us is a male while the rest of us are females. My growing up experience was not so normal, because I could not socialise because of my condition.

I used to be very shy. My peers avoided me while the courageous ones formed a pity party around me. People wrote me off as a result of my disability.

But thank God for my family who were very supportive. They gave me strength. My parents treated everyone of us with equal love.

When they allocated duties at home, I had my own responsibility. My mother made sure I was not left out in the house chores.

When I started schooling, I realised that the attention was always on me. In my mind, I thought I was a beauty queen, little did I know that it was because of my condition.

It really made me sad though, because they felt I was not worthy to be in school. They thought that I ought to be at home or in the streets, begging for alms.

What dream did you nurse as a child?

I have always wanted to be a lawyer. My family did tease me as a child that I talked a lot and I liked to win arguments even when it was obvious that I was wrong (laughs). So being a legal practitioner has always being my dream.

Were you able to start school at the right time, considering your condition?

Yes, I started school as and when due. Like I said, there are six of us, and every one of us went to school as and when due. But one thing my parents did was that they kept me in one school from nursery to senior secondary.

With that, I was familiar with everyone and everyone was familiar with me; only a little stigmatization from bullies, which to me is normal.

And any new student coming into the school would have to adjust and adapt to the system of me being in the same class with them. Sooner or later, they adapted and we flowed well.

Teachers liked me a lot because I was a very intelligent girl while in secondary school. At a point, I was at the top of my class in terms of grade.

What are the challenges you encountered on your career path?

I encountered many challenges, I must say. Firstly, let me talk about my youth service experience when I was posted to Lagos.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) actually posted me to a place of primary assignment (PPA), which I really did not like.

I tried to change it, but to my amazement, I could not get an alternative PPA as I was virtually rejected everywhere I went.

I applied to different law firms, but when I went for interviews, they underrated my capabilities and wondered why I had chosen to go to school when the street is the right place for my type, even though I introduced myself as a lawyer.

Their attention was always on my deformed hand. They asked ridiculous questions like, are you sure you can do this job? Can you type with Microsoft word?

Even when I tried to convince them that I am proficient with Ms Word, Excel or Power Point, they found it hard to believe me.

They told me to go home and wait for feedback, only for me to wait in vain. I had to confide in a friend over the situation and she was like, This is Lagos, a commercial city where the labour market is highly competitive.

Nobody will give you a job just like that because they will feel you are not capable due to your condition. And nobody wants to hire someone they will start pitying.

I went for several interviews but had similar experiences. I was really disturbed because I know I am hard working.

What were some of the biggest barriers you had to break to get to where you are today?

One of the barriers I had to break is not letting my condition affect my mentality. The pity party did not get to me. I dont like people pitying me. I prefer to show people that I am capable.

I had to break the barrier of being an object of pity. The second barrier I had to break is the fact that the society will always tell you who you are; not you telling yourself who you are. I motivated myself with the word of God to do anything.

Do people still stigmatise you within and outside the court premises now that youre a lawyer?

No.

Tell us about your journey in the law profession

I got my LL.B from the Ambrose Ali University (AAU). I later went to the Kano Law School (2017-2018) where I got my BL.I got called into the Nigerian bar on November 27, 2018. I am two years at the bar now). I recently passed the Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (AcARB) examination.

The certificate will be issued maybe by December at the induction ceremony date which is not yet fixed. I am also an Associate Member at the Chartered institute of Mediator and Conciliators in Nigeria (ICMC).

The move to broaden my horizon was borne out of the stigmatization I face due to my disability. People tend to intimidate my sense of worth in the labour market as Lagos is a competitive environment and only the strong get going. I wanted a better life for myself; I did not want my disability to tie me down.

After I applied for mediation at ICMC, I got a job at a law firm in Lagos. But It was not enough for me because I wanted to have a successful career.

I applied again at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators to become an arbitrator, which is a recent application I made and I passed the exams.

I really want to be relevant in my society so I can advocate for people who are disable. I also want to develop myself and become an expert in my field, so that people will no longer doubt me.

I still want to go further, get my masters degree abroad if I am opportune. I also want to become a human rights lawyer. At the same time, I want to own an NGO.

Generally, Law is tasking: the reason one has to be up and doing. Even those with two arms and two legs are not finding it easy, not to talk of someone with disability.

But with determination, nothing is impossible. Coping with the stress as a disable person has not been that easy but for my determination, which has been my stronghold.

That has taken me through the discrimination I have always encountered in the field and currently facing. I believe I am not a mistake on this earth, for I believe God has a plan for me and such plan must come to pass.

I most times follow my principal to court on contentious matters, and the only times I appear alone is on moving applications in court, which every young lawyer does. I often times wear my artificial hand, which is called prosthetic hand.

What can you do?

I can type. I am proficient with Microsoft word and conversant with Excel. I type my briefs myself.

What are your hobbies?

Sharing Gods word, advocacy, writing, reading, travelling and swimming. I also like to bake cake at my free time. I cook my food too and I also do my laundry all by myself and without any external support. I live alone.

Have there been times people tried to take advantage of you as a result of your disability?

People price me less because of my disability. Those who offer to give me job when they see me often times want to cut down the salary because they feel I have no choice and I cannot do much for them.

Are there things you think your deformity has robbed you of?

Apparently, many things. I may not remember all, but I know that at so many points, I felt depressed. People dont want to associate with someone with disability.

They feel you are not part of this world. Some people see you as second class citizen. They feel you are not equal with them and you are less human.

For instance, when I was in the university, I could not mingle with the high class girls. Sometimes I would not want to come out of my hostel because I realised I had become popular for my disability, as people describe me with it.

In 2012, I was so excited with hopes of traveling abroad. My parents wanted to renew their passports so they decided to take everyone along with the intention of renewing theirs and obtaining one for each of us.

Upon arrival, my parents immediately did the needful. They paid the official fee. In less than an hour after payments were made and documentations were finalised, we were called one after the other for fingerprint impression and facial-biometric.

When it was time for me to be captured, on getting into the capturing room, proudly seated, the officer in charge politely beckoned to my dad and said to him, Im sorry sir, but your daughter cannot be captured here in Benin; she has to go to Abuja for a fingerprint bye-pass, and such cannot be done in Benin.

Truth be told, everyone in my family did their biometrics and had their passport that same day. I was the only one who went back without a passport.

Sometimes, it is no fun being disabled, I must say. Life beyond disability is for those who understand their difference and choose to live life through it.

What has your experience been with men, especially finding true love and acceptance?

I once had a guy who asked me out but I told him I was not interested. Despite pressure from him, I still maintained my stance.

Then he called me one day and angrily told me he was only trying to manage me but I was not yielding to his advances.

According to him, he only pitied and wanted to do me a favour by dating me. He then told me he was sure no other man would marry me since I didnt accept him.

Well, I actually turned down the guy because as a Christian, I believe in the doctrine of Christian morality, the doctrine of the faith.

Happily for me, I was actually praying about it even when I said no, but his reaction just showed that it was not Gods will that we should be together. You dont intimidate someone into marriage.

I had a similar experience with another guy. We were flowing together, trying to see if we could bond. We were actually at the initial stage and I was thinking with time, things would get serious with us, only for him to call me one day, telling me he did not think his mother would be able to accept me. Immediately he said so, it actually got me down.

I was like what do you mean, but I already got the code. I didnt even want him to continue because I knew it was due to my condition.

He later told me to hang around to see if he would be able to convince his parents, but I wasnt the one to hang around; I had to move on with my life. That was how we parted ways.

I also get to see men who admire me, but at the end of it all would go after somebody else, maybe a friend of mine.

Such is life though, and I have outgrown that, because one thing about my Christian faith is that I believe when it is my time, it is my time.

I will never out of pressure or my condition submit to anything or everything.

What is wrong is wrong, I wont out of pressure do what is ungodly or what I know would affect me in the end, either in relationship or marriage. Marriage is by choice.

At the same time, you dont pity to marry. I dont want any man to marry me out of sympathy but love. It is better to be single and happy than to be married and unhappy.

Besides, my parents have never put any pressure on me to get married. Theyre after my development so that at the end, I will be the one selecting men, not men selecting me.

***

Source: The Nation
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday attacked the Yogi Adityanath government over its handling of the Covid-19 crisis, saying that at a time when there is an explosive rise in cases, its no test is equal to no corona policy can lead to a frightening situation.

In a letter to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, the Congress general secretary said that the battle against the pandemic cannot be fought by just managing publicity and news.

Noting that 2,500 cases of coronavirus were reported in UP on Friday, she said almost all the metros were flooded with Covid-19 cases, but now even the villages were not far behind in the spread.

Quarantine centres in UP are in a pathetic state. In some places, the situation is so bad, that people are fearing mismanagement more than the coronavirus. Because of such a scenario, they are not stepping out of their homes for getting tested, Priyanka Gandhi said. This is a great failure of the government, she asserted.

The state government by believing in the no test = no coronavirus mantra has adopted a low testing policy, she alleged.

There is an explosive rise in Covid-19 cases. Till testing will not be increased in a transparent manner, the fight against the pandemic will be incomplete and the situation can become more frightening, she said.

The prime minister is a Member of Parliament from Varanasi, the defence minister from Lucknow, many other Union ministers are from UP. Why cant temporary hospitals be opened in Varanasi, Lucknow, Agra etc. Priyanka Gandhi asked.

Tightening its grip over Uttar Pradesh, Covid-19 claimed a record 50 lives in the state on Friday as the deadly virus infected 2,667 people more in the largest single-day spike till date.
Tune in to the go-getters gurus first public webcast A. Parthasarthy, the 93-year-old philosopher and founder of the Vedanta Academy, will host a public webcast for the first time on 26 July on the topic of 'Personal Rehabilitation'

Time magazine described him as a man who adds new meaning to the phrase Business Guru.

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A. Parthasarathy, 93, has been featured in leading publications such as Time, Businessweek, Forbes, Sports Illustrated and The Sunday Times, and CNN. In 1988, he founded the Vedanta Academy as an institution dedicated to the development of the human intellect. Located 108km south-east of Mumbai, nestled in the serene hills of Malavli, it is a place for the study, research and dissemination of Vedanta philosophy. It offers three-year full-time residential courses and youth camps for students as well as corporate seminars and retreats for professionals and businesspersons.

Today there are Vedanta institutes in eight cities in India and eight other countries (Australia, Canada, the US, UK, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia).

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For the first time, the renowned philosopher will appear for a public webcast on 26 July. The 1-hour webcast on "Personal Rehabilitation: From Concern to Composure" will focus on the importance of turning our attention within.

The Vedanta philosophy is based on ancient Indian texts but the academy has streamlined and packaged it in accessible formats for contemporary life. Vedanta is derived from veda (knowledge) and anta (end). So, Vedanta essentially means the end of knowledge, a philosophy that presents the eternal principles of life and living.

The lack of the knowledge of living has denied us peace and success. This talk should encourage us to drop our complacency, control our personality and overcome the challenges of life, notes a description of the event.

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In his books and lectures, A. Parthasarathy has always maintained that living is a skill, a technique that needs to be learnt. And that one needs to learn and practise it as one would to play a musical instrument or fly an aircraft.

To attend the talk on 26 July, 6.30pm, visit here.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  Another high-profile inmate at the New Bilibid Prison has tested positive for the coronavirus disease, the Bureau of Corrections said Saturday amid controversies surrounding the deaths of several inmates.

BuCor Spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag confirmed to CNN Philippines that the detainee, identified as a convicted car thief, contracted the viral disease.

The bureau, however denied reports that the prisoner had died, with Director General Gerald Bantag calling it fake news.

According to a reliable source, at least five high-profile inmates are currently quarantined at Site Harry, the isolation facility in Bilibid located in Muntinlupa City. They are down to five following the death of Jaybee Sebastian, a convict who confessed to running the Bilibid drug trade and previously implicated former Justice Secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima.

De Lima, who is detained in Camp Crame, denies the drug charges and maintains that Sebastian was forced to testify against her.

Sebastian died on July 18 due to complications from COVID-19, according to his death certificate. However, the families of other inmates believe he was killed, saying he was asymptomatic and doing well.

EXCLUSIVE: Jaybee Sebastian was killed, families of other inmates say

The National Bureau of Investigation is looking into the deaths of nine high-profile inmates, including Sebastian, as some officials fear the deaths could have been faked to cover their escape, or they could have died of other reasons.

LIST: High-profile Bilibid inmates whose deaths are linked to COVID-19, according to BuCor

A total of 476 inmates died in BuCor facilities this year, with 21 of them succumbing to coronavirus-related complications. But this is nothing out of the ordinary, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said, adding that it may be slightly higher due to the COVID-19 crisis but well within the daily average of two to three inmates dying behind bars.

A Senate probe, separate from the ongoing investigation, is scheduled for next week.

CNN Philippines' Eimor Santos and Triciah Terada contributed to this report.
The Episcopal Diocese of Alabama has extended its suspension of in-person, indoor worship services through Aug. 17, to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Bishop Kee Sloan announced today.

I imagine that some of you are glad to see this, and that others are becoming more and more impatient, or hearing from people who are, Sloan said. I understand. Were all ready to come back; I am, too. But we cant, not yet.

Episcopal churches in the diocese have not held regular indoor, in-person worship services since March 10. Most churches are offering online services. Some have held outdoor services with social distancing.

Heres the thing: we are not choosing between something bad and something good, Sloan said. We are choosing between one bad thing and another bad thing, between risking becoming contributors to the spread of the coronavirus on one hand, and not worshipping together on the other. There is no good choice, but since it falls to me as the bishop, I choose to keep our people, our communities and ourselves as safe as we can be in these dangerous days.

Bishop coadjutor Glenda Curry, a former nurse who is married to UAB physician Dr. Bill Curry, also voiced her support for the continued suspension.

We dont want to contribute to overwhelming the health care system, she said, citing increased hospitalizations for COVID-19.

Sloan said the decision is based on whats best for the health of congregations.

I am determined to make these decisions based not on emotion or politics but on the data, that we should not come back together in large groups until it is safe to do so, and the numbers are telling us  screaming at us  that its not, he said.

The consecration of Curry as bishop, set to succeed Sloan in January 2021 as head of the diocese, was held June 27 at Cathedral Church of the Advent under strict guidelines. In a service with fewer than 30 people in attendance, participants wore face masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus and bishops used hand sanitizer before the traditional laying on of hands.

Episcopal churches gathering for worship outdoors is allowed, with masks and proper distancing, Sloan said.

I know were all getting tired of talking to faces on our computers, Sloan wrote. Were tired of wearing masks, and as much as we love our families, were tired of being cooped up. I know we all have folks who are feeling financial hardships. It is dark, difficult time. We dont want to make it worse. Yall hang in there, keep praying  for the sick and grieving, for the doctors and nurses, for those who are working to find a cure or a preventative, for our communities, for this state, for our nation, for the world  and keep hoping.
Kuvempu University, a public state university at Shankaraghatta, Shimoga district in Karnataka, has called for applications in a prescribed format from qualified and interested candidates for filling 286 Guest Faculty posts in multiple departments and disciplines on a fulltime basis. The offline application process towards the same closes on August 31, 2020 by 4 pm.

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Guest Faculty posts Organisation Kuvempu University Educational Qualification Post Graduate Degree/Ph.D in the relevant subject/discipline Experience Desirable Skills Required Teaching Job Location Shimoga, Karnataka Salary Scale As per the University and Govt. of Karnataka norms Industry Education Application End Date August 31, 2020

Age Criteria And Fees

Candidates interested in applying for Guest Faculty posts through Kuvempu University Recruitment 2020 must meet the age criteria set by the University.

Candidates must deposit a prescribed amount of Rs. 200 (Gen/Others), and Rs. 100 (SC/ST/CAT-I) as application processing fee through Challan mode as detailed in the advertisement.

DRDO Recruitment 2020 For Junior Research Fellowship Posts Through 'Walk-In' Selection In Mysore

Educational Criteria And Experience

Desirous candidates applying for Guest Faculty posts through Kuvempu University Recruitment 2020 must possess a Post Graduate Degree/Ph.D in the relevant subject/discipline applying for, with at least 55% marks from a University/Institute established by law and duly recognised by the UGC/State Government.

Preference will be given to candidates with Ph.D/NET/SLET qualification, and teaching experience.

Selection And Pay Scale

The selection of candidates as Guest Faculty through Kuvempu University Recruitment 2020 will be done based on an Interview and as per the existing rules/guidelines of Govt. of Karnataka.

Candidates selected as Guest Faculty through Kuvempu University Recruitment 2020 will be paid as per the University and Govt. of Karnataka norms.

WBHRB Recruitment 2020 For 105 Assistant Superintendent Posts, Apply Online Before July 30

How To Apply

Candidates applying for Guest Faculty posts through Kuvempu University Recruitment 2020 must fill the application form attached with the advertisement, and send the same along with copies of relevant supporting certificates/documents to the "Registrar, Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta - 577 451, Karnataka" on or before August 31, 2020 by 4 pm registered, speed post, etc.

The envelope containing Application Form and other documents must be superscribed as "APPLICATION FOR GUEST FACULTY IN....................."

Download application form and read the detailed advertisement about Kuvempu University Recruitment 2020 for Guest Faculty posts here
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Politics of pressure will not work, says Rajasthan governor

Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra, the man of the hour, said he would follow constitutional norms to convene a session of the assembly session. Read more

Trade curbs signal decoupling from China

Indias order on Thursday, restricting purchases for large public projects (and even those being developed as public-private partnerships) from companies in countries that share a land border with it, citing national security concerns, is aimed at China. Read more

The shot in the arm team needed: When Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid uttered the same words to lift morale of Team India in NatWest final

If great minds think alike idiom needed an advertisement then Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid provided just that in the famous NatWest Trophy final against England at Lords in 2002. Read more

Galaxy Buds Live features, specs and price revealed ahead of August 5 launch

Galaxy Buds Live is one of the five products Samsung is launching at its Unpacked event on August 5. Weve already seen renders of how the bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live look like but a new leak reveals almost all the specs and features of the wireless earbuds. Read more

Rainy affair: Binge on these lip-smacking monsoon snacks

Picture this. Its a beautiful monsoon evening and youre in your balcony. The aroma of fresh rainwater in the air, and the wind is blowing through your hair What could be a better way of enjoying the evening than with a hot cup of tea and piping hot pakodas! Read more

Vidya Balan on what it took to become Shakuntala Devi on screen | Aur Batao

In the latest episode of Aur Batao RJ Stutee speaks to Vidya Balan about her latest film, Shakuntala Devi. The actor explaines what it took to become Shakuntala Devi on screen. Read more

Kangana Ranaut explains B-grade actors comment on Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhasker: You are not fitting in

Actor Kangana Ranaut is still staying firm on the comment she recently made about actors Taapsee Pannu and Swara Bhasker. Kangana had called the two B-grade actors who are not rising up in ranks despite being chaaploos (bootlickers). Read more
In the lead-up to annual US-Australian (AUSMIN) ministerial talks in Washington DC next week, the Trump administration is insisting that the Australian government must step up its already frontline role in the escalating US offensive against China.

The demands include a more aggressive participation in the US provocations in the strategic South China Sea, near where five Australian warships last week joined a US aircraft carrier task force and a Japanese naval vessel in a display of force near Chinese-occupied reefs. The Australian flotilla then sailed near the Chinese-claimed Spratly Islands on its way to join US-led RIMPAC military exercises in Hawaii.

Despite the intensifying COVID-19 danger in the US, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds will personally attend the AUSMIN session in Washington, with US counterparts Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Payne and Reynolds will even have to quarantine for two weeks on their return.

Last Thursday, Pompeo called for all free nations to rise as one against Chinese tyranny, regardless of the economic consequences. Pompeo did not mention Australia or any other country by name but he said some US allies were afraid of confronting China because they feared economic retribution.

Pompeos message was reinforced by the US ambassador to Australia, Arthur B. Culvahouse, who told a United States Studies Centre (USSC) gathering in Sydney this week: US investment is critical to Australias future prosperity. He warned against trying to separate economic security from national security, adding: Its not just about the money.

Seeking to contrast Australias ties with China with those of the US, Culvahouse claimed that China was guilty of economic intimidation, but Australia will never see the day when a US ambassador threatens to withdraw from trading with and investing in Australia. In reality, his remarks constituted a thinly-veiled threat.

Culvahouse hailed as extraordinary and brilliant a report commissioned by the big business American Chamber of Commerce in Australia, which concluded that the US was far more important to Australia economically than China, recently outdoing Chinese investment by 40 percent.

The report said the US had become the largest single foreign investor in Australia, with a total of $984 billion as of 2019more than a quarter of all foreign investment. Australian exports to the US and the income generated from US investments in Australia contributed $131 billion a year, or 7 percent of Australias annual economic growth.

In effect, the report highlighted the vulnerability of Australian capitalism to economic, as well as military, pressure from the US. It noted that even before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australias public and private debt to the rest of the world was $1.1 trillion. In order to recover, Australia knows it must and will have access to US capital markets, which were the deepest in the world.

In a video message to the same USSC event, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison sought to reassure the Trump administration of his governments reliability. He said the relationship between the two countries has never been stronger and it has never been more important.

Morrison said Australia was a trusted partner of the United States but we dont leave it to the US. We do our share of heavy lifting in this partnership. We lead. We pull our weight.

Likewise, on the eve of their departure for the AUSMIN talks, Payne and Reynolds published an article in the Australian saying the consultations had never been more important. The pair echoed the Trump administrations escalating barrage of provocative allegations against Beijing.

Without providing the slightest evidence, they accused China of coercive conduct and militarisation in the South China Sea, conducting cyber attacks, imperilling the internet, spreading fake news, undermining the rights, freedoms and futures of millions of people in Hong Kong and threatening the sovereignty of other countries.

Payne and Reynolds emphasised the Liberal-National governments boosting of military spending. They said our $270 billion investment in defence capability over the next decade, including in more potent, longer-range capabilities, would allow us to make even stronger contributions to the alliance and achieve greater combined effects with US forces to deter aggression and respond with military force.

The Australian military and intelligence agencies are already helping feed the US propaganda offensive against China. Last week, they immediately backed the unsealing of a US indictment against two Chinese former engineering students on trumped-up charges of hacking, supposedly in order to steal data on COVID-19 vaccine research.

The indictment claimed that during the past decade the pair also had targeted an unnamed defence contractor and a solar business in Australia for profit, while sometimes helping Chinas Ministry of State Security.

Despite the lack of any evidence to back the vague accusations, the Australian Signals Directoratethe partner agency of the US National Security Agencywas joined by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Home Affairs in issuing a statement welcoming actions designed to hold malicious cyber actors to account.

This is a bipartisan alignment. The opposition Labor Partys shadow assistant minister for cybersecurity, Tim Watts, jumped in to urge the government to go further to protect our critical infrastructure and businesses from cybersecurity threats.

Under both Liberal-National and Labor governments, the Australian ruling class has increasingly committed itself to Washingtons drive to undermine China and preventing it from threatening the US dominance established by victory in the last world war. This did not begin with the Trump administration, although it is dangerously ratcheting up the potentially catastrophic conflict.

Australian troops have been sent to join every major US military intervention since the Korean and Vietnam wars and continuing through to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The last Labor government signed up to the Obama administrations military pivot to Asia to confront China, and agreed to station US marines in the strategic northern city of Darwin.

Since taking office in 2013, the Liberal-National Coalitionwith Labors supporthas come to the forefront of the anti-China campaign, including by imposing precedent-setting foreign interference laws that can criminalise links with China or involvement in international anti-war activity.

The Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the internal political spy force, recently activated these laws to raid the home and parliamentary office of a New South Wales state Labor MP, Shaoquett Moselmane, amid media headlines accusing him, without any substantiation, of being a Chinese agent. In what was an intimidating warning to the entire political establishment, Moselmane, who protested his innocence, was forced to suspend himself from parliament.

Pompeos speech and the summoning of Payne and Reynolds to Washington signal a demand for much more. As a middling imperialist power strategically dependent on the US, the Australian ruling elite is being given no option but to play a bellicose role in the US war drive, irrespective of the fallout caused by its heavy dependence on exports to China.
'Will approach President, even stage dharna outside PM house: Gehlot tells MLAs

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, July 25: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who chaired a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Saturday said that he was ready to go to Rashtrapati Bhavan to ensure the "BJP conspiracy" does not be succeed.

"BJP conspiracy will not be allowed to succeed. I will go to Rashtrapati Bhavan if needed. If we have to picket at Rashtrapati Bhavan or even Prime Minister's residence, we will give this," Ashok Gehlot told his MLAs today, who raised their hands in support.

"The chief minister asked us to remain prepared to stay longer at the hotel. If required, he said, we would go to meet the President and would also hold a dharna outside the prime minister's residence," a party leader said.

The meeting took place at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur where MLAs loyal to him have been lodged since a tussle for power broke out between Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot.

Rajasthan political crisis: Congress workers stage protests against BJP across state

Congress MLAs had squatted on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan for several hours, demanding that Governor Kalraj Mishra should summon a session of the Vidhan Sabha so that they can prove their majority.

Gehlot alleged that the Governor was under "pressure from above" not to summon a session, hinting that the BJP government at the Centre was involved in the tussle for power in the state.

The Congress has accused Shekhwat of trying to topple the Gehlot government in Rajasthan, a charge the Union Jal Shakti minister has denied. The Congress and Shekhawat have been involved in an intense war of words since then.

A Rajasthan court has also asked the state police to probe a complaint alleging the involvement of Shekhawat in a credit society scam. The Union minister has dismissed the charge as a "political conspiracy".
Hang made the statement in response to Japans announcement on easing its travel restrictions for Vietnam.



According to the spokesperson, the two sides are working on measures to promote bilateral cooperation, including the phased resumption of travel in line with regulations on exit-entry and travelling between the two countries, thus ensuring the pandemic combat and spurring common development, she said.
UPPER THUMB  The Michigan State Housing Development Authority has allocated $343,923 to the Thumb Area Local Planning Body for its Eviction Diversion Program, of which the Blue Water Center for Independent Living is a member.

These funds are for families who are behind on their rental payments due to the coronavirus pandemic. It covers Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, and Lapeer counties.

Alex Miller, the housing specialist for the Blue Water Center for Independent Living, said the requirements for this include a minimum of a Demand for Possession is required from the landlord, the identification for head of the household, and proof of income for the past 30 days. Landlords are also required to waive any late fees and may require a small waiver of back rent owed.

Blue Water already offers similar programs that help people deal with homelessness, but this new one is for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Every year, Blue Water gets an emergency solutions grant that helps people with evictions, Miller said. This is an additional program that does the same thing. It helps people who were laid off from work due to COVID-19.

Related story: Human Development Corporation offering programs to help homeless

Tenants who wish to see if they qualify for this program can call 810-648-2555 and have a case manager specific to their county determine what assistance they can help with.

The Local Planning Body is made up of human services agencies in the Thumb-area working to end homelessness. It will receive additional funding this fall to assist with deposit and first months rent for homeless cases.

The Blue Water Center for Independent Living was also awarded $614,932 through the federal CARES Act for its Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program. This program assists eligible veterans with back rent, security deposits and/or first months rent.

The funding covers Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola, Lapeer, St. Clair, Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties.

Veterans who may qualify can call the Blue Water Center, and they need their DD Form 214, proof of income, and proof of homelessness.

Miller predicts that these programs will help hundreds in the coverage area Blue Water serves, with the number of households it helps expected to double.

In Lapeer county, we helped 25 households last year, Miller said. That number is going to double easily.

Miller said they hope to get these checks out to landlords between the middle of August and the middle of September.

Lots of rules have changed to help get people back up on their feet, Miller said. I encourage people to call to see if they qualify.
The Government will on Monday approve a "very significant" package worth 200m to allow a full-time reopening of every school in the country next month, it can be revealed.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has personally intervened to ensure delivery of what has been described as his Governments top priority in getting all 1m school children and 100,000 school staff back in classrooms at the end of August.

Amid loud and persistent concerns expressed by some teaching unions last night, education minister Norma Foley is to present a comprehensive memorandum to her ministerial colleagues to allow all children back on campus and all teachers back on campus.

The news was confirmed as the Government sought to deflect criticism from Opposition TDs over the awarding of 16,000 allowances to a third 'super junior' minister at a time of recession.

The Irish Examiner understands:

The 200m contains 125m of Covid-related support funding and 75m in minor works funding announced in the July stimulus on Thursday;

The plan will fully be in accordance with the public health advice, with stricter social-distancing requirements for older children;

It will include a substantial provision for substitute teachers to grant principals significant administrative leave to ensure schools are Covid-ready;

Special provisions will be made for students and teachers with immune-system deficiencies;

There will be a major escalation of school cleaning practices;

Students with special needs will each get 74 to help facilitate their return to school;

Investment to ensure the complex school transport system can cope in a Covid environment will also be included in the plan.

Amid mounting concern among parents, the Taoiseach has staked his credibility and that of his Government on ensuring that children can return to school as normal next month.

Mr Martin said the major financial package will allow schools fully reopen in a robust and resilient way.

Read More Government to unveil "comprehensive" plan for return to school on Monday

The objective is that schools reopen fully and keep everyone safe, said Mr Martin.

"The full plans will be outlined on Monday.

"They are, by nature, comprehensive. Its a holistic plan, involving everyone in the school community, ranging from curriculum to teacher supply and supports, right across the board.

The Taoiseach said he wanted to give confidence and hope to parents that extensive planning had gone into the reopening plans.

We want this to be for the long haul, he said. Im very confident were in a good position, thanks to the strong partnership approach, [to reopen] towards the end of August.

Schools have been shut since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms Foley said the top priority in getting everyone back to school is to keep everyone safe.

"The full and safe reopening of schools is my number-one objective as education minister, she said. "Clarity takes time.

I am confident that what I take to Cabinet will be solution-focused, it will be a roadmap that everyone can clearly identify with. There is no point in bringing anything that is not completed. It's been a long process of work.

Under the latest guidelines, 1m distancing will be required for pupils from Third Class up. Social distancing will not be necessary among very young children in classrooms.

All secondary school students and teachers will be required to socially distance in class  this means 1m spacings between all desks at a minimum.

Despite confirmation of the plan, the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) dismissed the 42m allocation for post-primary schools in the stimulus package as inadequate.

ASTI general secretary Kieran Christie described the additional monies provided to schools in the July stimulus as just "the tip of the iceberg", adding that preparing for schools to reopen safely would be a "mammoth" task.

Mr Christie warned that if schools were to reopen, all public health advice must be implemented "in full and at all times" to ensure the safety of everyone in school communities.

"It won't be a 'just make-do so and take our chances' approach," he said.
A secondary school in Crewe has defied Government advice and announced that wearing face masks will be mandatory for all students and staff when it reopens in September.

Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College made the announcement in its latest newsletter, released on July 17, despite Government advice ruling face coverings should not be worn in schools.

The Government's official website says: 'Wearing a face covering or face mask in schools or other education settings is not recommended.

Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College in Crewe (pictured) has announced that wearing face masks will be mandatory for all students and staff when it reopens in September

'Face coverings may be beneficial for short periods indoors where there is a risk of close social contact with people you do not usually meet and where social distancing and other measures cannot be maintained, for example on public transport or in some shops.

'This does not apply to schools or other education settings.'

Holmes Chapel, which caters for students between the ages of 11 and 18, has recommended that parents buy their children a reusable navy mask for 3.

Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College made the announcement in its latest newsletter, released on July 17 (pictured)

The Government's official website says: 'Wearing a face covering or face mask in schools or other education settings is not recommended' (stock picture)

The school claims: 'On the balance of probability, the wearing of face masks is likely to make our school safer than if we dont wear them.'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast on July 15: 'We're not recommending masks for schools because if you're in a classroom with kids all day then a mask doesn't give you protection.'

Children under the age of 11 are exempt from having to wear a face mask in any setting under the Government's new guidelines.

The school claims: 'On the balance of probability, the wearing of face masks is likely to make our school safer than if we dont wear them'

Holmes Chapel will be making students wear a face mask during all lessons and while inside any school building.

The school will also be making sure teachers and students clean their hands with sanitiser before entering each lesson.

Students will also be made to maintain a 'two-metre exclusion zone' around all staff members.

Classrooms have been rearranged so that all students will face forward and there is a gap of at least two metres between the teacher and students.

Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College has been contacted for comment.
Google, for its part, claims that whatever the company was doing does not fit within the definitions and scope of that Arizona law. More immediately, the company said there is no reason to release the information, especially if Thomason agrees and tosses out the lawsuit.

Roysden is not conceding that the complaint is flawed. But he told the judge that the question of whether the lawsuit succeeds or is thrown out really doesnt matter.

He pointed out that the records at issue  the records that Google provided to the Attorney Generals Office under whats called a civil investigatory demand  are part of the complaint filed with the court. They are directly addressed in the charges brought by Brnovich and attached as separate exhibits.

But only part of the complaint and exhibits are publicly available, with the Attorney Generals Office having agreed to seal them until Thomason got to take a look and hear Googles arguments.

So far, Roysden said, the company has presented no good reason for keeping most of these sealed.

More to the point, he argues that its really too late for Google to do anything about it as it is now part of the court record.
has released a new update that finally allows users to join Webex meetings from the Rooms feature in its popular video conferencing app Teams, allowing guests to directly join.

The tech giant first announced this capability in November last year during its annual 'Ignite' conference.

has now updated Teams Rooms so that users can natively join meetings on Webex platform.

The Teams '4.5.35.0' update introduced the feature to "join Webex meetings from Teams Rooms with direct guest join," along with "switch to video gallery layout even when content is present".

The update also allows virtual raise hands support for attendee and controls for presenter and adjustable default volume setting for conferencing and default speaker.

Cisco has already added the ability for Webex Meetings hosts in Teams to start meetings from the Cisco Webex Meetings messaging extension anywhere in the app.

"Use the Cisco Webex Meetings app commands in a Microsoft Teams channel to share meeting links to scheduled Webex meetings and Webex Personal Room meetings," according to the company.

Cisco Webex develops and sells web conferencing and videoconferencing applications. It was founded as WebEx in 1995 and taken over by Cisco Systems in 2007.

Zoom already has an integration with Microsoft Teams.

Zoom's Microsoft Teams integration allows you to start an instant meeting or join a scheduled meeting through Bots commands.

"Meetings created in Teams will appear on your Zoom account," according to the company.

--IANS

na/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Education Minister Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has condemned the lynching of a 90-year-old woman at Kafaba near Salaga in the Savannah Region



Describing the act as barbaric, the running mate to NDCs flabearer John Dramani Mahama said the elderly in our society rather deserve our love and protection, not this level of unspeakable cruelty.



Akua Denteh, was slapped, kicked and caned on Thursday after being accused of witchcraft by a supposed soothsayer.

The body of the deceased has since been conveyed from Kafaba by Police in Salaga and deposited at the Tamale Teaching Hospital morgue awaiting autopsy. With a video of the act trending on social media, some Ghanaians, including recognised civil society organisations have called for justice for the family of the deceased, with a demand for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.



Joining this call, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said she is hopeful of a swift investigation.



Old age cannot be synonymous to witchcraft. It is time to build a fair, just, and gender-sensitive society that respects and values everyone, no matter their age, she wrote on Facebook.



It is my expectation that the security agencies will swiftly investigate and bring the culprits to justice, parts of her post read.



She further called for more sensitization so as to raise the level of public education to forestall such tragic occurrences.

Source: myjoyonline.com/facebook









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

By Samir Ali  Trend:

Azerbaijani living in Belgium, Jahan Zahid, was brutally beaten by Armenians during an incident in Belgium, and as he said the police didn't interfere, Trend reports via Azerbaijani TV channel's report.

Zahid said that he was beaten by the Armenians in front of the Azerbaijani embassy in Brussels on July 23.

The Armenians threw stones at us, and the police did not interfere in any way. The Armenians attacked us and injured one Azerbaijani woman. After the incident, the four of us were walking along the road, suddenly 10 Armenians blocked our way and attacked us, but But they could not cope with us and fled.

"Then they gathered a group of some 50 people, and attacked us again, this time brutally beating us. We got injured but stood our ground. They demanded we insult our people, our president, and ask Armenia for forgiveness. We held on, so they didn't get what they wanted," Zahid said.

Following several days of intense armed clashes, after Armenia made a gross ceasefire violation and launched attacks in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district, Azerbaijanis living abroad started staging peaceful protests, calling to put an end to Armenia's aggressive occupation policy.

The rallies were met with harsh response from the Armenian diaspora members.

According to the statement of Azerbaijan's State Committee on Work with Diaspora, Azerbaijanis living abroad were injured as a result of provocations organized by radical representatives of Armenian diaspora. The provocations were carried out in Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, the US (Washington and Los Angeles), Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine.

In certain cases, as in Poland, the Netherlands and France, the radicals threw bottles, stones, glass shards and explosion packages at the Azerbaijanis, tried to overturn their cars, significantly damaged the buildings of the diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
El presidente del Consejo de Ministros, @PCaterianoB, viaja a #Arequipa llevando medicamentos, balones de oxigeno, equipos de proteccion personal y pruebas rapidas para el descarte de la #COVID?19, con el objetivo de reforzar la lucha contra la pandemia en la region. pic.twitter.com/uJgdfWFwEq
SEVEN commercial premises across Limerick were broken into during a 96-minute crime spree, a court has heard.

Details of the spate of burglaries, which occurred in the early hours of April 19, 2019, were revealed last week during the sentencing hearing of one of the culprits.

Owen Casey, 23, of Caislean na hAbhainn, Castletroy was jailed for four and-a-half years.

Detective Garda Chris McGrath said a significant amount of damage was caused at the premises and that the offences were carried out with a high degree of organisation.

He told Limerick Circuit Court that businesses in Limerick city, Annacotty, Castleconnell and Corbally were targeted between 2.24am and 4.10am.

Mr Casey and another man travelled to each of the premises in a blue Volvo car which had no registration plates. The vehicle was subsequently recovered by gardai near OMalley Park in Southill.

Tools including an axe and a sledgehammer were used to gain access to premises resulting in thousands of euro worth of damage being caused.

Small amounts of cash were stolen from a number of the premises while charity boxes were also stolen.

Detective Garda McGrath said gardai estimate the total amount of money stolen by the culprits was less than 500.

A considerable quantity of CCTV was obtained during the garda investigation and blood drops found at one of the premises matched that of Mr Casey. DNA from a water bottle recovered in the Volvo also match that of the defendant.

In a victim impact statement, one of the businesses owners said what happened had caused her a lot of stress, anxiety and upset while another said there had been severe financial consequences as a result of the break in due to an increase in her insurance costs.

Barrister Jack Nicholas said his client was under the influence of drugs on the night and that he has very little memory of what happened.

He said Mr Casey accepts his behaviour was shameful and he asked the court to note he has been doing well in prison.

Judge Tom ODonnell said the pre-meditated nature of the burglaries was an aggravating factor as was the amount of damage caused by the culprits.

He said his guilty plea was significant and he accepted the offences were a new departure for Mr Casey who has a number of previous convictions.

He imposed a six year prison sentence, suspending the final 18 months.

Another man remains before the courts.
There is rarely a dull day in Iowa politics - and the next 100 will be no exception.

Sunday marks 100 days until the 2020 general election, which in Iowa will feature competitive races up and down the ballot. So it's a good time to take stock of everything worth watching in the days and weeks leading up to Nov. 3.

Ernst vs. Greenfield

There is a race one spot higher on the ballot, but this is the one Iowans should be watching just as closely. Republican freshman U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is facing Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield.

This race will determine who holds this seat the next six years. That alone should be sufficient reason to pay attention. But it also figures to play prominently in which party controls the U.S. Senate. That's some seriously thick icing on an already-rich election cake.

Speaking of which, re-election will be no cake walk for Ernst.

A Selzer & Company/Des Moines Register poll in June actually showed Greenfield with a 3-point lead. And a more recent AARP-commissioned survey of Iowa voters 50 or older  also conducted by Selzer  showed Ernsts job approval numbers underwater, with 42% approving and 53% disapproving.

The national parties and interest groups also are all over this race because of its implications for control of the U.S. Senate. Their ads are all over TV and it won't stop until Nov. 3.

Congressional intrigue

Iowa is typically good for two congressional races each cycle. But how about four?

Each race promises to be competitive, or at least intriguing.

Eastern Iowas 1st District and central Iowas 3rd District are almost always close contests. This year is no different. A pair of Democratic freshman incumbents, Abby Finkenauer in the 1st and Cindy Axne in the 3rd, are facing tough re-election battles against the GOPs Ashley Hinson and David Young, respectively.

Meanwhile, the 2nd District is an open-seat race where Democrats are trying to maintain a seat in the eastern Iowa district that President Donald Trump carried in 2016.

Like the 1st, the 2nd District race features a pair of former state legislators: Democrat Rita Hart and Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

As for the 4th District, it promises to be worth watching, too, if for no other reason than the decided lack of Steve King. The nine-term incumbent Republicans incendiary comments finally caught up to him. He lost a GOP primary to state legislator Randy Feenstra in June.

Feenstra will face Democrat J.D. Scholten, who came within an eyelash of upsetting King in 2018.

Running against Feenstra, instead of King, will be more difficult for Scholten. But the Democrat made noteworthy gains in 2018 and comes into this race with more name recognition. Maybe this will be another close one on election night.

Statehouse control

Iowa House races will be worth watching as Democrats try to take out one of the three legs of the Republicans complete control of the Iowa Capitol. The GOP has just a 53-47 edge in the Iowa House, and Democrats believe they can flip enough seats to regain a majority.

If Democrats can flip the chamber, they stop the GOP's ability to pass laws without the Democrats approval.

Democrats maxed out their victories in the suburbs in 2018. So, to flip the chamber, they must protect those wins and pick up more seats, most likely in Iowas Mississippi River border counties.

POTUS

Trump won Iowa by nearly 10 points in 2016, but early polls show a close contest between the president and Democratic former vice president Joe Biden.

What is still unclear: To what extent the Trump and Biden campaigns see Iowa as vital to their pursuit of 270 electoral votes. That will determine whether they plan to campaign here.

Iowa may not receive as much attention as in previous elections. Most pundits see states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida and Arizona, among a few others, as more important to the campaigns political calculus. Still, Iowa is important enough for Trump to run TV ads here, so we'll see.

Early voting

A backdrop to all these races is the intrigue over how Iowans will actually vote. With the pandemic still a very real threat, voters may be motivated to vote via absentee ballot, as a record number did during the June primary.

The question is: Which party has the advantage in absentee and early voting? Democrats typically do better with early voting and Republicans make up the ground on Election Day. But if this year has taught us anything, it's that predictions are chancy; answers will have to wait 100 days.

Erin Murphy covers Iowa politics and government for Lee Enterprises. His email address is erin.murphy@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter at @ErinDMurphy.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 07:25 544 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406692efcf 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,journalist,AJI,IJTI Free

The Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI) has announced that at least 96 journalists and electronic media workers have contracted COVID-19, prompting the group to establish a special task force to help curb the spread of infection among media workers.

The task forces main duty was to compile a list of journalists who contracted the contagious respiratory illness, IJTI chairman Yadi Hendriana said. He said those wanting to report their possible exposure to the virus could fill out a form through https://forms.gle/pfHzEjBtRcoyGiwR9.

"The IJTI will pay the cost of PCR testing for TV journalists who do not receive such [testing] from their respective companies," Yadi said on Friday as reported by kompas.tv.

He urged media companies to prioritize the safety of their journalists by implementing strict health protocols.

The Alliance of Independent Journalist (AJI) said separately that media companies were obliged to protect the health of their workers, as stipulated in Article 86 of the 2003 Manpower Law.

"The law states that every worker has the right to health protection," AJI chairman Abdul Manan said separately on Thursday, as reported by kompas.tv.

The AJIs health protocols can be found at https://aji.or.id/read/buku/63/protokol-keamanan-liputan-pemberitaan-covid-19.html.

Previous reports revealed that over 50 journalists in Surabaya, East Java, had tested positive for COVID-19, with three succumbing to the disease, as the region emerged as a new epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

AJI Surabaya previously said reporters' failure to follow health protocols and media companies' reluctance to protect the health of their employees were among contributing factors to the spread of infection among media workers. (vny)
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A student of the Ejisu Secondary Technical Senior High School is in big trouble after he allegedly attempted to take his own life on Tuesday night.

The student is currently responding to treatment in a hospital as police are investigating what might have influenced him to try to commit suicide, an act he tried to do in the assistant headmaster's office.

Sources in the school disclosed that two male students, both of whom are in their second-year, stole an electronic stabilizer belonging to the school on Tuesday night.

The two students had successfully scaled the school wall with their booty, and they were in the process of heading for town to sell the stabilizer and make some money.

But luck eluded them as a taxi driver, who happened to be passing behind the school wall at the time, noticed the two boys and apprehended them immediately.

The driver then sent the two boys and the stolen item to the assistant headmaster of the school, who reportedly caged the two students in his office to spend the night.

After the assistant headmaster, who was identified as Kofi Appiah, had left for his house, one of the students drank a liquid soap in an attempt to end his life.

The student started experiencing stomach pains on Wednesday dawn so his colleague blew the alarm. The school authorities then rushed the student to hospital for treatment.

According to reports, the student later explained that he decided to end his life because he was innocent of the theft charge that had been levelled against him.

Meanwhile, reports indicated that the other student had been handed over to the police with the electronic stabilizer. The police are currently investigating the case.

---Daily Guide
It started as a fun pastime during the COVID-19 lockdown, and now a 10-year-old girls book club is drawing bestselling childrens authors as guests.

Jackie French, best known for her internationally popular picture book Diary of a Wombat, is the latest in a string of top writers to brave a barrage of questions and critiques from Imogen Lines, of Altona North, and her friends.

Booked in: Imogen Lines has landed bestselling author Jackie French (on screen) for her next book club. Credit:Jason South

Imogens mother, Lucy Lines, said due to the pandemic, Imogen had had to stop going to ballet class and playing with friends.

And so Imogen's Book Club, which started with book reviews and Zoom discussions, is a great social outlet.
What happened

Shares of Boston Beer (NYSE:SAM) surged more than 26% to a new closing high of $828.34 on Thursday, after the alcoholic-beverage maker delivered blockbuster second-quarter results.

So what

Boston Beer's revenue surged 42% year over year to $452.1 million, fueled by a 39.8% jump in shipments. Net income, meanwhile, rocketed 116% higher, to $60.1 million, or $4.88 per share. Wall Street's estimates were for revenue and earnings per share of only $426.2 million and $2.34, respectively.

The gains were boosted by strong sales of the company's Truly Hard Seltzer and Twisted Tea brands -- as well as sales of the Dogfish Head brands it acquired in 2019 -- which more than offset declines in its Samuel Adams and Angry Orchard brands.

"The growth of the Truly brand, led by Truly Hard Lemonade, has accelerated and continues to grow beyond our expectations," CEO Dave Burwick said in a press release.

Now what

Truly's growth is impressive, particularly in light of the intensifying competition that the hard-seltzer brand is facing from the likes of Anheuser-Busch InBev and Constellation Brands. These beer giants recently launched brands such as Bud Light Seltzer and Corona Hard Seltzer in an attempt to wrestle away market share from Boston Beer.

"Since early January, Truly has grown its velocity and its market share sequentially while other national, regional, and local hard seltzer brands have entered the category," Burwick said. "Truly is the only hard seltzer, not introduced earlier this year, to grow its share during 2020."

With Truly Hard Seltzer, Boston Beer clearly has a winner on its hands in an important and fast-growing new alcoholic-beverage market -- one that could continue to drive its stock price to new all-time highs in the days and weeks ahead.
Queen Elizabeth II has been the queen of the United Kingdom since she unexpectedly took the throne in 1952. The queen had a lot to learn about the monarchy, as she was never expected to rule.

Today, Queen Elizabeth always gives speeches in front of the camera rather than via a recording. It turns out she received some harsh criticism decades ago about doing the latter.

Queen Elizabeth giving her Christmas speech in 2018 | John Stillwell/PA Wire

Queen Elizabeth was never supposed to rule

When Queen Elizabeth was born, her uncle, Edward VIII, was first in line to the throne. Her grandfather, George V, was still ruling upon her birth. It was never expected that the queen would rule, since her uncle was supposed to wed and have children, who would then all come before her in line for the throne. But in a surprising twist of events, Edward VIII abdicated (gave up the throne) to marry a divorced woman. At the time, marrying a divorcee was prohibited in the Church of England and within the royal family.

With that, the queens father, George VI, took the throne, leaving her as second in line. But his health began to decline when Queen Elizabeth was in her twenties, and he passed away when she was only 25. Suddenly, she was queen.

RELATED: Inside Queen Elizabeths Royal Wedding Tiara Scare: I Thought Id Broken It

The queen was one of the last people to learn shed become queen

Queen Elizabeth had been preparing to become queen since her uncle abdicated the role in 1936. Still, she wasnt certain shed ever rule, as her parents could have had another child; if theyd had a son, he would have been heir apparent. However, her mother and father only welcomed two daughters, meaning Queen Elizabeth would eventually be queen. And when she stepped into the role, she still had a lot to learn.

The queen was actually one of the last people to learn shed taken the throne. She and Prince Philip were away in Kenya when her father died, and the news didnt reach her until several hours after other royals within the United Kingdom had found out.

The queen gives speeches on camera for a reason

Queen Elizabeth was under scrutiny when she took the throne, as she was one of the youngest monarchs in British history. And, according to Express, the queen faced harsh criticism for one of her radio speeches back in 1957, which prompted her to completely change the means through which she spoke to the public.

Queen Elizabeth began broadcasting her speeches on film in the 1950s. | Keystone/Getty Images

RELATED: Has Queen Elizabeth II Ever Cried in Public?

Express reported that a documentary about the queens life claimed one critic, Lord Altrincham, said the queen was distant, out of date, and sounded like a priggish school girl during the speech. The remarks reportedly affected the queens confidence, and she chose to film her speeches for television so that people could see her in a more natural setting rather than just hear her through the radio. It allowed her to form a better relationship with the public.

The queen has since relaxed on her royal expectations

Queen Elizabeth followed important royal standards during most of her ruling, but she has since relaxed on the royal rules for the younger generations. The queen allowed her own kids to get divorced if they wanted, and she was fine with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the royal family altogether earlier this year. Its possible she remembers her own scrutiny and wants to make life a bit easier for the next generation of royals.
'There is welcome news that a new contact tracing mobile app will be launched here next week, and that it could potentially avoid the need for further lockdowns. However, it can be a success only if a large number of people use it.' (stock photo)

There is welcome news that a new contact tracing mobile app will be launched here next week, and that it could potentially avoid the need for further lockdowns. However, it can be a success only if a large number of people use it.

The StopCOVIDNI app. is already being hailed as a "world-first", and although the technicalities are complex, some of the details are outlined in our news story in today's paper. One of its attractions is the ability of the app to operate across national borders, and also its ability to alert users anonymously if they have been in close contact with another user who has been tested positive for the Coronavirus.

To add to the good news, the new app will be compatible with the contact tracing service in the Irish Republic, and it is anticipated that it will work with the app already being created by the NHS in Britain. The server will also allow this app to work in those European countries which have a tracing service in the same format.

The Republic of Ireland launched its tracing app earlier this month, but the welcome news for us is that Northern Ireland will be the first part of the UK to launch the app.

Much praise for this is due to Dan West, the chief digital information officer with our Department of Health and Dr Eddie O'Neill, the app's product manager.

It is good to have this app, but the real test is how many people are prepared to use it, and if enough will not to do so this will negate the whole exercise.

People in Northern Ireland have generally been very responsible in responding to the measures being taken to deal with the pandemic, but one of the great dangers now is to assume that the worst is over, and to let our guard drop.

It is essential that we embrace every initiative which will help to turn the tide against Covid-19, especially true when so many medical and other experts are warning us about the possibility of a second wave of the virus in the autumn and winter.

We must all make StopCOVIDNI a success.
W. Va. gov. urges caution after COVID-19 breaks out at churches in 7 counties

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Five days after the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department announced it had tracked at least 24 cases of COVID-19 to the North Charleston Apostolic Church, Republican Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia announced on Monday that 75 new cases of the virus have been tracked to churches in seven counties.

Weve absolutely got to stay on top of this with all in us, Justice said during a press briefing. Please know that the church setting is the ideal setting to spread this virus.

Cases of COVID-19 related to churches have been identified in Grant, Logan, Wood, Boone, Kanawha, Raleigh, and Taylor counties.

Dr. Sherri Young, health officer and executive director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, urged churchgoers to practice caution after leaders at North Charleston Apostolic voluntarily agreed to close for three weeks to deep clean their building as congregants were asked to self-isolate.

We dont want to discourage people from going to church, Young said. In the middle of a pandemic, people may need spirituality more than ever. But COVID-19 is still out there and we have to be very careful. Please consider attending services electronically, especially if youre at high risk for complications from COVID-19. If you are attending an in-person service, wear your mask, keep six feet between you and other congregants and wash your hands frequently.

Officials at North Charleston Apostolic Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post Tuesday but confirmed on their website that their services had been canceled.

Last month, at least 51 members of Graystone Baptist Church in Lewisburg tested positive for the coronavirus, WCHS reported. Officials at that church also told CP Tuesday that they were not doing media interviews at this time but video from the churchs Facebook page showed the pastor preaching outdoors to his congregation on Sunday.

Congregants at the church, according to a report from The New York Times, began to get sick 10 days after Sunday services resumed in late May, with masks being optional. Charles Hiser, 82, was the first of three churchgoers to die after contracting the virus.

Libby Morgan, his daughter, told the publication that her father lived alone and had been cooped up during the states lockdown period. Even though she spoke with him regularly on the phone and brought him groceries, he missed attending his church where he had been a member for about 30 years. As soon as the church resumed regular services, she said he went back without a mask. Two weeks later, he tested positive for the virus.

I felt like, gosh, I was thinking hed be safe there, Morgan said. You know, youre in church. Just like a child that goes to school is supposed to feel safe.

Gov. Justice urged West Virginians in church settings Monday to follow the states safety guidelines, including using every other pew, maintaining social distancing, and wearing face coverings.



I know these things are really difficult to do, Justice said. But for right now, they have to be done because if we dont, all were going to do is lose more people.



We could very well lose a lot of our grandmothers and grandfathers  people who have so much wisdom to still continue to pass on  we absolutely dont need to be losing these great West Virginians.
Ahmedabad:

Hitting out at Opposition parties protesting against demonetisation, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday claimed those who have been "robbed of black money" in the wake of the Centre's move, are not letting Parliament work.

No business could be transacted in either Houses of Parliament in the last two days due to ruckus by Congress-led opposition parties, which demanded in the Lok Sabha a debate on demonetisation under a rule that entails voting and presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rajya Sabha for resumption of discussion on the issue.

"Naturally, those who have been robbed of their black money are not letting Parliament work. We should set aside our political differences and work together in the interest of our nation," Irani said.



"Demonetisation is a part of the Centre's war against black money, corruption, and against those who have filled their coffers with money that belong to the country's poor citizens," she said on the sidelines of an event here to distribute identity cards to the handicraft artisans as part of her ministry's new initiative.

Irani said citizens battling long queues to exchange old currency notes and with new ones are warriors fighting corruption along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



"I am grateful to them. India will forever be grateful to those Indians, who understood Modi's call (for war against black money and corruption)," the Union Minister said.



To a question about people who died while standing in queues at the banks, she said, "My sympathies are with every family. We are trying to ensure that people get help from bank employees.



"I am also grateful to those who are helping each other out with the feeling that this (demonetisation) is a historic step. Coming generations will remain indebted to them," Irani said.



During the event, Irani announced a slew of measures to uplift artisans, including Rs 1,200 per annum stipend to the children of artisans studying in Class IX to XI, organising camps in crafts clusters for loans and insurance schemes, training of artisans, distribution of free tool-kits to artisans belonging to BPL, SC/ST, and minority communities.



She also said the age of artisans to qualify for Centre's Shilp Guru Awards will be reduced from 55 to 50 years, and for National Award for handicraft artisans will be reduced to 25 from existing 30 years.

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When Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex quit the royal family, it seemed they were doing so to become more financially independent and to distance themselves from the negative publicity that has followed their relationship from the beginning.

However, a new biography about the royals has dug deeper into their stunning decision to step back and offers more reasons than just that. Titled Finding Freedom, the book says their decision also had to do with how overshadowed they felt by Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Prince Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry at an event | Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Inside the alleged royal feud between the Sussexes and the Cambridges

According to People, the tension started in 2017 when Prince William allegedly confronted his brother about his relationship with Meghan. Sources claimed Prince William allegedly expressed concern that they were moving too quickly, leaving Prince Harry hurt and angry that he wasnt getting support from the duke.

RELATED: Prince Williams Feud With Prince Harry Reportedly Began After He Questioned If Meghan Markle Was Right for Him

The tension reportedly continued as their relationship progressed, with the Sussexes moving out of Kensington Palace and into Frogmore Cottage in April 2019.

As feud rumors swirled, royal sources often downplayed them to the press. However, in the October 2019 documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Prince Harry admitted to having struggles with his brother.

A new book details some of the alleged problems between the couples

In Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the authors detail the drama that unfolded behind palace walls. In excerpts obtained by The Times, they write that Prince Harry felt overshadowed by other members of the royal family  even though he and Markle attracted more global interest and popularity than the Cambridges.

Sources claimed the couple had often tried to kickstart projects they deemed important but were discouraged and dismissed by staffers who prioritized more senior members of the family, such as Prince William and Prince Charles.

The Sussexes would have conversations with members of the royal family about some of their concerns, only to have them being twisted and leaked to the press, which reportedly made them feel like they had no one to trust.

He felt at once used for their popularity, hounded by the press because of the publics fascination with this new breed of royal couple, and disparaged back within the institutions walls for being too sensitive and outspoken, the writers say of Prince Harry. He and Meghan didnt want to walk away from the monarchy; rather, they wanted to find a happy place within it.

But as time went on, little changed. The pair then decided, just before Christmas 2019, to step back from their senior roles within the family. A source said at that point, Prince Harry felt sidelined by the institution and felt as if he and Meghan were not a fundamental part of its future.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex | Karwai Tang

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their decision in January

One of their last appearances before stepping down was on March 9 at the annual Commonwealth Day service, where things seemed to be icy between the couples. Photos and videos taken at the event show them having little interaction and sitting a row away from each other.

The Duchess of Sussex waves to the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge as they arrive at the #CommonwealthDay Service pic.twitter.com/G5S4382d0w  Royal Central (@RoyalCentral) March 9, 2020

RELATED: Lip-reading Experts Reveal What Prince Harry and Prince William Actually Said to Each Other at Commonwealth Day

Afterwards, according to a source, Meghan hopped on a flight to Canada, where she, Prince Harry, and their son briefly lived before settling in Los Angeles. Reflecting the past couple of years of her life, Meghan reportedly told a friend in March: I gave up my entire life for this family. I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. Its very sad.

But at the same time, Queen Elizabeth has reportedly told them that they can return to their roles whenever they want, should they choose to.

Its been made very clear they can come back whenever they want, when theyre ready, a source who had a part in the negotiations said.

A representative for the couple told The BBC they were not interviewed for the book. This book is based on the authors own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting, said the representative.

The book is slated to release on Aug. 11.
A quarantine zone for Covid-19 patients in Da Nang Hospital in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, March 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong.

The Prime Minister has ordered the police to investigate a ring that brought foreigners into central Vietnam illegally after the first Covid-19 community transmission in 100 days was confirmed Saturday.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned the Ministry of Public Security to investigate and strictly deal with the recently busted ring that had illegally brought foreigners into Da Nang City and nearby Quang Nam Province.

The move came after a 57-year-old man in Da Nang was confirmed infected with the novel coronavirus Saturday morning, ending Vietnam's 99-day streak of no community transmission. Until now, health authorities have yet to identify the source of transmission.

Phuc also asked police and security forces to tighten the management of travel via border gates and open paths.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Son told a government meeting on Saturday that authorities have yet to confirm whether the Da Nang man, "patient 461", is related to the group of foreigners entering the country illegally.

Da Nang police have arrested three people, including two Vietnamese and one Chinese for "organizing illegal entry into Vietnam" after 31 Chinese nationals were found illegally crossing the border in mid-July.

On Friday, police discovered an additional 21 foreigners, mainly Chinese, who had illegally entered the central city. Health authorities have taken them to centralized quarantines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In Quang Nam Province, neighboring Da Nang, 21 Chinese nationals who snuck into Vietnam illegally were traced and quarantined by authorities on July 19.

Deputy Minister Son said recent reports of a large number of foreigners, mainly Chinese, illegally entering Vietnam showed "lax immigration management" at some localities.

Vietnam halted entry for foreign nationals on March 22 and suspended international flights on March 25, and only allows in Vietnamese nationals and foreigners carrying diplomatic or official passports or being experts or high-skilled workers. All are quarantined for 14 days and tested at least twice for Covid-19.

The country has recorded 417 infections, with four cases reported on Saturday, including three repatriates from Russia and Da Nangs "Patient 416". Of these, 365 have recovered and 52 remain active.

Police in the northern province of Quang Ninh, home to world famous Ha Long Bay, on Saturday detained six Vietnamese from Mong Cai Town for "organizing illegal entry into Vietnam."

They admitted working with an unidentified Chinese man via WeChat and social media apps to bring six Chinese from China's Dongxing City to Mong Cai. They used rafts to ferry the Chinese across the river at the border and then drove them on motorbikes to the town before moving on to other parts of Vietnam.

The Chinese nationals were caught by border officers in Quang Ninh on June 9 and 10.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's threat of suggesting a gherao (protest) of the Raj Bhavan is a clear violation of Section 124 of the IPC, said Rajasthan BJP in a memorandum submitted to Governor Kalraj Mishra. The BJP said it is an attempt by the Congress to put pressure on the Governor to issue a decision in their favor.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlots threat of suggesting a gherao (protest) of the Raj Bhavan is a clear violation of Section 124 of the IPC, said Rajasthan BJP in a memorandum submitted to Governor Kalraj Mishra on Saturday.

The BJP said it is an attempt by the Congress to put pressure on the Governor to issue a decision in their favor.

The BJP, in a written memorandum submitted to the Governor, said that the inner turmoil in Congress has led to mayhem in Rajasthan and the statements issued by Gehlot over the past two days have created an atmosphere of anarchy in the state.

Also read: Will stage dharna outside PMs residence if necessary: Ashok Gehlot

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput case: PM acknowledges Subramanian Swamys letter requesting CBI inquiry

Chief Ministers threat suggesting gherao of Raj Bhawan and expressing an inability of ensuring security is a clear violation under IPC section 124, it said and added that how Gehlot along with his supporters came to the Raj Bhavan and indulged in sloganeering there was an attempt to create undue pressure on the Governor to have a decision in their favor.

The main opposition party also raised questions at the Congress party organizing protests, in violation of COVID-19 guidelines, at its district headquarters across the state.

It has demanded the Governor to take appropriate action against the ruling party for these violations. A BJP delegation led by state party president Satish Poonia and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chandra Kataria had also met the Governor at Raj Bhawan in Jaipur, over the COVID-19 situation in the state.

The power crisis in Rajasthan had taken a new turn when the Governor had not heeded the request of the Congress government to convene a session of the state Assembly urgently.

Earlier today, Gehlot had said that the Congress party will approach the President and if required will also stage a protest outside the Prime Ministers residence in connection with the ongoing situation in Rajasthan.

Gehlot said this at the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meet held at Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur, which was attended by several party MLAs after Governor Kalraj Mishra had questioned the state government over the need to convene an Assembly session urgently.

The warning stating eight crore people will surround the Raj Bhawan given by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot can invite punishment under Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), said Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia on Saturday.

Earlier today, BJP delegation led by Poonia and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chandra Kataria met Governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhawan here, over COVID-19 situation in the state.

The whole world saw that a prominent person of a constitutional body gave a warning and challenge against a nominated head. The warning that eight crore people will gherao the Raj Bhawan, given by Chief Minister and Home Minister of the state can invite punishment under Section 124 of the IPC, said Poonia.

The way Raj Bhawan was made an arena for picketing and demonstrations, were they trying to get the sign on the papers forcefully? Demonstrations were held across Rajasthan. We condemn these acts hence we met the Governor today. There are many provisions in the law through which a solution can be found but this is not an arena or dangal. State Chief Minister and Home Minister is responsible to destroy the peace of the state, he added.

Rajasthan BJP has also submitted a memorandum to the Governor stating that CMs threat suggesting gherao of Raj Bhawan and expressing an inability of ensuring security is a clear violation under IPC section 124.Meanwhile, Kataria stated that the CM is the head of the state and he said he will not be responsible for a breach in law and order situation.

If not him, then wholl be responsible? He should tender resignation for using such language, he added.

What Congress govt did at Governor House was a low-point in Rajasthan politics. There is no governance, those in power are lodged at a five-star hotel for weeks. People are suffering due to various issues, said Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, BJP MP.

As the Rajasthan Congress MLAs protested against State Governor at the Raj Bhawan, the BJP on Thursday urged the Centre to deploy the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to protect the sanctity of the constitutional post.

The state plunged into a political crisis after differences between former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and Gehlot came out in the open.

Also read: 7th Pay Commission: Modi govt issues new rules for advance increments of employees

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Much of the money raised was allegedly embezzled. The U.S. Justice Department says more than $4.5 billion flowed from the fund through fraudulent shell companies to corrupt officials and their associates. According to the U.S. indictment, a small coterie of Malaysians, led by businessman Low Taek Jho (known as Jho Low), diverted money from 1MDB into personal accounts disguised to look like legitimate businesses, and kicked back some of those funds to officials. There were questions about a $681 million payment that landed in Najibs personal bank account. Malaysias then-attorney general cleared Najib of wrongdoing in 2016. But after losing office, Najib was charged with 42 counts of corruption, breach of trust and money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty and said most of the $681 million was returned. That and other proceedings are ongoing. Jho Low, a fugitive, has also denied any wrongdoing.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 22:56:10|Editor: huaxia

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NANJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua on Saturday urged efforts to focus on quality in the joint pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative, promote higher level of opening-up and stabilize the overall performance of foreign trade and foreign investment.

During his inspection tour in the city of Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, Hu said strengthening cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road amid current economic headwinds has a significant bearing on stabilizing economic growth and foreign trade and investment of all countries.

Hu stressed deepening industrial and supply chain cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road, strengthening market information sharing and seeking business opportunities together.

More efforts should be made to support the development of China-Europe freight trains to ensure smooth international logistics channel, the vice premier said.

He also underlined deepening reforms and expanding opening-up to create a sound business environment, while asking local authorities to improve services to foreign-funded and foreign trade firms and ensure that enterprises fully benefit from various government relief measures. Enditem
The Swedru District Police Command has mounted a search for the arrest of a personnel of a Security Company at Agona Swedru for the alleged gruesome murder of a 69-year old man.



Superintendent Seth P. Yirenkyi, the Swedru District Police Commander, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), named Abraham Adakyi, as the suspect and Mr John Kwame Akpanu as the deceased.



According to Superintendent Yirenkyi, Adakyi was on duty at the Agona Swedru branch of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday, July 16, 2020 when the sad incident occurred.



The District Commander said one private security man (name withheld) who was also on duty at the ADB with the suspect, reported that around 2300 hours that fateful night, Adakyi had a scuffle with the deceased.



Superintendent Yirenkyi said the two were separated by the said Security man who afterwards left them to his duty post but later saw Adakyi stabbed the deceased in the abdomen three times.



He said the Security man called for help and the deceased was rushed to the Swedru Municipal Government Hospital, where he was admitted at the Accident and Emergency Ward, where he later died.



The District Commander said Adakyi was nearly lynched by the people but narrowly escaped.



Superintendent Yirenkyi said the body of the 69-year-old man has since been deposited at the Swedru Municipal Morgue awaiting autopsy.



The Swedru District Commander, therefore, called on the Public to offer relevant information to aid investigations.

Source: GNA









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Relations between Ankara and Athens have been uneasy in recent months and tensions have increased over Hagia Sophia.

Turkey and Greece have exchanged harsh words over the conversion of Istanbuls Hagia Sophia into a mosque, a day after Islamic prayers were held at the ancient site for the first time in 90 years.

Relations between NATO allies Ankara and Athens have been uneasy in recent months but tensions have recently increased over Hagia Sophia and energy riches in the eastern Mediterranean.

We see that the targets of those countries who have made so much noise in recent days are not Hagia Sophia or the eastern Mediterranean, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech on Saturday.

[Their targets] are the presence itself of the Turkish nation and Muslims in this region.

He also condemned hostile statements by the Greek government and Parliament members and Turkish flag-burning in the Greek city of Thessaloniki.

Erdogan joined thousands for the first Islamic prayer on Friday since Hagia Sophia was reconverted into a mosque this month.





Hagia Sophia was previously a museum and most Greeks view it as central to their Orthodox Christian religion: Church bells tolled in mourning across Greece on Friday.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday said what was happening in Istanbul was not a show of force, but proof of weakness.

He also called Turkey a troublemaker, and the conversion of the site an affront to civilisation of the 21st century.

In a statement on Saturday, the Turkish foreign ministry spokesman said: Greece showed once again its enmity towards Islam and Turkey with the excuse of reacting to Hagia Sophia Mosque being opened to prayers.

The Greek foreign ministry responded with its own statement, saying: The international community of the 21st century is stunned to observe the religious and nationalist fanatic ramblings of todays Turkey.

Greece and Turkey disagree on a range of issues from airspace to maritime zones in the eastern Mediterranean and ethnically split Cyprus.
If people refuse to protect themselves from COVID-19 because they think theyre invincible, they should at least take steps to mitigate the spread of the disease to help prevent deaths among the most vulnerable.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/7/2020 (544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If people refuse to protect themselves from COVID-19 because they think theyre invincible, they should at least take steps to mitigate the spread of the disease to help prevent deaths among the most vulnerable.

That was the grim message from Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health, Thursday as new cases, hospitalization rates and COVID-19 deaths continue to pile up in that province.

The number of active cases in Alberta has more than doubled to nearly 1,300 over the past week, with more than 100 people in hospital and 21 receiving intensive care. Acute care hospital admissions in Alberta are now approaching their highest level since the beginning of the pandemic.

"This needs to be a wake-up call," Hinshaw warned. "I am very concerned by these numbers."

JASON FRANSON / CANADIAN PRESS FILES Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health, attributes the rise in cases to pandemic fatigue.

There is significant community spread in Alberta. The origin of about half the cases is unknown. Calgary, where city council approved a bylaw this week to make masks mandatory in most indoor public places Aug. 1, has been the hardest hit. But the virus has spread to many other parts of the province, including central Alberta where there had been few cases until recently.

Hinshaw attributes the rise in cases to pandemic "fatigue." She says its time for Albertans to step up efforts to slow the spread of the disease. She "strongly recommends" the use of masks in indoor public places.

"If we want to bring this under control by early August, now is the time to act," she said.

Its not just affecting the elderly, either, said Hinshaw. Nearly a quarter of those in hospital are under the age 60, seven are between the ages of 20 and 39.

Still, those over 70 do have the highest risk of dying, she said. Ten per cent of Albertans aged 70 to 79 who have contracted the disease have died; a quarter over 80 have succumbed to the disease.

Think about those you know who are over the age of 70 or 80. In my life, I have many dearly loved family members and friends in this age group and I would not want to gamble their lives with these odds.  Dr. Deena Hinshaw

"Think about those you know who are over the age of 70 or 80," said Hinshaw. "In my life, I have many dearly loved family members and friends in this age group and I would not want to gamble their lives with these odds."

The question for Manitoba is, how long is it prepared to roll the dice on its open-border policy with western provinces as cases continue to rise in the West?

Saskatchewan, although not as bad as Alberta, has also seen a spike in cases, including 176 new cases from July 16 to July 24. While some of those cases are isolated in Hutterite colonies (like in Manitoba), infections have been reported all over the province, including in Saskatoon, the north, the far north and central Saskatchewan.

There were 27 more cases announced Friday, 42 on Thursday and 60 on Wednesday. The number of active cases in Saskatchewan has jumped to 235 from 48 two weeks ago.

In British Columbia, the number of active cases has increased to 304 from 175 over the past two weeks.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES The 14-day self-isolation requirement for travelers from the western provinces was lifted last month during Phase 3 of Manitobas reopening plan.

Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The Pallister government this week released a draft proposal for Phase 4 of its reopening plans, which included eliminating the 14-day self-isolation rule for those entering Manitoba from eastern provinces. After soliciting feedback from the public (most appeared opposed to the move), the province decided to maintain the quarantine requirement. It was the right move, considering the uptick in cases in parts of Ontario and Quebec.

The elephant in the room now is Manitobas open borders with western provinces. The 14-day self-isolation requirement for travelers from those provinces was lifted last month during Phase 3 of Manitobas reopening plan. It was the right decision at the time when the spread of the disease in western provinces was under control. But circumstances have changed.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitobas chief public health officer, says its easier to keep existing restrictions in place than it is to reinstate previously lifted measures. Fair point. But when the cost of eliminating a measure starts to outweigh the benefits, action must be taken. Right now, people with direct flights from hotspots such as Calgary can get off the plane in Winnipeg and immediately start frequenting restaurant, bars, stores and other public places in Manitoba. Thats a risk Manitoba cant afford to take right now.

Roussin has always said he wouldnt hesitate to reinstate measures when, and if, needed.

Reinstating travel restrictions for western provinces is needed now.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
As one of Iraqs most respected analysts, Hashimi had once been well connected with major figures inside the militias. But the U.S. drone strike in January that killed an Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis upended the militia scene, according to experts monitoring the groups, changing how they operated and who controlled them. So when Hashimi began receiving death threats from their ranks in recent months, including from Kataib Hezbollah, he was at a loss as to how to respond.
Patna, July 25 : The number of corona infected people in Bihar is increasing rapidly. In the state capital Patna, the number of infected people has crossed the 5,000-mark. Despite the government advocating preventive measures to contain the pandemic, many people seem careless about it.

The Bihar government has declared a lockdown across the state till July 31. However, people are allowed to move freely for some hours in the morning and evening. But instead of considering this a serious situation and staying at home, people are violating the social distancing norms openly.

People are not observing even the basic protocols to prevent the disease. They are moving in the streets without wearing a face mask. However, awareness campaigns are also being run to motivate people to wear a mask and the Police are also imposing fines on those not wearing a mask.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Jitendra Kumar said that action is being taken against those who do not wear masks. "A penalty of Rs 47,26,000 has been recovered from 94,520 people for not wearing a mask from July 5 to Friday," he said.

On the other hand, there is concern over the increasing number of corona infections. On Friday, a patient jumped off the third floor of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna.

In another incident, health workers had to face the ire of the villagers when they reached the Ratwara river in Mohania block where the last rites of a police inspector were being performed. The Inspector, who was deployed in Bhabhua Police Station of Kaimur district, succumbed to coronavirus. Thereafter, the corpse was taken to Varanasi.

According to the Health Ministry data, there were 18,853 corona patients in the state as of July 14 and the number increased to 33,511 till July 24. In these 10 days, the number of infected people in Patna has more than doubled. In Patna, the number of infected people was 2,259 on July 14 while on July 24 it increased to 5,347.

Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress are continuously targeting the government over the increasing corona cases. Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been invisible for four months during this severe pandemic. This government has left students, labourers, patients, the poor and common man to die, he added.

Senior Congress leader and former state Youth Congress president Lalan Kumar said that the government has not been able to contain the coronavirus so far. A total of 65,000 doctors are needed in proportion to the population in the state. He said the total number of doctors working in government hospitals at present is 6,500 and corona patients are not being tested properly.

Refuting the charges, BJP spokesperson Dr Nikhil Anand said that the Opposition has contributed nothing during the pandemic except making statements.

"No one can ignore the fact that the joint effort of the NDA government and the Centre has brought positive changes on the ground level in Bihar," Anand said. "In the era of joint challenge of corona and flood, the administration is ready to provide food, relief, employment etc. to the public."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Written by ACM







*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- After a Record-High 5 Days Summit, EU made a Hard-Born but Historic Deal in Brussels ...at the Anniversary of Alexander the Great's Birth 2.376 Years Ago, the UnDefeated Ancient Greek Civilisation's legend, who Dared Head towards China 1 Millenary Before Marco Polo, and is Also Famous for his Decisive Way to Find a Solution, with Political Will, on the World's Most Difficult, Intractable and UnSolved Problem then, known as "Gordian Knot" : He UnDone that with his Sword, reportedly Argying that What Mattered Most wasN't How to proceed, But to Solve it !

(Alexander the Great cuts the Gordian Knot - JF. Godefroy painting, 1767)

------------------------



Notoriously Initiated by a landmark Franco-German EU core's Joint Proposal, brokered last Spring, on May 2020, right in the Middle of Mass Deadly Virus' UnPrecedented Pandemic, which had Europe as its EpiCenter, the Final, Collective, 27 EU Member-States' Agreement innovates by several Key Points, pushing concrete Breakthroughs towards a Beginning of quasi-Federal European Integration, mainly via EU Funding, But Also related EU Governance, etc.,

while, However, remaining still a Partly UnFinished Work-on-the-Making, whose Real Future Depends from various Pending, and/or Possible but UnCertain yet Further Moves at the Horizon :

>>> At its Core is the Creation of an Ambitious EU Revival Fund, with 390 Billions  in full Grants, added to another 360 Billions  in Loans, whose Distribution to 27 Member States is due to be Decided by a Qualified Majority (and No more Unanimity) in EU Council, thanks to Money that will be gathered (for the 1st Time in History) by Collective EU Borrowing (with its "AAA" Rating), to be Reimbursed between 2026-2058, in Large Part through Forthcoming EU's "Own Resources", according to Choices to be made Soon. + This comes at the Top of a 2001-2007 MultiAnnual Financial Framework Deal for the Regular EU's Budgets, brokered in Parallel, which would Add More than 1.050 Billions , Resulting in a Total ByPassing 1,85 Trillions , (that EU Parliament and EU Commission Wish to Extend Further, particularly in some Key Areas).

--------------------



But, obviously, the Main Protagonists, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angie Merkel, (who currently Chairs the EU for the Crucial Period of July-December 2020: See http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/merkel5pointsforeurevival.html), Together with EU Council's President Charles Michel (former Prime Minister of Belgium), accompagnied by EU Commission's Chief, Ursula von der Leyen (former several times Minister, including of Defense, in Germany), had to make Many and Various Compromises, Changing Several Parts of their Initial Plan, in order to Obtain an Unanimous Agreement of All 27 EU Member States' Leaders, after an Originaly 2 Days "Exceptionnal" Summit reached a 5th Day's Morning, (some Foreseeing possible Even more than "a Week" !), amidst Manifold Tensions, Oppositions, Conflicts, alleged "Blackmails", and Hard Bargaining, (Often Some Playing Games ...Hidden Behind Others, as National Parliaments have still to Ratify the Deal), which made, sometimes, Fear another Eventual Blockade, Risking to Seriously Damage the EU, after Too Many Deaths by the Virus, even earlier Errors and/or EU Delays to Urgently take Protective Measures, that added also OverSpend and Slowed-Down Economies, while the Pandemic Crisis is Not Yet Over, throughout the World.

=> So, First of all, the so-called "Frugal" or, alias, "Stingy", EU Member States' Leaders, (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Austria, Later Partly Joined by Finland, mainly Led by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, helped by Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz : See http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/eurevivalsummitneedseuropeanvision.html ), appeared Pushing Hard for a Series of Changes on the Original EU Plan, and Got, Finally, several Concessions, including the Maintain of a Rebate for 4 of them, even After UK's Departure with the "BREXIT"), Augmented for Most of them, But also a Diminution of the Total Volume of EU Grants, from 500 Billions  initially, Down to 390 Billions  finally, (the Rest of the 750 Billions  Recovery Fund being covered by Loans), as well as a "Tighter" EU Monitoring Process for any Handovers to its Member States. Later, it was announced that Germany was Included to such Rebates' continuation, (but withOut any Augmentation).

+ From anOther Side, mainly Italy (with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who Joined Spain, Portugal, Greece, France and Many Other Countries into Defending EU Grants, as initially Planned), reportedly fought Against Maintaining Unanimity, instead of a Qualified Majority, at EU Council's Decisions on that Recovery Fund, Apparently Fearing that Critics - as Netherlands' Rutte, etc.- might, Otherwise, hold a "Veto". And this was, Indeed, Droped, after Various Other Countries Joined the move.

++ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (See: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/euuturnforlongerbalanceddeal.html) said that he Backed Italy, Obviously Motivated by Rutte's Opposite stance (Comp. Supra), since the Dutch Prime Minister Also appeared to Head a (Wider in Fact) Move to Immediately Add an UnPrecedented Mechanism for Excluding from EU Funds those Member Countries which are Accused for alleged "Rule of Law" Discrepancies, (i.e. currently Hungary and Poland). But, Strongly Backed by his National Parliament, (where Orban's Center-Right Party "Fidesz" brillantly Won -even Better- the Latest Election on 2018, followed by a Powerful Rightist "Jobbic" Party, while, on the Contrary, the "Socialists" Fell even Lower), which Recently Adopted a Resolution clearly Excluding any Deal which might, Eventually, "Use EU Funds for Political Issues, inside National States", as it Warned, the Hungarian Prime Minister had to Brandish a "Veto" If Rutte and/or others eventually Imposed such an Exclusion Trigger. Orban, Supported also by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who Currently Chairs the 4 Countries of the Center-Eastern "Visegrad" Group, (Hungary, Poland, Chequia, Slovakia), claimed that they Obtained, finally, Gain of cause on that Point, and that's why they Accepted to Sign this EU Brussels' Deal.

However, that Issue Appears quite Tricky, or UnClear Yet... Indeed, Even if Rutte's and Others' Attempt to Immediately Impose the Above-Mentioned Exclusion Mechanism, under "Rule of Law" Claims, withIn that overall EU Summit's Deal (Comp. Supra) was Finally Droped, and, Instead, the Present Brussels' Compromise simply Added an elementary Mention of the Fact that EU Council "underlines the Importance of the respect of Rule of Law", (a Principle that Orban generally Supports, and was even Arrested, as he Reminded, by the Police of the Previous Regime, precisely for "Fighting for Freedom, i.e. Rule of Law", which concerns EU Membership itself, and Not Just Money, as he pointed out), Nevertheless, this is Not All...

In Fact, while Victor Orban's circle was, reportedly, Glad about this alleged Development in the Latest Draft Proposal of EU Council's President Michel, to the point to Inform, Already, to Hungarian Medias, as Early as Since 20 July at the MidNight, However, Whoever might, Eventually, had Told him that this Simple Mention was All, did Not correspond Exactly to the Full Final Text.

Indeed, the Full Final Conclusions of this EU Summit Also Include, at least, +2 More relevant Points :

- (A) One reads that : "Based on this background, a regime of Conditionality ... Will be Introduced", and, for that purpose, "the (EU) Commission will propose Measures, in case of Breaches, for Adoption by the (EU) Council", which will (Exceptionally) Decide "by qualified Majority", (and Not Unanimity, so that, f.ex., Hungary and/or Poland could No More mutually Support EachOther by, eventually, using their Veto, in case of an Attempt to Exclude one of them). + Curiously, such an Addition was Printed, in the Official EU Conclusions, as published Today (July 21) early Morning, at ... anOther Page of that Text, Even if it Immediately Follows the Above-mentioned Reference to the "Rule of Law", (Comp. Supra), which, Astonishingly, was, thus, left with an UnExplained ...Long EMPTY Space, accompagnying it in Its own Page, (i.e. Obviously giving the False Impression that it would stand Alone) !

At any case, Viktor Orban had, However, Already said to European Journalists that he would be Ready (regardless if the Summit had to Durate Much Longer in Brussels), to, Eventually, Negotiate a possible New EU Mechanism on "Rule of Law" matters, as Some Asked for, (Even if he Believed that Useless, since the EU had Already Mechanisms for that), on Condition that it would be "Seriously" Discussed and Legally Analysed, withOut Hastily Imposing a Makeshift Draft which would contain Vague, ImPrecise Terms, etc., Dangerous for Democracy, as he Warned, (See: .., etc).

- (B) But, anOther Point is that, the Above-Mentioned, Vague Reference to the "Importance" of the "Rule of Law" (Comp. Supra), was Inserted, at the Final Full Text of EU Summit's Official Conclusions, in a very Particular Context : I.e. Immediately After a Different reference to "the Protection of EU's Financial Interests" (sic !), "in accordance with the General Principles embedded on the (EU) Treaties". Given the Fact that EU "Commission is invited to ...Protect" those EU Funds "Against" Not Only "Fraud", But, Also, "and Irregularities", (as it's Vaguely added, Afterwards, in the Final EU Conclusions), as well as that National States' "Plans" for EU Funding "Shall be Approved by the (EU) Council by a qualified Majority" (i.e. Not Unanimity : Comp. Supra) "on a Commision proposal", is there a Way to SafeGuard f.ex. Hungary and/or Poland, or Any Other EU Member State, from Eventual Rejection under some "Rule of Law" Pretext ?... Particularly when it's, in Addition, up to "1 or more (EU) Member States" (f.ex. Mr. Rutte ?) to, Eventually, "Request ...to refer the matter to the Next European Council", "if" they "Consider that there are Serious Deviations", After which, "No ... Payments" may be made, "Until the Next European Council has Exhaustively Discussed the matter", in a "Process" which "may" take "3 Months" more..., (while People may be still Dying by the Virus !).

Obviously, whoever might, Perhaps, have been Told, during a Sleepless MidNight of the 20 to 21 July, that the Latest Draft Compromise would have "Only 1 Mention" of the "Rule of Law"'s "Importance" for the EU, in general, withOut having, Afterwards, around 6 a.m. in the Early Morning, Enought Time and/or Readiness in order to Find, Read, and Associate all those, above mentioned, Other References, Scattered around Various Different Places inside this EU Summit's Long Full Final Conclusions, (Comp. Supra), could, Eventually, have been MisLed (by False, InComplete, or InAccurate initial Appearances)...

But, Europe should Not be, Eventually, Sullied by Anyone's possible Attempt to, Perhaps, irresponsibly Play such Dirty Tricks ! Indeed, Even if, as, f.ex., some German MEPs had earlier told "Eurofora", Private Businesses' legitimately Need for Hungarian and/or Polish or other Countries' Judges to be as "Independent" as possible, Nevertheless, it's Also true that, in Fact, Behind at least Some so-called "Rule of Law" Complaints, might, Perhaps, be Hidden Dangerous Attacks against Hungary's, Poland's, and/or Any Other relevant Country's National, Democraticaly Chosen, and Popular Choices in favor, f.ex., of the Natural Family, between a Man and a Woman, and, therefore, of Natural Births, (Instead of Articicial Fabrications of Children, Controlled by Technocrats), and/or for the Protection of Human Embryos against Genetic Manipulations, Perhaps, Also, for European Culture Migration, and/or to Help Develop National Population's Increase, instead of Cotroversial Mass Irregular Migration from Far Away Foreign Countries, withOut any European Culture, Neither real Wish to Assimilate it, Risking to Provoke "Parallel Societies" and Impose a "Multi-Culti", that Angie Merkel's main Governing German Party of ChristianDemocrats (CDU/CSU) had alreaday Succesfully Denounced, since 2010 and in the 2013 Parliamentary Elections, managing, then, to Win almost + 40 % of the People's Votes, approaching Even an Absolute Majority, for the 1st Time in recent History...

--------------------

+ However, there are Also several, at least 3, still Open Questions on the Economic/Financial core Aspects of this Summit's Deal on EU's Recovery Fund :

-------------



- The First one concerns the Time which would be Needed, in Real Practice, for EU Funds to actually Arrive there where EU Citizens have to Act, during the current Crisis. Indeed, according to EU Summit's Conclusions, the Procedure may take at least 2 + 1 + 3 = 6 Months (for EU Commission's and EU Council's Initial Decisions, as well as an Eventual Objection by one or more EU Member States... To what is Added the Necessary Period of Time for Each Project to Reach the Stage of a "Satisfactory Fulfilment of the ....Targets", Only After which, the EU Commission and Council may Decide to Start Handing over the relevant "Payments", according to the Final EU Summit's Deal, (apparently, at least partially, Influenced by Mr. Rutte's desiderata). And, on the Top of it, Inevitably comes Even the Time that it will take, Before that, for All the 27 EU Member States' National Parliaments in order to Ratify the Brussels' Deal, (i.e., approximatively until the End of 2020)... So that it doesN't seem sure at all whether a Project's Authors Might just Start Receiving some EU Funds Before the ...Middle or even the End of Next Year (2021) !

=> Isn't there Any Way to somewhat Simplify things, (at least during the current Virus' Crisis) ?

Even if the respective Situations are Not Identical at all, neverheless, it's a Fact that, during a Previous Economic Crisis on 2008+, it was Enough for an Only One (1) Day Summit of uroZone's Heads of State/Government, (the First ever in History, a Sunday, at "Elysee" Palace in Paris, Organized on October 2008 by the French, then, Chairmanship of the EU, headed by former President Nicolas Sarkozy : See "Eurofora"'s relevant NewsReport, right from "Elysee" Palace at: ..., etc), so that, Already ... From the Next Day, (Monday or Tuesday) Immediately Starts an UnPrecedented, collectively Coordinated Series of uroZone Countries' Big Plans and Financial Moves to Boost an Urgently Needed Economic ReVival, which Proved, Later-on, to be quite Succesfull !

In France, that Effort was Supervised by a particularly Important, Specialized Minister, former Chief of the Governing Party, and Close Ally of the President, Patrick Devedjian, who Both Started and Concluded his relevant Activities by Visiting Strasbourg, where he personally Described to "Eurofora" and other Journalists, the main Aims and Results of his Action, (See, f.ex., among others, also: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/irish/devedjian.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/devedjiansaveandinvest.html , etc). Devedjian's Experience and Views might have been particularly Interesting Nowadays, But he was, meanwhile, tragically Killed, precisely, by this Deadly Virus ! However, Sarkozy, (who notoriously exchanges Often with Macron, nowadays), has, reportedly, Just Finished a New Book, now on 7/2020, Focused on the First Years of his former Presidency, around 2007-2008, which May include some Interesting Insights...

-------------------------------------------

- The Second Open Question is about the Projects due to be Funded by the EU: Curiously, there are No real European Projects foreseen, But just National ones, presented by Each Member State...

But, thus, EU Obviously risks to Lose a precious Occasion to Promote a Europe-Wide, Joint Vision, as well as InfraStructures, etc., which could Also Create some Symbolic common European Achievements for the General Conscience of 450 Millions of EU Citizens, but Also generate real Common Interests between EU's 27 Member States, which could Facilitate to achieve Compromises and Deals much more Easier in Future EU Summits, (as "Eurofora" Already observed, Since the Beginning of this "Exceptional" 7/2020 Brussels' Summit : see http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/eurevivalsummitneedseuropeanvision.html, etc).



Otherwise, (as we all saw these last days : Comp. Ibid), Exclusively National, Separate Projects, even if funded by the EU, Risk to Stay, in People's Memory and everyday Practice as 27 Member States' Different Achievements, keeping Separate Interests, and sometimes Conflicting Viewpoints, also Afterwards...



=> That's why it would certainly be Good, if, at least, Certain Important Projects were, eventually, Supported by Many EU Countries, practically Cooperating All Together to Achieve a Common, Big Goal, (which should, Naturally, be Facilitated also by EU Commission and/or EU Council during the implementation of this overall Deal), in the Next Stages.



------------------------------------------



- The Third Open Question concerns the Search for New Sources of Funding for EU's Recovery Fund and MFF, (Comp. Supra), which Include also possible EU's "Own Resources", (as it has been, in principle Agreed, for the 1st Time in History).

The Recovery Fund, once Decided by EU Council, canNot be legaly Modified by EU Parliament, But the MultiAnnual Financial Framework Can, and, there, MEPs are notoriously Critical for alleged Cuts, as usual, (particularly compared to EU Commission's Initial Proposals), not only on Agriculture and Cohesion, but Even on Health, Research, and Foreign Policy. This, Obviously, canNot be Compensated by the Recovery Fund's Money, f.ex. for Climate Protection, (which, at least in Some Countries, including even France, is reportedly due to be Spend, mainly on ...Too Classic "Thermic Isolation of Buildings" : an Old Practice f.ex. around Strasboug and adjacent Villages, since Too Many Years, which sometimes Transforms formerly Fresh Buildings into Excessive Heat HellHoles !)... Thus, EU Parliament and Commission are expected to Press mainly for Substantial EU's "Own Resources", that EU Council has, in principle, Promised.

=> But, it's Not Yet Clear WHICH ones ! Because, among those Already Proposed, f.ex. Taxes on Plastics haveN't, reportedly, any serious Potential, while Both Taxes on CO2 at the Borders, and on Digital GAFAM, appear "Complex", the 1st mainly for "Technical" Reasons, and the 2nd, rather for "Political" ones, particularly in its More Interesting Version : that on International Trade, where Heavy USA Reactions are expected, as long as an OECD Compromise still Lacks...

>>> So that, what is really Needed is something clearly New, withOut Narrow Limits, Neither Complicated Technical Problems, Nor Fear of Reactions from someone perhaps Stronger than the EU, (as, f.ex. the USA : Comp. Supra), etc. And, in fact, it seems that such a Possibility, Really Exists :

- Indeed, currently, EU appears to have an Important Potential for New, and much Needed (particularly After the already advanced Extinction of North Sea's former Deposits) Big Energy Resources, at its South-Eastern Mediterranean Borders, between EU Member Cyprus (Eventually even Greece) and Friendly Neighbbouring Countries as Israel and Egypt, whose Exploitation and Development is Delayed or Blocked Only by illegal Bullying, aqainst that Small but Strategic Island, by retrograde Turkey. Natural Gas is Climate-Friendly, since it Avoids CO2, and can be Easily and Directly Transported, from there, straight into EU's Industrial Core, either by an UnderSea Pipeline, (nick-Named "East-Med" Project, sponsored by the EU), and/or by High-Tech Ships using New Technologies of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) towards Equiped Terminals, as, f.ex. that of "Foss 2" near France's Marseille, (but with more or less Similar "De-Liquefaction" Terminals already existing Also in Greece, Croatia, Italy, Spain, etc). Relevant Findings inside EU Member Cyprus' EEZ are Already Important, and Much More are Expected in Foreseen Explorations at the Rest of its Large and Well Situated Maritime Area, while Israel and Egypt have Already Found Huge Energy Quantities, and are Cooperating with EU Countries Cyprus and Greece for Various possible Collective Projects of Massive Energy Transferts Directly into EU's core.

=> In Consequence, if the 450 Millions Population Strong, Rich, Developed and Strong EU Countries, Use their clearly Superior Forces in order to just Protect those New Energy Resources (a Big Part of which actually Belong to Europe) around EU-Member Cyprus from illegal retrograde Turkey's Bullying, then, they Naturally could, f.ex., Also, f.ex., Lift a kind of "Protection Tax" on All Revenues of Future Massive Energy Transports from those South-Eastern Mediterranean HotSpots, (whose Geology looks Similar to that of Energy-Rich Mexico Gulf at the USA, as "Eurofora"s co-Founder had guessed, Already as Early as Since 2000-2001 : See relevant Publications, then at "Cyprus Weekly", f.ex. from Interviews at an International Mega-Conference on "Geo-Science" organized by the "Globe Institute" of Strasbourg's University, etc), which could Obviously be Added, even From the Next Few Years, (since a Big Part of that Energy is Already Found and/or Stocked, almost Ready to be Delivered asap), as a Precious and Promising, New EU's "Own Resource" !

Such a Timely (and Middle-Long Term duration's) Financial Boost could seriously Help, to well Start and Develop EU's Recovery Fund, as well as to Smoothly Face the above-mentioned EU Budget Challenges (Comp. Supra), in the Best Way possible, (while Also Firmly Asserting EU's Important Role throughout its External Borders, and its Neighbouring Areas, as well as in the World).

And, by the way, as it concerns also EU's Franco-German core's Couple, in Addition to the Naturally Pioneer, active Involvement of France, at this Mediterranean Topical Issue, (See, f.ex., Already Emmanuel Macron's relevant Replies to "Eurofora"s Questions at a Press-point as Early as since 2015 in Strasbourg, when he was Economy Minister, as well as, Later-on, as President of the Republic, f.ex. at the "G20" Summit of Hamburg, in Germany, on 2017, etc.: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/frencheconomyministermacronegyptisraelcyprusgaspipelinebigchance.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/macrontoprotectcyprusisraelenergyforeurope.html), it's Also the experienced German Chancellor Angie Merkel, current EU President-in-office for July-December 2020, who had already Visited personaly Cyprus, (first at the German Navy, hosted there, and afterwards as an Official State Visit), as Early as Since ...2006, when Germany had taken over the Leadership of EU's Naval Forces, hosted at a SeaPort in Cyprus, included in the European Force, under UN Mandate, led then by Historic former French President Chirac, particularly at the Land, for Peace-Keeping at nearby Lebanon, to urgently but Successfully Pacify a Middle-East Risk of bloody Conflict triggered between Israel and Arabs then, which, finally, Ended Well, Thanks also to Europe's active and decisive presence.

>>> In Substance, Both Then (2006) and Now (2020), it's just a matter of ... "Alexander the Great"'s readiness and Strong Political Will to simply Focus on Solving asap. that "Gordian Knot" Issue, that Others erroneously Took for almost "Mission Impossible", as Also this Previously "Blocked" EU Brussels' Exceptional July 2020 Summit, which Succeeded, Nevertheless, to Finally Strike a Deal, (Comp. Supra), as, mutatis-mutandis, History teaches us !...

(Alexander the Great statue, ThessaloNiki SeaPort, Greece)



--------------

("GORDIAN KNOT" Group of Rock Music, Berkeley California, First, 1999 Album :

After a "Hard" Beginning, it all Becomes much Softer and Lively, as it Goes On...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMamvozbIJY



(../..)

("Draft-News")

---------------------------------
The monsoon season in Nepal started last month, then took a turn for the worse on Sunday.

Countries across South Asia are suffering some of their worst monsoon rains in years.

Weeks of downpours have caused devastating flooding and landslides that have killed at least 132 people in Nepal this week.

Millions are homeless, including in India and Bangladesh.

Al Jazeeras Sara Khairat reports.
GREENWICH - Sacred Heart Greenwich held a drive-through graduation celebration last month. But on Friday, the Class of 2020 had an opportunity to say a final in-person goodbye to their beloved school.

Dressed in white dresses, the 82 graduates gathered across from Salisbury Hall for an outdoor graduation, celebrating a senior year they won't forget.

The graduates were seated under a large tent for the ceremony. They practiced social distancing, but the group, which had been through so much in this year of COVID-19, felt especially close on this day.

In the spirit of togetherness, the gathering was just the students and some of their teachers. The ceremony was livestreamed for their families, keeping the size of the gathering small enough to follow public health guidelines.

But the bond and friendships shared by Sacred Heart's graduating seniors throughout their scholastic careers at the all-girls Catholic school was evident.
NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio

Suspicious activity: Monica Drive

On June 23, police were dispatched to investigate a suspicious man in a car. The suspect was identified and had existing warrants for his arrest.

He fled the area, but the pursuit was terminated as it entered into a construction zone on Interstate 480, where workers were present.

A warrant was issued for the suspects arrest.

Drunken driving: Mills Road

Police stopped a driver for speeding on July 18. An Avon man was arrested and charged with drunken driving.

Liquor offense: Lorain Road

On July 12, a driver was stopped for driving under suspension, and an open container of alcohol was discovered on the floorboard of his vehicle. The man was cited and the vehicle was towed.

Disorderly conduct: Chestnut Ridge Road

Police were dispatched to assist the fire department with a drunken woman on July 11. The suspect became very violent and was transported to the hospital.

Drunken driving: Ohio 10

On July 14, a driver was arrested and charged with speeding, drunken driving and excess blood-alcohol content.

Read more from the Sun Sentinel.
Vietnam imposes five-year anti-dumping duties on MSG from China and Indonesia. Photo by Shutterstock/Naming.

Vietnam has slapped an anti-dumping duty of nearly VND6.4 million (nearly $278) per ton on monosodium glutamate imported from China and Indonesia.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said the tariff, effective on July 22, would be in place for a period of five years.

The safeguard action was based on a preliminary investigation in March this year and is in line with movements in the markets, the ministry said, adding that it reduces the threat of potential damages to the domestic MSG market.

Since 2016 there has been an oversupply of MSG in some countries.

MSG exported by China and Indonesia is also currently subject to anti-dumping measures in the U.S. and E.U.

According to data from British market research firm IHS Markit, Vietnam was Chinas biggest MSG market in 2019, accounting for 17.5 percent of all its exports, and Indonesias fourth largest.
Amid the pain, Black Catholics produced their own set of heroes and trailblazers, including the women who started two orders of Black Catholic nuns before the Civil War. Mother Mary Lange, who co-founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore in 1829, and Henriette Delille, who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans in 1842, are among six Black Catholic Americans formally placed in the canonization process that could lead to sainthood.
A pair of pocket rockets found their way home first to take the $11,200 co-featured events, one on each gait, at Harrahs Philadelphia on Friday (July 24).

On the pacing side, the Somebeachsomewhere sophomore gelding Gingras Beach coverted off a pocket trip to win and take a new a lifetime mark. Gingras Beach made the top from post eight, yielded to Full Send, and stalked the leader to the final turn. He was angled out there by driver George Brennan, made the lead and then withstood a late move from Rogerthat Bluechip to win in 1:52.3. Brennan was engineered the victory for trainer Ron Burke and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby, and Larry Karr.

In the trotting co-headliner, the Donato Hanover mare Across The Pond employed different tactics late in the mile to convert that trip to victory. Leaving from post two, Across The Pond yielded the front to Bosch past the quarter, waited in the two-hole, then angled to the passing lane to overtake the pacesetter and hit the wire in a lifetime best 1:56.3. Despite two post eights and a post seven in her only three previous starts of the year, the crowd let the ladies get away at a big price, as Across The Pond paid $61.80 to win for driver Jacqueline Ingrassia and trainer/husband Frank Ingrassia; the driver is also a co-owner with the Arden Homestead Stable, Donna Franchetti, and Thomas Doran.

Three races later, another driver in green and red colors was in the winners circle after posting a bigger surprise than the one turned in by Across The Pond. Victor Kirby sent Bo Knows, making only his second lifetime start, up uncovered down the backstretch after 1-9 pacesetter Light Up The Park. Bo certainly knew what to do, grinding down the leader and drawing clear in the stretch for a new mark of 1:54 while returning $110.40 for a $2 win ticket.

(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)
Black community leaders in Portland are hoping to shift the focus of demonstrations in the city back to the Black Lives Matter movement instead of what they say has become a largely 'white spectacle.'

In an opinion piece for the Washington Post the president of the Portland branch of the NAACP Rev. E.D. Mondaine, said that recent nights of violence has distracted from the original intentions of the protests and that there needs to be an immediate 'refocusing'.

'Portlands protests were supposed to be about black lives. Now, theyre white spectacle,' reads the headline in the Post.

'Unfortunately, "spectacle" is now the best way to describe Portland's protests. Vandalizing government buildings and hurling projectiles at law enforcement draw attention  but how do these actions stop police from killing black people?' Mondaine asked. 'What are antifa and other leftist agitators achieving for the cause of black equality?'

The President of the Portland branch of the NAACP Rev. E.D. Mondaine has said he fears the original cause for the protests in the city is being lost and turned into a spectacle

'I am not suggesting retreat. Instead, I am proposing that we take the cause of Black Lives Matter into those places where tear gas and rubber bullets and federal agents cannot find us, and where there is less risk of spectacle distracting from our true aims.

'In boardrooms, in schools, in city councils, in the halls of justice, in the smoky backrooms of a duplicitous government  that is where we will finally dismantle the gears of the brutal, racist machine that has been terrorizing black Americans and hollowing out the moral character of this nation since its inception.'

The protests, which began at the end of May after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis began as a series of demonstrations against racism and police brutality.

'The protests that have gone on for weeks in Portland and around the country had a very specific origin. The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis prompted a nationwide reckoning with the original and savage crime of slavery our country committed against African Americans.

'This crime has been reverberating through every generation in this country, black and white, for 401 years. That monstrous crime has finally caught up with us as a nation. I do not believe it is a time for spectacle,' Mondaine wrote.

The NAACP held a rally in an effort to 'refocus' the cause of the protests on the BLM movement

In an op-ed for the Washington Post Mondaine called for a 'refocusing' to occur

After 58 nights of protests, arguments have broken out over the presence of federal officers on the streets, distracting from the original message he says.

'I see something else: a beneficiary of white privilege dancing vainly on a stage that was originally created to raise up the voices of my oppressed brothers and sisters... As the demonstrations continue every night in Portland, many people with their own agendas are co-opting, and distracting attention from, what should be our central concern: the Black Lives Matter movement.'

The Portland NAACP has denounced the actions of federal forces in the city but has also criticized 'mostly white anarchists' for inciting violence which erupts each night which ultimately descends into a game a of cat-and-mouse between protesters and the police.

'There is more at stake here than who appears most often on nightly TV broadcasts. Everyone seeking to advance justice in Portland faces great danger. Right now, there are unmarked, unnamed federal forces kidnapping our citizens off the streets without justification or authority. The mayor of Portland and governor of Oregon have asked them to leave, to no avail. We know this is a violation of our Constitution, but with President Trump promising only more occupations in more cities, we ignore this risk at our peril,' says Mondaine.

Portland has been rocked by protests for two months but tensions have risen since federal agents entered the city. The protests are pictured here on Friday night

In Portland, black people make up just 6 percent of the population with many of those who are coming to protest over the last two months coming from well outside the downtown area.

Tensions continued to boil over on Friday night as a new 'Wall of Vets' joined the Wall of Moms and Wall of Dads to 'protect' Black Lives Matter protesters from the federal agents that have been deployed to the city under the president's orders.

About 4,000 people gathered at the federal courthouse and Justice Center chanting 'feds go home' and 'black lives matter'.

Chaos later erupted when demonstrators set off fireworks and federal agents hurled tear gas into the crowds.

The 'Wall of Vets' group appeared at the demonstration for the first time, alongside the yellow-clad 'Wall of Moms' who have gathered every night this week.

Fireworks were let off into the night with some demonstrators pushed against the fence protecting the courthouse soon after 11pm local time, while federal agents blasted the crowds with tear gas.

Black Lives Matter demonstrators gather demanding an end to racism and police brutality

The Wall of Moms came out in force again Friday night linking arms in their yellow t-shirts

Mondaine says he is grateful for the support 'from our white brothers and sisters in this struggle', but he wants those taking part to question whether their actions will 'further the cause of justice' or 'are simply for show'. 'Is this another example of white co-optation?' he asks.

'The Trump administration's actions in Portland are a deception. The federal government's response is no display of strength  rather, it is a deliberate cover for Trump's weakness ...They need to distract the country by engaging our movement in empty battles where they have the advantage.

'What is happening in Portland is the fuse of a great, racist backlash that the Trump administration is baiting us to light. We cannot fall for their deception. We cannot settle for spectacles that endanger us all. This is a moment for serious action  to once again take up the mantle of the civil rights era by summoning the same conviction and determination our forebears did.'


Widow Of Chechen Killed Near Vienna Confirms He Was Police Informant

By Angelika Kaimova July 24, 2020

The widow of a Chechen man who was gunned down earlier this month in a Vienna suburb says her husband was an informant for Austrian security agencies and that police were examining his cell phone, which she said had recordings and other possible evidence.

Zarema Umarova spoke to RFE/RL on July 24, a day after relatives of her slain husband, Mamikhan Umarov, issued an unusual video appeal in which they claimed responsibility for his killing and appeared to absolve Chechnya's notorious strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, of blame.

Umarova's comments add further details about the circumstances of the killing -- the latest in a series of attacks that have targeted Chechen refugees who fled Russia for various European countries.

The killings have spooked Chechnya's diaspora and renewed focus on Kadyrov, who has run the Russian region for more than a decade and been accused of human rights abuses and ordering hit squads to target expatriate Chechens.

Austrian police have arrested two Chechen asylum seekers as part of their investigation into the July 4 killing in the Vienna suburb of Gerasdorf. Austrian officials have said a political motive or a personal argument could be behind the killing.

Umarov, who went by the name Anzor as well as the alias Martin Beck, was a former Chechen separatist and critic of Kadyrov. He settled in Austria in 2005 and received asylum two years later.

Umarov frequently accused Russian security forces of carrying out the assassinations of former Chechen separatists.

In February, he created his own YouTube channel, posting 30 videos, with the last one uploaded on July 2. Some of the videos included audio recordings of what Umarov said were officials discussing assassination plots.

Most of his videos, which are in the Chechen language, end with insulting remarks about Kadyrov, his family, and his associates.

In the interview with RFE/RL, Umarova confirmed Austrian news reports that Umarov had been an informant for Austrian security agencies for some years. And she hoped that the phone in police investigators' custody would help focus the investigation.

"It contains a lot of information, evidence," she said. "Thanks to this, very soon, many people will find themselves in the dock."

She said that in 2009, four years after Umarov first arrived in Austria, and two years after he received political asylum, he was shaken by a series of killings, including the shooting of one of Kadyrov's former bodyguards, Umar Israilov, in Austria. A brother of Umarov and two of his in-laws were killed during this time in Chechnya.

That prompted him to begin cooperating with Austrian law enforcement, Umarova said, a move that ostracized him from the wider Chechen expatriate community, where many considered him a traitor.

Umarova said the Austrian authorities had offered her husband police protection, but he declined.

That same year, the couple's six children were taken into protective custody by Austrian social-welfare workers, who feared they were in danger, she said. Three of the children have since been reunited with her.

In 2017, Umarov was among 22 Chechens who were arrested on weapons charges in Vienna. Austrian media also reported he was suspected in an extortion and insurance-fraud case involving a blown-up pizzeria. He served two years in prison until late summer 2019, when he was conditionally released.

Umarova said she and her family have been under police protection since the murder, and that she, like Umarov, blamed the Austrian authorities for not doing more to protect Chechen refugees like Israilov.

"He could not understand why they allowed Israilov's murder. They knew the killers were inside the country, knew about the looming danger, but did nothing to prevent it," she told RFE/RL.

"I also have a big complaint to the authorities: why didn't they save my husband?" Umarova said. "They are no less guilty of killing him."

The day before Umarova spoke to RFE/RL, a group of men who identified themselves as members of Umarov's extended family posted a video on YouTube saying they "had to stop" Umarov from making "unforgivable insults," which they suggested violated Chechen social norms.

The relatives apologized to Kadyrov and "repented before all Chechens for the unforgivable insults he had inflicted on the whole people."

The attack on Umarov was the fourth in the past year involving men who were known critics of Kadyrov or had fought against Russian forces during the Chechen wars of the 1990s and 2000s.

Last August, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a former Chechen separatist fighter who had fled from Georgia to Germany, was shot dead in Berlin. German prosecutors have filed murder charges against a Russian national in that case and accused the Russian government of ordering the killing.

In January, a blogger named Imran Aliyev was found in the French city of Lille with scores of stab wounds. Prosecutors have identified a Russian-born man who returned to Chechnya following the killing as the prime suspect in that case.

In February, a blogger named Tumso Abdurakhmanov was attacked in Sweden, but he said he overpowered his alleged attacker and turned him over to the authorities. That case remains under investigation.

The previous March, the head of the Chechen parliament had declared a blood feud against Abdurakhmanov.

Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya since 2007. A former Chechen militant who fought against Russian forces in the first Chechen war, Kadyrov has been accused by Russian and international rights activists of numerous human rights violations, including torture, kidnapping, disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and the assassination of personal and political enemies both in Russia and abroad.

With reporting by RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/widow-of- chechen-killed-near-vienna-confirms-he-was- police-informant/30745752.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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As we all grapple with what it means to live in society battling a global pandemic that is so fundamentally altering the way we interact with one another, we are faced with several questions we havent faced before in our lifetime: how are we going to move forward from this? What does a post-COVID-19 world look like? When will we be able to go back to normal?

While all of these questions are important, there is an underlying issue lingering in the background: COVID-19 testing. Testing is a critical component of responding to a public health emergency, and without it, tracing possible COVID-19 exposures would be nearly impossible, and for our testing strategy to effectively combat the spread of COVID-19, we have to address the issues surrounding misinformation, confusion, privacy, staffing, and trust surrounding the tests, so citizens feel comfortable getting tested.

With news from the White House falsely attributing the United States high COVID-19 numbers to the amount of testing, states are starting to open and remove social distancing regulations leading an increase in the percentage of positive cases in many states  a statistic used to assess increasing numbers while controlling for increased testing. This among other bouts of misinformation coming from the president surrounding the severity of COVID-19 which has since been proven to be false.

To add to the confusion surrounding testing, there are many different tests with varying sensitivity (the statistic that measures the ability of a test to catch all positive cases) and specificity (the statistic that measures the ability of a test to differentiate between similar conditions). Additionally, there are different tests for different purposes  some measure the presence of a virus indicating active infection while others measure antibodies to the virus indicating prior infection and possible immunity to future infection.

Additionally, many citizens are concerned with the privacy of their COVID-19 test results, especially as concerns about sharing data with the police, data breaches, and distrust in contact tracing.

Legally, personal health information and personally identifiable information are protected by HIPAA, but in a public health crisis or pandemic, that information can be disclose[d] [to] law enforcement, paramedics, other first responders, and public health authorities (HHS). This divergence from the typical HIPAA regulations is done in an effort made to protect the first responders and provide information for contact tracing and is common to many areas of law during a public health crisis.

In general, rules and regulations that govern clinical ethics and protect personal liberties are less useful in a public health crisis.

For these reasons, public health interventions are governed by a different ethical code with a stronger emphasis on justice and care for communities rather than autonomy and personal liberty.

Central to the ethical code of public health ethics is building and maintaining trust as well as a strong basis in science. So no matter how strong our public health institutions are, we need to have a stronger emphasis on building and maintaining trust. Because without that, we will not be able to implement anything meaningful to combat this pandemic or any future public health crisis.

Another consideration is the testing personnel required to perform the tests. Though patients may never see the technologists performing their lab tests, they play a central role in health care delivery. Still, hospital systems and insurance reimbursements widely underfund the support of these departments despite providing 60 to 80 percent of the information needed to make a diagnosis.

Additionally, many laboratory scientist positions are being left vacant because of the lag in training  a problem that could also be partially addressed by increased funding and earlier exposure. All of this comes in addition to recent shortages in testing capacity due to recent rises in cases.

Since testing and tracing is a central tenet to curtailing the spread of COVID-19, we have to ask ourselves, considering the above ethical principles guiding public health interventions, what is the best way to offer testing in a way that stems the spread of COVID-19 while protecting patient information and fostering public trust?

Should we follow the precedent set forth by Germany, where massive testing and teams of contact tracers were implemented? Or should we adopt the strategy of South Korea where free, convenient testing locations were made available paired with cell-phone data tracing? Or do we want to maintain our course of action by testing symptomatic people and contact tracing when available? If we decide to move forward with more testing and more contact tracing, we have to consider the challenge of test turnaround time and delays in contact tracing: challenges that have led to the continued spread of the virus while awaiting results.

The question of who to test, when to test, and how to test is still only part of the puzzle and must be paired with evidence-based policies at the federal, state, and local levels that are aimed at quelling the spread of COVID-19, preventing our hospital system from getting overwhelmed, and avoiding avoidable deaths. Between facial coverings, social distancing, contact tracing, testing, and research, all aspects of the public health response and public involvement need to work together to combat this crisis.

In addition to classic public health measures, more coherence between community leaders and the state/federal government allows local issues to be assessed by public health officials and addressed by local community leaders to bolster trust. Additionally, testing should be made more readily available and take place in local community institutions to help break barriers to getting tested. I also support providing a statement that can be given to citizens, written in plain language, addressing privacy concerns, what to expect when you get your results back, and what the results mean. Finally, we need to shift more funding into laboratory medicine, so we are not left with the severe staffing shortfalls currently being experienced. Without these measures, we will be faced with growing distrust, rapid spread of the virus, and continued questions over what to believe.

Cullen M. Lilley is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Press Release

July 25, 2020 De Lima seeks to revisit 'Doble Plaka' law Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has urged her colleagues to revisit Republic Act (RA) 11235, or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Law, to prevent its adverse impact on the millions of law-abiding riders and motorcycle owners, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In filing Senate Resolution (SR) No. 469, De Lima maintained that the government should focus their limited resources on apprehending and prosecuting criminals instead of overburdening law-abiding motorcycle owners. "With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, not only are government offices like the [Land Transportation Office] LTO operating at reduced capacity, but the use of motorcycles have become more prevalent following the ban on, or limited operations of, public transportation," she said. "Before the government can penalize those who could not comply with the strict obligations under R.A. No. 11235, there must first be a determination that the LTO is capable of meeting the accompanying bureaucratic requirements under this law, lest this would be tantamount to requiring an impossible task of the motorcycle owners," she added. RA 11235, or widely known as the "Doble Plaka" law, which was signed by Mr. Duterte as early as March 29, 2019, requires all types of motorcycles to have bigger number plates in the front and back as it sets fines of up to PhP100,000 and imprisonment for violators. A month after signing it into law, however, Mr. Duterte asked Congress to reconsider the provisions pertaining to the size and the material of the front number plate and called for the reduction of the penalties on certain violations under the law. LTO Chief Edgar Galvante signed the 13-page Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 11235 stipulating that the LTO shall issue a set of bigger, readable, and color-coded number plate for every motorcycle, which shall consist of a metal number plate to be installed at the rear of a motorcycle, and a decal number plate to be displayed in its front, last May 11, According to the IRR, the front decal will be 135mm wide and 85mm tall while the rear plate, which shall be made from a "suitable and durable aluminum substrate material", will be 235mm wide and 135mm tall. While the IRR became effective last June 6, the LTO said the portion requiring the placement of revised plates will be suspended until the plates become available in their office between July and September. "Motorcycle rider groups decried this law stating that license plates compliant with this law will compromise the safety of the motorcycles," De Lima noted. "While the matter of the plates are being procured, the extremely disproportionate penalties are still in effect, making it very difficult for motorcycles to operate," she added. Moreover, the critical provisions of RA 11235 imposing heavy penalties and jail terms for violators were retained in the IRR despite the President's appeal. De Lima, a social justice and human rights champion, underscored the need to determine the veracity of the argument that bigger plates would ultimately result in motorcycles becoming unsafe for the riders, pedestrians, and other road users. "While it is true that many crimes are committed with the use of motorcycles, the offenders constitute only a very small population of our motorcycle riders with the vast majority being law-abiding riders and motorcycle owners," she said. "To overly focus on the bureaucratic requirements under R.A. No. 11235 is to veer away from the original intent of the law to suppress criminality related to motorcycle use. This could result in overburdening our law enforcement agencies with cases involving delayed registration which would take the precious resources away from apprehending and prosecuting actual criminals," she added. Recently, the government's task force on the coronavirus disease allowed pillion rides for couples but they are required to install the approved barrier designs amid its safety risks to riders.
Well probably never know exactly what sorts of documents were incinerated at Chinas Consulate in Houston in the days before the United States forced it to close on Friday, after accusing it of being a hub of espionage. We may also never know what caused this months catastrophic fire aboard the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard, a massive amphibious assault ship that was being fitted out to double as a small aircraft carrier, in the port of San Diego.

What we should know is that the two fires are actually one. We are racing toward a conflict with China we may be ill-prepared to wage.

The closure of the consulate comes on the heels of a quad of bellicose speeches from top administration officials, collectively amounting to a declaration of Cold War against China. Robert OBrien, the national security adviser, painted Chinas leadership as unreconstructed Marxist-Leninists. The F.B.I. director, Christopher Wray, spoke of Chinas practice in the art of malign foreign influence. Attorney General Bill Barr accused China of economic blitzkrieg. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hinted the free world may need a new version of NATO, this one aimed at Beijing instead of Moscow.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more deaths in Canadas four most populous provinces than those resulting from infections of the virus, suggests new data from Statistics Canada.

The data, released Friday, shows overall that there were 386 more deaths in British Columbia in a six-week period beginning in mid-March than the highest number of deaths reported in those same weeks in the past five years. During those six weeks in 2020, 99 deaths were attributed to COVID-19 in B.C.

That means theres no official explanation for nearly 75 per cent of the deaths that led to this years surge in mortality data  and, experts say, it opens up a lot of questions about the true toll of the pandemic.

The death gap  which falls between higher than expected death counts and confirmed COVID-19 cases  has been discussed around the world as public health officials and epidemiologists try to wrangle the coronaviruss full impact.

Fridays StatCan data, while still preliminary and far from complete, especially in Ontario and Quebec, helps paint a picture of that gap across Canada.

Raywat Deonandan, an associate professor and epidemiologist at the University of Ottawa, says its fair to say that a large portion of excess deaths not directly attributable to COVID-19 are still related to it.

The causes could cover a wide range, including domestic violence and delayed medical procedures. It could be months before that information is available.

If we didnt know the pandemic had happened and we saw these numbers, wed say what happened this year? What horrible thing happened? Deonandan said. Well, thats what it is. This horrible thing happened.

Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Torontos Faculty of Information, echoed that.

When we see this very predictable death rate and then all of a sudden theres this bunch of extra deaths, we want to attribute it to something, he said. We can attribute it to all kinds of things that are out of the ordinary, and obviously theres one big thing thats out of the ordinary and that is going to be COVID.

The death gap is based on what StatCan calls excess deaths  the number of deaths that are more than expected or typical during a time period when past trends are taken into account  with official COVID-19 counts removed.

StatCans preliminary count of the weekly excess mortality since the pandemic began reveals that B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec combined had more than 4,500 excess deaths between March and June of this year when compared to five-year historical maximums. There was no clear evidence of excess deaths in other provinces and territories.

In Alberta, the data shows that from the last week of February to the first week of May, with the exception of two weeks, there were 639 more deaths than the highest number recorded in the same period in the last five years. Over this 15-week period, 146 of those deaths were due to COVID-19, leaving 493  or 77 per cent  with no official cause.

Stephanie Willbond, an analyst with StatCans Centre for Population Health Data, said that even though the data suggest COVID-19 could explain only about a quarter of those excess deaths, there are limitations to drawing conclusions because the information is provisional.

Its not cut and dry saying COVID-19 was responsible for this amount of excess deaths because we dont know exactly whats happening with the other causes of death, she said.

StatCan notes in its report that this suggests that some of the excess mortality observed during the pandemic period could reflect other factors, such as changes in population composition or increases in the number of deaths due to other causes.

In Quebec, excess deaths were observed for 10 straight weeks beginning at the end of March, with 3,384 more deaths during this time period when compared to the same weeks in any of the previous five years. At the same time, however, there were 4,435 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the province, meaning it is not possible to calculate the death gap, at least not yet.

Willbond said the lower excess death figure could be a result of a decrease in deaths caused by things other than COVID-19, or the agency has not received full provisional death counts from the province.

So will that 3,000 number increase next month or the month after when we produce our monthly updates? Thats also very possible, she said.

In Ontario, StatCan says data for the province are less complete for April and May than those of other provinces, but the agency noted that there were 126 excess deaths between April 5 and 18 compared to the highest number of deaths for the same time period in the past five years. There was a significant decline in the number of deaths starting in mid-April, which the agency says is consistent with reporting delays.

In a statement to the Star, Ontarios Ministry of Government and Consumer Services said that, since the beginning of the pandemic, we have improved the quality and timeliness of Ontarios death registration data. And, as of July, Statistics Canada is including Ontarios preliminary death registration data in their monthly reporting.

Deonandan said some COVID-19 deaths may not be captured in the excess death numbers because of a lack of testing of people who died at long-term-care homes or at home in the community.

Its a bigger problem in the U.S. where theres a financial disincentive from encountering the health-care system, he said, but noted that its still a problem here, especially among the elderly who may have been thought to be dying of other causes and werent thoroughly investigated.

StatCan said that the excess deaths observed up to now seem to disproportionately affect people over 85.

Excess deaths as a measure are important to understand whether something unusual is happening, said Todd Coleman, an epidemiologist and assistant professor in health sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University. I think theres still a lot more work to be done, but its clear that something is happening. Really, if youre trying to point to the very obvious thing thats resulted in a lot more deaths that just didnt happen previously, it is very possibly COVID-19 related.
Nigerian human rights activist, Segun Awosanya, popularly known as Segalink, has accused popular journalist and feminist, Kiki Mordi, of threatening him and Seyitan Babatayo.

According to Segalink, following Seyitans withdrawal of her rape case against Dbanj, Kiki Mordi and her feminist coven resorted to sending threats to Seyitan and himself.

Segalink wrote: Kiki Mordi is playing the role of the hitman under the auspices of the Coven sending threats to Seyitan and myself. We have it all on record. It will end in premium tears for her & their coven and she will be revealed for the monster that shes become on this agenda. #EndRape.

Kiki Mordi is playing the role of the hitman under the auspices of the Coven sending threats to Seyitan and myself. We have it all on record. It will end in premium tears for her & their coven and she will be revealed for the monster that shes become on this agenda. #EndRape  SEGA Leveilleur? (@segalink) July 25, 2020

The witches have blocked Seyitan after raining curses on her for not playing along with their agenda. We have it all on record. You know their names and the authorities do too. We remain steadfast in protecting the rights of ALL vulnerable in society. Rich or poor, male or female pic.twitter.com/4XjKEnVJAy  SEGA Leveilleur? (@segalink) July 25, 2020

KanyiDaily recalls that Stand To End Rape (STER) released an update on the Seyitan and Dbanj legal rape case, stating that the two have reached a non monetary out-of-court settlement.

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In the statement release on Friday, STER stated that Dbanj and Seyitan met at a location determined by Segalink where they reached an out-of-court settlement on the 13th of July, 2020.

This is coming weeks after Segalink had alleged that Kiki Mordi and other feminists belonging to the STER organization had hijacked the rape case against Dbanj for their own selfish interest in order to collect more donations.
It's not easy for a small newspaper to survive these days  but somehow the Whitehorse Star is defying the odds.

The independently-owned paper is marking 120 years in print this month.

"We're pretty unique. There aren't many like us left in Canada," said editor Jim Butler, who's been with the paper for almost 40 years.

"We like to think that we have a loyal readership, and even though a lot of them enjoy their social media outlets, they also like the feel of a daily newspaper that they can hold and read it at leisure."

The paper was founded in 1900, when the Klondike Gold Rush was still recent news. Percy Fremlin Scharschmidt had been printing The Bennett Sun paper in nearby Bennett, B.C., a year earlier, but picked up stakes when the White Pass & Yukon Route was completed to Whitehorse.

The Whitehorse Star

It started as the Northern Star, and over the years became the White Horse Star, the Whitehorse Daily Star, and now since last year when it ceased to be a daily, the Whitehorse Star.

For a long time, it was the only news source in town.

"For decades, the first half of the 1900s, there really wasn't much competition," Butler says.

"Especially in the first half of the paper's existence, it has served as a valuable resource for historians doing research and archives. After all, the paper has covered the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War and the Yukoners who fought in those conflicts."

The paper was also there to cover major local events  the sinking of the SS Princess Sophia, a visit by the first aircraft in Yukon, the moving of the territorial capital from Dawson City to Whitehorse, royal visits, and Robert F. Kennedy's famous ascent of Mount Kennedy in 1965.

The Kennedy trip offered a good scoop for the paper  then-publisher Bob Erlam managed to get photos of a smiling Kennedy striding into camp after his ascent. The photos were then distributed worldwide.

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Bob Erlam/Whitehorse Star

Butler cites the old adage that newspapers are the "first rough draft of history."

"I think that's true in this case," he said.

'All the old-timers ... would write into the Star'

The paper was also the birthplace of artist and raconteur Jim Robb's famous "Colourful Five Percent," in the early 1970s. It became a regular and beloved column about some of Yukon's most quirky and unique figures, past and present.

"So I had quite a few drinks that one night, and I had my notepad with me and I said, what popped into my head? 'The Colourful Five Percent.' So that was the start of the column," Robb recalled.

He remembers the Star as being sort of "the Bible of the area."

"All the old-timers, if they had something to say, they would write into the Star," he said.

Whitehorse Star

Robb says he still picks up every issue.

"I've never been too good with the internet. I have trouble just turning on the TV, type of thing ... the Star is my number-one source for news," he said.

"I think people depend upon it, and it wouldn't be the same Whitehorse without the Whitehorse Star."

Butler agrees  he is the editor, after all  but says it's hard to predict what the future holds for the paper. The entire newspaper industry was in turmoil even before a global pandemic ate further into precious advertising revenue.

"Our costs go up and up and up  employees, the cost of paper, the cost of ink, the cost of trucking these products hundreds of kilometres from western provinces," Butler said.

Paul Tukker/CBC

Then there's the challenge of finding new, younger readers willing to pay a bit for the news they consume.

"We haven't missed a single edition in 120 years," Butler said.

"But time will tell. It's a difficult environment for newspapers. Some people will say they've served their purpose and they should disappear altogether.

"But when you think about it, there are still hundreds and thousands of Canadians across this country who read newspapers every day."
When bodies began stacking up at the states largest nursing home in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus immediately turned to the owners of the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center in Sussex County  Chaim Mutty Scheinbaum and Louis Schwartz.

Scheinbaum spoke for the company, but little was heard from Schwartz.
Chinas cabinet-level health policymaker pledged all necessary support for Hong Kong to fight an escalating Covid-19 crisis as the city confirmed another record-high 123 Covid-19 infections on Friday, and officials warned that hospital and quarantine facilities were fast reaching capacity.

Another elderly nursing home resident with Covid-19 died, and dozens of senior citizens had to be evacuated from a coronavirus-stricken care centre, while the government was under mounting pressure to plug a loophole exposed by the threat of infections among the crew of six cargo ships quarantined in Hong Kong waters.

The countrys National Health Commission said it would support Hong Kong in its anti-epidemic efforts during a conference call with local health officials, after days of speculation the citys leader had appealed to the mainland authorities for help.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

The commission said it would strengthen the exchange of technology and share its experience of combating Covid-19 with Hong Kong.

More than 100 mariners are stuck aboard their quarantined ships. Photo: Dickson Lee

Aside from the six vessels, which were quarantined in waters off Lamma Island after each ship reported one Covid-19 patient on board, Hong Kong was grappling with fresh cases in two more institutions for the elderly, and across more government departments and the disciplined services, including police, fire service and Immigration Department.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protections communicable disease branch, told a daily press briefing that 115 of Fridays total were local cases, 62 of which were linked to previous infections, while 53 were without a known source.

Eight cases were imported, including seafarers from the Philippines and India, as well as returnees from India and Pakistan. The new cases took the citys infection tally to 2,372, with about 100 preliminary positive cases pending confirmation. The city saw a previous daily high of 118 new infections on Thursday.

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The trend is still increasing, Chuang said. Although this situation reflects those [infections] in the past one or two weeks, its still worrying because we are seeing the patients have many social activities, which are difficult to trace and it is difficult to put their close contacts under quarantine.

She said the citys laboratories, quarantine sites and hospitals were bursting at the seams and pleaded with the public to stay home, noting that about half of the new cases involved unknown sources, and many of those infected were housewives and the elderly who only went out to shop at markets and eat at restaurants.

Four seamen among the latest cases were not related to the six cargo ships, which have more than 100 mariners on board in total, but Chuang said the work of contact tracing had become more difficult as some people did not give phone numbers that could be contacted, or had already left the city when their tests results were ready.

Seamen are exempt from the mandatory two-week quarantine rule, a loophole the government has been urged to plug.

The latest fatality, the citys 16th, was a 74-year-old resident of Kong Tai Care for the Aged Centre Limited, where 44 infections have been recorded. The man, who was admitted to United Christian Hospital on July 9 and suffered kidney and liver failure, died at 12.48pm on Friday.

He was the fourth resident from the centre in coronavirus-hit Tsz Wan Shan to have died after being infected with the virus.

The authorities moved 50 people from the Salvation Army Lung Hang Residence for Senior Citizens in Tai Wai to a holiday centre for the elderly for quarantine, after one more resident was confirmed to have the coronavirus and two others tested preliminary positive. A cook and a cleaner at the home were also confirmed earlier.

One employee at Cornwall Elderlys Home in Tuen Mun and another at Cornwall Elderlys Home in Tai Po were confirmed with the virus, while a personal carer, who lives in Tsz Wan Shan and had visited two to three families, was also among the cases.

The citys third wave of Covid-19 has so far led to infections in five care homes for the elderly.

More government departments were also affected. Officials said an officer in the traffic division at New Territories South regional police headquarters, a firefighter in Cheung Chau, and a senior immigration officer  the fifth from the department to be infected  had all caught Covid-19.

The Water Supplies Department said three construction workers of its contractor at Tuen Mun Water Treatment Works tested positive but drinking water safety was not affected.

A Leisure and Cultural Services Department worker responsible for tree management works in Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing, and a Registration and Electoral Office worker were confirmed cases, too.

Chuang urged civil servants to refrain from eating together and avoid visiting other departments if online meetings could be held instead.

Masks must be worn in all indoor public spaces. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

The Hospital Authority said a patient who had been given red blood cells from a donor later confirmed to be infected with Covid-19 tested negative for the virus.

The government was also forced to clarify on Facebook on Friday afternoon that it had no plans to implement a complete lockdown for seven days next week after fake news circulated on social media platforms. It appealed to the public to access Covid-19 information through credible channels.

Meanwhile, an international team of researchers including University of Hong Kong infectious disease expert Yuen Kwok-yung conducted a large-scale evaluation of nearly 12,000 drugs, and found 13 showed promising results at blocking viral replication at clinically used dosages.

Three of the most effective, including one for tackling Ebola, were found to reduce the number of Covid-19 infected cells by a range of 65 to 85 per cent.

Purchase the 120+ page China Internet Report 2020 Pro Edition, brought to you by SCMP Research, and enjoy a 30% discount (original price US$400). The report includes deep-dive analysis, trends, and case studies on the 10 most important internet sectors. Now in its 3rd year, this go-to source for understanding China tech also comes with exclusive access to 6+ webinars with C-level executives, including Charles Li, CEO of HKEX, James Peng, CEO/founder of Pony.ai, and senior executives from Alibaba, Huawei, Kuaishou, Pinduoduo, and more. Offer valid until 31 August 2020. To purchase, please click here.

This article Hong Kong third wave: Chinas top health body pledges to support Covid-19 fight as city confirms another record-high 123 infections first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.


Serious talk about withdrawing troops, normalizing relations with Iran, and distinguishing our national interests.





By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos

July 24, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Time to get out.

No major foreign policy institution has really had the guts to say it before. But lets be serious, very few voices in Washingtons national security elite actually believe there needs to be a significant withdrawal of American troop presence from the Middle East. If they do, they couch it pretty well.

The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, however, has decided that its time to shake off the euphemisms and tired fealty to the failed orthodoxies of the past. In a detailed report released today, the authors insist that its not only time to go, but they say the future of U.S. national security and regional stability relies upon it:

Americas military presence has caused the U.S. either to involve itself unduly in the region or be drawn into many strategically insignificant feuds and disputes. This policy of military domination has made Americans less safe, undermined U.S. standing abroad, and rendered America less prepared to respond to threats at home and to nonmilitary challenges such as pandemics and climate change. Nor has it served the peoples of the region.

Written by Quincy principles Paul Pillar, Andrew Bacevich, Annelle Sheline, and Trita Parsi, A New U.S. Paradigm for the Middle East: Ending Americas Misguided Policy of Domination, is a straightforward brief for dramatic change in our approach to the Middle East. For too long, they say, the case for militarism has relied on two planks: countering terrorism and protecting commerce (mainly oil). These arguments have become brittle and not only that, our extended troop presence and proclivity to get involved in other countries regional disputes in order to protect our interests has guaranteed we never leave when there might be an opportunity to do so: see Syria and Iraq.

While there is a legitimate interest in keeping Americans safe and maintaining the free flow of commerce, the scholars write, the U.S. has gone about it all the wrong way.

As the United States has overextended itself in the Middle East, geopolitical rivals in Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran have reaped the benefits of Americas strategic ineptitude. And even when the U.S. is not at war in the Middle East, Asian giants benefit from the American military protecting Middle East oil supplies on which the U.S. is ever less dependent. In summary, both security and economic concerns require a fundamental reorientation of U.S. policy in the Middle East, centered on a significant drawdown of Americas military presence in the region.

A new paradigm indeed. Quincy calls for reducing the footprint over 5 to 10 years and not make it dependent on conditions on the ground (otherwise we will never leave). They point out that aside from Turkey (a NATO country), the U.S. has no formal security agreements in the region and it should stay that way. They call for a new security architecture assisted but not led by the U.S., akin to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, while maintaining an offshore military presence that allows for intervention if necessary to protect the United States.

Importantly, we must forget about showing favoritism and refusing to talk to adversaries. We need to normalize relations with Iran, get out of Yemen, end attempts at regime change in Syria, and stop condoning the bad behavior of our so called friends, like Saudi Arabia.

Overt U.S. backing of the Saudi regime has often encouraged greater belligerence than when the Saudis have been less sure that the U.S. would intervene on their behalf. Unquestioned U.S. support for Israel has facilitated its continued occupation of Palestinian territory and reduced incentives to pursue a peaceful resolution of the conflict. A significant reduction of U.S. troops in the Middle East will help instill greater restraint and reduce the tendency toward destabilizing behavior among partner governments.

I cannot do the entire report justice, so read the whole thing. Quincy is promoting many of the goals that TAC has defended and projected for a long time. It is great to see these goals packaged, underscored with scholarship and with clear, unequivocal language about leaving the Middle East. We know Americans are tired of failed war policies and missions they no cannot clearly understand. There is no better time than now to do something about it.

Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, executive editor, has been writing for TAC since 2007, focusing on national security, foreign policy, civil liberties and domestic politics. She served for 15 years as a Washington bureau reporter for FoxNews.com, and at WTOP News in Washington from 2013-2017 as a writer, digital editor and social media strategist. She has also worked as a beat reporter at Bridge News financial wire (now part of Reuters) and Homeland Security Today, and as a regular contributor at Antiwar.com. A native Nutmegger, she got her start in Connecticut newspapers, but now resides with her family in Arlington, Va. - " Source " -

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Kachin Independence Army soldiers perform military exercises under the watchful eye of their commander in an undated photo.

The rebel Kachin Independence Army in Myanmar has detained five of its fighters for killing two teenage boys from the Shanni ethnic group after taking them captive on July 6, promising to punish the killers and compensate victims families, sources in Kachin state said Friday.

The KIA, which is battling Myanmar government forces for greater autonomy in Kachin state, has admitted its troops killed the two boys and promised to apologize and compensate their families, but denied that the killings were ordered by senior commanders. Family members learned of the killings only 16 days later.

The persons responsible for killing the two Shanni boys are our members, but this does not mean the KIA/KIO [Kachin Independence Organization] ordered the killings, KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu told RFAs Myanmar Service on Friday.

The KIA is not directly responsible for the killings, Naw Bu added, saying that an investigation into the deaths is still ongoing and that the KIA is now trying to return the boys bodies to their parents.

The two boys, both 17, were identified as Thant Zin Aung, a student at Monywa University, and Zaw My Oo, a student in the 10th grade, and were abducted while vacationing in Hpakant township in northern Myanmars Kachin state.

They were taken into custody by KIA troops in Hpakants Sal Zinn village after becoming involved in a fight while gambling, Thant Zin Aungs father Eik Sann told RFA.

They were taken away in the trunk of a car. They were having a picnic during a farewell party, and wandered off to Sal Zinn village, the boy's father said.

They were supposed to go back to school on July 7, he added.

Sai Htay Aung from the Tai Leng (Shanni) Nationalities Development Party said that the KIA had informed community leaders on July 22 of the killings, with the rebel army adding that a formal apology would be made to the boys parents and compensation paid for the deaths.

They said they have detained five soldiers who are responsible for the deaths and have promised to punish them, he said.



Ethnic Shan people have been the targets of frequent abuse by KIA soldiers in recent years, with extortion, forced recruitment, and killings all reported by victims and grieving family members, local activists and rights groups say.

The Shanni (also known as the Red Shan) are a subgroup of the Shan, which is Myanmars second-largest ethnic group after the majority Bamar, and live in Kachin state and in northern Sagaing region.

Reported by Elizabeth Jangma for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Social distancing rules applied in Danang from Sunday afternoon

Da Nang authorities have issued a range of measures to prevent community transmission of Covid-19 after two residents have been confirmed positive for the virus over the past two days.

The Municipal Department of Health was tasked to conduct massive testing to early detect infection sources and high-risk cases

Accordingly, residents are requested to:

- Wash hands regularly with soap or sanitizer;

- Wear facemask when staying outdoor;

- Keep safe distance of at least one meter.

- A crowd of more than 30 people is not allowed at public places, or outside public agencies, schools, hospitals.

The Municipal People's Committee also decided to temporarily suspend festivals, religious rituals, sports events, as well as operation of non-essential services like karaoke, massage, and discos.

Wholesale, retail sale, lottery services, hotels, restaurants, accommodation facilities, tourist sites, and passengers are allowed to operate provided that preventive measures are implemented.

Schools must be disinfected while number of students must be reduced in each classroom and online learning should be introduced.

The city's Department of Health was asked to promptly organize epidemiological investigation, contact-tracing in areas related to the confirmed Covid-19 cases, and massive testing to early detect infection sources and high-risk cases.

These rules will take effect until further notice.

Another COVID-19 case confirmed in Da Nang

Another case of COVID-19 was recorded in the central city of Da Nang, raising the total of coronavirus infections in the country to 418, said the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on July 26 morning.

The 61-year-old man, who resides in Thanh Binh ward of Hai Chau district, was confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 on July 25 night. He is now under intensive treatment at Da Nang Hospital, with the aid of a ventilator.

Da Nang is implementing epidemiological investigation, contact tracing and quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the virus. The Health Ministry has set up three special working teams to support the citys pandemic prevention and control.



Of the total 418 cases in Vietnam, 276 cases are imported and quarantined right after their arrival.

As many as 365 patients or 87.3 percent have been given the all-clear of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 which causes the pandemic, while the rest are being treated at medical establishments across the country, with eight tested negative for the virus once or twice. No deaths have been recorded so far.

There are currently 11,187 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions being quarantined, including 220 at hospitals, 10,193 at other facilities, and 774 at home.

Travel history of latest COVID-19 patient announced

The latest patient to be infected with COVID-19 through a community transmission has not travelled out of his home city for a month, and has had no contact with any foreigners.

The information was released Sunday by the a Nang Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control who were investigating the movements of the 61-year-old before he tested positive for coronavirus.

The man, who lives in Thanh Binh Ward, Hai Chau District with his wife and daughter, visited the same cafe near his house every morning after breakfast, his family told officials.

He also visited the Intensive Care Unit of a Nang Hospital on July 5 where his father was being treated.

A little under a week after visited his father, he began to feel unwell, started coughing and developed a fever. He also started to lose weight.

He asked his son-in-law to drive him for a check-up at a private clinic on inh Tien Hoang Road in Hai Chau District. Two days later, on July 17, he didnt feel any better and went to the Hai Chau District Hospitals Emergency Department.

Then he went to the emergency department of a Nang Hospital by himself and was hospitalised at the Respiratory Department, room 506 and diagnosed with pneumonia.

On July 23, he was moved to the ICU of a Nang Hospital.

He is currently on ventilator and in a severe conditions. Health officials are working with local authorities to investigate further his travel history and anyone he had contact with.

All the places he had visited have since been closed, and are being monitored.

Meanwhile, the health of patient 416, a 57-year-old man also from a Nang who tested positive on Saturday, has deteriorated.

Doctors at the a Nang Hospital are treating him using Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and filtering his blood.

Of all the people who have contracted the virus so far, 365 have been given the all-clear, accounting for 87.3 per cent and no fatalities have been reported.

At present, 11,187 people are placed under medical surveillance, of whom 220 are at hospitals, 10,193 centralised quarantine camps, and 774 at places of residence.

Social distancing for a Nang City

Earlier Sunday morning, a Nang Citys Peoples Committee announced a number of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The city asked its residents to wear masks when going out, wash their hands with soaps, keep a safe distance when in contact with others, and not gather in a crowd of more than 30 people.

The Steering Committee is also proposing that all local residents must inform the authorities if they are planning to leave the central city.

All ceremonies, including religious ceremonies and sporting events as well as events with many people in a public place will be temporarily suspended.

Non-essential business activities like entertainment centres, beauty salons and spas, karaoke, massage and discotheques will be temporarily closed.

For other service businesses, strict measures to prevent the virus must be implemented like taking temperatures of customers and providing sufficient hygiene materials.

The number of students in a classroom has to be reduced to make sure not too many students are gathered in the same place and online education can be put in place.

For social-economic or politic events that need to be organised, local authorities have to ensure strict infection control measures.

Three special working groups set up to stamp out coronavirus in Da Nang



The Ministry of Health has urgently established three special working groups to deal with the possible recurrence of COVID-19 outbreak in Da Nang city, central Vietnam.

The groups are comprised of specialists and experienced doctors of leading medical institutions such as the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi and Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

They are tasked with providing technical support for the local Da Nang healthcare sector in carrying out epidemiological investigations, localizing the virus, and conducting extensive testing, among others.

Some group members took part in COVID-19 prevention campaigns at virus hotspots like one in Hanois Ha Loi village of Me Linh district or another at Bach Mai hospital. Doctors from Cho Ray Hospital got experience in treating Stephen Cameron, the British pilot who was the most severe coronavirus case in Vietnam.

Vietnam confirmed on July 25 a local resident of Da Nang City has been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, ending a 99-day long streak in which no new locally transmitted infections have been recorded.

The patient, suffering respiratory failure, is in critical condition and is undergoing the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life support machine, in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Da Nang Hospital.

Another local resident of Da Nang tested positive midnight July 25, and this patient is on a ventilator in the ICU of Da Nang Hospital.

Vietnam has so far recorded 418 coronavirus cases, with 365 cases having fully recovered from the disease. No deaths have been reported.

226 Vietnamese workers to be repatriated from Uzbekistan

Around 226 Vietnamese workers stranded in Uzbekistan due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be repatriated soon, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnamese people check in for a repatriation flight at the airport in Moscow on May 12.

The ministry on July 24 worked with concerned ministries, agencies and the company that sent Vietnamese workers to Uzbekistan on the workers' call for help to return home.

The 226 workers who are working for China Petroleum Jili Chemical Engineering and Construction Co.,Ltd (JCC) in Karshi city, Uzbekistan, recently sent a letter to the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia to seek for help.

In the letter, the workers said they were facing difficulties in daily life, at work, and in Covid-19 prevention and control, therefore they called for help from the embassy to return to Vietnam soon.

"After hearing about the situation, the Consular Department under the Foreign Ministry coordinated with the embassy and the company that sent the workers to Uzbekistan to clarify the case," the ministry said.

The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam has co-ordinated with airlines to conduct more than 60 flights repatriating nearly 16,000 Vietnamese citizens from almost 50 countries and territories due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam in an interview on July 22 with the Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper.

Thang said that from now to the end of August, the aviation sector will continue working with diplomatic and military agencies to conduct 50 more flights to bring some 13,000 Vietnamese citizens home.

"The demand is huge while the capacity of the aviation sector and quarantine centres is limited," he said. "Agencies have to give priority to children under 18, the elderly, pregnant women, people with health problems, workers with expired labour contracts and no accommodation, students without residence due to dormitory disclosure and others in especially difficult circumstances."

Over 190 Vietnamese citizens brought home from Japan

Relevant agencies of Vietnam, the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, and the Vietnam Airlines on July 25 coordinated with Japans competent agencies to bring home more than 190 Vietnamese citizens from the country.

Passengers on the flight included the elderly, pregnant women, people with illnesses, stranded tourists, workers with expired labour contracts, and students without accommodations due to school closure.

To ensure the safety of the passengers and crew members and prevent the spread of COVID-19, the carrier strictly implemented security, safety, and hygiene measures during the flight.

Right after landing in the Noi Bai International Airport, all the passengers and crew members had their health checked and were taken to a concentrated quarantine centre, in line with the countrys regulations.

Implementing Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs directions, relevant domestic agencies and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad are building plans to bring Vietnamese citizens home when domestic quarantine capacity permits.

COVID-19: Two more cases raise Vietnams tally to 417

Vietnam on July 25 confirmed two more coronavirus cases, including a five-year-old girl, bringing the countrys total number of COVID-19 infections to 417, according to the Ministry of Health.

One of the two cases, a 57-year-old man in Da Nang City, has five times tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The infection marks the recurrence of the virus in the community 99 days after it was brought under the control.

Da Nang authorities moved to quarantine the place where he lives, lock down Hospital C where he visited for medical check-ups, track down those who had close and direct contact with the patient, and conduct extensive testing.

Local officials said a total of 103 people who had contact with the patient had tested negative for the virus.

The patient was transferred to Da Nang hospital for medical observation and treatment. He is on a ventilator due to respiratory failure.

Doctors are considering using the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life support machine, if the mechanical ventilation therapy does not help.

The other case is a five-year-old girl, living in Thai Binh province. She was among passengers boarding Vietnam Airlines VN5062 aircraft on a repatriation flight from Russia to Vietnam on July 9.

She twice tested negative for the virus but the third test came back positive on July 25.

The child is being treated at the Bac Lieu provincial General Hospital in the Mekong Delta.

With two more patients confirmed on July 25, Vietnam has so far recorded a total number of 417 COVID-19 cases. No deaths have been reported.

Except for 365 patients who have fully recovered, the remaining 52 cases are closely being monitored at health facilities across the country. Eight of them have tested negative at least once.

COVID-19: Critically ill patient in Da Nang on ECMO life support



A local resident of Da Nang city who tested the SARS-CoV-2 virus has undergone the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life support machine, after suffering critical respiratory failure, said doctors.

The patient, dubbed patient 416, is in critical condition and at high risk of death, said the treatment sub-committee under the Ministry of Health, adding he will be on a ventilator and an ECMO machine for a long time.

The 57-year-old man is currently staying in the intensive care unit of Da Nang Hospital, taking in sedatives and undergoing constant dialysis to maintain his kidney function.

This is the third coronavirus patient in Vietnam who has required ECMO life support. One of the two other patient was Stephen Cameron, a British citizen who was the most severe coronavirus case in Vietnam.

Doctors from Cho Ray hospital that had treated the British patient arrived at Da Nang Hospital to support their colleagues.

The ECMO machine, considered the last-ditch intervention for a coronavirus patient, is used when all other conventional treatments fail.

The man was confirmed on July 25 to have carried the virus after five COVID-19 tests. The infection ended the 99-day long streak that Vietnam had recorded no new locally transmitted cases.

The source of infection is still unknown. The Prime Minister has directed the healthcare sector to save his life.

By July 25 afternoon, the Da Nang Department of Health identified 1,079 people who had contact with the patient. Of the total, 288 people in direct contact with the patient were placed in quarantine for medical surveillance.

The Danang Center for Disease Control (CDC) collected 175 samples for testing with 107 of them coming back negative.

Vietnam Airlines brings home over 190 Vietnamese citizens from Japan



Vietnam Airlines on July 25 conducted a special flight, bringing home more than 190 Vietnamese citizens stranded in Japan due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The flight was arranged by relevant Vietnamese agencies, the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan and relevant agencies of the host country, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Passengers on board the repatriation flight were elderly people, pregnant women, sick people, holidaymakers, workers with expired labour contracts, students who had completed the academic year without accommodation, and others in specially difficult circumstances.

Vietnam Airlines strictly implemented security, safety and epidemiology measures during the flight, in order to protect the passengers health and prevent the spread of the virus.

After landing at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, all the passengers and crew members underwent medical check-ups and were transferred to quarantine facilities according to regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

Under the Prime Ministers instructions, Vietnamese agencies, Vietnamese representative agencies abroad and domestic airlines will continue to conduct similar flights to bring overseas Vietnamese back to Vietnam.

Six held for organising illegal entry



Police in the northwestern province of Quang Ninh said on July 25 that they have detained and started legal procedures against six people from Mong Cai city for organising illegal entries into Vietnam.

The six are all residents of the province. They admitted working with a Chinese man via the Wechat messaging and social media app to conduct illegal entries to Mong Cai city for Chinese people from Dongxing. They used rafts to ferry the Chinese across the river at the border and motorcycles to drive the illegal migrants to the citys centre and other areas inside Vietnam.

The group was paid CNY4,000 (US$570) for each illegal migrants. On June 10, they were caught red handed while serving four Chinese.

Cambodia suspends flights from Indonesia, Malaysia

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on July 25 approved the Ministry of Healths proposal to temporarily ban all flights from Malaysia and Indonesia to curb the spread of COVID-19 from August 1.

In an announcement released on late July 25, the ministry said it had noticed a spike in the number of imported COVID-19 cases over the past week, especially from the two countries.

Of the 108 passengers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after arriving in Cambodia via Malaysia and Indonesia, 55 took Malaysia flights.

The announcement came the same day Cambodia confirmed eight more cases of COVID-19 among passengers on two separate flights from Indonesia.

Cambodia on July 25 confirmed 23 new imported COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 225, the ministry said.
In Victoria, strenuous efforts have been made, by some, to link the deadly second COVID-19 wave to the Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne in early June. These efforts have been so diligent, even in the face of the facts  Victoria Health says there is no link between the rally and the sharp spike in cases  that it seems it might be the intention of the protests that is the problem, and not the gathering of people per se.

A banner of David Dungay Junior placed outside court during the inquest into his death. Credit:Wolter Peeters

And intention is important  these protests are not comparable to going to the shops, or having a pub meal, or going to the football as the Prime Minister did a few weeks ago (and which he was perfectly entitled to do). These protests represent the exercise of rights integral to the functioning of our democracy.

They should be high on the priority list of things we hold onto even as we relinquish other freedoms in the name of public health.

In Sydney, we have seen powerful forces mobilise to stop a Black Lives Matter protest planned for Tuesday. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller went on radio this week to state his intention to mount a legal challenge to the protest, which has been organised by the family of David Dungay Junior.
We saw the alien first.

The small rock, painted green and etched with the unmistakable otherworldly almond eyes of an extraterrestrial visitor, was nestled against a larger boulder along with a tinier rock painted with a turquoise heart in the heart of a quiet Northeast Heights neighborhood.

We were on the hunt for these painted stones at the excited suggestion of a reader. After a week of rising COVID-19 cases, rising tempers, rising chaos, rising mothers willing to build walls, rising fears over a dwindling economy and a dwindling chance at a normal life, we were so ready to rock.

More than anything, we were so ready to find the elusive Rock Fairy, the person who painted the stones, scattered them around the neighborhood and sprinkled clues among the rocks to create a scavenger hunt.

We have a Rock Fairy in the neighborhood, reader Jane Ripple exclaimed in her email. She is an incredible artist! She also set up a scavenger hunt for the kids. She directs people to the Candy Corner, which has rocks painted with all sorts of candy (Hersheys Kisses, M&Ms, candy corn, peppermints, etc.). Under the Hersheys Kiss is a clue to find the rock that is painted with what happens after a caterpillar hatches (a butterfly), etc., etc., etc.

Ripple said that she and her granddaughters, ages 5 and 8, had completed the hunt, solving about 10 clues and finding a container of candy at the final spot.

We had a lot of fun and the artwork has inspired my granddaughters to paint rocks also, she said.

It was a way to make a summer-less summer more fun.

So on an overcast summer day this week we headed to the neighborhood off Louisiana NE, guided by a few vague directions and sworn to secrecy that we would not reveal the exact location of the neighborhood.

I am afraid it could bring too much traffic, Ripple said.

After spotting the alien and heart rocks, more rocks came into view, some perched on walls and fences, ringing a fire hydrant, scattered in unadorned xeriscaped rocks. Here was a whale, there was a school bus, a duck, a truck, a fish, a funny face smiling back at us from a bed of mulch.

Taped to a phone pole, we found a note explaining the scavenger hunt. It was signed Have Fun! The Rock Fairy.

Eventually, we found the Candy Corner and looked for the Kisses rock for the first clue, typed and taped on its underside.

But we werent here for the scavenger hunt. We were here to find the Rock Fairy.

Ripple feigned ignorance on the Fairys identity.

I think I know, she said. But she just smiles.

Ripple said she thinks a different person is making the rocks painted with hearts.

I caught her the other day, but I dont know who she is, she said.

Perhaps it was the threat of impending rain, but we found few neighbors outside to inquire about the Rock Fairy.

We never found her. But we had fun trying.

A car parked in a driveway had a sign taped to its back window. Scrawled with a rainbow of markers, the sign read: We love the rocks in the neighborhood. Thanks.

Maybe they hadnt been successful, either, in finding the Rock Fairy. But maybe it was good enough just to leave a note of thanks for her to see in case she wandered by.

And maybe in these troubled times, its not as important to know who the Rock Fairy is as it is nice to know there are people like her out there, trying to bring a smile and sprinkling a little fun, a little joy into their communities.

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline at 730-2793, jkrueger@abqjournal.com, Facebook or @jolinegkg on Twitter.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: A US court has rejected the USD 1.5 million bail application of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who has been declared a fugitive by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case, describing him a flight risk.

Rana, 59, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

He is a declared fugitive in India.

US District Court Judge in Los Angeles Jacqueline Chooljian, in her 24-page order dated July 21, denied bail to Rana arguing that he is a flight risk.

Describing Rana as a flight risk, the US government opposed his release on bail, arguing that if he were to flee to Canada, he may escape the possibility of a death sentence in India.

ALSO READ | 26/11 Mumbai attacks: Pakistani-born Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana faces charges in US court

"Given the stakes, an allowance of bail in any amount would not guarantee Rana's presence in court. Granting bail would invite the possibility of embarrassing the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs, straining its relationship with India," Assistant US Attorney John J Lulejian had told the court.

On the other hand, Rana's attorney told the court that the 26/11 accused is not a flight risk and has proposed a USD 1.5 million bond for his release.

Rana, in his defence, has argued that the US' decision not to extradite his co-conspirator, Headley, to India is inconsistent and bars his extradition.

While Rana "has presented a robust bail package and proffered conditions which significantly mitigate the risk of flight, the court cannot find that he has negated the risk of flight and accordingly grants the Detention Request (of the government) on that basis," Judge Chooljian said.

For someone facing conspiracy to murder and murder charges in India, the incentive to flee to avoid extradition is strong, the court said.

Pakistan-born Rana completed Army Medical College there, and served in the Pakistani Army as a doctor for more than a decade, but eventually deserted.

He is currently a Canadian citizen, but was a resident of Chicago where he had a business.

According to the court papers, he has also resided in and traveled to Canada, Pakistan, Germany and England and speaks seven languages.

If he flees to Canada, he could effectively avoid exposure to the death penalty as such country's extradition treaty with India contains a provision which allows extradition to be refused if the offence for which extradition is requested is punishable by death in India and is not punishable by death in Canada unless India gives assurances that a death penalty would not be executed, federal prosecutors had said.

"There is no question in the court's mind that given Rana's significant foreign ties, particularly to Canada, and the potential death penalty awaiting him in India if he is extradited on and convicted of the most serious pending charges, he is a flight risk," the court said.

According to the court papers, Rana had tested positive for COVID-19 at Terminal Island in Los Angeles on April 28, 2020, but was asymptomatic and has since recovered.

He tested negative in the last three tests on June 13, June 15 and June 25.

According to the federal prosecutors, between 2006 and November 2008, Rana conspired with Headley, also known as "Daood Gilani", and others in Pakistan to assist Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harakat ul-Jihad-e-Islami, both US-designated terrorist organisations, to plan and carry out the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Pakistani-American LeT terrorist Headley was involved in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

He was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack.

India seeks his arrest on a number of offences, including the conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit forgery for the purpose of cheating, and murder under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

He is sought for his role in 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The 2008 Mumbai attack was one of India's most horrific terrorist attacks in which 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem.

Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive, was hanged to death on November 21, 2012.
Archaeologists excavating a cave in central Mexico have unearthed evidence that had once again opened the debate regarding how long people have actually lived in the Western Hemisphere. It was previously believed that humans first populated the Americas between 12,000 and 20,000 years ago, but this new discovery and two papers published in the Journal Nature claim that humans were in Mexico around 30,000 years ago.

'America's first hotel'

According to reports, thousands of stone tools were found during a recent excavation at Chiquihuite Cave in northern Mexico. The study also revealed that the cave in Mexico was not used year-round but was only used as a summer or winter shelter, leading researchers to believe they have found America's oldest hotel.

The researchers have further revealed that the guests at the hotel carried strange implements and tools such as recrystallized green limestone and etc. They believe that the cave use to be used as a base of operations while hunting mammals that are believed to have lived in the area.

A second study that takes into account this new finding theorizes that humans were present in small numbers before, during and immediately after the Last Glacial Maximum (about 19,000 - 26,500 years ago) and that large-scale occupation did not take place until a period of abrupt warming (about 12,900 - 14,700 years ago).

The discovery of the fact that humans may have lived in the Americas long before it was previously believed possible raises more questions than it answers and will force archaeologists to reexamine old dig sites that were previously ignored because they were too old to be true.

Read: Prehistoric Voyages In Pacific Possible, Scientists Find Genetic Evidence

Read: Ancient Monster Penguins In New Zealand, As Tall As Humans, Had Doppelgangers In US?

America to eastern Polynesia

Researchers have found new evidence suggesting that voyages were made between the American continent and eastern Polynesia in ancient times. As per their research, DNA analysis of inhabitants has shown mixing of genes of both native Americans and Polynesians around 1200 AD.

The travel between the Native American population and Polynesians has been a topic of debate since decades. Supports have said that Americans had reached the island much before Europeans highlighting common culture elements and linguistic similarities. Opponents have constantly argued that both the landmasses are separated by thousands of kilometres of the open ocean.

Read: UFO Specialist Detects ancient Alien Jet Engine Remains On Mars

Read: Experts Discover Ancient Ocher Mine In Mexican Underwater Cave
Shakeel Khan came from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, around two weeks ago to sell his employer's goats at Delhi's famous caprine market near Jama Masjid. A week away from Eid al-Adha or Bakri Eid, he has not been able to find any buyers.

IMAGE: A trader waits for customers to sell his goats ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival, in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo

With a little money left on him, the 22-year-old spends his nights outside closed shops on Urdu Bazar Road near the famous mosque.



"Had I been able to sell some of my goats and earn something, I would have found a shelter nearby," he says.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has hit businesses and people who could afford four goats till last year do not have enough money to buy even one this Eid, says a buyer who approached Khan but could not seal the deal.

Khan's employer had fixed the price of a pair of goats, each weighing around 40 kg, at Rs 30,000. "The price is reasonable," he says.



"Last year, I sold eight goats for Rs 1.6 lakh -- Rs 20,000 a goat. This year, no buyer has offered more than Rs 10,000 a goat so far," says Khan, who has been a regular to the caprine market for five years.



Safeena, 53, and her daughter-in-law have come from Filmistan area in Old Delhi to buy a goat for the festival on July 31.



"We buy a goat every year. This year, our shop remained shut for most of the period," she says. "These are tough times. We had saved some money for the festival but we cannot afford to splurge."



Fariya, the daughter-in-law, says they bought a goat for Rs 15,000 last year.



"This year, we have got only Rs 10,000. It has been hard to find a nice goat in this price range," she says, resting for a while on a bench outside a cloth shop in the market.



Zaid Malik, the cloth shop owner, says the administration did not give permission for selling of goats this year for fear of coronavirus.



"Compared to previous years, there is nothing in the market this time. It would bustle with activity and you won't find any empty space. Now, you can count the number of people on your fingers," he says.



In normal times, Mohammad Izhaar would have sold around 15-20 goats on the festival of sacrifice. This year, he has sold only a pair, that too at a loss.



"We have scaled down our prices. Our asking price was Rs 18,000, we got Rs 15,500," he says.



In a world without coronavirus, the pair would have fetched Rs 30,000-35,000, according to Izhaar.



"It takes around 18 months to prepare a goat. A lot goes into its upkeep. We spend around Rs 10,000 on food, which includes gram, wheat, maize, barley, per goat a year," Izhaar, a resident of Azadpur, says.



The goats are kept in a 1,300-square-foot plot his father has rented for Rs 7,000 a month.



Aslam Khan, 13, comes to the market around 10 am and leaves at 8 pm. But in over a week, he has not been able to find a buyer for any of his four goats.



"My brother drops me here every morning and he himself goes to the Jafrabad market to sell goats. I don't have a place to sit, so I keep standing the whole time," he says.



"Only a few buyers have approached us so far. They, too, offered a very low price. If we are not able to sell them this year, we will keep them for next time," Khan says.



Mohammad Zahid, from Uttar Pradesh's Amroha, says he had brought five goats and have sold three of them at a loss of around Rs 18,000.



"I had no option but to sell them at a loss. The transport cost is so high given the circumstances. Tempo drivers have been asking for Rs 500-700 per goat. Also, police have to be taken care of," he says.



Business is lean and fuel prices have increased. Everyone is fighting for survival. The virus has already killed us all, Pawan Kumar, a tempo owner, says.



"This is the worst I have seen. People from Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and other states come here to sell goats. They would rent a place and stay in the city for a month at least. Only a few people have come from outside this year, due to strict restrictions in place," he says.



Shahbuddin Khan, a hardware shop owner, says an arrangement could have been made to avoid losses, but the government is unwilling.



"The municipal corporation could have used the grounds nearby to set up stalls for goat sellers, adhering to social distancing norms," he says. "Based on a token system, there could have different slots for sellers to avoid overcrowding," he says.
INDIANAPOLIS  Indiana's governor dropped a planned criminal penalty from the statewide face mask mandate that he signed Friday after objections from some law enforcement officials and conservative legislators.

The decision comes after Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb had said Wednesday in announcing the mask requirement that violators could face a misdemeanor charge, while stating that the "mask police will not be patrolling Hoosier streets."

The executive order on the mask mandate, however, does not mention penalties and describes the move as a step to protect health during the coronavirus outbreak and help ensure that businesses remain open while allowing schools to reopen and operate safely.

"State and local health departments shall be responsible for enforcing compliance through education about the importance of wearing face coverings and dispelling myths and misconceptions about the use and/or benefits for the requirement," the order said.

Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy said in a news release Friday he supports the mask order.
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Cambodia, Government of

Global Credit Research - 25 Jul 2020

Singapore, July 25, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") reviews all of its ratings periodically in accordance with regulations -- either annually or, in the case of governments and certain EU-based supranational organisations, semi-annually. This periodic review is unrelated to the requirement to specify calendar dates on which EU and certain other sovereign and sub-sovereign rating actions may take place.

Moody's conducts these periodic reviews through portfolio reviews in which Moody's reassesses the appropriateness of each outstanding rating in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. Since 1st January 2019, Moody's issues a press release following each periodic review announcing its completion.

Moody's has now completed the periodic review of a group of issuers that includes Cambodia and may include related ratings. The review did not involve a rating committee, and this publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future; credit ratings and/or outlook status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

The credit profile of Cambodia (issuer rating B2) incorporates the country's "b1" economic strength, that take into consideration robust GDP growth prospects, balanced by a narrow export base reliant on garments and tourism, and low per-capita incomes. The country's "b3" core for institutions and governance strength reflects relatively weak executive and judiciary systems and voice and accountability scores, as well as constraints on monetary policy effectiveness because of high dollarization levels. It also takes into consideration strengthening fiscal policy effectiveness as evidenced by increasing government revenue generation. Cambodia's "baa2" fiscal strength balances the government's moderate debt burden and the concessional nature of its borrowings, which limits interest costs and supports debt affordability, against vulnerability to currency depreciation given the high ratio of foreign currency-denominated debt. Its "ba" susceptibility to event risk is driven by political risk and banking sector risk, as the large bank- and non-bank sector has seen rapid credit growth, posing an ongoing threat to macroeconomic and financial stability.

Story continues

This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period.

The principal methodology used for this review was Sovereign Ratings Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

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This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

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The national leadership of Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the Gombe State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, (NMA) have applauded Governor Inuwa Yahaya for his strides in the health sector.

They thanked him for signing into law, the hospitals management board and the contributory healthcare scheme as well as for his governments drive in the health sector in general.

The two associations gave the commendation during a courtesy visit on Mr Yahaya at the Government House on Friday.

The National Vice President of NARD, Julian Ojebo, who led a joint delegation of NARD and NMA commended the state government for modernising the specialist hospital with requisite operational facilities.

They also lauded him for renovating and completing other dilapidated sections of the health institution, such as resident doctors complex and staff quarters.

They stated that devoting 10 per cent of the states 2020 budget to the health sector is worthy of commendation.

We are aware that in most states of the federation so much is not given to health, but this is the first time in the history of Gombe that 10 per cent of the the budget is allocated to health.

For this we say kudos to your Excellency and this goes to show that you have the people at heart and their welfare and wellbeing are paramount to you.

Driving through Gombe on our arrival, we noticed the state specialist hospital has been transformed into a world class health facility, your network 1100 is still very much on course and the Gombe Goes Green 3G planting campaign is springing up steadily.

Mr Ojebo noted that the state government has done very well in managing the coronavirus pandemic.

He, however, noted the need for domesticating the COVID-19 inducement allowance to health workers in the state as approved by federal government.

He observed that there was now harmony between the state government and the unions.

He apologised to the state government for the action of his members, stating that henceforth, there will be cordial relationship between the government and the medical doctors.

He said, though the national body is aware of the pending issues surrounding the welfare of states resident doctors, their backlog of arrears, allowances and promotion, they still have every reason to give kudos to the government for revitalising the health system in the state.

He expressed confidence on the governors ability to address the pending issues.

Also speaking, the chairman of the Gombe State chapter of NMA, Kefas Zawaya, commended the governor for fulfilling most of the key campaign promises made to the association.

Mr Zawaya, who asked his visiting colleagues to go round the state for a health facility inspection tour, urged the governor to take the transformation drive to general hospitals and staff quarters across LGAs in the state.

The doctors are in Gombe for their National Executive Council meeting tagged Gombe 2020.
By Trend

The US Embassy in Baku and the US Embassy in Yerevan have condemned acts of violence as inconsistent with the universal principles of peaceful assembly and protest, Trend reports with reference to US embassy in Azerbaijan.

"The United States takes seriously its obligation to protect diplomatic facilities and is working with local law enforcement to support this effort. Freedom of speech and peaceful assembly are protected by the US Constitution, however, acts of violence will be addressed by law enforcement as appropriate. We call on all demonstrators to engage peacefully and exercise restraint," the embassy said.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has been criticized for his outburst during hearing at the House ad-hoc Committee investigating an alleged breach of a presidential directive in the suspension of top management and executive committee members of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

Uncomfortable by the grilling of Hon. James Falake, a member of the committee, the Minister threw caution to the winds to the chagrin of the committee and resorted to uncivil utterances.

He was alleged to have compared his political achievements with that of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress [APC], Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, while also attacking Hon. Faleke.

But reacting on Saturday in a statement, Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Tom Ohikere, described Ngiges action as a show of shame.

Ohikere who was a two time Commissioner for Information in Kogi State berated Ngige for throwing tantrums at the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, saying the two do not belong to the same political pedestal.

Chris Ngige has lost a lot of his electoral battles and so shouldnt compare himself with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC who had distinguished himself politically, socially and economically but should focus on vindicating himself of the corruption he is been accused of.

Ngige has failed to recognise how Tinubu has over the years blended a crop of new leaders who have turned out to become change-agents and drivers in both Lagos State, Nigeria and the world at large. He has allowed his charisma to infect many young people, thereby enhancing the fructification of his ideas in politics and the professions.

Ngige only mentored Okija Shrine, hence comparing himself with Asiwaju Tinubu is the height of hallucination. He thinks displaying rings round his ten fingers makes him an uncommon Leader?.

Ngige should check history well before he make utterances, Tinubu emerged the only surviving governor from the platform of Alliance of Democracy (AD), which produced the entire governors of the Southwest geopolitical zone and the expertise he displayed in raising the states internally generated revenue to withstand the induced fiscal straightjacket imposed on the state government as punishment for creating an additional 37 Local Government Council Development Centres stands him out from any match.

Strengthened by that epic political battle, Asiwaju earned his stripes as the Jagaban Borgu and went ahead to do exploits, winning one strategic engagement after another. Through his foresight, three states in the Southwest were recovered into the progressive fold, including Ekiti, Ondo and Osun. What antecedent does Ngige has to compare himself with Asiwaju.
Most students think of the college years as the time of hard study and active partying, as well as an ongoing challenge of balancing the two. But college life can be much more than homework and parties. For most young and daring people who are still ambitious and resourceful, college is the formative period during which they build businesses of a lifetime. This is exactly what happened to Phil Collins, the current co-founder of https://paperwritingservice.com/, a company assisting students with their homework and research around the globe. Let's take a look at his experience a bit closer to see how others can take advantage of the business opportunities college gives.

So, how did Phil arrive at the decision to establish an academic writing business? Everything is simple; he was good at writing. He quickly connected the dots of successful and quick homework completion. He managed to write several essays each day, going far ahead of the writing schedule of his group and freeing much time for social activities, sports, his beautiful girlfriend, and even a part-time job. While his friends called him "super-Phil," Phil, in his turn, always repeated that proper time management and attentive completion of a writing task were the clues to success. And a bit of writing talent, of course.

Unfortunately, many students studying together with Phil lacked that unique writing talent and discipline, so they soon started asking Phil for editing assistance, peer feedback on their drafts, and sometimes even writing a paper or two from scratch. Phil didn't have time for so much academic assistance and had to say "no" most of the time, not to become a victim of goodwill. But as time went by, Phil realized that he had to use his talent somehow, and he formed a small academic assistance firm. First, he charged just a few bucks for different types of help (finding reputable sources for an essay, proofreading the work, helping with an outline, etc.). But after he met Jennifer Lockman, his entire approach to the academic writing business changed.

A student of the Finance Department, Jennifer was good at numbers, which became an ideal supplement to Phil's writing talent. Together they formulated a coherent pricing policy for their firm, now able to get reasonable payment for the time spent on academic assistance. They branched out different types of work, differentiated them by complexity levels and urgency, and disseminated the new pricelist among their acquaintances.

The demand grew disproportionately once the fellow students learned that Phil was ready to assist them with writing for a small fee. After two years of fruitful work with his peers, Phil understood that he was burnt out and couldn't write dozens of essays day and night any longer. But instead of dropping the business, he decided to take the https://essaywriterservice.com/ one more business, hiring and training a team of professional writers. Under Phil's close guidance and tutorship, the team grew and developed, adding new experts in new subject areas to the list day by day.

As this story of Phil Collins' successful college startup ideas proves, students may undergo active development and growth during the hectic college years - the only secret to business success is to listen to your inner self, to identify your talents, and to monetize them naturally. It's always reasonable to start small and see how it goes rather than invest all the available funds into a risky endeavor and then being afraid to try new things. The lessons that Phil teaches young student entrepreneurs are as follows:

Never neglect your studies as college is about education first of all. Even if your business grows, you may never know what happens in the future. Hence, while in college, you should make the most out of the education it offers.

Be attentive to yourself; don't bury your talents because of a lack of time or concentration. Be true to yourself, and the business of your dream will form naturally. It's always easier to earn money on what you love than on what you hate.

Find peers with different talents to complement your skill. You can start a firm as a one-person business, but to scale it and make the business sustainable, you'll need specialists with different skills.

Don't be intimidated by hardships. At times, they only serve as alerts that you can do something better if you do it differently. Thus, by looking at the challenges critically and analyzing how you can change the situation, you may arrive at a new business plan unexpectedly.

Go on with Phil's advice, do business during studies, and you're likely to graduate with a well-established company. Developing an already existing business is much easier than creating something new from scratch. Good luck, young entrepreneurs!
Russia is taking the concrete steps to prevent further escalation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said.

Zakharova made the remark during a briefing on July 23, Trend reports.

There is still tension, spokesperson added. We are taking concrete steps within the OSCE Minsk Group as one of its co-chairs, as well as acting independently to prevent further escalation.

The situation in the conflict zone was considered at a meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group last week, then at the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in the presence of all members of the organization, Zakharova said. The OSCE Minsk Groups co-chairs are in constantly contact with the parties.

The consultations are planned to be held with the UN Secretariat, spokesperson said. A number of statements calling on the parties to show maximum restraint and strictly adhere to the ceasefire regime, including through the Russian presidential administration and the Foreign Ministry, have been made.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had the urgent conversations with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts over the phone, Zakharova said. This week he discussed the situation with the Azerbaijani and Armenian ambassadors in Moscow. The cooperation is underway through the defense ministries.

Yerevan and Baku voice various initiatives aimed at consolidating the truce and intensifying the negotiation process, spokesperson added. We discuss them with the parties. We hope that after the restrictions on trips to other countries are lifted, it will be possible to substantively work out the whole range of issues related to the settlement of the conflict [the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict]."

Following continuous ceasefire violations of Armenia's armed forces, the country launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan on July 12. Grossly violating the ceasefire regime, Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district.

As a result of the appropriate measures, the Armenian armed forces were silenced. The tensions continued on the border, July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, army vehicles.

As a result of the shelling, many houses in the Tovuz district's border villages were damaged.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
A vigil has been held to commemorate the live of the five women who died less than two months apart in Doncaster, Yorkshire, during lockdown.

Amanda Sedgwick, Michelle Morris, Amy-Leanne Stringfellow, Claire Anderson and one unnamed women were found killed in the town and police launched murder probes into their deaths.

The memorial was attended by more than 300 people and an emotional speech was delivered by a family member.

A vigil was held to commemorate the lives of five women who died in Doncaster in the last two months: Amy Stringfellow (top left), Claire Anderson (top right), Michelle Morris (bottom left) and Amanda Sedgwick (bottom right)

While police are not looking for a serial killer and do not think the deaths are connected, it is an unusually high number of murders for the town.

Amanda Sedgwick, 49, was found dead in a home in Askern on May 19 and her death is currently being treated as unexplained.

Police arrested a 48-year-old man on suspicion of her murder at the scene but later released him.

Terence Papworth (pictured), 45, was accused of murdering Ms Stringfellow when he went to see her during lockdown

Five days later Michelle Morris, 52, was found after suffering a fatal head injury in Stainforth. She died in hospital three days later.

Two men and one woman were arrested at the scene, then re-arrested on suspicion of murder and have since been released under investigation.

Mother-of-one and personal trainer Amy-Leanne Stringfellow, 26, was found dead in a house in Balby on June 5.

Her ex-boyfriend, Terence Papworth, 45, was accused of murdering her when he went to see her during lockdown.

He was charged with murder and is due to go on trial in November.

Three days later, the body of an unnamed 28-year-old woman was found in a home in Mexborough.

One man and one woman were arrested at the scene and have been released under investigation.

On the night of July 11, beautician Claire Anderson, 35, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead by emergency services.

Her death is currently being treated as unexplained and post mortem was inconclusive.

Police arrested a 38-year-old man on suspicion of her murder and he has since been released under investigation.

South Yorkshire Police said they could not comment on the deaths as proceedings in the cases are still active.
People living in the first world countries take a lot of pride in being able to share some first world problems that are very specific to their part of the world. I personally find this phrase highly problematic for a number of reasons, such as how ironically the phrase is (mis)used today since its inception in the late 1970s, to how condescending it can be to others.

But more on that later. (Psst..if youd like to hear my thoughts on the matter, leave a comment below.)

The point Im trying to make is that while people make use of first world problems for a lot of things, they dont use it to talk about more matters. For instance, how some first world countries can severely punish people, both citizens and foreigners, for insulting or defaming their country leaders. We list down 5 such countries which are economically, technologically and infrastructurally advanced but do not tolerate any form of derogation of their top leadership.

1. Russia

 Reuters

While punishments for insulting country leaders were already in place in Russia, last year Prez Vladimir Putin increased the severity of the punishments for insulting government officials, including himself. Apart from making it illegal, a 100,000 rubles fine was put in place which can get extended to a penalty of 15 days in jail.



2. Turkey

 Wikipedia

Thousands of people including celebrities, politicians and journalists in Turkey are known to have been booked under criminal charges for insulting their president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Deemed a crime, it is said to carry a penalty of up to four years in prison for the offender.



3. Saudi Arabia

 Twitter/RoyalSaudiNews

Being an absolute monarchy, Saudi Arabia has its King as not only the head of the state but also as its Prime Minister and Supreme Commander. Given this order of things, in 2014, under its counterterrorism law, actions that "threaten Saudi Arabias unity, disturb public order, or defame the reputation of the state or the king" are considered acts of terrorism. The offence carries harsh corporal punishments including public lashings, lengthy imprisonment and even death.



4. Switzerland

 Twitter/s_sommaruga

Switzerland here is a little different from other countries in that apart from penalising people for insulting their government representatives, Switzerland under Article 296 of the Swiss Criminal Code can also punish "Any person who publicly insults a foreign state in the person of its head of state...is liable to a custodial sentence not exceeding three years or to a monetary penalty."



5. Spain

 Reuters

Spain too doesnt fancy its people abusing or insulting the royalty and has pretty strict laws in place to take legal action against those who dare to overstep the line. Articles 490 and 491 of the Spanish criminal code states that any person who defames or insults the king, the queen, their ancestors or their descendants can be imprisoned for up to two years. In recent years, calls to decriminalise insulting the royalty has been voiced in the country.



While most third world countries have similar laws to punish the guilty, do you know of second world countries who have such laws in place? Let us know below.
The Cincinnati-area airport took a childs beloved stuffed animal for an impromptu tour, reaching many on social media, before uniting the toy Dalmatian with its family in Florida.

Staff at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport were sending the toy back to Florida on Friday. The airports Facebook posts about the missing plaything reached 1 million people, airport spokesperson Mindy Kershner said.

Airport employees found the toy left behind in the terminal, Kershner told AP, and snapped photos of the lost traveler outfitted in a mask at the airports restaurants, on the runway and with a K9 team.

Doug and Phyllis Ronco, of Madeira Beach, Florida, said they were driving to the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport to retrieve their sons stuffed animal Friday morning.

The familys flight out of the southern Ohio airport had left early in the morning the day the toy was lost, Doug Ronco said.

"I think our son was half a sleep when he left Masch-Masch (the dogs nickname) at the terminal, Ronco said. Under normal circumstances, he would never forget him."

The family was traveling to visit relatives and friends in Ohio and Indiana with their three children, one of whom keeps the stuffed dog as his companion, Ronco said.

A judge gave Roncos son, Jaydence, the stuffed Dalmatian on the day he was adopted by the couple. "So its very special to him," he said.

Ronco said the airport contacted him by email to let the family know the dog was left behind. He thinks they were the only family with children on the flight, and acknowledged the story had taken on a life of its own on social media.

"The times we are in, some people sees the humor in something lighthearted, and others say, 'Is this all you can do, talk about this stupid stuffed animal?'" he said, laughing.

The family is bringing Oreo cookies to the airport to thank those who helped arrange the journey of their sons special toy back home.
Two terrorists were killed and a soldier injured in an encounter that broke out on the outskirts of Srinagar on Saturday, police said.

Ishfaq Rashid, a resident of village Sozeith, was one of the two terrorists killed. He was one of the top LeT commanders active since 2018 and wanted in many cases of terrorism. The other was from Pulwama districts LeT cadre, Aijaj Bhat.

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Ranbirgarh area on the outskirts of the city this morning following information about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.

As the forces were conducting the search, terrorists fired upon them, he said, adding that the forces retaliated, ensuing an encounter.

The area falls in Panzinara on the outskirts of Srinagar city bordering North Kashmirs Baramulla district.

Exchange of firing is going on and further details are awaited.

(With inputs from PTI)
Donavan La Bella, whose shooting in the face by a deputy U.S. marshal two weeks ago represented a turning point in Portlands nightly protests, is expected to be released from a rehabilitation center this weekend but continues to struggle with the effects of his brain injury, his mother said Saturday.

La Bella, who turned 26 the day before he was struck with an impact munition July 11 outside the federal courthouse in Portland, continues to suffer from severe headaches and migraines, said his mother, Desiree La Bella.
Syrian Democratic Forces Display Strength, Capabilities through Successful Operations

U.S. Central Command

By Staff Sgt. Brandon Ames Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve

SYRIA, July 24, 2020 -- Partnering with Special Operations Joint Task Force  Operation Inherent Resolve (SOJTF-OIR) beginning in 2014, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have proven to be a capable and reliable partner in northeast Syria. They were instrumental in defeating Daesh and liberating millions of Syrians from brutal terrorist rule, and their most noteworthy campaign was the battle of Baghouz, which resulted in the defeat of Daesh's territorial caliphate on March 23, 2019.

Through the month of June, the SDF, advised by SOJTF-OIR, exemplified their strength by completing their largest mission against Daesh remnants in northeast Syria since the memorable Battle of Baghouz.

The SDF-led mission resulted in the successful detention of 69 Daesh members, at least 20 new bio-enrollments and multiple weapons and ammunitions caches recovered across an area of 3700 square kilometers.

"The SDF successfully planned and executed this operation against Daesh with very little assistance from the coalition", said Brig. Gen. Guillaume Beaurpere, SOJTF-OIR Commanding General. "Not only did they demonstrate an ability to synchronize effects over a large swath of northeast Syria, their operation further degraded the limited capabilities of Daesh remnants in the region."

Strength of partnership was further displayed as the SDF coordinated with the Iraqi Security Forces on the Iraqi side of the border, working to close border seams with intelligence sharing and operations synchronization.

The SDF continues to maintain control of thousands of foreign terrorist fighters who would otherwise try to return to their home countries and plot attacks on innocent civilians. SOJTF-OIR continues to advise and assist the SDF towards their ultimate goal in bringing security and stabilization to the region.

"The SDF disruption and detention of Daesh during this operation reinforced the message to the population of northeast Syria that the SDF, with precision Coalition support, is committed to security and stability in the region," said Beaurpere.

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" " This plural family of one father, three mothers and 21 children lives in Salt Lake Valley among monogamous families. Stephan Gladieu/ Getty Images

The institution of marriage is a constant, practiced in one form or another all over the world. In most places, marriage is between a man and a woman. Some states or countries allow for marriage between a woman and a woman or a man and a man.

In general, people seem to be comfortable with the two-person marriage. You can find it everywhere. Plural marriage, on the other hand, also known as polygamy, is legal nowhere in North America, underscoring the depth of conviction held by the select few who practice it anyway.

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At the mention of polygamy, many minds go immediately to Muslims and Mormons. In fact, mainstream Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or LDS) don't practice polygamy; some fundamentalist break-off sects, no longer part of the LDS, do practice it. And Fundamentalist Mormons and Muslims aren't the only ones practicing polygamy. Some Neopagans, including Wiccans, are open to the practice, as are several Liberal Christian groups. And way back in the Bible, Abraham, the first Jew, and his grandson Jacob are reported to have had more than one wife.

Most polygamists in North America, though, are practicing plural marriage as the Divine Principle, a component of the Mormon belief system. It was made very public, perhaps for the first time, in the HBO series "Big Love." The Divine Principle is still on the books in the LDS Church, but its practice has been discontinued. Mormons who refused to give it up were ultimately excommunicated from the LDS.

Estimates have their numbers at somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 in North America, most living in small communities in parts of the American West.

Polygamy is something of a mystery to most people living outside those communities. Outsiders are typically offered only a partial glimpse, and then it's in the context of a "raid" like the one that resulted in the arrest of Prophet Warren Jeffs, the removal of hundreds of children from their multiple mothers, and those rare photos of rural women wearing identical prairie dresses.

This is not, of course, the full picture of Fundamentalist Mormon polygamy. It's barely a sketch. For one thing, what's the Principle really about? When did it begin, how has it been practiced, and how, if plural marriage is illegal, are tens of thousands of people marrying more than one spouse?

It starts with a man named Joseph Smith, who had a revelation.
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad ruled the State of Jammu and Kashmir as its Prime Minister for eleven years from 1953 to 1964. But when the history of the state was written by many his role in the development of the state got lost in the wind created by the Abdullahs' and the Muftis'.

He ruled the State of Jammu and Kashmir as its Prime Minister for eleven years from 1953 to 1964. But when the history of the state was written by many his role in the development of the state got lost in the wind created by the Abdullahs and the Muftis.

Guess who? Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad.

As I reiterate here that history has been selectively written and talked about, on the political legacy of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, one leader has been through a lot of injustice as he hasnt been talked about enough. B.K. Mohammad displayed a great effort for organization and capacity for sustained hard work during his years of struggle.

Going back to the post Independence Era of India in October 1947, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah was released from prison and made Prime Minister. Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed was made his Deputy Prime Minister and was entrusted with the Home Affairs portfolio. In 1948 during the Sheikhs absence from the State to represent Indias case at the UN, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed took over as the Chief Administrator.

Also read: With a spike of over 48,000 cases in 24 hours, Indias Covid-19 tally crosses 13 lakh mark

Also read: China funding North-East insurgent groups along Myanmar-Thailand border: European think-tank

In August 1953, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah was dismissed and arrested. Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed became Prime Minister of the State. He also became the President of the National Conference by a majority vote of the State Cabinet. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister of the state as well. It is alleged that he staged a coup with the help of the Head of State Karan Singh, that eventually resulted in the dismissal and imprisonment of Sheikh Abdullah. It was during his rule that the world witnessed the formulation of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and a normalization of relations between the state of Jammu and Kashmir and India.

Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed proved to be a great administrator during his tenure and is remembered as the Architect of Modern Kashmir because of his constructive work in the State. He had gained tremendous popularity among people of all regions of J&K with his knack of establishing a direct rapport with people at grass-root level. His stint as the Prime Minister or Chief Minister and can generally be acknowledged as the Golden Period of the States post-independence history.

Bakshi came from a humble background. During his reign, there was a huge development in the field of education, medicine and other fields in the state. He had coined the term Naya Kashmir with the vision to empower every citizen of the state. His rule is also remembered for crushing political opponents and dissent with an iron fist. He also created a system of patronage, nepotism and institutionalized corruption in the region.

Bakshis tenure was marred with allegations of corruptions even as he was fondly known to be an able administrator. Probably, the wrongdoings of his family members while taking undue advantages of Bakshis position had brought huge disrepute to his image. Bakshi strengthened his politics on the sole issue of the development of Jammu & Kashmir and its citizens.

He strived to protects their interests and looked up for their prosperous future. In 1967 Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed was elected to the Indian Lok Sabha on a National Conference (NC) ticket defeating the sitting Congress MP, Ali Mohammed Tariq, by a big margin. He remained a member of the Lok Sabha till 1971 and passed away on 9th July 1972.

His political legacy could not be continued ahead after his demise. It is said that due to the strong conviction of his 2nd wife Khursheed Jalal-Ud-Din, that his sons, never joined politics even after offers from various parties.

Pranjal Chaudhari is a digital media & governance consultant who has been working with government agencies and elected representatives in New Delhi. Pranjal has been actively writing on political and social issues pertinent to Indias current discourse.

Also read: NCB seizes over 230kg opium from Chittorgarh, largest in 2020

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RTHK: Singaporean in US admits acting as Chinese agent

A Singaporean pleaded guilty on Friday to using his political consultancy in the United States as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence, the US Justice Department announced.

Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, entered his plea in federal court in Washington to one charge of operating illegally as a foreign agent.

In the plea, Yeo admitted to working between 2015 and 2019 for Chinese intelligence "to spot and assess Americans with access to valuable non-public information, including US military and government employees with high-level security clearances".

It said Yeo paid some of those individuals to write reports that were ostensibly for his clients in Asia, but sent instead to the Chinese government.

In a "statement of facts" submitted to the court and signed by Yeo, he admitted he was fully aware he was working for Chinese intelligence, meeting agents dozens of times and being given special treatment when he traveled to China.

The plea announcement came five weeks after an indictment of Yeo was unsealed, cryptically accusing him of acting illegally as an agent of an unspecified foreign government.

He had been arrested after flying to the United States in November 2019.

Yeo was recruited by Chinese intelligence while working as an academic at the National University of Singapore.

He had researched and wrote about China's "Belt and Road" initiative to expand its global commercial networks.

According to his LinkedIn page, he worked as a political risk analyst focused on China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries, saying he was "bridging North America with Beijing, Tokyo and Southeast Asia."

In the United States, the court filing said, Yeo was directed by Chinese intelligence to open up a fake consultancy and offer jobs.

He received more than 400 resumes, 90 percent of which were from US military or government personnel with security clearances.

Yeo gave his Chinese handlers the resumes that he thought they would find interesting, according to the court documents. He said he had recruited a number of people to work with him, targetting those who admitted to financial difficulties.

They included a civilian working on the Air Force's F-35B stealth fighter-bomber project, a Pentagon army officer with Afghanistan experience, and a State Department official, all of whom were paid as much as US$2,000 for writing reports for Yeo.

Yeo was "using career networking sites and a false consulting firm to lure Americans who might be of interest to the Chinese government," said Assistant Attorney General John Demers in a statement.

"This is yet another example of the Chinese government's exploitation of the openness of American society," he said. (AFP)

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Last updated: 2020-07-25 HKT 10:24

This story has been published on: 2020-07-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Market Overview:

Neural network software is used to simulate, research, develop, and apply artificial neural networks, software concepts adapted from biological neural networks, and in some cases, a wider array of adaptive systems such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.Global Neural Network Software Market is expected to grow in the forecasted period, in 2017 market size of the Neural Network Softwarewas XX million and in 2027 is expected to reach at XX million with growing CAGR of XX%.

Market Dynamics:

The Neural Network Software market is significantly concentrated due to the presence of few key vendors and several prominent vendors operating competitively. Neural network software market is currently driven by growth in demand for predictive solutions, increasing adoption of big data analytics and various technological advancements. Predictive solutions are witnessing traction, with an increasing demand from end-use industries such as BFSI, health care, energy & utilities, and media. Exponential increase in the volume of data, increasing digitization, stringent regulations, and financial losses due to the rise in fraudulent practices are some fundamental factors responsible for rising demand for predictive solutions.

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Key Players:

The Neural Network Software market consists global and regional players including Alyuda Research, LLC., Intel Corporation, SAP SE, Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Google Inc., QUALCOMM Incorporated, Afiniti, and Neural Technologies Limitedand other.

Market Segmentation:

Neural Network Software market is segmented based on Software Type, Industry verticaland geography. On the the basis of software type, the market has been divided into analytical software, data mining and archiving, optimization software and visualization software.

Neural Network Software Module by region segmented into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. In 2017, North America held highest revenue share of global neural network software market with the U.S contributing the maximum revenue and it is expected that the region will show significant growth over the forecast period. In Europe, highest revenue contributing countries includes the U.K., France and Germany. The high adoption rate across the countries namely China, India and Japan in the region is expected to drive the

Get Request for Table of Contents: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/requesttoc/3314

Market segmented on the basis of industry vertical:

- BFSI

- Government & Utilities

- Healthcare

- Oil & Gas

- Manufacturing

- Telecom and IT

- Retail & E-commerce

- Others

Market segmented on the basis of software type:

- Data Mining and Archiving

- Analytical Software

- Optimization Software

- Visualization Software

Market segmented based on region:

- North America

 US

 Canada

 Mexico

- Europe

 UK

 Germany

 France

 Rest of Europe

- Asia-Pacific

 China

 Japan

 India

 Australia

 Rest of Asia-Pacific

- Latin America

 Brazil

 Rest of Latin America

- Middle East and Africa (MEA)

 South Africa

 Saudi Arabia

 Rest of MEA

More Info of Impact Covid19@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/3314
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharti, who has been accused of criminal conspiracy in the Babri Masjid demolition case, said on July 25 that the court verdict does not matter to her.

Commenting on the pending judgment on the cases in which senior BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi have also been implicated, she said: I was called by the court for my statement and I have told the court what was true.

According to an NDTV report, she also said, It does not matter to me what the judgment will be." Bharti added that she will be blessed if she is sent to the gallows, as the place where she was born will be happy.

The former Union minister then went on to criticise Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar for taunting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the bhoomi poojan for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Pawar had said: Some people think that coronavirus will go away after the temple is constructed.

Lashing out at the NCP leader, she said there is no correlation between the two things because doctors and health workers are fighting coronavirus, while an entirely different set of people will build the Ram temple.

The Babri Masjid  a historical site located in Uttar Pradeshs Ayodhya  was demolished by Hindu extremists on December 6, 1992. The masjid was demolished over the belief that the place where the structure was erected is the birthplace of Lord Ram.

A special CBI court is currently hearing the case and the trial is expected to be over by August 31, 2020.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  CNN Philippines Chief Correspondent and Senior Anchor Pia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan won "Best TV Program Host" at the University of the Philippines Los Banos' "Gandingan" multi-media awards on Saturday.

Hontiveros won for her weekday 6 p.m. show "News Night."

The veteran journalist thanked the organizers and offered advice and reminders to those who aspire to pursue her field.

"If you do decide to make journalism your profession, please always remember that one, this is not a job, it is a calling," she said. "Two, that journalism is the first rough draft of history and that therefore number three, people don't need to hear or read your opinions, they just need the facts and four, truth has no nationality.

The "Gandingan 2020: The 14th UPLB Isko't Iska's Multi-Media Awards" took place online. Apart from hosts and personalities, the program led by the UP Community Broadcasters' Society also gave awards for the categories of radio, television, and online.
The tool library at Greater Michigan Construction Academy has expanded, thanks to a generous donation from Milwaukee Tools allocated by Midland Countys Long Term Disaster Recovery Group.

Thank you to the Long Term Disaster Recovery Group for allowing us to be a part of this community outreach, said Stephanie Davis, president of Greater Michigan Construction Academy. Being able to provide all the tools through this donation will allow numerous members of the community access to be able to complete those projects that they cant get to or finish because they dont have the means. Anyone in the community is able to get in touch with us and check out tools just like a book at the library.

Greater Michigan Construction Academy (GMCA) received five pallets of new tools donated by Milwaukee Tools, Davis said. Established by GMCA in 2018, the tool library provides useful everyday tools for the community to use through a check-out program at zero cost.

Holly Miller, president and CEO at United Way of Midland County, serves on the countys Long Term Disaster Recovery Group. She said Milwaukee Tools kindly reached out to United Way to donate the tools as part of flood response efforts. Partnering with the GMCA tool program allows that donation to have impact for years.

We are so grateful to Milwaukee Tools for this donation, which will be a great resource for community members working to rebuild their lives, Miller said. We wanted to ensure the tools were accessible by everyone in the community and could help the most people, which is why we determined GMCAs tool library would be the perfect fit.

Davis said a variety of tools are available through the library, including: yard tools, tree loppers, hand tools, power tools and yard equipment. They have also loaned out wheelbarrows, leaf blowers, chain saws, weed whippers, jigsaws, drills, sanders and more. Anyone renting out a tool from the tool library must sign a waiver. GMCA also hosts tool clinics to give people a chance to learn how to use the tools prior to borrowing them.

Davis said she hopes these tools can help the community, especially those who faced flood damage.

My heart goes out to all of the flood victims and families, Davis said. If these tools can help those families get back on their feet, then I know Ive done my part. Between the help from United Way, the Long Term Disaster Recovery Group and Milwaukee Tools, we are blessed to be the keeper of these tools. It gives me goosebumps.

To rent out tools from the GMCA tool library, call Greater Michigan Construction Academy at 989-832-8879.

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Youth pastor becomes guardian of underserved Chicago teens, moves them to suburbs

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A youth pastor from Chicago has taken dual-guardianship of several young men from some of the citys most underserved neighborhoods and has allowed them to live in the suburbs where they are offered improved education, discipleship and resources.

Pastor Terrance Wallace, founder of the InZone Project, helps oversee seven young men living in a suburban home in Wauconda, Illinois, and has brought them into his family in a literal sense. He plans to move over 20 others from the city into a suburban mansion in the affluent Barrington Hills this fall.

Wallace's structure of removing youth living in underserved areas to another area with more opportunities first came to be in 2011 when he initially launched the InZone Project in New Zealand.

My kids in New Zealand had to come home and write essays on Chicago violence and gangs, Wallace, a Chicago native, told The Christian Post. Those essays were largely about black people, men in particular in Chicago. When I came back [to Chicago], I couldnt look at what was happening and not do anything.

Wallace and the family of Angie Mooney, a state education worker, have lived with seven young black men from underserved Chicago communities in Wauconda for over a year. Schools, homes and opportunities are much better in Wauconda compared to the city, Mooney told CP.

The InZone Project typically begins with a young person reaching out to the program who is interested in joining Wallace's family. Parents and legal guardians are constantly involved, according to Wallace.

New applicants can apply online for the program and after an interview with the youth and their parents, Wallace begins the process of bringing them into the family. The family currently resides in a large suburban home, located on a street of 100% white residents.

"Because of stereotypes and negative connotations around black and brown kids there's resistance from municipalities, but not so much in the community," Wallace said. "But once people get around the kids and get to know them, the stereotypes always fade away."

Youth who take part in the program are offered daily devotions and attend local schools. In Wauconda and the soon-to-come location in Barrington Hills, the local schools offer opportunities that are not present in their original neighborhood.

While primarily funded by Wallace, who owns a technology company, donations are important for InZone to operate. Wallace said the project does not allow donors to influence the project, especially if they are displeased with the religious aspect.

We go into communities from the inside to connect with resources outside the community, he explained. It all started because God spoke to me to go do this. Ive had to turn down funding because people wanted to not have the spiritual aspect, but I cant do InZone without introducing the Christ element.

Participants are encouraged to adopt the desire to help other young people. Wallace said he has a feeling of accomplishment when the youth complete school and find a sustainable job.

Its important to know the boys are part of the family forever, he said. A success for me is when they bring an impact back to their communities and have a wide perspective, not just their own.

Mooney said that bringing her family together with Wallace and the young men has given an opportunity not just for the young men, but for her biological family as well.

Her children have had the opportunity to live a diverse lifestyle with all kinds of people to interact with.

There has been some backlash toward the program, something Mooney attributes to innocent ignorance.

When I brought in the seven black boys onto a 100% white street, all the neighbors were supportive and the response was beautiful, Mooney told The Christian Post. But then there was one, and it was because of ignorance.

Some people tend to live in fear and lack experiences around black men, she said. Since she works in the Chicago education system, she said she does not live this way.

She also said that the majority of suburban citizens welcomed the program and the unique family.

Plans to bring as many as 25 more boys into the mansion in Barrington Hills, a predominantly white community, this fall has also faced opposition from some community members who argued at a community board meeting this week that there wont be oversight or protection.

What were seeing is a small few who lack the knowledge and experience of having black people in their lives, Mooney argued. The education these youth are gaining has created remarkable results in New Zealand and Wauconda. This is what God wanted in Wauconda and will move to Barrington Hills.

In a Zoom video conference of 193 community members, 191 responded positively and welcomed InZones presence in Barrington Hills, Mooney said.

Wallace and Mooney discussed their plans to bring the InZone Project to the suburb at the board meeting Tuesday.

With what we face as a nation, I think the only way to make America great is to confront our divisions and have conversations with each other, he said. We face challenges but Im strengthened by the Lord to continue to charge forward.
Countries around the world need to form cyber attack agreements to avoid going down a path to mutually assured destruction, Tony Blair has said.

In the wake of the report into Russian interference in British democratic processes, the former prime minister called for states to push for some common form of standards.

Without such a framework, he warned, countries would be carrying out cyber attacks the entire time to each other, putting global security at risk.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Mr Blair, who was a leading Remain voice in the 2016 referendum, said he was not one of those people who thinks the Brexit result came about as a result of Russian interference.

But he said: If they are interfering, and they will want to interfere, because obviously it is the policy of the Russian government to have a weaker West, and so you can see why they might want certain results to happen in politics.

If they are trying to do it, then you need to take countermeasures.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has claimed critics of the Governments response were disgruntled Remainers who have seized on this report to try to give the impression that Russian interference was somehow responsible for Brexit.

Mr Blair said that the heightened ability to use cyber in destructive way meant that at some point the world is going to have to come to a set of agreements and protocols on this because otherwise you are going to be down a path of mutually assured destruction.

These capabilities are only going to grow, they are going to become more and more sophisticated, and governments are going to use them.

But to be clear, that capacity has got to be developed in order to defend yourself as a country and then youve got to know how to both thwart interference and cyber attacks.

And in the end you are going to have to push for some common form of standards here, otherwise countries are going to be doing it the entire time to each other and then the security of the world gets put at risk.

Earlier this week, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) accused the Government of being slow to recognise the potential threat posed by Russia to British democratic processes and of not properly considering whether Moscow could interfere in the Brexit referendum until after the event.

Mr Blair said: I dont know that people turned a blind eye deliberately  but the fact is that if a foreign government is essentially engaged in trying to disrupt our democratic process, whether they are successful in it or not, of course youve got to act.

The most important thing is that we establish the capability which we should be able to reasonably easily  weve still got one of the best security services in the world, so that we know what is happening.

If you know what is happening and expose it, you, by and large, are probably able to stop it.

The reports publication was delayed by Mr Johnsons decision to call a general election and then the slow process of establishing a new ISC in the current Parliament.

Mr Blair said the Government should have published the report sooner, but added: Theyve got the opportunity now to put this on a proper footing and they should do it.

On China, Mr Blair said the UK needed to keep strong cultural links and ties with Chinese people  but backed the UK Governments action on Huawei and Hong Kong.

My view is that analogies of a cold war with China are deeply misplaced.

But at the same time, of course whether on Hong Kong or Huawei or any other issue, where there are challenges or policies of the Chinese government with which we profoundly disagree, weve got to have the ability and capacity to speak up and to act.
ABC news correspondent Bob Woodruff and his son, Mack, go globetrotting in Rogue Trip, coming to Disney+ today, Friday, July 24.

Bob Woodruff was severely injured by a roadside bomb in 2006 while in Iraq. Ever since, Woodruff has made it a mission to not have his kids grow up afraid because of what happened to him.

After a long career working in regions mostly known for conflict, the show explores the best parts of them. Theyll be hiking, rappelling, parasailing and exploring Colombia, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Lebanon and Ukraine.

I couldnt be more excited to share this series with viewers around the world, said Bob Woodruff in a press release. This is an adventure of a lifetime to be with Mack discovering together how every place on the planet has the power to surprise, amaze and inspire, despite its past.

Besides just exploring the world together, youll also see heartwarming moments between Woodruff and Mack.

Where can I watch it?

Rogue Trip is exclusively available on Disney+ ($6.99/month or $69.99/year).

Theres also a Disney+ bundle option available, which includes access to Hulu (with ads) and ESPN+ for just $12.99/month.

What if Im already a Hulu subscriber and want to add Disney+?

Sign up for Disney+ using the same email thats associated with your Hulu account, no matter which type of Hulu account it is. Youll still be charged for the full price for your Hulu account every month, but you will receive a $5.99 credit toward a Disney+ subscription.
Seattle police officers stand guard outside a precinct as people protest the death of George Floyd, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Wash. on June 1, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)

Federal Judge Blocks Seattle Law Banning Crowd Control Munitions as City Prepares for Violence

A federal judge late Friday blocked a Seattle law that banned the police from using crowd control measures as the city prepared for violence.

Seattles City Council unanimously passed an ordinance last month prohibiting any city department from owning, purchasing, renting, storing, or using crowd control weapons such as chemical irritants, ultrasonic cannons  or any other device to cause pain or discomfort.

Public safety will not increase as a result of the ordinance, U.S. District Judge James Robart said in his ruling.

The city is expecting significant and potentially dangerous protests this week, giving officers no time to train for how to control crowds with the limitations from the law, the judge said. That would likely result in officer confusion.

The court concludes that such officer confusion presents risks to both the officers and the publics safety, he wrote.

The block is only temporary while the federal government, which currently oversees the Seattle Police Department, reviews the ordinance and information from Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best.

The Department of Justice sought the injunction against the ordinance, in accordance with both Best and Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat.

Demonstrators clash with police near the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct shortly after midnight in Seattle, Wash., on June 8, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images)

In a statement early Saturday, Durkan said she believes changes do need to be made to how Seattle police officers manage crowds, and noted her prior support for a ban on tear gas. But she declined to sign the ordinance, appealing to the court instead, because she thought it could conflict with requirements under a consent decree the city is party to along with the federal government.

Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, said the ruling showed that there may still be hope for the ignored majority of the city.

No longer should our city be held hostage by anarchists committing crimes and injuring dozens of [union] members. Good will always WIN over evil, he said on Twitter.

City council members had not responded to the ruling as of Saturday morning. All Seattle City Council members are Democrats, except for one socialist.

Best, the police chief, warned the council before the ordinance was blocked that some events planned for this weekend would likely involve many of the same violent actors that participated in rioting in the city this week.

There is no reason not to assume we will continue to experience property destruction, arson, looting, and attempts to injure additional officers throughout the weekend and beyond, Best wrote.

Seattle police officers, under the ordinance, would not be able to manage demonstrations, she added. Even if crowds grew violent, police might not respond.

Rioters in Seattle set a fire with items they looted from nearby businesses, early July 23, 2020. (Katie Daviscourt via The Epoch Times)

Demonstrations in Seattle gained nationwide attention earlier this year when city leaders tolerated a so-called autonomous zone set up in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

After weeks of lawlessnessincluding multiple deadly shootingsDurkan ordered the zone cleared. Rioting has taken place at least twice in recent days, including overnight July 22.

Organizers are planning dozens of protests across the nation on Saturday for the abolition of police, according to a social media post. Theyre telling people to gather in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on Saturday at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. The event is called Youth Day of Action Seattle (+PDX solidarity march). The local organizers are the PNW Youth Liberation Front Seattle, an affiliate of the national PNW Youth Liberation organization.

The group describes itself as being against capitalism and fascism. Antifa, another group that says it is anti-fascist, is known for openly espousing violence. PNW shared tactical advice on Friday, including guidance on formations during gatherings, using language similar to that used by Antifa. And it recently called for violence against people waving American flags.

At a press conference on Friday morning, city officials urged protesters not to become violent.

I ask everyone whos protesting this weekend to please do it peacefully. Please make sure you raise your voices and challenge government, but do it lawfully, Durkan said, though she admitted the events usually draw some limited individuals bent on causing destruction.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan speaks at a news conference about the COVID-19 outbreak in Seattle, Washington, on March 16, 2020. (Elaine Thompson, Pool/Getty Images)

Both Durkan and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, another Democrat, oppose federal forces helping local law enforcement keep the peace.

A limited number of federal officers were sent to the city this week, as part of a deployment to a number of areas in response to spikes in violence.

U.S. Attorney Brian Moran said federal agents are here to protect federal properties and the important work that occurs in our courthouses and federal buildings, noting that rioters broke into the Nakamura Federal Courthouse earlier this month.

Durkan said city officials are prepared to pursue every legal recourse if federal forces intervene like they have in Portland, where rioters have repeatedly assaulted a U.S. courthouse.

Several council members, including Council President M. Lorena Gonzalez, also said Friday that theyre against federal agents being in the city.

President Trumps deployment of federal agents to Seattle is dangerous political theater designed to intimidate and harm Americans exercising their constitutional right to protest, they said in a joint statement.

Video footage from Seattle showed a number of businesses being boarded up in preparation for the potential violence. The Seattle Police Departments East Precinct, which sits in Capitol Hill, was also boarded up and fenced off.
China to Prosecute Outspoken Property Tycoon Who Criticized Xi Jinping

2020-07-24 -- Authorities in China have announced they will prosecute property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang after he penned an article highly critical of President Xi Jinping, amid an ongoing crackdown on critics of the Chinese leader.

The Xicheng district branch of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's disciplinary arm, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) in Beijing, said in a statement that it had expelled Ren from the party and handed over the case materials to the municipal prosecutor's office for prosecution.

Ren was expelled for "violations of party discipline and the law," the CCDI said.

It said he had "brought country and party into disrepute," exhibited disloyalty to the party, and behaved in a dishonest manner, resisting investigation.

"Ren ... used his power for personal gain, wining and dining on public funds in violation of regulations," the CCDI. He had also caused "major losses" to state coffers, it said, adding that at least some of Ren's assets were being confiscated.

A Beijing-based lawyer who declined to be named said he had expected the authorities to proceed in this way.

"The main reason for all of this was that he made comments that were inconsistent with the official line as laid down by the Central Committee," the lawyer said. "Basically, it was because he wrote an article calling on Xi to step down, so this is clearly retaliation."

Legal expert Liu Tao agreed.

"Anyone with dissenting opinions will be taken down and labeled [as a troublemaker]," Liu said.

"They will say they are disloyal to the party; it's the same attitude as we had during the Cultural Revolution [1966-1976]."

Speech crimes

Outspoken political journalist Gao Yu said Ren is being prosecuted for speech crimes.

"Speech crimes in China are crimes," Gao said. "Nobody is allowed to criticize major government policies, let alone the supreme leader."

Guangzhou current affairs commentator Wang Aizhong said it is typical of the party's disciplinary system to base its allegations around bribery and corruption -- which is ubiquitous among officials at every levels.

"This is [Xi Jinping's] revenge," Wang said. "If Ren refuses to confess ... he is very likely to serve a jail sentence."

A former colleague of Ren's at his Beijing Huayuan Group surnamed Zhang said he had a reputation as an engaging speaker -- not a common trait among high-ranking political or commercial leaders in China -- and was a "cheerful and straightforward" person to work with.

An associate of Ren's surnamed Chen said he is politically fairly "enlightened" compared with many others in Xi's "princeling" faction of veteran revolutionary families.

"We could all see this coming a long way off," Chen said. "I don't think the legal process will be very transparent."

Expelled from the Party

Ren, 69, was stripped of his Communist Party membership after writing an open letter about Xi's responses to the coronavirus epidemic, the Sino-U.S. trade war and the Taiwan elections.

Sources have said investigators handled the letter -- in fact a long and highly critical article -- as an instance of "internal strife" within the ruling party.

Xi was reportedly furious at the article, saying Ren was "incorrigible," and designated Ren's letter an "act of defiance against me."

The letter attributed to Ren doesn't mention Xi by name, but criticizes his policies, including the president's insistence that the media are part of the same family as the ruling party, and must always represent its interests.

"When the media have the same name as the party, it's the people who are left out," the letter said. "The coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan has shown us just how true that is."

The article, titled "The lives of the people are ruined by the virus and a seriously sick system," doesn't mention President Xi by name, but it takes aim at decisions made under his direct command, nonetheless, including the decision to go ahead with a mass Lunar New Year banquet for thousands of people that resulted in a huge cluster of COVID-19 cases in the weeks that followed.

Xi has ordered China's media to follow the party line, focus on "positive reporting," and "speak the party's will and protect the party's authority and unity."

Ren was berated by state media in 2016 for causing chaos and for failing to stand up for the party, and for "pursuing Western constitutionalism."

Reported by Qiao Long and Sing Man for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

Copyright  1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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A drunk driver who almost killed a retired couple before later falling asleep at the wheel while high on drugs has had her lifetime driving ban overturned.

Sophie Lauren Chambers, 32, has a long history of driving while intoxicated or high on drugs which almost resulted in the death of Colin and Jan Clarke in August 2012.

The couple, aged in their 60s, were riding their motorbike in the Currumbin Valley, south of the Gold Coast, before she drunkenly veered into their path.

The pair survived but were left with critical injuries that required them to be hospitalised, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Sophie Lauren Chambers almost killed a retired couple before later falling asleep at the wheel while high on drugs but on Friday she had her lifetime driving ban overturned (stock image)

Chambers was sentenced to three years in jail in 2014 for the crash and was banned from driving for life.

She pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing grievous bodily harm.

But as soon as she was released in 2017, Chambers got behind the wheel, unlicensed, while high on drugs and fell asleep at a Hungry Jack's drive-through.

She was then convicted for drug-driving.

Chambers pleaded to Southport District Court on Friday to let her have her licence back claiming she lived in a remote area where there was no public transport.

The mother-of-three told Judge David Kent she needed to drive to pursue her career as a medical receptionist and noted she was undergoing rehabilitation.

She faced Southport District Court (pictured) where Judge David Kent told her he agreed that she should have her licence back, citing her successful rehabilitation and career goals

Judge Kent agreed with her reasoning and overturned the lifetime driving ban.

'(Chambers) has provided sufficient reasons for the removal of absolute disqualification,' he said.

'She is not only recovering from substance abuse but her mental health is well managed.'

The Department of Transport and Main Roads will now determine if Chambers will need to resit a test for her driver's licence.
The Stone Age plague was, however, an ancestor with a slightly different genetic identity. Tracking how those differences evolve helps infectious-disease biologists better understand what causes disease and how to prepare for current outbreaks. The plague bacteria in the Stone Age, for example, lacked the genes necessary to jump from fleas to humans, which likely spread the Black Death widely. Without the flea gene, the disease probably used another animal transmitter that came into contact with humans. In 2018, a University of Copenhagen team published the first evidence, based on early data three years before, that the ancient plague bacteria, found in a Swedish settlement, had the power to kill and may have threatened life in the ages mega-settlements that could spread diseases quickly.
Despite gold hitting $1,900 this week, silver ran the table in the precious metals markets said the panelists on Kitco Podcast.

Mining reporters Michael McCrae, Neils Christensen and Paul Harris joined newsletter writer Brent Cook for a look back at the week that was in precious metals, juniors and mining.

Neils Chritensen said gold breaking through $1,900 was a remarkable achievement, but silver hit a 6.5 year high this week after September COMEX broke through $23 an ounce.

"Silver is up 94% since it's low in March, and silver is up 18% this week while gold is up just 5% in comparison. I don't think you can ignore those numbers," said Christensen.

Good precious metal prices have been great for the junior space.

"The amount of money coming in to the space overwhelming the good companies, and [the money] is going everywhere," said Brent Cook talking about some of the remarkable run ups in the past weeks.

Canadian Resource Financing Index Oreninc reports that the junior sector has hit multi-year highs.

Circling back to silver, Cook noted that the space is much smaller and there is limited number of companies to invest. Michael McCrae added that COVID-19 work suspensions in Latin America have been more frequent and longer in duration, which is disrupting a major source of the world's silver.

Brent Cook is senior advisor and founder of Exploration Insights. He is also a great follow on Twitter.
More than 50 Victorian aged care residents already infected with coronavirus are predicted to die in the next fortnight as the number of infections hit 536 residents and workers across 38 aged care homes and the state recorded five deaths on Saturday.

In a sign authorities have recognised aged care as Victoria's number one coronavirus concern, the federal and state governments have collaborated to form a centralised aged care response centre led by emergency services in Melbourne.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said he was very concerned by infection rates among aged care residents. Credit:Justin McManus

Personal protective equipment will become compulsory for aged care workers, Monash Health will run infection control training and the federal government will test all workers, including asymptomatic ones, to counter what Premier Daniel Andrews acknowledged had become an aged care "crisis".

Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed that about 260 Victorian aged care residents were suffering from coronavirus on Saturday.
The number of heart transplants in the United States declined sharply during the beginning of the pandemic, even in areas of the country with few COVID-19 cases at the time, according to an analysis by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

The study found that the number of heart transplants performed nationwide dropped 26% during the 8-week period marking the height of the pandemic in the Northeast compared to the prior 8 weeks. The drop in transplants was similar across regions and occurred even in areas with lower infection rates.

The study was published in JAMA Cardiology.

We had concerns that the availability of ICU beds and ventilators would impact our transplant patients, particularly in the Northeast. But we were surprised to see a decline in heart transplants in other parts of the country, where there were far fewer COVID-19 cases at that time. Our data show that this pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on the care our patients with advanced heart failure are receiving." Ersilia DeFilippis, MD, postdoctoral clinical fellow in medicine and cardiology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the first author of the paper

Heart transplant patients require many hospital resources

Heart transplant patients require a lot of hospital resources, DeFilippis says. "Many patients are sick enough to require hospitalization prior to transplant, often in an intensive care unit, sometimes for weeks or months. Some of these patients are supported on temporary machines to help their hearts pump blood to the body. In addition, the transplant surgery itself requires a ventilator, blood products, and significant personnel. Patients then require intensive care unit monitoring in the immediate post-transplant period."

At the beginning of the pandemic, clinicians had to weigh the risks of exposing medically fragile patients with heart failure, though well enough to remain at home, to SARS-CoV-2 infection with the risks of delaying a life-changing surgery.

DeFilippis and her colleagues found that many clinicians reacted by taking their patients off the waitlist -- a measure typically pursued when a patient encounters a health issue that temporarily or permanently disqualifies them for transplantation but was expanded during the pandemic to include patients at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to accommodate transplant centers that deferred acceptance of donor organs due to the pandemic.

They found that waitlist inactivations increased 75% during the pandemic, driven largely by the Northeast. At the same time, 37% fewer people were placed on heart transplant waitlists during the pandemic, with the most significant decreases occurring in the Northeast, the Great Lakes region, and the Southwest.

In addition, the researchers found that the availability of donor hearts decreased by 26% during the COVID-19 period compared with the pre-COVID-19 period.

"It is possible that limited access to testing for donors as well as restrictions on organ procurement organizations may have contributed to the decrease we observed in donor recovery," says DeFilippis.

Next, the researchers plan to study the impact of these changes on patient survival while on the transplant waitlist and post-transplant survival.

"It will be similarly important to determine how the pandemic has affected the timing of transplant evaluations and changes in left ventricular assist device implantation. As the pandemic continues, we must be mindful of the effects of these delays on our patients," says DeFilippis.
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Media speculate on China's possible next generation amphibious assault ship Type 076

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/24 1:08:35

A set of procurement request notices released by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) 708 Institute recently stirred wild speculations among foreign and Chinese media and military enthusiasts about a new type of Chinese amphibious assault ship dubbed Type 076, which is purported to feature electromagnetic catapults, fixed wing aircraft and integrated electric propulsion system.

Citing procurement request notices originally posted on the Chinese military's weapon and equipment procurement website weain.mil.cn over the past few months, Forbes reported on Thursday that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is likely building a new type of amphibious assault ship.

According to the notices, the in-development new warship will likely feature an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, which would allow it to carry fixed wing aircraft including fighter jets and drones that don't require short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) such as the US' F-35B fighter jet, reports said.

Forbes speculated that China could develop a fighter aircraft suitable for the ship, or use smaller, stealth-capable drones.

The Chinese military has not yet announced development of a new type of amphibious assault ship.

Chinese media, including Ordnance Industry Science Technology, a Xi'an-based magazine on the national defense industry, and Shanghai-based news portal guancha.cn, also covered the speculations about the Type 076 on Thursday.

Ordnance Industry Science Technology said the warship could be equipped with electromagnetic catapults to launch fixed wing aircraft. An integrated electric propulsion system was indicated in the procurement request notices which suggest the speculated Type 076 could provide enough power to support the catapults, it said.

China has developed stealth attack drones like the GJ-11, which made its debut at the 2019 National Day military parade, and the Type 076 could be equipped similar drones, the Chinese magazine said, noting that the Type 076 could become more like a medium-sized aircraft carrier while still maintaining amphibious landing capabilities.

Military analysts reached by the Global Times said the US has developed the F-35B fighter jet and is also selling many of them to Japan, making their amphibious assault ships and landing helicopter docks de facto aircraft carriers, which would bring huge threats to China's national defense.

China does not possess a STOVL fighter jet like the F-35B, but it has mastered technologies in electromagnetic launching systems, so it makes sense for China if it uses electronic catapults to launch aircraft from amphibious assault ships as an alternative to STOVL aircraft to defend itself from hostile F-35B-equipped warships, analysts said.

Like China's Type 075 amphibious assault ship, the Type 076, if it exists, could be deployed in island seizing operations in the South China Sea and the island of Taiwan, analysts said, noting that it could also be used to safeguard China's overseas interests, as China now has many citizens, investments, projects and strategic assets in countries around the world.

China has launched two Type 075s in Shanghai since 2019. They are expected to carry only helicopters and amphibious landing craft and vehicles, but no fixed wing aircraft.

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ALBANY  Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said the counties COVID-19 cases are seeing a steady increase, and he encouraged young adults to get tested.

There are 2,210 positive cases, which is an increase of 20 as of Saturday. There are 882 people in mandatory quarantine.

Were steadily going back up. We hit the apex, and we all thought we were getting out of this, or at least it was slowing down, but unfortunately, now were going back in the direction we were a few months ago, McCoy said.

Among the new positive cases, three were health care workers. One positive case reported a traveler who went to one of the states they shouldnt have went to, and came back, McCoy said. There are about 30 states that New York has a travel advisory for. People coming from those states must quarantine for 14 days.

About 12 people of the 20 new cases had close contact to a positive case. Three didnt have a clear connection, and one more tied into the Hudson Avenue Party. A party, which occurred over July 4 weekend on Hudson Avenue, drew over 200 college-aged students. There are a total of 38 cases that came from that party.

Im encouraging that age group to get tested, McCoy said. You can see how the ripple effect continues after one little party.

He said the age group 20-29 had about 400 cases and it jumped up by 30 cases in the span of four days.

Im not trying to scare this age group, but it continues to outpace any other age group that we have, McCoy said.

Elsewhere

On Saturday, the Saratoga County Public Health Department and its team of contact tracers determined there was a low-risk exposure last week in Saratoga Springs at the Bourbon Room, 8 Caroline Street. An employee tested positive for COVID-19, and worked on Thursday, July 16, Friday July 17 and Saturday July 18 from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to a county advisory.

While the employee who tested positive was wearing a mask at all times, anyone who visited the bar on those dates should self-monitor for signs and symptoms and contact their health care provider to get a diagnostic test, the county suggests. If someone does not have a health care provider, they can call the Saratoga County COVID-19 Hotline at 518-855-2276.

In Rensselaer County two new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Saturday, bringing the total to 732. There are 85 active cases. The new cases involved a 60-year-old man and 76-year-old man. Both were from Troy.

The County also has 16 residents hospitalized with COVID-19, with none in ICU. There are 457 residents in quarantine. Of that, 157 are related to exposure and 300 for travel.



There have been 28,545 tested, including 332 tests recorded yesterday.

Statewide, there are a confirmed 750 additional cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 411,200 confirmed cases in New York, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office on Saturday. There were 10 deaths. Hospitalizations dropped again, down to 646, the lowest since March 18, Cuomo said.

Rick Karlin contributed.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 11:56:25|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The United States will not allow the entry of new international students for the upcoming fall semester if their courses are entirely online, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Friday.

In a release, the ICE said "F and M students in new or initial status after March 9, 2020 will not be able to enter the United States to enroll in a U.S. school as a nonimmigrant student for the fall term to pursue a full course of study that is 100 percent online."

It also said school officials should not issue a Form I-20, "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status," to a nonimmigrant student in new or initial status who is outside of the United States and plans to take classes at an certified educational institution fully online.

A guidance issued on March 9 by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which the ICE uses to manage foreign students and exchange visitors in the United States, has allowed schools and students to engage in distance learning in excess of regulatory limits due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ICE said on Friday that the guidance applies to continuing F and M nonimmigrant students who were in valid F-1 or M-1 nonimmigrant status on March 9, including those previously enrolled in entirely online classes who are outside of the United States and seeking to re-enter the country this fall.

"Students actively enrolled at a U.S. school on March 9, 2020, who subsequently took courses online while outside of the country can re-enter the United States, even if their school is engaged solely in distance learning," it added.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the ICE rescinded a new directive that could have barred international students from the United States if they only attend online courses in this year's fall semester.

The directive, which came in early July when the White House was pushing for the reopening of schools despite the pandemic, had faced strong backlash from both home and abroad as well as lawsuits supported by more than 200 U.S. universities and 18 states.

Many universities in the United States, where the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge, have announced plans to hold most or all classes online this fall in order to protect the health and safety of their students and faculty.

More than 4.1 million people in the United States have infected with the coronavirus and some 145,000 of them have died, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University. In some populous states, daily rates of new cases and hospitalizations are still rising.

Rakesh Khurana, Danoff Dean of Harvard College, said in a letter to students that "any incoming student who received a Form I-20 to begin their studies this fall will be unable to enter the U.S. in F-1 status as course instruction is fully remote."

"We abhor any policies that seek to force us to choose between our community's health and the education of our international students," Khurana wrote. "The University is working closely with members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to extend the online exemption to newly admitted students and ensure that this flexibility remains in place for the duration of the public health emergency."

"Unfortunately, we don't anticipate any change to the policy in time for the fall semester," he added.

Denis Wirtz, vice provost for research at Johns Hopkins University, said on Friday that they are "working on solutions for our first-year grad international students."

"Remember, students in their second year of study and beyond are out of the woods," Wirtz tweeted, adding that Hopkins will now work hard to make it work for these first-year students as well.

According to a report by the National Foundation for American Policy, international student enrollment in the United States is expected to decline sharply this year due to the pandemic.

"The enrollment of new international students at U.S. universities in the Fall 2020/21 academic year is projected to decline 63% to 98% from the 2018/19 level, with between 6,000 to 12,000 new international students at the low range, and 87,000 to 100,000 at the high range," the report said.

The American Civil Liberties Union, a civil rights and civil liberties organization, on Friday urged U.S. lawmakers to investigate the ICE's policy.

"Once again, this administration is exploiting the pandemic to target immigrant youth," it tweeted. "This policy will disrupt the lives of hundreds of thousands of students." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 12:12:30|Editor: huaxia

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The Ziyuan III 03 satellite is launched by a Long March-4B rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, July 25, 2020. China sent a new high-resolution mapping satellite into space on Saturday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi. The Ziyuan III 03 satellite was launched by a Long March-4B rocket at 11:13 a.m. Beijing time, according to the center. It was the 341st flight mission by the Long March rocket series. Also on board the rocket were two satellites used for dark matter detection and commercial data acquisition respectively. They were developed by the Shanghai ASES Spaceflight Technology Co. Ltd. All three satellites have entered preset orbits, sources with the Taiyuan center said. (Photo by Zheng Taotao/Xinhua)

TAIYUAN, July 25 (Xinhua) -- China sent a new high-resolution mapping satellite into space on Saturday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi.

The Ziyuan III 03 satellite was launched by a Long March-4B rocket at 11:13 a.m. Beijing time, according to the center. It was the 341st flight mission by the Long March rocket series.

Also on board the rocket were two satellites used for dark matter detection and commercial data acquisition respectively. They were developed by the Shanghai ASES Spaceflight Technology Co. Ltd.

All three satellites have entered preset orbits, sources with the Taiyuan center said. Enditem
With school reopenings grabbing all the headlines, there is an aspect of sending folks back to work which is getting less attention  and soon, less money.

Childcare will be a vital piece of the reopening puzzle with many school districts avoiding a full five-day, in-person return to school.

The hybrid programs now gaining traction with local school boards leave a critical question for parents  where do the kids go on days they are not in school?

The traditional answer is the local childcare providers, but these are not traditional times, economically or otherwise.

If parents are to return to work in a struggling economy, they need to know their children are safe and learning; thus providing aid to childcare is as crucial to economic recovery as supporting the airline industry or rescuing banks during the great recession, said Donna Cooper.

Cooper is the executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, which Thursday joined with another advocacy group, Philadelphia-based First Up, to give voice to the dangers now facing the continued survival of the regions childcare providers.

Many school districts are looking at hybrid re-opening and on the days those students are not in school, childcare providers are going to be tasked with taking in those children, said Tyronne Scott, director of government and external affairs for First Up.

But the coronavirus pandemic has not been gentle to the bottom line of the regions childcare providers.

Many have closed their doors permanently and those that have managed to stay open have done so largely with help from the state and federal governments.

Now, a reversal of reimbursement policies set to begin Sept. 1 may endanger them at a time when costs for sanitation will rise to maintain social distancing and health protocols, and enrollments will fall.

Even in the most financially stable times, its not easy, and now were struggling to figure out how we do this, said Tana Rinehart, with Warwick Child Care, which operates nine childcare locations in Chester County.

The business is 33 years old and Rinehart has been there for 28 of them. Its really unclear what the future holds. In 28 years, Ive never seen it this bad, she said during the press conference, held on Zoom.

Specifically, the business owners and their advocates are responding to a July 18 announcement from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that coronavirus aid payments will end Aug. 31.

Since March 13, a program called Child Care Works has provided $370 million to providers by making payments based on their enrollments as of March 13, and not on the number of children actually showing up.

Additionally, DHS distributed $51.3 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding in June and $53 million in July. An additional $116 million of CARES Act funding will be distributed to providers during August and September.

And it has helped, even though it has not been enough for many.

Statewide, 170 child care centers have closed permanently since March 13, said Scott.

And those that have stayed open, have struggled.

With so many businesses shut down, many parents have been out of work and thus pulled their children from child care.

Pre-COVID, Warwicks enrollment was between 90 and 95 percent of its capacity, said Rinehart. Enrollment is now at 37 percent.

Between just March 13 and May 26, the largest childcare provider in Delaware County lost $860,000 in income, said Erinn Rinn, who works for Todays Child Learning Centers.

We were always able to provide services by maintaining high enrollment, but now to keep kids safe, we have to limit the number of children in a room, said Rinn.

In March, the centers had 1,999 children enrolled. They currently have 445 and many of them are not five-days a week.

We need an increase in revenue if were going to be able to pay for the increased cleaning costs, cleaning equipment and PPE, said Rinn.

If any child, or teacher, tests positive for COVID-19, the room in which they were stationed must be closed for a week, she explained.

Well never make up the losses in revenue. If we dont receive the resources to remain open, it will be disastrous, Rinn said.

Were not going to be able to sustain ourselves with just enrollment, said Veronica Crisp, who works for Step by Step Learning Centers that operate five child-care locations in Delaware County.

Another problem posed by the policy change is that funding for both the centers, and the parents, revolves around attendance, not enrollment. So if a child is absent for five straight days, the funding stops.

This creates problems when you consider that anyone who has had contact with or been infected by the coronavirus is required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

And while enrollments may be down, the amount of time the students that arrive do arrive are in the center will go up under most of the plans now favored by school districts.

Valerie Hamilton, who works at Children of God Educational Services in Bristol, Bucks County, said unlike when school is in session, and many centers get children for a few hours before or after school, the hybrid return many school districts are eyeing means many children will be at the center for eight to 12 hours.

That means paying teachers more with fewer students, said Hamilton.

Christina Lynch, with the non-profit Salford Mennonite Child Care Centers in Harleysville, laid off half my staff when the shutdown order came in March.

And these were quality teachers we had, some with more than 20 years experience, she said. To remain open, we need a public investment, so parents have a place to send their children that is predictable and stable.

Thats important considering that many of the students in the child care center will actually be learning remotely under the school re-opening plans that have them doing virtual lessons when not in school physically.

That means childcare workers, who are paid far less than public school teachers, have multiple virtual learning platforms to master if they want to help children do their lessons, said Hamilton.

As any parent who had to master just one platform during this springs school shut-down can tell you, that is a daunting task.

Were not just helping children with homework anymore, were actually teaching the children while theyre with us, Crisp said.

Were not here to complain, said Rinehart. We matter. Were a local business and help the tax base and the local economy.

All of which adds up to problems both for childrens education, and economic recovery, if the policy is not reversed and childcare providers provided with some additional support, said Cooper.

The state and federal government has sent aid to critical infrastructure during the pandemic, like hospitals, airlines and $50 billion to industry, to keep health care viable and the economy moving, Cooper said.

For people to go back to work, child care has to be there, she said. Its critical infrastructure. Its not a budget-buster, but an economy must.

But that budget is not bottomless, said Delaware County state Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26th Dist., who was also on the call.

Kearney, who supports reversing the policy on both economic and moral grounds, said the state is facing a tough fiscal challenge.

This is all likely the result of the size of the budget hole were staring into right now, said Kearney, who serves on the Senates local government, labor and industry, and housing and urban affairs committees.

We passed a partial budget in June that only covers part of the year. In November, after the election, were going to have to figure out how to pay for all of this.
DEAL OF THE WEEK

Scribner Nabs Reynoldss First Adult Title Bestselling childrens author and two-time National Book Awardfinalist Jason Reynolds sold his debut adult novel. Kathy Belden at Scribner (which is part of Simon & Schuster, the parent company of Reynoldss longtime childrens imprint, Caitlyn Dlouhy Books) took North American rights to The Mouthless God and Jesus Number Two. The book is set for 2022 and is, Scribner said, about a boy named Mm who is born without a mouth and comes of age in a carnival town, where the power of storytelling can equally sustain or harm. Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties represented Reynolds. S&S noted that more than 3.5 million copies of the authors books are in circulation. Reynolds is also a Newbery Honor recipient and the 20202021 National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature.

FROM THE U.S.

SMP Goes Big on a Short History

George Witte at St. Martins Press nabbed Henry Gees A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters in a six-figure preempt. Gee was represented by Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management. The Nature magazine editor draws, the agent said, from his decades of publishing cutting-edge scientific discoveries to tell a gripping story, a tale of survival and persistence, illuminating the delicate balance within which life exists. SMP took North American rights to the book, which is set for fall 2021.

Wabuke Sells Memoir to Vintage

In a North American rights deal, Vintages Maria Goldverg bought Hope Wabukes memoir, Please Dont Kill My Black Son, Please. Wabuke is an assistant professor of English and creative writing at the University of NebraskaLincoln whose writing has appeared in the Guardian and the Paris Review. Goldverg said Wabuke delivers an empowering memoir in essays chronicling how a mother provides care for her family in the wake of personal, cultural, and historical racial and gendered violence. Sarah Bowlin at Aevitas Creative Management represented Wabuke.

Fink Tackles Covid for Crown

Pulitzer-winning journalist Sheri Fink (Five Days at Memorial) sold Surge to Amanda Cook at Crown. The book will explore, Crown said, the scientific, political, social, and ethical dimensions of the coronavirus pandemic as it sickened millions and created chaos in countries around the world. Joy Harris at the Joy Harris Agency negotiated the North American rights agreement for Fink.

Atria Does Double with Bola

In a preempt, Atria Books Michelle Herrera Mulligan bought two novels by J.J. Bola (No Place to Call Home), a poet and UN Refugee Agency ambassador. Bola was represented in the U.S., Canadian, and open market rights deal by Maria Cardona at the Pontas Literary & Film Agency. Mulligan said the first book in the agreement, a novel titled The Selfless Act of Breathing, slated for summer 2021, follows a young Londoner who flees to the U.S. to end his life once all of his savings run out and that it tackles important issues such as mental health, police brutality, and the power of love. The second book is a currently untitled work of historical fiction about Ota Benga, a Mbuti man brought to the U.S. by slave traders and featured in a human zoo exhibit at the Bronx Zoo in 1906.

Macmillan Gets Uncomfortable with Acho

Emmanuel Acho, host of a series of viral videos titled Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, inked a two-book deal with Macmillan. The first book, also titled Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, was bought by Flatiron Books president Bob Miller and will be published by Macmillans An Oprah Book imprint. Its set for November and will be edited by Flatiron senior editor Meghan Houser. The second title, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy, was acquired by Jon Yaged, president of Macmillan Childrens Publishing Group, and will be edited by Roaring Brook Presss senior v-p and publisher Jennifer Besser and senior associate editor Mekisha Telfer. Macmillan took world rights to the books from agents Brandi Bowles and Meredith Miller at United Talent Agency.

S&S Buys Swishers Story

New York Times opinion writer and veteran Silicon Valley journalist Kara Swisher sold a currently untitled memoir, her first book in nearly 20 years, to Simon & Schuster in a two-book deal. Stephanie Frerich bought world rights after she approached Swisher and suggested a memoir. The memoir will, S&S said, delve into the authors front row seat covering tech. Pilar Queen at the United Talent Agency brokered the agreement.

Fitton Brings Assault to Threshold

At Simon & Schusters Threshold Editions, Natasha Simons bought bestseller Tom Fittons A Republic Under Assault. Premiere Authors Frank Breeden sold world rights to the book, which is, Threshold said, an expose of the radical left and deep states continued attempts to undermine the Trump presidency. The title is set for October.

Smith Hops to Tyndale

Caleb Smith, a 15-year-old who turned a passion for rescue rabbits into a nonprofit that oversees a 22-acre animal sanctuary, sold his memoir to Sarah Atkinson at Tyndale House. Dan Strone at Trident Media Group represented Smith in the world rights deal. Smith oversees Minnesotas Peacebunny Island, which pitches itself as a place where young people can learn to train rabbits and, in the process, share hugs, hope, and hoppiness. Peacebunny Island: The Extraordinary Journey of a Boy and His Comfort Rabbits, and How Theyre Teaching Us About Hope and Kindness is scheduled for March 2021 and traces, Atkinson said, the odyssey of a remarkable young man committed to doing what he can to make the world more compassionate toward animals and to each other.

HC Wins Obuobis Gold

Clarissa Wong at HarperCollins preempted Laura Obuobis picture book debut Black Gold, illustrated by London Ladd. Obuobi was represented in the world rights deal by Maria Vicente at P.S. Literary, and Ladd was represented by Lori Nowicki at Painted Words. Black Gold is, Vicente said, a poetic celebration of Black children. The book is slated for fall 2022.
(Newser)  A German cruise ship is gingerly testing the water amid the coronavirus pandemic, setting sail for the first time since the industry was shut down months ago and using strict precautions to keep passengers and crew as safe as possible, the AP reports. The TUI cruise ship "Mein Schiff 2"literally "My Ship 2"set sail for a weekend cruise in the North Sea late Friday night. Occupancy was limited to 60% so passengers could keep a social distance, but even that level wasn't reached. The ship sailed off with 1,200 passengers on board compared to its normal 2,900 capacity. It was not reported how many crew were on board. The ship sailed from the northern port of Hamburg toward Norway, and passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on Monday.

story continues below

On board, passengers and crew are required to stay 5 feet away from one another or wear protective masks and they will not be able to serve themselves at the ship's buffet. All passengers also had to fill out a health questionnaire before boarding and have their temperatures taken. After being shut down for months, German cruise ship companies are hoping that shorter, strictly controlled trips will help restart the business that has been devastated by the pandemic, which forced cruise ship companies to suspend operations and stranded thousands of passengers and crew worldwide. Germany has been widely lauded for its efforts to contain its coronavirus outbreak. It has reported over 206,000 infections but kept deaths to 9,124only one-fifth of Britain's death toll.

(Read more cruise ships stories.)
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. . . as UN expert advises Court.

KADUNA  Judgment has been reserved for 22nd October, 2020 in the Human Rights Abuse case filed by former Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu (Applicant) against Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state and four others at a Kaduna Federal High Court.

Meanwhile, Maina Kiai, a South African based former United Nations Special Rapatuer and International Human Rights Lawyer, who serves as amicus curea (friend of the court) in the case gave his expert advise in the case to the court yesterday.

According to him, Odinkalus Rights were violated by el-Rufai and the other four Respondents.

The case reference as: Suit No: FHC/KDS/CS/97/19 has KadunaState Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Kaduna State Governor, Attorney General of Kaduna State, Kaduna State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police as 1st to 5th Respondents respectively.

It could be recalled that the Odinkalu had aired his doubt on Channels TV over claims by El-Rufai in February 2019, where he (el-Rufai) alleged that 66 and, later 130 Fulani were killed by native Adara and said of the allegation as inciting and unbecoming of a governor. He also challenged el-Rufai to show proof.

Few days later, then Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdullraman, clarified that there was no evidence to that claim of the governor. But el-Rufai, through the Kaduna State DPP ordered the arrest and prosecution of Odinkalu in trail that his lawyer, Barrister Gloria Ballason said was a secret trail, and did not follow due judicial process and that it was an abused on his Fundamental Human Rights.

Making his submission to properly guide the court, Kiai quoted extensively from the Nigerian Constitution; the African Charter on Human Rights; The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; The United Nations Convention Against Torture and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights among others.

Kiai who was also Africa Director at the International Human Rights Law Group in Washington DC, pointed out that Nigeria was a member to all the Human Rights Conventions and Protocols which he had cited and as such, Nigeria ought to upheld them.

The former Africa Director of Amnesty International, argued that the prosecution of Odinkalu violated his his Fundamental Human Rights positing that, the provisions under which he is charged failed to comply with International Human Rights laws and standards applicable in Nigeria, and therefore the restriction on his expression cannot be said to be provided by law as required.

The submission of the Kiai was made by Barrister Alfred Amaechi and Barrister Victoria Rilama Bulus of Global Rights.

Counsel to el-Rufai and others, Barrister A. I. Thomas, in defense of earlier allegation of forgery of documents against her clients, said it was just an irregularity and not forgery.

Odinkalu is seeking, among others: A declaration that, the efforts by the Respondents to seek to or in fact influence, initiate or procure the prosecution of the Applicant for the honest expression of his views in the interview he granted to Channels Television, Abuja on or about the 16th, February, 2019 violates the Applicants rights to personal liberty and free expression under sections 35 and 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN)

A declaration that it is wrong in law and gross violation of the rights of the Applicant to fair hearing, procedural fairness in law in the form of due process, a fair and impartial trial for a direct criminal complaint to be filed against the Applicant without him being served with the said direct criminal complaint and a subsequent ex-parte order obtained to section 36 of the CFRN Rights.

An Oder for compensation in the sum N200m against the 1st and 3rd Respondents

An order for compensation in the sum of N250 million for injury to character, self-reputation, esteem, feeling of pride and international reputation of the Applicant.

An order in the sum of N500m only to the 2nd Defendant who is notorious for serial abuse of fundamental rights.

The President Judge, Justice Peter Malong, gave 22nd October, 2020 the date he would deliver his judgment.
We are sure that at the end of the day the party will be proud of the exercise that we have done. Those were the exact words of Ya...





We are sure that at the end of the day the party will be proud of the exercise that we have done.





Those were the exact words of Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the house of reps, after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appointed him as chairman of the panel which screened its aspirants for the governorship primary in Ondo state.





Three weeks after carrying out such an important exercise for the opposition party, the former number four man in the country turned his back against the PDP.





Earlier on Friday, Mai Mala Buni, governor of Yobe state and chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caretaker committee, announced that Dogara had returned to the ruling party.





He made the announcement shortly after he led Dogara to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari.





The ex-speaker had defected from the APC to the PDP at the height of his misunderstanding with Mohammed Abubakar, then governor of Bauchi state, where he hails from.





Abubakar had vowed to retire Dogara from politics but the former speaker said he was waiting for him on the other side.





In the end, Mohammed lost his election while Dogara was releected to represent Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa federal constituency in the house of reps.





Speaking on September 28, 2018, when he picked the PDP nomination and expression of interests forms, Dogara had said he left the APC because it had failed Nigerians.





The former speaker had said he rejoined the PDP because of pressures from his constituents, lamenting how APCs initial agenda of bringing positive change to Nigeria was thwarted by wayward sense of entitlement of some people.





He said he left APC in order to the PDP where his dream of making Nigeria better could be realised.





For some of us who are here, todays event marks the end of all speculations. To begin with, I was a founding member of the PDP, which some of you dont know. So, this is home to me, he had said.





I was also one of those that built APC in Bauchi state, and I can tell you that we have not fulfilled a single promise that we made. At the national level, we all know what is happening.





Dogaras exit from the PDP was announced 48 hours after Eyitayo Jegede, one of the aspirants he cleared for the primary, was elected governorship candidate of the PDP.




BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

As many as 2,316 people have been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing the ministry.

According to Sadat Lari, 195 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day.

Sadat Lari added that the condition of 3,670 people is critical.

The official said that Iran's Mazandaran, Fars, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Razavi Khorasan, Alborz, Khuzestan, Lorestan, Golestan, Kerman, Zanjan, and Ilam provinces are red zones.

So far, more than 2.3 million tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus.

Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 288,800 people have been infected and 15,484 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 251,300 have reportedly recovered from the disease.

The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease.

The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.

The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
Russia and the Wagner Group continue to be involved in both ground and air operations in Libya

U.S. Africa Command has mounting evidence that Russia, through the Wagner Group, continues to position military equipment in Libya capable of conducting kinetic operations there.

By U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs , United States Africa Command Stuttgart, Germany Jul 24, 2020

U.S. Africa Command has mounting evidence that Russia, through the Wagner Group, continues to position military equipment in Libya capable of conducting kinetic operations there.

Overhead imagery shows Wagner forces and equipment on the front lines of the Libyan conflict in Sirte.

"Russia continues to play an unhelpful role in Libya by delivering supplies and equipment to the Wagner group," said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Bradford Gering, AFRICOM director of operations. "Imagery continues to unmask their consistent denials."

It is assessed that the Russian Federation continues to violate UN Security Council Resolution UNSCR 1970 by actively providing military equipment and fighters to the front lines of the Libya conflict.

As AFRICOM has documented in a series of media releases, the U.S. assesses that Russia supplied Wagner forces operating in Libya with fighter aircraft, military armored vehicles, air defense systems, and supplies, further complicating the situation and increasing the risk for miscalculation leading to continued and needless violence in Libya.

"Imagery reflects the broad scope of Russian involvement," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Gregory Hadfield, AFRICOM deputy director of intelligence. "They continue to look to attempt to gain a foothold in Libya."

The latest imagery details the extent of equipment being supplied to Wagner. Russian military cargo aircraft, including IL-76s, continue to supply Wagner fighters. Russian air defense equipment, including SA-22s, are present in Libya and operated by Russia, the Wagner Group or their proxies. Photos also show Wagner utility trucks and Russian mine-resistant, ambushprotected armored vehicles are also present in Libya.

"The type and volume of equipment demonstrates an intent toward sustained offensive combat action capabilities, not humanitarian relief, and indicates the Russian Ministry of Defense is supporting these operations," said Gering.

In May, U.S. Africa Command reported at least 14 Mig-29s and Su-24s had been flown from Russia to Syria, where their Russian markings were painted over to camouflage their origin. The aircraft were then flown into Libya, a violation of the UN arms embargo. U.S. Africa Command assesses that the warplanes are being actively flown in Libyan airspace.

U.S. Africa Command previously provided photographic evidence that Wagner has laid landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in civilian areas in and around Tripoli without regard to safety of civilians.

U.S. Africa Command has continued to document how Russia uses Wagner Group as a proxy in Libya to establish a long-term presence on the Mediterranean Sea.

"Russian involvement is evident--which the Kremlin lies about every time they deny it," said Col. Chris Karns, AFRICOM director of public affairs.

The U.S. supports a political solution in Libya and encourages all parties to adhere to the UN arms embargo.

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That the protestors were dying  meaning they lay on the ground for eight minutes and 46 seconds in honor of how long it took or George Floyd to die  while law enforcement and its supporters were celebrating was by design, said John Halstead, one of the protest organizers. Though the hearse originally scheduled to lead the procession canceled at the last minute, the group circled the Patrician twice to make its presence known.
Kiev, July 25 : The transcript from the blackboxes of a Ukrainian passenger plane that was downed near Tehran in January, has confirmed the fact of illegal interference with the jet, authorities said.

"I am grateful to all the partners who helped to bring this moment closer. Black boxes of PS-752 were read out and deciphered successfully," Xinhua news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhenii Yenin as saying in a tweet on Friday.

"The transcript confirmed the fact of illegal interference with the plane. We are waiting for the Iranian side for the first round of negotiations next week," he said.

Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said it was too soon to blame human error for the downing of the airliner and that many questions remained unanswered.

The Boeing-737, en route from Tehran to Kiev, was shot down by two rockets shortly after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport on January 8.

The crash resulted in the deaths of all 167 passengers and nine crew members on board, who were citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, and the UK.

Later, Iran's armed forces confirmed that an "unintentional" launch of a military missile by the country was the cause of the incident.
Lucknow: A joint team of Uttar Pradesh Police and Special Task Force rescued the six-year-old grandson of a trader, hours after he was kidnapped in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda on Friday (July 25). All kidnappers involved in the case have been arrested, police said.

Following the development, the Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath announced a Rs 2 lakh reward for the joint team of police and STF for carrying out the rescue operation successfully.

According to reports, the grandson of Gutkha trader Rajesh Kumar Gupta was abducted on Friday afternoon. Some people allegedly carrying identity cards of the health department came to Karnalganj area of the district on the pretext of distributing masks. The boy was standing at a distance when the accused persons in a car approached him to give him hand sanitiser and pulled him inside the vehicle.

The police said that captors called the child's family and demanded a ransom of Rs 4 crore in exchange for his release.

Additional Superintendent of Police Mahendra Kumar told PTI that child's father Hari Gupta lodged a complaint on Friday.

On Friday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a tweet in Hindi, attacked the Yogi Adityanath government, stating it has no right to stay in power if it cannot protect the children of the state.
'We are a country of amazing ability and the way we have responded to the pandemic is evidence.'

IMAGE: Healthcare workers wait to collect blood samples from people who have recovered from the coronavirus disease at a plasma donation camp inside a classroom at a slum in Mumbai, July 24, 2020. Photograph: Hemanshi Kamani/Reuters

Doctors and the former Union health secretary share their learnings from the pandemic with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com.

Dr Shahid Jameel, PhD

Chief Executive Officer

DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Science based and data driven policy making is required to control pandemics.

Therefore, we must have accurate, granular and transparent data.

Otherwise, we will not make the right decisions -- whether these are forecasting models for cases, hospital beds , ventilators , etc.

driven policy making is required to control pandemics. Therefore, we must have accurate, granular and transparent data. Otherwise, we will not make the right decisions -- whether these are forecasting models for cases, , , etc. Just science is not enough to control pandemics.

Trust and compliance are necessary.

Therefore, the social and human dimensions are also important, and must be part of any strategy.

is not enough to control pandemics. Trust and compliance are necessary. Therefore, the social and human dimensions are also important, and must be part of any strategy. We are a country of amazing ability and the way we have responded to the pandemic is evidence.

But we must prepare to build knowledge, capacity and systems in advance.

Being in the reactive mode can cost us heavily.

But we must prepare to build knowledge, capacity and systems in advance. Being in the reactive mode can cost us heavily. Science, technology and research have been the real stars.

In 6 months we have learned so much about the virus and the disease, developed vaccines and repurposed drugs.

This cannot be forgotten when it is over.

Science has the ability to provide answers to our problems, provided we are willing to listen.

Dr Tauseef H Khan

Resident doctor, infectious disease department, King George's Medical University, Lucknow. Dr Tauseef Khan was infected with COVID-19. He shares his experience on what two things he learnt from his experience. My biggest learning from COVID 19 is that this disease can infect anyone. This is the biggest message that it has given to all human beings. It told us that all human beings are same.

It is a great leveller and spares no one that includes legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan or even UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

or even UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. It also proved to me that you may be a rich man or a poor man or for that matter a black man or a white man, we all are one and equal.

Secondly, I also realised that many people who were uprooted from their families could never come back home as they were searching for livelihood in cities.

who were uprooted from their families could never come back home as they were searching for livelihood in cities. It also proved that home is home. And no one can replace your loved ones.

K Sujatha Rao

Former Union health secretary Invest much more on public health and primary care. Public health means also high quality laboratories and diagnostics.

Where pandemic control strategies have been implemented like Kerala and Later in Dharavi etc results have been excellent. Clearly it's important for the central government as well as state governments to build and develop such public health capacities to cope with pandemics and avoid making costly mistakes.

and Later in etc results have been excellent. Clearly it's important for the central government as well as state governments to build and develop such public health capacities to cope with pandemics and avoid making costly mistakes. Civil society organisations and community organisations should have been co-opted much more intensively and early on instead of trying to manage a public health issue as a law and order problem.

Invest on hospitals and bring them up to acceptable standards.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
(Natural News) Comatose patients are thought to remain in a state of limbo  neither conscious nor unconscious  dubbed the vegetative state. The unique nature of this state often complicates treatments and therapies for these patients.

For this reason, physicians might be shocked to hear about comatose patients regaining consciousness and snapping out of their condition. But Toronto-based author Shireen Jeejeebhoy says this is only because they fail to listen to and respect patient experience.

Listening (or not) to patient experience

In her article published in the online magazine Psychology Today, Jeejeebhoy recounts the multi-car accident that caused her to sustain a traumatic brain injury back in 2000.

She notes that although she was never in a comatose state, she could relate to the experience of being unable to respond, a sensation that comatose patients report feeling across message boards and fora on the internet. According to Jeejheebhoy, the more she heard people talking, the less she was able to respond.

Having experienced this and after reading numerous anecdotes online, Jeejeebhoy shares that she found it puzzling that physicians find these stories inexplicable, particularly those where comatose patients snapped out of their vegetative state and those where patients attributed their recovery to hearing their loved ones talk to them throughout their coma.

But brain science has long since established that neurons are capable of regeneration, and that the brain is more than able to heal itself, Jeejeebhoy explains. Therefore, it should come as no surprise at all that patient recovery is possible.

It then becomes clear, she continues, that part of the reason why physicians are often shocked to hear about rehabilitation stories is that they fail to listen to and respect their patients experiences.

If only physicians listened to their patients and their families, they might not find recovery stories strange or improbable.

Our recovery depends upon physicians taking the time to listen to us and believing our internal experience is valid medical knowledge, Jeejeebhoy writes. But anecdotal evidence and patient experience are oftentimes either ignored or diminished.

In turn, this ignorance condemns comatose patients to life support and treatments that do not have their best interest in mind. They transform our physical injuries into personality issues or mood disorders such as depression then blame us for our predictable difficulties, Jeejeebhoy adds.

The role of communication in treating comatose patients

Comatose patients are often numb to external stimuli and incapable of demonstrating normal reflex responses. For this reason, physicians might forego talking to these patients and discourage their families attempts at communication.

But this limited reasoning on the part of physicians appears to suggest that bonding and communication are baseless and futile attempts at treatment. As such, neither are relied upon in the medical field.

That being said, this contempt also relies on a baseless assumption that comatose patients can neither hear nor respond. (Related: New research shows signs of consciousness in brain patterns of unconscious patients.)

But scientists have demonstrated back in 2015 that the brains of comatose patients respond to voice recordings of their loved ones recounting memories and mentioning their names several times. Each patient that had been a part of the experiment also recovered faster than the predicted time frame.

Theresa Pape, a neuroscientist at Northwestern University in Illinois and the lead author of the study, explained that hearing shared stories and memories in their parents or siblings voices exercises circuits in the comatose patients brain that are responsible for long-term memories and language comprehension.

Given such breakthroughs and ongoing research in brain science, Jeejeebhoy notes that it appears physicians choose to ignore the fact that scientists still understand so little about the brain, let alone the effects of human bonding and communication on comatose patients.

Jeejeebhoy says that comatose patients and those that had gone through brain injuries require ethical care and holistic treatments to facilitate the faster healing of their brains. Besides helping them regain their brain functions, treatments and therapies should also help patients reintegrate into their communities.

But before this can be done, physicians need to first start listening to their patients and their families and respecting unique patient experiences that are just as sound and reliable  if not more  as medical advice and opinions.

Learn more about the brain and how it recovers from injury at Brain.news.

Sources include:

PsychologyToday.com

DailyMail.co.uk
Workers removed the US insignia from the consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Saturday, a day after Beijing ordered its closure as relations deteriorated in a Cold War-style standoff.

The Chengdu mission was told to shut in retaliation for the forced closure of Beijing's consulate in Houston, Texas, with both sides alleging the other had endangered national security.

The deadline for the Americans to exit Chengdu remains unclear, but AFP reporters saw a worker on a small crane removed a circular US insignia from the front of the consulate, leaving just an American flag flying.

Three moving company trucks entered the US consulate building Saturday afternoon.

Cleaners were seen carting big black bags of rubbish from the consulate in the early hours of the morning. One of them had split and appeared to contain shredded paper.

At least ten bags were removed from the building.

Other staff were seen moving trolleys around inside, one carrying a large empty metal bin, while some wheeled suitcases.

Beijing says closing the Chengdu consulate was a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States", and has alleged that staff at the diplomatic mission endangered China's security and interests.

Washington officials, meanwhile, said there had been unacceptable efforts by the Chinese consulate in Houston to steal US corporate secrets and proprietary medical and scientific research.

The last Chinese diplomats left the Houston consulate on Friday as a 72-hour deadline to close the mission passed. Officials there were seen loading large sacks of documents and other items onto trucks, and throwing some in bins.

- 'Legitimate response' -

Tensions have soared between the two powers on a range of fronts including trade, China's handling of the coronavirus and a new security law for Hong Kong, with the US this week warning of a "new tyranny" from China.

China on Friday blasted the Houston move and blamed Washington for the sharp deterioration in relations.

Closing the Chengdu consulate was a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States", the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The current situation in China-US relations is not what China desires to see, and the US is responsible for all this," it said.

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters that some US staff in the Chengdu consulate "were engaged in activities outside of their capacity, interfered in China's internal affairs, and endangered China's security and interests".

The Chengdu consulate, established in 1985, has been at the centre of past controversy. It was included on a top-secret map leaked by intelligence analyst Edward Snowden showing US surveillance worldwide.

The Chengdu mission was also where senior Chinese official Wang Lijun fled in 2012 from his powerful boss Bo Xilai, who was then head of the nearby metropolis Chongqing, and has since been jailed for life for corruption.

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As a Slate Belt townships elected officials consider changing zoning laws to accommodate a proposed industrial development, some citizens are saying not so fast.

River Pointe Logistics proposes to build up to 6 million square feet of buildings on 725 acres in Upper Mount Bethel Township on land bordered by River Road, Route 611, Potomac Street and Pine Tree Lane.

The townships board of supervisors voted earlier this month to send a proposed zoning ordinance text amendment to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and the township planning commission.

Those commissions will have the ability to review the amendment and provide comments. Supervisors plan to hold a hearing toward the end of August on whether to adopt the amendment.

The changes would simplify some development approvals, by eliminating township requirements for conditional use applications dealing with major traffic impact areas and environmentally sensitive protection areas in the industrial district.

Instead, Upper Mount Bethel would rely on Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Northampton County for their existing oversight and permit requirements.

The existing ordinance allows a building with a maximum height of 50 feet in the industrial district. The amendment would allow 100-foot-tall buildings in the industrial district with a minimum 50-foot setback from streets, unless the buildings are within 500 feet of the Potomac Street Community Park -- in which case the maximum height would be 50 feet.

The amendment states buildings may be built with a footprint up to 800,000 square feet. Up to three buildings at 1 million square feet may be built if approved as a conditional use by the supervisors, under the proposed amendment.

Some township residents organized a public meeting Tuesday at the Potomac Street park. About 16 residents and Supervisors John Bermingham, Martin Pinter and Anthony DeFranco plus township Manager Ed Nelson attended.

Some residents said they are concerned that major zoning changes proposed for the industrial district are happening too fast and would eliminate too much local control of development.

The developer originally proposed the text amendment. Supervisors and the township engineer went through a series of negotiations to arrive at the currently proposal.

Resident David Friedman said the township engineer may approve of an amendment from an engineering perspective but the township should hire experts in traffic, the environment and community impact before it decides to change its zoning laws.

Resident Richard Wilford-Hunt said he believes the development would have a negative impact on the area and change the rural character of the township.

Supervisors should not give in to the requests of the developer without fully vetting the amendment with experts and the public, Wilford-Hunt said.

Posting the amendment publicly in July and holding a hearing in August is too quick of a process for residents to understand the implications of such an amendment, he said.

Its square feet. Its height. Its steep slopes. Its traffic. Its a whole host of issues, Wilford-Hunt said.

Resident Judy Henkel said developer Lou Pektor, who has an interest in River Pointe Logistics, purchased the property knowing what the zoning laws were. The township should not cede local control to accommodate the development.

Supervisors have argued that without changing the zoning laws, the developer could build the same square footage but construct high-traffic, low-employment warehouses.

By cooperating with the developer, the site could be home to manufacturing businesses with less traffic and more jobs, several supervisors have said.

In February, the developers real estate consultant estimated that once it is fully built out, tax revenues from the industrial park could generate $1.1 million to $2.2 million annually for the township, which would be a 30-60% increase from current tax revenues.

Several residents at the Tuesday meeting said they were not willing to accept increased tax revenues and economic development at the cost of the environment and the potential negative impact of development.

Supervisors meet at a workshop meeting scheduled Monday and a regular meeting Aug. 10 where the subject will likely be discussed again.

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John Best is a freelance contributor to lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Awaiting judgment, circa 1900s. Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



For the foreign residents of Seoul, particularly in the Jeongdong area, a good night's sleep was a rare commodity in 1901.



Throughout the night, residents were incessantly attacked by ravenous bedbugs. This was not the first time, according to legend, that the city had been plagued with these insidious pests.



During the Imjin War (1592-1598), the royal palaces in Seoul were all destroyed, so the residence of a prince  located in Jeongdong  was converted and named Gyeongun Palace (now known as Deoksu Palace).



It was with the arrival of the royal family that a great host of bedbugs were awakened and infested the city until the monarchy took up residence at the newly rebuilt Changdeok Palace in 1618. Afterwards, according to Homer Hulbert, Jeongdong was known as "the den of bedbugs."



Gyeongun became a royal palace again when King Gojong moved into it in February 1897 and Hulbert insinuates this may have been the reason for the latest bedbug infestation. Hulbert had a flair for mixing legend with contemporary events.



But it wasn't just bedbugs robbing the residents of Seoul of their sleep  it was the crime wave.





Prisoners in cangues, circa 1900s. Robert Neff Collection



As darkness fell, the streets of Seoul became a mugger's paradise. The Whang-sung Sin-mun reported that "there are many parts of the city where Koreans do not care to go at night, notably the cut near the Imperial Altar." These muggers, often armed with knives or guns, deprived their victims of their cash  sometimes their clothing  and, occasionally, their lives.



Measures were taken by the government. Night watchmen  armed with bells to announce their approach  were dispatched throughout the city and surrounding area but instead of becoming a deterrent, some became victims. In Dduksom, a band of robbers "caught the watchman and bound him and left him very scantily clad."



Bands of highwaymen also roamed outside the gates.



South of Seoul, a group of robbers disguised themselves by covering their faces with pun, a white paste that women use as a cosmetic. Because they were unidentifiable, they probably spared their victims.



Apparently, it wasn't uncommon for thieves to dress up as women. In October, "three thieves dressed in women's clothes" entered a residence and, after finding only women in the house, looted it.



Others, however, did not care who saw their faces because their victims were likely to end up dead. Near Mapo, a band of robbers looted and then torched some 30 houses. In September, a large "band of 100 robbers, more or less, armed with rifles and swords raided the market at Suwon and seized large quantities of goods."





Criminals executed by hanging, circa 1900s. Robert Neff Collection
Business Roundup Irrawaddy Business Roundup

--

YANGONDespite the Myanmar governments efforts to ease the economic impact of COVID-19, the countrys economy has remained in a significant slowdown. This week, the Myanmar Trade Promotion Organization (Myantrade) said in its latest report that 76 percent of export companies have been effected by COVID-19 and nearly half of them are expected to face a significant decline in orders from aboard in coming months.

The Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) also said that around 10 enterprises notified the commission last week that they are closing or have already closed due to the effects of COVID-19. Additionally, trade data shows that Myanmars exports to China in the first 10 months of this fiscal year dropped by more than US$200 million compared to the same period from last year. Furthermore, the government also urged companies to pay taxes online to curb the further spread of COVID-19.

Myanmars export companies hit by COVID-19

A Myantrade survey on the impacts of COVID-19 on exports found that 76 percent of export companies have been hit by the pandemic and more than half of the companies in the survey are facing a decline in orders of 50 percent or more.

Myantrade surveyed 226 export companies in the country. The Myantrade team is responsible for trade promotion and falls under the Ministry of Commerce.

Of the 76 percent of export companies affected by COVID-19, 30 percent were severely affected and the remaining 46 percent were moderately affected, the report said.

The survey found that 19 percent of companies are experiencing a decline in orders by up to 20 percent, while 36 percent of respondents said they have not received any orders from their buyers for the next three months.

According to the survey, more than 50 percent of companies saw a drop in orders, with 18 percent seeing their buyers cancel orders. More than half of export companies are expecting a further drop in orders in the next three months, the survey said.

Companies to close down due to COVID-19

MIC received another round of notifications of business closure last week as companies struggle with the effects of COVID-19, according to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA), the government investment agency. The MIC said that it received around 10 notifications of closure but that the process was still ongoing and an exact number wasnt available yet.

But DICA did not mention whether the companies that filed for closure are owned by local or foreign investors, and not specify the types of businesses.

MIC said around 100 cut-make-pack (CMP) garment enterprises and 63 other businesses reported closures between Jan. 1 and June 21.

While MIC tracks relatively large enterprises, its data doesnt include small businesses. The Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population said in June that more than 140,000 locally-based workers have lost their jobs due to the closure of 5,658 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and 270 large factories, shops and restaurants.

Myanmar sees significant decline in exports to China

The Ministry of Commerce said Myanmars earnings from exports to China dropped by more than US$200 million in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year (2019-2020) compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year (2018-2019).

The ministry said export earnings declined due to the Chinese governments tightening of border control rules between the two countries to curb the further spread of the pandemic.

Myanmars exports to China accounted for over US$3 billion in trade via the Muse, Chinshwehaw, Kanpiketi and Lweje border gates from Oct. 1, 2019 to July 10. Last fiscal year, Myanmar exported US$3.29 billion worth of goods to China, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Government urges companies to use online tax payment system

The governments Internal Revenue Department (IRD) said Myanmar companies should use a digital payment system to pay taxes online starting from Oct. 1.

The department announced that it has been developing online payment systems for both companies and individual tax payers to allow tax collection to continue while adhering to social distancing rules, in order to curb the further spread of COVID-19.

The IRD said tax payers can pay taxes using online services from local private banks such as Kanbawza Bank, Ayeyarwady Bank, Co-operative Bank, United Amara Bank and others.

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By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 35 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
There is little doubt about it. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the puffed-up hawk of the Trump administration, talons at the ready, beak protruding. While the president coos at the prospect of seeing, or admiring, the next strongman of international relations, Pompeo hovers over selected authoritarian targets. This Jekyll-Hyde appraisal of foreign policy is a ready recipe for chaos and one that has done much to confuse Washingtons friends and foes.

The largest authoritarian target for the Trump administration remains China. China is convenient; China is destiny. The US imperium has always needed, on some level, handy demons to justify vast military budgets and its sprawling network of military bases. Lacking enemies would naturally lessen the case and show up the jingoes as men and women of straw. When the Soviet Union vanished, ending the most expensive, phoniest confrontation in modern history, the rogues gallery suddenly seemed empty, largely because many of those rogues were sponsored or backed by the US imperium. This was a time ludicrously called the end of history by that most fatuous of political observers, Francis Fukuyama. But candidates of wickedness were eventually found: President George W. Bushs axis of evil, born in the embers of New Yorks World Trade Centre; the shop-for-terror al-Qaeda network; a miscellany of terrorists.

Pompeos speech, delivered at the Nixon Library in California on July 23, was a dusted off version of innumerable statements made during the Cold War, notably in its initial freeze. The capitalist and communist blocs had taken shape, and the language of freedom was much in use. On March 12, 1947, President Harry Truman appeared before a joint session of Congress to explain why the United States should care whether Greece or Turkey should fall to communism or not. Turkey was freedom-loving; the Greeks were threatened by the terrorist activities of several thousand armed men, led by communists. Both countries needed aid  in the order of $400 million.

In justifying his position, Truman laid out what would become the doctrine that bore his name. I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. He was adamant that [t]he free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms.

Now, the communist Asiatic demonology has shifted, finding form in the Chinese state tinged yellow and red. According to Pompeo, battle cries are needed, a good stiffening of the sinews. Its time for free nations to act. Not every nation will approach the China challenge the same way, nor should they. Every nation will have to come to its own understanding of how to protect its national security, its economic prosperity, and its ideals from the tentacles of the CCP.

There was no small measure of irony in the fact that Pompeos speech was made at a library named after the US president that insisted China be engaged as part of a policy that came to be known as detente. During that period, the Soviet Union was, within limits, tolerated. The PRC was brought in from the cold. President Richard Nixon, the greatest ideological shape changer of the Cold War, was happy to hunt communists actual and fictional in domestic politics just as readily as he was to accommodate them in foreign policy when it suited.

Pompeo called Nixon a brilliant student of China, a fierce cold warrior, and a tremendous admirer of the Chinese people, just as I think we all are. But, he urged, We must admit a hard truth that should guide us in the years and decades to come, that if we want to have a free 21st century, and not the Chinese century of which Xi Jinping dreams, the old paradigm of blind engagement with China simply wont get it done. We must not continue it and we must not return to it.

The Trump administrations tweet and sound bite understanding of history is incapable of understanding accommodation of the Nixon sort. This is the Bogeyman reading of discomfited imperialists, all adolescent and power point. We imagined engagement with China would produce a future bright with the promise of comity, and cooperation, Pompeo spoke with resignation. But today we sit wearing masks and watching the pandemics body count rise because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fail in its promises to the world  reading news headlines of repression in Hong Kong and Xinjiang  seeing staggering statistics of Chinese trade abuses that cost American jobs and strike blows to our companies  watching the Chinese military grow stronger and more menacing.

Pompeos rhetorical questions to his audience merely served to illustrate an encyclopaedic ignorance, matched only by its colossal naivete. What do the American people have to show now 50 years on from engagement with China? Did the theories of our leaders that proposed a Chinese evolution towards freedom and democracy prove to be true? Is this Chinas definition of a win-win situation? Arrogant, even dotty questions, but typical of a superpower finding its crown of hegemony a bit loose, an increasingly poor fit. To engage China was to only do so on US terms. China should have, to use that irritating sporting metaphor, played ball. More money somehow makes one freer, a claim nonsensical in its envisaging, and disproved by historical examples such as the Chile of Augusto Pinochet.

The questions posed by Pompeo merely serve to justify the US case for encircling China, a measure that will only serve to divide, not unite, nation states, and titillate eager war mongers. It will also put Washingtons allies in a damn awful mess. But this will not bother the think tankers in countries such as Australia, where deputy sheriffing is not only natural but deemed necessary. Into the breach they go, folly-ridden.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected]
Robert Irwin shared a heartwarming birthday tribute to his sister Bindi on her 22nd birthday on Friday.

The 16-year-old shared a sweet photo showing his big sister beside him on the day he was born, while alongside them was their late father Steve.

Steve tragically died on September 4, 2006, after a stingray attack at Batt Reef near Port Douglas, Queensland. He was 44.

Sweet! Robert Irwin revealed the hilarious nickname Bindi gave him when he was born as he pays tribute to his sister on her birthday with a sweet photo of them and their late father Steve. Pictured together is Bindi with newborn brother Robert and their father Steve

The Wildlife Warrior wished his sister happy birthday, and added: 'Thank you for being my best friend from the moment I entered the world.'

'I'll always treasure the story of the first time you met me - it was around the time this photo was taken, just after I was born and you decided that it was your job to name me... and then promptly named me Brian,' he shared.

Robert continued: 'Dad then confirmed that my name was actually Robert, but you still called me Brian "for short!"

He finished his message: 'Can't wait to celebrate today, I am so proud to be your brother! Love, Brian.'

Cute: He also shared a sweet story: 'Just after I was born and you decided that it was your job to name me and then promptly named me Brian. Dad then confirmed that my name was actually Robert, but you still called me Brian "for short".' Robert, Bindi and pictured their mother Terri

'Beyond blessed to be your sister': The birthday girl was quick to reply back, saying: 'Love you so much, Brian! Thank you for being the greatest friend and brother.' Robert pictured walking with Bindi on her wedding day

The birthday girl, who was walked down aisle by Robert, was quick to reply back, saying: 'Love you so much, Brian! Thank you for being the greatest friend and brother.

'Beyond blessed to be your sister,' she added.

Bindi's husband Chandler Powell also shared a special tribute on her special day - which is the same day he proposed to her last year.

The former professional wakeboarder shared several photos from their wedding day on March 25.

Special occasion: Bindi's husband Chandler Powell also shared a special tribute on her special day - which is the same day he proposed to her last year

He wrote in the caption: 'For the first time ever as a married couple, happy birthday to my beautiful wife.'

The 23-year-old Florida native added: 'This year has been nothing short of epic and you have handled everything thrown our way with courage and grace.

'You inspire me to be a better person every day with how much love you have to give.'

Wedded bliss: The former professional wakeboarder shared several photos from their wedding day on March 25 and wrote in the caption: 'For the first time ever as a married couple, happy birthday to my beautiful wife'. The couple pictured on their wedding day

Loved up: Bindi was quick to respond to her husband's message, commenting below the post: 'My sunshine, my world. I love you today, tomorrow and forever'. The couple pictured on their engagement day

'Thank you for making the world a better and brighter place. My best friend, my wife, my everything. I love you.'

Bindi was quick to respond to her husband's message, commenting below the post: 'My sunshine, my world. I love you today, tomorrow and forever.'

Bindi's birthday tributes comes after a tough few months for the Irwins and their beloved Australia Zoo as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Economic downturn: Bindi birthday tribute comes after a tough few months for the Irwins and their beloved Australia Zoo as a result of the coronavirus pandemic

A trailer for the new season of Crikey! It's the Irwins shows the family and their staff struggling to keep the business afloat during lockdown.

Matriarch Terri Irwin reveals the tourist attraction is bleeding $400,000 per week on wages, plus $78,914 on food for the animals.

She has to make the tough decision to cut jobs and operate with a skeleton crew of employees as the family members take on more work.

Crikey! It's the Irwins: Live in Lockdown will air in Australia on Saturday, August 1 at 7:30pm on Animal Planet
MINNEDOSA  Mark Olenick dived into the shallow water in his flooded basement to escape the inferno that suddenly engulfed the room.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 25/7/2020 (543 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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MINNEDOSA  Mark Olenick dived into the shallow water in his flooded basement to escape the inferno that suddenly engulfed the room.

On Thursday, the 36-year-old concrete finisher rested on a couch in his parents basement as he recounted the harrowing ordeal that sent him to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg June 29 with first-, second- and third-degree burns over 40 per cent his body.

A photo shows some of the burns Mark Olenick sustained in the explosion. (Submitted)

Like many others in the flood-stricken community, he and his wife Cherisse had been struggling to keep water from overtaking their home.

"We spent all day monitoring and sandbagging as much as we could and pumping the basement out," Mark said as Cherisse and her sister Stephanie Shaw sat nearby.

With the nearby river flowing over its bank, they had packed up as many of their cherished belongings as they could and had taken them to his parents home just up the street.

Cherisse and their son Dane, 13, had taken away the last load while he stayed behind to make sure the sump pumps were working before he joined them that evening.

Cherisse Olenick and her sister Stephanie Shaw stand beside the house where the explosion that burned Olenick's husband Mark occurred. (Bud Robertson/The Brandon Sun)

One of the pumps wasnt working properly, so he went downstairs to clear away some of the debris from the screen.

"When I dropped it back in the water, there was just an explosion," Mark said. "Then this fireball hit me."

One of the pumps had apparently sparked, igniting something that set off the explosion  what that something was Mark still isnt sure.

He dived into about 25 centimetres of water that had seeped into the basement to escape the flames as best he could. When the danger had passed, Mark climbed back up the stairs, but the explosion had blown the door shut and he was forced to crawl out a nearby window.

"By that point, Im in shock," he said.

Mark managed to walk to his parents home a couple of blocks away uphill, where 911 was called and he was rushed to Minnedosa Health Centre.

The STARS air ambulance was unable to get out, and instead Mark was sent by ambulance to Health Sciences Centre where he spent three weeks being treated for his burns, returning home on Monday.

Mark and Cherisse Olenick pose with son Dane during their wedding last year. (Submitted)

"I stayed by his side the whole time," said Cherisse, who was able to stay at a friends place in Winnipeg when she wasnt at the hospital.

Staff at the hospital were amazed at how quickly Marks burns began to heal, Cherisse said.

It went from needing skin grafts and spending several weeks in hospital to being sent home to recover, Mark said.

He still has to go back to HSC on Monday to get checked out. Theyre not sure yet how often he will have to return to Winnipeg.

In the meantime, Mark cant go back to work until he heals more completely.

Knowing they faced hardships making ends meet and trying to get their home back in livable condition, Cherisses sister, Stephanie, set up a GoFundMe page July 4.

As of Friday, it had raised just over $10,000.

"I didnt think it would come in that quickly," said Stephanie, who had set a fundraising goal of $10,000. "I was shocked and very happy about that."

So were Mark and Cherisse.

"Just this whole community, it makes you really proud to be in a community like that," said Cherisse who, like her husband, grew up in Minnedosa. "It really warms your heart, thats for sure."

Mark agreed.

"I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for all their support, and all the prayers and wishes and cards; all the people that reached out to the family," he said. "People really can be amazing to each other, sometimes."

While lying in his hospital bed in the burn unit, Mark said, he could almost feel the love and support that was out there for his recovery.

"It makes you not have a choice," he said. "You gotta get better."

The link to the GoFundMe page is https://www.gofundme.com/f/mark-olenick-medical-medical-relief-fund.

 brobertson@brandonsun.com
CLAIM: NASA has officially announced a 13th zodiac sign, Ophiuchus, after discovering a new constellation, meaning your zodiac star has changed.

THE FACTS: NASA is the federal agency dedicated to studying and exploring astronomy, not astrology, and has not made any such announcement.

Social media users are passing around an old hoax once again, claiming that NASA has officially established a 13th zodiac sign. The claim, which also contends that the entire zodiac system has now been realigned, is circulating in popular Facebook posts.

NASA debunked the social media posts on its website and Twitter account. We see your comments about a zodiac story that re-emerges every few years, NASA said in a July 16 tweet, sharing a link to a 2016 blog post that explains the zodiacs history. No, we did not change the zodiac. In an online statement, NASA said the Babylonians created the zodiac 3,000 years ago, centering it around 12 constellations to pair with each month of their 12-month calendar.

That statement did note that the Babylonians ancient stories identified 13 constellations and they left off one  Ophiuchus  to match the calendar. Though thats been known for centuries  it isnt a new discovery by NASA or anyone else. So, we didnt change any zodiac signs  we just did the math, NASA said in the online post.
About 17 months ago, Lori Spinas daughter was the apparent primary target of a would-be school shooter. Now that Joshua Owen, the teenager accused of attempting the shooting, has been released, Spina is worried and furious.

Its just ridiculous that they let him out, she said. You know hes a danger. How could that be allowed?

Owen, then 16, was charged with bringing a gun to Cleveland High School on Valentines Day 2019 and trying to shoot three classmates. According to police reports, he fled after he had trouble with the gun, and no one was injured.

Police said Owen had a to-do list indicating his intention to find and kill his ex-girlfriend, Spinas daughter, before killing other people and himself. Eleven months before, his ex-girlfriend had reported his statement that he was hearing voices telling him to shoot up the school.

Last month, he was found still incompetent to stand trial and no residential psychiatric treatment facility in the state would take him. So, due to New Mexico law and his age, a judge dismissed the charges and released Owen with no conditions.

He has made threats; he has followed through on those threats, Spina said, adding that she didnt see how it was just or safe to release Owen.

Spina said the situation is hard on her daughter, now 19, although the young woman tells her mother shell be OK.

Shes 19 now, Spina said. I have to let her live her life.

She said her daughter is cautious, but going to college, working and trying not to think about the possible danger.

The young woman has learned jiu jitsu for self-defense and has a temporary restraining order against Owen. At an upcoming court date, Spina and her daughter will ask the judge to make the restraining order permanent.

As a parent, its like, What can you do?' Spina said.

She said her daughter knows deep down that she did the right thing by reporting Owens threats in 2018, even though shed initially told him she wouldnt.

But this grudge he holds weighs heavily, Spina said.

She believes the grudge led Owen to try to target her daughter in 2019, and shes afraid he still carries it.

She doesnt trust Owens parents to see that he gets mental-health treatment. Theyre both charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor on accusations that they failed to lock up their gun after being informed of the voices their son said he heard.

The situation isnt all Owens fault, Spina said, because its his parents job to take care of him.

Hes a child, she added.

She would like to see Owen monitored in some way.

I dont want to get a gun to protect my family, Spina said. Thats what the laws are supposed to do.

Spina wants laws changed and Owen to be somewhere he can receive treatment so he and others are safe.

N.M. Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, said a good friends child was one of the students Owen threatened with the gun.

This is something that well need to take a look at during the next session, said Brandt, a former Rio Rancho Public Schools board member.

State Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, said he was unhappy over Owens release and exploring options.

It doesnt make sense that theres essentially nothing that can be done under law, he said.

Harper has asked the Legislative Council Service to research laws and options to close the gap in the system. Once he has a way forward, he plans to engage with Democrat lawmakers to change the laws.
The current plan that CPS has in place does follow the CDC guidelines and we are looking at the new guidelines and will update our plans accordingly, Jackson said. But I want parents and students to know that any plan that we put in place will be guided by the science and that we will not make a decision to have students return to school if we dont believe its safe.
Srinagar, July 25 : A gunfight erupted on Saturday between security forces and militants on the outskirts of Srinagar city, police sources said.

According to the sources, the gunfight started in Ramalgand (Lawaipora) area.

"Reinforcements were rushed to the spot to cordon off the area. The operation against the hiding militants has started," they added.

Reports have said that two to three militants could be holed up in the area.
UK exports of sheep meat fell by nearly 20 percent year-on-year in May as countries were under the Covid-19 lockdown, figures by AHDB show.

Exports of fresh and frozen sheep meat, including carcases, bone-in and boneless cuts, fell 19% year-on-year in May to 6,200 tonnes.

According to AHDB, this mirrors the trend seen in domestic lamb production, which was down by a fifth year-on-year in May.

A smaller quantity of fresh lamb carcases was shipped during the month compared to the same time last year, which was the reason for the overall fall in volume.

This continues the trend seen in fresh lamb carcase exports over the last three months, AHDB explained.

On a country-by-country basis, less product was sent to Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, which offset an increase in volumes sent to Ireland.

AHDB livestock analyst, Hannah Clarke said: "UK exports from January - May (inclusive) are now 17% (6,200 tonnes) behind where they were last year, primarily due to a fall in the quantity of fresh lamb carcases shipped.

"Shipments are lower to Germany (-3,100 tonnes) and France (-3,000 tonnes) in particular," she explained.

The decline in exports has been weighted towards months when lockdown measures were in place, with loss of a normal Easter being a particular blow to shipments.

Meanwhile, figures show imports of fresh and frozen sheep meat into the UK during May fell by 26% year-on-year to 4,600 tonnes.

"A smaller quantity of imported frozen boneless cuts was the main driver of the decline," Ms Clarke said.

"Less product was received from New Zealand (-500 tonnes) and Ireland (-400 tonnes) in particular, while Australia also lowered shipments."

This has brought imports for January - May (inclusive) to 29,900 tonnes, down 9 percent on last year.

Volumes from New Zealand and Ireland have fallen by 1,700 and 1,300 tonnes year-on-year respectively, offsetting a 1,100 tonne rise in volumes from Australia.
Members of Enniscorthy Fire Service were called to the scene of a blaze at a well-known local business premises at the weekend.

The fire broke out at the property of Tommy Williamson Landscaping Supplies in Templescoby on Friday afternoon.

A spokesperson for the fire service told this newspaper the blaze occurred at around 2.30 p.m.

Two units of Enniscorthy fire service, assisted by one unit from Bunclody, attended the scene.

The spokesperson said the blaze was brought under control relatively quickly and that despite thick black smoke emanating from the fire, the situation could have been much more serious.

'It was under control in about three quarters-of-an-hour and then it was dampened down for about an hour after that,' said the spokesperson.

'No one was injured and it didn't get into a nearby area where there was a lot of timber products and that could have been serious if that happened,' said the spokesperson.

'It could have been a lot worse and thankfully nobody was injured,' he added.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned statements by Greek officials and a flag-burning protest in Greece after the first Islamic prayers in nine decades were held at Istanbul's Hagia Sophia.

"Greece showed once again its enmity towards Islam and Turkey with the excuse of reacting to Hagia Sophia Mosque being opened to prayers," ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a written statement.

Greek criticism of the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque after decades as a museum has been scathing, underlining tense ties between Greece and Turkey. Church bells tolled in mourning across Greece on Friday as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan joined prayers at the building.

In a message marking Greece's 46th anniversary of the restoration of democracy, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Turkey a "troublemaker", and the conversion an "affront to civilisation of the 21st century".

Friday's ceremony sealed Erdogan's ambition to restore Muslim worship at the ancient site, which most Greeks consider as central to their Orthodox Christian religion.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it strongly condemned hostile statements by the Greek government and parliament members to stir up the public, and the burning of a Turkish flag in the Greek city of Thessaloniki.

Hagia Sophia was opened to prayer as a mosque in line with the will of the Turkish people and belonged to Turkey like all cultural assets in the country, it added.

Greece and Turkey disagree on a range of issues from airspace to maritime zones and ethnically split Cyprus. This week they also exchanged barbs over the delimitation of their continental shelves in the eastern Mediterranean, an area thought to be rich in natural resources.

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Bengaluru, July 25 : More than 160 Covid free babies have been successfully delivered from coronavirus infected mothers in a city hospital, an official said on Saturday.

"We have successfully delivered more than 160 babies without coronavirus though they were born to Covid positive women," a medical official at Vani Vilas Hospital told IANS.

To ensure that the babies are virus free, the doctors in the hospital immediately isolated the newborns from the infected mothers in most cases.

"This is one of the reasons why the children have been virus free. We have also shifted them to the neonatal care unit," said the official.

To continue protecting the babies from the virus, doctors are keeping them away from the mothers until they test negative.

"Babies are also being tested for Covid on the fifth and 14th day. If they are negative, the babies are being handed over to their relatives or attendees," she said.

All these babies are doing well except a few.

A set of nine babies had tested positive but they came from mothers who lived in high Covid risk zones and did not initially test positive.

"These nine Covid positive babies were born to mothers who did not know their status initially and came from high virus risk places, resulting in the virus passing to them unknowingly," said the hospital's neonatologist.

As many as 138 babies born in the hospital's trauma care centre are Covid free while nine babies out of the 34 born to the mothers from the isolation centre had tested positive.

According to the neonatologist, even the babies born to Covid positive women can be left with the mothers as long as they are asymptomatic and maintain proper breast hygiene.

"Babies born to asymptomatic mothers should be left with the mothers themselves as separation will lead to deprivation of breast milk, depression and psychological issues," she said.

She said there should be some attendee with the mother and baby to take care of hand and breast hygiene, including wearing a mask and taking other precautions.

"If all these issues are taken care of and the mother and child are asymptomatic, they can be together," observed the doctor.

However, in case of symptomatic mothers, she advised separation.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
These days, everybody has an opinion. Especially on Sima Taparia and her choosy, ambitious, sometimes narcissistic motley of clients. Little surprise there.

Netflixs latest show Indian Matchmaking, which now ranks #1 in India, delves into the centuries-old practice of fixing marriages in India and raises uncomfortable questions about what it takes to succeed in a marriage without losing your individual identity.

You may want to know why Im qualified to opine here. At 23, an age most would consider highly inappropriate, I was engaged to a match found by a community matchmaker. My 32-year-old sister, settled now in Canada, has been seeking a match through the very same process for the past decade. Ive seen both sides of the story and can tell you  Sima aunty isnt completely off the cuff.

Heaps of criticism have been levelled against the high-society matchmaker who hobnobs among elite families in the US and India and tries to fix up her clients by matching biodatas and horoscopes. Opening the floodgates of memes on social media, Sima has been heavily trolled for asking her clients to be flexible, adjust and compromise  advice that doesn't go down well with a generation fixated by their individual identities, successes and social structures  especially women.

Dont get me wrong. Im a fierce champion of individualism and personal freedom for both women and men. But the one thing Ive learned over the course of my 7-year marriage is that the very same piece of advice has held my husband and me  polar opposite individuals with a common vision together in a journey pockmarked by emotional, social and financial challenges but immense love and respect. I started young in this journey, at a time when I was far more conducive to change that I could possibly be today; I reckon this is a big factor in an arranged marriage.

Also read: Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me no match...

As modern women, theres little we hold dearer than our precious careers, especially since they are most often assiduously built by pushing societal boundaries and fixing our mast firmly in the pit of patriarchy and dogma. I still remember an uncle advising my father to not let me go to the UK to pursue my masters in journalism, warning that I could go astray. It was, and still is, uncommon for a Muslim woman to pursue a career in the media. I cannot imagine what battles my parents must have fought, both internally and externally, to allow me to go ahead with my ambition. Once that battle was won, came the next  marriage.

The arranged marriage ecosystem is laced with prejudices and double-standards, as the show holds up a mirror to. Ive faced rejections for reasons that have bemused me, enraged me and saddened me too. Too ambitious, Possibly too modern?, Would she be family oriented?, Women in media dont make good wives  Ive endured a few slanders. Yet I greatly respect this institution of arranged marriage because it lays the foundation of a strong marriage by recognising values and virtues too many are quick to dismiss as traditional or rigid.

My husband was advised to approach me with an open mind, allowing him to see my career as a cherished achievement but also going beyond the surface to see me for who I really am. Likewise, by being able to compromise, I could see him for the self-made man he is, giving me strength to focus on his potential rather than his economic status. Our arranged setup afforded distance yet proximity, freedom with responsibility, helping us navigate this delicate journey with confidence.

This ability to focus on what one wants  and what one doesnt  is especially important in todays modern yet highly turbulent times where the din drowns the inner voice.

Simas clients amply exhibit their lack of recognition of what they really desire out of life and their partners, often oscillating between extremities in their criteria, many of which are not only superficial but also designed to merely lift the egoic image of who they think they really are. The rich guys want women who are pretty but traditional, modern but cultured, ambitious yet family-oriented. The successful women, waving their careers as flag bearers of their contemporary lifestyles and outlook to life, cant seem to decide what they want either  because they want everything or nothing at all  and constantly shift goalposts. Theres black, white, and a lot of grey.

Also read: Indian Matchmaking Review: The Netflix show needs a trigger warning

Sima, although deploying some very contentious methods such as face astrologers, priests and relationship advisors, enables some of these entitled young men and women to sift through their feelings and evaluate their desire for marriage, prompting a fiercely independent Ankita to walk away from the matchmaking process. The fact that she could suggest a woman seven years older for the affable Vyasar because their personalities matched is testament that arranged marriages neednt be regressive. I think thats empowering.

The show also throws light on some uncomfortable truths about gender equality, which make you cringe but also introspect. Like 25-year-old reticent Akshay who settles for a smart Chartered Accountant after relentless persuasion by his parents, only to ask her who would raise the kids if she chooses to work after marriage. On the other end is Delhi-based matchmaker Geeta, who crudely tries to drive home the message that while equality must be the premise of a good marriage, partners cannot strive for equality at all times in a marriage  a universal truth thats not easily digestible to Ankita.

Above all, Indian Matchmaking takes a hard look at the role parents play in their childrens journey down the aisle. Quite rightly, it causes your nerves to grate when you see a patronising Preeti giving her son Akshay six months to bring a wife to make him his meals. But it is equally important to see hard-wired ideas driven into 34-year-old attorney Aparna by her single mother or the down-to-earth values imparted by Vyasars mother as she raised her son alone.

Netflixs latest series may have seen a lot of labels  cringe-worthy, horrid, mortifying. I'd like to add one more  thought-provoking.
The U.S. wants to build nuclear power plants that will work on the moon and Mars, and on Friday put out a request for ideas from the private sector on how to do that. The U.S. Department of Energy put out the formal request to build what it calls a fission surface power system that could allow humans to live for long periods in harsh space environments. The Idaho National Laboratory, a nuclear research facility in eastern Idaho, the Energy Department and NASA will evaluate the ideas for developing the reactor.

The lab has been leading the way in the U.S. on advanced reactors, some of them microreactors and others that can operate without water for cooling. Water-cooled nuclear reactors are the vast majority of reactors on Earth. Small nuclear reactors can provide the power capability necessary for space exploration missions of interest to the Federal government, the Energy Department wrote in the notice published Friday.

The Energy Department, NASA and Battelle Energy Alliance, the U.S. contractor that manages the Idaho National Laboratory, plan to hold a government-industry webcast technical meeting in August concerning expectations for the program. The plan has two phases. The first is developing a reactor design. The second is building a test reactor, a second reactor be sent to the moon, and developing a flight system and lander that can transport the reactor to the moon. The goal is to have a reactor, flight system and lander ready to go by the end of 2026.

The reactor must be able to generate an uninterrupted electricity output of at least 10 kilowatts. The average U.S. residential home, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, uses about 11,000 kilowatt-hours per year. The Energy Department said it would likely take multiple linked reactors to meet power needs on the moon or Mars. In addition, the reactor cannot weigh more than 7,700 pounds (3,500 kilograms), be able to operate in space, operate mostly autonomously, and run for at least 10 years.

The Energy Department said the reactor is intended to support exploration in the south polar region of the moon. The agency said a specific region on the Martian surface for exploration has not yet been identified. Edwin Lyman, director of Nuclear Power Safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit, said his organization is concerned the parameters of the design and timeline make the most likely reactors those that use highly enriched uranium, which can be made into weapons. Nations have generally been attempting to reduce the amount of enriched uranium being produced for that reason.

This may drive or start an international space race to build and deploy new types of reactors requiring highly enriched uranium, he said. Earlier this week, the United Arab Emirates launched an orbiter to Mars and China launched an orbiter, lander and rover. The U.S. has already landed rovers on the red planet and is planning to send another next week.

Officials say operating a nuclear reactor on the moon would be a first step to building a modified version to operate in the different conditions found on Mars. Idaho National Laboratory has a central role in emphasizing the United States' global leadership in nuclear innovation, with the anticipated demonstration of advanced reactors on the INL site, John Wagner, associate laboratory director of INL's Nuclear Science & Technology Directorate, said in a statement. The prospect of deploying an advanced reactor to the lunar surface is as exciting as it is challenging."
Jaipur:

Pakistan-born Canadian writer Tarek Fatah on Saturday said the Modi governments decision to demonetise 500 and 1000 currency notes has hit Pakistan-sponsored terror activities against India and flow of counterfeit currency has been terminated.



It is a very good decision. It is the first demonetisation in digital era and will transform the lives of people, he said at the Jaipur Dialogues event here.



The move has badly hit Pakistan-sponsored terrorism as funds to terror activities and flow of counterfeit currency have been terminated, Fateh, who is known for his strong anti-Pakistan views, said.



He said Balochistan is struggling to break away from Pakistan and he would then prefer going to Pakistan.



Pakistan is not worthy of respect and I will prefer to go there only if Balochistan breaks free, he said in response to a question from the audience.

Watch in 4 exclusive videos: Tarek Fatah calls Pakistan a 'safe haven' for terrorists; praises India



Fatah said Indians who want good relationship with Pakistan should be made learn about the reality of that country and even after this if they are willing to improve ties, it simply means they are not in the interest of India.



Such people should be exposed. Those who live in India and hate India do not deserve to live here and they should be kicked out, he said.



He also said the Pakistan high commissioner in India deserve this treatment. American Hindu teacher David Frawley said India should focus more on its soft power.



India is one of the greatest civilisations of the world with rich art and culture and developed science and technology quickly. However, India has not used its soft power to its full potential and the young generation now feels a disconnect with ancient Indian tradition and culture which needs to be addressed, he said.



The two-day event which began on Saturday will see discussions by experts in defence, strategy and economy.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
On June 17, the Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill voted to end the moratorium on renaming campus buildings associated with white supremacy or slavery.An online petition sparked that change. Michael Rashaad Galloway, a recent alumnus, started the petition that gained over 9,500 signatures. Since the reversal, the Daily Tar Heel has released a list of about 30 buildings that were named after white supremacists to be considered for renaming.Some buildings have already been renamed. In 2015, UNC changed Saunders Hall to Carolina Hall. William Saunders, a UNC graduate, fought in the Confederate Army and was a leader in North Carolina's Ku Klux Klan. After the building was renamed, the Board of Trustees imposed a moratorium on any name changes for 16 years, until 2031 Three years later, a group of local and student protesters tore down "Silent Sam," a statue of a Confederate soldier erected in 1913, from his pedestal. The university still does not have a plan for what to do with the statue, erected 50 years after the Civil War (like many other Confederate monuments across the Jim Crow South).In lifting the moratorium, chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz stated Guskiewicz clearly supports the university's shift toward inclusivity, but the standards for how to "reconcile our past," as he said, remain unclear.Like UNC, universities across the country are considering renaming or removing controversial memorials. As statues are toppled  from Confederate monuments to statues of George Washington and abolitionists  the criteria for what stays and what goes has been dictated by impassioned people without a central guidance for what change should look like.There is a need for a systematic process to review monuments with alleged connections to white supremacy or slavery. Without a set standard, though, a slippery slope is created that leaves no name safe. For example, some question whether the monuments of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln should be removed because each has a negative connection to slavery. Washington owned slaves and Lincoln didn't issue the Emancipation Proclamation until halfway through the Civil War.The standard for keeping or defending monuments is an ongoing debate. National Geographic and NPR have also covered the issue, and UNC is not alone in struggling to find a standard to follow without seeing its entire history as suspect and condemned.
THUNDER BAY  A Peterborough woman was sentenced to five months in jail for assaulting another woman with bear spray at a motel in Thunder Bay last September.

Sage Bartman, 24, of Peterborough, appeared in a Thunder Bay courtroom by audio on Thursday and pleaded guilty to a number of charges including assault with a weapon, breaching a probation order, possessing fentanyl, and failing to comply with a previous release order.

Court heard that on Sept. 29 police responded to a Cumberland Street motel in Thunder Bay after receiving reports that a woman who had been assaulted with bear spray.

When officers attended the area, they learned Bartman had sprayed the victim after unexpectedly showing up to the motel and knocking on one of the doors and when the complainant opened the door, she was assaulted.

The victim experienced significant pain and discomfort as a result of being sprayed, the court heard.

For the drug possession matter on June 13, Thunder Bay police were executing a search warrant on Sequoia Drive. Police located Bartman on the scene and she was arrested on outstanding warrants.

When she was transported to the Thunder Bay police headquarters on Balmoral Street and searched by officers, police located a marble size aluminum foil in her bra. Bartman admitted it was fentanyl that she had purchased earlier to consume herself.

Before Bartman was sentenced, she spoke briefly to the court and apologized for her actions.

Defence counsel Megan McMahon told the court her client has suffered from serious addiction issues and started using drugs at the age of 13. She also stated Bartman has experienced significant trauma in her life including the passing of her brother.

Since being in custody, McMahon said her client has been working toward remaining sober.

She advises me that the first thing she wants to do when she gets out of custody is to prove to herself that she can stay sober, she said, adding Bartman has disclosed to her she wants to work toward getting access to her son again and becoming a tattoo artist.

Justice Chantal Brochu accepted a joint submission for Bartman and sentenced her to a total of five months of custody and was also granted credit for the time Bartman has already served in pre-sentence custody.

After her custodial sentence, she will be placed on a two-year probation period.

She will also be prohibited from possessing any weapons for a period of five years.

Bartman faced a similar charge in Peterborough three years ago.

 Thunder Bay Source
On Friday, Dr Anthony Fauci considered United States President Donald Trump's decision to cancel his Republican National Convention which was scheduled to be held in Jacksonville, Florida next month as being a good decision.

Getting on the same page

Fauci told reporters that he shared similar sentiments with several White House officials that congregating in large crowds is risky. The medical expert said he believed their viewpoints might have influenced Trump and several of his colleagues.

According to Fox News, Fauci was also glad that the US president has recently decided to start wearing a mask, after continuous criticisms that it hampered respiratory functions. Trump has even begun to encourage citizens to wear facial coverings when going out and socializing.

Trump noted his reasons for cancelling his Jacksonville convention during an exclusive interview with "Hannity" that was conducted on Thursday during which the president cited the massive surge of positive cases and stated he wanted to set an example for all Americans.

During the interview, the US president stated his desire for people to avoid large gatherings and to wear masks to protect themselves and others around them.

On Thursday, Trump announced the cancellation of the convention during a press briefing at the White House saying that it was not the right time to hold the event.

Also Read: Dr. Anthony Fauci Added Security After Receiving Death Threats

Fauci said that the country was seeing the change within Trump's views and noted that the president is adjusting the reality of the coronavirus pandemic and is acting accordingly. He also said Trump's most recent actions and statements send a positive example for the country to follow.

In a Twitter post, the Republican Party of Florida wrote that Trump made the selfless decision of cancelling his Jacksonville convention.

Gaining trust

Gaining the trust of millions of Americans, Fauci has been giving frank and straightforward remarks about the government's responses to the coronavirus pandemic, as reported by the Time.

The 79-year-old medical expert is well past the point of worrying about his next job. Since the beginning of the global crisis, Fauci has been a strict critic of the American government and honest of the coronavirus' threat to the nation and the world.

Several polls have shown that people find Fauci to be twice as trustworthy as Trump whose current re-election in November looks uncertain at best.

Despite the massive support the medical expert has gotten, he revealed on Friday that he and his family have been receiving hate mail and serious threats from angry people over his stark remarks on the pandemic and advises that he has given to the citizens.

According to CNBC, Fauci said during a podcast with David Axelrod, a CNN commentator, that there have been several people furious thinking he was interfering with their lives by pushing his public health agenda. He added the hate mail was not simple bashing but included serious threats that could escalate into something much worse.

After the massive number of threats, some of which were targeted on his wife and daughters, Fauci and his family have been given a security detail to ensure their safety. The medical expert wondered if it was the kind of citizens that America was made of.

Related Article: Fauci Urges Young People to Take COVID-19 Seriously, Pleads Not to Propagate Pandemic

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Tamil Nadu on Saturday breached the grim milestone of two lakh Coronavirus cases with the biggest daily spike of 6,988 fresh infections, pushing the tally to 2,06,737 till date. The death toll climbed to 3,409 with 89 fatalities.

However, the cumulative number of cured persons, at 1,51,055, outnumbered the total active cases which stood at 52,273.

Incidentally, today's discharges, 7,758, were more than the total infections of 6,988. Continuing with the aggressive testing, health workers tested 64,315 samples, taking the aggregate beyond 22 lakh.

The state's first Covid-19 case was reported in March with a 45-year-old man from Kancheepuram who had returned from Oman testing positive. Tamil Nadu crossed the one lakh mark on July 3 and sailed past 1.50 lakh cases on July 15.

Though the state had initially reported low numbers and even seemed to be heading towards flattening the curve, two clusters led to fast spread of the pandemic, putting Tamil Nadu among the worst affected states.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the State capital Chennai reported 1,329 new cases, as its overall tally spiked to 93,537.

According to the bulletin, besides Chennai, several districts continued to record a sharp rise in the number of fresh cases with Chengalpet having 449 infections, Kancheepuram 442, Tiruvallur 385, Virudhunagar 376 and Tuticorin 317.

Among the 89 fatalities reported today, five had no comorbidities. An 18-year-old girl from Tuticorin admitted to district medical college hospital died due to 'immune suppressants' while a 96-year-old man from Coimbatore was brought dead to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.

His blood sample was tested which confirmed he was COVID-19 positive and he died due to 'bilateral bronchopneumonia', the bulletin said. Among the 6,988 new cases, 62 of them were returnees from domestic and overseas locations.

A private lab in Tirunelveli district has received the approval for conducting COVID-19 tests, taking the total number of such facilities operational in the state to 115, with 58 of them government operated ones.
There is lots of interest in staycations as people plan on holidaying at home this year. That's the message from both Dundalk Tourist Officer Sinead Roche and Richard Brennan of Visit Carlingford.

'The office is very busy,' says Sinead. 'It's all local people looking for information on the rest of Ireland - I don't think I've ever seen so many local people calling in. The only visitors I've had are a few people from down South, Galway and a couple from England and Scotland.'

'Once lockdown was lifted, there has been a surge of interest and a desire to get away but people want to go on holiday in Ireland, as they feel safer and they also want to support the Irish economy.'

She says that there are also a lot of enquiries from people from other parts of the country looking to come to Co Louth. 'It's mostly for self-catering as people feel comfortable doing that.'

However, she points out that there is a scarcity of Failte Ireland approved self-catering in the county.

Sinead also urges local tourism providers, from hotels and B&Bs to restaurants and cafes to complete the free training available under the Failte Ireland's COVID-19 Safety Charter, giving them certification which they can display in their premises.

Carlingford is enjoying an increase in the number of visitors, confirms Richard Brennan. 'It was noticeably busier on the weekend of the Twelfth of July with a lot of people coming down from Northern Ireland.'

There is less accommodation available in the village, as Carlingford Accommodation announced early on in the lockdown that they would not be accepting any bookings while other properties have gone from short terms lets to longer tenancies.

Those that are still operating, are adhering to Failte Ireland's guidelines, with delayed turnarounds between guests, says Richard.

The village's pubs are back in business as they all serve meals, he says, although some of the rural pubs are still closed.

With a lot of day-trippers coming to Carlingford, he says there has been big demand for bike hire with both On Yer Bike and E Bikes reporting that they are very busy. The Heritage Centre has also re-opened and The Escape Room is welcoming vis

The Greenway is a big attraction to visitors and Richard is looking forward to the completion of the final stage which will allow people to cycle from Carlingford to Newry.

The resumption of the Carlingford Lough Ferry is another important milestone in the reopening of the tourism on the peninsula, with the socially distanced cruises proving very popular. The Ferry has also announced that its Illuminated Lighthouse cruises will take place on August 1 and 2 and that it is also offering Corporate Cruise evenings in conjunction with Dundalk and Newry Chambers of Commerce.

Richard says that the long term future of Carlingford's hospitality trade and businesses which depend on tourism lies in what happens in the coming months.

He points out that not all businesses are able to the apply for the Restart Grants as the scheme is only open to those who pay rates, so so renting premises are not eligible.

The pushing back of Phase 4 to mid-August will obviously have an impact on the tourism on the peninsula which has already seen popular events like the Convoy 2 Cooley and the Oyster Festival cancelled but its charms will continue to entice visitors, especially those in search of outdoor activities.

Blackrock is also welcoming visitors with Aine Corcoran Blackrock Tourism and Development Group Chair saying 'Our village is perfectly positioned for staycation families who may have never considered the North East as location for a summer break before in Ireland.'

'Unfortunately, in line with Government COVID-19 guidelines our major events, the St Patrick's Day Festival, Film Festival and Pumpkin Festival, have had to be postponed this year but for those seeking wide open spaces, beautiful walks, water sports, superb restaurants, cafes and shops then Blackrock is the place for you'.
Sacramento County jail records show fugitive Chinese biologist Juan Tang, 37, was being held on behalf of federal authorities after she was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service. It was unclear if she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf

A Chinese researcher accused of concealing her ties to the Chinese military on a visa application she submitted so she could work in the U.S. was booked Friday into a Northern California jail and was expected to appear in federal court Monday.

Sacramento County jail records show Juan Tang, 37, was being held on behalf of federal authorities after she was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service. It was unclear if she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.

The Justice Department on Thursday announced charges against Tang and three other scientists living in the U.S., saying they lied about their status as members of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army. All were charged with visa fraud.

Tang was the last of the four to be arrested, after the justice department accused the Chinese consulate in San Francisco of harboring a known fugitive.

The consulate did not immediately respond to email and Facebook messages seeking comment and it was not possible to leave a telephone message.

The Justice Department said Tang lied about her military ties in a visa application last October as she made plans to work at the University of California, Davis and again during an FBI interview months later.

The FBI says China's consulate in San Francisco harbored Tang after she fled there following an interview with the bureau on June 20

The allegations came as U.S.-China relations continued to deteriorate, particularly over allegations of Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property. China's consulate in Houston was shut down Friday on order of U.S. authorities after Washington accused Chinese agents of trying to steal medical and other research in Texas

Agents found photos of Tang dressed in military uniform and reviewed articles in China identifying her military affiliation.

UC Davis said Tang left her job as a visiting researcher in the Department of Radiation Oncology in June. Her work was funded by a study-based exchange program affiliated with Chinas Ministry of Education, the university said in a statement.

The Justice Department on Thursday announced charges against Tang and three other scientists living in the U.S., saying they lied about their status as members of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army. All were charged with visa fraud

Agents have said they believe Tang sought refuge at the consulate after they interviewed her at her home in Davis on June 20. The FBI has been interviewing visa holders in more than 25 American cities suspected of hiding their ties to the Chinese military.

The allegations came as U.S.-China relations continued to deteriorate, particularly over allegations of Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property.

China's consulate in Houston was shut down Friday on order of U.S. authorities after Washington accused Chinese agents of trying to steal medical and other research in Texas.

'We can confirm that the PRC Consulate General in Houston is closed,' a State Department spokesperson confirmed late Friday. The spokesperson spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to comment publicly.

In response, China on Friday ordered the U.S. to close its consulate in the city of Chengdu.
From the COVID-19 exodus to a mobsters final days, weve selected some of the best long reads of the week from thestar.com.

Want to dive into more long features? Sign up for the Weekend Long Reads newsletter to get them delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday morning.

1. Torontonians are fleeing the city for cheaper homes, more green space and a balanced life

Before COVID-19, Ana Stephenson seldom took a break during the work day. Now, she steps away from her computer for a swim and picnic lunch on a boat with her husband and daughter.

Stephenson was already working from her 2,200-sq.-ft. Oakville home 70 per cent of the time before her tech company employer closed its offices.

But with daughter Addison, 9, missing her activities and playmates and husband, Rob, now also free of the office, the family moved to the Haliburton cottage they bought last September.

2. He knew he was a dead man walking: The final days of Hamilton mobster Pat Musitano

In the last few years of his life, Hamilton mobster Pasquale Musitano all but dropped off the map.

A loud and portly man who was known as Pat, Musitano had for years craved attention. Then, suddenly, he was nowhere to be found in the city where he had always lived.

His sworn enemy, Domenico Violi of Hamilton, was certainly curious about Musitanos whereabouts.

3. Who can use the N-word? Who stands for O Canada? A young teachers woes over equity work

Louisa Julius story is the tale of a teachers nascent career struggles, one that also throws light on a larger problem: that there are major inconsistencies in how teachers who engage in equity work are supported by principals in a board that is otherwise considered a national, if not continental, leader in anti-oppression work, writes Shree Paradkar

4. Could the pandemic be the moment needed to make Canadas immigration system more fair?

Maria Landaeta of Venezuela spent two years studying at Vancouvers Capilano University. She was working for a Burnaby casting company when the news came in March that it was shutting down and laying her off  five months short of the one-year Canadian work experience needed for permanent resident status.

5. Why a feminist lens could be key to understanding the Nova Scotia mass shooting

We cant be sitting around in the dark about the history of what happens before we get to these crimes and we cant be calling them senseless anymore, says Linda MacDonald, the co-founder of Persons Against Non-State Torture (NST), a campaign to raise awareness about abuse  or torture  by families or groups.

We get the fact that mass shootings and misogyny and femicide are all connected. (A feminist lens on the inquiry) is a way of preventing these atrocities down the road.

6. From me, to we, to what next? How the Kielburgers went from charity rock stars to embroiled in a political scandal

Over the years, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger have described themselves as accidental activists.

While their early steps into advocacy may have been unplanned, they built their lives around inspiring young people to be good citizens and helping deliver international aid to rural villages.

They became rock stars of the charity world in the process.

Now, theyve moved into damage control as they find themselves and their WE Charity embroiled in a still-evolving political and ethical scandal.

7. How flattening the curve of COVID-19 took its toll on people recovering from other serious conditions

Richard Ansell was discharged from rehab in late March  or, as he puts it, when the s--- hit the fan.

Ansell, 73, had been in the in-patient program at Toronto Rehabilitation Institutes Lyndhurst Centre for about six weeks, rebuilding strength in his right leg after a bout of transverse myelitis, a virus that inflames the spinal cord. The virus left him unable to walk.

Ordinarily, Ansell would have continued in the outpatient rehab program, with regular workouts and hands-on treatment in the hospitals ambulatory clinic. Rehab like this is usually considered an essential intervention, the best chance to maximize healing, and, if possible, prevent a short-term injury from becoming a lasting disability.

But Ansell is still waiting to get back into Lyndhurst.

8. Five Black Toronto artists on disrupting the status quo, healing and painting for a cause

Ive always been an artist to use my craft or skill set to paint for causes that I believed in, said Jessey Phade Pacho.

The 32-year-old has been a graffiti artist for almost two decades, but Paint the City Black is the first time hes used his art to outright speak about the Black experience. He and other Toronto graffiti artists went to the citys Graffiti Alley and gave it a makeover with pieces of George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, quotes and other work that speaks to the time were currently in reckoning with anti-Black racism and police brutality.

9. Law caught up with our reality: Fifteen years later, couples look back on Canadas fight for marriage equality

It wasnt yet legal, but their wedding was a public show of commitment to each other.

When Brad Berg and Brian Rolfes held a commitment ceremony in 1998, Canada was seven years away from full marriage equality. The pair had met just after law school, working as clerks at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal.

It was really important, particularly back in those days, to do something formally, and in society and with our families and with our friends, Rolfes told the Star. Even before the law had changed, we had decided that we wanted to do something public.

10. They were wrongfully detained at Guantanamo for years. Now they want to join their families in Canada

When our children see planes in the sky, they ask me, is my dad on that airplane, when is he going to come to Canada? says Melike Aierken, whose husband, Ayub Mohammed, has been stuck for 14 years in Albania, where he was sent after being released from Guantanamo Bay.

11. Inside Ontarios first major criminal trial by Zoom

The lawyers sometimes referred to each other by their first names, a no-no under courtroom decorum.

Stranger still, no one stood or bowed when the judge appeared. But, then, she was presiding over the trial from her office, not perched up on the dais. And she wasnt wearing her judicial robe and red sash, just conservative business attire.

But with only minimum social distancing and no need for masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Ontarios first major criminal Zoom case is winning rave reviews from two veteran defence lawyers representing the men on trial for gun-trafficking charges.

12. Is having a new puppy like having a newborn in the house? More than I ever appreciated.

My youngest son, Alister, and I stood by the crate, talking in hushed voices.

Our new puppy, home with us for the first time that afternoon, had gone into the crate an hour ahead of the schedule wed been provided by the breeder.

Is she down for the night, you think? I asked my 13-year-old, like he would somehow know.

I dont know. Maybe?

It was 10 in the evening. The breeder had said she could last from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. in the crate. If she went down now, would she be up at 4:30 a.m.?

13. Being Black at Massey College: An inside look at multiple complaints about racism and the schools reckoning

Since September 2019, I have experienced and witnessed anti-Blackness in its various forms, from explicit actions to ongoing microaggressions, wrote Carlie Manners, a doctoral student and junior fellow at Massey College researching 19th-century Afro-Caribbean religious history.

The letter offered specifics. At dinner events hosted by the college, some members touched Manners hair without permission, she wrote. Some demanded she reveal her ethnicity, refusing to accept that Manners was born and raised in Toronto. In a one-on-one meeting, a member told her that Black people dont need Black History Month when everyone else only gets one day, she wrote.
Rajasthan Crisis: State headed for constitutional crisis, says BJP after meeting Governor

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, July 25: A delegation of the opposition BJP met Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and discused prevailing COVID-19 and political situation in the state,

BJP state president Satish Poonia and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria led the 13-member delegation.

Addressing reporters after the meeting Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia and other BJP leaders hit out at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the Congress, accusing them of theatrics and preventing the Governor from carrying out his constitutional duty.

"The warning that '8 crore people will gherao the Raj Bhavan' given by Chief Minister and Home Minister of the state can invite punishment under Section 124 of the IPC," BJP state president Satish Punia after party delegation met Governor.

"Chief Minister is the head of the state & he said he'll not be responsible for a breach in law and order situation. If not him, then who'll be responsible? He should tender resignation for using such language," said Kataria.

Another BJP MP, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, said "what Congress govt did at Governor House was a low-point in Rajasthan politics. There is no governance, those in power are lodged at a five-star hotel since weeks. People are suffering due to various issues."

Meanwhile, the political situation in the state is unlikely to an end anytime soon, with Gehlot saying that the MLAs in his camp, currently at the Hotel Fairmont, might have to stay there for at least 21 days more.

The Rajasthan Congress likely to meet again Governor again requesting him to convene a session of the Assembly.

Rajasthan political crisis: Congress workers stage protests against BJP across state

A revised proposal will be forwarded to the governor after approval by the Cabinet.

The Congress government is pushing for a session of the Assembly so that the chief minister can prove his majority on the floor of the House after the Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

The Governor on Friday asked the Ashok Gehlot government why it wanted to call an Assembly session to secure a vote of confidence if it already had the majority.

The governor posed the query in a six-point questionnaire entailing a note sent by the Raj Bhawan to the state Parliament Affairs Department, the Raj Bhawan said in a statement.

In his note to the state government, Governor Mishra emphasised that 'no one is above the Constitutional dignity and no pressure politics should be resorted to.'

He also pointed out that neither had any date for convening the session been mentioned in the Cabinet note, annexed with the government's request, nor had the Cabinet given its approval to it.

The government has neither given any reason for calling the session on such a short notice nor proposed any agenda for it, said the governor, pointing out that a 21-day notice is mandatory for calling an Assembly session.

In the statement, the Raj Bhawan added that Governor Mishra had also asked the government 'to ensure the independence and freedom of movement of all members of the legislative assembly'.

Congress MLAs loyal to Gehlot on Friday held a five-hour sit-in at the Raj Bhawan to press for an Assembly session.

The Congress said it ended the sit-in following an assurance from the Governor that he will abide by Article 174 of the Constitution, after getting some clarifications from the CM.

The provision deals with the Governor's role in summoning a session of the assembly.
Among the pressing issues of the coronavirus pandemic which has disrupted for the past five months life as we knew it, the return to school this fall is foremost for area families, school staffs and decision-makers.

Every public and private school in the region is grappling with the details of plans to balance health risk and learning.

Guidance has been issued by the state Department of Health as well as county health departments, all of which emphasize planning and communication so that parents, children and teachers feel safe and are able to resume learning, a tall task when all factors are considered.

In March when schools closed by order of Gov. Tom Wolf, districts pivoted to online learning, a transition that came easier in some places than others. Wealthier districts where technology is more widespread were able to provide Chromebooks or laptops to all students, many of whom already had their own. In poorer districts, neither the schools nor the families could afford devices for everyone. Poor and rural districts were also more likely to be areas of inadequate internet access, giving new meaning to education by zip code.

Those issues persist as schools weigh in-person classes versus online learning this fall. For students in low-income families and among many who struggle to achieve, online learning puts them further behind in the already widening education gap.

Parents must deal with the impact on their work lives. Kids need supervision as long as theyre at home, making it impossible for people to return to jobs outside the home with school buildings closed.

The flip side of online learning  returning to classrooms  comes with health risk to students, teachers and staff.

Everybody really wants to get back to the classroom, but the key issue is how do we do it safely for everyone? said Chris Lilienthal, assistant director of communications for the Pennsylvania State Education Association in an interview.

Lilienthal said PSEA officials have been working with other education associations for the past month to help create a road map for whats needed to safely reopen schools. Their recommendations include things like staggering schedules, enhanced cleaning procedures, providing sufficient personal protective equipment and changing meal preparation procedures.

The guidance offered to schools by health officials emphasizes that not every district, every building or every staff member can be treated the same. School district governing bodies must approve health and safety plans and submit the plans, tailored to their unique local needs to the state before reopening.

Staggered schedules, outdoor classes and hybrid models combining in-person and virtual learning are among the alternatives being discussed. Built in to every plan are health checks, distancing, required mask-wearing, and elimination of large group activities like recess and cafeteria lunches,

Transportation is another major challenge in this region of large districts with concentrated population in some neighborhoods and far-spread rural populations. One school official estimated that if 6-foot distancing was enforced on buses, a district with 70 buses would need to increase the fleet to more than 400.

None of this is easy. As one Montgomery County parent noted, You are asking me to choose between giving my child a great  education, and putting her physical health at risk. Or giving her, in my opinion, a lesser education and keeping her physically safe. That is not a comfortable choice.

And its not cheap.

Education officials are wondering how to pay for cleaning supplies, staff, computers, cameras and other essentials to their plans. So far, the federal government has not come up with aid, and instead, has said money will be withheld from any school that doesnt open.

We are beyond the schools opening or not opening debate. Districts are thick into the weeds of figuring this out, and the complexities are mind-boggling. No one is going to get everything they want. The aim must be to put heads together and come up with plans that balance some of these complexities  give children the attention that quality education requires, put in place best practices in mitigating disease spread, and be prepared not only to be flexible with educational practices but to adjust screening and isolation procedures as needed.

Teaching our children well will involve teaching them differently this fall. That process starts with accepting and understanding the challenges. Back to school doesnt mean back to normal. Its merely a first step; embrace it with wisdom and tolerance.

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Chinese FM refutes US' accusation on China's military-civilian integration policy

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/24 2:04:41

Chinese Foreign Ministry refuted US State Department's accusation that the Communist Party of China (CPC) is utilizing US research and academic institutions and private company to develop Chinese military power.

"Lately the US has been misrepresenting and smearing China's military-civilian integration policy, employing moral hijack, political pressure and even threat of sanctions against Chinese and American businesses and researchers. China deplores and rejects this," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at his regular press conference on Thursday.

"It is a customary international practice to promote integrated military and civilian development. It is no exception for the US, where this practice dates back to before WWI," said Wang, adding that the US has been pursuing all-dimension and all-sector integration at an even faster pace. The US Defense Department and military conduct various cooperation projects with American universities, R&D institutions and private companies.

Some multinational companies in the US including Lockheed Martin Corporation are civil-military integrations with their business scope and products covering both military and civilian sectors.

Wang said the accusation against China are typical of US double standard, and an excuse to block the export of high technology to China, which is based on US' deep-rooted cold-war mindset and another attempt to curb China's development.

Wang said the US move will eventually damage the interests of China, the US and the whole world.

Wang claimed that China's military-civilian integration policy is aboveboard and beyond reproach as it aims at mobilizing military and civilian resources, coordinating socioeconomic growth and national defense development, and benefiting the public with scientific and technological progress.

He urged the US to stop deliberate provocations and malicious denigration against China, and return to the right track of win-win cooperation.

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Lima, July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lima, PERU, July 24th, 2020  Credicorp Ltd. announces to its shareholders and the market that its 2Q20 Earnings Release Report will be released on Thursday August 6th, 2020 after market close.



Credicorps Conference Call to discuss such results will be held on Friday August 7th, 2020 at 10:30 am EST (9:30 am Lima, Peru Time). The call will be host by: Walter Bayly, CEO, Alvaro Correa, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Gianfranco Ferrari, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Reynaldo Llosa, Chief Risk Officer, Cesar Rios, Chief Financial Officer and Investor Relations Team.

To access the call, please dial:

1 877 271 1828 within the U.S.

1 334 323 9871 from outside the U.S.

Participant Code: 643525

The conference call will also be webcast live, to accessed please visit our website:

www.credicorpnet.com section: Investors / Financials / Conference Call

An accompanying presentation will be posted prior to the call / webcast, in section:

Investors / Financials / Conference Call: Q2 2020. To replay the call, a webcast replay audio file will be posted on the companys website approximately in the afternoon on the same day of the conference call.

Credicorp reminds you that we filed our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31st, 2019 (2019 Form 20-F) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 30th, 2020. The 2019 Form 20-F includes audited consolidated financial statements of Credicorp and its subsidiaries as of December 31st, 2018 and 2019 and for the years ended December 31st, 2017, 2018 and 2019 under IFRS. Our 2019 Form 20-F can be downloaded from Credicorps website: www.credicorpnet.com . Holders of Credicorps securities and any other interested parties may request a hard copy of our 2019 Form 20-F, free of charge, by filling out the form located on the link mail request on Credicorps website.





About Credicorp

Credicorp Ltd. (NYSE: BAP) is the leading financial services holding company in Peru with presence in Chile, Colombia and Bolivia. Credicorp has a diversified business portfolio organized into four lines of business: Universal Banking, through Banco de Credito del Peru - BCP and Banco de Credito de Bolivia; Microfinance, through Mibanco and Encumbra; Insurance & Pension Funds, through Grupo Pacifico and Prima AFP; and Investment Banking & Wealth Management, through Credicorp Capital, Wealth Management at BCP and Atlantic Security Bank.

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For further information please contact the IR team:

investorrelations@credicorpperu.com

Investor Relations

Credicorp Ltd.




Britain's government will soon announce that all travellers from Spain arriving after midnight (2300 GMT) on Saturday will need to spend two weeks in quarantine in case they are infected with coronavirus, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.

"Second wave of Covid-19 there has prompted decision to kick Spain off the safe country list," the newspaper's political editor, Tim Shipman, said on Twitter. Britain's health ministry had no immediate comment on the report.

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In the early 1970s, Nadine Taub was one of a cadre of young female lawyers breaking new ground by fighting gender discrimination. Along with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Nancy Stearns and others, she made legal history in cases that successfully argued that equal rights for women were protected under the Constitution. She litigated cases for rape victims, for women seeking access to abortion and for employees battling workplace discrimination and sexual harassment.

There werent many of us, and the field of womens rights law was only just developing, said Ms. Stearns, who as a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights was instrumental in the struggle to legalize abortion. We all knew each other. We were among the young feminist progressive lawyers of our day, and it was a wonderful thing to have sisters doing what we were doing and believing what we believed.

Ms. Taub, a professor emerita at Rutgers Law School, died on June 16 at her home in Manhattan. She was 77. She had for decades struggled with Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare autoimmune disease, her husband, Olof Widlund, said in confirming her death.

In 1974, Ms. Taub represented a woman who had reported being raped and who was then held overnight in a Newark jail as a material witness in her own assault because the police believed that she was a prostitute. As she told the journalist Christine VanDeVelde for an article in Savvy magazine in 1988, she was rattled by the depth of her response to her clients experience.
Hilary Murphy Travel in New Ross has been sending holidaymakers around the world for 50 years but for the past four months its owner has been busier working full time processing refunds and changing dates in what has been a torturous process.

Working alongside one staff member Veronica Culleton, Deirdre Murphy said cancellations started coming in last February as news of the coronavirus started to dominate the airwaves. 'It was hard at the start but it has gotten much more difficult. Little did we know on March 16 what lay ahead. We thought we'd be back open by Easter; that it would be a hiccup along the way,' Deirdre said.

Throughout those weeks of closure in April, Deirdre and her colleague were busy telling clients that their long-awaited holiday sadly wasn't to be this year.

'It has become more difficult because of mixed messaging from the government. The airlines are back in the air. The government are advising that you can travel once you are prepared to quarantine for 14 days when you return, however, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advise that you are not to travel unless it's essential. Hence if you choose to travel, your travel insurance will not cover you because you are travelling against government advice.'

She said people are at a loss because the terms and conditions of their booking is that the flights are going and it's ultimately a personal choice not to fly.

'Before, it was so straightforward. Now the government are saying travel but the department are saying not to.'

A social stigma around foreign travel has also emerged, with reports of people looking disapprovingly on anyone who does take a foreign holiday.

'People have made enquiries with us about travelling this summer but we've advised against it. People say they would love to go and then you see the DFA advising that all but essential travel is banned and yet you see the inbound travel coming from the US and UK by ferry and flights. These are people coming from hotspots and there is no restriction. They have to fill out a Passenger Locator Form in which they put down an address where they are staying but most won't be staying at only one address. We have clients who were due to travel to the States this summer. Flights were still travelling but US citizens were not allowed to travel to the US and yet Americans can travel here; is it a fear of causing offence to the American authorities and Donald Trump on his high horse?'

Open Monday through Friday throughout the pandemic, Deirdre said she has never had a more difficult year in business.

'The toughest times we had before were the Icelandic volcano, which went on for a few weeks, and 9/11, but this has been the most difficult by far. All of the money is going the wrong way. Some people were under the impression we were all at home watching Netflix and enjoying the fantastic weather, but it was totally the opposite; we were up to our eyes speaking to clients on the phone, giving advice and rearranging flights, whether it was rebooking for next year or cancelling next year.'

As a local, family travel agency, Deirdre took the difficult decision not to reopen the business to the public, but rather to continue running the business over the phones.

Describing the process of getting refunds as very slow and tedious, Deirdre said: 'The reason being that most companies, whether they are airlines or tour operators, have less staff. They are not working in their own offices, they are working from home which has made it more difficult for them and in turn more difficult for us. We're still waiting on some refunds from March.'

She said some clients have been left very frustrated by the process but once it is explained to them, they understand.

'We are too busy dealing with existing clients. We're chasing airlines, ferry companies and tour operators. Our clients on the whole have been very understanding. Some have even expressed their gratitude, bringing us flowers and chocolates and prosecco. Their lovely smiles and waves through the window show how clients acknowledge that we are here working away behind closed doors on their behalf. On a very positive note, we have new enquiries and new bookings have come in, obviously at a much smaller extent than usual.'

Eagerly awaiting a decision by government to announce a green list of safe destinations to fly to, Deirdre said: 'We're awaiting the approval of a green list of destinations where there are lower rates of the virus so people can get back booking travel around the world.'

She said the past four months have been the most challenging experience she's had in business.

'Where other business were able to shutter up and go home and open up when the government said last month, we were not on an essential list but we couldn't leave our customers in the lurch, we are not encouraging people to travel which is going against our livelihood but we are looking at the big picture. As a travel agents we are licensed by the Commission for Aviation Regulation and we are fully bonded so it gives people financial protection and peace of mind if they book with us. We've been active on social media and are offering advice and inspiration to clients there,' she said.
A Pakistani army soldier was killed and three others were injured when their convoy was ambushed by terrorists in the restive Balochistans Turbat area on Saturday, official said. The incident happened after terrorists opened fire on the security forces during their routine patrolling near Pidarak in Kech district, approximately 35 kilometres southeast of Turbat, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

During the exchange of fire, Lance Naik Javed Karim was killed while three other soldiers got injured, the ISPR said.

Security forces have come under increasing terror attacks by terrorists in Baluchistan and also the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in recent weeks.

On July 14, three soldiers were killed and eight others injured when they were ambushed by terrorists in the Panjgur district of Baluchistan.

In May, six security personnel of the Frontier Corps, including a Major, were killed in an explosion in the Buleda area of the province.

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But Kushner, who oversees such decisions and has a greater say than RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, has refused thus far, the officials say. While the Trump campaign and the RNC have brought in record amounts of money, some Trump officials see donating to the House as a wasteful investment as the GOPs chances of reclaiming the majority sharply deteriorate. Their decline in fortunes can largely be attributed to Trumps sagging support over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the sliding economy.
As coronavirus cases surge, the Missouri Supreme Court is moving ahead with an in-person bar exam that will unnecessarily endanger examinees along with exam proctors, hotel staff and the public. The court should cancel the in-person exam and join the states that have embraced alternative methods of licensing new attorneys. Illinois and New York last week canceled their upcoming bar exams. The National Conference of Bar Examiners has made an online exam available, and around 20 states are offering some form of remote testing. Other alternatives are available, and the court should adopt one before it is too late.

An in-person exam carries a risk of infection for those in attendance, but more importantly, it will endanger public health. Hundreds of young adults will travel from around Missouri for a two-day, indoor exam. They will have to eat out and stay in hotels  the hygiene, social distancing, mask-wearing, and air circulation of which will be out of their control. No quarantine is required before or after. No one will be tested for the virus before entering. Examinees will come into contact with each other, with service workers, and with exam staff  and then return to their communities.

Like any large gathering, the exam will be unsafe in so many ways. Indeed, that is why for months, gatherings with even less risk have been canceled or moved online. Weddings. Funerals. Graduations. And yes, proceedings in the Missouri Supreme Court.

The court has announced measures being taken to reduce the danger of the exam, but they are inadequate.

Exam seats were capped at 760 between two locations, meaning they are dangerously large gatherings.

Examinees will be screened before entering the testing rooms, but the coronavirus is characterized by high rates of asymptomatic spread, and examinees could be infected and contagious but present no symptoms that would cause them to be screened out.

Masks will be required at all times  except that examinees are required to remove them during screening and are permitted to remove them to drink water throughout the exam. Additionally, their proper use will be up to examinees when their focus is on the exam. Even if exam staff can spot mask issues, it seems unlikely that they will go around having examinees fix their masks or remove violators mid-exam.

Examinees will be stationed 6 feet apart  the minimum to prevent droplet spread. However, the latest science suggests potential airborne spread, and air circulation is just as important as individual spacing.

The list of precautionary measures goes on, but they will neither protect examinees nor the public. They may create an impression of safety so that most examinees feel they can tolerate the risk to themselves. For those who cannot, the alternative is another in-person exam, but in February  the middle of flu season.

This approach ignores the risk to the public, but many safe alternatives exist and are being implemented elsewhere. One option is to administer the bar exam online. Another is known as diploma privilege  licensing attorneys on the basis of their graduation from an accredited law school. Louisiana, Oregon, Utah and Washington have all adopted diploma privilege.

Similarly, a system of provisional licensing (recommended by the deans of all four Missouri law schools) would permit law school graduates to practice under certain conditions for the duration of the pandemic. At a minimum, the exam could be administered at numerous facilities around the state, eliminating the risks associated with so many people traveling to one place and reducing the risk of transmission in exam rooms, as there would be far fewer people in each location.

The Supreme Court has options, but the people who will be harmed do not. Many examinees are broke, saddled with massive student loans, will lose job offers if not licensed, and need to start earning a paycheck. They really have no choice. Neither do the underpaid, undervalued employees at the hotels selected as exam sites who will be exposed to the hundreds of examinees converging from around the state. Neither do the readers of this newspaper when infected examinees return to this community.

The Supreme Court can avert this danger by canceling next weeks in-person bar exam and adopting a safe alternative. I urge it to do so.
No casualties have been reported among Ukrainian troops over the period under review.

Russia's hybrid military forces on July 24 mounted nine attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

Read alsoZelensky: New Donbas ceasefire deal awaits signing by all Normandy Four leaders

"The Russian Federation's armed formations violated the ceasefire nine times in the past day," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on July 25, 2020.

Russia-led forces fired proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, machine guns, and small arms.

Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the villages of Hnutove, Lebedynske, Pyshchevyk, Shyrokyne, Novotoshkivske, and Khutir Vilny.

Joint Forces returned fire to each enemy shelling. According to Ukrainian intelligence reports, one invader was wounded on July 24.

"Since Saturday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions twice near the village of Opytne," the update said.

No casualties have been reported among Ukrainian troops over the period under review.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama stepped up their attacks on President Donald Trump and defended their time in the White House in a new video showing their first in-person meeting since the coronavirus outbreak began.

The 15-minute video, posted online Thursday, is the latest effort to get the former president more involved in the 2020 campaign as his former vice president tries to rebuild Obama's winning coalition. Obama has promised an active role on the campaign trail this fall.

The former White House partners used an interview-style conversation to amplify Biden's arguments against Trump, with Obama emphasizing Biden's experience and personal attributes. They pointed to their administration's 2010 health care law and blamed Trump for stoking division among Americans. They also were sharply critical of the Republican president's efforts to combat the coronavirus, which has killed more than 140,000 Americans.

"Can you imagine standing up when you were president and saying, 'It's not my responsibility, I take no responsibility'?" Biden said, offering a line of attack similar to his recent campaign speeches when he asserted that Trump "quit" on the country and has "waved the white flag" in the pandemic.

"Those words didn't come out of our mouths while we were in office," Obama replied. Trump slammed the pair Thursday afternoon in a Tweet, accusing them of doing a "terrible job" in office and allowing his election. The Republican National Committee issued a scathing assessment of "slickly produced, substance-free love fests," dubbing the effort "Biden and Obama's fiction."

The two men are shown wearing masks while arriving at an office, then sitting down well apart from each other to observe social distancing for an unmasked chat. Biden's campaign billed it as their first in-person meeting during the pandemic.

Obama compared the nation's current economic circumstances to what he inherited in 2009 after the financial collapse that played out during his general election campaign the previous year.

"We had to move fast, not just 100 days," Obama said. "We had to move in the first month to get the recovery act passed." Calling Obama "Mr. President," Biden answered that he'd repeat what he learned: "We have got to sustain and keep people from going under forever."

The former president largely stayed out of the once-crowded Democratic primary but endorsed Biden in April, when he was the last candidate standing. Obama hosted a virtual fundraiser for his former vice president last month that raised $7.6 million, the most of any Biden campaign event so far. He warned then against Democrats becoming "complacent and smug."

In other exchanges, Obama and Biden blasted Trump's view of American society, and Obama praised Biden as possessing empathy that he said Trump lacks.

"He ran by deliberately dividing people from the moment he came down that escalator, and I think people are now going, 'I don't want my kid growing up that way,'" Biden said, recalling Trump's 2016 campaign launch.

Obama said he has confidence in Biden's "heart and your character." Governing, the former president said, "starts with being able to relate. If you can sit down with a family and see your own family in them  then you're going to work hard for them, and that's always what's motivated you."

Building on the point, Biden discussed the final months before his son Beau died of brain cancer and tied it to the 2010 health care law. Biden said he recalled thinking "what would happen if his insurance company was able to come in  which they could have done before we passed Obamacare  and said, 'You have outrun your insurance.'"

Obama said he "couldn't be prouder of what we got done" and alluded to the Trump administration's continued efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act through Congress and have it invalidated by the courts. "It is hard to fathom anybody wanting to take away people's health care in the middle of a major public health crisis  and a time when unemployment is at double digits," he said. The Republican National Committee insisted, "President Trump and Republicans will always protect pre-existing conditions." However, when the GOP controlled Congress during Trump's first two years in office, it failed to pass a promised ACA replacement that would preserve the law's ban on insurers denying coverage based on a person's medical history.

The RNC also noted that Obama pledged repeatedly in his first term that the new law would allow anyone to keep his existing private coverage. In fact, minimum coverage standards in the law did effectively force some policyholders to obtain different plans.

Obama remains a go-to foil for Trump and the Republican base, just as he was throughout his two terms as president. But the 44th president's two winning coalitions remain the rough model for a Biden victory in November. At the time of the 2016 election, Obama had a 53% Gallup job approval rating, with 45% disapproving, for a net positive approval of 8 percentage points. When he left office a few months later, that net positive had risen to 22 percentage points: 59% approve, 37% disapprove. In 2018, when Gallup assessed past presidents' standing, Obama notched a retrospective approval of 63%.

For Trump, meanwhile, Gallup has measured just three net positive approval ratings during his three-plus years in office, all coming earlier this year and none of them higher than 4 percentage points.
Twin sisters Kimber and Auryla Louis have been inseparable during the COVID-19 pandemic, but trips to day camp gave them the opportunity to spread their wings and gain independence.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/7/2020 (544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Twin sisters Kimber and Auryla Louis have been inseparable during the COVID-19 pandemic, but trips to day camp gave them the opportunity to spread their wings and gain independence.

Over the course of the summer, the eight-year-olds have visited Camp Arnes twice for day camp, and have a third outing planned for later in August.

Their dreams to experience camp came true after receiving funding from the Winnipeg Free Press Sunshine Fund, which assists low-income families to send their children to camp.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the summer camping experience, many camps like Camp Arnes have pivoted their offer, focusing on pop-up camps, virtual camps and day camps.

Aimee Louis, the twins mom, said it was important her daughters nurture their problem-solving skills and ability to adapt to new environments.

"Being able to help others, being able to respect the rules, its kind of like getting their social skills adapted. When they come back and I get to communicate with them, just like to hear the different stories and see these values developing in them is exciting," said Louis.

While the girls were placed in different group activities during the day, the bus ride back home allowed them to reconnect and talk about the days festivities.

"At the end of the day, its good that they have each other. They get to come back on the bus and catch up with one another on what they did."

As a full-time student and mother of four, Louis said she was grateful the Sunshine Fund could give her daughters the opportunity to visit camp.

"I was really happy when I got approved for funding because I was only able to afford one day, and now with the Sunshine Fund they get to go three times."

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The Sunshine Fund relies on donations and grants to subsidize camp expenses for children. Families interested in accessing funding can submit an application through the Manitoba Camping Association Website, which processes funding requests on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding is still available and parents and guardians are encouraged to apply at this time.

So far, funding has allowed 80 kids to camp over the past couple of weeks.

Based on Statistics Canadas low-income chart, a family could be eligible for up to $300 per child.

While Kimber and Auryla prepare for their next bus ride to camp, Louis said shes looking forward to seeing her daughters foster their individual strengths in a faith-based environment.

"(They are) totally different kids but with their own gifts and thats what I love about spiritual ideas, is that every kid is special and unique and has their own gifts. And I really see that in the kids too because they are total opposites but they are both so special."

nadya.pankiw@freepress.mb.ca
Iran's Revolutionary Courts have in the past six months sentenced twenty individuals who participated in peaceful protests against the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane in January to prison terms totaling more than 23 years. However, none of the people responsible for the incident have yet been named or put on trial.

In the most recent instance, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced women's rights and student activist Bahareh Hedayat to 4 years and 8 months in prison.

Hedayat was previously the spokesperson of the Central Council of Tahkim Vahdat -- an Islamic student association -- and actively campaigned to gather one million signatures for a petition to change discriminatory laws against women.

On January 8 a few hours after Iranian missile attacks on two military bases in Iraq and while the Iranian military was expecting an American counterattack, the Revolutionary Guard fired two missiles at a Ukrainian airliner taking off from Tehran. The attack killed all 176 onboard the plane.

The bases in Iraq that were targeted before downing the plane hosted U.S. and other coalition troops. Iran said the attacks were in retaliation for the targeted killing of Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad Airport five days earlier, on January 3.

After three days of popular protests in various cities and the authorities' consistent denial of any role in the tragic incident, the Revolutionary Guard finally accepted responsibility for the attack on the plane but attributed it to "human error". Iranian officials still maintain that one individual's misjudgement caused the tragedy.

According to the official reports of the Judiciary, tens of people were arrested in various cities for participating in the peaceful protest rallies that only called for the real reason for the crash to be announced.

In a tweet on Saturday Hedayat said she received a four-year sentence for "participating in the rallies outside Amir Kabir University and 8 months for "propaganda against the regime" as well as her tweets.

Before her, Mostafa Hashemizadeh, a student of Tehran University, had been sentenced to six years in prison, 74 lashes and deprivation from certain social privileges for participating in the same protests.

Some of the families of the victims of the crash who live in Iran have said that they have no hope of getting justice for their loved ones but some others who live abroad have formed an association to bring the culprits to justice through international courts.
During the talk, the two sides expressed their joy at the strong development of the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership across all fields, marking the 45th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relationship (1975-2020) in a practical manner.

Deputy FM Dung affirmed that Germany has always been an important leading partner of Vietnam in the EU. He noted that the two countries recent adoption of a strategic action plan and establishment of a joint committee for economic cooperation was a significant step, contributing to boosting bilateral collaboration, especially in economic and trade ties, in the context that the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement is to take effect as from August 1 this year.

The two sides expressed their hope for the early approval of the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement, which will create the legal framework for businesses of the two sides to enhance their investment ties in potential fields.

Annen said that Germany attaches importance to Vietnams role in Southeast Asia, adding that he agrees to measures to deepen the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership in fields of shared interest such as trade-investment, science-technology, healthcare and education.

He congratulated Vietnam for its success in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In reply, Deputy FM Dung praised the contributions made by the German Government in the global fight against COVID-19, as well as Germanys initiatives on international cooperation in this field.

Dung stated that Vietnam is willing to work closely with Germany in maintaining trade, especially regarding essential goods, medical supplies and materials for vaccine research and production.

Discussing cooperation in multilateral frameworks, the Vietnamese Deputy FM appreciated the coordination and mutual support between the two counties in international organisations, particularly with both countries currently assuming a double role, with Vietnam as ASEAN Chair in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and Germany as rotating President of the EU in the last six months of 2020 and also a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Vietnam supports the promotion of cooperation between ASEAN and outside partners in common interests, thus helping to promote trade liberalization and uphold multilateralism and the compliance to international law in the region and around the world, he said.

The German official proposed that the two countries make joint efforts to push for the establishment of the ASEAN-EU strategic partnership, thus taking ties between the two regions to new heights.

The two sides agreed to enhance their coordination in the framework of the UNSC in the settlement of issues of shared concern, thus contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the world.

The German side said it is concerned about the current tension in the East Sea, which affects the freedom, safety and security of maritime and aviation activities in the region, and supports the settlement of disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means based on respect for international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The lowest number of Covid-19 patients are currently in hospital since the peak, the head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said.

Paul Reid said there are 10 confirmed positive cases in hospital, with five patients with Covid-19 receiving treatment in intensive care.

The figures show a 96% drop from a peak of 140 people in intensive care in April.

Mr Reid tweeted: Our thoughts with everyone for a full recovery.

Thankfully this morning, we are at our lowest hospitalised #COVID19 cases since the peak. There are 10 confirmed positive cases now in hospital, with 5 in ICU. Our thoughts with everyone for a full recovery. @HSELive  Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) July 25, 2020

On Friday, health authorities were notified of another 20 confirmed Covid-19 cases but no new deaths.

Mr Reid also defended the HSEs response and handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier this year, the HSE effectively took over the operation of private hospitals for some three months during the pandemic.

The 100m a month deal has been criticised over claims it has been underutilised and represented poor value for money.

Mr Reid said it is a fair challenge that the HSE will be open to scrutiny on.

He told RTE Radio 1 on Saturday: Picture what we were all seeing across Europe, picture the scenes that we were seeing in Italy, in Lombardy.

We saw a very frantic hospital system. Now we know that our hospital system here in Ireland, on a good day, works at 95% capacity. If we had had any of the potential surge that Italy had seen, we had to immediately build capacity to take on that issue.

Read More NI Health Minister calls for greater north-south coordination in tracing international arrivals

He said that in planning for the next phase of Covid-19, he will do things differently.

He said: We are now looking at planning if A, there is another surge, hopefully there isnt; B, if theres kind of regional or local kind of major surges; or C, if there is peaks and troughs of this virus.

My regular update to staff on #Covid19, Restoration of Services, Covid App, Winter Plan preparations. But most of all to again thank staff for their commitment in a relentless few months for the HSE. Please now all make sure to take a break at some stage!https://t.co/iuF7oERqes  Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) July 23, 2020

We would see a potential solution. We are in discussions with the private hospital groups that would look at a more agile where you could dial up some flexibility and dial down.

Weve done a kind of reflection of our learnings from the first phase and I think were in a stronger position on many fronts.

He said knowledge and stock of PPE is much better, adding the HSE has built up indigenous Irish industries to give us a bit of resilience.

He added: I think the morale of staff during Covid has improved. I know its always fragile, but I think it has improved for a couple of reasons  the public recognition of what was happening.

Asked whether health staff who became infected with Covid-19 will be compensated, he said: Thats a process which we will always look at in terms of where we are putting supports in place for people who have either contracted the virus or equally have just felt the pressure.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education is continuing to work on its plan to reopen schools at the end of August.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said there are some final details to be completed over the weekend.

Minister for Education Norma Foley said she will bring a memo to Cabinet on Monday which will outline details of how schools will reopen.

The Government has said its top priority is seeing the return of teachers, pupils and school staff in the new academic year.

Ms Foley described the document as detailed and comprehensive.

There have been no new deaths reported to the @hpscireland today.



There has now been a total of 1,763 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.  MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) July 24, 2020

Speaking after she briefed Mr Martin on the plan on Friday, Ms Foley said: The full and safe reopening of schools is my number one objective as Education Minister.

The partners in education, including parents, teachers, students, principals and the widest representation, have fully and totally engaged in this process.

Clarity takes time. I am confident that what I take to Cabinet will be solution-focused, it will be a road-map that everyone can clearly identify with.

There is no point in bringing anything that is not completed. Its been a long process of work.

Once the document has been approved by Cabinet, the detailed guidance will be sent to schools.
Ties established between Ireland and the Choctaw nation in Oklahoma during the Famine are to be further strengthened through a unique scholarship programme at University College Cork.

Film student Ciara O'Donnell is set to study at UCC after becoming the second person from the Choctaw Nation to benefit under the initiative, which was set up to further foster links between the two nations forged more than 170-year-ago.

The Choctaw-Ireland Scholarship was initiated in 2019 in recognition of the financial aid sent by the Choctaw Nation to Ireland during the height of the Famine. In 1847 the nation collected $170 (equivalent to approximately 4,000 in today's money), which they sent to Irish Famine victims.

The donation was make all the more remarkable by the fact that the Choctaw Nation itself had undergone its own privations 16-years earlier after being forcibly removed from their land and resettled following a harrowing journey known as the 'Trail of Tears'.

The 'Kindred Spirits' sculpture was erected in a park in the East Cork town of Midleton in 2015 to commemorate the gesture.

The unique bond the donation generated was further evidenced in recent through a significant number of Irish donations totalling $1.8 million to a drive aimed at raising money to assist Native Americans battle Coronavirus outbreaks within their communities

Ms O'Donnell, who will study the MA in Film and Screen Media at UCC, said the scholarship, worth 10,000 would offer her the chance to achieve goals otherwise unattainable to her.

"I am going to take as much out of this experience as possible and make my tribe proud," said Ciara.

"Being able to explore the Irish-Choctaw connection in-depth and learn about my ancestors and their shared experiences will shape my future," she added.

Gary Batton, the 47th chief of the Choctaw Nation said the past few months had provided a unique opportunity to "reflect on the kinship between our two nations."

"When our ancestors heard of the famine and the hardship of the Irish people, they knew it was time to help...We have become kindred spirits with the Irish in the years since the Irish potato famine," said Mr Batton.

"The support and connection continue to amaze me. I want to say Yakoke (Thank You) to the people of Ireland for their commitment to this scholarship and wish the best of luck to Ciara as she embarks on her journey as an ambassador for the Choctaw people."
Luxembourg lawmakers have decided to triple the country's contribution to an international military programme specialised in transport aircrafts.

Luxembourg increased its budget from 172 million to 600 million. The financial contribution goes to an international military programme that the Grand Duchy has been involved in since 2016. Eight military transport aircrafts (type A330) have already been purchased. Luxembourg's increased contribution will namely be used to purchase an additional aircraft for the NATO fleet.

The project was met with criticism at the Chamber of Deputies last Thursday. It nevertheless received the green light as the parties forming the coalition government as well as opposition party CSV voted in favour of the increased defense spending.

Luxembourg finances more than 12% of the project. This is synonymous with 1,200 flying lessons. 45 pilots from the national army would be required to participate in the programme - but Luxembourg does not have that many pilots. The rapporteur of the project, Greens MP Stephanie Empain, said that Luxembourg nevertheless struck a good deal. She explained that one third of the Luxembourg's flying lessons will be given to other member states. "In return, Luxembourg does not need to provide 45 pilots," she said.

Opposition party CSV welcomed the project in itself but was less enthusiastic about the 600 million that are to be paid over 30 years. ADR MP Fernand Kartheiser said he was surprised that the Greens would back a military project. In his view, defense spending is important but he deemed this particular project superfluous.

Marc Baum from The Left meanwhile argued that it was politically irresponsible to approve massive defense spending while the pandemic still threatens to plunge Luxembourg into an economic crisis. He criticised that this budget would go to military attacks rather than development aid. He nevertheless conceded that Luxembourg's army assumed important civil responsibilities. He cited the army's efforts during the pandemic, and when a tornado ripped through Luxembourg last year.

Francois Bausch argued that military aircrafts can come in handy in certain situations. He referred to the French military aircraft that brought virus patients to Luxembourg during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic.

Defense spending will account for 0.72% of Luxembourg's GDP until 2023.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 11:45:59|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government on Friday announced updated export restrictions on unmanned aerial systems (UAS), a move long sought by the country's defense industries.

"The President has decided to invoke our national discretion to treat a carefully selected subset of MTCR Category I UAS, which cannot travel faster than 800 kilometers per hour, as Category II," said the White House in a statement.

The standards of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) have been outdated, which not only hurt the U.S. industry but also undermined the country's deterrence capability abroad by constraining U.S. allies and partners, the statement said.

This policy change means that the UAS with speed under 800 km per hour will no longer be subjected to the "strong presumption of denial" of the MTCR, allowing the United States to increase foreign sales of military drones such as MQ-9 Reaper and the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

"It helps our allies, it helps our partners  it helps them all meet their urgent national security and commercial requirements, and it also advances the United States's national security and economic interests," R. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, told reporters in a Friday phone briefing.

U.S. media reported that U.S. defense industries have been pushing for export changes for years so that they can sell more drones overseas, especially to the Middle East.

The MTCR, established in 1987, is an informal political agreement between 35 member states that aims to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology. Enditem
Tourism Ireland is planning a promotional campaign in the UK to showcase summer and autumn holidays to Northern Ireland.

The campaign will not highlight visitor attractions in the Republic.

However, concern has been expressed by some that holidaymakers from the UK, which has one of Europe's highest rates of Covid-19 infection, may decide to include parts of the Republic with any Northern Ireland-based breaks.

The UK was not on the so-called 'green list' of countries which can be visited from Ireland without a required two-week self-isolation period on their return because of its continuing high rates of coronavirus. Just two weeks ago, Leicester was placed back in lockdown because of a spike in cases.

Tourism Ireland, which markets the entire island on an international basis thanks to funding from both Dublin and the Stormont Executive, stressed no final decision had been made on precisely when the UK promotional campaign for Northern Ireland will proceed.

It came as the 'Press Gazette' in the UK claimed the marketing campaign would be worth 385,000 to 'The Guardian' newspaper.

"Tourism Ireland is planning to undertake some promotional activity in Great Britain to highlight Northern Ireland to prospective GB visitors," a spokesperson said.

"The activity is likely to include a partnership with 'The Guardian' to promote Northern Ireland. This activity is not yet confirmed but it will go ahead when the time is right. The budget for this promotion is 100,000 (110,000)."

Northern Ireland Economy Minister Diane Dodds last month welcomed the phased reopening of their tourism sector. In 2018, about 4.75 million people visited both Northern Ireland and the Republic from the UK.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-26 05:38:01|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Egypt recorded on Saturday 511 new COVID-19 infections, taking the total cases registered in the country since mid-February to 91,583, said the Egyptian Health Ministry.

In a statement, Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said 40 patients died from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 4,558.

Also on Saturday, 933 patients were cured and discharged from hospitals, raising the total number of recoveries in the country to 32,903.

It is the 17th consecutive day for Egypt's COVID-19 daily new infections to stand below 1,000, as the record high of 1,774 new infections were seen on June 19.

Egyptian health officials said that the declining daily infections and deaths and the increasing recoveries are good indications, noting that citizens should remain cautious and keep implementing the precautionary measures.

Egypt announced its first confirmed COVID-19 case on Feb. 14 and the first death from the highly infectious virus on March 8.

Over the past weeks, Egypt has been easing anti-coronavirus restrictions amid a "coexistence plan" to maintain precautionary measures while resuming economic activities.

Egypt and China have been closely cooperating in fighting the pandemic through exchanging medical aid and expertise.

In early February, Egypt provided aid to China to help with its fight against COVID-19 and China later sent three batches of medical aid to the North African country. Enditem
Como se dice 5 en espanol?

If youre fluent in Spanish, you answered in an instant. Otherwise, you had to translate: How do you say five in Spanish? Um, cinco.

Were all fluent in different ways. When a white friend took his preteen daughter to see Hamilton, he realized how little she noticed the skin color of the actors. She knew, of course, that most of the historical figures were white and most of the actors were people of color. It just didnt matter.

Shes already fluent in diversity and inclusion. Most people her dads age arent.

Dads generation grew up learning about the George Washington who could not tell a lie. Hers is learning about the George Washington who owned slaves.

It isnt that people of dads generation dont care about diversity and inclusion, its that they have to go through more mental (and sometimes emotional) steps to get to cinco.

Thanks to things like Hamilton, some truths weve held to be self-evident are being challenged, and thats making people squirm.

Learning is easy. Unlearning is harder.

When Michelle Obama said in 2016 that she lived in a home built by slaves (you know, the White House), some white people were far more interested in harrumphing than in history. They either were in denial or accused her of being racially divisive, as if her single observation were the only thing stopping them from sitting around the campfire with Black people and singing Kumbaya.

I remember my fifth-grade teacher loved Thomas Jefferson, telling us he was an eloquent statesman who wrote a large part of the Declaration of Independence and led the country through dramatic growth. I dont remember her calling him a slave rapist.

Even if she were completely honest, though, Im not sure how much of it would have sunk in. Sitting in a pretty much all-white classroom a decade before Roots came out, fifth-grade me might have understood her words, but wouldnt have been fluent enough to appreciate how slaverys emotional and societal impact has lingered for centuries.

Oakland native Daveed Diggs, who played Jefferson in the original cast of Hamilton, said in the PBS documentary Hamiltons America that people shouldnt try to separate Jeffersons brilliance from his failures.

Thats when you get into trouble, Diggs said. Thats when you stop letting people be whole people.

Diggs, who is also a rapper, compared it with how he can appreciate many rappers talents even when their homophobic and misogynistic words go against his beliefs.

Those fluent in rap understand that powerful and sometimes offensive words have long been part of the genre. Regardless of how fluent you are, though, sometimes they feel hateful.

One plot twist over the last 50 years is that while weve built a digital world based on binary logic, Americans have also realized that the real world isnt as binary as we believed. We cant just think: Black or White, Male or Female, Gay or Straight.

Even Cop or Robber is more nuanced.

After George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, San Bruno Police Chief Ryan Johansen posted a sweet Facebook video condemning the killing. He explained that most people go into police work because they love their communities, and the people in them.

Agreed. But others get into police work because they like bullying people, and the good officers find themselves in a system that doesnt support them when they try to ease potentially violent situations. So the good cops are losing  not only within their departments, but in the eyes of the public.

Some of our innocence dies when we realize that not all police officers are heroes, and that our Founding Fathers were far from perfect. If youre white and relatively privileged, it takes longer for that realization to sink in. That leaves you with more to unlearn.

One of my favorite comedians growing up was Bill Cosby. I loved several Woody Allen movies. My father-in-law was a huge Buffalo Bills fan, including a running back named O.J. Simpson. They could be the holy trinity of unlearning.

When older white people look back nostalgically, it isnt because the world was better. Its because we were more innocent, and ignorant. George Washington was The Father of Our Country, plain and simple.

We didnt see the full color portrait that my friends daughter sees. Ours was in black and white  heavy on the white.

In order to appreciate that color portrait, you have to be willing to learn. And as we learn more about the world, past and present, it becomes more complex, which might make it less comfortable.

ESPNs Mina Kimes tried to educate half the population with this tweet last year: dont think this occurs to most guys, so: when you get into a hotel elevator with a strange woman, try to press your button first. and if you get off on the same floor, exit the elevator first.

Hers was a pretty simple request, and many women and men thanked her. But, Twitter being Twitter, lots of men threw verbal tantrums about paranoia, the death of chivalry, etc.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

I bet some of those men grew up in a simpler world, where ladies first was one of the commandments. It never dawned on them that maybe the most chivalrous thing anyone can do is make someone feel safe.

People over about 45 pretty much grew up without the internet or even much cable television, so a lot of our innocent world was sculpted by white-owned movie studios and television networks. Thirty years ago, Hollywoods America was a whole lot of White Plains, with maybe an occasional glimpse of Spike Lee Island.

A generation earlier, you would have had to be pretty ambitious to see films by Federico Fellini  much less anything by Akira Kurosawa or Satyajit Ray.

Hollywood wasnt exactly kind to people of color. The Birth of a Nation, arguably the most influential silent film ever, was also an infomercial for the Ku Klux Klan. Decades later, westerns starred John Wayne as the hero (you know: the cowboy who kills Indians).

The internet has changed everything. You can find diverse stories, interact with people from around the world and discover things your teachers never mentioned  like possibly 1619, the year when the first African slaves arrived in the British colonies of North America, which the New York Times brought further into the spotlight a year ago.

You might even learn about the first vice president who didnt become president. That would be Aaron Burr, the guy who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

Now Im the villain in your history, Burrs character sings in Hamilton. I was too young and blind to see. I shouldve known  I shouldve known the world was wide enough for both Hamilton and me.

The world in 2020 is wide enough that Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda gets criticized by a few educators and theater people for not being bolder  not explicitly saying, for example, that Washington owned slaves. In a twist worthy of Hamlet, Miranda has managed to re-frame the discussion about theater and slavery and race so thoroughly that he has been hoist with his own petard.

One part of the Hamilton and Burr legacy that endures is their stubbornness, an aspect of human nature that we never seem to unlearn. We still want to argue, we still want to be right. Even if there is no right answer, even if it means demonizing someone else.

If someone says Black Lives Matter, you dont have to respond with All Lives Matter. And a few months from now, if someone says Merry Christmas, you dont have to say All Deities Matter, either.

Bilingual 3-year-olds can understand that 5 is both five and cinco, and that both answers can be right at the same time.

Maybe someday well all be that smart.

Dave Murphy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer who writes the monthly Generations column. Email: dmurphy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @daexmurph
On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson spoke before a joint session of Congress to seek a declaration of war against Germany. Wilson had thus far maintained neutrality for nearly three years after World War I broke out on July 28, 1914, simultaneously preserving the lucrative U.S.-Europe sea trade. After realizing, however, that Germany had made it clear that no merchant ship servicing Britain and continental Europe would be safe from U-boat attacks, the president was coerced to seek the lawmakers' approval for the United States' entry into the war, arguing that "The world must be made safe for democracy."

America's entry in World War I not only helped defeat Germany and its allies, but also began to pave the way for the U.S. to assume global leadership. While this would not fully occur until the postSecond World War, by creating a network of alliances, the U.S., notwithstanding its geographic isolation from Europe and Asia, established a strong international balance that kept the Soviet Union from fully conquering the European and Asian continents. Since then, democracy has had a safe haven due to the U.S. fostering initiatives, such as the following:

And while President Donald Trump's America First has been classified by various political scientists as an isolationist foreign policy  I too had reservations when in 2016 he said the U.S. defense of other NATO member-states was contingent on their fulfilling financial obligations  Trump is carrying out the role as an American president and the leader of the free world should against communist China.

For those of us who remember, then-president George W. Bush sat on the sidelines as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) suppressed the pro-democracy demonstrations thirty years ago at Tiananmen Square as hundreds, if not thousands  who were expecting the U.S. to stand by them  were killed by the Chinese military, and many thousands of others were imprisoned.

President Trump, this past week, shut the Chinese consulate in Houston because of commercial espionage and intellectual property theft from American companies. He also barred eleven new Chinese companies from purchasing American technology and products without a special license. The Trump administration has said that firms such as Apple, Ralph Lauren, Google, HP, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, and Muji were complicit in human rights violations in China's campaign targeting Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region. The President had initially held off on penalizing Beijing for such abuses for a trade deal he signed with the CCP in January.

As demonstrated by a New York Times video, Chinese companies use contentious labor programs for Muslim Uighurs to satisfy demand for face masks and other personal protective equipment, some of which ended up in the U.S. and other countries  nine of the companies that the Trump administration cited on Monday, including Changji Esquel Textile Co. Ltd., Nanchang O-Film Tech, and Hetian Taida Apparel Co. Ltd., at the behest of the U.S. Department of Commerce, were added to the so-called entity list for their use of forced (slave) labor.

The most adamant "weapon" launched against the CCP came from secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who, during his visit to the United Kingdom these past few days, appealed to the Chinese people to alter the ruling CCP's direction.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Pompeo denounced Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a "true believer in a bankrupt totalitarian ideology." He also called upon the leading democracies, including Australia, to collectively work together to "induce change" in the CCP by supporting China's dissidents  the U.K. suspended its extradition pact with Hong Kong after the Xi regime eradicated democracy in its former colony. The British government also announced that it will bar equipment made by Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co. from the country's 5G telecommunications networks following intense lobbying by the U.S. government, which says the company poses security risks.

Pompeo had recently stated that confronting communist China was a long-term policy for the Trump administration, as well as a bipartisan priority for Congress, which has overwhelmingly passed legislation allowing for Chinese sanctions. "Look, the American people are not going to allow our economic work, our talent to be stolen by the Chinese Communist Party," he said.

Many world leaders, as usual, have denounced Trump's America First as a unilateralist position on foreign policy. Nevertheless, as can be seen, many key allies are now working together with the U.S. by taking a harder-edged approach to the CCP, especially for its role in the outbreak of COVID-19.

President Donald Trump has not always been perfect in his foreign policy  who ever is? Yet when push comes to shove, he is coming through like no other Western leader has done in taking communist China on. Thank you, Mr. President!

Image: Ninian Reid via Flickr.
A man serving time in a Beaumont federal prison was sentenced Friday to another 30 years for killing his cellmate, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

Carroll Ellis Hayes, 40, of Mobile, AL, pleaded guilty on Jan. 27 to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Friday by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.
Malaysia reached a $3.9 billion settlement with Goldman Sachs Friday over the Wall Street titan's role in the 1MDB scandal in exchange for the country ending all criminal proceedings against the bank. Billions of dollars were looted from sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad in a fraud that allegedly involved former prime minister Najib Razak and his cronies. The cash plundered from state coffers bankrolled a global spending spree, and was spent on everything from artwork, to real estate and a super-yacht. Goldman's role came under scrutiny over bond issues totalling $6.5 billion it helped arrange for the investment vehicle, with Malaysia claiming large amounts were misappropriated during the process. Najib lost power in 2018 amid public anger at the scandal, and a new government charged Goldman and a string of former and current employees over the fraud, as well as demanding hefty compensation. Malaysia and Goldman had been locked in long-running talks, and the country's finance ministry announced a breakthrough had finally been achieved. The settlement comprises a cash payment of $2.5 billion to Malaysia and a guarantee that at least $1.4 billion in assets acquired with misappropriated funds would be recovered, it said. "This settlement represents assets that rightfully belong to the Malaysian people," Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said. "We are confident that we are securing more money from Goldman Sachs compared to previous attempts, which were far below expectations." Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin hailed a "victory" and said that, combined with 1MDB-linked funds already returned to Malaysia by the US, the country will receive a total of $4.5 billion. - 'Important step' - However, the previous Malaysian government, which lost power earlier this year, had demanded $7.5 billion in compensation from Goldman. When they charged the Goldman, Malaysian prosecutors had accused the bank of making false statements which led to $2.7 billion being misappropriated in relation to the bond issues. But after Malaysia announced the settlement, Goldman said the deal resolves "all the criminal and regulatory proceedings in Malaysia involving the firm". "Today's settlement is an important step towards putting the 1MDB matter behind us and will help enable the Malaysian government to move forward with additional recovery efforts," it said. After losing power at the 2018 elections, Najib was hit with dozens of charges linked to the controversy and is currently facing three trials. On Tuesday, a court will hand down its verdict in his first trial over the scandal. He denies wrongdoing. A former Goldman partner, Tim Leissner, has previously pleaded guilty in the US over his part in the controversy. A Malaysian former managing director at the bank, Ng Chong Hwa, has also been charged in the US and Malaysia over the scandal. The US Department of Justice, which is investigating the fraud as huge sums were allegedly laundered through the US financial system, says that about $4.5 billion was looted from 1MDB. The scandal's alleged mastermind, jet-setting Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, has also been charged in Malaysia and the US. Low denies any wrongdoing, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
An Australian mother has been caught breaking out of mandatory hotel quarantine with her four children to take them to their father's funeral, police allege.

They allegedly fled the Distinction Hamilton Hotel, on New Zealand's north island, on Friday night to travel northwest to a funeral in Auckland for the children's father.

The had previously held a fundraiser so they could fly from Australia to New Zealand for the funeral, Hamilton District Court heard on Saturday.

Police said they caught all the family members before they could make it to the funeral and the service went ahead without them, according to the New Zealand Herald.

The mother and her four children were caught after allegedly breaking out of mandatory hotel quarantine Distinction Hamilton Hotel (pictured) to travel to a funeral in Auckland

The 37-year-old Brisbane mother was charged alongside her children aged 18, 17 and 16 with breaching the Health Act notice.

Her 12-year-old was the only one to escape any formal prosecution.

All visitors to New Zealand, even citizens, must undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival.

Judge Noel Cocurullo spoke to the 37-year-old via video link and gave his sympathies to her for the death but said she put lives at risk.

'I need to make it plain to you that the community I serve, the New Zealand public, are sick and tired of people breaching the strict quarantine rules,' he said.

He said New Zealand people had worked hard to help rid the country of the pandemic.

Judge Noel Cocurullo told the 37-year-old mother he had sympathy for their loss but slammed her for putting lives at risk (pictured, New Zealand police at coronavirus checkpoints)

It is understood the funeral will be filmed and four family members have been given the opportunity to watch it via video link.

The 37-year-old mother was placed on bail so she could care for her children but was forced to turn over her passport and banned from applying for travel documents.

Her children aged 18, 17 and 16 also appeared in court and were placed under similar conditions.
ATHENS (Reuters) - Visitors to Greece arriving by air from Bulgaria and Romania will need to provide proof they have tested negative for coronavirus to gain entry, Greece's Civil Protection authority said on Saturday.

The requirement, which will come into effect from July 28 to August 4, will not apply to Greek nationals arriving from those countries.

"Based on an analysis of epidemiological data, arrivals to Greece via air connections from Bulgaria and Romania will be required to provide a negative test result for the coronavirus that has been done up to 72 hours before their arrival," the authority said.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Bulgaria passed 10,000 on Saturday, with 270 confirmed new infections in the past 24 hours, official data showed.

The Civil Protection authority said it is continuously monitoring data to ensure that the opening of the country to foreign visitors is done safely.

Greece is not facing a second wave of infections but needs to remain vigilant, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias told Skai TV on Saturday.

"If we stop being careful and continue to relax and infections spread, then everything can change," he said.

Greece has managed to contain the spread of coronavirus to 4,135 confirmed cases and 201 deaths based on the latest data after imposing an early lockdown.

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Mike Harrison)
Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc took down the accounts of several high-profile supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro following a Supreme Court order, a move that underlines the tricky territory the social media titans are navigating in some of the worlds largest jurisdictions.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the removal of 16 Twitter accounts and 12 Facebook accounts on Friday, a decision tied to an ongoing probe into the alleged dissemination of disinformation by supporters of the right-wing Bolsonaro.

Among the purposes of the fake news investigation, as it is known in Brazil, is to discover if misinformation and threats against Supreme Court officials are being funded illicitly.

Among the owners of the suspended accounts is Roberto Jefferson, a former congressman and president of the conservative PTB party, as well as businessmen Luciano Hang, Edgar Corona and Oscar Fakhoury, and activist Sara Giromini, widely known as Sarah Winter.

Moraes had ordered the accounts blocked in a separate ruling in May, though the accounts were not removed at the time.

Fridays order, Moraes said, was meant to stop the accounts from being used as a means of committing possible criminal conduct.

Facebook said in a statement that it respects the judiciary and complies with valid legal orders. Twitter in a statement said, Twitter acted strictly to comply with a legal order related to a Supreme Court investigation.

The blocked Twitter accounts themselves, on the pages where their accounts would be, said Friday evening they were suspended in response to a legal order.

The reaction among Brazils conservatives was swift.

The PTB party said in a statement that it was surprised by yet another arbitrary measure ordered by Moraes, which impedes the exercise (of Jeffersons) right to liberty of expression and opinion on social media.

Winter, the activist, said she would complain to international human rights organizations about the serious offense against free speech.

While Bolsonaro did not immediately address the removal of the accounts, he has previously spoken against the inquiry, calling it a grave threat to free speech.
BANGKOK  The police in Thailand said they had dropped the last remaining charges against a wealthy playboy on Friday, eight years after he struck and killed an officer with his Ferrari and fled the country.

The announcement ended a yearslong drama that included the issuance of an international arrest warrant for the heir to one of the countrys most storied companies and largest fortunes and a public outcry over the seemingly separate system of justice for the countrys richest people.

Just before dawn on a dark Bangkok street on a September night in 2012, a speeding Ferrari struck and killed a motorcycle police officer. The driver fled the scene, but a trail of leaking engine fluid led the police to his door  and the damaged Ferrari  a short distance away.

The police arrested the driver, Vorayuth Yoovidhaya, the grandson of the inventor of the Red Bull energy drink and heir to one of Thailands greatest fortunes. The police said at the time that he had been intoxicated and admitted that his car hit the officer, Wichean Glanprasert.
Australia's share of China's iron ore imports may be at risk following the opening of four new ports that can operate berths for extra-large ships, opening up new possibilities for greater imports from Brazil and Africa.

Very large ore carriers (VLOC) are bigger than many skyscrapers and can carry more than twice the cargo of normal iron ore transport ships, up to 400,000 tonnes, meaning they reduce transport costs and delivery time.

This will increase competition for Australian mines, which have so far benefited from their closer proximity, with China accounting for nearly 90 per cent of all of Australia's iron ore exports so far this year.

The four new VLOC terminals approved by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) are in Rizhao, Yantai and Lanshan in Shandong province, and Sanduao in Fujian province, according to Chinese metals market data specialist Mysteel Global, and add to seven already operating in China.

The move by Beijing to open up new sources of iron ore is seen by traders, analysts and economists as a part of a wider strategy to secure supplies from "stable markets" which do not have political conflicts with China.

Tensions between Australia and China have increased significantly since April after Canberra called for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, irking Beijing. China has since clamped down on Australian imports of beef and barley, while warning its citizens against visiting or studying in Australia.

But despite the tensions, Australia's iron ore trade with China continues to expand in tandem with China's rising demand for steel to supply the new infrastructure projects that are part of the government's stimulus plan to support the economy.

Australian iron ore exports to China rose 8 per cent to A$9.92 billion (US$7 billion) in June, the highest monthly export value on record, according to preliminary data released on Friday by the Australia Bureau of Statistics.

Story continues

The total value of all Australian iron ore exports in the fiscal year to June 2020 rose to over A$100 billion (US$71 billion), representing more than a quarter of Australia's total goods exported.

Brazil mining giant Vale, the third largest diversified miner and one of the top iron producers globally, were behind the orders for the original VLOC carriers and so are often called Valemax ships. As of March, there were 66 Valemax carriers in operation and two under construction.

The use of the large ore vessels not only allows the shipment of larger amounts of iron ore, therefore lowering logistics costs, but enables Vale to speed up the delivery of iron ore to steel mill customers in China and also increases its ability to blend different grades of iron ore in China instead of in Brazil to meet customer demand, Mysteel senior analyst Hongmei Li said.

"More terminals just make it easier to blend more iron ore in China instead of in Brazil, not about the quantity, but about more prompt service to customers," Li said.

"It seems that after more than 10 years of initiative, Vale is finally fanning out its iron ore distribution centres in China to be close to its steelworks customers " not only in China but also in Japan and South Korea through China " to serve them better by customising the iron ore blends just as requested."

Other iron miners with long routes, including those in Africa, would also benefit from the VLOC terminals, Mysteel said, but cautioned that as such miners were a small group, there would not be a sudden flood of iron ore exports to China.

Vale's iron ore production is around 400 million tonnes a year, while BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue together produce over 800 million tonnes a year.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Boohoo boss John Lyttle insists he is not embarking on a personal crusade  but it might be heading that way, whether he likes it or not.

Tomorrow, the online fashion firm's chief executive will visit Leicester amid a storm of negative publicity over allegations that workers in the company's Midlands supply chain were being underpaid.

There, Lyttle will visit the site of a new project he hopes will provide a very visible sign that the company wants to bring about a change after it was forced to axe two suppliers from its roster earlier this month.

Radical: John Lyttle wants Boohoo to produce its own clothing

In a radical plan, Lyttle wants to build a 'model factory' in Leicester. It is part of a strategy that he says could seek to emulate the success of 26billion Spanish fashion giant and Zara owner Inditex, which makes its own clothes so it can replenish stock more rapidly in its shops.

'Some of the stories have been upsetting,' Lyttle says of the headlines in recent weeks. 'Because if there's stuff wrong in Leicester I'd rather find it and fix it, not run for the hills and say, 'That's it, we're out of here  let somebody else sort it out.' '

Since allegations emerged this month that a supplier was paying workers as little as 3.50 an hour, 1.7billion has been wiped off Boohoo's stock market value. The firm said it found no evidence that one of its suppliers was paying that amount, but confirmed its code of conduct had been breached.

In the furore that has followed, Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered the National Crime Agency to investigate factory conditions in Leicester. This week, Boohoo is also expected to provide details on its plans for a major independent investigation, to be led by Alison Levitt QC.

Lyttle, an experienced retailer, was hired from Primark 16 months ago to exert a professional grip on Boohoo's ever sprawling business empire, which was founded by the Kamanis  a family whose personal life is as colourful as the clothes it sells.

If things are wrong, then we'll fix it

Lyttle wants Boohoo to begin producing its own clothing with a local joint-venture partner as soon as September. The ambition  almost unheard of in modern-day retailing in this country  is to employ as many as 250 manufacturing workers on the site or open a temporary factory nearby if it cannot be readied soon enough.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday through video link from his Manchester headquarters, the Boohoo boss explains: 'Number one: this factory is a commitment to UK manufacturing. But it's also about making sure we can support our growth with a level of in-house production.'

Lyttle also wants to demonstrate for the doubters it is possible to make clothing in the UK 'in a particular way'  which means without cutting corners or taking risks that end up with damaging headlines. The strategy would double-down on its UK production model and its reliance on Leicester.

Lyttle explains: 'Inditex have a number of joint ventures in Spain and in Portugal that they work with and that really help their flexibility  it's not dissimilar to that.

'Let's get this one up and running, prove the model. And then decide and see where we go from there. We're not manufacturers but we feel confident we can execute this and we can make this factory successful.'

Model behaviour: John Lyttle hopes that Boohoo's plans will help it to emulate the success of Zara owner Inditex

Other factory partnerships are likely to follow  possibly even elsewhere in the country where the dying embers of Britain's old rag trade are fading. Lyttle says Boohoo has even considered buying warehouses for its supply manufacturers to shield them from fixed costs such as rent charges.

He says Leicester's factories  'the most expensive by far' of all the world's factories he buys from  can replenish orders for just a few hundred items in as little as two days. That gives Boohoo the edge over rivals who import clothes from China. The six-week shipping journey can leave clothes 'out of fashion' even before they arrive onshore, Lyttle explains.

We want to be a truly global player

In the past fortnight, he has also ordered factories supplying Boohoo to ensure workers have details of a confidential whistleblower hotline  something campaign group Labour Behind the Label recently said was an essential step to fixing Leicester's reputed shortcomings.

Lyttle says much of this, including the launch of an independent factory auditor Verisio to conduct spot checks, was planned before the recent bad publicity. But the efforts have clearly been given a new impetus.

Boohoo sources 40 per cent of its clothing from UK factories, mostly in Leicester where it dominates the city's trade despite having a tiny office of just ten people.

Such a reliance on British sewing machines would be alien to major high street chains, most of whom shifted production to Asian suppliers decades ago. There had been speculation Boohoo might be preparing to follow its rivals sourcing more of its clothes from the Far East.

But Lyttle says: 'I think we can get on top of this. I mean, remember, this is the UK. This is not a country on the other side of the world. This is a city in the UK.'

Boohoo has been one of the few beneficiaries of the coronavirus pandemic.

Shift: Boohoo gets 40 per cent of clothes from UK sites  many in Leicester

But it's impossible to shake the impression that the demands on Leicester factories, supposedly under lockdown restrictions, have brought the problems in the city's fashion industry to a head.

Leicester garment factories operate from hundreds of unremarkable warehouses and sometimes semi-derelict industrial sites. Visit any and the owners will roll out anecdotes of malpractice at their rivals.

Tales abound of illegal conditions, tax avoidance and 'phoenix' firms forced to close only to reopen under a new company name within weeks. The truly determined, people say, have myriad ways of staying one step ahead of the authorities  with CCTV monitoring factory front doors and back exits so they can quickly clear packed factory floors.

But there is another side to the story: one of cash-strapped factories struggling to get by from one week to the next. Limited and sporadic orders that abandon firms to a hand-to-mouth existence as they wait for the next order of the latest favoured fashions, which in Leicester are invariably the simplest to make. More complicated designs are almost all made overseas.

Lyttle says Boohoo  whose nine brands also include Nasty Gal and PrettyLittleThing as well as former high street brands Karen Millen, Coast and Oasis  works with '150 operations' in the city, often switching between them. But his top 40 suppliers make up 80 per cent of production.

Boohoo man John Lyttle, 53 Lives: With his family in Sevenoaks, Kent; travels by train to Manchester to work through the week. Hobbies: Keen runner. Typically wears: An H&M T-shirt and a pair of Paul Smith jeans. 'I'm not a Gucci fan but also I don't wear BoohooMan because that would be really bad for a teenager to see me wearing that.' On Boohoo's fabled 5 dresses: Lyttle says campaigners often charge his firm with making a dress for a price 'too good to be true' with hidden costs of cheap labour. He says: 'The 5 dressdo you know what we do? We ring up three of our big guys [factories] and ask them to get all the bits of fabric they've got left over  enough for a hundred dresses of that colour and 50 dresses of that. Put it together, give me a price. We're going to run a very simple dress for this promotion, easy to manufacture, and then we'll take a view on the margin. It's just a marketing tool. You'd think it was 50 per cent of our sales. It would be less than one per cent. Our average price is double figures.'

Lyttle has worked for some of the most famous rag trade tycoons in Britain: Sir Philip Green and Matalan's John Hargreaves, themselves no strangers to newspaper headlines. He was at Primark during the nightmarish Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh.

He says bigger factories with more consistent orders and healthier finances are the key to the future  for his own suppliers at least. It's also helping some firms to plan production schedules 'four, five months' ahead which would be key 'to guarantee continued growth because that clearly means more demand and guaranteed jobs.'

Last year, Boohoo also launched what he describes as a 'world-class', 14-day payment promise to ease cash flow, compared with 60 or 90 days at many other retailers. 'I'm trying to move forward. This was a way of really helping these businesses and not making them take risks.'

But has the spotlight of the last few weeks dented sales? Lyttle shakes his head. 'We've given guidance to the market. So if we thought we were changing that we'd need to update, but we're not doing that.'

It clearly hasn't dented the group's ambitions either. Lyttle, wearing Paul Smith jeans and an H&M T-shirt, describes himself as 'Irish  a straight talker and whatever'.

He says: 'I'm not the person picking the product. But clearly I understand retail. But equally, you know, I understand technology, I understand logistics, supply chain and how you pull all that together to make it work.

He name checks the worldwide success of Inditex and H&M as 'where we want to be but online.

'We might have started in the UK market. But really what we want to be is truly a global player.'
While speaking with Laura Ingraham on Fox News on Monday, July 20, Yale epidemiology professor Dr. Harvey Risch said hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), if used properly, could save between 75,000 and 100,000 lives and can also be taken safely as a preventative. His findings were published in the May 27 American Journal of Epidemiology to no effect. A similar French study in early March reported similar evidence of success using HCQ to combat COVID-19. The French report was dismissed as anecdotal.

Dr. Risch insisted that HCQ is effective and safe, but he has become the victim of a "propaganda war" ever since President Trump recommended it back in March. The Lancet even published a study claiming that HCQ is ineffective and increases the risk of death. By June the journal's false claim was retracted, but lasting damage was done.

Dr. Risch summed up the problem with HCQ: "It's a political drug now, not a medical drug. I think we are basically fighting a propaganda war against the medical facts, and that colors not just population people, how they think about it, but doctors as well.

He also said state medical boards have threatened doctors daring to use HCQ. Locally, Virginias health commissioner published updated COVID-19 guidance in late March directing health practitioners to restrict prescriptions for HCQ and continuation of existing medication therapy.

Surprisingly, no mention was found in either the Risch or the French study to explain why HCQ works. HCQ has no known properties as an anti-viral drug. Its primary use is for malaria, lupus, and arthritis. Answering this question required more research.

First, the initial worldwide spike in deaths was likely a result of the lack of information and faulty early treatment protocols coming from China and the World Health Organization. The early guidance advised against the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and pushed aggressive use of ventilators. Until April 2020, these early treatment protocols were widely used (and ventilators remain in high demand even now). However, this early guidance was not only wrong; it was a virtual death sentence and likely inspired the grossly inflated estimates of deaths and requirements for critical care/ICU beds and expensive ventilators.

An article at The Daily Signal noted that Dr. Thomas Yadegar, the director of an ICU in California, had been using these early guidelines but by April realized that the primary cause of COVID-19 deaths was the internal inflammation resulting from a sepsis-type overreaction by the bodys auto-immune system (AKA a cytokine storm). Apparently, COVID-19 has exceptionally strong cytokine stormtriggering properties, and that susceptibility is greatest for the elderly. Yadegar immediately broke with the early guidance and achieved remarkable success using the anti-inflammatory steroid tocilizumab, a fairly new drug. He also avoided using invasive respirators, which often resulted in more inflammation. Instead, he found that readily available CPAP-type oxygen masks were as effective and reduced the risk of triggering more inflammation. As a result, deaths in his unit immediately dropped from 40%70% to single digits. Once this realization reached the worldwide medical community, the global death rates began to decline.

Dr. Yadegar was also early to recommend testing for an overabundance of interleukin, a chemical found in white blood cells that stimulates them to fight infection. If elevated levels are detected early during hospital triage, it is a sign that the patient has a high risk of experiencing a potentially lethal cytokine storm and should be hospitalized while others can be safely sent home to preserve critical care beds and scarce PPE resources.

Anti-inflammatory drugs work by calming the cytokine storm so the auto-immune system can attack the virus rather than attacking the body. HCQ is an inexpensive, powerful anti-inflammatory drug, and this explains why it works for COVID-19. HCQ appears most effective when administered early in the progression of the disease.

There are a variety of other readily available anti-inflammatory drugs, including dexamethasone. This drug has been safely used since 1957 at only $1 per dose. It has proven effective for reducing inflammation in more advanced COVID-19 cases. Remdesivir is another promising new drug, but its limited availability makes it suited for only the most severe cases.

Had the leftist media and anti-Trumpers not ridiculed the use of HCQ when first proposed, it is likely that many thousands of U.S. deaths could have been easily prevented as Dr. Risch proposed. The deadly consequences of blocking the use of HCQ (and the hesitancy by U.S. physicians to deviate from prescribed treatments) is illustrated in the following chart from OurWorldinData.com (updates daily) showing the daily average daily death rates per million for a few key countries.

Note that the U.S. peak came after that of Italy and the U.K. due to Trumps immediate lockdowns and travel bans from these early hot spots, so it did not reach nearly as high or peak as early. However, the decline in the U.S. death rate was not as steep. Of more concern, the U.S. death trend is now showing a slight increase. Meanwhile, deaths in worst-case Italy and the U.K. continue to drop and are now approaching zero. The medical practitioners in these other countries were far less risk-averse in trying drugs having anecdotal evidence of success, including HCQ.

The consequence of HCQ fear-mongering fomented by leftists has likely resulted in thousands of preventable deaths, and that trend will likely lead to the extension of economically devastating lockdowns. I can only hope that is not the intent, but it will help justify using fraud-prone mail-in voting.

Lifting restrictions on the use of HCQ and discouraging the overzealous use of ventilators (that earn a much higher reimbursement rate for hospitals than CPAP-type oxygen masks) would likely bring the U.S. death rate back down rapidly so this crisis can pass.
Radio host Charlamagne Tha God slams Joe Biden for claiming Trump is first racist president

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Prominent black New York City radio host Charlamagne Tha God slammed presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden Thursday for claiming President Donald Trump is Americas first racist president.

The former vice president claimed Trump was the nations first racist president during a virtual town hall Wednesday in response to the president, along with others in his circle calling the coronavirus the China virus, the kung flu and the Wuhan virus.

No sitting president has ever done this, never, never, never. No Republican president has done this. No Democratic president. Weve had racists, and theyve existed, and theyve tried to get elected president. But hes the first one that has, Biden claimed.

Charlamagne called Bidens comments a lie that relinquishes America of all responsibility of its bigotry.

He also said Biden should stop talking forever.

"I really wish Joe Biden would shut the eff up forever and continue to act like he's starring in the movie 'A Quiet Place' because as soon as he opens his mouth and makes noise, he gets us all killed, OK?" Charlamagne said on the Donkey of the Day segment of his show. "There's already so many people who are reluctantly only voting for Joe Biden because he's the only option and because Donald J. Trump is that trash."

The New York City radio host cited polls showing that voters who support President Trump are more excited about reelecting him than supporters of Biden.

The moral of the story is people arent enthused about Biden. They just dont like Trump. Thats not a great motivator. Thats not something that makes you get up on Election Day and say Hey! I have to vote. And when Joe Biden says certain things it causes even more of a lack of enthusiasm, Charlamagne said.

"Old white male leadership has failed America and there is nothing worse than an old white male [who] can't recognize the faults and flaws of other old white males. Racism is the American way. Donald Trump is not the first. And sadly, he won't be the last, right? He's just more overt with his racism than most presidents in recent times."

During a viral interview with Biden in May, Charlamagne questioned Biden about reports that he was considering Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is white, to be his vice president even though his campaign was saved by loyal black women voters from the South.

What I say to them is that Im not acknowledging anybody who is being considered but I guarantee you, there are multiple black women being considered. Multiple," Biden said, before he was interrupted by a handler for a second time during the interview telling him they had to wrap up.

Charlamagne protested the interruption but Biden insisted he had to leave. Charlamagne urged him to visit the shows studio in New York City for a sit down interview in response because its a long way until November and we got more questions.

You got more questions but I tell you, if you have a problem figuring out whether youre for me or Trump, you aint black, Biden shot back.
The Assam flood situation continues to be critical as three more persons lost their lives and nearly 28 lakh people in 26 districts across the state have been affected by the floods.

According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the deaths were reported from Kalgachia, Kokrajhar and Mayong taking the death toll in flood-related incidents to 96 while 26 died due to landslides.

President Ram Nath Kovind called up Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and took stock of the flood situation. Kovind expressed his solidarity with the distressed people of the state and said that the entire nation stands with the people of Assam.

The Chief Minister apprised the President that along with the flood situation and landslides, the state is also fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, an outbreak of African swine fever and the oil well fire at Baghjan in Tinsukia district.

Taking to Twitter, Sonowal wrote: "Hon'ble President Shri Ram Nath Kovind ji took stock of the flood & overall situation of the state over phone. I am humbled by his statement that the entire nation is with the people of Assam & thank him for his deep concern, constant support and guidance."

Hon'ble President Shri Ram Nath Kovind ji took stock of the flood & overall situation of the state over phone. I am humbled by his statement that the entire nation is with the people of Assam & thank him for his deep concern, constant support and guidance. @rashtrapatibhvn  Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) July 24, 2020

Meanwhile, Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi visited Chirang district to oversee the relief and rehabilitation measures and met with people taking shelter in two relief camps.

As per ASDMA, 2,543 villages are under water and 1,22,573.16 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam. Authorities are running 496 relief camps and distribution centres across 22 districts, where 50,136 people are taking shelter currently.

The SDRF, district administrations and local people rescued around 1,350 people across the state during the last 24 hours.

The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Guwahati, Dhubri and Goalpara cities, besides at Nimatighat in Jorhat and Tezpur in Sonitpur districts. Goalpara is the worst-hit district followed by Barpeta and Morigaon.
Safety regulators issued an emergency order directing airlines to inspect a critical engine part on popular Boeing 737 jets, which have been parked for weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic, after four reports of engines shutting down during flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that its order affected about 2,000 twin-engine passenger jets in the United States.

The FAA's Emergency Air Worthiness Directive said operators must inspect any 737 Classic and Next Generation planes that have been parked for at least seven days or been flown fewer than 11 times since being returned to service.

That's because of reports that certain engine valves can become stuck in the open position.

A directive released by the Federal Aviation Administration ordered around 2,000 twin-engine Boeing 737 passenger planes after reports of engines shutting down mid-flight

Passenger jets have two or more engines, and multiple engine failures of the type that FAA warned about in its order are rare.

Corrosion of the valves on both engines could lead to a complete loss of power without the ability to restart the engines, forcing pilots to land somewhere other than an airport, the FAA said in the order, dated Thursday.

'This condition, if not addressed, could result in compressor stalls and dual-engine power loss without the ability to restart, which could result in a forced off-airport landing.' the directive said.

Chicago-based Boeing Co. said that with planes being stored or used less often during the coronavirus pandemic, 'the valve can be more susceptible to corrosion.'

The company said it is providing inspection and parts-replacement help to airplane owners.

Major airlines typically fly their planes several times a day. However, they parked hundreds of planes when the coronavirus pandemic triggered a collapse in air travel this spring and are bringing some of those planes back as passenger traffic has picked up slightly.

The FAA did not provide details about the four cases of engine shutdowns.

American Airlines said that four of its planes needed inspections , but no issues were discovered after completing the reviews

Alaska Airlines said one occurred on a July 15 flight from Seattle to Austin, Texas, and the plane landed without incident. The plane's engine was replaced once it landed in Austin.

Alaska said six of its planes need inspections, which have already begun.

American, United and Southwest said none of their planes had valve-related engine shutdowns.

Southwest Airlines, which only operates Boeing 737s, has 100 of such planes in storage, including 34 Max 737 aircraft. Officials are still determining how many need to be checked.

American said four of its planes needed inspections, which were completed and found no issues.

Details about the four reported incidents were not disclosed, but one incident involved an Alaska Airlines traveling from Seattle to Austin, Texas, on July 15

American Airlines has 304 Boeing 737 Next Generation in its collection, including 18 parked away in Roswell, New Mexico

United said it is inspecting 28 Boeing 737 planes that are out of stoarge and will undergo a review. Planes still in storage will be checked as they return to operation.

Delta Air Lines said it would inspect 20 planes but did not say whether any of its planes suffered engine shutdowns.

The directive does not apply to the newer Boeing 737 Max, which has been grounded worldwide since March 2019 after two crashes that killed 346 people.

On October 29, 2018, a Lion Air flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea just 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia.

The flight crew made a distress call shortly before losing control but the crash killed 189 people.

The aircraft was almost brand-new, having arrived at Lion Air just three months earlier.

The Lion Air flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea on October 29, 2018, 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia. The fatal crash killed 189 people on board (pictured, investigators examine parts of the plane recovered from the sea)

The Lion Air plane was almost brand-new, having arrived just three months earlier. Pictured, debris from the Lion Air crash is examined

Less than five months later, a second crash occurred on March 10, 2019, when the Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew members on board.

The aircraft had departed from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and was bound for Nairobi, Kenya.

Just after takeoff, the pilot radioed a distress call and was given immediate clearance to turn around and land.

But the plane crashed 40 miles from the airport, just six minutes after leaving the runway. The aircraft involved was only four months old.

The grounding of the 737 Max triggered lawsuits and investigations by Congress and the Department of Justice.

Questions were also raised about the FAA and Boeing's safety approval process.

Investigators blamed faults in the flight control system, which the 103-year-old company has been overhauling for months to meet new safety demands.

Boeing's 737 MAX won't fly again until 2021 after the fleet was grounded when 346 people died in two separate crashes because of regulatory holdups and final FAA approvals

The grounded 737 MAX, blamed for two crashes that killed 346 people, will probably not return into commercial service until next year, government and industry officials said.

While a public comment period on software and hardware changes wont be closed until November, pilot training, maintenance checks and final FAA approvals are still not expected to be finished until well into December, officials told the Wall Street Journal.

It remains possible that the aircraft type could be brought back into service sooner, the same officials told the Journal. However, a sooner return isn't what observers keeping a close eye on the process expect.

At least one airline won't be returning the aircraft into service any earlier than mid-December according to its schedule, a person with knowledge of the timing told the Journal.

The grounded 737 MAX, blamed for two crashes that killed 346 people, will probably not return into commercial service until next year, say government and industry officials. Workers at Boeing's Renton, Washington, plant are pictured working on a MAX jet

The aircraft has been grounded impacting airlines across the world after the deadly crashes of MAX planes in Indonesia in 2018 and in Ethiopia the following year. Pictured are grounded MAX aircraft at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, last month

Problems with ground simulator training for a select group of international pilots also may present further delays.

Investigators probing the cause of the deadly crashes from almost two years ago have focused on a flight-control system, new to the Max, that pushed the nose of both planes down based on faulty readings from sensors.

Boeing has been working to fix the system and make other changes since shortly after the first crash in Indonesia in October 2018. The aircraft type was grounded after a second MAX plane crashed after take off from Ethiopia in May 2019.

Chicago-based Boeing was struggling before the coronavirus pandemic hit because of the grounding of the MAX - once its best-selling plane.

The coronavirus compounded the company's problems by causing a deep slump in air travel that has left airlines around the world with too many planes, not a need for more.

Boeing was forced to ground the MAX after the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia happened less than six months apart.

The first disaster happened October 29, 2018, when a MAX flying as Lion Air flight JT 610 fell into the Java Sea 15 minutes after taking off from Jakarta.

All 189 aboard the plane died, including 180 Indonesians, one Italian and one Indian.

The second crash occurred on March 10, 2019, when Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302, which also was a MAX jet, took off from Bole International Airport in the Ethiopian capital and crashed.

Boeing was forced to ground the MAX after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia happened less than six months apart. Pictured are remains from the first from October 29, 2018, when a MAX flying as Lion Air flight JT 610 fell into the Java Sea 15 minutes after taking off from Jakarta

The second crash occurred on March 10, 2019, when Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302, which also was a MAX jet, took off from Bole International Airport in the Ethiopian capital and crashed. Pictured are remains at the crash scene of the doomed flight

US carriers American, United and Southwest had to cancel flights for the holidays, including over Christmas and into the new year, after the plane was grounded around the world.

Boeing reported July 14 that customers canceled orders for 60 of the grounded 737 MAX jets in June. The aircraft maker removed another 123 planes from its backlog over doubts that the deals will be completed.

The slump in aircraft sales extends across the Atlantic. European rival Airbus reported no new orders in June.

American Airlines is demanding that Boeing help it find financing for 17 MAX jets that the airline expected to receive at least a year ago. Last month, Norwegian Air Shuttle announced that it plans to cancel its remaining order for 92 of the planes, saying that it had not settled with Boeing over compensation for the grounding of its current MAX jets.

American Airlines is demanding that Boeing help it find financing for 17 MAX jets that the airline expected to receive at least a year ago. Several of the carrier's 737 MAX jets are pictured grounded at Tulsa International Airport

Boeing's lone sale last month was a cargo jet ordered by FedEx. That compared with nine orders a year ago and 158 in June 2018.

So far this year, Boeing has recorded 59 new orders. That figure is dwarfed, however, by 382 cancellations - most of them abandoned orders for the MAX - and the downgrading of 323 other orders because of uncertainty about the deals going through.

The company's backlog of unfilled orders for passenger planes fell to 4,552, including 3,595 for 737s, a figure which includes both the MAX and an older version of the plane called the NG.

Boeing Co. delivered 10 planes in June, compared with 37 a year earlier.

Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith said Boeings defense and other businesses "will continue to provide some stability as we navigate through the pandemic and rebuild stronger on the other side."

Airbus was shut out for new orders, but the European plane maker said it delivered 36 passenger jets in June, including 31 of its A320neo jets, which compete with the MAX. Airbus said it ended June with a backlog of 7,584 planes.
Mexicos attorney general announced July 7 that human remains found at Barranca Carniceria, a ravine in the town of Cocula, Guerrero state, were identified in June by Viennas Innsbruck University as belonging to Christian Adolfo Rodriguez Telumbre. The identification was confirmed by an independent team of Argentine forensic anthropologists.

Nearly six years ago, on the night of September 2627, 2014, 57 students from a teaching college in Ayotzinapa were seized after a confrontation with the Iguala police and the Mexican Army. In the confrontation, six others were killed and 25 were injured. Of those that were abducted, 43 went missing.

Christian was 19 years old at the time of his disappearance. Like many of his fellow students, he had opted for the Ayotzinapa teachers college because it was affordable, given his familys meager resources. Most school graduates go on to teach in schools in poor rural areas.

On that fateful day in September 2014, Christian had joined a group of 100 Ayotzinapa students who were on their way to Mexico City to commemorate the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre of students and civilians by Mexican military and security forces. Fifty-seven student teachers (normalistas) were arrested in the city of Iguala, after commandeering some buses for the journey, a not uncommon practice of students traveling to demonstrations. Christian was one of the 43 who never returned.

No one was ever held accountable for killing of hundreds at Tlatelolco. In June 1971, 120 students were killed during a demonstration, also in Mexico City. Both of these events were part of the so-called Dirty War carried out by the Mexican government against workers and youth in the 1970s. That repression was also directed at rural normalista schools.

The Iguala events had not been the first attack on Ayotzinapa students. In May 2013, Guerrero state police assaulted Ayotzinapa students collecting funds for a festival. Twenty-six were arrested and severely beaten. In December 2011, three Ayotzinapa students were shot and killed during a demonstration demanding a meeting with the Guerrero governor. Needless to say, those responsible for these and other acts of repression were never punished in any way.

The disappearance of the Ayotzinapa 43 triggered mass protests throughout Mexico. Tens of thousands marched in Mexico City less than two weeks after the abduction and killings. Thousands of students and teachers protested across southern Mexico, including 50,000 in Chilpancingo, the state capital of Guerrero.

In an attempt at damage control, in January 2015 the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto announced that the 43 students had been killed at the hands of a local criminal drug cartel, Guerreros Unidos, that their bodies had been burned at a garbage dump and their remains placed in plastic bags and thrown into the San Juan River in Cocula, a town near Iguala.

Federal authorities insisted that their findings were not to be doubted, calling them the historical truth, a phrase uttered by then attorney general Jesus Murillo Karam. With this incantation, the investigation of the disappearance of the Ayotzinapa 43 was effectively frozen, and the role of the military that night left unprobed.

In reality, this historical truth covered up the role of the Mexican Army and security forces. The government of Pena Nieto categorically denied that the armed forces had played any role in the violence against the normalistas that night, and specifically denied that the Armys 27th and 41st infantry battalions, which share a military base in Iguala, were involved.

Far from being the result of a supposedly botched investigation, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador suggested when he convened a truth commission upon taking office in December 2018, the so-called historical truth was a full blown cover-up, one subscribed to by all three of the main parties represented in the Mexican legislature, the ruling PRI, the center left PRD, and the right-wing PAN.

According to a report published on July 11, 2020 in the Mexico City journal Proceso, army personnel were in fact heavily involved. They transported the students to the Iguala infantry battalion headquarters, interrogated them, and then handed them over to the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel to dispose of. Shortly thereafter, cartel members killed the students and dipped their bodies in vats of acid, before bagging and burning their remains.

Procesos report bases itself on new testimony, including that of members of the drug cartel, detailing longstanding links between the cartel, the Iguala police and the armed forces in Guerrero, which were all complicit in the transportation of drugs, arms and money.

In a meeting with parents of the 43 students, President Lopez Obrador declared that the identification of the remains of Christian Alfonso Rodriguez marked the beginning of a new and authentic investigation, according to spokespersons for the parents. An attorney for the parents told the press that Lopez Obrador had committed himself to continue the investigation until what happened to all the victims was defined and all those responsible are apprehended.

Many parents rightly remain skeptical of these claims. Lopez Obrador has increasingly relied heavily on the military, expanding its role in dealing with criminal activity and so-called security threats, including by creating a National Guard.

Lopez Obrador has used the military and National Guard to repress migrants, independent struggles by industrial workers, and protesting teachers. It can be ruled out that he will cross his military chiefs, who almost certainly directed the prior coverup.

Less than a month ago, Lopez Obradors car was surrounded by protesters in the port city of Veracruz, where he had gone to speak at a military base. The protesters demanded that the government resolve the issue of the fate of the 43 normalistas, and that he step out of his vehicle to speak to them. Help bring them home said one of the banners.

Lopez Obrador refused to talk to the protesters, citing the need for a healthy distance due to the coronavirus pandemic, a consideration he has repeatedly dismissed and ignored. According to the Mazatlan Post newspaper, a woman protesting said: You meet with el Chapos mother, bastard, but not with us, referring to Lopez Obradors shaking hands with the mother of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman in March while visiting the state of Sinaloa.

Vidulfo Rosales, attorney for the parents, insisted that in addition to catching all those responsible for the disappearance of the 43 students, all those who collaborated in hiding the truth must be held accountable. If taken literally, that would include the prior president and attorney general, as well as the highest echelons of the military.

Meanwhile more fragments of possible body parts have been sent to the University of Innsbruck for further testing.
Health officials in Michigan reported 594 new coronavirus cases and three new deaths linked to the respiratory illness on Friday, July 24.

There were about 100 less cases on Friday than the day before, helping to bring the seven-day moving average down to 577 after it had surpassed 600 cases per day a week earlier.

As of Friday morning, the state has reported 76,541 known cases of COVID-19 and 6,151 deaths of individuals with positive tests for coronavirus, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Michigans seven-day moving average for new coronavirus deaths per day reached six on Friday -- the lowest average since March 22.

The state continues to see a decline in deaths from the virus, despite the recent uptick in cases. Hospitalizations have increased recently but showed a slight dip Friday, down to 481 in-patients and 113 patients on ventilators.

Of the 27,879 diagnostic tests processed Thursday, July 23, 981 -- or 3.5% -- came back positive for the virus. It was the second consecutive day at that rate, and third day with a positive rate less than 4%.

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Oakland County added 157 new cases Friday, followed by Wayne County with 110, and Macomb County with 102. Kent County added 35 new cases and Genesee County added 25 cases.

The Grand Rapids region remains in the high risk category for spreading coronavirus, according to the states MI Safe Start Map created by the University of Michigans School of Information and School of Public Health.

Among the West Michigan region, only Oceana County (6.5%) has a positive test rate higher than 4%. But four counties had more than 40 new cases per day per 1 million residents on average as of Tuesday. They included Oceana (102.7), Mason (49.5), Kent (44.2), and Ottawa (43.3).

The Lansing, Detroit, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Saginaw and the Upper Peninsula regions remained at the medium-high risk level as of Thursday, meaning theyre averaging between 20 and 40 new cases per day per million people.

Only the Traverse City region remained at the medium-risk level.

Heres a look at the five Michigan counties with the most confirmed cases.

1. Wayne County: 24,371 cases (2,666 deaths)

2. Oakland County: 10,542 cases (1,083 deaths)

3. Macomb County: 8,425 cases (899 deaths)

4. Kent County: 6,020 cases (148 deaths)

5. Genesee County: 2,582 cases (269 deaths)

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here. To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Read more on MLive:

New store and tutoring center aims to support families, educators facing uncertain school year ahead

Masks can be powerful tool in keeping coronavirus low in Kalamazoo County, medical director says

Why youre seeing different numbers for Michigans daily coronavirus cases, and other tips for mining data

Friday, July 24: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan
Concerned about freedom

I am writing this letter with my utmost concern about our future to live free in our country that we love so much.

It is unbelievable that the wrongful death of George Floyd caused rioting, burning buildings, destroying historic statues, and killing adults, teens and babies worldwide! There is a lot more going on than a protest in Minneapolis, and it had to be planned far in advance by the radical left, made up of progressive Democrats in this country.

Wasnt it convenient that the coronavirus came along at just the right time to force the public into their homes, and close down businesses, schools, and churches? Open your eyes! Democratic politicians are taking advantage of racial issues to gain control of the White House in November. Of course, all descent people believe that All Lives Matter! God is the creator of all people, and each person should be judged by their character, and not by the color of his or her skin.

We made a mistake in shutting down the country, more than a couple weeks in the beginning of the pandemic. Do you remember that President Trump wanted to open up the country by Easter on April 12th? We should have done that, but the president was observing states rights in respecting the decisions of the governors to make the calls for their states. It has been disgusting that Democratic governors have restrained the people and the churches in ways that are against our Constitutional Rights.

They should only be able to encourage hand washing, social distancing and the wearing of masks, instead of threatening business and church closure.

Other states and countries have done better with the pandemic without shutting down their economies. Why have violent protests been allowed to continue for weeks with no thought of social distancing?

Folks, this is not just a time of exercising the right to peacefully assemble in protest of an unlawful death. The goal of the left is anarchy and they wont stop unless they are blocked in their strategy, or they have torn down our government in order to take control with socialism.

Policemen are being brutalized, as hundreds have suffered far more than the protesters who are supposed to be peaceful. Those who bravely protect us should never have to be beaten or killed as they handle criminals with kid gloves.

In closing, hold the politicians to the Constitution. In wisdom protect yourselves from the coronavirus as schools, churches and businesses get back to work. Be assured that God is our supreme master, to whom we will all answer on the Judgement Day.

In His mercy, we can work toward a more perfect union, and prevent its downfall by confused, paid protesters who are steered by power-hungry politicians.

BOBBY DOSS

Danville
Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market Research Report by Device (Diagnostic Devices, Glucose Monitoring Devices, and Insulin Delivery Devices) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, July 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market Research Report by Device - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913259/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market is expected to grow from USD 268.62 Million in 2019 to USD 1,275.42 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 29.64%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



On the basis of Device, the Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market is studied across Diagnostic Devices, Glucose Monitoring Devices, and Insulin Delivery Devices.



On the basis of Geography, the Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market is studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region is studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region is studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region is studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market including Apple Inc., Diabnext, Glooko Inc., Google Inc, IBM Corporation, Tidepool, and Vodafone Group Plc.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Artificial Intelligence in Diabetes Management Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913259/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




In early July 2020 the United States placed a C-RAM (Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar) system in the Baghdad Green Zone, near the American compound. On July 5th the C-RAM thwarted a 107mm rocket attack. Iraqi security forces found and seized some 107mm rockets set up to be fired at the Green Zone.

These rocket attacks on the Green Zone have been particularly frequent in the last year with nearly 40 rocket and mortar attacks on the Green Zone and a few other Iraqi bases where U.S. troops are stationed. These attacks cause few casualties because the bases, including the Green Zone, are large areas and monitored by radars that can detect and calculate where mortar or rockets are being fired from. Iraqi security forces have become more effective at finding these firing positions before they are used that the rockets are often set up and fired remotely to reduce the risk of the pro-Iran forces involved getting caught.

The increase in these attacks is an act of desperation by Iran, which has been losing support in Iraq, where a majority of the population has always been wary of Iranian military activity inside Iraq. The Iranians were welcomed in 2014 when they sent trainers and advisors to organize Shia militias to fight the ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) invasion that seized a third of the country in a few months. ISIL was largely gone from Iraq by late 2017 and since then the pro-Iran militias have been regarded as more of a threat, especially since Iran ordered its forces to attack anti-Iran Iraqis as well as Americans.

These Iranian rockets are unguided and often misfire and land in residential areas outside the Green Zone, causing civilian casualties. There is lots of open space in the Green Zone. This is a 10 square kilometer (four square mile) government reservation in downtown Iraq. Because of the heavy security this has long been a sanctuary for Americans and senior Iraqi officials. Most Baghdad residents wanted the Green Zone gone, especially because of the way it disrupts major traffic patterns. The zone was supposed to be eliminated after the Americans left in 2011. Rich and powerful Iraqis wanted to live in the Green Zone, as protection from criminals and terrorists, both of whom murder, kidnap and rob the rich. Because of that the Green Zone lives on under Iraqi management. From 2010 to 2019 there have been occasional rockets or mortar shells fired into the Green Zone.

The recent rocket attacks came from areas controlled by an Iran-backed militia and narrowed down the area Iraqi forces had to search to find launch sites or bases of groups responsible. Iran officially condemns the rocket attacks especially despite the fact that fragments of the rockets are collected and easily identified as Iranian made and commonly used by groups Iran supports throughout the region. Thats the kind of proxy war Iran prefers.

The most active of these pro-Iran groups proxies are Kataeb Hezbollah and a few notoriously pro-Iran PMF militias. Over a dozen attacks since January have been publicized by Iran as efforts to kill Americans to avenge their patron Soleimani, a Quds Force general killed by an American UAV attack outside Baghdad airport in January 2020. Soleimani was responsible for organizing anti-American attacks in Iraq and Syria. The loss of Soleimani was a major blow to Iran and the inability to carry out damaging anti-American attacks in Iraq increases the Iranian frustration.

C-RAM was an American system which first showed up in Iraq in 2006, left in 2011 and returned in 2020. Officially its name is Centurion, but hardly anyone uses that name. C-RAM is a modified land-based version of the U.S. Navy Phalanx anti-missile system. It weighs 27 tons and is transported by a large flatbed tractor-trailer. At sea Phalanx is the last line of defense against anti-ship missiles. C-RAM was first created to defend American bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several foreign nations have since bought C-RAM and users are satisfied with its performance. C-RAM works 24/7 and needs a lot of maintenance. Often civilians (usually retired sailors with Phalanx experience) are hired to operate and maintain C-RAM systems. Phalanx is used by sixteen other navies besides the American fleet so many nations have personnel familiar with Phalanx and this inclined to purchase C-RAM. In 2008 a more mobile C-RAM on a heavy truck with a power supply so that this C-RAM was a more mobile system that could be quickly moved around and put to work quickly.

C-RAM, like other similar systems, is basically the Phalanx naval gun system with new software that enables it to take data from its own, or other radar systems and shoot down just about any kind of artillery shell or rocket within range. Phalanx uses high explosive 20mm shells that detonate near the target, spraying it with fragments. By the time these fragments reach the ground they are generally too small to injure anyone. Phalanx fires shells at the rate of 75 per second. Another advantage of C-RAM is that it makes a distinctive noise when firing, warning people nearby that a mortar or rocket attack is underway, giving them an opportunity to duck inside if they are out and about.

The first C-RAM was sent to Iraq in late 2006 to protect the Green Zone. It was found that C-RAM could knock down 70-80 percent of the rockets and mortar shells fired within range of its cannon and that success rate has gone up because of hardware and software tweaks as well as operator experience. Other improvements included the ability to detect low altitude (flat trajectory) rockets and home-made rockets that are not as predictable as factory made stuff. Since 2006 C-RAM has also become more effective because of improvements in the radars, heat sensors as well as the fire-control software.

The first C-RAM systems in Iraq intercepted several hundred rockets or mortar shells aimed at the Green Zone and other bases. Not bad, since C-RAM only took about a year to develop. A C-RAM system, which can cover an area about four kilometers wide costs $15 million.

The German MANTIS (Modular, Automatic and Network capable Targeting and Interception System) system was based on the C-RAM experience but evolved into evolve into a similar system using components developed in Europe. MANTIS and entered service three years after C-RAM. Germany sent its MANTIS C-RAM system to Afghanistan and in 2018 it was sent to guard a peacekeeper base in Mali. Islamic terrorists there have taken to firing rockets and mortar shells at this camp.

MANTIS was developed from the Skyshield 35 anti-aircraft system. The first unit was ready in 2011 for service in Afghanistan. MANTIS has a radar and control unit linked with two separate 35 mm/1000 KDG autocannon that could swivel quickly to face a target. When turned on the radar detects and identifies likely targets and then, when those were 3,000 meters away one or both 35mm autocannon fired bursts of 12-24 shells which have proximity fuzes and automatically exploded near the target. Each 35mm ABM-KETF shell disperses 152 tiny (3.3 g each or 8.5 per ounce) tungsten rods that formed a cloud and disabled any shell or rocket passing through. All this takes a few seconds and it worked reliably, after a few tweaks, before it got to Afghanistan. There is also a ship based system similar to the American Phalanx. The 35mm shell used by MANTIS has about 50 percent more range (3,000 meters) than Phalanx but that does not seem to make much difference.
Police in Phoenix, Arizona released incomplete body-cam footage this week of the shooting of James Garcia, 28, who was killed by police while sitting in his car on July 4 during a police investigation into a stabbing in the neighborhood. Garcia was under no suspicion of any crime at the time which he was killed.

What is significant about the footage released is not so much what it shows, but what it doesnt, as any footage that would show Garcia allegedly raising a gun, as police claimed in justifying shooting him, are noticeably absent.

Garcias sister, Jacqueline Garcia demanded the release of all of the body-cam and dash cam footage from the police SUV parked behind Garcias car, telling ABC15 the effort to portray her brother as some sort of bad person, its all false, and that the full release of the body-cam and dash-cam footage is going to give us the truth.

Ive looked at that video, dissected it slowly, and nowhere did I see a gun, Garcias mother, Denice Garcia, told ABC15. What I did see my son doing was talking with his hands, holding a cigarette and then trying to defend himself, but at no point did I ever see a gun.

As with other police shooting cases, our family and our community is unjustifiably left without answers, Garcia said in a separate interview with the Arizona Republic.

Two weeks ago, demonstrators took up Garcias case, calling for the release of all police footage of the killing. Protests calling for an end to police violence in Phoenix have continued since late May in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by four police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The video released this week shows police interviewing a man who had been stabbed telling them about a man who tried to stab him the week before trying again at a house nearby. When police reached the house, they interviewed two bystander and one told the officer that the attacker had already left in a silver Toyota sedan. The officer asked if either of the people he was interviewing knew Eric, the suspected stabber. A bystander said they saw him but did not know who he is. This footage proves Garcia was not sought after by police at the time of the shooting and police have since identified the stabbing suspect.

Footage from another police body-cam shows an officer approach and talk to Garcia, after having awakened him. Garcia is unable to produce his ID, and he gives a false name and date of birth. He then blurts out he has a misdemeanor warrant, and the officer tells him he does not care as he is investigating the stabbing.

Another body-cam shows an officer walked over to Garcia and told him he needed to get out of his car so that the police can figure out who everyone is and whether or not youre involved in that [the stabbing]. Garcia replied, I told him [inaudible], he said okay ... said Id wait out in the car. The officer told Garcia to leave his car because there was a stabbing in the house ... if this turns into some kind of shooting, I dont need you sitting here getting shot while were shooting and then blaming us. Garcia refused, saying he did not think he would get shot and that he felt safe in his car.

The footage then skips to the end of the conversation between the two bystanders and the first officer. After briefly questioning a group of people who had exited the house earlier about the whereabouts of the suspected stabber, an officer near Garcias car started yelling drop the gun, and the officer drew his pistol and ran towards the car, which is also shown in viral cellphone video of the killing.

Police surrounded the vehicle and pointed their guns at Garcia. One officer, who repetitively motioned with his hand, his pistol against the driver side window pointed directly at Garcia head, shouting: Stop f---ing moving, I will f---ing shoot you. Another officer walked from the back of Garcias car to the passenger side window with what appears to be a crowbar and bashed the window in, immediately after which two officers rapidly fired 16 rounds point blank into the drivers side window of the vehicle and into Garcia.

Not all of the officers body-cams have been released, but of those that have been shown to the public critical moments are left out. Based on the cellphone video and available police body-cams, there are multiple instances where polices body-cams would have been filming into the vehicle pointing where the alleged gun would have been, and yet all of these instances have been omitted. The gun recovered by police after the shooting was never proven to have been wielded by Garcia during the shooting.

When they are not killing peopleapproximately 1,000 every year nationwideAmerican police routinely violate workers democratic rights and then seek to cover up and whitewash their actions.

Case in point, 23-year-old Mariah Valenzuela was charged with resisting arrest for creating a substantial risk of physical injury to a Phoenix officer during a traffic stop in January. She was also charged with a DUI even though her blood alcohol levels were under the legal limit.

Body camera footage shows that Valenzuela was slammed to the ground by officer Michael McGillis within seconds of telling him she did not have her ID on her. The young woman was left with a gash on her head, a bleeding hand, scratches and cuts on her face, and bruises on her legs from McGillis assault. On the video footage of the arrest an officer can be heard telling another officer just to CYA[cover your ass] in the paperwork after learning of the extensive injuries she had sustained.
The urgent mood music isnt necessary to convey the real-life trauma unfolding in the casualty ward at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Of course, this was filmed pre-COVID, so theres plenty of room in the ICU for the victims of accidents of the road and machinery variety. Some of tonights unfortunates convey cautionary tales, one about the correct handling of coffee plungers. As with these types of observational programs, the perspectives of the medical staff provide a reality jolt.

Tommy Credit:

TOMMY



8.30pm, Ten

This, perhaps, was the episode that got the local premiere date of this switched-on Edie Falco LAPD drama pushed a bit further back from the start of the recent surge of the Black Lives Matter movement. Just one of the issues on the full plate of Falcos police chief, Tommy is straight off the streets that sparked protest. This pertinent plot is a sideline, though, to the main case that is steeped in the murky, misogynistic realm of professional online gaming.
5 | India to get 100 million AstraZeneca's vaccine shots by December 2020, say Reports: With Covishield, the coronavirus vaccine candidate jointly developed by the University of Oxford and British firm AstraZeneca entering phase 3 trials, Serum Institute of India (SII) has started ramping up the production of the vaccine. The world's largest vaccine maker plans to have 100 million doses ready by December 2020 for an inoculation drive that could begin across India that same month, Bloomberg reported on November 13.

News and updates on a vaccine for the novel coronavirus has the attention of people the world over. With over 1.5 crore people across the globe having contracted the infection, the world is eagerly awaiting a vaccine that would bolster the global fight against COVID-19. Researchers and medical experts are working on various possible candidates that have shown some promise.

Of the various vaccine candidates that are at different trial stages, three have reached the final stage and have reportedly shown good results so far. The vaccine being developed by Oxford University in collaboration with British pharma company AstraZeneca has emerged as the most promising one till date. The other two candidates also at the human trial phase are Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac and Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine.

In India, human trials of COVAXIN, the country's first indigenous COVID-19 developed by the Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), have also begun.

Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine

The vaccine, developed by the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, is being touted as the most promising among the various candidates. It has been licensed to British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The experimental vaccine produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials, preserving hopes that it could be in use by the end of 2020.

Meanwhile, the varsity has tied up with Adar Poonawalla's Serum Institute of India to manufacture and supply the vaccine to India and over 60 other countries. Serum Institute has said it will begin trials of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate by the end of August and the vaccine may reach the market by first quarter of 2021.

Moderna's vaccine

Moderna's vaccine candidate against COVID-19, officially dubbed the mRNA-1273, reportedly led to production of antibodies that can neutralise the novel coronavirus. However, it led to minor side-effects in many patients, according to data from an early-stage trial of the experimental shot.

What is interesting about this particular candidate is that its sequence was finalised by an infectious disease research team at Moderna Therapeutics, along with experts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within two days of the Chinese authorities sharing the genetic sequence of the virus in January earlier this year. Also, it took just 63 days for the potential vaccine to move from the stage of sequence to dosing the first human participant, a process that usually takes six months.

Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac

China's Sinovac Biotech has also dived right into the Phase III trials of its potential coronavirus vaccine in Brazil. With this, it became one of the three companies to move into the late stages in the race to develop an inoculation against the disease. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has also approved the third-phase trial of CoronaVac.
University of Windsor law professor Vasanthi Venkatesh says a new ruling made by the Federal Court of Canada this week will make it easier for those looking to apply for refugee status at Canadian borders.

"It's a momentous decision," Venkatesh told CBC's Windsor Morning on Friday, adding that advocates have pushed for this for a long time.

On Wednesday, the Federal Court of Canada struck down the Safe Third Country Agreement, a plan that has been in place since 2004. The agreement has meant that refugees arriving in the United States and who present themselves at the border looking to make a claim in Canada are denied, with few exceptions.

Typically, these asylum seekers are sent back to the U.S. to make the claim there.

This is because the agreement recognizes both countries as "safe" for migrants and requires refugee claimants to request asylum in the first country they arrive. This has led to thousands of asylum seekers crossing at unofficial border crossings like Roxham Road, on the border between Quebec and New York State.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

This week the Federal Court of Canada's ruling recognizes that sending those refugee claimants back to the U.S. violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The federal government has six months to respond to the ruling.

While it seems unusual that somebody who wants to be in Canada would initially land in the U.S., Venkatesh said it' happens because it's "difficult" to come to Canada.

"I mean we are geographically isolated with just one land border with the United States and it's very difficult to get a visa in to Canada for those who can make it to Canada," she said.

Some in refugee sector anticipate the government will appeal the ruling

Mike Morency, the executive director of Windsor's Matthew House Refugee Centre, said that while the ruling is a good step forward, it'll be some time before an actual change occurs.

"The decision this week is an important one and we are cautiously optimistic," he said. "Really the decision verifies what refugee advocates have been claiming for a while now...that the United States is not in fact a safe and fair country for refugees to have their claim heard."

Story continues

Until they know what the federal government will do in light of this ruling, Morency said nothing actually changes. He added that of those he has spoken to in the refugee sector, many anticipate that the government will appeal the decision and that "the issue will drag on for many more years."

If this is the case, he said it will continue to leave asylum seekers feeling unsafe and prevent them from "rebuilding their lives."

"When there is lack of clarity, people are left hanging...and that's not right, we want people to be back to quickly settle into our community [and] rebuild their lives," he said. "That is held back when their status is in limbo."

Jennifer La Grassa/CBC

Morency said he did speak with some local refugees about the ruling as some were concerned and didn't understand what the decision meant or how it impacted them.

Morency said Windsor doesn't typically see irregular crossings as it is separated from the U.S. by water.
PC Andrew Harper's disgusted mother has slammed 'blue lives murder' T-shirts being sold on Amazon after her son was killed in the line of duty.

Deborah Adlam has started a petition to stop the online store from selling the 18.99 T-shirts which are emblazoned with the slogan 'Blue Lives Murder'.

The slogan, which gained popularity after George Floyd, a black man in the US, died at the hands of the police, is a play on Black Lives Matter and suggests that policemen commit murders.

PC Andrew Harper's disgusted mother has slammed 'blue lives murder' T-shirts being sold on Amazon after her son was killed in the line of duty

Deborah Adlam started a petition to stop the online store from selling the 18.99 T-shirts which are emblazoned with the slogan 'Blue Lives Murder'

Ms Adlam wrote: 'Please sign share the hell out of this... stop Amazon. If this goes again I will. Never buy from them again'.

The T-shirt has previously come under fire from The Police Federation, which represents rank and file British officers, who branded the shirt 'deeply offensive' as it shows an officer with a raised baton, appearing to attack a member of the public.

Amazon has refused to remove the merchandise from its site and a spokesman told The Sun: 'Amazon has strict guidelines in place and follows the local laws of every country we operate in. We also have public policies for third-party sellers, so that they understand the standards we expect of them.

'We have policies governing offensive and controversial materials which are posted publicly, and we invest significant time and resources to ensure our content guidelines are followed.'

A jury's decision to clear the three travellers who killed PC Andrew Harper, pictured left, of murder is 'two fingers up at the criminal justice system', the chairman of the Police Federation John Apter, pictured right, has said

The verdict left PC Harper's widow, Lissie, 'immensely disappointed' and sparked fury from his friends and colleagues. Pictured: PC Andrew Harper with his mother Deborah

It comes after the Police Federation said a jury's decision to clear the three travellers who killed PC Andrew Harper of murder is 'two fingers up at the criminal justice system'.

John Apter's comments come as a family friend of the officer claimed the teenagers 'knew exactly what they were doing', adding that 'they were just preoccupied with their escape at all costs.'

Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole hugged each other yesterday as they were cleared of murdering the police officer by dragging him to his death behind their car - but were convicted of manslaughter.

The verdict left PC Harper's widow, Lissie, 'immensely disappointed' and sparked fury from his friends and colleagues.

Police mugshots of (left to right), driver Henry Long, 19, and his passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18

PC Andrew Harper and his wife Lissie celebrating their wedding at Ardington House in Oxfordshire in summer 2019

Lissie Harper (centre, in white), the widow of PC Harper, outside the Old Bailey in London yesterday. She said she was 'immensely disappointed' that the three teenagers were cleared of murder, describing the crime as 'barbaric'

The 28-year-old officer had tried to stop the thieves stealing a quad bike and his ankles were lassoed by the trailing loading strap as the teenagers tried to escape in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August last year.

For over a mile he was towed helplessly behind the Seat Toledo by his feet as the car reached speeds of up to 60mph with driver Long, 19, swerving violently to try and release the stricken officer.

Long and his two friends Bowers and Cole, both 18, were all accused of murder but convicted only of manslaughter and were seen joyfully embracing each other via a videolink from HMP Belmarsh in London.

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents more than 120,000 officers up to the rank of chief inspector in England and Wales, said: 'What we see far too often is offenders who assault police officers or any emergency worker, who are then let off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

Albert Bowers arriving at Reading Magistrates' Court on September 19, 2019 for an appearance over PC Harper's death

Albert Bowers (left) and Jessie Cole (centre) leaving Reading Magistrates' Court on September 19, 2019

'They're literally putting two fingers up to the criminal justice system.

'There's got to be a deterrent, these are violent individuals. I support the increase but the increase in sentencing is worthless if it doesn't go hand in hand with a complete review and overhaul of the sentencing guidelines.

'At the moment it's almost the exception that people go to prison, that should be turned around. The exception should be that you don't go to prison.'

Long, Bowers and Cole, spent most of their time chasing rabbits and hares with their lurcher dogs and scratched a living by burglary and theft.

How jury was protected amid fears of intimidation - and one was dismissed after mouthing 'Bye boys' to the defendants The PC Andrew Harper case was dogged by alleged attempts to 'frustrate' the investigation and fears over jury nobbling, it can now be reported. Detectives quickly tracked down the car which dragged PC Harper to his death in Berkshire to the Four Houses Corner travellers' site. But the investigation was hampered by family and friends of the occupants, who were all said to have close ties to the site. Thames Valley Police Detective Superintendent Stuart Blaik said: 'A decision was taken very early on to arrest all the males on the site that night. While we were frustrated by family and friends, we have been able to work through that and establish exactly what happened and who was involved.' Supporters of the teenagers - Henry Long, 19, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18 - had crowded into the public gallery of the Old Bailey as the case got under way in March. But no sooner had it started, Mr Justice Edis brought the trial to a halt over an alleged potential plot to intimidate jurors. An unidentified person in the public gallery overlooking the courtroom was seen pointing at jurors. Defence barrister Timothy Raggatt QC dismissed the incident as 'a touch oversensitive'. In the absence of the jury, he said: 'In the circumstances, someone could be pointing for all sorts of reasons. Take, for example, there appear to be a lot of ladies in this court.' But Mr Justice Edis ordered extra security measures to protect the jury. Without divulging details, he said police had received information 'that an attempt is being considered by associates of the defendants to intimidate the jury'. The jury was provided with a private room, and anyone entering the public gallery was asked to provide proof of their identity. A third measure was kept secret. On the day the nation went into lockdown, the original jury was discharged. When the case returned for retrial in June, social distancing in court was introduced to combat the risk of Covid-19 and security was further stepped up. Jurors were referred to by number rather than their name to be sworn in. And uniformed police were out in force during a jury visit to rural Berkshire. Officers lined the narrow country roads as the jury viewed the spot where PC Harper was killed. A police drone buzzed overhead as detectives jump-started the defendants' battered old Seat Toledo as the jury moved on. With the end of the retrial in sight, fears for its integrity surfaced on July 20. An overly friendly juror was seen by a prison officer to mouth 'Bye boys' to the defendants in the dock. On being alerted to the incident, Mr Justice Edis said: 'She must have been compelled by some strong motive to have behaved as she did in this court under the observation of so many. It was both overt and covert at the time, which is remarkable behaviour.' The female juror was discharged just a day before the remaining 11 men and women began deliberating on their verdicts. Advertisement

They had spotted the Honda TRX500 quad bike at the home of Peter Wallis, near Cock Lane, in the village of Bradfield Southend, earlier on August 15 and returned at around 11pm to steal it.

All of them were wearing balaclavas and gloves and they had taped over the car's number plate and disabled the rear lights.

The killers were armed with an axe, crowbars and a length of pipe to use against anyone who tried to stop them.

Mr Wallis called the police saw them taking the bike and hitching the handlebars to the back of the car with the sling.

Long drove off with Bowers in the passenger seat and Cole riding the bike.

PC Harper was in an unmarked BMW with PC Andrew Shaw and was due to finish his shift at 7pm.

The officers were on duty that night in the Reading area and were heading back to their base station at Abingdon when they heard of the incident on the radio and responded to the call.

It was a decision that was to cost PC Harper his life.

When they drove down Admoor Lane they came nose to nose with the Seat going the other way.

The travellers quickly realised it was a police car and Cole unhitched the bike and tried to get to the Seat as it rounded the police car to drive away.

PC Harper jumped out to try and stop Cole getting into the car but he managed to dive in through the passenger side window.

As the car sped away dragging the sling, PC Harper's feet became entangled. Mercifully, he was likely to have been rendered unconscious almost immediately.

PC Shaw had no idea what had happened to his colleague and expected to find him further up the road. But as he reversed up the lane he found PC Harper's shredded and bloodied stab vest lying in the road.

The court was told Long must have known he was dragging the officer and with the music blaring and his friends screaming at him, he tried to free PC Harper by zig zagging along the lane.

By the time the officer fell away from the car at the end of Ufton Lane his body was a 'bloodied mess'.

A police officer who saw the incident thought PC Harper's body was a deer carcass.

The Seat sped away to the travellers site causing other road users to drive into the verge to avoid a collision.

It was tracked by a police helicopter and the travellers were arrested at the site.

Long, Bowers and Cole all admitted conspiracy to steal a quad bike and Long admitted manslaughter.

They insisted they had no idea that PC Harper was trapped behind the car but a macabre re-enactment of the incident with a mannequin showed they must have known the officer was being dragged to his death.

During the trial Long, Bowers and Cole smirked and laughed as details of PC Harper's horrific death were read to the jury.

It can now be reported that Long had previously threatened to 'ram' a police officer as he chatted with a police community support officer (PCSO).

In the conversation in July 2018, ruled inadmissible during the trial, Long said: 'You can't touch me now 'cos I've passed my driving test and if police try to stop me I will ram them.'

Long and Bowers, both of Mortimer, Reading, and Cole, of Bramley, Hampshire, each denied murder and were acquitted.

They will be sentenced next Friday.

Thomas King, 21, of Bramley, earlier admitted conspiring to steal the quad bike.
antitrust hearing amazon google facebook apple

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images/Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images/Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/Business Insider

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Google's Sundar Pichai, Apple's Tim Cook, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos  the leaders of tech's most powerful companies  will face questions from US lawmakers in an antitrust hearing on Wednesday.

The House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee is investigating whether these firms have participated in anti-competitive business practices intended to stomp out smaller rivals and maintain their monopoly on the market.

The hearing, titled "Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 6: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google," will be available to watch via a YouTube live stream.

The CEOs will reportedly give virtual testimonies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is allowed, according to the hearing notice.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google are due to testify in front of Congress on Wednesday in an antitrust hearing.

The House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee will grill the four executives at noon ET, or 9 a.m. PT, July 29 in a publicly streamed session that could potentially last for hours. The hearing was originally scheduled for Monday but was postponed due to the late Rep. John Lewis scheduled to lie in state at the US Capitol this week.

Apple and Google's operating systems have become a ubiquitous piece of technology for millions of consumers, while Facebook has largely dominated the social media space and the ad revenue opportunities therein. And Amazon has taken the retail industry by storm with its goliath e-commerce platforms. But US lawmakers are investigating whether or not these companies have used business practices to squash out smaller rising competitors, in turn keeping themselves at the top of their respective markets.

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Per the subcommittee's press release, "members may participate remotely in this hearing." Anonymous sources told Reuters that the CEOs will attend virtually in light of the pandemic. Though, according to the hearing notice, it's scheduled to take place at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C.

Among the lawmakers that will be questioning the tech CEOs are three that own tens of thousands in stock of some of the tech firms being investigated, as Business Insider's Aaron Holmes reported Thursday.

The hearing will be live-streamed on the House Judiciary Committee's YouTube channel. You can watch it via the embed below:

Read the original article on Business Insider
Moscow has already lost chances to succeed in normalizing its occupation of Crimea, the official believes.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urges the international community to apply more pressure on the Kremlin for Russia's human rights violations in Crimea and militarization of the peninsula.

Read alsoHuman rights activists report repressions against Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea

"Moscow has already lost chances to succeed in normalizing its occupation of Crimea. But the growing grave human rights violations and militarization of Crimea demand increased pressure on the Kremlin to make it end the occupation and return the seized peninsula," he wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

Kuleba reminded that today, July 25, marks two years since the announcement of the Crimean Declaration by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"This historic document has made it crystal clear: the U.S. will never recognize Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea and is ready to maintain this policy until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored," he said.

"I highly appreciate that on the 80th anniversary of the Welles Declaration the U.S. once again reiterated its Crimea policy, sending a strong signal to Moscow: illegal occupation based solely on military power will not work, it's temporary and will end one day," Kuleba added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine negotiations, Kurt Volker said he saw no opportunities for international talks with Russia on the annexed Crimea. So, there must be strong international pressure on the aggressor state.
The City of Laredo announced 170 new positive cases of the novel coronavirus along with two additional deaths due to the virus Saturday. Its the 17th straight day city officials have confirmed 100-plus new cases of COVID-19 and its the 12 time within that span in which the Laredo has seen over 150 new cases occur in a day.

The added positives bring the citys total of recognized cases to 5,042. The two new deaths recorded bring Laredos number to 99. On Thursday, the city confirmed 15 deaths  the greatest number of mortalities recorded in a single day.

The 98th death was a male Webb County resident in his early 60s. He had no underlying health conditions. He died at his home on Friday.

The 99th death was a female Webb County resident in her early 70s with underlying health conditions. She died at Laredo Medical Center on Saturday.

The City and County want to express their most sincere condolences to the families and want them to know that our counselors and our teams are available to support them, the City stated in a release.

In July alone, 74 COVID-related deaths have occurred, accounting for 74.7% of the total recorded.

Of the 5,042 confirmed positives that have occurred within Laredo, people between the age of 20-29 have yielded the greatest of results. Over 1,000 people between the age of 20-29 have tested positive since the virus emergence within the Gateway City  1,199 to be exact. The age group has accounted for 23.8% of the total positive results within the city.

Laredo hospitals continue to struggle with COVID capacity as 160 people remain hospitalized, though alternate options are emerging for patients. There are 79 in the ICU currently, according to city officials. Laredo Specialty Hospital has now opened a coronavirus wing and is treating patients in the city.

As of noon, 15,905 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Laredo, with 9,879 having returned negative. There are still 984 tests pending, with 620 presumed negative due to being over 30 days old. Over a thousand people  1,176 to be exact  have recovered as they passed their mandatory quarantine and have been cleared by city health officials to return to the public.
In case you care as much as I do about our beautiful country, we are in trouble and the politicians sit back and do nothing.

How long will the politicians let the protesters, gangs, murders and robbers destroy our beautiful country?

What we have is home-grown terrorists doing the best they can to bring our country down.

Perhaps they believe it will stop eventually and we will get back to the way it was. Well, it wont unless we do something now.

(Thomas M. Bell is an Arden Heights resident.)
Loading Among his environment goals was a plan to create 200,000 hectares of new national parks within this term. The tally already stands at 157,000 hectares  the bulk of it with the purchase of the giant Narriearra cattle station in far-west NSW  with another 50,000-plus hectares possible over the next six months. On the energy front, he touts among his achievements his rollout of two of the three special renewable energy zones. The first attracted nine times the 3000 megawatts capacity on offer, and the second is targeting 8000 megawatts, or not far shy of the state's entire fleet of coal-fired power plants. Kean also heads the largest faction in the Liberals, the Moderates, working closely with Rob Stokes, the head of the planning cluster of ministries, who also shares many of the same concerns about climate change and renewable energy. "He was a warrior and a factional fighter from the start," a senior figure within the Liberal Party says. "[Kean's] completely outspoken, and most important, is fearless."

Matt Kean, soon after he became Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation in 2017. Portraits of Bobby and John F. Kennedy as well as Martin Luther King Jr. still adorn his parliamentary office. Credit:Nick Moir In the words of someone who has known Kean for decades, his push for the middle is paying off. "He's managed to wedge everyone - Labor, the Greens, the Nats and even the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers." In a wide-ranging interview with The Sun-Herald, Kean says he is "not in politics to be popular, Im in politics to do whats right. "The debate has been dominated too long by ideologues on both sides, and I was going to make the case for the centre of Australian politics to stand up and be counted. the member for Hornsby says. "Its fair to say Ive found my passion but I havent had a Road to Damascus [moment].

Loading "The reason I joined the Liberal party was because I was trying to stop the overdevelopment of my area. It was environmental issues that inspired me to get involved in the political process. Clues to Kean's political heroes and what he calls "true north" aren't hard to spot. Anyone visiting his parliamentary office overlooking the Domain, will see pictures on his walls of US President John F. Kennedy and his brother Bobby but also civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. During last year's debate to remove criminal penalties for conducting abortions that had remained on NSW's books since 1900, Kean described himself as a "progressive Liberal", not so unlike the Kennedys. "I am Catholic. I love the church. I love my faith," he said. "But it is not right to impose my faith on the people of this state." he said.

'I'm not here to administer the state, I'm here to change it': Matt Kean on a flight back to Dubbo after a visit in June to Narriearra, the largest single purchase of land for a national park in NSW's history. Credit:Janie Barriett Deferring to scientific and expert opinion is also what has guided him to put climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the apex of his agenda. This stance has put him at odds with some colleagues, particularly in the National Party, but also with some federal Liberals including Prime Minister Scott Morrison. During an energy conference in Sydney in December where the whiff from the outside bushfire smoke filled the Hilton Hotel conference hall, Kean warned that the extreme weather was "exactly what the scientists warned us would happen". Six weeks later, with the bushfires still raging over much of forested NSW, Kean went on to say members of Morrison's frontbench had privately contacted him to offer support for his comments linking the fires with climate change. 'Delicate dance': Energy Minister Matt Kean with Deputy Premier and NSW National Party leader John Barilaro at a solar farm near Dubbo in June. Credit:Janie Barrett

Loading Morrison's angry response only elevated the issue and Kean's profile: "Matt Kean doesnt know what hes talking about, he doesnt know whats going on in the federal cabinet and most of the federal cabinet wouldnt even know who Matt Kean was. Such a comment was unlikely to be true. As a prominent factional leader in the most populous state, Kean was busily negotiating with various federal ministers, sometimes forcing them to cough up more than they intended. For instance, when the Morrison government was trying to walk away from the National Energy Guarantee that had toppled Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister, the NSW government led by Kean decided to play hardball. While attending a gathering of federal and state environment ministers in Adelaide in early November, Kean spent much of the time taking phone calls from Angus Taylor, the federal energy minister.

In exchange for dropping support for Turnbull's energy plan, Kean asked Taylor to stump up $1 billion for an alternative proposal to bolster the take-up of renewable energy through extra transmission and other support. Taylor came back with an offer of half that, only to be told by Kean that he was holding out for the initial sum. Eventually the federal government folded. "We got a better deal than under the NEG," Kean says. The debate should be won by the best arguments, not the noisiest voices: Matt Kean, near Hornsby, on Friday. Credit:Nick Moir For his part, Taylor says "the Commonwealth is very happy with the NSW Energy Deal that secured substantial funding for energy and emissions reductions projects and 70 petajoules of additional gas for Australian consumers".

Loading Kean has also challenged the federal government over last week's decision to release the long-awaited interim report on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act review. Graeme Samuel, the former competition regulator, has called for an independent compliance and enforcement regulator - a recommendation immediately ruled out by Sussan Ley, the federal environment minister. Kean says he had no problem reducing duplication between federal and state law "but Ive got a big problem with anything that will weaken the environmental protections that we have. Having an arm's-length regulator would also be very much within Liberal traditions, and it should have real powers. "What can be more important for a conservative government than upholding the rule of law?" Kean says. "Businesses that want to harm or put peoples health at risk or pollute our environment should face the full force of the law.

Kean was in Canberra the day after the Morrison government released the EPBC review. He did not get to meet Ley - who was apparently unavailable - but he did catch up with David Lindenmayer, a prominent ecologist at the Australian National University. NSW Environment Minister, Matt Matt Kean (in blue shirt), meets dancers in the newly expanded Mutawintji national park during a visit in September 2019. Credit:Janie Barrett Lindenmayer says there hasn't been as active an environment minister in NSW since Labor's Bob Debus, 20 years ago. Kean "seems to be really committed and really engaged with the science". Chris Gambian, head of the NSW Nature Conservation Council, describes Kean as a "breath of fresh air", but notes that the bar had been set very low by some of his predecessors. "His starting point is not hating us and not wanting to kill us," Gambian says half-jokingly. "But he has shown that conservation doesn't belong to the left side of politics."

Loading Critics such as Labor's environment spokeswoman Kate Washington say Kean has not managed to halt the large-scale land clearing unleashed by the weakening of native vegetation laws by the Coalition in 2016. Nor has he introduced a clean air strategy or one for plastics, and has had to cede ground to the Nationals over water and other issues. "The Berejiklian government has a terrible track record protecting our environment," she says. "Land clearing has increased 1300 per cent, koalas are on the brink of extinction and our water is being sold off to the highest bidder." In Kean's view, though, a "delicate dance" is needed to bring the Nationals along, such as convincing them of the benefits of renewables and expanded national parks: bringing in jobs, lower power prices and more tourists to the regions.
Iran's IRGC Highlights Role As Judicial Enforcer With New Arrests, Business Closures

Radio Farda July 24, 2020

Revolutionary Guard and the Judiciary in separate statements Thursday announced that the Intelligence Unit of the Guards has arrested several officials of an industrial company in Alborz Province and has shut down fifty real estate agencies in various cities of Yazd Province.

The statement clearly presented the IRGC Intelligence Organization as an arm of the Judiciary.

The public relations of the Guards in Yazd said the agencies that were shut down "had been suspected of causing disruptions in the real estate market" and were shut down and sealed off by the Intelligence Unit of the Revolutionary Guard.

The Judiciary Department of Alborz Province in its statement said a number of officials of Alborz Industrial Estates Company who have been accused of financial and economic misconduct were arrested for "implementation of anti-corruption plans".

The statement did not offer any other information regarding the arrests and the identity of the officials accused of misconduct but said the result of investigations would be made public when completed.

In 2015 the Ninth Parliament amended the Law of the Criminal Procedure and included the Revolutionary Guard's Intelligence Unit as one of the enforcing arms of the Judiciary.

In the midst of a serious economic crisis and political, social tensions the Iranian regime is eager to show it is fighting corruption.

The fearsome intelligence body's activities are not limited to enforcement on behalf of the Judiciary. The intelligence agency has been criticized for meddling in various political and economic cases and as a parallel organization to the Intelligence Ministry.

The Revolutionary Guard's Intelligence Unit has a free hand in arresting and interrogating politicians, journalists, student activists and even ordinary Iranians such as social media celebrities for what they call "breaking the norms of the society" and has a strong cyber-policing outfit.

In April 2018 the outspoken reformist lawmaker Mahmoud Sadeqi in an open letter to Hossein Ta'eb (Taeb), appointed by the Supreme Leader as the head of the organization, said his subordinates ignored the legal standards set for investigations and neglected the legitimate and lawful rights of those detained.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-s-irgc- highlights-role-as-judicial-enforcer-with-new- arrests-business-closures/30744886.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Authorities in Cambodia on Friday violently dispersed the wives and family members of detained opposition activists holding a protest in of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to call for their immediate and unconditional release, according to members of the group.

Seventeen Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) activists have been held in pretrial detention at Prey Sar Prison on charges of incitement to commit a felony since early this year after voicing views critical of Prime Minister Hun Sens leadershipaccusations rights groups say represent restrictions on their freedom of expression.

Fridays rally marked the sixth protest organized by the family membersthe previous five of which featured police officers confiscating or destroying banners and ordering the crowd to disband.

But Prumh Chantha, the wife of one of the activists, told RFAs Khmer Service that this time around 30 of the courts security guards aggressively dragged the protesters away from the building on the ground, leaving at least five of them injured with cuts and bruises.

Prumh Chantha was among those injured. She said four guards pulled her from the courts fence so violently that she can barely walk and has been receiving medical care through local rights group Licadho.

We want their freedom returned to them, she said.

We are all Khmer people, but these men violently attacked unarmed women. [The guards] abused us and dragged us by our feet, as if we were animals.

After leaving the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, the group marched to the British Embassy, where five representatives were permitted to enter and present petitions to staff calling for an intervention in the cases of their loved ones.

Speaking to RFA, Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Sar Thet rejected claims of police brutality during the protest.

I advised the authorities not to provoke violence against our citizens, he said, adding that police officers did not drag any women away from the courts fence.

The guards took pictures as evidence. Their allegations are not true.

Am Sam Ath, deputy director of Licadhos Human Rights Investigation Team, called Fridays action an abuse of the freedom of expression and said that in a democracy, people should have the right to peaceful protests.

I urge the authorities not to use any violence against any demonstrations, regardless of whether organizers have asked for permission, to avoid further criticism, he said.

Bail denied

Fridays protest came as Cambodias Appeals Court denied a bail request for CNRP activists Sun Thun and Peat Mab, who were arrested by authorities in Kampong Thom and Siem Reap in May and June, respectively, on charges of incitement and treason for supporting the repatriation of CNRP acting president Sam Rainsy.

The CNRP was disbanded by the Supreme Court in November 2017 for its alleged role in a plot to overthrow the government. Sam Rainsy is living in self-imposed exile in France to avoid a string of charges and convictions he says are politically motivated.

The pairs lawyer, Sam Sokong, told RFA his clients plan to appeal their cases to the Supreme Court because they consider the cases against them unjust.

The court didnt agree with our request, so we will appeal to the Supreme Court to further examine the case, he said.

Sun Thuns son, Thun Theany, said his father is innocent and called on the court to set him free.

The decision was unjust because the court is under the governments influence, he said.

Campaign to end impunity

The actions over the CNRP activists detention came as CNRP deputy president Mu Sochua called on Hun Sen to end impunity in Cambodia, where rights campaigners say that the prime ministers political cronies and the wealthy benefit from a justice system that is aligned with their interests.

The CNRP launched a campaign on July 10, to align with the fourth anniversary of the murder of political commentator and social activist Kem Ley, who was shot to death in broad daylight on July 10, 2016 while having a morning coffee at a Caltex gas station mini marketdays after publicly criticizing Hun Sen and his family for abuse of power and unexplained wealth.

Authorities charged a former soldier named Oeuth Ang with Kem Leys murder and sentenced him to life in prison in March 2017. In May last year, court authorities rejected his appeal and upheld his sentence, but many in Cambodia do not believe the governments story that Kem Ley was killed by the man over a debt.

May Hun Sen be informed that justice is for everyonewe would like to invite him to join us in finding justice for Cambodia, Mu Sochua told RFA.

Let it start from Hun Sen, who is the leader of the country. Please demonstrate your political will to end impunity in Cambodia. There are international tools, including those from the U.N., that are at our disposal. We can start by commissioning independent investigations. Dont stymie efforts for such investigations.

The End Impunity in Cambodia campaign, which recorded more than 5,000 signatures through a petition as of Friday, calls for Hun Sen and his allies to be tried before an independent justice system for each victim murdered by the Hun Sen regime since the signing of the Paris Peace Accords of 1991, which ended civil war and established democratic elections in the country.

We demand justice through independent investigations of these killings, the petition says, adding that there will be no real peace until we create an end to impunity together.

The petition calls on signatories of the Paris Peace Accords to impose visa sanctions and freeze the assets of Hun Sen and those directly implicated in the extrajudicial killings.

In response to the petition, Hun Sen has called for justice for himself, noting that he was the intended victim of an assassination in 1998.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun and Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday said that it will hear on July 27 the appeal filed by Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi against High Court's earlier order to defer anti-defection proceedings against former Dy CM Sachin Pilot and 18 Congress MLAs till July 24.

The Rajasthan HC had on July 24 directed the status quo in the case.

Amid the ongoing political crisis, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said if necessary, Congress MLAs will meet the President and hold a sit-in outside the Prime Minister's home to settle the crisis in the state.

According to sources, Gehlot said this while addressing a Congress Legislature Party meeting held at the hotel where MLAs loyal to him are holed up. He also told the MLAs that they may have to stay put there longer.

The Chief Minister asked us to remain prepared to stay longer at the hotel. If required, he said, we would go to meet the President and would also hold a dharna outside the prime minister's residence, a Congress party leader said.

On Friday, Congress MLAs had squatted on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan for several hours, demanding that Governor Kalraj Mishra should summon a session of the Vidhan Sabha so that they can prove their majority.

Gehlot alleged that the Governor was under pressure from above not to summon a session, hinting that the BJP government at the Centre was involved in the tussle for power in the state.

The BJP condemned the sit-in at Raj Bhawan, and an earlier remark by Gehlot that we will not be responsible if the people of the state gherao. The dharna at the Raj Bhawan was called off Friday night, according to the Congress, after Mishra said he will abide by the Constitution but not act under any pressure.

The Governor asked Gehlot to submit again his recommendation for a session, clarifying six points. These included queries on the free movement of MLAs and the reason the session needs to be called urgently.

The CM on Saturday sought time to meet the Governor and submit a redrafted recommendation for a session. Gehlot's government has been under threat after his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot rebelled.

Eighteen other dissident MLAs have also defied the party whip to attend CLP meetings. Including the 19 dissidents, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly and the BJP 72.
The head of one of Australia's toughest motorbike gangs has been arrested after allegedly bragging on social media he wouldn't get caught.

Tayne Clarkson, 21 allegedly issued a direct challenge to New South Wales police to try and track him down in the weeks before his dramatic arrest in Western Sydney on Thursday.

The president of the Gold Coast branch of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang was on the run from Queensland police over a violent armed robbery.

Tayne Clarkson, 21 (picture) allegedly issued a direct challenge to New South Wales police to try and track him down in the weeks before his dramatic arrest in Western Sydney on Thursday

Officers from Strike Force Raptor tracked Clarkson down to a home on Rymill Road in Tregear on Thursday afternoon before he was spotted leaving with two associates.

After tailing the car armed police pulled him over on the Great Western Highway at Mount Druitt just after 1pm, reported the Daily Telegraph.

He was charged with drug possession and supply after police allegedly found 16kg of the drug MDMA under the front seat of the car.

Police later searched the Tregear home for guns, but were unsuccessful.

The high ranking bikie pleaded guilty to both offences at the Mount Druitt local court on Friday where he was refused bail.

Officers from Strike Force Raptor arrested Clarkson (pictured) after tailing a car in Western Sydney on Thursday

The head of the Gold Coast branch of the Finks motorcycle gang was seen sitting on the ground after being arrested by police

The court heard officers tracked him down after keeping a close eye on his Instagram account 'Cashedarp', where he had been posting taunting messages.

This included a post which allegedly read: 'F**k Raptor. They cant catch me.'

In other posts he bragged about evading police.

Officers also alleged they had witnessed a gun in the background of one of his Instagram live videos.

He has been banned from associating with anyone connected to a bikie gang or any locations frequented by bikies.

Police suggested he might flee again if he was granted bail, telling the courts he was 'well aware of his wanted status'.

The case will return to court in September.
Barring a last-minute change of mind, the Narendra Modi government is unlikely to allow the reopening of schools in the next phase of easing of restrictions that is expected next week, according to top officials involved in the discussions related to this.

The officials, who asked not to be named added that metro rail services too may not start soon while gymnasium and swimming pools might also remain out of bounds, as part of the measures to check the further spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

After a 68 day hard lockdown ended on may 31, the government has announced two phases it termed Unlock 1.0 and Unlock 2.0, in June and July respectively. Each phase has allowed more activities across domains -- in an effort to revive economic activity, and return to a semblance of normalcy.

Also Read: What if people die?: CM Uddhav Thackeray warns against lifting lockdown

To be sure, most activities have been allowed only outside so-called containment zones where there are still clusters of infections. And states have been allowed the freedom to impose restrictions again if they feel the need to. India continues to see the number of Covid-19 cases rise. It added 48,458 cases on Saturday to take its total case tally to 1,383,959.

The HRD ministry on Monday began consultation with states and other stakeholders on reopening of schools which have been closed since March due to the pandemic. In the meeting chaired by the Secretary, School Education, Anita Karwal, state education secretaries also deliberated upon health and safety of students, hygiene measures in schools and issues regarding online and digital education.

Also Read: Dharavi takes battle against Covid-19 ahead, comes forward to donate plasma

Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said in June that suggestions would be sought from parents on schools repoening, which would be examined and sent to the health ministry and ministry of home affairs.

After an extensive consultation, the HRD ministry has conveyed to the Centres Covid-19 sitaution managers that many parents dont favour reopening of schools at this stage. HRD ministry told us that many parents have even requested that schools be opened only after the vaccine is developed, said one of the officials cited above. India will start the trial of the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine next month and top official are hopeful that if the trials are successful, the vaccine can be rolled out by December.

Also Read: Kejriwal, Jain inaugurate 450-bed Covid centre in Burari govt hospital

We need to be very careful about schools because childrens health is of paramount importance, said a second official.

HT also learns that while there is a recognition that metro services will help the situation return to normal, it still comes with attendant risks, especially in cities such as Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore. Suburban train services have been operational in Mumbai since June 15, although they are meant only for workers providing essential services.

Also Read: CM Yogi Adityanath wants a lakh Covid tests daily in Uttar Pradesh by Monday

Large congregation, which have been banned from the beginning of the lockdown, may continue to be prohibited. The government has already decided to celebrate Independence Day with such restrictions in place and even the At Home at Rashtrapati Bhawan on the afternoon of Independence Day is being scaled down significantly.

On Friday, cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba told nine states at a special review meeting that two to three-day lockdowns alone are not enough to slow the spread of the disease -- some states have started imposing such lockdowns -- and pointed out while some states have demonstrated the situation can be turned around others have showed how it can deteriorate.

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Adam Milne, the owner of Old Town Pizza & Brewing, realized he had to shut down his flagship Portland taproom on July 9 after the business closed out the day with just $18.75 in sales.

As he walked through downtown and saw the boarded-up storefronts and empty streets that day, it was hard for Milne to envision customers returning to his restaurant anytime soon. He knew he couldnt keep bleeding money by keeping the taproom open.
A COVID-19 vaccine likely won't be "widely available" in the U.S. until "several months" into next year, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Friday.

"I think as we get into 2021, several months in, that you would have vaccine that would be widely available to people in the United States," Fauci told the Washington Post's Bob Costa during a Post Live event.

It was a clear acknowledgment that approval, manufacturing and distribution of a vaccine would take months, even if one is found to work by the end of this year.

"The key word there, Bob, is widely available," Fauci said.

Fauci noted that some companies have claimed they could have a vaccine available before the end of the year. "I'm a little skeptical about that, but, you know, anything is possible," he told the Post.

"It is likely that in the beginning of next year we would have tens of millions of doses available," he added. "The companies who are involved in making these vaccines, many of which the federal government is in deep collaboration with, promised that as we get into 2021, there will be hundreds of millions of doses. And then maybe sometime thereafter, billions of doses."

Fauci also said that as many people as possible should get vaccinated for influenza this year, since the pandemic will complicate flu season.

The latest numbers

At least 4.1 million coronavirus cases and more than 145,000 deaths have been recorded in the United States, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Fauci's assessment comes after the U.S. hit a sobering 4 million cases of COVID-19 and the rising daily rate of confirmed cases and hospitalizations suggest the virus is far from under control, medical experts are urging political leaders to shut down the country and start over to contain the pandemic.

As the numbers climb, more than 150 prominent U.S. medical experts, scientists, teachers, nurses and others have signed a letter to political leaders urging them to shut down the country and start over to contain the surging coronavirus pandemic.

"Right now we are on a path to lose more than 200,000 American lives by November 1st. Yet, in many states people can drink in bars, get a haircut, eat inside a restaurant, get a tattoo, get a massage, and do myriad other normal, pleasant, but non-essential activities," the letter said.

Coronavirus is set to become a leading cause of death in the U.S., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mortality statisticians told CNN via email Thursday.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also sounded the alarm Thursday during a CNN coronavirus town hall.

"Infection rates in the U.S. are deeply troubling because the summer, when it's warmer, when people are outdoors more, actually it's easier to reduce the infection than it's going to be out in the fall," said Gates, who is helping fund the development of coronavirus vaccine efforts through his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. "So we're in a very tough situation."

And officials in Alaska have begun isolating, monitoring and caring for 96 employees of a seafood processing plant in Seward, according to a news release from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. CNN has reached out to the company, OBI Seafoods, for comment.

Citing an increasing rate of transmission, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced the state is tightening restrictions on restaurants, bars, fitness centers, movie theaters, weddings and funerals.

"If we let the virus get even more control, it will have an even more devastating impact over the long term in our economy, and certainly in our health, and the very lives of our loved ones," he said at a news conference.

How states are handling major outbreaks

Cases are starting to plateau in the four states  Texas, California, Arizona and Florida  that have seen large increases, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator, said Friday.

Birx compared what's been going on in these states to the outbreak in New York in the spring, adding "it's very serious and it's very real."

A judge in Starr County, Texas, issued a shelter-at-home order until Aug. 11. It went into effect Friday morning. Starr County, along the U.S.-Mexico border, includes Rio Grande City.

States across the country are struggling with local outbreaks.

New Mexico, Hawaii and Missouri all reported records for new daily cases Thursday.

For the fourth straight day, Los Angeles County reported more than 2,000 additional confirmed cases, Health Officer Muntu Davis announced in a news briefing.

And officials in Alaska began isolating, monitoring and caring for 96 employees of a seafood processing plant in Seward, according to a news release from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. CNN has reached out to the company, OBI Seafoods, for comment.

Citing an increasing rate of transmission, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced the state is tightening restrictions on restaurants, bars, fitness centers, movie theaters, weddings and funerals.

Where the new school year stands

The resurgence in cases, and likely ongoing presence of the virus, has ignited debate about how to proceed with the new school year.

Vice President Mike Pence was expected to participate in a roundtable discussion about reopening Indiana schools, according to his official schedule.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday that the state will delay in-person learning through at least Labor Day as cases break records in the state.

By contrast, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said his state will introduce a plan to reopen schools Tuesday.

New guidance from the CDC is strongly in favor of sending students back to the classroom, saying that available evidence shows that coronavirus does not possess as great a risk to children. With the services and instruction offered in school, the CDC guidance said virtual learning can be a disadvantage to American students.

Learning more on risks to mothers and infants

Researchers are still learning how the virus impacts certain groups, with results sometimes changing earlier guidance.

New guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics released Wednesday said that mothers infected with the virus can safely stay in the same room as their newborns if safety measures are taken.

"What we now know is the risk of the newborn becoming infected around the time of birth is low when safety precautions are taken to protect the baby," said lead author of the guidance Dr. Karen Puopolo in a statement. "In fact, the risk in the short-term appears to be no greater if mother and infant room-in together using infection control measures compared to physical separation of the infant in a room separate from the mother."

A study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health supported that guidance.

Researchers reported no cases of viral transmission among 120 babies born to 116 COVID-positive mothers, even when both shared a room and the mothers breastfed.

Stop the spread of COVID-19



To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the CDC recommends wearing a face mask.

Masks are required in public places in some states and businesses. Multiple major retailers have announced mask requirement policies as the nation continues to see a large number of cases reported in certain areas.

The CDC also recommends you keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and others.

Make sure to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

For more tips on how to stay safe, CLICK HERE.


Tensions rose along the India-Nepal border on Friday after a few Nepalese citizens allegedly hurled stones at a team of the Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) on a routine patrol in "no man's land" in Uttarakhand.

The incident happened around the missing pillar number 811 on no mans land," said Superintendent of Police Champawat Lokeshwar Singh, adding the SSB team on Saturday again inspected the area.

Official sources said the no mans land has remained a "bone of contention" between both the countries for a long time. With growing tensions between the nations, the impact is visible along this part of the border.

Pithoragarh and Champawat are the two districts of Uttarakhand that share a border with Darchula and Kairali districts of Nepal.

Earlier this week, a few Nepalese citizens had reportedly tried to fence an area around a missing pillar in no mans land having first planted saplings around it.

However, the SSB and the Nepalese army swung into action and a joint team inspected the area on Thursday and decided to clear any "encroachments".
Arjuna Nanayakkara, new head of LSEG groups Shared Services Centre in Sri Lanka View(s):

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) this week announced that Arjuna Nanayakkara has been appointed as the Head of Shared Services Centre  Sri Lanka. He will be responsible for managing, building, and extending the capabilities of the centre in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Nanayakkara joins LSEG from Global Market Technologies (GMT), formerly known as Mubasher/Direct FN where he held multiple leadership roles during a 13-year tenure. He was part of the strategic leadership responsible for transforming GMT into a leader in financial markets by establishing and operating an enterprise scale technology and support centre with global standards.

Prior to GMT, he has worked at Richard Pieris and developed large format retail operations and modern supply chain management for the group.

Commenting on this appointment, Global Head of Shared Services, Dee Liyanwela, said in a media release: Im delighted to welcome Arjuna to the group. His proven experience in steering global organisations to reach exceptional top-line and bottom-line results will help LSEG Sri Lanka in building and extending our capabilities here in Sri Lanka.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 23

By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:

Russia has significantly increased exports of oil bitumen by rail to Uzbekistan, Trend reports citing Argus agency.

The bulk of bitumen in the first half of the year came to Uzbekistan: shipments in this direction rose to 64,700 tons. In the first half of 2019, Russia exported 300 tons of bitumen to Uzbekistan.

In May 2020, Russian bitumen shipments to Uzbekistan doubled as compared to April 2020 to 13,300 tons.

Meanwhile, Russia produced 2.6 million tons of bitumen, 22.3 percent more than last year, in the first five months of 2020.

The increase in demand for bitumen in Uzbekistan is due to active road construction, the message said.

Dutch Lumidea engineering company will build a plant for the production of asphalt and concrete products in Khiva city in Uzbekistans Fergana region, according to the signed agreement in September 2019. Lumidea Engineering will construct an asphalt plant for $15 million.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
EIB

The EU bank has approved 450 million in financing for Trenitalia.

The new resources will go towards the purchase of 135 less polluting and more efficient trainsets, almost half of which will be for southern Italy.

An initial tranche of 150 million has already been finalised via the subscription of an FS corporate bond.

The EU bank is supporting FS Italiane Group's investment plan covering new trainsets for Trenitalia's regional transport division. The trains will be less polluting and more efficient, and almost half will be for southern Italy. This is the goal of 450 million in European Investment Bank (EIB) financing for FS Italiane (parent company of the Trenitalia transport company) announced today by EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco and FS Italiane Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Gianfranco Battisti.

150 million of the total has already been finalised via the subscription of a corporate bond under FS EMTN programme, concluded by way of private placement, confirming the group's commitment to sustainable finance.

The recently subscribed operation will finance the purchase of the first 43 trainsets ordered of a total of 135 covered by Trenitalia's investment plan.

The new trains will operate on internal routes in several Italian regions (including Calabria, Lazio, Molise, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Valle dAosta). The 135 hybrid trainsets will have three or four passenger carriages. Trenitalia's overall investment for this kind of train totals almost 960 million, covering the renewal of regional fleets on lines where electrification is not yet complete. The trains will be equipped with cutting-edge motors for non-electrified lines, with a pantograph for electrified lines and batteries for the last mile of non-electrified lines, thereby avoiding the use of fuel and the related emissions close to urban centres.

For the EIB, this operation is completely in line with its new status as a climate bank, the aim of which is to mobilise 1 trillion in new investment to tackle climate change in all sectors of the economy between 2020 and 2030.

For FS Italiane, this deal broadens the range of financing instruments used by the group since 2017 and that, from this year, includes not only public green bonds but also loans and private placement operations based on ESG principles and designed to finance projects with reduced environmental impact that encourage rail transport.

We have been working with Ferrovie dello Stato Group for a long time  for example, in recent decades the EIB has been the main financier of high-speed rail between Naples and Milan. This partnership has continued over the last few decades and is being renewed now with an operation enabling millions of passengers to travel on new trains that are considerably less polluting than in the past, in line with the EIB's goals as a climate bank, said EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco.
By Online Desk

The Delhi Police on Saturday charged former JNU student Sharjeel Imam with sedition in a case related to anti-CAA riots earlier this year.

The agency filed the final report under various sections including 124-A (Sedition), 153(A) (Promoting enmity), 153-A (promoting enmity, Hatred between different communities), 153-B (Assertion prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (spreading rumours) of IPC and under the sections of stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

"He is accused of delivering seditious speeches and inciting a particular section of the community to indulge in unlawful activities, detrimental to sovereignty and integrity of the nation," the charge sheet said.

"In the garb of protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, he exhorted people of a particular community to block the highways leading to the major cities and resort to 'Chakka Jam', thereby disrupting normal life," it said.

It further alleged that Iman openly defied the Constitution and called it a "fascist" document.

"In the name of opposing 'CAA' he also openly propagated blocking the 'chicken neck' connecting the mainland India with the Northeast.

Imam was arrested on January 28 from Bihars Jehanabad district under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his alleged inflammatory speech in the wake of the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Imam who has been lodged at the Central Jail in Guwahati since February 20 for seditious statements, has tested positive for Covid-19.

(With PTI inputs)
In June, public health officials in Oregon said they could pinpoint many of the states new COVID-19 infections to outbreaks at nursing homes, food processing plants and a northeastern Oregon church.

But in the past few weeks that has dramatically changed: Large outbreaks have been surfacing less frequently and public health officials say theyre increasingly struggling to identify the circumstances under which Oregonians are becoming exposed to the coronavirus.

The states latest weekly report of new infections reflects just that. It outlines the number of new infections across the state by ZIP code from July 13-19, the latest week for which data is available. For many parts of Oregon, the report offers no clues for why new infections are on the rise.

Last week, contact tracers couldnt identify the source of a record 48% of new infections. The Oregon Health Authority has said it needs to keep that figure below 30 percent to keep the virus at bay.

Heres a ZIP code breakdown of where the virus spread in the highest numbers in the week July 13-19:

#1: 97838 -- Hermiston

This is the states viral epicenter, and the situation continues to worsen at an accelerating rate. This ZIP code recorded 212 new infections from July 13-19 -- jumping from 629 known cases to 841 cases since the start of the pandemic. Thats a 33% increase in just a week.

This ZIP code, which encompasses the northeastern Oregon city of Hermiston, now has surpassed the Newport ZIP code of 97365 as the Oregon ZIP code with the most cases per capita -- about 322 cases per every 10,000 people. Thats about nine times higher than the average per capita rate statewide, which stands at about 37 cases per 10,000 residents.

The biggest single contributor to the weeks explosive growth in 97838 appears to be 37 cases reported from a new outbreak at the nursing home Regency Hermiston Nursing and Rehab Center. One person has died.

Workplace outbreaks have been contributing to the numbers slightly. Fifteen people have fallen ill from a new outbreak at Good Shepherd Hospital.

Ten new cases also were traced to a new outbreak at the Walmart Supercenter store in Hermiston. An existing outbreak at the Walmart Distribution Center more than three miles away grew by eight cases, to a total of 23.

But much of the spread appeared to be what public health officials have deemed sporadic spread.

The rising number of cases in Hermiston is so concerning that Oregon State University announced Wednesday that it will test an estimated 400 to 500 randomly selected people in the community this weekend to better understand the prevalence of the disease there. The researchers also plan to test the citys sewage system for the prevalence of the virus.

#2: 97071 -- Woodburn

This ZIP code encompasses Woodburn and some rural lands around it. Cases here climbed by 69, to a total of 435.

This area is home to a number of agricultural facilities and workers, who are known to be disproportionately affected by the virus reach. But whats fueling the increase isnt clear.

The Oregon Health Authority reported two small active outbreaks at workplaces during the week ending July 19. An outbreak at the meat processing company BrucePac at 380 S. Pacific Highway has amounted to five cases so far. An existing outbreak at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility grew by one case, from six cases to seven.

This ZIP code has 144 cases per 10,000 residents, about four times higher than the per capita rate across the state.

#3: 97914 -- Ontario

This ZIP code sits just west of the Oregon-Idaho border. Infections here rose by 67 cases, to a total of 374.

Long-term adult care facilities appear to be driving some of the increase. An outbreak at Brookdale Assisted Living grew by seven, to 39 total cases. Three people have died in relation to that outbreak so far -- two of them during the week July 13-19.

A new outbreak of five cases was reported at Dorian Place Assisted Living.

On top of that, an outbreak at the Snake River Correctional Institution grew by two cases, from 117 to 119. The Oregon Health Authority also reported a new outbreak of five cases at the Walmart Supercenter store in Ontario.

This ZIP code has 195 cases per 10,000 residents, about five times higher than statewide average.

#4: 97233 -- Southeast Portland and Gresham

This area is making yet another appearance on this weekly list of ZIP codes with the most new infections in Oregon.

It encompasses a chunk of Southeast Portland that stretches east into Greshams Rockwood neighborhood -- and David Douglas High School and the blocks between Southeast 122nd and 202nd avenues.

Cases in 97233 grew by 66, to a total of 424. No recent workplace, nursing home, church or daycare outbreaks appear to have contributed to the numbers here. In the past, the Multnomah County health officials have said a high percentage of residents in this area are essential workers who are at greater risk of being exposed to the virus and the disease is spreading in clusters in these residents families and as these residents socialize with each other.

The per capita rate of infections here, at 103 per 10,000 residents, is close to three times the state average.

#5: 97080 -- Gresham

This area includes the southern parts of Gresham and some outlying areas, from Jenne Butte Park in the west to Oxbow Regional Park in the east. Its a mix of businesses, homes and rural lands.

Cases here grew by 64 from one week to the next, bringing the total cases to 244. Thats an increase of about 36%.

Its unclear whats driving the growth in cases here. The Oregon Health Authority reported no outbreaks in workplaces or elsewhere. But 97080 is next to a contiguous cluster of east Portland and Gresham ZIP codes -- 97230, 97233 and 97236 -- where the virus has been spreading persistently.

The per capita rate of infections in 97080 isnt much higher than the statewide average, though -- with about 55 infections per 10,000 residents here, compared to about 37 per 10,000 residents statewide.

#6: 97236 -- Southeast Portland

This ZIP code has made frequent appearances on the weekly list of most new infections in the state.

Infections in 97236 grew by 50 over the week, reaching a total of 439.

Its unclear whats driving the increase, because the Oregon Health Authority has reported no outbreaks in workplaces or elsewhere in this ZIP code recently.

Public health officials have said in the past that the virus is spreading at a steady clip in 97236 because of the high number of essential workers living here who are at greater risk of being exposed to the virus. They have been unknowingly transmitting it within their own families and as they socialize with others outside their households, officials said.

The per capita rate of new cases in 97236 is 107 per 10,000 residents, close to triple the statewide average.

#7: 97801 -- Pendleton

New infections here grew by 47, to a total of 192 since the pandemic began.

The northwestern edge of the Pendleton areas 97801 borders the northeastern edge of the Hermiston areas 97838, which is the states hottest coronavirus spot per capita. So given its close proximity, its no surprise that the Pendleton ZIP code is experiencing a surge in cases.

An ongoing outbreak at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution doubled from 14 to 28 from July 13-19.

Cases at Hill Meat Co. grew by one, to 10 cases.

The prevalence of the disease in the Pendleton area is still relatively low compared to neighboring Hermiston. In the Pendleton ZIP code, infections stood at about 91 per 10,000 residents -- about 2.5 times more prevalent than the average statewide.

#8: 97701 -- Bend

This ZIP code covers a large swath of northern Bend and areas to the east and west.

Cases here more than doubled -- growing by 42, to a total of 112.

Its unclear whats driving the outbreak in 97701, but the neighboring ZIP code of 97702 saw a new outbreak at Mt. Bachelor Memory Care of 31 cases.

Overall, the per capita rate of cases in 97701 is still relatively low, given the small number of new infections in previous weeks and months. About 28 per 10,000 residents have been infected -- below the statewide average of about 37.

#9: 97230 -- Northeast Portland

This area covers residential and industrial districts just south of the Columbia River, from Northeast 122nd Avenue to 201st Avenue.

Cases here rose by 41, to 254 total cases.

The Oregon Health Authority reported no outbreaks at workplaces, nursing homes, churches or elsewhere in 97230.

The per capita rate of cases was 63 per 10,000 residents, about 1.7 times the statewide rate.

#10: 97882 -- Umatilla

This northeastern ZIP code, just south of the Oregon-Washington border, saw 40 new cases -- with cases climbing from 163 to 203. Thats a 25% jump.

The Oregon Health Authority reported a new outbreak this month at plastic pipe manufacturer JM Eagle in Umatilla, with 10 cases.

Besides that, its unclear whats driving the outbreak, but the ZIP code borders the states hottest coronavirus spot, Hermiston.

The per capita rate of infections in 97882 is 250 per 10,000 residents -- thats more than six times the statewide average.

Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter

-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee

Oregonian staffer Mark Friesen contributed to this story.

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The idea of developing the 4.36 billion-barrel Nasiriyah oilfield in southern Iraqs Dhi Qar province has been seriously mooted by the each of the rapid succession of governments in Iraq since it was discovered by the Iraq National Oil Company in 1975. These plans have variously been for the standalone development of the oil field or its development within the broader scope of the Nasiriyah Integrated Project (NIP) that also includes the corollary construction of a 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery. All major plans stalled in one way or another but last weeks signing of an 18-month contract to international oil and gas well drilling company Weatherford International with the Iraqi Drilling Company (IDC) to provide services and project management for the drilling and completion of 20 wells in the Nasiriyah field signals that a sustained and substantial development of Iraqs hidden hydrocarbons gem may finally be underway.

The original plans to develop Nassiriya on a standalone basis were shelved in the lead-up to the Iran-Iraq war that began in 1980 and lasted until 1988. The field eventually came properly on-stream in 2009 and was listed in the 2009-2010 fast-track development plan, which aimed to raise the fields output to at least 50,000 bpd in the first phase. At that point  in H109  Italys ENI, Japans Nippon Oil, the U.S.s Chevron, and Spains Repsol submitted bids to develop the field on an engineering procurement construction (EPC) contract basis. At that point, the Japanese consortium led by Nippon Oil, and also comprising Inpex, and JGC Corporation, looked set to win the contract before negotiations broke down again.

In 2014, a serious push was made to resuscitate the development of the Nasiriyah field within the broader scope of the NIP. This followed the departure in September of that year of the divisive figure of Shia Islamist Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister, and his replacement by Haider al-Abadi, which, although he was also Shia, prompted optimism in the international investor community that a more inclusive government  with a more secure mandate  might emerge. This optimism was bolstered by al-Abadis announcement of his three deputies - Hoshyar Zebari, the Kurdish outgoing foreign minister, Saleh al-Mutlak, a secular Sunni who held the same post in the last government, and Baha Arraji, a Shia and former MP  which prompted then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to say that the new cabinet has the potential to unite all of Iraqs diverse communities.

In terms of the bidding itself, changes to the original widely unpopular technical service contract were made that were aimed at addressing many of the concerns of international investors about the previous drafts, which many saw as falling short of the type of production sharing contracts (PSC) that they preferred. Unlike the previous contract model, the new one offered investors a share in project revenues. However, this share would only be paid under the new contract model when production began, and the Oil Ministry would pay recovery costs from the date of commencement of work, which differed to the previous contract model in which the costs were only paid when the contractor raised production by 10 percent. Related: Is Nuclear Energy Making A Pandemic Comeback?

Nonetheless, investors would still have to pay 35 percent taxes on the profit they made from the Nassiriya project, the same amount as in previous deals. At that stage in 2014, the international engineering and construction firm Foster Wheeler had already completed a front end engineering and design study for the refinery, and seven of the original potential bidders remained from the previous bidding list (Indias Reliance Industries, Frances Total, Russias Lukoil, and Zarubezhneft, Chinas CNPC, the U.S.s Brown Energy, and a Japanese joint bidding team from JGC and Tonen General). These had also been augmented by Indias Oil and Natural Gas Corp and its Essar Oil, Russias Rosneft, Frances Maurel & Prom, and South Koreas GS Engineering & Construction.

Predictably enough, however, given Iraqs history of endemic political corruption and deeply ingrained sectarianism, this optimism proved ill-founded. As summarised by the independent international non-governmental organization, Transparency International (TI), in its Corruption Perceptions Index, Iraq demonstrates: Massive embezzlement, procurement scams, money laundering, oil smuggling and widespread bureaucratic bribery that have led the country to the bottom of international corruption rankings, fuelled political violence and hampered effective state-building and service delivery. Although acknowledging that the countrys anti-corruption initiatives and framework have expanded since 2005, TI added that these initiatives still fail to provide a strong and comprehensive integrity system. Political interference in anti-corruption bodies and politicization of corruption issues, weak civil society, insecurity, lack of resources and incomplete legal provisions severely limit the governments capacity to efficiently curb soaring corruption, it concluded.

In 2017, though  again, predictably enough, given what the country is doing across all Middle Eastern countries (and elsewhere) that are essential in its One Belt, One Road mega-project  China stepped forward with a handy solution to Iraqs problems. At that point, Chinas need to safeguard its energy security had become all the more acute, with domestic oil production for mature Chinese fields falling eight percent year-on-year in the previous year. This prompted Beijing in 2017 to relax its directive to all state-owned hydrocarbons companies of the last two years to cut budgets. From the Iraqi side, there was a new-found impetus for expediting as much production from the south of the country ahead of the chaos in oil supplies from the north that was likely to result (and did) from Kurdistans independence referendum to be held in September. Additionally, achieving the 5.4-6.0 million bpd output target by the end of 2018 that was still in play  although it had been recently revised down from 8.4-9.0 million bpd - and to at least 9 million bpd by the end of 2020, remained a core component of Iraqs overall economic recovery strategy.

At the beginning of August of that year, then, Chinas Sinopec and PetroChina proposed a deal that would see the NIP being rolled out as part of the broader Integrated South Project (ISP). The ISP (later rebranded as the South Iraq Integrated Project) aimed to boost output across Iraqs southern oilfields, and also to build out related infrastructure, including pipelines, transport routes, and the construction of the Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP), that was to have been led by ExxonMobil. The Chinese said that they would spend US$9 billion on the refinery and the first phase of their developing Nasiriyah but as, under the terms of Iraqi oil contracts, the Iraqis would have to pay back this cost to the Chinese from the value of oil recovered, so the initial reaction from the Oil Ministry was to decline the offer, and say that the development should only cost around US$4 billion, which the Chinese in turn flatly turned down, a source who works closely with Iraqs Oil Ministry told OilPrice.com last week. Related: Is This The Worlds Riskiest Oil Frontier?

The Chinese had other demands that grated on Iraq at that time as well. In line with the US$9 billion figure, the Chinese said that it wanted its firms to receive their costs back in a much shorter timeframe than most other similar projects, which meant that they were effectively asking for a per barrel remuneration fee at a 15 percent premium to the highest maximum fee being paid to any company in Iraq for a regular crude oil producing field, which was US$6 per barrel to PetroChina for al-Ahdab, said the source. This would mean that the Chinese would get around US$6.90 per barrel, more than [Angolas] Sonangol for its heavy oil extraction at Najmah [US$6 per barrel] and Qairayah [US$5 per barrel] and would dwarf the US$1.49 per barrel that [Malaysias] Petronas was getting for the same type of field of Gharraf, he added. Additionally, the Chinese were demanding that it was given [Iraqi] dinar-denominated government-backed bonds for the entire amount [US$9 billion] that could be cashed in if the development did not start to generate large amounts of oil quickly, the source told OilPrice.com.

Given the new contract for Weatherford International, working alongside the IDC, it may be that new Iraq Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, is continuing to try to walk a tightrope between appeasing the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. has been a major financial backer for Iraq since the removal of Saddam Hussein from power in 2003 and some of its companies are the most able to complete certain key projects properly, particularly ExxonMobil with the CSSP, the source said. On the other side, though, [al-] Kadhimi needed the support of the Fateh Coalition to be made prime minister, and Fateh has very close links to [Irans] IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], and Iran wields huge power in southern Iraq through its political and military proxies. With this new contract, then, he concluded, Iraq appears to be signaling to the U.S. that Nasiriya is up for grabs again  along with the other stalled oil projects  and that, if necessary, China is already lined up to step in, adding another Middle Eastern country to the power bloc that it is gradually accumulating together with firm ally Russia.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The consortium of Flight Simulation Technique Centre Pvt Ltd, Big Charter Pvt Ltd, and Imperial Capital Investments LLC, have secured an initial funding of $100 million that will be used to revive Jet Airways.

"We have secured a funding of $100 million through our partners, to start with," Biraja Jena, chairman of Imperial Capital, told Moneycontrol. The Dubai-based investment banking and wealth management company has also brought in Taha Group - a Middle-East based business house - as an investor, in the consortium.

The consortium is one of the two suitors who have placed bids of the airline that had suspended its operations in April 2019.

The second consortium consists of London-based financial services firm Kalrock Capital and entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan. The two bidders had submitted their plans on July 21.

It is further learnt that private equity major Xponentia, co-founded by industry veteran Ajay Relan, has also marked an investment of Rs 100 crore, into Jet Airways. Relan sits on the board of Flight Simulation Technique Centre Pvt Ltd (FSTC), which was co-founded by two former pilots - Sanjay Mandavia and DS Basraon.

The development comes even as the Jet Airways insolvency process enters a crucial phase. Sources indicate that the airline's banks, led by State Bank of India, may meet over the weekend to discuss the two bids. "There could be a decision on the winning bid by early next week," said a senior executive from the industry.

Sources added that the Kalrock Capital led consortium has also got the backing of investors and aviation industry veterans, including two executives who were part of the senior management at Jet Airways. This may include Nikos Kardassis, the former CEO of the airline, and considered close to founder Naresh Goyal.

Jet Airways owes banks about Rs 8,000 crore, and has claims of over Rs 30,000 crore.

Two plans

The FSTC-Imperial Capital consortium has proposed to restart Jet Airways with five to 10 aircraft. These will be used to cater to routes between metros in the country.

"As Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pointed out recently, the Indian aviation sector, despite the COVID-19 disruption, is best positioned to grow. At Jet Airways, the plan is to honour the airline's order book with Boeing. We will negotiate with the airline manufacturer," said sources close to the consortium.

Modi, while recently addressing a summit organized by the US-India Business Council, had talked about private airlines planning to add more than a thousand aircraft in their fleet over the next decade.

On the other hand, Kalrock Capital-led consortium plans to restart Jet Airways operations with over 20 aircraft. It plans to fly both, on domestic and international routes.

The airline, before it got grounded, had an extensive operation, including to domestic and international destinations. It was the only private airline from the country to fly to long haul destinations in Europe and North America.
New Delhi:

Pakistan has constantly increasing its nuclear arsenal. At present, it is having about 130-140 nuclear weapons. Apart from this, with F-16 fighter planes sourced from US, it has got many other fighter planes ready for nuclear attacks. By doing this, it has violated the rules of US.

When deal happened between Pakistan and US regarding F-16 fighter planes, it was clearly mentioned that no changes will be incorporated in the planes.

It was claimed in the report of Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. It was said in the report that the satellite pictures of Air Force stations of Pakistan shows mobile launchers which may be related to nuclear weapons.

The report also mentions that Pakistan is extending its nuclear arsenal with the help of industries producing goods related to nuclear weapons.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
How do you express a smile when half of your face is hidden?

Its a question confronting many Melburnians living in an unfamiliar new masked reality, where the go-to gesture for putting one another at ease suddenly feels so obstructed.

Royal Childrens Hospital general paediatrician Daryl Efron has been wearing masks as part of his job for 30 years and more intensively during the pandemic. The associate professor admits that masks complicate a critical element of communication  we use a warm, open, relaxed face to show somebody we are calm and attentive  but he says they dont hinder as much facial expression as you might think.

Associate Professor Daryl Efron flashes a big smile through his mask with seven-year-old son Luca. Credit:Simon Schluter

You dont need the mouth to see a smile. Everyone can see smiling eyes, Efron says. You just need to make sure your smile is a big smile so your eyes light up.
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Western countries led by the United States will not succeed in provoking a clash between Russia and China, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Friday.



Strengthening a comprehensive and mutual trust-based partnership and strategic interactions with China is a priority of Russian foreign policy, Zakharova said during online consultations between spokespersons of the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries.

"This policy has a stable and long-term character. It meets the tasks of strengthening good-neighborliness and ensuring the development of Russia and China," she said.

Zakharova made the remarks after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday called for creating a "new alliance" to counter China.

Asked if Russia could be coaxed "into the battle to be relentlessly candid about the Chinese Communist Party," Pompeo answered that he indeed saw such an opportunity.

Zakharova said it is very serious that such provocations by Western countries, primarily the United States, are taking place.

These statements go against international law and all the rules of diplomacy, she added.
JENISON, MI -- Jenison High School students organized a peaceful protest and march for Black lives on Saturday, July 25.

The protest comes after several weeks of demonstrations around the country in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, initially sparked by the death of Black Americans who lost their lives due to racial injustice or police brutality, including George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

Related: Use-of-force policies from major Michigan police agencies fail to meet anti-brutality demands

Max Seidel helped organize the event with the hope of educating people in the community and raising awareness of racial injustice. Although the organizers faced backlash via social media after announcing the event, he said it did not deter their plans.

We chose to react with kindness because kindness wins over hate any day, said Seidel, an incoming Jenison High School freshman.

The protest began at 1 p.m. at Georgetown Township Public Library, 1525 Baldwin St. in Jenison, where several speakers addressed the crowd.

Dain Gates, a Grand Rapids resident and member of Grand Rapids United Progressives, spoke in support of defunding police, her experience raising a Black man in America and racial injustice as a whole.

I am here in support of the fact that Black lives matter, Gates said before her speech. Its important for people everywhere to unite in a collective voice to say, Now is the time for change.

Several other organizers addressed the crowd of more than 300 people in the library parking lot before marching east on Baldwin Street. The crowd split into three groups as it marched toward Meijer at Baldwin Street and Cottonwood Drive repeating Black lives matter and other chants.

Concerns that Jenison may be a conservative and close-minded community prompted several people from the community to attend the event, as well as prompting organizers Elise Weberg and Nadia Ujlaky to get involved and be the change they wanted to see.

We have seen a lot of racism in Jenison so we wanted to really raise awareness for Black lives and bring awareness to racial inequality, said Weberg, an incoming Jenison High School freshman.

Organizers encouraged those in attendance to wear masks and practice social distancing throughout the event.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that he was not in favour of complete lifting of the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state only to address the economic concerns. He said there was a need to strike a balance between the issues related to health and economy considering the challenge posed by the pandemic.

"I will never say that the lockdown will be lifted completely. But I have started reopening a few things gradually. Once reopened, it shouldn't be shut again. Hence, I prefer taking steps in phases. You can't just think about economy or health. There needs to be a balance between the two," he said. Thackeray made this statement in an interview published in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Saturday.

The ongoing lockdown in the state will continue till July 31. From June onwards, the government had started lifting the restrictions in phase-wise manner under its 'Mission Begin Again' initiative. "This pandemic is a global war. It has affected the entire world. Those countries which had lifted the lockdown in haste thinking that it was over, were again forced to impose it to curb the spread. In Australia, they had to rope in Army," he said.

"Many people are opposing lockdown. They say that lockdown is affecting the economy. To such people, I would say that I am ready to lift the lockdown, but if people die due to it, would you take the responsibility?...Even we are concerned about the economy," he said. On the restarting of the suburban railway network in Mumbai, he said, "What if families fall ill and their houses are sealed? Therefore, everything would be done step-by-step."

Speaking about his government which has completed six months in office, Thackeray said that he was leading a three- party alliance government supported by some independents. "This is not just Thackeray sarkar, but everybody's sarkar, especially that of the citizens of the state, who have accepted this experiment," he added.

After the assembly polls last year, the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress came together to form the government in the state. Thackeray said the six-month period has been full of challenges like the coronavirus pandemic and Nisarga cyclone, which hit the coastal parts of the state on June 3.

"I am not bothered about the political challenges. People have faith in me," he said. Talking about the coronavirus situation in Mumbai, he said, "There was never a need to call the Army in Mumbai. I am proud of the administration which rose to the challenge and set up jumbo field hospitals for treatment of coronavirus patients in the city."

Speaking about the criticism that he has not been to the Mantralaya, the state secretariat, during the pandemic, the chief minister said that technology helps people in doing all the work and there was no need to travel. "I can be at home and cover the entire state with help of technology and take quick decisions. I am not saying one shouldn't move out. But when you go out, you are at one place only while through video-conference you can go everywhere," he said.

"I am not bothered what critics say till people trust me. I am honest with my work," he added. On starting the academic year during the pandemic, Thackeray said e-learning was the only option. When asked about Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis's recent visit to Delhi, Thackeray said sarcastically that he might have gone there to take stock of the coronavirus situation in the national capital.

"He goes to Delhi and speaks about Maharashtra's COVID-19 situation since he has given his MLA funds in Delhi," the CM said in an apparent reference to BJP MLAs donating to PM Cares Fund and not to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. "Recently, a survey listed Maharashtra chief minister as the best CM in the country. This caused stomach pain to many," he said.

"Coronavirus has many symptoms. Stomach ache may be one of them. Loss of taste is also a symptom," he said sarcastically when he was asked if life has become tasteless for some since the MVA government came to power. Thackeray also rejected the criticism that his government had hidden the number of coronavirus victims. "The WHO and Washington Post have taken note of the state government's efforts," he said.

Also read: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive for coronavirus
The measures could lower notoriously high medication prices for some in the US as Trump faces a fraught election season.

President Donald Trump on Friday signed four executive orders aimed at lowering some prices that US citizens pay for prescription drugs that may have appeal as he faces an uphill re-election battle and criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

At a White House ceremony, Trump laid out his plan to sign four executive orders regarding drug prices. One is about importation. The others would direct drugmaker rebates straight to patients and provide insulin and EpiPens at steep discounts to low-income people.

The fourth, which might not need to be implemented if negotiations with drug companies are successful, would require Medicare to buy drugs at the same price that other countries pay, Trump said.

Democrats are eager to draw a contrast between Trumps orders and their sweeping plans to authorise Medicare to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies, an idea the president had backed as a candidate.

Consumers may not notice many immediate changes from the new orders, which must be carried out by the federal bureaucracy and could face court challenges.

Trump came into office complaining that pharmaceutical companies were getting away with murder and promising to bring them under control. Nearly four years later, things are much the same despite some recent moderation in price increases.





A drive to pass significant legislation this year stalled in Congress. Although Trump told Republican senators that lowering prescription prices is something you have to do, many remain reluctant to use federal authority to force drugmakers to charge less.

Meanwhile, congressional Democrats are calculating that the election will strengthen their hand, and they will finally be able to enact a law that authorises Medicare to negotiate prices directly.

Neither side in Congress has had an incentive to deal, and the White House has been unable to enact Trumps will.

Last year, the House passed Pelosis Medicare negotiations bill, which would have capped out-of-pocket drug costs for older people and expanded programme benefits, as well. It had no path forward in the Senate, and the White House called it unworkable.

But there was an alternative. A bipartisan Senate bill backed by Trump stopped short of giving Medicare bargaining power, but would have limited annual price increases and capped costs for older people. The bill passed out of a Senate committee, but was never brought to the full body.

Its not clear why the administration hasnt made a bigger push to line up votes to get a bill through the Senate and a deal with Congress, given strong public support to lower drug costs, Tricia Neuman, a Medicare expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, told The Associated Press news agency.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement that the executive orders follow a long list of decisive actions taken by President Trump to reduce the costs of prescription drugs and further deliver on his promise to ensure every American has access to better healthcare at a lower cost.

Pharmacist Thomas Jensen, looks over a prescription drug at the Rock Canyon pharmacy in Provo, Utah [George Frey/Reuters]

US citizens remain worried about drug costs, with nearly nine in 10 saying in a recent Gallup-West Health poll that they are concerned the pharmaceutical industry will take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to raise prices.

Another Gallup-West Health survey early in the year found 65 percent saying the Trump administration had made little or no progress limiting increases in prescription drug costs.

The pharmaceutical industry is adamantly opposed to government efforts to curb prices, and pushed back strongly against earlier versions of the proposals in Trumps new orders.

Broadcast ads from groups aligned with the industry are already airing advertisements opposing the measures, dubbing the plan to use international prices for certain Medicare drugs as socialist, without mentioning Trump by name.

Election prospects

Trump currently trails Democratic challenger Joe Biden by roughly nine points, according to the Real Clear Politics average of all polls on the general election.

Observers note that Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic may have cost him support among many demographics including the elderly, who vote in large numbers but are the most likely to die from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

The Trump administration has been criticised for its lax approach to the pandemic. Trump has supported calls to reopen states so their economies can rebound.

An elderly woman is transported into an ambulance on Manhattans west side in New York, New York [Peter Foley/EFE-EPA]

Drug prices are a particularly important issue for older people, who rely on medications to manage the onslaught of medical problems associated with advancing age.

Trump said during the ceremony that Americans are his most important concern.

The US currently leads the globe with more than four million confirmed coronavirus cases and 145,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
If you think you have been going to bed earlier than ever, you are not alone.

Conversely, if you have found the clock nudging midnight before you crawl beneath the sheets, you're also in good company.

Sian Brownlow and Alex Bowden have been getting plenty of sleep during the COVID-19 lockdown. Credit:Penny Stephens

Many of us have found our sleep patterns have altered during COVID-19 lockdowns but one constant remains: most of us are spending more time in bed.

Sleep research conducted in locked-down communities across Europe, America and India suggests COVID-19 has given many of us more time to luxuriate between the sheets. We are also dreaming more, and perhaps even learning to tune into our natural body clocks.
India on Friday extended medical assistance worth $ 1 million to North Korea in a rare reach-out to the pariah nation.

New Delhi extended the medical assistance in response to a request received from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Read: North Korea's Kim Jong-un visits chicken farm, calls for improvements

India is sensitive to the shortage of medical supply situation in North Korea and decided to grant humanitarian assistance of $1 million in the form of medicines to fight tuberculosis, said the MEA spokesperson. New Delhis medical assistance is under the aegis of an ongoing WHO anti-tuberculosis programme in North Korea and hence exempted from the sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council.

New Delhis envoy to Pyongyang, Atul Malhari Gotsurve, on July 16 handed over to North Korean Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pak Myong Ho, a floral basket and a congratulatory letter addressed to the pariah nations Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of conferment of the title of marshal on him.

India had earlier provided North Korea two consignments of food worth $ 1 million each in 2011 and 2016  both under the World Food Programme.

V K Singh, then Minister of State for External Affairs, had embarked on a rare visit to North Korea in May 2018  the first by a minister of the Government of India to the reclusive communist country in two decades. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's visit in September 1998 had been the last by a minister from India to North Korea. Naqvi had been the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's Government, when he had visited North Korea to attend the sixth Pyongyang Film Festival.

Also Read: North Korea's Kim urges 'maximum alert' on coronavirus

Singhs May 2018 visit had come close on the heels of the historic summit between Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the demilitarized zone on the border between the two neighbours. He had underscored the threat from nuclear proliferation during his visit and conveyed to North Korean leaders New Delhi's concerns in the context of the proliferation linkages with neighbourhood of India.

India has since long been concerned over North Korea's clandestine defence technology cooperation with Pakistan. New Delhi, according to the sources, suspects that Pyongyang-Islamabad secret defence cooperation, which in the mid-1990s led to supply of Rodong Missiles and technology to Pakistan, is still continuing. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder of nuclear program of Pakistan, was in 2003 found to have traded know-how and technology with Iran, Libya and North Korea. Khan in 2011 made public documents in support of his claim that North Korea had bribed senior officials of Pakistani Army and got them to allow him to share nuclear technology and certain equipment with the pariah nation.

New Delhi received inputs, suggesting that certain nuclear materials supplied to Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission by the Suntech Technology Company Limited of China in the recent years were being diverted to North Korea in violation of the sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council.
By Koos Neefjes Director, Climate Sense Ltd

BAU is the situation if all policies in 2015 would remain unchanged, which would make it one of the worlds main emitters of GHG per capita by 2030.

The energy sector has and will produce a very large part of GHG emissions, and roughly two-thirds of all emissions within the energy sector are from power generation. In the BAU this is because of a strong increase in coal-thermal power production. It also envisages power from natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and these are less harmful. In the NDC target scenarios, there are reductions in the projected use of coal, but coal-power emissions would remain dominant, even if it achieves the 25 per cent conditional reduction target.

Changed views

However, in 2019 and 2020 the mood began to change. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has reviewed the causes of delays in coal, natural gas, and LNG power plant construction, suggesting that some coal-thermal power plants might be substituted for LNG. Export guarantee funds of rich nations as well as private equity holders are banning new coal mining and coal-thermal power investments; indeed, financing difficulties of coal-thermal plants that are under construction are one cause of delay in Vietnam.

Experts are warning of premature death from air pollution associated with coal-thermal power, and so-called solutions such as dumping solid waste in the sea can have devastating effects on biodiversity and fishing-based livelihoods. Encouragingly, in 2019 and 2020, investment costs for solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power have become cheaper. Thus, many small- and medium-sized plants were built, and several are under construction.

Businesses and households are also installing small rooftop solar PV systems that can be interconnected with the national grid and reduce their power purchase from state-owned Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), or even sell to EVN.

One explanation of the recent success with solar PV and wind power plants are the favourable feed-in tariffs (FiTs) that the government issued. These have limited duration, meaning the current FiTs for solar PV and wind power will expire in late 2020 and 2021 respectively, so they stimulate only small- and medium-scale investments. According to some, these FiTs are too high and indeed they are slightly above the average retail price in Vietnam.

But they do not have the transport challenges of LNG and coal supply. Their levelised cost (of a unit of power over the lifetime of a power plant) is below LNG-thermal power already. And a modest carbon-tax on coal-thermal power, to internalise pollution, would make the levelised cost of that also higher than solar PV and wind power.

Analysis by the United Nations Development Programme demonstrates that Vietnam has substantial potential to increase energy efficiency and thus reduce energy demand and GHG emissions. They show that not only would achieving the conditional NDC target be most favourable, a further tripling of renewable energy generation compared to fossil fuel-based power generation would be even better.

The GDP growth rate and employment opportunities would go up, compared to the BAU. GHG emissions and local pollution would reduce, as would dependency on fuel imports. In other words, ambitious greening of power generation would be a win-win situation.

Vietnam is determined to cut down its greenhouse gas emissions, following its commitment to the Paris Agreement

Attract private investment

The paper does pose the challenge that this will only be possible if there is high private sector investment into renewable energy, including additional foreign direct investment. Therefore, policies must help mobilising private sector investment at all scales of power generation. So how can private investment in renewable power generation be made attractive and increase further?

One strategy is known as reverse auctioning, which is being prepared by the government with some international support for renewable power projects. This is about auctioning the right to build certain renewable power production capacities in certain locations. It might be applied after the expiry of the current FiTs for solar PV and wind power.

International experience demonstrates that it is a clever way of attracting international, private capital and bringing cost prices down. Capacity auctioning requires preparing a level playing field with transparency for all bidders to have the same information. That playing field should also enable low investment costs, meaning that investor risks must be low.

Low risks for developers and foreign investors reduces interest rates on loans, which leads to offers of low prices they expect to receive for power production. A low and level playing field for bidding can be developed with some up-front investment by the agency managing the bidding.

For example, it could finance and prepare the environmental impact assessments, do wind speed measurements, a seabed survey and/or flood risk assessment, and offer permits to for example the use of certain land, lake water surfaces, or seabed to the winner of a bid for capacities. The development process will be simplified, bidders have limited pre-investment costs, and their regulatory risk will be reduced substantially.

International investors are interested in renewable energy but they need opportunities and good business plans that can be financed. Investment into renewable energy in Vietnam instead of other countries depends to an extent on the stipulations in the power purchase agreement (PPA) that foreign investors can expect to negotiate.

The PPA must be bankable, which for international investors means access to international-quality arbitration in case of disputes between the power generator and buyer, for example. Currently, EVN is the single buyer, and in some cases EVN is not buying all power generated, notably with the argument that transmission capacity is inadequate. Domestic as well as foreign investors have demonstrated willingness to invest in transmission infrastructure to avoid such curtailment, for example in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan.

A further way to encourage foreign and domestic private investment in renewable power is the need for clear regulation on dual land use, for instance for power generation combined with transport infrastructure, industrial zones, agriculture and aquaculture, and also coastal protection and conservation of biodiversity and fishing grounds.

This reduces investment in the cost of land for the power generator and it reduces the pressure on land conversion. Dual land use is interesting at both a small and medium scale. For example, solar PV on rooftops of houses and factories, on aquaculture farms, vegetable farms, even over rice fields (at limited shade intensity) can give additional income to the house and building or landowner.

Wind turbines can be installed in windy harbours and along expressways, and they can be combined with pastures and agriculture in certain mountain ranges. Off-shore wind power can be combined with protection of marine biodiversity, including creation of artificial coral and breeding grounds, or near-shore conservation of mangrove and construction of wave breakers to enhance coastal protection.

I believe that investment in solar PV and wind power is already cheaper than coal and natural gas/LNG-thermal power, and very attractive to the private sector and foreign investors with the right regulation. This is even more so if there would be higher taxes on the use of coal, diesel, natural gas, and LNG as they lead to real costs to people, companies, and the government because of pollution, transport of fuels, and waste management.

Renewable energy is cheaper to society even if we consider the need for more transmission infrastructure and generation capacity for balancing in cases of combined low wind and solar power output, or adding power storage capacity. It is cleaner and more convenient for workers, and there is no nuisance for citizens in the vicinity. Importantly, it will improve national energy security because there is no dependency on fuel import.
Staff at Gorey District Hospital have expressed their thanks to the people of Gorey and the surrounding community of north Wexford for their support over the last three months.

In recent weeks, the hospital has resumed its customary role as a 21-bed facility, providing 24-hour convalescent, palliative and emergency respite nursing care for mainly elderly patients.

In March, as part of the HSE's South East Community Healthcare's management of the Covid-19 pandemic, the district hospital was designated as a 'step down' Covid-19 care facility to serve the Wexford area.

As the demand for such step-down beds reduced over recent weeks, the district hospital was stood down from this role and reopened with a view to being also available to planned respite and medical assessment admissions when directed by Public Health guidelines.

Acting Director of Nursing at Gorey District Hospital Catherine Kinsella described the last three months as challenging.

'The hospital in Gorey has a proud history and the last three challenging months will now feature as a major part of it. The dedication and unflinching hard work of our staff, our agency staff, our Occupational Therapy, Physio and Community Care maintenance team has been incredible, as has the support from our local community.

'We want to thank all those who volunteered their services, including those whom we didn't need to call on and those who came in to do some heavy lifting in the early days of setting up. Later, those running errands, the schools who donated their laboratory wear to supplement our PPE, those who purchased and donated PPE, those who delivered food to the staff, those who sent us care packages for patients and staff, made scrubs, offered to make masks, donated smart-pads for patients, sent us messages of support and so many more lovely gestures. We must of course thank the Friends of Gorey District Hospital who as always were there for us.

'The staff of the hospital have always had great relationship with patients and their families and it was probably exemplified as never before in recent months,' she said.

What was particularly difficult for patients was the ban on visiting.

'Anyone passing by recently may have seen family members at windows along the front of the hospital making contact with their loved ones. This was a necessary inconvenience and still, in terms of Covid-19, we need to remain vigilant and measures to guard against it impacting our services further are very much in mind and in the planning and delivery of ongoing services here in the hospital.

'We want the people of Gorey and surrounding areas to know that we are deeply appreciative of their support and understanding in what has been and is challenging times, apologise for any inconvenience and assure the public that the welfare of all patients is a priority for staff and management,' said Catherine.
People pass by the entrance to Four Seasons Hotel, where Chinese billionaire Xiao Jianhua was last seen on January 27, in Hong Kong, China on Feb. 1, 2017.(REUTERS/Bobby Yip)

Chinas Tomorrow Group, a Suspected Money Launderer for CCP Faction, Contests Takeovers by Regime

The conglomerate Tomorrow Group responded on July 18 to Beijings announcement of takeovers of nine of its subsidiaries with an online version of a solemn statement.

The Tomorrow Group was founded in 1999 by Xiao Jianhua, who has been suspected of being a white glove (money launderer) for certain high-ranking communist officials in China. Chinese commentators believe the takeoversand the strong response from Tomorrow Groupreflect a power and money struggle between factions within the CCP.

Chinas banking and insurance regulatory commission seized control of four insurers and two trust firms under the Tomorrow Group on July 17, while the securities regulatory commission seized control of two securities firms and a futures company.

The announcement accused the companies of violating Chinese laws, which thus triggered the process of takeover to protect the interests of investors. The takeover is in effect until July 16, 2021, when it can be extended by authorities. According to state-run media Xinhua, the companies were accused of unlawful operations and being unable to repay debts and investors.

Solemn Statement

A statement posted by the Tomorrow Group on its official WeChat social media account was sharply worded. The group referred to various malicious slanders and claimed the company has been actively disposing of assets according to regulators instructions. But the sudden takeover has disrupted their effort, the company said. The statement indicated that the group had properly secured all transactions and there was no collective protest action by investors since its founder Xiao Jianhua was forced to go back to China in early 2017.

It also stated that the regulator had exaggerated the groups risks so as to trigger the conditions for takeover, and repeatedly rejected what the group had offered to pay off investors with its existing account of nearly 2 billion yuan (approximately $286 million).

The company said that for the past three and a half years, it had been fully cooperating with the authorities investigation, and helped its subsidiary to pay principal and interest by selling hundreds of billions of domestic and foreign assets and 300 billion yuan from the groups funds.

But, according to the statement, the regulators obstructed the firms normal operations and management of subsidiaries by stationing personnel at the companies to monitor employees activities.

The group questioned the purpose of the highly publicized takeover by the regulators and claimed it will exercise its legitimate rights to report to relevant authorities openly with their real names. A few hours after this statement was posted, the content was blocked.

A Huge Empire and a Political Target

Tomorrow Group was aptly described by the Chinese media New Fortune in April 2013 as an empire thats huge, hidden, and scattered.

Founded by Xiao Jianhua in 1999, within 20 years the group spanned multiple fields such as finance, industry, real estate, communication services, energy, and internet. Recently, the state-run Xinhua reported that the group had developed its empire through hidden transactions to build and own more than trillions of assets.

On Jan. 27, 2017, Xiao was abducted by six people in Hong Kong, where he and many other mainland Chinese entrepreneurs had taken residence. Since then, his whereabouts were never confirmed until this recent statement that he was forced to return to mainland China.

Overseas Chinese media have speculated that Hong Kongs extradition bill was prompted by Xiaos case, with some outlets reporting that Xiao was considered a white glove (money launderer) for top Party officials.

Since 1989, Xiao has helped families of Party elites with their business dealings. A source within the Partys headquarters in Beijing told The Epoch Times in 2017 that Xiao was being investigated for his close ties to an official known for his loyalty to former Party leader Jiang Zemin.

Since taking power as Party leader in 2012, Xi has utilized a sweeping anti-corruption campaign to oust many of his political rivals. Xiao was believed to be targeted for investigation because of his close business dealings with Jiang faction officials.

Some Chinese commentators surmise that the Chinese regimes takeover should not be considered simply an economic case, but rather a power and money struggle within the Chinese regime. The stern stance reflected in the companys statement presents a direct challenge to Xi, they analyzed.
Wine sellers are bracing for another round of tariffs that could see the price of imported European wines and products raised in price by up to 100%. Western Massachusetts wine sellers are worried this could end long-lasting relationships with European wine sellers and importers and devastate the industry in the U.S.

Can you imagine saying, Oh, yeah, I used to buy this one for $15 and now its $30 and its not $30 because of import, greed or the winery raising their prices, its the tariff', said Michael Quinlan, manager of fine wines for Table and Vine.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative made its latest move to impose tariffs in 2019 and propose future tariffs for Aug. 12, in what has been a 15-year dispute between the United States and the European Union. Each claim that the others airplane manufacturer, Airbus and Boeing, is being unfairly subsidized.

In 2006, the U.S. first filed a case with the World Trade Organization claiming that Airbus, which is jointly owned by Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdoms BAE Systems, had received $22 billion in illegal subsidies.

The first one that did go through, the 25%, definitely affected a lot of our cheese and wine pricing, said Benson Hyde, co-owner of Provisions in Northampton where at least 50% of the wines on sale are imported from the EU. Because we work with a lot of smaller importers, they would go belly up immediately because they couldnt afford to order anyone because they have to pay that tariff on entry [to the U.S.]

Provisions have been in Northampton for 10 years supplying customers with a wide variety of wine and cheese from across the globe for reasonable prices. If the cost of European wines goes up, it would be devastating for its supply and would have to rely on new world wines.

Old world wine refers to the traditional winegrowing regions of Europe, while new world wine refers to everything else.

Co-owner Benson Hyde spoke to MassLive of the devastating effects the tariffs could have if they pass. Not only to small stores like Provisions but the importers and consumers themselves. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

In June 2010, the WTO ruled in favor of the U.S. and in September 2016, the WTO confirmed that the European governments not only failed to meet the compliance deadline to remedy $17 billion worth of past subsidies provided to Airbus but had since provided an additional $5 billion in illegal aid.

In October 2019, the U.S. was awarded the right to impose tariffs on $7.5 billion of annual EU imports in the case against Airbus. The U.S. imposed partial tariffs on most Airbus jets, as well as additional products such as cheese, olives, single-malt whiskey and wines. The EU Trade Commission said it would consider its next steps, including a possible appeal, while seeking an overall agreement.

However, the appeal process is unlikely. As of Dec. 10, 2019, the WTO Appellate Body ceased to function due to the U.S. blocking new appointments. Any appeals that were launched would have fallen into a legal black hole. Without recourse to the highest court of international trade law, the rules-based trading system may weaken, with fewer protections for smaller economies.

The USTR published a list of all the products that will be subject to the proposed tariffs. The notification includes two annexes: Annex I lists the specific products that are currently subject to additional duties of 10% to 25%, while Annex II lists products for which additional duties of up to 100% are proposed.

Annex II implements tariffs on not only Germany, France, Spain and the UK that were solely affected in the first round, but the entire EU. Italian wine, for example, which had avoided additional tariffs in the first round because it wasnt directly connected with the airbus, will now be included.

However, wines more than 14% alcohol by volume or stored in containers larger than two liters are exempt from the tariffs.

Provisions in Northampton stock 50% of their store with European wines. If the tariffs are at the higher end, the store will cut down on buying(Douglas Hook / MassLive)

Hyde told MassLive that importers had been raising the price on all their products to absorb the increase in price in the U.S. or soaking up the cost themselves on wines from France and Spain in the first round. Now the entire continent could face an increase, this will be much harder and, according to Hyde, not manageable in the long term.

I have made clear to the U.S. Trade Representative that he must use these tariffs effectively to maintain pressure on Europe and that the tariffs must be strategically deployed and balanced against collateral damage to our businesses and employees at home, said U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means in a statement to MassLive. Many of the food and drink products on the list of proposed tariffs will impact our pillars of main street who are making sure our communities are fed and taken care of right now.

The proposed tariffs couldnt have come at a worse time for many businesses with the shutdown of the state amid the coronavirus pandemic. Hyde, who has been running a successful business for a decade, told MassLive that it has been like opening a new business multiple times over in terms of anxiety and stress.

It turned everything on its head, said Hyde. We had to come up with brand new systems and new ways of doing basically everything. Its complicated.

Of the wines at Table and Vine, 40% are old world meaning from Europe. Out of the 40% that the store stock, 20% of those are imported directly by Table and Vine. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

Table and Vine in West Springfield have over 4,000 varieties of wine and boasts on its website that it has the largest selection on the East Coast. Of the 4,000 varieties of wine. Roughly 1,600 or 40% of those are from European countries. Of that 40%, roughly 20% of that is imported directly by Table and Vine themselves.

As a retail store that offers secure online ordering as well as curbside pickup, weve been able to really satisfy our customers demands, said Quinlan. The issue for us has been, from a wine standpoint specifically, weve seen people buying maybe more bottles when they normally buy but buying in the less expensive wines than normal.

Quinlan said theres a cautiousness about spending more on wine due to the pandemic and the uncertainty around employment with so many people being laid off. He worries if the price goes up on the European wines it wouldnt be feasible to stock them.

To talk about the tariffs that are currently in place, the 25% has led us into this unprecedented place, said Quinlan. I always think about wines like Sancerre, which is such a famous place and such a famous type of wine. In Sancerres case where sometimes you would find something between the $20 and $25 range, now suddenly youre having trouble finding them under $30 with the 25% tariff. That doesnt mean that the customer is ready to automatically go ahead and say, well I used to buy this wine for $23 and now Im going to buy it for $29. So that is a concern. It hurts the store and it hurts restaurants because again, its a wine that people buy with confidence, but suddenly theres an uncertainty there.

Sancerre is an appellation in the Upper Loire Valley, France which produces mostly white wines, made from Sauvignon Blanc and also some reds from Pinot Noir.

Michael Quinlan, Table and Vine manager of fine wines spoke of how the increased tarriffs could harm Table and Vine but more importantly the smaller family run suppliers and importers. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

The issue for wine sellers is the uncertainties of the amount the tariffs could be when the USTR announces their decision regarding any potential changes around Aug. 12.

If the tariffs are closer to the higher end of the percentage, Quinlan and Hyde both said it would be devastating for the industry in, not only Massachusetts but also the U.S. as a whole.

It would be devastating, said Quinlan. Sometimes [I] will haggle or even argue with our vendors over pricing because we will say to ourselves, well, you know, Im not sure that this wine is worth $2 more but were not talking about $2, now were talking about doubling the price.
RENSSELAER  Republican Mayor Michael Stammel line item vetoed $334,308 in spending increases Friday that the Democratic Common Council approved in the citys 2020-21 budget.

The largest spending item rejected by Stammel was $256,208 for positions in the city fire department.

The Common Council has adopted a risky budget that uses one-time revenue from the recent sale of city owned properties, to create three new positions in the fire department. There will be no money to pay for those positions next year, especially as revenues continue to shrink, Stammel said in a statement Friday.

Just as we are beginning to get a clearer picture of the citys long ignored financial mess, the Common Council wants to repeat the mistakes of the past and adopt an unrealistic budget that sets the stage for more financial hardships next year. This is why I will veto their budget amendments, Stammel said.

Common Council President John DeFrancesco could not immediately be reached for comment about the councils plans regarding the veto.

Stammel had indicated after the council adopted its budget that he would veto it.

Common Council President John DeFrancesco said the veto is under review and that the items removed from the fire department budget are set by contract.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The relationship between the mayor and the Common Council has seen them confront each other at various times. They are involved in a court battle over which of two private companies should be the designated first responder for ambulance service to the city's 9,392 residents. That case is still pending.

The Common Council adopted a $14.41 million budget on July 15 that cut expenditures by 7.82 percent from the 2019-20 budget. The budget drop reflects a $1,223,541 fall in revenues. The Common Council rejected Stammels proposed budget which would have spent about $175,000 less, and called for more funds to be held in reserves.

The council's budget increased the city property tax levy by 1.62 percent, which was under the state property tax levy cap. The city's property tax rate will rise by 0.26 percent, or about 14 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, to climb to $53.46.
Representative image

The question of the when and how to restart in-person classes in schools across India is complicated by a set of uncertainties. On the one hand, no country, with the virus spreading at Indias levels, has re-opened schools. On the other, we are already starting to witness the negative effects of prolonged school closures on childrens learning, beyond academics.

To add to that is the World Health Organizations acknowledgement of the virus being airborne in indoor spaces with poor ventilation  a fact that doesnt bode well for schools  many of which fit that description.

Yet, as fraught and complicated the question of school reopening is, it needs to be discussed. Around the world, countries have been experimenting with measures such as enforcing staggered attendance, outdoor classes and social distancing in classrooms to re-open schools.

Interacting with teachers, Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal suggested that the NCERT was in the process of drafting similar guidelines, with a focus on spaced out seating arrangements, enforcing staggered attendance and rules for following strict social distancing norms.

However, before finalising the guidelines, a key factor that needs to be taken into account is the feasibility of enforcing social distancing in a majority of schools, and whether schools are equipped to implement such measures in the first place.

Reality Check

The data, on the same, doesnt inspire much confidence. Take for example, something as basic as hand washing, an exercise prescribed by experts since the pandemic began. Re-opening schools will require students undertake this activity frequently; yet data shows that only 45 percent schools have any hand washing facility.

While the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission has meant that 93 percent schools have access to toilets, and 87 percent have drinking water facilities, WASH facilities (which includes drinking water, functional toilets and hand wash) exist in 52 percent of the schools.

To enforce social distancing between students, schools will require adequate infrastructure  something thats out of question for 53,333 schools that operate out of a single classroom. A majority (49,250) of these are located in rural areas. Overcrowding still continues to be a major issue in schools even in urban areas, with classes of 80 and even 100 students a common occurrence.

In the absence of classrooms, schools can conduct outdoor classes, but that requires them to have playgrounds  unavailable in nearly half of the government primary schools and unrecognised schools. In fact, state-level data suggests that 11 states  Andhra Pradesh, Daman and Diu, West Bengal, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Bihar, Goa, Jharkhand, and Jammu and Kashmir  have less than 40 percent schools with playground. In Jharkhand, 70 percent schools do not have the facility.

Teacher Vacancy

The prospect of holding classes in shifts also comes with its own set of issues. For starters, conducting such classes requires extra teaching time to be invested in them  something that can happen either by teachers working overtime, or new teachers being hired. However, teachers are already overworked.

Currently, India has 108,017 schools that are run by single teachers. The pupil- teacher ratio in many schools is also pretty dismal, with 44.37 percent of schools in Bihar, 20.93 percent in Jharkhand and 19.60 percent in Uttar Pradesh reporting more than 50 students to a teacher per class.

This, even as 900,316 government teacher posts lie vacant at the elementary level, and 107,689 posts at the secondary school level need to be filled.

If there is a community that perhaps stands at a higher risk of infection than the students themselves  its the teachers. This risk is even starker considering a large number of our teachers  nearly 600,000  are older than 55 years, and vulnerable to COVID-19. For example, in Uttar Pradesh, 67 percent of government school teachers are older than 55.

In schools, options to maintain social distancing among teachers are next to non-existent, with most teachers only having a single staff room, and only 55 percent schools having an additional room for the principal.

Its Easy To Close

To be clear, many of these systemic flaws have existed for long, but the pandemic has compounded these vulnerabilities  revealing not just the fragility of the system, but also the urgent need to fix it. This requires taking steps to fill the shortages in the system by boosting investment in education. (Currently, India spends only 2.8 percent of its GDP on education.) However, to get to that, we require something more fundamental  a bit of imagination and a shift in the way we view schooling.

Instead of thinking of solutions, or proactively dealing with the issue, the government, so far, has chosen to take the easy road  continuing to defer school re-opening to a safer date in the future. The approach reflects our overall view of education  it is considered important, but not essential  or at least not essential enough to warrant reforms like the ones we saw happening in the agricultural sector, or even urgent thought, as we saw with re-opening of liquor vends around the country.

We continue to view the question of school closures through one lens  physical safety, equating this safety with home. Yes, physical safety matters, but as experts point out, when children lose out on education, they lose out on much more than physical classes. They lose out on social and mental support, future opportunities including economic benefits, and sometimes access to education for life, with far-reaching consequences.

The when of reopening schools matters, but it is also equally important to think about the why. If the why involves opening schools to catch up with a syllabus, or to hold classes, then chances are, we may miss the important steps that we need to reform education.

Looking at the whole picture is necessary. Schools arent just places where children go and spend time. They are the bedrock of our society. If schools are unavailable, families cannot operate, cities cannot function, countries cannot move ahead.

The longer schools stay closed, the higher the cost to our society.
People in Ontario have been trickling back into hair salons and barbershops for cuts during Stage 2 of reopening, but Stage 3 goes a few steps further to allow services pertaining to the face such as facials and eyebrow grooming.

The question is, what are the risks to the customer and the worker for having such close contact?

The reason why facial services are in Stage 3 is that theyre higher risk, said Dr. Vinita Dubey, Torontos associate medical officer of health. You cant wear a mask if youre getting a facial so youre putting the worker at a higher risk of infection. They can keep their mask on when providing services, but the distance is also closer. Depending on the service, you may have very close contact with their face and droplets.

According to the provinces Stage 3 outline, places offering personal care services can now provide facials, ear piercings, eyebrow grooming, eyelash extensions and beard grooming.

The outline stipulates that patrons must wear face coverings, except when receiving treatment in areas of the face that would normally be covered by a mask. Workers must wear personal protective equipment, physical distancing is enforced, and contact tracing and appointment-only visits are encouraged.

Dubey added that both parties should stay home if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms and the person providing the service should wash their hands before and after they put gloves on to touch the clients face.

Its best for the esthetician to avoid touching areas directly such as the eyes, nose and mouth, which is why Dubey said a procedure like eyelash extensions is high risk. She also recommended workers to wear goggles or a plastic face shield in addition to the face mask to protect the eyes from droplets.

If any business in Toronto doesnt seem to be adhering to the rules, she said to make a complaint through the citys BodySafe program, which inspects hair and beauty salons as well as tattoo studios (similar to how DineSafe regulates the citys restaurants).

An example of something that warrants a complaint? If a threader is using their mouth to hold the thread while doing eyebrows. Dubey said its fine if the person is holding the thread with their hands instead.

Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and an assistant professor at the faculty of information at the University of Toronto, said that for him he would check if the place is well ventilated, everyone is wearing masks and hands are being washed and sanitized. It boils down to whether the client trusts that the salon or shop is doing their best to minimize chances of infections.

Still, he said any procedure that requires him to remove his mask would be a no-go.

Beard trimming, facials, all of that should be a full-stop no, he said. For me, both parties wearing a mask properly is a prerequisite. If it has to happen, it has to happen outside but I dont know how many places are doing that.

While more research needs to be done, Furness pointed to a well-publicized report of two hairstylists in Missouri who tested positive for COVID-19 in May after seeing 139 clients. None of the clients showed any COVID-19 symptoms and of those who received subsequent testing, they all came back negative. Researchers believed that because the stylists and all the clients were wearing masks, it prevented the spread.

If only the care provider is wearing protection, Im protected from them but theyre not protected from me so Im imperilling the worker and thats not OK, Furness said. We have to think beyond our personal risks because we dont want to participate in a chain of infections. Its immoral to know you could be imperilling workers, and its just not worth it since were not doing crucial surgery.
Pc Andrew Harpers widow has said she is immensely disappointed after three teenagers were cleared of his barbaric murder.

Furious driver Henry Long, 19, and his passengers Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18, still face years in jail for manslaughter following an Old Bailey trial.

The UK court had heard how they were determined to escape at all costs after stealing a quad bike in Berkshire on the night of August 15 last year.

Newlywed Harper, 28, became entangled in a tow rope attached to their Seat Toledo as he tried to apprehend them.

Long drove off at breakneck speed, dragging the Thames Valley Police officer for more than a mile along country lanes before he was dislodged, having suffered horrific injuries.

The teenagers admitted plotting the theft and Long pleaded guilty to manslaughter but each denied knowing that Pc Harper was there.

Their defence claimed the incident was a freak event that none of them could have planned or foreseen.

Read More Football hooligan jailed over attack on Guardian columnist Owen Jones

But the prosecution said at more than 6ft and weighing 14 stone, the defendants must have been aware Pc Harper was being dragged to his death.

A jury deliberated for more than 12 hours to clear all three of murder but convict Cole and Bowers of manslaughter.

Lissie Harper (centre), the widow of Pc Andrew Harper, outside the Old Bailey in London (Aaron Chown/PA)

The defendants, who had previously been seen laughing in the dock, hugged each other.

Following the verdicts, Pc Harpers widow Lissie thanked the police and prosecution who had stood in our corner and fought to make sure these men were made to repent for their barbaric crimes.

She said: This crime, whatever the outcome deliberated over in court, was brutal and senseless.

The way in which Andrew was robbed of his life we all know to be barbaric and inexplicable.

I am immensely disappointed with the verdict given today.

Andrew served in Thames Valley Police with honour.

He went out night after night risking his life for the safety and the wellbeing of the innocent as all police officers do with passion.

From left, driver Henry Long, 19, who dragged Pc Andrew Harper to his death, who has been found not guilty at the Old Bailey of murder but had earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter and his passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, who were clear

Ultimately he laid down his life for us all and it pains me more than I can ever explain that this has not been appreciated by the very people who should have seen his heroic and selfless duty as so many other members of the public  total strangers  clearly do.

She added: Myself and Andrews family will never come to terms with our new lives, we will never understand how such a beautiful, loving, decent human being could be dealt this fate.

She said her new life would be a lot more painful and soul destroying than anyone facing a meagre number of years.

It can now be reported that Long had previously threatened to ram a police officer as he chatted with a police community support officer (PCSO).

In the conversation in July 2018, ruled inadmissible during the trial, Long said: You cant touch me now cos Ive passed my driving test and if police try to stop me I will ram them.

The Seat Toledo with tow rope and the police car in a similar position at the site of the meeting of the vehicles during the Old Bailey jury site visit (Steve Parsons/PA)

Long had previous convictions for battery, being drunk and disorderly and shoplifting.

Bowers also had youth convictions including for battery, criminal damage, sexual assault, and having an offensive weapon.

All three defendants were said to be members of the travellers community.

Their first trial was abandoned the day the nation went into lockdown in March.

In addition to social distancing for the retrial, Mr Justice Edis had also ordered extra security measures amid fears of potential juror intimidation by supporters of the defendants, it can now be reported.

Thames Valley Police Detective Superintendent Stuart Blaik said: Long, Bowers and Cole have shown no remorse for what happened that evening at any stage.

He was pleased to get justice for Pc Harper following a complex and challenging investigation.

Thames Valley Police senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Stuart Blaik speaks to the media (Aaron Chown/PA)

He said: The fact he was a police officer and one of our own of course, its paid a huge toll on all of us.

On the impact on the family, he said: I dont think you can ever imagine what Lissie has been through, all the family and all his close friends and colleagues.

Its just absolutely devastating for them.

This whole process of the court trial, having to relive whats happened and listen in to the grisly detail of how Andrew came to his death.

CPS prosecutor Rebecca Waller said she hoped the verdicts would help Pc Harpers family come to terms with the tragedy.

On the defendants behaviour, she said: If they had stopped, potentially his life could have been saved but they were determined to get away at all costs.

That cost was the life of Pc Andrew Harper.

You have to remember there were members of the public, not only Pc Harper, who could have been in the road who could have encountered them, and travelling at those speeds over those narrow roads without lights, it is not impossible to imagine that other people could have been killed.

Jessie Cole unhooked the bike and dived into the Seat, pursued by Pc Harper moments before he became entangled (Thames Valley Police/PA)

The court had heard how Pc Harper had already finished a long shift when he and his colleague Pc Andrew Shaw responded to a report of a stolen quad bike from a property in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, on the night of August 15 last year.

When they came across the thieves towing the 10,000 Honda bike in Admoor Lane, Pc Harper got out of the unmarked BMW police car and chased Cole, who had unhooked the rope.

After Cole dived into the Seat, Long made off at speeds of 42.5mph, carrying Pc Harper behind for 91 seconds.

His uniform was stripped away and he was found by colleagues unconscious and barely alive in Ufton Lane near the A4.

Despite attempts to save him, he died at the scene.

Meanwhile, another officer gave chase and a police helicopter tracked the Seat to Four Houses Corner caravan site.

Albert Bowers (left) and Jessie Cole leaving Reading Magistrates Court after an earlier hearing in September (Jacob King/PA)

Following his arrest, Long concocted a false alibi that he had been watching the racing film Fast And Furious at the travellers site.

But an examination of mobile phone data eventually placed all the defendants in the Seat.

Giving evidence, Long admitted being a habitual thief who had been involved in many police chases before.

On the night Pc Harper died, he said it was chaos inside the car and he ordered the radio to be turned up to drown out his passengers shouting.

Cole denied seeing Pc Harper or hearing him shout to him seconds before he leapt through the car window.

The defendants also denied that an axe, three crowbars, a screwdriver, metal pipe, and a pair of choppers found in the Seat were to be used as weapons if they were challenged while stealing the bike.

Mr Justice Edis adjourned sentence until next Friday.
NATCHEZ, Miss. - A man who once ran as a Republican for Mississippi governor has become the new Democratic mayor of Natchez, and this is the second city where he has held the top job.

Mayor Dan Gibson and members of the Natchez Board of Aldermen were inaugurated Friday.

Gibson succeeds Darryl Grennell, a Democrat who did not seek a second term as mayor in the city of 14,600.

Gibson was elected in 1996 as mayor of Crystal Springs, which had about 5,000 residents and is about 90 miles (145 kilometres) northeast of Natchez.

Gibson unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in 1999 and has worked as a lobbyist for an insurance group.

He has lived in Natchez the past four years and owns a bed-and-breakfast inn. The Natchez Democrat newspaper reported that he ran on a platform of bringing jobs and economic opportunity to the city.

During the inauguration ceremony Friday, Gibson presented Grennell with a banner that includes the Natchez city seal that was adopted while Grennell was mayor. Gibson proposed that the banner become the city flag.

The banner includes elements honouring the Natchez Indians who were the first occupants and owners of this land, Gibson said. It also honours the French, British and Spanish who later occupied the land.

The image also contains West African Adinkra symbols Mmere Dane, which means change, and Boa me na me mmoa wo, interpreted to mean help me, and let me help you.

We also pay honour to those enslaved African men and women and their children, for truly we would not be here and this city would not be the beautiful city that it is today had it not been for their ultimate sacrifice, said Gibson, who is white and is leading a majority-Black city.
Sushant Singh Rajput's fans came in full support of the late actor as his last film Dil Bechara premiered on Disney Plus Hotstar. Within minutes of the release, the films IMDb rating climbed to 10. However, with over 21 thousand votes, currently, Dil Bechara is rated 9.8 on 10.

It has also gained the first position on IMDb's 'Top Rated Indian Movies' list leaving behind Kamal Haasan and R Madhavan's 2003 Tamil film Anbe Sivam.

Fans of the late actor also took to Twitter to share their reactions to the film, also starring newcomer Sanjana Sanghi.

A user wrote, "#IMDb 10/10 IMDB. What a record breaking Performance by the audience in *Ratings*. And a finest Tribute to the finest actor RIP Folded handsBouquet* #SushantSinghRajput * A very nyc performance in his last movie (sic)."

#IMDb 10/10 IMDB. What a record breaking Performance by the audience in *Ratings*. And a finest Tribute to the finest actor RIP * #SushantSinghRajput * A very nyc performance in his last movie#DilBechara #DilBecharaToday  Harsh raj (@Hsraj04) July 25, 2020

Another tweeted, "10/10 on #IMDb Record breaking. Never ever happened to any movie. #DilBechara"

Sushant died by suicide at his apartment in Bandra, Mumbai on June 14. After his demise, Sushant's fans had requested the makers to release the film in cinema halls and made hashtag #DilBecharaOnBigScreen, trend on social media for days. However, now that the film was released digitally, 'Dil Bechara Day' and subsequent hashtags have become top trends on Twitter.

Meanwhile, the film is the official remake of 2014 Hollywood romantic drama The Fault In Our Stars, based on John Green's bestselling novel about two teens who fall in love after meeting at a cancer support group. Dil Bechara marks the directorial debut of casting director Mukesh Chhabra. Sanjana Sanghi, who has previously done brief roles in films such as Rockstar and Hindi Medium, plays the female lead in the movie.

Dil Bechara revolves around two characters, Kizie and Manny. While Kizie has thyroid cancer, Manny had osteosarcoma. The journey that they take together as they help each evolve and embrace lifes imperfections is the driving force of the narrative.

Apart from Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi, Dil Bechara also features Swastika Mukherjee and Saif Ali Khan as well.
Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 The Global Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market is expected to grow from USD 77,357.

New York, July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Anti Lock Braking System & Electronic Stability Control System Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913199/?utm_source=GNW

95 Million in 2019 to USD 131,014.52 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.17%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



On the basis of Geography, the Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market is studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region is studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region is studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region is studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market including Autoliv Inc., Contenental Ag, Delphi Automotive Plc, Densocorporation, Hyundai Mobis, Robert Bosch GMBH, and TRW Automotive.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



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1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players

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The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) & Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913199/?utm_source=GNW



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Imani Africa, has commended government for the reduction in the Communication Service Tax (CST).

In as much as the think tank applauds the government for the move, it still stands by its earlier position that the CST should not have been passed at all.

The government in 2008 introduced the 6% CST to raise additional revenue from communications services rendered by mobile operators.

The rate was increased to 9% in 2019 but has again been reduced to 5% in the recent mid-year budget review.

President of Imani Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, however, said in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic the reduction is welcomed.

He said, First of all, it wasnt supposed to be done in the first place. So we can say that we are grateful it was reduced but we also have to keep in mind the fact that now that the pandemic is upon us, people will spend a lot more on data so probably it was a wise decision but it shouldnt have been imposed in the first place. It is however welcomed.

Mid-year budget review

During the Finance Ministers mid-year budget review presentation on Thursday, July 23, he announced a reduction of the Communication Service Tax, also known as talk tax from 9% to 5%.

This is to last for six months, as part of efforts by the government to alleviate the hardship that COVID-19 has brought upon Ghanaians.

CST saga

Mobile telecommunication companies in Ghana from October 1, 2019, began to charge customers the newly adjusted CST.

A statement by the Ghana Chamber of Telecoms stated that the 9% tax will be borne fully by consumers.

The increase in the CST was announced by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta in his 2019 mid-year budget review. It was increased from 6% to 9%.

Following the increment, the telcos introduced an instant deduction of the tax.

For instance, a recharge of GHS10 worth of talk time gives consumers GHS9.2 as a result of the tax.

This sparked up a lot of complaints and arguments from Ghanaians.

The Communications Minister hence ordered the telcos to stop the upfront deduction of the tax.

According to the Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the telcos were milking consumers over the implementation of the talk tax.

But the Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Ato Forson's wrote to the Ministry requesting for the withdrawal of the directive.

He insisted that the directive was unlawful because Ursula, the sector Minister, did not have the power to issue such a directive.

Furthermore, a private citizen called Dzifa Gunu sued Ursula for ordering the telecommunication companies to stop the upfront deductions of the tax.

In his writ sighted by citinewsroom.com, Dzifa Gunu argued that the Communications Minister's directive to the telcos to cease giving upfront notifications on tax deductions made from purchased airtime is an interference with his right to information as a consumer or subscriber and thus contravenes article 21(1) (f) of the 1992 Constitution and same is illegal and wrongful.

But the telecommunication companies later resolved to stop the upfront deductions of the CST. They decided to rather apply the tax through a tariff adjustment programme which took effect on November 26, 2019.

---citinewsroom
MoneyTips

Let's begin by pointing out that this article is not a tutorial. Enterprising criminals are recommended to look elsewhere.

Counterfeiting costs the U.S. economy millions of dollars annually. According to the U.S. Secret Service, $75 million in counterfeit bills were seized by the Peruvian National Police between 2009 and 2017, yet a counterfeiter reported that most counterfeit currency enters the U.S. via Mexico. Many of the removed bills were crude inkjet copies.

The days of being able to print counterfeit bills on your home computer are not completely dead, but with new security measures, it is increasingly likely that you will be caught. Similarly, it is difficult for large-scale counterfeiters to reproduce the revised $100 bill, which is by far the most counterfeited U.S. denomination because it is in the sweet spot, with the highest value in wide circulation.

The other reason why the $100 is a popular target is that a high-quality counterfeit that can pass a cursory test costs approximately $50 per bill to manufacture.Any criminal attempting to counterfeit high quality $20 bills has a major problem with his business model.

Sophisticated counterfeiting operations still exist, despite new security measures. There are several printing and optical tricks incorporated to make the new bills difficult to reproduce, including features that change with the viewing angle. Color-shifting ink changes the color of the 100 with the angle, and the bell patterns appear, disappear, or change into other features. A blue 3D security ribbon is woven throughout the paper in the center of the bill, and microlenses within the ribbon produce the changing features. Finally, raised printing produces even more texture to the bill's surface.

These steps cost the government 60% more to produce the bill (up to 12.5 cents per bill) but are likely to more than pay the extra cost back in decreased counterfeiting attempts. Anyone who manages to duplicate the inks and 3D ribbon would have to invest so much in equipment and raw materials that they would have to pass off an incredible number of $100 bills to recoup their "investment."

How can you spot a counterfeit $100, or crude fakes of lower denominations? The Secret Service offers a few tips.

Portraits  Properly printed bills have distinct features in the portraits. Fakes often have flat and lifeless details.

Seals  The Treasury and Federal Reserve seals are crisp and distinct on real bills, but fakes can have blunt or uneven points on the outer saw-tooth pattern.

Borders ? Blurred borders or imprecise centering is a big tipoff of a counterfeit.

Serial Numbers  A proper serial number is printed in the same ink color as the seals and has a distinct font style with even spacing. Obviously , if you find two bills with the same serial number, at least one is fake, and sequential numbers should at least get your attention to look a bit closer at the bills.

Paper  There are tiny blue and red fibers embedded in real currency. Counterfeits attempt to duplicate the effect by surface printing. Close inspection will show the difference.

Starch  Did you ever wonder why clerks use special yellow pens to test higher-denomination bills? They are testing for starch in the paper. Real bills use special starch-free paper. The yellow pens have an iodine base that turns a bluish-black color upon contact with starch.

Texture  Real bills have raised printing that produces texture . Test a bill against standard co pier paper to get a feel for the difference.

Watermark  A faint watermark image of the portrait will appear when real bills are held up to the light. If the portrait doesn't match , somebody has bleached an old bill of lower denomination and reprinted it to increase its value.

The Treasury has made it harder on counterfeiters, but people must still be aware of the potential for fakes, even crude ones. Most bills don't get much scrutiny during cash transactions, so be on the lookout for anything unusualat least until mobile pay systems take over the world and those funny green rectangles become museum artifacts.

One advantage of buying on credit is that you don't need to worry about landing up with a counterfeited bill. If you want more credit, check out MoneyTips' list of credit card offers.

Photo iStockphoto.com/malerapaso

Advertising Disclosure

Originally Posted at: https://www.moneytips.com/counterfeit-money-101

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School Committee Takes Open Meeting Complaint to Exec Session

WILLLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee engaged in an apparent violation of the commonwealth's Open Meeting Law Friday in its effort to respond to a complaint of a prior violation.

At 12:06 p.m., the committee moved to executive session to consider its response to an OML complaint filed by the editor of iBerkshires.com.

The Attorney General's Office's 2018 " Open Meeting Law Guide and Educational Materials " lists 10 acceptable reasons for public bodies to hold a meeting in executive session. Responding to an Open Meeting Law complaint is not on that list.

"The law states 10 specific purposes for which an executive session may be held, and emphasizes that these are the only reasons for which a public body may enter executive session," the guide states on Page 11 before listing and explaining the 10 purposes for closed-door meetings.

iBerkshires.com on July 13 filed an OML complaint against the School Committee related to its executive session meetings in June and July prior to the departure of the school district's superintendent on July 11.

At the committee's July 13 meeting , member Al Terranova mentioned in open session a prior decision by the School Committee to conduct a search for a full-time superintendent in 2021.

Since such a decision was never discussed in an open meeting, and, in fact, the committee had never contemplated in open session an imminent departure of then-Superintendent Kimberley Grady, the only logical inference is that such a discussion was held in executive session.

It is debatable from a reading of the AGO's guide that such a topic would have been an acceptable point of discussion for executive session. But, in any event, the stated reason for the committee's meetings on June 3, 17 and 25 and July 1 was, "to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel (Superintendent)."

The only conceivable executive session purpose that would allow the kind of discussion hinted at by Terranova is the first purpose listed in Massachusetts General Law: "To discuss the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual, or to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual."

The statute specifies that if this is the reason for an executive session, the individual involved needs to be notified in advance and given the right to legal counsel at the executive session.

On Monday, July 6, School Committee Chair Christina Conry replied to a request for information about the four executive sessions in June and July by writing, "The Superintendent was not invited, nor participated, in the executive sessions previously mentioned." Again, this indicates that the purpose of the executive sessions held was not tied to the "discipline or dismissal" exemption to the Open Meeting Law.

On Friday, shortly after Conry called the committee's virtual meeting to order in open session, she accepted a motion from Carolyn Greene to adjourn to executive session with intent to return to open session for the purpose of discussing "a complaint brought against the public body," as stated in the meeting's agenda.

The district's counsel, Adam Dupere, was present (virtually) when the meeting was called to order. He also was present when the panel returned to open session at 12:32. It was not clear  and not stated by the chair  whether he participated in the executive session or was moved to a virtual "waiting room" with other attendees during the closed-door portion of the meeting.

Public bodies have 14 business days to respond to complaints of Open Meeting Law violations. Since the iBerkshires.com complaint was filed on July 13, the deadline will be July 31.

In other business on Friday afternoon, the School Committee voted unanimously to appoint Interim Superintendent Robert Putnam the district's secretary/clerk and discussed the 12 to 14 questions it plans to ask candidates for the permanent superintendent position next week.

Conry said the committee, which sought questions from members of the community, had 54 questions submitted, including questions from committee members, the district's teachers union, students and community members.
Frankie Dettori strokes Enable as they celebrate winning the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes at a rainy Ascot

Once, twice, three times a lady, Enable and her greatest fan Frankie Dettori are back in the winners' enclosure and dreaming big again, writes James Toney.

Only two rivals lined up against her but Enable's status as one of racing's greatest mares was underlined by a third career victory in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes at Ascot.

It was her 11th Group One success - Frankel 'only' won ten - while for smitten pilot Dettori it was a seventh win in the midsummer showpiece, moving him level with Lester Piggott.

Whatever comes next Enable's place in the pantheon of legend is long secure, thanks to her double Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe success, Breeders' Cup triumph and collection of big race victories in England and Ireland.

But the weeks ahead could put her in splendid isolation on a plinth of her own. First there is a potential showdown with Aidan O'Brien's brilliant Oaks winner Love and then all boulevards lead to Paris for another crack at an unprecedented third Arc victory.

This Ascot highlight - part of the Qipco British Champions Series - has a tradition for throwing up brilliant finishes, Grundy besting Bustino 45 years ago in a contest dubbed the 'race of the century'.

Twelve months ago Enable's stunning tussle with Crystal Ocean installed itself as the early frontrunner for the same epithet this century and while a routine victory over O'Brien's Sovereign and Japan may not have been so thrilling, the manner of the effortless triumph was equally breathtaking.

"She is back in top order, no doubt about that. We have been thrilled with her at home. I never expect things like that but I was expecting to see that, but life can be full of disappointments," said trainer John Gosden, who was never worried by a second place in her season debut at Sandown's Eclipse Stakes three weeks ago.

"She has enormous mental strength. You have some horses who just want to please and she just loves going out. When Prince Khalid asked me last year that he was thinking about keeping her in training for one more year, I said that she adores training. If she doesn't go out first lot, she gets annoyed that she has to wait.

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"She loves going out there and carries herself magnificently - she is a very proud person - and I think to that extent, she has made my job possible. If she wasn't enjoying it or it was becoming a hardship, we would pull stumps immediately and wouldn't dream of carrying on. She is up for it and loves it.

"She is a gorgeous filly too be around because she carries herself to well and is such a positive influence to everybody about her.

"We are incredibly lucky to be with her every day training and Frankie comes in and bribes her with the polo mints. We are lucky - of course it is a weighty responsibility, but we are very fortunate to have a filly of that ability, of that stature and of that character.

"We are clear that we have York in our minds now. She will be entered in both the Juddmonte International and Yorkshire Oaks but I would just like to get a race or racecourse gallop into her before the Arc."

One in a million! Enable wins a record-breaking third King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes @Ascot @FrankieDettori pic.twitter.com/m8L1HKpNjc  At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 25, 2020

Gosden admitted he and Dettori got tactics wrong at last year's Arc, even if at the time they blamed the ever softening ground for a narrow defeat to Waldgeist in Europe's richest race.

He claimed they went too hard early in the race, meaning Enable was slowing to a walk in the closing stages. This victory at Ascot was the opposite, Dettori nailing his tactics and his charge showing that even at six years of age, her cruising speed and finishing kick remains peerless under pressure.

Dettori has been known to come over a little emotional when discussing his 'special girl', losing himself in superlatives.

And after another ride into the history books, Dettori was firing out one liners like he fires in winners.

"I love her so much. There is a bit of a knot in my throat but the fact that I have only got her for two more months makes me a bit emotional about it," he said.

We all love her dearly and she never lets us down. She has got this amazing presence and these massive, big ears. She walks with her chest sticking out and you can see it - she gives those vibes to everyone and people are attached to her for that reason.

"She has given me emotional heights no other horse has. She is the only horse I ride from the yard; I spoil her with Polos. I don't know whether she really recognises me but she eats them no matter what! I've become friends with her. She knows she is good and I am trying to enjoy it as much as we all are as she is wonderful."

There are 71 days until Dettori's love affair with Enable reaches its final flourish at Longchamp in the city of love. We should enjoy this latest success for a while before wishing those days away but Dettori, he is certainly daring to dream.

"Three King Georges has never been done before and now we have try the impossible and go for three Arcs," he added.

"This is amazing but it is really all about the Arc. With a performance like this, we're still in with a shot. She is giving me the same vibes that she did last year. When you go to the Arc, it is hard, but at least we know, with this kind of display, that we can be really competitive."
An optical fiber made of agar has been produced at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This device is edible, biocompatible and biodegradable. It can be used in vivo for body structure imaging, localized light delivery in phototherapy or optogenetics (e.g., stimulating neurons with light to study neural circuits in a living brain), and localized drug delivery.

Another possible application is the detection of microorganisms in specific organs, in which case the probe would be completely absorbed by the body after performing its function.

The research project, which was supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP, was led by Eric Fujiwara, a professor in UNICAMP's School of Mechanical Engineering, and Cristiano Cordeiro, a professor in UNICAMP's Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics, in collaboration with Hiromasa Oku, a professor at Gunma University in Japan.

An article on the study is published in Scientific Reports, an online journal owned by Springer Nature.

Agar, also called agar-agar, is a natural gelatin obtained from marine algae. Its composition consists of a mixture of two polysaccharides, agarose and agaropectin.

Our optical fiber is an agar cylinder with an external diameter of 2.5 millimeters [mm] and a regular inner arrangement of six 0.5 mm cylindrical airholes around a solid core. Light is confined owing to the difference between the refraction indices of the agar core and the airholes. To produce the fiber, we poured food-grade agar into a mold with six internal rods placed lengthwise around the main axis. The gel distributes itself to fill the available space. After cooling, the rods are removed to form airholes, and the solidified waveguide is released from the mold. The refraction index and geometry of the fiber can be adapted by varying the composition of the agar solution and mold design, respectively." Eric Fujiwara, Professor in UNICAMP's School of Mechanical Engineering

The researchers tested the fiber in different media, from air and water to ethanol and acetone, concluding that it is context-sensitive. "The fact that the gel undergoes structural changes in response to variations in temperature, humidity and pH makes the fiber suitable for optical sensing," Fujiwara said.

Another promising application is its simultaneous use as an optical sensor and a growth medium for microorganisms. "In this case, the waveguide can be designed as a disposable sample unit containing the necessary nutrients. The immobilized cells in the device would be optically sensed, and the signal would be analyzed using a camera or spectrometer," he said.
Union chiefs have slammed Boris Johnson's order to return thousands of civil servants to their desks and insisted they won't be used 'as an example to get everybody back to work'.

The Prime Minister has told mandarins to tear up the work from home guidance which has been in place since March and start getting officials back to the office from the end of next week - despite many top firms still encouraging employees to work remotely.

In a letter to all Whitehall ministries, civil service chief Alex Chisholm said it was time to change the default that civil servants should work from home, and accelerate the return to the workplace from August 1.

However, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the UKs largest civil service trade union, is telling its members not to buckle under pressure from No10.

A spokesman said: 'We told the Cabinet Office in a meeting yesterday that this was completely unacceptable.

'That demand is not based on our members health and safety, or on helping our economy, it is based entirely on political pressure being exerted by some Tory MPs who are demanding that the civil service is used as an example to get everybody back to work.

'People should only go back to work when it is safe to do so. Everyones health and safety must be the top priority.



Boris Johnson has told mandarins to tear up the work from home guidance which has been in place since March and start getting officials back to the office from the end of next week

'We told the Cabinet Office that we werent prepared to accept this and they agreed to a meeting next week to start looking at the type of things that can be done to ensure that everyone can be safe. Further talks will take place next week.e

'Our advice to members is clear, if you are working from home and you get approached by anyone in your department asking you to now go back to work, dont just accept thats what you have to do.'

The spokesman added: We are determined, having come so far in this pandemic and having done so well to deliver public services, that we do not throw away members safety because of the demands of politicians.

Meanwhile Britains biggest businesses have told hundreds of thousands of office staff to carry on working at home despite growing fears for city centre shops and eateries, a Mail audit has found.

Top firms employing 400,000 staff have only sent back about 40,000 to the workplace so far, after many switched to remote working during the virus crisis.

Unilever, BT, Royal Bank of Scotland, Rolls-Royce and GlaxoSmithKline are among those who still have no immediate plans to do so, despite official guidance giving the all-clear from August 1.

But Whitehall departments have been told to prepare assessments of productivity impacts associated with remote working... and your plans to address any backlogs in service fulfilment that have built up as a result of enforced absence from office working.

Unilever, BT, Royal Bank of Scotland, Rolls-Royce and GlaxoSmithKline are among those who still have no immediate plans to do so, despite official guidance giving the all-clear from August 1

The Mail revealed this week that huge delays have built up for key services including passports, driving licences and birth certificates after Government departments sent thousands of key staff home.

Figures showed that more than 400,000 people are waiting for a passport, with advice now saying to only apply if travelling urgently.

The Prime Minister has told officials he wants the backlog cleared by the end of September.

He is said to be convinced that the work from home edict has proved a major blow to productivity.

During a visit to a GP surgery in east London yesterday Mr Johnson said: I want to see a massive effort now by the country to psychologically to stop thinking of coronavirus as something that makes it impossible to do things and start really looking at tackling the problems of the British people.

The Prime Ministers plan to get Britain back to a semblance of normality was dealt a blow as top firms told staff they can continue to work remotely

But the Prime Ministers plan to get Britain back to a semblance of normality was dealt a blow as top firms told staff they can continue to work remotely. Several bosses say they now expect home working to become the new normal.

M&G, one of Britains biggest fund managers, said it was in no rush for staff to return and that remote working would continue for the foreseeable future. But critics warned the prolonged office exodus could deal a terminal blow to the High Street unless more staff return. Ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan-Smith, a former work and pensions secretary, said big companies had an obligation to get people back to work.

A Mail audit of 60 top firms found many had yet to plan a return to the office. Just one quarter had plans to bring staff back in the next two months.

Coca-Cola, Facebook, Google, Pearson, RBS and Vodafone  which employ a combined 70,000  are among those who are not planning to do so until next year.

A Mail audit of 60 top firms found many had yet to plan a return to the office. Just one quarter had plans to bring staff back in the next two months

We may have to wear masks for another year, warns PM

By Jason Groves and Arthur Martin for the Daily Mail

Masks could remain compulsory in shops for at least a year, Boris Johnson suggested yesterday.

The Prime Minister declined to put a precise time scale on the new rules requiring people to wear a face covering in all shops or face a 100 fine.

And he implied the mask policy was likely to stay in place for many months as the Government tries to open up the economy while avoiding a second wave of coronavirus.

On a visit to a GP surgery in east London, during which he donned a mask, the PM said lifting the rule would depend on our continued ability to drive down the virus.

The Prime Minister declined to put a precise time scale on the new rules requiring people to wear a face covering in all shops or face a 100 fine

However, Mr Johnson added it was likely to be the middle of next year before the UK was well on the way past it.

Attempts to make sure people wear masks in shops hit teething problems as the rules came into force yesterday.

Police and retailers refused to enforce the requirement and the care minister suggested people should not be accosted if they failed to wear one.

Officers claimed they do not have the resources and said the greater onus should be on shopkeepers to make sure their customers cover their faces.

But supermarkets insisted it is up to the police to enforce the rules and said their staff would not be challenging those without masks amid fears of violent attacks.

Wearing a mask also became compulsory in banks, post offices, shopping centres, petrol stations and transport hubs yesterday.

The PM implied the mask policy was likely to stay in place for many months as the Government tries to open up the economy while avoiding a second wave of coronavirus

Only young children and people with medical conditions affected by a mask are exempt. Police chiefs across the country said their officers would not be routinely enforcing the regulations and they would only be sent out as a last resort.

Thousands of people were spotted visiting shops yesterday without wearing a face covering.

Marks & Spencer, Co-op, Tesco, Sainsburys, Iceland, Asda and Morrisons have said it is not up to their workers to enforce the rules.

In a branch of Sainsburys, one shopper was pelted with a tub of double cream by a woman for not wearing a mask.

The supermarket said it will display posters and make regular loudspeaker announcements asking customers to wear a mask, but it was not the responsibility of staff to challenge them.

But branches of McDonalds ordered customers without face coverings to leave the restaurants.

Police chiefs across the country said their officers would not be routinely enforcing the regulations and they would only be sent out as a last resort

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: Police officers are yet again adapting to a new set of unprecedented laws and guidelines which they wouldnt have even dreamed of before lockdown.

It is our members who are expected to police what is a new way of living and I would urge retail outlets to play their part in making the rules crystal clear: if you are not wearing a face covering then you are not coming in.

But care minister Helen Whately called for a softly-softly approach and pointed out that some people, including those with autism and conditions like anxiety, are exempt from wearing them.

She predicted that most people would wear a mask voluntarily, telling BBC Radio 4s Today programme: We are expecting people to be reasonable about this. And we dont want to see members of the public accosted for not wearing a face mask.

Some retailers have raised concerns that asking shop staff to enforce the measures will lead to further abuse against them.

Jo Whitfield, from the Co-op, said: On a daily basis they face abuse, threatening behaviour and even physical assault. Our own figures show that during the Covid crisis such instances have risen and enforcing the wearing of face masks could be another flashpoint that shop workers dont need.
Anilkumar T By

Express News Service

KOCHI: In a quiet move, Anupam Mishra, IAS, who was suspended by the government for violating the quarantine rules after he returned from Singapore and Indonesia in March, has been reinstated in service. The former sub-collector of Kollam has been appointed as the new Sub-Collector of Alappuzha.

The order issued by Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta said the 2016-batch IAS officer was reinducted as this was his first lapse. The government desisted from further action against Mishra by giving him an oral warning against repeating such mistakes. He is yet to join duty in Alappuzha.

The government after examining the written statement submitted by the officer was convinced that the officer could not defend the charge satisfactorily. But Anupam Mishra is a young officer and this is his first mistake. Government has decided not to take further action by giving an oral warning not to repeat such mistakes. Anupam Mishra is reinstated in service. The officer is posted as sub-collector, Alappuzha, says the order the issued by the Chief Secretary recently.

Anupam Mishra had made news for all the wrong reasons while the pandemic struck the nation by the middle of March. He had visited Singapore and Indonesia for his honeymoon and rejoined duty on March 19. In the wake of the pandemic and Covid protocol issued by the Centre and state government, the Kollam Collector had directed the officer to enter into self-quarantine at his official residence. However, disregarding this, Mishra left for Bengaluru from Kollam the same day without informing the government.
A chargesheet was filed against JNU student Sharjeel Imam by the Delhi Police on Saturday in connection with a case related to his alleged inflammatory speeches during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at several places.

The chargesheet, filed in Delhis Patiala House court today, said that Imam openly defied the Constitution of India and called it a fascist document.

According to the police, the chargesheet has been filed under several relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act including sedition, promoting enmity between groups, and spreading rumors, etc.

Police said that he is accused of delivering seditious speeches and inciting a particular section of the community to indulge in unlawful activities, detrimental to the sovereignty and the integrity of the nation.

In the garb of protesting against the CAA 2019, he exhorted people of a particular community to block the highways leading to the major cities and resort to Chakka Jam, thereby disrupting normal life, the Delhi Police said in the chargesheet.

He also openly defied the Constitution and called it a fascist document. In the name of opposing the CAA, he also openly propagated blocking the chicken neck connecting the mainland-India with the northeast, it added.

Imam is being probed for his alleged inflammatory speech at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13 and subsequently on January 16 at Aligarh Muslim University, where he allegedly threatened to cut off Assam and the rest of the Northeast from India. He is currently lodged at Guwahati Central Jail.

The police had earlier submitted before the court that after his speech on December 13, widespread arson and violence took place in various parts of Delhi and that several protest sites emerged after his January 16 speech.

Earlier, a Delhi court granted an extension of 90 days to the Delhi Police to conclude the investigation and file a chargesheet in the case.
Ever since a worldwide pandemic sent students home to study remotely in Spring 2020, schools around the globe have been trying to answer one big question. How do they honor their graduates if they cant meet in person for their traditional commencement ceremony?Social media channels and television news broadcasts across the United States have been flooded with videos of everything from socially distant ceremonies to drive-thru celebrations. Cleveland State Community College, realizing students completing their programs werent being honored in the way they originally hoped, wanted to step things up and make something worthy of the appreciation of the Class of 2020.Airing July 31 at 5:30 p.m., Cleveland State will broadcast the 2020 Spring and Summer Virtual Commencement Ceremony.Watch the premier online at MyCS.CC/Graduation or on the colleges social media channels. A recording of the broadcast will remain online for viewing at any time after the debut Friday.More than 450 graduates will be individually honored as their names are read aloud and honors earned are shared with the viewing audience. This may be a virtual graduation ceremony, but we are genuinely proud of each and every one of our graduates, said Dr. Bill Seymour, Cleveland State Community College President.Culture and Career Strategist and Motivational Speaker Derek Young will deliver the keynote address to the graduating class. Also addressing the online audience will be Dr. Flora W. Tydings, Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents. An ensemble from Cleveland States Vocal Rhapsody performance group will sing the National Anthem and the colleges Alma Mater.For information on the 2020 Spring and Summer Virtual Commencement Ceremony at Cleveland State, call 423-473-2341. Students are currently enrolled online and on-campus through the CSCC main campus in Cleveland, as well as CSCCs Athens Center in Athens and Monroe County Center in Vonore.CSCC earned the Tennessee Board of Regents 2019 College Of The Year. CSCC directly serves Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, and Polk Counties in Tennessee. The College System of Tennessee is the states largest public higher education system, with 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology and the online TN eCampus serving more than 140,000 students.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 00:01:06|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on July 17, 2020 shows a fleet of trucks loaded with flood control supplies by the river in Huarong County, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday allocated more emergency supplies to the provinces of Hunan, Anhui and Jiangxi in support of local flood control and disaster relief work, the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) said.

A total of 2 million woven bags, 1.52 million square meters of woven fabric, and 700,000 square meters of geotextile were allocated from national reserves to Hunan, while 65,000 disaster-relief items, including blankets and folding beds, were sent to Anhui and Jiangxi.

As of 6 p.m. on Friday, 10 batches of flood-prevention supplies, worth 86.6 million yuan (about 12.37 million U.S. dollars), and 195,000 items of relief supplies had been dispatched to local authorities by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the MEM, and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

As heavy rainfalls are forecast in areas along the Yangtze River and Huai River over the next few days, local authorities have been urged to further implement measures in disaster prevention and emergency relief work, while strengthening security monitoring of key dams, rivers and reservoirs. 
Josie Pirozzoli was visiting her mother in a Florida nursing home, The Hawthorne Inn every day before the pandemic began.

Pirozzoli said there is nothing more important to her 94-year-old mother than family.

However, after the state's emergency rule, which did not allow visitors, Pirozzoli said that she has only been seeing her mother through a window or on the computer.

She said that even those visits are short, they are also heartbreaking.

"What I pray for every time I have one of those visits is that she still recognizes me. That's what I pray for," she was quoted in a report.

Pirozzoli might be far from visiting her mother face-to-face again with more COVID-19 cases increasing at nursing homes in 23 "hot spot" counties of Florida.

Around 85 rapid testing machines will be deployed immediately to test staff.

Florida nursing homes have closely guarded the area since March by banning family visits, isolating infected victims in separate wings, and now requiring staff to be tested every two weeks.

A county is considered a hot spot if, in the last week, it reported three or more new cases of COVID-19 in a nursing home, has inadequate access to testing, and had at least one new resident due to COVID-19 or had at least one new confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 among staff.

This was according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data.

Testings will be done in hopes to open the door to the possibility that visitors could return to nursing homes where infections are under control.

"We want to make sure that there's no COVID inside the nursing home, and then once we see that for two weeks, our recommendation will be to permit visitation and require testing of the visitors," CMS Administrator Seema Verma in a conference was quoted in a report.

CMS said earlier this week that it will adopt a new set of rules. This rule will require staff in nursing homes in counties where the positivity rate is above five percent, be tested at least weekly.

This is seen to curb the spread of COVID-19 infection.

Currently, CMS only "recommends" that testing is done regularly.

Federal Program Goal

CMS said it is aiming to deploy 15,000 of the new testing machines to counties.

Around 636 will be shipped this week. It will also implement "financial penalties" for homes that basic protocols like hand-washing and mask-wearing are violated.

Verma said that they will also be testing nursing homes that are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases.

The first round of machines will be distributed to 85 nursing homes, in the following counties in Florida: 6 in Miami-Dade, 7 in Broward, 1 in Monroe, and 15 in Palm Beach, a report said.

This was funded by a $5 billion CARES Act program.

In a CMS press release, they said the new staff testing requirement will support efforts to keep infection from spreading in nursing homes by identifying possible asymptomatic carriers.

Florida nursing homes have 2,557 residents and staff at long-term care facilities in Florida have died of COVID-19, as of July 24.

Check these out:

An Invisible Workforce: Home Care Workers Are Highly Valued but Overworked and Underpaid

Several Nursing Homes Receive Defective and Expired Protective Gear, Rendering Many Unusable



90-Year-Old Florida Man Risks His Health to See Wife One Last Time
The Royal Australian Navy guided-missile frigate HMAS Parramatta (L) is underway with the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS America, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill and the Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry on the South China Sea on April 18, 2020. (U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Huynh)

Australia Rejects Beijings Claims to South China Sea, Joining US

Australia has formally declared that Chinas major maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis and are invalid.

The move comes after the United States formally rejected Beijings claims to the South China Sea earlier this month.

The Australian government said in a declaration filed at the United Nations in New York and dated July 23 that it rejects any of the Chinese regimes claims to key parts of the South China Sea that are inconsistent with the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) (pdf).

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has laid claim to most of the South China Sea, citing the so-called nine-dash line, a vaguely-defined U-shaped delineation that carves out the regions where it claims historic rights to resources within the sea.

In its declaration (pdf), Australias mission to the U.N. said that it rejects Chinas claim to historic rights or maritime rights and interests as established in the long course of historical practice in the South China Sea.

Similar to the United States, Australia cited the 2016 ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague that found that the CCPs claims of historic rights to resources in the South China Sea in waters also contested by the Philippines had no legal basis. At the time, the CCPs Foreign Ministry didnt acknowledge the tribunals decision, saying it was null and void.

Australias statement says, There is no legal basis for China to draw straight baselines connecting the outermost points of maritime features or island groups in the South China Sea, including around the Four Sha or continental or outlying archipelagos.

Australia rejects any claims to internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf based on such straight baselines.

Australia also rejected the CCPs sovereignty claims to the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands as being widely recognized by the international community, citing recent protests by Vietnam and the Philippines to the areas.

The CCP has in recent years constructed artificial islands equipped with naval and air bases in surrounding areas to the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands, in an apparent bid to assert its claim over the regions, in addition to increasing its overall military presence in the South China Sea.

A map showing waters disputed by China in the South China Sea. (UNCLOS and the CIA)

Other countries with territorial claims to the resource-rich South China Sea include the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

The Australian government encourages all claimants in the South China Sea, including China, to clarify their maritime claims and resolve their differences peacefully, in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS, Australias statement reads.

Australias declaration comes ahead of high-level AUSMIN talks between Australia and the United States in Washington on July 28, in which Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds and Foreign Minister Marise Payne will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

Australia and the U.S. share a steadfast determination to keep the Indo-Pacific secure, open, prosperous, inclusive, and rules-based.  Never has it been more important that we, as allies, find every possible way to advance shared interests, Payne and Reynolds wrote in a statement championing U.S.Australia ties ahead of the talks.

They noted that there have been coercive actions in the South China Sea, which continue to create tensions that destabilizes the region.

Without explicitly singling out the Chinese regime, Payne and Reynolds also noted other key security issues in the Indo-Pacific region: the recent national security legislation imposed on Hong Kong, increasing cyber attacks, and disinformation by malicious actors  who have taken advantage of the COVID-19 crisis to undermine democratic systems and inflame social polarization.

Frank Fang contributed to this report.

Read More Australia-Championed CCP Virus Inquiry Resolution Passed by World Health Assembly
HOUSTON (AP)  The coronavirus kept surging in hot spots around the U.S. on Thursday, with one city in South Carolina urging people to pray it into submission, a hospital in Texas bringing in military medical personnel and morgues running out of space in Phoenix.

Record numbers of confirmed infections and deaths emerged again in states in the South and West, with hospitals stretched to the brink and fears worldwide that the pandemic's resurgence is only getting started.

Texas reported 10,000 new cases for the third straight day and 129 additional deaths. The state has seen a third of its more than 3,400 total COVID-19 fatalities in the first two weeks of July alone.

Florida reached another ominous record, with 156 virus deaths, and health officials reported a staggering 13,965 new cases.

South Carolina confirmed 69 deaths, more than double any other day. In Louisiana, where officials thought they had contained the virus earlier this year only to become a hot spot again, it's averaged more than 2,000 new confirmed infections a day over the past week.

Many of the governors leading states with the highest rising numbers had refused to mandate masks in public or prevented local officials doing so. While a number of them have reversed course  including Arkansas Republican governor  and at least 25 states now have mask rules, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp banned cities and counties from requiring face coverings and then sued Atlanta to prevent the city from defying his order.

Georgia's capital and 14 other cities had ordered masks be worn, but the Republican governor has maintained that no local directive can be more or less restrictive than his statewide mandates.

How can we take care of our local needs when our state ties our hands behind our back and then says, Ignore the advice of experts? Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told reporters. He later added: If you dont want to protect us, then allow us the opportunity to protect ourselves.

Story continues

Arizona, meanwhile, has been so hard hit by the virus, the medical examiner's office in metro Phoenix has gotten portable storage coolers and ordered more to handle an influx of bodies  reminiscent of New York City at the height of the pandemic there earlier this year.

The Arizona agencys regular morgue storage was 63% full Thursday. Marcy Flanagan, executive director of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, said many funeral homes are at capacity and unable to accept more bodies.

In Texas, the rising numbers are hitting big cities like Houston as well as smaller communities along the Mexico border. This month, Hidalgo County, about 220 miles (354 kilometers) south of San Antonio on the border, has reported more deaths than Houston's Harris County.

Dr. Ivan Melendez, Hidalgo Countys public health authority, said its not uncommon for the body of a COVID-19 patient to lay on a stretcher for 10 hours before it can be removed in the overcrowded hospitals where intensive care space is running short.

Before someone gets a bed in the COVID ICU unit, someone has to die there, Melendez said.

Elsewhere in the second-largest state, health officials in San Antonio also turned to refrigerated trailers to store the dead, and soldiers prepared to take over a COVID-19 wing of a Houston hospital.

An 86-person Army team of doctors, nurses and support staff was setting up a nursing station at United Memorial Medical Center and expected to begin treating up to 40 patients in the coming days.

Some of the soldiers from around the country wore their uniforms. Others wore scrubs affixed with strips of surgical tape that had their ranks, names and medical titles.

This facility, working with the United States military, is something that we asked for, said U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, standing near the soldiers as they worked. We have exhausted medical personnel that were so grateful to, but we didnt have enough.

In South Carolina, where the coronavirus crisis was deepening, the mayor of Charleston asked for spiritual help.

We do turn to God at a time like this, Mayor John Tecklenburg said.

Declaring a day of prayer and remembrance in what for centuries has been nicknamed the Holy City for the number of church steeples dotting its colonial skyline, Tecklenburg was surrounded by pastors of various faiths who prayed for the dead, the sick, their families, health care workers, scientists seeking a vaccine and politicians.

Charleston is one of the biggest hot spots in a state that's among the worst in the nation for the rate of new cases. South Carolina is a microcosm of how the virus has been playing out in the U.S. the past few months. Nearly 39% of the more than 62,000 known cases in the state have been diagnosed in the past two weeks.

South Carolina has set records for COVID-19 hospitalizations nearly every day this month. The 69 deaths reported Thursday pushed it well past 1,000 people killed by the virus, the 25th state to cross that somber threshold.

More than 13.5 million infections have been confirmed worldwide and over 588,000 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The numbers are likely higher for a number of reasons, including limited testing.

Elsewhere around the world:

 Brazil's health ministry reported that the country had passed 2 million confirmed infections and 76,000 deaths. Since late May, Brazil has recorded more than 1,000 daily deaths on average in a gruesome plateau that has yet to tilt downward.

 With Europes summer vacation season kicking into high gear for millions weary of months of lockdown, scenes of drunken British and German tourists on Spains Mallorca island ignoring social distancing rules and reports of American visitors flouting quarantine measures in Ireland raised fears of a resurgence of infections.

 In France, which has seen new outbreaks, Prime Minister Jean Castex said masks would be mandatory in closed public places as of next week  sooner than Aug. 1 as previously announced.

 Indias record daily increase of nearly 32,700 cases pushed its total close to 1 million and led authorities to reimpose a three-day lockdown and nightly curfew in the popular western beach state of Goa, two weeks after it was reopened to tourists.

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Parra reported from Madrid and Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.

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Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
Oppo A72 is the first phone powered by the new MediaTek Dimensity 720 chipset.

Oppo has launched the 5G variant of its a72 smartphone which is powered by the newly released MediaTek Dimensity 720 chipset. Oppo A72 was first launched earlier this April.

Oppo A72 5G is available with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, and its priced at CNY 1,899 ( 20,300 approx). The smartphone will go on sale first in China. Theres no word on its global availability yet.

The new Oppo A72s highlight is 5G support but there are other upgrades as well. The major one is the Dimensity 720 chipset which offers 5G support for mid-range phones. The 4G variant of Oppo A72 runs on Qualcomms Snapdragon 665 chipset. Another upgrade is the 90Hz refresh rate on the Oppo A72 although its the same 6.5-inch full HD+ display.

Interestingly, the camera has been downgraded on the Oppo A72 5G. For selfies, Oppo has added an 8-megapixel camera as opposed to the 16-megapixel sensor on the A72 4G. Its a triple camera setup at the rear with a 16-megapixel primary sensor, 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel depth sensor. The A72 4G has a quad camera setup.

The battery capacity has also been lowered to 4,040mAh from 5,000mAh on the Oppo A72 5G. It has a USB Type-C port with 18W fast charging speed. On the software front, it runs ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10. The smartphone also has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
W ith European countries reopening and Barbados inviting people to move there and work remotely for a year, travel is (tentatively) back on.

While were still embracing the new normal (most airlines now require you to wear face masks for the duration of the flight), it doesnt mean we cant daydream about our next holiday destination.

To help fuel our wanderlust, CEWE has released a new collection of images by photographers taken on their travels that were submitted to the 2019 edition of the worlds largest photo competition, the CEWE Photo Award.

The images have been released to encourage budding and professional photographers to submit their entries for the fourth edition of the awards, which will be open for entry until May 2021.

Clare Moreton, photo expert at CEWE UK, said: Now more than ever before, photos are connecting people from around the globe, so its a great time to be launching the fourth edition of the CEWE Photo Award.

With 448,152 photos submitted last year, the CEWE Photo Award is now the worlds largest photo competition and we are looking forward to sharing lots more beautiful images from photography enthusiasts from across the world this year.

Souvenir by Gustav Muller, taken in Hoi An, Vietnam / courtesy of CEWE Photo Award

There is over 250K (227K) of prizes to be won, including a 15,000 (13,600) holiday, 7,500 (6,800) of photography equipment and 2,500 (2,266) of CEWE products for the first place winner.

Temple of Sita by Susana Lopez taken in Janakpur, Nepal / courtesy of CEWE Photo Award

Second to 10th place will each receive 5,000 (4,533) worth of photography equipment and 2,500 (2,266) worth of CEWE products while 11th to 30th place will each receive 2,500 (2,266) of photography equipment and 1,000 (906) of CEWE vouchers.

Click through the gallery above to see a selection of images submitted to the travel & culture category at last years CEWE Photo Awards.
To stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic, we have had to sacrifice many things we enjoy, including physical contact with others. Gone are handshakes, kisses and hugs.

Research has shown that humans need physical touch to stay mentally and physically healthy. Without it, many become lonely, sad and even sick.

So, if you feel you need a hug, we know something you can safely put your arms around and hold close:

A tree!

Tree hugging may sound a little strange. But humans have practiced forms of nature therapy for years.

The Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku is an example. Shinrin means forest in Japanese, and yoku is the Japanese word for bath. But no soap or water is needed for shinrin-yoku. All that nature bathing requires is spending time in nature: listening to its sounds, breathing in its scent, connecting to its life force.



Recently, Israel has been promoting tree hugging on social media. The countrys nature and parks agency is behind the public health campaign. Orit Steinfeld is marketing director for Israels Apollonia National Park.

In this unpleasant corona period, she said, we recommend to people around the world to go out to nature, take a deep breath, hug a tree, express your love and get love.

The park is about 15 kilometers north of Tel Aviv. Inside the park, some visitors observed the officials advice and hugged trees.

Barbara Grant was one of them.

The most basic human need, she said, is for connection, for touching, for hugging.

Visitor Moshe Hazan told Reuters he came to the park to hug a tree.

We are not hugging too many people these days. Hugging a tree is quite a nice thing to do.

In May the coronavirus spread slowed in Israel. However, case numbers increased there in recent weeks. In response, the country renewed many COVID-19 restrictions.

Israels tree-hugging campaign is not the first of the pandemic. Icelands Forest Service launched a similar effort in April. They advised everyone in the country to hug a tree for at least five minutes every day.

The Reuters news agency shared a short video showing people in Iceland hugging trees in the forest. Park officials also cleared paths in the woods so that visitors could socially distance while they searched for that special tree.

There are plenty of trees, said a forest worker in the video, no need for everyone to hug the same tree.

The story on Icelands tree-hugging campaign was also reported on Treehugger.com. Naturally.

Im Anna Matteo.

Reuters reported this story. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

pandemic medical noun: an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

hug  n. to put your arms around someone especially as a way of showing love or friendship

scent  n. a pleasant smell that is produced by something

promote  v. to help (something) happen, develop, or increase

recommend  v. to suggest that someone do (something)

unpleasant  adj. not enjoyable : causing discomfort or pain

express  v. to make known especially in words or actions

basic  adj. forming or relating to the most important part of something

spike  n. to undergo a sudden sharp increase in, usually up to an indicated level
While various scientific research results have linked annual deaths of more than 100,000 Nigerians to air pollution, partly caused by the dirty fuel imported into the country by commodity dealers, the various regulatory bodies saddled with the responsibility of ensuring quality fuel sales have continued to engage in buck-passing.

The different agencies responsible for regulation in the oil and gas sector, including the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and to some extent, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), have failed in their responsibility to ensure that regulatory rules and procedures are complied with by players in the sector.

A recent research, which was publicly presented in May, and conducted by an independent international watchdog organisation  Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN)  concluded that as dirty and unsafe for use as the fuels refined illegally by vandals in Nigerias creeks may be, they are cleaner than those officially imported and legally sold at filling stations across the country.

It is a confirmation of a report earlier released in 2018 by the Dutch government which revealed that fuels refined in the Netherlands and exported to West African countries including Nigeria are far below officially recommended standards and cannot be sold anywhere in Europe.

According to the SDN report, samples taken from official filling stations in Lagos, Nigerias densely populated commercial centre, and those collected from artisanal refineries in the creeks of Bayelsa and Rivers States were subjected to laboratory tests to confirm their toxicity and their compliance with best quality standards.

The research, which is said to be partly funded by the UK Foreign Offices anti-corruption conflict, stability and security fund, is part of SDNs efforts to assist those affected by the extractive industry and weak governance by exposing irregularities and shady deals.

Test result

SDN said the sample of average diesel refined abroad and sold at approved filling stations in the country showed 2,044ppm (parts per million) for sulphur, indicating that they are 204 times more sulphuric than the limits the European Union (EU) sets as safe.

Meanwhile, the diesel refined at the illegal artisanal refineries in the creeks and jungles run by vandals showed 1,523ppm in the average, an indication that they contain 152 times higher concentration of sulphur than the EUs safe limit.

For gasoline, otherwise known as petrol, the report says official samples collected contain 43 times more than EU fuel sulphur standards, while the sulphur content of the unofficial petrol was not provided.

However, for the household kerosene, the report states that; Official kerosene was found to be much better quality than unofficial samples, but is generally in short supply. The low quality of unofficial samples indicate artisanal camps face challenges achieving a pure kerosene product

An SDN official, Florence Kayemba, said; Our research suggests Nigeria is having dirty fuel dumped that cant be sold to other countries with higher and better-implemented standards. The situation is so bad that the average official diesels sampled are of an even lower quality than that produced by artisanal refining camps in the creeks of the Niger Delta.

A report by The Guardian (UK) noted that international dealers export to Nigeria around 900,000 tonnes a year of this low-grade, dirty fuel, made in Dutch, Belgian and other European refineries, and hundreds of small-scale artisanal refineries produce large quantities of illegal fuel from oil stolen from the network of oil pipelines that criss-cross the Niger Delta.

Dutch government findings

In June 2018, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Dutch Government released the report of its research into the activities of the refineries in the Netherlands. The result of test conducted on the oil exported to West Africa revealed that dangerous products were being dumped on the sub-region.

The report states in part; Gasoline for European vehicles may contain no more than 1 per cent of benzene. Streams from the chemical industry with more than 40 per cent of benzene had been intentionally added to the gasoline for West Africa that were investigated by the ILT to increase the octane number.

The Inspectorate also found on-road fuels that contained 300 times more sulphur than is permitted in the EU. Basically all investigated gasoline blends contain manganese, a substance that is prohibited in Europe. West African diesels have high contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This means that the product is carcinogenic to a higher degree and leads to more particulate matter emissions when combustion takes place in a diesel engine.

The research is also a reiteration of a similar investigation earlier conducted by the Swiss-based investigative team- Public Eye.

In the investigation entitled; Dirty Diesel: How Swiss Traders Flood Africa with Toxic Fuels, Public Eye reports that; Swiss commodity trading companies take advantage of weak fuel standards in Africa to produce, deliver and sell diesel and gasoline, which is damaging to peoples health. Their business model relies on an illegitimate strategy of deliberately lowering the quality of fuels in order to increase their profits.

Reactions

The NNPC, a government agency, is Nigerias biggest importer of refined petroleum products.

But the agencys group general manager, public affairs department, Gabriel Obateru, denied his corporations culpability.

Mr Obateru told PREMIUM TIMES that DPR is in a better position to react to the matter, as the agency is responsible for regulating the sector.

The DPR is the regulator who inspects and certifies petroleum products coming into the country. I think DPR is best suited to react to the allegation, Mr Obateru said in a short message to PREMIUM TIMES.

When reached on the phone, the DPR spokesperson, Paul Osuh, said each country has its standards and that Nigerias standard was approved by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

He said; Every country has their national standards for petroleum products. The Nigerian industrial standards NIS 116: 2017, Standards for Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) sets out standards and requirements for PMS retailed in Nigeria as approved by Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

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As a regulatory agency, our mandate is to ensure compliance with these standards through established protocols for testing of petroleum products imported into Nigeria before discharge and distribution to consumers.

Meanwhile, Nigerias quoted standard, labelled NIS 116 and released in 2017, pegged the maximum sulphur content in petrol (PMS) at 150ppm while NIS 949 for diesel (AGO) has the maximum sulphur content pegged at 50ppm.

The NIS 949 for Household Kerosene (HHK) pegged the sulphur content at a maximum of 150ppm.

Therefore, as the result of the SDN research shows, diesel legally purchased at fuel stations in Nigeria contain sulphur 41 times higher than the Nigerian recommended standards while the sulphur contents of those refined in the creeks are about 30 times higher. Despite being confronted with this fact, Mr Osuh of DPR maintained his stance, deflecting our enquiries to SON.

SON Reacts

When contacted, the spokesman of SON, Bola Fashina, also refuted the claim that his organisation should be responsible for the enforcement of the standard it helped to develop. He said the implementation and enforcement of the standards are the responsibilities of the regulators in each concerned sector.

Speaking with our reporter on the phone, Mr Fashina said; Well, the responsibility of the SON is to coordinate the development of relevant standards for products that are traded in Nigeria or imported to Nigeria. But in carrying out that function it works with all relevant stakeholders- regulatory authorities, organised private sector, researchers, consumer associations, among others. So once those standards are developed or in some cases adopted or modified during adoption, we ensure that we receive necessary approval from the Standard Council of Nigeria, SONs governing council.

Once the standard is approved by the council, the issue of implementation rests entirely on the operator and the regulator in the sector because they were all part of the development of the standards. If ever they have any issue with the implementation of the standard, they bring it to the attention of SON for review, usually after five years of the implementation of an existing standard. Standards are usually minimum consensus above which stakeholders can go but not below.

Mr Fashina added that the instances where SON runs after the violators are for products that are manufactured locally. He noted there is a mandatory conformity assessment programme and a certification processes those standards mandatorily must undergo.

For such, we have the responsibility of checking along with other regulators in the industry but for the imported products, our responsibility is that whatever standard we set for them is not different from those set for the ones locally made here because by WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules, we cannot discriminate.

On his part, Garbadeen Muhammed, a media aide to the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Silver, said he was indisposed and could not comment on behalf of his boss.

Consequences

While the regulatory agencies continue to engage in blame games, the consequences have continued to take a toll on innocent Nigerians.

A recent annual State of the Global Air Report published by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) noted that air quality in Nigeria is among the deadliest globally, with higher than ambient air pollution death rates reportedly caused by environmental hazards and extreme pollution sources such as vehicle emissions, generator fumes, artisanal refineries, crop burning, among others.

Already, Nigeria has the highest maternal mortality in the world and It was recently ranked the global poverty capital.

In 2016 alone, HEI noted that more than 114,000 Nigerians died from air pollution, with its chart noting that there were 150 deaths per age-standardised deaths per 100,000 people attributable to air pollution in Nigeria in 2016 compared to high industrialised countries like China, 117 deaths per 100,000 people; Russia, 62 deaths per 100,000 people; Germany, 22 deaths per 100,000 people; United Kingdom, 21 deaths per 100,000 people; the United States, 21 deaths per 100,000 people; Japan 13 deaths per 100,000 people and Canada, 12 deaths per 100,000 people.

Nigeria is trailing Afghanistan which has 406 deaths per age-standardised deaths per 100,000 people attributable to air pollution; Pakistan, 207, and India, 195 deaths per 100,000 people per country.

According to the latest research, the levels of particulate matter in Port Harcourt and Lagos are said to be 20 per cent worse than could be found in the worlds most populated capital city of Delhi in India, where it is observed that emergency levels of photochemical smogs are said to be common.

Also, the World Health Organisation in 2016 said Onitsha was then the worlds most polluted city, with the concentration of PM10s (soot particles) recorded to be at 594 micrograms per cubic metre while the WHOs safe limit is given as 66.

The Guardian (UK) report on the development noted that with more than 11 million cars imported into the country, and hundreds of thousands of inefficient generators used by households and businesses for electricity, Nigeria ranks fourth in the world for deaths caused by air pollution.

The air quality in cities like Port Harcourt, Aba, Onitsha and Kaduna has reached crisis levels of pollution in recent years, and there is mounting evidence of rising asthma, lung, heart and respiratory diseases, the newspaper added.

The development, according to SDN, has imposed on Nigeria some of the worst air pollution in the world, with dense clouds of choking soot hanging over gridlocked cities leading to a rise in serious health conditions as well as damaged vehicles.

Recommendations

Speaking on the phone with PREMIUM TIMES, SDNs Senior Project Officer in charge of environment, Jesse Martin, said his organisation was committed to combating environmental challenges.

He added that relevant authorities were engaged during the research process and that government agencies within the oil and gas sector, and particularly the DPR, were invited to the presentation but they were not available.

In its recommendations, the SDN advised that fuel quality tests should be immediately carried out nationwide to explore the extent of poor fuel distribution. He noted that improved standards for fuel quality were approved in Nigeria by the SON in 2017, but enforcement is evidently weak to non-existent by responsible agencies.

As the issue has reached a severe point, and with the outbreak of COVID-19, there must be no further delay in raising and enforcing existing standards across the supply chain, and for all responsible stakeholders to be held to account. To reduce the impact of the disruption this may temporarily cause to the import of refined fuels into Nigeria, there would need to be simultaneous improvements in public transport and electricity supply to reduce consumption in vehicles and generators, the SDN advised.

The group added that relevant authorities, and particularly Nigerias ministry of petroleum resources and petroleum technology development fund (PTDF) should consider engaging artisanal oil refiners in plans for domestic refining, given they are often producing fuels with better characteristics than official fuel supplied to Nigeria.

In a similar vein, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, a non-governmental organisation that has been involved in the campaign against dirty fuel importation, blamed the development on leadership failure.

Speaking with our reporter, the groups executive director, David Ugorlor, said it is high time Nigerians fight against dirty fuel imported into the country.

He also challenged the governments of the host countries of the foreign refineries including Belgium and the Netherlands, to stop the companies from sending such fuel to Nigeria, and the entire West African countries by extension.

He said; This fight has been on for some time, and the former minister of environment, Aminat Mohammed, tried to ensure the implementation of low sulphuric fuels in the country. I attended a session she co-hosted with an official of the Netherlands on the same subject and many other efforts she led.

But since the minister left, the promise to join Ghana in the enforcement of low sulphur fuels importation in the country by 2017 has not seen the light of the day. We use this avenue to call on concerned authorities to implement all relevant recommendations because anybody could fall victim of the repercussions of the negligence.
The original Trader Joe's grocery store in Pasadena is seen on Feb. 26. (Associated Press)

After Trader Joe's announced it was eliminating ethnically themed food labeling like "Trader Ming's" and "Baker Josef's" in response to an online petition decrying such marketing as racist, every reader who sent us a letter on the topic  including those who described themselves as liberals  reacted along the lines of, "Are you kidding me?"

The four letters published July 23 reflected that unanimity, and I thought that such a one-sided presentation of opinions would provoke at least a few readers who agreed with Trader Joe's expression of cultural sensitivity to write us. Instead, the letters had the opposite effect, eliciting even more criticism of the seldom-disparaged grocery chain.

As of this writing, more than 70 readers have sent us letters on the topic, and not a single one has bid good riddance to Trader Giotto or Trader Jose.

Kathleen Siu of Los Angeles provides friendly advice to the petition writer:

Sorry we missed the memo that perceived political correctness trumps all. Kudos to the four readers whose letters you published for agreeing it's OK to laugh.

I am Chinese and a fifth-generation American. My father's name was Ming, and he always got a chuckle out of seeing "Trader Ming" in the grocery store's Fearless Flyer newsletter.

Kudos to the young woman who saw a problem and took action. However, I would like to respectfully suggest that there are many problems more worthy of her time and energy.

Eric Menyuk of Los Angeles similarly encourages the activist who petitioned Trader Joe's:

As a dyed-in-the wool liberal, I nonetheless have to agree with the letters indicating that no offense should be taken at Trader Joe's lighthearted ethnic branding.

However, I still believe that the 17-year-old who started the online petition should be applauded for her social consciousness. We often complain about the lethargy of today's teenagers, and the fact that she took the time to start such an effort should be applauded, as should her parents for raising such a caring, assertive young woman.

Story continues

Utkarshini Vashishtha of Los Angeles does not want anyone to be offended:

Reading the unanimous response to the Trader Joe's "racist" labeling article, I heaved a sigh of relief. I've been terrified of today's "cancel culture" and therefore afraid to express myself.

I'm an immigrant and I relish with delight the sight of people wiping off the Trader Joe's Indian food offerings as I pick up the products labeled "Trader Ming's" and "Trader Jose's."

Please don't make humor impossible. As other immigrant letter writers said, there is nothing racist going on here. We are not offended, so please do not be outraged on our behalf.

Mario Valvo raises the age-old question of where does this end:

Why stop there? Wasn't it "traders" who arranged transport of slaves to this country?

Maybe we should rebrand the whole company as "Professor Joseph's."
President Trump signed a memorandum Tuesday calling for the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the population totals calculated in the ongoing decennial Census. The move is aimed at setting a legal precedent that undocumented immigrants are not persons from the standpoint of the Constitution and the US government.

The order directs Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to provide in the Census results information permitting the President, to the extent practicable to leave out the number of undocumented immigrants living in the US from the apportionment count. The apportionment count is what determines the extent of federal funding as well as number of representatives allotted to the various states.

Nearly two years ago, Trumps first attempt to weaponize the census in his war on immigrants, adding a question on immigration status to the census questionnaire, was struck down by the Supreme Court. That decision means that the Bureau of the Census does not possess any information on the identity or number of immigrants, and by law, apportionment must be based on an enumeration of the population, not on estimates.

What Ross is actually being instructed to do is not clear, and some press accounts suggest that Trumps executive border is entirely symbolic, but even if that were true, the political significance would be immense. The administration is declaring itself in favor of overturning more than 200 years of constitutional and legal precedent, under which the Census is to count all persons resident in the country, regardless of their immigration status, and members of the House of Representatives represent districts drawn to include an equal number of persons, again without regard to whether they have legal documents.

The White House press secretary turned this reality upside down, defending Trumps order as an action to protect democratic institutions. Giving congressional representation and political influence to illegal aliens, she said, would be a perversion of our democratic principles [It] could also create perverse incentivessuch as potentially rewarding states that encourage violations of Federal immigration lawthat would undermine our system of government.

Since the first census in 1790, all people residing in the United States, citizens and non-citizens, have been included in the official population count. The Constitution makes it clear that persons residing in the states should be counted every 10 years to determine each states share of seats in the House of Representatives. This is reiterated by the 14th Amendment, which declared the legal equality of former slaves, ended the counting of slaves as 3/5ths of a person, and requires the counting of the whole number of persons in each state.

In that sense, Trumps executive order is an attempt to roll back history in the most regressive way imaginable. Undocumented immigrants, as per this order, do not count as persons at all. The right-wing spokespersons of the ruling class have, even in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, made similar arguments. Senator Rand Paul, while pushing through the amendments to the CARES Act, declared on the Senate floor that undocumented immigrants could not claim federal aid because they were not legitimate persons. The denial of person-hood has been and continues to be an essential step in stripping away democratic and human rights.

In its convoluted attempt to defend the indefensible, the White House memo put forth even more specious claims, arguing that the term person in the constitution really means inhabitant and that the president has discretion to define what that means, declaring some people who inhabit the country are not really there at all.

The US census does not have any question regarding citizenship status, so the idea that it could be a tool to separate citizens from non-citizens, and even different categories of non-citizens, would appear to make no sense. However, Trump signed an executive order in July 2019 to enable the Census Bureau to use government records, including those supplied by state departments of motor vehicles and federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, to produce anonymized citizenship data that could be used to redraw voting districts.

NPR reported this week that four states, Iowa, Nebraska, South Carolina and South Dakota, have already entered into agreements to share drivers license and state identification card information with the Trump administration. These moves, coupled with the latest order, will undoubtedly serve to terrify immigrant communities and drive down their participation in the census, with disastrous long-term consequences in terms of federal funding for much needed programs in already impoverished districts.

According to the US Constitution, the President does not have final authority over the census. Article 1, Section 2 of the founding document authorizes Congress to carry out the actual enumeration of the countrys population in such manner as they shall by law direct. In Title 2 of the U.S. Code, Congress detailed its instructions for the president to report to lawmakers the tally of the whole number of persons living in each state for the reapportionment of House seats. In Title 13, Congress established additional key dates for the tabulation of total population. Every aspect of the census process, other than the reporting at the end, is something determined by the legislature.

In trying to circumvent the Constitution on the issue of the census in this manner, Trump is not only pandering to his core supporters by playing the anti-immigrant card but also furthering an even more dangerous agenda of governing through executive decree.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday announced his new Cabinet, 15 days after his ruling People's Action Party bagged 61.24 per cent of the votes in the 2020 general election.

The swearing-in ceremony for the Cabinet and other office holders will take place on Monday at the Istana  the official residence and office of the President of Singapore  and Parliament House. Lee's PAP party has retained power with a "clear mandate" in the general election held on July 10 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The PAP, in power since 1965, won 83 of the 93 parliamentary seats or 61.24 per cent of the vote.

The election was widely seen as a referendum on the prime minister's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Singapore is currently facing the city state's worst recession with economy projected to shrink between 7 and 4 per cent. Singapore is only a handful of countries to have held an election during the pandemic.

The new Cabinet will have 37 political office holders, the same as the previous one. Lee said the new Cabinet seeks to balance continuity, exposure and renewal, and be a team that leads Singapore through the current public health and economic crisis and into the future, the Channel News Asia reported.

Heng Swee Keat remains in his posts as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. However, he has also been named as Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies in the new Cabinet. Teo Chee Hean retains his post as Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, while Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam stays as Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies. Both the ministers will also serve in the Prime Ministers' Office.

In normal times, we need experienced ministers to provide steady hands, and also to mentor the younger ministers. And in this crisis, this need is even greater," Lee said. While Indian-origin K Shanmugam will stay on as Law and Home Affairs Minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, also of Indian descent, remains the Foreign Affairs Minister.

Another Indian-origin politician S Iswaran retains his post as Minister of Communications and Information. Indranee Rajah will be appointed Second Minister for National Development, and relinquish her appointment as Second Minister for Education. She will remain as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and as Second Minister for Finance.

Dr Janil Puthucheary will be appointed Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Health. He will continue to serve in the Ministry of Communications and Information. There are many new faces as well. They include Gan Siow Huang  Minister of State in the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Manpower; Alvin Tan  Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Trade and Industry; and Desmond Tan  Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
Sharing a still of her getting ready for a shoot, Preity Zinta wrote she is experiencing 'mixed emotions.'

Actor Preity Zinta on Saturday, 25 July, said it is "relieving and scary" to get back at work after six months of being at home.

As the country is slowly loosening up the lockdown restrictions owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Kal Ho Naa Ho actor has returned to the shooting sets after a gap of six months.

(Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak)

The 45-year-old star hopped on to Twitter and shared a picture of her getting the eye makeup done prior to the shoot.

Alongside the picture, she noted having "mixed emotions" as one now has to follow many precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.

Zinta wrote she is both nervous and excited to not wear a mask for the first time.

Read the tweet below

Its relieving & scary to get back at work after 6months at home. Without a mask on ur face all the time = many mixed emotions- Fear, Excitement & Nervousness all rolled into one.Makes one appreciate a breath of fresh air and all the things we took4 granted. #ProjectSanity #ting pic.twitter.com/2cu0voMp4i  Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) July 25, 2020

Lately, the Soldier star has been quite active on social media and has been updating fans on her quarantine activities by posting pictures and videos. She often shares such throwback pictures and shares memories with her followers.

Check out her earlier posts here
Areas that are considered zones of conflict and left unchecked have become one of the biggest threats to the world today. At present, after the Second World War, about 80 hotbeds of conflict have been registered internationally. These conflicts have a negative impact on the peaceful coexistence of mankind and threaten global security. As Moder Diplomacy writes, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which arose as a result of Armenias military aggression against Azerbaijan and is still unresolved, is one of the main threats today. We are talking not only about the violation of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, but also about the serious threats to the European areas that are the main features of the conflict.

At the same time, this conflict still poses a serious threat to the implementation of other large-scale transnational projects in the region which could be important for Europe also.For example, the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains a serious obstacle to the full realization of regional potential. The continuing occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia is an obstacle to greater regional cooperation. Some regional perspectives, including interactions, trade projects and other initiatives, remain a captive of unresolved conflicts. But in the current situation, one of the main threats is the drugs sent from Nagorno-Karabakh to the world, including Europe, and the presence of some terrorist groups here.

Such situation shows that the whole world is experiencing problems due to the protracted resolution of the conflict. It is a fact that the main goal of Armenia is to expand its territory at the expense of Azerbaijani lands. The occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions is part of Armenias plan in this direction. Ethnic cleansing was carried out in the occupied territories and about 1 million Azerbaijanis became internally displaced persons. Although the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on this issue, unfortunately, it did not take effective measures against Armenia, which refused to implement those resolutions. Even today, most organizations, including the United Nations, which are tasked with upholding the principles of international law, as well as the worlds leading powers, continue to be spectators to the fact of open occupation.

In this situation, Armenia has created other sources of serious danger to humanity in the occupied Azerbaijani lands. The involvement of terrorist groups, the training of terrorists in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the creating of drug plantations are proof of these. It should be noted that as a result of the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijans territory by Armenia, the countrys 132-kilometer border has become uncontrolled. This creates favorable conditions for the Armenian side to pursue its criminal goals from those territories.

Armenians have been smuggling drugs along the Afghanistan-Iran-Nagorno-Karabakh route for a long time. This process continues. The lack of control over the occupied territories and the failure of international organizations to take appropriate steps in this direction deepens the problem. On the other hand, it shows that the uncontrolled areas used for transnational crime are source of threat to the world. Because the drugs transported from here reach to Europe and even the United States. At the same time, drugs transported from Karabakh are widely sold in Russia and in other countries of Commonwealth of Independent States.

It is also known that drug laboratories operate in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region, where more dangerous drugs are produced. Another dangerous point is that money from drug trafficking where are used. The taken research shows that money from that illicit trafficking serve to spread separatism and terrorism on a larger scale. For example, it is no secret that thanks to the Armenia, representatives of the PKK terrorist organization come to Karabakh from time to time. You may see often ASALA and other some terrorist organizations in occupied territories. One of the main factors is that terrorists who come to the area are both rehabilitating and increasing their training.

They continue their activities in different parts of the world. But the biggest threat is Armenia, which is creating conditions for terrorists to operate here and its ongoing occupation policy. Apparently, this policy has become a great threat not only to Azerbaijan, but also to the entire region, the West and the whole world. In this sense, the scale of the threats is periodically brought to the attention of the world community, relevant international organizations and states by Azerbaijan. Now the world community must take decisive action against it. These are very important for the worlds own security. So, it is very important to respond to the issue on the international level.

The collected information clearly shows that the safest route used by drug traffickers today passes through the territory of Armenia and occupied Azerbaijanian lands. These routes consist of Afghanistan-Iran-Armenia-Russia, Karabakh-Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia, Karabakh-Armenia-Russia. Drugs are mostly transported from Russia to Europe. Unfortunately, some international organizations do not take practical steps against Armenia on this issue, and no measures are taken to end the policy of occupation. As a result, Nagorno-Karabakh remains one of the main areas for drug cultivation, transit, and training camps for terrorist groups. In this situation, the cultivation, processing and transportation of drugs in areas beyond national and international control is a problem not only for Azerbaijan but also for humanity, it is time to take practical steps to prevent it.

Another dangerous point is where the proceeds from drug trafficking are used. Research shows that the proceeds from that illicit trade serve to spread separatism and terrorism on a larger scale.Apparently, Armenian this policy has become a great threat not only to Azerbaijan, but also to the entire region, including the West and the CIS. The worlds salvation depends on a speedy settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
But most of the presidents top political advisers, worried that the safety risks from the virus could cause the event to backfire, were in favor of canceling the entire four-day affair in Florida. (The first days events are being held in Charlotte.)

Inside the White House, there has been growing skepticism that any large-scale gathering could work, given the rise in coronavirus cases. Fueling those concerns were memories of the campaigns disastrous rally in Tulsa, where Mr. Trump and his aides hyped the turnout only to find themselves speaking in front of an arena that was two-thirds empty. News that several campaign staff members had tested positive for the virus in Tulsa only added to the negative impression the rally created.

Aides have instead been trying to get Mr. Trump excited about tele-town halls, showing him that he could reach tens of thousands of people in a particular region without forcing them to leave their homes.

As the prospect of canceling the convention looked more and more likely to the small group of aides clued in, over the past few days, one White House official raised the question of sending inconsistent messages, asking how the president could continue pushing for schools to reopen if he was backing down from holding his own convention. Other aides, however, said opening schools was essential, and a mass gathering of Trump supporters  the majority of whom would be over 50  was not, the people familiar with the discussions said.

Mr. Trump, officials said, was leaning toward changing his mind by Wednesday. That night, Ms. McDaniel, Mr. Stepien and Mr. Miller had a follow-up conversation among themselves and agreed that it seemed likely that the president would decide to shut it down after all, and began preparing for that outcome. But many of them have been operating in Mr. Trumps orbit long enough to know that nothing is settled until the president himself makes his decision public.

For weeks, as the pandemic continued to spike in Florida, aides had presented Mr. Trump alternative scenarios. One plan discussed, according to someone involved in the conversations, was having three nights of the convention take place in different cities: the first lady, Melania Trump, would speak from Houston; Vice President Mike Pence would address a crowd in his home state, Indiana; and only Mr. Trumps speech would take place in Jacksonville.

Proponents of that plan said a roving convention could have been spun as a powerful message about the country reopening everywhere, with the bonus of avoiding a single large crowd gathering together for four full days in one city.
Joy Learning, the free-to-air TV channel dedicated solely to Ghanaian educational content, has proved to be a critical source of learning for senior high school (SHS) pupils across the West African sub-region while schools have been closed to combat the spread of coronavirus.

According to Abdulai Awudu, General Manager of Joy Learning, the channel can be accessed by TV viewers throughout the sub-region as part of the free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) MultiTV platform on SES's Astra-2F by using a standard decoder or TV with built-in DTH tuner.

While this channel was originally created to give Ghanaian SHS students access to educational content while they were away from schoolas a result of the double-track systemit has recently proved useful to all English-speaking West African countries who follow the West Africa Examination Council (WASSCE) curriculum.

Joy Learning, which was officially launched on December 30, 2019, was part of a corporate social responsibility initiative undertaken by the Multimedia Group (MGL) through its Educare Foundation, in partnership with e-learning platform Wolo TV; service provider K-Net; and SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions.

SES provides the satellite capacity and broadcast services; K-Net provides local backhaul and teleport services; Wolo creates and supplies the educational content; and MGL runs the channel.

By coming together to offer a free educational channel to SHS students, the partners in this venture have been able to address not only some of the challenges posed by the implementation of the Free SHS education policy in Ghana, but also some of the educational challenges brought about by the indefinite closure of schools across the country amid the Covid-19 crisis, Theodore Asampong, General Manager of Media Platforms at SES Video, stated.

The Ghana SHS double track system means that while some kids are in school, others are at home waiting their turn for two months or so, Joe Anim from Wolo TV said.

The idea behind the Joy Learning channel was to allow those at home to keep up with their studies by broadcasting well-organised and world-class educational content that they could access for free on a daily basis.

While the intention was to have a direct positive impact on the lives of millions of young people, thereby contributing to the future development of the country, we are thrilled that our satellite TV platform has enabled access to quality education for young people across the broader sub-region, who are currently unable to attend school as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, Mr. Asampong added.

Joy Learning channel's wide reach is driven by SES's prime orbital position at 28.2 degrees east, which reaches 97% of all satellite TV homes in Ghana. From that orbital slot, SES hosts Multi TV, a FTA (free-to-air) platform that provides viewers free access to over 100 TV channels of high quality content, including the Joy Learning channel while giving broadcasters access to the highest reach in West Africa.

---Daily Guide
More than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia Pacific air transport industry is taking initial steps towards restarting international operations by working closely with governments, health authorities and other stakeholders.However, most international flights worldwide continue to be grounded by border closures and other travel restrictions even as domestic lockdowns are gradually eased. AAPA said the economic consequences of such shutdowns are far-reaching with the travel and tourism sectors among the hardest hit.Airline failures and major job losses have been announced within the industry and could become more widespread as the crisis becomes prolonged.AAPA said hopes that international air travel will gradually return in the second half of 2020 now seem premature as governments direct attention and resources to fight resurgent domestic infections.Welcomed by industry, the publication of guidance material in June by the Council Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART) of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to anchor coordinated efforts to restart international air travel was a significant step in the right direction.However, progress has been slow and sporadic on this front. While there have been initiatives and discussions about opening up international air corridors, travel bubbles, green lanes or fast channels, such initiatives have so far failed to take off due to their impractical requirements and inherent unscalability to meet the reasonable expectations of the travelling public.AAPA said good progress is being made on widespread testing and contact tracing, wearing of masks and social distancing, which are now progressively being implemented by governments across the world. Such measures are also being applied in the context of international air travel.But these need to be consistent, based on robust risk assessments and coordinated among governments working closely together with airlines, airports and health authorities.Public attitudes towards air travel are evolving as confidence is rebuilt. However, a major obstacle is the widespread imposition of blanket quarantine measures by governments on inbound passengers.This makes any attempt to travel internationally by air extremely daunting, with questionable benefits over the need for quarantines once adequate community testing and contact tracing measures are in place.Furthermore, the unpredictability and changing requirements of such measures only add to the confusion for both airlines and passengers."International isolation is not a sustainable long-term solution for any government given the importance of travel and trade in supporting a global economic and social activity," said AAPA Director General Subhas Menon."We must take a pragmatic approach to restarting flights gradually while mitigating risks to restore confidence and trust in the reliability of everyday air travel," he said in a statement.Menon said quarantine measures should only be applied selectively for passengers originating from higher-risk locations."Another critical area for cooperation is reaching a common understanding on the use of Covid-19 testing as a further risk mitigation measure in screening international passengers based on mutual acceptance." (ANI)
The Railways generated Rs 429.90 crore revenue through fares collected for Shramik Trains till July 9, according to ministry data.

The national carrier spent around Rs 2400 crore in operating Shramik Trains, a senior ministry official said.

The national carrier received highest revenue in fares from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu with Rs 102 crore, Rs 85 crore and Rs 34 crore respectively, according to the data reviewed by HT. The fares were supposed to be paid by states, though there have been several reports of local administrations collecting the money from migrant workers.

The trains were run starting May 1 to ferry migrant workers stranded in cities, back home to their villages in the hinterland.

The national carrier however,spent around Rs 2400 crore in operating Shramik Trains, a senior ministry official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the revenue generated should be taken as receipt only in lieu of expenses incurred by the Railways in running of Shramik Trains.

The ministry in June said the average cost of fares for migrants aboard Shramik Special trains was Rs 600 and added that it spent around Rs 3400 per person to operate the train. The official cited above said the fares were taken from the states. It may be noted that railways incurred 85% of the cost of operating Shramik Trains. It was an important operation to rise up for the need of the nation during the lockdown, a spokesperson for the ministry said.

Railways operated 4,496 special trains between May 1 and July 9, ferrying 6.3 million people. The fare structure included regular sleeper class tickets plus superfast charges of Rs 30 and an additional charge of Rs 20.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

Trend:

AZAL will continue to operate special flights from Baku to Istanbul, Berlin and London until the end of October 2020.



According to the new schedule, flights to Istanbul will be operated daily, to London - weekly on Thursdays, and to Berlin - on Fridays.



The sale of flight tickets is open on the official website of the airline (www.azal.az).



Tickets for the Baku-Istanbul flights can be purchased by citizens of Azerbaijan, Turkey and other states eligible to enter the country.



Passengers eligible to enter the UK can travel by the Baku-London flight. In addition, an online application form available at https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk must be completed within 48 hours prior to departure. If the form is not completed within the period specified, immigration officers of the London Heathrow Airport may impose a fine of 100 pounds sterling on passengers.



The Baku-Berlin flight can be used by passengers holding permanent or temporary residence rights in Germany (including students), as well as citizens of the European Union countries.



When returning to their homeland, Azerbaijani students studying abroad can take advantage of a 30% discount while purchasing flight tickets in all three directions.

Aside from the citizens of Azerbaijan, the following persons are admitted to the flights to Baku:

 Employees and heads of diplomatic missions and consulates in Azerbaijan and their family members;

 Foreigners whose family members (spouses, parents or kids) are citizens of Azerbaijan;

 Foreigners holding work permits in Azerbaijan;

 Foreigners holding permanent or temporary residence permit in Azerbaijan;

 Foreign students studying at the universities of Azerbaijan.



Only passengers tested negative for COVID-19 will be allowed to flights.



The list of Baku laboratories accredited by the Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB) can be found on the following website: https://www.azal.az/en/information/covid-clinics



COVID-19 testing abroad can be undertaken in public and private clinics as well as laboratories. PCR testing certificate is a mandatory requirement for admitting passengers to flights.



In all cases, the certificate must be received within 48 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure.



According to the approved rules during a pandemic, only women's carry-on bags, or men's briefcases, or laptop bags with the dimensions not exceeding 30x35x10 cm (the bag should be used only for its intended purpose) are allowed as carry-on luggage. Other baggage including paper and plastic bags must be checked to be transported in the cargo hold of aircraft. Purchases made at Duty Free stores are also not allowed on board an aircraft.



As previously reported, on flights operated during the COVID-19 pandemic, special rules will apply both at the airport of departure and arrival and on board the aircraft. "Azerbaijan Airlines" prepared a video instruction available at: https://youtu.be/Rbb_I0NsW7U
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A Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant who was one of 17 people to test positive for coronavirus after attending in-person training event, died Tuesday, the company confirmed.

Jeff Kurtzman and 16 others contracted the respiratory illness after attending the course in Honolulu in late June, the company confirmed to NBC Los Angeles, adding that it is now investigating if the cluster of cases stemmed from the training.

Kurtzman, 60, was admitted to hospital after returning home to Los Angeles and tested positive for COVID-19, Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram confirmed in an email to staff, that was forwarded by the airline to NBC News after repeated requests for a statement.

He died on July 21.

Kurtzman had worked for the airline since 1986, Ingram's email said.

"Over the past three decades had become well known to his in-Flight colleagues for his passion for discovering new places, people and cultures; his terrific sense of humor and knack for easy conversation; and his caring heart. He embodied the values of aloha and malama that we hold dear," he wrote.

The airline was offering support to Kurtzman's husband and family, Ingram said, adding that the company was also monitoring employees who are recovering from coronavirus.

"We are reminded every day that this virus is serious and highly transmissible," Ingram wrote. "We have strengthened the mandates and protocols governing how we interact with each other at our facilities, and I urge us all to practice the utmost vigilance."

Jeff Kurtzman (Courtesy Connie Florez)

Kurtzman's friend Connie Florez told NBC Los Angeles that she had been thrilled that he would be in Honolulu for the training as it coincided with her 60th birthday. The two got together for dinner.

Kurtzman told her that some people on the training course "got a little lax on the second day, 'but I kept my mask on. I dont want to get sick.'"

But he was unable to avoid the respiratory illness and got sick when he returned home.

Story continues

"Hes such a beautiful man. He just kept apologizing. 'Im so sorry, Im so sorry. I know you must be scared,'" Florez said. "Really, weve lost an angel."

Those at the training session were exposed to the virus in part because social distancing was nonexistent and masks were optional, according to the Hawaii Department of Health. Some of the at least 16 employees that were infected went on to expose eight household members.

The health department said an infected person from the training program is also responsible for 20 additional cases at two Hawaii recreational gyms.

The company said it resumed training last week with stricter rules mandating the use of face masks and constant social distancing.

All of our instructors have been tested, and the approximately 60 employees who have been through recent training were asked to self-quarantine and monitor their health, the company said.

Other friends also shared of Kurtzman's caring nature.

"Jeff was a loving, generous, and kind man, and a rock in my life. He called me Vickerson and I called him Jefferson. I cannot even begin to comprehend this loss, but I want to share about his passing with the countless people who love and respect him," Vic Gerami wrote on Facebook.

"You were one-of-a-kind, a gentle soul that touched so many people. Your generosity and love had no bounds."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
4. Dont participate in another but her emails situation. The latest iteration are charges that former vice president Joe Biden is approaching senility. Writing in The Posts opinion section, former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel compared this to what happened with Hillary Clinton. The media elevated the emails story because of a preexisting narrative that she was conniving and untrustworthy; it fit perfectly. Now that Trumps campaign is pushing the idea that Biden has lost his marbles, Emanuel begs for sanity: Can we just please be reasonable about whos actually showing signs of strain? Its Trump, after all, who suggested that bleach might cure covid-19 and posited the notion of dropping nuclear bombs on hurricanes.
TDT | Manama

Bahrains Mobile monitoring system launched earlier this year to track municipal violations has boosted Kingdoms effort in this direction by 183 per cent. The system during the first half of this year recorded 1,536 violations, which is an increase of 183 per cent from a year ago, said a top municipalities affairs official.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Undersecretary for Municipalities Affairs of the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban, said the Monitoring and Inspection Department and the Cleaning Services Section recorded the violations following the launch of the system, now in force in all municipalities of the Kingdom.

Majority of the violations were related to the cleanliness of public squares, waste management, washing of vehicles in public spaces, parking or leaving vehicles on sidewalks, squares and other public places as well as construction per Building Regulation Law No. 13 of 1973 and the Law of Public Cleaning No. 10 of 2019.

The system, Sheikh Muhammad said, provides a comprehensive database of the offences through a single electronic portal helping inspectors check the status of the existing violations and determine the extent of the new ones and complete procedures quickly.

The system is useful in issuing construction and reclamation certificates, monitor as well as to detect and rectify violations related to advertisements and commercial registrations among others. Since its inauguration, the Ministry has conducted training workshops for all employees and created a specialised work team to evaluate and solve any technical problems that may arise.

The Mobile Monitoring System was inaugurated by Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Development and Infrastructure Projects on January 19, 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 23:12:47|Editor: huaxia

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FRANKFURT, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed after an ultralight aircraft crashed into a residential building in Wesel, western Germany, on Saturday, local media WDR reported citing authority and the police.

A major emergency operation is currently underway, according to the WDR. Enditem
Ronan Group Real Estate and Colony's winning bid is believed to have been more than 130 million for an 80% stake in the vacant plot, according to The Irish Times.

The 37-acre site is owned by Pembroke Ventures and has the potential to accommodate 3,500 new homes in Ringsend.

NAMA will retain the remaining 20% stake in the site, working on its development along with Mr Ronan, who was once on the agency's list of debtors.

Colony, along with a second group, M&G, assisted Mr Ronan in paying off his debt to NAMA in 2015.

The site within the Poolbeg West Strategic Development Zone was placed on the market last year, receiving the final bids on April 20th.
This is the centenary year of Federico Fellinis birth, and film festivals like Berlinale and Cannes have been programming the legendary directors work.

This is the centenary year of Federico Fellinis birth, and film festivals have been programming the legendary directors work. The Berlinale screened the relatively obscure Il Bidone. (I wrote about it here.) And now, La strada (1956)  not just one of the most famous of Fellinis films, but one of the most famous art-house films of all time  will be screened as part of Cannes Classics 2020. The Cannes Film Festival cancelled its physical edition due to the coronavirus pandemic, so this years selection of Classics will be showcased at the Lumiere Festival in Lyon (October 10-18) and the Rencontres Cinematographiques of Cannes (November 23-26).

In case you havent seen La strada, its about a strongman named Zampano (Anthony Quinn) who exhibits his strength at circuses and fairs. His most famous routine is to wrap a thick iron chain around his torso, and snap it by expanding his chest. Of course, he hypes up the act to his audience: To do this, I must fill my lungs with air like a tire. A vein might burst and make me spit blood. Once, in Milan, a 260-pound man lost his eyesight doing this. The optic nerve has to do all the work, and when youve lost your eyesight, its all over. Any sensitive members of the audience may want to look away.

But he needs a partner to balance things out: a woman who can play the drum and clown around and collect money from the watchers. And so he buys Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) from her mother and whisks her away. What happens between them as they tour the countryside is the story of La strada  though if youre not an art-house type of movie watcher, you might simply shrug your shoulders and say that nothing really happens. Its this nothing I want to talk about eventually, though first, lets look at the overall arc (the something) of the narrative: aka, what the whole film is about, more or less.

There are two key passages that clue us in. First, when a clown and tightrope walker called The Fool (Richard Baseheart) tells Gelsomina that everything in life  even the pebble he picks up  has a purpose. No, I dont know what this pebbles purpose is. But it must have one. Because if this pebble has no purpose, then everything is pointless. A few scenes later, a nun tells Gelsomina that they change convents every two years, so that they dont get too attached to worldly things. You grow fond of where you live, even of a plant. You risk forgetting your most important attachment, which is to God.

So if you wanted to break the film down along the lines of motive and meaning, then you could say that the title (which is Italian for the road) refers to the road of life, which takes us from one place/situation to the next. We are all wanderers, like the nun, like Gelsomina and Zampano. The point  again, if you wanted to nail one down  is to have some purpose, like that pebble. Of course, none of this is presented like a vulgar, preachy moral-science lesson. But you can summarise the films purpose, so to speak, as being something along these lines, as it wanders through its running time.

So what is Gelsominas purpose? I suppose, in todays terms, shed be called a sort of Manic Pixie Dream Girl. The term, coined by film critic Nathan Rabin, after observing Kirsten Dunsts character in Elizabethtown (2005), refers to a woman who exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures. You could argue that Gelsomina fulfills at least one part of this definition. The cruel and lustful Zampano can hardly be described as sensitive or brooding, but by the end, he softens. He grows a heart inside that chest he wraps an iron chain around every day. He shows he cares. He weeps. And all of this happens because of Gelsomina.

If Anthony Quinn is perfectly cast as Zampano  hes strong, he projects cruelty  then Giulietta Masina is equally perfect. In Making a Film (Fare un film), Fellini wrote (about La strada) that he had only a confused feeling at first, a tone that lurked. It made him melancholy and gave him a diffused sense of guilt, like a shadow hanging over him. This feeling suggested two people who stay together, although it will be fatal, and they dont know why. But once this feeling crystallised, the story came easily... And what crystallised this feeling? It was his leading actress. Shes singularly able to express astonishment, dismay, frenetic happiness, the comic sombreness of a clown.

This quote reappears in a 1991 interview of the filmmaker by the Italian writer and art historian Toni Maraini, and this interview is useful to understand another way to watch a film like La strada. So far, we looked at the something of the narrative. Now, lets look at the ... but nothing really happens part.

Maraini proposes the concept of existential time in Fellinis films  as opposed to the clock time we know from the real world, which is a historical, straight, linear sequence of facts and chronologies. Fellinis reply is practically a summation of the feel of Euro art-house cinema, which  back in the days it was making itself known, and even today  is so different from feel of the serious, auteur-driven cinema made in the US, like Orson Welles Citizen Kane or Terrence Malicks Days of Heaven. Its a more diffuse feel, harder to grab a hold of. It can feel like nothing, while even detractors of the abovementioned American films will concede that something is happening in them.

Fellini says, Unfortunately, because of our goal-oriented training, we Westerners have a vision of ourselves living through a continuous timeline that requires steps, changes, conclusions, and a goal one must reach. I cant say why he includes himself in this category, but what hes saying is that time in his cinema is the present, the now, the moment thats up there on screen, a moment that we can savour and experience without necessarily linking it to a goal. In other words, the moment doesnt have to mean something. Gelsomina or Zampano or that nun or that pebble dont have to mean something. La strada doesnt have to mean something. You can simply bask in it, experiencing every second as it unfolds.

This is why art-house films are so polarising, and yet, so energising to talk about. Do you want the two-odd hours you spend on a movie to add up to something? Or is the moment-to-moment experience enough? Loosely speaking, this is what existential time is. If real time is the time the clock shows and subjective time is the time we feel (like wed say, I had such a good time on my vacation that a month flew by like a day), then existential time is what lies in front of us, what we do now. In cinema, existential time is felt in things like how long a shot is held, or what the timeframe of the story is. Its why Andrei Tarkovsky likened filmmaking to sculpting in time.

Baradwaj Rangan is Editor, Film Companion (South).

All images from Twitter.
The cost of courier services are expected to rise soon as the Nigeria Postal Service has increased the cost of licences for logistics ...





The cost of courier services are expected to rise soon as the Nigeria Postal Service has increased the cost of licences for logistics and courier companies.





This is also expected to increase the cost of delivered goods. This is also expected to increase the cost of delivered goods.





According to the new charges by NIPOST, companies which provide international courier services like DHL, UPS and FEDEX, are expected to pay N20m for a new licence and N8m annually while those offering national services are expected to pay N10m for licence and N4m yearly for renewal.





Logistics companies operating within regions are expected to pay N5m for licence and N2m annually.





For firms operating within states, the cost of procuring a licence is N2m while renewal costs N800,000.





Courier firms that operate within municipalities are to pay N1m for licence and N400,000 annually.





For Small and Medium Enterprises, the licence is N250,000 while the annual renewal of the licence is N100,000.





The SME category is for small courier firms which have not more than five delivery vehicles





The move, it was learnt, would increase the cost of goods purchased online.





D ue to the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, many firms had taken their businesses exclusively online and depend on courier and logistics companies to deliver goods to their customers. ue to the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, many firms had taken their businesses exclusively online and depend on courier and logistics companies to deliver goods to their customers.





The practice is most common in Lagos and Abuja.





Lagos State, which is the commercial nerve centre of the country, is believed to have not less than 300 courier services many of whom are not registered with NIPOST.





The new charges imposed by NIPOST, it was learnt, were part of an attempt to increase its revenue and sanitise the system.





We discovered that many of the logistics companies dont even have an address. Many of these firms use motorcycles that are not up to standard. These licences will ensure that the system is well regulated, an official of NIPOST, who wished to remain anonymous, said.





Seizing bikes

Reports say law enforcement personnel have started seizing dispatch bikes of companies yet to comply with the new, steep rates.





Many online retailers took to social media to lament the new development even as they said the government had done nothing for small businesses. They said NIPOST had already started arresting dispatch riders and seizing their vehicles.





A popular online trader, Tessy Olisedeme, who runs an online boutique known as TCM Brand, said the government had done nothing for small businesses and yet frustrating them. A popular online trader, Tessy Olisedeme, who runs an online boutique known as TCM Brand, said the government had done nothing for small businesses and yet frustrating them.





My manager called me to say we cannot do deliveries or pick up items. He said dispatch riders were being arrested and that we need to register with N250,000 per bike before we can do deliveries or operate. I wonder why the Nigerian government is bent on making small businesses suffer, she lamented.





Gifted Clothinz, an online store, said it had to stop delivery services on Friday. Gifted Clothinz, an online store, said it had to stop delivery services on Friday.





An online boutique for children, Xoxobyriley, said the cost of shipping goods was already high and the new charges by NIPOST would only make life harder.





It is disheartening indeed. Nigeria and everything about it frustrates small businesses. After paying N475/$1 exorbitant shipping rate, they wont still leave bikes alone, it stated through its Instagram handle Xoxobyriley_kidsboutique.





NIPOST's newest move has left millions of Nigerians groaning about multiple taxation, as the government looks for new ways to generate revenue in the face of the crash in the price of crude oil.





Nigeria's Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has asked NIPOST to put the implementation of the new fees on hold. "Please Nipost, our attention has been drawn to an increase of licence fee, which was not part of the regulation I earlier APPROVED for you. Your Chair and PMG were YESTERDAY contacted to put the implementation on hold and send a report to our ministry by Monday. Best wishes!", Pantami tweeted.




Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Police arrested a Kashmir University (KU) student, Aqib Ahmad Malik, on Saturday in connection with a 2018 case filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.

Malik (26), a resident of south Kashmirs Shopian district, was summoned to Nigeen police station in Srinagar near KU on Friday and was arrested a day later.

Malik is a post-graduate degree in biochemistry at KU, but was at home for over three months because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in the Kashmir Valley.

Malik has been arrested in a 2018 case under the UAPA, said Gowhar Ahmad, station house officer (SHO), Nigeen police station.

He was booked under Section 13 (a person who advocates, abets, advises or incites the commission of, any unlawful activity) of the UAPA, 1967.

Sudhanshu Verma, superintendent of police (SP), Hazratbal, said Malik was arrested after collecting evidence in the case against him.

We wouldnt have arrested him without any evidence. It took a while because of the prevailing pandemic, SP Verma said.

Maliks family members said that they suspected the case was related to a protest he had held in a hostel of KU against the poor quality of food. They are travelling to Srinagar to meet him.

He was at home for the past three months and was called by SHO Nigeen to reach the police station, where he was arrested. He had protested in2018 against the bad quality of food served at the KU hostel, said Faizan Mushtaq, younger brother of Malik.

He had raised his voice against corruption in the varsity and that is why he has been arrested, he added.

KU officials said that the case was not filed by the varsity authorities. The university has been closed owing to the Covid-19 outbreak and all classes have been suspended. He is a student at the university and appeared for an examination recently. It is a 2018 case lodged at Nigeen police station. We have not filed any case against him. Hostel issues are always confined to the university, said Nisar Ahmad Mir, registrar, KU.
The race to purchase Brooks Brothers Group Inc. out of bankruptcy is on as brand manager WHP Global and a group of Italian companies prepare bids following Authentic Brands Group LLC and Simon Property Group Inc.s $305 million offer.

Sparc Group LLC, which is backed by Barneys New York owner Authentic and mall landlord Simon, agreed to make a $305 million bid in a court-supervised auction for Brooks Brothers global business operations, according to a statement.

The group has committed to take on at least 125 of the clothing stores in its so-called stalking-horse bid, which sets a minimum price for the auction. A higher bid could still emerge before an Aug. 5 deadline as other firms prepare competing offers.

WHP Global, which owns the Joseph Abboud and Anne Klein brands, is preparing a bid for the retailers assets, the firm confirmed in a statement to Bloomberg. Its early innings in the Brooks Brothers bankruptcy sale process, and we are big believers in the power of the Brooks Brothers brand, the global footprint and the management team, said Yehuda Shmidman, chief executive officer of WHP.

Backed by funds managed by Oaktree Capital and BlackRock Inc., WHP was originally named the lender on Brooks Brothers bankruptcy loan before Authentic and Simon submitted a competing offer that ultimately won out.

Italian Bid

A group of Italian companies, including Giglio Group SpA, is also working on an offer, according to spokesman for Giglio in Milan.

Brooks Brothers agreement with Sparc comes with a $9.1 million break-up fee and up to $1 million in expenses if the stalking horse doesnt win the auction, according to court papers. A hearing on the sale will be held Aug. 11.

Brooks Brothers said on July 8 when it filed for bankruptcy that it plans to permanently shut 51 stores in the U.S. It has 500 worldwide in 45 countries, with 200 in North America.

Authentic specializes in reviving beaten-down brands, including Aeropostale and Nautica. Sparc runs more than 2,600 retail stores, shop-in-shops and an e-commerce platform, the company said.

More Suitors

Bloomberg reported earlier that Authentic and Simon were positioning themselves to own the 200-year-old chain. The duo has teamed up before, with a pending offer for Lucky Brand Dungarees, and theyve held talks along with Brookfield Property Partners LP about buying bankrupt J.C. Penney Co. and Ann Taylors parent, Ascena Retail Group Inc. Authentic and the two mall operators already bought Forever 21 Inc., which went bankrupt in September.

Read more: Brooks Brothers goes bust with business clothes losing favor

Brooks Brothers asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Sontchi in Wilmington, Delaware, to approve rules for the bidding process and auction. Brooks Brothers is trying to attract as many suitors as possible to compete with the current stalking horse, or lead, bidder, the company said in a court filing Thursday.

The goal of the Debtors continued postpetition sale process is now to leverage the Stalking Horse Agreement to have new or existing bidders submit offers for the Companys assets, Derek Pitts, managing director at PJ Solomon, said in the filing on behalf of Brooks.

In May four suitors sent Brooks official indications of interest, Pitts said.
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A memorial service in Alabama on Saturday for John Lewis kicked off days of tributes to the revered civil rights leader and congressman, including the high honor of lying in state Monday in the Rotunda of the US Capitol.

Lewis, the senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a man known as the 'conscience of the Congress,' died of cancer on July 17, aged 80.

At a service Saturday in an arena at Troy University in Alabama, the state of his birth, his surviving siblings and others paid tribute.

Sister Ethel Mae Tyner recalled the days long ago when family members worked together in the cotton fields near Troy and storm clouds would pass over. Young John Lewis was fearful of storms but would not budge. 'He would start singing - and preaching. He always was a fighter,' she said.

'I remember the day that John left home. Mother told him not to get in trouble, not to get in the way... but we all know that John got in trouble, got in the way but it was good trouble,' his brother Samuel Lewis said.

'And the troubles that he got himself into would change the world,' Lewis said.

People attend the first memorial service for late U.S. Congressman John Lewis at Troy University's Trojan Arena in Troy, Alabama

Lewis, the senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a man known as the 'conscience of the Congress,' died of cancer on July 17, aged 80

Pallbearers bring Lewis's casket into the Trojan Arena

A great-nephew of late U.S. Congressman John Lewis, Jackson Lewis Brewster, offered words for his 'hero' during the service

'John Lewis was my uncle and my hero, and it is up to us to keep his legacy alive,' one of the representative's young great-nephews said during the service.

In keeping with coronavirus precautions, the number of visitors to the arena was limited to 800, social distancing was enforced and masks required - a far cry from pre-coronavirus practices, when a memorial for an icon like Lewis would have drawn many thousands from across the country.

While attending segregated schools in Alabama, Lewis was inspired by the peaceful protests of rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and he eventually rose to join their ranks. Since 1987 he had represented a Georgia district in Congress.

After the ceremony Saturday in Troy, commemorations were to move to Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama for a private remembrance followed by a public viewing - again with coronavirus precautions - starting at 8.00 pm.

Masks with the civil right's icon name on them were given to guests in attendance

The masks were given away for free as people came into the auditorium

Sister Ethel Mae Tyner recalled the days long ago when family members worked together in the cotton fields near Troy and storm clouds would pass over

People pay their respects as the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis during the ceremony at Trojan Arena

Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor of Troy University, speaks during the memorial service for Lewis

On Sunday at 10am, a processional will escort Lewis's casket from Brown Chapel to the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

It was there that Lewis, during an historic 1965 civil rights march that came to be known as 'Bloody Sunday,' had his skull fractured by police, one of many times he suffered such beatings.

On Sunday afternoon, events move to the city of Montgomery, where the public has been encouraged to line sidewalks as the processional travels to the State Capitol.

Lewis will lie in state there beginning at 3pm, according to local media. Visitors will be required to wear masks.

On Monday, Lewis will lie in state in the Rotunda of the US Capitol for viewing, initially, by a small, invitation-only group.

Honor guards bring the casket draped in an American flag into the memorial service

After the ceremony Saturday in Troy, commemorations were to move to Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama for a private remembrance followed by a public viewing

The casket will then be moved to the top of the steps at the Capitol's East Front for public viewing Monday evening and all day Tuesday, according to the Washington Post. Masks and social distancing will be required.

Out of concern for the pandemic, the Lewis family has asked that people not travel from across the country to pay respects, and instead post virtual tributes.

The week of solemn commemorations will end on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia, where Lewis will be laid to rest after a private service in the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King once preached.

People sign an oversize card for the family of the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis at Troy Arena
It's the marker of a person who can admit they were wrong, but apologies require action.

This week, the actor John Connors publicly apologised for remarks he made about newly-installed Minister for Children Roderic OGorman.

Mr O'Gorman, who is gay, was accused without evidence of promoting paedophilia, a hair-brained theory that began after a picture from 2018 of Mr O'Gorman with LGBT rights and AIDS campaigner and former UK election candidate Peter Tatchell appeared online.

In 1997, Mr Tatchell was forced to defend parts of a letter he wrote the Guardian newspaper in which he spoke about sex between adults and children, in which he said his comments were taken out of context, adding that the letter said paedophilia was: "impossible to condone".

After the photograph appeared, an online campaign was launched to have the Green Party minister resign.

Later, a demonstration was held at Leinster House, attended by Renua, The Irish Freedom Party and the far-right National Party, where Mr Connors spoke on the podium.

Those who attended the rally held posters adorned with nooses which said: "Protect the innocent, punish the guilty".

Mr Connors said: "We're in a situation if you stand up for Irish children you're a fascist," adding: "If you're not willing to defend children, you're not worth living in my opinion.

"The first thing he'll take on is children having sexual transitional operations... That's why Roderic O'Gorman is not fit to be Minister for Children."

Then came the apology.

Mr Connors admitted his participation in the online frenzy was wrong and unfair on every level, he wrote, adding he had written a further apology to Minister OGorman.

The actor said there was no justification for his actions but added that he has dealt with a number of tragedies in his life recently.

I have recently found myself unravelling. This is in no way to excuse what I said and how I behaved.

"Looking back Im sick to my stomach, Mr Connors said.

"My own misguided anger led me to appear to feed an army of trolls and support groups whose views I find repugnant, whose politics are rotten and whose methods are ugly.

Read More Saoirse McHugh quits Greens saying party is 'toxic'

"I find myself in a position where l seemed to have sided with the very people whose politics I most despise.

Ive battled bigotry my whole life and my deranged pursuit of Minister OGorman played a huge part in the homophobic backlash he received by the very bigots I despise."

The apology itself was well written, it seemed genuine and was accepted swiftly by Mr O'Gorman who considers the matter over, and wished Mr Connors well.

The apology is not for all of us to accept, it is for Ireland's LGBTQ+ community and Mr O'Gorman, who was unfairly targetted and left vulnerable in the aftermath of this well-respected actor and Traveler activist bolstering a fringe campaign based around a homophobic dog whistle that gay people are a danger to children.

So what happens next is what really matters. There is work to be done.

One apology will not and does not counteract the fact that Mr Connors is a 30-year-old man who saw those posters printed with nooses and stood on that podium anyway.

Roderic O'Gorman had already distanced himself from the photograph with Tatchell by the time Connors took the stage, and Connors knew because he brought it up while he was up there.

Mr Connors himself has endured more abuse in his life than most people in society. He is, rightly, a proud Traveller, and has done huge amounts for his community.

He took to that podium with a wealth of knowledge of what it is like to be targetted for who you are and shouted "Not my minister" anyway.

That said, we should be welcoming and compassionate and should afford space for people to grow, to disavow their past damaging beliefs, and not use their past behaviour as a stick to beat their reputation with.

Casting people out for past transgressions once they have admitted they were wrong helps no one, and most likely leaves the person vulnerable to being approached again by those who wish to use them for their own gain.

As he said himself, Mr Connors was in a vulnerable state when he found himself circling this particular rabbit hole, and anyone with even the briefest knowledge of hate groups and other fringe conspiracy collectives will know that this exact state of vulnerability is when people are most likely to be brought into the fold.

What's important is that Mr Connors has seen that, and what's more important is what he does next.

In the next weeks and months, it will only be through advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights that Mr Connors will be able to prove his sincerity.

The passion with which he spoke on that podium will be required to undo the harm potentially caused by his words on July 11.

Apologies are well and good and should be welcomed, but if this journey stops at his own front door, it's one that won't be worthwhile.
Filmmaker duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who made their Hollywood debut with the recent action film Bad Boys for Life, have said that if the franchise is ever remade in India, Shah Rukh Khan should star in it. The duo said that coming from Morocco, theyre huge fans of SRK.

Asked if theyd be up for an Indian remake, Adil told IANS, Well, you know, it would be an honour to begin with. Because Bollywood is like the biggest movie industry in the world, and we come from Morocco. Theyre big Bollywood fans, and the biggest star in the world is still Shah Rukh Khan. So we hope that he (the Indian director) would have Shah Rukh Khan in the movie.

Adil continued, Youve got to have him. In Bad Boys, there are a lot of bright colours that match with Bollywood cinema, where you have bright colours. Its exotic. So, you have a lot of similarities, and the costumes (are bright, too). But I think youre gonna have to use more music. It has to be a little bit more epic action with musical elements. Bilall added, I would be super excited to see a Bollywood version of Bad Boys. Im behind it.

Bad Boys for Life, the third instalment of the long-running action franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as bantering cops, remains the highest grossing film of the year. It released in January, and had essentially completed its theatrical run before the coronavirus pandemic shut down movie theatres globally.

Also read: When Sushant Singh Rajput danced on a Shah Rukh Khan song in middle of the road, watch video

At the time of its release, filmmaker Rohit Shetty had expressed excitement for an Indian remake. Hed told IANS, It will be (remade) for sure. The moment I say that who should be the Bad Boys in Bollywood, it will go viral that I am making a film with them and I will be in a mess. So, I know who the Bad Boys are but I dont want to disclose it right now.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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Weeks of raucous demonstrations had nearly wound down in Portland at the beginning of July. Then President Donald Trump sent in federal forces.

The protests against police violence and systemic racism quickly grew bigger and louder. And the chaotic tit-for-tat between some of the demonstrators and police, now mostly the federal officers in camouflage and tactical gear, took a more aggressive turn.
One morning in the mid-1980s, as federal Transportation Department employees pulled into their parking lot in Washington, they were greeted by their boss - Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole - holding a sign that said "STOP."

Dole, the wife of Senate majority leader and future Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, R-Kan., would go on to become a powerful Republican senator in her own right. She also ran for president. But that morning, Dole was acting, as some conservative critics put it, like a "paternalistic" Democrat.

How?

By checking whether her employees were wearing their seat belts.

Mandatory seat belt laws were one of Dole's signature accomplishments as transportation secretary under President Ronald Reagan, who was no fan of paternalism and once famously said, "Man is not free unless government is limited."

Dole's fight for seat belt laws in the 1980s inspired the sort of rhetoric and division America is seeing today over government mandates to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Back then, as today, there were lawsuits and protests alleging that the government was infringing on personal liberties by mandating what citizens do with their bodies. The divide was stark.

In Grand Rapids, Mich., a judge refused to fine drivers ticketed for not wearing seat belts. Some conservative judges publicly said they would declare seat belt laws unconstitutional if anyone brought a case in their courts. Opponents were especially incensed in New Hampshire, where the state motto is "Live Free or Die."

Liberals saw it differently.

Harvard Law School professor Laurence Tribe testified in a 1986 Massachusetts legislative hearing that "a seat belt law simply removes a rather unimportant element of freedom." State Sen. Salvatore Albano echoed that argument in slightly more blunt terms, saying those opposing seat belt laws wanted "the right to be splattered all over their windshields."

Stephen Teret, a public health expert at Johns Hopkins University, remembers giving presentations on the benefits of seat belts during those times. He heard a lot of pushback.

"People were really offended by the government telling them what to do," Teret said in an interview.

Mandates regarding seat belts and face masks aren't totally analogous, he said, in that asking people to wear masks is an effort to protect not just individuals but society at large. The argument against them is the same, though.

"We are a country that very, very much values personal freedoms," Teret said. "And there are always some people who see their personal freedoms as being more important than the common good. And that's the fight public health has always had."

Health and safety rules typically have been upheld as constitutional based on the precedent established in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, a 1905 Supreme Court decision. In a 7-to-2 vote, the court ruled against a Massachusetts minister who was fined $5 for refusing to comply with mandatory smallpox vaccination.

"In every well ordered society charged with the duty of conserving the safety of its members the rights of the individual in respect of his liberty may at times, under the pressure of great dangers, be subjected to such restraint, to be enforced by reasonable regulations, as the safety of the general public may demand," the majority wrote.

Nevertheless, conservatives hammered Dole on the seat belt issue. Though there were some shrewd politics at play - the seat belt push was, in part, an attempt to placate auto manufacturers that opposed air bags - just the idea of telling citizens how they were supposed to drive was too much for the liberty crowd.

An editorial in the National Review, the conservative opinion magazine founded by William F. Buckley Jr., said that "one of the purest examples of paternalism is the sort of laws enacted in more than a dozen states in the past year compelling the use of seat belts."

Still, there was Dole with her "STOP" sign at Transportation Department headquarters, being very paternal with her staff. She also appeared in television public service announcements, including one for New York Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Lecturing to a college classroom, Dole says, "How many of you think it's important to buckle your safety belt every time you get into a car?"

Not everyone raises their hands.

"Do you know that every 10 minutes someone is a killed in car accident?" she asks. "Do you know that every 10 seconds someone is injured?"

The students look startled.

Dole wasn't finished.

"Do you know that each of you in this classroom can expect to be in a car crash at least once in your lifetime?" she says.

Then the camera zooms in on her face.

"Now," she says, "is there anyone here who doesn't think it's important to buckle up every time you get into a car?"

The screen goes black, and a message pops up in all-capital letters: "YOUR LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS."
South Carolina House Speaker Jay Lucas says the state Supreme Court was wrong to allow opponents of a proposed cruise ship terminal in Charleston to contest the project.

Lucas filed a friend-of-the-court brief earlier this month arguing the court misinterpreted state law when it determined in February that opponents could challenge a state permit allowing construction, the Post and Courier reported .

The State Ports Authority has spent years trying to replace its existing terminal near Charlestons City market to better serve cruise ships.

The environmental, neighborhood and historic preservation groups against the project have said the $35 million proposed construction could create pollution and traffic problems.

The State Ports Authority has said opponents cannot prove the project will have adverse effects.

Lucas said in his filing that the state law in question gives people the right to request a hearing, but does not mean they are entitled to such a hearing. He is asking the court to reverse its ruling so the State Ports Authority can secure the permit.

In a court filing Thursday, opponents of the project said it is is too late for Lucas to intervene.

Citing findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that cruise ship travel markedly increases the risk and impact of COVID-19 in the country, the groups argued the risk of the disease makes Lucas bid to reduce citizen protections inopportune.
Brussels, 25 July 2020 (SPS) - The allegations of misusing the humanitarian aid of the European Union (EU) to the Sahrawi refugees are unfounded, and they only divert the international opinion from the issue of the occupation of Western Sahara and the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, said Algerias ambassador to Brussels Amar Belani.



In a clarification to The Brussels Times newspaper about the allegations circulated by the nationalist Euro-deputy Dominique Bilde, on the misuse of the humanitarian aid, Belani noted that these accusations only divert the attention from the illegal occupation of Western Sahara and the Sahrawi peoples legitimate right to self-determination.



While referring to the responses given by the most senior officials of EU, the ambassador pointed out the statement of the current European Commissioner for Crisis Management Januz Lenarcic who confirmed in early July the rigorous control of the aid in the Sahrawi refugee camps.



EU implemented very strong follow-up and control measures to the extent that some of its partners reproached it for making the work difficult with its services, said Lenarcic before the EU Development Commission.



Contrary to what has been said by the deputy Bilde on the overestimated number of refugees, the ambassador said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) published, in March 2018, a report in which the population of the camps of the Sahrawi refugees of Tindouf was estimated at 173,600, i.e. an increase of about 40% compared to the estimates of 2007.



On 31 December 2017, these figures are even higher than those on which UNHCR, EU and the World Food Programme (WFP) planned their humanitarian aid operations, he said.



UNHCR underlined then the importance of its report as it represented the most comprehensive analysis that has never been carried out since 2007 on the issue, especially as its conclusions are the outcome of a multi-sectoral expert mission comprising UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and several NGOs.



As indicated clearly by the report in question, the missions team had full access to the sites and demanded information, that it listed independently.



In this regard, WFP adopted the new estimate of the number of the Sahrawi refugees in its report of August 2018 on the assessment of the Sahrawi refugees food safety. (SPS)



062/SPS/700
In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included in this Malaysia Data Center Market Report. Malaysia Data Center Market Size To Cross $800 Million, Growing At a CAGR Of Over 8% During The Period 2020?2025.

New York, July 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Malaysia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2020-2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05934702/?utm_source=GNW



Malaysias data center market size is likely to reach revenues of over $800 million by 2025. VADS Berhad, Keppel Data Centres, and Alpha Data Centre Fund, Katalyst Data Management, and Regal Orion are some of the prominent investors in the Malaysia data center market. Malaysia is likely to gain increased traction for data center investments owing to the land shortage faced by Singapore to facilitate greenfield developments. The expansion by hyperscale across other Southeast Asian countries is likely to lead to an increase in investments in Malaysia. Over 80% of the population has access to the Internet, the data traffic in Malaysia Internet Exchange is around 35 Gbps per day, which is expected to grow at about 510% YOY between 2020 and 2025. The Malaysian government has planned to generate 20% renewable energy by 2025. To achieve the target, an $8 billion investment is required for the renewable energy sector from the public-private partnerships and private financing. The increase in digital transformation initiatives by enterprise verticals will aid the growth of PaaS and IaaS providers such as Google and AWS, thereby boosting the market growth.



Several Malaysian and Chinese enterprises have planned to establish an Artificial Intelligence park at a cost of $1 billion. The aim is to build a commercial AI ecosystem, increase artificial intelligence talent, and grow AI-related research initiatives in Malaysia. The Malaysia national industry 4.0 framework has designated initiative programs to adopt IoT, sensor technology, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), mobile connectivity, robotics, and 3-D printing.



Infrastructure projects such as the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) are to be implemented by the government to improve inland connectivity across Malaysia in the next five years. Big data analytics digital lab has the helped the government to map public health patterns and improve safety and convenience in transportation facilities.



Key Deliverable

 An assessment of the data center investment in the market by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators

 Exhaustive insights into the impact of the COVID-19 on the Malaysia data center market shares

 Investments in terms of area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) in the country

 Datacenter colocation market in Malaysia

 Retail & wholesale colocation pricing in Malaysia

 A detailed study of the existing market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the size of the Malaysia data center market during the forecast period

 Classification of the Malaysia data center market into multiple segments and sub-segments with sizing and forecast

 A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, potential opportunities, and growth restraints, and prospects of the data center market

 Presence of prominent data center investors, construction contractors, and infrastructure vendors

 A transparent market research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspect of the market



Key Highlights of the Report:

 The high usage of services such as cloud storage services among businesses across the region will increase the demand for high-performance storage solutions.

 The development of hyperscale and cloud data centers is likely to drive the demand for ethernet switches and routers.

 The market will witness a rise in the adoption of NVME SSD storage as part of flash-storage adoption for critical application.

 Diesel generators are likely to dominate the Malaysia data center power market with new facilities likely to deploy a mix of diesel and gas generators.

 Modular data center deployments will include low-voltage switchgear as they are economical and efficient.

 42U rack units are the most commonly used in data centers, and it is expected to dominate the region during the forecast period along with the adoption of 45U-47U rack units.

 Malaysia is witnessing an increase in the construction of greenfield projects, with a strong potential for modular data center projects.



Report Coverage:

This report offers an elaborative analysis of the Malaysian data center market investments in terms of infrastructure and geography. It discusses sizing and estimation for different segments with respect to the investment in data centers. The segmentation includes:



 Infrastructure Type

o IT Infrastructure

o Electrical Infrastructure

o Mechanical Infrastructure

 IT Infrastructure

o Server

o Storage

o Network

 Electrical Infrastructure

o UPS

o Generators

o Transfer Switches and Switchgears

o Other Electrical Infrastructure

 Mechanical Infrastructure

o Cooling Systems

- CRAC & CRAH Units

- Chiller Units

- Cooling Towers & Dry Coolers

- Other Units

o Racks

o Other Mechanical Infrastructure

 General Construction

o Building Development

o Installation & Commissioning Services

o Building Design

o Physical Security

o DCIM

 Tier Segments

o Tier I & Tier II

o Tier III

o Tier IV



Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

 Inspur

 Hewlett Packard Enterprise

 Dell Technologies

 Cisco

 NetApp

 Huawei

 Fujitsu

 NEC Corporation

 IBM

 Lenovo



Construction Service Providers

 Nakano Corporation

 DSCO Group

 Shaw Architect

 AVO Technology

 B-Barcelona Consulting

 ISG

 NTT Facilities

 CSF Group

 S5 Engineering Sdn Bhd

 Powerware Systems Sdn Bhd



Support Infrastructure Providers

 ABB

 Caterpillar

 Cummins

 Eaton

 Legrand

 Schneider Electric

 Vertiv

 Rittal

 MTU Onsite Energy

 Mitsubishi Electric

 Hitec-Power Protection

 Fuji Electric

 Global Data Center LLP



Data Center Investors

 VADS BERHAD (Telekom Malaysia)

 Keppel Data Centres

 Katalyst Data Management

 Regal Orion



Target Audience:

o Datacenter Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT)

o Datacenter Construction Contractors

o Datacenter Infrastructure Providers

o New Entrants

o Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms

o Corporate and Governments Agencies



Why Purchase this Report?

o To gain competitive intelligence about the industry and players in the market.

o To focus on the niche industry.

o To offer a presentation-ready format and easy-to-interpret data.

o To enable decision-makers to make informed and profitable choices.

o To provide the expert quantitative and qualitative analysis on the revenue and growth projections of the data center market.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05934702/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




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Federal agents are patrolling Portland and heading to Chicago.

Which of these cities has President Trump also threatened to send agents to?
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As a medical student, I have discussed with classmates and faculty how to handle a potential patient interaction on vaccinations. Learning how to handle a patient who may be misinformed may be best through experience rather than lectures. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this experience may come sooner and be more commonplace than I previously expected.

While anti-vaxxers currently make up a small percentage of the United States, their influence could affect Americans willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of responders to an early May poll stated they would not be willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 once a vaccine becomes available. The anti-vaxxer movement was influenced by the incorrect link between vaccines and autism in a 1998 Lancet paper, which took the medical journal 12 years to retract.

Although patients may have serious concerns about the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, deep-rooted in a history of medical mistreatment  Tuskegee syphilis study, Henrietta Lacks, James Marion Sims. After two French doctors suggested a COVID-19 vaccine could be tested in Africa, some may doubt the ethics of its development.

Dr. Christopher Swingle wrote, Patients will continue to trust physicians who listen to their concerns. If we do not have that trust, we cannot reasonably hope to persuade on the real risks and benefits of vaccination. A balance must be struck between respecting a patients concerns and correcting misinformation. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the pervasiveness of public health misinformation has been brought to the forefront.

After a unanimous vote at a commissioners meeting to make masks mandatory, residents of Palm Beach County in Florida erupted in anger, which included threatening to arrest a doctor for crimes against humanity for their vote. Two Twitter accounts  BadMedicalTakes and BadCOVID19Takes  a YouTube study, and Facebook posts promoting bogus COVID-19 cures highlight some of the public health misinformation being spread on social media platforms. The political nature of wearing face masks for public health safety has resulted in misinformation about their effectiveness. Those who wrongly believe face masks have detrimental respiratory effects are interfering with the ability to scale our nations public health response. During this unprecedented time of dealing with a viral outbreak and its economic effects on such a large scale, our nation should be experiencing strong unity in championing public health safety measures. Instead, the decision to wear a mask outside the home is influenced by gender, political party, and education level.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should be considered a focal source of reliable information. The good news is Americans overwhelmingly trust the CDC as a source for COVID-19 information. However, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield expressed he is concerned that our public health message isnt resonating on masks and social distancing at the June 4 House appropriations subcommittee hearing.

News media plays an important role in harnessing public trust. While an overwhelming number of Americans are following news on COVID-19 either fairly or very closely, the country is divided on whether to trust the accuracy of news reports. On June 19, Tennessees House of Representatives passed Resolution HR0340, penned by Rep. Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough), condemning the mainstream media for sensationalizing the COVID-19 pandemic to push a political agenda. Three studies have explored how conservative media misinformation may have intensified the severity of the pandemic. News media, across the political spectrum, should provide accurate information regarding COVID-19 and be accountable for correcting erroneous information from themselves and others.

There is a need for self-accountability for the assertion, despite no corroborating evidence provided, that more testing accounts for the rise in cases. While Houstons COVID-19 positivity rate increased from 15.35 percent on June 1 to 24.82 percent on June 28, Dr. David Persse of the Houston Health Authority said, The problem is that the virus is spreading at a faster rate than were increasing the testing. Increased testing actually leads to a more accurately reported case count. According to the CDC, COVID-19 cases in the United States may be ten times higher than reported. Therefore, ramping up our testing capacity would detect cases that are currently not being reported. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNNs chief medical correspondent, tweeted, This may seem counter-intuitive, but if you are doing enough testing, cases should start to go down because you are finding people early before they spread it. People who test positive should self-quarantine for 14 days, thereby limiting their ability to infect others.

Government officials, regardless of political affiliation, should seek sound medical advice before communicating with their constituents. Appropriate public health information should be shared so that constituents are not harmed by following misinformed medical information. Government officials, news media, and social media platforms should account for the health information they spread. We must combat misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic so that we are better prepared to handle a potential second wave or any viral outbreaks in the future.

How to combat the impending public health crisis of misinformation?

Dr. Anthony Fauci said, So I think youd have to make the assumption that if there wasnt such divisiveness, that we would have a more coordinated approach. This divisiveness is prominently displayed in the misinformation campaign waged against appropriate public health measures.

The way political officials discuss COVID-19 affects how future generations will learn from this pandemic. Combating misinformation should be considered critical in resolving some of our most daunting public health challenges. Social media platforms should create public health misinformation disclaimers, expanding upon Twitters civic integrity policy. In confronting information that doesnt sound right, Dr. Ranit Mishori encourages people to ask for the evidence behind a claim and speak out.

Receiving proper medical information allows for sound decision making. Misinformation sows discord; debating a false premise disrupts the effectiveness of public health. In the long term, we should examine how health literacy is taught in our K-12 educational system.

Future generations will undoubtedly learn about the COVID-19 pandemic; a non-partisan, objective public health education is necessary for them to avoid repeating our missteps. We still have time to fix our failures in the short term. In addition to more accountability in correcting misleading claims, we must drown out misinformation by increasing the messaging bandwidth of appropriate public health information.

Jacob Uskavitch is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
A view of the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., on July 8, 2020. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

ICE Says New Foreign Students Cant Enter US for Online-Only Courses

International students wont be allowed to enter the United States for online-only course loads in the fall semester unless they were enrolled on or before March 9, immigration officials said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement July 24 that its policy of granting visa flexibility to nonimmigrant students wont apply to those who enrolled after the March 9 cutoff if they take fully online classes, although it will be granted to students receiving some in-person instruction on campuses.

Nonimmigrant students in new or initial status after March 9 will not be able to enter the U.S. to enroll in a U.S. school as a nonimmigrant student for the fall term to pursue a full course of study that is 100 percent online, the agency said.

The new guidance further clarifies ICEs position on nonimmigrant students taking classes in the fall semester and the effect on their status in the event of online-only course loads.

On July 6, ICE announced that nonimmigrant students enrolled in schools operating entirely online would not be allowed to take a full online course load and remain in the United States.

Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status, ICE stated. If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.

In an FAQ published by the agency on July 7, ICE reasoned that all students scheduled to study at a U.S. institution in the fall will be able to do so, though some will be required to study from abroad if their presence is not required for any in-person classes in the United States.

The July 6 directive prompted a backlash when it was introduced, including a lawsuit (pdf) filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Immediately after the Fourth of July weekend, ICE threw Harvard and MITindeed, virtually all of higher education in the United Statesinto chaos, the suit said.

ICE later withdrew the rule requiring international students to be on campus in person this fall or risk losing their visa status and being deported.

ICEs announcement confirms that the more flexible March guidance applies to the fall school term, but precludes entry by newly enrolled students from overseas unless they take at least some of their classes in person. It also includes the caveat that the March guidelineswhich let international students retain their active status even if their classes moved fully onlinehave some measure of restriction.

The March 2020 guidance applies to nonimmigrant students who were actively enrolled at a U.S. school on March 9 and are otherwise complying with the terms of their nonimmigrant status, whether from inside the U.S. or abroad, ICE noted.

The agency also said on July 24 that school officials shouldnt issue a Form I-20 to nonimmigrant students outside the United States who are in new or initial status if they plan to take online-only classes. Also called a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, the form is used to prove that a student is legally enrolled in a program of study in the United States and allows them to enter the country.
Iran Condemns U.S. Intercept Of Airliner Over Syria

By RFE/RL July 24, 2020

Iran has accused Washington of endangering civilians after U.S. military aircraft intercepted an Iranian passenger plane over Syria as it was flying to Beirut from Tehran in a "standard visual inspection."

U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, said an F-15 fighter jet on July 24 "conducted a standard visual inspection of a Mahan Air passenger airliner at a safe distance of approximately 1,000 meters" while on a routine air mission near At-Tanf in Syria.

The U.S. military, which has a small desert base at At-Tanf near the border with Jordan and Iraq, said the "professional intercept was conducted in accordance with international standards."

But IRIB TV aired unverified amateur footage of passengers on board screaming as the pilot sharply reduced the altitude of the flight, saying it caused some injuries among passengers.

"U.S....harasses a scheduled civil airliner -- endangering innocent civilian passengers -- ostensibly to protect its occupation forces," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter.

"These outlaws must be stopped before disaster," he added.

U.S. Central Command spokesman Bill Urban said that once the F-15 pilot identified the aircraft as a Mahan Air passenger plane, the F-15 "safely opened distance from the aircraft."

"The visual inspection occurred to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at At-Tanf garrison," he added.

The head of Beirut airport, Fadi al-Hassan, told local Lebanese broadcaster New Television that the Iranian plane landed in the Lebanese capital in the evening.

"All the passengers are well, but some suffered from minor wounds...most suffered from shock and fear," Hassan said.

Israel and the United States have long accused Mahan Air of shipping weapons and fighters to the Lebanese militant group Hizballah and Iran-linked groups in Syria and the region.

The United States imposed sanctions on Mahan Air in 2011.

With reporting by SANA, AFP, dpa, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-intercepts-iranian- passenger-plane-over-syria/30744589.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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- Ghana has set a record as the first African country to issue a 41-year bond, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has revealed

- He explained that $3 billion was successfully raised in the international capital market

- According to him, the three tranches the bond came in were priced at 6.375%, 7.875%, and 8.750% respectively

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The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has informed Parliament that Ghana has been officially recognised as the first African country to issue a 41-year bond and a second tri-tranche bond.

Details show that Ghana successfully raised $3 billion in the international capital market.

The money came in three tranches of 6-year, 14-year, and 41-year Eurobonds of $1.25 billion, $1.0 billion, and $750.00 million respectively on February 4, 2020.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta Source: Bloomberg

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Ken Ofori-Atta hints of plans to protect businesses and jobs

Per a classfmonline.com report, Ofori-Atta stated that Parliament earlier approved a request by the government to raise $3 billion in December 2019.

This was to help finance expenses budgeted in 2020 that are growth-oriented, as well as the conduct of liability management operations.

He further explained that the Eurobonds were priced at 6.375 percent, 7.875 percent, and 8.750 percent respectively.

Ofori-Atta added that the bond came with the lowest ever coupon rate for Ghana.

He went on to say that the order book was five times oversubscribed despite the initial challenges that came with the outbreak of the coronavirus.

According to him, it translated into a peak order book in excess of $15 billion and follows the 2019 Eurobond which was oversubscribed seven times.

In other news, Ken Ofori-Atta has disclosed that Ghanas public debt stock currently stands at GHc255,727.1 billion.

Presenting the 2020 mid-year budget review in Parliament, he indicated that the outbreak of the coronavirus has led to the tightening of global financial conditions.

Notwithstanding, he went on, that Ghanas $3 billion International Capital Market financing was conducted in the first two months of the year 2020.

READ ALSO: Government to pay temporary incomes to sacked workers - Finance Minister

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Districts across the county, including Humble ISD, will be required to only offer online learning until at least Sept. 7 following an order from the Houston officials and the Harris County Judge.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced that public and non-religious schools in Harris County will be required to delay in-person classes on Friday. It is possible that in-person classes may be delayed beyond that depending on COVID-19 cases.

According to a letter from local health authorities, the decision was made due to concern for increased COVID-19 transmissions and hospitalizations in the community this summer.

WHERE TO EAT: Popular Kingwood eatery debuts new upscale menu with Chachis Next Door

The order comes after the Texas Education Agency embraced the possibility of schools beginning the instruction with online courses on July 17. The TEA originally said districts that began the year with online only learning risked losing state funding.

In the following weeks, Harris County and Houston health officials will develop thresholds and guidelines for the return of in-person classes based on updated public health data and trends, Harris County Public Health Executive Director Umair Shah and Houston Health Authority David Persse said.

Both agencies are grateful for the feedback received and the willingness for community members to share personal stories, fears, and hopes for a time when we can safely resume in-person instruction as a community, the letter, signed by Shah and Persse, said.

Humble ISD officials, which originally planned to have a mix of in-person and online instruction, said the district will comply completely with the requirements. In an earlier interview, Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said the district would have about 65 percent of its students on campus while close to 35 percent of families chose distance learning.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Other countries opened schools, so why shouldnt Texas? Outbreak severity, health experts say

Due to the order, Humble ISD will be offering a vote on four new options and is seeking parent and staff input in a survey that will be open through Friday, July 31.

The first option is for classes to be online for all starting Tuesday, Aug. 11 and moving to a mix of online and on-campus starting Sept. 8, if allowed, while teachers report on Aug. 3.

The second option is for classes to begin online for all starting Tuesday, Aug. 18 and moving to online and on-campus learning starting on Sept. 8 while teachers report on Aug. 10. This option cancels the October break due to state requirements for operational minutes and contractual days for teachers.

The third option is to begin online instruction on Tuesday, Aug. 25 and moving to online and on-campus starting Sept. 8 while teachers report on Aug. 13, canceling October and February breaks.

The fourth and final option is for classes to all begin on-campus and online on Tuesday, Sept. 8 and teachers report on Aug. 18, canceling October and February breaks and requiring classes to be held until June 4 as well as no late arrival or early release options at middle and high schools.

Our hope was that we would collect student choices, match them to staff needs, make health and safety adjustments to our operations, and be allowed to monitor conditions throughout July to make decisions that meet the most needs using the most current COVID-19 hospitalizations and testing data no later than Aug. 1. However, that plan has been changed, as Harris County issued an order today that eliminates on-campus learning as a choice for all students until Tuesday, Sept. 8.

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Amy Bakken, a parent in Humble ISD and former teacher who started a MoveOn petition to keep Humble ISD from beginning face-to-face instruction until it is safer, said she is grateful to see the decision from Harris County Public Health.

Im grateful to the Harris County Public Health Department officials and Judge Hidalgo for their order, Bakken said in a statement. The faster we bring our numbers down, the sooner our schools can open. I think that is everyones goal.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
For years, not much was known about the love life of Ramon Abbas, the Nigerian Instagram celebrity accused of fraud.

Popularly called Hushpuppi, Mr Abbas was arrested for wire fraud in Dubai in June and extradited to the U.S. on July 3.

Before his arrest, the 37-year-old was resident in Dubai and known for flaunting extravagant lifestyles on his Instagram page but never for once, did he reveal the women in his life.

Although he has been romantically linked with some Nigerian celebrities and Instagram socialites in the past, he never publicly identified with them; at least not on his verified Instagram handle which boasts 2.5 million followers.

His Instagram page was a mini catalog dedicated to showing off his cars, clothes, shoes, and jet-set lifestyle. It screamed luxury and nothing more.

Expose

As part of his ongoing celebrated trial, Hushpuppi has revealed that he has three children from three different women. He said two of the children live in London and the third lives in New York City.

He told Pretrial Services that he has had an on-again/off-again relationship with the last childs mother for the last five years.

Pretrial Services Programs are procedures in the U.S. to prepare cases for trial in court.

Pretrial services said the womans uncle lives in the Chicago area where he works as a Uber driver. He offered to be a third-party custodian for Abbas and would allow Abbas to live with him.

They added that there is no indication that Abbas knows or ever has met the man as Abbas has never been to Chicago. Pretrial Services did not recommend this residential placement and the court agreed.

The United States Court sitting in Illinois listed the information above as one of the five major reasons for Hushpuppis continued detention.

St. Kitts and Nevis

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis issued a statement concerning Hushpuppis citizenship status on its official website on July 6.

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis said it became aware of reports and rumours concerning Hushpuppis Federations citizenship.

It read, We note that the Nigeria-born Mr. Abbas, 37, was granted a St. Kitts and Nevis passport in February 2020 by virtue of his marriage to Shawana Nakesia Chapman, 32, a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis by birth and the United States of America.

Ms. Chapman, a resident of North Carolina, USA, married Mr. Abbas in Nigeria in October 2018, thereby conferring him with the right to St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship.

They also added that any suggestion that the citizenship was obtained through means other than marriage  such as the countrys Citizenship by Investment program, which includes rigorous background checks  is therefore utterly false and willfully misleading.

Roadblocks

In a comprehensive report on the detention hearing, the court gave some reasons for the refusal to grant his bail.

The report released on Monday was based on the recommendations of the Pretrial services, which provides the court with quality information about the defendants.

The court concluded that the defendant must be detained pending trial because the government has proven that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the defendants appearance as required.

RAMON OLORUNWA ABBAS, aka Ray Hushpuppi, arrested by Dubai Police

The court agreed with the recommendation of Pretrial Services that Mr Abbas presents a risk of non-appearance and that he should be removed to the charging district in California in custody.

In addition to the findings made on the record at the hearing, the court cited five major factors for the detention.

The factors include the fact that Mr Abbas is subject to a lengthy period of incarceration if convicted, lacks significant community or family ties to the district, has significant family or other ties outside the United States, lacks legal status in the country and will be subjected to removal or deportation for serving any period of incarceration.

The Order says, The court agrees with the recommendation of Pretrial Services that Mr Abbas presents a serious risk of nonappearance and that he should be removed to the charging district in California in custody. In addition, the Court finds Abbas presents a serious risk of flight to avoid this prosecution with the meaning of 18 USC 3142(f)(2). The Court stated the reasons for its ruling on the record during the removal hearing held on July 13, 2020. The additional notes contained in this Order are consistent with the reasons stated on the record and are intended to supplement rather than supplant those statements.

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Abbas is not a United States citizen and has no significant ties to the United States. If he is convicted of the charges, he faces deportation once he serves any custodial sentence that might be imposed. If the allegations in the complaint are true, Abbas has sufficient assets to fund a flight to anywhere in the world, and he has ties to many foreign countries.

Abbas reportedly rents an apartment in Dubai for $10,000 a month and drives a Bentley. He is alleged to have committed financial crimes that netted tens of millions of dollars or more.

He might spend the next twenty years in prison if convicted of the crime.
MOSCOW, July 25 (Reuters) - Thousands of people marched in the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday for the third weekend in a row, protesting at President Vladimir Putin's handling of a regional political crisis that has sparked demonstrations.

Residents of Khabarovsk, around 3,800 miles (6,110 km) and seven time zones east of Moscow, are unhappy about the July 9 detention of the wider region's popular regional governor, Sergei Furgal, who was arrested on murder charges he denies.

His detention, which his supporters say was politically motivated, has triggered more than two weeks of street protests, creating a headache for the Kremlin which is trying to troubleshoot a sharp COVID-19-induced drop in real incomes and keep a lid on unrest as the economy stutters.

Footage of the protest showed people chanting "Disgrace!" and slogans demanding Putin resign because local people had lost trust in him.

City authorities estimated around 6,500 people had taken part. Local media put the number at up to 20,000 people.

The protests have highlighted anger among some in the far east over what they see as policies emanating from detached Moscow-based authorities on the other side of the country.

Supporters of Furgal, the arrested governor and a member of the nationalist LDPR party, feel he is being belatedly punished for defeating a candidate from the ruling pro-Putin United Russia party in 2018. The Kremlin says Furgal has serious charges to answer.

Such sustained demonstrations are unusual for Russia's regions, as is the fact that the authorities have not yet moved to break them up.

In an apparent move to defuse tensions, Putin on Monday named a new acting governor to head the region. But protesters said they felt insulted by the choice of Mikhail Degtyaryov, who has no connection with the region, and have called on him to step down too. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn Editing by Louise Heavens)
Furloughed workers may be unable to buy a new home as Britain's fifth biggest bank could reduce the amount they are allowed to borrow to 4.50.

TSB has announced it lists furloughed workers' income as 1 in its system due to fears they will not have jobs to return to at the end of the coronavirus crisis.

The bank usually offers a typical loan of up to 4.5 times an applicant's salary so furloughed workers may only be entitled to a single-digit mortgage.

And some smaller banks and building societies are refusing to offer furloughed workers a mortgage at all.

Furloughed workers may be unable to buy a new home as Britain's fifth biggest bank TSB could reduce the amount they are allowed to borrow to 4.50

Some smaller banks and building societies are refusing to offer furloughed workers a mortgage at all

Nationwide and Metro Bank have joined TSB in reserving the right to refuse to take furloughed income into account when calculating mortgages.

Workers on furlough in the hospitality or travel industries may be particularly shunned by lenders.

Nicholas Morrey of John Charcol, a mortgage broker told The Times lenders are less likely to offer loans to people working for airline companies or cruise ships.

He said: 'It sounds really harsh, but it also comes under the category of 'irresponsible lending' if they lend to someone who might not have a job in a few months' time.'

What are the best fixed-rate mortgage rates on offer from different lenders? 1) Virgin Money 1.16% 2) Natwest 1.17% 3) Royal Bank of Scotland 1.17% 4) HSBC 1.24% Source: Moneyfacts Advertisement

Banks are concerned some staff may not return to work given the furlough scheme ends in October and some firms have already begun job cuts.

Virgin Money, Loughborough Building Society and Bluestone Mortgages are some of the lenders refusing to offer mortgages.

Others have introduced measures making it harder for furloughed workers to borrow.

TSB will only lend to a furloughed worker if they are applying for a joint mortgage and their partner in full-time work.

Mark Harris of SPF Private Clients, a mortgage broker, said: 'Some incomes will, in the short term at least, be affected.

'Lenders are exercising caution and ensuring we don't see a return to irresponsible lending seen before the last financial crisis.'

Last month, a survey of more than 2,000 homeowners and renters showed one in five had had to forsake their plans to buy a property as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

A third thought being on furlough would have a significant impact on their mortgage approval rating and make it very difficult to secure a loan.

David McGrail, compliance director at First Mortgage, told FT Adviser: 'Due to the pandemic, the financial situation many now find themselves in will be different to when they applied for their mortgage.

'This means that the maximum amount they can borrow for a mortgage is likely to be reduced in line with the salary they are now receiving.'

Nationwide will start lending to home buyers with a 10 per cent deposit again after the stamp duty cut earlier this month gave the housing market a boost

Nationwide announced it will start lending to non-furloughed home buyers with a 10 per cent deposit again after the stamp duty cut gave the housing market a boost earlier this month.

Britain's biggest building society said it will offer up to 90 per cent loan-to-value deals, having upped the minimum deposit to 15 per cent in June.

But the giant reversed the devision after he Chancellor's stamp duty holiday of up to 500,000 until 31 March 2021 gave the property market a shot in the arm.

Rishi Sunak announced that all buyers would see a zero rate of stamp duty up to 500,000 at the start of the month.
Regarding difficulties in real estate market post-COVID-19, many small-scale enterprises have to operate moderately. In contrast, businesses with large financial potentials have augmented their land hunting activities.

Despite the optimistic signs of M&A activities, most projects belong to a small number of large real estate companies such as Hung Thinh, Dat Xanh, and LDG Group.

One of the most frequently mentioned names is Danh Khoi Group, which spent thousands of billions of VND to revitalise hibernating projects. One notable example is the acquisition from Japanese firm Sun Frontier Investment Co., Ltd. to officially become the investor of the Sun Frontier project in Danang city.

The southern real estate market has witnessed a series of impressive M&A deals

Also in Danang, Danh Khoi acquired the coastal project of Hotel and Resort Danang. from Hanoi-Non Nuoc Tourism Investment JSC. This project, with the scale of 7.5 hectares at a relatively favourable position on Truong Sa road, has been delayed for a long time. After the tie-up, it is now under construction and given a new name: Aria Danang Hotel & Resort.

An M&A tycoon, Hung Thinh Group, also spent thousands of billion to buy a project in Nhon Hoi, Binh Dinh province with an area of over 1,000 hectares. Hung Thinh is planning to deploy and turning this into a complex of houses, villas, hotels, and resorts. In addition, the company has recently spent large sums of money to purchase thousands of hectares of land in Bao Loc, Lam Dong to develop the project.

Likewise, LDG Group recently announced the successful purchase of Song Da Riverside Luxury Apartments project in Thu Duc district, Ho Chi Minh City from Quoc Cuong Gia Lai Investment JSC. After joining LDG, the project is named LDG River luxury apartment building, with a total investment of about VND4.153 trillion ($180.57 million).

"This is not the first time LDG Group has shaken hands with Quoc Cuong Gia Lai JSC, but this cooperation is the biggest deal," said Nguyen Khanh Hung, chairman of LDG Group's Board of Directors. The project will develop high-class apartments and supply thousands of products to the market.

Similarly, Saigon Real Estate JSC confirmed the successful transfer of 20 per cent of the contributed capital in the housing project south of Xuyen A street from Sai Gon Real Estate Corporation (Resco).

In addition, this enterprise also plans to buy back land banks in the surrounding provinces and is urgently completing the transfer of the Gem Premium project (Thu Duc district, Ho Chi Minh City) to Dat Xanh Group.

Undercurrents

According to data from property consultancy firm Sohovietnam, the demand of hoteliers has been improving recently.

For hotels and resorts, investors are willing to fork out VND8-10 trillion ($347.83-464.78 million), with criteria focusing on assets and infrastructure that have been completed, are in operation, or are under construction.

Similarly, a recent report by Savills Vietnam also pointed out that many potential investors are ready to buy and receive projects. Since 2019 to date, negotiations paving the way for upcoming deals have a total value of more than $500 million. The representative of this unit also said that there will be more investors seizing opportunities to close deals soon.

Raymond Clement, CEO of Savills Hotels Asia-Pacific commented that under the impact of COVID-19, real estate M&A transactions will accelerate as prices are becoming more appealing than before.

The segments that investors are most interested in this year are forecast to be the office and project land for apartment complexes and commercial services. Concerning the hotel segment, products in prime locations are still interesting but asking prices will be reduced. At construction land projects, if the process of applying for approval for total ground and architectural planning to grant construction permits is not accelerated, the investors fund will be stagnant and unable to be transferred until the permit is granted
A Kurdish-Iranian refugee who wrote an award-winning book on his mobile phone while held in one of Australia's notorious Pacific detention camps has been granted asylum in New Zealand, officials said Friday. Behrouz Boochani has been in New Zealand since November when he applied for refugee status after attending a literary festival to speak about his six years in limbo under Australia's hardline immigration policies. Immigration New Zealand said Boochani's application had been successful, which means he has the right to stay in the South Pacific nation indefinitely. "Mr. Boochani has been recognised as a refugee under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol," it said in a brief statement, refusing to release further details on privacy grounds. Reports said the decision was relayed to the author on Thursday, his 37th birthday. A relieved Boochani vowed to continue campaigning for refugee rights from his adopted homeland, where he will apply for permanent residency. "I now have certainty about my future, which is good, but I cannot fully enjoy this or celebrate while the Australian government is still unfairly detaining people in Port Moresby, Nauru and Australia," he said in a statement. Boochani is currently working as a researcher at Canterbury University in the South Island city of Christchurch. He painstakingly tapped out his book "No Friend But The Mountains" on WhatsApp while detained in the Australian-run Manus Island migrant camp off Papua New Guinea, which is now officially closed. After being pulled from a sinking boat in Australian waters in 2013, Boochani was held in Papua New Guinea under a policy adopted by Canberra to prevent asylum seekers arriving by sea from setting foot on Australian soil. His account of his plight won numerous awards, including Australia's richest literary honour, the Victorian Prize for Literature. New Zealand Green Party human rights spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman, a longtime supporter of Boochani, said the refugee decision showed her country was "a place where fairness and compassion prevails". "People escaping torture and persecution based on their religion, race, and political activism deserve a place to call home, they deserve protection," she said. "We welcome Behrouz wholeheartedly." He fled Iran for Indonesia in 2013 when the Kurdish magazine he wrote for was raided by the military for publishing anti-government articles. He then paid a people-smuggler to take him to Australia but the voyage ended with him being sent to Manus Island. Behrouz Boochani has been in New Zealand since November when he applied for refugee status
Britain abruptly imposed a two-week quarantine on all travellers arriving from Spain after a surge of coronavirus cases, a dramatic and sudden reversal on Saturday to the opening of the European continent to tourism after months of lockdown.

The quarantine requirement was due to take effect from midnight (2300 GMT on Saturday), making it impossible for travellers to avoid it by rushing home.

The British foreign ministry also announced it was recommending against all but essential travel to mainland Spain, a move likely to prompt tour operators to cancel package holidays and trigger claims against insurers.

Spains Canary and Balearic Islands were not covered by the advice to avoid travel to the mainland, but holidaymakers returning to Britain from the islands will still be subject to quarantine on return.

Britains government urged employers to be understanding towards staff who are unable to return to their place of work for two weeks after they return from holiday.

The sudden British move followed steps this week by other European countries. On Friday Norway said it would re-impose a 10-day quarantine requirement for people arriving from Spain from Saturday, while France advised people not to travel to Spains northeastern region of Catalonia.

But the total collapse of tourism from Britain would have far more impact. Britain accounted for more than 20% of the foreign visitors to Spain last year, the largest group by nationality. Tourism normally accounts for some 12% of Spains economy.

Spain had been on a list of countries that the British government had said were safe for travellers to visit - meaning tourists returning home would not have to go into quarantine.

The announcement of such lists just weeks ago had allowed Europes tourism sector to begin its revival after the near total shut-down prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Responding to the British measures, Spain said on Saturday it was a safe country with localised, isolated and controlled outbreaks of the coronavirus.

A Spanish Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Spain respects decisions of the United Kingdom and was in touch with the authorities there.

The British move will affect not just Spains tourism sector but airlines and travel companies struggling to get back to business.

Britains opposition Labour Party said the news was deeply concerning and called for support for British people affected.

A SAFE COUNTRY

Antonio Perez, the mayor of Benidorm, a resort on Spains Costa Blanca that is hugely dependent on British tourists, called the move another tough blow.

We have suffered lot this year and then this happened. We thought that the British were going to come back but this makes things harder for now, he said.

Spain was one of the worst hit countries in Europe by the pandemic, with more than 290,000 cases, and more than 28,000 deaths. It imposed very strict lockdown measures to contain the spread, gradually easing them earlier this summer.

But the last few weeks saw a surge of cases, forcing local lockdowns to be reimposed in some areas.

On Friday Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told CNN television that like many countries around the world that have managed to control the disease, Spain has outbreaks but the governments -- both national and regional -- are working to isolate cases as soon as they appear.

The Catalonia region reported 1,493 new coronavirus cases and three deaths on Saturday. The regional government has urged residents of Barcelona to stay at home, and ordered all discos to shut from Saturday for the next 15 days.




Percibald Garcia knew that staying at home during the coronavirus lockdown is especially difficult for children. So, the 27-year-old architect decided to read them stories.

Almost every day since the beginning of May, Garcia can be seen in Mexico City with his wandering microphone. With it, he broadcasts stories to children who gather at apartment building windows to listen.

While many children today have cellphones or computers, Garcia wants them to hear the human voice. He also wants them to realize they can use, even from a distance, the public plazas that have been an important part of Mexican life for hundreds of years.

We realized that almost nobody was looking after the way that kids were experiencing this lockdown, Garcia said recently.

Setting up in one of the green spaces near apartment buildings, he read The Crazy Opossum, by David Martin del Campo. It tells the story of a possum who suffers because he is so short. The possum tries to reach the moon to feel taller. Once there, he eats the moon  and then must decide, with other animals, how to bring it back.

Before reading a story, Garcia often plays music by the Mexican composer Francisco Gabilondo Soler, known for his childrens songs.

Sometimes other storytellers perform, as does a puppet troop. And always, children appear at the windows of the apartment building to listen to the show.

In the last three months, everything has gone online,  work, contacts, shopping, said Garcia. He added that he thinks of his work as an act of resistance against technology moving into every part of human life.

Rogelio Morales listened to the stories from the window of his grandmothers home. Since March, the 9-year-old has spent much of his time playing video games.

The only thing I go out for is to walk my dog, he said. Its a little boring. I miss school.

Its nice, Rogelio said of the storytelling. If we have something to do, or if were very frustrated, we can relax a little.

Luna Gonzalez came with her mother, Tatiana Vega, to listen to the stories from a safe distance. They both wore face masks.

I imagine the characters, I imagine what the animals are like, said Luna. Sometimes we go out, because I get bored at home.

Garcia calls his project De la Casa a la Plaza. In English, that means From the house to the plaza.

The public plaza has been extremely important in Mexico since the time of our ancestors, Garcia noted. It is where people meet, talk, where the life of a neighborhood develops.

Some children have even asked Garcia to read their own stories. Other people have been invited to read stories too.

This is an invitation to people to continue using the public plaza, he said.

It is not only children who listen.

Rogelios grandmother, Maria Elena Sevilla, also listened from her window.

This young man will get a special reward from God, because it is not just children he is entertaining, it is people of my age, too, she said.

I'm John Russell.

Lissette Romero reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted his report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

lockdown  n. use of restrictions as a security measure

architect  n. a person who designs buildings

wander  v. to move around or go to different places usually without having a given purpose or direction

plaza  n. a public space or open space in a build-up area

composer  n. a person who writes music; songwriter

puppet  n. a movable model of an animal or person

shopping  n. the action of buying goods from stores

boring  adj. uninteresting

frustrate  v. to cause (someone) to feel angry because of not being able to do something

entertaining  adj. providing enjoyment




Meenakshi Kishore has bucked the trend and traded her corporate job to try her hand at an organic farm-to-fork model four years ago.

Kishore, who holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Management in Pune, took to organic farming in Agra in 2016 after holding several senior-level corporate positions in multi-national companies (MNCs), private equities (PEs) and venture capitals (VCs).

Kishore, who is in her 40s and spent her better part of her formative years in a boarding school, made a conscious choice to give up her cushy corporate job and attractive monthly paycheque for healthy living and a union with Mother Nature.

I was in the quest for inner peace that was missing in the corporate world. I knew my penchant for a slow-paced life and also wanted to do something more meaningful in harmony with nature. Corporate life is an existence that thrives on excesses and it had ceased to have any meaning for me, she reminisced.

Her father Ajay Kishore, who is a partner-in-arms in her daughters unusual mid-life journey, is supportive of her entrepreneurial endeavour.

On her return to Agra, she wanted to do something different. Conventional farming was not to her liking. Health and the environment are key thrust areas. She spent the next two years researching, travelling across the country, and training herself under several farmers to learn new principles and best practices of farming. She learned about permaculture and regenerative farming, said Kishore senior.

Regenerative farming explores the concept of nutrient-dense foods, where essential vitamins and minerals remain intact within the food structure. Nutrient-dense foods can only be grown on well-nourished soil and with the use of bio-insecticides and bio-fertilisers. The variants of food grown are unpolished, handmade, machine-free, or minimally processed, cold-pressed, and hormone-free. Ideally, they should be tree-ripened as well, she explained.

Her labour of love has come to fruition at Advait Living, a 40-acre farmland on the banks of the Yamuna river and on the Mathura-Agra border. The farmland was originally barren, and it took years to become fertile.

Initially, the farm was used for traditional cash crops such as wheat and mustard. Now, it is designed as an integrated regenerative and bio-dynamic entity that has found a life of its own and whose popularity is growing, thanks to word-of-mouth publicity.

Kishore cited that the farm integrates all beings  from farmers, livestock, birds, insects, plants, and micro-organisms into a single working unit, each interdependent upon another.

The farm has adopted a regenerative approach to build soil health, biodiversity, micro-climates and water management to grow nutrient-dense produce. Cow-based farming is another core pillar of our farming method. The cow manure and urine are used to make bio-fertilisers and soil-boosters that enhance the soils nutritional content, she added.

The farm produces oilseeds, wheat, millet, fresh vegetables, and fruits, among other things. It also processes raw produce into ghee, oils, spices, flour, jaggery, etc.

Advait Living also works with small and marginal farmers to provide expert training to convert traditional agricultural practices into regenerative farming and bio-dynamic systems that support the farmers access to better revenue, prices, and critical know-how. Farmers are also able to access new markets under the Advait Living brand and through our retail outlet and partner alliances across the country, she said.

There is a growing awareness and our clientele is increasing with immunity being the latest buzz amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Consumers are coming to us for organic products that are free from adulteration. There is a huge demand for mustard oil and jaggery. Many homemakers are asking for natural products and consumers are selecting foodstuff on the parameters of health, said Kishore, who is a photography buff and also fond of cooking.

Advait Living has been retailing Bilona A2 cow ghee, cold-pressed cooking mediums such as mustard oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil, unpolished dals, whole wheat flour, honey, jaggery and non-genetically modified (GM) rice variants and spices from its outlet at Bagh Farzana in Agra.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hemendra Chaturvedi Hemendra Chaturvedi is based in Agra serving as a Principal Correspondent, covering districts of Agra and Aligarh division of western Uttar Pradesh. He has been with HT since 1992 and has completed 25 year of association with HT. ...view detail
The direct-action climate group Extinction Rebellion has echoed this sentiment with its central message, Hope dies, action begins.

The hippie back-to-the-land movement, combined with grass roots political organizing, really was the way to go. We need to regroup. We need a hyperlocal Green New Deal. We need to come together in diverse, intimate, place-based communities. And we need to segue now from the techno-industrial market economy to its sequel  much smaller-scale, less energy-intensive, more localized communities that prize food growing, knowledge sharing, inclusiveness and convivial neighborliness. We need to learn from cultures around the world that are still living as stewards of the larger, biotic community. This is the only kind of a society that might survive the rocky climacteric that already is upon us.

Do I have hope now? If hope means the expectation that someone (a new president) or something (geoengineering or some other techno-fix) is going to save us, then no. Im hopeless, or rather hope-free.

Instead I subscribe to Vaclav Havels version of hope: Its not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.

Some 25 years ago, a Tibetan friend told me his spiritual practice involved pondering death every day. This struck me as somewhat morbid at the time, but not so anymore. Now I, too, live with the thought of death daily. Im not sanguine about the prospects for life on earth. I think we may even be on a path toward rapid economic collapse, climate chaos, social unrest, famine and near-term human extinction.

This is the strange gift of Covid-19 and the protests in the streets  theyve got much of the world thinking about death every day. Life gets more precious when you live with the presence of death.

Giving up hope, and facing my imminent demise, has been a kind of liberation. Im now more alert for ways to love my loved ones, and everyone else, with as much grace and beauty as I can. Im noticing the needs that arise around me, through direct requests from my family and friends, and from complete strangers. Im working daily and remotely with a group of neighbors in rural Wisconsin to stop the expansion of a frac sand mine, reading and talking with friends and family about racism and white privilege, planting oak and apple trees, and mentoring a young friend who is starting an online dance collective.
Sputum testing provides higher rate of COVID-19 detection

Boston, MA -- Early and accurate detection is critical for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and providing appropriate care for patients. Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs, which require inserting a long shaft into the nasal cavity to collect a sample from the back of the nose and throat, are currently the gold standard for collecting a specimen for diagnosis. But the procedure is technically challenging, often uncomfortable for patients and requires personal protective equipment that may be in short supply. Other approaches to collecting specimens -- including from an oropharyngeal swab and sputum -- have been tested in small studies, but there is uncertainty about which method is best for detecting the virus. In a new study published in EBioMedicine, investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, analyzing data from more than 3,000 specimens to compare the three approaches. The team found that sputum testing detected the RNA of the virus that causes COVID-19 at significantly higher rates while oropharyngeal swab testing had lower rates. Regardless of the collection method, the earlier samples were collected after symptoms began, the higher the detection rate.

"The accurate diagnosis of COVID-19 has implications for health care, return-to-work, infection control and public health," said corresponding author Jonathan Li, MD, a faculty member in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Brigham. "Our gold standard in and out of the hospital is the nasopharyngeal swab, but there's a lot of confusion about which sampling modality is best and most sensitive. Our study shows that sputum testing resulted in significantly higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 detection and supports the use of this type of testing as a valuable method for the diagnosis and monitoring of COVID-19 patients."

Li and his colleagues scoured the literature -- both preprints and published papers -- for studies that assessed at least two respiratory sampling sites using an NP swab, oropharyngeal swab or sputum. From more than 1,000 studies, they identified 11 that met their criteria. These studies included results from a total of 3,442 respiratory tract specimens.

The team examined how often each collection method produced a positive result. For NP swabs, the rate was 54 percent; for oropharyngeal swabs, 43 percent; for sputum, 71 percent. The rate of viral detection was significantly higher in sputum than either oropharyngeal swabs or NP swabs. Detection rates were highest within one week of symptom onset for all three tests.

"When it comes to testing, the earlier the better, as diagnostic accuracy is improved earlier after symptom onset, regardless of the sampling site," said Li. "Unlike antibody testing, it's very rare to have a false positive qPCR test when diagnosing COVID-19 early in the course of the disease using these methods."

Nasopharyngeal swabs are collected through the nasal cavity; oropharyngeal swabs are collected by inserting a shaft through the mouth; and sputum samples are generally collected by having a patient cough deeply to produce and expel phlegm. Not all patients are able to produce a sputum sample; for such patients, a nasopharyngeal swab may be the best collection method. The meta-analysis included only studies conducted on hospitalized individuals -- additional study will be needed of patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. The current study did not assess alternative testing methods, such as saliva or anterior nasal swabs (taken from the front of the nose). Li and his colleagues at the Brigham are currently working on a project, funded by the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness, to collect and process multiple kinds of samples from patients with COVID-19 to create a resource for researchers.

"The holy grail will be to find a test that is readily acceptable by patients, easy to collect, and highly sensitive," said Li.

This study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (U01AI106701) and the Harvard University for AIDS Research (NIAID 5P30AI060354). Li reports personal fees from Abbvie and from Jan Biotech, outside the submitted work. A co-author reports personal fees from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, during the conduct of the study, as well as grants from NIH/NIAID, outside the submitted work.

###

Paper cited: Li, Jonathan et al. "SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Different Respiratory Sites: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" EBioMedicine

Brigham Health, a global leader in creating a healthier world, consists of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, the Brigham and Women's Physicians Organization and many related facilities and programs. With more than 1,000 inpatient beds, approximately 60,000 inpatient stays and 1.7 million outpatient encounters annually, Brigham Health's 1,200 physicians provide expert care in virtually every medical and surgical specialty to patients locally, regionally and around the world. An international leader in basic, clinical and translational research, Brigham Health has nearly 5,000 scientists, including physician-investigators, renowned biomedical researchers and faculty supported by over $700 million in funding. The Brigham's medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and now, with 19,000 employees, that rich history is the foundation for its commitment to research, innovation, and community. Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and dedicated to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. For more information, resources, and to follow us on social media, please visit brighamandwomens.org.

This story has been published on: 2020-07-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Botetourt County School Board has revised the school systems reopening plan to start later and include more days of in-person instruction for students in preschool through second grade.

In the new plan adopted Tuesday, children enrolled in preschool through second grade will attend in person classes four days a week instead of two. All other grades will have in-person classes two days a week, as outlined in the original plan adopted on June 29.

The board also postponed the date of school opening to Aug. 24 to give teachers more time for training. The original date was Aug. 10.

Regarding doubling the in-person class time for the youngest students, none of this would have been considered if we didnt think we could make it as safe as we are, said recently hired Botetourt Schools Superintendent John Russ, a Washington County native who started work June 29.

There are social, emotional concerns with children that age, that they need to be with their peers if at all possible, Russ said. We also understand the importance of early literacy and children learning to read. Getting four days of face-to-face instruction as opposed to two gives you twice the chance to build their literacy base.

Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, adding more students does increase risk factors.

All of that was based on: can we do it? Can we put them in the classrooms with a socially distanced space between them that makes it safe for them to be there? Russ said.

It does require more safety measures. It requires more planning both at central office and especially in the building where classes are held. It puts more kids on the bus. Were hoping and were asking our parents if at all possible to please transport their kids to school.

The staff anticipates budget challenges in terms of keeping enough cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment on hand. Also, well have to increase personnel. If we have teachers who contact or test positive for COVID, were going to have subs, more than we have in the past, because with COVID, you cant start feeling better and come back to work, theres certain days youll have to be out, Russ said. There will be budget constraints for every division, no matter what plan theyre going back with.

For those households that still dont feel comfortable physically returning their children to school, every parent can choose to do 100% virtual if thats what they want to do, he said.

Preschool through second grade pupils will attend Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday. Students in third grade and above are divided into an A group, which will attend in-person Mondays and Thursdays, and a B group which attends Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesday are for distance learning.

The school system hopes that, starting Oct. 21, preschool through second grade students will be able to attend all five days. The two days a week schedule for older children would stay unchanged.

Whether these things come to pass will be 100% based on the COVID numbers we have in our buildings and in our area.

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FILE PHOTO: Employees of a foreign exchange trading company work near flags of Britain and Japan in Tokyo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and Britain have agreed not to force their companies to disclose algorithms or set up local data servers, as part of talks aimed at a bilateral trade deal, the Nikkei said on Saturday.

A Japan-Britain agreement on advanced digital standards would pave the way for creating an international framework to protect intellectual property and the free flow of data, the business daily reported, without citing sources.

The two nations hope to clinch a deal before Britain's transition out of the European Union concludes at the year end, to avoid any gaps in bilateral trade arrangements.

Under the bilateral deal, the two governments would not force their companies to hand over encryption keys, which are used to protect proprietary corporate technology and information, the Nikkei said.

The two nations are expected to agree not to force companies to set up servers and other related facilities within their borders and to protect the free flow of data, the report said.

A Japanese government official declined to comment, as the talks are ongoing. A call to the British embassy in Tokyo went unanswered.

Although Britain will be covered by the Japan-EU economic agreement until the end of the year, Tokyo hopes to complete the bilateral trade deal before that, as it would need legal checks by the government before being submitted to parliament, which could meet in coming months, a Japanese negotiator said this month.

In the trade talks, Tokyo wants to secure at least as favourable automobile tariffs as it has in its existing EU trade pact, the negotiator told Reuters.

(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by William Mallard)
The recent order from US President Donald Trump to update export restrictions on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), with the new speed limit of 800 kmph, will benefit India to acquire proven Predator-B armed and Global Hawk surveillance drones from the US. The two top of line drones has speeds less than 800 kmph.

On Friday Trump has tweaked the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) rules for unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and opened its doors for India to acquire the armed drones as well as systems to counter them. The armed drones will also be available to other US allies like Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt who have acquired the Chinese armed drones.

READ | Drones with cameras inspect power lines in Maharashtra now

The President has decided to invoke our national discretion to treat a carefully selected subset of missile technology control regime category I unmanned aerial systems (UAS), which cannot travel faster than 800 kmph as category II. This will increase our national security by improving the capabilities of our partners and increase our economic security by opening the expanding UAV market", a statement issued by White House said.

The change in policy means that the UAVs under 800 kmph will no longer be subjected to the strong presumption of denial of the MTCR, the statement added.

READ | 'Drone Boy' refuses to answer aerodynamic questions but claims to build 600 e-waste drones

As the US defence contractors were restricted by the MTCR, UAS clause, the Chinese have been supplying Wing Loong armed drones to Pakistan and for use in Yemen and Libyan civil war. China has already supplied four Wing Loong armed drones to Pakistan for protection of the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Gwadar port, as per intelligence reports. China and Pakistan are not the members of the MTCR, hence there is no restriction on the former to export these systems to Islamabad.

READ | Good News: From drones lighting sky to innovation by IITians, read 5 uplifting stories

The Predator-B is the armed version of Guardian drone and twenty-two of which has been approved for sale to India by the Trump-led administration. Predator B can carry four Hell-fire missiles and two 500-pound laser-guided bombs. The cost of a Predator-B drone is no less than a fighter aircraft, hence the Indian Air Force may have to reduce its limit of manned fighters to create squadrons of armed drones within the present Cabinet sanction of 42 squadrons.

READ | Indian Army gets DRDO-developed 'Bharat' drones for accurate surveillance along LAC
Fatal attractions claim local lives Thrill-seekers and local guardians ignore safety View(s): View(s):

The death of a 35-year-old doctor who drowned while having a dip at a waterfall this week raises concerns over the lack of safeguards at tourist attractions and public unconcern about danger.

The Doovili falls in Lankagama, Neluwa, located near the scenic Sinharaja forest, attracts many Sri Lankans but local villagers warn that death lurks close.

This is where Dr. N Ratnarajah, a resident of Wellawatte, met his death while enjoying a break with his loved one, also a doctor.

Following a friends recommendation, they travelled to Neluwa and purchased tickets to enjoy the scenery and have a bath. Tragically, both lost their footing on the slippery slope and fell into the water. Dr. Ratnarajahs partner managed to save herself but he died, and his body was recovered by a villager.

We are only here to issue tickets and we warn people to restrict bathing only in the pools built for swimming, a ticket-seller at the site, I.G. Priyanka, said.

But most of the young men and women ignore the warning and climb the rocks, which are dangerous. The victim climbed to a rock that was very high, and he slipped and fell into a 15-foot-deep waterhole. About three people have died at this spot.

Short but intense rainfall and deadly undercurrents have made inland waterways highly unpredictable, the Meteorology Departments Head of Climate Change Studies, Anusha Warnasooriya, said. Heavy rains over the central hills can cause sudden surges of water in rivers and other waterways. There are deep holes in which one could drown.

It is important to keep track of the weather and check with residents before getting into the water even if visiting a well-known holiday spot, Ms. Warnasooriya warned.

A similar tragedy struck last month when a 26-year-old drowned near the Sera Ella falls in Matale while posing for a pre-wedding photoshoot. Although villagers were able to save his bride-to-be, her fiances body was found hours later by navy divers.

Last week, a 16-year-old girl from Bollatha, Ganemulla, and her 19-year-old cousin from Nikadalupotha drowned in the Kanapaddan tank in Polpithigama area while enjoying a bath with their families.

Provincial and local councils give scant thought to safety at sites frequented by local tourists, the President of the Sri Lanka Lifesaving Association, Asanka Nanayakkara, said.

If they issue tickets for the public to visit, they have to make sure that all safety precautions are taken, he said. Warning boards alone are insufficient. With the income they earn they must make sure a trained lifeguard is deployed and be equipped with flotation devices in case of an emergency. These can be made simply, just with empty gallon drums.

He regretted the fact that local authorities seemed uninterested in obtaining the expertise of the association.

Fully 75-80 per cent of drownings in the country occur in waterfalls, reservoirs, tanks and rivers, he said.

Lifesaving should be taken seriously by the government, Mr, Nanayakkara lamented. It does not come under a single ministry but is shared between the ministries of sport, disaster management and education but needs to be streamlined.

There is a need to identify spots that are tourist attractions with high-risk spots. Many young people are losing their lives in drownings.

Pic and additional reporting by Neluwa Correspondent Piyaratne Jayawickrema
A day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines encouraging public schools to reopen, the leader of the nation's second-largest district said there was no timeline for when Los Angeles classrooms would welcome students again.

The opening date for the new school year would have been Aug. 18, but Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner was one of the first public school district leaders to announce distance learning would remain in place as fall approached.

More from NBC News

"It's an incredibly tough call," Beutner told "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt on Friday. "Because we understand students need to be in school. Young learners, those learning to read, students learning English, students who might have been struggling before ... the best place for them to learn is at school."

But health and safety come first in the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

"We know there's a lifetime of consequence if we can't get students who are learning to read in school now to build that foundation for the rest of their future," Beutner said.

Keeping students out of classrooms is especially problematic in the LAUSD, where more than 80 percent of the families it serves subsist on poverty-level income and more than half have had a family member lose a job because of the pandemic, he said.

Schools often double as child care in many Los Angeles communities, where the school district has served more than 50 million take-home meals since classrooms closed on March 16, he said.

"We're trying to do something in public education which has never been done," Beutner said. "Online learning, historically, has been the province of a very select few."

The schools chief said it's too soon to consider reopening around the fall and winter holidays.

"No, no," he said. "It's too important."

While science says it's rare for children to develop serious complications from the coronavirus, they can still spread it, and some experts say it would be wise to get the virus under control before introducing millions of children to each other anew.

But President Donald Trump, acknowledging the role schools play in freeing parents to work and reignite commerce, has demanded that public schools reopen for the new school year.

He has suggested that some districts have resisted reopening in order to thwart a post-virus economic recovery and thus his reelection.

Beutner said he would like nothing more than to see the district's more than 633,000 students back in class. Their return has been derailed by new peaks in coronavirus cases, including new daily records set in Los Angeles County in July.

"In May, we're planning to be back in school," he said. "June, July, with it going in the wrong direction, the decision, in a sense, made itself."

Trump has threatened to pull federal funding from districts that don't reopen.

On Thursday the Los Angeles County Department of Health reported that its seven-day average of positive tests for COVID-19 was 7.4 percent. Beutner said it needs to be below 5 percent for consideration of reopening,

If the numbers "go in the right direction, we're going to be ready to come back into the schools as soon as we can," he said.
Pottsville, PA (17901)

Today

Rain showers early with precipitation turning to a mixture of rain and snow overnight. Some sleet may mix in. Low around 30F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 80%..

Tonight

Rain showers early with precipitation turning to a mixture of rain and snow overnight. Some sleet may mix in. Low around 30F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 80%.
This year's Ukrainian-American Exercise 'Sea Breeze' joint naval exercises will in the Black Sea for the two navies to familiarize during deployment will be focused on the maritime phase and the action from air support.

But due to the pandemic, there will be not much interaction with the crews of the ships, with aircraft involved. Another aspect of naval exercises for the occasion is that both forces will learn more about such operations, reported Navy Mil.

Two navies and the future of the Multi-national exercise

Commander of the 6th Fleet of the US Navy Vice Admiral Eugene H. Black stressed several points of what multi-nation naval activity entails for all participants.

The involvement of the US Navy 6th Fleet in the multi-nation naval exercises is a demonstration of the US commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the allies in the region of US support. Seabreeze is the actualization of the US resolve to defend Europe with its partners. It is the reason why the Black Sea was chosen as the area for the combined naval activity.

The Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Rear Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa remarked that the operation is meant to assure the stability and securing the Black Sea region from threats. All the tasks and activities for maritime sequences of the exercise will keep the region safe by performing all tasks and activities that is equal to the policies set by NATO, US Department of State.

Also read: Indian Navy and US Warships Hold Joint Naval Drills in the Indian Ocean

Based on the agenda of the National Navy Command, the Sea Breeze series is all about the integration of the Ukrainian Navy into NATO standards. These exercises are meant to improve the meshing of the Ukrainian navy into how NATO works to make them a dynamic component of any multi-nation force.

One important aspect is to attain a required level of interoperability, combat, and operational capabilities to synch smoothly with all NATO combatants on peacetime or wartime, US Department of Defence.

Kinds of tactical operations expected to be performed

While training for sea operations done by participants as part of the naval exercise, all sea vessels will conduct tactical maneuvers and be part of a chain of command. They will also be involved with other tasks like sweeping mines, and relocation of supplies while mobile on the high seas.

More expectations for the Ukraine forces will include interactions with tactical and naval aviation, how to do anti-aircraft, anti-ship, and anti-boat in a sea crossing, and other vital sea operations. Other extra ops will be the defense and protection of naval structures also complexes.

One of the crucial tasks for sailors on naval vessels is the firing of artillery on the sea and aerial targets. Most important is surviving an attack, rescue of other ships in conflict or distress, retrieval of sailors at sea.

Sea Breeze with the Ukrainians is slated for seven days. Joining them is the Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer USS Porter and the US Navy's P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft with NATO ships that will be part of the multi-nation exercise that's already there in the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian-American Exercise 'Sea Breeze' in 2020 has 2,000 personnel from nine navies involving 20 ships, including planes, and helicopters for this multi-nation exercise.

Related article: US Navy Hosts Trilateral Naval Exercise with Australia, Japan in Philippine Sea



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The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday reported 48,916 new Covid-19 positive cases taking the national tally to over 13 lakh; Maharashtra continues to remain the worst affected state with over 3.5 lakh cases alone, followed by Tamil Nadu and Delhi.

India reported a spike of 48,916 coronavirus cases on Saturday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total COVID-19 positive cases stand at 13,36,861 including 4,56,071 active cases, 8,49,431 cured/discharged/migrated. With 757 deaths in the last 24 hours, the cumulative toll reached 31,358.

Maharashtra has reported 3,57,117 coronavirus cases, the highest among states and Union Territories in the country.

A total of 1,99,749 cases have been reported from Tamil Nadu till now, while Delhi has recorded a total of 1,28,389 coronavirus cases.

Also read: NCB seizes over 230kg opium from Chittorgarh, largest in 2020

Also read: India-China agree on complete disengagement at LAC, restoration of peace in meeting

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 4,20,898 samples were tested for coronavirus on Friday and overall 1,58,49,068 samples have been tested so far.

Also read: Independence Day 2020: MHA releases advisory for celebrations amid Covid

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 22:04:37|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Somali lawmakers voted on Saturday to oust Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire in a vote of no-confidence.

Parliamentary speaker Mohamed Mursal said some 170 lawmakers voted in favor of no-confidence vote while eight others voted against it.

Mursal called on President Mohamed Farmajo to appoint a new PM who can lead the country to hold universal suffrage elections in 2020-2021.

The lawmakers blamed the government for failing to maintain security and conduct timely "one man, one vote" elections as stipulated in the constitution.

The parliament also accused the government of failure to complete federalism, make decisions on the status of Mogadishu, failure to hold a referendum on constitution and failure to implement political parties' system.

According to the speaker, having 170 legislators supporting the no-confidence motion means that both pro-government and the opposition lawmakers teamed up to oust the prime minister.

The lawmakers have been debating the no-confidence motion against the prime minister since Friday, ahead of its tabling in the parliament on Saturday.

Abukar Islow, an internal security minister who is open to the lawmakers supporting Khaire, termed the move unconstitutional.

Islow said the no-confidence motion is linked to Khaire's last week's position that elections will not be delayed and take place on schedule.

Islow accused the speaker behind the no-confidence motion and accused him of plotting a two-year term extension.

Khaire last week warned that any extension to the government's mandate will plunge the country into political, security and constitutional crisis and assured the public the country will go to the polls as planned. Khaire who spoke after chairing the weekly cabinet meeting said the term of the current administration will not be extended, saying the polls must take place as scheduled.

Meanwhile, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has accepted the parliament's vote to remove Khaire from office.

Farmajo who said that a dispute now between the legislature and the executive could risk erode all the political and economic gains made so far decided to accept the parliament's decision.

"The rift between the government and the legislature is undermining the progress that has been made, and to that end, I have decided to consider the voice of the House of Representatives as the foundation of our nationhood," he said in a statement.

Farmajo said he will immediately appoint a new PM who will form a government that will lead the country through this transitional period and strengthens service delivery.

He thanked Khaire for working so closely with him over the years and for his service to the nation.

The Horn of African nation was due to hold parliamentary elections in October while presidential polls are scheduled to take place in February 2021.

But with ongoing consultations on the elections and the amendments to the constitution, it has not been established whether the scheduled elections will be delayed or not. Enditem
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has sought a report from the Maharashtra Chief Election Officer (CEO) regarding allegations that the poll body hired a firm reportedly linked to the BJP IT cell for its social media promotions in the run-up to the last years Assembly elections.

EC spokesperson Sheyphali Sharan said details have been sought from the Maharashtra CEO regarding these allegations. Regarding tweet of Mr Gokhale @SaketGokhale, Commission has sought detailed factual report in this matter from CEO Maharashtra with respect to alleged locale of the incidence immediately, she tweeted.

Sharan was responding to a series of tweets posted by Saket Gokhale, an RTI activist. Through his tweets, Gokhale claimed the firm that was hired by the poll panel to handle its social media accounts in the run-up to the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections was the one hired by the BJP. The firm is also owned by a BJP leader, he claimed.

Gokhale pointed out that address of the social media advertisements posted by the Maharashtra CEO was 202 Pressman House, Vile Parle, Mumbai. He claimed this was the address of Signpost India, a government-empanelled agency with close ties to former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. The address 202 Pressman House was also used by a digital agency called Social Central.

This agency is owned by Devang Dave who is the national convener of IT and social media for BJPs Youth Wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Gokhale tweeted. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh ordered an inquiry into an incident in which some alleged right-wing workers threatened Gokhales mother. We are taking very serious cognisance of this and have ordered an enquiry.

EX-CMs tough questions to poll panel

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the latest episode puts a question on credibility and integrity of independent institutions like the Election Commission. The BJP used this EC data through this agency to target the various groups. This murky involvement raises several questions, Chavan wrote to the EC.
Children in Nigeria and surrounding countries, continuing to endure 'horrendous violations'

24 July 2020 - Girls and boys in northeast Nigeria are continuing to endure brutal abuse at the hands of Boko Haram, and are also being deeply affected by military operations taking place to counter the terrorist group, despite noteworthy efforts, according the UN chief's latest report on children and armed conflict.

"The children of Nigeria and neighboring countries continued to endure horrendous violations by Boko Haram", said Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, in a statement on Thursday, adding that the group's expansion across the Lake Chad Basin region is "a serious concern" for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Overflowing cruelties

Between January 2017 and December 2019, the report described 5,741 grave violations against children in Nigeria.

Moreover, incidents in neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger were also reflected in the spillover of Boko Haram's activities beyond Nigeria's borders.

In September 2017, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) group, that supports Nigerian forces locally against Boko Haram, signed an Action Plan with the UN to end and prevent violations. Prior to that, the group had recruited more than 2,000 children.

Children's involvement

Meanwhile, children detained for their association with Boko Haram remain a grave concern  although actual numbers have proved difficult to assess because the UN was not granted access to facilities that housed the minors, says the report.

"Children formerly associated should not be further penalized through detention and I call on the Government of Nigeria to expedite the release of children from detention and prioritize their reintegration into society", asserted Ms. Gamba.

"I also urge the Government to review and adopt the protocol for the handover of children associated with armed groups to civilian child protection actors", she said.

Needing help

The vast majority of the 1,433 UN-verified child casualties were attributed to Boko Haram, with suicide attacks the leading cause, according to the report.

And while over 200 children were affected by incidents of sexual violence, fear of stigma, retaliation, lack of accountability for perpetrators and lack of resources for survivors, have rendered those crimes vastly underreported.

At the same time, denying humanitarian access to children has affected the delivery of aid to thousands of minors.

The report also detailed that some of the most atrocious incidents by Boko Haram involved the abduction and execution of humanitarian workers.

A signed deal

The 2017 Action plan marked a turning point in the CJTF's treatment of children.

"Progress has been consistent, and no new cases of recruitment and use have been verified" since the signing, according to the UN official, who urged the group to fully implement the plan and to "facilitate the disassociation of any remaining children".

Ms. Gamba also stressed the need to provide a regional African response to the situation.

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In a statement on Thursday, the Department said that David Stilwell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs, raised the issue during a video conference with senior officials from member states of the East Asia Summit (EAS), the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.

Washington/Seoul, July 24 (IANS) A senior US official has emphasized the need for North Korea to abide by UN Security Council resolutions and return to diplomatic engagement, the State Department said.

"Assistant Secretary Stilwell encouraged EAS countries to address pressing regional security challenges," it said.

"These include Beijing's imposition of draconian national security legislation in Hong Kong, which flouts (China's) commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984; the Rohingya crisis and escalating violence in Rakhine state; and North Korea, which must abide by U.N. Security Council Resolutions and return to diplomatic engagement."

Stilwell was referring to UN resolutions that ban North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile tests and impose sanctions on Pyongyang over its weapons programs.

The call for diplomatic engagement comes as denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled following the collapse of the February 2019 summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The EAS brings together 18 nations across the Asia-Pacific region, also including Australia, China, India and Russia.

--IANS

ksk/
A day after a sit-in at the Rajasthan governors house, chief minister Ashok Gehlot decided to take things a notch higher by telling his legislators that he was ready to go to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the Presidents official residence at Delhi, and even the Prime Ministers house to defeat the BJP conspiracy.

We will not let the BJP conspiracy to succeed. If required will go to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and even stage dharna, if necessary, outside the PM house, a senior leader quoted CM Gehlot saying so at the Congress legislature party meeting held this afternoon.

The announcement came shortly before the CM is expected to meet governor Kalraj Mishra to present a fresh request to convene an assembly session.

Yesterday, Gehlot and his legislators staged a sit-in on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan, demanding that the governor give the approval for convening a session of the state assembly.

Gehlot has accused the governor of stalling a decision on summoning House session, saying there was some pressure from the top. The CM, who wants a session on Monday, said he wants to prove his majority.

In unusual scenes, Inquilab zindabad, Ashok Gehlot zindabad slogans were raised by the MLAs, who were sitting on the lawns, in support of the CM.

The dharna ended after some five hours. A list of MLAs was submitted to the governor with a plea that a session be convened for the floor test to take place.

In partial relief to the Sachin Pilot camp, the Rajasthan high court ordered maintenance of status quo in the disqualification notices issued by speaker CP joshi to the group of rebel MLAs. Post this development, the CM escalated his demand for an assembly session to prove his majority in the hope to end the political uncertainty that has state in its grip for two weeks now.

At an earlier CLP meeting, the CM exhorted the legislators to stand firm like a rock as the entire nation was watching them.
With cash shortage and plans going awry, the AirAsia owner is looking to cash out of the venture he built with Ratan Tata in 2013.

Arindam Majumdar reports.

Last September, Tony Fernandes, owner of AirAsia, had a round of meetings with the Tata Sons management.

The Tatas proposed a fundamental change on how the joint venture would operate in India.

Fernandes was not comfortable with the idea. This was not his style of running a business. He likes to be in total control.

So far, Fernandes had been calling the shots in the partnership venture, even with the Tatas holding 51 per cent in AirAsia India.

But, under the scanner of investigative agencies for violating FDI norms, the airline had failed to get permission for foreign operations, prompting the Tatas to take some quick action.

The September meetings followed.

Some three months later, on December 30, the two partners mutually amended a controversial agreement, giving control of crucial departments of AirAsia India to the Malaysian airline.

According to the new agreement, sales, distribution, revenue management, network planning,catering, in-flight services, finance, customer experience, engineering, and leasing contracts now came under the sole discretion of AirAsia India.

The shareholders agreement was amended on February 4, giving Tata Sons another lever - the right to appoint five out of eight directors on the board.

As long as Tata Sons holds a majority of the share capital of the company, it shall retain the right to appoint majority of the directors, the revised pact stated.

The start

Years before AirAsia India was conceptualised, Fernandes had wanted to start a car company and had approached Ratan Tata for a tie-up with Jaguar Land Rover.

No car firm materialised, but out of that relationship, AirAsia India was born.

Although typically big business groups want to be in control of companies where they have a majority stake, AirAsia India was different from day one.

It was clear from the beginning that it was purely a financial investment for the Tatas, said a person of the founding team of the airline.

The Tatas trusted Tony and expected him to replicate the Malaysian success, the person added.

Staying in control is integral to Fernandes plan for the group, he pointed out.

Besides India, AirAsia group has four other affiliates - Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Japan.

These companies primarily complement the business model for the Malaysian parent.

The airlines pay a licensing fee to AirAsia for using the brand, route networks are conceptualised from Kuala Lumpur, and they use a single platform for reservation, distribution and website.

The affiliates have also been leasing aircraft from AirAsias leasing arm till it sold the entity last year.

Empire model

The AirAsia subsidiaries are not supposed to be like a franchisee model.

"They are provinces of Fernandes empire. The strategy is that the subsidiaries would operate to ensure revenue for the Malaysian parent - thats the One AirAsia vision, said a former chief executive officer (CEO) of one of the airlines affiliates.

The idea of being present in India was alluring for Fernandes.

With AirAsia already having a healthy presence in India, a feeder airline here was supposed to help the Malaysian parent expand to West Asia and beyond.

What Tony strategised with an India affiliate was a larger play for the group, the CEO quoted above said.

With AirAsia Indias international routes, he aspired to create a corridor directly from Kuala Lumpur to West Asia and beyond and from India to East Asia and beyond, he pointed out.

In retrospect, Fernandes seems to have horribly misread both - the competition as well as the regulatory environment in India, according to aviation analysts.

What went wrong

Tony is celebrated in Malaysia, he has influence over regulators, can control public mood and often has his own way.

"It is different in India. There are very capable competitors and the regulations are strict, an AirAsia India board member said.

Early this year, Fernandes was forced to resign as the AirAsias boss after being named in a bribery scandal involving aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

Fernandes got support from the countrys prime minister and in a month, he was cleared and reinstated.

About 85 per cent of AirAsia tickets are sold through its website, limiting agents' commission.

But, in India, about 75 per cent of tickets are sold through offline agents and portals.

In Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, AirAsia flies to low-cost terminals and by virtue of being the monopoly airline, negotiates very low rates from airports.

India has no low-cost terminals and attempts to coerce Delhi and Mumbai airports didnt work.

In Malaysia, AirAsias stress is on ancillary revenue. It sells tickets at rock bottom prices but charges for all services including seats and baggage.

Even before the first flight, regulator DGCA had forced AirAsia India to change its initial plan of no free baggage and lower its seat selection fees.

The CBI case in 2017 sealed the fate of his India business.

The investigative agency filed an FIR alleging that Fernandes had paid bribe to quickly get permission for international operations.

Soon after, the Tatas had contemplated merging the company with Vistara- the groups other aviation venture but Vistaras co-owner Singapore Airlines resisted the move, according to a source.

Tatas then started taking control in their own hands.

Banmali Agarwala, a veteran of aerospace major GE, was appointed chairman.

Sanjay Kumar, a former IndiGo executive, was brought in to head its operations.

Kumar tried to revamp the airlines network, increasing presence in metros.

He stepped up the ties with travel agents.

The airline gained market share but Kumar was hamstrung by Fernandes declining interest in India. He quit.

An analysis of the numbers shows the airline isnt profitable even on a single route it operates.

The original break even target has been deferred twice.

International operations of AirAsia India was the crux of Tonys India plan.

"When he realised, it wouldnt happen soon, the appetite for growth had slowed down.

"There was a plan to have 30 aircraft by 2018 but Fernandes wouldnt approve, the board member said.

The Tata imprint only got stronger.

The changeover

The commercial unit now has a full-fledged office in Gurugram and has established a crew training unit in Bengaluru.

Recently, the airline gave mandate to Navitaire - a technology company to build its own booking website - a first for any airline in AirAsia group.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is working to build a crew scheduling software which till now was handled from Kuala Lumpur.

The pandemic has delayed some plans, but as and when it happens it will be a complete breakaway from Fernandes One AirAsia vision.

Meanwhile, things have become tougher for Fernandes at home too.

AirAsias current liabilities exceeded its assets, with coronavirus worsening the cash flow.

The board member quoted above said the cash crisis was acute for Fernandes and that he had indicated that infusing cash into the India unit would be difficult.

That has been a bone of contention.

"Tatas may provide a one-time emergency funding, but increasing exposure in an airline with little chance of profitability in the near future is not on the agenda.

"We have been directed to shelve all growth plans and cut losses, he said.

The AirAsia India spokesperson refused to comment.

CEO Sunil Bhaskaran, a former Tata Steel executive, is implementing Project Shikhar, a cost control project originally conceptualised by Tata Steel boss T V Narendran.

Fernandes has indicated that hes contemplating to exit the venture but the pandemic has made his job difficult.

Who in their right mind will buy his stake in an airline which has no strong management, no growth plans, no aircraft order book.

"If at all, it has to be a distressed sale, an investment banker said.

For the part Goan Fernandes, who once called the country his ancestral home, India now makes little sense.

Photograph: Reuters
By Trend

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (PRCIO) Andrzej Kasprzyk released a statement welcoming the relative stability along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border since 16 July, Trend reports.

The Co-Chairs appeal to the sides to take advantage of the current reduction in active hostilities to prepare for serious substantive negotiations to find a comprehensive solution to the conflict.

The Co-Chairs stress once more that refraining from provocative statements and actions, including threats or perceived threats to civilians or to critical infrastructure, is essential during this

delicate period.

The Co-Chairs and PRCIO express appreciation for the strong engagement by leaders of international organizations including the United Nations, OSCE, and European Union, whose calls for strict adherence to the ceasefire and renewed dialogue under the auspices of the Co-Chairs have aligned with and supported the Co-Chairs own intensive mediation efforts.

We note as especially positive the impartiality of such interventions, which have urged the sides to focus on reducing tensions rather than on assigning to others the sole responsibility of causing the recent escalation, reads the document.

The Co-Chairs welcome the growing international consensus calling for de-escalation and a swift return to negotiations in good faith without conditions.

The Co-Chairs reaffirm that the principles and elements as laid out in their statement of 9 March 2019 continue to form the basis of their mediation efforts.

The Co-Chairs are prepared to meet with the leaders or their designees at any time.

The Co-Chairs also emphasize that OSCE monitors should return to the region as soon as possible.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Reflections and Recollections

In my later elementary school years, my family spent a week every summer in New Castle, Pennsylvania, visiting relatives. In the evenings, while my siblings played with their cousins, my Great-Uncle John and I often sat in the backyard of my grandparents house at a picnic table beneath a canopy, where he, recognizing my interest in history, filled me with stories of my ancestors from the 19th century: farmers for the most part, abolitionists who helped run the Underground Railroad, others who fought for Lincolns army in the Civil War, and tales from his own boyhood.

Several times, Uncle John read to me family letters from the Civil War era. A Minick girl who had married a Bland visited her wounded husband in Washington, D.C., and saw Abraham Lincoln walking through the streets; a Union soldier wrote in guarded terms of the fighting hed seen; others reported the daily news from their farms and small towns.

Uncle John left me those letters in his will, a kind and thoughtful gesture given that we had not visited in years.

Though much of my knowledge of the past derives from my education and readingI majored in history in college and studied medieval history for two years in graduate school before deciding a Ph.D. was not for memany docents like Uncle John added to my memory bank of history.

Northern soldiers from the Army of the Potomac take a respite from battle to write letters and mend clothing during the American Civil War, early 1860s. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

There were my fathers stories of his service in the infantry in Italy during World War II; the writer Lewis Green, now also deceased, told me of his hardscrabble upbringing in the mountains of Western North Carolina, the combat he saw in Korea, and his troubles with the law on his return home; there was the family lore shared with me by my good friend Allen from Boonville, North Carolina. These and others painted the past in vivid colors, populating it with the tales of flesh-and-blood characters and their participation in the tangled story of our country.

Dr. Burrows

First and foremost of all these storytellers was my beloved history teacher at Guilford College, Dr. Edward Flud Burrows. Ed grew up on a large farm in South Carolina, working, like other family members, in the fields alongside nearly 100 of their tenant farmers. (The last I heard, one of Eds relatives who owned the land had expanded the acreage, and because of modern technology now operates with just two employees.) From there, Ed attended Washington and Lee University, earned his doctorate in American history from the University of Wisconsin, and began teaching history at Guilford long before I showed up.

World War II interrupted Eds education. Early in the war, he made headlines across South Carolina after registering as a conscientious objector, just one of two in the state. He was sent to work on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and then, wishing to make a stronger protest, left that post and was sentenced to time in a Florida prison for refusing to carry a draft card.

Following the war, Ed earned his doctorate and joined the staff at Guilford in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he participated in the budding civil rights movement and was active in promoting integration.

Though we differed politicallyI grew more and more conservative, and Ed remained a liberalwe remained close friends until his death. Through his many stories, I learned much about the South of the 1920s and 1930s, about life in prison, about his religious faith, and how that had influenced so many of his decisions.

In addition, I learned even more about his story when Ed offered to buy me my first computer if I would edit and put his autobiography, Flud: One Southerners Story, onto floppy discs. Though I long ago got rid of the computer, Flud remains on my bookshelf.

Once when Ed was teaching me how to bake corn bread in an iron skillet, he looked at me and said, You and I are so different politically. How is it were still friends?

I shrugged and blurted out the first thought that came to mind. Maybe because we can laugh together?

He smiled, and then took another peek inside the oven to check on the corn bread.

Follow Their Example

Today, Americans in different political camps share little laughter, and I often wonder what the gentle-natured Ed would think of the cancel culture movement, the destruction in some of our cities, and the attempts to drastically change or eradicate completely the story of our American past and the traditions of our culture.

One way we can thwart these efforts is to follow the examples of the people I mentioned above. We can offer others the gifts my guides bestowed on me: their stories and family histories, many of which underscored the meaning of the American Dream. By sharing our stories about the past with others, we help keep that Dream alive.

In my casein eight months I will, God willing, turn 70 years oldI must continue to relate to my children and childrens children the stories of my life. Like those who helped shape me, I can hand over the lessons Ive learned and what I have seen so that they can absorb these things, make some of them their own, and pass them on to future generations.

Become Living Statues

I can tell them, for instance, of the magic of my Boonville childhood, of roll-the-bat played in the backyard, of firefly nights, of plays we put on for the neighbors, and of those Saturday afternoons in winter when Allen, my brother Doug, and I fought our little man wars with toy soldiers in the basement. I can tell them of the boy who in those years became enamored with history and heroes, and who first found those heroes in the series The Childhood of Famous Americans, men and women whose virtues he wished to emulate.

I can tell them what it was like to enter the U.S. Military Academy at the height of the Vietnam War, of the training I received there, the preparation for combat in a jungle, and why I resignedhonorably, I might addin the middle of my sophomore year. I can tell them of the chaos of the early 1970s, the protests I saw, the decaying effects of drugs on American society, the rise of feminism, the implementation of abortion, the beginning of the shift from our pride in America to the shame some feel these days.

I can tell them of my varied work life, how and why I wanted to be my own boss, the joys of that freedom along with its tremendous stresses, the years of debt operating a bed-and-breakfast and several bookstores, and the years of teaching that followed. Whether I was up or down financially, I always regarded America as a land of opportunity that rewards hard work and initiative. I can remind my grandchildrentheir parents long ago learned these lessonsthat if we cast aside free enterprise, if we instead turn, as some demand, toward socialism, the independence and opportunities found in entrepreneurship may well be stolen from them.



Statue of Christopher Columbus at Columbus Waterfront Park in Bostons North End was beheaded on June 9 and removed on June 11. (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Age may not confer wisdom, but it always endows us with experience, stories, and beliefsa library of philosophy and personal history that we can share with the young and with others around us. Protesters, many of them ignorant of what they are doing, may topple or deface statues, but we who are old can act as living statues. What we have witnessed in our lives, when handed over to succeeding generations, can act as a bulwark for truth.

By sharing our past in this way, we help preserve our republic and safeguard the future of those generations walking in our footsteps.

Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C., Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va. See JeffMinick.com to follow his blog.
AIIMS Delhi administered its first dose of Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin' to a 30-year-old man on Friday. The development comes days after the ethics committee gave approval to AIIMS Delhi to begin the human trials of the potential Covid-19 vaccine.

The second dose will be given to the subject after a period of two weeks in which he will be monitored, states a report by the Indian Express. AIIMS, Delhi is one of the 12 sites selected by ICMR for conducting Phase I and II randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trials of Covaxin, the report adds.

Dr Sanjay Rai, Principal Investigator Covid-19 vaccine trial at AIIMS told IE that the first dose of 0.5 ml of the intramuscular vaccine was given to the subject on Friday, who was observed for two hours.

Rai said that a diary had also been given to him to constantly monitor his condition, and that the team would coordinate with him daily for a week to understand if he encounters any medical issues.

The phase I and II clinical trials of the vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 by Bharat Biotech have been approved by the Indian drug regulator after pre-clinical studies demonstrated safety and immune response.

The company has developed the vaccine in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

The phase I of the vaccine would see it being tested of 375 volunteers and 100 of them would be from AIIMS. A total of 750 volunteers from all 12 sites would be included in the second phase. AIIMS, Delhi has now received over 3,500 applications of those who want to participate in the trials.

Dr Rai said 20 volunteers had been shortlisted to participated in the trial, after several tests were conducted on them, and that the results were awaited, stated the report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 19:52:14|Editor: huaxia

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KIEV, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina said she would work to deepen relations with China, her press service reported on Friday.

"We attach great importance to deepening the strategic partnership between our (two) countries and hope to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic soon," the official said after a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong on Thursday.

Stefanishina has recently been appointed the chairperson of the Ukrainian side for the Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee between the two countries.

she said Ukraine is an important logistics bridge that connects transport routes from China to the European Union, and opportunities for trade and investment in Ukraine have become more attractive for China, given Ukraine's active participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Stefanishina added that the growth in bilateral trade volume between Ukraine and China is an important indicator of the common interest in business and new prospects for the development of economic relations.

For his part, Fan said the Chinese-Ukrainian Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee has played a key role in coordinating bilateral collaboration in all fields. China and Ukraine can complement each other by leveraging their comparative strengths in many areas. The two countries should further tap their potential for cooperation so as to make greater progress, he said.

According to the State Statistics Service, the Ukrainian-Chinese trade turnover reached 12.79 billion U.S. dollars last year. Ukrainian exports to China grew by 63.3 percent year on year to reach 3.59 billion dollars, while imports increased by 20.9 percent to hit 9.2 billion dollars in 2019. Enditem
To the editor:

I found it ironic that on July 16 you published a letter by a reader accusing the MDN of liberal/progressive bias, and immediately adjacent to this letter was an very visible opinion by Sen. Jim Stamas accusing Gov. Whitmer of failing our citizens by employing draconian measures to stop COVID-19. Given what we are seeing now, thank God she did.

Stamas mostly seems to be following the conservative/regressive Republican party line, in that he continues to blame the Democratic governor for the failures of the Republican Legislature. If our governor had not taken the reigns of this run-away carriage to stop the spread of the disease in Michigan early in the crisis by ordering closures and masking, this state would still be where California, Texas and Florida currently are, with huge spreading disease and accelerating death tolls. Michigan was hit early and hard. We are doing pretty well now, even considering that Whitmer has been sued by businesses (with support from the Department of Justice and the White House), threatened with recall by our state Republicans, subjected to threats by gun-carrying unmasked rioters on the steps of the state capital, and had most of her requests for help and support blocked or unconscionably delayed by the Republican members of Michigan's House and Senate, including Mr. Stamas, and the White House.

It's poor showmanship for Stamas to blame Whitmer. Maybe if you are so concerned about our vulnerable populations, perhaps you and your fellow Republicans will lend a hand with the recent increases in COVID-19 currently happening in Michigan, by at least supporting her orders to follow CDC guidelines and obtain PPE for essential workers. And perhaps the Legislature will continue to loosen the purse strings a bit to allow the governor to hire additional state workers to help with unemployment claims, and give additional money to people who need it rather than large corporations. And maybe, just maybe, legislators will stand up for her when she is attacked by the White House for doing what is best for Michigan citizens.

SHAWN BUNCH

Midland
By Jonathan Cable

LONDON (Reuters) - Euro zone business activity grew in July for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit, as more parts of the economy that were locked down to curtail its spread reopened and people emerged from their homes to work and spend money.

Across the world almost 15.5 million people have been infected by the coronavirus but as the rate of infections has eased across much of Europe, governments have loosened some restrictions.

That unleashing of pent-up demand pushed IHS Markit's flash Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), seen as a good indicator of the bloc's economic health, to 54.8 in July from June's final reading of 48.5, its highest since mid-2018 and well ahead of the 51.1 forecast in a Reuters poll.

"The sharp rise... is an encouraging sign that the economic recovery continued at a decent pace. But we suspect that activity will remain below pre-crisis levels for at least the next couple of years," said Jack Allen-Reynolds at Capital Economics.

The headline index had been below the 50 mark which separates growth from contraction since March so a return to positive territory will be welcomed by policymakers and governments who have pumped trillions of euros into the economy.

European Union leaders agreed a 750 billion euro pandemic recovery fund on Tuesday and with European Central Bank monetary policy expected to stay ultra-loose for a long time, optimism about the year ahead improved.

Markets are still expecting a V-shaped recovery - as are some economists - but while Friday's data indicated a bounceback of sorts, it is unlikely to support those views.

"A V-shaped recovery seems quite unrealistic, despite the encouraging numbers," said Bert Colijn at ING.

French business activity rebounded far more than expected as a post-lockdown recovery in the service sector shifted up a gear, PMI data showed.

Manufacturing activity in Germany stabilised, avoiding a contraction for the first time in 19 months, giving hope for a recovery from a long recession exacerbated by the pandemic.

Story continues

Meanwhile British businesses, outside the euro zone, experienced the fastest upturn in five years during July as more of the economy reopened and shoppers pushed their spending back up to within a whisker of pre-lockdown levels.

Official data showed Britain's economy shrank more than 25% in March and April, and recovered less than expected in May. A Reuters poll this week suggested the economy would contract more than 9% this year.

JOBS THREAT

As demand increased, euro zone firms cut their headcount at a shallower rate and purchasing managers were at their most optimistic since February, just before Europe began to feel the full brunt of the pandemic.

The new business index rose to its highest reading since October 2018, suggesting the recovery would extend into August, but there are fears with jobs still being shed and coronavirus containment measures still in place the upswing could be derailed.

Still, a survey of the bloc's dominant service industry, which was hardest hit by the government-imposed lockdowns, climbed above the breakeven mark to its highest since mid-2018.

But some of the resurgence in demand was driven by firms cutting prices for a fifth month, albeit at a shallower rate than in June.

The manufacturing industry also returned to growth with the factory PMI rising to 51.1 from 47.4, its first time above breakeven since January 2019 and ahead of predictions. An index measuring output, which feeds into the Composite PMI, jumped into growth territory.

(Reporting by Jonathan Cable; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Vietnam has been a popular destination for wildlife products often from endangered species used in traditional medicine or exotic cuisine

Officials sort seized pangolin scales at a port in southern Vietnam's Ba Ria Vung Tau province. - Vietnam, one of Asia's biggest consumers of wildlife products, has suspended all imports of wild animal species "dead or alive" and vowed to "eliminate" illegal markets across the country. (AFP)

Hanoi: Vietnam announced that it was banning wildlife imports and would close wildlife markets in response to renewed concerns about the threat from diseases that can jump from animals to humans, such as the virus that causes COVID-19.

An order signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday bans all imports of wildlife dead or alive and includes eggs and larvae. It also merits tougher penalties for crimes involving the trade in wildlife.

Vietnam has been a popular destination for wildlife products often from endangered species that are used in traditional medicine or in preparing exotic cuisine.

The move comes amid increased scrutiny of the health risks of the wildlife trade as the world deals with the new coronavirus, which is thought to have jumped from animals to humans.

"The existence of wildlife markets in many locations has been a big problem in Vietnam for a long time," said Phuong Tham, country director for the Humane Society International Vietnam.

"This rapacious appetite for wildlife is endangering not just these species' survival, but as we have seen with the coronavirus outbreak, it is endangering people's lives too. So this ban can't come soon enough," Tham said.

"The new directive includes recommendations that conservationists have been making for years, including cracking down on domestic markets," said Steve Galster, the director of Freeland, a group working on ending the wildlife trade.

"COVID-19 elevated the issue of wildlife trade, so Vietnamese lawmakers got involved with the issue in the past few months and helped push the directive forward," he said.

"The directive is not perfect as it still has exceptions that will allow some trade in wild animals to continue, but it is a good start and can hopefully made stronger over time," Galster said.

The Australian government on Saturday welcomed the decision. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said Vietnam's crackdown was a huge win for global public health.

"Vietnam is reducing the risk of future pandemics and showing the world how we can manage these markets into the future," Littleproud said. "All nations have a responsibility to keep people safe from harm and regulating the production and sale of wild animals that carry diseases is a critical part of that."

He said the Vietnamese government should be congratulated for their leadership in taking "evidence-based approach to reducing the risk of animal to human diseases being spread. Australia will also continue to pursue global reforms on this issue where other opportunities exist.
Law enforcement officials were seen forcing open a door at the Chinese consulate in Houston shortly after the US-imposed deadline for its closure took effect.

The group, who were accompanied by a State Department official, pried open a rear door and went inside without responding to questions from reporters.

Chinese officials were ordered to leave by 4pm on Friday amid escalating tensions between Beijing and the Trump administration, which said the consulate had been "a hub of spying and intellectual property theft".

The officers did not reveal to reporters where they were from, but one member of the group appeared to be Cliff Seagroves, the State Department's top official for foreign missions.

A State Department spokesperson declined to answer questions about Mr Seagroves or the group's activity at the consulate.

After the men went inside, two uniformed members of the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security arrived to guard the door. They did not respond to questions.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Consulate staff had exited the Houston building shortly after 4pm and left in vehicles before the door was forced open, according to a witness.

Following Washington's announcement of the Chinese consulate's closure, Beijing in a tit-for-tat response ordered the shutting down of the US consulate in the city of Chengdu.

On Saturday, a consulate emblem inside the Chengdu compound was taken down and staff could be seen moving about. Three removal vans later entered the compound.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Police gathered outside and closed off the street to traffic.

A steady stream of people walked along the street opposite the entrance throughout the day, many stopping to take photos or videos before police moved them on.

The US consulate was given 72 hours to close, or until 10am on Monday, the editor of China's Global Times tabloid said on Twitter.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated this year to what experts say is their lowest level in decades.

Earlier this week, the US charged two hackers and accused the Chinese government of sponsoring criminal breaches of international biotech firms developing treatments and vaccinations for the novel coronavirus.

And on Friday a Singaporean man pleaded guilty in the US to working as an agent for Beijing by using his business as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence.

Other issues triggering rows between the world's two biggest economies range from trade and technology to the novel coronavirus, China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its clampdown on Hong Kong.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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Linkedin Sylvain Peuchmaurd (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom  Sat, July 25, 2020 13:04 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066939c5f 2 Entertainment amber-heard,johnny-depp,Court,Britain,assault,libel,actor,The-Sun Free

Johnny Depp's legal team played an anonymous tipster's video at his libel trial Friday aimed at proving ex-wife Amber Heard had a violent streak and once beat up her sister.

The last-minute submission came in the third week of Depp's lawsuit against Britain's tabloid The Sun in London's High Court over a 2018 story accusing him of being a "wife beater".

The Pirates of the Caribbeans franchise actor says the false allegation ruined his reputation and cost him lucrative Hollywood jobs.

The Sun counters it can back up its claim by 14 cases of abuse against the 34-year-old model and actress in a three-year span leading up to Heard's 2016 decision to file for divorce.

Depp's lawyer David Sherborne interrupted planned testimony Friday and asked judge Andrew Nicol to allow him to play what he called "critical" new evidence in the case.

Nicol agreed despite the star-studded case running behind schedule on what was supposed to be its last day.

The undated video showed Amber's sister Whitney chatting with a group of women by a sunny pool.

"Did you get in a fight or something?" one women asks Whitney in the video.

"Oh ha ha thank you. Got into an altercation," Whitney replies with a laugh. "I already talked about it. I won't talk about it any more."

"I can't believe Amber beat your ass," the women tells Whitney with a smile on her face. "I know you can beat her ass."

A woman then appears to inspect Whitney's cheek and arm.

"She really whooped your butt," she tells Whitney.

"Yeah, I'm done. I guess I'm done talking about it," Whitney replies in a more serious tone.

Read also: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: From romance to rancor

'Bad reality TV'

Depp's lawyer said he received the video after Whitney on Thursday denied that Heard had a temper and regularly attacked her husband.

Sherborne said the tipster understood Whitney was lying and had video proof.

The lawyer added that it showed that Whitney was tailoring her testimony to fit her sister's own account.

"There is no denial of the fact that Ms Amber Heard beat up Whitney Heard and that there are injuries," Depp's lawyer said.

Depp claims that Heard attacked him regularly and he only acted out against her in self defense.

Whitney explained Friday that the video was an outtake of a "really bad reality TV show" in which the cast was trying to make "a very, very boring story more interesting".

"We were referencing a verbal argument my sister and I had got into the night before," she said.

Whitney added that other members of the cast were "looking for injuries that were not there".

The Sun's lawyer Sasha Wass dismissed the video as "flippant, certainly not serious".

"This is a light-hearted exchange, there is no evidence of any injuries and it will take the matter... no further," Wass insisted.

Both legal teams have accused the other sides' witnesses of lying under oath.

Whitney testified Thursday that Heard only hit Depp on one documented occasion and had never been violent toward her or anyone else.

The case is due to finish after legal submissions on Tuesday.
Research published in the journal Science, using a mix of professional and Raspberry Shake citizen seismic data, finds that lockdown measures to slow the spread of the virus COVID-19 reduced seismic noise by 50% worldwide.

By analyzing months-to-years long datasets from over 300 seismic stations in 78 countries, including 65 Raspberry Shake seismographs, the report was able to demonstrate that ambient seismic noise levels were reduced in many countries and regions around the world, making it possible to visualize the resulting wave starting in China, then moving to Italy and the rest of the world. This seismic noise reduction represents the total effects of physical / social distancing measures, reduced economic and industrial activity, and drops in tourism and travel. The 2020 seismic noise quiet period is the longest and most prominent global anthropogenic seismic noise reduction on record.

The study was spawned after the lead author, Dr. Thomas Lecocq, decided that the best way to tackle the problem of analyzing data from all around the globe was to share his method with the seismological community. This started a unique collaboration involving 76 authors from 66 institutions in 27 countries. The studys lead authors are based in Belgium, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Mexico.

Seismometers are sensitive scientific instruments to record vibrations traveling through the ground  known as seismic waves. Traditionally, seismology focuses on measuring seismic waves arising after earthquakes. Seismic records from natural sources however are contaminated by high-frequency vibrations (buzz) from humans at the surface  walking around, driving cars, and getting the train all create unique seismic signatures in the subsurface. Heavy industry and construction work also generate seismic waves that are recorded on seismometers.

There are many thousands of seismic monitoring stations around the world, and it took a team effort to download, process, and analyze the many terabytes of data available. Data came from high-end seismic monitoring networks, as well as Raspberry Shake citizen seismic sensors, sharing data to a global community. Raspberry Shake operates the largest singular network of real-time seismographs in the world, which are used in various applications including research, professional vibration monitoring, and by hobbyists. The research involved major collaboration between academic and citizen scientists using this network.

This is a great example of the type of role citizen seismology can play in contributing to the scientific record, Raspberry Shake chief scientist Ian Nesbitt said in a statement. We are very proud of our communitys involvement in this unique study.

While 2020 has not seen a reduction in earthquakes, the drop in the anthropogenic buzz has been unprecedented. The strongest seismic noise reductions were found in urban areas, but the study also found signatures of the lockdown on sensors buried hundreds of meters into the ground and in more remote areas, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The study found a strong match between seismic noise reductions and human mobility datasets drawn from mapping apps on mobile phones and made publicly available by Google and Apple. This correlation allows open seismic data to be used as a broad proxy for tracking human activity in near-real-time, and to understand the effects of pandemic lockdowns and recoveries without impinging on potential privacy issues.

The environmental effects of the pandemic lockdowns are wide and varied, including reduced emissions in the atmosphere and reduced traffic and noise pollution impacting wildlife. This period of time has been coined anthropause. This new study is the first global study of the impact of the anthropause on the solid Earth beneath our feet.

Will the 2020 seismic noise quiet period allow new types of signals to be detected? The study has shown the first evidence that previously concealed earthquake signals, especially during daytime, appeared much clearer on seismic sensors in urban areas during lockdown. The studys authors hope that their work will spawn further research on the seismic effects of lockdown. Finding previously hidden signals from earthquakes and volcanoes will be one key aim.

With growing urbanization and increasing populations globally, more people will be living in geologically hazardous areas. Therefore it will become more important than everespecially with the rising popularity of citizen seismologyto characterize the anthropogenic noise humans cause so that seismologists can better listen to the Earth, especially in cities, and monitor the ground movements beneath our feet.

Full details of the study can be found in the report.
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Haiti - News : Zapping...





Message from the Consulate of Haiti in Paris

The Consulate informs the Haitian community that from now on the consular procedures (renewal and issuance of passport and other services...) are done on Rendez-vous. To this end, the consulate has an online platform since May 19, 2020 via the website www.consulathaitiparis.com

Two free telephone lines +33.1.42.12.70.50 / 08.20.10.90.15 remain available to users for any information.



New Government Commissioner

Friday, after the resignation of the Government Commissioner Jacques Lafontant, the appointment and dismissal in less than 24 hours of Jenty Souvenir as responsible ai of the Public Prosecutor's Office, Rockefeller Vincent the new Minister of Justice appointed the substitute for the Government Commissioner Ducarmel Gabriel as new Government Commissioner near the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince.



The UN alongside the Ministry of Agriculture

Bruno Lemarquis, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Haiti and Jose Luis Fernandez Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - Haiti) met this week Patrix Severe, the Minister of Agriculture to discuss priorities of his Ministry. During this meeting Severe spoke about certain problems related to water management, risk and disaster management as well as adaptation to climate change.



Did you know ?

Due to the hurricane season in Haiti, the humanitarian assistance activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID-Haiti) have readily available food aid reserves to provide one-month assistance to an estimated 300,000 Haitians in the event of natural disasters, hurricanes or economic downturns.



Distribution of food and hygiene kit

Thursday July 23, 2020. Shekinah / Tabernacle de Gloire de Miami, directed by the Reverend Pastor Gregory Toussaint, in partnership with the Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti, distributed several hundred food kits (Rice, corn, sugar, oil, salmon, etc.), and hygiene kits including infrared thermometers, to religious leaders from more than thirty churches in various regions of the country, notably in Port-de-Paix, Ouanaminthe, Cazale, Arcahaie, Cabaret, Lillavois, Bon-Repos, Santo, Croix-des-Bouquets, Tabarre, Leogane, Gressier, Petion-Ville, Jacquet, Freres, Pernier, Fort-Jacques, Bel-Air, Martissant, etc...



HL/ HaitiLibre


















It is no exaggeration to say that there is now no guaranteed safe place in Trinidad and Tobago.

We have moved from the stage of being prisoners in our homes behind metal bars to being afraid to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and even to sleep, for fear that if crime comes knocking we may have no recourse but to cower and beg for our lives. The society is being overpowered by the force of the criminal will with insufficient resources to resist and break that power.
PHOENIX  A fire that destroyed part of the Arizona and Maricopa County Democratic Party headquarters was an act of arson, authorities said Friday.

Investigators were gathering surveillance video from nearby buildings after combing the wreckage and concluding the fire was human-caused, authorities said. Nobody was hurt.

Police Sgt. Mercedes Fortune declined to reveal what evidence convinced investigators the blaze was set, saying she doesnt want to tip off the perpetrator.

We are working through it. Its very early on, Fortune told reporters. We do have some good video, we do have some information.

The building, located in the heart of the Central Avenue business district a few miles north of Downtown Phoenix, is the longtime home for both the state and county Democrats. The northern portion of the building, which houses the operations for Maricopa County Democrats, was totally destroyed, said Steven Slugocki, the county chair. Damage was less extensive in the state partys portion of the building, he said.

The fire destroyed computers, tablets, phone-banking equipment, campaign literature and years of candidate and organizing information, Slugocki said. It also burned political memorabilia accumulated over decades, including campaign materials for John F. Kennedy, he said. He requested donations to help the party replace the tools it uses to mobilize voters.

Firefighters got first word of the blaze at 1 a.m. After it was extinguished, a dog trained to sniff for fire accelerants and the agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were involved in the search for evidence, said Phoenix fire Capt. Rob McDade.

The Democratic Party in Arizona is pretty small. Were a small group family, Slugocki said. Everything has come out of that building. Elected officials. All meetings. Everything goes through that office. At some point, every Democrat has been through that building. Its gone.

Slugocki and state Democratic Chair Felecia Rotellini said employees have been mostly working remotely since March.

We want to know why this happened, and it is something that is simply going to empower us to work harder and keep our eyes on the prize, Rotellini said. Were definitely not going to let this be a distraction from working as hard as we can to turn Arizona blue in November.

Arizona Republican Chair Kelli Ward condemned the act, saying violence is unacceptable.

Arizona Republicans look forward to meeting the Democrats on Election Day as opponents on the field of ideas, Ward said in a statement.
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Uzbekistan, Government of

Global Credit Research - 25 Jul 2020

Singapore, July 25, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") reviews all of its ratings periodically in accordance with regulations -- either annually or, in the case of governments and certain EU-based supranational organisations, semi-annually. This periodic review is unrelated to the requirement to specify calendar dates on which EU and certain other sovereign and sub-sovereign rating actions may take place.

Moody's conducts these periodic reviews through portfolio reviews in which Moody's reassesses the appropriateness of each outstanding rating in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. Since 1st January 2019, Moody's issues a press release following each periodic review announcing its completion.

Moody's has now completed the periodic review of a group of issuers that includes Uzbekistan and may include related ratings. The review did not involve a rating committee, and this publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future; credit ratings and/or outlook status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

The credit profile of Uzbekistan (issuer rating B1) is supported by the country's "ba1" economic strength, reflecting its strong growth potential due to a young population, its position in Central Asia which is attractive to potential foreign and domestic investment, diversified commodity exports but limited shock absorption capacity; its "caa1" institutions and governance strength, reflecting the challenges involved in reforming institutions to support the economy's transition to a market-based system; its "baa2" fiscal strength reflecting relatively low, and low cost, general government debt but with vulnerability to financial pressures from the broader public sector, especially as state-owned enterprises face more competition and the government supports some with on- or off-budget transfers; and its "ba" susceptibility to event risk driven by political risk, reflecting the view that the reforms currently envisaged and in process will potentially come at some economic and social cost which could fuel opposition to them.

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This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period.

The principal methodology used for this review was Sovereign Ratings Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

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GREENSBORO  Kevin Hugh Moore's cremated remains finally rest where he wanted them to be.

On a warm and clear summer day, his friend Mara Barker and her husband, Duane, scattered the ashes of the talented but troubled classical musician in Pisgah National Forest with those of his mother.

"It's such a peaceful place," Barker said, "and Kevin had many happy memories from attending the John Mack Oboe Camp" nearby.

Those peaceful surroundings contrast drastically with the way Moore and Lewis Franklin Humphrey died. The two were brutally stabbed to death in January 2019.

Four defendants in the slayings have remained in the Guilford County jail for more than a year, awaiting trial on charges of murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, arson and kidnapping.

If convicted of murder, they could face the death penalty.

A Superior Court judge has ruled that it will proceed as a capital murder case.

Because of its complexities, it could take longer than most.

The case involves two victims, four defendants and multiple attorneys, who likely will file multiple pre-trial motions.

It also comes during court delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I don't expect this case to be set for trial until the end of next year at the earliest," attorney Jerry Jordan, who represents defendant Chris Adrean Collins, said in an email.

Lewis Humphrey, 45, graduated from Northeast High School. He lived and worked at Super 8 hotel, 2108 W. Meadowview Road, his brother George Humphrey said in a 2019 interview.

Lewis Humphrey knew Collins and had let Collins stay with him at the hotel, George Humphrey said. But they had a disagreement and Humphrey wouldn't let him back in.

My brother wasnt a troublemaker, George Humphrey said in 2019. He was just a good dude. He didnt bother nobody ... You cant find nobody to say nothing bad about my brother.

Moore had played oboe and English horn professionally from 1985 through 2015, said Barker, who plays bass with the Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Salisbury and Roanoke, Va., symphonies.

He played with several major orchestras in the Carolinas and Virginia, mostly in the 1990s and 2000s, as a contract and substitute musician.

Through his publishing company Oboerama Music, he arranged music for orchestras and ballet companies. He rewrote orchestral pieces so that other ensembles could perform them, preparing parts for each instrument.

His orchestral reduction of Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker ballet has been used annually by the Carolina Ballet, the North Carolina Academy of Dance Arts and the Atlantic City Ballet.

Being Moore's friend wasn't easy.

Moore had autism spectrum disorder and suffered from anxiety and depression.

Sometimes he lashed out verbally when he was frustrated and in emotional pain.

"He had a lot of problems that were severe," said Moore's cousin, Mike Barnette of Gastonia. "But he was still a human being and had the right of a human being, and they took that away from him."

Deep down, Moore had a good heart, Barker said.

Moore apparently had met the four defendants at a church that serves breakfast to the homeless, Barker said. He invited them to share his apartment at Summit Avenue and Yanceyville Street, but had been trying to get them to leave.

On Jan. 14, 2019, Moore was stabbed to death there, six days before his 55th birthday. But his body wasn't discovered for 10 days.

When Barker didn't hear from him, she went to his apartment on Jan. 22, 2019. No one answered her knock. Two windows were broken.

Barker called the police. She said she understands that police did visit the apartment that day, but assumes that they didnt find anything.

The following night, on Jan. 23, Barker learned that a fire had broken out at Moore's apartment. Firefighters and police found Humphrey's body.

The next day, police found Moore's body in a bedroom. It had been covered with a smiley-faced tablecloth and plastic, wrapped with red tape and rope.

He, too, had died of multiple stab wounds, the autopsy showed.

Police arrested Collins, then 18 and from Youngsville, in Greensboro.

Damian Roger Verwey, then 20, and Rebecka Ellen Willard, then 23, were arrested in Muskegon, Mich.

Cassandra Lynn Reynolds, 35 at the time, was picked up in Victorville, Calif.

Barker praised the work of Greensboro police and Det. T.E. Vaughan.

She wonders whether the defendants were at the apartment on Jan. 22, when she knocked on the door and sent the police.

"I wish the police had detected signs that they were at a murder scene with an 8-day-old dead body," Barker said.

The next day, Humphrey was dead, the fire was set, and Moore's housemates were gone.

In late October, a Guilford Superior Court judge ruled that the murders' details justified proceeding as a capital murder case.

The order by Judge Lora C. Cubbage says Moore was assaulted for several hours before being killed. Before his death, he asked his captors "to kill him to end the suffering."

Humphrey was invited to Moore's apartment  where Moores dead body had been for a week  sometime around Jan. 21, 2019.

When Humphrey arrived, he was attacked, robbed of his credit card and cell phone, and eventually killed, the judge's findings said.

Humphrey was moved from one place to another, for the purpose of doing him serious bodily injury and terrorizing him. an indictment on the kidnapping charge says.

Even if convicted of first-degree murder, the defendants might not be executed.

No executions have taken place in North Carolina since 2006.

In each of the last few years, about five or so cases have gone to trial as capital murder cases, said Gerda Stein of the state's Center for Death Penalty Litigation, the nonprofit law firm handling such cases.

Most cases end in pleas, or end up not being capital cases, Stein said. Some are dismissed.

In the past few years, fewer than one person has been sentenced to death a year, Stein said.

Executions have been on hold because of litigation surrounding lethal injection and the N.C. Racial Justice Act.

Public opinion has changed dramatically over the past several years. North Carolinians seem to prefer life without parole over execution, Stein said.

She attributes that to several factors, including the exoneration of 10 death row prisoners in the state and many more across the country.

Federal executions, too, had been exceedingly rare in recent decades, but the federal government executed three people last week after a hiatus of nearly 20 years.

If defendants in the Moore and Humphrey murders are found guilty, both Barker and Barnette favor life in prison without possibility of parole, not execution.

George Humphrey could not be reached by phone for comment. But in the 2019 interview, he said he favored prison over execution.

Barnette attended the hearing when Cubbage ruled it a capital case.

He said he plans to attend future proceedings. "I want somebody to be there to speak for him," Barnette said of his cousin, from whom he had been estranged.

"I have had enough time to go through the grieving process, to get rid of the anger," Barnette said. "Just the sadness is left."

He said he wants both prosecutors and defense attorneys to have time to do it right. So he doesn't mind delays.

"I hope they present their case right and they have their evidence correct, so that theres no misinterpretation of who did what," Barnette said.

He and Barker continue to run Moore's company. Last December, they rented out the rights to use his reduction of "The Nutcracker" to three ballet companies.

But they haven't found Moore's laptop. His best composition was stored on it, and Barker has just a few pages.

When they scattered Moore's ashes, she said, she and her husband felt as if a weight had been lifted.

Barnette didn't attend.

"That's something I didn't have the heart to do," he said.

Contact Dawn DeCwikiel-Kane at 336-373-5204 and follow @dawndkaneNR on Twitter.

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Yves here. I hate to sound like a Luddite, but the idea of global production, in the form of China as the worlds manufacturer, was never sustainable. I am still gobsmacked that Western multinational and tech execs would make their operations hostage to a country where they have no influence over their government, and that government has a strong interest in developing its own champions.

By Marshall Auerback, a market analyst and commentator. Produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute

COVID-19 has not only presented the global economy with its greatest public health challenge in over a century, but also likely killed off the notion of Americas unipolar moment for good. That doesnt mean full-on autarky or isolationism but, rather, enlightened selfishness, which allows for some limited cooperation. Donald Trumps ongoing threats to impose additional tariffs on a range of EU exports are exacerbating this trend as the old post-World War II ties between the two regions continue to fray. Even the possibility of a Biden administration is unlikely to presage a reversion to the status quo ante. Regionalization and multipolarity will be the order of the day going forward.

Many will regard these developments as chiefly driven by geopolitical prerogatives. But over time, the driving engine of the process will be a combination of maturing technologies that are rewriting the laws of profitability in manufacturing and production for advanced economies. The various capacities that enabled a far-flung global supply chain and sent the economies of Asia into hyperdrive over the past 40 years have continued to mature. The rise of China, South Korea and Japan in this period is just a phase of a larger series of advances that are now likely to become more distributed and at the same time reshuffle the geopolitical trend lines we currently experience.

The reshuffling is coming in large part because Americas historic military dominance has less relevance in a world where the new forms of competition place greater weight on access to advanced research and technologies, rather than the projection of brute military force (especially given the increasing proliferation of nuclear technologies and the rise of asymmetric warfare). Furthermore, the lack of American manufacturing capacity has left it open to a significant loss of influence to the benefit of other regions, notably China (in Asia), and Germany (in the European Union).

China in particular will likely remain both a geopolitical and economic rival to the United States for the foreseeable future, especially as it already supersedes the United States in some areas of technology (such as 5G), and is increasingly becoming the locus of economic activity in Asia. As yet, Asia is by no means a cohesive economic or strategic bloc (such as the European Union), especially given the ongoing American influence in countries such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. But longer term, it is hard to believe that an independent democratic Japan would embrace a foreign policy stance that risks antagonizing a country of almost 1.4 billion people with nukes. According to some projections, by 2050 Japan will likely constitute about one-eighth of Chinas GDP, South Korea much less. On the basis of that size disparity, strategic triangulation is a non-starter. Japan will no more be able to balance China than Canada today can contain the United States. It is likewise difficult to envisage Seoul continuing to have its own relations with the North being continuously subject to the vagaries of Pentagon politics in D.C. Heightening instability on the Korean peninsula is hardly in the long-term interests of either Seoul or Pyongyang.

By the same token, the idea of a broad but shallow trilateral United States-EU-Japan bloc against China is also a fantasy because the European Union, like Japan, increasingly finds its own interests clashing with those of the U.S. These tensions have manifested themselves fully in the current dispute over Huawei, Chinas largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer. The Europeans, especially Germany, may well be too invested in China to side with the United States in this particular dispute given its strong pre-existing commercial ties with the former, as Wolfgang Munchaus Eurointelligence highlights:

China is Germanys biggest trading partner. Merkel continues to seek dialogue with China and insisted that ties with the country are of strategic importance to the EU. If this can be called a strategy it is clearly motivated by economic interests. These days, German car makers are dependent on the Chinese market, where record sales in Q2 compensated for the fallout from the pandemic in other markets, the FAZ reports.

This also applies in the specific case of Huawei, where the U.S. is spearheading an attempt to limit the Chinese companys global reach on national security grounds. Berlin in particular is seeking to balance the tensions of preserving an increasingly fraying relationship with the U.S. versus safeguarding emerging German commercial interests in China. The Merkel government is expected to make a definitive decision on Huawei by the autumn when the German parliament reconvenes; this will have significant implications for Europe as a whole, as an increasing number of EU member states are moving away from the firms 5G wares.

German political opinion remains sharply divided on the issue of Huawei. The decision is also complicated by the fact that Deutsche Telekom, a 32%-state-owned company, is the countrys largest mobile provider and already relies heavily on Huawei equipment. It has lobbied strongly against any action that would make it harder for it to roll out 5G, according to the Economist. If the Berlin government fails to follow the lead of the United Kingdom (which recently reversed an earlier decision to incorporate Huawei equipment in its growing 5G infrastructure), it will send a very powerful political signal in terms of how Germany prioritizes its long-term interests, which are no longer axiomatically tied to the U.S.

However Germany decides on Huawei, Atlanticism as a concept is largely dead in Europe. Even before the onset of the pandemic, for example, Italy had already become the first European country to join Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in response to ongoing economic stagnation. COVID-19 has, if anything, accelerated this Sinification of the Italian economy, given the ham-handed response of Brussels to the countrys plight (and which is still governed by old prevailing austerity biases). Although the tangible economic benefits of the BRI have likely been overstated, Rome-based journalist Eric Reguly has written:

The Italian government rolled out the welcome mat to Chinese President Xi Jinping in part because it is desperate for foreign investment. Italy suffers from crushing youth unemployment and never fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis. It felt it was more or less abandoned by the U.S. and the rest of the EU on the investment front. The anti-EU sentiment among Italians rose during the migrant crisis, when other countries of the bloc refused to relieve Italys migrant burden, and rose again earlier this year, when Brussels ignored Italys initial pleas for help to fight COVID-19.

It is important to note that Huawei is but a symptom of a broader EU disengagement from the U.S. Even if Huaweis role in Europes future 5G networks is minimized, the big winners will be European companies, Nokia and Ericsson, not American ones. The 5G deficiency is but one illustration of how Americas failure to prioritize a robust manufacturing sector has contributed to a loss of influence and leverage in Europe.

That in turn explains the relatively tepid response to American pressure in many European capitals. Many EU member states have made the calculation that their interests are no longer inextricably tied to those of the U.S. One also sees this in response to American threats over new Russian natural gas pipelines, which the EU is largely ignoring. Europe has outgrown the suffocating embrace of Cold War exigencies.

The one outlier might well be the United Kingdom in its post-Brexit incarnation. Via the Five Eyes intelligence coordination among the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, it is possible that there will be a further tightening of the Anglosphere countries. Their current convergence on Huawei is one illustration of this, although Huaweis Chief Digital Officer, Michael MacDonald, concedes that the battle over 5G dominance is small fry compared to the total Digital Economy, which is generally accepted to contribute as much as 25% of the worlds gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025-26, [and] will be worth approximately $20 trillion, with 5G contributing just 0.2%. And here the U.S. has everything to play for, given its ongoing dominance through American Big Tech behemoths such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.

As far as the U.S. itself goes, that also means a narrow but deep North America strategy (United States/Mexico/Canada), especially given the American governments increasing proclivity to view economic warfare through the prism of national security considerations (as it did during the original Cold War). Those national security calculations have changed somewhat: In a reversal of old Cold War norms, whereby the strategic importance of Japan via Americas offshore naval presence was paramount, Mexico is now being prioritized, at least in regard to manufacturing and investment flows via the new North American trade agreement. As U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer writes in Foreign Affairs, the newly reconfigured United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement reinforces this trend by overhaul[ing] the rules of origin that govern trade in the [automobile] sector, increasing the threshold from 62.5 percent under the old NAFTA to 75 percent under the new USMCA.

These concerns are becoming bipartisan, as both parties are now tacking increasingly toward an overt form of economic nationalism.

Multipolarity need not usher in a Hobbesian-style world of eternal conflict. But as it becomes more of a reality, it signals the increasing eclipse of America as a preeminent superpower of one. Asias rise in particular simply returns the distribution of economic activity to what it was before the first industrial revolution. Thats not a bad thing, except for those rooted toward an embrace of American hegemony that must be retained at all costs, peacefully or by war. If anything, one could argue that Americas status as the worlds sole global superpower ushered in considerably greater global instability, given the absence of any restraining counterweight, as Washington went from one unilateral war of choice to another. A Joe Biden victory in November may temporarily arrest these trends, but the die has been cast.
- The airline will cover medical expenses up to KSh 17.5M) and quarantine costs of up to KSh 12K for 14 days

- This will only be applicable to its customers should they be diagnosed with the virus during their travel

- The medical package is valid for 31 days from the moment customers fly the first leg of their trip

- So passengers can continue to have the benefit even if they travel onwards from their Emirates destination

- The move was meant to boost confidence among travellers

The Emirates airline has become the world's first airline to cover customers' medical expenses and quarantine costs should they contract COVID-19 during their trip.

The airline said it will cover medical expenses up to $173,000 (KSh 17.5M) and quarantine costs of up to $115 (KSh 12K) for 14 days, should they be diagnosed with the virus during their travel.

READ ALSO: Former Kenya Medical Association CEO diagnosed with COVID-19 catches up with children on Zoom from bedroom

Emirates airline has become the world's first airline to cover customers' medical expenses. Photo: CNN.

Source: UGC

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The medical package deal, as reported by CNN, will be available to all customers, at no extra cost, from Friday, July 24, until October 31, 2020.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates group chairman said Emirates had worked hard to put in place measures at every step of the journey to mitigate the risk of infection,

It had also revamped its booking policies to offer flexibility.

The United Arab Emirates flag carrier, which has restarted operations globally, said the move was meant to boost confidence among travellers.

READ ALSO: Tanzanian father of 30 becomes overnight millionaire after selling two huge Tanzanite stones

We will be the first airline to offer free cover for Covid-19 medical costs for its customers when they travel in the UAE and around the world, al-Maktoum said.

We know people are yearning to fly as borders around the world gradually reopen, but they are seeking flexibility and assurances should something unforeseen happen during their travel, the chairman added.

The medical package is valid for 31 days from the moment customers fly the first leg of their trip, so passengers can continue to have the benefit even if they travel onwards from their destination.

READ ALSO: Nurse who went viral for wearing lingerie in COVID-19 ward becomes TV presenter

Emirates is regularly named one of the world's top airlines in Skytrax's prestigious annual awards.

The UAE's strategic location between Oman and Saudi Arabia makes it a key connection for travellers heading from the West to the East and vice versa.

The airline's Headquarter is at Dubai International Airport, named the world's third busiest airport in 2018, and the carrier will be keen to resume its once-bustling international operations

READ ALSO: I'm alive and well: TV anchor Yvonne Okwara opens up after spinal surgery

While Emirates is the first airline to take this step to boost traveller confidence, it is not the first player in the tourism industry to offer COVID-19 payouts.

Central Asian nation Uzbekistan had promised the sum of $3,000 (KSh 324K) as compensation to visitors who contract COVID-19 while vacationing there.

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus, meanwhile, which reopened its borders to selected countries in June 2020, pledged to cover the cost of lodging, food and medication for visitors who test positive for the virus during their stay.

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Federal officers walk through tear gas while dispersing a crowd of protestors near the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland on July 21. (Nathan Howard / Getty Images)

To the editor: Let's call a spade a spade. We are now descending into fascism. ("Trump's crackdown in Portland shows his wretched talent for making everything worse," editorial, July 20)

With his poll numbers sagging, President Trump has descended into desperation. To prove he is the "law and order" president, he ordered camouflaged, non-insignia bearing, uniformed federal storm troopers to descend on Portland to wreak havoc and provoke protesters. Innocent people were abducted and forced into unmarked vehicles. They were not informed of charges by the arresting troops, who refused to identify themselves.

The desired effect was achieved. Protesters were outraged, and violence initiated by the troops was answered in return by some in the crowd. Then the president pointed to the protesters while telling the country that we will not be safe if we elect Joe Biden.

We have seen this movie before: Benito Mussolini in Italy, Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, Augusto Pinochet in Chile and so on. The actions of these troops are a gross abuse of our civil rights and a violation of the Constitution. This wholesale thuggery must cease if our democracy is to survive this tyrannical leader.

Richard Z. Fond, Sherman Oaks

..

To the editor: I am old enough to remember when Hitler sent his jackbooted thugs out on what became known as Kristallnacht. The world watched in horror as Jews were dragged out into the streets and beaten.

Hitler's purpose was to create chaos and discrimination, to flex the muscles of the right-wing fascists who made up his base, and to stay in power.

Now the White House is doing something similar: sending out specialized federal units to wreak havoc and create chaos and discrimination and flexing the muscles of Trump's own white-supremacist base.

It is unspeakable that this travesty is allowed to remain. First he came for the immigrants from Mexico. Then he came for refugees from the Middle East and Central America. Now he's coming for cities with Democratic leadership. Whose freedoms will come under attack next?

Story continues

Lois Winsen, San Diego

..

To the editor: Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It is rioting.

If anything, the federal government has held back in its response to the rioting in Portland and other cities where there is no longer civil discourse.

I support the right to peacefully assemble but not to destroy people and property. As a U.S citizen, I am tired and disgusted with the coddling of these rioters by local politicians. Appeasement never works. It is seen as weakness by anarchists.

Remember, feeding the tiger never works because the tiger eventually comes for you.

David L. McDaniel, Capistrano Beach

..

To the editor: Trump's use of unmarked federal troops is a truly extreme version of an old tactic: using provocateurs to agitate protesters, provoke violent reactions, justify arrests and generate negative impressions of protesters resisting brutality.

This cynical deployment of U.S. agents as provocateurs could be turned around if people kept their cool, stayed upbeat, or at least calm, and conducted sober and serious organized nonviolent civil disobedience to reveal, rather than combat, the brutality.

This would take discipline, bravery and sacrifice.

David Fertig, Pasadena

..

To the editor: Incredibly, under this president, we now see the deployment of federal agents in American cities not to quell social unrest but to create it. This is a page borrowed from the playbook of some ugly historical figures.

Don't think it will stop here, for the next page requires that the police remain, lest the danger return: "What if the anarchists come back? Can't have that."

Finally, true to the playbook, this fear by proxy must be continued right through any election day.

Ronald Ellsworth, La Mesa
Polish historian Lukasz Krzyzanowski begins this impeccably well-researched book with a question: how was life for those Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust and returned to their homeland? The short answer is: hellish. These "ghost citizens" returned from ghettos and death camps across Poland to communities they once called home. But they found themselves isolated in a society that was a universe away from Poland pre-September 1939.

An estimated 90pc of Polish Jews were murdered by the Nazis, so there were not many friends or family members left to help survivors. Aid did come, mostly from charitable Jewish organisations that surfaced across Poland immediately after the war. They provided finance and a friendly face to destitute Jews who were confronted with theft, abuse and violence. These threats came mostly from Polish citizens struggling in a country ravaged by war, poverty and political chaos. The police also had clear-cut discriminatory anti-Semitic agendas.

Krzyzanowski treats some of the primary historical sources with a much-needed pinch of salt. Emotions were high after the war and prejudices were abundant. The historian applies an even-handed judgment call or educated guess when the need arrives.

His book aims to have a nuanced conversation about Poland's negative relationship with Jews in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust. The specifics of the topic take place in one location, Radom: a medium-sized industrial city in east central Poland.

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Jews wishing to return to their previous addresses there found themselves in a tricky situation. They returned to houses they once owned, but which were now inhabited by strangers. The story of the complex legal battles that the Jewish homeowners had to go through to win back their properties has the potential to be tiresome, but Krzyzanowski makes it lively and fascinating. Holocaust victims' properties were generally passed on to the Polish state, which passed them on to private citizens. This was based on the assumption that homeowners who had not perished in the Holocaust would clearly have shown up by now.

Some Jews won back their properties in the courts. Most ended up selling: and well below the market rate. Racial prejudices played a part in these legal wrangles, as did the shadow of Moscow politics. The Iron Curtain was descending and Poland was on course to become a satellite Soviet state. Stalinist socialism theoretically regarded private property as the devil incarnate. Legal sympathy for Jewish bourgeois business owners and mercantile traders was not high on the political agenda.

The focus of Krzyzanowski's attention is purposely narrow and specific: the immediate post-war period when a rare number of Polish Jews who survived Nazi persecution returned to their desolate, rubble-strewn, ruinous empty communities. There is also some small footnoting of Polish Jewry in a broader European historical context too, before and during the Holocaust. The history of the Jews in Poland goes back more than 800 years. On the eve of World War II, the country's Jewish population of 3.3 million was Europe's largest. Yiddish was the lingua franca of this vibrant community, who played a vital role in the public, civic, commercial, intellectual and spiritual life of sophisticated cosmopolitan Polish cities such as Warsaw, Krakow, Lublin and Lwow.

That tragically changed with the sudden collapse of European empires, the rise of fascism, and the bizarre logic of Nazi racial pseudoscience. It's a story with four major turning points. It began with Poland's occupation by both the Soviet Union and Germany in September 1939. The 1.8 million Jews in German-occupied Poland imprisoned in urban ghettos. Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 led to the remaining Polish Jews being ghettoised.

This all happened as Hitler continued to bang the drum of lebensraum: it promised a land of milk and honey for a master race of perfected German super-humans in an ever-expanding Reich in the east. Polish Jews became the victims of that warped racial fantasy.

The "Jewish question" became the Final Solution at the Wannsee Conference, a formal meeting by senior Nazi leaders in January 1942. The systematic slaughter of Jews began with industrial efficiency. Once the Jewish ghettos of Polish cities were liquidated, a transport process began. Jews were sent to gas chambers by train in six secretive purpose-built death camps across occupied Poland: Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek and Auschwitz-Birkenau.

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This is one of the most well-documented episodes in modern European history, yet the tragic fate that befell those few Polish Jews who decided to stay in their country after the liberation of Nazi death camps has been almost completely ignored until now. Unsurprisingly, its been overshadowed by the monumental literature of the Holocaust itself.

There are other reasons too: post-war Poland - like most other nations in central Europe at the time - was a place where politics was extremely complex as the Cold War began to heat up. Communist governments hadn't much time for political pluralism and open debate was almost non-existent. Krzyzanowski concludes by suggesting that there are some similarities in Poland today: a far-right populist government has just been elected in a country that still continues to hide uncomfortable guilty ghosts of history in the closet.
Over 150 passengers on board the plane, operated by Mahan Airlines, were evacuated on Thursday evening after it landed.

Beirut/Tehran, July 24 (IANS) A Lebanon-bound Iranian passenger plane made a quick landing at the Beirut airport after it was intercepted by US jets over the Syrian airspace.

A source at the airport told Xinhua news agency that some of the passengers suffered mild injuries.

According to local media reports, the plane changed altitude and made a quick landing after the US warplanes blocked its passage over the Syrian airspace to avoid a collision.

The warplanes believed to be with the US-led anti-terror coalition intercepted the Iranian plane over the al-Tanf area in southeastern Syria, sources at the Syrian Civilian Aviation Department said.

The warplanes forced the pilot of the Iranian plane to take a steep dive down, which led to injuries among the passengers.

However, the plane continued its flight to Beirut.

Meanwhile, a video footage went online, showing people shouting inside the plane at the time of the incident.

Earlier reports by Iranian media claimed that the passenger plane was "intimidated" by two Israeli fighter jets over Beirut on Thursday evening.

The plane was bound to Beirut on its regular route, but as the pilot of the plane faced the "threat," he had to change the course and make an emergency landing at Beirut airport to save the life of the passengers, Tasnim news agency reported.

In the incident, some passengers were injured, it said.

A reporter of the Iranian state TV, who was on board the plane, confirmed that the warplanes, which approached within 100-metre distance to the passenger plane, belonged to Israel, according to Tasnim.

--IANS

ksk/


--The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States.

--The current situation in China-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see, and the United States is responsible for all this.

--China once again urges the United States to immediately retract its wrong decision.

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday informed the U.S. Embassy in China of its decision to withdraw its consent for the establishment and operation of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu.

China's measure is a "legitimate and necessary response" to unjustified act by the United States, said a statement issued by the ministry.

On July 21, the United States launched a unilateral provocation by abruptly demanding that China close its Consulate General in Houston, representing "unprecedented escalation in its recent actions against China," according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday.

Noting the United States is "responsible for all this," China in the Friday statement once again urged Washington to immediately revoke its wrong decision and create necessary conditions to bring the bilateral relationship back to normal.

LEGITIMATE RESPONSE TO UNJUSTIFIED U.S. MOVE

The U.S. demand of closure of China's Consulate General in Houston seriously violates international law, basic norms governing international relations and the bilateral consular agreement between China and the United States, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"If the United States imposes certain restrictions on us, we will also take certain restrictive measures in the diplomatic field under the same conditions. It is in line with the provisions of international law and is a legitimate and reasonable diplomatic practice," Gao Fei, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told Xinhua in an interview.

Gao stressed that "China does not intend to have such conflicts and is compelled to react."

The U.S. decision to abruptly order the closure of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, like previous U.S. pressure tactics against many other countries, "directly contradicts the values that Washington has been preaching around the world for many years," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

In fact, Chinese diplomatic missions in the United States, including its consulate general in Houston, have been promoting bilateral friendship and cooperation and observing international law and local laws of the United States.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the United States has imposed restrictions on Chinese diplomatic personnel in the United States twice without cause, in October last year and June this year. It opened Chinese diplomatic pouches several times without permission, and seized Chinese items meant for official use.

As the United States flagrantly stigmatizes China and fans hatred against it, Chinese Embassy in the United States recently even received bomb threats against Chinese diplomatic missions and death threats against personnel in the United States. Moreover, the U.S. Embassy in China constantly publishes articles maligning China on its website.

"If we compare the two, it is only too evident which one is engaged in interference, infiltration and confrontation," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday.

"Some personnel of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu engaged in activities incompatible with their status, interfered in China's internal affairs and harmed China's security interests. China has lodged representations many times, and the United States knows it too well," Wang said at a daily press briefing Friday.

SITUATION NOT WHAT CHINA DESIRES TO SEE

In the statement on Friday, China stressed that "the current situation in China-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see."

"China's U.S. policy remains unchanged. We are still willing to develop China-U.S. relations with goodwill and sincerity," said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier in July in a speech to a China-U.S. Think Tanks Media Forum.

According to the foreign minister, China never intends to challenge or replace the United States, or have a full confrontation with it. China stands ready to develop a bilateral relationship featuring no conflict and confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation based on coordination, cooperation and stability.

Scholars hold that China and the United States have jointly accomplished many great things to the benefit of not only the two countries but also the world. It is important that both sides have a correct view of the historical experience of China-U.S. relations.

"In fact, some anti-China forces are trying to hijack the relations and reverse the wheel of history," said Ruan Zongze, executive vice president of the China Institute of International Studies.

"Such U.S. actions cannot stop the historical trend and the cooperation between Chinese and American people, nor can they scupper the will of the international community to see a peacefully developing bilateral relationship," said Ruan.

U.S. URGED TO BRING TIES BACK TO NORMAL

For some time, the U.S. government has been shifting the blame to China with slander and unwarranted attacks on China's social system, harassing Chinese diplomatic and consular staff in the United States, intimidating and interrogating Chinese students and seizing their personal electronic devices, even detaining them without cause.

Observers say that China-U.S. relations are at a crossroads and faced with the most severe challenge since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979.

Shen Yamei, deputy director of the Department for American Studies of the China Institute of International Studies, said the current U.S. administration should stop being short-sighted, follow the trend of the times, respond to changes, and create more opportunities for progress.

"We still need to have confidence in China-U.S. relations in the future," said Ruan, calling some U.S. politicians' wrongdoings "a short-term phenomenon."

Recently, 191 agricultural organizations sent a joint letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for continued implementation of the phase one trade agreement. Many U.S. universities have openly expressed support for closer China-U.S. educational exchanges.

Moreover, despite the impact of COVID-19, 74 percent of U.S. businesses in China said they plan to increase investment in the country.

"We really have to base our policies on a good perception of the common interests, growing global challenges and how the international community would expect us to act, and not allow suspicion, fear, or even hatred to hijack our foreign policy," said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai in an interview on China-U.S. relations with CNN on July 18.
BMICH loses Rs.500 m, awaits go-ahead for exhibitions By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s):

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic the conduct of exhibitions is likely to come under scrutiny by Health Ministry officials next week as the BMICH intends on resuming exhibitions by mid- August.

BMICH Director General Sunil Dissanayake told the Business Times on Wednesday that they hope to recommence exhibitions by mid August for which approvals are due from the Health Services Director General next week.

He noted that currently they are receiving bookings for exhibitions to be held over the weekends but could not go ahead as yet.

He pointed out that due to the pandemic they had lost revenue to the tune of Rs.500 million in terms of bookings for both conferences and exhibitions from mid-March to December this year. They had experienced about 10 per cent cancellations while some others opted to postpone their bookings for a later date.

In the meantime, conference halls are receiving bookings since June 23 when the first meeting took place after the lockdown, Mr. Dissanayake said.

He pointed out that 50 per cent of hall capacity is allowed to participate at conferences held at their venues in line with the health guidelines.

About 270 conferences continue to be scheduled from now until December, Mr. Dissanayake said adding that more are scheduled for next year.

For next year there are about 600 bookings from January to December with three international conferences namely the World HR Congress in March; the Asia Drowning and Life Saving conference in October; and the Asia Pacific Dental Congress mid next year that have been confirmed since last year and postponed for next year.

Mr. Dissanayake pointed out that should other markets not go in for a more waves of the COVID-19 pandemic then there could be more interest in conducting conferences here.

However, in Sri Lanka itself due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases there had been a reluctance to book the venue and forthcoming general elections were another factor.

BMICH is maintaining health guidelines like primarily distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing hand, temperature checks and feet disinfection at the main gates as well as the entrances to the venues. This is in addition to the security checks imposed since April last year, he said adding that they have also trained staff to respond to customer queries.
The Ministry of the Interior has declared Friday, July 31, as a statutory Public Holiday to mark the celebration of Eid-Al-Adha.



A statement signed by Mr Ambrose Dery, the sector Minister, and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Saturday, urged the public to observe the day as such throughout the country.



It called on all to observe the safety protocols associated with the COVID-19, especially in relation to social events at public places.



Meanwhile a statement by the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has urged Muslims to celebrate the Eid-Al-Adha at home just as they did during the Eid-ul-Fitr to help contain the COVID-19 spread.



The festival is to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) who obeyed Allahs command to sacrifice his son.

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"Historically, conversions like Hagia Sophia are no isolated cases"

From a historical perspective, the conversion of religiously and politically charged buildings such as Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is no new phenomenon, branching back to antiquity. "The background and context of such transformations always have to do with changes in the balance of power and the desire to make these clearly visible," write Prof. Dr. Katrin Kogman-Appel and Franziska Kleybolte from the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics" and the Institute for Jewish Studies of the University of Munster. A multitude of such cases can be found in all epochs, religions and regions. "The architecture and visual language of ritual spaces have a particularly great potential for expressing identity and, thus, for distinguishing one's own group from other groups," the researchers explain in a dossier article on the Cluster's website, "The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque2. An event with historical parallels, highlighting examples from antiquity, the Middle Ages and the present day. They investigate the phenomenon using the example of medieval buildings in present-day Spain, comparing religions and regions. "Appropriations on the Iberian Peninsula occurred as a result of conquests, forced baptisms on a massive scale and the expulsion of Jewish and Muslim minorities."

According to Kogman-Appel and Kleybolte, these medieval conversions of synagogues into churches were "acts of seizure of power" which were intended to express "the triumph of the Church over Judaism". The visual language of the buildings was religiously reinterpreted, new works of art with anti-Jewish content were installed, and building materials of the synagogues were reused. "To the conquered - if they continued to live in the area - this made their defeat all too obvious to them." Economic motives also played a role, however, because in most cases the Jewish community lost all its public and private property together with the synagogue.

Removing mortal remains, whitewashing walls

Little is known about the rituals of re-consecration, as the researchers explain, but the conversions were understood as "purifications". Many churches were consecrated to Mary, the immaculate one. "In Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany, for instance, care was taken during the conversion in 1519 that there were no more mortal remains of a Jew in the place and that the whitewash was stripped off the walls and repainted so that everything 'Jewish' was expelled from the walls." A similar move occurred in the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. "It too was 'purified': the Byzantine mosaics were whitewashed in order to do justice to the Qur'anic restraint towards images in religious contexts."

With a view to the present, the researchers write: "Taking over, reusing and transforming religiously and politically charged space is by no means an isolated case - neither within Turkey nor in the longue duree: for example, a museum - formerly a mosque - in the Turkish town of Iznik was re-converted into a mosque in 2011; the same was considered for the Turkish town of Trabzon in 2013; and it has also been a phenomenon in history since antiquity, found again and again in all epochs, religions and regions." The Jewish Studies project at the Cluster of Excellence is entitled "Religious Buildings Change their Identity. Iberia 709-1611". This was preceded in the first funding phase by the project "The Destruction of Sanctuaries in Late Antiquity" of ancient historian Prof. Dr. Johannes Hahn.

"Hagia Sophia not a religious case, but national(istic) affectivity"

The article "The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. An event with historical parallels" has been published as part of a thematic dossier on the website of the Cluster of Excellence entitled "Hagia Sophia - religious buildings and the history of their conversion". In a further dossier article, Byzantinist Prof. Dr. Michael Grunbart traces the eventful history of Hagia Sophia with its interior and exterior changes from the 6th to the 21st centuries. He stresses that the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque was less a religious matter than a "national(istic) affectivity". The building has not been a Christian church for more than 550 years. His article is entitled "Religion and politics at the Golden Horn? Turning over a new leaf on Hagia Sophia". (vvm/sca)

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This story has been published on: 2020-07-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Any attempt to reverse the historical trend against the Chinese and American people's aspiration for greater exchange and cooperation will never succeed, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made remarks when responding to a query about a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that the United States should abandon its past policy of blindly engaging with China.

In his speech, Pompeo maliciously attacked the Communist Party of China and China's social system, and wantonly criticized China's domestic and foreign policies. His baseless, fact-distorting speech is full of ideological prejudice and a Cold-War mindset, a hodgepodge of China-related political lies recently fabricated by senior U.S. politicians, said Wang at a press briefing.

"China expresses indignation and firm opposition to it," said Wang. "We have lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side."

For some time, in order to deflect attention with slanders against and oppression of China and score some political gains, several U.S. politicians have been drumming up ideological rivalry, blabbering about changing China, rejecting China-U.S. relations and driving a wedge between China and other countries, said the spokesperson.

"Their petty tricks will not fool the American people and the international community," he said.

China noticed that Pompeo chose the Richard Nixon Presidential Library as the venue to deliver his speech. President Richard Nixon started the process of normalizing China-U.S. relations and made contributions to the development of bilateral relationship.

"But for those U.S. politicians who fabricate China-related lies and spread anti-China fallacies, we believe that history is just and any attempt to reverse history will not succeed if it goes against the wishes of the Chinese and American people to strengthen exchanges and cooperation," the spokesperson said.

China's foreign policy on the United States is consistent and clear, said Wang. "We are committed to developing a China-U.S. relationship featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. In the meantime, we firmly uphold our sovereignty, security and development interests."

"We urge the United States to reject its Cold War mindset and ideological bias, view China and China-U.S. relations in a fair manner, refrain from those negative words and deeds, and create conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track," Wang said.
She never gets it wrong when it comes to the red carpet.

And on Friday, Australian actress Melissa George stunned as she attended the third day of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival at the Forte Village Resort in Cagliari.

The former Home and Away star, 43, cut a VERY stylish figure in a little black dress, that highlighted her slender physique.

Turning heads: On Friday, Australian actress Melissa George cut a VERY stylish figure in a little black dress by Schiaparelli at the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival

The mother-of-two looked sensational in the fitted gown with a scoop neckline and thick waistband, which accentuated her trim midriff and showed off her toned arms.

The simple design was given a sexy edge with cut-out details and a racy long split which showcased her endless legs at the back.

The actress, who rose to fame playing Angel Parrish on Home And Away, carried a small brown structured clutch bag and coordinated with a pair of closed-toe black pumps and large hoop earrings.

Elegant: The mother-of-two looked sensational in the fitted gown with a scoop neckline and thick waistband which accentuated her trim midriff and showed off her toned arms

Sexy! The simple design of the fitted black dress was given a sexy edge with cut-out details and a racy long split which showcased her endless legs at the back

Stunning: She wore her luscious long strawberry blonde locks in big curls swept over one shoulder and wore flawless makeup including a full coverage foundation with a dewy finish and a soft pink lip

She wore her luscious long strawberry blonde locks in big curls swept over one shoulder and wore flawless makeup including a full coverage foundation with a dewy finish and a soft pink lip.

Melissa is enjoying a short getaway to the Italian city of Cagliari for the festival.

She is based in Paris where she lives with her two sons, Raphael, six, and Solal, four.

The festival, which is in its third year, showcases works in cinema and television and will run until Sunday.

Veteran Hollywood actor Matt Dillon was also in attendance and serves as honorary president for the festival.

Geataway: Melissa is enjoying a short getaway to the Italian city of Cagliari for the festival from her home in Paris. The festival, which is in its third year showcases works in cinema and television and will run until Sunday

Will she ever come back? The Perth-born actress, who had been living in Paris for almost a decade is unlikely to permanently return to Australia. Back in 2012, Melissa famously told The Sydney Morning Herald that she wouldn't return to her birth country because she was sick of local media being 'disrespectful' by mentioning her role on Home and Away

Co-stars: Former Hollyoaks star Guy Burnet posed alongside French actress Nora Arnezender at the event

Dressed to impress: Guy looked dapper in a black suit and an open collared white shirt, while Nora exuded glamour in a white satin dress

Award-winning: Toby Jones was also seen at the event with his award in hand

The Perth-born actress, who had been living in Paris for almost a decade, is unlikely to permanently return to Australia.

Back in 2012, Melissa famously told The Sydney Morning Herald that she wouldn't return to her birth country because she was sick of local media being 'disrespectful' by mentioning her role on Home and Away.

'I don't need credibility from my country any more, I just need them all to be quiet. If they have nothing intelligent to say, please don't speak to me any more,' she said.

'I'd rather be having a croissant and a little espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City.'

Statuesque: Actress Margherita Mazzucco looked stylish in a sleek purple dress

Posing up a storm: Model Carol Alt showed off her statuesque figure in a black gown

Also in attendance: Actress Gaia Gerace, 15, looked chic in a green gown

Glamorous: Italian actress Paola Cortellesi also stepped out onto the red carpet and looked chic in a light blue dress

However, she later changed her tune after temporarily returning Down Under to film the drama Bad Mothers for Channel Nine.

During a promotional interview for the series last year, Melissa gushed to TV Week magazine: 'Whenever I come to Australia, I feel complete.'

She had spent 10 days filming Bad Mothers in Melbourne in 2018, and believes the short stay helped her 'reconnect' with the Australian culture.

'This was a great opportunity to come home and be amongst Australian talent. That's why I wanted to do this,' she explained.

'I'd say a lot of Australian talent gets forced to go overseas  that's the way things work. But when we come home, it's like the last piece of the puzzle to fit.'
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the government would roll out 600 buses in August to ply various routes, including Ikorodu, Abule Egba-Oshodi, and Ikeja.

Mr Sanwo-Olu spoke on Saturday while on an inspection of the Third Mainland Bridge and alternative routes rehabilitated by the state government.

We are rolling out 600 buses in high and medium capacity. The buses will be deployed next month and they will be seen across busy roads.

The medium capacity buses will be plying Obafemi Awolowo Way. Oshodi inward Abule Egba will be priority. We will also be increasing bus capacity from Ikorodu to Tafawa Balewa Square.

The governor also toured various highways where junctions and roundabouts have been redesigned to diffuse traffic, including Allen Junction, Maryland Junction, and Lekkis first and second roundabouts, among others.

On the maintenance works on the Third Mainland Bridge, Mr Sanwo-Olu said the bridges repair was long overdue and could no longer be postponed as it would portend danger to the residents. He urged motorists to be patient and cooperate with traffic management personnel deployed on the routes, while assuring that the Government would ensure speedy work on the bridge.

I am here to supervise the repair activities and to monitor the effect of the closure of the bridge on the vehicular movement, with the aim to enable us focus on where improvement could be made, the governor said.

However, what we need to communicate to the road users is patience. Our traffic management officers are on ground to make their journey hitch-free.

The contractor handling the repair work will be fully on site by Monday. In the next three months, repair work would have been completed on the first lane, while they will move to the other lane.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (right); General Manager, LASTMA, Mr. Olajide Oduyoye (second left) and others during the Governors inspection of the traffic situation due to the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge, on Saturday, July 25, 2020.

While we urge road users for patience, we also advise them to look at the option of waterways transportation in commuting to and from the Island. We have just opened the Ilaje jetty for public use and we are delivering additional six jetties across the State to ease movement.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (right); addressing journalists during his inspection of the traffic situation due to the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge, on Saturday, July 25, 2020.

While inspecting the newly designed Allen Junction on Obafemi Awolowo Way, the governor said he was satisfied with the project, expressing optimism that the new layout would relieve the highway of gridlock.

L-R: Project Manager, Planet Project, Engr. Sanni Ismaheel; Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Federic Oladeinde; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. (Mrs) Aramide Adeyoye, during an inspection of the Lekki roundabout removal, on Saturday, July 25, 2020.

The governor also used the opportunity to explain the slow pace of work on some ongoing capital projects, including the Pen Cinema Bridge in Agege, which, he said, was disrupted by Coronavirus pandemic.

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; State Commissioner for Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu; Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Federic Oladeinde; Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. (Mrs) Aramide Adeyoye and Chairman, Lagos Inter-Agency Monitoring and Enforcement Coordination Committee, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, during an inspection in Surulere on unlawful removal of Manholes, on Saturday, July 25, 2020.

The Pen Cinema Bridge, he said, would now be delivered in October.

Mr Sanwo-Olu was accompanied on the tour by some cabinet members, including the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso; his Transportation counterpart, Fredric Oladehinde; Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye; and Special Adviser on Transport, Toyin Fayinka.

R-L: Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Federic Oladeinde; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. (Mrs) Aramide Adeyoye and Chairman, Lagos Inter-Agency Monitoring and Enforcement Coordination Committee, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, during an inspection in Surulere on unlawful removal of Manholes, on Saturday, July 25, 2020.

Mr Sanwo-Olu also inspected drainage at Eric Moore Road, Eko Bridge and Lekki-Epe Expressway.

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Federic Oladeinde; Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. (Mrs) Aramide Adeyoye and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, during an inspection of the Allen junction regeneration and Roundabout removal, Ikeja, on Saturday, July 25, 2020.

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Federic Oladeinde; Consultant/ Supervisor, Engr. Iwayemi Olalekan, Special Adviser on Transportation, Mr. Toyin Fayinka and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, during an inspection of the Allen junction regeneration and Roundabout removal, on Saturday, July 25, 2020.
Kanye West has been putting a lot of emotional energy in his last minute presidential bid, which he announced July 4th on Twitter.

But the 21-time Grammy winner still somehow has time to work on his next album, which was supposed to drop Friday.

The rapper was spotted Thursday, hard at work, as he directed what appeared to be a music video from his Cody, Wyoming ranch, amid mental health concerns over his bizarre campaign.

On location: Kanye West was spotted Thursday hard at work, as he directed what appeared to be a music video from his Cody, Wyoming ranch

Campaign trail: It comes amid mental health concerns over his bizarre campaign, following his last-minute presidential bid (pictured in July, 2020)

The 43-year-old stood out in a bright blue t-shirt, as he was accompanied by a skeleton crew, mostly wearing black.

They filmed a woman in a yellow hooded jacket with dark braids, sitting next to a body of water on his massive rural property.

West previously missed the release of his tenth studio album Donda: With Child, which was set to drop on July 24.

Although he didn't release a statement or an update on the new release date, the silence did not go unnoticed by fans.

Standing out: The 43-year-old stood out in a bright blue t-shirt, as he was accompanied by a skeleton crew, mostly wearing black

Video vixen: They filmed a woman in a yellow hooded jacket with dark braids, sitting next to a body of water on his massive rural property

Postponed: West previously missed the release of his tenth studio album Donda: With Child, which was set to drop on July 24

No word: Although he didn't release a statement or an update on the new release date, the silence did not go unnoticed by fans

Where's the album? One of his 30.5million Twitter followers wrote: 'WHERE IS DONDA,@kanyewest?! YOU PROMISED DONDA'

One of his 30.5million Twitter followers wrote: 'WHERE IS DONDA,@kanyewest?! YOU PROMISED DONDA.'

The new album is intended as a tribute to his late mother Donda West, who died in November of 2007 at age 58.

He recently tweeted a track list of 20 songs, before deleting it and posting another list with only 12 songs.

It does't appear to include the album's lead single Wash Us In the Blood, but it does feature New Body, for which he collaborated with Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign.

Meanwhile, longtime nemesis Taylor Swift, 30, surprise dropped her eighth album Folklore on the same night as his intended release.

For mom: The new album is intended as a tribute to his late mother Donda West, who died in November of 2007 at age 58 (pictured in February, 2006)

Track list: He recently tweeted a track list of 20 songs, before deleting it and posting another list with only 12 songs

Surprise album: Meanwhile, longtime nemesis Taylor Swift, 30, surprise dropped her eighth album Folklore on the same night as his intended release

Famous feud: The YEEZY creator has been mostly at odds with Swift since he infamously interrupted her acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs (pictured in September, 2009)

Another follower wrote to West: 'Donde esta donda? You realized Taylors got #1 clinched and you postponing, huh?'

The YEEZY creator has been mostly at odds with Swift since he infamously interrupted her acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs.

He's recently been graced with visits on his Wyoming ranch from the likes of Dave Chappelle, Damon Dash and fellow Swift foe Justin Bieber.

West previously gave his first campaign rally in Charleston, South Carolina, which was filled with some controversial statements and followed by an equally controversial Twitter rant.

After revealing he and wife Kim Kardashian, 39, almost aborted daughter North, he said that he's been trying to divorce the SKIMS mogul, and that she and mother Kris Jenner attempted to have him institutionalized.

Controversial statements: West previously gave his first campaign rally in Charleston, South Carolina, which was filled with some controversial statements and followed by an equally controversial Twitter rant

Marital issues: After revealing he and wife Kim Kardashian, 39, almost aborted daughter North, he said that he's been trying to divorce the SKIMS mogul

Kardashian subsequently released a statement on her Instagram Story: 'As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand.

'Ive never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanyes right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.'

She continued: 'I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions... Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words some times do not align with his intentions.'

The power couple tied the knot in May of 2014, and they share daughters North, seven, Chicago, two, and sons Saint, four, and Psalm, one.
The Congress on Saturday said it will launch nationwide protests in front of different Raj Bhavans against the BJP's "anti-democratic and anti-constitutional actions" as the party remains locked in a political crisis in Rajasthan. The ruling Congress in the state has accused the BJP of attempting to topple its government.

The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan is facing rebellion from a section of party MLAs led by Sachin Pilot.

Before the protests, the Congress will organise a nationwide online campaign called Speak Up for Democracy on July 26 from 10 am onward. State units have been asked to ensure the participation of party leaders, MPs, MLAs and other functionaries by way of posting videos and posts on different social media platforms highlighting the issue, said the party in a statement.

At 11am on Monday, all state units will hold protests in front of the Raj Bhavans in their respective states.

"The very basic constitutional and democratic frame of the nation is facing an unprecedented attack from the BJP. Democratic institutions, constitutional values and institutions are being subverted and subjugated in a dangerously premeditated manner, with democratically elected opposition governments in one state after another being toppled by the BJP, using money, intimidation and blatant misuse of constitutional bodies and functionaries," said All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal in a statement.

Accusing the BJP of "horse trading to topple democratically elected governments", Venugopal said this has become normal. The situation has been made more deplorable since the country is reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic, floods and severe economic and financial difficulties, he added.

"It was during the yet ongoing Covid-19 onslaught that the BJP toppled the democratically elected Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, and a similar desperate attempt is now being undertaken in Rajasthan. The BJP and its leaders playing their dirty game to topple down one of the most efficient state governments which has received praises from across the globe for successfully handling the Covid-19 pandemic," said the statement.

Venugopal said the BJP is misusing the high constitutional office of the Governor to destabilise elected governments.

"As we saw in Rajasthan, the Governor is refusing to call a session of the legislative assembly, despite the constitutionally binding and mandatory advise of the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers. The Governors, instead of protecting the constitution, are acting in a blatantly partisan manner that facilitates political horse trading in the states," he said.
michael barbaro

From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily.

[music]

Today: A cooperative relationship with China has been a pillar of the United States foreign policy for more than half a century. Edward Wong on why the Trump administration believes its time for a change. Its Wednesday, July 29. Edward, can you tell me what happened in Houston last week?

edward wong

Sure. We first got a tip that something was up with the Chinese consulate in Houston around Tuesday afternoon or so  that the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. had been told by American officials that he had three days to shut down the consulate, and that the employees here had 30 days to then leave the country. And a colleague and I started chasing this tip, but we couldnt quite nail it down to publish a story.

archived recording Right now at 10, breaking news 

edward wong

And then 

archived recording 1 Houston firefighters and police responding to the Chinese consulate in Montrose after reports of a fire. archived recording 2 Crews were called to the building off Montrose and Herald about 8:20 tonight.

edward wong

In the evening, I started seeing these videos of people burning things in metal barrels, in open metal barrels. And there was video of fire trucks and police cars surrounding the consulate with their lights on, so its quite a dramatic scene.

archived recording And local media were reporting that documents appeared to be being burned in the courtyard of that building.

edward wong

You know, for people in the national security world and the foreign policy world, when you see people burning lots of documents or papers at a diplomatic mission, the assumption is that theyre about to clear out of the mission. So when I saw those videos, I realized that the tip we had gotten that the Chinese ambassador had been told to shut down the Houston consulate within three days was indeed true.

archived recording (wang wenbin) On July the 21st, the U.S. abruptly asked China to close its consulate in Houston.

edward wong

And within hours, the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed that in Beijing.

archived recording (wang wenbin) We urge the U.S. to reverse this incorrect decision immediately. Otherwise, China will definitely take necessary legitimate actions.

michael barbaro

And why would the U.S. take this pretty significant move of kicking these Chinese diplomats out of this consulate in Texas?

edward wong

Officially, people in American government told us that they targeted the Houston consulate because it was a hub of economic espionage and trade secrets espionage in the U.S. But American officials havent given us detailed evidence on the activities undertaken by the Chinese diplomats. And its not clear to us how much farther these activities go beyond the types of covert or espionage activities that take place at missions around the world, including ones run by Americans. But in the bigger picture, a main goal of some American officials in the Trump administration is to unwind a range of diplomatic and economic ties that have built up between the U.S. and China over the decades ever since President Nixon started the opening of China back in 1971.

michael barbaro

So theres a version of this where the U.S. was looking for a reason to unwind this relationship, and espionage  real or not  was that reason.

edward wong

Right.

michael barbaro

And why would the Trump administration want to unwind its relationship with China? I mean, its our single biggest trading partner. Its a global superpower. Its a nuclear power, so thats a pretty significant decision.

edward wong

It is significant, and there are some senior officials in the administration who are against this. Throughout the last three and a half years, weve seen, broadly speaking, two factions of advisers on China competing against each other for Trumps ear. And that helps explain some of the contradictory impulses and policies that weve seen coming out of the administration on China during this period.

michael barbaro

What do you mean?

edward wong

On one side, you had the ones wanting to confront China, in part over trade, and also in part over national security matters. You had Peter Navarro, whos a White House trade adviser.

archived recording (peter navarro) How do you work with a country that lies through its teeth?

edward wong

Who wrote a book called Death by China, and then you also had Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

archived recording (mike pompeo) They very much want to undermine our Western values, all the things that we hold most dear.

edward wong

And those people saw China as a threat to America. And then on the more cooperative side, you have, for example, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

archived recording (steve mnuchin) We need to work together to maximize the benefit for both sides.

edward wong

People who still clung to the classic notions of free trade and thought that the traditional relationship with China was a stabilizing force in the world. And that this had helped American companies get wealthy over the years, as well as had benefited American consumers.

michael barbaro

And Edward, when comes to those who want to confront China, when it comes to the Peter Navarros and the Mike Pompeos, what is their case for why China is such a threat to the U.S. and should be reined in?

edward wong

Well, they argue that China presents a range of strategic threats to the U.S. For example, they say that Chinas attempts to export its 5G technology, its next generation communications technology, around the world presents a security threat. They say that Chinas recent military expansionism in the South China Sea, and its vast maritime claims in that sea, are also a security threat, and they would impede American military dominance in the Asia-Pacific. They point to attempts at economic espionage by China and a vast range of cyber attacks that have targeted the American government and other important institutions around the world.

michael barbaro

Am I right to think that, from the start of his presidency, the confrontation camp more or less prevailed?

edward wong

Well, its complicated. The first big blow to the U.S.-China relationship under the Trump administration was in mid-2018.

archived recording (donald trump) Were going to have some incredible things. Were just announcing very big tariffs today on China, because China has been 

edward wong

When President Trump started putting tariffs on billions of dollars of goods made in China, China retaliated by doing the same on American goods.

archived recording So heres what they would do. They target farm products such as soybean cars, seafood 

edward wong

And then just spiral downward from there.

archived recording 1 Medical equipment, energy products, that would start a little bit  archived recording 2 As the U.S.-China trade war escalates, business leaders have been speaking up. FedEx C.E.O. 

edward wong

So the trade war had this huge impact on companies, both in the U.S. and outside of the U.S. And it created a lot of instability in their thinking about how to do business.

archived recording The escalating trade battle between the U.S. and China is rocking investors around the world.

edward wong

It created a lot of instability in the stock markets, which Trump watches closely. And 

archived recording Some farmers in the U.S.A., the disruption of normal trade with China has forced many of them to go bankrupt.

edward wong

Important groups of voters who had supported Trump, for example, farmers in the Midwest, were starting to suffer.

archived recording I was a Trump voter. I voted for the president, certainly. But he certainly hasnt come through. Hes lost on trade. Hes lost on trade, and certainly 

edward wong

They saw agricultural products like corn and soybeans piling up in the Midwest, because China had imposed tariffs on their end to strike back at Trump.

archived recording So I wont be voting for the president again.

edward wong

So Trump and some of his economic advisers, especially those who were preaching more cooperation with China, started to get nervous about these economic signs that they were seeing, as well as about the anxieties of these midwestern farmers and potential Trump voters there.

michael barbaro

And so what do they do, these cooperation camp folks who are not happy with this trade war?

edward wong

Well, as they go through negotiations for a potential truce to the trade war, President Trump talks with President Xi of China several times. And they have these, like, sort of one-on-one conversations that Trump likes to do with leaders. And in each of these, Trump sort of cozies up to Xi, and its clear hes willing to sort of brush aside a lot of sort of the most egregious behaviors of China in the pursuit of this trade deal.

michael barbaro

Like what?

edward wong

In one conversation, according to John Bolton  the former national security adviser  Trump encouraged Xi to actually continue building internment camps for Muslims in the northwest of China and sort of signaled that this wasnt a big issue for him.

michael barbaro

These are the Uighurs?

edward wong

Right, these are the Uighurs, exactly. The ones a million or more held over recent years in internment camps. And, for example, weve seen these, during this period, these pro-democracy protests arise in Hong Kong. And while Trumps national security aides are supportive of them, Trump himself tells Xi privately in a phone call that Xi should just handle those in whatever way he wants to deal with those, and that Trump himself will not say anything about those, and hell tell his aides not to say anything vocally among those protests either.

michael barbaro

So in this trade war thats supposed to represent confrontation with China, theres actually a fair amount of cooperation going on, most of it behind the scenes.

edward wong

Right, exactly. And ultimately, in December, they reach a tentative agreement, and then they signed that in January of this year. And I think that brought a big sense of relief to the people in the cooperation camp. I think they were relieved to see a sense of stability returned to this key economic relationship. Now, the confrontation people in the White House and in other agencies were generally disappointed, I think, by the outcome of the deal. They felt that Trump had sidelined a lot of the hardline policies they had pushed for in the first half of the administration for the sake of just trying to get a marginal increase in agricultural purchases. And also, there is a sense of outrage among some of them. And this was in John Boltons recent book, that Trump was also aiming for this negotiated truce purely for re-election purposes. That he pleaded with Xi in a conversation that Xi should get help him get re-elected, should help him win, and that the best way to do this was to reach some sort of truce or deal in the trade war that he could then bring back to his constituents. And so certain national security people were outraged by this, saying that Trump was focused purely on personal politics and was not looking after the national security interests of the United States.

michael barbaro

Edward, what youre describing so far, especially this trade deal, does not seem like a relationship that is about to be fundamentally unwound and blown up. So what happens to get us from that truce to now, into the shutdown of this consulate in Houston?

edward wong

Well, what changes things is this pandemic that starts in central China and spreads across the globe. That sets the two powers on a much more confrontational course.

[music]

michael barbaro

Well be right back.

archived recording (donald trump) I spoke with President Xi. We had a great talk. Hes working very hard. I have to say hes working very, very hard.

edward wong

So in the first weeks after the virus started spreading around the globe, Trump was still praising Xi publicly.

archived recording (donald trump) If you know anything about him, I think hell be in pretty good shape. Theyve had a rough patch, and I think right now, they have it  it looks like theyre getting it under control more and more.

edward wong

This was in January and February right after they had signed the trade agreement, so Trump was still in this mode where he wanted intensely to preserve that negotiated truce. But by the spring 

archived recording (donald trump) We got hit by the virus that came from China.

edward wong

Trump was laying into China publicly for what had happened. You know, the pandemic had spread into all corners of the U.S. The economy was in shambles. Trump was seeing his re-election chances starting to go down the drain.

archived recording (donald trump) And we continue our relentless effort to defeat the Chinese virus. archived recording Why do you keep using this? A lot of people say its racist. archived recording (donald trump) Because it comes from China. Its not racist at all, no. Not at all. It comes from China. Thats why. It comes from China. I want to be accurate.

edward wong

And so his campaign strategists came up with this idea that they can try and shift the conversation to China, rather than having people focused on Trumps failures on the pandemic. And that by blaming China for all of this, they could win back some of the votes that Trumps starting to lose. Some of his top advisers. started speculating whether the virus might have started from a lab accident 

archived recording I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.

edward wong

 even though there was no evidence for that.

archived recording Have you seen anything at this point that gives you a high degree of confidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the origin of this virus? archived recording (donald trump) Yes, I have. Yes, I have.

edward wong

So you have this very concerted effort by Trump to really cast China as the person or the entity to blame for all of this.

archived recording (donald trump) Chinas cover-up of the Wuhan virus allowed the disease to spread all over the world, instigating a global pandemic.

michael barbaro

And where does the pandemic fit into the kind of now familiar outlines that you have described of the confrontation camp versus the cooperation camp? I have to imagine it kind of challenges both.

edward wong

The pandemic really empowers the hawks in the administration to say, we really have to go after China. Look at how their misgovernance, how their political system led us to this point  led America into an economic crisis thats been the worst since the Great Depression. And even the people in the cooperation camp are starting to change their minds a bit. Its hard to tell the world that we should prioritize this trade agreement that just rests on some agriculture purchases when youve got this global crisis enveloping everything, and when American citizens are anxious about their future.

michael barbaro

And how does China respond to these attacks from Trump and from his advisers?

edward wong

So what were hearing this spring is Chinese officials denouncing the U.S. for all of these attacks. And they also point out that the Chinese system actually has handled the virus a lot better than the American system. They say even though there might have been this outbreak in central China, look at how we controlled it through the measures we took, and look at how the virus is running rampant in the U.S. And China also then starts to try and send out aid to other countries. It starts sending shipments of, for example, medical supplies, medical equipment, facemasks, to other countries around the world, and even to parts of the U.S., to try and sort of mask over its own responsibility for how the outbreak began in its country. So the relationship between the two powers was bad, and then it got worse.

archived recording And we have some breaking news coming in. Chinas annual parliamentary meeting has been officially opened in Beijing, and its expected that national security legislation for Hong Kong will be discussed during the seven-day session.

edward wong

In the late spring, Chinese officials start talking about this new national security law that they want to impose on Hong Kong.

archived recording 1 Well, the specifics of the news has sent shockwaves across the city. archived recording 2 It says Beijing will set up a new National Security Bureau in Hong Kong, supervised by the central government to crack down on dissent in the city. archived recording The legislation has faced sharp criticism from governments all around the world and sparked new protests in Hong Kong.

edward wong

And so this continues the downward spiral that U.S.-China relations have been on.

michael barbaro

Right, and Im imagining that that security law was especially upsetting to those who want confrontation with China. That seems to be exactly the kind of thing that they find so objectionable.

edward wong

Thats right. As you recall, they were very upset at Trump for putting the Hong Kong issue on the backburner in his aim to try and reach some sort of trade truce with China. And now they were intent on pushing forward on policies and actions that would make the Communist Party pay a price, not only for what they would do in Hong Kong, but for their actions in other parts of the world and for their role in the pandemic. So they started announcing a series of actions against China that really brought the relationship to a new low. They said that Hong Kong was no longer an autonomous entity, and that the U.S. would break off its special relationship with Hong Kong.

michael barbaro

Wow.

edward wong

They imposed visa restrictions on a category of students who were associated with military institutions in China. They said that these students can no longer come to the U.S. to do research or study because of suspicions of potential economic espionage. Theyve even floated a proposal internally to block all 92 million members of the Communist Party from traveling to the U.S., as well as their family members, which could encompass hundreds of millions of people. Its really felt like a moment where the gloves have been taken off in this relationship, and where the people in the administration who want to fundamentally reorient the relationship with China have the upper hand right now.

michael barbaro

Edward, is it possible that, at the end of the day, what youre describing here and the events of the past couple of weeks, its the right strategy for the U.S.? Because China is behaving in ways that fundamentally violate American values, especially in Hong Kong, especially with the Uighurs. And so no matter what motivates Donald Trump to begin confronting China, is that potentially a good thing for the United States?

edward wong

Well, the people who are supportive of the more confrontational approach say that this type of strategy on China is long overdue. Now its time to really push back against China on all these fronts, especially at a time when China hasnt overtaken the U.S. yet as the worlds largest economy and its still a rising power. And this is a moment when we have this opening to really reframe the conversation on China, not only U.S., but globally, and sort of rally countries to really confront China on a whole range of issues.

michael barbaro

Right. So basically, this is our last chance?

edward wong

Right. They see it as time running out. Then youve got people on the other camp who say, we dont know where this will end. This starts this downward spiral in relations that starts to erode all the diplomatic ties, economic ties, the people-to-people ties that have kept the relationship firm over the decades, a relationship thats an unlikely one. Youve got this close relationship between a Western democracy and an authoritarian state. And somehow, theyve managed to avoid open conflict. Theyve managed to avoid war. And where could we end up, where could the world end up if we start breaking off those ties now?

michael barbaro

Right. It could end up in a pretty dangerous place.

edward wong

Right.

michael barbaro

So I want to return to where we started this conversation, Edward, which is with the U.S. kicking China out of this consulate in Houston, because it very much seems like this is the capstone to this approach. And I wonder what the response has been from China, and what that tells us about what this dynamic of confrontation is going to start to look like over the next coming months and maybe even years.

edward wong

Well last Friday, we saw China announce that it was going to force the U.S. to shut down its consulate in Chengdu, which is the only diplomatic mission that the U.S. has in Western China. Its a very critical mission for the U.S., because it allows American officials to observe whats going on in the vast reaches of that part of the country, including in Tibet, which is a very important issue for the U.S. The people in Beijing couch this as a reciprocal action. And some people still say that they could have taken a more escalatory step, but that they appear to be willing to hold back and see whether there might be some reset of the relationship if Trump loses the election in November. But even if that were the case, Im not sure that their orientation of the relationship would change. There might be a temporary halt to the tit-for-tat cycle that were seeing. But it feels like because of where the U.S. and China are now in the world, and the entrenched ideological systems in both countries, we might be on course for a long-term confrontation.

archived recording (mike pompeo) Thank you. Thank you all.

edward wong

And you could hear that a few days ago in this very dark speech that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave at the Nixon Library.

archived recording (mike pompeo) We, the freedom-loving nations of the world, must induce China to change in more creative and assertive ways, because Beijings actions threaten our people and our prosperity.

edward wong

He laid out a vision of a potential cold war with China, and said that China was the most challenging foe to the United States.

archived recording (mike pompeo) Now, people of good faith can debate why free agents allowed these bad things to happen for all these years. Perhaps we were naive about Chinas virulent strain of communism, or triumphalist after our victory in the Cold War. Or cravenly capitalist, or hoodwinked by Beijings talk of a peaceful rise. Whatever the reason, whatever the reason, today, China is increasingly authoritarian at home and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else. And President Trump has said enough.

[music]

michael barbaro

Edward, thank you very much.

edward wong

Thanks a lot, Michael. Its been great being on the show.

michael barbaro

Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today.

archived recording Mr. Barr, you may begin. archived recording (william barr) Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Jordan. Im pleased to be here this morning. On behalf of the Department of Justice, I want to pay my respects 

michael barbaro

During his first appearance before the House since Democrats took control in 2018, Attorney General Bill Barr was repeatedly challenged over his response to everything from the Russia investigation to nationwide protests over policing.

archived recording (david cicilline) Is it ever appropriate, sir, for the president to solicit or accept foreign assistance in an election? archived recording (william barr) It depends what kind of assistance. archived recording (david cicilline) Is it ever appropriate for the president or presidential candidate to accept or solicit foreign assistance of any kind in his or her election? archived recording (william barr) No, its not appropriate. archived recording (david cicilline) OK. Sorry you had to struggle with that one, Mr. Attorney General. Now lets turn to 

michael barbaro

Several Democratic lawmakers, including Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington State, demanded to know why Barr had deployed federal agents to Oregon to monitor Black Lives Matter protests, but not to Michigan, where conservatives protested a coronavirus lockdown order.

archived recording (pramila jayapal) There is a real discrepancy in how you react as the attorney general, the top cop in this country. When white men with swastikas storm a government building with guns, there is no need for the president to quote, activate you, because theyre getting the presidents personal agenda done. But when black people and people of color protest police brutality, systemic racism and the presidents very own lack of response to those critical issues, then you forcibly remove them with armed federal officers, pepper bombs, because they are considered terrorists by the president. Did I get it right, Mr. Barr? archived recording (william barr) I have responsibility for the federal government, and the White House is the seat of the  archived recording (pramila jayapal) Mr. Barr, let me just make it clear 

michael barbaro

And on Tuesday, the nations second-largest teachers unit, the American Federation of Teachers, announced that it would support members if they choose to go on strike over unsafe school reopenings. The union said that strikes should be a last resort, but the announcement gives local teachers greater leverage in negotiations over the kinds of protections that teachers should have in reopened schools.

[music]
No one wants to go back to school more than I do

It is imperative that we have a real plan in place

I love my job. It is my calling, my lifes work. I have done this for more than twenty years at the same urban public school. My students amuse me and amaze me on a daily basis. Yet the urgent desire of people who are not in education to get schools up and running, frankly, amazes me. Despite all my love for my students, I dont really want to die for them or anyone else. Neither does my partner, who is living with cancer. It is imperative that we have a real plan in place if we have school. Teachers and students and cafeteria workers and secretaries and custodians and librarians and bus drivers all deserve to be safe while at their jobs.  Eva Lockhart, Minneapolis

Returning to normal requires, first and foremost, controlling the virus

Of course we need to reopen schools. However, heres a few things that need to happen: Reliable, regular and random testing seems one important criteria. In that vein, is the school nurse responsible for all this testing? Where does all the P.P.E. (personal protective equipment) come from? What about substitute teachers for regular old 24-hour bugs? How many teachers receive combat pay while being forced into mortal heroics? All of our societys shortcomings are being exacerbated by this pandemic, and too many forget that returning to normal requires, first and foremost, controlling the virus.  James Siegel, Maine

Remote learning was adequate at best

Im the parent of a 12-year-old. Her experience with remote learning was adequate at best. She is very shy and it was easy for her to be missed by her teachers. Two of her teachers had problems transitioning. Does my daughter want to go back to the classroom? Yes. Do I prefer that she does? Yes. Do I want to risk her health in order for her to return to the classroom? No! Luckily I live in Massachusetts, where decisions on school reopenings are being made by intelligent, thinking people. Too bad the same cant be said about the federal government.  Alan, Massachusetts

If young kids are home, one parent has to quit their job

Im a parent of a first grader and remote learning is a disaster. My kid only had one hour of remote learning a day. The one hour was far from smooth (interruptions, technology issues). I had to teach my child the rest of the day while trying to keep up with my job. Not everyone has one parent staying at home who can home-school the kids. Some parents actually have to go to the office in the fall. Basically, if young kids are home, one parent has to quit their job. Teachers should take the proper precautions (masks and sanitizer) and come to school to teach.  DK, New Jersey

Tell me how to have a socially distanced active shooter drill

There isnt anyone involved in schools or childrens lives who doesnt want to see children return to school safely. But we are not yet safe. Tell me how to get a 6-year-old to not sneeze on his friends let alone play and work from a distance (mucus, saliva, pee, poop, this is all part of our day at the lower levels of education). Tell me how each child is going to have her own supplies for the day as shared supplies are no longer an option. No more Legos, no more books. Tell me how to comfort a hysterical child from a distance of six feet. Tell me how to have a socially distanced active shooter drill. Seriously, tell me. Because no one wants to go back to school more than I do.  Anna B, Westchester, N.Y.
Online media in Benin are facing a complete wipeout after the authorities ordered them to shut down, in a move critics say is aimed at stifling journalists ahead of elections next year. The west African nation's state media regulator issued a decree in early July ordering all online outlets to "end publication" or risk facing legal punishment. The watchdog said internet outlets had been opened "without prior authorisation" and that those behind them had not been properly vetted. "This constitutes a danger to the country," said Fernand Gbaguidi, spokesman for the High Audiovisual and Communication Authority. Since the announcement Leonce Gamai, the managing director of popular investigative news site Banouto, has been losing sleep. Work at the outlet is "on hold" and he has had to suspend his staff of seven journalists until the situation becomes clearer. He insists the site long ago went through all the legal formalities and is hoping to get the greenlight to return to business soon. But the financial situation is becoming increasingly precarious. "We have commitments with partners and we have the obligation to honour them," Gamai told AFP. - 'Reduce us to silence' - Benin, Nigeria's western neighbour of 11 million people, has long been seen as one of the region's most stable democracies. But since business magnate Patrice Talon became president in 2016, journalists and opponents have complained of increasing authoritarianism. For many in the media the latest move against online outlets is yet another attempt to curb potentially critical voices. The government pushed through controversial legislation in 2018 targeting those working online and criminalising the sharing of "false information" on social media. A growing number of journalists and bloggers have faced investigation under the law. Last December investigative TV reporter Ignace Sossou was detained after tweeting statements by a state prosecutor. He was eventually sentenced to a year in jail on charges including "harassment" and released in June after serving six months. "They want to reduce us to silence because those in power cannot control online media as easily as they do with traditional outlets," one journalist at an internet TV station told AFP on condition of anonymity. The reporter insisted the motives are clear for the authorities. Talon has been grappling with a political crisis since disputed parliamentary elections last year -- and is facing a presidential vote next April. Those in power want to carry out "a purge in the media before the election", the web journalist said. Benin this year dropped 17 places to 113th out of 180 countries in the annual press freedom index from Reporters Without Borders. "Journalists enjoy a significant degree of freedom of expression," the media rights group said. "However, the state-owned media have provided little coverage of opposition activities since Patrice Talon became president in 2016, and the media have been subjected to close surveillance." Zakiath Latoundji, head of Benin's Union of Media Professionals, said attempts to "clean up" the online space were not necessarily bad. But he denounced the "brutality" of the move from the state media regulator. Eustace Agboton, who heads an association for internet journalists, insisted the move amounted to "a kind of restriction of freedom of expression". "When we know the increasingly important role played by online media, we have the right to question the timing of this," she said. Since business magnate Patrice Talon became president of Benin in 2016, journalists and opponents have complained of increasing authoritarianism
A raging lynch mob has demanded for police to hand over a suspected paedophile to them after a kidnapped five-year-old girl was found bound and naked at his flat after being raped.

A crowd of angry people stormed the 62-year-old's home, along with a local police station and administration building in Satpayev, Kazakhstan, where he was held.

Locals had launched a hunt for the kidnapper after a father reported his daughter missing.

An angry group of locals are demanding for the police to hand the 62-year-old alleged paedophile to them after a five-year-old girl was found bound and naked in his flat

A huge crowd of people followed the man to the police station while others ransacked his home in Satpayev, Kazakhstan

Police used loudspeakers to call the child's name and heard her crying from behind the 62-year-old man's door. Officers broke it down and found her naked and bound with adhesive tape.

Earlier they had checked the same flat but had not found her because she was 'hidden in a sofa'.

The police said a medical examination confirmed the girl had been raped.

As the man was detained by police, the mob followed him to the police station while they also stormed and ransacked his flat.

Some police cars were set on fire during the demonstrations in which they demanded he be lynched, reported Fergana news agency.

The agency also said sticks and stones were thrown at the police officers.

Several police cars were set on fire during the demonstrations and sticks and stones are reported to have been thrown at police officers

Police found the youngster naked and bound by tape in an apartment they had previously been to while hunting for the five-year-old

Tengrinews.kz reported that the child was found in a stranger's flat and after she was found he was handed over to doctors.

A neighbour of the suspect said: 'We heard the sounds of popping noises and the smell of acrid smoke.'

They added that they were scared the mob may set fire to the entrance of their apartment block.

The suspect has been charged with rape and kidnap.

Head of the Kazakhstan Lawyers' Union, Serik Berkamalov, said: 'The first reaction to violence against a small child is naturally the most violent and instinctive - to shoot on the spot, to tear him apart alive.

The mob stormed and ransacked the suspect's flat while he was detained by police officers

'I will not hide that as a father I felt the same. We are all living people. You can understand the crowd of lynchers but you cannot support it.'

He stressed that the laws against paedophiles had been toughened in Kazakhstan, with child rapists facing chemical castration.

This week a hero Kazakhstani policeman was honoured after a suspected paedophile leapt from a window on the thirteen floor of a building and the officer jumped after him.

Father of six Bakytzhan Bakirov, 36, was so determined to catch the 'rapist' that he did not give a moment's thought to the consequences of falling from such a height, he said.

Unknown to him there was a terrace 20ft below and the officer, based in the city of Almaty, broke his foot but managed to hold the suspect until help arrived.

The alleged paedophile named Citizen Sh is accused of breaking into a house and raping a 15-year-old girl after stealing 13,500 and terrorising her brother, four.

A nurse and grandmother tasked with castrating paedophiles in Kazakhstan claims the West should follow the ex-Soviet state's example.

Zoya Manaenko, 68, insists it is right that child sex attackers should face this ultimate punishment.

'These people need to be stopped somehow,' said Zoya who works in a prison hospital.

'They commit terrible crimes against children. So it is right that the law allows this.'
"It's pretty miserable. I don't think anyone does this because they have other options."

 Liz Hitt, the executive director of Homeless and Travelers Aid Society, on panhandlers

"Kids are kids. You do all these stupid things in life, right? I will say to them, learn from this, do the right thing going forward. But come forward, because you're not in trouble."

 Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, on the county's efforts to track down more than 200 college-age students who attended a July 4 weekend party in Albany traced to a coronavirus outbreak

"It will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better."

 President Donald Trump on the coronavirus pandemic that he had originally predicted would "magically disappear" in warm weather

Quote Quiz: What was Jane Boyd Thomas, a professor of marketing at Winthrop University in South Carolina, referring to when she said this?

"Being there at the crack of dawn, waiting in lines, the hustle and bustle in the store  that's probably not going to exist."

Answer: Black Friday during the pandemic
ECOWAS Delegation Fails to End Mali's Political Crisis

By Nicolas Pinault July 24, 2020

Hopes for cooling down Mali's heated political crisis came to nothing Thursday night in Mali's capital, Bamako.

After hours of closed-door meetings, each side held firm on its position.

The M5 Movement still demands that President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita resign. But the demand is a red flag for the ruling party and the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which rejects any unconstitutional change among its members.

The presidents of Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Ivory Coast and Senegal met in Bamako in an effort to ease tensions. The current chair of ECOWAS, Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou, said shortly before leaving Mali that the bloc will take up the crisis again Monday at an extraordinary summit.

Issoufou reaffirmed the need to find a compromise to enable Mali to end this crisis, and felt optimistic that a deal is still reachable.

This is not the first regional effort to ease tensions and quell the deadly protests that have resulted in 11 deaths during the past few weeks. ECOWAS's involvement is seen as biased by many opposition followers who claim heads of state are protecting each other.

However, ECOWAS status and texts clearly mention the defense of the rule of law to prevent unconstitutional change and coups.

"ECOWAS has been building a tradition of involvement, including protocols on good governance and democracy," said Gilles Yabi, founder of WATHI, the Citizen Think Tank of West Africa. If there is no deal, he added, "it would be a difficult option for them because the perception would be bad from the opposition, the M5 Movement and the public opinion."

The June 5 Movement, named after the date when the protests began, has tapped into deep anger over Keita's perceived failure to tackle the struggling economy, corruption and an eight-year jihadist insurrection.

Malians are also angry at the disputed outcome of long-delayed parliamentary elections in March and April that handed victory to Keita's party. The president dissolved the constitutional court in June after it overturned provisional election results.

Dakono Baba, a researcher with the Citizen Observatory on governance and security in Bamako, said even if Keita stays in power, this frustration must be addressed.

People want their leader to improve good governance and fight against impunity in the judicial system, Baba said, adding that the Malian people's frustration needs to be taken into consideration, or tensions could increase.

The opposition M5 Movement stated that its original demand  Keita's resignation  has not changed, but media reports indicate a unity government could be formed, and new judges to the constitutional court appointed.

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(Natural News) When talking about systematic racism inside police departments and law enforcement in general, the narrative may sound emotionally compelling, with carefully selected videos that graphically depict what might appear to be abuse at the hands of officer.

(Article republished from LawEnforcementToday.com)

However, statistics are often conveniently left out, as they disprove the allegations.

The Black Lives Matter movement would lead its followers to believe police brutality runs rampant across the country, especially in big cities.

They push the narrative that innocent black males are in mortal danger of being randomly shot, or even deliberately targeted, by a law enforcement system bent on elimination of African Americans. Again, the data not support this.

Not only does it not support that accusation, it tells a completely opposite story.

For example, in 2019, only nine unarmed black males were killed by police across the entire US. Similar statistics permeate the data for the past several years. And just because they were unarmed  not carrying a deadly weapon  doesnt mean they were not a threat or that the shooting was not justified.

CNN and MSNBCs evening shows ignored the breaking news of a mass shooting in Chicago. https://t.co/Nd458m0KyP  Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) July 23, 2020

Does that disprove racism inside law enforcement? Maybe or maybe not. But what it does show is that the allegations of police officers targeting black males seems to not stack up against the actual numbers.

The debate about police racism has always boiled down to the emotionally persuasive narrative vs. actual data and numbers. As much as we would like to think numbers would be more persuasive, sadly they often are not enough to overcome deep seated ideologies and beliefs, no matter how false.

Chicago, a recent hotbed of racial accusation toward law enforcement, has become an example of the disparity between the perception of law enforcement interaction and actual data pulled together by the same leaders who claim outrage.

Mayors in Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit and Jacksonville have rejected President Trump's threat to deploy federal agents to their cities to crack down on protests. Instead, they say the administration should help tackle problems like gun violence.https://t.co/aTUfEkvm7y  The New York Times (@nytimes) July 22, 2020

For example, in 2019 alone there were 560 homicides in Chicago. Out of all those murders, 475 victims were black, killed not by the police or even by white people. They were killed by other blacks.

Thats an 85% black-on-black murder rate.

The most recent stats for law enforcement use of force is 2018 (the 2019 report wont be published until late 2020).

It showed over 3 million police-civilian interactions, resulting in 85,000 arrests  one out of every 35 contacts. But what about use of deadly force? The report showed that out of the 12,000 officers in the Chicago PD, there were only 43 firearm discharges the entire year.

That translates to approximately .004% of officers getting involved in shootings.

But the statistics tell an even bigger story.

Not all 43 weapon discharges resulted in deaths. In fact, the entire CPD averaged only 10 civilian deaths per year between 2013 and 2018. And since 2007, just one of the 400 deaths by police was found to be unjustified. All the other were legal and justified.

One statistic that is rarely reported is that almost all of the Chicago PD officers  95%  have never discharged their weapons on duty.

This certainly does not bode well for the BLM narrative that systematic racism exists within the CPD.

Even more data shows that not only are Chicago PD officers not trigger happy  toward minorities or otherwise  they show great restraint in dealing with violent encounters.

In 2018 alone, over 1,200 officers were injured during use of force incidents. Over 300 of those injuries were after facing severe assault from suspects.

Fact Check: Obama Failed to Send Help to Stop Violent Crime in Chicago https://t.co/PUuB8JjdzN  Joel B. Pollak (@joelpollak) July 23, 2020

While it may be fashionable for individuals and corporations to back the Black Lives Matter movement due to social pressure, they are embracing a false narrative that simply is not supported by actual numbers.

The recent data from Chicago is just one example.

Heres more on violence in Chicago- again, not at the hands of police.

At least 14 people were rushed to area hospitals after a shootout on Chicagos South Side Tuesday night  outside a funeral home.

All we saw was just bodies laying everywhere, witness Arnita Gerder told WMAQ. Shot up everywhere, all over. Legs, stomach, back, all over the place. We thought it was a war out here.

According to the Chicago Police Departments First Deputy Supt. Eric Carter, an SUV was traveling on 79th Street around 7:30 p.m. when people in it opened fire on those attending a funeral.

Several of the attendees pulled out their own guns and opened fire on the vehicle. It then took off and crashed not long after.

According to Carter, the people inside the SUV van off.

Its not known who the shooters are at this point, and were told by police sources that even though at least one person of interest is being interviewed nobody wants to snitch.

The victims were all adults and were taken to five different hospitals.

The Chicago Fire Department told local media that at least nine are in serious condition.

According to police, there were at least 60 shell casings found at the scene of the attack  and its not known whether there was a prior history between the two groups or if it was gang-related.

We saw a hat down on the ground and evidently it was his, Kenneth Hughes, told WMAQ.

According to police, an officer had been assigned to the funeral as a precaution because of the size of the gathering.

On Monday, more than 20 people were shot in Chicago and over the weekend, 63 people were shot and 12 were killed.

As a result, President Trump vowed to send federal forces into the city something local leaders rejected, calling an overreach of the federal government.

Thats not going to stop them.

The Department of Homeland Security says theyll deploy dozens of federal agents to Chicago to deal with the uptick in violent crime.

In a tweet Tuesday night, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said no way.

Under no circumstances will I allow Donald Trumps troops to come to Chicago and terrorize our residents, she wrote.

Over the weekend, Chicago Fraternal Order of Polices president John Catanzara asked for help from President Trump to combat Chicagos gun violence problem.

The months of May, June, and July 2020 were a filled with shooting sprees across Chicago.

FOP President Catanzara wrote:

I would be willing to sit down anytime and discuss ideas about how we can bring civility back to the streets of Chicago. These politicians are failing the good men and women of this city and the police department.

Mayor Lightfoot has proved to be a complete failure who is either unwilling or unable to maintain law and order here.

Chicago FOP President John Catanzara Jr. has issued a letter to President Trump, asking for help from the federal government to fight chaos in Chicago and calling Mayor Lori Lightfoot a complete failure. https://t.co/iYbJDeLTGk  CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) July 18, 2020

Catanzara also complained that he has been to City Hall to speak to Chicagos leadership about the increasing gun violence.

Catanzara said:

These politicians are failing the good men and women of this city and police department. . I have pushed back on their failing liberal policies. I really believe your help and cooperation could make a big difference and rally the silent majority to say enough is enough.

He continued:

These politicians are failing the good men and women of this city and police department. . I have pushed back on their failing liberal policies. I really believe your help and cooperation could make a big difference and rally the silent majority to say enough is enough.

https://twitter.com/ChicagoPD19/status/1284675599848660992

President Trump has criticized the leadership of Chicago as well. In June, Trump sent a letter to Chicago Mayor Lightfoot and Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker demanding the to urge action on the devastating violence in Chicago.

This urgency stems from the recent months of gun violence in Chicago. It is only July and already the numbers compared to last year are way up.

President Trump wrote:

Your lack of leadership on this important issue continues to fail the people you have sworn to protect. I am concerned it is another example of your lack of commitment to the vulnerable citizens who are victims of this violence and lack of respect for the men and women in law enforcement.

Mayor Lightfoot responded to President Trumps letter.

She wrote:

If you really wanted to help the city, lets start with the fact that you would weigh in, Mr. President, on common sense gun reform. It makes no sense that people from Chicago can go across the border to Indiana and buy military grad weapons and bring them to our city and kill our children.

Chicago has experienced many of its deadliest weekends since the summer holidays began, peaking at Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July weekend.

Over Memorial Day weekend, over 80 citizens were shot and almost 24 killed. In June, in one weekend there over 104 citizens shot and 14 killed. On the Fourth of July weekend there were over 70 citizens shot and 16 killed.

Chicago Police Department released data mid-June 2020 in response to President Trumps remarks on their murder clearance rate of 47% in 2019. Chicago PD stated their murder clearance rate in 2019 was 53%.

At the end of 2019, 419 citizens were killed in the span of a year, which is a 13% reduction from 567 murders in 2018. This marks a drop in murders for three years straight.

Mayor Lightfoot commented on Memorial Day weekends violence, one of the most deadliest Memorial Day weekends in a long time.

At the time, Mayor Lightfoot said:

The reality is there is no circumstance like the one that we are facing.

She commented the city is lacking federal resources, jail admittance and court hearings during COVID-19 pandemic. This is also making community police very difficult, perhaps the most difficult in over 20 years.

President Trump signed an executive order on police reform in mid-June as well.

Before signing the executive order, he said:

Every day, police officers make great sacrifices o keep our community secure and safe. In 2018, our police arrested nearly 12,000 citizens for murder, 25,000 citizens for rape and nearly 1.5 million for assault. Very dangerous criminals. In many cases, local law enforcement is underfunded, understaffed, and under-supported.

Read more at: LawEnforcementToday.com
Sunshine and Tumult. The title of this Emily Carr painting is surely an expression of what were all experiencing right now. From extremes of weather  blazing sun for weeks on end, broken by storms with winds and rains that leave us in awe  to the tumult of emotions that accompany each day of pandemic life. The swirling blues of the sky and greens of the majestic trees suggest movement and change.

In the late years of the 19th and early years of the 20th century, Carr travelled throughout British Columbia, where she witnessed the disappearing First Nations and a landscape being wrought by logging and Western commerce. It was a time when Canada as a nation was deciding what it wanted to be. She studied in California, in France and in England, where she was encouraged to paint en plein air, the idea being the artist gains an immediacy and intensity of experience that allows them to capture, for example, the nuances of changing light.

Carr took the tools of creation, her paints, brushes and easel, outdoors.

She painted this particular piece in 1939, one of many great works realized in the later part of her career, after a long period of creative drought. In 1913, discouraged by her lack of acceptance in the Canadian art world, she turned to the business of running a boarding house along with other pursuits until, in 1927, some of her pieces were exhibited at this countrys National Gallery  there she met the Group of Seven and was famously told you are one of us.

In this later creative period, she also began using a new medium. Wrote Lisa Baldissera, author of Emily Carr: Life & Work, She worked on paper and used gasoline to thin her oil paints, which resulted in a viscosity and density that still retained the ease of watercolour during her excursions.

Now that the weather is better and we are spending more time en plein air, we are experiencing a more immediate and intense relationship with the world around us.

Like Carr, we are living in a world of movement and change, together creating as a country, community and individuals, a new way forward.

Explore more of the Art Gallery of Hamiltons collection in person, with proper social distancing, or at artgalleryofhamilton.com.
Click here to read the full article.

Steven Frumkin, dean of the Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology at the Fashion Institute of Technology, died Thursday in Miami. The cause was COVID-19.

With Dean Frumkins passing, we have lost a most valuable member of our community, said FITs president, Dr. Joyce F. Brown. Through his leadership, he not only earned the trust, affection, and respect of faculty, staff, and students, but also shaped the future of his school.

More from WWD

Frumkin led the Baker School, FITs largest, for eight years since 2002. His appointment marked a return to FIT for Frumkin, who was an adjunct assistant professor in the colleges Textile Development and Marketing program from 1994 to 2000.

As dean, he was the force behind the accreditation of the majority of the schools programs by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, a status achieved by fewer than half of the countrys higher-education institutions with business programs.

Frumkin helped expand the reach of many of the schools programs and recruited and developed innovative faculty. He was also instrumental in obtaining state-of-the-art technology for classrooms and labs.

Frumkin had an inimitable sense of humor, and was known for his fairness, supportive nature and for being deeply student-centered, according to FIT. Each year, he worked closely with student organizations including helping them secure funds for new equipment and finding storage space.

Prior to joining FIT, Frumkin worked as an associate professor at the School of Business Administration/School of Textiles at Philadelphia University.

The recipient of a 2004 Fulbright Scholar Award, Frumkin worked on projects for the U.S. State Department and United States Agency for International Development, or WINROCK, in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. There he worked with emerging manufacturing companies in the global marketplace. In 2007, he was awarded a U.S. Presidential Volunteer Service Award for his work in Central Asia.

Story continues

Frumkin spent more than 30 years in many aspects of the textile, apparel and retail industry. Prior to his post at Philadelphia University, Frumkin was senior vice president at Carleton Woolen Mills Inc., president and general manager of hosiery company E.G. Smith/Keepers International, and president of Nazzareno Goti USA, an international sales, marketing and consulting organization.

He served on the advisory boards of several textile and apparel companies and consulted in India, China, Trinidad and Tobago, and Japan. In 2003, Frumkin was appointed the associate director of the Laboratory for Engineered Human Protection, a federally funded research initiative to develop protective clothing systems for military and civilian first responders.

Frumkin graduated with a bachelors of science degree from the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science in 1970 and earned an MBA from the Bernard M. Baruch College, or CUNY, in 1977. As of Friday, funeral arrangements has not yet been determined.
The Federal Government, on Saturday, partially closed the Third Mainland Bridge, Nigerias busiest bridge, for rehabilitation works after site inspections for traffic architecture assessments.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that work began at midnight of July 24 as workmen used crash barriers to barricade the outbound mainland traffic on Adeniji Adele junction.

They went on to line more barriers and signage on various other sections blocking off a section of the Oworonshoki bound carriageway.

Supervising the closure, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukayode Popoola told NAN that the traffic management and diversion architecture had been perfected at an earlier stakeholder meeting on Friday.

Mr Popoola explained that vehicles going out of Lagos Island, at peak periods in the morning, would use alternative routes while the Island inbound lane would take the traffic.

He said that at the peak periods in the evening, vehicles coming out of the Island would drive up till the Adeniji Adele junction before they could be diverted for about 3.5 kilometres, then return to their normal lane.

The official added that the repairs are being carried out between Adeniji Adele Junction and Ebute Meta area of Lagos and would last for three months in the first phase.

He said that when the work is completed, the same process would be replicated for another three months on the Island-bound carriageway.

He said that the preference was for high traffic in and out the Lagos Island at peak periods.

He added that all the angles of diversion on the various points had been perfected to ensure smooth switches.

READ ALSO:

Mr Popoola said that more diversion signs were being distributed across pathways.

He appealed for lane discipline on the part of motorists to ensure smooth movement on the bridge and all alternative routes.

We are standing at Adeniji Adele junction, where we have one diversion, now that we have partially closed the bridge.

If you are coming in the afternoon after the close of work and you want to use the lane that you used to go to work in the morning, this is the point where you will divert.

You will divert to the lane that is coming from Oworonshoki. So, after you have covered about 3.5 kilometres stretch where we are working on, you now divert to your normal lane; that is, the lane where we are carrying out repairs.

People that are coming from Adekunle when there is no problem could ramp up to use the lane to enter the Third Mainland Bridge.

We have perfected angles of diversions.

The width we have now is about 23 metres and we have put the signage to help motorists know that there is diversion ahead, he told NAN.

NAN reports that the bridge was last shut in August 2018 for a three-day investigative maintenance check.

The 11.8km bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Mainland.

The bridge starts from Oworonshoki, which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.

Constructed in 1990, the bridge was adjudged as the longest in Africa until 1996 when the October 6 Bridge in Cairo, Egypt was completed.

(NAN)

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According to the documents, the DRI had summoned Agrasain Gehlot, the proprietor of Anupam krishi, on a number of occasions in 2013 and his statement was also recorded.

The investigation report accessed by IANS, was prepared in September 2013 after several rounds of questioning of Agrasain by the DRI and Customs officials.

The DRI in its investigation report mentioned that "Gehlot, proprietor of Anupam Krishi knowingly opted to become a part of the syndicate in the chain of conspiracy by facilitating the said consortium by supplying subsidised MOP, which was meant for sale to farmers only and forged documents for which he admittedly got a certain amount of money as his commission."

The report alleged that Gehlot's role was very important because without his connivance the consortium would not have been able to procure the MOP.

The DRI said that Anupam Krishi was a dealer of Indian Potash Limited (IPL) and in the capacity of an authorised dealer of the company made an agreement with the supplier company i.e IPL. "In the agreement one of the conditions was to supply various fertilizers and other products for fertilization of soil and increasing productivity of crops and diversion of this material for any other purpose was an offence under the Fertilizer (Control) Order, 1985 and punishable under the Customs Act."

The DRI further alleged that Gehlot violated the said condition and facilitated the syndicate.

Gehlot was an authorised dealer for IPL and between 2007-09, his company bought MOP at subsidised rates and instead of distributing to farmers sold it to a few other companies, who in turn exported it to Malaysia and Singapore in the guise of industrial salt.

Earlier this week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at over 13 locations across the country including the residential and official premises of Gehlot in Rajasthan after it registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The DRI in its investigation report in 2013 also claimed that when Gehlot was shown the documentary evidence then he accepted that he received some amount in cash.

"Gehlot became a syndicate member in the entire chain of conspiracy by facilitating the said consortium by supplying the subsidised MOP, he manipulated the sales documents of his firm by showing sales of the diverted quantity of MOP in the name of the farmers for which he reportedly gained certain amount as his profit or commission," the DRI alleged.

Reportedly, the accused received kickbacks while fraudulently exporting potash, meant for farmers, through his firm Anupam Krishi to Saraf Impex Private Limited.

The ED actions come at a time when the Congress-led-Rajasthan government is facing a crisis in the wake of the rebellion by Sachin Pilot who was the Deputy Chief Minister and the Rajasthan Congress chief. He was sacked from all the posts on July 14.

The ED is also probing Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav's business partner, Ratan Kant Sharma, in the Yes Bank case. Last Monday, the ED had carried out raids at Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur, where Congress MLAs are staying.

(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)

--IANS

aks/bg
Buddhist monks and nuns of Tam Chuc pagoda, Ha Nam province, on July 24 shaped lanterns into a giant lotus to show the nations gratitude towards fallen soldiers.

The purpose of the event is to mark the 73rd War Invalids and Martyrs Day which falls on July 27 every year.

The event sees hundreds of Buddhist dignitaries, monks, and nuns take part.

Buddhist followers gather together to participate in the opening of the praying ceremony.

Those in attendance perform a ritual ceremony in order to pay tribute to fallen soldiers.

A Vietnamese map which includes Hoang Sa (Paracel) islands and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands made from lotus-shaped lanterns is created by all participants.

Nearly 1,000 people take part in the ceremony held at Tam Chuc pagoda as they pray for peace and offer flowers to show their gratitude to fallen soldiers across the country.

Two young girls Thanh Huyen and Thi Huyen from Ha Nam province say this recemony helps remind them of the sacrifices made by fallen soldiers for the cause of national independence and freedom.

Zing/VOV
FLINT, MI  Leon El-Alamin wants it to be known that Flint is a community thats seen trauma on many levels.

As the executive director and founder of M.A.D.E Institute, a nonprofit that helps people returning to society after incarceration and at-risk youth, hes aware of the impact it can have and why trauma-informed programming is critical.
MBABANE  The Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) will continue to bite, despite a motion to suspend it.



On Monday Parliamentarians passed a motion to suspend raids and arrests conducted under the POCA No. 11 of 2018.

The reason behind the motion was the manner in which the law was being administered.



The MPs suggested that the POCA was seemingly targeting people who cultivated dagga and leaving out fat cats who were looting government, especially civil servants and those who were awarded tenders.

Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini set the record straight yesterday by saying Parliaments constitutional mandate excluded the suspension of any legislation that has been passed into an Act.

Parliament can only reject or amend a Bill and not suspend an Act. As such any resolution purportedly suspending POCA is ineffective, he said.



He said the executive arm of government noted with concern the sentiments of MPs with regards to POCA and further explained that legislative process was a shared enterprise between the executive and Parliament.

To that extent, it became necessary for the Offices of the Prime Minister, Speaker, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Attorney General and House of Assembly Sessional Committee to meet and forge a way forward.

Dlamini said the motion to suspend POCA planted seeds of confusion to the nation, which he wanted to clarify.



For any law to be effectively amended, it has to go through three stages namely; the House of Assembly, the House of Senate and His Majesty the King. An aggrieved party should follow the court process to challenge the legality of any law, he explained.

He added that Eswatini was signatory to the UN Charter and therefore had signed a number of agreements and conventions to fight corruption and organised crime.



Obligations



The POCA enables the Kingdom to comply with many international obligations.

He said government accepted and supported that the law must be applied equally to all citizens, and that all law enforcement agencies should ensure this is the case.

He said the executive would continue to engage with Parliament in addressing the concerns, their validity and otherwise, that the legislation impacted negatively to the average citizen while balancing compliance with the International Conventions in which the country is a signatory.



We appreciate the work and efforts of the current Parliament in supporting national development. We do expect laws passed in Parliament to be in line with the national development agenda to ensure that the countrys machinery grinds in harmony to uplift the standards of living for all emaSwati.

The premier said the rule of law was fundamental in monarchical democracy, underpinned by the doctrine of the separation of powers.



The rule of law implies that every person is subject to law, including people who are lawmakers. Government remains committed to upholding the rule of law and, to the fight against corruption and crime in general. We will not flinch or hesitate to rid this country of the scourge of corruption and crime, without exception, as we accelerate our economic renewal strategies.
A thirty-five-year-old woman has been arrested by the police at Ejura in the Ashanti Region for allegedly killing her two children, aged one month and two years, at Yeboah-Akosua, a farming community in the Ejura-Sekyedumasi municipality.



It is, however, unclear what led the mother of three, Adwoa Juliana, to kill her own children.



According to the police, the bodies of the children were found at separate locations within the community when they followed up after the childrens father had lodged a complaint.



Bodies found



The body of the one-month-old baby was found in the suspects room, while that of the two-year-old was found partially buried at a secluded area some four miles away from their home.



Juliana and her husband, Polika Danyaga, have been married for the past 10 years and have three children. The couple are both tenant farmers in the Ejura-Sekyedumasi municipality and their eldest child, about six years old, lives with his grandmother in the north.



Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic, the Ejura-Sekyedumasi District Police Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Kyei Sarpong, said the bodies of the deceased had since been deposited at the morgue of the St Theresas Catholic Hospital in Nkoranza for autopsy and preservation.



He said the incident occurred about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22, 2020 when Danyaga went to the Sekyedumase Police Station and reported that his wife had murdered their one-month-old child and that he also entertained the fear that the other one who was nowhere to be found had also been murdered by the woman.



Body discovered



Based on the information, the police accompanied Danyaga to the house, where they found the body of the one-month-old boy in a T-shirt, but there were no visible marks of assault on the body.



The police interrogated the woman and she later led them to a place near Frantei, about four miles from their cottage, where they discovered that the two-year-old boy had also been murdered and partially buried, with part of the body showing.



Also found at the scene were GH200 and gh50 notes that had been torn into pieces where the body had been buried, together with a small bag containing the boys personal effects such as a T-shirt, pants and other things.



Mr Sarpong indicated that although the police could not conclude on the mental state of the suspect, her posturing in the course of interrogations gave police reason to suspect she might be mentally unstable.



Resident



According to one Benjamin Awuni Malboma, a resident of the community and close friend of the family, Juliana left home on Sunday evening, with the excuse of visiting her brother in a nearby a town.



However, he said, on Monday when she did not return, the husband tried to call almost all her relatives to find out whether they knew her whereabouts but none of them had seen her.



He said calls placed to her phone went unanswered and fearing that something might have happened to her, the husband informed the leaders of the community about her disappearance, along with their two kids.



According to Mr Malboma, around 7 p.m. the following day, after the husband had returned home from Ejura where he had gone to sell his produce, he heard some noise from his neighbour, with Juliana carrying the lifeless body of their last born.



He explained that Juliana had gone to the neighbours house to inform him that Danyaga had killed all his children and even tried to kill her, but she had managed to escape with the child.



He said she had tried to leave the lifeless body of the child in the neighbours house and abscond, but she was apprehended and sent to the husbands house.



Arrest



Mr Malboma said the leaders of the community were informed about what had happened and a report was made to the police for Julianas arrest.



After her arrest, he said, all attempts to get her to tell them about the whereabouts of the elder child proved futile.



Consequently, he said, a search party, made up of some local people and the police, went into the bush to look for the child and found him half-buried in a hole near their home.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Featured Video
Experts denounce Pompeo's 'crazy' speech, warn possible military clash

Global Times

By GT staff reporters Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/24 14:43:37 Last Updated: 2020/7/24 21:49:17

"Cliche" and "crazy" were words experts used to describe US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's latest speech in which he bluntly called on the Chinese people and "free world" countries to "change" the Communist Party of China (CPC). The US is leaning further to a new Cold War with China and escalating McCarthyism to a higher level, experts said, noting that China should remain alert to the possibility of military clashes with the US in the near future.

During his near half-hour speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library on Thursday, Pompeo attempted to paint China and the CPC as a threat to the "free world," referring to the US' persistent efforts to make changes to China's behavior. He also mentioned that previous engagements with China have failed, and accused China of taking advantage of engagements with the US in order to cheat its way to power and prosperity.

Pompeo's speech, delivered in the run up to the 50th anniversary of former US President Richard Nixon's milestone visit to China in 1972, aimed to establish the Trump administration's latest China policy, said Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations under the China Foreign Affairs University.

But it was full of cliches and purposely overlooked the facts, Li noted, adding that the real reason the US has changed its China policy is that the two countries' comparative strengths have changed and the US is unable to tolerate China's rise.

Foreign policy is generally announced when a new government begins its term. As there are now three months before the US' November election, Pompeo's speech was clearly intended to support Trump's reelection bid, said Li.

Gao Zhikai, chair professor of Soochow University and vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, who accompanied Nixon during his visit to China in 1985, told the Global Times that by slandering previous bilateral engagement, Pompeo insulted the Chinese people and Americans dedicated to building a bridge between the two nations.

Pompeo also shows no respect to the achievements of bilateral ties and overlooks that better China-US ties benefit the two sides, Gao said, adding that the only appropriate thing Pompeo could have done at the Nixon Library was kneel and apologize.

Thursday's speech came following recent addresses from other top US politicians including White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray which established the US' basic China policy framework, experts said.

Pompeo's words were a total denial of the US' four decades of engagement with China and revealed that hawks in the US are leaning further toward a new Cold War with China, Sun Chenghao, an assistant research professor at the Institute of American Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.

By escalating the Cold War mentality to such a high level, Republican hawks are attempting to set the tone for the next US administration: No matter who wins the November election, they must walk this established path and continue this aggressive China policy, Sun said.

Analysts said that US Vice President Mike Pence's speech in October 2018 preluded a Cold War against China, and Pompeo's Thursday speech sharpened the Trump administration's already harsh criticism of China ahead of the November election.

From the beginning of his speech, Pompeo endeavored to separate the Chinese people from the CPC, bluntly calling on the Chinese people to "change" CPC leadership in China.

"Separating the Party and the Chinese people" is ideological language that attempts to explain the "rationality" of the Trump administration's big changes in its China policy and persuade US elites and the public, Li said.

Sun said that the US has refused to recognize the close bond between the Chinese people and the CPC. Pompeo's speech also revealed US hypocrisy as it said they stand with the Chinese people, yet the US has imposed restrictions on overseas Chinese students, removed Chinese journalists from the country and closed the Chinese consulate in Houston.

Gao said what Pompeo is doing is instigating color revolution in China and he is doomed to fail. US politicians are making the Chinese people more united and helping us further understand that the only way to thrive and be prosperous is to stand with the CPC.

Iron curtain around China impossible

Calling for a confrontation between China and the "free world" led by the US was another point in Pompeo's speech. "The old paradigm of blind engagement with China simply won't get it done. We must not continue it. We must not return to it," he said.

Pompeo's speech was seemingly a declaration of a Cold War against China, and it appeared that the politician was doing his utmost to shift the blame for the US' domestic crisis, Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday.

US politicians under pressure to deal with the pandemic are attempting to make an enemy of China, using ideological rhetoric to draw anti-CPC allies. But China has long cast away ideological influence and does not make diplomatic decisions based on ideology, Lu noted.

The US is imposing its "freedom and democracy" globally, yet it is actively creating more wars and disasters in many areas. But it refuses to reflect on or cease its actions, said Sun.

It is unrealistic and naive for US politicians like Pompeo to think they can create international allies for a new Cold War against China. It would be impossible to put an iron curtain around China as there are no longer any real ideological or militaristic conflicts between the two, he said.

Unlike during the Cold War, economic exchanges between two groups cannot be entirely severed as globalization has united the world, and most countries do not want to side with only China or the US, Sun noted.

Leaders from the EU and many countries around the world recently expressed their hopes that strained China-US ties could be repaired. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, for example, said in June that China and the US must find a way to work together to avoid a further escalation of tensions.

There is a high possibility that the US will further escalate its conflict with China before the election, Li said, noting that Pompeo's call for the "free world" to unite against China implies that once the US launches military action against China, many countries will stand with it.

The risk of a military clash exists, and we should be alert to it, Li said.

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Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VNA)

Hang made the statement in response to Japans announcement on easing its travel restrictions for Vietnam.



According to the spokesperson, the two sides are working on measures to promote bilateral cooperation, including the phased resumption of travel in line with regulations on exit-entry and travelling between the two countries, thus ensuring the pandemic combat and spurring common development, she said./.
UK satellites are inherently vulnerable to attack, Britains former space chief warned last night.

Sir Chris Deverell called for a legally-binding multilateral treaty on space weapons.

His comments came after Britain and America criticised Russia for launching a missile-like projectile from one of its satellites.

Speaking about the launch, General Deverell, who was head of UK Joint Forces Command until last year, said: Space is a global common good, vital to mankinds future.

Sir Chris Deverell (pictured) called for a legally-binding multilateral treaty on space weapons

The weaponisation of space is bad news for everyone except arms manufacturers.

Russia is not alone in developing this kind of capability: any nation with a space launch capability and a satellite industry could do likewise.

Large objects at fixed positions in space are inherently vulnerable to attack.

The UK should unilaterally commit to non-interference with space-based systems and seek a legally-binding multilateral treaty.

Moscow fired the weapon from its Cosmos 2543 satellite last week.

Yesterday it dismissed the idea that it tested a weapon in space and said Washington was planning to deploy weapons in orbit.
By Juarawee Kittisilpa

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hundreds of Thai LGBT activists and allies raised rainbow flags on Saturday evening as they called for democracy and equal rights, the latest in a series of youth protests calling for the government to step down.

Several youth-led demonstrations have sprung up across the country since last week, when thousands of Thai activists defied a coronavirus ban on gatherings and staged one of the largest street rallies since a 2014 military coup.

The activists on Saturday danced and sang and performed stand-up comedy sketches making jabs at the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who ousted an elected government six years ago. Pride flags were waved against the backdrop of Bangkok's Democracy Monument.

"We're here today mainly to call for democracy. Once we achieve democracy, equal rights will follow," said a 21-year-old activist who went by a made-up name, Viktorious Nighttime.

"The LGBT group do not yet have equal rights in society, so we're calling for both democracy and equality," added Viktorious, who was wearing a glittery tiara and a face mask.

The calls came after Thailand's cabinet backed a civil partnership bill earlier this month that would recognise same-sex unions with almost the same rights as married couples.

Saturday's gathering was the latest in a series of protests under the Free Youth movement, which has issued three demands: the dissolution of parliament, an end to harassment of government critics, and amendments to the military-written constitution.

"Even if they don't step down from power today, we want to let them know that we won't go anywhere, we will be here," said a 21-year-old protestor who gave her name as Yaya. "Even if they get rid of us, our ideology will never die, we will pass this on to the next generation."

(Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat)
Over a million New York City students and teachers are still unsure of when and how they might return to school this fall. Their classrooms are capsules of those panicked final days in March, when schools abruptly shut down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

As a parent, it feels impossible to keep up with the politicized debate over reopening schools. I wanted to bring the focus back to the classrooms and the voices of the people that occupy them, who care for and educate our children. In July, I visited schools around the city to photograph the spaces that children like mine abruptly left.
SEATTLE, WA  The Seattle region is due for another warm-up, beginning this weekend and lasting through at least Tuesday, according to forecasters.

The National Weather Service expects temperatures to begin warming Saturday, with afternoon highs in the 70s, before riding into the 80s on Sunday.

Temperatures will heat up this weekend but area waterways remain COLD from mountain snow melt! While the water might sound nice, think twice before jumping right in! Cold water shock can kill you in a matter of minutes - so always be prepared & aware near the water. #wawx pic.twitter.com/jLbSf6lQlb

 NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) July 23, 2020





According to the latest forecast, Monday is expected to be the warmest day of the stretch, bringing the highest probability of temperatures above 90 degrees. Forecasters expect the onshore flow to return Wednesday, restoring cooler temperatures that are more in line with recent weather.

(National Weather Service)

The warming trend will bring along a moderate heat risk for sensitive groups, and an increased risk for pets left unattended. Meteorologists said water temperatures remain dangerously cold throughout the region, and the risk of hyperthermia remains.

The prolonged period of hot, dry weather also sets the table for an elevated threat of brush fires through at least Tuesday.

State parks urge visitors to avoid crowds

Officials at Washington State Parks ask visitors to follow established guidelines when planning trips, amid recent reports of crowded parks and full parking lots.

"The safety of our staff and visitors is our top priority," said Don Hoch, director of Washington State Parks. "We need to be able to offer access to the outdoors without putting people at risk."

Officials said nearly a dozen popular parks have reported crowding, and workers are concerned about the impact on public health and natural resources.

Story continues

In Chelan County, Lake Chelan and Lake Wenatchee state parks will close day-use areas to additional visitors as soon as parking lots are full.



Other parks include:

Visitors are encouraged to check each park's status before heading out to one of the state's 124 properties. Those who arrive at a park that is already crowded are asked to go somewhere else.

Find a full list of open state parks in Washington here.

This article originally appeared on the Seattle Patch
Just a month after her wedding day, Katie Woods was getting ready to return to work, when she suddenly became unwell.

At first it was a numbness in her arm, and she was aware her vision wasn't clear in her right eye.

'It all happened so quickly really exactly like you see on the TV adverts. But I didn't know what was wrong with me initially.'

She recalls the room started to spin and her sight went in her right eye. Despite falling over twice, she managed to ring her husband Joseph.

'But he couldn't understand me. I didn't realise that I couldn't actually talk until he answered. I was trying to tell him something was wrong, and I needed help, but the words just wouldn't come out.'

Alone at home, she became increasingly concerned as her condition deteriorated.

Looking back, she adds 'I think someone must have been looking out for me. I'm one of those people who never has their phone with them, or if I do there are problems with it. But on that day, I had it on me, I was so lucky.'

She rang her mother Rose who lives nearby in Dundalk and was relieved to hear her mother say she was coming to get her.

'Mum told me afterwards she turned to my dad and said 'Katie's having a stroke' but I think he couldn't actually believe it. I was only 26 after all. I was fit. I was healthy. I didn't think it would happen to someone my age.'

Her mother drove her straight to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, and on the way she recalls 'the most horrendous headache. I couldn't open my eyes. It was like someone hit me across the head with a hammer.'

After many hours in A&E, she was shocked to be told what had happened was a stroke.

She spent two weeks in the stroke unit in the Lourdes Hospital, and learned that her stroke had been caused by a blood clot that travelled to her brain.

Having undergone extensive tests, she learned that she had an undiagnosed hole in her heart, which also required surgery.

'In many ways, the stroke was a warning sign of the heart condition that I might never have been aware of, and could have caused me a lot of difficulty. It didn't seem like it at the time, but the stroke was a blessing in disguise.'

But it continued to be a 'very difficult first year of marriage' for Katie and Joseph, as they discovered in the middle of her recovery that he had Hodgkins Lymphona. 'He had been getting pains in his back, really severe at times. And he lost two stone in weight,' she recalls.

'I think when we were told that it was lymphona, our world just fell apart all over again. It had been such a difficult few months, and now he was facing into aggressive treatment.'

In the middle of their trauma, hope emerged with some unexpected news.

'The week Joseph was diagnosed I found out I was pregnant! We were thrilled. It gave us both such hope, and more reason than ever for Joseph to get through his treatment, and be here for this little baby.'

With her husband now almost finished his treatment, they are looking ahead to the birth in October.

But her own experiences have made Katie determined to raise awareness of the risk of stroke.

'Before this happened to me, I never imagined people my age were at risk. But as soon as I began to publicly speak about what happened to me, so many people, of all ages, have gotten in touch with me to say they also went through it.'

'Stroke can happen to anyone at any age, no matter how healthy you might otherwise be,' said Katie.

The main symptoms of stroke are: Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech; Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes and; Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.

Katie adds that the 'F.A.S.T' (Face. Arms. Speech. Time') warning is hugely important in recognising the possibility of a stroke occurring, and getting help as quickly as possible.

'It's very important people are aware that a stroke could affect anyone. Don't think it couldn't happen to you just because of your age. Get help as soon as you can.'
A survey released Saturday showed governments are fast losing support for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as health officials recorded a surge of more than 280,000 new cases globally two days in a row. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, widely criticised for his handling of the crisis there, appeared to credit an unproven treatment for his recovery from the virus. And in the streets of Jerusalem and other cities, thousands called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign, in part for his management of the coronavirus crisis. There were more than 280,000 new cases recorded globally on both Thursday and Friday, the highest daily rises since the virus emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP count based on official sources -- an alarming uptick in the spread of the virus. Nearly a third of the world's 15.8 million infections have been registered since July 1, while the total death toll nears 640,000. The World Health Organization said more than a million cases had been recorded in each of the last five weeks, "with over 280,000 being reported on July 24 alone". "While no country is unaffected, this rise is driven by high transmission in large and populous countries in the Americas and South Asia," it said in a statement on Saturday. Brazil and India had recently reported their highest daily increases, it added, while the figures remained worryingly high in the United States and South Africa -- where Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel tested positive for the virus Saturday. The US, still the hardest-hit nation, on Friday reported its second straight day of more than 70,000 new cases and over 1,000 deaths as the virus surges in the south and west. - Bolsonaro tests negative - As governments worldwide struggle to contain the virus despite long and economically crippling lockdowns imposed on millions of people, a new survey suggested that faith in authorities is dwindling in six rich nations. Populations in France, Germany, Britain, Japan, Sweden and the US widely believed death and infection figures to be higher than recorded, according to the study, which polled 1,000 people in each nation. "In most countries this month, support for national governments is falling," said the report by the Kekst CNC communications consultancy. One world leader widely criticised over his handling of the pandemic is Brazil's Bolsonaro, who was diagnosed with coronavirus on July 7. Bolsonaro, who has downplayed what he calls "a little flu", announced on Twitter Saturday that he had finally tested negative. In an photo accompanying the statement, he was pictured holding a packet of hydroxychloroquine, whose effectiveness against COVID-19 has not been demonstrated in clinical trials. Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo on Saturday said it was indefinitely postponing its 2021 carnival. Hours later, Rio de Janeiro cancelled its New Year's Eve festivities. Thousands of Israelis protested Saturday in Jerusalem and other cities including Tel Aviv, demanding Netanyahu's resignation over his government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. They were also objecting to a new law that gives the government special powers to fight the spread of the virus until the end of 2021. - Fresh clusters - Fresh clusters, meanwhile, were emerging across Asia. South Korea on Saturday reported its highest infections figure in nearly four months, while Vietnam recorded its first locally transmitted case in nearly 100 days. Officials in China said they would introduce fresh measures and testing in the port city of Dalian, home to about six million people, after detecting fresh infections thee. That did not prevent the Chinese Super League kicking off behind closed doors on Saturday. Players of Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Shenhua observed a minute's silence for the victims of the pandemic. Europe remains the hardest-hit continent, accounting for a fifth of the world's case count. Belgium said Saturday it could further tighten its restrictions following the death of a three-year-old girl, the country's youngest victim of the virus. Recent outbreaks in the Spanish regions of Aragon and Catalonia have led to fresh curbs on daily life. Many tourists were nevertheless reluctant to cancel their plans. "If we cancelled our holiday, which has been planned since February, we would lose the rental money," said Fanny Lievens, on route with her family to Catalonia from the southern French city of Montpellier. In France, where infections have been rising, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on-the-spot testing for travellers arriving from 16 high-risk nations. But he told Nice Matin newspaper he wanted above all else to avoid returning to a full lockdown because of the economic damage it did -- and the psychological harm that many people suffered. Britain meanwhile has made it compulsory to wear a face covering in shopping centres, banks, takeaway outlets, sandwich shops and supermarkets. And it announced Saturday it was reimposing two weeks of self-isolation on travellers arriving from Spain after a surge in cases there. burs-jj/dw
VANCOUVER, July 24, 2020 /CNW/ - CruzSur Energy Corp. (the "Company" or "CruzSur") (TSXV: CZR) announces that during the re-entry of the Aruchara well, in order to repair a gas leak identified in the well which had been drilled in 1980, found a large amount of natural gas that has been burned in the flare stack. The Company duly informed the Colombian authorities of the re-entry. The team has now continued the process of the well repair with its cleaning to define the final conditions, quantity and quality of the gas found.

The Company has successfully controlled the leak to this point and contained safe levels of natural gas exposure, taking into account the amount of gas found during the process.

About CruzSur Energy Corp.

CruzSur Energy Corp. is a publicly traded E&P company focused on proven oil & gas plays in Latin America. The Company holds a large diversified portfolio of producing, development and unexploited assets in Colombia and Argentina where it will leverage its amplitude of technical expertise and proven track record building companies and creating value.

Forward-Looking Information

Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. The information in this news release about the completion of the operations described herein, and other forward-looking information includes but is not limited to information concerning the intentions, plans and future actions of the parties to the transactions described herein and the terms of such transaction.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, risks related to the Company's inability to perform the proposed operations.

The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made assumptions about the Company's ability to complete the planned operations and activities. The Company has also assumed that no significant events will occur outside of the Company's normal course of business. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE CruzSur Energy Corp.

For further information: CruzSur Energy Corp.: Serafino Iacono, CEO; Marianella Bernal Parada, CFO; Tel: (604) 609-6110
Newly-enrolled international students, many of them from India, would not be allowed to enter the United States (US) if their courses were to be taught online in the upcoming fall semester, the US agency that runs the student and exchange visitors visa programme said on Friday.

The fall semester starts in September.

Non-immigrant students in new or initial status after March 9 will not be able to enter the US to enroll in a US school as a non-immigrant student for the fall term to pursue a full course of study that is 100% online, said the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) in a statement.

It directed authorised universities to not issue Form 1-20s to newly-enrolled students if their classes were to be online only. These documents are required by international students to apply for student visa.

March 9, the cut-off date, is when ICE issued guidelines allowing non-immigrant foreign students to continue to stay in the country and pursue their classes online, wholly, as required by the universities, making an exception in view of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) from a rule under which foreigners are not issued student visas for online-only classes.

The number of foreign students impacted by this order could not be immediately ascertained.

There were nearly 270,000 new foreign students enrolled in graduate, under-graduate and non-degree courses for the academic session starting 2019 fall, according to Open Doors, a standard resource on international students.

India is the second-largest source of foreign students in the US, with around 200,000, of an estimated 1 million in all.

This new order came just days after the Donald Trump administration rescinded a controversial order that would have led to the deportation of non-immigrant international students if their courses were being held fully online in the fall semester, a preventative measure adopted by many institutions as they reopen after a prolonged Covid-19-enforced break.

To stay in the US, these foreign students would have had to ensure a majority of their courses were conducted in-person and if that was not offered by their institution, transfer to one that did.

The universities are being extra vigilant, as the US is reporting a second surge in Covid-19 cases and fatalities.

Harvard University, for instance, has declared its fall classes will be all online. It is not even allowing all its students to return to their on-campus accommodations.

Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had challenged that earlier order in a lawsuit that was eventually joined by over 200 universities.

Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator, and former presidential candidate, had weighed in with a stinging denunciation. It is dangerous & xenophobic, she had written in a tweet and had gone on to compare the order to the travel ban the president had ordered targeting people from certain countries, called the Muslim travel ban.

The Trump administration told a Boston court at the first oral arguments in the case it was rescinding the order.

But the administration is not done with foreign students evidently. It is understood to be considering suspending OPT (Optional Practical Training), a temporary post-graduation work authorisation foreign students use as a stepping stone to H-1B visa, and, eventually, Green Cards and citizenship.

And now this.
The ancient myth of the goddess Macha has been swirling around my head all week. Maybe its because archaeologists recently discovered a complex of Iron Age temples at the ancient capital of Ulster, which is named after her. Navan Fort, or Emain Macha, means Machas twins.

Incidentally, the city of Armagh (Ard Mhaca), a few short miles away, also bears her name. This otherworldly woman was clearly very important. And yet, during her time on earth, the authorities of the day dishonoured and humiliated her while she was heavily pregnant.

To retell the myth briefly, Macha was forced to race against King of Ulster Conor Mac Nessas prized horses to prove that a woman could not outrun his royal steed. She pleaded with him to wait until her child was born, but the king was not for turning.

She raced with the grace and speed of the wind, beating the kings horses with seven lengths to spare. At the finish line, she collapsed and gave birth to twins in the dust.

She fled to the otherworld with her children, a boy and a girl, and condemned the men of Ulster to feel the pain of labour whenever they needed their strength in battle. Only Cu Chulainn, the hero of the Ulster Cycle, was exempt.

It is a myth that is not as widely known as it might be, although it seems to me a perfect and powerful foreshadowing of the way women and their bodies would be disrespected down through the centuries, by the Irish church, the Irish State and its institutions.

The damage imposed by the State and its apparatus was all too painfully clear again last week with news of the death of campaigner Ruth Morrissey at the age of just 39 because of a misread cervical cancer smear test.

The scale of her battle and the depth of her mistreatment was summed up in one particularly hard-hitting paragraph in her husband Paul Morrisseys statement.

He said: Despite the magnitude of the harm caused to her by avoidable errors, despite the broken promise of a taoiseach [Leo Varadkar] who said no other woman would have to go to trial, despite using Ruth as a test case through the final years and months of her life, neither the HSE nor the State has ever apologised to her, and now it is too late.

And yet, earlier this week, the politicians paid their tributes, standing up in the Dail to recall a brave and courageous woman. O

On Wednesday, the day of Ruth Morrisseys funeral, Paul Reid, CEO of the HSE  the Executive that dragged her through the courts in the final years of her life  said he had written to Ruths husband to apologise on behalf of the HSE.

Those apologies must ring very hollow for Ruth's family. At one stage, she found herself in court facing seven lawyers representing the HSE and two American laboratories.

Those platitudes must also be infuriating to Ruths fellow CervicalCheck campaigner Lorraine Walsh who has said that her life and her body would have been completely different if her smear test had been correct.

And they must rankle with Vicky Phelan, that valiant justice-seeker, not to mention the families of the 221 other women affected by the CervicalCheck scandal.

Twenty-four of those women are already dead. It is definitely too late for them, although I can still see Emma Mhic Mhathuna standing on the steps of the High Court wearing a stunning red dress. She was defiant. And courageous. And dying.

Though, she did not see it that way. After securing a settlement of 7.5million for her five children, she said: I was not going to come into court a victim. I came in a victor.

That same crusading spirit is evident in Sling the Mesh, a campaign involving thousands of women in Northern Ireland and Britain fighting for change after they were left with life-changing injuries following vaginal mesh surgery  a procedure for stress urinary incontinence.

Read More Brave until the end, Ruth Morrissey made a difference

An independent review published earlier this month found that many lives were ruined because patient concerns were dismissed as 'womens problems'.

GPs and surgeons ignored symptoms and women's accounts of their pain. Medical reactions ranged from 'these are womens issues' to 'its all in your head' and 'its that time of life'.

The review found that thousands might have been spared surgery and much of their subsequent suffering was entirely avoidable.

But it stops now. The disrespect and the silence at least. If we can take one shred of comfort from the shameful treatment of campaigner Ruth Morrissey, it is that one ordinary woman can take on the apparatus of the State and make it stand to account.

It is up to all of us, the ordinary people of Ireland, to make sure that no other woman goes through what she has gone through.

The best way the politicians and the HSE can comfort her family and the other affected women is to continue to implement the recommendations of a series of reports that followed the scandal.

The new health minister Stephen Donnelly must try to get the delayed CervicalCheck tribunal back on track too.

Vicky Phelan has called for the return of cervical cancer screening to Irish laboratories but the essential issue is that it is reliable and, more importantly, that women are given their results on time.

The CervicalCheck scandal has taken a huge toll on womens lives. Its effects are lasting, yet there is reason to hope that we are at a turning point.

Thanks to the courage and tenacity of Ruth Morrissey, cervical cancer screening is now safer for all of our daughters.

We might honour Ruth Morrisseys memory by making sure that the dishonouring of women, which has echoed down through the generations from the time of Macha, ends now.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 643,000 people worldwide.

Over 15.9 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations' outbreaks.

The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 4.1 million diagnosed cases and at least 146,418 deaths.

PHOTO: A health worker takes a patient's temperature before sending them to a tent to be tested at a COVID-19 testing site at St. John's Well Child and Family Center, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, July 24, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)

Saturday's headlines:

Brazil's Bolsonaro tests negative for COVID-19 US marks 1,000 deaths for 5th day in a row Hundreds of Texas bar owners pledge defiance to governor's order Florida to discuss reopening bars New Orleans closing bars, prohibiting takeout alcohol sales

Here is how the news is developed on Saturday. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.

9:19 p.m.: Birx concerned about cases in Ohio

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, made a visit to Ohio on Saturday to meet with state health officials in locations with concerning case numbers.

"We have seven states right now with less than 2% test positivity; Ohio is almost to 7," Birx told Columbus ABC affiliate WSYX in an exclusive interview. "So this is why we're concerned. This is why we believe that if every Ohioan acts now, they can change the course of this pandemic before it gets significantly out of control and your hospitals start filling up."

Birx singled out people hanging out in bars as one of the problems in the state. Bars and restaurants were reopened to indoor dining on May 21. Birx said that decision may need to be rolled back, as it has been in several states across the country.

"It's something about drinking, not wearing a mask and being close to people, particularly indoors, that is actively spreading this virus," she said.

Story continues

The total number of cases increased from 58,991 on July 1 to 83,184 on Saturday -- an increase of 24,193 cases. Ohio recorded 18,920 cases for the entirety of June.

Birx is expected to travel to Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia in the coming days.

7:15 p.m.: US crosses 1,000 deaths for 5 straight days

The U.S. saw a death toll over 1,000 for the fifth day in a row, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

The number of deaths is continuing to trend up after dropping throughout May and June.

The death toll reported Saturday was 1,037.

The death toll for the week was 6,297 -- up more than 1,000 from last week, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

Our daily update is published. States reported 798k tests and 65k new cases of COVID-19. States reported 1,037 deaths today, which was our fifth day in a row of more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States. pic.twitter.com/g3dYnZZapt  The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) July 25, 2020

There have now been more than 146,000 deaths from coronavirus in the U.S.

The number of hospitalizations is also on the rise, even with issues stemming from the shift in reporting from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Department of Health and Human Services, the project reported.

5:07 p.m.: Florida to discuss reopening bars, official says

The same day Florida became the state with the second-highest number of cases, a government official announced that discussions would begin on how to reopen bars "as soon as possible."

Halsey Beshears, Floridas secretary of Department of Business & Professional Regulation, wrote in a Facebook post that he will set meetings starting Friday throughout the state with breweries and bars to discuss ideas on how to reopen.

"We will come up with a Safe, Smart and Step-by-step plan based on input, science and relative facts on how to reopen as soon as possible," Beshears wrote in a Facebook post.

2:24 p.m.: Alabama rolls out plan to test every college student

Alabama outlined its plan to provide free COVID-19 testing for every college student attending a public four-year or two-year college in the state when returning to campus.

The plan -- called GuideSafe -- would require students get tested within 14 days of entering a college campus.

It was not immediately clear how many college students were enrolled in public colleges in Alabama, however the largest university in the state -- The University of Alabama -- had 38,103 students in 2019.

The move is an effort to "maintain a safe environment and slow the spread of COVID-19," according to the GuideSafe website.

Students will receive an email with a link to register and schedule the testing.

The samples will then be sent to a lab and run in 24 hours, with students receiving another email about their test results.

The test will be a self-administered nose swab.

12:44 p.m.: Florida becomes state with 2nd-highest number of cases

The Florida Department of Health reported an additional 12,199 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 414,511.

The state now has the second-most confirmed cases, behind California and surpassing New York, which was at one point the state with the highest number of cases.

PHOTO: A man covers his nose with his shirt, left, as Luis Negron, a Miami Beach code compliance officer, right, talks to him about wearing a protective face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, Fla., July 24, 2020. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

Deaths and hospitalizations also increased. Florida has recorded 5,894 total deaths, with an increase of 126, and 23,730 hospitalizations, with an increase of 505.

There are 9,002 active hospitalizations.

Miami-Dade has been the hardest-hit county, with 3,396 new cases and a positivity rate of 19.7%.

Broward County trails behind with 619 new cases and a positivity rate of 13%.

12:35 p.m.: LabCorp receives authorization for pool testing

Commercial lab giant LabCorp received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, allowing it to test groups of individuals -- known as pool testing -- for COVID-19 infections.

"LabCorps unique matrixed pooled strategy for COVID-19 provides an efficient testing approach for populations by allowing for larger groups of samples to be tested at one time," the company said in a statement, adding that their methodology can "quickly provide quality test results for individuals within the group, without requiring retesting in the majority of cases."

Five samples can be tested at once, according to the company.

PHOTO: Health care workers prepare a COVID-19 test sample before a person self-administered a test at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing center at Miami-Dade County Auditorium in Miami, July 23, 2020. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP)

If there is a positive sample in the pool, LabCorp said it can identify the individual positive sample in the pool using its robotic testing platform. Pooled testing can reduce the number of tests required in specific populations, optimize laboratory testing supplies, and increase testing capacity.

Pool testing can reduce the number of tests required in specific populations and can increase testing capacity. It can be used for populations at low risk of COVID-19, when testing demand exceeds laboratory capacity or when testing reagents are in short supply.

11:40 a.m.: Georgia Senate candidate experiencing symptoms after wife tests positive

The wife of Georgia Senate candidate, Jon Ossoff, has tested positive for COVID-19 and Ossoff is experiencing symptoms but has not yet been diagnosed, a statement from his campaign read.

Ossoff is awaiting his results.

He has not held any in-person campaign event in over a month and plans to self-isolate in quarantine until he and his wife get clearance from their doctor, according to the campaign statement.

Kramer is an OB/GYN physician at a local hospital.

"We will keep the public informed with updated information, but right now we are just praying for the familys health and full and speedy recovery," the campaign statement read.

10:24 a.m.: NY sees another record low for hospitalizations

New York, once the epicenter of the pandemic, has recorded 646 hospitalizations as of Saturday -- the lowest number since March 18, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

There were also 149 intensive care unit patients, another record low since March 16, according to the governor.

PHOTO: New York Mets employees place cutouts of fans in the seats before the opening day baseball game between the Mets and the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on July 24, 2020, in New York City. (Seth Wenig/AP)

"New York State's numbers continue to show progress in the midst of alarming increases in COVID-19 cases throughout the country and a renewed need to ensure compliance with state guidance here at home," Cuomo said.

Of the 71,466 test results reported to the state, 1.05% were positive.

The total number of confirmed cases in New York is 411,200 and there have been 25,103 deaths. The majority of deaths and an overwhelming number of cases have been in New York City.

8:40 a.m.: Brazil's Bolsonaro tests negative for COVID-19

Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro tested negative for COVID-19. He did a PCR test on Friday night according to the Presidential office and received the results today from BRASILIA Military hospital.

- RT-PCR para Sars-Cov 2: negativo.

- BOM DIA A TODOS. pic.twitter.com/CkdV59yGXP  Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) July 25, 2020

5:55 a.m.: Social media influencer arrested, apologizes for breaking Hawaii's mandated 14-day quarantine

A 20-year-old woman from Birmingham, Alabama, has been after violating Hawaii's mandated 14-day quarantine order.

Anne S. Salamanca arrived in Honolulu on July 6, and four days later, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) learned she was out in public breaking the States mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The HTA subsequently provided the attorney general with videos showing her dancing in a store and dining out with friends.

Hawaii Attorney General Clare E. Connors said, The fact Ms. Salamanca has so many followers makes her actions that much more dangerous and concerning. The spread of misinformation can have very severe consequences during an emergency situation like we are in now.

Salamanca was arrested in Waipahu and booked before relatives bailed her out of jail. She is the 24th person on Oahu arrested by the Department of the Attorney General for violating the travel self-quarantine order

3:01 a.m.: Hundreds of Texas bar owners pledge defiance to governor's order

Hundreds of Texas bar owners say they'll defy Gov. Greg Abbott's mandate that ordered them closed after a surge in coronavirus cases.

Approximately 800 bar owners have promised to participate in an event organized by Fort Worth bar owner Chris Polone called the "Freedom Fest" where bar owners have pledged to open their doors in defiance of the governor's orders which could place their state liquor licenses in jeopardy.

Abbott had previously allowed bars to reopen with restrictions but ordered them to close again on June 26 after the state experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Bars must adhere to safety measures that include taking customers' temperatures before entering, maintaining social distancing, requiring face coverings and having hand sanitizer available.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is aware of the event and will be conducting inspections, said commission spokesman Chris Porter. Violators of the order could face a 30-day suspension of their liquor license.

What to know about coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map

1:14 a.m.: New Orleans closing bars, prohibiting takeout alcohol sales

Mayor Cantrell made the announcement at a press conference Friday afternoon, saying, Since we moved to Phase 2, the city has seen an unfavorable trend with the COVID-19 virus.

As of tomorrow 6 a.m., all bars and restaurants in the city of New Orleans will be prohibited from selling takeout alcohol beverages. So what this essentially will mean is bars will be closed throughout Orleans Parish, Mayor Cantrell said.

The closure of bars & restricting social gatherings are both recommendations made by the @WhiteHouse #Coronavirus Task Force due to Louisianas surging numbers. Dr. Avegno: We agree that restricting activities that are clearly tied to the spread of the virus is common sense.

ABC News' Scott Withers contributed to this report.

US suffers 1,000 deaths for 5th straight day originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday stressed the importance of holding Muharram mourning ceremonies everywhere, even in coronavirus hotspots, but also underlined that social distancing protocols including wearing masks should be observed.

Shiites around the world hold huge mourning ceremonies on the lunar anniversary of the death of Imam Hossein (Hussain ibn Ali), the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad and the third Imam of Shiites every year.

The Imam was killed in a battle against Khalif's forces near Karbala in today's Iraq on 10 October 680 AD.

The hardliner religious and political establishment is strongly against cancellation of religious gatherings and mass ceremonies.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Coronavirus Combat Headquarters the Iranian President said the "mourning or health" dichotomy does not exist and both have importance in the lives of the people.

"We held the Ramadhan ceremonies without negative impact. Some people observed the rites at home to the accompaniment of online and TV programs and some went to mosques. Ramadhan ceremonies did not cause a peak," he said.

In mid-June Iran's daily death toll that had remained below 100 since April 14 went up again and the country is now experiencing a second peak with official daily death numbers above 200.

Saying that the ceremonies should be held everywhere, even in red and yellow zones, in villages and cities, Rouhani said people must keep the safe distance from each other and avoid huge crowds and long ceremonies.

"The days and times of the mourning ceremonies can be shorter but the ceremonies will be magnificent as before," he added and urged religious figures and authorities to help with the observance of health protocols.

Meanwhile, Ayatollah Hashem Hashemzadeh Harissi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, told Etemad Online that "certain organizations and entities" should not force people to hold the ceremonies and put their lives in danger.

"There is no coercion to [hold] mourning ceremonies [for Shiite Imams]," he said and urged them to follow the advice of health authorities.
Local Sikh organizations to take the case of New Zealand youth trapped in India due to corona: Advocate Dhami
A student of the first batch of Forest College and Research Institute (FCRI) in Telangana has received scholarship and tuition fee waiver worth Rs 50 lakh to pursue her studies at a university in the United States.

Suharsha Baskarla, a final year student of BSc Forestry has got admission to the Masters of Science programme in School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University, Alabama, USA.

The study programme at Auburn will be without tuition fee for two years.

Besides waiver of USD 15,000 annual tuition fee, she has been offered scholarship of USD 1,500 per month for two years.

Pursuing higher studies abroad has always been my dream and FCRI gave me an opportunity to move towards my goal. Despite challenges during the lockdown, I applied and finally after a long wait for three months, I made it to the Masters program at Auburn University, she said.

Baskarla said she wants to a researcher in the field of wood science and the programme is suited to her goals.

I will use the knowledge, skills and expertise I gain during my time at Auburn University to contribute to the forest community, she said.

Earlier, Surya Deepika also got the admission into the Masters of Science programme with forest genetics specialization in Auburn University.

The Forest College and Research Institute has entered into the memorandum of Understanding with Auburn University.
It was another example of how social distancing is changing where, when and how emergency shelters operate. Officials in California announced recently that the coronavirus was affecting their wildfire preparations, including by having fewer inmates available to assist because of infections and quarantines. But there have been unexpected benefits, too. In late March, a destructive tornado tore through Jonesboro, Ark., and the heart of its commercial district, but not a single person died, in part because businesses were closed and residents were already sheltered at home from the virus.

As Hannas outer bands reached Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi and has had nearly 2,000 new virus cases and 47 deaths in the past seven days alone, officials reminded residents fleeing low-lying areas to bring their face masks with them.

Were riding two horses right now, so be sure to take care of what keeps you safe through the Covid experience, Mayor Joe McComb of Corpus Christi said at a news conference on Friday. Moments later, a woman in a mask and gloves carefully wiped down the podium to sanitize it before the city manager stepped forward.

On Saturday, the mayor told reporters that people who had welcomed friends or relatives into their homes to ride out the hurricane should wear masks while indoors. Wear the mask in the house, Mr. McComb said. I know that probably sounds kind of crazy, but keeping safe sounds pretty good.

The mayors message to the public on Saturday was simple: Keep doing what you have been doing during the pandemic  stay at home.
As the European Union (EU) joins other nations in a global crackdown against China, state-backed mouthpiece Global Times claimed that EU's measures were only 'symbolic' hinting that they would not translate into productive actions against the Communist regime.

China's panic comes shortly after the Members of Parliament with the European Union (MEPs) wrote to the European Union (EU) demanding a detailed United Nations-led investigation into the alleged human rights abuses and conducts against Uighur Muslims in China's Xinjiang province.

Along with this, the EU has also been allegedly preparing 'countermeasures' against China in response to the national security law in Hong Kong. Foreign agencies have also reported that Sweden has extended its support to France and Germany in their efforts to launch a strong response to China's security law for Hong Kong. Along with this, EU nations such as Denmark and the Netherlands have also been pushing the bloc to consider countermeasures against Beijing.

"Even if implemented, those measures would only be symbolic, with no significant harm to Beijing," claimed GT quoting 'observers and experts'.

"The EU is now gradually realizing the importance of the bloc's strategic independence, as it has seen that it only has itself to rely on when attacked by non-traditional security issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, without assistance from the US," GT quoted Wang Yiwei, a professor at the University of China, claiming that EU was under pressure by the US due to the latter's trade war with China.

Read: China's Illegal Fishing Vessels Displacing Local Boats In North Korean Waters: Report

Read: 'Millions In Camps, Abortions, Genocide': EU Asks UN To Probe China's Xinjiang Atrocities

EU requests UN probe

The EU has called on member states to consider imposing a Global Human Rights Sanctions Mechanism against Chinese government officials found to be guilty of involvement. In the letter the MEPs wrote to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy as well as the Vice-President of the Commission Mr Josep Borrell Fontelles, saying that China's discriminatory laws such as State-ordered birth prevention (one-child policy) and continuous dehumanising treatment of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang are a matter of grave concern to the members and as such the dire human rights situation should be investigated, especially in the case of Xinjiang and Hong Kong, with the implementation of the new Security Law.

Read: Australia Joins Nations In Rejecting China's South China Sea Claims, Writes To The UN

Read: US: Homeland Security Inaugurates China Working Group, Will Tackle Threats From China
Moscow:

Seven construction workers from Tajikistan died in western Siberia on Saturday when the shipping container they were using as a home at a building site caught fire, officials said.

"Seven people died, while three were poisoned by the fumes and hospitalised," the emergencies ministry's branch in the oil-rich Tyumen region said.

The suspected cause was a short-circuit in an electric heater, used to warm the container which was lined with wood and insulation to keep out the cold, Russia's Investigative Committee said.

Regional prosecutors said all victims were citizens of Tajikistan, an impoverished ex-Soviet Central Asian country from which many people seek low-paid labour jobs in Russia.

The container was located at a construction site for a poultry farm.

In January at least 12 migrants from Central Asia, including three children, were killed when a fire at a sewing workship in Moscow caused its roof to collapse. In August, 16 people, mostly women from Kyrgyzstan, were killed in a fire at a printing warehouse that started due to a faulty lamp.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yosts public inquiry into the practices of search engines like Google is a witch hunt to gain political favor with some conservatives. But this ploy misses the mark with the majority of Ohioans. In the midst of stay-at-home orders, big tech companies were a lifeline to small businesses, and will continue to be an integral part of the economic recovery. Efforts to regulate these companies, which have made big investments in our state, sends the wrong message.

Ohioans expect more. The state must stop wasting time and resources on this fishing expedition. Ohioans would rather see our attorney general focus on putting an end to human trafficking and other issues of importance to them.

Dan Pocek,

Walton Hills
For the first time ever, a man made spacecraft has been able to capture the images of the north pole of Ganymede, one of Jupiters 79 confirmed moons. The never-seen-before sight has been captured by NASAs Juno spacecraft.

The gigantic moon can be seen in all its glory in a recent image by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The image shared via a NASA release shows a timeline of the moon reflecting the suns light from one half at all times.

Ganymede

For those unaware, Ganymede is the largest moon of Jupiter as well as the solar system. It is also the largest celestial body without a substantial atmosphere in the solar system. If we include the planets in comparison, Ganymede is the ninth-largest object in the Solar System.

Infrared mapping of Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon through JIRAM instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft. (Image: NASA)

Ganymede primarily consists of water ice and this composition of the moon possesses major clues for understanding the evolution of the 79 Jovian moons since their birth.



As per NASA, Ganymede is also the only natural satellite in the solar system that has its own magnetic field. Since such magnetic fields attract plasma (charged particles from the Sun), the surface at Ganymedes poles is constantly bombarded by plasma from Jupiter's gigantic magnetosphere. This bombardment has left the ice formations on Ganymede in a completely amorphous form.

NASAs Juno Observes

Launched in August 2011, NASAs Juno spacecraft has been orbiting Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, since 2016. The missions of the spacecraft was to improve our understanding of the solar system's beginnings by revealing the origin and evolution of Jupiter, as per NASA.

NASA Juno Spacecraft (Artist concept: NASA)

During its flyby of Jupiter on December 26, 2019, NASA's Juno spacecraft flew close to the north pole of Jupiters moon Ganymede. It was then that these pictures were taken by the spacecraft using the equipment onboard.



The equipment included Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument for an infrared imagery of the celestial object. With the flyby, Juno was able to capture the first infrared mapping of the massive moon's northern frontier, reads the recent NASA release.

Through the activity, Juno has enabled us to learn that the ice at and surrounding Ganymede's north pole has been modified by the precipitation of plasma," highlighted Alessandro Mura, a Juno co-investigator at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome.
Police conducted a number of alcohol checks in Esch between late Friday evening and the early hours of Saturday morning.

One check took place between 11.30pm and 1am in Rue des Acacias in Esch. A total of 54 drivers were pulled over even if they did not show signs of DUI. Tests came back positive in 7 cases and police issued 5 warnings as well as 2 fines. One driver had his licence confiscated on the spot.

A second check took place between 2am and 3am, this time in rue de Belvaux. 13 drivers were pulled over with 1 test coming back positive. The driver was fined.

Further cases of DUI

At about 3pm on Friday, a driver crashed into 2 vehicles stationed at a red light in rue de Cessange in Luxembourg City. The driver was not injured in the accident, however, it turned out that she was intoxicated. Her driving licence was confiscated.

Another driver crashed into a construction waste container in rue d'Eich in Luxembourg City at about 1.40am. The individual in question was intoxicated as well and lost his licence.
(Newser)  Civil rights icon and longtime Georgia congressman John Lewis was remembered Saturdayin the rural Alabama county where his story beganas a humble man who sprang from his familys farm with a vision that "good trouble" could change the world, the AP reports. The morning service in the city of Troy in rural Pike County was held at Troy University, where Lewis would often playfully remind the chancellor that he was denied admission in 1957 because he was Black, and where he was later awarded an honorary doctorate. Lewis, who became a civil rights icon and a longtime Georgia congressman, died July 17 at the age of 80. Saturday morning's service was titled "The Boy from Troy," the nickname the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave Lewis in 1958 in Montgomery. Among the remarks:

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"I remember the day that John left home. Mother told him not to get in trouble, not to get in the way ... but we all know that John got in trouble, got in the way but it was good trouble," his brother Samuel Lewis said at the Troy University service, where attendees were spaced apart, masks were required for entry, and Lewis' casket was in the university's arena. "And the troubles that he got himself into would change the world."

"The John Lewis I want you to know is the John Lewis who would gravitate to the least of these," his brother Henry Grant Lewis said, a Biblical reference to Jesus' instructions to aid those in need. His brother said on the day Lewis was sworn in to Congress that they exchanged a thumbs up. He later asked Lewis what he was thinking when they did. "He said 'I was thinking this is a long way from the cotton fields of Alabama.'"

"The fire inside John to do something about segregation continued to burn," said civil rights lawyer Fred Gray. "Even before he met Dr. King, he was interested in doing something about doing away with segregation. And he did it all his life."

"He had a way of throwing them corn while he was preaching," younger sister Rosa Tyner remembered of Lewis, who was one of 10 children born into a sharecropping family. She said that about a week before his death she asked him about possibly seeing another doctor. "He said, 'No, I'm at peace. I'm at peace and I'm ready to go.'"

It was the first of multiple days of memorials and services for Lewis.

(Read more John Lewis stories.)
Photo credit: SaharaReporters

According to a report by SaharaReporters, a surrendered Boko Haram terrorist, who is in the custody of troops of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, has said a factional leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau, told them while in the forests that the Nigerian Government was insincere and cheated them.

The surrendered terrorist, according to a release from MNJTF on Friday, added that Shekau was worse than those he condemned and he was happy to have escaped from the sect.

In the release obtained by Punch from the MNJTF Chief of Public Information, Col Timothy Antigha, 47 Boko Haram fighters surrendered to Sector 1 of the Force with their family members.

The surrendered terrorist, who spoke about Shekau and whose name was concealed, admitted to having participated in various operations in Banki, Fotokol, Gamboru Ngala, New Marte, Chikun Gudu, among others.

He said, They told us that we were being lied to and cheated by apostate governments, but I have not seen any difference between Shekau and those he has been condemning. He may even be worse than them. I am having it a lot better here because since we came out of the bush, we have been fed and catered for.

In the release, another surrendered terrorist said, If you do not speak a particular language, you cannot be appointed a commander or made a guard in the bush. He (Shekau) also said that you couldnt even be allowed to go for tax collection. This discriminatory attitude made some of us feel that we were not trusted and good enough to be given responsibilities.

A female member of the group lamented the severe abuse of women in the camps and prayed that no woman should find herself in the situation she recently escaped from.

The military spokesman, Antigha, said, The MNJTF renews the call on other misled fighters in the bush to come out. It is essential to add that MNJTF troops contributing countries have structures and programmes in place to receive all those who surrender.

Similarly, the MNJTF urges communities to accept repentant terrorists back after their rehabilitation, even though some of them had perpetrated heinous crimes. The MNJTF shares in the understanding that such a gesture by communities will go a long way in the continuing efforts to defeat terrorism and build peace in the Lake Chad Basin.
~St. Maarten meets the loan requirements for an additional Na 19.3 million~.



PHILIPSBURG:---The College financieel toezicht (Cft) has officially sent a positive letter to State Secretary Knops concerning St. Maarten meeting the loan requirements for the payroll support program for the month June 2020. Sint Maarten is eligible for liquidity support for the period in which the country meets the conditions. The liquidity support for the payroll support program for the month of June amounts to approximately two-thirds of the period from May 15th, 2020 until and including to June 30th, 2020 (being NAf 19.3 million of NAf 29 million).

The Social and Health Insurances Implementation Agency (SZV) is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Business Payroll Support program for the Sint Maarten Stimulus & Relief Plan (SSRP). Cft confirmed in the letter that in addition to the internal audits by SOAB (Stichting Overheids Accountants Bureau) which the government anchored in laws that govern the Business Payroll Support and the Unemployment and Income Support programs, SZV has to make the administration available for an audit of the design and operation by an external auditor appointed by the Cft.

The loan would only be made available after Sint Maarten has met criteria such as:

 A personal contribution of 20 percent from employees to the payroll support.

 An adjustment of the current scale model for the Business Payroll Support to a one-to-one ratio with loss of turnover.

The Cft received the published Regulation payroll support for the month of June 2020 on July 15th, 2020. The conditions mentioned above have been incorporated into this Regulation. The Regulation, as demanded via the conditions, will enter into force on July 16th, 2020 and will go into retroactive effect from June 1st, 2020. Based on this, the Cft informed State Secretary Knops that in their opinion, Sint Maarten adequately implemented the payment conditions and is eligible for the loan support.

The delays in the continuation of the Business Payroll Program for June are regrettable, however the governments intention to implement the new conditions as set by The Netherlands as of July 1st instead of June 1st was rejected by CFT and State secretary Knops. In order to secure the second part of the second tranche of the loan from The Netherlands, St. Maarten was required to implement the abovementioned conditions as indicated or risk not receiving the funds. With this, as a consequence, the June Business Payroll Support was regrettably delayed.
When Bob Reed moved his family to Texas to take the helm of a new church plant in Cypress, he never expected to find himself in the unpredictable situation of navigating a pandemic. Instead of mulling about, the pastor and his congregation rolled up their sleeves and tackled the needs of the community and like many others around the world, became the caring hands of Jesus with their ministry. As lead pastor of CyLife Church, Reed said ministry had to continue.

Q&A with Superintendent Mark Henry: Building success on the Golden Rule

What were you thinking in those early days of the pandemic?

None of us have ever had to navigate these challenges as leadership. In a lot of ways, I feel like weve tried to respond and care for our community by service with food drives and blood drives. We had to switch to online services when in-person was curtailed by order of our public officials. It also put an end to our small group ministry, too.

How did CyLife come into being?

TheMET Church on Jones Road had a satellite campus in Cypress on Fry Road. They wanted to make it its own autonomous church. I had been in Texas for 18 years and was called to a church in Florida for 8.5 years. They called and asked me to come in and transition the satellite campus into a church. Ive been a senior pastor for 20-plus years. I came in and after about a year-and-a-half, we broke away and called the church CyLife. We wanted to brand it after our community. That happened in April 2019. We call ourselves a disciple-making church and my job as communicator is to impart the Word so that it makes sense to people on a daily basis. Then we teach them and help them grow in their faith.

On HoustonChronicle.com: One of America's first COVID patients is a 28-year-old Cypress native. The symptoms keep coming.

What kind of denominational affiliation do you have, if any?

Were a nondenominational church. TheMET was a southern Baptist church and when we branched off of them, we didnt change doctrinally. We just chose to be nondenominational. Were not trying to reach more Baptistswere trying to reach more people.

How did this all work when you came in? Did you start out in a school?

When I arrived, they already had their own facility and 100-acres at Fry Road and Tuckerton literally across the street from Bridgeland. In December of 2018, we sold some of the property, about 70 acres, to knock down some of the debt. Were left with a church facility and about 30 acres to expand when were ready. Before all of this hit, we were averaging between 1,400 to 1,800. Before I came, they were already running a campus ministry with special speakers and had about 700-800. Were now our own 501(c)(3) organization.

Q&A with CEO Steve Ives: YMCA continues mission with focus on community

Was it a tough decision to leave Florida?

It was one of those things that was an exciting opportunity. We love Texas and I had a great church where I was at and wasnt looking to go anywhere, but I felt like this was an opportunity God was leading us to. We love the people and this community, and theyve been a real blessing.

All this growth and then the pandemic hit. How did you handle it?

We were already doing online services on Facebook. For us to do it there wasnt this massive transition we had to make. We worshipped the same way. Taught the same way. Then on Easter we changed it up significantly. We pre-recorded everything and put more emphasis on the production side if you will. The audio wasnt great. We werent mixing it for the online experience. The changes were more intimate and impactful. We prerecorded the music and the message and then got some help to package the program.

How will this change the church for the future?

The big change will come when we come back for meeting in-person again. People have gotten used to the quality online experience that will change when we meet in the building again. We already had cameras, so we spent some money on audio and computer equipment.

Many churches are struggling with their tithes and offerings since theyre not meeting in-person. Has that affected CyLife?

The giving of our church has been spectacular. Its been just a huge blessing and has allowed us to help other people and remain sustainable because people have been faithful in their giving. Our giving is quite a bit over our budget.

How do you check in to see how many are watching the videos?

We look at the metrics to see how many are viewing and we can also gauge how long are they viewing. A big part of our DNA is in small groups. They still meet. They met over Zoom for a while and now some of them are back meeting in-person. When you get big you have to get small. For us thats been a big deal because we are able to shepherd our church with these small groups rather than just relying on a Sunday morning service.

How has the staff managed through all of this?

When the stay at home orders came down, we sent them home and told them to take care of themselves unless they absolutely had to be up there for something. There are times when Ill work up at the office. We wear masks. When its time to record, theres not very many of us except the ones behind the cameras. The worship team is spread out. Originally, we were prerecording the worship team, but this month theyve gone back to live worship on Sunday morning and my message is prerecorded.

How has your church congregation adapted?

The thing weve tried to remind them is the church is the body, not a building. We continue to encourage people to continue functioning as the body of Christ. Whether its small groups, or food drives, just because we dont meet in a building doesnt mean we cant serve God.

A lot of our folks are wondering when we will return to in-person services, but we just dont know right now. Weve had people who have contracted the virus, but we keep reminding our folks to stay safe. None of our staff have been affected yet.

dtaylor@hcnonline.com
Sumi Sukanya dutta By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A study of Covid-19 patients, admitted in two facilities under AIIMS-Delhi, has cautioned against overemphasis on fever as a predominant symptom of coronavirus saying that it may lead to several cases being missed.

The study, based on the clinical profile of 144 patients admitted in AIIMS trauma centre and the institution's Jhajjar centre in March-April, was published in the Indian Council of Medical Researchs Indian Journal of Medical Research.

The study report noted that fever was present in only 17% of these patients.

It was far less compared to other reports across the globe, including the Chinese cohort in whom 44 per cent had fever at the time of presentation and 88 per cent developed fever during the hospital stay, the paper said.

Thus, overemphasis on fever as a predominant symptom may lead to several cases being missed, the researchers in the study titled Clinico-demographic profile & hospital outcomes of Covid-19 patients admitted at a tertiary care centre in north India noted.

For a long time in India, clinical signs like fever, cough, fatigue and breathlessness were publicised by the government as symptoms of the infectious disease. It was only in June that the Union Ministry of Health recognized a loss of smell and taste, diarrhoea, and muscle pain as signs of Covid-19.

The study, however, said that more than 44% of the hospitalised patients were asymptomatic at the time of hospital admission and remained so throughout.

This may be a cause of concern as these asymptomatic patients are potential transmitters of infection in the community, the study said.

Also, most symptomatic patients had mild respiratory symptoms such as nasal symptoms, throat irritation and cough, which was different from the reported symptoms in other studies  and only 2 succumbed to the infection.

Though the study does not clearly say it, it gives enough clues to suggest that most of these patients were part of Tablighi Jamaat  a religious congregation in Delhi where the infection had spread in the early period of pandemic in India.

In this single-centre study of 144 hospitalized patients with confirmed Covid-19 in north India, the characteristic findings included younger age, high proportion of asymptomatic patients, long time to PCR negativity and low need for intensive care unit care, the authors, which included AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria noted.

While majority of the patients were treated with supportive care and required only symptomatic treatment or, antihistamines (48.6%), vitamin C (47.2%) and paracetamol (20.8%), antibiotic azithromycin was prescribed to 29 (20.1%) patients, hydroxychloroquine was administered to 27 (18.7%) patients and 11 (7.6%) received both HCQ and azithromycin.

Only five (3.5%) patients required oxygen supplementation, four (2.8%) patients had severe disease requiring intensive care, one required mechanical ventilation and mortality occurred in two (1.4%) patients.

The time to RT-PCR negativity was 16-18 days.

The paper, however, declared that the differences in symptom profile could be due to the selection bias, as most patients were identified on active screening.
When Covid-19 reached Ireland in March, I and thousands of other students found ourselves grappling with wholly unexpected ways of attending lectures, preparing for exams and researching essays. I was forced to move from Dublin back to Cork and relinquished much of the independence and identity that came with living away from home. I said abrupt goodbyes to my friends at Trinity College, not realising that my only interaction with them over the coming months would be online. My third-level experience went from one defined by face-to-face engagement to a far lonelier existence.

I study English literature, so much of my degree is spent reading alone in the library. I thought that because I was so accustomed to solitary, self-directed learning, the lockdown would have little impact on my studies. I assumed that because my generation is used to navigating the complexities of social media, I would adapt easily to online teaching. I look back now and want to laugh at my naivety. Where my days had been punctuated by trips to the library, lectures, coffee breaks, social events and part-time jobs, I now sat at home attempting to create routine and structure. The fact I didn't need to leave my bedroom to attend classes meant that the boundaries between academic work and relaxation crumbled.

Most of my time in lockdown was spent staring at a screen - attending seminars, reading e-books, video-calling friends - and it became difficult not to feel overwhelmed by the online world. Despite the power of the internet to foster community and connection, online learning sometimes triggered isolation and disengagement. Even in video seminars - where I saw the faces of my classmates and contributed to discussions and debates - I maintained a subconscious awareness that I was sitting alone in my bedroom, speaking aloud to myself.

When I ponder the return to Trinity in September, I try to feel optimistic. I know that some - potentially all - of my lectures will be online. I realise that I won't be able to casually go for a pint with friends in the way we used to, or dance at a crowded college ball. The tribulations of the past few months, however, mean that I now feel much more mentally prepared for this new 'normal'.

Although my initial experience of attending university online was at times difficult and draining, I watched staff members test innovative ways of teaching that enabled me to engage more robustly in certain subject areas. I saw how beneficial it was for students with disabilities, students who are parents and students who are carers to attend classes remotely. I realised that online learning is not an 'all or nothing' approach but a system that third-level institutions can adapt to suit students' needs.

As I head into the final year of my undergraduate degree, I am hopeful. The coronavirus crisis taught me the importance of routinely contacting friends and appreciating the lecturers who worked throughout lockdown. It would be futile to dwell on the social events and occasions I could have enjoyed in a world free of Covid-19. Instead, I am committed to carving out small spaces of community, online and in-person, while viewing this new way of life as one ripe with both challenges and opportunities.
The 41-year-old patient was transferred from the Kandakadu Drug Rehabilitation Center to the National Infectious Disease Hospital as he tested positive for the virus and needed urgent treatment, reports Xinhua news agency.

Colombo, July 24 (IANS) Sri Lankan authorities on Friday launched a massive search operation to locate a coronavirus-infected patient who escaped from a hospital on the outskirts of Colombo, police said.

The Kandakadu Drug Rehabilitation Center has become a COVID-19 infection cluster as several inmates and staff have tested positive in recent days.

Police said the patient had escaped early Friday morning and several police and army teams were deployed to track him down.

Police released details of the patient along with his picture and sought public assistance to nab him.

Sri Lanka has so far reported 2,753 COVID-19 patients since the pandemic hit the island nation in March, the Health Ministry said.

The death toll stood at 11.

--IANS

ksk/
In the 2020 presidential primary, six women launched campaigns for the White House within the Democratic Party. While none made it to the top of ticket, its still a mark in history as the most women to ever run for president ever. Now, presumptive nominee Joe Biden has promised a woman will be his running mate. Kelly Dittmar is a professor of political science at Rutgers University-Camden and a scholar at the center of American Women and Politics. Soledad OBrien talks with her about the role of gender in politics and the likability litmus test women candidates face.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- McClatchy (OTC-MNIQQ) announced today that it filed an asset purchase agreement with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, formalizing the details of Chatham Asset Management's ("Chatham") successful bid for ownership of McClatchy in the Chapter 11 sale process. The filing is a key milestone in the reorganization and paves the way for a change in control of the 163-year-old news company. Under Chapter 11 rules, the proposed asset purchase is scheduled for consideration by the Court for approval at a hearing on August 4.

Under the agreement, Chatham will acquire McClatchy for $263 million in a credit bid of the Company's first-lien debt, plus new money consideration of $49 million in cash and the assumption of additional liabilities.

The agreement outlines that the entirety of the 30 McClatchy news organizations will move seamlessly to the new ownership structure. All employees will be offered their current job with new McClatchy, with equivalent compensation, benefits and full credit for service years. The agreement also provides that new McClatchy will honor all current collective-bargaining agreements.

''This important step towards a resolution of our reorganization will provide greater certainty and stability to the wider group of employees and stakeholders who benefit from a restructured McClatchy,'' said Craig Forman, President and CEO.

"Today's agreement brings McClatchy one step closer to a future on strong financial footing where it can continue to provide necessary, civic-minded journalism to local communities nationwide," said Chatham.

As part of the transition, Chairman Kevin McClatchy, President and CEO Craig Forman and fellow Board Directors announced plans to depart from the company when the transaction closes by the end of the third quarter.

"For over a century and a half, our family has owned and operated our local news brands  these important civic institutions  to ensure thriving independent local journalism in the public interest," said Kevin McClatchy, a fifth-generation McClatchy family member. "The McClatchy family's time as proprietors spans this nation's history from the Gold Rush and the Pony Express to the moon landings to the modern mobile internet. While it will be humbling to pass the torch, we want to thank our employees, readers, communities and Chatham for recognizing the value of the public-service role of local journalism and supporting its mission."

Kevin McClatchy has served on the Board since 1998 and led it as Chairman for eight years, working closely with Board members and the management team to expand McClatchy's footprint to serve communities across America and transition the company to serve customers in a digital era. He owned and led the Pittsburgh Pirates for 11 years before selling the team in 2007. In his philanthropic work, he was recently named co-chair of the board of amFAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. His fifth-generation cousins, Molly Maloney Evangelisti, Brown McClatchy Maloney and William McClatchy have served loyally on the McClatchy Board of Directors, cumulatively for 57 years, working tirelessly to ensure the sustainability of the family company, anchored to the mission of independent local journalism.

"It will be tough and more than bittersweet to say farewell. Across seven generations, local journalism is baked into our family's DNA. But we do so with thanks, and wish Chatham Asset Management continued success," McClatchy added. "I want to offer my thanks as well to Craig Forman for his leadership and the dedicated members of the Board who have contributed their expertise and guidance to the management team over the decades."

Craig Forman joined the McClatchy Board in 2013 and at its request stepped into the President and CEO role in 2017 to accelerate the company's digital transformation. Under Forman's leadership, the company achieved a near-total reorganization into a functionally focused, sustainable digital platform that better positions it for success in a digital economy, reaching an unprecedented 40% year-over-year growth in digital-only subscribers and on track to reach nearly 700,000 paid digital customer relationships. McClatchy now has more than 260,000 digital-only subscribers, up nearly 400% from when Forman became CEO.

"We wasted no time in the past three years transforming McClatchy into a profoundly digital company, equally balanced between subscription and advertising revenue, enhancing our reputation for essential journalism and products and services vital in our 30 communities," commented Forman. "This transaction provides a needed resolution to McClatchy's legacy debt and pension issues by restructuring the balance sheet and capital structure through a voluntary reorganization under Chapter 11 protection."

"As a former journalist, I was motivated to ensure a sustainable future for this great and essential company. Now, Chatham as new owners will come in to build on the strong foundation this team has put in place," Forman continued. "With thanks to my tireless colleagues and the McClatchy family, I see no reason to delay my return to Silicon Valley when the company transitions to new ownership, to pursue the next challenge in the future of technology, media and telecom."

"Craig Forman has been exactly the leader McClatchy needed at exactly the right time," said Kevin McClatchy. "He guided us through a series of significant challenges, and thanks to Craig's smart and strategic leadership we have a go-forward digital-first company properly focused on our audience and the sustainable future of local news, which will continue to serve our communities for years to come."

In its core mission of local journalism, McClatchy is widely acknowledged for 'punching above its weight' journalistically, awarded multiple Pulitzer Prizes and many other accolades for such coverage as legislative secrecy in Kansas , a collaboration among California newsrooms on wildfire risk and policy recommendations to keep communities safe , "Stricken," a series on alarming cancer rates among our veterans , and capped by the Miami Herald's coverage of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

In the past three years, McClatchy has accelerated its digital transition from 30 independent operating companies in as many cities to a single national digital platform that begins with essential local news and information in the community. Forman rebuilt McClatchy's leadership team with the aim of creating an industry leader in digital innovation. With key digital-first executives in place, McClatchy has been able to negotiate important partnerships with such Silicon Valley platforms as Google with The Compass Experiment to return robust digital news coverage to America's growing 'news deserts.' Also, a future-focused McClatchy leadership team has innovated in News as well, creating a series of community-funded solutions journalism labs while building robust relationships with important partners such as Report for America .

"What the McClatchy digital transformation shows is that by focusing on fearless reporting, relentless customer engagement, standout products and stabilizing operating cash flow, you can accelerate digital success," said Forman. "This is the formula to ensure a sustainable future in the digital era for news and information enterprises crucial to our democratic way of life."

While the company's focus on essential journalism in the public interest is unchanged since its founding in 1857, almost everything else has changed. The McClatchy Company began in Sacramento when James McClatchy, an immigrant to America from Ireland, helped found The Daily Bee in 1857, and published an editorial that set the course for the present-day local media company, "The object of this paper is not only independence, but permanence." Almost immediately after the new daily launched, James McClatchy exposed political and judicial corruption. This established a tradition of watchdog journalism that thrives today across McClatchy newsrooms, which collectively have won 54 Pulitzer Prizes and numerous other awards and accolades.

Expansion of McClatchy began in 1922 with the launch of The Fresno Bee in California's Central Valley, led by James McClatchy's grandson, Carlos McClatchy and five years later with the purchase of another Central Valley local newspaper that was later renamed, The Modesto Bee. Then, on the 65th anniversary of the founding of The Sacramento Bee, the McClatchy family expanded their interest to a new medium, radio. KVQ was the first radio station on the West Coast owned by a newspaper. The expansion continued under the management of James McClatchy's granddaughter, Eleanor McClatchy, who led the company for four decades. The company started an expansion into markets outside of California in 1979 with the purchase of the Anchorage Daily News (and later sold), which continued with the acquisition of The Tri-Cities Herald, The (Tacoma) News Tribune, both in Washington State, and in South Carolina, The Island Packet, The Beaufort Gazette and The (Rock Hill) Herald, The (Raleigh) News & Observer and The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune (later sold). In 2006, the Company purchased Knight Ridder. Some of the Knight Ridder news titles were sold subsequently but the purchase enlarged the company's local news footprint substantially.

About McClatchy

McClatchy operates 30 media companies in 14 states, providing each of its communities with strong independent local journalism in the public interest and advertising services in a wide array of digital and print formats. McClatchy publishes iconic local brands including the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News & Observer, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif. #ReadLocal

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release regarding the proposed agreement, as well as the restructuring and sale process, and any other statements about management's future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects, including our planned sale to Chatham and our digital subscriber growth, constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: the failure to obtain Bankruptcy Court approval; the failure to obtain regulatory approvals in a timely manner or otherwise; the effects of the Bankruptcy Court rulings in the Chapter 11 proceedings and the outcome of the proceedings in general; the length of time the Company will operate in the Chapter 11 proceedings; we may experience diminished digital subscriber growth as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic as this crisis evolves; we may do harm to our operations in attempting to achieve our expense reduction targets; our operations have been, and will likely continue to be, adversely affected by competition, including competition from internet publishing and advertising platforms; as well as the other risks listed in the Company's publicly filed documents, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2018. These forward-looking statements speak as of the time made and, except as required by law, we disclaim any intention and assume no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this release.

SOURCE McClatchy
Torontos Catholic board is proposing that if schools open full-time this fall, class sizes wont be any smaller.

Despite an amendment seeking no more than 15 students in a cohort, trustees voted to keep class sizes as they are in both elementary and secondary schools.

Trustee Norm Di Pasquale, who proposed the 15-student cap at Thursday nights meeting, said some of his colleagues felt that option wasnt realistic, believing the government wont provide necessary funding to hire extra teachers.

However, his recommendations to provide face masks to any student or staff who request PPE passed.

At the request of the province, boards are creating plans for the fall based on three scenarios: online only, in-class or a combination of the two.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce has recently signalled that when he announces which direction the province is headed next week, more resources and supports will be provided.

The Toronto and Halton public boards have both urged the government to forget the hybrid model, saying working parents in particular would have to scramble for child care, and have asked for creative solutions such as outdoor classrooms or extra space in unused buildings to accommodate smaller classes.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said during this pandemic, parents have been doing the superhuman work of juggling parenting, working from home and supporting kids with at-home learning. Knowing how incredibly difficult thats been, Im shocked that (Premier) Doug Ford appears not to be taking any action at all to get enough safe, small classrooms ready so every child can go back to school in the fall.

She said, If I were premier, Id be hiring teachers and education workers, sourcing temporary classrooms and getting extra supports lined up for students with special needs. Theres no time to waste if were going to be ready for fall.

At an announcement in Markham on Friday, Ford said that people want certainty, they want to know that they can come into work and their kids are going to be somewhere safe for five days a week, and thats our ultimate goal.

Lecce said boards are to submit their plans by Aug. 4 and at that point, were going to review them, supported by a command table of some of the best pediatric and medical minds in the country weve assembled to review them, to ensure that it abides by and follows the advice of the chief medical officer.

Were going to be doing a thorough review to ensure they are safe, to ensure that students can get back to class in September to a conventional model, he said. And the focus for the next few days is to finalize that plan.

Di Pasquale said his proposal for cohorts of 15 students is in line with current public health guidance to keep kids safe.

The Toronto public board has proposed classes of 15 students in elementary schools, or 15 students from kindergarten to Grade 3, and a cap of 20 from grades 4 to 8.

It has also recommended quadmesters for high school students, which would see half of students in school at any given time taking two courses, with home learning for the remainder of each day. Their Catholic counterparts rejected that scenario.

In Quebec, elementary students will be in school full-time, but classes are to be organized into groups of six children who will keep to their bubble in class, one metre apart from others.
Three men have been charged in Brisbane for their alleged roles in a criminal conspiracy to import about 1 tonne of methamphetamine into Australia.

An investigation began when New Caledonian authorities advised Australian Federal Police and the Australian Border Force about the arrival of a vessel of interest into Pacific waters the previous day. The vessel was a yacht crewed by three men.

A yacht suspected of carrying hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine has been intercepted off the NSW coast near Lake Macquarie.

The yacht had allegedly been near Norfolk Island and New Caledonia. The crew declared to New Caledonian authorities they had travelled from Mexico.

As a result, the Australian investigative team identified a second vessel of interest  a yacht known as the LaFayette  which was allegedly loaded with drugs from the yacht near Norfolk Island.
She's the perennial Hollywood scream queen whose latest fright fest has been delayed by one year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

But Jamie Lee Curtis was seen making the best of it on Friday, while out getting groceries and a bouquet of flowers at Jayde's Market in the ritzy Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

The Knives Out star, 61, looked comfy in a grey knit ensemble as she pushed her cart along, donning an also grey industrial face mask outfitted with a nose clamp and filter.

Essential errand: Jamie Lee Curtis was seen out getting groceries and a bouquet of flowers at Jayde's Market in the ritzy Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles on Friday

Curtis, the daughter of old Hollywood stars Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, wore what looked to be a dark grey dress with heather sleeves, and a small pocketbook.

She wore her silver hair short, with hoop earrings.

Jamie Lee wore flip flops on her feet.

Prepared: The Knives Out star looked comfy in a grey knit ensemble as she pushed her cart along, donning an also grey industrial face mask outfitted with a nose clamp and filter

The sighting comes as confirmed coronavirus cases in the state of California have surpassed those of New York, the former epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S.

As of Thursday, California had more than 422,000 cases, with Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti threatening a second lockdown.

The continuing pandemic has also caused much disarray in Hollywood, where Curtis's latest entry in the Halloween franchise, Halloween Kills, has joined the long list of films with delayed release dates.

2020 no more: The continuing pandemic has caused much disarray in Hollywood, where Curtis's latest entry in the Halloween franchise, Halloween Kills, has delayed its release date

Meanwhile: Jamie Lee is quite active on her social media in general  on Friday, she posted a selfie with her eyes covered in honor of a late colleague lost to drug addiction

Earlier this month, the True Lies actress took to her social media with a screenshot of a tweet from horror maestro John Carpenter, announcing the film's delay from October 2020 to the same month in 2021.

The film is the sequel to the uber-successful 2018 reboot of the franchise, which saw Jamie Lee return to the iconic role of original final girl Laurie Strode for the first time in 16 years.

That slasher movie ignored all previous sequels, fashioning itself as a direct sequel to Carpenter's 1978 original.

Earlier this month: The True Lies actress again took to her social media with a screenshot of a tweet from horror maestro John Carpenter, announcing the film's delay from 2020 to 2021

Can never get away: The film is the sequel to the uber-successful 2018 reboot of the franchise, which saw Jamie Lee return to the iconic role of original final girl Laurie Strode

In the interim, Jamie Lee has appeared in various other sequels in the moneymaking horror franchise, including 1998's underrated 20th anniversary entry, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.

That film co-starred Michelle Williams and Josh Hartnett, and included a cameo by Curtis's iconic mother, Janet Leigh.

Leigh is also considered horror movie royalty, for her timeless turn as shower victim Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 thriller Psycho.

Jamie Lee, meanwhile, is quite active on her social media in general  on Friday, she posted a selfie with her eyes covered by the logo of her podcast Dopey in honor of a late colleague lost to drug addiction in an effort to destigmatize the problem.

In the interim: Jamie Lee has appeared in various other sequels in the moneymaking horror franchise, including 1998's underrated 20th anniversary entry, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
SHERBROOKE, QUE.Quebecs independent police watchdog is investigating the death of a 33-year-old man who was pepper sprayed by police on Saturday in Sherbrooke.

The Bureau des enquetes independantes is investigating the incident, which occurred around 10:15 a.m. in front of a Sherbrooke business.

The watchdog says in a statement that police were called for an altercation between two men and one of them fled the scene.

When an officer caught up to him, pepper spray was used to bring him under control.

The man lost consciousness and was transported to hospital where his death was pronounced about 11:30 a.m.

Quebec provincial police will provide technical support to the bureaus team of investigators.

Sherbrooke is about 150 kilometres east of Montreal.
It goes without saying that members of the federal Liberal Party and the government of Justin Trudeau have been hoping and praying for something to temper the extreme heat the prime minister is facing for his involvement in the WE Charity scandal.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/7/2020 (544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It goes without saying that members of the federal Liberal Party and the government of Justin Trudeau have been hoping and praying for something to temper the extreme heat the prime minister is facing for his involvement in the WE Charity scandal.

They would probably have preferred that "something" not to be Minister of Finance Bill Morneau.

As it happens, however, the quickly escalating turmoil surrounding Mr. Morneaus messy involvement in the WE Charity situation has fully diverted  surely, only temporarily  the attention of opposition parties and the media away from Mr. Trudeau.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau was dragged into the controversy he had not recused himself from discussions regarding the contract with WE Charity, despite having a daughter who is employed by the organization. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press files)

The finance minister was dragged into the controversy  which initially focused on the awarding and subsequent quick cancellation of an untendered contract for the high-profile charity founded by siblings Craig and Marc Kielberger to administer a youth-volunteer program, and the fact several of Mr. Trudeaus family members had been paid by WE for speaking engagements  after it was revealed that Mr. Morneau, like the prime minister, had not recused himself from discussions regarding the contract, despite having a daughter who is employed by WE Charity.

That was bad enough, but as the scandal deepened and Mr. Morneau was called to testify this week before a parliamentary committee, he "suddenly" remembered and repaid $41,000 in travel expenses related to WE-sponsored trips his family took to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017.

"I expected and always had intended to pay the full cost of these trips," Mr. Morneau contended Wednesday. "Not doing so, even unknowingly, its not appropriate. I want to apologize for this error on my part."

The average Canadian might be inclined to think someone whose level of financial advantage is such that he can dismiss $41,000 as a forgettable accounting error is rather woefully out of touch with the day-to-day budgeting realities of the average Canadian, and that perhaps such a person might not be a suitable choice to oversee the nations finances. But that would miss the larger point.

The conduct of Mr. Morneau and Mr. Trudeau in connection to the WE Charity file signals a level of political arrogance, ethical unmooring and personal entitlement that brings their fitness for office squarely into question. It might not suggest outright corruption in terms of criminal intent and the deliberate pursuit of personal gain through public-office advantage, but it surely reveals the top operators in this federal government as having the impression they can do whatever they want while in power because, as members of Canadas self-styled natural governing party, they have the right because theyre always right.

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The smugness is appalling.

Both Finance Minster Bill Morneau (left) and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (right) have shown a level of ethical unmooring and personal entitlement that brings their fitness for office into question. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press files)

Add to that the manner in which the government this week seemingly sought to provide cover for messrs. Trudeau and Morneau by having junior cabinet minister Bardish Chagger (diversity and inclusion and youth) take the fall for the WE debacle, and what began as a hamhandedly rushed effort to launch a youth-employment program during the pandemic has devolved into a rather tawdry tale of privilege and leverage that threatens to upend the Liberals minority government.

Mr. Morneau, at this point, is in too deep. He should resign. Thats the most prudent and honourable exit strategy, because its highly unlikely Mr. Trudeau will fire him.

"I think theres a reason," Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre said this week. "I think it is because if Justin Trudeau imposes any type of ethical standard on Bill Morneau, then others would ask that he impose it on himself."

The heat shows no prospect of dissipating.
SPRINGFIELD  A $250,000 grant recently awarded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will help city efforts to spark development surrounding MGM Springfield  something city officials and casino boosters had hoped would happen on its own.

The Gaming Commission, in approving the funds, said it agreed with the citys application statement that the $960 million casino at Main and State streets has yet to provide any meaningful spill-over redevelopment activity or the complementary/supporting uses off-site.

MGM Springfield partially reopened last week following a four-month shutdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Timothy Sheehan, the citys chief development officer, said Friday that MGM did its part with its massive investment, but its now time for the city to complete its master plan for that area, and to provide zoning amendments and incentives to spur development.

The master plan and the creation of a casino impact zoning district will need City Council approval.

The citys drafted blueprint states in part there is a need to proactively attract, guide and facilitate targeted development and investment in downtown.

The MGM casino, which won the backing of Springfield voters in 2013 and opened in 2018, was touted as a economic driver that would revitalize the citys South End.

But the citys grant application indicates that the reality of the casino may be working against that goal. It says unforeseen investor speculation in properties surrounding the casino  described as a ripple effect from MGMs decision to overpay for key properties to construct its campus  has resulted in little redevelopment in the area.

MGMs purchase of properties for millions of dollars is now distorting the real estate market immediately surrounding the casino and raising investor expectations in those properties, the citys application says.

The resulting volatility and speculation in the market has created a wait and see attitude with building owners and in some cases to property disinvestment, abandonment or removal altogether from the market, the application says.

The Gaming Commissions review team said it agreed with the citys assessment and recommended approval of the grant. MGM Springfield wrote a letter of support for the grant.

In addition to the focus on the Main Street properties, the mitigation funds will focus on the nearby Court Square and Willow Street blocks from State Street to Union Street, city officials said.

Sheehan said the city is very happy to have the mitigation funds that come from statewide casino revenues.

The grant was critical to continue the master planning work in the casino impact district, Sheehan said.

The city must create the framework for what it wants to see in that district, and what it is willing to aggressively support through incentives, specialized zoning and other measures, Sheehan said.

The city is hoping to spur development of bank-foreclosed troubled properties such as 113 State St. (the Masonic building at State and Main streets) 11-21 Stockbridge St., and 1115 Main St. (the Colonial Block), Sheehan said.

The city should also focus attention o the Shean building at 1208-1220 Main St., possibly for mixed-use redevelopment opportunities, he said.

The city also applied unsuccessfully for $250,000 from a property stabilization fund to address critical threat properties in the casino district, intended to secure and prevent properties from further disrepair, threats to public safety and address growing blight around the casino district.

That grant was not awarded for this year. The commission encouraged the city to reapply for the funds next year when there is further planning and preparation, officials said.

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Oakland officials pleaded with residents Friday to stop gathering at Lake Merritt, as hundreds more Alameda County residents tested positive and pushed the number of coronavirus cases to more than 10,000  the first Bay Area county to reach that unfortunate milestone.

Amid a persistent statewide surge in the deadly disease, Alameda County became the ninth of 58 California counties to exceed 10,000 cases. On Friday, with 345 more people testing positive, the county recorded 10,214 cases and 178 deaths since the pandemic began. Oakland accounts for nearly 40% of the countys infections, at 4,026 cases.

John Blanchard

Of particular concern is East Oakland, which is seeing numbers double and triple the rate of the city as a whole, public health experts said. In addition, most residents are low-income people of color, who tend to have higher rates of infection than other ethnicities. Like similar neighborhoods across the Bay Area, people live in closer quarters and work frontline jobs where they are less able to practice social distancing. County data show that 69% of all Oakland residents infected with the coronavirus live in East Oakland.

On Friday, public health experts and city officials focused on a different reason for the countys spike: Parties and gatherings that residents continue to hold at Lake Merritt and in other public spaces.

Although city officials outlawed vendors and weekend parking at parks in May, they have not enforced the ban. Nearly 60 vendors sold food, alcohol, cannabis and merchandise at Lake Merritt last weekend, and people showed up by the hundreds.

Its exploded, said Joe DeVries, an assistant to the city administrator. That is why we are taking action.

He said the city will first warn, then fine, vendors who continue to show up by slapping administrative penalties on their vehicles.

We have a particular concern about this because of the large gatherings weve seen at (Lake Merritt) in particular over the past few months, said Oakland Councilwoman Nikki Fortunato Bas. We have to protect our collective health, our public health, and make sure we are giving the lake a break.

Alameda Countys bad news reflects a troubling statewide trend. Since the start of the pandemic, California has recorded 440,318 cases and 8,339 deaths. Across the Bay Area, there have been 47,076 cases and 758 deaths.

The state has averaged 8,575 new cases a day in July,  more than double the 4,007 average of June, according to a Chronicle analysis of county data. Bay Area counties have averaged 836 new cases a day this month, compared with 393 in June.

The number of COVID-19 patients in Bay Area hospitals surged to a record 797 on Thursday, according to state data released Friday. That increase was in part attributed to the stark increase in Alameda County, which recorded 35 more hospitalizations for an all-time high of 201.

We are currently in not particularly great shape as a state, said George Rutherford, an infectious-disease expert with UCSF. We had a spectacular response early on and especially in the Bay Area, where we not only flattened the curve, we stomped it. However, since Memorial Day across the southern United States as a whole and along the West Coast, cases are rising. And in California, cases have risen fourfold per day.

Meanwhile, public health officials blamed East Oaklands alarming surge largely on parties and social gatherings.

When we look at East Oakland, the case rates are double and even triple the rest of Oakland, said Dr. Noha Aboelata, the CEO of Roots Community Health Center. Things are heading in the wrong direction. Behind every one of those numbers is a person. Most of the time, its the entire household.

East Oaklands sharp rise is particularly concerning due to its demographics, said Dr. Nicholas Moss, the interim health officer in Alameda County.

East Oakland is 51% African American and 38% Latino. Moss said county data show Latino residents are more than six times as likely to get COVID-19, and Black people are twice as likely to die from it as white residents.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Over the past month, weve seen more people infected by attending parties, social events and family gatherings, he said. Social gatherings play a much larger role than we had expected.

Moss said the county expects another case surge in about a week in people who attended parties over the Fourth of July.

On Friday, Santa Clara County officials also called attention to the alarming number of cases and deaths in their county. The countys cases reached 8,533 Friday, or about 380 cases for every 100,000 people. More than 180 people have died of COVID-19 in the county.

People in their 20s make up the largest group of those infected with the coronavirus  about 19%, county officials said at a news conference Friday. The next largest group are those in their 30s, at 18.5%.

On Friday, county officials held a news conference where young people who work in the countys emergency operations center spoke about the need to avoid infection.

Its actually very important for us to make sure that ... we keep each other safe, as well as our families, said Lizeth Venegas Mata, one of the speakers. Maybe we (would) be able to fight this off, but maybe our parents wouldnt. A lot of our parents might be elderly or might have diabetes. Its very important for us to keep them safe as well.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
Andrew Jackson has been no stranger to rough-and-tumble conflict. In his own time, he upended the established political order and helped spearhead the violent expansion of Americas borders. In ours, he has become a toxic figure for many, as even the Democratic Party he helped found has distanced itself from his legacy of slaveholding, Indian removal and populist demagogy.

Last week, Jackson cut a posthumously destructive path through another institution once centered on his legacy, when the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic was thrown into turmoil after a contentious scholarly panel about the man.

The panel, which was held via Zoom on July 17, featured discussion of a paper by Daniel Feller, the editor of the Andrew Jackson Papers. Titled Andrew Jackson in the Age of Trump, it set off a firestorm that led, within 72 hours, to the ouster of the groups president, as well as the publication of open letters denouncing the talk and counterletters protesting the ouster. It also caused debate over whether the distinguished academic society was experiencing an overdue reckoning with racism or abandoning its commitment to robust scholarly debate in the face of a Twitter mob.

With Jackson and Mr. Trump, Mr. Feller was taking on two characters with few admirers in the often left-leaning historical profession. He began by recalling the day in 2017 when Mr. Trump visited the Hermitage, Jacksons home in Nashville, before picking apart what he called the presidents distorted and self-serving efforts to wrap himself in the former presidents mantle.
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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 12:27 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669389ab 1 National Nadiem-Makarim,Nadiem-Merdeka-Belajar,Education-and-Culture-Ministry,Nahdlatul-ulama,Muhammadiyah,PGRI,Tanoto-Foundation,Sampoerna Free

Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim has come under fire after several organizations voiced their concerns over the involvement of private enterprises in the ministrys latest teacher training grant program.

The Mobilization Organization Program (POP) is part of the ministers Freedom to Learn initiative that aims to improve the quality of teachers by involving communities and organizations.

The ministry had selected 156 out of 4,464 organizations that registered for the program. Among them were the Tanoto Foundation and the Putera Sampoerna Foundation.

The Tanoto Foundation is a philanthropic organization focusing on education founded by forestry tycoon Sukanto Tanoto. Meanwhile, the Putera Sampoerna Foundation is deemed by many to have a connection to tobacco giant PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna.

The decision to include the two foundations in the program, however, has outraged the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI) and the two-largest Muslim organizations in the country, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah. They have expressed their objections and withdrawal from the program.

The ministrys criteria for selecting participants are unclear, PGRI chair Unifah Rosyidi wrote in a statement on Friday.

Read also: Home learning hindered by technology gap, Nadiem acknowledges

She added that the ministry should reallocate the programs budget to help poor students and teachers by providing better infrastructure, especially in rural areas amid school closures during the COVID-19 outbreak.

We dont think the program can be implemented effectively and efficiently. Its better to avoid undesirable consequences, Unifah went on to say.

The three organizations were selected to participate in the Elephant category of the program, making them eligible for the largest grant of Rp 20 billion (US$1.3 million) to train teachers at 100 schools. Tanoto and Sampoerna foundations were also selected in the same category.

The NUs Maarif Institute chairman, Arifin Junaidi, echoed Unifahs concern: It turns out that there are many unqualified organizations and foundations.

Meanwhile, Muhammadiyahs elementary and middle education assembly chairman, Kasiyarno, said corporate social responsibility (CSR) institutions should not participate in the governments program.

Read also: Distance learning threatens to exacerbate education inequality in Indonesia

Islam-based political party politicians also criticized the ministrys decision, saying organizations with investors should not participate and get support from the state budget.

Organizations with strong backup dont need state budget assistance, National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin Iskandar said.

National Mandate Party (PAN) executive Saleh Daulay called on President Joko Jokowi Widodo to replace Nadiem, saying the government needed a minister who understood the countrys problems in education.

Its no surprise that Muhammadiyah and NU decided to withdraw from the program. [] [Nadiem] doesnt understand the history of these organizations in Indonesia, said Saleh.

According to the ministry, the program has three funding options: a fully-funded scheme sourced from the state budget, matching funds scheme and self-financing scheme.

Tanoto Foundation spokesperson Haviez Gautama said the foundation would choose the self-financing scheme upon participating in the program, while asserting it had no connection to the corporations owned by its founder.

The Tanoto Foundation will invest more than Rp 50 billion [from 2020 to 2022]. We wont use the governments money or state budget, Haviez said, adding that the foundation had proposed no funding in its proposed budget plan for the program.

While reaffirming that the foundation had no connection to the tobacco company, Putera Sampoerna Foundation spokesperson Ria Sutrisno said it had chosen the matching-fund scheme upon participating in the program.

We chose a partnership scheme with various parties as our commitment to collaborate in advancing education, Ria said, as quoted by tempo.co.

The foundation has allocated around Rp 70 billion for teachers improvement and Rp 90 billion for education access improvement. Ria, however, did not reveal the amount of funding it would receive from the state budget to run its program.

Read also: Pak Nadiem, please send the kids back to school

Responding to the criticism, Minister Nadiem said the ministry would evaluate the program before its implementation. His office would involve the community and state institutions during the evaluation, he went on to say.

We have to make sure this program is done with accountability and integrity, Nadiem said during a press briefing on Friday evening.

He added that the evaluation would focus on the integrity of the selection process, credibility of selected organizations and the organizations effectiveness in running the program during the COVID-19 epidemic.

We will also involve parties that have a history in advancing education in the country, the minister added.
By Trend

Azerbaijani living in Belgium, Jahan Zahid, was brutally beaten by Armenians during an incident in Belgium, and as he said the police didn't interfere, Trend reports via Azerbaijani TV channel's report.

Zahid said that he was beaten by the Armenians in front of the Azerbaijani embassy in Brussels on July 23.

The Armenians threw stones at us, and the police did not interfere in any way. The Armenians attacked us and injured one Azerbaijani woman. After the incident, the four of us were walking along the road, suddenly 10 Armenians blocked our way and attacked us, but But they could not cope with us and fled.

"Then they gathered a group of some 50 people, and attacked us again, this time brutally beating us. We got injured but stood our ground. They demanded we insult our people, our president, and ask Armenia for forgiveness. We held on, so they didn't get what they wanted," Zahid said.

Following several days of intense armed clashes, after Armenia made a gross ceasefire violation and launched attacks in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district, Azerbaijanis living abroad started staging peaceful protests, calling to put an end to Armenia's aggressive occupation policy.

The rallies were met with harsh response from the Armenian diaspora members.

According to the statement of Azerbaijan's State Committee on Work with Diaspora, Azerbaijanis living abroad were injured as a result of provocations organized by radical representatives of Armenian diaspora. The provocations were carried out in Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, the US (Washington and Los Angeles), Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine.

In certain cases, as in Poland, the Netherlands and France, the radicals threw bottles, stones, glass shards and explosion packages at the Azerbaijanis, tried to overturn their cars, significantly damaged the buildings of the diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
"Get out! We'll come to visit you in jail!" shouted a group of young Bulgarians at a recent rally, demanding not only the end of the government but a whole corrupt system.

Thirteen years after joining the European Union, Bulgarians are still among the bloc's worst-off citizens, and patience is running thin with the shadowy oligarchs seen as pulling the political and economic strings.

Two weeks of sustained protests have been brightened by vuvuzelas, weird hairstyles and witty slogans -- but they belie the anger of young protesters over a string of graft scandals in recent years.

Their numbers have been swelled by those forced to return from abroad after losing their jobs or seeing their universities shuttered under the impact of the new coronavirus.

The resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the chief prosecutor are just the beginning of their demands, said Boris Lukanov, a 23-year-old medical student who came to the protests straight from the airport after returning from Germany.

"We need an interim cabinet and new elections with machine voting," he told AFP, a reference to allegations of vote-rigging.

Like him, hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians have left to work and study abroad in recent years, and been horrified at how their native country compares.

"The young, who have lived in the West, experience a culture shock when faced with the vicious, blatant practices (back home)," said Parvan Simeonov, Bulgaria director for Gallup International.

Bulgaria has the worst scores in the European Union for corruption and the rule of law.

Simmering anger ignited earlier this month over the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with cases spiking after an abrupt end to its lockdown last month and many fearing its struggling health system will not cope.

Thousands have marched against corruption in recent weeks. /  AFP

"Our tolerance for scandals has a limit," fumed 29-year-old finance worker Krasimir. "We are an EU country, even if we are the poorest one."

He studied in the Netherlands where he was impressed to find "public institutions that serve the best interests of the citizens."

Bulgarians still abroad have also joined the movement, with solidarity protests in several German cities, as well as in Brussels, Vienna and Copenhagen.

- Borisov stands firm -

Borisov has already had to resign twice during his 11-year dominance of Bulgarian politics, but he has refused to throw in the towel this time.

He has announced a sweeping cabinet reshuffle, but said he would not step down with a further virus-related crisis possibly around the corner.

In any case, critics want much more.

"It's not a question of their resignation but of the mode of governing," 34-year-old IT entrepreneur Pasko Paskov told AFP, blaming stifling bureaucracy and poor leadership for Bulgaria's failure to win foreign investment, which has collapsed in recent years.

For some, however, the protests are a sign of hope.

Nikola Dimitrov, a 29-year-old who returned from his studies in London four years ago to work in a clinical trials company, says he is determined to stay despite asking himself numerous times: "Why am I still in Bulgaria?"

He says the protests show that many feel the same.

"Among the protesters there are many people with doctorate degrees from foreign universities or with professional experience in international institutions, ready to take over," added opposition MEP Radan Kanev.

Moreover, the government may be a victim of its own relative success in recent years.

Borisov has already had to resign twice in his political career. /  POOL/AFP

Pre-pandemic growth of 3.4 percent in 2019, fuelled partly by a fledgling tech sector, has helped create a new cadre of voters who compare Bulgaria to the West and are demanding representation, Boriana Dimitrova, head of the Alpha Research institute, told AFP.

"Even if these protests fizzle out, this new generation will carry on searching for their place in the system, their energy won't disappear," she said.
Bexar Countys embattled Republican Party chairwoman has refused to sign canvassing documents for the July 14 runoff, but the countys top election manager said that wont impact the outcome of the elections.

Meanwhile, the runoff between Republicans Tony Gonzales of San Antonio and Raul Reyes of Castroville for Congressional District 23 remained too close to call as staff reported that six of the districts 29 counties still hadnt canvassed their votes as of Friday evening.

Cynthia Brehm, who lost her bid for re-election as county GOP chair by a 2-1 margin in the runoff, issued a news release this week saying she cannot in good conscious certify the results of this election because every aspect of this election has been severely compromised.

Jacque Callanen, the countys elections administrator, rejected that claim, saying she stands by results of the runoffs. The elections were delayed from May 26, with an early voting period expanded from five to 10 days because of COVID-19.

Marian Stanko, a local Republican and member of the State Republican Executive Committee, has been appointed by the states new GOP chairman, Allen West, to re-canvass the votes cast in Bexar County Monday afternoon. West unseated James Dickey as Texas Republican chairman earlier this week.

Callanen said that, by state law, the person who won the race for county chair, John Austin, will be sworn in Aug. 3.

On ExpressNews.com: Wolff backs primary election results

Its not the first time Brehm tried to stop the process.

She raised objections to the March 3 primary and didnt sign canvassing papers for that one, either. But Callanen said Brehms signature is essentially an election formality and there are ways to address it and move on.

She didnt sign it in March, and they sent it up and the state party (Chairman) James Dickey said OK, fine, Ill sign it. And so James Dickey signed the primary one, Callanen said.

Brehm herself had said in March, when she asked county commissioners to throw out this election, alleging some candidates names had been left off electronic ballots, that the certification process was a formality.

But her clashes with Callanen and the county, and some of her ideas and conspiracy theories, have been the stuff of local legend, if not an embarrassment to San Antonio GOP leaders.

Brehms past controversies include a refusal in the fall to sign documents for a joint Democratic-Republican Party primary, potentially forcing the county GOP to stage its own election. She later relented and signed the papers.

More recently, at a rally in May, she urged supporters to ignore recommendations of health and public officials to contain the spread of the coronavirus, saying the pandemic was being exaggerated by Democrats.

So, take off your masks, exercise your constitutional rights, she said at the rally. Stand up, speak up, and vote Republican.

But it was a June 2 post on Facebook, suggesting the May 25 death of George Floyd may have been staged by Democrats, that evoked demands from top elected Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, that she resign.

It also angered voters. Sheila Bundy, a 74-year-old independent voter in San Antonio, told the Express-News she cast a Republican runoff ballot just as early voting began the morning of June 29 just so she could vote against Brehm because of the social media post about Floyd.

Brehms latest grievances, about the countys handling of the runoff, are that the elections department failed to produce any signed official chain of custody for early voting, and that Callanen served as the Democrat election judge at the central counting station.

Callanen said Friday that there is no chain of custody document. Election judges submit a ballot seal certificate, a long form that lists the number of votes cast.

It has just a whole lot of information that we need for the integrity of the election. Thats never been in doubt, she said.

Callanen said she served as Democratic judge for the counting process, but routinely fills roles, as do other official administrators, when needed to fill empty appointed positions, such as presiding judge, manager or tabulation supervisor, in full compliance with the Texas Election Code.

Yes, your elections administrator, who is responsible for the election, is named as some of those people in election orders, Callanen said. And if she (Brehm) had not sent a Republican one (judge), we would have served as a Republican one also.

On ExpressNews.com: Bexar GOP chairs post sparks resignation demands

The canvassing hiccup has occurred as officials in the tight Republican race in congressional District 23, were awaiting final results. On election night, there was a seven-vote difference between the two. But as votes from the districts 29 counties have been canvassed, the numbers have fluctuated.

Matt Mackowiak, campaign spokesman for Gonzales, had said in a news release Tuesday that the official tally had widened to a 23-vote difference, at 12,374 votes for Gonzales and 12,351 for Reyes. But late Friday, he said that had been reduced to a 10-vote gap, with six counties still set to certify their votes.

Edwards County will canvass its results on Monday, he said.

We are up 10 (votes) at the moment, Mackowiak said in a text Friday.

The winner of the race will face Democratic nominee Gina Ortiz Jones for the seat held by U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican from Helotes, who chose not to seek re-election.

Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Scott, become a subscriber. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA
(Natural News) It is the opinion of New York Times reporter Mike Baker that the anti-fascist group Antifa is a mostly peaceful movement simply trying to put a stop to police violence. On the other hand, President Trumps recent deployment of federal troops to violent, Antifa-infested areas like Portland represents the type of fascism that Antifa is needed to fight, Baker contends.

In a recent piece he wrote entitled, Chaos Engulfs the Left, the Right and the Moms in the Middle, Baker makes the claim that Antifa needs an even stronger presence in places like Portland to fight back against Trumps efforts to restore law and order. The fact that any federal officers are in Portland at all, Baker contends, shows that fears about rising fascism in the United States are justified.

Framing Antifas response to George Floyds death in terms of being a complicated mix of grievances, with a wide array of people expressing them using a multitude of tactics to make sure they get heard, Baker tries to paint Antifa as the good guys in this fight, and the federal governments officers who are being deployed as the aggressors inciting violence.

Amid the Gordian knot of frustrations and escalations, most everyone seems to agree about one thing: The combative deployment of camouflaged federal agents has only made things worse, Baker contends.

Describing Antifa members as grassroots folks who have long denounced police militarization and a punishing criminal justice system, Baker suggests that only some Antifas wear black and embrace anarchist-style tactics. Most of the rest, he claims, have shown up to demonstrate peacefully.

Left-wing media says Antifa is innocent, and Trump is the one spreading chaos and violence

One day after Baker published his opinion piece, the Times published another lead story by Maggie Haberman, Nick Corasaniti, and Annie Karni reiterating Bakers position that Trumps law and order agenda is to be feared because it is further stoking more unrest and violence.

In addition to sending federal troops into Portland, Trump threatens to dispatch more to other cities, this trio wrote, adding that Trumps re-election campaign is spending millions of dollars on several ominous television ads that promote fear and dovetail with his political message of law and order.'

It was not until Trump sent an influx of agents into Portland, they added, that the situation grew ominous. Scenes of confrontations and chaos only occurred after Trump got involved, is the implication, all for the purpose of burnishing a false narrative about Democratic elected officials allowing dangerous protesters to create widespread bedlam.

Many other mainstream media outlets are spreading the same propaganda, the narrative being that Trump is the one who is responsible for inciting chaos and violence by his sending of federal troops into Democrat stronghold cities in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.

Antifa is just a peaceful movement that is misunderstood, they say, and Trump is the aggressor who is going after it as part of a political tactic to win re-election. At no point in time has the far-left incited its own violence, rioting, or looting, in other words  it is all Trumps fault, the left-wing media claims, even though Portland has experienced nightly riots for more than 50 consecutive days  beginning long before the feds showed up.

The Times has made it perfectly clear that they see no issue with any of the events that have taken place in Portland, whether its doxxed and injured law enforcement officials or property destruction, writes Clay Waters for Newsbusters.

They exist in their homes and newsrooms without having violence visit their front doors.

For more related news about the deception being spread by the left-wing mainstream media, be sure to check out Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

Newsbusters.org

NaturalNews.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-26 03:48:12|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2015 shows the national flags of China (R) and the United States as well as the flag of Washington D.C. on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States.(Xinhua/Bao Dandan)

"We support China and the U.S. basing their relations on mutual dialogue and centering on the common issues which unite humanity," the scholars said in a statement, urging collective effort on addressing global challenges like climate change, the pandemic and the economic development.

LONDON, July 25 (Xinhua) -- International scholars said Saturday that aggressive statements and actions by the U.S. government towards China poses a threat to world peace and a potential new cold war on China is against the interests of humanity.

The comments came during a virtual meeting on the international campaign against a new Cold War on China, which gathered experts from a number of countries including the United States, China, Britain, India, Russia and Canada.

Jenny Clegg, senior lecturer in international studies of University of Central Lancashire, said China-U.S. relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships and its deterioration would pose significant threat to world peace.

John Ross, senior fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, listed the threat of war by the United States, including launching major wars in Iraq and Libya, taking the dangerous step of withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and unilateral sanctions on Iran and Venezuela.

"Of course, a threat of war with China itself would be an unimaginable catastrophe," he said.

Medea Benjamin, cofounder of Codepink, a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars, said it was concerning that the U.S. leaders claim a new Chinese aggression when the United States itself has military bases around the world.

"The U.S. needs to understand China is not our enemy. We call for cooperation with China," Benjamin said.

Magaret Kimberley, a columnist at Black Agenda Report, said the U.S. government made wrong accusations of China on issues relating to Xinjiang and controlling the coronavirus pandemic and its forced closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston violated international law.

Some experts attending the meeting issued a statement calling upon the U.S. side to step back from this threat of a Cold War and also from other dangerous threats to world peace it is engaged in.

They said the United States goes in a wrong direction by withdrawing from the INF Treaty and the Paris Agreement on climate change, and increasing disengagement from UN bodies.

"We support China and the U.S. basing their relations on mutual dialogue and centering on the common issues which unite humanity," the statement said, urging collective effort on addressing global challenges like climate change, the pandemic and the economic development. 
Anuradha Shukla By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The economic stress induced by Covid-19 could push gross bad loans to their highest in nearly two decades, the Financial Stability Report (FSR) for July by the Reserve Bank of India revealed on Friday.

Admitting that the loan moratorium scheme has suppressed the real stress on Indian banks, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, warned banks to remain extremely watchful and focussed, in his foreword of the FSR report, which paints a very gloomy picture for the Indian banking sector, at least in the immediate future.

In a very severe stressed scenario, the gross non-performing assets of the banking sector could rise to as high as 14.7% of total loans by March 2021, the report said after stress-testing of 53 scheduled commercial banks. It added that even under the baseline scenario, the gross NPA ratio could rise to 12.5%. The gross NPA ratio stood at 8.5% as of March 2020.

The last time it was as high was in March 2000, when the gross NPA ratio was reported at a whopping 12.7%. As expected, the report said public sector banks are likely to be the worst hit, which could see their gross NPAs rise to 15.2% by March 2021 from 11.3% a year earlier in the baseline scenario. The report warned that on account of the worsening macroeconomic factors, even private banks and foreign banks would see a spike in bad loans.

Sectors with the highest share of good quality loans that might get affected, include general purpose loans by non-banking finance companies, generation of electricity, NBFCs in the housing sector and development financial institutions. And with banks required to provide more against defaulters, the report warned of erosion of capital, saying systemlevel capital adequacy ratio could drop to 13.3% under the baseline scenario, and to 11.8% in very severe stress, by March 2021.

Stress test results indicate that five banks may fail to meet the minimum capital level by March 2021 in a very severe stress scenario. This, however, does not take into account the mergers or any further recapitalisation, which will further increase systemic resilience, the RBI said, without naming the five banks.
Republicans Joseph Brown, left, and Rodney Walz, right, are running against each other for the District 2 seat on the Jackson County Board of Commissioners in the Aug. 4 , 2020 primary.

JACKSON COUNTY, MI  A newcomer is challenging an incumbent for his District 2 seat on the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. Joseph Brown, R-Henrietta Township, is running against incumbent Rodney Walz, R-Grass Lake, in the Aug. 4 primary election. The winner moves on to the November election to face Democrat Chris Osinski, D-Grass Lake, for the two-year term. District 2 is located in the townships of Henrietta, Waterloo, Grass Lake and part of Leoni. Brown works as an executive vice president of operations and Walz is retired, according to their profiles on Vote111.org. MLive Media Group has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to readers ahead of 2020 elections. Each candidate was given a list of questions relevant to the office for which they are campaigning. The voter guide can be accessed at vote411.org. All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for a necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for a necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations.

Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered an endorsement. The league never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

Here is how each candidate responded to the questions.

Describe your qualifications and experience for this office and explain your reasons for running. How would you be an asset?

Brown: The biggest reason that I am running for county commissioner is simple, we need to have a county commissioner that is not ingratiated with anyone else except the people he represents. Moreover, we need a true Republican that is anti-tax and also a real conservative. We no longer can have individuals that vote for every tax hike because hes told to vote that way. A smaller government, when currently we have managers with several assistance.I have been the regional operations and marketing director for several companies. I know how to run a company or government with thinner margins and also not overwhelm our budget with unnecessary bloated staff. My long history of ensuring profitability and bring a new business to an area is something that Ive been doing the majority of 20 years. We need to ensure that we have a commissioner that is going to proactively search for new companies to locate here with us and is genuinely concerned about the well-being of our community.

Walz: Served as a member Grass Lake Fire and Rescue Department, worked at Foote Hospital 20 years President for 12 years for the Village of Grass Lake , retired from Jackson Public Schools as the Director of District Operations 18 years. There was in charge of several million dollars of projects.

Due to our current circumstances, what are the most important challenges facing our community, and how do you propose to address them?

Brown: For the last 35 years I have watched Jackson go through the ebbs and flows of our economy without prior planning and forward thinking. The budget is kind of like watching a drunken sailor on payday on a port call, just spend until you can wobble back to the ship. This may sound harsh but this is exactly whats been going on for the majority of my life during good-times spend and in the bad times cut what we just paid for. With Covid, our budget is going to be dangerously out of whack. There will be no bail out. What makes this even worse is the week planning that has been done with our current commission. I have had to work with budgets, and how to make up for lost money for a very long time. We need to find new revenue sources and tax base without going back to Joe Main Street to double dip what he pays. We need to bring more revenue into the county while the population is contracting, we need to expand companies locating here.

Walz: With the pandemic, we need to get people back to work and business open. Although some will never reopen.We have to work on finding safe and healthy ways to strengthen our economy.

Read more Jackson County election news:

Nine Republicans running for four spots for Leoni Township trustee

Two Republicans running for Leoni Township treasurer in primary election

Two Democrats compete for spot on ballot for Leoni Township supervisor

Three Republican contenders seek win in August primary race for Jackson County sheriff

Read all Jackson County election articles here.
American actress Kate Walsh is calling for film and TV studios to be built in Fremantle, Western Austalia.

The 52-year-old Grey's Anatomy star told the Australian Financial Review on the weekend of her plans to bolster the local film industry, after she became stuck in Perth.

'We have a massive amount of demand and zero supply for studios or very little supply,' she said.

Bold plans! On the weekend, Grey's Anatomy star Kate Walsh told the AFR of her plans to bolster the local film industry after becoming stuck in Perth during the coronavirus pandemic

Kate has been sheltering in Perth, after becoming stuck in the city while on holidays in March.

She was unable to return to her home in New York due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and was able to extend her visa until November.

However, she is hoping to stay on for longer if she can secure work in the area.

Practically a local: Kate has been sheltering in Perth after becoming stuck in the city while on holidays in March. She was unable to return to her home in New York due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and was able to extend her visa until November. However, she is hoping to stay on for longer if she can secure work in the area

'There is no stage or studio (in Perth), so LA or Hollywood wouldn't even consider it,' she told the publication.

'It is a bit of build it and we will come,' she explained, citing the current success of studios in Sydney and Queensland which are 'booked solid'.

Kate believes that Fremantle, which is one of the country's busiest port cities, will make the perfect backdrop for a number of big-budget projects she is hoping to bring Down Under.

Interesting! 'There is no stage or studio (in Perth), so LA or Hollywood wouldn't even consider it,' she said, explaining if we built the facilities, Hollywood would quickly follow (pictured with Grey's Anatomy co-star Patrick Dempsey)

The Private Practice star told the West Australian last month, that she feels like she 'left her country in wartime' when she came on holiday to Australia in March.

'But I also feel very privileged and grateful to feel so safe,' she said, praising Australia for their handling of the crisis.

'I think it's going to be quite a while before production gets up and going in the States and studios will be looking for safe, clean and hospitable places to shoot,' she said.

She added: 'I've fallen in love with this place (Perth)... but it's true, it's really special and stunning and I think there's a massive opportunity to bring more culture than there already is.'

Safe: 'I also feel very privileged and grateful to feel so safe,' she said, praising Australia for their handling of the health crisis after she became stuck in Perth during a private holiday in March (Pictured with Grey's Anatomy co-star Ellen Pompeo)

'
Late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs last film, Dil Bechara, has been leaked on torrent sites. The film released on Disney+ Hotstar on Friday where it has been made free for all to watch in honour of the late actor.

According to a report in Pinkvilla, the leaked version is available in a HD quality. The film had landed on torrent websites, such as Tamil Rockers, within hours of its official release.

Dil Bechara stars Sushant and Sanjana Sanghi in lead roles. The film marks the directorial debut of casting director Mukesh Chhabra. The film which released worldwide on Friday has mostly got decent reviews. Hindustan Times review said: Dil Bechara is a celebration of Sushant and the deep love that brought him to Mumbai, and made him a star. The film is about the millions of fans who are bidding goodbye to their loved one, beyond the hostility and bitter primetime debates.

Adapted by Shashank Khaitan and Suprotim Sengupta, the script loses the novels acerbic humour and its hyper-verbal but self-aware leads. If The Fault in Our Stars was a YA cancer drama about two people who refuse to take any of the platitudes seriously, Dil Bechara is primarily a romance of two star-crossed lovers, it adds.

While fans have been swept away in emotions, the late actors industry colleagues, too, got nostalgic.One Twitter user wrote: Just finished watching #DilBechara. Sushant shines in every frame as he always did and the film reminds us again of the humongous loss. I dont recall the last time a film made me cry but then again he always succeeded in making the audience feel what he wanted. Thank you,Sush.

Just finished watching #DilBechara. Sushant shines in every frame as he always did and the film reminds us again of the humongous loss.

I don't recall the last time a film made me cry but then again he always succeeded in making the audience feel what he wanted. Thank you,Sush pic.twitter.com/sg9cLCGcGS  Mukesh Panwar MP (@MUKESHPANWAR49) July 24, 2020

Another fan, tweeted their favourite shot from the film and wrote: I cried the most during this scene! Pleading face. And no one knows that how much I cried today!!

I cried the most during this scene! 

And no one knows that how much I cried today!! #DilBechara #DilBecharaDay #SushantSinghRajput pic.twitter.com/zrpvXSiNP4    (Justice for Sushant) (@Shilpi_Flyhigh) July 24, 2020

Sushants Sonchiriya colleague Bhumi Pednekar, too, watched the film and wrote an emotional note: Full of emotions, overwhelmed and cant stop tearing up. What a class act. So endearing and seemlessly done Sushant. Never experienced something so weirdly painful and beautiful.What a last dance .What a treat for all your fans and loved ones A Forever @sushantsinghraiput.

Several other Bollywood celebrities including Riteish Deshmukh, Taapsee Pannu paid tribute to the departed actor by watching the film.

Fashion designer Manish Malhotra was among the first Bollywood celebrity to share excerpts from the film on Instagram while watching it. He posted a video of the title track from the film and wrote, Sushant Singh Rajput and added a heart emoji. Celebrity couple Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh also tuned in to catch the film as soon as it premiered on the video streaming platform and shared pictures from the movie-watching experience. As promised, I am ready with my popcorn .. watching #DilBechara Time to celebrate #SushantSinghRajput May you be the brightest star in the sky, Riteish tweeted.

Also read: Anurag Kashyap explains nepotism using Tiger Shroff and Taimur, Ayesha Shroff says dont involve my kid in this

Taapsee Pannu and former Miss World and actor Manushi Chhillar also took to their respective Instagram Stories and shared that they are watching the film. Dil Bechara has been adapted from the famous John Green novel The Fault In Our Stars, and also marks Mukesh Chhabras directorial debut.

(With ANI inputs)

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Twelve years after her sister disappeared, a Winnipeg MLA says not much has changed for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Canada.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 25/7/2020 (543 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Twelve years after her sister disappeared, a Winnipeg MLA says not much has changed for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Canada.

Bernadette Smith, the NDP MLA for Point Douglas, readied for a pandemic-adjusted gathering Saturday in honour of her sister Claudette Osborne-Tyo, who went missing at age 21 in July 2008. Restrictions to help stop the spread of COVID-19 meant the annual concert the family usually holds along with the vigil had to be postponed, but Smith said it's still crucial for the community to come together in support of families who have lost loved ones and work to make changes that could prevent more deaths or disappearances.

"These gatherings are a way to bring people that aren't directly connected, to bring everyone together to say enough of the violence. We're all standing here united together to say we've had enough of it, we want it to stop and we want you to join us to come and really feel the pain the families are going through, but also to take some responsibility because we're all in this together and it's going to take all of us to end it," Smith said.

"It's been 12 long years, and people think that time heals, but it doesn't. When you have someone missing, you're constantly in pain, agony. It's like a nightmare. We know somebody out there knows something."

Osborne-Tyo is a mother of four, and now a grandmother, with a grandson who recently turned one. She was raped at 11 years old, her sister said, and her family believes that's what led her to drug use and "working the streets," contributing to her disappearance.

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It's been a year since Canada's national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls released its recommendations, and just three weeks since the Winnipeg Police Service announced it is hiring a liasion to work as a point of contact with families of the missing and murdered.

Despite more public discussion of systemic racism, "I don't think a lot has changed," Smith said. More focus on youth programs could help, she suggested.

"I think a lot of it has to do with social programming and making sure that there's access for youth in the community as well as education for kids in schools about the dangers that are out there and domestic violence. A lot of it has to do, I think, with poverty and not having access to things that people need, and then untreated trauma."

The gathering for Osborne-Tyo is set to take place tonight, 7:30 p.m. at the corner of King Street and Selkirk Avenue, where she was last seen.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
A notice for arriving passengers regarding the Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form at Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport (PA)

Stormonts health minister has asked his cross-border counterpart to consider new laws and data-sharing agreements to help track international travellers arriving on the island.

Robin Swann has written to Stephen Donnelly expressing concern about the inability of both jurisdictions to capture and share information about passengers transiting through one part of the island to the other.

In the letter, a leaked copy of which has been seen by the PA news agency, Mr Swann told Mr Donnelly that his officials were facing serious impediments in monitoring travellers who cross the border having landed in the Irish Republic from an at-risk country.

Expand Close Robin Swann has written to Stephen Donnelly suggesting a joint approach (David Young/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Robin Swann has written to Stephen Donnelly suggesting a joint approach (David Young/PA)

Such passengers are required to self-isolate in Northern Ireland for 14 days.

Mr Swann said the system was reliant on people filling in a passenger locator form within 48 hours of entering Northern Ireland.

He said if they failed to fill in those forms, the authorities north of the border had no way of tracing them.

The logical solution is to ensure that all international travellers landing on the island of Ireland provide data which is accessible for compliance checks in our respective jurisdictions, Mr Swann wrote.

I would welcome the opportunity to engage with you on this with a view to finding a rapid resolution, including the introduction of new legislation and data-sharing agreements as required.

I believe this would be a significant achievement which would demonstrate our commitment to working together to effectively address common challenges.

Expand Close Stephen Donnelly was asked about improving data sharing arrangements (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Stephen Donnelly was asked about improving data sharing arrangements (Niall Carson/PA)

On Thursday, executive ministers in Belfast agreed to write to the UK and Irish governments requesting that a meeting of the British Irish Council is convened to discussing travel issues presented by Covid-19.

The council includes the two governments and representatives from all the devolved regions in the UK.

Ministers on both sides of the Irish border are already due to meet to discuss issues of mutual interest at a North South Ministerial Council meeting in Dublin next Friday.

There are some significant differences in policy adopted on both sides of the border.

The Irish Republics green list of countries deemed safe for travel only extends to 15 nations while a similar list issued by Stormont includes almost 60 destinations.

A spokeswoman from Irelands Department of Health said consideration was being given to further enhancing north/south cooperation on overseas travellers, including adding information sharing.

Minister Donnelly and Minister Swann and their public health experts and officials are in close ongoing contact on a broad range of Covid-related issues, she said.

Contact tracing continues to be done on an all-island basis, and information shared North and South, as it has been from the beginning of this public health emergency.

As part of the cross-government effort here to institute more intensive follow-up with passengers arriving from overseas, including introducing an electronic passenger locator form, consideration is being given to how to further enhance cooperation North-South in regards to overseas travel, including in regards to additional information-sharing.
ELYRIA, Ohio  A 29-year-old woman was shot to death late Friday, according to police.

The shooting happened about 10:45 p.m. at a home on the north end of Beebe Avenue, according to police. Police arrested 27-year-old Brea Holley on suspicion of murder, according to police.

Elyria police provided few details early Saturday, including what led up to the shooting.

Police said they were called to the home after someone reported hearing gunfire and found the 29-year-old woman dead inside the home. Officials did not identify the woman who was killed.

Read more from cleveland.com:

Lawyer for lobbyist said HB6 efforts detailed in federal racketeering case were reviewed by counsel

Discovery Tours vice president charged with embezzling $600,000, forcing Ohio school trip cancellations

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I have yet to see any data where there are appreciable numbers of people who say, Yes, I want my kids back in school, Glen Bolger, a veteran Republican pollster, said in an interview. They want their kids back in school, but not right now. I think safety is taking priority over education.

It shows you how nervous Americans are about coronavirus, he added. Because lets face it, virtual learning couldnt be worse  yet large numbers of parents say, Were not putting our kids back in school.

Sixty percent of respondents to the A.P./NORC poll said it was essential that schools be able to provide a mix of in-person and virtual learning. Another 24 percent viewed this as important, though not essential.

Seventy-seven percent of Americans said in the poll either that K-12 schools should reopen only if they made major adjustments (46 percent), or that they shouldnt reopen at all (31 percent). Even among Republicans, 57 percent of respondents chose one of those options.

By a two-to-one margin, Americans said in a Quinnipiac University poll released last week that they thought it would not be safe to send children back to elementary school in the fall. And by roughly the same spread, they said they disliked how Mr. Trump was dealing with the reopening of schools.

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released on Thursday, 60 percent of parents with children in elementary school said that they would rather schools reopen more slowly to ensure safety, versus 34 percent who said they wanted schools to prioritize reopening swiftly so that parents can get back to work and students can return to a normal learning environment.

Mollyann Brodie, the director of Kaisers polling operation, said her teams research showed that many Americans  particularly working-class people  were indeed worried about getting the economy back up and running. But safety concerns won out.
George Aitkens was the kind of man people wanted to be around. His passion was the magnet.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 25/7/2020 (543 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

George Aitkens was the kind of man people wanted to be around. His passion was the magnet.

It was his passion for educating that made him a favourite teacher among generations of students at Kelvin High School, where he taught English in both the regular academic and International Baccalaureate programs for 25 years until his retirement in 2015. And it was his passion for literature, culture and adventure that made him so attractive to the man who would become the love of his life, Dave Brickwood, his spouse of 40 years.

SUPPLIED Aitkens classroom was known to erupt in gales of laughter.

Aitkens died on June 13 at the age of 72 from vascular complications following a stenosis surgery. And when the news of his passing made the rounds on social media, dozens upon dozens of former students shared fond memories of the canoe trips he led, the wintry retreats at Shakespeare in the Snow, Bruce the Moose  the moose head that hung above his classroom door whose antlers would become the home of any contraband (White-out, Coles Notes)  and the profound impression hed left on them.

"Teaching is the best thing he ever did, and the happiest he ever was," Brickwood says.

At the front of a classroom, Aitkens was commanding and funny  acerbic, mischievous, eminently quotable. He expected a lot from his students, but he made them want to read that book, or write that essay.

He challenged them to become sharper thinkers, speakers and writers, and encouraged them to trust and follow their creative impulses and curiosity.

I know, because I was one of them.

In 2002-03, I had Mr. Aitkens for Grade 12 English. Like many others who studied under the watchful eye of Bruce, Aitkens was my favourite teacher. He also has the distinction of giving me the single-best line of feedback Ive ever received about my writing, before or since, scrawled on the back of a comparative essay of mine: "Youve renewed my faith in humanity."

"Im surprised you could read it," Brickwood says. Apparently, the shopping lists were a bit of an exercise in deductive reasoning.

SUPPLIED George Aitkens, right, with partner Dave Brickwood

Dave and George became a couple in 1980. "I guess it was about the time I was realizing, I guess I am gay and dont quite know how to deal with that," Brickwood says over coffee in the book-filled Wolseley home they shared for the last couple of decades. "We just clicked together, and we probably moved in together a few months later.

"The first 10 years, he was my roommate. Nobody really asked any questions, and we just left it at that. And then finally, people started saying, OK, whats really going on here?" he recalls with a laugh.

"He was a canoeist, I was a canoeist. I loved hiking and all that kind of stuff, so we did all that together. He liked his museums and medieval history, which is stuff I didnt know a lot about. He was just a very interesting person." (He was also a dog lover, most recently of Rufus and Molly, two Airedale terriers.)

And on a beautiful day in 2005, when it was finally legal to do so, Dave and George got married. It was a small wedding at their house in Wolseley, followed by a huge party at the cottage in Red Rock Lake.

"It was really nice," Brickwood says, his eyes shining.

SUPPLIED Aitkens (left) with Dave Brickwood, his partner of 40 years.

When they first got together, Aitkens was working for Manitoba Hydro in a desk job that Brickwood knew was a poor fit for his rebellious partner. "I knew he wasnt going to be a corporate guy, mostly because he couldnt follow a rule if he tried," he says with a laugh. That would be a leitmotif in his teaching career, as well.

So, Aitkens pursued a bachelor of education degree.

"I think his first job he was a kindergarten teacher," Brickwood says.

"I would have liked to have a video of that," he adds, laughing. "It didnt last very long."

That was followed by a stint at General Wolfe, where he spent the day teaching junior high, and Stony Mountain, where he spent the evening teaching inmates. At that point Brickwood, a finance accountant, had earned his MBA and had job offers across the country. They were considering their options.

SUPPLIED Aitkens, right, and husband Dave Brickwood at their wedding in 2005.

"And then George got the job at Kelvin."

Lynn Faulder started teaching at Kelvin around the same time as Aitkens, in 1990, in a neighbouring classroom.

"Sometimes his class would erupt with gales of laughter and my own class would, you know, wish they were there," she says, smiling at the memory.

Since they were both new, Faulder and Aitkens struck an immediate bond. The qualities that made Aitkens a hall-of-fame great teacher  particularly his non-compliance to any kind of syllabus  were sometimes unappreciated by the more stodgy members of the administration, but Faulder always had his back.

They began the canoe trip together; he taught her how to paddle. They remained dear friends until his death. He could be annoying, she says with a laugh, but "if you had something tough happen to you of any sort, he was always very compassionate."

SUPPLIED George with his dog, Roxy.

Aitkens liked to push people out of their comfort zones outside of the classroom, too.

"I always described George as Mr. Chaos. I never quite knew where things were going to end up. And Im Mr. Linear. Chaos and Linear sometimes do not work well together. But it was always interesting because somehow, and I never quite knew how, Id always end up getting sucked into doing whatever it was we were doing," Brickwood says.

"Id be grumbling at the beginning, but at the end, Id realize, this was interesting. He got me outside of my linear box."

Mr. Chaos really came out to play when they were travelling, which they did a fair bit, seeing most of Canada and Europe.

"Mr. Linear, I would say, OK, were going to England, and well see this, this, this and this, because these are the things you have to see. And George would say, Yeah, OK, OK. And then hed come back and say, Theres this neat little town thats in the middle of nowhere thats got this church that looks kind of interesting. And wed go, and there would always be something fascinating you never thought of. Every trip we did, he would always take us out of the regular routine."

Mr. Chaos did sneak in one last adventure before he died. Brickwood and Aitkens belonged to a gay community whose members have since fanned out across Canada and, every year, they meet up in a different city for what was dubbed the Thanksgiving Waifs Party.

But Aitkens didnt want to fly. He wanted to drive the whole way. The 36-hour northern Ontario route, no less. He wanted to see Kapuskasing.

"Typical George," Brickwood says.

In memory of Aitkens, people can contribute to the Nora Taylor Scholarship Fund  named for his mother  with the Winnipeg Foundation online at https://www.mycharitytools.com/gift/wpgfdn/donate?fund=1173.

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @JenZoratti
Music journalism has been a useful nursery for writers who go on to plant roots in the literary world. It is an arena that encourages flourish, hyperbole and show-off somersaults, and therefore a place to get excess out of the system before learning the advantages of restraint and economy. Kevin Barry, Sinead Gleeson and Ian Maleney are examples of noted figures in contemporary literature who spent journeyman days in the music press.

Kilkenny's Tim MacGabhann began his writing career there too while studying in Trinity, before relocating to Latin America in 2013 to correspond from that colourful region for various international news brands. Call Him Mine, the debut novel he released last year, was billed as a notably literary contribution to crime fiction (a curious proclamation from the publishing industry about a genre that has a rich tradition in exquisite language, from Raymond Chandler to Eoin McNamee). For some, however, it was jumped-up and excessive, the very traits that are the hallmarks of good rock scribes.

How to be Nowhere is its sequel, and picks up with Irish reporter and recovering addict Andrew, who is based in Mexico. He is dusting himself off after the events of the first book, in which his photojournalist lover Carlos died. Andrew crossed moral lines in that novel and has been called on again to do a gangland chore for which his only options are "silver or lead". It involves the disappearance of a corrupt official in Guatemala, and working with a lethal mercenary called Puccini who was responsible for Carlos's death.

This is "cartel noir", with a damaged anti-hero who seems to have no qualms about getting down and dirty with the most brutally medieval methods of the Latino gangs. As Andrew teams up with Puccini, he finds himself, variously, as getaway driver, hitman, spy and fortress cracker, able to think quickly on his toes in matters of high-speed chases and altercations with security workers.

You find yourself forgiving the absurdity of a recovering alcoholic Irish journo taking out the trash in cartel-ridden badlands. The reason for this is that, despite MacGabhann's literary manoeuvres, How to be Nowhere is a straight-up genre romp begging to be adapted into celluloid. So carefully metered is it with car chases, gruesome torture scenes (those with weak stomachs should decline), and first-person sensory fatigue that you wonder if this has been MacGabhann's intention all along. Descriptions of Puccini's brand of tough-guy flexing is straight out of the 80s action-hero handbook, and you come to enjoy them for that.

What works less well is when everything slows and Andrew is jogging memories or dealing with the stars in his vision. MacGabhann is prone to overusing certain motifs - characters are constantly pressing fingers or knuckles into eyelids in expressions of weariness, for example - and he can commit the odd clanger ("His face looked as sickly as a Caravaggio under the fly-killer lights").

Put simply, the book does its best work when it is galloping through assault rifle fire, slamming brakes and bandit-country darkness. The author's immersion in the real-life tragedy of Mexico's drug wars rings true.

As an Irishman who would have grown up with the dying embers of sectarian violence, MacGabhann delivers a quaking feeling of a part of the world that is becoming defined by the violence on its streets, its missing persons and blood-drenched headlines. "History's the story of people caring about shit that either doesn't matter or doesn't work," a jaundiced local soul offers at one point.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 21:37:34|Editor: huaxia

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BUCHAREST, July 25 (Xinhua) -- An outbreak of 119 COVID-19 infections was detected at a wagon factory in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, southwestern Romania, as the country reported 1,284 new infections on Saturday, the fourth straight day with daily cases over 1,000.

The factory was closed last Friday after the first five cases were confirmed, but 119 cases have been registered so far, including 57 registered in the last 24 hours, according to the Public Health Directorate of Mehedinti County, whose capital city is Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

The local health authorities have ordered home quarantine for all employees, whose test results have not yet come out, together with their families. Home quarantine was also ordered for all contacts of the positive cases.

According to local media, the factory is a foreign-invested company with nearly 500 employees.

The epidemic is getting worse in Romania with daily cases over 1,000 for four consecutive days since it topped the mark on Wednesday.

Latest statistics showed that 15 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, pushing the total to 2,165. As of Saturday, the country with a population of some 19 million has registered 43,678 COVID-19 cases, of whom 25,373 people have recovered.

As many as 22,511 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests to over 1 million so far in the country.

Currently, 6,292 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, with 315 patients in intensive care units, according to the Strategic Communication Group, the country's official COVID-19 communication task force.

Recent official data showed that the number of critically ill patients is continuing to increase, breaking the 300 mark on Friday. Enditem
Gunmen killed at least 20 people, including children, who were visiting their farms in Sudans war-torn Darfur region for the first time in years, a tribal chief said Saturday.

Two months ago the government organised a meeting between the original landowners and those who took their fields during the long-running war in Darfur, Ibrahim Ahmad told AFP by telephone.

An agreement was reached whereby the landowners would return to their fields  but armed men came on Friday and opened fire, killing 20 people, including two women and children.

The killings took place in Aboudos, some 90 kilometres south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, the tribal chief said.

Around 20 people were wounded in the attack, he said.

The death toll could well increase, because some of the wounded are in a serious condition, he added.

Darfur has been devastated since 2003 by a conflict between ethnic minority rebels, complaining of marginalisation, and forces loyal to now ousted president Omar al-Bashir, including the feared Janjaweed militia, mainly recruited from Arab pastoralist tribes.

The fighting killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million others, according to the United Nations.

Bashir was deposed by the army in April last year following months of mass protests against his rule, triggered mainly by economic hardship.

He is wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

A power sharing transitional government between civilians and the military was sworn in during September last year.

In January this year, a coalition of nine rebel groups  including factions from Darfur  signed a preliminary agreement with the government after weeks of talks.
Police are looking for the woman, described as a soothsayer, whose action is believed to have allegedly led to the lynching of a 90-year-old woman at Kafaba, according to the Savannah Regional Minister, Salifu Adam Braimah.

The chief at Kafaba is also set to be questioned by police, he added in an interview on Eyewitness News.

Wherever she is gone (she has left with the two people she came with), they will be arrested, Mr. Braimah assured.

Over 24 hours since the death, no arrest has been made.

Police are also yet to formally comment on the incident.

Mr. Braimah explained that the chief would be questioned because of the oversight he has in the community.

The chief has been invited because whatever has gone on there, we don't believe it would be on the blind side of the chief They will ask the chief to give his side of the story.

In a video making rounds on social media, a group of women are seen lynching the 90-year-old woman after a soothsayer claimed she was a witch.

Other members of the community are also seen observing the lynching in the video.

The killing has been condemned by some Civil Society Organisations.

Songtaba, a Civil Rights Organisation in the Northern Region has given police three days to ensure some arrests are made.

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The book is written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who are considered friendly to Harry and Meghan

Stand-offish episode at charity polo match appearance was snapshot of the pair's 'cordial but distant rapport'

Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate at Westminster Abbey, but she 'barely acknowledged her'

Prince William nodded at brother Harry but 'ignored' Meghan Markle at Commonwealth Day service, Finding Freedom biography claims

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The Duchess of Cambridge snubbed Meghan Markle during the Sussex's final royal engagement on Commonwealth Day, while one stand-offish episode at a charity polo match was a snapshot of the pair's 'cordial but distant rapport,' the authors of an explosive new book have claimed.

Finding Freedom is a biography written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who are fans of the couple and have set out to 'correct the record' and shift the spotlight on to their charitable ventures.

The authors claim the Duchess of Sussex and Kate stood next to each other but 'barely exchanged a word' at a charity polo match in July 2019, while Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate at the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey in March, but the duchess 'barely acknowledged her.'

The Sussexes say they did not contribute to the book, but Scobie and Durand's account is based on extensive insight from friends of the couple.

The Duchess of Cambridge snubbed Meghan Markle during the Sussex's final royal engagement on Commonwealth Day, the authors of an explosive new book has claimed. Pictured, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Commonwealth Day Service, Westminster Abbey, London on 9 March 2020

Finding Freedom claims the doting mothers were photographed next to each other with their children, but they 'appeared to barely exchange a word.' Pictured, the Duchess of Cambridge, Duchess of Sussex and Archie at the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day, Billingbear Polo Club, Wokingham on 10 July 2019

KING POWER ROYAL CHARITY POLO DAY - 10 JULY 2019

Relations were said to be fraught between the princes' wives from the inception of Meghan's entry into the monarchy.

But one stand-offish episode at a charity polo match was a snapshot of Meghan and Kate's 'cordial but distant rapport,' the book claimed.

The Duchesses put in a surprise appearance to watch Prince William and Prince Harry go head-to-head in the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day, held in honour of late Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha on July 10 2019.

It marked the first time the Sussexes and the Cambridges had been seen together as families since Archie's birth.

It was also a rare joint appearance for Meghan and Kate, who are typically only seen together at official engagements attended by the entire royal family, such as Trooping the Colour.

But their relationship had reportedly struggled to move past the distant politeness of when they first met, according to the new explosive biography.

'While the doting mothers were photographed next to each other with their children, the two appeared to barely exchange a word,' the authors penned.

The book went on to claim that the signs of the tense relationship between the woman derived from the main issue at play - the conflict between Prince Harry and the institution.

According to the book, Kate and Meghan's relationship had struggled to move past the distant politeness of when they first met. Pictured, at the polo

The book claimed that the signs of the tense relationship between Kate and Meghan derived from the main issue at play - the conflict between Prince Harry and the institution. Pictured, at the charity polo match

William and Kate allegedly only turned to chat with Prince Edward and Sophie, next to the Sussexes at the Commonwealth Day service (pictured)

They wrote: 'Harry likened his meetings throughout the week to standing in front of a firing squad. "There was a lot of finger pointing in both directions with things leaking," an aide said. "It was all very unhealthy."

COMMONWEALTH DAY SERVICE AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY - 9 MARCH 2020

The book claims the couples hardly spoke at the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey despite not having seen each other since January - and that the Duchess of Cambridge snubbed Meghan during the Sussex's final royal engagement.

Omid Scobie, who wrote the book, Finding Freedom, told The Times during the Commonwealth Day engagement: 'Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her.

'To purposefully snub your sister-in-law . . . I dont think it left a great taste in the couples mouths.'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex was not part of the Queen's procession through Westminster Abbey at the start of the Commonwealth Service as they made their final official appearance as senior royals on 9 March 2020.

Unlike the previous year, Harry and Meghan were conducted to their seats at the church in London, rather than waiting for the Queen's arrival and walking through with the monarch and key royals as they did in March 2019.

The book claims the decision to remove them from the line up had been made 'without their consultation' - adding that they were informed long after the 2,000 orders of service had been printed for guests - with their names notably absent.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex was not part of the Queen's procession through Westminster Abbey at the start of the Commonwealth Service as they made their final official appearance as senior royals on 9 March 2020 (pictured)

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, Prince William, Meghan, Prince Charles, Kate and Camilla leave Westminster Abbey last year after attending the Commonwealth Day service at the church in London on March 11, 2019

Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, has been written by royal watchers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, described as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's 'cheerleaders'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex walked in ahead of Prince William and Kate Middleton - which marked the first public meeting of the two brothers and their wives since Megxit was announced two months prior - before Prince Charles and Camilla also arrived and the Queen then made an entrance to trumpet fanfare and cheers from crowds outside.

'It felt intentional. "Harry was more than disappointed," a friend said, speaking in the book. "He spoke up, but the damage had already been done."

While the Cambridges took their seats at the same time as the Sussexes and the Earl and Countess of Wessex in a bid to 'smooth things over', the authors claim that the looks given indicated that the Cambridges were 'unhappy' with that decision.

They wrote: 'While Harry and Meghan both greeted William and Kate with smiles, the Cambridges showed little response.

'"Harry," William nodded, ignoring Meghan. For the minutes before the Queen's arrival, William and Kate sat with their backs to the couple, only turning around to chat with Prince Edward and Sophie, next to the Sussexes.'

They added that while Meghan 'tried to make eye contact' with Kate, the mother-of-three 'barely acknowledged her.'

The Queen, Prince Harry, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Cornwall at the service
Hollywood star Jane Seymour has revealed the surprising way she is passing the time while spending two weeks quarantining in a Sydney hotel room.

The former Bond girl, 69, appeared on The Morning Show this week where she showed off her incredible artistic talent for watercolour painting.

The veteran actress jetted in from her home in Los Angeles to Australia ahead filming the upcoming movie, Ruby's Choice.

Hidden talent! This week, actress Jane Seymour (pictured) revealed the surprising way she is passing her time while quarantining for two weeks in a Sydney hotel room. She appeared on The Morning Show via a cross from her room

'Well I'm in my cell - my Covid two-week quarantine which has been absolutely fascinating,' Jane told hosts Kylie Gilles and Larry Emdur with a laugh.

'Behind me, you can see I've decided to do a lot of painting and decorate these blanks walls,' she added.

While the location of the hotel is unknown, the Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman star gave fans a glimpse into her sparsely decorated room with minimal furniture.

Rare look inside: While the location of the hotel is unknown, the Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman star gave fans a glimpse into her sparsely decorated room with minimal furniture. Jane sat in front of a colourful wall covered in her amazing artworks

What a talent: Jane is a passionate amateur artist (pictured is one of her paintings)

The Wedding Crashers actress sat in front of a colourful wall covered in her amazing artworks.

Jane admitted she felt 'very lucky' to have the opportunity to come Down Under to work.

'I'm actually very excited as there's almost nothing going on in California at the moment so it's a real privilege to be able to come to Australia,' she said.

Grateful: The veteran actress jetted in from her home in Los Angeles to Australia ahead filming the upcoming movie, Ruby's Choice. 'I'm actually very excited as there's almost nothing going on in California at the moment so it's a real privilege to be able to come to Australia,' she said

Speaking about life in quarantine to the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, Jane revealed she hadn't been given any special treatment and said she was 'fine' with it.

'I can handle it. Seeing what's happened in California I'm so impressed by the way Australia is dealing with it. I have total respect for whatever inconvenience it may be. It's obviously worth it,' she added.

But she admitted arriving in Sydney amid the current pandemic 'was scary at first'.

Jetting in: In an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, the 69-year-old actress revealed she's been quarantining in a Sydney hotel room after flying in from the US recently

'They take you off the aeroplane and you honestly feel like a criminal. It's very frightening,' she recounted.

'They put you on a bus like a prisoner and they have police and armed guards.'

After arriving at her hotel for quarantine, Jane confessed she was hoping she'd be given a room with harbour views, but said that wasn't the case.

Speaking out: 'They take you off the aeroplane and you honestly feel like a criminal. It's very frightening,' she recounted

'I got all excited thinking I might see something of Sydney but they put me in a back room with a wall and a bit of sky and everyone else gets to look at Darling Harbour. But not me,' she added.

The only time she got to leave her hotel room was after she injured her leg while exercising, and needed to be rushed to hospital.

Jane said the nurses were 'very nice and they are the only human beings I've seen since I've been here'.
JACKSON, MI -- An annual back-to-school event for Jackson kids will have a different look this year.

The Back to School Blast - Community Resource Fair, with the same name as prior years and as an event city officials said was canceled this year, is not affiliated with the city of Jacksons Human Relations Commission.

Jacksons First United Methodist Church, 275 W. Michigan Ave., is hosting the event from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, organizers said. It is drive-thru only -- each child in the line will receive a backpack with school supplies.

Back-to-school, awards events canceled in Jackson due to coronavirus

Other resources and services previously popular at the event had to be canceled this year because of the public health concerns of the coronavirus pandemic, Jessica Embury, event co-chairwoman, said. Those include a clothing closet, haircuts, vision exams, a DJ in the park and more.

Organizers hope to help 1,000 kids this year, co-chairwoman Fran Adams said. Last year the group served about 850 children.

Adams said they chose to continue the event in its limited scope because students will still be focusing on schoolwork come fall, regardless of whether its virtual or in-person.

They still need paper they still need pencils, they still need the supplies, Adams said. It would be wonderful to have a backpack for them to contain things and so they can stay organized, otherwise they wont know where their stuff is. So we really did think that even though we are unsure if its going to be in person education instruction or if its going to be online, but the need was still there.

MORE JACKSON NEWS:

Police release name of fatally shot 16-year-old Jackson girl

Fat cat finds new home, restaurant temporarily closes after positive COVID-19 test: Top Jackson headlines July 18-23

Incumbents up for reelection face challenger in Grass Lake Township trustee race
Agunbiade (right) receiving the Navy Officer Recruiter of the Year award plaque from Vice Adm. Robert Burke, the then Chief of Naval Personnel, at the Washington event on May 17, 2018.



The United States Navy has awarded a Nigerian officer, Lt Victor Agunbiade, its medal of commendation for his meritorious service.

The U.S Navy said Agunbiade effectively managed its largest cash disbursing office handling 45 million dollars (N17billion) in cash transaction.

This, it said, accounted for around 70 per cent of its overseas disbursing volume.

According to the award citation, Agunbiade earned the honour while serving as cash Disbursing Officer at the navys Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, between October, 2019, and July.

Additionally, he managed 100 per cent accountability of 23 million dollars (N8.7 billion) across six rigorous inspections and independent audits with zero discrepancies.

By his unswerving determination, wise judgment and complete dedication to duty, Agunbiade reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States naval service, the citation read.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this is not the first time Agunbiade is getting special recognition in the U.S. Navy.

In 2018, he was named the Navys 2018 Officer Recruiter of the Year, alongside 17 others, and honored at the annual Recruiter of the Year ceremony in Washington D.C.

Agunbiade enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a storekeeper in 2008, and was commissioned as a supply corps officer in 2013.

Local media quoted officials as saying he plays an important role in Americas focus on rebuilding military readiness.

He is also credited with strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
At his initial appearance, Sterling stood in the well of the courtroom wearing shorts, a light blue shirt and a mask, with his legs and wrists in shackles. His court-appointed attorney Howard McEachern argued there is no evidence that Ooro is dead, and if she is deceased, he said there is no evidence as to how she died. He said there is evidence Ooro has used drugs in the past and she might have overdosed.
In 1960, a Woolworths store in Greensboro, North Carolina, that had been the scene of a sit-in protest against its whites-only lunch counter dropped its segregation policy.

In 1972, the notorious Tuskegee syphilis experiment came to light as The Associated Press reported that for the previous four decades, the U.S. Public Health Service, in conjunction with the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, had been allowing poor, rural Black male patients with syphilis to go without treatment, even allowing them to die, as a way of studying the disease.

In 1985, a spokeswoman for Rock Hudson confirmed that the actor, hospitalized in Paris, was suffering from AIDS. (Hudson died in October 1985.)

In 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordans King Hussein signed a declaration at the White House ending their countries 46-year-old formal state of war.

In 2000, a New York-bound Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris shortly after takeoff, killing all 109 people on board and four people on the ground; it was the first-ever crash of the supersonic jet.
Crude oil or the black gold was first discovered in Oloibiri in the present day Bayelsa state in 1956 four years to the nations political independence. Some political analysts have opined that if this discovery had come much earlier, the British would not have left the country but we would have had a metamorphosis of what occurred in South Africa where you have white citizens.

The initial discovery didnt mean much as the value was not any better than the groundnut pyramids of the north, coal of the east and palm oil of the west.

It was after the successful prosecution of the civil war that the value of the black gold shot up astronomically. So much funds came into the Nigerian coffers that the then Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon made a famous remark that the problem of the country wasnt money but how to spend it.

Ironically, the region where this oil was drilled from  the Niger Delta became one if not the nations most impoverished. The multinationals moved in with the speed of light and desecrated their farmlands and rivers rendering the inhabitants economically impotent as their two major sources of revenue  farming and fishing were annihilated.

The criminal neglect by successive governments both military and civilian inadvertently led to the struggle for self determination of the area by activists for a fairer deal.

It was the struggle for a better Niger Delta that shot Ken Saro-Wiwa to global prominence which made him and eight other comrades pay the Supreme price in the hands of the then maximum dark googled ruler, General Sani Abacha.

The return of the country to democracy in 1999 after a sixteen year military hiatus brought a ray of hope to the troubled region when the then President Olusegun Obasanjo set up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in response to the demands by the regions leaders for the government to develop the place.

The establishment of the agency aimed at developing the region coincided with the time when the Niger Delta states were getting thirteen percent derivation from crude oil and pundits opined that at last the much needed development will come to the zone.

There are nine states that make up the NDDC  the six states of the south-south region as well as Ondo, Abia and Imo. The optimism was that since the management of the commission will be headed by Niger Deltans, they will be altruistic enough to ensure that they use the commission to bring home the bacon for their people.

Twenty years down the line, the commission has tragically not lived up to its much touted promise as it is the haven for sleaze and all manner of financial impropriety that has done nothing but increase the sufferings of the Man on the Clapham Omnibus in the beleaguered Niger Delta region that ironically produces the goose that lays the golden eggs of the nation.

The top brass in the commission have been reckless with the way and manner they disbursed public funds. Overinflated contracts, the highest case of abandoned projects in the country and mind boggling corruption running into billions of dollars have made nonsense of whatever good intentions Obasanjo had for the region when he established it two decades ago.

The allegations made by Gbene Joi Nunieh, a former Managing Director of the Interim Management Committee of the Commission against the Minister for the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio where she alleged that the minister dipped his hands into the commissions funds is rather tragic. One would have expected that the anti-corruption posturing of this government would have made the President suspend him pending the probe of the allegations by the joint committee of the National Assembly. Alas Akpabio seems to be a sacred cow since he was among the financiers of the Presidents second term bid and he also needed to be compensated for his 2019 senatorial loss.

Last Thursday, Chairman of the House of Representatives Investigation Committee Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said documents at the panels disposal showed that the agency spent N81.5 billion and not N40 billion during the said period between January and May this year under the leadership of Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei. The Professor fainted during the proceedings reminding us of the hilarious moment that erstwhile Senator Dino Melaye gave us in the upper chamber. Why is the so called Giant of Africa with feet of clay so cursed with her choice of leaders?

Akpabio was initially combative during his interrogations by the House of Representatives Committee only for him to recant that he never said that the parliamentarians were contractors.

In a decent clime, he would have been forced to resign and face criminal prosecution from the prosecuting authorities but alas we are in a banana republic where anything goes.

I opine that a forensic audit should be done from year 2000 till date and those found guilty of dipping their hands into the till should be made to face the music. It is high time we strengthen our fight against the hydra headed monster of corruption. The judiciary has been made a laughing stock as it grants all manner of ridiculous ex parte orders to shield the big crooks from prosecution.

There is even crisis of confidence in the NDDC probe by the House of Representatives as the initial probe Chairman, Tunji Ojo excused himself from the committee because he was an interested party. How hilarious! We need to get serious in this country and cease being the laughing stock among the international community of nations.

Its laughable that about 1.5 billion naira was spent by the commission on covid 19 palliatives for members of staff and more comical for Akpabio to opine that Nunieh had four husbands while ignoring the root cause of the allegations leveled against him.

Nigeria should stop being a cruel joke and our leaders should take governance seriously. Ompadec, the precursor to the NDDC was scrapped, Petroleum Trust Fund which Buhari headed under Abacha came under the hammer. I think it is in the best interest of Nigerians especially the Niger Deltans for the NDDC to also go as well as it has long outlived its usefulness since it is now a monumental hub of graft.

Once again Buhari should do the needful by relieving Akpabio of his ministerial duties so that he can be appropriately sanctioned if found guilty. Prof Pondei should also be grilled again by the House and if possible the Senate as the fainting is one surreptitious way of plotting an escape from probity and accountability.

In an era where the price of crude oil has collapsed in the international market and some governments have resorted to borrowing to pay salaries, the NDDC should be scrapped forthwith to cut cost and to ensure that the Niger Deltans are not short changed ad infinitum.

Buhari should for once take charge and do the needful!

Tony Ademiluyi writes from Lagos and edits www.africanbard.com
Belarusian author and Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich has thrown her support behind an upstart female challenger in next month's presidential election, and urged authoritarian incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka to ensure the ballot is free and fair.

In an interview with RFE/RL's Belarus Service, Alexievich said that Lukashenka, who has held office since 1994 through votes that international observers said fell short of democratic standards, faced a "new generation" that wants fair elections and responsible governance.

She spoke ahead of an August 9 election that analysts say poses the most serious challenge yet to Lukashenka, whose standing with the populace has been undermined by what many in the country of 9.5 million say is his fumbling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Belarus has one of the highest per capita infection rates in Europe and Lukashenka, who in March dismissed the pandemic as "mass psychosis," has refused to institute lockdown measures to slow the spread of the virus.

"Lukashenka thought that he could deceive this silent society, that he could tell tales, scare them with fear. Nothing like that happened," Alexievich said in the interview on July 22. "A new generation has grown up [and] middle-aged people have regained their consciousness. These are not the same people who existed 26 years ago, when Lukashenka began to rule."

Alexievich said that she would vote for Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, one of four candidates approved by Belarus's Central Election Commission to challenge Lukashenka in the election.

Tsikhanouskaya has formed an alliance with the campaigns of two would-be candidates who were barred from the ballot by election officials on what they say are baseless, political grounds, Viktar Babaryka and Valer Tsapkala.

Tsikhanouskaya's husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, a vlogger who called on Belarusians to squash the "cockroach" Lukashenka with their bedroom slippers, was ruled out in an earlier stage of the process, and is now in jail facing charges of planning mass unrest.

Tsikhanouskaya's new allies in the race are represented by two other women, Veranika Tsapkala, who headed her husband's rejected campaign, and Maryya Kalesnikava, who led Babaryka's effort.

The alliance appears to have boosted her chances in the vote, while highlighting the leading role women in Belarus have seized ahead of the vote that many experts say will alter the country's landscape regardless of the vote outcome.

Women Rising To The Challenge

Alexievich, 72, won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2015 for a body of work that includes journalistic explorations of 20th-century calamities that hit Belarus and other former Soviet republics, such as World War II and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The author told RFE/RL that when the times have demanded it, women in Belarus have answered the call, from the days of a 12th-century Orthodox Christian saint to the present. Often, however, the role of women and their contribution to Belarusian history has been overlooked or forgotten, Alexievich said.

"When I wrote The Unwomanly Face Of War, about how millions of women fought in [World War II], I became convinced that women are at the forefront of their society," she said. "They made sacrifices on the altar of victory, and after the war it was not appreciated and forgotten by the state and the people. I'd like that something like that doesn't happen again."

She said Belarusian women were again rising to a fresh challenge. "The authorities acted dishonestly, and all the interesting candidates [who are] men were either put in jail or denied the right to take part in the election. And then all of a sudden there was an unexpected development. Women took upon themselves the burden of the men," Alexievich said.

Alexievich said she had favored Babaryka, who is now in jail on embezzlement charges that he and supporters dismiss as politically motivated. She now backs Tsikhanouskaya, in part due to the strength of her vow to hold an "honest" rerun of the vote if elected.

"In the current situation, I will vote for Tsikhanouskaya, who has promised to transfer power," she said. "She herself is not ready to govern and didn't consider that. But given the situation, she promised to transfer power, and I would vote for her."

'Nobody Wants Blood'

Alexievich said that in the face of the risk of police violence, the numbers of Belarusians turning out to sign petitions backing rivals of Lukashenka -- and to protest the hundreds of detentions and the barring of candidates -- testified to their resolve to seek justice.

More than 1,100 people have been detained by the police in Belarus since May, a Belarusian NGO has estimated, amid warnings and calls from Western countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, to halt the crackdown.

Belarusians must work together to make certain that the "people's voice" is heard on August 9, Alexievich said. "We need to figure out how to stop cheating when the votes are counted. It is imperative that the voice of the people, the voice of the power of the people, breaks through this barrier."

Apparently referring to Tsikhanouskaya, Tsapkala, and Kalesnikava, she said that high levels of support for "these girls" will ensure peaceful change in the country.

"If there are many of us, if we give these girls our support, then the changes that will take place will occur peacefully. If there are few of us, then anything can happen. We all want peaceful change. And no matter how provoked by the authorities, we must not succumb to such provocations," Alexievich said.

Lukashenka, she said, must ensure the vote is free and fair to avoid possible post-election turmoil. "There must be fair elections so that there is no blood. And this is his responsibility to history. Nobody wants blood. I hope he doesn't want it either," she said.

Written by Tony Wesolowsky based on reporting by Yuri Drakhakhrust of RFE/RL's Belarus Service
Moscow, 25 July 2020 (SPS) - Spain must honor its historical responsibilities by putting an end to the injustice committed against the Sahrawi people, said Russian media outlet Pravda, pointing out that the time has come to decolonize Africas last colony.



Columnist Luis Portillo Pasqual del Riquelma published in the Russian paper Pravda that Spain, like Portugal did in East Timor, must do the same in the case of Western Sahara, honoring its historical responsibilities and putting an end to the enormous injustice committed against the Sahrawi people.



Former professor of international economy at the Autonomous University of Madrid, affirmed in his article entitled Western Sahara must be decolonized now, that the time has come to decolonize this territory, as declared by those who have more power to do it, UN Secretary General , as well as Hans Corell, John Bolton, James Baker, Thabo Mbeki and others.



In his analysis, the expert said that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called, in his speech on the occasion of the opening of 2020 session of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization on 21 February, for the eradication of colonialism once and for all.



For Luis Portillo, there is no coercion for todays democratic Spain, a social State governed by the rule of law, to assume the heavy burden inherited from the last government of Franco dictatorship, pointing out that the Madrids tripartite agreements (1975) are ignominious, illegal and illegitimate, as recognized by Felipe Gonzalez himself-Secretary general of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) at the time- in his speech on the Sahrawi refugees camps of Tindouf on 14 November 1976, the first anniversary of the inking of agreements.



Because of their nature, content and their objectives, the tripartite agreements of Madrid constitute a blatant violation of the fundamental principle of the United Nations Charter: the peoples right to self-determination, he said. (SPS)



062/SPS/700
By Online Desk

India's COVID tally crossed 14 lakh-mark on Monday with 708 deaths and highest single-day spike of 49,931 cases in last 24-hours.

According to the Health Ministry, the total coronavirus positive cases now stand at 14,35,453 including 4,85,114 active cases, 9,17,568 cured/discharged/migrated and 32,771 deaths.Meanwhile, The New Indian Express analysed if the relock had paid dividends, studying data of fresh daily cases, active cases and deaths during the relock period and the days preceding it.

The biggest finding from the relock is that states, cities and districts that augmented testing by over 20 per cent were able to control casualty figures.
Bangkok, July 25 : Thailand's army chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong warned anti-government activists to refrain from making verbal abuse, which might possibly be deemed as a defamation to the royal household.

The army chief on Friday said some student activists and others had apparently used some inappropriate words to express their views in the public and on social media which, he said, might possibly insult the royal household and be faced with the lese majeste law, also known as Section 112, Xinhua news agency reported.

If found guilty by court of lese majeste charges, culprits could be sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in jail.

Apirat's comments came after anti-government protests recently organised by the so-called Free Youth, the Student Union of Thailand and associated student groups in Bangkok and the provinces.

A small group of students recently held a brief demonstration outside the army headquarters on Rajadamnoen Avenue with pictures of the army chief being torn up in a token protest.
Miriam Margolyes: Almost Australian

Friday, BBC2

Rating:

Imagine... Lemn Sissay: The Memory Of Me

Thursday, BBC1

Rating:

This week we said goodbye to the Aussie thriller The Secrets She Keeps and welcomed the French thriller The Last Wave, about a huge wave that causes the disappearance of surfers who later return changed.

A camper adventure: Miriam Margolyes in Australia. Im aware that some people cant stand her, but I fall in love with her every time

It kicked off with two episodes on BBC4 last night, but halfway through the first one I had a brainwave: if you dont watch these forgettable thrillers in the first instance you do not have to go to the trouble of later forgetting them. So, given it was rather dull  when is this wave coming?  I just stopped watching. I dont know why I didnt think of this before. I am a busy person, so having one less thriller to forget is quite a boon.

Now, as I seem to be done with forgetting forgettable thrillers, at least for the moment, we can turn our attention to documentaries and, first, Miriam Margolyes: Almost Australian. Youd think, by now, wed be done with Miriam being wheeled out here, there and everywhere  shes done The Real Marigold Hotel, shes done America, shes done obesity and death  and Im aware that some people cant stand her, but I fall in love with her every time.

She can be naughty and rude and say outrageous things to, as she puts it, give people a jolt, and she eats raw onions whole as if they are apples, which is always astounding, but underneath she is obviously deeply kind with such a big heart. And if Im going to watch a celebrity travelogue, then give me a celebrity with a big heart. Rather than, say, Michael Portillo.

Here she laid out her stall: This 78-year-old Jewish lesbian is embarking on a 10,000-kilometre, two-month journey to explore what it means to be an Australian today. Her partner of 52 years, Heather Sutherland, is Australian, and Miriam has dual citizenship and a house in the Southern Highlands (70 miles south of Sydney) that looked magnificent and had her big navy knickers drying on the line. (Heather, she said, dyes her knickers navy for her  we werent told why.)

Miriam is travelling by camper van even though shes not au fait with camping  Mummy said it wasnt for nice Jewish girls  and it is so compact she has to nudge sideways into the loo. I know she plays up for the cameras but, still, its a ballsy thing to do. (The trip, that is; not nudging sideways into the loo.)

She met various people, including a Chinese-Australian woman who had made her fortune from selling property, a homeless woman living off-grid, a farming family for whom a recent drought had meant all their acres had turned to red dust  despite her avowed hatred of children she hugged the two little boys  and the Afghani young man who worked in the shop where, unusually, she happened to be browsing for a jumper. (I rarely buy clothes as Im too fat.)

He is now 25 and had come to Australia on his own at 11, after his parents and siblings were all killed. Im proud of what Ive become, Im safe here, Im not going to die tonight and Im not going to get a bullet to my head, he said. She cried. So did I. And I just dont know if Michael Portillo would have.

Imagine offered a portrait of the poet Lemn Sissay, whose upbringing was extraordinarily difficult, and while Alan Yentob left no cliche unturned  Lemns life is one of triumph and tragedy  Lemn himself said what he had to say beautifully.

He was born to a young Ethiopian woman studying here who returned home after his birth. He was named Norman after his first social worker and didnt know that his mother had put Lemn on his birth certificate until he first saw it at 15. (Now my name is Lemn and the fires been lit, starts one of his early poems.) He was fostered as a baby by a white Baptist family who lived outside Wigan, but when he was 12 they asked social services to take him away as they said he had the devil in him, although the truth was he had started to outshine his foster siblings. We saw him return to his childhood house, which no longer had a laburnum tree outside, but he remembered it clearly: I was born into a laburnum tree family with its beauteous bloom... and poisonous seeds.

He ended up in the care system, and after haranguing Wigan social services for years was finally allowed access to his records in 2015. And, my God. Here was a letter, for instance, from his mother asking social services how her baby might be sent to Ethiopia, and here was social services refusing to cooperate, even though they had no right. And there was more. So much more (Im running out of space!).

One rather weird omission, though: while we caught up with his mother, in a way, why no mention of any father? But otherwise it was as affecting as it was riveting. And not forgettable. In any way.
Mumbai :

National Investigation Agency (NIA) teams have seized Rs 12 lakh cash and incriminating documents, files as well as electronic storage devices, in raids on 12 premises including head office of the banned Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

NIA has registered an offence against IRF founder- president and controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and his associates for promoting enmity and hatred between religious groups through his public speeches and lectures on various platforms, the agency said in a release.

As per the statement, Naik and his associates are responsible for inciting Muslim youths and terrorists in India and abroad to commit unlawful activities and terrorist acts.

Centre had recently banned IRF for five years and its notification was served through Mumbai Police two days before.

NIA teams raided 12 premises including its head office in Dongri this morning and conducted raids in which they seized documents related to Naik and IRF's various financial transactions and property details.

NIA has sent a team of IT experts from Delhi for further investigation. The searches are still going on and are likely to continue till late in the night, NIA said in a statement.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
After Missouri voted to legalize medical marijuana in November 2018, the states new Republican governor, Mike Parson, moved quickly to certify tens of thousands of patients and begin licensing cannabis businesses.

But what seemed at first to be an easy source of voter satisfaction and a new cache of revenue to the state has boomeranged badly: A flood of complaints led to state and federal corruption probes that now threaten Parsons 2020 campaign.

The governors close personal friend and fundraiser, Steve Tilley, is at the center of the probes. He represented lucrative clients who appeared to receive a boost in the licensing process. The campaign of Parsons presumptive Democratic opponent, State Auditor Nicole Galloway, put out a taunting memo declaring, Where theres smoke, theres fire.

The situation reflects how quickly the promise of legalized marijuana can turn from being an asset for political leaders to a liability, as administrations come under intense lobbying and pressure to hand out lucrative licenses, while confronting the risk of outright corruption.

In the wake of the investigations, the race has become increasingly competitive, according to polls and rating services. While Missouri is firmly red when it comes to presidential elections, state offices are another matter: Democrat Jay Nixon served two terms as governor from 2009 to 2017. POLITICO rates the governors race as Lean Republican, though many observers acknowledge that Galloway is making significant inroads.

Parsons defenders, including Republican political strategist David Barklage, suggest the blow-up is more a matter of intra-party politics and wont resonate with voters.

"In terms of campaigning I just dont see [the impact]," Barklage said.

Dissatisfaction with Parsons handling of marijuana goes beyond just his close ties to Tilley, which date back to when both men were members of the state legislature. The Parson administration's decision to cap the number of state licenses has led to a staggering number of administrative appeals  more than 800. A lawsuit aiming to overturn the cap heads to trial this fall.

Story continues

"What they're doing with the medical marijuana business looks a lot like what Republican rhetoric accuses Democrats of doing with government," said Michael Wolff, a Democrat and former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court who supported the legalization campaign in 2018. "The libertarian side of the Republican electorate are thinking, 'Wait a minute, were free market people. Why are we setting up a drug cartel?'"

The Parson administration's choices of marijuana regulators also have been criticized for their political and industry connections. House lawmakers are looking into why Parson tapped former Republican state Rep. Lyndall Fraker  who has no prior medical experience  to head the medical marijuana unit. His administration then brought on Amy Moore as Fraker's deputy, after she served in various roles at the Missouri Public Service Commission. Moores husband is a lawyer who serves cannabis industry clients, which has drawn questions from lawmakers.

A spokesperson for Parson declined to answer specific questions, but said the governor played no role in the licensing of marijuana businesses.

"The Governors Office does not review licensure decisions so that the process remains fair and unencumbered from undue influence," the spokesperson said. "This is in stark contrast to the Auditors position that she would kowtow to plaintiffs attorneys who attempt to use the court system to cajole licenses for applicants who are not otherwise qualified."

The 64-year-old Parson was a longtime state legislator who was elected lieutenant governor in 2016. He ascended to the states top post less than two years later, when Gov. Eric Greitens resigned amid a cloud of scandals, some stemming from an affair with his hair stylist.

The medical marijuana referendum won a decisive victory at the polls just months after Parson took office, and he quickly took steps to implement it. His administration licensed tens of thousands of medical cannabis patients and made business license applications available by the deadlines in the legalization amendment. The state hired a third party to score license applications based on merit.

Massage oil with cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), two natural compounds found in plants of the Cannabis genus is displayed at the Far West Holistic Center dispensary, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, in Detroit. Michigan voters have made their state the first in the Midwest to legalize recreational marijuana. Voters passed a ballot measure Tuesday that will allow people 21 or older to use the drug. North Dakota voters decided recreational pot wasn't for them, Missouri voters passed one of three unrelated measures legalizing medical marijuana and voters in Utah were also considering a medical marijuana proposal. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

But the seemingly arbitrary way licenses were awarded drew the attention of the state House's Special Committee on Government Oversight, said Democratic Rep. Peter Merideth, ranking minority member. Attorneys brought the lawmakers examples of wildly different scores for the same answers to the same questions.

Even if there wasnt corruption, the appearance of corruption is so problematic, Merideth said. The fact that theyre so set on keeping this cap suggests to me its because theyre trying to benefit certain players in the industry.

Then there is the role of Steve Tilley.

Everyone from state lawmakers to the FBI are investigating the lobbyist and former state legislator's role in the medical marijuana licensing process. Tilley has been under FBI scrutiny for months for his involvement in the program, The Kansas City Star reported. House committee members investigating the program also requested records involving Tilley and key officials in the governor's office.

Tilley and Parson served together in the Missouri state House from 2005 to 2011 and Parson, who went on to serve in the state Senate, was one of Tilley's first clients when he became a political consultant and lobbyist in 2012.

Tilley has raised a substantial amount of money for Parson's gubernatorial campaign  much of it from his lobbying clients, including those in the marijuana industry. Last May, just as officials were finalizing rules for the program, Tilley hosted a pricey fundraiser for Parson, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

One of Tilley's lobbying clients is MoCannTrade, a cannabis industry trade group whose members won dozens of cannabis business licenses. A spokesperson for the organization said that most of its members had more unsuccessful applications than successful ones, if they were successful at all. When asked how many of its members won at least one license, he said that there were 2,300 applications and that "we have no way of knowing exactly how many of those were filed by our members."

Another client, BeLeaf, was one of two companies that settled early with DHSS in its appeals over licensing decisions. Now, as other companies face a potentially yearslong appeals process, BeLeaf has become one of the first companies in the state to start cultivating cannabis this summer. BeLeaf President Kevin Riggs said that the company did not hire Tilley as a lobbyist until after it was awarded licenses, adding that Tilley was not involved in its administrative appeal. The reason BeLeaf's appeal was settled so fast was because it was a more straightforward request compared to other, more complicated appeals, he explained.

Tilleys other clients include Bootheel CannaCare and Kindbio, which each won multiple types of cannabis licenses. Another client, Herbal Health, was denied licenses.

Tilley did not return requests for comment through his lobbying firm.

The public corruption and fraud division of the office of Galloway  the auditor who is running against Parson  reviewed two whistleblower complaints about the application process, referring them to law enforcement. The office declined to comment further, citing whistleblower protection laws.

Galloway's campaign has been taking aim at Tilley, publishing a memo earlier this year with the subject line: Governor Tilley?

"Where theres smoke, theres fire, and the relationship between Tilley and Parson is leaving a lot of smoldering ash around the capitol as the interests of Missouris families get snuffed out," the memo read.

During a town hall event held by the Missouri Patients Alliance  a group largely made up of businesses that lost out on licenses  Galloway hit the Parson administration for benefiting "well-contrived insiders" at the expense of "working families."

"It looks an awful lot that the well-connected got what they wanted from this program," she said during the event.

Nonetheless, Barklage, the Republican strategist, thinks that a combination of a presidential race in which Trump is likely to carry Missouri by a comfortable margin and the states overall preference for GOP candidates will benefit Parson in November. In the states previous gubernatorial election, in 2016, promising Democratic nominee Chris Koster lost with just over 45 percent of the vote.

Missouri Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Koster delivers a concession speech Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

"[Galloway] doesnt have many of the strengths Koster has in terms of raising money, in terms of charisma," Barklage said.

But Galloway has been steadily closing in on Parson in the polls. A Remington Research Group poll in March showed Parson with a 13-point lead over Galloway. More recently, an SLU/YouGov poll found that Parson only has a two-point lead.

The focus of the race so far is the coronavirus crisis. Parson is trying to reassure Missourians as case counts hit new highs, while defending his decision not to wear a mask. The state has confirmed more than 37,000 cases so far, seeing a 3.1 percent jump in the past week.

But if cronyism becomes a key campaign issue  as Galloway clearly hopes it will  the controversies surrounding the medical marijuana program will impact the race, Wolff, the former Supreme Court justice, said.

"[Galloway] has a very good record as the state auditor in ferreting out corruption [and] insider deals," Wolff said. "When you have insider deals or the appearance of insider deals going on with medical marijuana licensing, that can [contribute to] a bad perception with the governor."

Some of the Parson administrations decisions have been ripe for second-guessing.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services opted to limit the number of licenses to the fewest required under the law, even though it wasn't obliged to set a cap at all. Businesses that applied for multiple licenses noticed that the supposedly merit-based scoring seemed inconsistent.

In one of many examples, a company called GVMS got a meager four points on a 10-point scale for an answer to a question about accounting on its application to open a dispensary. The company gave an almost identical answer on applications for manufacturing and cultivation licenses, and received a full 10 points on those applications, according to its appeal, which outlines 10 instances of similar disparities.

A spokesperson for DHSS said that such criticism "stems from a misunderstanding of this system, and contrary to these claims, public records show the scoring within facility types was remarkably consistent."

The department has just three commissioners to hear more than 800 appeals, said Joe Bednar, a lawyer representing some applicants in the appeals process and a lawsuit. [A] judge told me it will take six years to litigate.

Meanwhile, industry advocates point to the hundreds of jobs that could be created during a historic economic downturn by removing the license cap and allowing entrepreneurs that have already invested heavily in their businesses to move forward.

Were broke, in the midst of a pandemic, Merideth, the state representative, said. My hope is if nothing else, those reasons alone could push them to do the right thing.

The 2018 law that legalized medical marijuana also directed revenue from the program into a fund for veterans' health care. But now, the department is using those funds to hire outside lawyers.

A spokesperson for the DHSS estimates litigation will cost the agency between $2 million to $8 million.

Similar administrative and legal battles have ensued in other states with limited number of licenses, including Nevada and Arkansas. The House committee investigating the program is also looking into the third party hired by the DHSS to score applications  Wise Health Solutions.

When Wise Health received the contract, it touted its credentials of having a successful history of scoring applications in Nevada and Arkansas.

The marijuana programs in both of those states, however, have been dogged by allegations of corruption. Earlier this summer, medical marijuana applicant Carpenter Farms in Arkansas was granted a cultivation license after a legal battle went all the way to the Arkansas Supreme Court. The court found that Carpenter Farms, the only Black-owned farm to apply for a license, was treated unfairly in the licensing process.

Merideth noted that department leadership was unable to name a single Black-owned business that secured a Missouri license during committee hearings on the issue.

"There's a horrifying under-representation of people of color in the licensing process," said Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who led a recent successful effort in Kansas City to decriminalize marijuana in the name of racial justice. "I think that Missouri needs to do much better."

During House committee hearings earlier this year, regulators defended Wise Health and denied any conflicts of interest.

Theres no indication that Parson's administration will remove the license cap on its own. Cannabis businesses are suing the state in court, arguing that the cap is unconstitutional. One of the lawsuits, brought by Bednar, has a trial date set for October.

The legislature is also considering action to lift the cap. Meredith is confident that the House has the votes to pass such a measure, but he thinks that its chances in the Senate will depend on the outcome of the elections.

But mostly, he is frustrated that the legislature is even having to consider the move when DHSS could just do it themselves. He's hopeful that the corruption accusations as the election nears might pressure Parson to "see the light and get things fixed."
Vietnam confirmed its first local case of COVID-19 in more than three months on Saturday, July 25 as authorities scrambled to contain the infection and trace patient contacts.

As per reports, the new case of infection has put the city of Danang back on high alert. Vietnam had managed to contain the local transmission of the virus for 100 days with its widespread testing programme and sweeping quarantine guidelines and had managed to keep the caseload to 417.

Read: Vietnam & UK Hold Talks On Strengthening Bilateral Strategic Partnership

Vietnam health ministry, in a statement, disclosed that a 57-year-old Danang resident had tested positive for the COVID-19 at least three times. While he was quarantined in an isolation facility, at least 50 had come in his contact. As many as 103 people were quickly traced and tested in connection with the patient but they had all tested negative, the Danang Centre for Disease Control informed local media.

As per reports, the man had earlier sought treatment for symptoms of cough and fever at a hospital on July 20 and is feared to have come in contact with at least 288 people. He was reported to be in critical condition as medics flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang to treat the infection.

Read: Vietnam Bans Wildlife Imports, Markets Amid New Health Fears

More than 11,800 quarantined

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued orders to tighten the border and immigration controls and prohibit the overseas nations from entering illegally into the country, as per reports.

Moreover, the authorities in Hanoi are reported to have reinstated recommendations to wear masks in public places, In addition to that, more than 11,800 have been quarantined across the country as the case of the local community spread was detected. Over 147 people have been quarantined at the hospitals.

Read: US Congress Introduces Resolutions To Mark 25 Years Of Ties With Vietnam

Read: From Infinity Pool To Bath Tubs, Vietnam Opens World's First Gold-plated Hotel In Hanoi
Bollywood veteran and former parliamentarian Shatrughan Sinha spoke to Republic TVs Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in an exclusive edition of Nation Wants To Know on Saturday, on the back of almost unprecedented tumult in the film industry following the shock mid-June death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

After Kangana Ranaut made sensational allegations on the same forum regarding Bollywood lobbyism and groupism accentuating nepotism to a point where systematic sidelining and boycott may have contributed to Sushants demise, Shatrughan Sinha left no line of questioning unanswered.

Shatrughan Sinhas high praise for Sushant Singh Rajput & Kangana Ranaut

Sinha had high praise for Sushant, saying Although I met him only once I found him a thorough gentleman, a very kind human, a committed intelligent sharp and wonderful human being While he conceded that he only knew Sushants family via friends, he emphasised that they too like him hailed from Bihar, calling Sushant Patna ka ladla and son of the soil.

Highlighting how Sushant was self-made, the veteran recounted their meeting. When he met me he told me you have been a source of inspiration for me. When I came here I thought when you can do it, and some other seniors have, why cant I? And he made it.

Ultimately people say he fell into the trap of some group. Theres an age-gap between us, hes like my son. I was heartbroken that such a young boy committed suicide. Suicide is not the solution, in fact, it is the biggest problem.

He came to Kangana Ranaut almost immediately, praising her as well. I have hardly met her, but I admire her and hold her in high esteem, because Kangana also, besides being intelligent and sharp, has dignity and has made it absolutely on her own without any left, right and center support.

READ | Shatrughan Sinha Slams B'wood Lobby For Targeting Kangana, Calls It 'Inferiority Complex'

Sushants death should be probed till logical conclusion

The actor-turned-politician spoke on the specific matter of Sushant allegedly having run afoul of a production house with whom he was contracted and having suffered career-wise as a result.

I always speak against injustice, whether in real or reel life. I dont know about the suicide - I only know what media and some relatives have told me, he prefaced, before being asked about purported blind-spots in the death, to which he responded that the familys wishes must be kept in mind while pursuing the matter in any dimension. If you say theres more than meets the eye - whether its suicide or not - I would say that it should be probed until a logical conclusion, he stated.

Putting the onus on Sushants close circle, the former Patna Sahib Lok Sabha MP opined, You cant be judgmental, you cant issue certificates to depress or frustrate someone. I would also add to that, however, that if he was depressed and was being meted injustice, where were his friends then? They should have stopped this situation from ever arising, this atrocity should never have been allowed.

READ | Shatrughan Sinha Salutes Kangana For Speaking Up, Says Her Progress 'empowered Women'

On Bollywood and the Kangana versus all divide

At this point, however, Shatrughan Sinha was asked to apply his vast knowledge and experience of the industry to some of the allegations regarding the ill-treatment Sushant had to deal with, which may have caused his public appeals for people to watch his 2019 release Sonchiriya.

Enunciating that there are different parts to Bollywood, Shatrughan Sinha said One is secular and sees success and failure, whether it is me, Danny Denzogpa or Mithun Chakraborty - whoever is successful. If theyre not successful, nothing else will work. The second part is also secular - rather was - that theres no religion, whether its Kamal Haasan or anyone else - it relies on stardom so far as the film was successful.

I was told Sushant was a victim of groupism. I feel if this happened, some people are to blame - if they promised him things and didnt keep them - they are responsible. Remarking on Kangana Ranauts experience in encountering this and being an almost lone crusader in this regard, Shotgun said, Kangana has her own experience, she knows this minutely and has witnessed and suffered this kind of drama. Some of us seniors dont know this in-depth. But there is an inquiry ongoing, when it completes you know that I am neither scared nor am I going to be quiet.

READ | Shatrughan Sinha Calls Bollywood A 'vicious Industry', Says 'there Are No Friendships'

Should there be a CBI probe in Sushant Singh Rajputs death?

Shatrughan Sinha went on to fiercely refute any attempts to malign Sushant and shift blame in his direction, as Bollywood groups have been accused of doing, roaring Absolutely Not.

He pointed towards the Mumbai polices probe to get to the bottom of the matter, however, and in an acknowledgment of views similar to Kanganas - that there is a shortcoming in the investigation - he said, We should keep in mind that even CBI isnt a holy cow, it is simply the best cow. He went on to concede that CBI should be given the case in case there is any hint of mismatching facts, in order to put the matter to rest.

Kangana a modern-day Dharmendra

Coming to the prevailing divide in the industry, which many see as a Kangana vs rest battle, Shotgun put his weight behind the Queen star. Of course (I support her). Myself, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan were self-made. We didnt need any Godfather in the industry. I heard in many places about Sushant also that he came with a small-town mindset. What small-town? Patna is a great city. Many of the most successful people have come from so-called small cities. I had commended Kangana last year, Im doing the same this year. She has exemplified the words when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Today I see most people attacking her because of jealousy - that without our blessing, without depending on us, without paying her respects to us, she has made it. The Bollywood legend went on to equate Kangana with a modern-day Dharmendra.

Shatrughan Sinha lifts lid on past Bollywood groupism; cites Govindas ostracisation

With the discussion shifting to how times have changed in Bollywood, and on being asked whether boycotts and nepotism were prevalent during his heyday, Shatrughan Sinha said, Yes it used to happen. Perhaps it happens more now. Superstar Rajesh Khanna had a group - his loyalists wouldnt want any other actor to come up. I used to hear about Shammi Kapoor also having a group like this. Dharmendra and I always kept away from these groups.

An actor I regard highly whom many are trying to forget but was more talented than 99% of them - Govinda - see what happened to him. The way he developed himself. He stood on his own feet - he was his own teacher - and became an institution with his dance and his acting. However, I heard, that as his fortunes soured, he was shunted, he was alienated, his ongoing film was taken over and stolen. He had to put up with all this. This happens in film, and I hear its happening even more now.

As far as Kangana is concerned, and Sushants film Dil Bechara has come out - I feel that the younger generation feels that his aspirations died with him and identify with him. There was an attempt to malign him - his future was very bright. They made certain disparaging judgments about Kangana as well. What did she ever take from them? She has made it with her own determination, commitment and passion, and Sushant was also coming with the same qualities. There was an attempt to crush both of them and people identify them in the same terms.

WATCH | 'No Koffee With Arjun During Our Era': Shatrughan Sinha Slams Boycott Culture

Film industry more cut-throat than politics

I want to tell you - this friendship, love and brotherhood in Bollywood is only limited to the screen. Behind the veil, it ends. He went on to recount, "My friend Shubhash Ghai correctly used to say a film relationship is a legal relationship. It lasts so long as your film or career are working out, else they fall apart. Its a vicious circle. People can go to any extent when things turn against them. They correctly say that politics and Bollywood are cut-throat, and the film industry is the more cut-throat of the two.

Finally, he issued a message for the so-called gatekeepers of the industry - The film industry is not someones fiefdom (Jagir) - Who are you? Where have you come from? One-two of your films have worked, what since then? Who are you to judge? Film industry is everyones, it is everyones home and you are not its head.

Watch the full interview above.

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
Braxton Carter, a teacher at Sandusky Middle School, had planned to enroll his 5-year-old foster son in kindergarten at Lynchburg City Schools Sandusky Elementary this fall.

But, when the division announced kindergarteners would only be in school buildings two days per week at the start of the school year, Carter said he was worried his son might fall behind.

Going into kindergarten, he needs full day [instruction], five days a week, Carter said.

So, Carter said he looked into an option that would have his son in school every day: private school.

Across the country, public schools are going online-only or having students in school just a few days per week for the start of the school year. Private schools, on the other hand, are opening their doors wide and offering five days of in-person learning to students.

Thats the case in the Lynchburg area where no public school division plans to have any student in school five full days per week. Area school divisions currently plan to have students in school a few days each week and learning virtually other days.

Bedford County Public Schools comes the closest to a normal schedule for its younger students, with their current plan allowing Pre-K through sixth graders to attend in-person school five days per week, but the school day will be slightly shorter.

Private schools, such as Virginia Episcopal School, Desmond T. Doss Christian Academy and James River Day School, said theyre seeing parents, like Carter, show an interest in their schools as they announce plans to reopen for all students for five days per week of in-person learning.

Chris Button, associate head of school at VES, said the school will use a hybrid model of learning because it serves ninth through 12th-grade students. Using complementary online and in-person aspects will allow students to stay on track with their courses if they have to miss in-person classes due to quarantine or other conflicts.

VES is making a lot of changes to in-person instruction, Button said. Not all of the schools classrooms allow for effective teaching with social distancing, so theyll be adapting some outdoor spaces to serve as classrooms. Button said some classes at the school enroll about 18 students, but many average around 12. To allow for social distancing, Button said no class will have more than 15 students.

We want the most risk-averse situation we can possibly create for both students and ... our faculty, Button said.

A unique challenge VES faces for reopening, Button said, is it serves both day students and boarding students. While day school students come to school for the school day and live off campus, boarders live on campus. Because day students move on and off campus, Button said they pose the largest risk to the boarders bubble.

In order to mitigate the risk and decrease the chance for contact, day school students will not eat with boarders and wont be in close-contact with boarders during down time on campus.

We pride ourselves on not having a big division between day [students] and boarders, Button said. Its going to feel different in that regard.

Button said the school has seen an increase in interest from local families but, because of the decrease in class size and other restrictions, theyve nearly hit their capacity of around 80, day students and 172 boarders.

Stephen Doss, principal at Desmond T. Doss Christian Academy, said the school plans to open for face-to-face instruction for the 2020-21 school year.

Weve had a number of families that have come to us this summer because of what some of the other schools are doing for instruction, he said. They want their kids to be in school every day.

Doss said the school might get five or 10 new students during the summer. This year theyve already received more than 20, and he expects more in the coming weeks.

Weve seen an increase in interest from the public school sector that normally we dont see, Doss said.

Peter York, head of schools at James River Day School, said hes seen an overwhelming interest and number of new applications for the 2020-21 school year. James River Day School, which serves kindergarten through eighth grade, plans to begin the school year with all students on campus.

In a typical spring to summer season, he said, he might see six to 10 new students. This year, hes already received more than 30 new students, not counting kindergarten.

We are partners with our public schools, York said. We all teach kids, and the public schools are just in a tough spot.

York said classrooms are being adapted to comply with social distance requirements and masks will be required, but teachers and parents are excited for students to be back in school.

The benefits of being back, far exceed the risks, he said.

Andrew Glover said he is considering moving his two Lynchburg City Schools students to a private school as well, but hes conflicted.

Glovers two sons will be in first and second grades in the fall, and, like Carter, he said hes concerned about the divisions current plan to have Pre-K through fifth-grade students receiving instruction remotely three days per week.

You cant learn to read and write in a virtual environment, Glover said.

Because students in the division will be learning virtually three days per week, based on the current plan, Glover said he fears parents will be forced to become their childs teacher.

While he doesnt approve of the divisions plan for fall reopening, he said, his family loves the community at T.C. Miller Elementary School for Innovation and they dont want his sons to potentially lose their spots at the school if they were to leave for a semester or year.

Had they not gotten into T.C. Miller, we would have already been in a private school, he said.

Glover said hes considering Liberty Christian Academy and Timberlake Christian School as possible private school options for his sons.

According to a post on the Liberty Christian Academys website from Head of Schools Mark Hine, Liberty Christian Academy plans to begin the 2020-21 school year with full day, in-class instruction for all students on Aug. 29. The post said the school may delay that start date for one week to allow more time for preparation.

The school will use facilities at Thomas Road Baptist Church for additional classroom space that will help allow the school to meet social distancing requirements. Liberty Christian Academy will strongly encourage face masks when possible and require them when social distancing is not possible, the post said.

Carter said he enrolled his son in Timberlake Christian School, which has released its draft reopening plan to its families  that includes in-person instruction five days per week for students  but the school has not made that plan public. Requests for an interview or a copy of the plan were denied by Timberlake Christian School.

Carter said he thinks the Lynchburg City Schools current plan is the safest and best option it has under the circumstances. While they want students in buildings more days a week, Lynchburg City School administrators have said their transportation challenges and classroom space dont allow them to offer that safely with social distancing requirements.

I wish he could go to Lynchburg City Schools, I want him there so bad, Carter said. They have a lot to offer and he would have been with a great teacher.

Lynchburg City Schools spokesperson Cindy Babb said the division still is enrolling students for the upcoming school year, and it is too soon to tell how their reopening plans and the pandemic may affect enrollment.

Carter said he worries his son not receiving in-person instruction five days a week as he starts kindergarten might cause him to fall further behind. As a middle school teacher, Carter said he thinks middle and high school students are better able to complete online assignments, so the divisions plan for those students to begin the school year online and transition to two days in school buildings wont be as bad.

I dont think its ideal, none of this is ideal, Carter said.

Jamey Cross covers education. Reach her at (434) 385-5532.

Jamey Cross covers education. Reach her at (434) 385-5532.

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Home Search ICH DNC Leaks 'Were Not Hacked' They Were Downloaded and Provided to WikiLeaks, NSA Whistleblower Says By Mohamed Elmaazi July 24, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have repeatedly denied allegations that the emails belonging to the Democratic National Committee, which they published in 2016, were provided to them by Russian or any other state actor, but rather that they were leaked to the organisation via official circles in Washington DC. Democratic National Committee (DNC) documents published by WikiLeaks in 2016 could not have been obtained through hacking, according to a new assessment co-authored by National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Bill Binney. Mr Binney, speaking via an online press conference on 23 July said that he and a team of other former intelligence and security personnel looked into "the files posted by WikiLeaks, because the allegations were that Russians hacked the DNC and passed it to WikiLeaks". "[I]n all the 35,813 emails that [WikiLeaks] posted in three batches, one downloaded, according to the last modified times on the 23rd of May and the other another on the 25th of May and one on the 26th of August of 2016", the ex-NSA cryptographer explained. "Now all those files, all 35,813 had a last modified time that was rounded off to an even second, Mr Binney said. He described how there is a common programme which can do what is known as file allocation formatting, and that when doing a batch process of data and transferring it to a storage device, like a thumb drive or a CD ROM, it rounds off the last modified time to the nearest even second. So that's exactly the property we found in all that data posted by WikiLeaks", he concluded. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter "Now, that said, very simply this data was downloaded to a storage device, a CD ROM, or a thumb drive, and physically transported before WikiLeaks could post it. So that meant it was not a hack. So no matter how you look at it, we're looking at the forensic evidence that says the DNC emails were not hacked. They were downloaded and physically transported to WikiLeaks", the longtime NSA cryptographer explained. Mr Binney said that they contacted colleagues as well as hackers from around the world including Albania, Serbia and London, to attempt to achieve the speeds which they could see that the DNC leaks were obtained from the servers. They were all unsuccessful. He also said that there was evidence that the documents published by Gucifer 2.0, which contained "Russian signatures", were manipulated to make it look like the documents published were hacked by Russian state actors. He also said that given the nature of the manipulation the evidence pointed towards the CIA, rather than the Russian Federation. In 2016 the transparency organisation published multiple batches of what came to be known as the DNC Leaks or DNC Hacks. The emails revealed, among other things, the fact that the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee were working together to sabotage the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders. This is despite the fact that the DNC is ostensibly a neutral organ of the Democratic Party. Mr Binney's latest report follows the recent revelations that Shaun Henry, the CEO of cyber security firm Crowdstrike, told the US House Intelligence Committee in December 2017: "We did not have concrete evidence that the data was exfiltrated from the DNC, but we have indicators that it was exfiltrated" There are times when we can see data exfiltrated, and we can say conclusively. But in this case, it appears it was set up to be exfiltrated, but we just dont have the evidence that says it actually left" According to the declassified House Intel Committee's documents, Crowdstrike, which was paid by the Democratic Party to review its servers after the WikiLeaks publications, could not confirm whether Russian state actors actually took any of the information in question from the DNC. Both Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have repeatedly denied that the DNC leaks were provided to them via a Russian, or any other, state actor. - " Source " - Post your comment below See also Bill Binney: It was NOT a Russian Hack William Binney | Snowden Debate The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
Pakistani troops violated ceasefire for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday by resorting to mortar shelling and firing at forward posts along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district, officials said. The Pakistani troops fired from small arms and shelled mortars along the LoC in Mankote sector this evening, they said.

The officials said the Indian Army retaliated befittingly. This was the fifth day that the Pakistani forces have violated the ceasefire along the LoC. The Pakistani troops had shelled areas along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba will make a working visit to the Republic of Poland on July 27-28.

"The main purpose of the visit is to coordinate actions with the Polish side on the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The talks between Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Jacek Czaputowicz will be held," the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs.

Kuleba and his Polish counterpart will also take part in the official opening ceremony of the new building of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Poland, where the consular department of the embassy is located.

In addition, the Ukrainian minister will meet with representatives of the Ukrainian community in Poland.

On July 28, a meeting of the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania and a joint visit to the Grand Hetman Kostiantyn Ostrogski Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade will be held in Lublin. At the end of the visit, a joint declaration of the ministers is expected to be adopted.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Infringement procedures against the Netherlands, France and Germany reach final closure

Clichy, France  24th July 2020 BIC regrets that the European Commission decided to close the infringement procedures for lack of surveillance of non-compliant lighters, initiated in 2012 by the European Commission against the Netherlands, and filed by BIC in 2018 against France and Germany.

Two-third of lighter models sold in Europe (most of them imported) do not comply with the European safety standards resulting in tens of thousands of serious accidents every year. This decision undermines the effectiveness of the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). These procedures were aimed at addressing the ineffectiveness of the market surveillance of lighters on the European market. The larger issue of ineffective market surveillance -beyond the lighter case - has been widely recognized by the European Commission with its new European consumer safety agenda, as well as by former Commissioners1 .

The pending reform of the GPSD is an opportunity to establish an effective framework to better protect European consumers, by precisely defining the obligations of Member States regarding product surveillance, in order to ensure that only compliant products2 can circulate in the EU Market. Relying on its experience, BIC will make available to all interested stakeholders the non-confidential documents provided during the infringement procedures and, will make concrete proposals for a successful reform.

As quality and safety are BICs number one priority, BIC will remain a demanding and vigilant partner of European and national institutions to ensure the safety of consumers in Europe.





Appendix





Applicable Safety Standards:

The ISO 9994 International Safety Standard introduced in 1989 is the basic safety standard. It outlines the most important safety requirements for every lighter, including the maximum flame height, drop resistance, resistance to high temperatures, resistance to internal pressure and to continuous burning, etc.

EN 13869 Standard, known as the child-resistant Safety Standard, encompasses the ISO 9994 standard in Europe. It requires all pocket lighters sold in Europe to be effectively child-resistant throughout the lighters shelf-life. A child-resistant lighter is one for which the ignition has been made deliberately difficult for a child. 85% of children under 51 months old should not be able to ignite the lighter during testing.

On 18 October 2018, BIC filed a complaint with the European Commission for lack of surveillance of non-compliant lighters in France and Germany. Read the Press Release: https://www.bicworld.com/sites/default/files/Press%20Release_BIC_18OCT2018.pdf

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#

ABOUT BIC

BIC is a world leader in stationery, lighters, and shavers. For more than 75 years, the Company has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, affordable products to consumers everywhere. Through this unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized brands and is a trademark registered worldwide. Today, BIC products are sold in more than 160 countries around the world and feature iconic brands such as Cello, Conte, BIC FlexTM, Lucky Stationery, Made For YOUTM, Soleil, Tipp-Ex, Wite-Out and more. In 2019, BIC Net Sales were 1,949.4 million euros. The Company is listed on Euronext Paris, is part of the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes and is recognized for its commitment to sustainable development and education. It received an A- Leadership score from CDP. For more, visit www.bicworld.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube.

CONTACTS

Sophie Palliez-Capian  VP, Corporate Stakeholder Engagement Investor Relations Contact: Press Contacts Sophie Palliez-Capian + 33 6 87 89 33 51



sophie.palliez@bicworld.com Albane de La Tour dArtaise + 33 7 85 88 19 48 Albane.DeLaTourDArtaise@bicworld.com Isabelle de Segonzac : + 33 6 89 87 61 39 isegonzac@image7.fr



Laurence Heilbronn: +33689876137



l heilbronn@image7.fr

2020 AGENDA  ALL DATES TO BE CONFIRMED

First Half 2020 results July 29th, 2020 Conference call and Webcast Third Quarter 2020 results October 28th, 2020 Conference call and Webcast Full Year 2020 results February 17th, 2021 Meeting and webcast













[1] Politico  18-SEPT-2018 - 25 years of Single Market: Making the Myth a Reality







2 ISO 9994 and EN 13869 safety standards, the reference of which have been published, in the Official Journal of the EU







Attachment




We've become somewhat inured to magazine closures in Australia, but the latest round of executions courtesy of recently sold Bauer Media - in particular a little gossip magazine called NW - gave me pause to reflect on a different time in a once great industry.

It was 1993. I was a 23-year-old bright-eyed reporter, fresh from the bush working in the decidedly unglamorous world of trade magazines covering the media business, when a gold-trimmed invite to possibly the most glamorous party I could ever have imagined turned up.

Richard Walsh unveiling plans for The New Weekly magazine in August 1993. Credit:Dean Sewell

On a warm spring evening I found myself - dressed in my best Country Road and hair gelled rock solid - soaring up the elevator in Chifley Tower to the swanky Level 41 restaurant, the fanciest joint in town at the time (and way out of my pay grade).

In my hand I nervously clutched my invitation to the launch party of The New Weekly, a new, wholly-Australian owned magazine which was threatening to shake up the country's booming magazine market in a big way.
A Tauranga winner has won $100,000 with Lotto First Division last night.

The winner joins nine other lucky Lotto players from around the country who will be celebrating in style after each winning $100,000 with Lotto First Division in Saturday nights live Lotto draw.

The winning tickets were sold at Pak N Save Silverdale  Silverdale, New World Whangaparaoa  Whangaparaoa, MyLotto  Auckland, MyLotto  Tauranga, MyLotto  Rotorua, Four Square Stratford  Stratford, Coastlands Lotto  Paraparaumu, Wellington City New World- Wellington, MyLotto  Marlborough, and Temuka New World - Temuka

Powerball was not struck last night and has rolled over to Wednesday night, where the jackpot will be $26 million.

Strike Four was also won last night by a player from Auckland, who took home $200,000. The winning Strike ticket was sold to a MyLotto player from Auckland.

Thirteen Lotto players will be celebrating in style after each winning $31,555 with Lotto Second Division in Saturday nights live Lotto draw.

One lucky player also won Powerball Second Division, taking their total winnings to $59,740. The winning Powerball Second Division ticket was sold at Countdown Lynn Mall in Auckland.

The winning Second Division tickets were sold at Countdown Lynn Mall (+PB)  Auckland, MyLotto  Auckland, Frankton Pharmacy  Frankton, MyLotto  Kawerau, MyLotto  Gisborne, MyLotto  Taupo, MyLotto  Horowhenua, Levin Mall Lotto  Levin, Coastlands Lotto  Paraparaumu, MyLotto  Carterton, New World Prestons  Christchurch, MyLotto  Ashburton, and MyLotto - Queenstown Lakes.

Anyone who bought their ticket from the above winning stores should write their name on the back and check their ticket at any Lotto NZ outlet, online at MyLotto.co.nz or through the Lotto NZ App.

With 100 per cent of Lotto NZs profits supporting over 3,000 great causes each year, every time you play one of Lotto NZs games, youre a Kiwi helping other Kiwis.

For more information on Alert Level 1, please visit: https://mylotto.co.nz/covid-19.
Newark Valley, N.Y.  A trooper shot a man armed with a shotgun Friday afternoon in the Southern Tier, state police said.

The shooting happened shortly after 4 p.m. at a home in Newark Valley, Tioga County, about 40 minutes northwest of Binghamton. The man who was shot is in serious condition, the New York State Police said.

Troopers, Tioga County sheriffs deputies a state Environmental Conservation officer rushed to a Chamberlain Road home in response to a domestic violence call. A man had fired at least one gunshot at the resident before police arrived, the state police said.

When they arrived, police spoke to the armed man and ordered him to drop his shotgun, state police said. The man refused, state police said, and started to walk toward police while pointing his gun in their direction.

A trooper then shot the man.

The man was rushed by Maine Emergency Squad to UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City. As of Friday, the man was in serious condition, state police said.

The names of the trooper and the wounded man have not yet been released.

The incident is currently under investigation, state police said.

Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com.
The World Health Organization expressed concern Friday over a coronavirus resurgence in Europe as Britain joined France, Germany and Austria in announcing tighter mask requirements and greater testing. Europe accounts for a fifth of the world's more than 15 million cases and remains the hardest hit in terms of deaths, with 207,118 out of more 630,000 globally since the pandemic emerged in China late last year. The WHO's European chapter pointed to rising cases on the continent over the past two weeks, stressing that tighter measures may be needed to curb infections. Europe like other regions is struggling to balance restrictions to halt the spread of COVID-19 against the need to revive economies as they emerge from some of the world's toughest lockdowns. A three-year-old girl died in Belgium, becoming the country's youngest known coronavirus victim, in a further wake-up call for a continent which has only recently lifted shutdowns. "The recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases in some countries following the easing of physical distancing measures is certainly cause for concern," a WHO-Europe spokeswoman told AFP. "If the situation demands, reintroduction of stricter, targeted measures with the full engagement of communities may be needed." In Spain, health authorities are already facing worrying outbreaks in Aragon and Catalonia, where officials have reintroduced local restrictions and urged residents in Barcelona and its suburbs to leave home only for essential trips for two weeks. "We have to monitor what's going on, see where we need to take action and act early," said health ministry official Maria Jose Sierra. "If the important outbreaks are controlled quickly and if we manage to ensure that there are no (other) outbreaks of such magnitude, we will have a much more contained situation." - On-the-spot tests - French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday met his top ministers to discuss contagion measures, and his prime minister Jean Castex later announced on-the-spot tests would be required for travellers visiting from 16 high-risk countries including the United States. France has yet to resume general travel to and from these countries so the tests will be for French citizens and residents. Masks are now mandatory on public transport and in shops and enclosed spaces in France but there are fears that the summer holidays could see a spike in cases with people flocking to beaches and tourist spots. Britain on Friday made it compulsory to wear a face covering in shopping centres, banks, takeaway outlets, sandwich shops and supermarkets, following the lead of Scotland. Exceptions have been made, for example, for children under 11 or people with respiratory problems, but anyone refusing to cover their nose and mouth risks a fine of up to A100. Germany will offer free coronavirus tests to all returning travellers in new measures agreed Friday. Austria also made face masks mandatory again in supermarkets, food stores, post offices, bank branches and health care facilities in addition to public transport and pharmacies. "It was a mistake to lift mandatory mask use so soon," said one shopper, Andreas Poschenreither. - Trump convention scrapped - The United States, the hardest-hit country by the virus, recorded more than 144,305 total fatalities. It has seen a coronavirus surge, particularly in southern and western states. US President Donald Trump has scrapped next month's Republican convention in Florida at which he was due to be confirmed as the Republican candidate for November's election, saying "the timing for this event is not right." Bolivia meanwhile postponed its general elections for a second time because of the pandemic, putting it off until October 18, while South Africa said it was closing public schools for a month from July 27. There was bad news in China and India -- the two world's most populous nations -- as new clusters emerged. Chinese authorities said Friday they would introduce a wave of testing in the port city of Dalian, home to about six million people. The Dalian health commission said the city had to "quickly enter wartime mode". It announced strict new measures, including on-the-spot nucleic acid tests to detect the virus. Kindergartens and nurseries have been closed, and some communities have been placed under lockdown, according to state-run newspaper Global Times. India's death toll overtook France's on Friday with 30,601 fatalities. Officials said there were nearly 50,000 new cases overnight. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government imposed one of the world's strictest lockdowns in late March, but it has been steadily eased to lessen the devastating economic impact. State governments have now brought in fresh restrictions as cases soar, including in IT hub Bangalore. UN projections have warned the virus could kill 1.67 million people in 30 low-income countries. Virus restrictions have been bolstered in several countries this week, including Australia and Belgium as well as in Hong Kong and the Japanese capital Tokyo. burs-ach/pma/er
DOBBS FERRY, N.Y., July 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominick P. Artuso, MD, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Bariatric Surgeon for his outstanding contributions in the field of Medicine and acknowledgment of excellence as a Bariatric Surgeon & Owner at The New Image Weight Loss Center.

Proudly serving patients at 128 Ashford Ave., The New Image Weight Loss Center is a medical group practice that is dedicated exclusively to the care and treatment of Bariatric patients. As the owner, Dr. Artuso and his devoted staff provide a wide range of bariatric services and procedures to enhance your ability to achieve significant weight loss in the most comfortable and supported way.

Board-Certified Surgeon, Dr. Artuso has garnered 30 years of professional experience demonstrating the highest level of professionalism and integrity. He offers a vast repertoire of expertise in bariatric surgery and revisions, as well as nutritional counseling. He is affiliated with Phelps Memorial Hospital Center, Nyack Hospital, and St. Francis Hospital where he is also devoted to providing quality, expert healthcare to all of his patients.

To prepare for his distinguished career, Dr. Artuso completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree. He went on to obtain

his Medical Degree from CETEC University, School of Medicine in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. Following this, he relocated to New York and completed a

general surgery residency at New York Medical College - Westchester City Medical Center. Furthering his studies, he also completed his internship and fellowship at Westchester Medical Center. Dr. Artuso is dual certified in General Surgery and Bariatric Surgery by the American Board of Surgery.

To remain abreast of the latest industry developments, Dr. Artuso has maintained active memberships with the American Society for Metabolic ad Bariatric Surgery and the American Heart Association.

In his free time, Dr. Artuso enjoys the theater, dining out, and culture.

Dr. Artuso dedicates this recognition to his wife, Connie, who he thanks for her love and support; and his in loving memory of his father, Xavier Artuso. He also dedicates this to Dr. John Savino.



Contact: Katherine Green , 516-825-5634 [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


Sprinkled across the ocean floor, invisible from the surface, are hundreds  or maybe thousands  of sink holes. These blue holes, as scientists call them, do not swallow up everything incapable of fighting their gravitational force, like their black hole cousins. But to those who study them, they are still nearly as intriguing.

This week, one particular blue hole  the Green Banana  has captured the imagination of many a land dweller. Headline after headline has offered a variation on the same theme: Scientists are flocking to a mysterious blue hole. One publication asked:What Could It Be?

What it is is the Green Banana, one of the deepest blue holes ever discovered, according to Jim Culter, a senior scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory, and its on the verge of being studied in the most comprehensive way yet.

Scientists will venture into the Green Bananas depths next month, where they hope to answer longstanding questions about whether the sink hole  which extends around 275 feet, like an inverted, hourglass-shaped 20-story building, anchored in the ocean floor  connects to other sink holes and whether freshwater flows within.
Port Louis, Mauritius (PANA)  One new imported case of COVID-19 was detected in Mauritius on Friday on a repatriated passenger who came a day earlier on board a flight from the United Kingdom, PANA learnt from the health authorities in Port Louis
Members of the Liberty High School Class of 2020 got a chance to celebrate graduation Friday night at the Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.

One by one, graduates came on stage for photos with family and friends.

The socially distanced celebration capped an unusual senior year for the Hurricanes and others wrapping up their K-12 education throughout the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

Freedom High School graduates are scheduled Saturday morning to have their own celebration at the stadium behind Liberty in Bethlehem.

Looking ahead to 2020-21 amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic, Bethlehem Area schools Superintendent Joseph Roy on Friday detailed plans for a hybrid approach to in-class and online learning to start the school year next month.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
From Korea, with Love

A violinist's concert series lifts the spirits of hospital workers.

by Trilby MacDonald

Published in July, 2020

Violinist Sunmi Chang is that rare combination of highly accomplished performer with sterling academic credentials who can choose between careers in performance and academia. After recently completing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan, Chang is currently using her talents to lift the spirits of first responders with the Summit Chamber Music Series Michigan Hospital Project.



The classical music concerts feature such acclaimed artists as cellist Paul Watkins, pianist Christopher Harding, and soprano Lenora Green-Turner. Livestreamed weekdays at 10 am on Facebook and online, the series continues through August 14.



"At this time of great difficulty everyone is suffering in one way or another," says Chang. "Music has the power to heal and I strongly believe that this message we send through this music will touch people, reach their hearts, comfort and uplift them, and this keeps me believing in this project."



It has been an enormous logistical challenge to organize the concerts and coordinate with the hospitals to ensure that they are reaching healthcare workers. Hectic schedules and lack of sound capability on hospital monitors sometimes make it impossible for workers to stream the concerts live, but they are often able to watch at other times. "The Hellen De Vos hospital is playing the videos on their channels at 1 p.m. every day," Change says. "Other doctors are streaming through social media on their personal time."



The project is gaining momentum with more listeners tuning in each day. "I don't have a budget for this project," says Chang. "It's been really inspiring how a lot of musicians are coming together to support this cause for no pay. And the reaction of the staff- it's been very rewarding to see."



Currently running the project from her native Korea, where Covid-19 is well under control, Chang looks forward to pursuing her concert and teaching career in the United States in the near future.



In the meantime, she says, "my sincere hope is that this project will reach a lot of people and heal, comfort, and uplift them, even for five minutes of their difficult day to really be comforted and at peace with this music."



[Originally published in July, 2020.]








The owner of Sugar Fairy Sweet Shop in Spencer, North Carolina, said she had to recently sell her business after serious health issues and because of the COVID-19 pandemic.



The now-former owner said she managed to sell her bakery through Facebook.

Jacqui Watson said while it was tough to sell her bakery, she misses her customers the most.

Its safe to say that for Jacqui Watson, her bakery, Sugar Fairy Sweet Shop, was near and dear to her heart. She said she always made sure that her customers left with a smile and a sweet treat.

Cakes, pies, muffins, brownies, cookies, everything... Customers would bring in grandmas secret recipe and I would make it for them, said Watson.

Watson said she opened the Sugar Fairy Sweet Shop in December 2017.

I have some customers that just come in, grab a cup of coffee, come back in the kitchen and hop in a chair, and we sit and talk for an hour and then they go, said Watson.

But after learning about several serious health issues, and with COVID-19 working its way through North Carolina, she closed her shop in early March. She said it had a huge impact on her small business. And when she was able to reopen in May, it just got worse.

I was wearing a cloth mask and a clear face shield and I thought, 'Im good, nobodys going to give me the virus that way,'"said Watson. "June 19... I started feeling bad.

Watson was diagnosed with the coronavirus. And with mounting heath issues, she decided it was best to close up shop. So she turned to Facebook, where she was recently able to find a buyer.

She said she misses her customers so much.

This weeks been rough sitting home Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, now Friday," said Watson. "It's four days with no contact with people. I really miss them all, every single one of them, even the crazy ones."

Watson said giving up her bakery was hard as she deals with three upcoming surgeries, but said she has a message for other small business owners, as many folks continue to battle their way through this pandemic.

If they love their business and they want to keep their business, I suggest they do whatever side hustle they have to do to pay the bills to keep their home running and their family running and do whatever it takes to keep your business open, said Watson.

Watson is now COVID-free. She said while she has no plans for the future just yet, her advice to everyone is to take care of one another.

Watch the video above to learn more about this story.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress MLAs have been demanding Governor Kalraj Mishra to convene a legislative assembly session immediately so that the Congress-led government can prove its majority strength in the assembly. On Saturday, morning, CM Ashok Gehlot sought time to meet Governor Kalraj Mishra to present a fresh proposal for convening the assembly session. The meeting is yet to take place.

The assembly has not been convened since former deputy CM Sachin Pilot along with 19 MLAs rebelled against the sitting government earlier this month. This resulted in the disqualification of the 19 MLAs from the house, but the MLAs petitioned in the Rajasthan High Court against their disqualification. The HC has ruled in Sachin Pilot's camp's favour staying the disqualification of the MLAs till further notice. After this judgment came out, Ashok Gehlot and the Congress MLAs loyal to him held a five-hour sit-in at the Raj Bhawan, demanding Governor Kalraj Mishra to convene an immediate assembly session.

The sit-in ended after an assurance from Mishra that he will abide by Article 174 of the Constitution to call an assembly session. Mishra had also sought a reply on six points from the Gehlot-led government.

On Friday night, Gehlot held a cabinet meeting in which the six points were discussed. They also meet early Saturday and are expected to submit their fresh proposal, with their response to the governor later today.

While this back and forth has been happening between the CM and the governor. Ashok Gehlot along with several people from the Congress-camp have accused the governor of intentionally delaying organising the assembly session because of "pressure from the Centre"

Congress leader Kapil Sibal joined Gehlot in his criticism of the Rajasthan Governor and said, "There is today a new definition of democracy and a new way of functioning of governors of states in this country. Governors are supposed to uphold the Constitution and the laws, but governors in this country are acting at the behest of the Union government".

CM Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot has staged a dharna in Jaipur against BJP's "conspiracy to murder democracy" in Rajasthan.

Also Read: Banks sanction Rs 1.30 lakh crore, disburse Rs 82,065 crore loans to MSMEs under credit guarantee scheme

Also Read: Vedanta delisting to become costlier by Rs 4,000 crore at current market price
The state had cancelled final year degree exams due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a move UGC said was against the guidelines to conduct exams by September

Mumbai: The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Friday told the Bombay High Court that the Maharashtra government does not have the power to cancel final year degree examinations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The affidavit was filed in response to a petition filed by Dhananjay Kulkarni, a retired teacher and former university senate member from Pune, challenging the Maharashtra government's decision to cancel examinations.

The state government canceled final year examinations last month by stating that it has the power to do so under the Epidemic Diseases Act and Disaster Management Act.

But the UGC argued that these acts can not be invoked to "render the statutory provisions of another special Act such as The University Grants Commissioner Act nugatory".

The state government's decision was contrary to the UGC guidelines issued on 29 April and 6 July, 2020, asking all Universities and Institutions to conduct exams by the end of September 2020, the commission added.

The guidelines were issued after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs allowed holding of examinations by universities and other institutions, the UGC said.

The guidelines were issued to protect the academic and career interests of students and at the same time safeguard their health, it said.

The Maharashtra government's decision "to defer the final year examinations or to graduate students without holding exams would directly affect the standards of higher education in the country," the UGC said in its affidavit.

UGC was the apex body for regulating the standards of examination, the affidavit asserted. "All universities/institutions in the country are obligated to conduct the final year examination by the end of September 2020," it said.

If a student, for unavoidable reason, can not appear for the examination then he or she may be given the opportunity to appear for special examination later, it said.

The guidelines provide for several flexible modes of examination including online, offline (pen and paper) and blended (online and offline), the affidavit said.

As per the petition, the UGC had on 27 April, 2020 directed all universities to conduct exams.

However, after a student organisation wrote to the state minister of Higher and Technical Education, the exams in Maharashtra were postponed and subsequently canceled by the state government, it said.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dipankar Datta posted the matter for further hearing on 31 July.
Popular news media are often accused of simplifying complex issues, and no doubt this is often true. But equally often, popular news coverage makes simple issues complex. A recent example is the accounts of the retraction of an academic paper about police shootings (David J. Johnson, Trevor Tress, Nicole Burkel, Carley Taylor, and Joseph Cesario, Officer characteristics and racial disparities in fatal officer-involved shootings. PNAS August 6, 2019 116 (32) 15877-15882; first published July 22, 2019 ).

The offending phrase in the paper was white officers are not more likely to shoot minority civilians than nonwhite officers. In the absence of context, this could have two interpretations. Police officers fatally shoot about 0.5 black civilians for every white civilian. If white officers shot 0.8 black civilians for every white civilian, and black officers shot 0.2 black civilians for every white civilian, then white officers would be more likely to shoot black civilians than black officers. The paper found this was not true.

The other interpretation starts with police officers rather than shootings. The average police officer has about 1 chance in 4,000, 0.025%, of fatally shooting a black civilian in a year. If the average white officer had a 0.04% chance of fatally shooting a black civilian in a year, and the average black officer only a 0.01% chance, then white officers would be more likely to shoot black civilians than black officers. The paper did not address this question. Other papers have, by the way, and there is no evidence for this kind of racial disparity either. So someone confused about the meaning of the phrase would be incorrect about what this paper demonstrated, but not about racial disparities in police shootings.

While the phrase is ambiguous without context, it is crystal clear if you read the entire sentence, We find no evidence of anti-Black or anti-Hispanic disparities across shootings, and White officers are not more likely to shoot minority civilians than non-White officers. The phrase refers to disparities across shootings (the first interpretation) not officers (the second). You could also look to the title of the paper, Officer characteristics and racial disparities in fatal officer-involved shootings (emphasis mine). No one who read even the non-technical interpretation summary section, or the abstract, could be confused about the meaning, much less anyone who read the paper.

The key point is that it was critics of the paper who misinterpreted the out-of-context phrase from the non-technical summary of the paper. The paper was interpreted correctly by people arguing that individual police officer racism is not the cause of racial disparities among civilian victims. For example, Heather Mac Donald relied on the study to tell Congress, There was no evidence that officer race (i.e., whiteness) predicted the race of the shooting victim. Thats precisely what the study found.

Of course, no one study can prove the absence of racism among police officers. All it can do is fail to find evidence of that racism. When a study does turn up evidence, it points to ways to reduce the problem. If white officers were shooting black civilians at a higher ratio than black officers were, hiring more black officers, identifying and firing racists among white officers or better training might help. But if white officers and black officers are shooting black civilians at the same ratio as white civilians, those solutions might not be effective, at least not for the specific problem of disparities in victim race. If individual racism cannot be identified anywhere, then we need to instead look for solutions to systemic racismthat is social structures that produce disparate outcomes without any individual or law being explicitly racist. The question is not whether racial disparities exist, only whether to look for solutions on the individual officer level or the system level.

It was people who insist on racism of individual white officers who took exception to the paper. Unable to find evidence against its conclusions, or to make technical objections to the methodology stick, they grabbed on partial sentence out of context from the non-technical summary and misunderstood it, or pretended to. These people misrepresented the paper, not to support a false narrative, but to discredit the paper.

The proper response by the authors would be to tell critics, Read the whole sentence youre criticizing, or look at the title of the paper. They could issue a public statement, Heather Mac Donalds use of our paper is accurate, and her critics are misrepresenting the paper to discredit it.

A neutral action would have been to rewrite the non-technical summary of the paper. Theres no way to avoid any possible ambiguity of any partial sentence taken out of context. The authors could have explicitly disavowed this particular one. But its legal contracts that are written to prevent any possible misunderstanding, and they are unreadable to most people. The whole point of non-technical summaries is to make the work accessible to intelligent non-specialists.

Compare the clear original, We find no evidence of anti-Black or anti-Hispanic disparities across shootings, and White officers are not more likely to shoot minority civilians than non-White officers, to the authors proposed rewrite, We find no evidence of anti-Black or anti-Hispanic disparities across shootings, and as the proportion of White officers in a fatal officer-involved shooting increased, a person fatally shot was not more likely to be of a racial minority. I pretty sure anyone confused by the original would be more confused by the rewrite, and many people who understood the original perfectly would misunderstand the replacement.

I think the authors violated academic integrity when they placed the clarification of the non-technical summary in a correction to the paper itself. They claimed the papers results were correct and that they had been clear about the quantity we estimated. To correct things already correct and clear is not honest.

The groveling apology one author sent to the Wall Street Journal for having overstepped and failed to uphold the high standardwithout conceding that anything in the paper was false or misleadingis merely unseemly, and blaming Heather Mac Donald for his problems rather than the people who actually did misrepresent his work (not to mention his own spinelessness) is pathetic.

The major academic crime is retracting the paper. Retracting a result you know to be true and clearly stated should carry the same academic consequences as knowingly publishing a false one. When the Soviet Union outlawed Darwin, or Maoist China Einstein, or Nazi Germany imposed racial and eugenic theoriesthe problem wasnt that serious researchers began publishing false results, but that they retracted true ones and switched to other fields. The Catholic Church did not demand Galileo publish Ptolemaic astronomy essays, merely that he retract his heliocentric ones. When the US government imposes gentler coercion by restricting funding and access to information in fields like gun violence, nuclear testing, recreational drugs, abortion, fetal cells, nuclear winter, etc.; the problem again is not false publications in these fields, but lack of true ones.

These researchers have less excuse. They were not threatened with gulags, farm labor, concentration camps or burning at the stake. I dont know if they feared losses of jobs or grants, or perhaps that law enforcement agencies would no longer share the data they needed for their work, but such things do happen. Anyway, I dont like to criticize individuals without knowing the full circumstances in which they made their decisions. Im not especially heroic myself, so Im not going to claim I would have stood up to whatever pressures they may have felt.

But the scientific community should reject the retraction. Like publication, retraction demands justification. The one given by the authors, that Heather Mac Donald misrepresented their work is both false and inadequate.
Letters to the Editor View(s):

Its timely to share the findings on the nature of COVID-19 found here

The news reaching us, the general public, after the Kandakadu debacle is unsettling, to say the least. Inklings of community spread, as the epidemiologist Dr Samaraweera warns, may herald the second wave (or really the first wave of community spread).

DIG Ajith Rohana on July 11, said the inmates of the camp were all tested before entry. They either developed the infection after, which can happen if they were at an early incubation phase of the virus during screening or more worrying, did some visitor bring the virus, implying community spread?

The Army Commander said no visitors came in April to May, while 115 have come since, who have now been quarantined. However, counsellors taking their leave might have spread the virus.

I am curious how/ why there are so few declared deaths. 11/2600+ will give a percentage of around 0.4. If the numbers are correct, one has to postulate some level of natural immunity or a less virulent strain of the virus. I think it is time for the various Institutes that have collected many a blood sample from the community, to let us be briefed, of their findings on the antibody status of the communities of Sri Lanka they have tested. What are the communities / which areas/cities that have a high titre of COVID -19 antibodies (B & T), indicating previous undiagnosed,unrecorded infection? It is of public interest to know, for policy decisions, both national and personal are dependent on this information.

I would also like to use this opportunity, to ask those organizing political rallies, to be more responsible. Social distancing if not abided by, will risk the entire population. The electronic media shows, even those who lead, accepting this disgusting status quo.

The armed forces , who are doing a yeoman job must be demoralized by this attitude. The Navy, I notice, are quite creditably patrolling the Palk Strait, the 32 miles which separate us from Tamil Nadu where COVID is rampant, second only to Maharashtra in the Indian subcontinent!

Elections in this milieu, may eventually prove to be macko madness.

Dr Channa Ratnatunga Kandy

2/3 majority for whose benefit?

The SLPP is asking for a 2/3rds majority at the coming Parliamentary elections on the basis that it would help usher in a powerful Government which could bring a host of benefits to the people. How valid is this contention?

The people should first and foremost understand what a Constitution is. A countrys Constitution is the basic document enshrining the rights of the citizen and limiting the power of the Government. It prevents the tyranny of concentrated power by separating the powers of the Government between the Legislature, Executive and the Judiciary. It also contains the Fundamental Rights of the citizen which can be enforced by law.

Ordinary legislation can be enacted with a simple majority in Parliament. Even the annual Budget which is the most important law dealing with the economy can be passed with a simple majority. So can other laws relating to the economy, law and order, education, health and all other welfare measures.

A 2/3rds majority is essential for the amendment of the Constitution.A major Constitutional amendment would also need the approval of the people at a referendum. Apart from that it is also required for the impeachment of the President and the approval of International Investment Agreements.

It is for the sole purpose of amending the Constitution, particularly the 19th Amendment that the SLPP is seeking the 2/3rds majority at the elections.

It should be emphasised that the amendment of the countrys Constitution is a very serious matter and should not be manipulated to fit the whims of a political party or individual. It should be accepted by all political parties represented in Parliament and the whole country.

The most important amendments to the 2nd Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka are the 13th,17th and the 19th Amendments.The 13th Amendment established an additional layer of the Government, i.e. the Provincial Councils.The 17th Amendment established the Independent Commissions and the 19th Amendment was enacted mainly to repeal the 18th Amendment.

The 18th Amendment was enacted to increase the stranglehold of the Executive President on power.It reduced the powers of Parliament gave the sole power of appointing the independent commissions to the President and abolished the Presidential term limits. The 19th Amendment effectively nullified these provisions and in addition reduced the duration of the Presidential term to five years.

With a 2/3rds majority a Government in power could take away the Fundamental Rights of the citizen including the right to equality, the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest the right to a fair trial and defence, freedom of speech, trade union rights, freedom of movement, cultural rights etc.

The main rights retained by the President under the 19th Amendment are as follows:

*He remains the head of the Cabinet

*He has the right to appoint the Secretaries to Ministries

*He appoints Ambassadors and the Governors to the Provinces

*He appoints the Prime Minister subject to the majority approval of the Parliament

The rights lost by the President under the 19th Amendment are as follows:

*The right to dissolve Parliament (until the lapse of 4 1/2 years following the election)

*The right to dismiss the Prime Minister and Ministers

*The sole right to appoint members to the independent commissions and to important government positions

*The 19th Amendment to the Constitution in fact strengthened Parliament. If not for the 19th Amendment the Members of Parliament would be under a constant risk of Parliament being dissolved at the whim and fancy of the President. So too the President would be able to disregard all opposition to his appointments to vital Government positions with the so-called Parliamentary Council being a mere rubber stamp.

Thus people should be aware of the dangers of giving unlimited powers to one party.The 13th Amendment was passed when the Government had a 2/3rds majority. But the 17th and the 19th Amendments were passed on the basis of consensus among all parties represented in Parliament. An irresponsible verdict at the elections would be a costly mistake.

Priyanee Wijesekera

(Retired Secretary General of Parliament and Former Ambassador to the Republic of Austria)
Its been four months since my last visit to the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art  a lag unprecedented in the 36 years Ive lived in Winston-Salem.

The reason, of course, is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has kept SECCA closed since March 16. A two-gallery exhibition of works by recipients of the North Carolina Arts Councils artist fellowships for 2018-2019 had opened only a few weeks earlier. It was originally set to remain on view into early June, but it had to come down weeks ahead of schedule.

I was pleasantly surprised, then, to see the recent announcement of an ambitious group exhibition, DRAWN: Concept & Craft, set to open at SECCA on Aug. 15. That date was chosen because it follows one week after Gov. Roy Coopers next scheduled announcement about the phased reopening of North Carolina businesses.

If the governors medical team recommends a move into phase three, SECCA can physically reopen with masking and distancing measures in place, and DRAWN can open on schedule in SECCAs galleries.
A new book about Prince Harry and Meghan is claiming to disclose new revelations about the couple and their decision to step back from royal life.

In "Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family," veteran royal reporters and co-authors Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie describe how the royals felt overshadowed and snubbed in the palace, which ultimately led to their departure from the royal family.

Prince Harry and Meghan are the subject of a new book called

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A spokesperson for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made it clear that Harry and Meghan had no involvement in the book.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom," said the statement. "This book is based on the authors own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stunned the world, including Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family with their decision to step back from royal life earlier this year. And while their public image portrayed a smiling extended family, the book authors claim a different reality.

Durand and Scobie say that there was intense tension and jealousy between Prince William and his younger brother, leading up to Harry and Meghan's departure. The book says that while the brothers' relationship was already strained, it was made worse by Harry's decision to leave royal life and that William took the news of his younger brother's decision hard.

Prince William reportedly told a friend: Ive put my arm around my brother all our lives and I cant do that anymore; were separate entities.

Three extracts from the book, which will be released Aug. 11, were published in the British newspaper The Times of London. Some of the more stunning revelations include that Harry felt unprotected by his family and disparaged within palace walls for being too sensitive and outspoken and that Meghan felt she had given herself over to the royals. I gave up my entire life for this family, the Duchess was quoted as saying.

Story continues

Related: On Thursday, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry filed a lawsuit in the state of California accusing paparazzi of unlawfully trying to photograph their son, Archie.

In another excerpt from the book, a member of staff from another royal household described the Sussexes team as "the squeaky third wheel" of the palace. Harry and Meghan apparently felt slighted by the queen  their photos were noticeably absent from her desk during her televised Christmas address. And yet the door to royal life may not be completely closed to Harry and Meghan  the queen reportedly told Harry that he can return to royal life whenever he wants.

Regarding the constant tabloid criticism, Durand and Scobie write that Meghan said it felt like death by a thousand cuts (the phrase is also the name of a Taylor Swift song). Since stepping back from the royal family, life under the microscope has only seemed to continue for the couple. On Thursday, they filed a lawsuit in California against a member of the paparazzi for unlawfully trying to photograph their son Archie, now 14 months old.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 20:24:45|Editor: huaxia

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-- Committed to lifting the remaining poor population out of poverty this year, China wants technology to play a major role in this process.

-- Beijing, which is tasked with aiding poverty alleviation in 90 county-level areas in eight provincial-level regions, has dispatched officials as well as technology to contribute to the battle against poverty.

-- In 2019, Beijing helped half a million people and 39 county-level areas in other regions shake off poverty.

by Xinhua writers Xie Hao, Li Bin, Qiang Lijing and Cui Enhui

BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Ma Fenglian, a farmer in Laiyuan County of north China's Hebei Province, never imagined that she could sprout seeds on paper instead of sowing them in the soil.

The woman now works in an agriculture workshop, set up by Beijing Green Valley Limited Liability Company as a poverty reduction program.

Green Valley's technology of "growing vegetables on paper" has improved the lives of Ma, who now earns around 2,000 yuan (286 U.S. dollars) a month, and her fellow villagers.

TECHNOLOGY VALUED IN POVERTY ELIMINATION

Committed to lifting the remaining poor population out of poverty this year, China wants technology to play a major role in this process.

Laiyuan, deep in the Taihang Mountain, has long been troubled by scarce arable land and poor transportation, and the local residents have been fighting poverty for generations.

In areas like Laiyuan, germinating seeds on paper saves land resources and labor cost while increasing farming efficiency, said Zhang Guiqin, chairwoman of Beijing Green Valley Limited Liability Company.

"As long as there is suitable air, moisture and temperatures, seeds can sprout. The paper containing biological nutrients just acts as a germination medium," Zhang said.

The sprouts cultivated from seeds will be further processed into health products like sprout powder.

The project of "growing vegetables on paper" has created 150 jobs for poor villagers like Ma and 140 million yuan of output value each year, according to Rui Yuanpeng, a Beijing official who worked as deputy head of Laiyuan county government from 2017 to early 2020 to help with the poverty reduction efforts.

The city of Beijing, which is tasked with aiding poverty alleviation in 90 county-level areas in eight provincial-level regions, has dispatched officials as well as technology to contribute to the battle against poverty.

A woman selects green beans from Chicheng County of Hebei Province at a supermarket in Beijing, capital of China, July 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

Beijing's Fengtai District paired up with Laiyuan more than three years ago to cooperate in poverty alleviation.

The number of impoverished residents in Laiyuan has been reduced from over 40,000 in 2016 to around 1,500 last year, the county government statistics showed.

Early this year, the Hebei provincial government announced that Laiyuan had shaken off poverty along with a dozen of other poverty-hit counties in the province.

INDUSTRIAL PARKS FOR POVERTY REDUCTION

To popularize new technologies in poor areas, Beijing has built technology demonstration bases and dispatched technical experts to help local people use advanced technologies.

At a demonstration base in Chicheng County of Hebei, established with the help of Beijing's Haidian District, 54 types of vegetables have been cultivated.

"Although the plants look ordinary, they involve 22 advanced agricultural technologies," said Zhang Guangming, deputy director of the agriculture and rural affairs bureau of Chicheng County.

The technologies, provided by the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, have been popularized in 18 agricultural industrial parks in the county.

In the green house of Shengfeng agricultural park in Chicheng, which is full of life with a batch of lettuce planted with nutrient solutions and smart detection equipment installed high and low, Qiao Zhonghe, deputy general manager of Shengfeng Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd., was using an app on his cellphone to check the temperature, humidity, light intensity and other key data in the green house.

Staff members check the growth of lettuce plants at a greenhouse of Shengfeng Agricultural Park in Chicheng County of Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, July 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

"Previously, the data had to be obtained manually, which was time-consuming and not accurate," Qiao said, adding that the launch of the intelligent agricultural system has greatly improved management efficiency and product quality.

At present, all the 18 poverty-alleviation industrial parks including Shengfeng have been covered by the Internet of Things management platform supported by Beijing.

A staff member checks the growth of plants via the Internet of Things management platform at Jingchi poverty-alleviation technology demonstration base in Chicheng County of Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, July 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

"New ideas and technology from Beijing have increased the confidence of local villagers to win the fight against poverty," said Guo Xinyao, Party chief of Chicheng County.

In 2019, the output from all agricultural parks in Chicheng reached 430 million yuan, benefiting 15,857 poor families.

The industrial park model is also applied in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia.

In 2016, with the help of poverty relief cadres from Beijing, Beijing Kaida Hengye Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. set up a branch in Jingmeng cooperation industrial park of Ulanqab to help boost the local potato industry.

The company has brought a variety of intelligent and automatic equipment to the potato production line.

The first phase of a potato chip processing plant has been put into operation and the products have been sold overseas, said Wang Guoping, deputy general manager of Inner Mongolia Shudu Kaida Food Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the Beijing company.

A staff member works at a workshop of Inner Mongolia Shudu Kaida Food Co., Ltd. in Ulanqab, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan)

The subsidiary purchased 70,000 tonnes of potatoes last year, benefiting thousands of local poor people.

Across China, the government, universities, enterprises and technical staff have participated in technology-driven poverty reduction programs in the country's efforts to eradicate absolute poverty.

In 2019, Beijing helped half a million people and 39 county-level areas in other regions shake off poverty, according to Beijing's poverty reduction cooperation and assistance authorities. 

(Xinhua reporters Gai Boming, Chen Xu, Li Fang, Li Dexin and Xiong Lin also contributed to the story; Video reporters: Ma Xiaodong, Li Dexin, Gai Boming and Xie Hao; Video editor: Luo Hui)


WASHINGTON (AP)  They are the most highly trained members of the Border Patrol, agents who confront drug traffickers along the U.S.-Mexico border and track down dangerous fugitives in rugged terrain.

One day this past week, they were in a far different setting  a city park in Portland, Oregon, looking for two people suspected of throwing rocks and bottles at officers guarding the downtown federal courthouse.

Beyond the debate over whether the federal response to the Portland protests encroaches on local authority, another question arises: whether the Department of Homeland Security, with its specialized national security focus, is the right agency for the job.

It's not just the Border Patrol Tactical Unit that has been called to duty in Portland. DHS has dispatched air marshals as well as the Customs and Border Protection Special Response Team and even members of the Coast Guard.

The Department of Homeland Security was never intended as a national police force let alone a presidential militia, said Peter Vincent, a former general counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is also an agency within DHS.

The deployment of DHS agents and officers is legal, both under existing law and an executive order President Donald Trump signed June 26 to protect federal property and monuments. But it has made the agency, created to improve the nation's response to terrorism, a target of widespread criticism.

Congress plans to delve into the issue Friday, when the House Homeland Security Committee holds a hearing on the federal response to the protests in Portland and Trumps announcement that he plans to send federal agents to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to help combat rising crime while making law and order a central theme of his reelection campaign.

Americans across the country are watching what the administration is doing in Portland with horror and revulsion and are wondering if their cities could be President Trumps next targets, said Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who is chairman of the committee.

Story continues

As of Monday, there were 114 federal agents and officers deployed to downtown Portland, according to an affidavit from Gabriel Russell, the regional director of the Federal Protective Service, the DHS component that provides security for federal buildings.

Protests have been taking place in Portland since May 26 but the federal agents kept a defensive posture by staying inside federal buildings until July 3, Russell said in the affidavit, filed in response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union seeking protections for journalists and other legal observers covering the demonstrations.

That night, according to Russell, protesters attempted to set fire to the federal courthouse and DHS deployed a Rapid Deployment Force as part of Operation Diligent Valor.

That same night, Trump stood before Mount Rushmore and accused protesters around the country who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a merciless campaign to wipe out our history. He later criticized officials in Portland for allowing demonstrations to get totally out of control."

The officers deploying to Portland are highly trained, and many wear camouflage because that's their duty uniform on the southwest border, according to acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, responding to charges of a militarized response to the protests.

In addition to their previous training, they took a 90-minute online course on the mission and jurisdiction of the Federal Protective Service, police powers and criminal regulations, according to a course description provided to The Associated Press.

Richard Cline, principal deputy director of the protective services, told reporters that DHS officers are given additional training to ensure they act within guidelines established by the Justice Department as they assist an organization that was quickly overwhelmed by violent demonstrators.

Wolf also defended tactics such as tear gas, rubber bullets and having officers sweep people off the street into unmarked vehicles, evoking images of a secret police force.

We are only targeting and arresting those who have been identified as committing criminal acts, like any other law enforcement agency does across the country every single day of the week, he said.

On Wednesday, agents from the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, known as BORTAC, set out from the federal courthouse just after midnight in pursuit of two people in dark clothing and carrying makeshift shields suspected of throwing rocks and bottles at officers, according to court records.

The agents struggled with the two, eventually restraining them and turning them over to the Federal Protective Service. One, a 19-year-old man, was charged with felony assault of an officer.

In addition to rocks and bottles, agents and officers at the courthouse have been struck with ball bearings, improvised explosives, fireworks, and balloons filled with paint and feces, Russell said. Some have also had lasers shined at their eyes.

At least 28 officers have been injured and officers have made at least 43 arrests, mostly for misdemeanors.

While the use of BORTAC officers in this environment is unusual, it's not unprecedented, said Michael Fisher, a former senior official with the agency and member of the unit.

BORTAC officers have been used to serve warrants on suspects considered dangerous, protected emergency personnel during natural disasters and were sent to Los Angeles during the 1992 riots, Fisher said.

What was happening in Portland is the police were not enforcing ... the laws and it just escalated and thats the reason its gone on well over 50 days now, said Fisher, who now runs a security company.

Local officials have in turn accused DHS of inflaming the situation, an argument bolstered by the fact that protests grew larger as controversy intensified over the tactics of the federal agents.

Former DHS officials concede the agency has worked with state and local law enforcement before, with the consent and cooperation of local authorities. But in Oregon, officials have accused the federal government of inflaming the situation and asked it to withdraw.

Vincent, who left ICE in 2014 and now works as a consultant, said some current officials are extraordinarily uncomfortable with what they have been asked to do in Portland.

"I am deeply concerned as someone who believes in the mission of the agency and knows and respects its officers and agents that these activities will irreparably damage the agencys reputation," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Ron Nixon contributed to this report.
Actor Sanjana Sanghi has responded to Kangana Ranauts teams latest allegations against her. In a tweet, the Twitter account of Kanganas team had questioned Sanjanas delayed response to rumours of harassment that had surfaced against Sushant Singh Rajput in 2018.

Reacting to it, Sanjana spoke to Zoom TV, saying nobody has the authority to judge if her response was fast enough or not. I have said more than enough about what happened. Also, Ive given a clarification which should have been enough. At that time, it wasnt late, nobody is in authority to decide whats late and whats not. You dont fuel rumours. It is not the responsibility or job to clarify rumours, she said.

Sanjana added that it was not correct to call the episode a Me Too case as both Sushant and she had denied all rumours of any harassment. So, we shouldnt disregard the #MeToo movement by calling it Me Too because Me Too is when theres an actual issue. But when two people are trying to say theres no issue, thats not called the Me Too movement thats rumour mockery and that shows the power of unethical reporting, she said.

Also Watch | Sanjana Sanghi on Sushant Singh Rajput, slams toxic comments on social media

I am a student of journalism, Ive studied at Delhi University and thats not the journalism I was taught. So, I dont see it as the Me Too movement. For me, apparently getting late in giving clarification for rumours, but I did it still because it was important for us, Sushant and me, she added.

Kangana Ranauts team had tweeted earlier this week: Many blinds claimed tht Sushant raped Sanjana,such news abt her harassment wr common in those days,Why Sanjana took her own sweet time to clarify?Why she nvr spoke so passionately abt her friendship with him when he ws alive? @mumbaipolice cn investigate.

Also read: Dil Bechara movie review: Sushant Singh Rajput, one last time

In October 2018, Sushant had shared screenshots of his conversations with Sanjana and denied all claims of sexual misconduct on sets of their film, Dil Bechara. I feel sad to reveal personal information but it seems that there is no other way to state what actually happened, in the midst of this curated, well-timed and agenda-driven smear campaign. From the first day of the shoot till the last day, this is what happened on the sets with Sanjana. Misconduct? Not at all. Agenda? You decide, he had written in an Instagram post.

Sanjana clarified in a tweet, a few days later. Id like to clarify that no such incident took place with me. Lets put an end to these conjectures, she said.

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Despite protests from around the world, Turkey has decided to convert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. One supporter of Prime Minister Erdogan told Al Jazeera hed been waiting fifty years for the holy sites original identity as a mosque to be restored.

In truth, the original identity of the Hagia Sophia was as the Christian cathedral of Constantinople.

Now why should a building halfway around the world matter to us today? Well, thats because, unfortunately, the Turkish government has a long track record of revising history. For example, between 1915 and 1923, in whats known as the Armenian Genocide, an estimated 1.5 million Armenian Christians were killed and expelled from the Ottoman Empire, what is now Turkey.

What the Ottomans did to their Christian subjects served as a model for the Holocaust. As Adolf Hitler told military commanders just prior to the invasion of Poland, Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?

Well, to answer his question, certainly not the Turks. Turkey and its ethnically related neighbor, Azerbaijan, are the only nations in the world that deny that the Armenian Genocide happened. Whats more, Turkey has prosecuted scholars and journalists who say otherwise, accusing them of insulting Turkishness. One such journalist, Hrant Dink, was murdered while awaiting trial in 2007.

Over the years, Turkey spent millions of dollars, literally, lobbying American politicians to prevent the United States from officially recognizing what happened to the Armenians as genocide. In fact, it was only after Turkish-American relations had deteriorated because of other issues that the U.S. Congress recognized the genocide as genocide.

When their cash has failed, Turkey has applied pressure by making threats against both governments and individuals. For example, they threatened to withhold cooperation with the EU during the 2015 refugee crisis over the issue, and threatened to cut off relations with Austria.

The war against the truth is also taking place in Lebanon, home to many Armenian Christian exiles. Last month, a television host, Neshan Der Haroutiounian, received an anti-Armenian message while broadcasting live. When Haroutiounian responded by criticizing what he called the insidious history of the Ottoman Empire and Turkish President Erdogan, anti-Armenian rhetoric and violence there escalated. One viral video not only contained threats against the television host but threatened a massacre in Beiruts primary Armenian neighborhood.

Then, according to reports, Turkish authorities . . . requested that legal proceedings [be brought] against [the host] to guarantee the respect of the Turkish President in all Lebanese media.

How has the Lebanese government responded? Der Haroutiounian has been placed on trial for insulting the Turkish president and the Turkish people. In Lebanon!

According to International Christian Concern, whats happening in Lebanon is part of a larger pattern:  [Turkey] will not tolerate references to [its] own genocidal history, [but instead] perpetuates a policy which not only violates the other countrys national sovereignty, but also worsens religious freedom within that locale.

International Christian Concern cited Turkeys intervention in Libyas civil war as an example, an intervention that placed Christians in the crosshairs. And, just last year, Turkey unleashed brutal military attacks against Christians in the midst of the chaos in Syria.

Denying history, or simply re-writing it, seems to be a major goal of Turkeys Islamist regime. Otherwise, theyd be forced to acknowledge that centuries before the coming of Islam, and a millennium before the arrival of the Ottomans, Armenians embraced Christianity and lived in what is now Turkey.

That, in turn, would the question, What happened to them? And thats the question Turkey wants to avoid at all costs.

Originally posted at breakpoint.org
Impeached President Donald Trump was musing to Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, about how his life was better before he announced his presidential candidacy.

Just like he did in March, Trump then went on a riff about an an incident he claims (falsely) took place at a New York City charity gala after he announced he was becoming a politician in 2015.

Trump keeps saying he'd never been booed during his great easy life before he became a candidate in 2015. Not even close to true. https://t.co/fXGiZc4gBn pic.twitter.com/zlsghhMAId  Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 24, 2020

So Trump says he was booed for the first time in his life at a charity gala after he launched his candidacy in 2015 though he'd been booed multiple times in previous years and hasn't attended that gala since 2011: https://t.co/fXGiZc4gBn  Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 24, 2020

From CNN:

"One thing that happened: I was going into a thing called the Robin Hood Foundation. I'll never forget it," Trump said in the interview, which Portnoy released on Friday. "It was just about the night I announced or whatever. My wife looked at me, she said, 'You know, I hear people booing.' And she was with me for a long time, we've been together a long time, she said, 'Some people are booing.' I said, 'Yeah, but some people are also clapping. Wildly.' I said, 'No.' She said, 'You know what, I've been with you a long time. I've never heard anyone boo you.' This was right after I started being the politician. And it meant something  because I said, you know, it's the first time in my life I was ever booed." Facts First: This story could not possibly be true: Trump has not attended the Robin Hood Foundation gala since 2011. Also, the 2015 gala was held in May, a month before Trump announced his candidacy  so, even if he had gone, he could not possibly have been booed there for his immigration positions as a new candidate, as he claimed in March. Also, Trump had been booed in public on multiple occasions before 2015. MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle, who is part of the anti-poverty foundation's Leadership Council of prominent donors, has publicly said that Trump did not attend the gala in 2015, a star-studded affair that raised $101 million. Ruhle tweeted in March that Trump's story about being booed was "entirely fabricated." Another person affiliated with the foundation, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Trump had not attended the gala since 2011.

More at CNN:

Fact check: Trump again tells story about being booed at 2015 event he didn't attend
Despite the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic, construction is complete, and Houston Methodist has opened two state-of-the-art facilities to extend their reach into the Towne Lake and Cypress community with their branded health care expertise.

The two satellite facilities will be supported by both Houston Methodist Willowbrook, who is taking the lead, and Houston Methodist West hospitals. Towne Lake is situated almost perfectly between the two hospitals who will supply expert physicians at both clinics.

Local Y undergoes $1M renovation: Langham Creek Family YMCA ushers in new era with renovation

The location on the Boardwalk will offer primary care with six physicians offices who will manage and build their practices, and the remaining offices will host specialty care where physicians will be rotated in on either a daily or weekly schedule.

From the first time we met onsite with our leadership team from Willowbrook and the physician organization downtown, we met at the Boardwalk in Towne Lake in April of 2018 and we talked about doing this, said Andy Cole, regional administrator with Houston Methodist.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Legislators: Texas should allow nursing home visits to resume

At the time, the location was nothing more than a field.

Construction was done by late fall when it was handed over to Methodist for buildout on the second floor.

We constructed our clinic beginning in January and finished up in April, Cole said.

The second-floor construction was contracted to commercial general contractor firm D.E. Harvey Builders with a price tag of $3.3 million for the buildout. The building was constructed by Caldwell.

The clinic had a soft opening on June 1 after some brief delays.

The pandemic didnt slow construction but changed the way they operated physically.

We did a few meetings in-person but once they started swinging the hammers we werent onsite and pretty much operated virtually, Cole said.

Where it did get tricky was on deliveries of equipment.

It was simple stuff like the delivery of a refrigerator. Things seemed to take longer for us to get, he said.

Administrators pushed back the May 1 opening a month to June 1.

It wasnt directly because of COVID-19 but the environment made it such that it was just more comfortable to wait a month, Cole said.

The first floor is dotted with various other businesses. An elevator and staircase directs patients to the second floor for visits to either primary or specialty care physicians.

Its a beautiful facility, with big floor to ceiling windows, lots of openness, said Julie Peterson, director of business development of the 12,400-square-foot facility.

The patients have commented on how much they love their experience there, she said.

The six offices in Primary Care is a permanent party with six primary care physicians making that their home every single day.

With Specialty Care, we will rotate specialists through there throughout the week, administrator Cole said. With their orthopedic presence they will rotate in a hand guy one day, foot guy the next, general orthopedic another day and so on throughout the week.

Cole said they expect to have a womens health presence with OB-GYN and other practices such as neurology, cardiology, and other specialists will rotate throughout the week.

Across the street is the 4,000-square-foot outpatient rehab center and breast center.

They divide when you walk in, Peterson said.

Each hosts state-of-the-art equipment and was built by ODonnell Snider Construction.

The physical therapy center also includes occupational therapy and others as needed. The breast care center will have screening mammography only, but they will utilize the expertise of radiologists back at the Willowbrook campus to do the reads.

We keep growing and expanding to serve the Cypress area, Peterson said. We definitely draw patients and loyalty from that area.

Before opening the Towne Lake facilities, they already had three other facilities including an emergency care center on the frontage road of U.S. 290.

Well continue to look at the needs for the area. Those patients have been loyal to come to our campuses when they need in-patient care, she said.

It is the first satellite breast mammography center and physical therapy facilities that have come out of the Willowbrook and West campus and Peterson said it was so exciting for them.

People are looking to have their specialists closer to home. In the past, they might have been willing to drive further, but having one in their community is a benefit, she said.

As a testament to the need, Peterson said the physical therapy facility has only been open about a week and they already have a full-time load of patients.

It really is about convenience for the patient, Cole echoed. We always say around her that the patient is at the center of everything we do. If you dont have to come to the hospital and you can get all of this in your community, then thats what were trying to provide.

Both said the staff likes it too as it gives them a chance to get out into the community.

We didnt start our main marketing push until July. Our June opening was kind of a soft opening, Cole said, and the first physicians we put in there were already with us at other locations, so it was just a matter of moving them there.

All offices are currently open with the exception of the breast center which they anticipate opening the first part of August.

For everyones safety, anyone entering the hospitals, clinics or doctor offices must wear a mask.

The Houston Methodist Breast Care and Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center is located at 18121 Tuckerton Road, Suite 180, and the Houston Methodist Primary Care and Specialty Physician Group is located at the Boardwalk at Towne Lake, 9915 Barker Cypress Rd.

For an appointment, call 281-737-1555.

dtaylor@hcnonline.com
A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report has highlighted how Pakistani nationals continue to provide leadership to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda in South Asia and the extent of involvement by the country when it comes to terror groups.

The report submitted by the 1267 monitoring committee of the UNSC said the current and former head of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Khorasan province (ISIL K) -- Aslam Farooqi and Zia ul-Haq are Pakistani nationals and Pakistan born Osama Mahmood is the current head of Al Qaida in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS).

The report said, "In April and May, the Afghan special forces conducted a series of countrywide operations that led to the arrest of leaders of the group, including Aslam group, the head of ISIL-K, his predecessor Zia Ul Haq and other senior members."

In view of the Al Qaida in the Indian subcontinent, the report said, "The current leader is Osama Mahmood (not listed), who succeeded the late Asim Umar. AQIS is reportedly planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its former leader."

The report stated that its not just leadership, but the force is also being provided by Pakistan.

The report read, "The total number of Pakistani foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan is estimated at between 6000 and 6500, and most of them with Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP)."

These terror groups with Pakistani leadership have formed ungoverned areas of Afghanistan as the base, something that has been highlighted by the Afghan government.

Listing of terrorist at the UN happens under the 1267 committee. The committee also oversees the sanctions measures imposed by the Security Council.
New Delhi, July 25 : Air India's subsidiary Alliance Air on Saturday said that it will resume flight operations on the Mumbai-Bhavnagar route via Diu from July 30.

"The flight will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The airline will deploy 70-seater ATR 72 aircraft on the route," the airline said in a statement.

According to the airline, all-inclusive one-way fares on Mumbai-Bhavnagar flights start at Rs 3,054 and for Diu-Bhavnagar travel at Rs 2,321.

"The airline is adhering to all government guidelines and is following all standard operating procedures issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Required precautionary measures are being taken within the aircraft as well at the time of check-ins, boarding and arrivals at the destinations," the statement said.

"The aircraft are being thoroughly disinfected after each flight to eliminate any risk of coronavirus infections. It is the constant endeavour of Alliance Air to soar higher in the spirit of serving the nation and connecting India and beyond," the statement added.
A man has been charged by prosecutors in western Ohio after a viral photo showed him kneeling on the neck of a 2-year-old child while another man held the toddler down.

The man is said to be mocking the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in a similar way back in May at the hands of the Minneapolis police.

Child endangerment

On July 22, WHIO reported that the Clark County Sheriff's Office said that the assailant, 20-year-old Isaiah Jackson, has charges filed against him and the reviews are pending. He is now in custody after he violated probation.

On July 21, the authorities started the investigation when they saw the picture of Jackson. The picture had the caption "Blm now mf". It immediately circulated online and was passed around different social media accounts.

Crime Online published the picture and blurred the face of the toddler for protection and privacy reasons, but according to the authorities who first saw the photograph, the child was crying when the picture was taken.

Also Read: Afghan Girl Kills Two Taliban Fighters, Shoots Several More After They Murdered Her Parents

The authorities presented the case on July 22 to the Clark County Prosecutor's Office. They then provided a determination on the scope of the felony charges against Jackson, according to Lt. Kristopher Shultz.

Lt. Shultz said that the cops talked to the child, the child's mother, and Jackson. The child was then taken to a hospital for throughout examination and fortunately, the child did not sustain any injuries from the horrific incident.

Lt. Shultz also said that after the interview, the mother of the toddler said that she was not aware that the picture was taken by Jackson and that he knelt on her child's neck. She only found out about it after other parties told her.

Despite the context of the picture and the caption, the Clark County officials did not associate the incident to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Similar incident

This is not the first time that someone went viral for mocking the death of George Floyd. Back in June, a group of white men mocked Floyd's death in front of Black Lives Matter protesters who passed by Franklin Township in New Jersey.

As shown on the footage, trucks decorated with banners supporting "MAGA" and President Trump was seen behind the men. It also showed a black and white American flag with a single blue line, which is used to support Blue Lives Matter.

A barrier with a sign that says "All Lives Matter" was also seen. The video clip has since garnered over a million views on Twitter and the men had been identified.

All of them had been fired from their respective workplaces, and one of them previously worked for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, according to NBC10.

The organizer of the protest, Daryan Fennal, said that the men showed that racism is still alive and it is real in the United States. The action of the men was condemned by the mayor and the police chief. In a joint statement, they stated that they were saddened and appalled by their actions.

Related Article: Police Found Infant's Decomposing Body Inside Shopping Bag of Virginia Woman

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Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Kazakhstan, Government of

Global Credit Research - 25 Jul 2020

Singapore, July 25, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") reviews all of its ratings periodically in accordance with regulations -- either annually or, in the case of governments and certain EU-based supranational organisations, semi-annually. This periodic review is unrelated to the requirement to specify calendar dates on which EU and certain other sovereign and sub-sovereign rating actions may take place.

Moody's conducts these periodic reviews through portfolio reviews in which Moody's reassesses the appropriateness of each outstanding rating in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. Since 1st January 2019, Moody's issues a press release following each periodic review announcing its completion.

Moody's has now completed the periodic review of a group of issuers that includes Kazakhstan and may include related ratings. The review did not involve a rating committee, and this publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future; credit ratings and/or outlook status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

The credit profile of Kazakhstan (issuer rating Baa3) reflects the country's "baa2" economic strength, which balances solid medium-term growth prospects and above-average level of wealth against the economy's still large exposure to hydrocarbons; its "ba3" institutions and governance strength that takes into account weaknesses in control of corruption and judicial independence that the government is addressing, as well as limited voice and accountability, although enhanced macroeconomic and fiscal policy effectiveness bolsters the economy's shock absorption capacity; the government's "aa2" fiscal strength underpinned by its very low debt burden, very high debt affordability and ample fiscal buffers; and "ba" susceptibility to event risk driven by political risk that relates to the longer-term uncertainty surrounding presidential and political transition, which would have an impact on the government's longer-term reform agenda, economic diversification prospects and the sovereign's fiscal profile, as well as banking sector risk, given lingering, albeit gradually declining, fragilities in the sector.

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This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period.

The principal methodology used for this review was Sovereign Ratings Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Christian Fang Asst Vice President - Analyst Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Marie Diron MD - Sovereign Risk Sovereign Risk Group JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077

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(Newser)  Thousands of protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse in Portland, Ore., into the early hours of Saturday, shooting fireworks at the building as plumes of tear gas, dispensed by US agents, lingered above. The demonstration went on for hours until federal agents entered the crowd around 2:30am and marched in a line down the street, clearing remaining protesters with tear gas at close range, per the AP. They also extinguished a large fire in the street outside the courthouse. The Federal Protective Service had declared the gathering as "an unlawful assembly" and said that officers had been injured. As the crowd dispersed, someone was found stabbed nearby, Portland police said. The person was taken to a hospital and a suspect was taken into custody. By 3am, most demonstrators had left with only some small groups roaming the streets.

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Earlier Friday night, the protest had drawn various organized groups, including Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers Against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives, and the "Wall of Moms." Authorities estimate there were 3,000 present at the peak of the protest, heard chanting "Black Lives Matter" and "Feds, go home." The federal agents, deployed by President Trump to tamp down unrest, have arrested dozens during nightly protests against racial injustice that often turn violent. It was unclear whether anyone was arrested during this protest. The Portland clashes have further inflamed the nation's political tensions and triggered a crisis over the limits of federal power as Trump moves to send US officers to other Democratic-led cities. Democratic leaders in Oregon say federal intervention has worsened the two-month crisis. More here, including on the state AG's lawsuit accusing federal agents of arresting protesters without probable cause and using excessive force.

(Read more Portland, Oregon stories.)
First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has addressed fellow compatriots in connection with the recent events in Los Angeles and the capitals of some European countries.

"Dear fellow compatriots! The recent events in Los Angeles and the capitals of some European countries have angered millions of Azerbaijanis, including myself," said the message posted on Mehriban Aliyevas official page on Instagram, Trend reports on July 24.

"The peaceful and patriotic actions of Azerbaijanis in support of their homeland, pre-agreed with relevant government agencies of respective countries, were met with physical violence, aggression and inhuman hatred by members of the Armenian diaspora," the message said.

"Well-prepared and trained provocateurs took advantage of their large numbers to attack and injure peaceful protesters," the message said. "In a number of cases, aggressive Armenian groups attacked Azerbaijanis who could not resist the outnumbering enraged crowd."

"The decades of hatred and the ideology of phobia of Azerbaijan are bearing fruit  some Armenians throw stones at peaceful Azerbaijani protesters in the center of world capitals, while others fire heavy artillery at the homes of Azerbaijani citizens," the message said.

"There have been many instances of such crimes against the Azerbaijani people in history," the message said. "Suffice it to recall the massacre of the peaceful Azerbaijani population of the city of Khojaly by Armenian armed forces in the early hours of February 26, 1992. Those tragic events have been recognized as an act of genocide by more than 10 states and condemned at the level of international organizations."

"On that bloody night, militants armed to the teeth killed 613 people with particular cruelty, 421 civilians were tortured and humiliated, 1,275 people were missing or taken prisoner, and the city itself was almost completely burned out," the message said.

"As a result of the received gunshot wounds, more than a thousand civilians became disabled," the message said. "Among those killed were 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly."

"Eight families were completely destroyed, 25 children lost both parents and 130 lost one of them," the message said. "Fifty-six people were burned alive."

"The murder by Armenian aggressors of two-year-old Zahra Guliyeva, who died together with her grandmother in the aftermath of shelling of the Alkhanli village of Fuzuli district on 4 July 2017, is just as indicative," the message said. "Or the killing on 14 July 2020 of Aziz Azizov, a 76-year-old peaceful resident of Tovuz district who died as a result of artillery shelling of civilian targets by the Armenian armed forces."

"For more than 30 years now, the Armenian agitprop, not without the help of the large diaspora, has been conducting frenzied anti-Azerbaijani propaganda in an effort to justify these cruel crimes," the message said. "It is no secret that the absolute majority of slanderous campaigns against our country are also inspired and financed by the Armenian diaspora."

"The degree of hatred and aggression goes off scale so much that some of its representatives decide to commit lawlessness and outrage in the capitals of Western countries that consider themselves the cradle of democracy," the message said.

"How else can one explain the fact that stones are thrown at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and peaceful demonstrators are injured in the political center of the united Europe, in Brussels? the message said.

"The gruesome footage of violence and vandalism from Los Angeles, Brussels and other cities, showing the true face of our opponents, arouses not only legitimate outrage but also well-founded questions," the message said.

"Why do the law enforcement agencies of these countries allow the impudent gangster groups to commit such atrocities? How can one turn a blind eye eyes to these crimes? the message said.

"On behalf of millions of Azerbaijanis around the world, I call on the law enforcement agencies of the United States, Belgium and other states to conduct a thorough investigation into these events, give them an appropriate legal assessment and bring all those responsible to justice, because evil must be punished," the message said.

"I also call on numerous non-governmental organizations, including Freedom House, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, organizations declaring that protection of human rights is their mission, to give a fair assessment to these events," the message said.

"For some reason, we are not hearing from them yet," the message said. "I do hope that these organizations are principled enough to move away from the policy of double standards and make statements based on facts."

"Dear brothers and sisters! The incident clearly demonstrates how serious a threat to the peaceful Azerbaijani population is posed by Armenias aggressive policy," the message said. "Under such circumstances, it is our duty to convey this truth to the world community."

"Our task is to unite and persistently demand from all platforms a fair investigation into the recent acts of violence and to bring those responsible to book," the message said.

"Every voice matters! I call upon the Azerbaijanis of the whole world to act together, to unite the full potential of our diaspora in order to repulse the outrageous enemy," the message said.

"But at the same time, we must remember that we cannot be like barbarians and bandits who are driven by cave hatred and intolerance," the message said. "Our struggle should be conducted exclusively within the legal framework."

"I want to thank everyone who has raised their voice these days and raised the flag of Azerbaijan in cities around the world," the message said.

"And let no-one doubt, no provocations can ever force us to deviate from the true path," the message said. "We are millions, but we have a common goal  the defense of the Motherland, the restoration of its territorial integrity and historical justice."

"Because Karabakh is Azerbaijan. And an exclamation mark! the message said.
An assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education said Friday that his agencys inclination is not to grant states waivers from federally mandated tests for the upcoming school year like it did in the spring.

Speaking on a video call with reporters at the Education Writers Associations National Seminar, Jim Blew, the assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development, stressed the importance of testing beyond accountability. And he expressed support for a recent statement from the Council of Chief State School Officers about the importance of assessments for learning; that July 20 statement said that even during a pandemic assessments serve as an important tool in our education system.

In March, as schools shut down in-person classes around the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos quickly granted waivers to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico from having to administer certain annual exams as required by federal law. But concerns about the pandemics impact on the 2020-21 school year have grown, as have sentiments in some quarters that states should get those waivers again, in order to focus on other educational needs.

Last month, for example, Georgia announced it would seek such a waiver from testing for the upcoming year. In a joint statement, Gov. Brian Kemp and State School Superintendent Richard Woods, both Republicans, said that giving such tests would be counterproductive and added that, In anticipation of a return to in-person instruction this fall, we believe schools focus should be on remediation, growth, and the safety of students. Every dollar spent on high-stakes testing would be a dollar taken away from the classroom.

South Carolina announced plans last month to do the same .

But during a question-and-answer session with reporters, Blew pointed to CCSSOs statement and said that with respect to testing, Accountability aside, we need to know where students are so we can address their needs.

Blew then indicated it would be premature to grant waivers at this time from testing and said, Our instinct would not be to give those waivers from the exams, which are mandated under the Every Student Succeeds Act, the main federal K-12 law. There are so many benefits to testing and it allows for some transparency about how schools are performing and the issues we need to address, that our instinct would be to decline those waivers, Blew added.

The question of what to do about testing and a related subjectaccountabilitynext year is garnering more attention from policy experts and others. On Friday, writing for the Center for Assessments website , the centers Executive Director Scott Marion and Ajit Gopalakrishnan called for education officials to suspend standard accountability for the 2020-21 academic year, but to still give statewide achievement tests to help us monitor the long-term trends in student achievement and growth.

Marion and Gopalakrishnan suggested focusing on several issues to help create re-envisioned accountability next year, including:



School districts plans to ensure the health and safety of students.

Schools and districts research-based plans to address students social and emotional needs.

School districts assurances that all students, whether in-person or remote, have legitimate access to high-quality curriculum and instruction.

States and districts evidence that all students have access to dependable internet access and devices.

Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa .
The Central government will on Monday hold a meeting to chalk out a plan for other states to replicate the Delhi model of Covid-19 management, senior government officials said on Saturday.

The meeting will be chaired by Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla. A senior official in the Delhi government, who did not wish to be named, said, The high-level meeting has been called to decide the steps that can be taken to replicate Delhis success model in other states that are seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases. Apart from this, the Covid-19 strategy for the coming days in Delhi will also be discussed.

According to the agenda, Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev will present the key components of Delhis Covid-19 management strategy before the top Central government officials. The meeting will also have Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul in attendance along with other officers.

Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu were responsible for nearly two of every three new infections reported till early July, but the current spurt in Covid-19 cases are being reported from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

In an interview with HT on July 18, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Delhi model was all about testing, home isolation, transparent data, hospital beds and plasma therapy. But to achieve these five things, we followed three principles - 1) teamwork, 2) acknowledging constructive criticism and fixing what is wrong, 3) not giving up as a government no matter how bad the situation got, he had said.

The Delhi government in a statement on Saturday said,CM Kejriwal has always said the essence of the Delhi Model is teamwork. At such a critical juncture, its very important all states work together to defeat Covid-19. If the steps taken by Delhi government that helped reduce cases can help in other states, it will be a badge of honour for the Delhi model.

As per Saturdays health bulletin, Delhis Covid-19 recovery rate crossed 87%  the best among all states in India and higher than the national average of 63.5%.

The Capitals active cases also dipped to 12,657 on Saturday, the lowest in more than seven weeks, even as 1,142 fresh instances were recorded on Saturday. The national capital has, as on Saturday, recorded 129,531 cases of the disease.

A senior official in the state health department said the initial trends suggest Delhi is approaching herd immunity. Delhi could be one of the first states or cities in India inching towards herd immunity. The serological survey was conducted between June 27 and July 10. Generally it takes around 10-15 days for a recovered Covid-19 patient to generate antibodies. So, the survey mostly showed the trend of Delhi from the first 10 days of June. If it was almost 24% in early June, it must have crossed 30-35% by now, the official said.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the efforts of the Centre and Delhi government in containing the disease outbreak in the city and directed that a similar approach against the pandemic be adopted across the National Capital Region.

To get a clearer picture, the government has now decided to conduct similar sero surveys over the first five days of every month, the first of which will be held between August 1 and 5.

Schools and colleges, bars, cinema halls, and the metro services are still closed in Delhi. In government buses, the government has rationed the number of passengers inside the bus to ensure social distancing.

In government offices, meetings are held over video conferencing, in police stations, the citizens interact with police personnel outside office building. Police in Delhi have also started questioning suspects or meeting complainants over video conferencing. In the three jails  Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli  the authorities are yet to start the bi-weekly family visits. The courts are also conducting holding hearings over video conference.

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T ensions continue to rise in Portland after thousands joined another night of street protests, just hours after a US judge denied the state of Oregons request to restrict federal agents actions in the city.

Demonstrators wearing masks and donning helmets stood near the fountain on Salmon Street Springs - a spot where groups have been meeting - before marching to the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and the federal agents there.

By 9.40pm on Friday, they chanted "feds go home" and "black lives matter" before setting off fireworks into the federal courthouse, as federal agents launched tear gas into the crowds.

Various organised groups took part, including Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives and the Wall of Moms.

Those who were protesting racism and police brutality in support of Black Lives Matter are now protesting the very presence of federal agents in their city which is under siege.

Federal officers deploy tear gas and less-lethal munitions while dispersing a crowd of about a thousand protesters / Nathan Howard/Getty Images

The federal agents, deployed by President Donald Trump to tamp down the unrest, have arrested dozens during nightly demonstrations against racial injustice which have turned violent.

Democratic leaders in Oregon say federal intervention has worsened the two-month crisis, and the state attorney general sued to allege some people had been whisked off the streets in unmarked vehicles.

US District Judge Michael Mosman said the state lacked standing to sue on behalf of protesters, because the legal action was a highly unusual one with a particular set of rules.

Oregon was seeking a restraining order on behalf of its residents not for injuries that had already happened, but to prevent injuries by federal officers in the future.

Mr Mosman wrote that combination makes the standard for granting such a motion very narrow, and the state did not prove it had standing in the case.

The clashes in Portland have further inflamed the nations political tensions and triggered a crisis over the limits of federal power, as Mr Trump moves to send US officers to other Democratic-led cities to combat crime.

Protesters in Portland have been targeting the federal courthouse, starting fires outside and vandalising the building that US authorities say they have a duty to protect.

Meanwhile, federal agents have used tear gas, less-lethal ammunition - that left one person critically injured - and other force to scatter protesters.

The legal action from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum accused federal agents of arresting protesters without probable cause and using excessive force.

She sought a temporary restraining order to immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians.

Protesters try to bring down the fence surrounding the Multnomah County Justice Center / ANKUR DHOLAKIA/AFP via Getty Images

David Morrell, a lawyer for the US government, called the motion extraordinary and told the judge in a hearing this week that it was based solely on a few threadbare declarations from witnesses and a Twitter video.

Ms Rosenblum said the ramifications of the ruling were extremely troubling.

She added: While I respect Judge Mosman, I would ask this question: If the state of Oregon does not have standing to prevent this unconstitutional conduct by unidentified federal agents running roughshod over her citizens, who does?

Before the federal intervention, mayor Ted Wheeler and other local leaders had said a small cadre of violent activists were drowning out the message of peaceful protesters.

However, the Democrat, who was tear-gassed this week as he joined protesters, says the federal presence is exacerbating a tense situation and he has repeatedly told them to leave.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf denied federal agents are inflaming the situation in Portland and said Mr Wheeler legitimised criminality by joining demonstrators, whom Mr Trump has called anarchists and agitators.
The Upper East Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has rolled out the Bolgatanga Unite Against COVID-19 campaign to scale-up public awareness in the fight against the pandemic.



Mr Pontius Pilate Baba Apaabey, NCCE Upper East Regional Director, told the Ghana News Agency in a telephone interview that there was an urgent need for a change of attitude and strict adherence to the prescribed protocols by the World Health Organisation and Ghana Health Service.



He said in order to defeat the spread of COVID-19, identifiable groups, individuals, religious and traditional leaders, civil and non-governmental organisations must join forces to deal with the growing apathy.



Mr Apaabey said the attitude of some citizens suggested defiance, irrespective of the collective efforts by both state and non-state organisations, adding: We must also not back out, we must upscale our advocacy for a change in behaviour.



He explained that the Bolgatanga Unite Against COVID-19 Campaign sought to mobilise more people to be active participants in the fight against the rising active cases in Ghana.



He said it was a civic responsibility for citizens to adhere to the washing of hands with soap under running water or regular and thorough cleaning of hands with alcohol-based sanitizers.



It seems that some people have decided not to obey the rules, these anti-social attitudes are a threat to all, the protocols are the only ways out for us. We must maintain at least one meter distance between each other.



We must obey the coughing and sneezing etiquettes. You risk breathing-in the droplets including COVID-19 virus if the person coughing nearby has the disease and failed to follow the etiquettes. The small droplets from the nose or mouth of an infected person contain the virus.



He said the campaign also sought to engage identifiable personalities as agents of change to help citizens understand the need to avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unclean hands.



The NCCE has deployed civic educators across the Region to help create awareness and also demystify misconception about the wearing of face masks, he said.



Wearing a face mask in public places is mandatory according to Executive Instrument 164. It is an offence to walk around in public without a face mask.

The Ghana Police is mandated to ensure the enforcement and compliance to this rule, he said.

Source: GNA









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Two candidates are vying in the Aug. 11 Republican primary to represent southeastern Wisconsins 5th Congressional District. The winner will face Democrat Tom Palzewicz in November. U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican who has held the seat since 1979, is retiring.

Cliff DeTemple

Age: 52

Address: 2542 Jackson Drive, Jackson

Family: Married, one daughter

Job: Owner of Turning Point Systems Group, maker of surveying and measurement equipment. Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.

Prior elected office: None

Other public service: 33 years in the Coast Guard Reserve, Eagle Scout and scouting counselor

Education: Associate degree in engineering, Reading Area Community College; studied civil engineering at University of Delaware and leadership and decision making at U.S. Naval War College

Scott Fitzgerald

Age: 56

Address: N4692 Maple Road, Juneau

Family: Married, three sons

Job: Wisconsin Senate majority leader

Prior elected office: Wisconsin state senator since 1995

Other public service: 27 years in the Army Reserve, retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel

Education: Bachelors degree, UW-Oshkosh

Email or website: scottfitzgeraldforcongress.com

Q&A

Why are you the best candidate to represent the people of your district?

DeTemple: I have experience in the military, small business acumen and community service. My 33 years in the military reserve in 18 countries gives me perspective on world issues. Working with D.C. politics on two major issues, the BP oil spill and hurricane relief, gives me knowledge on how to prepare for catastrophes and understand spending. I dont bring the baggage of being in office too long

Fitzgerald: I have a proven record of fighting for conservative principles here in Wisconsin. I havent just talked about conservative principles, Ive lived them. D.C. is a mess, and Im excited to bring that experience to our nations capital, to fight alongside President Trump to clean up the dysfunction and make the needs of working-class people a priority again.

What is the most important issue facing Wisconsin and what legislation would you propose to address it?

DeTemple: Wisconsin needs security and safe cities. The biggest threat is not only riots and anarchists but socialism. I am a strong voice against socialism and support the police. I plan to focus my first term on adding term limits to congressional seats and stopping government agencies from spending their last allocated dollar before the end of the year.

Fitzgerald: Wisconsin needs representatives focused on growing the economy and fostering an environment in which our businesses, manufacturers and farmers can thrive. In the Senate, I helped create and sustain a business-friendly environment, while delivering $13 billion in tax relief. In Congress, Ill support policies that get big government out of the way so residents and businesses can innovate and thrive.

What expertise would you bring to this office?

DeTemple: I have performed law enforcement and continue working with law enforcement for crime and accident mapping. Any legislator who tries to restrict police should have first-hand knowledge of the subject. I know when to say no to spending. I dont have a political career to worry about like the career politicians. I have the people of Wisconsin to worry about.

Fitzgerald: I have a proven record of championing common-sense, conservative reforms. Ive led the effort to advance dozens of conservative policies: from balancing the state budget and delivering $13 billion in tax relief to the passage of Act 10 and Right to Work to authoring Wisconsins partial birth abortion ban. Wisconsins Fifth deserves another proven conservative representing our interests in Washington.

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Moscow, July 25 : Accusations from the US and UK that Russia recently tested anti-satellite weaponry in space are "distorted", Russia's defence ministry said.

"Tests carried out [on July 15] did not create a threat for other spacecraft," the ministry said, adding that it had not violated international law, the BBC reported.

Moscow said earlier that it had been using new technology to perform checks on Russian space equipment.

But the US and UK said they were concerned about the satellite activity.

"We are concerned by the manner in which Russia tested one of its satellites by launching a projectile with the characteristics of a weapon," the head of the UK's space directorate, Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth, said on Thursday.

It is the first time that the UK has made accusations about Russian test-firing in space, and comes just days after an inquiry said the UK government "badly underestimated" the threat posed by Russia.

The US State Department also said it had observed the use by Russia of "what would appear to be actual in-orbit anti-satellite weaponry".

The US and Russia are to hold bilateral talks on space security in Vienna next week, the first since 2013.

The talks could be an opportunity to emphasise that "outer space is not a lawless and ungoverned territory", US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation Christopher Ford said.

In a statement on Friday, Russia's foreign ministry said that one of the country's "inspector" satellites had "carried out a check of a Russian spacecraft at close range with the use of specialised small spacecraft apparatus".

It said the operation "did not violate any norms or principles of international law".

The ministry accused the US and UK of "again attempting to present the situation in a distorted manner in order to... justify their steps to deploy weapons in space and achieve funding to that end".

"We consider this latest anti-Russian attack as part of an information campaign initiated by Washington focused on discrediting Russian space activities," the statement, quoted by the Interfax news agency, added.

Moscow earlier said that last week's satellite test had resulted in "valuable information about the technical condition of the object under investigation" being recorded.

In a statement on Thursday, Gen Jay Raymond, who heads US space command, said there was evidence Russia had "conducted a test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon".

"This is further evidence of Russia's continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems and [is] consistent with the Kremlin's published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied space assets at risk," he said.

US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation, Christopher Ford, accused Moscow of hypocrisy after it said it wanted arms control to be extended to space.

"Moscow aims to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting its own counter-space programme," he said.

The US said the Russian satellite system was the same one it raised concerns about in 2018 and earlier this year, when the US accused it of manoeuvring close to an American satellite.

Air Vice Marshal Smyth added: "Actions of this kind threaten the peaceful use of space and risk causing debris that could pose a threat to satellites and the space systems on which the world depends." Russia, the UK, the US and China are among more than 100 nations to have committed to a space treaty that stipulates that outer space is to be explored by all and purely for peaceful purposes.

The treaty adds that weapons should not be placed in orbit or in space.
In July 1988, a crowd of roughly 40 protesters gathered outside the Los Angeles Federal Building. As they chanted, their leader, Dr. Paul Longmore, a visiting scholar at Stanford, set fire to a biography of George Washington on a small barbecue grill.

Dr. Longmore did not hate our first president  far from it. The book he was burning was in fact one he had written. A survivor of polio who relied on a ventilator and personal care aides paid for by Medicaid, Dr. Longmore had organized the demonstration to protest Social Security Administration policies that prevented him from being paid for writing it.

Supplemental Security Income  a cash assistance program whose beneficiaries also get Medicaid coverage  sharply limits the income and assets of those who receive it. If Dr. Longmore were to receive royalties from his publisher, he stood to lose over $20,000 a year in services, without which he could not survive.

Dr. Longmore would later have an illustrious academic career, becoming a founder of disability history. In time, his activism would lead to modest changes to Social Security rules on book royalties. But even as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, disabled people still struggle with byzantine rules for work.
Aaron Brady has been described as a "skilled and practised liar" who wore the shooting of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe "like a badge of honour", the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Yesterday, Lorcan Staines SC delivered the prosecution's closing speech in the trial of Mr Brady (29), who denies capital murder and robbery at Lordship Credit Union, Dundalk, on January 25, 2013.

He said the raid was carried out for a base criminal motive and the gang was in pursuit of money through violence.

It had significant local knowledge of the back roads, with Border accents, and used the Border, which Mr Staines said was "extraordinarily useful" for a criminal gang as organised and as slick as this.

Pressure

The raiders, he said, had a number of minutes to observe the cash escort as it waited in the car park of Lordship Credit Union before the two men with the firearms proceeded directly to the unmarked garda car. The two other raiders, one unarmed and one carrying a hammer, ran to the employees' cars.

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Mr Staines said the accused was under financial pressure at the time of the robbery and told his girlfriend he was expecting money that weekend.

Counsel said it was the prosecution's case that the accused fatally shot Det Gda Donohoe from six to seven feet at "point blank" range and that he knew Mr Donohoe was a garda acting in the course of his duty.

Mr Staines told the jury that Mr Brady was a "skilled and practised liar" who had taken disclosure given to him to sculpt an alibi.

He described the prosecution's case as an "overwhelmingly circumstantial" one together with the admissions from the mouth of the accused, wrapped in a litany of lies.

The court was taken through CCTV footage from locations around Co Louth three nights before the murder when a Volkswagen Passat used in the robbery was stolen from Clogherhead. The jury was told there was also a silent period between phones of the accused and "Suspect A" at this time.

There was evidence that a car matching Suspect A's vehicle, a BMW 5 Series, was captured on CCTV on Clogherhead main street that morning. Mr Staines told the jury it was not about the quality of the footage from that night, but rather the coincidence of the footage.

He said on the night of the murder, phones belonging to Mr Brady and three other suspects were inactive an hour before and after the robbery.

Counsel added that, if this was an innocent occurrence, it would be an "extraordinarily unusual and unlucky coincidence".

Mr Staines also told the jury of the lies Mr Brady told: when giving a false account of his movements to Sergeant John Moroney the day after the murder, when giving his voluntary statement to gardai 10 days later and when giving evidence from the witness box.

Mr Staines said there were "big lies, little lies, clever lies, stupid lies, but all the lies were for the same purpose - the advantage of Aaron Brady".

He said there were also "other funny coincidences".

Haven

Within weeks of the robbery, Mr Brady and three other suspects all left Ireland and travelled to "far-flung corners of the world".

The accused, he said, settled in the Woodlawn area of the Bronx, which he thought would be a safe haven, working in construction and playing GAA.

"He came to believe he was beyond the long arm of the law. As time went by his confidence grew and he wore the shooting of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe like a badge of honour," Mr Staines said.

The court heard there was evidence given from US citizen Molly Staunton, who said she heard Mr Brady admit to murdering a cop. Counsel said that she was a witness with no animus, who was not motivated to lie, and that it would be "another extraordinary piece of bad luck" for the accused if Ms Staunton was mistaken.

He also recalled evidence given by Daniel Cahill, who said he heard the accused admit on three separate occasions that he had murdered a garda.

Mr Staines described as "disgraceful" what Mr Brady instructed his legal team to put to Mr Cahill under cross-examination, and that the baseless claims that the witness was a member of a dissident group amounted to "mud throwing".

The jury is set to hear the closing speeches from the defence on behalf of Mr Brady on Monday.
Sky-rocketing COVID-19 infections have left Melbourne a ghost city, with new figures showing last week was the quietest full working week in the city since the pandemic hit.

Pedestrian numbers plummeted across the CBD on Thursday and Friday, coinciding with the states highest-ever daily coronavirus numbers and the new directive that all Melburnians must wear a face mask when leaving the house.

Pedestrian numbers near Flinders St hit a record lockdown low on Thursday. Credit:Wayne Taylor

On Thursday, peak-hour foot traffic near Flinders Street Station was the lowest it has been since March, while the pedestrian count near Southern Cross Station hit a working-day low on Friday.

The only time the city has been quieter during weekdays this year was over the Easter long weekend in April.
New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday filed a chargesheet against JNU student Sharjeel Imam in connection with a case related to his alleged inflammatory speeches during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at several places.

The 600-page chargesheet was filed in Delhi`s Patiala House court.

Delhi Police filed the chargesheet against Sharjeel Imam in case FIR No.22/20 u/s 124A (Sedition) 153(A) (Promoting enmity), 153 (Assertion prejudicial to national integration) (promoting enmity, Hatred between different communities, 505 (spreading rumors) IPC and Section 13 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Imam is accused of delivering seditious speeches and inciting a particular section of community to indulge in unlawful activities, detrimental to sovereignty and integrity of the nation.

In the grab of protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, he exhorted people of a particular community to block the highways leading to the major cities and resort to "Chakka Jam", thereby disrupting normal life.

In its chargesheet, Delhi Police claimed that Imam also openly defied the Constitution and called it a "fascist" document.

In the name of opposing 'CAA' he also openly propagated blocking the 'chicken neck connecting the mainland India with the North-East. He also showed contempt and disregard for the democratic means of protest.

Imam is being probed for his alleged inflammatory speech at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13 and subsequently on January 16 at Aligarh Muslim University, where he allegedly threatened to "cut off" Assam and the rest of the Northeast from India.

He is currently lodged at Guwahati Central Jail. The police had earlier submitted before the court that after his speech on December 13, widespread arson and violence took place in various parts of Delhi and that several protest sites emerged after his January 16 speech.

Earlier, a Delhi court granted an extension of 90 days to the Delhi Police to conclude the investigation and file a chargesheet in the case.
British tourists who found themselves holidaying in Spain when the Government announced its bombshell two-week quarantine rule have expressed their anger at the decision.

One couple, who are set to be among the first tourists returning from Spain to be hit by the new two-week quarantine, have blasted the 'ridiculous' government u-turn on travel.

Sophie Ingham, 23, and her boyfriend Nick Baldwin flew out to Tenerife a week ago after government guidance announced that travel to Spain was permitted again.

Now though, the couple are set to be among the first people returning to Britain from Spain who will have to quarantine for two weeks after Spain saw a spike in coronavirus cases.

Speaking to MailOnline Sophie after the Government announced their bombshell travel u-turn, Sophie said: 'We were shocked.

Bathers enjoy the beach in Cadiz, south Spain, on July 14

'I think it's ridiculous, we've only been here a week and we've followed all the rules. We have worn masks when we needed to and not been close to anyone other than each other.

'We don't even know if it definitely includes us as it is just mainland Spain that is suffering a second spike, so does this include the islands?

'It's all unclear and upsetting as we really cannot quarantine.'

Her boyfriend Nick owns his own business and Sophie said that he can't afford to be quarantining for two weeks when they return home.

Having boarded their flight home, Sophie claimed that the air stewards were not even aware of the new quarantine rule.

The couple are now in the air and expect to arrive at Leeds airport for 2.50am.

However, despite the government putting the new quarantine rule in place, Sophie said that she has not been provided with any guidance.

'No one has a word to us at all. Its very bad. Loads of British people now worries in airport and refreshing the news.'

Sophie said that the Government was in a tough position and couldn't win either way by imposing the quarantine rule but that she feels like British tourists have been left out to dry.

She said: 'Its a difficult one because I dont think Boris or the government could win either way.

'I think implementing this quarantine without giving people enough notice to get home is completely unfair.

'Spains cases have been increasing for the past few days, the government have allowed families to travel in the past two days as the summer holidays have begun.

'Only to implement a lockdown 48hours later? It makes no sense.

'The government knew the risks when they opened the air bridges and now they are hanging travellers out to dry when a lot of people will not be able to quarantine.

'However, If he doesnt implement a quarantine and a second spike hits the UK then he will be criticised. I just think he should have warned people or at least allowed them time to bring flights forward.'

People wear face masks while enjoying the beach in Barbate Cadiz in southern Spain on July 25

Meanwhile Neil Hunter, 45, from Sittingbourne in Kent, had booked a 10-day break to Lanzarote, leaving on Tuesday. The trip had been booked since last December.

He told the PA news agency: 'We were going as a family, my wife Amanda, and teenage daughter Bethany but to be honest, since this announcement, I'm unsure what's going to happen as I work as a train driver, and I don't think my employer will accept me having to isolate due to going on holiday.

'I am insured, but unsure whether they'd accept that as a reason for not going, especially if Hays Travel don't cancel for me. There's no way I could afford to cancel myself.'

He said he understood why the decision had been taken, but that it 'is a lot of money and disappointing all the same'.

Chloe Harris (right), 23 from Kent, booked a last-minute trip to Lanzarote and arrived on the Spanish island this morning

Chloe Harris, 23 from Kent, booked a last-minute trip to Lanzarote and arrived on the Spanish island this morning.

She told the PA news agency: 'At the moment we are just waiting to hear whether the quarantine will affect the Spanish islands or if it is just going to be the mainland.

'When I heard the news I was quite shocked because I thought they would have given us some warning. Even just some warning that this was something they were going to consider.

'We only booked the trip on Wednesday and we are only here for a few days. We had done our research and we knew that the island has only had a small number of Covid cases.

'I think a lot of people are going to rush to the airport, but because we are only here for four days, and we only arrived this morning, it doesn't seem worth it. We are just going to wait and hear if the island is included in the quarantine.

'I would probably be fine to continue working from home and quarantine from home, although I would have to stop going into the office. However, my friend who I travelled with is due to start a new job on August 3 and so that's going to be difficult to explain to her employer.'
They were seen having a fun mother-daughter day in Beverly Hills, California on Friday, all the while taking precautions with necessary face coverings amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Heidi Klum was seen with her oldest child Helene, or Leni, in similar all-black ensembles for the outing, which saw them go shopping on Rodeo Drive before hitting up Urth Caffe for an iced beverage.

The Making The Cut judge, 47, and her 16-year-old daughter also made a trip to CVS pharmacy in the area, wearing black face masks and letting their blond tresses hang loose and long on their shoulders.

Out and about: Heidi Klum was seen having a fun mother-daughter shopping day in Beverly Hills on Friday, all the while taking precautions with necessary face coverings

Heidi, a German-born supermodel, rocked a boho chic look for the excursion, wearing a wide-necked over-sized black silky blouse that featured gold-accented sleeves.

The top had an asymmetrical hem that looked knotted in one place, and Klum paired it with cropped black trousers and matching Doc Martens.

The Project Runway star also donned mirrored wayfarer sunshades, and she carried an olive green satchel purse and a shopping bag over her shoulder.

Gorgeousness runs in the family: Heidi was seen with her oldest child Helene, or Leni, in similar all-black ensembles for the outing, which saw them go shopping on Rodeo Drive

Daughter Leni, who is the biological daughter of Klum and Italian businessman Flavio Briatore, clearly has her mother's ethereal beauty and statuesque presence, plainly visible even on the street.

The teen, who was also adopted by Heidi's then-husband Seal in 2009, wore a simple black top, long black trousers, and white trainers.

Both mother and daughter took to their Instagram Stories on Friday with a masked closeup selfie of the mom-daughter pair, which was nonetheless stunning in spite of their face coverings.

Stunners: Daughter Leni clearly has her mother's ethereal beauty and statuesque presence, plainly visible even on the street

Those eyes: Both mother and daughter took to their Instagram Stories on Friday with a masked closeup selfie of the mom-daughter pair, which was nonetheless stunning in spite of masks

Heidi also shared snippets from their car ride, with the iconic LA palm trees visible as they passed by, while the pair were heard horsing around and listening to music.

The sighting comes just two days after Klum was seen with other members of her blended family for a similar shopping trip.

On Wednesday, the Top Model and her husband Tom Kaulitz embarked on a shopping expedition with her sons Henry, 14, and Johan, 13.

Heidi shares Leni, Henry, Johan and third son Lou, 10, with her ex-husband Seal.

Camera ready: Heidi also shared these amazing closeups to her Stories, along with snippets from her car ride with Leni

Mom of four: Heidi shares Leni as well as sons Henry, Johan and Lou with her ex-husband Seal; seen here online for AGT Live Auditions

She and the British musician divorced in 2014.

On Monday, she shared an intimate snap to her Instagram in which she is seen relaxing with her eyes closed as Tokio Hotel guitarist Kaulitz, her husband since February 2019, strums his guitar.

The and America's Got Talent TV personality put on a busty show in an animal print bikini and was makeup-free in the breezy snap.

Klum recently started work again as a judge on NBC's talent competition that has resumed production using remote linkups and other coronavirus protocols.
Its a hard knock life View(s):

When you think of a kitchen in a large organisation or factory, specific images spring to mind. Mass kitchens serve hundreds, even thousands of people everyday. But, what comes to your mind when you think of a mass kitchen, inside a prison?

The Welikada Prison Kitchen is situated along an area of about 20 perches near the prisons main gate. It also happens to be near the prisons gallows, which have not been used since the last execution in 1976. About 200 prisoners work here as part of the kitchen party on a daily basis.

There are no open fires here. Cooking is done on steamers operated by boiler air. There are eight massive cauldrons. Up to 50kg of food can be cooked in each one. About 1,000kg of food is cooked each day to feed Welikadas population.

The kitchen party is divided into several sections, all of which have their designated tasks, such as washing and cutting vegetables, cooking rice and cutting fish and meat. Due to security considerations, the knives used to cut vegetables do not have any sharp edges. Prison officers say they can hardly be classified as knives, being no more than blunted blades. The only sharp knife in the entire kitchen is the one used to cut fish and meat.

Once the cooking is done, the food is placed in containers and taken to the different wards within the prison. All the work in the kitchen, and the distribution of meals are done by prison inmates on the kitchen party that day.

Prison authorities say the kitchen operations and the food prepared here adheres to the UNs Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, in honour of the late South African President who spent 27 years as a prison inmate.
The proposed Narrabri Gas Project  which would see 850 coal seam gas wells sunk in the Pilliga region of north-west NSW  would become one of the top 100 greenhouse gas emitters in Australia if approved, an Independent Planning Commission hearing has been told.

Associate Professor Bryce Kelly, an environmental scientist from the University of New South Wales who is part of an international team currently conducting the world's largest study on methane emissions from coal seam gas, said that the documents supporting the project "work really hard" to make the greenhouse gas footprint look small.

A water storage tank stands at the Santos Ltd. Leewood water treatment facility in Narrabri. Credit:Bloomberg

"At the most absurd level  a comparison is made between the Narrabri Gas Project and total global greenhouse gas emissions. This is just an irrelevant comparison," he said.

"The physical laws of nature control global temperature rise, accounting tricks cannot diminish the true impact of the Narrabri Gas Project."
Under Article 105 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the President enjoys the right of immunity during his or her tenure.

Kyiv's Pechersky district court has ruled that there is no administrative violation in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's assets declaration.

The ruling was issued by judge Svitlana Smyk, according to the website of the State Register of Court Rulings.

Read alsoNACP hands over two administrative protocols to Zelensky

The court examined a protocol drawn up by Chairman of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) Oleksandr Novikov against the President of Ukraine for infringements on Part 2 of Article 52 of the Law of Ukraine on Prevention of Corruption, as the president had failed to inform about considerable changes in his assets as of July 17, 2019. The changes were related, in particular, to the purchase of government domestic loan bonds worth US$99,941.38, which was the equivalent to UAH 2,584,692 at the Central Bank's official forex rate as of the above-mentioned date.

The court decided to close the administrative case against Zelensky based on the absence of the event and crime in the act.

The court indicated that under Article 105 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the President enjoys the right of immunity during his or her tenure. In particular, while in office, the President of Ukraine cannot be held criminally liable and no criminal case can be initiated against him.

As UNIAN reported earlier, NACP on July 8 handed over two administrative protocols to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the failure to notify the authority of significant changes in his property status.

The press service of the president's secretariat said on July 7 that Zelensky had personally informed NACP of the violation.

"In 2019, the president's family received funds as redemption of government domestic loan bonds in the total amount of UAH 5.1 million (US$189,380) and spent UAH 5.2 million (US$193,093) on the purchase of government domestic loan bonds," the press service said. "Accordingly, the value of these bonds exceeded 50 subsistence levels. According to the law, Volodymyr Zelensky had to submit notifications of significant changes in property status to the Register of Declarations within 10 days from the time of the purchase and sale of the bonds."
Harrisburg residents gathered in Allison Hill Saturday to give a voice to two major issues abruptly taking away their loved ones  gun violence and the coronavirus.

Although the two causes of death seem vastly different, the impact theyve had on the Harrisburg area is similar, advocates said at an event held in the afternoon in a gated yard on the 300 block of South 13th Street.

On one side stood a tall, wooden memorial wall where members of the community could display photos of friends and family theyd lost.

Gun violence couldnt hit closer to home for Jowana Washington, who lost her 20-year-old son Jawan in 2018 when he was hit by stray bullets outside Double Ds bar. His shooter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Its hard but I have to stay strong for my other son. Thats all you can do, Washington said. Its hard to be happy.

Washington was one of many who came to speak out against violence in the city.

Tone Cook started the non-profit Michaels Memory last year to remember his brother, who was accidentally shot and killed by a friend in 1997 just before his 16th birthday.

The organization doesnt just focus on gun violence, however. Cook and his supporters donate food to the homeless, host city clean-ups and provide programming for children.

I figure this is a part of me healing, to do things that [Michael] liked to do for others  make people laugh, make people smile, Cook said.

Antwain Jackson, 18, sees the potential in the Harrisburg community and wants to be a part of creating positive change. This event was a personal one for him and his girlfriend  both of their fathers died in shootings.

Our loved ones are in a better place, doing better things, Jackson said. We gotta remember the ones we lost. We gotta show our support to the community, we gotta give back. The main reason why were here  everyone we love, we keep their streak alive.

Lisa Gibson lost her grandson  14-year-old Tyrone Gibson  in what authorities said was an accidental shooting the day after Memorial Day. A nephew was shot and killed last year, she said.

A friend of Tyrone Gibsons was charged with involuntary manslaughter for his death.

Lisa Gibson expressed anger and sadness over what happened, but she she wanted to be there Saturday to prevent the same from happening to other children.

Its important were here today, because even though our kids are gone, theyll be in our hearts always, she said.

Finding resolutions to these issues requires teamwork between people of different backgrounds, according to Shymar McBride, the organizer of Saturdays event.

Were just trying to bring our community together as one, McBride said. Black, white, doesnt matter. We all gotta work together as a team. Its not about race, its about our community.

Also in attendance Saturday were the Swatara Township Police Department and All You Can Inc., a non-profit which provides emergency resources to families in the Harrisburg area. They handed out free school supplies and clothing.

Cook said he plans to continue pushing the city forward in whatever way possible. He has a new counseling program in the works for local women who may suffer from depression or drug abuse. and dont have positive female role models in their lives.

He said events like Saturdays show young people there are ways of life that dont include weapons or drugs.

Somewhere in life we all touch each other, Cook said. Thats what its all about.

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This insistence on escalation rather than cooperation is also what makes the vaccine snooping as insidious as it is unsurprising. The immediate harm of an adversary speeding the development of a lifesaving medicine amid a pandemic is admittedly unclear. But it is possible to imagine China exploiting that medicine as a domestic moneymaker, or as leverage over developing countries to whom it will play the munificent benefactor. This points to the larger problem: There are appropriate avenues for every nation to purchase vaccine candidates. There are also appropriate avenues for ensuring that when a vaccine comes, it comes to the whole world regardless of who develops it or who has the ability to pay. Yet the default approach for China and for Russia wasnt to pursue any of those avenues but, rather, to resort to criminality.
Streetwise - Savoring the Past

by Frank Dunnigan

January 2014

Recent excavations in the Outside Lands have uncovered historical artifacts related to the history of Merrie Way, a one-time amusement village located above the Cliff House and Sutro Baths, near the corner of Point Lobos Avenue and El Camino del Mar. Adolph Sutro filled this area with many attractions that were originally part of the Midwinter Fair of 1894, held in Golden Gate Park, and he operated the spot as the Sutro Pleasure Grounds, from 1896-1900.

Another nearby archaeological dig, this one organized by a group of San Francisco high school students in 2012, managed to unearth the blue-and-white geometric-patterned interior tile floor of a greenhouse/conservatory that was adjacent to Sutros residence just across the street from Merrie Way. Sutros home and the conservatory, built in the 1880s, managed to survive the 1906 earthquake, only to be torn down by the city in 1939 when they were barely 50 years old. The re-emergence of the old tile floor was nice little peek into the past.

Just recently, a bit of sleuthing by this author has managed to uncover yet another popular artifact from this areaone which some people might consider to be the greatest lost treasure of all, perhaps rivaling the Maltese Falconthe popular but long-gone food of The Hot House restaurant, once located at Playland-at-the-Beach.

The Hot House operated at 750 Great Highway for nearly 40 years, from the early 1930s until the closure of Playland on Labor Day weekend of 1972. Originally operated by Barney Gavello, the restaurant dispensed Mexican food to appreciative crowds for decades. Its been estimated that on peak weekends during the World War II years, The Hot House sold up to 12,000 tamales to Ocean Beach visitors from both the steamy, fragrant interiorwith its cream-color stucco walls and hand-carved dark-wood counter and stoolsas well as from the take-away windows facing the waves.

In a uniquely San Francisco twist, The Hot House, unlike most other purveyors of Mexican food, always served baskets of dark-bake sourdough French bread, with generous quantities of butter alongside, rather than the more authentic stack of tortillas. In addition, spaghetti was a featured menu item for decades. Food from The Hot House still elicits fond memories for thousands of San Franciscans, unlike most other places before or since. On the nostalgia scale, its right up there with Hermans Potato Salad, Blums Candies, Larraburu French Bread, and Herbs Meatball Sandwiches.

Gavello must have felt the decline of Playland approaching when he sold his beloved restaurant just a few years before the amusement park breathed its last. New owners Juan Faranda and Jose Robleto took over with enthusiasm, continuing to work with the time-tested recipes that had been pleasing the crowds for decades. Faranda, of Sicilian-Peruvian background, was born in Lima, Peru in the late 1930s, and had been living in San Francisco since his teens. As the manager of an adjacent Playland eatery, The Pie Shop, he was well acquainted with the outgoing Gavello and knew that he and his partner could maintain the quality and the atmosphere of The Hot House even after Gavellos retirement.

The new owners took over in the late 1960s, still serving the original 1934 recipes, much to the delight of loyal customers. There continued to be a lively, festive crowd at The Hot House every day of the weekhow could it be any other way, when it was surrounded by the excitement of Playland?and there was seldom an empty seat in the place, right up until the time the wrecking ball struck in 1972.

Once Playland closed, Juan Faranda bought out his partner and moved the restaurant to a new location a few blocks away at 4052 Balboa Street, where it continued as a family business for nearly a quarter of a century, even expanding into an adjacent building that once housed a drugstore. Sadly, though, many of the original loyal customers thought The Hot House had vanished along with the rest of Playland, and perhaps there was too little advertising done in those days. One of my Moms bingo-playing companions tipped her off about the new site in the early 1980s, and it was the first that our family had heard of it, but we soon became regulars.

All throughout the restaurants long run on Balboa Street, the owner often found himself in the kitchen, ensuring that the staff was preparing the food precisely according to the original recipes and not taking any unauthorized shortcuts to save time or skimp on crucial ingredients. With help from his wife and children, The Hot House continued to thrive, though on a smaller scale. Juan finally decided to retire in 1996, and closed the restaurant after a total run of more than 60 years.

Recently, his 43-year-old son Eric was attending a Giants game with friends, when the talk turned to classic San Francisco food. Eric was astounded that while so many people his age remembered Doggie Diner, few knew of The Hot House. He decided then and there that a whole new generation of San Franciscans deserved to know exactly why the place was so fondly remembered and what the excitement was all about. Juan, now in his late 70s, agreed to turn those classic recipes over to Eric, but with a clear understanding that they must never be given away.

As a trained chef with a culinary degree, Eric has now resurrected The Hot House menu and has started a once-per-month catering business, delivering food orders throughout the Bay Area from his home in San Mateo County for a reasonable price, plus a delivery fee. While the 80-year old recipes remain a family secret (I know. I tried unsuccessfully to get him to share the luscious enchilada sauce recipe with me), he and his family know the powerful draw of both food and nostalgia, and he hopes to bring back some lost memories for many of us.

His toughest challenge was rescaling ingredient proportions to yield a couple of hundred servings, rather than several thousand, because things like salt and spices tend to react differently when proportions are changedsometimes they are stronger than desired, and sometimes weaker. Eric laughs as he recalls his fathers recipes with measurements expressed not in cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, pinches, and dashes but rather barrels, sacks, pounds, gallons, and potsful. With his parents watching closely over his shoulder, Eric has now mastered the correct measures of ingredients that are required to create the precise taste and texture of the classic dishes, but in manageable quantitiesand his customers enthusiastically agree that he has done so to perfection as soon as they take that first bite.

Many of his loyal fans are known to schedule family get-togethers around Erics once-per-month delivery schedule for enchiladas, tamales, chili con carne, rice, and beans, and he is currently working on a business plan to expand the operation to include FedEx overnight deliveries packed in dry ice. Ultimately, this enthusiastic San Francisco native and graduate of Archbishop Riordan High School would like to resurrect The Hot House in a classic San Francisco neighborhood location, complete with some iconic Playland decor and memorabilia.

Just for the record, I recently took along a casserole filled with authentic enchiladas and sauce from The Hot House to share with two different groups of friends for pre- and post-Thanksgiving dinners. As we were eating, I could almost feel the ghosts of the past nudging me, as they reached down the long wooden counter for another slice of dark-bake sourdough French bread and a couple of pats of butter. The food and the company were excellent, as we all relived a few precious moments from our neighborhoods beloved culinary past, recalling the sights, sounds, and smells of dear old Playland.

For more info, contact Eric Faranda at hot.house28@yahoo.com or via his Facebook page, The Original Hot House From Playland.

Epilogue: So good was the food, and so memorable, that several times over the last few years, the WNP message boards have carried recipesall of them identified as being from The Hot House at Playlandthough just for the record, Eric Faranda laughs and responds with an emphatic, No, Not quite, to each of these drastically different versionsonly he knows the real secrets behind the sauce. Every single one of these allegedly authentic versions is simply the stuff of urban legend.

Like what youve just read? Click HERE to join and support WNP for just pennies a day, and enjoy more stories, podcasts, history walks, and vintage photos.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 08:50:58|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

ISLAMABAD, July 25 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people including five women and four children were killed and several others injured Friday night in Pakistan's eastern district of Rawalpindi in a shooting incident between two groups due to old enmity, local media reported.

The police told media that the clash escalated over murder of a women a few days ago in a nearby village.

The injured and the bodies have been shifted to hospital for treatment and postmortem, the police said.

Police officials have reached the spot and investigations were underway. The authorities said the police were following the incident and the culprits would be held accountable for it. Enditem






Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya was driving his Ferrari up to 110 mph before striking and dragging a motorcycle police officer in 2012. (AP)

BANGKOK, Thailand  Prosecutors in Thailand have dropped all charges against a Thai heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune who was accused of killing a Bangkok police officer in a 2012 car crash, officials said Friday.

Police Lt. Col. Thanawuth Sanguansuk confirmed that all charges against Vorayuth Yoovidhya have been dropped. The statute of limitations had run out for several, but the charge of causing death by reckless driving would not have expired for 15 years after the date of the crash.

The case attracted widespread attention because of perceptions that it showed the rich and well-connected have impunity in Thailands judicial system, which in recent years has also been criticized for alleged political bias, as have other state institutions.

Thanawuth said prosecutors who handled the case informed police last month of their decision to withdraw the last remaining charge.

Yes, they had informed us of their opinion to drop all charges. They are citing the fact the family members (of the police officer) have been compensated by Vorayuth's family, Thanawuth said.

Vorayuths family owns about half of the Red Bull empire, which was co-founded by his grandfather. Forbes magazines list of the richest families in Thailand places them second, with an estimated wealth of $20.2 billion.

Vorayuth, better known by his nickname Boss, was wanted in connection with the Sept. 3, 2012, accident that occurred when he was allegedly roaring down one of Bangkok's main streets at speeds of up to 177 kilometers (110 miles) per hour when his Ferrari struck and killed motorcycle policeman Sgt. Maj. Wichean Klunprasert.

Wichean and his mangled motorcycle were dragged by the Ferrari for several dozen yards before his body fell to the road. Police followed a trail of brake fluid to the Yoovidhya familys nearby property. The car, which they found there, had a shattered windshield and its bumper was dangling. At first, a chauffeur was blamed for the accident, but Vorayuth later admitted to being the driver. He turned himself in and was released on the equivalent of about $16,000 bail the same day.

Story continues

His lawyers managed to repeatedly put off any court appearances until April 2017, when a warrant was issued for his arrest a few days after he had left the country. His Thai passports were later revoked.

Despite the legal threats hanging over him, Vorayuth managed after the accident to lead a busy globetrotting life, flying in private Red Bull jets to attend Formula One races, go snowboarding in Japan and cruising in Venice, among other activities. His continuing jet-set lifestyle provoked widespread public anger when it was revealed by an Associated Press investigation.

Porn-anant Klunprasert, brother of the dead police officer, said in a phone call with The Associated Press that he signed a contract with the Yoovidhya family in 2012 in which the officer's survivors agreed not to file criminal and civil charges over the death in exchange for 3 million baht ($94,400) in compensation.

However, he expressed dismay over the decision of prosecutors to drop charges.

Many of my friends called to tell me that the state prosecutors have dropped the case, he said. "It hurts me a lot. It shows no justice for the poor. Thailand has a very wide gap between the rich and the poor in every aspect, and this case is a clear example.

At a news conference Friday, police spokesman Col. Krissana Pattanacharoen declared that the dropping of charges was done according to standard procedure and did not involve favoritism or double standards.

He said police had made known to the prosecutors the evidence they had collected and the results of their investigation, and the prosecutors made the decision to drop the charge, which police agreed with.

Krissana said Thai and Interpol arrest warrants were being canceled and news of the decision was already conveyed to the Yoovidhya family.

Sira Jenjaka, a lawmaker from the ruling Palang Pracharath party who heads the House of Representatives' Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice, and Human Rights, told reporters that representatives of the police and prosecutor's office will be summoned to explain the decision to drop charges.
The FBI has charged an individual with serving as an illegal agent of the Chinese government. Jun Wei Yeo pled guilty to all charges on July 24 in a federal district court in Washington, D.C.

Why it matters: The case comes amid a major Justice Department initiative to crack down on what it describes as widespread Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft in the U.S.

According to prosecutors, Yeo, who also goes by Dickson Yeo, worked as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government from around 2015 until November 2019.

"At the direction of Chinese intelligence operatives, the defendant targeted U.S. government employees and an Army officer to obtain information for the government of China. Mr. Yeo admits he set up a fake consulting company to further his scheme, looked for susceptible individuals who were vulnerable to recruitment, and tried to avoid detection by U.S. authorities," said Alan E. Kohler, Jr., assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division.

What they're saying: "The Chinese government uses an array of duplicity to obtain sensitive information from unsuspecting Americans, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said in a press release.

"Yeo was central to one such scheme, using career networking sites and a false consulting firm to lure Americans who might be of interest to the Chinese government. This is yet another example of the Chinese governments exploitation of the openness of American society."

Details: Yeo was charged with serving as an "illegal agent of a foreign power" under Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 951. That statute, what U.S. intelligence officials informally call "espionage lite," is the same statute under which Maria Butina was charged in 2018 for serving as an agent of a Russian government.

This is different from a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) violation, which falls under Title 22, Section 618. (Paul Manafort was charged under that statute, which is considered a less serious charge, in 2017.)

"The key difference is that 951 isn't about normal FARA activity like lobbying or public relations work. This statute is for borderline spies," said Ben Freeman, director of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative at the Center for International Policy. "The bottom line here is that the Department of Justice appears to believe Yeo was acting more as a spy than an unregistered lobbyist."

The backdrop: William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said in 2019 that the Chinese government was using LinkedIn "on a mass scale" to try to recruit current and former U.S. officials and others to provide information to agents acting under false names.

The bottom line: It is notoriously difficult to bring charges of serving as a foreign agent because prosecutors have to prove willful intent, meaning the individual knew about the law and chose to violate it. That is one reason why charges under both statutes are rare.
Event to feature renowned lung cancer experts Dr. David Gandara and Dr. Johannes Kratz



DetermaRx the first and only predictive test for early stage lung cancer continues to see commercial success following launch in January 2020

IRVINE, Calif., July 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oncocyte Corporation (NYSE American: OCX), a molecular diagnostics company with a mission to provide actionable answers at critical decision points across the cancer care continuum, today announced that it will host a webinar showcasing new data and real world usage of DetermaRx, the companys treatment stratification test that identifies patients with early-stage lung cancer at high risk for recurrence post-surgical resection who may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. DetermaRx is the only predictive molecular test for the management of early-stage lung cancer. The webinar will be held on Thursday, July 30th at 11:30am PDT and is open to both clinicians and investors.

This test was launched in January 2020 and has received Medicare coverage. The evidence supporting the clinical utility of DetermaRx in impacting patient outcomes in lung cancer resulted in the creation of a new class of predictive tests for Medicare coverage  DetermaRx is the first and only test in that category. More than 40 hospitals across the United States have adopted the test despite the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event will feature esteemed medical oncologist Dr. David Gandara, Director, Thoracic Oncology Program and Senior Advisor to Director, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Dr. Johannes Kratz, Director of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Thoracic Surgery and Van Auken Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). They will be showcasing expanded prospective data demonstrating clinical utility in identifying high-risk patients at risk of recurrence, and significant impact on disease-free survival from adjuvant chemotherapy guided by DetermaRx results. Data from real world usage of the test now available via 40 academic and community hospitals across the country will also be presented.

Dr. Gandara is a world-renowned medical oncologist and recognized thought leader in lung cancer molecular diagnostics, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications including influential papers in NEJM, JAMA and Nature. His research interests focus on developmental therapeutics of new anti-cancer agents as well as preclinical modeling and clinical research in lung cancer. He is the principal investigator on an Early Therapeutics award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where he leads an interdisciplinary team of clinical oncologists, pharmacologists, molecular biologists and statisticians in developing new anti-cancer agents in a variety of novel drug classes. He also leads a multispecialty team in the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), an NCI-funded national clinical research organization, in studies related to improving therapies for lung cancer and developing predictive biomarkers of therapeutic efficacy. Dr. Gandara received his M.D. from the University of Texas at Galveston and his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Kratz played a pivotal role in the development of DetermaRx during his time working with David M. Jablons, M.D. and Michael Mann, M.D. as a research fellow in the Thoracic Oncology Lab at UCSF. As Assistant Professor of Surgery and a Principal Investigator at UCSF, Dr. Kratz researches the genetic and immunological mechanisms that drive early-stage lung cancer, and his work has been published in leading medical journals including the Lancet, JAMA, and the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. Dr. Kratz has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Partners Healthcare Resident/Fellow as Teacher Award, Willard M. Daggett Award, Edward Churchill Surgical Research Fellowship, Wyeth Scholarship of the American College of Surgeons, John E. Thayer Scholarship Award, Howard Hughes Medical Fellows Program Continued Support Award, Howard Hughes Medical Student Research Fellowship, and designation as a Soma Weiss Scholar. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School and holds a Masters in Philosophy from Stanford.

Webinar Information

Date and Time: Thursday, July 30th 11:30am-12:30pm PDT

Register in advance:

https://oncocyte.zoom.us/webinar/register/7015948511568/WN_KKKgb05ATHSuIF2CptyTlg

About Oncocyte Corporation

Oncocyte is a molecular diagnostics company whose mission is to provide actionable answers at critical decision points across the cancer care continuum, with the goal of improving patient outcomes by accelerating and optimizing diagnosis and treatment. The Company recently launched DetermaRx, a treatment stratification test that enables the identification of early-stage lung cancer patients at high risk for recurrence post-resection, allowing them to be treated when their cancer may be more responsive to adjuvant chemotherapy. Oncocyte is also developing DetermaIO, a gene expression test that identifies patients more likely to respond to checkpoint immunotherapies.

DetermaRx and DetermaIO are trademarks of Oncocyte Corporation.

Oncocyte Forward Looking Statements

Oncocyte cautions you that this press release contains forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, and similar expressions) are forward-looking statements. These statements include those pertaining to the commercial launch of DetermaRx, development of DetermaIO, unexpected expenditures or assumed liabilities or other unanticipated difficulties resulting from acquisitions, implementation and results of research, development, clinical trials and studies, commercialization plans, future financial and/or operating results, and future opportunities for Oncocyte, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the potential impact of COVID-19 on our financial and operational results, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential diagnostic tests or products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, the capacity of our third-party supplied blood sample analytic system to provide consistent and precise analytic results on a commercial scale, potential interruptions to our supply chain, the need and ability to obtain future capital, maintenance of intellectual property rights, and the need to obtain third party reimbursement for patients use of any diagnostic tests we commercialize, and risks inherent in acquisitions such as failure to realize anticipated benefits, unexpected expenditures or assumed liabilities, unanticipated difficulties in conforming business practices including accounting policies, procedures and internal controls, greater than estimated allocations of resources to develop and commercialize technologies, or failure to maintain any laboratory accreditation or certification. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and accordingly such statements should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of Oncocyte, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors and other cautionary statements found in Oncocytes Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available from the SECs website. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they were made. Oncocyte undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.

Investor Contact

Bob Yedid

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

646-597-6989

bob@lifesciadvisors.com
A Northern Ireland cinema boss has voiced his disappointment after Disney pulled three major releases due to coronavirus.

With many cinemas screening old classics to make up the dwindling numbers, a much anticipated live-action remake of Mulan has been removed from the schedules after it was set for a release at the end of August.

Disney has also delayed the release of the latest sequels to Star Wars and Avatar by an entire year.

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Michael McAdam from Movie House Cinemas has now called for studio bosses to show flexibility on how big pictures are released.

The chain welcomed customers back to their cinemas this month at Yorkgate and Glengormley in Belfast, Maghera and Coleraine.

"We are so disappointed that yet more new movies have been delayed," he said.

"We reopened on July 14 and are showing a mix of new, recent and classic movies, and people are enjoying the socially distanced cinema experience.

"We've been delighted to be able to show new movies such as the Blumhouse movie The Vigil and Lucy Liu drama Stage Mother, and are looking forward to Russell Crowe in Unhinged.

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"But we desperately need the major distributors to start releasing the big blockbusters. We urge them to consider European release dates rather than waiting for a worldwide release."

Factors like a rise in Covid-19 cases in the United States and a disruption to film production around the world have created an uncertain market even as cinemas start to reopen.

A Disney spokesperson said: "It's become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis. Today that means pausing our release plans for Mulan as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world."

While cinemas in Northern Ireland were allowed to reopen from July 14, and July 4 in England, major chains in the United States have pushed back their opening dates until at least mid-August.

Disney's announcement is the latest in a series of release delays from major studios.

Avatar and Titanic director James Cameron also confirmed this week that all production has shut down on a further three Avatar sequels, meaning the five film franchise will not be finished until Christmas 2028.

"Due to Covid-19, we were forced into an unexpected lengthy delay in starting the live action filming we are currently doing in New Zealand," he said.

"What most of you likely do not know is that the pandemic is still preventing us from being allowed to recommence most of our virtual production work on stages in Los Angeles. That work is just as critical to the films as the live action work.

"Prior to Covid-19, everything was on track to bring you the first sequel in December of 2021. Unfortunately, due to the impact that the pandemic has had on our schedule it is no longer possible for us to make that date."

Other notable delays in this year's blockbuster calendar include Christopher Nolan's Sci-fi thriller Tenet, which Warner Bros had hoped would lure crowds back to cinemas for the big screen experience.

Not all films have been pushed back a year, however, with Belfast-born director Sir Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile delayed only two weeks to October 23.
July 23, 2020, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados  Critically needed personal protective equipment (PPE) is on its way to medical workers on the front lines of the Caribbeans COVID-19 pandemic response.

Yesterday, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) took delivery of the majority of US$3 million worth of PPE at the Port of Bridgetown. CDB procured and purchased the equipment with concessional resources through the Banks Special Development Fund.

Speaking at the event, President, Dr Wm Warren Smith reiterated the Banks commitment to helping its Borrowing Member Countries to cope with the effects of COVID-19.

The coming months are likely to be particularly challenging, given the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19. Helping our Borrowing Member Countries to build resilience against shocks like COVID-19 remains high on CDBs development agenda, stated Dr Smith.

In her welcome remarks, Executive Director (ag.) of CDEMA, Elizabeth Riley shared the work the agency has done to establish the regional hub that will be used to distribute the PPE to 13 other Caribbean countries.

To support our Participating States, CDEMA has established an Integrated Regional Logistics Hub in Barbados, which serves as a primary repository and transhipment point for COVID-19 related relief supplies and aids the coordination of humanitarian logistics. This critical and timely support from the Caribbean Development Bank will strengthen the capacity of our Participating States in times of greatest need, noted Riley.

Cooperation between key regional partners was central to being able to source and distribute the equipment in the face of the intense competition for PPE, once the global pandemic started severely affecting many countries.

In light of such competition, CDB purchased the equipment on a pooled basis so that each beneficiary country could take advantage of economies of scale.

At the agency level, Barbados Port Inc. (BPI) agreed to offer warehousing facilities at the Port of Bridgetown to facilitate the storage, sorting and repacking of the equipment. BPI also agreed to the waiver of associated port charges.

In his address, Barbados Minister of the Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, Honourable Kirk Humphrey, noted that recent improvements in port operations aligned with BPIs vision of becoming a regional logistics hub.

The Port is becoming a lot more digital we are working with the Caribbean Development Bank on the [development of a] port community system as well as we transform the way we do business. This is a good time to make the Bridgetown Port your integrated regional logistic hub, stated Minister Humphrey.

Further cooperation came from the Pan American Health Organization and the Caribbean Public Health Agency, which worked closely with national governments to identify their PPE needs and provide guidance on what goods should be supplied.

The shipments include 35,000 protective suits, 111,000 isolation gowns, over 67,000 goggles, 250,000 protective gloves and 160,000 masks.

CDB also partnered with Crown Agents out of the United Kingdom to secure the equipment which was sourced from providers in Germany and China.

The PPE will go to Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Prince Andrew was spotted leaving his home in Windsor this morning just days after he was snubbed from the official photos from his daughter Princess Beatrice's secret wedding.

The shamed royal, who was seen driving in his black Land Rover accompanied by a security guard, has only been spotted three times since his daughter's wedding last Friday.

Beatrice married Italian property developer Edo Mapelli Mozzi in a surprise ceremony at All Saints Chapel on Friday, later releasing pictures alongside the Queen and Prince Philip.

Prince Andrew was spotted leaving his home in Windsor this morning just days after he was snubbed from the official photos from his daughter Princess Beatrice's secret wedding

However, her father the Duke of York was notably absent, after coming under fire for his links to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was arrested for her role in allegedly procuring young girls for the financier.

Andrew was spotted driving himself from the Royal Lodge this afternoon, just days after Beatrice, 31, and Edo, 37, tied the knot.

He was conspicuously missing from a series of wedding photos released by the happy couple in the days following the ceremony.

The shamed royal, who was seen driving in his black Land Rover accompanied by a security guard, has only been spotted three times since his daughter's wedding last Friday

The Duke is currently being called to help the FBI with their investigation of Ghislaine Maxwell.

His six-month standoff with the FBI deepened after Maxwell was detained for allegedly helping to lure underage girls who were then sexually abused by Epstein.

Her arrest in Bradford, New Hampshire, intensified calls for Andrew to be quizzed about any involvement he may have had, despite him denying wrongdoing.

He has also denied claims by Virginia Roberts, Epstein's sex slave, that he slept with her on several occasions.

The royal put his legal troubles aside for the wedding, as a source revealed daughter Beatrice isolated with her family 'for some time', in order for her father to be able to walk her down the aisle.

Princess Beatrice tied the knot to Italian property developer Edo Mapelli Mozzi in a surprise ceremony on Friday, releasing pictures alongside the Queen and Prince Philip on Saturday - but the shamed Duke of York was notably absent

The couple opted to have a small ceremony with roughly 20 people in line with social distancing guidelines, and in order to shield the Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, who are in the vulnerable category.

Stunning photos show Beatrice and Edo posing standing in the flower-adorned arch of the Royal Chapel of All Saints, in the grounds of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's home of Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park after the ceremony.

However, the Duke is not in the photos, with the Queen and Prince Philip standing at a suitable social distance from the happy couple in another photo.

The clandestine nature of the hastily arranged nuptials meant the Queen's beleaguered son was spared appearing in public.

Notably Prince Andrew is not in the photos, with the Queen and Prince Philip standing at a suitable social distance from the happy couple in another photo. The Queen looked resplendent in a turquoise suit dress and matching hat, wearing her beloved pearl necklace for the occasion.

Family friends insisted the secretive nature of the wedding was not down to Andrew's issues over the Epstein scandal.

Andrew was also seen driving away from Royal Lodge the day after his daughter's nuptials.

He was wearing a rugby-style jersey emblazoned with the Order of the Garter motto: Honi soit qui maly pense  meaning 'May he be shamed who thinks badly of it'

It comes as it was claimed Andrew discussed the Queen Mother while having a massage on the island home of his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein.

Princess Beatrice isolated with Prince Andrew and her family at their home in Windsor Park's Great Lodge 'for some time', an insider has claimed

According to Heidi Windel, an adult masseuse hired in 1999 to give him the treatment during a stay at Little St James in the US Virgin Islands, the Prince said that he and his grandmother both had the 'gift of the gab'.

Ms Windel also claims that Andrew joked with her that he had been bitten on his backside by a mosquito.

The masseuse, who is now 75, told Air Mail, a newsletter written by former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, that Ghislaine Maxwell asked her to set up a massage table in one of the cottages on the 75-acre island.

Ms Windel recalled: 'I went to the door to let Lady Maxwell know I was ready and in comes a man, hand outstretched, who says, ''Hi, I'm Andrew.''

'When the massage was over he got very chatty and had me in stitches talking about the errant mosquito that had evaded its net the night before and bitten his ''royal a**e''.'

Heidi Windel, now 75, claimed to have given several non-sexual massages to the Duke of York when she was working on Jeffrey Epstein's Caribbean island (above)

Ms Windel said Prince Andrew then told her 'that his grandmother and him both had the gift of gab' before thanking her for a 'smashing' massage. However, the masseuse said that she did not like Maxwell, who was last week denied bail by a court in New York, where she denied sex trafficking and perjury offences.

'She had a superior attitude, very much in charge, ice-cold,' Ms Windel said.

She added: 'The staff was really subordinated to her: it was always 'Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am'  never any discussion.'

Virginia Roberts, one of Epstein's victims, claims that she was coerced into having sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions, including on Little St James in 2001.

The Prince has vehemently and repeatedly denied her claims and any wrongdoing.

Epstein's home in Palm Beach, Florida, where the American billionaire financier abused a succession of teenage girls, has been targeted by protesters, who have scrawled 'Gone but not forgiven' on the gates in red paint.
Best Sunglasses for Your Face Shape

These Are the Best Sunglass Styles for Every Face Shape

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

With additions by Barret Wertz

When it comes to a great outfit, its all about the details. A great top and bottom combo can draw all the right kinds of attention but its the smaller pieces  a flashy pair of sneakers, a beautiful watch  that can really draw an ensemble together. Even still, after all that theres no better way to lock down a great fit than with the perfect pair of perfect sunglasses.

RELATED: Black-Owned Retailers and Services Directory

Not only are they a pretty necessary accessory for the summer or ski season (its bright out there), they can also draw a look together in a way few accessories can. While jeans, jackets and T-shirts can play up your bodys best features when styled right, sunglasses do the same for your face  and thats just as crucial an area to accentuate in all the best ways.

However, finding the right pair can be tricky. A great pair of sunglasses cant just match your outfit, they also have to frame your face properly, and figuring that out can be a real struggle if you dont know what to look for.

The first step in picking out the perfect pair of sunglasses is to figure out how your face is shaped from your forehead down to your jawline. Doing so requires taking into consideration the shape of your jawline, forehead and the proportions of your face itself, but ultimately there are four general variations: square, ovular, round and triangular. Each is going to work best with a different general shape of glasses and sunglasses alike.

Heres a breakdown of how to determine which category you fall under and which frame shape will yield the best sunglasses for your face shape. (For the record, this applies to eyeglasses as well.)

Best Sunglasses for an Oval Face Shape

Graeme Shorten Adams

Great news: if your face is an oval face shape  meaning a little bit longer than it is wide and with a rounded jaw and forehead  the world of sunglasses is your oyster. People with oval-shaped faces can generally pull off any shape of sunglasses. It may be wise to avoid ones that are perfect circular as they wont flatter your face quite as well as others, but otherwise you can go with anything: squared-off wayfarers, aviators, anything youd like.

If theres anything wed advise, its that you not take that versatility for granted. Instead of sticking with a timeless classic, consider going out of your comfort zone with a weirder, less conventional style of shades. Square frame? Yes. Rectangular frame? Sure. Angular frame? Absolutely. Cat eye frame? Why the hell not? Having an oval face shape that allows you to pull off anything is a great excuse to, well, try to pull off anything.

We recommend these sunglass styles:

State Optical Co. Lincoln Sunglasses

Simple, stylish, and just retro enough, these all American made sunglasses will look good for years to come.

$429 at StateOpticalCo.com

Raen Bastien

These are classic in black, but we love the cirus and brushed sunshine gold.

$195 at Raen.com

Bally Roy Sunglasses

A bold, geometric shape crafted of tortoiseshell acetate? Yes please.

$235 at Bally.com

Best Sunglasses for a Round Face Shape

Graeme Shorten Adams

First of all, lets clarify what a round face is, because it doesnt mean that your head is a perfect circle. A round face has far more to do with proportion than a total lack of angles (though generally round faces have smoother features). If your faces height is roughly equal to its width and your cheekbones arent particularly visible, youve got a round face.

Rounder faces are going to be best served by playing against their shape. If youve been thinking about picking up some John Lennon-style circular frames you may want to take a minute to reconsider. Round shades arent going to accentuate your features nearly as well as other frames will.

RELATED: Best Sunglasses for Men on Amazon

Your sweet spot is going to come with more angular glasses. Rectangles and squares are going to serve to balance out your features and frame your face far better than rounder shades can. Squares are ideal but rectangles can work just as well. Round faces are also the rare exception to the dont buy glasses wider than your face rule. As such, go big or go home.

We recommend these sunglass styles:

Warby Parker Abe

Warby Parker makes it easy to try glasses on at home and get any type of prescription you want.

From $145 at WarbyParker.com

Persol Polarized Sunglasses

Designed and crafted in Italy, Persol has long been a favorite among celebrities and influencers alike.

$339 at Macys.com

Cutler and Gross Sticky Sunglasses

If fortune favors the bold, just imagine your fate in these sunglasses that are anything but subtle.

$510 at CutlerandGross.com

Best Sunglasses for a Square Face Shape

Graeme Shorten Adams

Square faces are largely determined by the jaw, hairline, forehead, and strikingly sharp angles. A person with a square face will have an angled, straight jawline and usually a relatively straight hairline as well. Square faces also tend to have straight, high cheekbones.

Much like square glasses balance out the features of round faces, rounder glasses are going to do the same for a square face, adding softer lines and angles to a defined jaw and cheekbones. While circular glasses are going to go over well, theyre by no means the only ones that should be considered. Its fine to go with a frame that has rectangular proportions  just make sure that the angles are softer and feature curved edges rather than harsh pivots like those of a Wayfarer.

Square faces, like round ones, are also generally able to pull off larger frames. They shouldnt dwarf your face entirely but its okay to go a little bit outside of your faces width with these.

We recommend these sunglass styles:

Bold Dots Madison Sunglasses

This round frame has a subtle edge to look chic and cool.

$155 at Bold-Dots.com

Maui Jim Nautilus

Maui Jim owns the beachy sunglasses scene, and its no wonder with its Maui Pure advanced plano lens material PolarizedPlus2 lenses.

$329.99 at TommyBahama.com

Moscot Grunya Sunglasses

Tousle your hair and wear your best Breton striped shirt to make these thick, round, black acetate shades take on a vintage French-inspired vibe.

$300 at Moscot.com

Best Sunglasses for a Triangle Face Shape

Graeme Shorten Adams

Triangular faces, also referred to as "heart shaped" and an oblong face shape, have a wider forehead and more narrow towards the jaw  like a triangle. Theyre likely to have a higher, curved hairline, and a sharper pointed chin with defined jawlines, and angular cheekbones. Unlike square and round faces, playing against the natural shape of your face isnt the right move if you have an oblong one. Play into it instead.

Style like the aviator  frames that are similarly wide towards the top and then descend into a smaller width at the bottom  are going to be your best bet. These glasses will play up your cheekbones and the natural slope of your face in the best way. Aviators arent the only space you can play in, though. Anything that applies to those proportions  wider up top, narrower at the bottom  is going to work for you, even if the bottom is still on the wider side.

The aviator style, made iconic by Tom Cruise's Maverick in Top Gun are a must-have if shopping for the style.

We recommend these sunglass styles:

Ray-Ban Classic Aviator Sunglasses

Everyone should own these sunglasses. Everyone.

$154 at Amazon.com

Etnia Barcelona The Observed Sun

Lighten up the mood with this take on the aviator.

$285 at EtniaBarcelona.com

Tom Ford Ronan Sunglasses

There is an appreciated eccentricity in sunglasses by Tom Ford, and these toe the line between classic and contemporary seamlessly.

$750 at NeimanMarcus.com

Finding the perfect pair of sunglasses can be a struggle, but when armed with the right knowledge, the process can run much more smoothly. A pair that frames your face well and brings out the best in your features  while also protecting your eyes from the harsh sunlight of course  can be so much more than an accessory. The right pair can be the ultimate summer wardrobe essential.

Product photos from retailer site.

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The Minority in Parliament has described the mid-year review of the 2020 budget statement by the Finance Minister as another manifesto promise that offers no hope in alleviating the suffering of the ordinary Ghanaian.

It said the announcement by Mr Ken Ofori-Atta that the President would soon launch the GH100-billion Coronavirus Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises Support (CARES) programme from 2020 to 2021 to recreate the economy was only a mere manifesto promise.





Clearly, this is not the time for the Finance Minister to announce this programme, as it is a manifesto pledge and the mid-year review document is not for manifestos, the Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, said.



Speaking to journalists after the Finance Ministers presentation of the mid-year budget review, Mr Forson said: Mid-year review is for the Finance Minister to review the existing budget and not for him to come and read to us a new budget.



He was not only reading a new budget; what he has done means that he has actually introduced a manifesto promise into official documents and we urge the ordinary Ghanaian to be mindful that this mid-year review brings about nothing, he said.





He also urged Ghanaians not to be swayed by the governments intention to reduce the communications service tax (CST) from nine per cent to five per cent, saying that it is the same administration that increased the CST, in the first place.



No accountability



Mr Forson, who is the NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, said the government had spent GH11.1 billion on COVID-19 expenditures this year, without giving Ghanaians a breakdown of how the money was expended.



We had thought the Finance Minister would use this golden opportunity to provide Ghanaians a breakdown of what the GH11.1 billion was being used for, but he did not, he said.



He indicated that the original 2020 budget had stated that the government would borrow an additional GH18 billion, but the Finance Minister only appeared in Parliament to tell Ghanaians that the government would rather borrow GH44 billion this year.



This means that by the end of 2020, Ghanas public debt will be approximately GH280 billion, from the GH120 billion the government inherited. This means that the public debt will be 74 to 76 per cent of GDP, he said.



The MP pointed out that the government also intended to borrow an additional GH16 billion from the domestic market, as contained on page 112 of the mid-year review document, saying: What is happening is scary.



He noted that in spite of the fact that multilateral institutions had decided to hold on to the debt Ghana had to pay from 2020 to 2021, the government had projected that it would spend another GH4.5 billion on the already GH20 billion plus as interest payment.



This means that Ghanas interest payment will increase by GH4.5 billion, obviously as a result of the governments reckless attempts to borrow, and this is unacceptable.



You cannot, as a government, come to office with the public debt amounting to about GH120 billion and increase it to GH280 billion, with very little to show when the government has had resources in excess of GH300 billion at its disposal, he said.



NDC impossibilities



In reaction, the Government Spokesperson on Finance, Mr Dan Okyem Aboagye, said the opposition NDC had never believed in any good work the government had promised to initiate to better the lot of Ghanaians.



For instance, he said, when the then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo promised free senior high school education and the payment of allowances to trainee teachers and nurses, the NDC described those promises as impossible.



So the NDC is a government of impossibilities; they do not expect us to be capable of doing anything we say we will do and they will never provide any constructive alternative solutions, the NPP MP for Bantama said.



With the government desiring to have a deficit of 11 per cent plus of GDP, he said, it was the incumbent government which, in December 2018, passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act to restrain excessive spending, especially during election periods, to ensure fiscal discipline.









Source: Daily Graphic









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ALBANY, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for federal probes into New Yorks ejection from trusted traveler security programs Friday, claiming it was an illegal act of political abuse by Trump administration officials.

The Democratic governors charge came a day after Republican President Donald Trumps administration reversed itself and told a court it had misrepresented the facts in a lawsuit over the programs that allow vetted travelers to avoid long security lines at airports. The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that New Yorkers would once again be allowed to enroll and re-enroll in Global Entry and other federal travel programs.

They got caught. It was all politics all the time. It was all exploitation all the time, an irate-sounding Cuomo told reporters at a briefing.

He said the move increased congestion at airports this year at the same time the coronavirus was spreading from Europe.

It is illegal what they did, he said.

Cuomo called for investigations by Attorney General William Barr and congressional Democrats, adding that the state will seek civil damages from the DHS. The governor singled out DHS acting Secretary Chad Wolf and acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli for scorn.

I believe Mr. Wolf and Mr. Cuccinelli have possible criminal liability. I believe there is civil liability. It was a clear abuse of government power for political purposes, he said.

The Trump administration in February said it was booting New York from the programs because a newly enacted state law allowing unauthorized immigrants to get drivers licenses had cut off some federal access to state motor vehicle records.

But in a court filing Thursday, federal attorneys representing the DHS disclosed that federal officials had misled the court about some key facts. For instance, the administration had incorrectly claimed that New Yorks policy limiting access to criminal history information found in motor vehicle records was unique among the states.

Several states plus Washington, D.C., also dont provide access to driving history information, the lawyers wrote. And yet all of those states, including California, were allowed to remain in the program.

Sen. Charles Schumer on Friday separately asked for an investigation by the DHSs inspector general due to potential violations of criminal law.

A Department of Justice spokesperson said the agency had no comment on the request for an investigation. An email was sent to the DHS seeking comment.

In its readmittance announcement Thursday, DHS officials said while New York amended its law to restore some federal access, its still antithetical to the agencys mission and data access policies.

Nonetheless, local New York law continues to maintain provisions that undermine the security of the American people and purport to criminalize information sharing between law enforcement entities, Wolf said.
BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory Saturday renewed a yellow alert for high temperatures, as a heat wave has engulfed most parts of the country.

On Saturday, parts of Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Liaoning, Hebei and Xinjiang are expected to see temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center said.

In some of these regions, temperatures may reach as high as 37 to 39 degrees Celsius, or even hit over 40 degrees Celsius, the center said.

The center said workers exposed to high temperatures should take protective measures.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
In his words: "I am just a professional writer, which means I don't do blogs and try and get money for whatever I write."

The objection is that the terms associate mass murder with Islam and that gives rise to Islamophobia and racism

The Islamist attacks in India were, in all instances, politically motivated  spreading terror in the name of a neighbouring state. AFP Photo

OF CABBAGES AND KINGS

You worship the sun 

A mass of nuclear explosions?

Your Moon is just a lump of mud

So Bachchoo, rid yourself of notions

 there are no pictures in the sky

Only Bundles of burning gases

They dont determine human fates

Only the fates of asses.

 From Lady Chatterjees Lover by Bachchoo

The UK police are contemplating dropping their descriptions of the acts of terrorists who shout slogans such as Allah hoo Akbar as they perpetrate them as Islamist. They have been urged by the Muslim Police Organisation to drop the term jihadi when describing these criminals.

Over the years, after any such outrage is perpetrated  as in the stabbings near London bridge, the suicide bomb attack on a concert in Manchester, the vehicle driven to kill people on Westminster bridge  the police have classified it as Islamist terror.

The objection is that the terms associate mass murder with Islam and that gives rise to Islamophobia and racism.

I must admit that I have used the terms Islamist and Islamicist myself in writing about terror incidents perpetrated by individuals who profess to be following the dictates of Islam and aim at martyrdom through mass murder.

In recent days attention has focussed on these terms as the trial of a Jamaican convert-turned-preacher from East London who calls himself Abdul Al-Faisal is accused of lecturing to 11-year-old Muslim boys that they should devote themselves to acquire Kalashnikovs to fight for Islam and become Jihadis. He is accused in court of attempting to convince children that they should die in the cause by killing infidels and that would buy them a pass to paradise.

Even last week Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, a 39-year-old who worked as a chicken-shop salesman, was jailed for 25 years for plotting attacks on potential targets that included a gay pride parade and the wax-figure museum Madame Tussauds.

This same fellow had in August 2017 slashed police officers with a sword outside Buckingham Palace, but British justice at a retrial acquitted him of a terror offence after his lawyers claimed he was depressed and wanted to be shot dead. His sentence was shortened.

Police found charts pinned to his bedroom door of his plans for when he arrived in heaven  including meeting wives and decorating his main palace. He said in his notes that he would keep two of the 72 houris in the first place with him and the other 70 would presumably be kept in reserve.

Calling this fantasist a jihadi or indeed an Islamist terrorist is an offence against all notation. The poor fellow is obviously a dangerous lunatic and should have been treated as such under British law.

When I used the term Islamist, gentle reader, I sincerely thought of the adjective setting the subject apart from any connotation of the word Islamic. I am no theologian and have no acquaintance with the eschatology of Islam but am assured by every decent scholar of Islam that nowhere in the Quran or in the Hadith is there any injunction to seek martyrdom through the random murder of innocent people.

Yes, we have seen terrorist activity in several continents, from even before 9-11, which has claimed the lives of people, some of them Muslims, going about their business with no taint of infidelity or enmity towards Islam.

The Islamist attacks in India were, in all instances, politically motivated  spreading terror in the name of a neighbouring state. In Britain, America and Europe, they are acts of death-cultists who follow the ideology of Osama (Fish be upon him!) or Big Daddy Baghdadi, the founder of Daesh.

I am proud to say that in writing about these murderers I havent used any allusion to Islam. I referred to them as the brain-dead death-cultists deliberately dissociating them from Islam. Calling them mentally challenged in any legal forum would afford them, in British law, the status of not being responsible for their actions and that would give their lawyers a loophole to plead for clemency.

History makes us aware that no religions, or the followers of religions, are free from the taint of violence. The Romans and Greeks had Gods of war; Christians and Muslims fought crusades for territory; Hindus certainly used religious slogans in their wars; Zoroastrians, in the imperial eras, conquered in the name of Ahura Mazda and only very recently the Buddhists of Myanmar perpetrated genocide against the Rohingya Muslims.

In the theological urgings of most religions (with the exception of Buddhism) there can be found injunctions to spread the word of God or the particular faith to which the believer belongs. But there is no justification, I am assured, in any interpretation of Islam, for the random murder of masses of innocent people (or even a single such person) as a ticket to paradise and 72 virgins.

So there is, gentle reader, a strong argument, not in grammar but in sentiment, for dropping the word Islam from an association with such perpetrators.

Having said that, I remain sceptical about the efficacy of the change of words and spellings as effective radical action.

Some, whom I would refer to as linguistic revolutionaries dont, in my humble view, further their own cause by devoting their time to outlawing words.

Changing the spelling of women to wimmin has achieved less for feminism than those who demanded and won votes for women in Britain.

Having said that, I am in no way against the purging of offensive references and nomenclature from, say, childrens literature.

That sensitivity is justified as safeguarding infant minds from racial insult.

In Britain the suggested alternative to Islamist is faith-claimed terrorism. Its a clumsy phrase and even if its implemented in the UK, the sensitivity that brought about the change wont spread to, say, the USA.

As far as the Indian police are concerned, I doubt if they use the phrase Islamist at all. Their description of terrorists probably involves adjectives which refer to the terrorists mothers and sisters.
Protests against racial injustice continued around the nation Saturday with tense situations unfolding in cities including Austin, Texas, Louisville, Kentucky, Seattle, Washington, Aurora, Colorado, Oakland, California, and Chicago, Illinois.

In Louisville two opposing, heavily armed militia groups came within a few dozen yards of each of other, but avoided violence. In Seattle, the city's police declared a riot, citing "ongoing damage and public safety risks." In Austin, authorities say one person was shot to death at a downtown protest. And in Chicago, pro-police and anti-police groups yelled at each other, but parted peacefully following a Back the Blue protest.

The ongoing protests come as federal agents deploy to major cities in a "surge" President Donald Trump says is aimed at curbing gun violence. That involvement is sparking backlash from both protesters and local officials.

In some areas of the country, marches were held in support of police. Among them: In San Angelo, Texas, hundreds of people showed up Saturday to participate in the Back the Blue walk in a show of support for law enforcement officers.

More developments this weekend:

In Oakland, a fire was ignited inside the Alameda County Superior Courthouse during protests late Saturday, police say.

Seattle police are reporting ongoing conflict with protesters. One officer was hospitalized "with leg injury caused by an explosive" and at least 25 people have been arrested, the city's police tweeted Saturday evening.

In Louisville, police confirmed Saturday that three members of a Black militia were struck by gunfire when someones gun discharged while participating in a demonstration Saturday.

A judge on Friday denied a request to restrict federal agents' actions when they arrest people during nightly protests. The order was sought last week by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum over federal agents' actions in Portland.

Story continues

Here's a look at what's happening today:

Louisville

Two opposing, heavily armed militia groups came within a few dozen yards of each of other in downtown Louisville on Saturday in a tense standoff that ended without violence, but marked an escalation after two months of ongoing protests over the police shooting of a Black woman.

More than 300 members of the Atlanta-based Black militia NFAC, or "Not F**king Around Coalition came to Louisville demanding justice for 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, an ER technician who was fatally shot by officers in March.

The group came close to 50 far-right Three Percenter militia members, who were also heavily armed. Police kept the sides apart and tensions eventually dissipated. Both militias had said they wanted to avoid violence.

Cries of "Black lives matter" were heard through downtown. One man yelled Dont fire unless youre fired upon.

Police confirmed three members of the NFAC were struck by gunfire when someones gun discharged while participating in a demonstration Saturday. All three victims went to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. There are no suspects at this time, police said.

The demonstrations follow a Friday protest where 76 people were arrested after setting up an impromptu block part and blocking off Market Street downtown. The protest had been organized as a March for Freedom, and activists listed demands for business owners, including hiring a more proportionate number of Black workers.

The protests come as pressure builds on Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron as his office investigates the killing of Taylor, who was unarmed in her apartment when Louisville police shot her one night in March. Black Lives Matter activists are among those demanding that the officers be charged in the death.

Chicago

Days after Trump announced the deployment of additional federal agents to Chicago, several protests took place there Saturday.

On the citys West Side, dozens of people joined a youth-led Love March to remember victims of gun violence and call for the defunding of the Chicago Police Department.

Downtown, dozens of pro-police protesters  many not wearing face masks  gathered for a Back the Blue rally at the former site of one of the citys two Christopher Columbus statues, which were temporarily taken down early Friday following a violent encounter between police and protesters there the week before.

Counter-protesters gathered across the street as dozens of officers on bikes stood between the groups, who occasionally clashed in brief scuffles.

Saturday evening, a youth-led protest against ICE merged with a Black Lives Matter rally calling for the defunding of police.

Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters march through downtown Chicago as a stream of unmarked cars filled with police officers drives along with them. pic.twitter.com/bmnp78lxeG  Grace Hauck (@grace_hauck) July 25, 2020

Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef, an activist and South Side resident who organized the Black Lives Matter protest, said the protesters were calling on the city to decrease the police departments $1.8 billion budget and instead invest in mental health services, public schools, housing and small businesses.

The hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Chicago  under "L" train tracks and through cars  for several hours, holding signs that said DHS agents not welcome and chanting the names Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

One of Chicagos bridges, along Michigan Avenue, was seen lifted Saturday night  reminiscent of when bridges were lifted at the end of May amid protests and looting downtown. The mayors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about why it was lifted.

By 10 p.m. CDT Saturday, about a hundred remaining protesters gathered back at the site of the former Columbus statue, where the pro-police rally had taken place earlier in the day.

We dont have to fight to be heard, said Lamar Whitfield, a South Side resident, after five hours of peaceful marching. Its easy to get in a fight, but thats not the way we will be heard. We have to speak.

Austin

At least one person was killed in a shooting in downtown Austin, Texas, on Saturday night in the midst of a Black Lives Matter protest, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.

According to a Facebook Live video recorded by a protester during the hours-long march, car honking could be heard before eight gunshots were unleashed. Several screaming protesters immediately took cover.

Police said the suspect is in custody and cooperating with officials.

Oakland

A fire was ignited inside the Alameda County Superior Courthouse late Saturday as hundreds in Oakland gathered to protest racial injustice.

Oakland Police tweeted that agitators at the demonstration broke down barricades, vandalized the police station and assaulted officers with fireworks and dangerous projectiles.

Several people were arrested, according to police.

Portland

On Friday, thousands of people gathered in the streets hours after a U.S. judge denied Oregons request to restrict federal agents actions when they arrest people during protests that have roiled the city and pitted local officials against the Trump administration.

A persistent crowd of protesters remained outside the federal courthouse into the early hours of Saturday as fireworks were shot at the building and plumes of tear gas, dispensed by U.S. agents, lingered above. One person was stabbed and taken to the hospital, police said. A suspect is in custody.

Also Friday, the District of Oregon U.S. Attorneys Office announced that 18 protesters will face federal charges, including assaulting federal officers and failing to comply with a lawful order.

For two months since the death of George Floyd, protests in Portland have been ongoing and tensions have recently escalated after unnamed federal agents in unmarked vehicles began arresting protesters. Recently on Wednesday, Mayor Ted Wheeler was tear-gassed by federal officers along with a large crowd after he tried for hours to calm angry activists demanding police reform.

Seattle

The Seattle Police Department declared a riot Saturday, reporting crowds throwing rocks at officers, multiple fires and damage to businesses.

"Due to the ongoing damage and public safety risks associated with this incident, SPD is declaring it a riot," the department tweeted late Saturday afternoon.

Seattle's protesters had begun the rally and march over racial injustices Saturday afternoon peacefully. Thousands of protesters gathered near downtown Seattle in a show of solidarity with fellow demonstrators in Portland, Oregon, where tensions with federal law enforcement have boiled over.

Initially there was no sign of law enforcement near the march. Later, Seattle Police said via Twitter that about a dozen people breached the construction site for the King County youth detention facility. Also, police said protesters broke out windows at a King County court facility.

The Department of Homeland Security has dispatched a team of officers to Seattle as a precaution against a new round of protests expected this weekend, as the federal government's law enforcement footprint continues to expand in major U.S. cities.

Authorities said the number of officers, about a dozen, does not compare with the more than 100 dispatched to Portland, where demonstrations against police brutality have continued since the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

With additional demonstrations planned Saturday and Sunday, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan appealed for protesters to reject the violence and destruction that marred public displays Sunday and Wednesday.

Richmond

Richmond Police declared an unlawful assembly late Saturday night, after protesters gathered outside of its headquarters downtown.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, after the declaration was announced, some protesters smashed windows of dump trucks that had been used to block off the area near police headquarters. One protester set one of the dump trucks on fire, police said.

According to the Times-Dispatch, police used chemical agents and flashbang grenades to force the crowd of more than 200 to disperse.

Police later said that the Richmond Fire Department extinguished the dump truck blaze. Virginia State Police indicated that it also helped secure the area.

Richmond Fire responded to a Chipotle Mexican Grill that had been set on fire in the Fan District, according to the Times-Dispatch. The windows of the restaurant, as well as those of almost all surrounding businesses were shattered, the newspaper reported.

Richmond Police tweeted an image showing chunks of asphalt, rocks and D batteries that they said protesters threw at officers. They also tweeted a video of an officer putting out a fire that had been set on a mattress in the middle of Cary Street, also in the Fan District.

State police said there were no injuries reported.

Aurora

A car drove through a crowd and a protester was shot Saturday in the suburban Denver suburb of Aurora during demonstrations against racial injustice.

The Aurora Police Department said on Twitter that protesters were walking on Interstate 225 Saturday when a vehicle drove through.

Police said a protester fired a weapon, striking at least one person who was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Authorities said the vehicle was towed and they are investigating. Protesters also broke windows to the courthouse and a fire was started in an office, police said. An unlawful assembly was declared and police ordered protesters to leave the area, authorities said.

Tensions have been heightened at recent protests against racial injustice since federal officials were sent to quell demonstrations in Portland, Oregon. Police declared a riot in Seattle on Saturday.

Protests sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man in Minnesota who died after a white officer held him to the ground with a knee to his neck, have also highlighted other cases of fatal police violence.

In Colorado, protesters have been drawing attention to the death of Elijah McClain, who was stopped by police while walking down an Aurora street in August 2019 after a 911 caller reported him as suspicious. Police placed him in a choke hold, and paramedics administered 500 milligrams of ketamine, a sedative, to calm him down. He went into cardiac arrest, was later declared brain dead and taken off life support.

Contributing: Chris Kenning, Hayes Gardner and Ben Tobin, Louisville Courier Journal; Colin Murphey, San Angelo Standard-Times; Grace Hauck, Trevor Hughes, Kevin Johnson and Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY; Statesman; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Protest updates: Man killed in Austin; Seattle police declare a riot; Louisville armed militia
More than $8 million in marijuana has been seized by border officials following a search of a commercial tractor trailer at the Peace Bridge.

On July 22, according the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a 45-year-old Canadian man crossed the bridge from Fort Erie into Buffalo, N.Y. and reported he was carrying a shipment of cement.

CBP officers referred the driver for further inspection and discovered a dozen pallet boxes filled with vacuum-sealed packages of marijuana.

The total weight of the marijuana was determined to be more than 1,300 kilograms, with an estimated street value of more than $8 million (CAN).

Since travel restrictions began at the border, we have continued to see criminal organizations attempt to exploit perceived vulnerabilities, especially in the commercial environment, said CPB port director Jennifer De La O.

The latest seizure adds to the already massive increase in drug seizures within the Buffalo field office.

From October 1, 2019 through July 23, 2020, the office, which covers 16 ports of entry throughout New York, has made over 1,500 narcotic seizures totalling more than 10,000 kilograms.
Stark house on stilts By Yomal Senerath-Yapa Starting off our monthly series on the Geoffrey Bawa Award shortlist for 2019/2020, we look at a curious holiday home in flood-prone landscape View(s): View(s):

It is rare for an architect to have a signature style that could be recognized immediately. Geoffrey Bawa had it, as did Minnette de Silva with her penchant for quaint Kandyan decor and verandahs and courtyards spilling over with tropical foliage- also Valentine Gunesekera with his austere masculine modernism. Though he fumbles for words to encapsulate his work, so does  in a way- Palinda Kannangara.

Stark is a word to start with- his buildings have that sheer drama of the unfinished and the rough hewn- with great haunting empty spaces like you see at the architects studio dwelling in Rajagiriya- like a marriage between the Grand Canyon and the Kandalama Hotel: impressive.

Palindas eye for a building that merges with the landscape while being a pleasure in itself is amply reflected in the Frame- a holiday structure that he built for a friend in rural Imaduwa, Galle- now shortlisted for the Geoffrey Bawa Award for Excellence in Architecture 2019/2020.

At first sight the structure dawns like something left behind by a construction crew who had mutinied.

But then, you see that the structure  which actually has an exoskeleton of scaffolding  is complete and has grown to be one with the trees and shadows  a very minimal structure that cost only 8 million Rupees (including all furnishings).

The story of the Frame began when Sumudi Suraweera wanted his ancestral property in Imaduwa  8 acres of land, transformed into a holiday place for the family weekends. Among the challenges was that the land gets flooded almost half the year.

The land is in fact almost an island, surrounded by the Polathumodara River in a dark, lush, almost rainforest like patch in the rich South coast. When he first saw the site Palinda was enchanted by the paradisiacal setting. He knew that, apart from being flood-proof, the new design would have to be raised with a light structure that would not disturb the verdant splendour around.

Permanent scaffolding was the best idea. Holding the floor up at five feet it would withstand the floods- and so the scaffolding was put up on a strip foundation.

Nearly all the design was done onsite, and cost was a top priority. Consequently the economy was done with the most economically available materials in mind. For example the building line was 8 feet because the external plaster boards come in 8 feet, smiles Palinda.

There are just three main platforms- and from the sweeping, deck-like living platform in the middle you are open to the wild green villu- bordered in the distance by the most dense kumbuk and para-mara (rain trees) and beyond those a complete ampitheatre of pale blue mountains.

The view from the deck (and the bedrooms) in flood times is that of a lake with emerald banks, with kingfishers darting like streaks of silver shot aqua blue. Flocks of the Black headed ibis, peck at fish and preen their plump pheasant figures, while peacocks trail about picking the path gingerly, their plaintive cries ringing across the water.

In dry season when the Frame stands on tender grass, the village cattle graze right under the building.

Light bridges slant off either side of the living space to two bedroom wings. These have a bathroom each- the only solid structures- the bedroom walls being lightweight, superflex dry walls on timber frame, and the living room being encased in adjustable glass louvres.

The boardwalk leading from the higher ground to the structure was made of scaffolding platforms combined with GI tubes, and the staircase of steel frame and BRC mesh.

The interior is touched with soft creamy luxury- but apart from two butterfly chairs all furniture was studio-made. The lovely low hanging beehive chandelier was made of waste parchment paper, and most of the rest out of leftover timber and steel.

The improvisations include the pantry- with the frame done by the steel contractor then clad with wood so generously available on site. The large coffee table was born the same way. The sofa was made with steel mesh while the base of mattresses were material crates.

The beauty of it, says Palinda with paternal affection, is that it could all be dismantled and placed somewhere else  from the roof down.

The larger aim of the project, he says, is to test an affordable solution to building in a flood prone landscape and, thus, a solution for flood related natural disasters in Sri Lanka and similar developing countries.

The Frame is also let out to paying guests.

Know the architect Soft-spoken and affable with those deep eyes always seeking a new symphony of space, Palinda Kannangaras work offers a glimpse of someone who sees a world full of awe and mystery. An old boy of Ananda College, he trained under well known architect Anura Ratnavibhushana who had worked under Geoffrey Bawa. In 2005 Palinda established his practice, and since has been known for experiential architecture that hinges on simplicity, and connection with the natural environment.Over the 15 years his firm has won several prestigious national and international awards, including an RIBA International Award for Excellence in Architecture 2018, for his studio in Rajagiriya with its atmosphere of a timeless citadel.
The rate of occupancy in Spanish hotels more than halved in the first six months of the year, a study showed on Thursday, as a three-month coronavirus lockdown, travel bans, and quarantine rules hurt the tourism-dependent country.

With tourism accounting for around 12% of Spain's economy, the 33% average occupancy rate of hotels from January to June - compared with 73% during the same period last year - was especially damaging.

An increase in domestic tourism as the lockdown eased has brought some relief, but with hotels slashing room rates to attract holidaymakers, the road to a more permanent recovery could take longer, said consulting firm Cushman & Wakefield and hotel benchmarking specialist STR, which conducted the study.

"Local holidaymakers' demand, especially during weekends, is the first step towards recuperation," said Javier Serrano of STR. "The sector is moving in the right direction to begin a recovery which will inevitably be slow."

The northeastern region of Catalonia, a leading tourist hotspot, saw hotel occupancy dive 58% in Barcelona, while the capital Madrid lost 46% of its 2019 levels.

Hotels in the Balearic Islands, a popular destination for German and British tourists, suffered the steepest drain on their visitors, losing 65.6% occupancy in the period despite having been spared the worst of the coronavirus outbreak.

The pandemic has hit the world's second-most visited country hard, with 28,424 deaths so far.

On Wednesday, Spain's Hospitality Industry Association said some 40,000 bars and restaurants had already shut down permanently as a result of the pandemic.
Tensions with US not China's fault: minister

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/24 23:28:43

The deterioration in bilateral ties between China and the US is a result of moves by the US side, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said when talking to his German counterpart Heiko Maas in a phone call on Friday. The US is trying to slow down China's development and it is using any means it can to achieve the goal, according to a press release from the ministry.

Wang said that some anti-China forces in the US have been pushing ideological confrontation recently and forcing other countries to pick a side and join the confrontation with China in order to boost US interests. Any country that has conscientiousness and independence will not stand for it, Wang said.

Wang also said that China still wants a win-win situation with the US without clashes and confrontation and with mutual respect. But China must firmly safeguard national sovereignty and dignity, as well as its development rights, and the basic code for international relations should be observed.

China will not tolerate further provocation from the US, Wang said.



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Tucson-based Raytheon Missiles & Defense has won a contract potentially worth up to $375 million to develop a small aircraft self-defense missile for the U.S. Air Force.

Raytheon will develop the Miniature Self-Defense Munition, a guided missile designed to defend against drones, aircraft and other missiles, over three years under a contract awarded by the Air Force Research Laboratory.

The contract provides for the research and development of a flight-test ready missile by October 2023, according to a Defense Department contract notice this week.

Raytheon was awarded an initial task order worth $93.4 million, and $26.7 million in 2020 research funding was obligated, the Pentagon said.

Raytheon was among two bidders for the program; Lockheed Martin reportedly was the other bidder.

A spokesman for Raytheon would not comment on the contract award, referring questions to the Air Force.

The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for details of the program, which are considered classified according to budget documents that show a request for proposals was issued last October.
Recent news about the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States feels increasingly grim. Anyone who is paying attention can see that our country could be doing much, much better at controlling the spread of the virus. But while states like Florida continue to set record after record for most new cases in a single day, Connecticut and its New England neighbors to the north have admirably contained the viruss spread.

The question is, how? Are we better about wearing masks? Are we more likely to trust medical experts about social distancing? Are we just lucky? Maybe. But theres one factor that we shouldnt overlook: our ability to politely ignore one another.

When asked to describe the Connecticut (or New England) personality, many people are quick to point out that we are not known for our warmth. People (arent) super friendly and no one looks at you in the face, writes one commenter in an online forum about what its like to live in New England. If you come from the South, people around (here) will seem obscenely rude, cautions another.

On the one hand, I want to challenge the stereotype that New Englanders are unfriendly. I was born in Connecticut and have lived here most of my life, and not all Nutmeggers are shut-ins eager for an excuse to bar the doors and stream The Tiger King in blissful solitude. But our reputation for social frigidity isnt entirely undeserved. Sometimes polite avoidance is preferable to alternatives like road rage or an honest conversation.

In fact, avoidance is our chosen method of conflict resolution. We know a dozen excuses for extricating ourselves from unwanted conversations. We are schooled in the science of leaving passive-aggressive sticky notes. We know how to glance through the blinds to make sure the neighbors arent watering their plants so that we can avoid them when we leave the house. We can even avoid knowing our neighbors names if we want to. We know that, in order to evade what Larry David terms a stop and chat, all we need to do when encountering an acquaintance at the store is smile, give a perfunctory greeting, and  most importantly  keep walking.

We are pros at avoiding one another when necessary. And right now, its necessary. During this unprecedented public health crisis, our well-practiced avoidance tactics have become useful in unprecedented ways. Maybe the shift into social distancing isnt as hard for us as it has been for those more accustomed to spontaneous and lengthy conversations with friends, acquaintances, and even strangers.

When visiting Georgia, for instance, I couldnt believe how long it took to check out at the grocery store. This wasnt because the line was especially long, but because the bagger evidently relished the opportunity to share her life  and ask about mine  in a way that felt more appropriate for a family reunion than a Publix.

Of course, were not doing anything new when we politely avoid these kinds of unwanted intimacies. This behavior is a part of our state history. In 1633, Thomas Hooker politely excused himself from England to cross the ocean and settle in Boston. Three years later, he politely excused himself from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and traveled south to found Connecticut. And in 1776, Connecticut joined with 12 other colonies in politely excusing themselves from the British Empire.

Now, in 2020, we have good reason to politely excuse ourselves from all kinds of obligations. In Connecticut, our efforts may be paying off: on July 7 and 10, Connecticut celebrated its first and second days of zero COVID-related deaths since the first death was reported on March 17. On July 21, we heard reports of another day with no Connecticut virus deaths. And for nearly the entire month of July, fewer than a hundred Connecticut patients have been hospitalized due to the virus at any given time.

Not that we should start congratulating ourselves yet. COVID-19 infection rates are changing day-by-day, and my comments on Connecticuts relative success in limiting the spread of the virus might prove tragically ironic in the weeks or months to come. But for right now, when those from other regions accuse us of being as cold as a Litchfield morning in January, we can smile (politely, of course) and take silent pride in how that coldness may be helping to keep us safe.

Chris Bolster teaches English at the University of Connecticut, where he is also a Ph.D. student.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

The Navajo Nation has extended the closure of government offices and businesses as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the Southwest.

The original closure order, set to expire July 27, has been extended until Aug. 16.

New case numbers on the Navajo Nation have trended downward for the past week, but residents and visitors should not become complacent about following public health orders, said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.

Over 60% of those who have passed on are over 60 years old, and the data shows that the elderly are most vulnerable to this virus, Nez said during a video update Thursday. We need to protect our elders. They hold information, valuable information of our way of life, our culture, our language, tradition.

Vice President Myron Lizer said case data from surrounding states would help inform the reopening of Navajo schools and nonessential businesses. New Mexico schools will operate with online classes until at least after Labor Day.

A lot of our children dont have access to the internet, so what does that (process) look like? Lizer said.

A news release from the Office of the Navajo Nation President said the tribal government is developing a public health order that would require residents to self-isolate for 14 days after returning to the reservation from a virus hot spot.

Masks are mandatory in public on the Navajo Nation.

A daily curfew is in effect from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and the reservation will be under a 57-hour lockdown this weekend and next.
Some residents in Borno state are kicking against the reintegration of repentant Boko Haram members into the communities. The mili...





Some residents in Borno state are kicking against the reintegration of repentant Boko Haram members into the communities.





The military had in 2016 launched Operation Safe Corridor, an initiative for the deradicalisation and rehabilitation of ex-Boko Haram members.





into society. The aim of the operation, the military had also said, is to reintegrate repentant Boko Haram membersinto society.





In July, 602 ex-Boko Haram members were said to have completed a de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration (DRR) programme.





But residents who spoke said the idea would be a difficult one to accept.





From day one, Maiduguri people have never liked the idea of reintegrating the terrorists back to the community, one of the residents said.





The reason is simple. It means they are likely to come in contact with people who slaughtered members of their family and friends in their presence and they are expected not to think about it?





They are expected to agree for these people to be with them in society? How do you expect us to live with the killers of our parents? Those who attacked us and burnt down our houses?





Shettima Mustapha, another resident who took to Facebook, said one of the ex-Boko Haram members was brought into a community where one of the recently killed humanitarian workers came from.





Five humanitarian workers abducted in Borno state were recently executed by the suspected insurgents.





popularly known as Mallam Yawu, came back to Shehuri South community. Reportedly, he came back with some papers believed to be government clearance papers, possibly, from those responsible for reintegration of repentant Boko Haram members, Mustapha wrote. Today, we woke up to the news that one notorious Boko Haram member,popularly known as Mallam Yawu, came back to Shehuri South community. Reportedly, he came back with some papers believed to be government clearance papers, possibly, from those responsible for reintegration of repentant Boko Haram members, Mustapha wrote.





The reaction of the people of that community was as expected  a total rejection and condemnation of the authorities who released him back to the community. The reaction of the people of that community was as expected  a total rejection and condemnation of the authorities who released him back to the community.





From what we are learning, he is either taken away by security operatives or CJTF, perhaps, looking at the pulse of the general public about his sudden reappearance.





And dont forget, only yesterday, a video of the gruesome murder of the humanitarian aid workers was released by the BHT. One of those killed, Abdurahman Bulama, was from the same Shehuri South community where this terrorist is being planned to be reintegrated. The same sad story is true of almost every community in Borno State.





Usman Alibe, another resident, also narrated how a similar scenario played out in his area in Bama some months back when a female member of the dreaded group returned home with a full security backing.





According to him, the insistence of the government on this matter will not augur well for our fragile peace in the towns and city centre.





It is fine if the authorities are so magnanimous to forgive their heinous crime and it is also fine for the victims who they wreak a monumental havoc to not forgive them. Therefore, the government should integrate them into government houses and the villa but not our society, he said.





TheCable gathered that residents have not been properly briefed and advised on how to accept the reintegration of the repentant insurgents.





It should be a two-way thing; while these people are being deradicalised, what is being done to the members of the societies who have been the victims? As you are working on the terrorists, you also work on those affected, Jack Vince, a journalist resident in Maiduguri, told TheCable.





He added that going forward, a bigger problem might be brewing if the people are not properly sensitised on the matter.





In February, some soldiers at the war front expressed disappointment over the release of repentant Boko Haram suspects.





Meanwhile, Sagir Musa, army spokesperson, is yet to respond to a message seeking reaction over the development.




CHICAGO  Two statues of Christopher Columbus that stood in Chicago parks were taken down early Friday at the direction of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a week after protesters trying to topple one of the monuments to the Italian explorer clashed with police.

Crews used a large crane to remove the statue in downtown Chicagos Grant Park from its pedestal. A small crowd cheered and passing cars honked as the statue came down about 3 a.m. The second statue was removed about 5:30 a.m. from Arrigo Park in Chicagos Little Italy neighborhood.

In a statement issued after the statues were taken down, the Democratic mayors office said they were being temporarily removed  until further notice. It said the removals were in response to demonstrations that became unsafe for both protesters and police, as well as efforts by individuals to independently pull the Grant Park statue down in an extremely dangerous manner.

This step is about an effort to protect public safety and to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our citys symbols, the mayors office said in the statement, which said the statues were removed following consultation with various stakeholders.

The statues removal came after hundreds of protesters gathered Thursday night near Lightfoots home to call for defunding the Chicago Police Department. The crowd cheered when an activist used a megaphone to inform them that Lightfoot would be removing the Grant Park statue.

Thank you for the statue, now defund CPD, the protesters shouted after an organizer led the crowd in a celebratory chant, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Plans to remove the Grant Park statue were first reported Thursday night by the Chicago Tribune and the removal followed hours of vocal confrontations between opponents and supporters of the statue. On July 17, protesters had clashed with police, who used batons to beat people and made arrests after they say protesters targeted them with fireworks, rocks and other items.

This statue coming down is because of the effort of Black and Indigenous activists who know the true history of Columbus and what he represents, Stefan Cuevas-Caizaguano, a resident watching the removal, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Both the Grant Park and Arrigo Park statues were vandalized last month. Statues of Columbus also have been toppled or vandalized in other U.S. cities as protesters have called for their removal, saying Columbus is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.

Pasquale Gianni of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans said the mayor had told him ahead of time that both statues would be moved and temporarily housed elsewhere for public safety reasons.

The Italian American community feels betrayed. The mayors office is giving into a vocal and destructive minority. This is not how the democratic process is supposed to work, he told WLS-TV.

During a Friday news conference in Arrigo Park in front of the fenced-in pedestal that once held that parks Columbus statue, activist Raul Montes Jr. called for Lightfoot to resign for ordering the removal of the two statues. He said the statues removal was an insult to Italian Americans who helped build this country.

She has erased history and this is a slap in the face of Italian Americans.  We want justice, Montes said to applause by others gathered at the park.

Lightfoot and the city planned to announce a process to assess each of the monuments, memorials, and murals across Chicagos communities, and develop a framework for creating a public dialogue to determine how we elevate our citys history and diversity, the mayors office added in its statement.

The removals come amid a plan by President Donald Trump to dispatch federal law enforcement agents to the city to respond to gun violence, prompting worries that the surge will inhibit residents ability to hold demonstrations. Activist groups filed suit Thursday, seeking to block federal agents sent to combat violent crime from interfering in or policing protests.

State officials in Oregon sued for similar requests following the arrival of federal law enforcement after weeks of protests in Portland following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In route news, Alaska Airlines plans more California service, including some from the Bay Area; Qantas brings an end to its 747 era; some U.S.-India service resumes; China Airlines goes through an identity crisis; Customs & Border Protection pushes Global Entry interviews back to September; see the latest updates on international carriers at SFO; Nashvilles airport gets a new concourse; Air Canada starts reopening Maple Leaf lounges; and Virgin moves ahead with construction of a rail line from south Florida to Orlando International.

Last week, we reported on Alaska Airlines plans to add more service out of Los Angeles International this fall as part of its increasing coordination with America Airlines. But Alaska has some new route plans for the Bay Area as well. We learned this week that in addition to its LAX-Tampa service coming this fall, Alaska will kick off transcontinental flights to Tampa from San Francisco International starting Nov. 20. The 737 flights will operate twice a week, with eastbound departures on Fridays and Saturdays, and return flights on Saturdays and Sundays. Alaska will be competing in the market against United, which is due to resume its own SFO-Tampa service in September.

Meanwhile, Alaska also has plans for three routes out of Mineta San Jose in the fall and spring, including daily service to Spokane, Wash., beginning in September, followed by daily service to Redmond/Bend, Ore., and Missola, Mont., both starting in March 2021. All three routes will be operated by Alaskas regional Horizon Air affiliate using 76-seat E175s. In Southern California, Alaska now expects to launch four 737-800 flights a week from San Diego to Cancun from Nov. 20 through April 12, along with 737 service from SAN to Ft. Lauderdale as of Nov. 21 and E175 flights to Missoula effective Mar. 11, 2021.

Just like British Airways did last week, Qantas this week removed the venerable Boeing 747 from its fleet for good. The Australian carriers last remaining 747-400 made its final flight from Sydney to Los Angeles before proceeding on to a permanent parking spot in the Mojave Desert. Qantas has been flying six different models of the 747 since 1971, including the long-range 747SP, which made the first non-stop U.S.-Australia flights possible. Time has overtaken the 747 and we now have a much more fuel efficient aircraft with even better range in our fleet, such as the 787 Dreamliner that we use on Perth-London and hopefully before too long, the Airbus A350 for our Project Sunrise flights non-stop to New York and London, said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce. See the Qantas 'roo flight path below? (This has been one of the longest 747 goodbyes among major airlines  back in December 2019, we said so long to the final Qantas 747 at SFO.)

India has banned international commercial airline service since March, but this month it agreed to allow a limited number of flights to resume from the United States, France and Germany  just in time for United to operate its San Francisco-Delhi service three times a week as previously announced, as well as Newark-Delhi flights. However, according to media reports from India, the schedules after the end of July are still uncertain, and initial flights are restricted mainly to nationals returning home, with tickets sold on a one-way basis only.

Do you know the difference between China Airlines and Air China? Its like the difference between the Republic of China and the Peoples Republic of China. In both cases, the former is based in Taiwan and the latter in Beijing. Citing possible confusion in the minds of travelers, and a desire for their national airline to be more clearly identified with Taiwan, the parliament of that island has approved a plan to rebrand China Airlines, giving it a new identity and a new name. Exactly what that name will be could take some time to figure out, since rebranding these days involves a lot more than just picking a name out of a hat. So for now, its still China Airlines. The carrier currently flies from Taipei to San Francisco and Los Angeles and plans to resume one weekly flight to New York next week.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which recently scratched its plan to reopen Global Entry enrollment centers in early July, said this week that those centers will now remain closed at least until Sept. 8. Individuals who apply to join the Global Entry trusted traveler program for expedited re-entry to the United States must submit to a personal interview as part of the process, and thats what the enrollment centers are for. CBP said anyone who had scheduled an interview on or before Sept. 7 should reschedule. The agency also extended the amount of time that applicants have to complete the process. They now have 545 days from the date when CBP conditionally approved their membership. In addition, CBP will extend for up to 18 months the program benefits of members who apply for renewal before their current membership expires, the agency said.

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Here are the latest schedule updates from some international carriers: Air New Zealand resumed SFO-Auckland service this week, with three weekly flights  Turkish Airlines is due to resume SFO-Istanbul operations July 26 with three flights a week, increasing to four on Aug. 30  Virgin Atlantic this week started flying again from London Heathrow to Los Angeles and New York JFK, with SFO flights due to restart Aug. 4  Japan Airlines latest schedule extension shows it continuing to offer two flights a week from SFO to Tokyo Narita through September British Airways now shows a daily SFO-LHR flight continuing through September  Philippine Airlines will operate twice-weekly SFO-Manila service during August, increasing to three a week Sept. 7  KLMs extended schedule from Aug. 1 through Oct. 24 shows three weekly SFO-Amsterdam flights continuing through Sept. 27, then increasing to five a week  and low-cost Norwegian Air has pushed back from December to late March its plans to resume flying between San Francisco and London Gatwick. Remember, if you hope to fly overseas, be sure to research entry restrictions and requirements before you book, because you might not be able to go as things stand now.

In airport news, Nashville International has cut the ribbon on a new Concourse D after six years of construction. The six-gate facility will be used by Southwest Airlines. Its part of a larger long-term overhaul  due to end in 2023 -- that will give BNA three new parking garages, larger baggage claim and ticketing areas, a renovated lobby, more security checkpoints, additional food and beverage concessions and a hotel.

Air Canada said this week that it has reopened the Maple Leaf Lounge at Toronto Pearson that serves the airports D gates and expects to reopen lounges by early fall for the domestic departure areas at the Vancouver and Montreal airports. The airline said it will use electrostatic spraying to keep the lounges safe, and will introduce new touchless processes, such as the ability to order pre-packaged food directly to your seat from your smartphone.

Virgin is coming to Orlando International  not the airline, but Virgin Trains, which will install an airport station as part of its 170-mile extension of passenger rail service from West Palm Beach. The company is taking advantage of the coronavirus-related passenger slowdown to press ahead with the delicate job of laying more than three miles of track through the busy infrastructure that currently surrounds the airport. The new rail service from South Florida to MCO is expected to start before the end of 2022, after construction is completed on the airports big new $2.7 billion South Terminal. At the same time that all this is under way, the Central Florida Expressway Authority will be rebuilding the key intersection of state roads 436 and 538 at the entrance to the airport, adding more lanes and new flyover bridges.

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An eerie silence prevails at Kharsalwa village under Jharokhar police station on Indo-Nepal border on Saturday, a day after Nepals armed police force (APF) wounded two Indian villagers including a woman and opened fire to deter a gathering of angry crowd amid rising tensions.

Eye-witnesses said jawans of Nepals armed police force (APF) thrashed a woman, identified as Seema Devi and her husband Ravindra Prasad, residents of Kharsalwa village under Jharokhar in Ghodasahan block of East Champaran, after the woman along with her co-villagers Manju Devi and Kundan Kumar stepped a few metres into Nepals territory of Narkatiya to collect fodder for the livestock at around 4pm.

A high drama unfolded as the APF misbehaved with the woman and thrashed her badly, said Ram Pukar Sinha, a resident of Ghodasahan and JD-Us state council member.

Photos: 7.65 lakh affected, several villages submerged in Bihar floods

Locals said as the news spread, Seema Devis husband Ravindra Prasad rushed to her rescue but was held captive and attacked by Nepal armed police. When I protested against them hurting my wife, they thrashed me, too, and took me to their outpost. But before this they freed my wife, said Ravindra Prasad.

His wife, who sustained injuries on head, spoke to HT over phone from Kharsalwa village and said they were assaulted without any provocation.

First they beat up Kundan (Kumar), accompanying me and the other co-villager. When I rushed to save him, they went after me, she said.

Also Read: India, China statements on border talks reflect a wide gap in perceptions

At around 6pm on Friday, the situation on the border along Ghodasan turned volatile after Nepals armed police force opened fire in the air as a large number of villagers from Kharsalwa and a neighbouring village gathered along the border. The locals, in a huff, caught hold of an APF jawan who had come to the Indian side to buy some essential commodities.

Meanwhile, Sikarahana sub divisional magistrate Gyan Prakash and sub divisional police officer (SDPO) along with Seema Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) officials and jawans rushed to the spot and prevented the situation from taking an ugly turn.

At around 11.30 pm, normalcy returned after Ravindra Prasad and APF jawan were freed by the two sides, said Ram Pukar Sinha, a JD (U) leader.

When contacted, Tapan Kumar Das, commandant of the 20th battalion of SSB confirmed the incident and said, We came to know that the woman attacked an APF jawan with a sickle after they asked her and others to go back.

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Russian testing of an anti-satellite weapon in space  an allegation denied by Moscow  has been branded very dangerous by a former deputy chief of defence staff.

Moscow has dismissed US and British claims that it threatened the peaceful use of space after the UK accused Russia of launching a projectile with the characteristics of a weapon during a satellite test.

The decision by the head of the UKs space directorate, Air Vice-Marshal Harvey Smyth, to speak out this week marked the first time the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) had called out Russian activity of that sort.

It is very dangerous because there is always the chance of miscalculation on both sides part Sir Simon Mayall

It came in the same week that a long-awaited report by the British Parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee was published, accusing the UK Government of badly underestimating the scale and nature of Moscows activities in seeking to interfere in British democracy.

Read More Government pledges 200m to reopen schools in August

Lieutenant General Simon Mayall, ex-deputy defence staff chief, said he thought the alleged anti-satellite activity was a further example of President Vladimir Putin aiming to up the ante against the West.

Simon Mayall, speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme, said: Putin again, having largely been challenging the West in all sorts of domains since way back in 2006  Georgia, Ukraine, Libya, you name it  is now trying, some of it I suspect for domestic consumption but also again to up the ante, to create another confrontation area with the West.

So it is very dangerous because there is always the chance of miscalculation on both sides part.

He urged the UK to lobby against the development of anti-satellite weapons, adding: The consequences (are there) for every nation on Earth of some kind of catastrophic confrontation in space because we are so reliant on satellites, and will continue to be.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has rejected the allegations, however, saying in a statement that the July 15 experiment did not threaten any other space objects and complied with international law.

Vladimir Putin has been accused of looking to up the ante against the West with alleged anti-satellite tests (Alexei Druzhinin/AP)

It described the claims as part of an information campaign to discredit Russias space activities and its peaceful initiatives aimed at preventing an arms race in space.

But Will Whitehorn, president of UK Space, the body representing the British space industry, said he was confident in the MoDs assessment.

Asked on the Today programme about whether he thought Russia had carried out a weapons test, he said: Yes, Im pretty sure from everything Ive read in the public media about it that it was a kinetic weapon because of the speed it was travelling at, the way it was launched, the way it went into an orbital path.

It didnt actually hit anything  it is quite possible it was a test that went wrong or they decided they didnt want to hit anything with it.

The fact is, it was definitely not a satellite itself  it looked to me what the public would call a bullet of some sort.

The former president of Virgin Galactic confirmed the so-called bullet looked to have come from a Russian satellite.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian's cabinet is divided over how to handle the state's low but persistent numbers of coronavirus cases, with some ministers demanding tighter restrictions and others arguing they could sustain as many as 250 new cases a day before lockdowns are required.

Senior ministers have had informal discussions about the maximum number of daily cases they could accept before the state would have to lock down again. One cabinet member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, nominated the figure of 250 cases a day and said colleagues agreed.

However, ministers accept they would be bound by the advice of risk-averse Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant, who would almost certainly recommend lockdowns at a much lower number.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian with Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant. Credit:Renee Nowytarger

In the 24 hours to 8pm Friday, NSW recorded 15 new coronavirus cases; eight were linked to a growing cluster associated with the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park. Another six were returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A 19 year old shot last night on Syracuses South side is expected to survive, police said.

He was one of two people shot within three hours on West Colvin Street.

The teenager was repeatedly shot around 10:14 p.m. Friday in the 600 block of West Colvin Street near Midland Avenue, reported the Syracuse Police Department. He was taken to Upstate University Hospital, police said, is expected to survive.

The shooting marked the second Friday night within a few blocks.

The first shooting was reported at 8 p.m. at the corner of West Colvin Street and Mark Avenue. Information about the age or the condition of the person shot was not immediately available.

Police have asked anyone with information to call (315) 442-5222 or submit tips using the Syracuse PD app.

Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com.
Sushant Singh Rajput's posthumous release Dil Bechara was an emotional ride for most of his fans. They eagerly waited to watch the talented actor, one last time, and showered the film with an overwhelming response upon its premiere on a streaming platform.

Dil Bechara resonated with late actor's fans in many ways. As they called it a befitting farewell to Sushant, a particular dialogue of the actor in the film is gaining much popularity on social media. In the film, Kizie (Sanjana Sanghi) and Manny (Sushant) have a special word, Seri, which they often use when talking to each other. And now, "Seri," seems to have found a special place in the memories of Sushant's fans.

"No words... after the film gets over emotions surround us...Face with cold sweat. #seri is not a word in the movie it's an emotion ..... Miss you #SushantSinghRajpoot. You'll live forever in our Hearts (sic)," write a Twitter user.

#DilBechara Movie No words... after the film gets over emotions surround us...#seri is not a word in the movie it's an emotion ..... Miss you #SushantSinghRajpoot You'll live forever in our Hearts. #DilBechara pic.twitter.com/WMSQq7nC17  thalapathy_ Manoj (@ManoJ16092001) July 24, 2020

Another tweeted, "Learned one word from film #Seri Red heart and when he said Raja to marr gaya Loudly crying face Tears rolling in my eyesPleading face I don't have words Smiling face with heart-shaped eyes I just wish..... #SSR #DilBechara Song was incomplete because life is incomplete...(sic)."

Learned one word from film #Seri  and when he said Raja to marr gaya Tears rolling in my eyes I don't have words I just wish..... #SSR #DilBechara Song was incomplete because life is incomplete... Just Wow pic.twitter.com/2yKZrtCKdN  Akash Verma (@AkashVe48575121) July 24, 2020

"His smile his damm smile cheer up my heart but broke me at the same time Red heartBroken heart you are still best in your own way sush

Dear Sushant your fans today really took the courage to see you die again

We all love you may your soul rest in peace," wrote another user, adding hashtag Seri.

Here's how others described the film:

For a change, a B'wood film appeared genuine in its #SuperstarRajinikanth references. There's no mockery or needless jokes played on #Thalaivar. It's done in good spirit The Kabali theater scene And, our Tamil word #seri will now resonate all over!#DilBechara #DilBecharaDay  Kaushik LM (@LMKMovieManiac) July 24, 2020

Pic 1- How we started the movie.. Pic 2- How we ended up watching.. . . Many was.. n will be our favorite always  . . N... #Seri is our word also from now.. . . Thank you#SushantSinghRajput @sanjanasanghi96 @CastingChhabra @DisneyPlusHS For the film. pic.twitter.com/1Ua6jgnMAA  Aditi (@_imaditisharmaa) July 24, 2020

#seri at the end it wasn't only a film...and at that point it wasn't only Kizie who cried...you will always be there in our heart Sushant... you will always be remembered. pic.twitter.com/v9z0FvdZiZ  Susmita (@Susmita40834284) July 24, 2020

Sushant died by suicide at his apartment in Bandra, Mumbai on June 14.

Meanwhile, the film is the official remake of 2014 Hollywood romantic drama The Fault In Our Stars, based on John Green's bestselling novel about two teens who fall in love after meeting at a cancer support group. Dil Bechara marks the directorial debut of casting director Mukesh Chhabra. Sanjana Sanghi, who has previously done brief roles in films such as Rockstar and Hindi Medium, plays the female lead in the movie.

Dil Bechara revolves around two characters, Kizie and Manny. While Kizie has thyroid cancer, Manny had osteosarcoma. The journey that they take together as they help each evolve and embrace lifes imperfections is the driving force of the narrative.
TEHRAN, Iran  For some Iranians it offered a grim echo of an accidental shootdown by American forces over 30 years ago.

Details of the interaction late Thursday are disputed. Iranian state media reported that two U.S. fighter jets came close to an Iranian airliner, forcing its pilot to swiftly change altitude, a move that left at least two passengers injured.

A spokesman for U.S. Central Command, however, said in a statement that a single F-15 fighter jet had conducted a "visual inspection" of the airliner at a safe distance before flying off.

Image: Passenger (IRIB via The Associated Press)

To some, the incident recalled the July 3, 1988, downing of Iran Air flight 655 by the U.S. Navy, which remains one of the moments the Iranian government points to in its decades-long distrust of America.

It was a near miss, Habib Abdolhossein, an Iranian doctoral student, told NBC News by telephone. But there is no guarantee the passengers will be lucky next time and not share the fate of those aboard Flight 655, he said.

The 1988 attack on the Iran Air flight came amid the so-called Tanker War that saw U.S. forces patrol shipping channels in the Persian Gulf to protect Kuwaiti oil tankers, while Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard often harassed or swarmed incoming ships with smaller vessels.

The tactic is still deployed today in the narrows of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the worlds oil passes.

Part of a then twice-weekly route flown by the airline for over 20 years, Iran Air flight 655 took off from Bandar Abbas, Iran, heading for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The USS Vincennes mistook it for an Iranian F-14 fighter jet, despite having state-of-the-art combat equipment at the time.

The U.S. says the Navy made 11 radio warning calls on different frequencies before the Vincennes fired two missiles at the airplane, bringing it down and killing all 290 aboard, 66 of whom were infants and children.

Iran ultimately would sue the U.S., reaching a $131.8 million settlement, although USS Vincennes Capt. William C. Rogers would later be given the Legion of Merit award, further angering Tehran.

Story continues

Pointing out that the flight was downed "towards the end of the Iran-Iraq War  when the Reagan administration supported the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein who invaded Iran in 1980," Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, a professor of global thought and comparative philosophies at SOAS University of London, told NBC News by email that it "continues to be a national trauma for many Iranians, and it is commemorated as such every year."

In the years since, state television in the Middle Eastern country has aired live footage on the anniversary of mourners wailing from boats at the spot the plane went down, tossing flowers into the warm waters of the Persian Gulf.

I think its pretty clear that the Iranians believe that the United States does not care for the lives of innocent people, Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran, told NBC News via text message, pointing to recent U.S. sanctions against Iran.

The threatening of a civilian airliner would only increase the hostility of Iranians toward the U.S., similar to the anger felt in 1988, he said.

"Even in this recent incident they try to blame it on us," he added. "That leads to the depth of this anger."

Iranian politicians have also complained about the incident.

Governmental terrorism of America is continuing on in the skies, land and sea," Culture Minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi tweeted on Friday.

While the Iranian president has yet to address the latest incident, he did reference Flight 655 after a U.S. drone strike killed prominent Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January.

Criticizing comments from U.S. President Donald Trump  who said if Iran retaliated for the Soleimani killing, U.S. forces had picked out 52 targets to be attacked in Iran, one for each hostage held after the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tweeted, Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. #IR655.

Shortly thereafter in January, Iran admitted it unintentionally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane hours after launching ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops, blaming "human error" for the "great tragedy" that killed all 176 people aboard.

Amin Hossein Khodadadi reported from Tehran and Isobel van Hagen from London.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A 53-year-old Delhi Police head constable died due to COVID-19 at a city hospital, officials said on Saturday.

Head Constable Satya Narayan was posted at the Madhu Vihar police station, they said.

On July 13, Narayan tested positive for COVID-19 and was sent to the COVID Care Centre in Akshardham.

Later in the day, he was shifted to LNJP Hospital, a senior police officer said. He had health issues like high BP, diabetes and had two stents in his heart.

He was shifted to ICU due to his diabetes and BP issues and his condition improved, the officer said.

"Later, his oxygen saturation level dropped. He was also administered plasma therapy. On Thursday, his second COVID-19 report also came back positive. He died at 6 am on Friday at LNJP Hospital," Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh said.

A resident of northeast Delhi's Bhajanpura area, Narayan is survived by his wife and two sons, the police said.

More than 2,500 Delhi Police personnel have been infected with COVID-19 so far.

Of these, more than 2,100 have recovered and resumed their duties, while over a dozen succumbed to the virus, they said.
A United Nations report on terrorism has cautioned that there are a sizeable number of ISIS terrorists in the Indian states of Kerala and Karnataka, adding that the ISIL Indian affiliate (Hind Wilayah), which was announced on May 10, 2019, has about 180 to 200 members.

According to the 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, One Member State reported that the ISIL Indian affiliate (Hind Wilayah), which was announced on 10 May 2019, has between 180 and 200 members. According to the report, there are significant numbers of ISIL operatives in Kerala and Karnataka.

Al-Qaidas Indian branch, AQIS, planning terror attacks in the region

The report also noted that terror group Al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS), which operated under the Taliban umbrella from Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces, reportedly has 150-200 active terrorists in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, and is planning to carry out terror attacks in the region. The report mentioned that the attacks are planned to avenge the death of its former leader.

Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operates under the Taliban umbrella from Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar Provinces. The group reportedly has between 150 and 200 members from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan. The current leader of AQIS is Osama Mahmood (not listed), who succeeded the late Asim Umar (not listed). AQIS is reportedly planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its former leader, the UN report said.

ISIS declared a new province in India in May 2019

Last year, ISIS claimed that it has created a new province in India through its Amaq News Agency. An area located within the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir was called by the ISIS as Wilayah of Hind or Hind province. The announcement, first of its kind, was made after clashes between the terrorists and security forces in Kashmir.

Earlier, ISIS terrorists active in Kashmir were linked with its so-called Khorasan Province branch, which was established in 2015 to cover Afghanistan, Pakistan and nearby lands.

ISIS terrorists active in Kerala and Karnataka

Recently, a charge-sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency in the murder of Special Sub Inspector Wilson exposed the nexus of the ISIS terrorists active and flourishing in the states of Kerala and Karnataka. The preliminary investigation in the murder of SSI Wilson had revealed that his murderers were self-declared jihadists who killed the police personnel to avenge the arrest of their ISIS associatesMohammed Haneef Khan (29), Imran Khan (32) and Mohammed Zaid (24) by the Tamil Nadu police in Bengaluru in January 2020.

According to the investigation, Khaja Mohideen was found to be a member of the banned terror outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria(ISIS). Since May 2019, he had indoctrinated and radicalised Abdul Shameem and Thowfeek on the jihadi ideology, provided them with training and arms, and enlisted them to carry out terror attacks against the establishment.

Keralaa hotbed of ISIS terrorism in India

The state of Kerala has become a fertile hotbed for recruiting youths for Islamic terrorist organisations. A raft of people from the Southern state of Kerala has joined the ISIS ranks. According to the sources, both men and women are fighting for the terrorist organisation in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries where it operates. Kannur tops the list of cities and towns from where a majority of people in the state have fled to join the terrorist organisation.

As per data recorded last year, approximately 98 people had joined the Islamic State from Kerala. Out of these 98, 38 were believed to have been killed while 60 were still alive fighting for the organisation. As of June 15, 2019, 40 including 8 women from Kannur had been a part of the ISIS. Apart from Kannur, radicalised youths from Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur had also shunned their towns and fled to the middle-east to wage their jihad under the flag of ISIS. According to the intel, pro-ISIS Malayali groups operate from the gulf countries and they specifically targeted Muslims of Kerala and indoctrinated them to take up the arms for the terror group.
Antonio Cisneros, a Los Angeles cinematographer, signed up to volunteer for two COVID-19 vaccine trial registries. "If I am asked to participate, I will," says Cisneros. "It seems part of our duty." (Steven Shea)

When U.S. scientists launch their first large-scale clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines this summer, Antonio Cisneros wants to make sure people like him are included.

Cisneros, who is Latino, is part of the first wave of volunteers willing to get the experimental shots to see if they can thwart the virus that sparked a deadly pandemic.

If I am asked to participate, I will, said Cisneros, a 34-year-old cinematographer in Los Angeles who has signed up for two large vaccine trial registries. It seems part of our duty.

It will take more than that to ensure the trials actually include representative numbers of Latinos, Black Americans and other racial minorities, as well as older people and those with underlying medical conditions.

In the United States, Black and Latino people have been three times as likely as white people to become infected with COVID-19 and twice as likely to die, federal data show. Asian Americans appear to account for fewer cases but have higher rates of death. Eight out of 10 COVID-19 deaths reported in the U.S. have been of people ages 65 and older.

Historically, however, those groups have been less likely to be included in clinical trials despite federal rules requiring minority and elder participation and the ongoing efforts of patient advocates to diversify these crucial medical studies.

In a summer dominated by COVID-19 and protests against racial injustice, there are growing demands that vaccine trial participants reflect the entire country.

If Black people have been the victims of COVID-19, were going to be the key to unlocking the mystery of COVID-19, said the Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, a coalition of 150,000 African American churches.

Evans and his team met in mid-July with officials from Moderna Inc., the biotech firm that launched the first COVID-19 vaccine trial in the U.S., to discuss a collaboration in which NBCI would supply African American participants. But that was less than two weeks before the start of a Phase 3 trial expected to enroll 30,000 people, and Evans said the meeting was his idea.

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Its not that the industry came to me, he said. I went to the industry.

Research shows that Black people make up about 13% of the U.S. population but only 5% of clinical trial participants, on average. Latinos account for about 18% of the population but only 1% of trial participants, on average.

When it comes to trials for vaccines and medicines, diversity matters. For reasons not always fully understood, people of different races and ethnicities can respond differently to drugs or therapies. Immune response wanes with age, so theres a high-dose flu shot for people 65 and older.

Still, the pressure to produce an effective vaccine quickly during a pandemic could sideline efforts to ensure diversity, said Dr. Kathryn Stephenson, director of the clinical trials unit in the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Youre accelerating development of a vaccine, and if you hit a milestone, what is the meaning of that milestone if you dont know if its very safe or effective in [a given] population? Is that really hitting the milestone for everyone? she said.

Including people who are elderly is vital to the science of vaccines, even if those patients are more difficult to recruit and are more likely to develop side effects, said Dr. Sharon Inouye, director of the Aging Brain Center and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

After all, she said, "that is the population that will be using it."

New guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates vaccines, strongly encourages the inclusion of diverse populations in clinical vaccine development. That includes racial and ethnic minorities, elderly people and those with underlying medical problems, as well as pregnant women.

But the FDA does not require drugmakers and researchers to meet those goals, nor will it refuse trial data that doesnt comply. And while the federal government is spending billions of dollars to fast-track more than a half-dozen leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates, the pharmaceutical firms producing them are not required to publicly disclose their demographic goals.

This is business as usual, said Marjorie Speers, executive director of Clinical Research Pathways, a nonprofit group in Atlanta that works to increase diversity in research. Its very likely these [COVID-19] trials will not include minorities because theres not a strong statement to do that.

The trials are being coordinated through the COVID-19 Prevention Network, which draws on four long-standing federally funded clinical trial networks, including three that target HIV and AIDS. They were chosen in large part because they have rich relationships in Black, Latino and other diverse communities, said Stephaun Wallace, the organization's director of external relations.

Our clinical trial sites are prepped and ready to engage diverse people, he said.

Attracting a diverse population requires researchers to be flexible and innovative, Wallace acknowledged. Clinic hours may be limited or transportation may be an issue. Older people may have problems with sight or hearing and require extra help to follow protocols.

Distrust of the medical establishment also can be a barrier. Black Americans, for instance, have a well-founded wariness of medical experiments after the infamous Tuskegee Study and the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks.

Part of the consideration for many groups is not wanting to feel like a guinea pig or feel like theyre being experimented on, Wallace said.

Moderna said the company is working to ensure that participants in its Phase 3 trial are representative of the communities at highest risk for COVID-19 and of our diverse society.

However, results of the companys Phase 1 trial showed that of 45 people included in that safety test, six were Latino, two were Black, one was Asian and one was Native American.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials assess the safety and best doses of vaccines in small groups of people. Phase 3 trials test the efficacy of the drug in tens of thousands of people.

Investigators at nearly 90 sites across the U.S. are preparing to recruit participants for Modernas Phase 3 trial. Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean at the Emory University School of Medicine, will seek 750 volunteers at three Atlanta-area sites. Half will receive the vaccine; half, placebo injections.

Del Rio has had marked success recruiting minorities for HIV trials and expects similar results with the COVID-19 vaccine trial. Were trying to do our best to get out to the communities that are most at risk, he said.

Meanwhile, vaccine volunteers like Cisneros just want the Phase 3 trials to start. He said its a way for him to take action at a time when the U.S. government has failed to protect minorities, the elderly and other vulnerable people.

Government is supposed to help those who cant protect themselves, he said. It appears to me the only thing they want to protect is people with money, people with guns  and not brown people like me.

JoNel Aleccia writes for Kaiser Health News Kaiser Health News , an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . It is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison speaks at the 74th Session of the General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Sept. 25, 2019.

Australia has sent a diplomatic note to the United Nations rejecting Chinas expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, joining the growing list of nations that have pushed back against Beijings presumption of historic rights to the disputed waters.

The note was sent to the UN on Thursday and posted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelfs website on Friday morning.

Australia is the latest in a small but emerging chorus of nations that are describing as illegal Chinas position that it holds economic and maritime rights to nearly all of the South China Sea. Chinas expansive claims overlap those of five of its neighbors.

Australias note follows similar diplomatic submissions from the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

The Australian Government rejects any claims by China that are inconsistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the note states.

Specifically, Australia rejects Chinas insistence on holding historic rights to the South China Sea, the drawing of baselines to connect its occupied rocks in the Paracel and Spratly island chains, and Chinas claim to maritime zones around completely submerged features and around features only visible at low-tide conditions.

That amounts to a comprehensive rebuke of the legal basis of Chinas maritime claims and aligns Australia with the new, tougher U.S. position on the South China Sea announced two weeks ago.

Beijing has bristled at its perceived encirclement by the U.S., its allies and partner nations in recent weeks. In addition to the flurry of diplomatic notes disputing Chinas expansive claims, the U.S. has spearheaded a series of high-profile military drills in the South China Sea.

Australia joined U.S. aircraft carriers for exercises this month, most recently in the Philippine Sea on July 19, along with Japan.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday spoke of building a new alliance of democracies to confront China, in a speech that was unsparing in its criticism of Chinas government as relations between the two world powers spiral downward.

That drew a sharp response from Chinas top diplomat.

Some anti-China forces in the US lately have been deliberately creating ideological opposition, blatantly coercing other countries to pick sides and confronting China for U.S.' self-interests, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his German counterpart according to Chinas readout of the call.

But any country with conscience and independent spirit will not play a part in such actions, he said.

Like the United States and Japan, Australia does not claim territory in the South China Sea. The governments that do are Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

In its note to the U.N., Australia cites a 2016 award by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration to explain why Chinas claims arent supported by international law. That echoes the earlier diplomatic notes sent by Indonesia, the Philippines and the U.S.

The 2016 tribunal aimed to settle a dispute between the Philippines and China over who held legal claims to the Spratly chain of rocks and reefs in the southern part of the South China Sea. That tribunal ultimately struck down virtually every basis China put forward to justify its claims.

Australia called on China to acknowledge the tribunals decision and abide by it  something that China, which did not participate in the tribunals proceedings, has refused to do.

The rationale put forward by China as an explanation of why the Arbitral Award is not binding on China is not supported by international law, Australias note reads. Pursuant to Article 296 and Article 11 of Annex VII of UNCLOS the Tribunals decision is final and binding on both parties to the dispute.
DANBURY  A former printing company manager faces up to 20 years in jail after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $1 million from the business.

In a prepared statement, U.S. Attorney John H. Durhham said Anthony Teixeira, 50, pleaded guilty to wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez.

For more than 25 years, Durham said, Teixeira worked for Joseph Merritt and Company, a Hartford-based printing company. Most recently, he oversaw the business Danbury branch.

Between January 2012 and February 2019, Durham said, Teixeira bilked the business and its customers by presenting sales orders, or test sales orders, to customers as though they were actually invoices. Customers, believing they were paying JMC for the work, then delivered payments into accounts that Teixeira controlled.

He also stole inventory from the company and sold it online, according to federal prosecutors, but manipulated invoices to deceive JMCs systems into thinking the company had sold the inventory.

The feds pegged the loss attributable to Teixeiras theft at about $1.1 million. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on Nov. 12.

Teixeira was initially released on a $50,000 bond after his arrest last December, but was jailed June 1 after Judge Bryant determined he had violated the conditions of his release.

An investigation revealed that Teixeira spent more than $48,000 while released on bond, in violation of court-imposed restrictions on his financial activity, Durham said.

The case was investigated is by the FBI and Danbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont Jr. and Amanda S. Oakes.
They recently returned from a luxurious sun-soaked break in Croatia.

But it was back to reality for Penny Lancaster at the weekend as she did her bit for charity by sorting through clothes to donate, while her husband Rod Stewart made his own contribution.

The model, 49, showed off a sexy Dolce and Gabbana corset-style dress as she addressed her fans in an Instagram video, while rocker Rod, 75, generously donated signed CDs and Tour books.

Generous: It was back to reality for Penny Lancaster at the weekend as she did her bit for charity by sorting through clothes to donate, while her husband Rod Stewart made his own contribution

Penny looked radiant as she went make-up free for the clip while dressed in a grey and white floral top and pale blue jeans.

Holding up a slinky black dress with a lace-up back and satin trim, she urged her followers to donate their own pre-loved goods The British Heart Foundation.

Penny said in the clip: 'So why don't you find some of your pre-loved items, maybe like me that don't fit anymore that will be better placed with the British Heart Foundation, who can raise lots of funds to have no more heartbreak. Thank you.'

Team work: The model, 49, showed off a sexy Dolce and Gabbana corset-style dress as she addressed her fans in an Instagram video, while rocker Rod, 75, generously donated signed CDs and Tour books

The Loose Women panellist then shared images of her clothes from her extensive wardrobe, which included stylish designer shoes, chic tailored trousers and some goodies from her husband.

She then took to her stories as she repeated her message before sharing a video of Rod, who himself was keen to help the cause.

Dressed in a lemon yellow shirt, the Maggie May hitmaker opened a box as he said: 'I wanted to donate a little something.'

Lovely: Penny looked radiant as she went make-up free for the clip while dressed in a grey and white floral top and pale blue jeans

Racy look: Holding up a slinky black dress with a lace-up back and satin trim, she urged her followers to donate their own pre-loved goods The British Heart Foundation

To which his wife replied: 'what have you got there darling?'

He said: 'I've got four albums all signed, including the two recent ones and a tour programme signed as well.'

He then proudly held them aloft as Penny thanked him before hopping into the video herself.

If the shoe fits: The Loose Women panellist then shared images of her clothes from her extensive wardrobe, which included stylish designer shoes by Roberto Cavalli and Gucci

Fashionista: Penny's generous donations included designer goods such a D&G corseted dresses and chic Versace tailored trousers

Fantastic: Their donations included signed albums and tour books from Rod Stewart

The couple's generosity comes after they recently enjoyed a luxurious holiday to Croatia which they spent on a yacht.

The couple's yacht break may have been a delayed anniversary trip for the loved-up pair, who celebrated 13 years married last month.

They celebrated their wedding anniversary and marked the occasion with a takeaway meal and a glass of wine in the back of their car.

Ready to go: Penny showed off a large box packed full of things to donate to charity

Ready to give: Dressed in a lemon yellow shirt, the Maggie May hitmaker opened a box as he said: 'I wanted to donate a little something.'

Earlier this year, Rod gushed that his wife Penny is 'everything' to him, as he reflected on their relationship.

Rod explained that being with Penny made him learn 'good manners' which he also tries to instill on his children, while he feels he helped her gain 'a lot of confidence' during the course of their relationship.

Penny and Rod began dating in 1999 before marrying eight years later in the medieval monastery La Cervara in Portofino.

After their wedding on 16 June 2007, the couple enjoyed their honeymoon on the Lady Ann Magee yacht, which was moored in Portofino, and they share sons Alastair, 14, and Aiden, nine, together.

Kind deed: 'I've got four albums all signed, including the two recent ones and a tour programme signed as well'
A weekend of remembrance of civil rights champion and Congressman John Lewis in his native Alabama began this morning with a public memorial service at Troy University in Pike County, where Lewis grew up.

Five of Lewis siblings gave loving tributes to their brother, whom they knew by his middle name, Robert.

Lewis flag-draped casket sat on the floor of Trojan Arena during this mornings hour-long ceremony.

Henry Grant Lewis, the first sibling to speak, said his brother never missed family events, even if he could only stay for an hour because of his busy schedule. Grant Lewis said he spoke to his brother on July 16, the day before his death. He said the illness did not change his custom of asking about the family.

He would always ask me how is everybody doing, no matter how bad he felt, Grant Lewis said.

He was at peace and he was ready to meet the Lord.

A non-public ceremony was held Saturday evening at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, which served as the starting point for the civil rights marches in 1965, including the march on Bloody Sunday when Lewis was beaten by state troopers. Among those attending and participating in the Selma service were Martin Luther King III, U.S. Senator Doug Jones, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell and civil rights foot soldiers. Alabama recording artist Ruben Studdard and Betty Mae Fikes also sang.

Lewis died of cancer on July 17. He was 80.

Because of social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance at the Troy ceremony was to be limited to 800 people but the crowd for the ceremony did not reach that size. Face coverings were required.

After the service, the casket was opened in the arena, and a line of people filed by to pay their respects.

Lewis sister, Rosa Mae Tyner, said Lewis drew courage from his faith and put it to use to help others.

His deep faith in God made him extraordinary, she said. He was fearless by trusting in God because he was chosen. He lived with a never-ending desire to help others. He often told us, if you see something wrong, do something. His actions showed us just that."

According to the program for todays memorial, Lewis grew up in Carters Quarters, a small community just outside Troy. His parents, Eddie and Willie Mae Lewis, bought 110 acres when Lewis was 4, and the family grew cotton, peanuts and corn. But Lewis was more interested in school than farming.

Sister Ethel Mae Tyner said talked about her working in the fields with her brother and how he would start singing when a cloud covered the sun. She said he cared about justice and equality, even at a young age.

Rest well, Robert, rest well, she said.

Todays ceremony came at a campus that ignored Lewis application for enrollment in 1957, when Alabamas public universities were segregated. Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins said Lewis would sometimes mention that to him with a sheepish grin, and then point out how the university had the good sense to award him an honorary doctorate 32 years later.

Which of course, we were very, very proud of, and I trust that he was proud of it, too, Hawkins said. But it was that sheepish grin that Im remember as we talked about societal change.

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said he had known the Lewis family for many years and that Grant Lewis had coached him in baseball in the 1980s, about the time John Lewis was first elected to Congress. The mayor noted that when Troy had the opportunity to select one person to honor as part of Alabamas bicentennial last year, it chose to celebrate John Lewis Day.

Reeves said Lewis was a man of action who drew courage from his Christian faith. The mayor received applause when he offered a vivid example of how Lewis put that courage to work to challenge the injustice that he encountered.

He became a figure known around the world for action on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, confronting Alabama state troopers, Reeves said. And now an Alabama State Trooper is leading his body around this state as we celebrate his life.

Segregation, King meeting set John Lewis on quest for justice

Lewis will lie in repose in the arena until 2 p.m.

This evening, the weekend of commemoration of Lewis moves to Selma. A private service will be held at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. After the service, Lewis will lie in repose outside Brown Chapel from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Masks are required for people who attend.

A full day of events is scheduled for Sunday.

Starting at 10 a.m., a processional starting at Brown Chapel will carry Lewis body over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where he and other civil rights marchers suffered beatings from law enforcement on Bloody Sunday in 1965, sparking national outrage and passage of the Voting Rights Act.

Events move to Montgomery Sunday afternoon.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed has asked the public to line the sidewalks of Dexter Avenue to watch Lewis processional to the State Capitol, which is expected to be at about 11:30 a.m. Lewis will lie in state in the Capitol from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Again, masks are required for people who attend.

Beginning at 7 p.m., the city of Montgomery will host a vigil at Bicentennial Park, across the street from the Capitol at the intersection.

On Monday and Tuesday, Lewis will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

On Wednesday in Atlanta, Lewis will lie in state at the Georgia state capitol. The congressmans funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. The service will not be open to the public.

The casket of Rep. John Lewis, draped in an American flag, is carried into Troy University ahead of a memorial service celebrating the civil rights icon's life. https://t.co/T38bqZ3g4G pic.twitter.com/7QdG5szWs4  ABC News (@ABC) July 25, 2020

AL.coms coverage of the farewell to John Lewis.
Chinese staff departed China's Houston consulate to a jeering crowd after the U.S. government ordered the building closed, calling it a hub for spying on American companies and researchers.

About 100 protesters shouted "take back China," denounced the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and waved flags as consulate workers loaded belongings into rental trunks.

The five-story building this week became the latest flashpoint between Beijing and Washington over trade, the novel coronavirus pandemic and military maneuvers in Southeast Asia.

Shortly after the 4 p.m. (2100 GMT) deadline to close the consulate, a group of people were seen by a Reuters journalist using power tools and a crowbar to force open the rear door. They declined to identify themselves to reporters.

After the men went inside, two uniformed members of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security arrived to guard the door. They also did not respond to reporters.

The Chinese embassy in Washington and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to a Reuters witness, consulate staff had exited the building shortly after 4 p.m. and left in vehicles.

Among the protesters, Zhony Yi Ma, 34, traveled to Houston with a group from New York to heckle consulate staff. Police kept the crowd away from the building.

"We want to end the CCP, take back China and build a nation like America," he said.

Other protesters included a group of supporters of the Falun Gong spiritual group, which is banned in China. Tao Peng, 48, stood silently holding banners calling for an end to communism.

A medical research scientist from Houston, she said the CCP infiltrates groups and cannot be trusted.

"I grew up in mainland China and have seen how the CCP lies," she said as a Falun Gong hired truck circled the area emblazoned on its sides with "Freedom from Communism, and God Bless America."

Senior U.S. officials said on Friday that the consulate was one of the worst offenders in terms of Chinese espionage in the United States and linked its staff to China's pursuit of a vaccine for the new coronavirus.

Nhat Nguyen, 58, praised U.S. President Donald Trump and accused Chinese communists of spying around the world. He wore a Trump 2020 campaign hat and waived the former flag of the South Vietnamese government that was backed by the United States against the communist North in the 1960s-70s era Vietnam war.

"The vaccine is the latest," he said. "They lie, they take," he said.

Consulate staff had duties in eight southern U.S. states. The building closed for official business earlier in the week.

Houston is a major medical hub known for top-notch research on cancer, infectious diseases and since the pandemic hit this year, vaccines for the coronavirus, which first emerged in China late last year. The city is also home to dozens of oil and gas producers that develop technologies used around the world.

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It could be a rough few days for those planning to be outdoors in Oregon.

Between extreme heat, wildfires, crowds and coronavirus, some officials are concerned about the next few days around Oregon as we approach the midpoint of summer.

On Friday, the National Weather Service issued heat advisories around the state, as Portland Fire & Rescue issued a burn ban for Multnomah County, and several national forests warned of increased fire danger.

All of that comes on top of public health officials continual warnings about the spread of COVID-19 as cases remain high  including Gov. Kate Browns recent mandate on wearing face masks in crowded outdoor places.

READ MORE: How to stay cool and coronavirus safe this weekend

Some of the most dangerous weather conditions will be in southwest Oregon, where the National Weather Service is predicting temperatures as high as 105 in Medford on Sunday, with dry air and lightning expected over the region Monday.

Brett Lutz, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Medford, said that statistically speaking, the last week of July and first week of August are the most dangerous for wildfires in the region, and that conditions are now lining up to continue that trend.

Lightning ignited fires is the bottom line, and possibly a lot of them, Lutz said. Id be concerned if I had outdoor plans Monday.

The forecast is still evolving, he said, and things could change for southwest Oregon  including the possibility of sporadic rainfall in some areas  but as it stands, the latter part of Monday is a big concern, Lutz said.

Aside from heat, lightning, and crowds, late July is also peak mosquito season for some of the states most popular lakes and backpacking destinations. Theres also still a high risk of drownings, officials warned, especially in deep lakes and fast-moving rivers, though recreation areas around bodies of water also happen to be some of the most popular this summer.

At Oregon state parks, crowds have swelled this year on the Oregon coast and at parks situated along lakes and rivers. At those places, rangers have consistently seen holiday level crowding, parks department spokesman Chris Havel said, up from the normal weekend crowds they see this time of year.

Thats caused more concern when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. While risk of transmission outdoors remains low, researchers say the virus can still be passed between people at close proximity, especially in crowded places like public restrooms, viewpoints or narrow trails.

Though Oregon now requires face coverings when social distancing isnt possible outdoors, Oregon state parks officials have opted against strict enforcement in favor of education  a strategy that has sometimes led to angry conflicts between visitors and rangers. Parks could shut down later this summer, Havel said, if people remain lax about simple precautions like face coverings and social distance.

Thats probably the easiest thing thats under your control right now, just do it, he said about wearing face masks. I cant do anything about mosquitoes, or heat or lightning strikes causing fires.  Heres one thing we can do.

While state parks have been busy, another hot summer destination in Oregon, the Columbia River Gorge, has been a little quieter than usual. Thats because a lot of it remains closed.

Popular destinations like Multnomah Falls, Crown Point and the Historic Columbia River Highway have been closed since late March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and theres no immediate plan to reopen them to the public. Thats in addition to places still closed due to damage by the 2017 Eagle Creek fire, like the popular Eagle Creek Trail and Oneonta Gorge.

While places like Rooster Rock State Park and Wachlella Falls remain busy, officials said, the Columbia River Gorge as a whole is quieter than ever.

Stan Hinatsu, recreation staff officer for the U.S. Forest Service in the Columbia Gorge, said agencies hope to begin reopening the scenic highway later this summer, along with some of the waterfall day-use areas. It could happen piecemeal or all at once he said, depending on public health concerns and crowding, and could come with additional precautions put in place for visitors.

We just want to make sure that when we do open, were able to do so in a way that maintains public health and safety, Hinatsu said. Its likely things will look different when we do.

After months spent trying to navigate the pandemic, these heat advisories and wildfire warnings are much more familiar territory for Oregons outdoor recreation agencies, who have long-standing practices in place to warn people about campfires and water safety.

Those who want to avoid the dangers posed by nature and crowds this weekend should be prepared or simply stay at home, they said, and wait for more favorable conditions to go outside. Outdoor recreation can still be safe, as long as people show up with a bit of caution.

I think the most important thing is to try to stay in tune with what the forecast is and plan accordingly, Lutz said. While it seems like a concerning situation, and it definitely is, I think if people are smart and pay attention to the forecast and keep an eye to the sky, they can remain pretty safe.

--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB

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MEXICO CITY - A group visiting the Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta was apparently attacked by suspected members of an organized crime gang, and one was killed and the others have disappeared and may have been kidnapped, Jalisco state authorities reported Saturday.

Jalisco state prosecutor Gerardo Octavio Solis said the incident happened July 18 in a residential area of the city.

He said 13 or 14 people from the central Mexico state of Guanajuato had split up into two groups after arriving in Puerta Vallarta and then met up in the residential area, where they were confronted by attackers.

There was a series of shots, Solis said. One person was left wounded at the place, others managed to flee  some on foot, others in vehicles.

The wounded person was pronounced dead at a hospital, and there has been no news about the others in the group, he said. Several off-road vehicles are also missing.

The prosecutor called the news conference hours after the newspaper Reforma published a front page story on the attack, saying the visitors had been kidnapped.

Solis didnt ruled that out.

Its part of the investigations in conjunction with the murder and theft, and were going to continue along this line, he said.

However, he stressed there are no formal allegations of abduction. He said the prosecutors office has had no contact with relatives of the apparently missing people and has no knowledge of ransom requests.

Solis said everything points to the attack being perpetrated by a high-danger crime cell linked to some organized crime group.

The western state is the base of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which is one of the most violent crime organizations in Mexico and has been blamed for the recent failed attack on Mexico Citys police chief. It is engaged in a bloody fight over territory with other groups, including a local gang in neighbouring Guanajuato known as the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel.

The prosecutor said none of the attacked visitors was linked to any criminal activity, but added that fear of cartels might be why no witnesses have appeared.

Reforma said some of the visitors were business people.
Hajia Zuwera Ibrahimah, the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Salaga South Constituency, has condemned the lynching to death of a 90-year-old woman architected by a chief priest and a mob which occurred in the East Gonja Municipality.

The aspiring lawmaker is demanding the arrest of those behind the murder of the old woman

What was very disturbing was that the beating and lynching were captured on camera which was later circulated on social media.

According to Hajia Zuwerah, these barbaric acts should never be supported by any society or groups of people and should rather be condemned in the strongest terms by all well-meaning Ghanaians.

The NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Salaga South Constituency made these reactions in a press statement.

Here is the Full Statement

The Abuse Must Stop; Stop Labeling Women As Witches

The sad developments of Thursday night, where a group of people in Kafaba lynched a 90-year-old woman to death and which unfortunate incident was reported on TV3 news is both sad and regrettable and I wish to join the people of East Gonja Municipality and the entire country in condemning this barbaric act.

It is unfortunate that some individuals in Kafaba will perpetrate such an act based on accusations of witchcraft. How do you accuse a vulnerable 90-year-old woman of witchcraft and defenseless as she is, you proceed to lynch her to death.

This is a crime of the highest order and I expect the Ghana police to track down the perpetrators of this barbaric and criminal act, and bring them to justice. The law must work immediately to bring some relief to the affected family and to instill a sense of security in the people of Kafaba.

As a society, we have a duty to protect the vulnerable and less privileged as custom has taught us in our communal living. Any deviation from this time tested culture and tradition will spell doom for our societies and especially to target WOMEN in these barbaric acts is most unfortunate and must be condemned by all.

Women at all levels, shape societies and so the stereotyping of women as "witches" must stop. It is doubly sad when other women lead these actions against their fellow women. This unfortunate incident in Kafaba this week must be a wake-up call to all women to stand by one another and should never allow themselves to be used for such criminal acts. It's sad that another woman proclaimed the 90-year-old as a witch and which led to her being lynched to death. The discrimination against women must end and women must lead the effort.

I expect the police to act immediately in investigating this crime in order for peace and tranquility to be restored in Kafaba.

Lawlessness such as exhibited by some individuals and groups in Kafaba should not be tolerated and everything must be done within the law to stop such acts in the future. Mob violence is an attack on the Fundamental Human Rights of the individual including the right to security and the right to life.

At no time, therefore must any person or group of people abuse the rights of any other to the extent of violently taking their lives. It is a sad and difficult time for the family of the late Madam Akua and I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to them. My thoughts are with them.

I wish to reiterate that we are looking up to Ghana Police Service to treat the matter with urgency and bring the perpetrators to book.

May the soul of our dear mother rest in peace and may Allah grant her Jinatu Firdaus.

Signed:

Hajia Zuwera Ibrahimah

NDC Parliamentary Candidate

Salaga South Constituency
Govardhan (Kaalapani)

Mohanlal delivered one of the finest performances of his career in Priyadarshan's Kaalapani. The movie explored the story of Govardhan, a freedom fighter and a strong follower of the Ahimsa (non-violence) ideology. He ends up in the cellular jail of Port Blair, which is infamously known as Kaalapani. Govardhan is one of those movie characters which fill our hearts with patriotism and pride.

Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (Pazhassi Raja)

Mammootty once again proved his amazing capability in handling historical characters, by playing the titular character Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja in Hariharan's popular movie Pazhassi Raja. The actor simply excelled as the king of Kottayam, who fought against the British in 18th century. Mammootty's dialogues from the movie (penned by veteran writer MT Vasudevan Nair) are still widely celebrated by film lovers.

Captain Shyam Mohan Varma (Kashmeeram)

Suresh Gopi was just brilliant in the role of Captain Shyam Mohan Varma, a commando from NSG, in the Rajiv Anchal directorial Kashmeeram. Even though the movie is completely forgotten now, we can't deny the fact that Capt. Shyam Mohan is one of the top Malayalam movie characters which are strong patriots at heart. The patriotic dialogues mouthed by Suresh Gopi in the movie still give us goosebumps.

Dada Mohammed Sahib (Dada Sahib)

Mammootty appeared in a double role, as veteran freedom fighter Dada Mohammed Sahib and son Subedar Mohammed Abubacker in Vinayan's Dada Sahib. Among the two roles, the titular character Dada Sahib (the strong patriot whose ideologies are questioned after his son gets arrested on the false charges of espionage and terrorist activity) totally made a mark with his love and loyalty for the country.

Major Mahadevan (Keerthi Chakra & Sequels)

Mohanlal played Major Mahadevan, a brave soldier in the Major Ravi directorial and its sequels. Mahadevan can even sacrifice the lives of his beloved wife and child during his fight for the country. But he never compromises with his duty and patriotism. The character appeared in all the four installments of the Keerthi Chakra franchise. Major Mahadevan might make a comeback with yet another film very soon.
Midland YMCA hosted Bust a Bird for the Y at Jake's Clays
A New York City eatery will soon be able to offer outdoor dining after winning a month-long battle against CitiBike thanks to help from famous faces like Sarah Jessica Parker.

The Sex and the City actress shared a 7 On Your Side story detailing the struggles 100-year-old Gene's Restaurant in West Village was having with the company, owned by Lyft.

Eight docking stations had been blocking the restaurant's access to the street directly in front of it, and the restaurant is close to bankruptcy as a result of COVID-19's disastrous impact on the city.

While New York is in Phase 4 of its reopening, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not allowed for inside dining to resume for bars and restaurants.

The Sex and the City actress took to Instagram on July 15 to advocate for Gene's Restaurant, a 100-year-old West Village struggling during the pandemic. Eight docking stations were blocking the eatery's access to the street

Parker's Instagram post on July about the restaurant quickly went viral

A longtime patron of Gene's, Parker's Instagram post about the restaurant quickly went viral.

'As we all know small businesses all over the country and those here at home, uniquely NY are desperate to survive and open their doors and or sidewalks safely, responsibly and in compliance with the law in order to welcome back their long time and new customers,' she said in the Instagram post. 'But we have to be supportive and work together so that we might sooner than later return to a version of our vibrant and dynamic city.'

Parker stressed the importance of cooperation while praising both the eatery and CitiBike

The actress stressed the importance of cooperation.

'I think we are seeing it's the small business and the restaurants that really identify our special place in New York, and we want to make sure that we are supportive and see our city return to its vibrant, dazzling self,' Parker said to 7 On Your Side.

'So thank you Nina, thank you 7 On Your Side, and I'm sure that we will, because of your advocacy and cooperation, we will see things return to a memory we all want to relive.'

The pleas of Parker and other dedicated patrons were eventually heard by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who on Wednesday announced the city was removing 20 bike stations at the end of the week to accommodate Gene's and another restaurant.

The bikes will be moved to the end of the street and will stay there until October 31, when outdoor dining requirements are expected to change.

It will also be determined, in the next week, whether to add the West Village block to its Open Restaurants on Open Streets initiative. Doing so would close the street on weekends to allow for additional seating at the eateries.

'With the seating in the street, I could put about four more tables there, and that's the equivalent of a station,' Gene's owner David Ramirez said. 'That would mean I could actually hire somebody back'

Plans from the Gene's on how the seating will potentially look

The city stressed that this was an individual case, asserting that it was still prohibited to remove the docking stations.

'With the seating in the street, I could put about four more tables there, and that's the equivalent of a station,' Gene's owner David Ramirez said. 'That would mean I could actually hire somebody back.'

Ramirez's father started as a waiter at Gene's after emigrating from Spain and bought the establishment in 1979.

'This is the American Dream for my family,' Ramirez said.

Parker took to her Instagram, following the news from the city to celebrate the 'collaboration.'

'The portrait of cooperation, community support and solutions,' she said. 'So grateful to all. The list is long.'
The women said they had never been to the Police Appreciation Day parade before, but felt compelled to come out and show their support for law enforcement as police across the country are coming under scrutiny and calls for reform continue to grow. This is the sixth year for the event.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 00:51:26|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on May 22, 2020 shows flags on the Tian'anmen Square and atop the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The United States is entirely to blame for current difficulties in bilateral relations, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

Wang made the remarks while holding talks with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas via video link.

"In its attempt to interrupt China's development process completely, the U.S. is ready to do anything without the bottom line," Wang said, adding that recently some anti-China forces in the United States have deliberately fanned ideological confrontations, openly coerced other countries to pick sides and confront China for the selfish interests of the United States.

"No country with a conscience and independent spirit will stand with the United States in its attempt," Wang said.

Emphasizing that China still wants to achieve non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation with the United States, Wang said China will firmly uphold its national sovereignty and dignity, legitimate rights of development, as well as the basic norms governing international relations.

Regarding China-Germany relations, Wang called on both countries to actively implement the political consensus reached by their leaders and ensure the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties, to provide more stability and positive energy for the world, he said.

China is looking forward to seeing greater progress in its relations with the European Union during Germany's rotating presidency of the EU, Wang said.

Maas said Germany is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in vaccine development and post-pandemic economic recovery and jointly plan for important high-level exchanges between EU and China for the next step.

During the talks, the two sides agreed to work toward a comprehensive, balanced, and high-level China-EU investment agreement at an early date. 
LOS ANGELES - In two killings separated by nearly 3,000 miles, a gunman came dressed as a deliveryman. The individual at the doorstep claimed to be dropping off a package but instead unleashed a hail of bullets.

On Wednesday, the FBI said it had now linked the two slayings to one man.

Roy Den Hollander, 72, a self-described anti-feminist attorney, is suspected in the killing of a well-known men's rights attorney in the mountains of California's San Bernardino County earlier this month and the shooting on Sunday of a federal judge's son and husband in New Jersey.

Attorney Marc Angelucci was fatally shot July 11 at his Crestline, Calif., home. In Sunday's shooting in North Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas' 20-year-old son was killed and her husband wounded. The body of Den Hollander was found late Sunday in New York's Sullivan County.

"As the FBI continues the investigation into the attack at the home of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas (District of New Jersey), we are now engaged with the San Bernardino California Sheriff's Office and have evidence linking the murder of Marc Angelucci to FBI Newark subject Roy Den Hollander," the Federal Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday in a statement.

The investigations of both killings are ongoing, said FBI spokeswoman Doreen Holder. Den Hollander was found dead hours after Sunday's shooting, which took place at the home of Salas and ended in the death of her 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl. His father, Mark Anderl, was wounded.

Salas survived the attack because she was in another part of the house at the time the gunman, dressed in a FedEx-like outfit, came to the door.

When the body of Den Hollander, who died of apparent suicide, was found, a package also was recovered that was addressed to Salas, along with another for a New York judge.

According to a source not authorized to discuss the probe, materials were recovered following Den Hollander's death connecting him to Angelucci's killing, the shooting at the home of Salas and Anderl, and to the New York judge, who was another potential target but was not harmed.

In both deadly attacks, the killer posed as a delivery driver, according to a law enforcement source. In more than 2,000 pages of his online postings, investigators are examining a reference to Den Hollander previously posing as a FedEx delivery driver.

Although authorities have not addressed Den Hollander's motivation, he was known for handling lawsuits challenging what he saw as unfair treatment of men, with some of his work garnering attention that saw him featured on "The Colbert Report" and MSNBC.

Angelucci, Den Hollander and Salas all shared a role in the legal battle over the military use of selective service and a requirement that only men be required to register for the draft once they turn 18. Salas heard a case beginning in 2015 in which Den Hollander challenged that requirement but was replaced as the plaintiff's attorney in 2018 after becoming ill.

Den Hollander, upset at Salas' delaying of the case, derided the judge's Latino heritage and complained that she allowed the Department of Justice to file its fourth motion to dismiss the case, suggesting she was "trying to keep this case in her court until a weatherman showed her which way the legal winds were blowing."

Angelucci represented a Texas man, with the support of the National Coalition for Men, fighting the constitutionality of the men-only requirement. In February 2019, Angelucci gained the national legal spotlight when a judge declared that exempting women from that registration requirement violated the Constitution's equal protection clause. The judge, however, did not order the government to include women in the registration requirement. Den Hollander, according to those involved in the case, may have felt overshadowed.

Den Hollander had previously expressed hostility to the National Coalition for Men, where Angelucci had been a star legal player for two decades. Harry Crouch, president of the group, told The Associated Press that Angelucci had previously received death threats. He said Den Hollander had been furious that he had not been involved in a federal Selective Service System case that he filed with Angelucci.

Before the attack, in an ominous message posted online, Den Hollander wrote, "The only problem with a life lived too long under Feminazi rule is that a man ends up with so many enemies he can't even the score with all of them. But law school and the media taught me how to prioritize," he wrote.

Angelucci, a lawyer educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and UCLA who won landmark cases and was honored by the Southern Poverty Law Center, was found shortly after 4 p.m. on July 11 at his home in Cedar Pines Park in Crestline. Someone nearby reported hearing shots fired. Deputies found the attorney "unresponsive and suffering from apparent gunshot wounds."

Angelucci was pronounced dead at the scene. Another person at the home reported seeing a deliveryman and then hearing shots and seeing a fleeing car.
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Pakistan, Government of

Global Credit Research - 25 Jul 2020

Singapore, July 25, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") reviews all of its ratings periodically in accordance with regulations -- either annually or, in the case of governments and certain EU-based supranational organisations, semi-annually. This periodic review is unrelated to the requirement to specify calendar dates on which EU and certain other sovereign and sub-sovereign rating actions may take place.

Moody's conducts these periodic reviews through portfolio reviews in which Moody's reassesses the appropriateness of each outstanding rating in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. Since 1st January 2019, Moody's issues a press release following each periodic review announcing its completion.

Moody's has now completed the periodic review of a group of issuers that includes Pakistan and may include related ratings. The review did not involve a rating committee, and this publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future; credit ratings and/or outlook status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

The credit profile of Pakistan (issuer rating B3) reflects the country's "baa2" economic strength, which is underpinned by the robust long-term GDP growth potential and large scale of the economy, balanced against low per capita incomes and global competitiveness; its "b2" institutions and governance strength that balances weak executive institutions and fiscal policy credibility and effectiveness against a lengthening track record of effective checks and balances and judicial independence, as well as increasing monetary and macroprudential policy effectiveness; the government's "ca" fiscal strength driven by its narrow revenue base which hinders debt affordability, reduces fiscal flexibility and increases the debt burden given ongoing infrastructure and social spending needs; and "b" susceptibility to event risk driven by external vulnerability, as foreign-exchange reserve adequacy, though gradually improving, remains low.

Story continues

This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period.

The principal methodology used for this review was Sovereign Ratings Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Christian Fang Asst Vice President - Analyst Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Marie Diron MD - Sovereign Risk Sovereign Risk Group JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077

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Prior to being the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle is known to the world as the paralegal Rachel Zane in the hit legal-drama series "Suits." She has also appeared as a briefcase girl in "Deal or No Deal" and had small roles in films like "Horrible Bosses" and "A Lot Like Love."

Moreover, just like other celebrities, the California native starred in some ads for different brands. With that said, we compiled a list of the Meghan Markle commercials that you should definitely watch.

Bartender Meghan for Miller Lite

Before being a mother to a baby Sussex, the former actress played as a "sassy" bartender in a 2011 advert for a light pale lager, Miller Lite.

The commercial began when she was approached by a man wearing ultra-skinny jeans, asking for a beer.

Meghan asked "More taste or less taste?" while holding two types of bottles, to which the man later answered: "I don't care".

Bartender Meghan then looked at his ill-fitting pants and told the guy: "Kind of how your girlfriend doesn't care you are borrowing her pants."

The man, who was obviously irritated, quipped: "They are called skinny jeans" and that "they are kind of in right now."

With a smile, the former Hollywood actress replied: "They are kind of not."

Tostitos Commercial

Then-27-year-old Meghan also once starred in a 2009 Tostitos advert before landing her role in "Suits."

The 32-second-clip began when the ex-royal can be seen contemplating in a snack aisle over the ingredients of an unlabeled chip bag, with a voiceover saying: "13 ingredients? That's more people than I invited to the party."

Meghan then stared into the distance, with the narrator saying: "Unless ... Denise brings Gary. Ugh, Gary. Those short shorts."

Young Activist

Last is her first on-screen interview on a local news channel.

Although this is not considered as an advert, 11-year-old Meghan was interviewed to discuss what she did for a multi-billion company Procter & Gamble.

According to the report, she wrote to the multinational consumer food corporation requesting to replace the language used in one of its dishwashing ads.

Instead of "Women all over America," the young Markle asked to alter the tagline to "People all over America." Interestingly, P&G complied.

Update on Meghan Markle

When Meghan Markle joined the British royal family, she successfully transformed herself from being a Hollywood B-lister to a dazzling duchess.

Her almost fairy-tale experience came to life when she married Prince Harry in November 2018, which took place at the famous St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom.

Unfortunately, after two years of serving the monarchy, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from their roles as senior members of the Firm as they "desire to create a new life as a young family."

Now carving their life independently outside the monarchy, the couple and their 1-year-old son Archie Harrison have reportedly settled in a rented $18 million hilltop mansion in Beverly Hills, which is owned by media mogul Tyler Perry.

Although multiple reports cited that Prince Harry is "struggling" to cope up in his new life in L.A, Duchess Meghan is said to be "enjoying" being back to her hometown.

It remains to be there will be more Meghan Markle commercials in the future, but hey, anything is possible in LA.

READ MORE: Marriage Over: Kanye West, Kim Kardashian Thinking Of Divorce For Several Weeks Now [RUMOR]
Canada Says Preliminary Analysis Of Data From Downed Ukrainian Airliner Is Complete

By RFE/RL July 24, 2020

International investigators in France have completed the download and preliminary analysis of data from the black boxes recovered from the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) jet shot down by Iran in January, killing all 176 people on board.

Canada's Transportation Safety Board said on July 23 that the download and preliminary analysis of the cockpit voice and flight data was an "important milestone" in the investigation into the doomed flight.

"The work in Paris is finished, but the investigation is far from over. There are still many key questions that need to be answered," Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Kathy Fox said.

Fox did not say what the analysis had revealed, but she urged Iranian authorities leading the investigation to be transparent and credible.

Iran agreed in June to send the black boxes to France's civil aviation investigation bureau, ending a long dispute with Canada, Ukraine, and France over access to the data.

Many of the crash victims were Canadian citizens or permanent residents, or had Canada as their final destination.

Iranian forces say they downed the Boeing 737 on January 8 after mistaking it for an incoming missile at a time of high tensions with the United States.

Iran later called it a "disastrous mistake" by forces who were on high alert.

Iran's Civil Aviation Organization's interim report blamed the tragedy on the misalignment of a radar system and lack of communication between the air-defense operator and his commanders.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-airliner- data-analysis-iran/30744482.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Australia has launched a pre-emptive strike on countries looking to hoard a coronavirus vaccine as the spiralling Victorian crisis continues.

The national coronavirus toll has risen to 140 after an unprecedented seven deaths in Victoria, where 300 new cases of the disease were recorded on Friday.

Scott Morrison discussed a potential vaccine with French President Emmanuel Macron overnight and is confident like-minded countries would make it available if one is found.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured on Friday) has warned other counties that if they do not share a coronavirus vaccine they will be shunned by the rest of the world

'Any country that would hoard a vaccine discovery, I think, would not be met with welcome arms by the rest of the world,' the prime minister said on Friday.

'There's an absolute obligation on whoever finds this to share it with the world.'

Mr Morrison pointed to Australia's Doherty Institute sharing the first genetic reproduction of the virus with the world as an example.

'We didn't sell it, we didn't restrict it, we shared it. We made sure that everybody could get it and we did it as soon as we found it,' he said.

'That's the attitude, that's the leadership Australia has shown and that's what we'd expect from other countries when it comes to a vaccine.'

Mr Morrison said he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured, centre, on Wednesday) and was confident that he and like-minded countries would share a vaccine

Tasmania will open its borders to South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory from August 7.

Premier Peter Gutwein said borders with the other mainland states and territories would stay closed because of their higher COVID-19 case numbers.

WA announced on Friday it would delay its phase five reopening plan until August 15.

The announcements come after federal, state, and territory leaders met on Friday amid a rising tide of concern as Victoria scrambles to control the deadly outbreak.

All governments agreed suppression of the virus - meaning zero community transmission - remains the strategic goal.

Mr Morrison pointed to Australia's Doherty Institute (pictured) sharing the first genetic reproduction of the virus with the world as an example of sharing information to defeat the virus faster

The national cabinet also agreed to tighten rules on testing truckies and freight movement over concerns drivers exempt from travel restrictions may spread the disease.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly flagged an announcement in coming days on a better way to co-ordinate action against aged care outbreaks.

'It's a real concern,' he said.

The recession also formed a key plank of the national cabinet meeting after the federal government's budget update.

It comes as Victoria saw 300 new cases of the disease on Friday and Australian Defence Force personnel (pictured on Thursday) are tasked with visiting home of patients

Mr Morrison said the focus was on bringing the effective unemployment rate of 11.3 per cent down rather than focusing on the headline jobless rate, which is expected to peak at 9.25 per cent.

Australian Defence Force personnel will doorknock Victorian homes of people who don't pick up the phone after testing positive for coronavirus.

It's part of improving the under-pressure contact tracing regime in that state.

There are 3,105 ADF members helping with the coronavirus nationally and almost half are in Victoria.

NSW recorded seven new cases on Friday, including six linked to a cluster at an outer Sydney restaurant behind 52 infections.

Queensland had two new cases on Friday, both in hotel quarantine.
New Delhi:

Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa was on Saturday shifted from ICU to general ward at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai.

Jayalalithaa has been in hospital for nearly two months. Apollo Hospital on Friday said that Jayalalithaas mental functions are absolutely normal and she is free to leave for home as and when she wishes.

ALSO READ: (Jayalalithaa's mental functions 'absolutely normal', can leave for home when she wants to: Apollo)

The 68-year-old chief minister was admitted at the Chennai Apollo Hospital on September 22 and was treated for an acute lung infection.

Last week, Jayalalithaa in a statement from her hospital bed had described her recovery as 'rebirth' and thanked people for their prayers.

The CM has been treated by doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and specialists from London.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

BRIDGEPORT  A city man who was previously charged with sexually assaulting a young girl in Fairfield has been arrested again, this time charged with raping a girl in Bridgeport.

Victor Cruz, 45, of Denver Avenue, was charged Friday with first-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a child and voyeurism.
OPINION: "This should be a no-brainer, so whats the problem? Some members of the RTA board are hesitant to change the scope of the First Avenue project. They appear to want Tucson to build a six-lane roadway because it was the project scope promised in the 2006 plan and the RTA must do what was promised no matter the need or the cost. Decisions by the RTA Board should be made based on facts and data, not out of fear of public perceptions and long ago promises," write Tucsonans Ruth Reiman and Jane Evans.
In the late hours of Friday evening, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a sweeping police reform bill that would create a police certification process with civilian oversight, ban chokeholds and restrict no-knock warrants.

The passage in the House - 93 to 66, in favor - follows three days of debate.

The House and Senate bills were introduced in the weeks following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, which led to a surge of protests against police brutality nationwide. The House bill, while not limiting qualified immunity as the Senate proposes, called for stripping decertified officers of those protections. The House bill also restricted no-knock warrants and barred school officials from sharing student information with outside law enforcement agencies.

The next step for legislation to become law is for House and Senate leaders to agree on a consensus bill to be presented to Gov. Charlie Baker for his signature.

Below is how House members voted on the bill.
Shimla, July 25 : Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya on Saturday discussed the Covid-19 situation in the hill state with Dr Jagat Ram, Director of PGIMER in Chandigarh, and sought his advice to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The Governor said that keeping in view the rise in corona cases in Himachal, the PGIMER should send a team of observers to study the functioning of Covid care centres in the hill state.

The Governor said the Covid parameters of his state were still far better than other states. The spread rate is less than five per cent.

He said 127,555 people in Himachal were tested for coronavirus, of which 124,568 tested negative.

He said 1,145 corona patients were cured whereas only 11 deaths were reported so far.

The Governor appreciated the efforts and arrangements made by the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in fighting the coronavirus.

Dattatreya expressed happiness that the institute had conducted over 15,000 corona tests and started plasma therapy has to treat such patients.

He said tracing, testing and treatment were vital to tackle the epidemic.

Dr Jagat Ram said that the PGIMER had also started steroid therapy and was using indigenous machines to ensure less contact of health staff with corona patients.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
NORMAL  Zoning changes for One Normal Plaza could be considered by the Normal Planning Commission next month, but will likely face pushback from residents opposed to aspects of the proposal.

Town staff are developing a zoning amendment that will divide the plaza into four sub areas with corresponding restrictions to attract different businesses. The planning commission could hear the amendment during its Aug. 6 meeting if the commission resumes in-person meetings, said Normal City Manager Pam Reece.

But a group of area residents are speaking out against the changes, which they say could attract unwanted businesses. Specifically, several residents said they are opposed to measures that would allow alcohol-related businesses.

"The area is a nice quiet area," said Mary Boline, who lives in the area. "We dont have to worry about the kids running in the street and getting hit by cars.

"The town of Normal does what they want with our taxpayer money, and this is something they should not revamp the way they want to revamp it.

More than 20 people attended a citizens' meeting Thursday at the One Normal Plaza Community Activity Center. Several attendees spoke out about the potential zoning amendment, which the Normal City Council initiated May 4.

The conversation was spurred by a resident interested in opening a craft brewery operation next to Happy Splashes Swim School. Current zoning restrictions do not allow such businesses, and the resident is no longer considering the area.

But the initial conversation led the town to consider updating the current zoning code.

One Normal Plaza's history dates back to the Civil War era when it was the The Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School in 1865. The site was used to house and care for orphans during and after the war.

The proposed amendment divides the plaza into four sub areas: the Boys' Dorms; Inside the Loop; the Baby Fold and Y Dorms; and Normandy Village and Park. Each zone would be tailored based on the preexisting areas to attract certain businesses.

In the Boys' Dorms area, which consists of primarily single-family homes, the town hopes to retain the residential area while allowing home-based businesses.

For the second sub area, Inside the Loop, the town hopes to expand the current list of offices to include some restaurant and bar establishments, retail and personal services.

The Baby Fold and Y Dorms area would seek to keep the institutional nature of the space while allowing some personal and professional services inside the Y Dorms. Restaurants and non-institutional residential uses would not be permitted in this area.

The fourth zone in Normandy Village and Park would keep the residential and small-business nature while allowing "a small amount" of restaurant use. The primary uses would be office and personal services and retail would not be permitted.

Kathy Siracuse, who organized the residents' group meeting, became involved when the town first started the zoning amendment process. She has since organized four meetings to discuss the changes and push back against any that would allow alcohol in the area.

"We thought this would be our forever home and if theres a chance that something here would change our assessments or taxes or destroy what this neighborhood is, no, I dont want that," said Siracuse. "You get involved when you see something that hits a nerve and you dont want it.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos and Councilman Stan Nord both spoke with the residents on Thursday. Councilwoman Chemberly Cummings also attended, but left early as to not violate the Open Meetings Act by having three elected officials together.

Koos said the amendment was put forth to open the public process and have a discussion on what town staff recommended. "I will say my fellow council members are very aware of the concerns being expressed," he said.

Nord, who voted against opening the initial zoning text amendment discussion, said he did not agree with parts of the amendment that would allow the presence of alcohol in the area.

Anyone else in the community who does not think this is the right fit for this area, they absolutely need to email the town council and let them know if they think allowing a bar out here is the right fit or not, he said.

A number of residents spoke against the potential amendment, many citing alcohol sales as a main concern. Siracuse said the next step is for the group to speak during a public hearing with the town's planning commission.

On Walnut Street we found a quiet, home country atmosphere," said Jill Wagner. "We feel that if they allow alcohol in the park its going to draw the university crowd."

Wagner added that she is not opposed to developing One Normal Plaza, but that residents "want activities that fit with the community."

"We dont want to destroy what we have, she said.

The next planning commission meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Aug. 6. Recent meetings have been virtual, but in-person meetings typically would be held in the council chambers on the fourth floor of Uptown Station, 11 Uptown Circle.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the resident proposed a potential brewery next to Happy Splashes Swim School.

10 historical photos of Bloomington-Normal

Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 10:53:55|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, July 25 (Xinhua) -- No new case of COVID-19 was reported in New Zealand, said the Ministry of Health in a statement on Saturday.

It has been 85 days since the last case of COVID-19 was acquired locally from an unknown source, said the ministry statement.

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 remained at 1,206, which was the number New Zealand report to the World Health Organization, it is said.

Laboratories across the country completed 2,307 tests, which brought the total number of tests completed to date to 453,923.

"Testing remains an important part of our overall strategy to detect any community cases of COVID-19 as quickly as possible," said the ministry. "We're encouraging anyone who is offered a swab to take up that offer."

Meanwhile, four of a group of five people who absconded from the managed isolation facility in Hamilton are charged by the New Zealand Police for breaching the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act.

It is reported that the group of people escaped the managed isolation hotel on Friday night in an attempt to attend a relative's funeral in Auckland.

One 17-year-old young man will appear before a Youth Court in Auckland and the other three will appear before the Hamilton District and Youth Courts on Saturday, said the New Zealand Police. Enditem
In a significant development, troops of India and China have completed disengagement at Galwan Valley, Patrolling Point 15, and Hot Springs/Gogra area in Eastern Ladakh amid the ongoing talks at the diplomatic and military level, sources said.

The ongoing engagement and dialogue between India and China at the military and diplomatic levels has resulted in complete disengagement at Patrolling Point 14 (Galwan area), 15 and 17 A (Hot Springs/Gogra) in eastern Ladakh, a source told ANI here.

The sources said that after disengagement in these areas as per agreements in the last Corps Commander-level talks, the only area where disengagement is left to be implemented is the Finger area along the Pangong Tso lake.

A meeting between the senior military commanders is expected in the coming week to further work out modalities of the Pangong Tso lake area, they added.

Also read | A timeline: India-Chinas deadliest border clash since 1975 explained

Even though disengagement has been taking place between the two sides, the Chinese have not begun the process of de-escalation along the LAC opposite Eastern Ladakh where they have maintained a build-up of close to 40,000 troops with heavy weaponry deployed in front and depth areas.

India has made it clear that for the situation to be normalized, the Chinese will have to completely deescalate and move back troops to their permanent locations.

India and China had reviewed the situation on Friday in the India-China border areas at the 17th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) and agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), de-escalation from India-China border areas and full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for the smooth overall development of bilateral relations.

They also agreed that another meeting of senior commanders may be held soon so as to work out further steps to ensure expeditiously complete disengagement and de-escalation.

The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the External Affairs Ministry and Director General of Boundary and Oceanic Dept of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation.

Also read: The Galwan Valley face-off explained through 17 news reports

An External Affairs Ministry release had said that the two sides reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas and the ongoing disengagement process along the Line of Actual Control (LAC )in the Western Sector.

They agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for the smooth overall development of bilateral relations, the release said.

The two sides noted that this was in accordance with the agreement reached between the two Special Representatives (SRs) during their telephonic conversation on July 5, 2020.

The two countries have held military and diplomatic consultations following a face-off between troops of two sides in Eastern Ladakh and the military build-up by China.

WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas, as well as to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation, including between their border security personnel.
Royal courtiers joked that Meghan Markle would start a beauty line when she left the royal family, a new bombshell books will claim.

The book - Finding Freedom - is also expected to claim that they resented having to serve 'an actress on a cable show', and that Harry and Meghan tried to air their frustrations in the courtiers, but their complaints fell on deaf ears.

Extracts of the hotly anticipated book are being published this weekend by The Times and The Sunday Times, and will lift the lid on the Sussexes exit from The Firm.

The Times has reported that one aide made a joke about Meghan launching a line of beauty products once she left the royal family.

More accurately, The Sussexes had hoped to earn a living off commercial deals with a social impact, speaking engagements and production deals.

'Harry and Meghan would have reached a more beneficial agreement to allow them to live the life they wanted if they had handled things in a private, dignified way,' a senior Buckingham Palace aide explained to The Times.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 09, 2020 in London

Another courtier said: 'They oversimplified what they were asking for. They thought they'd give Charles their rider, negotiate over email, rock up to London, give three months' notice and fly back to Canada.'

Senior courtiers in other households - the so-called men in grey suits - did what they could to reign in the popularity of Harry and Meghan, even as they were 'propelling the monarchy to new heights around the world', the book claims.

The couple tried for months to bring their grievances to other senior royals - to no avail - but there was only a handful of people working at the palace that they could trust.

The authors say the Sussexes felt their complaints were not taken seriously and believed other royal households were leaking stories about them to the press.

'There were just a handful of people working at the palace they could trust,' the authors write.

'A friend of the couple's referred to the old guard as 'the vipers'.

'Meanwhile, a frustrated palace staffer described the Sussexes' team as 'the squeaky third wheel' of the palace.'

The Telegraph has reported that staff appeared to turn their noses up at the idea of serving 'an actress on a cable show' when they had signed up 'to serve Queen and country.'

The fact that Meghan had reportedly made Kate cry during a bridesmaid's dress fitting for Princess Charlotte did not help to endear her towards Cambridge loyalists either.

The book's authors, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, said: 'Although Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her.'

Mr Scobie told the Times: 'To purposefully snub your sister-in-law... I don't think it left a great taste in the couple's mouths.'

The authors describe a culture of increasing tension between the Sussexes and other members of the royal family.

Harry and Meghan 'liked being in control of their narrative' in the early days of their marriage, the authors say.

But being told to operate under Buckingham Palace's umbrella after splitting their household from the Cambridges' was 'a big disappointment to them'.

'As their popularity had grown, so did Harry and Meghan's difficulty in understanding why so few inside the palace were looking out for their interests. They were a major draw for the royal family,' the authors write.

The book says the Sussexes even considered breaking protocol by springing a surprise visit on the Queen when they believed they were being blocked from seeing the monarch.

Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, has been written by royal watchers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, described as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's 'cheerleaders'

A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the couple did not contribute to the book, but he did not deny the content of The Times's extracts.

The spokesman told the PA news agency: 'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom.

'This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.'

The revelations come after the Sussexes launched legal action in Los Angeles after drones were allegedly used to take pictures of their 14-month-old son Archie.

A complaint filed at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday claims an unnamed individual photographed Archie at their home during lockdown.

The lawsuit alleges the couple have been hounded across North America by paparazzi and targeted with incessant intrusions into their private life.

Harry and Meghan - who departed the Royal Family in March, saying they wanted a more private life - 'seek no special treatment whatsoever' and only want the right to privacy, the lawsuit says.

The couple say they have 'done everything in their power to stay out of the limelight' except in relation to their work, which they accept is newsworthy.
Activists had sought the removal of the statue for years. Willie James, who is black, said that as a young teen walking downtown with his mother, we would always stay on the sidewalk opposite the Caddo Parish Courthouse. . . . I thought at first it was because of the obvious: too many times individuals with white hoods and robes surrounded the structure. But years later, James said, he learned that his mother was actually avoiding the statue, whose inscription pays tribute to the men who so gallantly, nobly, and conscientiously defended the cause of 1861-65.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 15:49:41|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, July 25 (Xinhua) -- "Since the passage of the national security law, I have felt a huge sense of relief," Dan Albertson, a U.S. freelancer and translator, said.

More than a year ago, Albertson left Chicago to start a new life in Hong Kong but only found himself caught in violent protests and destructive activities.

Parts of his neighborhood used to be ransacked almost every weekend, he said. "The past year in Hong Kong saw so much hatred and violence, and nobody wins in such a situation."

Having witnessed the damages of escalating violence and lawlessness to Hong Kong, Albertson said he feels "much more secure knowing that random attacks and chaos are now unlikely."

The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was adopted by China's top legislature and promulgated in the HKSAR on June 30. It has received widespread support from both local residents and foreign expatriates.

"After the law was promulgated, people generally feel safer as their personal and property safety can be well protected," Shi Zhu, chairman of the China Culture Foundation, said.

During the prolonged social disturbances last year, innocent residents being lynched and metro stations, banks and stores being trashed were a common occurrence. A man was set on fire by rioters for criticizing their vandalism, and a senior street cleaner died after being hit on his head with a brick thrown by a mob.

Ting Ching-Hoi, a young Hong Kong resident in his 20s, said before the national security law was initiated, he had to pay high attention to news about violent protests and illegal assemblies before going out, lest he could not come back home as rioters paralyzed the traffic.

While some media briskly hyped up that Hong Kong people's human rights and freedom would be damaged by the law, Ilan, a diamond dealer from Israel, said he is not worried at all.

"If you're not acting to cause harm to China and specifically Hong Kong, (such as) causing damage to public property, intimidating or attacking people or receiving instructions from foreign agents, why would you worry?" he asked.

Ilan has been in Hong Kong for 18 years and has two children.

"I feel Hong Kong is on the right path to stability and I feel safer," he said, adding that most foreigners he spoke to in Hong Kong share the same sentiment that the law is a necessary step to restore stability and security.

The national security law seeks to prevent, curb and punish crimes seriously endangering national security, namely secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security.

The HKSAR government has reiterated that the legitimate rights and interests and freedom of law-abiding Hong Kong residents will not be affected.

However, Albertson said he had almost read nothing positive about the law in British and U.S. media.

Considering that the United States and Britain both have national security laws of their own, such criticism can only be seen in the context of either an ideological campaign against anything Chinese, a lack of respect for China's national sovereignty, or a tacit acknowledgment that one or both countries had aided the riots directly or indirectly, he said.

"Neither country seriously cares about Hong Kong or its people, (Hong Kong and its people are) mere pawns in their game," Albertson added.

By bringing back peace and stability, the national security law will offer Hong Kong the opportunity to channel more energy into other important areas, such as fighting the COVID-19 epidemic and improving people's livelihood, and striving to maintain its success amid a challenging global environment, observers said.

"Hong Kong is a beautiful combination of new and old, natural and urban. It's rare to find a place that is as lively and diverse as Hong Kong," Albertson said. "I feel a strong attachment to it and cherish it every day I'm here. I would be glad to continue living in Hong Kong." Enditem
The sero-prevalence study in Delhi has shown that nearly a quarter of the national Capitals population may have got infected with coronavirus and also developed immunity against it. Scientists have called this a promising sign indicating movement towards herd immunity. News18.com spoke to Professor Jayaprakash Muliyil, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee, National Institute of Epidemiology, and former principal of Christian Medical College, Vellore, on the results of the study and what it reflects about the current stage of the coronavirus pandemic. Edited excerpts:

What do these results tell us about the spread of the infection in the national Capital and in general, about how the virus is behaving?

First of all, it is a random sample from a sampling frame. So when you do a random sample, it talks about the whole population. So, when the total population average is 23.5%, that means that 23.5% were already infected. Now they are immune to coronavirus and in my opinion that immunity will be long lasting. Number two, you have to understand that this is an average and averages never tell you exactly what is going on. So you have to make out how the clusters are doing. In cluster sampling, you can look at clusters and if the cluster size is reasonably big, you can ask the question - Is there high and low prevalence of sero-positivity in the cluster? That will describe the cluster nicely. The cluster size itself should be little more than 100 in each one.

Under the cluster, some will show 40% (positivity rate), some are 10% or 15%, and there is heterogeneity. Those in the range of 30-40% are fast approaching the herd immunity level in which case there will be no active transmission of the disease in those clusters and you will notice in those areas that new cases fall remarkably. Thirdly, the survey represents what happened a month back. After about two weeks only the IgG antibodies develop nicely. So the actual infection spread might be higher at present.

In my opinion, instead of looking at the new case direction in Delhi, we should look cluster by cluster. Each cluster will peak and reach herd immunity and cases will start dropping, this will eventually lead to the end of the epidemic.

What is cluster sampling, can you explain a bit?

You choose geographic clusters. It is convenient because some of that creates a little bit more homogeneity. Then you go to one ward and treat it as one cluster. You dont need to cover every ward in Delhi, maybe randomly. To study the direction of the epidemic, you have to actually follow the clusters. For instance, Dharavi reached high levels of infection and now cases are dropping.

Likewise, if you follow cluster after cluster, you will understand if the epidemic has snuffed out itself. We can always take the credit, but it is done by the bodys immunity. If the density of immune people increases, then the pathway for the virus is cut and thus it starts declining. The R value in such clusters will also decline to a low level, but it is stable, the infection will still be smouldering but it will not be noticeable. We have many, many viruses. We don't notice since many are immune to them. But they are hovering, killing people occasionally.

Do you think the cities with high case load such as Mumbai and Chennai should also carry out such studies?

I will not give a prescription like this. Once it (infection) reaches high levels and the cases fall, you know theyre reaching herd (immunity) levels. So, some investigators and epidemiologists may be interested in these studies from a planning point of view. Your focus now should not be on screening but mainly on people who have got symptoms; fever, cough and breathlessness. They should be checked because the Covid-19 disease has a slightly different clinical management compared to pneumonia.

In Delhi, despite all the control measures, millions got infected. So any sensible person will conclude that our control measures did not work. We have now understood a few things. Our body is producing good immunity, is producing antibodies; millions of people are already protected. So, the disease has to come to an end for them, but it does not mean everybody is immune.

Later on, you will see small outbreaks. That is why it is good to have a vaccine to come around because half the population will be susceptible. If the virus is immunogenic, then the vaccine will also be immunogenic; if the virus is not immunogenic, vaccine wont be immunogenic either. If the virus is stimulating a good immune response, naturally we can hope that the vaccine also will induce a good immune response.

So do you feel these studies are effective for practical strategies?

It has to be locality specific by and large. Though we all said a large number of people get infected and you dont see them, nobody had believed it until this survey happened. Only when people saw this did they realize, Oh my god, so many millions of Delhiites got infected. We thought we were controlling it. That is nonsense and it is based on a small fraction. You were looking at the tip of the iceberg and now, after the survey, we can see the total size of the iceberg.

All the counts of the number of cases recovered are absolutely absurd, because the real picture is much larger. We are now getting to know the true extent of the spread of the infection.

What do we make of the immunity levels that people will attain?

There are two opinions on this. One is that everybody now agrees we have immunity and there is no confusion about it. Initially, there was discussion that there is immunity but not neutralising immunity. After that there is still a controversy around how long it lasts. Some believe it will last only a short time, people like me believe it will last long. For that you will have to wait for two to three years, to show it is protecting for a long time. Immunology is a very complicated subject and I dont understand it fully, but I am an optimist and I think this will be good enough for us. In terms of the pandemic, I think we are seeing evidence that some of the areas are closing in on herd immunity.
The unofficial Black Lives Matter mural organized by Tiffany Allecia will be removed despite efforts by Allecia to keep it. Similar murals have been seen in Oakland, Calif., Washington D.C., and Seattle, Wash.

The paint is already fading due to weathering and they have only been installed for a little over a month, said Allecia. As mayor, you have the duty to do what you feel is right for the city that you serve.

In a heated email to the mayor and other city officials on Friday morning, Allecia characterized Sarnos statement of the removal of the Black Lives Matter mural over this weekend as what can only be described for what it is, a lie.

After members of my staff met with a group of Black Lives Matter activists who were responsible for the mural painted in front of Old First Church, they mutually decided that the mural would be removed due to the fact that proper procedures must be followed concerning murals of this type, said Mayor Domenic J. Sarno in a statement on July 22. I want to make it perfectly clear that this was a mutually agreed decision and in no way reflects negatively on the intent.

The dispute between the Mayors Office and Allecia stemmed from a meeting on July 15 where the city officials met with Allecia and Malaya Mitchell to discuss ideas about how the city could improve the community. Allecia was also invited by Talia Gee, Springfields chief diversity and inclusion officer to discuss more on the matter with Sarnos Chief of Staff Tom Ashe on July 21.

As stated to you during the July 21, meeting, you were required to obtain permits for both the creation of the mural and holding the vendor fair, said Gee in an email to Allecia on Friday. You were also told that the City had received several requests for permits for similar events but declined the requests due to COVID[-19].

Allecia told MassLive that she was unaware that another mural was being planned by the city under the initiative of City Councilor-at-Large Tracye Whitfield for September. On July 29, the application for the official mural goes to the Board of Public Health and then will need signatures from other departments.

It will be submitted to the city council for final approval. Due to the lack of city council meetings in August, Whitfield is expected to call a special adjournment to get the approval to the mayors office to sign. Sarno has already shown his support for the mural on Court Street.

An unofficial Black Lives Matter mural has appeared in Court Square, Springfield. It will be removed this weekend and an official mural will be planned for September. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

During our meeting on July 21, you acknowledged you knew you were required to obtain permits but declined to do so for various reasons, including because you already tried to obtain a permit and were told no permits were being given due to COVID, Gee said in the email.

Allecia expressed to MassLive on Thursday that there had been a lot of confusion regarding the mural and why it was painted without the permits.

It was a protest, said Allecia in an interview with MassLive. We are aware that it was unauthorized. Unfortunately, in 2020 we got a lot of people involved in activism and theres a lot of misconceptions on what activism is. Yes, a lot of things can be done in cohesion with the government and things like that. Protests are being used as a form of expression to express dire and desperate situations, which is what this mural came out of.

At the meeting on Monday, Gee invited Allecia to release a joint statement saying that the mural will be removed and according to Gee there has been no response. Gee also added that immediately after the meeting at City Hall, Allecia took to Facebook live and not only discussed the matter but also scheduled a gathering at the mural on Friday evening to protest the removal.

It is now disheartening that you have repeatedly attempted to change the narrative, call things a lie, or try to back out of the agreement to remove the mural, Gee wrote to Allecia.

According to city officials, the mural was painted on historic property and required additional permits. On the Springfield city website, the area that has been used for the BLM mural is not part of the historic commission or the Old First Church, but is actually public property.

The Springfield Historical Commission has no authority [or] purview over the painting of a public way, said Alvin Allen, senior planner with Springfields Office of Planning & Economic Development.

A city official told MassLive, that regardless of the importance of Black Lives Matter murals or the message, no matter how valid, it sets a precedent saying that the rules dont apply to some.

State Rep. Bud Williams was contacted by Allecia and stated that he can see the importance of the mural and the citys point of view for precedent; However, with the unprecedented times of the pandemic , communication is difficult.

An unofficial Black Lives Matter mural has appeared in Court Square, Springfield. It will be removed this weekend and an official mural will be planned for September. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

A lot of people worked very hard on that, according to Allecia, said Williams. And due to the climate in the country now, you have to be very sensitive to that situation. Be sensitive, be understanding. {She] should have a permit, we know that and eventually, its going to dissolve and go away.

He said that the context is important and although he understands the perspective of Springfield officials, he is also conscious of the nature of the mural and what it means to the people who made it.

City officials clarified that although the mural is in fact on a public right of way, which is next to the historic church, it still needs to have the correct permits and approval to remain.

Ward 1 Springfield City Councilor, Adam Gomez, told MassLive that although the mural is beautiful, it will be removed by the city regardless of the intent behind it. This sentiment was mirrored by Whitfield.

We want people to be able to express themselves any way they feel they need to protest, said Gomez. But if they know that its a protest, they also need to understand that the city or whoevers the responsible authority [will do their job].

The mural on Court Square Avenue is planned to be removed over the weekend.

Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook orTwitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364.
July 21, 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Saudi Arabia. Relations between the two countries have been steadily moving forward in all areas over the last three decades. The reasons for this progress are numerous, but the most important is mutual respect for the values of the other side.



It was not until 1990 that China and Saudi Arabia formally established diplomatic relations, with the latter being the final Arab country to do so with China. The decision to establish diplomatic relations was politically significant for both sides. For China, it marked the conclusion of efforts to formalize relations with all Arab countries, and hence its ability to work diplomatically with the Arab world as a whole. For Saudi Arabia, the move meant that it had formed diplomatic relations with all the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

History has proven that this decision could not have been more right, with relations between the two countries going on to develop in an all-round manner. For instance, China and Saudi Arabia have become very important economic partners. In 2019, Saudi Arabia exported 1.67 million barrels of oil per day to China, marking an increase of 47% year-on-year, becoming China's largest supplier of oil. In addition, China regards Saudi as an even more important destination for its commodities and infrastructure investments.

Commitments made by the two countries to cooperation in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the comprehensive strategic partnership have added new momentum to the development of bilateral relations. This cooperation has also achieved substantial progress over the past couple of years as the two sides vowed to align the BRI and Saudi 2030 Vision. During a visit to Saudi Arabia by a high-level Chinese delegation in August 2017, the two sides agreed to build a Chinese industry park in Saudi Arabia's southern border region of Jizan, push forward a sea water desalination project, and support the construction of a power plant in the country's western coastal town of Rabigh.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, cooperation between the two countries in fighting the pandemic has seen a growth in trust. Saudi Arabia was among the first countries to deliver political and material support to China when China was facing unreasonable criticism. In return, China also supplied Saudi Arabia with medical supplies and shared expertise when Saudi Arabia saw a serious outbreak of the disease.

China-Saudi relations have witnessed robust development over the past 30 years in almost every area. Such solid development of bilateral relations can be attributed to a range of reasons.

One is the rising trend of globalization, which has allowed the energy trade to form a cornerstone in relations between the two countries. The most important reason, however, is the mutual respect for the civilization and culture of the other side. China has always adhered to the principle of respecting the diversity of civilizations and cultures. In terms of Sino-Saudi ties, China has shown respect for not only Saudi Arabia's culture, but also its overall development path. Thanks to this mutual respect, relations between the two nations will climb to even greater heights, making key contributions to regional and world peace and stability, as well as development and prosperity.

Jin Liangxiang is Senior Research Fellow with the Center for West Asian and African Studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 00:01:06|Editor: huaxia

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File photo shows an Airbus A330 NEO performing during a flight display at the 53rd International Paris Air Show held at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

"Unjustified tariffs on European products are not acceptable and, arising from the compliance in the Airbus case, we insist that the United States lifts these unjustified tariffs immediately," said EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan.

BRUSSELS, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Friday said that Airbus had agreed with France and Spain to remove contentious benefits granted to the aircraft manufacturer, aiming to end a long-running dispute between the EU and the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over subsidies.

According to an announcement issued by the European Commission, the governments of France and Spain, two of several European countries hosting Airbus factories, have agreed to modify the terms of the Repayable Launch Investment for development of the A350 aircraft to reflect market conditions.

The Commission said the aim of the move was to settle the long-standing dispute which began in 2004, when the U.S. accused France, Spain and Germany -- also known as the "Airbus member states" -- of providing illegal subsidies and grants to support the production of a range of Airbus products.

Following prolonged legal proceedings, the WTO allowed the U.S. to take countermeasures against European exports worth up to 7.5 billion U.S. dollars in October 2019. The basis for this was a 2018 decision that found that the EU and the "Airbus member states" had not fully complied with previous WTO rulings with regard to Repayable Launch Investment for the A350 and A380 programs.

The EU said Friday's action addressed the last remaining measures condemned by the WTO, and thus removed any grounds for the U.S. to maintain its countermeasures on EU exports.

EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said: "Unjustified tariffs on European products are not acceptable and, arising from the compliance in the Airbus case, we insist that the United States lifts these unjustified tariffs immediately."

In a parallel case, where the EU accused the U.S. of granting subsidies to Boeing, a WTO ruling of April 11, 2019, confirmed that the U.S. had not taken appropriate action to comply with WTO rules. The WTO arbitrator's decision on the value of possible EU retaliation is due in the coming weeks.

"The EU has made specific proposals to reach a negotiated outcome to the long running transatlantic civil aircraft disputes and remains open to work with the U.S. to agree a fair and balanced outcome, as well as on future disciplines for subsidies in the aircraft sector," said Hogan. 
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 14:17:08|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Lock-up shares worth about 125.16 billion yuan (about 17.9 billion U.S. dollars) will become eligible for trade on China's bourses in the coming week.

The volume is 42.2 percent lower week on week, according to data from financial information provider Wind.

About 5.24 billion shares from 113 companies will be freed up for trading from July 27 to July 31.

Under China's stock market rules, major shareholders must wait for one to two years before they are permitted to sell their shares. Enditem
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi discussed the situation in Libya during a phone call on Monday, July 20. The two agreed on the need to maintain a ceasefire in Libya and avoid escalation between the forces fighting for control over the North African country, reports said.

President El-Sisi confirmed Egypt's unwavering strategic position on Libya, which aimed at restoring stability in the country, preserving its national institutions, and preventing further deterioration in Libyas security situation via curbing illegal foreign interference in the Libyan issue, a readout published on the Egyptian presidents website said.

The statement is misleading.

As al-Sisi spoke with Trump, Egypts parliament voted  secretly, according to local media  to authorize the president to send the nations military into Libya.

Al-Sisi had requested the parliamentary approval less than week earlier after meeting with the leaders of Libyas eastern tribes and declaring that Egypt might intervene in that country militarily to face terrorism and protect national security.

Such a military move by Egypt would have major implications - not only for Libya, but for countries backing the warring sides there.

In western Libya, the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is recognized by the United Nations, controls Libyas capital, Tripoli; most of the nations financial institutions, including the Central Bank; and the National Oil Corporation (NOC). Turkey and Qatar are among GNAs main supporters.

In eastern Libya, along Egypts western border, the House of Representatives (HOR) and the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by warlord Khalifa Haftar, control critical oil infrastructure and logistic hubs. Among Haftars supporters are Egypt, France, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Given the context, what constitutes illegal foreign interference is open to wide interpretation.

Turkeys heavy military presence in Libya makes Egypts intervention more likely. According to some analysts, such an escalation would make Libya the next global flash point.

Turkey has said its next target is the city of Sirte, which is the site of Libyas largest oil deposits and is now controlled by the LNA, unless Haftar agrees to negotiate and eventually step down.

Egypt has responded by calling Sirte a red line, the crossing of which will prompt military intervention.

U.S. diplomats and officials have for years called for a political solution to the conflict in Libya. According to a recent report by the U.S. Congressional Research, the top U.S. priority in Libya is counterterrorism.
In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed.

Said el-Er, who founded the territory's only animal rescue organization in 2006, has been trying to change that. He and other volunteers rescue dogs and cats that have been struck by cars or abused and nurse them back to health, but there are too many.

So in recent weeks they have launched Gaza's first spay-and-neuter program. It goes against taboos in the conservative Palestinian territory, where feral dogs and cats are widely seen as pests and many view spaying and neutering as forbidden by Islam.

Because the society is Muslim, they talk about halal (allowed) and haram (forbidden), el-Er said. We know what halal is and what haram is, and it's haram (for the animals) to be widespread in the streets where they can be run over, shot or poisoned.''

Islam teaches kindness toward animals, but Muslim scholars are divided on whether spaying and neutering causes harm. Across the Arab world, dogs are widely shunned as unclean and potentially dangerous, and cats do not fare much better.

El-Er and other advocates for the humane treatment of animals face an added challenge in Gaza, which has been under the Israeli blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. Gaza's 2 million residents suffer from nearly 50% unemployment, frequent power outages and heavy travel restrictions.

With many struggling to meet basic needs, animal care is seen as a waste of precious resources or a luxury at best. El-Er's group, Sulala for Animal Care, relies on private donations, which can be hard to come by.

El-Er says his team can no longer keep up with the number of injured animals that they find or that are brought to the clinic. The large number of daily injuries is beyond our capacity, he said. That's why we resorted to neutering.

On a recent day, volunteers neutered a street dog and two cats that had been brought in. There are few veterinary clinics and no animal hospitals in Gaza, so they performed the operations in a section of a pet store that had been cleaned and disinfected.

We have shortages in capabilities, tools, especially those needed for orthopedic surgeries, said Bashar Shehada, a local veterinarian. There is no suitable place for operations.''

El-Er has spent years trying to organize a spay and neutering campaign but met with resistance from local authorities and vets, who said it was forbidden. He eventually secured a fatwa, or religious ruling, stating that it is more humane to spay and neuter animals than to consign an ever-growing population to misery and abuse.

Once the fatwa was issued, el-Er said local authorities did not object to the campaign as a way of promoting public health and safety. The Hamas-run health and agriculture ministries allowed veterinarians to carry out operations and purchase supplies and medicine, he said.

The Gaza City municipality provided land for a shelter earlier this year. Before that, El-Er kept the rescued animals at his home and on two small tracts of land that he leased.

The new shelter currently houses around 200 dogs, many of them blind, bearing scars from abuse or missing limbs from being hit by cars. At least one was adjusting to walking with a prosthetic limb. A separate section holds cats in similar shape.

The group tries to find homes for the animals, but here too it faces both economic and cultural challenges. Very few Gazans would keep a dog as a pet, and there's little demand for cats. Some people adopt the animals from abroad, sending money for their food and care.

Over the past decade, international animal welfare groups have carried out numerous missions to evacuate anguished animals from makeshift zoos in Gaza and relocate them to sanctuaries in the West Bank, Jordan and Africa.

But there are no similar campaigns for dogs and cats, and Gaza has been sealed off from all but returning residents since March to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

El-Er's phone rang recently and the caller said a dog had been hit by a car. Volunteers from Sulala brought it back to the shelter on the back of a three-wheeled motorbike and began treating it. El-Er says they receive around five such calls every day.

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She recently set pulses racing by donning a skin-tight lycra bodysuit and fishnet stockings for a photoshoot.

But Melanie Sykes cut a casual figure as she arrived at BBC's Wogan House wearing blue skinny jeans and a Guns N' Roses tank top on Saturday.

The presenter, 49, showed off her age-defying figure in the fitted blue jeans while the sleeveless top showcased Melanie's toned arms and shoulders.

Stylish: Melanie Sykes, 49, cut a casual figure as she arrived at BBC's Wogan House wearing blue skinny jeans and a Guns N' Roses tank top on Saturday

Melanie channelled her inner rock chick in the over-sized white cami emblazoned with the band's iconic logo which teased a glimpse of her black bralette.

A make-up free Melanie left her chestnut tresses loose and finished her look with classic white plimsols and a delicate silver necklace decorated with crystals.

The mother-of-two looked ready for action as she slung a black leather tote bag over one shoulder while a matching black leather saddle bag hung at her slender hip.

Having stocked up at Pret A Manger, Melanie arrived at the London studios to record her live Radio 2 show Alan and Mel which she presents with funnyman Alan Carr.

Funky: Melanie channelled her inner rock chick in the oversized white cami emblazoned with the band's iconic logo which teased a glimpse of her black bralette

Prepared: The mother of two looked ready for action as she slung a black leather tote bag over one shoulder while a matching black leather saddle bag hung at her slender hip

Due to celebrate her 50th in August, Manchester-born Melanie looked nowhere near her years as she showcased a flawless complexion while flashing the camera a cheeky grin.

Melanie's youthful looks could be partly due to her clean-living lifestyle, as the former model recently celebrated three years of sobriety.

The presenter, who found fame in a series of lighthearted ads for Boddingtons Brewery, marked the anniversary by posting a spirited message to her Instagram.

Natural beauty: A makeup-free Melanie left her chestnut tresses loose and finished her look with classic white plimsols and a delicate silver necklace decorated with crystals

Nearly 50! Earlier this month Melanie showcased her age-defying figure in skintight latex bodysuit and fishnet tights in a boomerang clip of herself which she posted to Instagram

Sharing a fresh-faced selfie with her 256,000 followers, she wrote: 'Yo yo yo good morning lovelies hope you are all well.

'I gave up alcohol completely 3 years ago today whoop whoop and today also marks the 2 year anniversary of my life changing holiday to India with @adamskionline (how amazing was that trip babes?).

'Anyway blah di blah I'm doing a little dance and you can't stop me! have a good and positive day y'all. ps and for those asking, no I don't miss it because it's toxic bulls**t!'

Hangover free: Taking to the social media platform, she revealed the date was also significant because it marked the two-year anniversary of a life-changing trip to India with her close friend, Adam Phillips

Melanie has been focusing on self-improvement after she was left 'gutted' when her relationship with Steve Coogan, 54, came to an end last year.

It's said she began to grow increasingly concerned the Alan Partridge star didn't want to settle down with her amid their largely low-key romance.

The brunette beauty currently lives in Hampstead with her two sons Roman and Valentino whom she shares with ex-husband Daniel Caltagirone.

Mel time: Melanie has been focusing on self-improvement after she was left 'gutted' when her relationship with Steve Coogan, 54, came to an end last year
The Socialist Party is initiating a referendum on the status and protection of public beaches at Hungarian lakes, the head of the partys board said in Fonyod, at Lake Balaton.

Agnes Kunhalmi told a press conference that the referendum will contain three questions. The first will ask people whether public beaches on freshwater lakes should be accessible free of charge.



The second and third questions will ask whether parliament should impose a ban on selling public beaches and undertaking constructions on them. Kunhalmi said losses incurred by the local governments should be compensated from the central budget.



She noted that the Socialists have recently launched a signature campaign to raise awareness of the problems regarding Lake Balaton, Hungarys largest lake. The drive calls for sailboat ports to be left in public ownership and the preservation of free beaches on the lake, she said.



Kunhalmi insisted that oligarchs connected to the ruling Fidesz party had started to buy up the Balaton shoreline, along with other lakes in 2010. The trend picked up in 2016, she said, elbowing low earners out of the holiday resorts.





MTI Photo: Gyorgy Varga
SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wonderschool, pioneering developer of software used by in-home childcare providers nationwide, today announced the rollout of a platform that will enable parent-educators and K-12 teachers to create learning pods so that students can remain enrolled in their existing school, while creating safe and secure learning environments at home.

"This isn't a new challenge for the thousands of in-home childcare providers around the country. We're using that experience to help parents-turned-educators manage pods of learners to create a safe environment -- while maintaining a strong connection to their existing school community," said Chris Bennett, Founder and CEO of Wonderschool. "This is about trying to restore school-life balance during a period of incredible stress and uncertainty. But it's also designed to address the risk of rising inequality as schools go remote in the fall."

Popular among in-home child care providers around the country, the Wonderschool interface allows parents or educators to create and manage a microschool (or "learning pod") through tools to recruit new families with a website on Wonderschool, conduct Zoom and in-person tours, host open houses, manage payments from parents, secure liability insurance, join a microschool leader chat community, and get access to shared services such a micro-school mentors, curriculum consultants, and more. Designed to foster a more inclusive, equitable approach to microschooling, Wonderschool allows "pod" creators to promote their program to other parents, and join a growing community of parent-educators to share resources, tips, and advice.

Wonderschool's growing network of parents and educators come from a wide range of backgrounds.

Tracey McEntyre , a retired early childhood educator now runs a microschool for kids in her neighborhood. McEntyre, whose son is living with Autism, created the Little Elm STE(A)M Academy to serve students aged 3-11 with a wide range of learning differences.

, a retired early childhood educator now runs a for kids in her neighborhood. McEntyre, whose son is living with Autism, created the Little Elm STE(A)M Academy to serve students aged 3-11 with a wide range of learning differences. Rachel Weiss , who most recently taught in a preschool, started a microschool that is a forest, outdoor school to serve children grades Pre-K to 1st grade.

, who most recently taught in a preschool, started a that is a forest, outdoor school to serve children grades Pre-K to 1st grade. Jeremiah Cota , a tribal member on the San Carlos reservation in Arizona launched his microschool using borrowed church space. More than 20 students now attend the school, which utilizes two classrooms, and receives funding through the Arizona Department of Education.

"It's not sustainable to expect parents to balance work, childcare, and managing their children's education every day. It's not easy to identify and connect with other parents grappling with similar challenges," says Tracey McEntyre. "We need relief, and Wonderschool removes much of the logistical challenge and burden of building a microschool from the ground up."

About Wonderschool

Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, Wonderschool is building the nation's largest network of high-quality education programs. Our fast-growing community, technology, and know-how enables teachers and parent-educators to create safe and secure learning communities, and earn a sustainable living in the field they love. www.wonderschool.com

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Eugene McPartland was hoping for a big year for his Sligo Tours company.

A good year in 2019, followed by the release of Normal People on television, it looked as though 2020 was going to be a big year for the tour operator.

But then, Covid-19 hit. All of his upcoming bookings, largely from American tourists, were cancelled. He has barely any upcoming bookings, and can only wait and see how long it takes for business to pick up again.

"I was doing pretty well with the tours, I do a bit of film transport as well. My first year was two years ago, last year I had a very good year," he told The Sligo Champion.

"I had a significant amount of bookings for summer, 99% of them were from the States. Every one of them cancelled. I've had absolutely no enquiries since. On the local scene, it would be zero as well. There's a dribble of the taxi stuff, but I mean a dribble."

The domestic tourism scene is not as lucrative for tour operators like Eugene. He brings tourists on bespoke tours around the county and further afield, but domestic tourists generally have their own cars with them and do not require a driver.

"I have zero (bookings) now at the moment. The domestic tourist bookings don't come in as well in advance as the overseas ones and a lot of them could be on the day or within a week or the day before if they were staying in town or they might walk into the Failte Ireland office on O'Connell Street. I was expecting a mini lift, it may come yet. The fact that Sligo is a popular destination, Sligo would be noted as a safe place within Ireland."

Eugene was also tasked with being driver for the stars of Normal People while they were filming in Sligo, along with the actors involved in 'The Winter Lake' which debuted at the Galway Film Fleadh a number of weeks ago.

Normal People has been a huge success, and Eugene was hoping to capitalise on this by showing people on his tours some of the filming locations of the show. It is a project he is working on.

He still believes that people will travel to Sligo following the success of the show, but it will take some time.

"Sligo has something to look forward to when you think that Normal People was probably the most looked at thing during lockdown, that and Tiger King, but Normal People will do more for Sligo than Tiger King will do for America.

"I know when things open up again and the Americans can come again it will be good."

Just before lockdown hit, Eugene spent big money on a machine that would kill all germs, for his vehicles. He has done everything he can, but now all he can do is wait and see.

"I have screens in the cars, hand sanitizer dispensers, I have everything bar the customer but I think it might pay off in the end. I'm kind of hoping that it will bounce back. Maybe August will be the big one. I guess people are hesitant."

It has been widely reported that numbers of American tourists have been travelling to Ireland and now undertaking the 14 day quarantine that is required, but not compulsory. As someone who relies on the American tourists, Eugene understands that it can be hard to say no to the money, but ultimately it would be irresponsible as a tour operator to accept their business without knowing they quarantined for 14 days.

"It's a hard one to balance because you need the money but you also need to be loyal to your country and the people in it, your family and everyone. For a quick buck I don't think it would be worth it if they weren't complying."

He has been left frustrated at the lack of guidelines for people in his line of work, particularly the taxi side of things.

"There's no guidance for us. I took the car for a suitably test, a taxi test for the car, and if the band aid was a day out of date they would fail me. Yet I could go and put eight Texans straight off a plane into it coughing and spluttering. Nobody guided us. No-one has said to write down the number if you get customers."

He loves operating tours, but he has kept up his taxi work too. The tours, he says, are extremely rewarding.

"You're bringing people around your own county, they're paying you to do it, they bring you for dinner, invite you to the States, you make friends. I've so many friends over there now. I think the big thing about Sligo is that maybe people aren't expecting a lot.

"You have the second time visitors who did the Ring of Kerry three years ago, they've seen it already. You've another client then who starts at the bottom of the list, they go to the places that aren't mentioned as much and they're not expecting much. When you show them Sligo, they're gobsmacked.

"It's not like they're queuing like at the Cliffs of Moher.

"It's so rewarding the work, you feel good. Not earning anything at the minute is the worst of it."
A team of researchers showed that artificial intelligence (AI) could help predict the type of bacteria that caused the infection in patients with pneumonia. The research is presented at ASM Microbe Online, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

This research highlights the potential of AI as a supplementary tool for physicians in identifying causal pathogens of pneumonia, even before sputum culture results are available. We demonstrated that physicians could be assisted by AI to decide appropriate antibiotics." Joowhan Sung, M.D., Hospitalist at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital

In the study, investigators showed that AI could use the information available in the emergency room and predict if the patient has MRSA or pseudomonas so that physicians can immediately prescribe specific antibiotics targeting specific bacteria.

Infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria is difficult to treat and can be life-threatening. According to the CDC, "more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur, and more than 35,000 people die as a result".

Pneumonia caused by bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) or pseudomonas can be fatal, as they are resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics. Although there are effective antibiotics against these infections, the test, sputum culture, takes at least 48 hours to incubate and identify these bacteria from the sputum, while these patients might deteriorate within hours.

The investigators presented an analysis of more than 50,000 intensive care unit (ICU) admissions data from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, Massachusetts. The researchers analyzed records of patients who were admitted with pneumonia and trained an AI, "neural network" agent using the dataset. The AI agent showed promising results in predicting bacteria that caused the infection.

"Similar techniques can be applied to future research on pneumonia amid the current pandemic, such as capturing bacterial co-infection in those with known COVID-19, which could be fatal if undetected," said Sung.

Jun Hyek Jang, M.S., senior researcher at AvoMD, Inc. and Joongheum Park, M.D., hospitalist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, also contributed to this work. This research received no external funding.
NEW YORK, July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW), a full-service, boutique investment bank and broker-dealer that specializes in the financial services sector, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF), today announced that Christopher McGratty has been named Head of U.S. Bank Research. He was previously Head of KBWs SMID-Cap Bank Research and has more than 15 years of experience as a bank analyst at KBW.



As Head of U.S. Bank Research, Mr. McGratty will coordinate KBWs research on the 225 domestic banks currently under coverage, and will work closely with Andy Stimpson, Head of European Bank Research, on KBWs global bank product. He will be based in KBWs New York office.

During his long tenure at KBW, Chris has proven himself to be a team leader and has consistently delivered expert industry analysis for our clients, said Fred Cannon, KBW Global Director of Research. We congratulate Chris as he takes on additional responsibilities in this newly created role.

KBW provides equity research coverage of more banks than any other U.S. investment bank. Going beyond individual company research, the KBW team also offers crucial insights into the evolution of the global financial sector as it relates to technology, regulation, macroeconomics, and market structure.

KBW Information

KBW, a Stifel company, operates in the U.S. and Europe through its broker-dealer subsidiaries, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. and Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (SNEL), also trading as Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Europe (KBW Europe). Over the years, KBW has established itself as a leading authority in the banking, insurance, brokerage, asset management, mortgage banking, fintech, and specialty finance sectors. Founded in 1962, the firm maintains industry-leading positions in the areas of research, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and capital raising as well as sales and trading in equities securities of financial services companies.

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Stifel Company Information

Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifels broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, including its Eaton Partners business division; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; and Century Securities Associates, Inc. The Companys broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank and Stifel Bank & Trust offer a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Companys website at www.stifel.com . For global disclosures, please visit https://www.stifel.com/investor-relations/press-releases .

Media Contacts:

Neil Shapiro, (+1 212) 271-3447

shapiron@stifel.com

Jeff Preis, (+1 212) 271-3749

preisj@stifel.com




Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday called a meeting of his council of ministers, the second in less than 12 hours, to rework a proposal to Governor Kalraj Mishra over calling a session of the state assembly.

Ashok Gehlot and his ministers will discuss the objections raised by Governor Mishra in holding an assembly session during the cabinet meeting at the chief ministers residence at 4pm, reports said.

According to reports, they will work on an answer and resend the proposal to the governor to give a nod for holding the session. The revised proposal will be forwarded to the governor after an approval by the cabinet.

The chief minister, who is facing a revolt by his former deputy Sachin Pilot and other Congress MLAs, had chaired a meeting of the cabinet on Friday night to discuss the points raised by the governor on its earlier proposal.

The Congress will shortly hold its legislature party meeting to discuss the political situation in Rajasthan. The meeting will take place at the hotel where the MLAs of the Gehlot camp are staying.

The Congress government is pushing for the assembly session so that Gehlot can prove his majority on the floor of the House, which came after Rajasthan High Court ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the assembly speaker to Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

Governor Mishra had on Friday asked the Gehlot government why it wanted to call an assembly session to secure a vote of confidence if it already had the majority. He said no one above constitutional decorum. There should not be any kind of pressure politics.

He also pointed out that neither had any date for convening the session been mentioned in the cabinet note, annexed with the governments request, nor had the cabinet given its approval to it.

He said he will follow constitutional norms to convene a session, denied there was any pressure on him from the BJP, and wondered why Gehlot was in a hurry to prove his majority on the floor of the House when no one had made such a demand.

The government has neither given any reason for calling the session on such a short notice nor proposed any agenda for it, said the governor, pointing out that a 21-day notice is mandatory for calling an assembly session.

The statement added Mishra had also asked the government to ensure the independence and freedom of movement of all members of the legislative assembly.

On Friday, the chief minister said that a letter was forwarded to the governor on Thursday night for calling the session, but he had not taken any decision on it.

Congress legislators supporting Gehlot had also staged a dramatic five-hour-long demonstration at Raj Bhavan on Friday, demanding that Mishra call a special session of the assembly and allow a floor test.

As Gehlot met the governor inside, the MLAs sat on the lawns, shouting slogans and asserting that they will stay put till the governor issues an order for the session.

The Congress party has it is confident of winning in the midst of their power tussle with Sachin Pilot and those backing him.

Gehlot camp feels that going for an immediate floor test may be the best way to end the political impasse and save the government that has been staring at uncertainty in the wake of a split in its ranks.

The chief minister has the support of 101 members, excluding Speaker CP Joshi. Pilot has 18 other Congress MLAs and three Independents in his camp, taking his tally to 22.

The BJP and its ally Rashtriya Loktrantrik Party have 75 seats. Bhanwarlal Meghwal, one Congress MLA said to be close to Pilot, is indisposed.

The Congress has accused the BJP of instigating the political crisis in Rajasthan and attempting to topple the state government. The BJP has denied the allegation and said the crisis in Rajasthan was triggered by an internal feud in the Congress.

(With agency inputs)
The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) is likely to release the SSC 10th Results by July end. However, an official confirmation on the same remains awaited. The results will be released on the board's official website - mahresult.nic.in.

A few days ago, Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad also said that the Maharashtra SSC result will be released in the end of July.

Students of Maharashtra Board, who are eagerly awaiting their SSC 10th Results are advised to keep their roll numbers ready as the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) can declare their scores anytime soon.

It is expected that Maharashtra 10th result 2020 to be released online between July 24-30. Once declared, students can check their results at mahresult.nic.in 2020, maharashtraeducation.com, and mahahsscboard.maharashtra.gov.in.

Follow these simple steps to check Maharashtra Board SSC 10th Result 2020:

Visit the official website: mahresult.nic.in result 2020.

Click on Maharashtra SSC result 2020 for Class 10 result.

Enter the seat number and his/her mothers first name to check Maharashtra Board SSC 10th result 2020.

Click on the View Result button.

Your result will be displayed on the screen.

Students are advised to download the result for future reference.

Maharashtra SSC Result 2020 via SMS:

You can also check your SSC10th class result by using SMS method. You just need to type an SMS in the specified format: MH<exam name> <Seat No.> and send it to 57766. Your result will be received on the same number after some time.

Around 17 Lakh students appeared for the board exams this year. This year, exams were scheduled to be conducted from March 3-23.
The United States has proposed to help India in addressing its most serious developmental challenges through innovative finance tools, a top Trump Administration official has said.

We are actually right now proposing at US-India Development Foundation where we would help India mobilize their own resources to address the country's most serious developmental challenges looking to use innovative finance tools," USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.

Testifying before the Congressional committee during a hearing on the Fiscal 2021 Budget Request for Foreign Assistance, he said the Trump administration is extremely proud of this peer-to-peer relationship that it has with India.

America's relationship with India is a wonderful success story, we look forward to working with them, Barsa said.

Congressman Joe Wilson said he was really encouraged to see Americas relationship with India developing.

I was honoured to be with President Trump and Prime Minister Modi in Houston, the largest welcome program in the history of the United States to welcome a foreign head of state," Wilson said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 19:26:27|Editor: huaxia

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Afghan security force members participate in a military operation in Arghandab district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, July 25, 2020. Afghan national security force members have killed 19 militants and destroyed many of their hideouts during an operation currently underway in Afghanistan's southern Arghandab district, local police said Saturday. (Photo by Arghand/Xinhua)

ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Afghan national security force members have killed 19 militants and destroyed many of their hideouts during an operation currently underway in Afghanistan's southern Arghandab district, local police said Saturday.

"A join operation launched by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) is underway in Arghandab district, in the northern part of Kandahar city, capital of southern Kandahar province," Niaz Mohammad Mujahid, police chief of Arghandab, told Xinhua.

The police chief added that clashes broke out in a couple of villages to resist the operation, leaving 19 Taliban militants killed and 11 others injured.

"Three Afghan police officers were martyred and two police wounded since the raid was launched a couple of weeks ago. Three civilians were killed and two wounded when a Taliban improvised bomb struck a vehicle during the period," he said.

The operation will continue before the areas are cleared from the presence of militants, he added.

Security situation has been improving in Kandahar, the former stronghold of Taliban, over the past years, as security forces have conducted search and cordon operations across the province.

But the militants attack government interests in the province from time to time.
Some crazy conspiracy theories have been going viral since the pandemic, but in July 2020 one of the most bizarre theory emerged wherein one would Google a 3-digit number, and add new cases to reveal another a COVID-19 conspiracy theory.

Those who refuse to believe that the coronavirus pandemic does exist say it is a hoax, reported USA Today. As a rumor, it is riddled with falsehoods meant to make those gullible to buy into it.

Most of the content that is perpetuated by this lie is not even validation through inquiry, just pure speculation. One idea is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the darker Easter bunny or the government bogeyman.

If anyone ascribes to it, then they will run into many problems to convince others that the conspiracy is real.

Where does everything start from?

It says that one needs to type the numbers, extra letters and new cases in Google. All the input was done to test what the rumor said, but the results were referring to COVID-19 cases all going up. Other combos were tried to test it out further. What happened was a search for older entries that took time to display.

Were the results odder than usual?

There's nothing out of the ordinary. Other people claiming extraordinary results is just usual in the online world. Perhaps those proponents are just magnifying something very ordinary. Nothing is new with claims of COVID-19 that is not so known already, just like many reports that are bordering on questionable claims.

Also read: Dr. Anthony Fauci Says New Virus in China Has Traits of 2009 Swine Flu and 1918 Pandemic Flu

The first COVID-19 case in the US was first detected in January 2020. From that time on, the contagion has moved on to the other 50 states. It has been 200 days from the first cases of COVID-19 that have been compiled and reported by the CDC. The coverage has been wide and there are numerous articles about the pandemic.

Next a whole series of numbers that mention that 10,000 reports might have the three-digit number as ascribed in the conspiracy. It was mentioned that 19,500 municipal governments in the US leads to a daily increase in 200 days that is already losing any coherence to rambling wildly.

Ultimately, the ramble of numbers meanders when other more reliable and affiliated entities are more credible online than the rumored 'new cases'. Overall, the conspiracy about COVID-19 does not make sense.

Supporters have a staunch belief that all the scientific data and reports are a big lie.

What the conspiracy says is that everything about the coronavirus is an elaborate hoax. It claims that Google is hiding the truth from everyone. However, that's an ironic claim since everyone knows that Google strives to deliver accurate information.

Still, some stick to the 3-number combo and adding 'new cases' Google search as more reliable than any search engine. It even added that the COVID pandemic does not exist.

Related article: ICU Rooms Running Out of Bed as Florida Becomes US Epicenter for Coronavirus

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Internet and Mobile Association of India as the representative of B2C and B2B ecommerce companies has welcomed the Consumer Protection (Ecommerce) Rules released by the government on 23 July 2020. The Rules correctly understands that there are two different models of etailing; a) inventory based b) platforms or online marketplace, requiring different levels of direct responsibility to consumers.

Recognition of online marketplaces as intermediaries thus helps absolve them of certain product liabilities, which now rightly lie with sellers conducting their business on such platforms. Sellers are now mandated to take responsibility for goods or services that are defective, deficient or spurious and cannot refuse to take back such goods. Sellers are also required to establish grievance officers who have to respond in timebound manner.

The new rule makes provision for platforms having to share particular details about sellers to customers for communication with the seller for effective dispute resolution only on a request in writing made by a consumer after the purchase of any goods or services on its platform by such consumer. This is a welcome relaxation from the earlier mandatory publication of all seller details for such platforms.

The new rules in particular do justice to the concerns of online marketplaces about the earlier liabilities for counterfeit products, which now rightly lie with the sellers conducting business on these platforms. Platforms now are mandated to make reasonable efforts to maintain a record of relevant information that allow identify sellers who are repeat offenders for offering spurious goods. Furthermore, platforms are now no longer mandated to take corrective actions and can off-board such sellers on a voluntary basis.

However, the association highlighted the need for an extension of application of the rules from its present mandate of date of notification since logistics services are still settling in under COVID-19 challenges and changing/ recoding platforms to implement some of the new provisions will take time.
Iowans filed for more than 126,000 unemployment claims between July 12 and July 18, Iowa Workforce Development said Thursday morning, marking the fewest total claims in the state since the week of March 22.

New totals accounted for 9,505 claims, a decrease from 10,653 the previous week.

Continuing claims accounted for 116,810, a decline from 134,284 the previous week.

While one week is not a trend, it is the biggest decline in continuing claims we have had in a single week since the beginning of the pandemic, Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development, said in a statement. We hope we continue to see similar declines in coming weeks as more and more Iowans return to work.

Pottawattamie County had 130 new claims, up slightly from 111 the previous week. The county has 2,402 continuing claims, down from 2,756 the week before.

Continuing claims in the county have dropped every week but one since a high of 3,808 the week ending May 9.

Statewide, manufacturing remains the largest source of claims with 2,085, followed by self-employed and independent contractors (1,703), health care and social assistance (864), retail trade (599), and accommodation and food services (596).

Thursdays announcement marks the fewest claims in manufacturing since the week of June 14.

The claims resulted in $31.8 million in standard unemployment benefits, $85.6 million in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, $5.9 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and $3.5 million in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.

The FPUC benefits expire this week, meaning Iowans no longer will receive the additional $600 per week in federal benefits. So far, the federal government has issued $1.4 billion in FPUC payouts to Iowans.

The drop in Iowas unemployment claims came as national initial claims increased to 1.4 million last week, snapping a streak of 15 weeks with initial claims decreasing.

These numbers only show who is actively seeking work and therefore do not give a full accounting of how many people are out of work.

-- Nonpareil News Editor Mike Brownlee contributed to this report.
Gerald Tony Lueders was found deceased in the area of Mannsiding and Old State in Lincoln Township.

According to a press release from the Office of the Clare County Sheriff, Lueders, the 56-year-old resident of Harrison was reported missing after his truck was found in the area just off a nearby two track trail. Lueders was believed to have last been seen on July 18th around 2:30 p.m. in Grant Township northwest of Clare.

Deputies were dispatched to the area of Old State and Monroe in Lincoln Township for the missing person complaint on July 19th at 4:15 p.m.

Lueders was found on July 24th at approximately 3:15 p.m. There is no foul play suspected.

Sheriff Wilson and the Sheriffs Office would like to express their condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Lueders. Sheriff Wilson would also like to thank his staff, all the involved agencies, the media, the community, and several others for all of their dedication and efforts in helping with the search for Mr. Lueders.

Sheriffs Office Detectives, multiple Sheriff K9s, Mounted Division Deputies, Michigan State Police  Mt. Pleasant Post, multiple Michigan State Police K9s, Michigan State Police Aviation Unit, multiple Michigan State Police Post Troopers, The Northern Michigan Mutual Aid Task Force Drone Unit, K9-1 Search & Rescue, Alpena Search & Rescue, Lapeer Search & Rescue, the Clare County Emergency Management, the American Red Cross, and many others assisted in the search effort.
A 62-year-old woman, living in Chennai, filed a complaint against ABVP national president Dr Subbiah Shanmugam for harassing her, including urinating outside her house, following an argument over parking slots. Shanmugam, however, denied the charges.

The woman, a widow, lives alone in her apartment in suburban areas of the city. After a disagreement over parking area at the housing society, the woman filed a complaint at the Adambakkam Police Station on July 11, demanding payment for Shanmugam using the slot owned by her.

The woman also accused him of throwing used surgical masks at her doorstep. In her complaint, the woman attached CCTV footage and photos that purportedly show the ABVP leader urinating outside her house, reported The Indian Express.

Taking note of the incident, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) demanded action against the Shanmugam for 'harassing' the old woman. Hitting out at the Police, DMK leader M Kanimozhi took to Twitter and said that it had become a routine for the police to turn a blind eye towards complaints against right-wing members. She demanded Chief Minister Palaniswami should immediately intervene and ensure that everyone was treated equally before law.

However, alleging underlying motives behind the woman's complaint, Shanmugam said the complaint was false and the CCTV footage had been doctored.

ABVP media in-charge Rahul Choudhary also reportedly claimed that the footage was doctored, and accused rivals of trying to defame Shanmugam. The ABVP threatened legal action against the woman and her family for their defamatory claims.

ABVP national general secretary Nidhi Tripathi admitted that there was an issue over parking slots, however, both the parties had discussed the same and together with the housing society had concluded that the allegations were caused due to a "misunderstanding".

In her complaint to the police, the woman claimed that Shanmugam had seeked her permission to use her parking slot and when she demanded rent from him, he broke a signboard at her slot in anger. Post this, he kept calling her asking if she required chicken despite knowing that she was a vegetarian.

The woman's nephew, Balaji Vijayaraghavan, a stand-up comic and the founder of a platform that facilitates Carnatic music events, alleged that the police were not helping his aunt.

Expressing shock over the incident, Vijayaraghavan said that if Shanmugam had apologised for his behaviour, they would have accepted it. "We decided to file the complaint as he was reluctant to take any corrective steps. We had serious concerns about my aunts safety as well," he said.
MICHIGAN -- From now through fall, people who visit or live near state forests may find signs posted that say herbicide spraying has taken place. They may occasionally find a road closed to off-road vehicle traffic or even see a helicopter flying above, trailing a mist of herbicide.

"Herbicide is an important tool for forest management, especially when preparing to plant red pine," said Scott Throop, timber management specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The DNR's Forest Resources Division manages more than 4 million acres of state forest land with practices that are certified as sustainable by third-party organizations.

Herbicides can be used to prepare for planting new trees or to remove invasive species.

"Safety is my number one concern after the decision is made to spray a site," Throop said. "We spend a lot of time trying to mitigate the risk. We know that people use all of our state forest land, and we want to do our best to protect them."

Keeping people safe starts with information to help them understand the process and the precautions being taken, said Jeff Stampfly, acting Forest Resources Division chief.

"We want to be open and informative with people about the various treatments we are using to manage the forests," he said.

Parcels scheduled to be sprayed this year range from a 5-acre plot in Roscommon County to a parcel of about 1,000 acres of timber land in Kalkaska County. Roughly 9,000 acres of land in about 20 counties were scheduled for herbicide treatment this year; those plans normally are made two years in advance and are available for the public to review at Michigan.gov/ForestInput.

To put that in perspective, if the DNR sprays all 9,000 acres, that represents only two-tenths of one percent of Michigan's state forest land base. It is likely that workers will be able to spray only about half of that acreage this spraying season. But even though the area is small in terms of acreage, it represents a huge investment that will ensure quality timber into the 22nd century.

This year, spraying began in June at research sites in conjunction with Michigan State University researchers, who are studying hardwood regeneration. Removing competition from other plants with herbicide helps researchers evaluate various tree-growing methods equally.

The spraying season, from July through September, usually takes place to prepare the ground for planting red pine the following spring or, in a few cases in the Upper Peninsula, jack pine trees. Spraying later in the fall kills hardwood saplings and grass while leaving the pines unharmed as they have gone dormant for the winter.

Several different herbicide products are used, depending on the site and the desired result. In every case, Throop said the goal is to use the lightest concentration of the herbicide product possible.

"Our chemical mixes are designed to work at the low end of the concentration range," Throop said. "We're typically far from the high end of permitted use."

All DNR herbicide applicators are licensed and trained in the safe use of these products, and all herbicides used by the DNR are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

When an area is to be sprayed, signs are posted beforehand at every access point to the property, including roads and trail heads. The signs specify what is being done and give a contact number people can call if they want to talk to DNR staff about the spraying.

Nearby landowners also are notified, although sometimes it is difficult to reach owners of seasonal homes. DNR staff and contractors are careful to try to accommodate neighbors' concerns.

"We sprayed an area in Kalkaska County where there were lots of neighbors," Throop said. "In order to mitigate potential conflicts, we moved spraying to the middle of the week to lessen impacts in the area."

Herbicide is usually applied from a large piece of all-terrain equipment known as a skidder or sometimes, a helicopter is used.

"One of our major concerns when spraying from a helicopter is drift," Throop said. "If winds are such that drift becomes unacceptable, we'll stop aerial spraying for that day."

After an area is sprayed, signs are left in place for at least 48 hours and sometimes longer. Out of an abundance of caution, people are advised not to pick berries from sites that have been sprayed recently.

Herbicide spraying becomes obvious in subsequent days as plants begin to turn brown.

"People notice something was done, and they can call us at any time with questions," Throop said.

To learn more about how and why the DNR manages almost 4 million acres of state forest, visit Michigan.gov/ForestManagement.
Health official: 'We want to ramp up access to testing'
Three Gorges Dam Collapse Simulation Goes Viral; China Retaliates on US Consulate; Slave-Free Company

Concerns over the integrity of the Three Gorges Dam are mounting after a video went viral simulating the destruction that could happen if the dam were to collapse.

Meanwhile, after the US ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, the Chinese regime retaliated by telling the US to close its consulate in Chengdu. The US Consulate in Chengdu opened in 1985 and currently has more than 200 employees, of whom about 150 are Chinese hired locally.

And Republican Senator Josh Hawley is going to introduce a bill that will hold US companies accountable for having slave labor in their supply chainswhich could be a major blow against the Chinese government, which runs labor camps using religious dissidents. Hawley said in a statement, If corporate America wants to be the face of social change today, they should have to certify they are completely slave-free.

These stories and more in this episode of Crossroads.

Crossroads is an Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube.

Join Patreon to Support Crossroads: https://www.patreon.com/Crossroads_Josh
ANN ARBOR, MI  Protesters and politicians gathered around the federal building in Ann Arbor on Saturday to protest against police brutality and federal agents coming to Michigan.

About 200 people showed up to the building at 200 E. Liberty St. to rally against unidentified federal agents being sent to Michigan and to call for police reform. The rally was proceeded by a march through downtown.

White House to send federal agents into Detroit to restore safety in U.S. cities

Jeff Gaynor, a retired teacher and current Ann Arbor School Board member, was one of the organizers of the event. He said he felt compelled to organize the rally after he heard about the federal agents in Portland, Oregon.

The U.S. government action detention of protesters by federal agencies is something I never expected to happen, at least not in this country, Gaynor said. When I saw no other protests in the area, I felt compelled to deal with it.

While the topic of the federal agents was brought up, police reform was also discussed. Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton, Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed were among those giving speeches.

A chant of defund the police means we want to challenge the status quo. That is OK, Clayton said. If at the end of the day, we ended up shifting funds somewhere else to help people that have been discriminated in the past, underserved in the past and marginalized in the past, I do not have a problem with that.

Taylor spoke about the federal agents being used in Portland.

Under no circumstances will we accept secret police in Portland, in Chicago, in Detroit and never in Ann Arbor, he said

After the rally, protesters began marching, snaking their way through downtown streets chanting phrases such as Black Lives Matter, Whose streets? Our Streets! and This is what democracy looks like.

At the end of the march, protesters knelt in silence in the middle of the South Division and Liberty streets for eight minutes, 46 seconds, the length of time George Floyd was knelt on and killed by a Minneapolis police officer.
eiffel tower tourists

A woman wears a face mask while standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on May 24, 2020.A woman wears a face mask while standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, in May.

Mehdi Taamallah/NurPhoto via Getty

Many countries around the world have banned international visitors, but some are slowly reopening their borders as they bring their coronavirus outbreaks under control.

But many are excluding travelers from the US, and other countries, currently struggling with the virus.

The US has more coronavirus cases and deaths than anywhere in the world, and infection rates have recently reached new heights.

The State Department is telling Americans to avoid all international travel and to contact countries' embassies to see what entry restrictions and requirements they have.

Here many of these countries that have blocked US tourists...

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Prague Christmas Market

A Christmas market in Prague, Czech Republic.

Rostislav Glinsky/Shutterstock

The Schengen area, a border control-free travel area that encompasses 26 European countries, blocked nonessential travel from the US to its member countries, and four other European countries decided to follow the same rules.

The bloc reopened its borders to some countries from July, but left the US out.

European diplomats said they barely considered including the US because its cases were so high.

Related: 6 months of coronavirus in the USA, reviewed in 6 minutes

The countries where US tourists are blocked, are:

Austria

Belgium

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Italy

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau, The Bahamas.

Valeria Almeida / Flickr

The Caribbean island nation closed the borders to US visitors on July 19, but left them open for those coming from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

It had reopened its borders three weeks earlier.

Story continues

"Our current situation demands decisive action if we are to avoid being overrun and being defeated by this virus," Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said.

Pudong Shanghai China skyline skyscrapers

The Pudong financial district in Shanghai, China.

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

China blocked the entry of travelers from almost every country in March, aiming to stop a second wave of the virus after it got its own outbreak under control.

The ban on US travelers is still in place.

toronto skyline

Toronto's skyline.

Associated Press/Rebecca Blackwell

The border between the US and Canada is still closed.

Tokyo street Japan

A street in Tokyo, Japan.

Koichi Kamoshida/Getty

The US is among the many countries that Japan has banned visitors from, and Japanese nationals who have been in the US at any time in the previous 14 days have to quarantine when they arrive in Japan.

new zealand

The New Zealand landscape.

Reuters

New Zealand's border is closed to almost all travelers, including US tourists.

FILE PHOTO: Reef fish swim above recovering coral colonies on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

The Great Barrier Reef.

Reuters

Practically no visitors are allowed into Australia at the moment, including those from the US.

rio de janeiro olympics

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Associated Press/Felipe Dana

Brazil has banned foreigners from entering by air, land, and sea, except in exceptional circumstances.

Medellin Metro 3

Medellin, Colombia.

Sinead Baker

Colombia closed its land borders in March, blocking international flights until September.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Stanley Chen Xi/Getty Images

Argentina has closed its borders to foreign nationals and non-residents, banning commercial flights until September.

La Paz, Bolivia





Shutterstock/Galyna Andrushko

Bolivia has stopped all international flights until July 31, and its borders are closed.

llama peru

A llama in Peru.

Tim Graham/Getty Images

Peru has blocked travelers, except its own citizens returning. International borders are closed.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We can see that Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSE:GCM) does use debt in its business. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

When Is Debt A Problem?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Gran Colombia Gold

What Is Gran Colombia Gold's Debt?

As you can see below, Gran Colombia Gold had US$59.5m of debt at March 2020, down from US$72.4m a year prior. But it also has US$99.7m in cash to offset that, meaning it has US$40.2m net cash.

A Look At Gran Colombia Gold's Liabilities

The latest balance sheet data shows that Gran Colombia Gold had liabilities of US$67.1m due within a year, and liabilities of US$113.0m falling due after that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$99.7m and US$23.8m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$56.6m.

Of course, Gran Colombia Gold has a market capitalization of US$338.5m, so these liabilities are probably manageable. However, we do think it is worth keeping an eye on its balance sheet strength, as it may change over time. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Gran Colombia Gold boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load! There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Gran Colombia Gold's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

Story continues

Over 12 months, Gran Colombia Gold reported revenue of US$336m, which is a gain of 25%, although it did not report any earnings before interest and tax. Shareholders probably have their fingers crossed that it can grow its way to profits.

So How Risky Is Gran Colombia Gold?

While Gran Colombia Gold lost money on an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) level, it actually generated positive free cash flow US$67m. So taking that on face value, and considering the net cash situation, we don't think that the stock is too risky in the near term. The good news for Gran Colombia Gold shareholders is that its revenue growth is strong, making it easier to raise capital if need be. But we still think it's somewhat risky. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Gran Colombia Gold that you should be aware of.

Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
RIO DE JANEIRO  President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil said Saturday that he had been cured of the coronavirus, appearing to have suffered only mild symptoms from a scourge he has repeatedly downplayed even as it rippled through the country, killing more than 86,000 people.

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, Mr. Bolsonaro, 65, posted in a message on Twitter Saturday morning, with the news that his latest coronavirus test had come back negative.

The message included a photo of the president in which he appears to be smiling and giving a thumbs up while brandishing a box of hydroxychloroquine pills, the anti-malaria medicine. Mr. Bolsonaro has hailed the drug as a miracle cure, despite a growing scientific consensus that it is not effective to treat Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Stacker looked at food trends and cultural histories across the United States to determine the signature breakfast foods in every state.
The app is also being investigated by the Trump administration, with a decision expected within weeks on a US ban, while the Indian government blocked the platform this month. Such moves come at a time of growing anti-Chinese sentiment, from the US-China trade war to Australia's sanctions on Huawei and a recent spate of cyber attacks blamed on the Asian superpower. TikTok has been fiercely campaigning to fix its reputation, with media advertising and letters sent to federal MPs from TikTok Australia's general manager, Lee Hunter. TikTok does not share information of our users in Australia with any foreign government, including the Chinese government, and would not do so if asked, Hunter wrote. TikTok Australia user data is stored in Singapore. 'Its not just a bunch of kids dancing on an app'

Caught in the middle of this geopolitical clash are the young users. Trans advocate and model AJ Clementine, 24, is sceptical and cant see how TikTok's data collection could be any worse than Facebook's or Instagram's. Its no different to other platforms, she says. I feel like everyone is pointing fingers at TikTok just because its a Gen Z-based app  and there are kids on the app and thats the scary part of it for the older generation. Melbourne-based model and trans advocate AJ Clementine says TikTok is a place where young people feel safe. Credit:Johnny Diaz Nicolaidis AJ's following surged last year when she began posting about her experience of gender correction surgery, with each video getting millions of views. She says if TikTok goes, shell just move her content elsewhere, but not without regret. She explains that for her generation, the app is a powerful educational tool that celebrates diversity and inclusivity  and it has been a lifeline for many people grappling with loneliness and mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its not just a bunch of kids dancing on an app  its much deeper than that, she says. But even that in itself, the dances make people feel good  and help young people feel like theyre part of something. TikToks algorithm works by learning what your interests are and showing you more videos of that nature, made by anyone from anywhere. [So] a LGBTI kid will scroll and feel theyre reaching so many people in their community and its really special. It will be hard for another platform to create that, AJ says. Its a place where lots of young people can feel safe  If it does go, its been taken way too soon.

Zachery Dereniowski, 27, is a medical student in Sydney who uses his TikTok account, @mdmotivator, to advocate for mental health. He worries what losing TikTok would mean for those who feel seen on the app. Some messages or comments I see are literally you saved my life or Ive been battling with this for years and Im finally seeking support, he says. I think no other platform can provide this kind of community and love. Loading

'There needs to be a better conversation taking place' Swinburne University senior lecturer Dr Belinda Barnet says the value TikTok holds for young people should not be dismissed. She says while its similar to how previous generations have valued Facebook or MySpace, the way TikTok is used to engage with current events is unique. There are a lot of videos by young people on TikTok commenting on what lockdown is like or how they feel about the Premier and Trump, Barnet says. Its a platform for their voice, which we may not always understand given we have grown up using different platforms.

She says governments and businesses need to be clearer on communicating the importance of privacy and how data is used in a way that makes sense to teenagers. Theyre not understanding the fury over it and I suspect theyre not understanding why the Chinese Communist Party would care why theyve watched 50 Katy Perry spoofs, she says. Musician Abbey Hansen, who went viral on TikTok when she recreated Julia Gillards infamous 2012 misogyny speech, believes the messaging around the app's issues has been poor. If they could actually explain to us, talk to the Australian public about why its dangerous, then maybe it wouldnt come across as so racist [against China], says Hansen, also known as Minorfauna.

The 17-year-old high school kid doing the savage dance isnt going to understand why their content is a security breach. There needs to be a better conversation taking place. We all signed up to Facebook over a decade ago and have been giving away our information for years now. Explain to us why its OK for Mark Zuckerberg to have our information [and not TikTok]. TikTok creators 'concerned and confused' Clare Winterbourn is the founder of agency Born Bred Talent and represents about 70 TikTok influencers, many of whom were panicked by the recent news. Loading

There was a flurry of really concerned and confused young content creators, Winterbourn says. There were also huge amounts of concerns from parents and from brands. She says her business is working off the information provided by TikTok. I have no immediate concerns. Winterbourn says TikTok is an income source for some young people, with creators able to earn $1000-$5000 per sponsored post. However she says she continues to encourage influencers to diversify and not rely on one platform. Twenty-one-year-old Jasmine TXO has turned her full attention to her TikTok career since graduating from RMIT last year. She now has 1.4 million followers on her account, where she makes comedy and dance videos. But on Instagram, she has 20,000. For her, the thought of a TikTok ban was upsetting.

When I first heard the news, I was pretty shocked and nervous, she says. The 'extra layer of concern' with TikTok ANU National Security College senior adviser Katherine Mansted acknowledges that a lot of the conversation about the app has been happening at a really abstract level by a bunch of adults who have never used TikTok and the people affected by this are the creators. But Mansted stresses there are several reasons to be concerned, the first being that all social media companies treat their users as products and collect huge amounts of data from their devices.

Loading She adds that platforms can be exploited by certain groups for unethical purposes. She points to the Cambridge Analytica data breach, which led to private information being used to influence votes in the 2016 US election. Data is so precious. Economically, its the new oil ... And you dont want [social media] manipulating you in dark and silent ways we dont understand. Mansted warns that TikToks Chinese ownership makes these issues more problematic. The extra layer of concern with TikTok is that China views its tech platforms as a way to get control and advance political objectives.

The Chinese version of TikTok, called Douyin, is also owned by ByteDance. It regularly censors content in accordance with Chinese Communist Party regulations. Mansted says the Chinese government can compel their nations social media companies to provide data for political reasons and without legal oversight. TikTok is the first Chinese tech giant to have a truly international user base. Mansted believes the Australian government needs to be clearer with the public on what the perceived threats are, and she says reform of the social media industry is long overdue. Now, as some TikTok users dabble with other video-based apps such as DubSmash and Byte (made by a Vine creator), Mansted says the problem of privacy and data protection needs to be fixed at its root.
The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) has entered into a partnership with IIT Delhi under the HRD Ministrys flagship Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) to boost livelihood opportunities and income generation for tribal communities.

The UBA connects higher education institutions with villages for the economic and social betterment of rural communities.

To cement and formalise this partnership, a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between TRIFED, IIT Delhi and Vijnana Bharati, a swadeshi science movement, on Friday, a statement said.

TRIFED functions under the Tribal Affairs Ministry.

Under TRIFEDs Van Dhan programme, tribal entrepreneurs will now be able to get access to the expertise of the entire network of more than 2,600 academic and research institutions under the UBA, it said.

Together with IIT Delhi, which is the National Coordinating Institute (NCI) for the UBA, TRIFED envisages promoting tribal livelihoods and income-generating programmes.

In particular, this partnership can help enhance livelihoods through Van Dhan Vikas Kendras established under the Van Dhan Yojana, it said.

Pravir Krishna, managing director of TRIFED, said, It is important to ensure round the year income-earning opportunities for tribals by engaging them in a variety of economic activities ranging from agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, medicinal and aromatic plants etc, going beyond minor forest produces (MFPs). The synergies with institutions of national importance like IIT Delhi will be crucial in our mission to serve the tribal cause, as we can leverage the huge network of academic and research institutions across the country under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, he said.

With the partnership with IIT Delhi and Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, these tribal forest dwellers engaged in MFPs will get exposure to newer processing technologies, product innovation, mentorship, transformational digital systems and handholding, he said.

The MoU opens gates for the best brains in the country to attend to the problems of sustainable tribal livelihoods, the statement said.

V Ramgopal Rao, director of IIT, Delhi said the partnership is an opportunity for brilliant minds to be presented with the right set of real problems that they can help address.

The IIT Delhi-TRIFED partnership will also benefit from the expertise and experience of Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), the statement said.

VIBHA will map and reach out to various stakeholders for convergence with the focus to strengthen the Van Dhan Yojana through its local chapters. It will help in gathering and passing critical information on needs and possible intervention to TRIFED, UBA and tribal communities, it said.

TRIFED is implementing the Van Dhan Yojana, a programme for value addition, branding and marketing of MFPs by establishing Van Dhan Kendras of around 300 tribal members each across the country to facilitate creation of sustainable livelihoods for the forest-based tribal gatherers.

In a typical Van Dhan Kendra, the tribal beneficiaries are expected to create an enterprise, which would be involved in all related aspects from collection of forest produce, training of tribal beneficiaries, value-addition and processing, and packaging.

So far, 1,205 tribal enterprises have been established to provide employment opportunities to 3.6 lakh tribal gatherers and 18,000 self-help groups in 22 states.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  Senators plan to pass on third and final reading the second version of the Bayanihan Law a day after President Rodrigo Dutertes State of the Nation Address on July 27, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said.

Malacanang said Duterte is set certify as urgent the "Bayanihan To Recover As One Act" to speed up the country's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The previous Bayanihan To Heal As One Law that gave the President powers to reallocate or realign funds amounting to P275 billion to address the COVID-19 health crisis lapsed last month.

The bill also known as "Bayanihan 2" aims to allocate another P140 billion for various programs needed to address the health emergency.

The Senate failed to pass the second Bayanihan bill before it went on break in June after Malacanang refused to certify it as urgent.

Senators said the Palace cited financial issues. Sotto earlier said the Department of Finance submitted to the Senate its own version of the bill in June and proposed amendments to the Senates version in July. However, Sotto said senators are standing by its version for now.

Doon sa Bayanihan 2, do not expect that the original proposal of the Executive Department noong bago namin ipasa on second reading, ay maa-accommodate. Hindi na siguro. We will just allow Bayanihan 2 to stand as it is with some minor amendments, he said.

As far as the DOF is concerned, P130 billion yung sa proposal nila. Kaya lang meron kaming mga nakita na talagang mahigpit na pangangailangan as far as the Committee on Finance is concerned. And that is the reason why we were pegging it at P140 billion, Sotto explained.

[Translation: On the Bayanihan 2, do not expect for the original proposal of the Executive Department to be tackled. We will just allow Bayanihan 2 to stand as it is with some minor amendments. The DOF's' proposal was P130 billion, but the Senate Committee on Finance saw some items that need to be prioritized so we pegged it at P140 billion.]

The Senate President explained lawmakers will just incorporate DOFs amendments to the other proposed economic measures, which the Executive Department earlier submitted to the Senate.

Once both houses of Congress have passed the "Bayanihan To Recover As One," Sotto said lawmakers are expected to hold a bicameral conference committee meeting, with the Executive Department present, to harmonize conflicting provisions in the House and Senate versions of the bills.

At that point, Sotto said, the Senate may be willing to accept amendments.

Medical scholarship bill and other legislative priorities

Sotto said another legislative priority of the Senate is the passage of the Medical Scholarship Act, which seeks to grant full scholarships to eligible medical students to address the shortage of doctors in the Philippines.

Senate Labor Committee Chairman Joel Villanueva said the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how much the country lacks doctors and other healthcare workers. He explained that a 2017 report by the World Health Organization shows that there are only 40,775 doctors in the Philippines.

This is equivalent to 3.9 doctors per 10,000 Filipinos. This is very far from the ideal ratio of 10 doctors for every 10,000 population, Villanueva said. Based on our calculation, to fill this gap, we need an additional 66,350 doctors in the country."

The Senate also hopes to finish the plenary discussion on the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act or CREATE, which aims to reduce corporate tax rates and rationalize fiscal incentives.

Sotto said senators will also complete discussions on the Expanded Solo Parents Act. It aims to provide more privileges to solo parents such as discounts on certain products and services, and the bill creating the Coconut Farmers Industry or the COCO Levy Fund.

The bill creating the Department of Disaster Resilience is another Senate priority. The measure seeks to create an empowered and highly specialized agency primarily responsible for ensuring safe, adaptive, and disaster-resilient communities.

The Senate will also take up the bill amending the Public Services Act that seeks to open the telecommunications and transport sectors to foreign ownership. The 1987 Constitution provides that 60-percent of public utilities must be Filipino-owned.

Sotto said he also has personal priority bills he wants to push this second regular session.

Among them is the anti-fake news bill, which seeks to punish persons who knowingly create or publish false information to mislead the public. The proposed penalties include imprisonment and/or a fine of not more than P300,000.
Press Release

July 25, 2020 Angara wants to hear the administration's plans for the sectors affected by COVID-19 in SONA 2020 Senator Sonny Angara is looking forward to hearing the administration's plans for all the sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in President Rodrigo Duterte's fifth State of the Nation Address this coming Monday. With no end in sight with regard to the pandemic, Angara said it would be interesting to hear the government's roadmap for the rest of the year and the year ahead. "As we open up from various stages of quarantine I would like to hear more on the new normal or next normal in terms of our children's education since we have over 20 million of our children in schools," Angara said. The Department of Education has set the opening of classes on August 24, 2020 with a mix of face-to-face and distance learning. There will be limited face-to-face classes in areas deemed as low-risk for COVID-19 and in schools that are able to meet the minimum health standards. For these limited face-to-face classes, Angara said the DepEd should proceed with extreme caution because based on the experiences of countries such as China and France, which opened up their schools too soon, "there was a second wave and the schools were one of the super spreaders of the virus." Angara aired his support to distance or hybrid types of learning, but said that the government must do its part to ensure that the entire student population has access to all the digital tools needed and that reliable internet access is available in all areas of the country. On the health front, Angara said he wants to hear the President's plans on how to improve on what is already being done by the Department of Health and other relevant agencies. "I would also like to hear if we have improved (or plan to improve) our health systems to have better testing, contact tracing and quarantine facilities nationwide," Angara said. Angara noted that testing for COVID-19 has already shown improvements but it is on the contact tracing front where a lot more work needs to be done. "I think it is something we don't do very well yet--to trace and to limit the spread of COVID. This should all be done in real time so that government is able to react faster. They can contact certain people and make sure they are isolated in quarantine," he said. With regard to labor, Angara said there should be a concrete plan on how to save jobs amidst the impact of the pandemic on businesses. "I want to hear how government can help those in the informal sector, employees of badly affected businesses and in poorer areas/regions. Bold steps would go a long way in restoring hope and optimism going forward," Angara said. As chairman of the Committee on Finance, Angara said the proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2 is ready for approval on third reading. Just like Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, Bayanihan 2 will provide the President the flexibility to realign funds in budgets of different agencies for the government's COVID-19 response. A total of P140 billion will be allocated for the fiscal stimulus and relief package under Bayanihan 2.
Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu has subtly named former President John Mahama as government official one.



Even though he didn't mention the name of the former President he cited an interview granted Daily Graphic on 20th June 2020.



Mahama broke his silence on the Airbus scandal last month dismissed allegations of wrongdoing in the purchase of the two Airbus aircraft for the Ghana Armed Forces. He also debunked claims that he benefitted from the deal.



Crown Court Airbus Ruling



It would be recalled that on February 1, UKs Royal Courts of Justice found Dutch firm Airbus SE guilty of paying bribes in shady deals in some countries including Ghana, South Korea, Mexico, Colombia and Malaysia.



For Ghana, the scandal involved government officials in 2011 and 2015 who negotiated for the deal with Airbus agents including Samuel Mahama believed to be a brother of former President John Mahama.



Between 2009 and 2015 an Airbus defence company engaged Intermediary 5, a close relative of a high ranking elected Ghanaian Government official (Government Official 1) as its BP in respect of the proposed sale of three military transport aircraft to the Government of Ghana, the ruling on Ghanas deal read in part.



A number of Airbus employees knew that Intermediary 5 was a close relative of Government Official 1, who was a key decision-maker in respect of the proposed sales. A number of Airbus employees made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately 5 million to Intermediary 5, court documents reveal.



OSP Involvement



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo immediately referred the matter to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) with Martin Amidu, the Special Prosecutor launching a formal investigation into the scandal.



In February he announced he had summoned four people including British Actor Phil Middlemiss and Samuel Mahama and released their passport details online.



Government Official 1 unmasked



Martin Amidu in a statement issued on Friday 24th July 2020 said the government official 1 is related to Samuel Mahama by 'blood'



amongst other reasons for the letter to the said Ministry, the Samuel Adam Mahamas elder brother of full blood who without a doubt and the evidence available to this Office answers to the description of the elected Government Official 1 allegedly granted a denial interview to the Daily Graphic which published same on June 20, 2020, fortunately containing suspected admissions that he is the elected Government Official 1 referred to in the UK judgement.



Serving appointees of this government have been unable to obtain the voice recording of this interview to enable the Office to confront the former president with his own admissions in the interview as answering to the description to the brother of Samuel Adam Mahama as Intermediary 5 portion of his statement read.



Fly Adam Mahama to Ghana



Meanwhile, the SP has written to the Foreign Affairs Ministry requesting that Samuel Mahama who is on the Interpol wanted list, to be given an opportunity to accept to voluntarily evacuate to Ghana.



Samuel Adam Mahama must be given the opportunity to voluntarily accept to return to Ghana and put himself upon the Republic of Ghana to vindicate himself and save this country of the millions of foreign exchange from the public purse that must be expended to extradite him to Ghana from the UK or any other country in execution of the Interpol Red Notice issued against him as a fugitive wanted for prosecution as published on 10 July 2020, Mr Amidu wrote

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Outbound shipments of engineering products in June to these nations doubled to $1.32 billion in June 2020, from $653.52 million in June 2019.

Rising iron and steel exports to China, Vietnam, and Taiwan arrested the decline in outbound shipments of engineering products in June, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, vis-a-vis April and May, shows an analysis by an industry body.

There was an overall decline, nevertheless, on account of shrinking exports of high-value items like consumer durables.

According to EEPC India, iron and steel exports to these nations doubled to $1.32 billion in June 2020, from $653.52 million in June 2019.

A bulk of the exports went to these three countries.

Exports of iron and steel to China surged over 1,400 per cent to $524 million in June 2020, from a mere $35 million in June 2019. Shipments to Vietnam jumped over 700 per cent to $183 million from $22 million, while those to Taiwan rose 218 per cent from $11 million to $35 million. This gave a breather to declining engineering exports.

Exports of these products shrank 7.24 per cent in June YoY, compared to a 24 per cent fall in May and 64 per cent plunge in April. Overall, exports of engineering products in June stood at $6 billion, against $6.5 billion in June last year.

Sharp contraction in exports of high value-added products, such as industrial machinery, auto components, air conditioners, refrigerators, and machine tools caused the decline in exports. In some areas, such as railway transport, exports nosedived as much as 83 per cent.

Of the 33 engineering export items tracked in the analysis, 27 recorded negative YoY growth in June 2020, while all six positive entries were related to metals -- with iron and steel topping the table.

Non-ferrous metals witnessed growth of over 30 per cent. These included copper, aluminium, zinc, and nickel.

Erosion was sharp for the rest of the engineering items. Indias export of raw material and low value-added intermediate products rose, while high value-added exports continued to dwindle.

To reverse this trend in favour of high value-added exports, the government needs to identify those sectors and promote investment, technology upgradation, and R&D in the same, said EEPC India Chairman Mahesh Desai.

Desai said that as most of Indias engineering sector comprises MSMEs that do not have access to capital or technology, the government should extend further help to them.

Photograph: Reuters.
PORTLAND, Ore. - As statues of Confederate generals, enslavers and other icons tumbled from their pedestals amid protests last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order meant to break the cascade. It enlisted the Department of Homeland Security, created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks to protect the country against external threats, to defend U.S. monuments and federal property against "anarchists and left-wing extremists" who he said are advancing "a fringe ideology."

The order signaled Trump's eagerness to mobilize federal power against the societal upheaval that has coursed through America since George Floyd's death. He sought to frame and create a culture war - right vs. left, right vs. wrong - and was taking a stand at the monuments that some view as historical homages and many others view as symbols of oppression.

But Trump's June 26 declaration came too late. The momentum of the protests was fading in many U.S. cities, and confrontations between federal authorities and civilians were becoming less frequent. Then Trump found Portland, according to administration and campaign officials.

Still restive, the West Coast city with a long tradition of protest as a subculture of anarchism was staging peaceful mobilizations as well as smaller nightly clashes with authorities. Militant black-clad demonstrators were directing their anger at a large federal courthouse downtown.

Sinking in the polls over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump seized a chance to appear as a field general in a wider American cultural conflict over racial justice, police misconduct and the reexamination of American history and monuments. In Portland, he found a theater for his fight.

The Federal Protective Service officers responsible for guarding the courthouse were worn down and outnumbered, DHS officials say, and they sent teams of federal border and immigration officers to shore up their ranks in anticipation of larger protests on the July 4 holiday weekend.

Photo for The Washington Post by Paula Bronstein

"What is occurring in Portland in the early hours of every morning is not peaceful protesting," acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf said this week. "These individuals are organized and they have one mission in mind: to burn down or cause extreme damage to the federal courthouse and to law enforcement officers."

Trump has taken a keen interest in tactical operations against the protesters in recent weeks, according to White House and administration officials at the center of the response, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. When the fog of tear gas is thickest here in the wee hours of the morning, the president is sometimes up early on the other side of the country, calling Wolf for real-time updates from the front.

The scenes of militarized federal forces on the city's streets have stunned many Americans and unnerved former Homeland Security officials, but they have not quieted the protests. In many ways, the agents and the barricades they have erected have re-energized the demonstrators and have converted the courthouse into a proxy for the Trump administration itself.

The fortified, battle-scarred building has resembled a beehive on recent nights, as protesters prod it with fireworks and other projectiles until a door swings open and federal agents burst forth with volleys of tear gas and stinging munitions. Then they retreat inside. The pattern repeats.

Trump's campaign officials say that the president wants to amplify his law-and-order message to show he is a last bastion of safety for a reeling American public, and that U.S. cities ravaged by crime and unrest - which also happen to be heavily Democratic - are the right venue.

"Not only are the big-city mayors turning a blind eye, they are actively working against their own law enforcement and police forces who want to keep people safe," Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said. "The first rule of government is to keep people safe. That's what the president is doing."

Trump announced a plan this week to deploy federal agents to Chicago, Albuquerque and other cities where violent crime has spiked, and he later told Fox News that he is ready to deploy 50,000 to 75,000 officers if welcomed by local authorities. While DHS and Justice Department officials have tried to emphasize their defensive operation in Portland is different, Trump calls it part of the same "chaos" he blames on "the radical left" amid their calls to defund police departments.

White House officials have been frustrated with news coverage depicting federal agents as aggressors, and on Friday, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany opened her briefing with a video montage of mayhem in Portland that segued into toppled statues and damaged monuments elsewhere. The footage was graphic, and Fox News cut away.

Trump has pushed for a Portland-style deployment in Chicago, one official said, but city officials made clear they prefer working with the FBI and other Justice Department agencies over DHS, whose reputation has suffered from its central role in Trump's domestic policy agenda.

Three and a half years into his presidency, the standoff in Portland is also the culmination of Trump's long-running battle against jurisdictions whose "sanctuary" polices have undermined his immigration agenda. The president's use of highly trained Homeland Security agents in a domestic policing role was preceded by his willingness to employ a show of force along the Mexico border to stop migrant caravans.

In a meeting last week with advisers, Trump said that what has been happening in the nation's largest cities is "ridiculous" and that "something has to be done about it," according to a person who attended the meeting but was not authorized to publicly discuss the strategy session.

Stephen Miller, one of the president's top aides, has regularly argued for more muscular action in U.S. cities, drafting talking points that say they are failing and that Trump will fix them.

"We will not let that courthouse be burned to the ground," Miller said Thursday night on Tucker Carlson's show, depicting the building as a kind of Trump citadel. "This is about the survival of this country, and we will not back down."

- - -

DHS officials have reported dozens of vandalism attempts and attacks on Portland federal buildings since May, and a timeline of those acts shows an escalation. Early graffiti rose to more serious recent incidents targeting the federal courthouse and the agents guarding it.

By the first week of July, protesters were trying to tear off the building's plywood defenses, shooting fireworks at the structure and smashing glass. The officers defending the building have been attacked with rocks, bottles, ball bearings and balloons filled with paint and feces, according to DHS, and officials said three agents have sustained serious ocular injuries from lasers pointed at their eyes. Arson smoke merges with tear gas to produce scenes of bedlam.

The responsibility for guarding the building during protests usually falls to the FPS and the U.S. Marshals Service, but the agencies asked for reinforcements ahead of the July 4 holiday, fearing an uptick in vandalism and violence, according to Homeland Security and Justice Department officials.

Wolf called up the country's most highly trained border and immigration agents, including units that typically focus on drug traffickers and powerful cartels.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, D, one of the administration's fiercest critics, said she had no idea federal agents were being sent to her state to police protesters until photos of unidentified officers in tactical gear at the Portland federal courthouse began circulating on social media around July 4.

In the days that followed, the governor's office began to look into what was going on in Portland, spokeswoman Liz Merah said, and discovered the Trump administration had increased the number of agents in Oregon's largest city without letting anyone know.

"This is a democracy, not a dictatorship," Brown said in a statement. "We cannot have secret police abducting people in unmarked vehicles. I can't believe I have to say that to the President of the United States."

Brown acknowledged that state authorities have declined to coordinate with federal officials and have only contacted DHS to ask them to stand down.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, D, first heard about increased federal presence from officials in the Portland Police Bureau as the agency began its preparations to secure protests and events around July 4, spokeswoman Eileen Park said. Though Wheeler also serves as the city's police commissioner, he said he was not consulted by Trump or Homeland Security officials before the federal government deployed agents to the city.

Despite Trump's assertions that city officials were overwhelmed by nonstop protests, Wheeler has compared the presence of federal officers to gasoline being thrown onto an open flame.

"We had heard about it first when they were already here," Wheeler said. "What we had been seeing on our streets was a de-escalation of the criminal activity, the violence, the vandalism that was being engaged in by a handful of people - we were seeing that tail off significantly."

By mid-July, there were more than 100 officers from the FPS and other DHS agencies, including tactical teams from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a deployment DHS dubbed Operation Diligent Valor.

There weren't enough government vehicles for all the CBP agents in Portland, so officials decided to rent minivans, according to officials familiar with the effort. The rental vehicles soon appeared in cellphone videos that showed federal agents in military-style uniforms grabbing protesters off the streets using unmarked cars.

CBP also began using some of the detention cell space inside the courthouse - jail cells normally run by the Marshals Service - to detain and question suspects, according to officials familiar with the matter. At least 43 suspects have been arrested by federal agents in Portland so far, Wolf said this week.

Wolf speaks to the president several times a day, according to White House officials, one of whom said Trump is "deeply involved" in monitoring crime in U.S. cities and suggesting responses, particularly while watching news coverage of the protests.

Wolf also is at the White House several times a week, including a meeting this week with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Though Trump wanted more ardent DHS officials like Ken Cuccinelli and CBP acting chief Mark Morgan for the top job, Wolf has become one of Trump's favorite Cabinet secretaries, according to senior officials. He has told aides he likes Wolf far more than his predecessors, who sometimes resisted the president's expansive views of federal power.

One of the officials said the White House had long wanted to amplify strife in cities, encouraging DHS officials to talk about arrests of violent criminals in sanctuary cities and repeatedly urging ICE to disclose more details of raids than some in the agency were comfortable doing. "It was about getting viral online content," one of the officials said.

U.S. Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican and Trump ally, said he understands why federal reinforcements are in many of the cities and argued that the "mayors are embarrassing themselves."

"I understand why the feds are in there. Something has to be done," King said, noting that he believes any action should only be in certain places. "You have to be careful how far you go and what you do."

Federal agents have struggled to identify, isolate and arrest the protesters engaged in violence or graffiti, stymied at times by confusion about who in the crowd is who. Agents have had difficulty distinguishing individuals among dozens of people who are clad in all black and who are frequently wearing masks, law enforcement officials said. So at times they have grabbed an individual and taken them inside the courthouse for questioning before determining that they had no probable cause to charge them with any crime, the officials said.

The protests have swelled in size this week, mostly with peaceful demonstrators, including columns of parents known as the "Wall of Moms," who lock arms to shield protesters, and "Leafblower Dads," who use the landscaping tools to dissipate tear gas and blow it back at federal agents.

- - -

Two incidents captured on video have highlighted the ugly nature of the clashes, and what some protesters have said is the more forceful approach taken by deputy U.S. marshals. In the early hours of July 12, a protester holding what appeared to be a speaker across the street from the courthouse was struck in the head by a projectile fired from one of the people guarding the courthouse.

The man, Donavan La Bella, 26, has needed surgery for skull fractures, according to his family. Since the incident, the marshals have declined to say which agency fired on La Bella. On Friday, officials said they believe it was a deputy U.S. marshal, adding that they would not release the names of any of personnel involved in use-of-force incidents.

In a statement, the agency said its personnel guarding the courthouse "have shown incredible restraint under nightly threat by violent protesters while protecting lawful demonstrations."

A week after La Bella was struck, 53-year-old Navy veteran Christopher David was beaten with a baton and pepper-sprayed by marshals outside the courthouse. David suffered broken bones in his hand, and marshals said the force was justified because he presented a threat to officers "by continuing to approach them and failing to comply with lawful commands to withdraw as they proceeded to reenter the courthouse."

David has said he was trying to ask the federal agents why they were there. "Why are you not honoring your oath to the Constitution?" he yelled.

The agency also said it is not participating in Operation Diligent Valor, which is a DHS effort. "The US Marshals do not have the option of leaving Portland, as some have called for," the agency said, noting that marshals' duties include protecting the federal judiciary and courthouses.

On Thursday, the inspectors general at DHS and the Justice Department announced they would investigate how federal agents have used force, made arrests and conducted themselves in confrontations with protesters in Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C.

Mac Smiff, 39, a Portland artist and editor in chief of a hip-hop magazine, said demonstrators have learned how to better prepare for the tear gas and munitions federal agents are using. Some have crafted homespun armor out of plastic. Others hold shields made from trash can lids, cut up plastic bins or plywood nailed behind a picture frame. They carry swim goggles, lab goggles, snowboarding goggles. Helmets, gas masks and half-face respirator masks abound.

"We're out here trying to have a peaceful protest and I almost got hit in the face - just last night - with something that flew just inches from my face and hit a barrier. I'm not sure if it was a rubber bullet, a gas canister or what," Smiff said, adding that he has gone online trying to buy a gas mask so he can take photographs of the protests. "We're buying motorcycle armor so we can go out there. This is not Fallujah, this is Portland, Oregon, and it's like war games out here."

Wolf this week laid blame on the city and state officials who have asked him to pull federal agents out of Portland, and the breakdown in cooperation has left DHS even more dug in.

Wolf described the deployment as part of DHS's legal mandate to protect federal property, rather than a response to the president's June 26 executive order. Trump administration officials say the president has the authority to order such deployments without such an order.

"We still have a job to do. We will continue to protect that facility," Wolf said. "What we know is if we left tomorrow, they would burn that building down. . . . We know they have tried."

Relations between Oregon authorities and Trump officials turned more acrimonious after Wolf visited Portland last week. Spurned by city and state officials, he met with the police union and rejected calls to pull back DHS agents.

On Wednesday night, Wheeler, the mayor, joined protesters at a fence line outside the courthouse, but he was pelted with objects and heckled for the past use of tear gas against protesters by Portland police.

After some in the crowd shot fireworks at the building and attempted to light fires along the fence, federal agents unleashed tear gas. Wheeler was enveloped, and left the streets choking and gasping for air.

- - -

The Washington Post's Dawsey, Barrett and Miroff reported from the Washington area.
PM Narendra Modi (File image)

Gross criminal neglect of not building planned strategic oil reserves led to India losing its greatest opportunity to build strategic stockpile using multi-year low global oil prices, former petroleum minister M Veerappa Moily alleged on Saturday while questioning the move to hire a US facility for the purpose.

In a statement, Moily said 5.33 million tonnes of strategic oil storages were built by the Congress-led UPA-I and II at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Mangalore and Padur (both in Karnataka) to support almost 10 days of India's oil needs during an emergency.

Plans for another 12.5 million tonnes of strategic storage in four states was initiated by the UPA-II in 2013 but these were put on back burner by the BJP-led NDA government, he alleged.

Had these reserves being built in the past six years, India could have stored oil in them by buying it when international rates plunged to two-decade low in April. Instead the government is now looking to hire US strategic storages to augment India's emergency stockpile.

"The said partnership to store crude oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve of the US is not diplomatically and strategically advisable as reported from the agreement drawn between India and the US under the Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) ministerial meet, co-chaired by Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette.

"It is in the best interest of oil security of the country that we pursue building additional capacity as was proposed by UPA-2," he said.

Instead of paying the US, it was better to build storage in their own country. Besides, accessing oil stored in US facilities would be difficult if sea routes were blocked.

Strategic storages are built as insurance against supply disruptions.

"Even after six years there has been a gross criminal neglect on the part of the present government either to put up new refineries or set up more strategic storage facilities in the public sector or even in the private sector.

"The NDA government has lost the greatest opportunity of storing strategic reserves which is now available at the lowest international prices. The laxity on the part of the NDA to preserve the integrity of oil reserves is a national tragedy," he said.

Moily said the UPA had invested USD 600 million in building strategic storage capacity at Visakhapatnam (1.33 MMT), Mangaluru (1.5 MMT) and Padur (2.5 MMT).

"Taking into account the oil security concerns of India, the UPA-II in 2013 had decided to augment the strategic crude oil storage in the country and planned for an additional crude oil storage facility and entrusted Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) with the responsibility of preparation of Detailed Feasibility Reports (DFRs) for 12.5 million tonnes of strategic storage of crude oil in Phase-II in four States," he said.

The locations chosen were Bikaner in Rajasthan, Chandikhol in Odisha, Rajkot in Gujarat and Padur-II in Karnataka. The DFRs had been prepared by Engineers India Ltd (EIL) with capacities proposed as Chandikhol 3.75 MMT, Rajkot 2.5 MMT, Bikaner 3.75 MMT and Padur 2.5 MMT.

But these were never pursued by the BJP-led NDA government in the last six years.

"It now appears that the NDA government has just woken up to the reality and planned to take forward the UPA for an additional 6.5 million tonnes storage at Chandikhol (4 MMT) in Odisha and Padur (2.5 MMT) in Karnataka," he said.

The planned second phase with an investment of USD 1.6 billion will add another 12 days of crude storage once operational and will take the total storage capacity to 87 days after adding the 65 days of storage capacity with the country's refiners.

"The DFRs prepared by Engineers India Ltd (EIL) had been put to cold storage by the present regime," he alleged.

India's current refining capacity stands at 249 million tonnes per annum, comprising of its 23 refineries - 18 under public sector, three under private sector and two in joint ventures.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is the largest domestic refiner with a capacity of 80.7 MMTPA. Top three companies  IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Reliance Industries (RIL) - contribute around 66.7 per cent of India's total refining production in FY 2018-19.

"The UPA I and UPA II had also taken effective steps to double the refining capacity of Paradip refinery and also to increase the refining capacity at Mangalore, Cochin refinery and other refineries in the country," he said.

A Rs 42,000 crore Barmer refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in Rajasthan was initiated in 2013 to take advantage of the crude availability in the region and to generate employment opportunities to the locals, he said.

"The project was abolished by the NDA government. It is only recently that they have planned to revive the project. The NDA government neither took forward the UPA agenda nor did they introduce any new capacity in the refinery," he added.
(Newser)  A sharply divided US Supreme Court denied a rural Nevada church's request late Friday to strike down as unconstitutional a 50-person cap on worship services as part of the state's ongoing response to the coronavirus. In a 5-4 decision, the high court refused to grant the request from the Christian church east of Reno to be subjected to the same COVID-19 restrictions in Nevada that allow casinos, restaurants, and other businesses to operate at 50% of capacity with proper social distancing, per the AP. Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley argued that the hard cap on religious gatherings was an unconstitutional violation of its parishioners' First Amendment rights to express and exercise their beliefs. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal majority; Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.

story continues below

The church wants to allow as many as 90 people to attend services at the same timewith masks required, sitting 6 feet apartat the sanctuary, with a capacity of 200. Other secular businesses in the state allowed to operate at half capacity include gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys, and water parks. The church appealed to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals last month after a US judge in Nevada upheld the state's 50% capacity policy for casinos and other businesses. The San Francisco appellate court is still considering the appeal, but it has denied the church's request for an emergency injunction in the meantime. "Temporarily narrowing restrictions on the size of mass gatherings, including for religious services, protects the health and well-being of Nevada citizens during a global pandemic," Nevada's lawyers wrote last week. In his dissent, Gorsuch wrote, "There is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel."

(Read more US Supreme Court stories.)
When struggling single mom Shetara Sims won $100 in the lottery, she decided to donate it all to the family of a police officer who had been shot in the line of duty.

Sims did so despite her own money worries. Like many Americans impacted by pandemic-related furloughs and layoffs, she had recently lost her job.

The lifelong Kansas City, Missouri, resident said she was down to her last $7 when she found a dollar bill in a grocery store parking lot. She used it to buy a lottery ticket, winning $100.

Shetara Sims hugs her 12-year-old daughter, Rakiya. (KMBC-TV)

Simss 12-year-old daughter, Rakiya Edmonson, suggested that rather than keep the money, they donate it to the family of a Kansas City police officer who had been wounded in the line of duty.

The officers plight was a reminder of their own experience with personal tragedy. Rakiyas sister, Simss eldest daughter, was killed in 2012, KMBC reported.

Detectives were there for us

The detectives who worked the case became much-needed support to the family.

The detectives were really there for us. They were there for us more than anyone I can imagine. They did things they didnt have to do, Sims said. They came to see my kids. They did a lot. They were fathers, therapists. They were everything.

To repay some of the hope these officers gave back to her family, Sims called the police department on July 10 to make her $100 donation. She decided to submit anonymously, not leaving her name or number.

News of her generous donation soon spread throughout the local police precincts and to the wider community. Officers spent days tracking her down, hoping to find her and repay her kindness. To hear her call and just express thanks for no reason other than shes thankful, its really impactful to us, and its really touching to us, Kansas City Police Department Sgt. Jake Becchina said.

Once they learned her identity, officers started a GoFundMe campaign for Sims. Hundreds of people who heard the story had reached out, wanting to help. By Wednesday, it had raised more than $59,000.

Becchina said its kindness from people like Sims that motivates officers to keep serving.

Sims and Rakiya have since met with co-workers of the injured officer, who is still hospitalized.

CNN Wire contributed to this report.
Remember, we are all in this together, the incessant radio adverts tell us.

The daily reminders as to how we, as a country, are to deal with the fall-out of the Covid-19 pandemic paint a picture of equality and solidarity among us all.

Any of us who stood on our doorsteps and applauded the work of our frontline healthcare workers or who watched that extraordinary RTE documentary on the workings of St James Hospital through the pandemic recognise the sacrifices made in the national interest by so many.

Indeed, the death of Dr Syed Waqar Ali, who died this week after contracting Covid-19, shows the price paid by some in the effort to battle the coronavirus.

Dr Waqar Ali was rightly described as a "hero" by his eldest daughter Samar Fatima, who said there are "no words for the pain they are experiencing". He was "incredibly selfless", she said.

Dr Waqar Ali was the eighth healthcare worker to die because of Covid-19.

Without question, the flexibility shown by healthcare workers at every level has been simply incredible and their trade unions have shown a great deal of willingness to roll up their sleeves and amend the work practices of their members in the countrys hour of need.

A similar willingness to put the shoulder to the wheel has been demonstrated across many sections of our public and civil service and those members can be rightly proud of their efforts so far.

But sadly, others in the employ of the State have flunked in their efforts.

As Fianna Fail TD Marc MacSharry pointed out at his parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday, there are many state agencies and department staff working from home effectively doing little or nothing.

While some departments and agencies have returned to something resembling normality, others have not.

As one official let slip to me this week, their department, which would normally have 400 people working in it, had just 15 present with many essential duties not being performed.

Many private sector companies also remain locked out of their offices, this newspaper among them, but their staff are still working at full tilt if not even harder than before, while managing to tend to their little ones in the absence of schools or creches in recent months.

The matter of schools reopening at the end of August has become a critical issue and, while this correspondent was deeply critical of new education minister Norma Foley last week, the performance and stance of teaching unions must also be examined.

When I say examined, I really mean excoriated.

I say this as a former union official in the NUJ and someone who recognises and values the presence of collective bargaining and workers rights.

Not for the first time, some of the representatives of our teachers have behaved appallingly and selfishly and contrary to the united spirit we have seen from our healthcare workers.

I will give some credit to the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) for showing willingness to be innovative and flexible, but the same can not be said for their second-level colleagues, particularly in the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI).

Their continued hardline approach was evident at a recent hearing of the Covid-19 committee where we were told teachers must return to a Covid-19 secure workplace and nothing else will be acceptable.

ASTI general secretary Kieran Christie said that under the current medical advice schools would return on a restricted basis.

However, in response to a question from People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny about what a classroom with 30 students, two SNAs, and a teacher would look like in September, Mr Christie said it would look empty because ASTI members would not be there.

He said the advice was that a return to a classroom was an impossibility due to the requirement to maintain social distancing and that was a reality that has to be faced.

He also said guidance on social distancing from the Department of Education means schools will not be back full-time for all students.

Schools will only be able to open on a restricted basis because of sizes of schools, he said.

Added to the suggestions from Joe McHugh, the previous education minister, that children may only return one day a week to school, the collective anger of parents was palpable.

No one is advocating staff being placed in a dangerous working environment but compared to hospitals, all the medical advice and expertise so far would show that schools would be among the safest places to work in under Covid-19.

Read More Government to unveil "comprehensive" plan for return to school on Monday

For far too long, the stakeholders as they are referred to in the education sector, have held far too much sway.

This is a by-product of successive governments refusing to stand up to them and also by the recurring pattern of changing ministers every two and a half years or so.

There, of course, is the old adage of unions never wasting a crisis in order to forward their agenda but, come on, can we get real here.

Behind the scenes, one hears of the deep level of resistance from the unions despite considerable effort going in to delivering a workable solution to ensure kids can go back to school.

When you look at what the health profession have done and you see the carry-on of the teachers unions, it is deplorable. Despite investment, protections, promises of extra staff, they are still not happy, said one senior government source.

It is now July 25 and parents are only now being told that they will find out next week what is happening with their children come the end of the summer.

This is disgraceful.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Ms Foley said yesterday the reopening of schools at the end of August is the highest priority and will happen.

The funding to make it happen will be the subject of a Cabinet memo on Monday from her which ministers will approve.

This is most welcome, but long overdue.

Ms Foley stressed that getting agreement on this issue from the stakeholders took time but it was another example of the unions and the partners in education having too much power.

Such power should never be an impediment to progress and too many times the balance of power has tilted out of control and in my own profession in the 1980s, especially in the UK, it amounted to no more than a shameful racket.

The lingering power of the teaching unions or education partners, as they like to be called, is one of the disappointing legacies of the once-useful social partnership process.

Their insular focus on their own well-being has been exposed by the generosity of effort by their counterparts throughout the public service.

It is welcome the countrys kids are going back to school.

They have suffered enough.

Their parents have suffered enough.

As Tanaiste Leo Varadkar put it in the Dail on Thursday, there is no good reason for the schools to have been closed for so long.

My view, if you look at it rationally, the shops are open, the restaurants are open, the hotels are open, hairdressers, the barbers are open ... There's no good reason why we should be the only country in Europe that doesn't have its schools open, he added.

Varadkar was absolutely spot on. But when we ask why the education response to Covid-19 was such a shambles, the teaching unions need to take a long, hard look at themselves.

It should never have come to this.
Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will on Saturday hold another Cabinet meeting to discuss the political situation in the state. According to reports, the meeting will take place at 12:30 noon at the Fairmont Hotel where the MLAs of Gehlot camp are staying.

During the meeting, the ministers will discuss the objections raised by Governor Kalraj Mishra in holding Assembly sessions.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, facing a revolt by some Congress MLAs led by Sachin Pilot, chaired a meeting of the Cabinet on Friday night to discuss the points raised by the governor on its earlier proposal. "Discussions on the points raised by the governor with regard to calling the Assembly session were held in the meeting last night," a source told PTI, adding that the Cabinet is likely to meet again on Saturday.

A revised proposal will be forwarded to the governor after approval by the Cabinet.

The Congress government is pushing for a session of the Assembly so that the chief minister can prove his majority on the floor of the House after the Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

Meanwhile, Congress will hold a protest at all district headquarters in Rajasthan against BJP's alleged conspiracy to murder democracy on Saturday. ON July 24, Congress former chief Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of a conspiracy to bring down party government in Rajasthan and said the state Governor should call an assembly session so that the truth comes out before people.

Rahul's remarks came amid a factional fight in the state Congress between camps led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.

Rajasthan plunged into a political crisis after differences between Pilot and Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the deputy CM of Rajasthan and as the state unit chief of the party on July 14.

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi sent disqualification notices to Pilot and 18 other legislators from the Assembly due to their absenteeism in Congress Legislative Party meetings held on July 12 and 13. Raising objections to the notices served by the Speaker, Pilot camp filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court seeking its dismissal.

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi has sent disqualification notices to Pilot and 18 MLAs. Pilot and MLAs supporting him have approached the Rajasthan High Court against the notices.
Auburn, IN (46706)

Today

Snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 13F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 13F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
New York, July 25 : Film-maker Mira Nair's son Zohran Mamdani is set to be elected to the New York State Assembly after winning the Democratic Party primary in a city constituency that is its stronghold.

In January, he and Jenifer Rajkumar, who has won another primary, will become the first persons of Indian origin in the Assembly.

Mamdani's rival, sitting Assembly member Aravella Simotas has conceded defeat to him in a tweet even though the Board of Elections, which has bungled the vote counting, is yet to officially announce the results even a month after the primary.

After a futile wait for the board's notification, Rajkumar announced her victory having achieved "the near impossible by winning with a margin of 27 percentage points during a global pandemic" over sitting member Michael Miller.

In the US system, candidates have to first win the primaries, which are intra-party elections, to be nominated to run in the elections against candidates from other parties.

The Democratic Party is so strong in the two constituencies in the Queens borough of the city dominated by immigrants and minorities that the party candidates won with over 99 per cent of the votes in the 2018 general elections.

Another Democrat, Kevin Thomas, became the first politician of Indian origin to serve on the state's legislature when he won a senate seat in 2018.

Roxanne Persaud, who is a Guyanese of Indian and African ancestry was elected to senate in 2015.

An Indian American candidate for the House of Representative, Suraj Patel, is trapped in the limbo of the state Board of Elections which is unable to formally complete the counting of absentee ballots for the primary and officially announce the results from the primary held on June 23.

Patel, who was trailing by a slender margin of 1.55 per cent after the in-person votes were counted, filed a second suit last week against the board and Governor Andrew Cuomo. The case charges them with mismanaging the postal ballots, 12,500 of which have been declared invalid.

Mamdani, 28, is a rapper, who performs under the stage name of Mr Cardamom and has produced a rap video, "Nani" starring Madhur Jaffrey, the actor and cookbook author.

He works as a housing counsellor helping people facing evictions and belongs to the left wing of the Democratic Party and is backed by the Democratic Socialist Alliance.

An element of his "Roti and Roses" campaign is affordable housing because, he said, "landlords and corporations have too much power, and tenants and workers don't have enough." Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, describes himself as an "Indian-Ugandan New Yorker.

His father is Mumbai-born Columbia University professor Mahood Mamdani.

Rajkumar, 37, is a lawyer and a professor at the City University of New York and served as the state director of immigration affairs.

She had lost the Democratic primaries from another assembly constituency in 2016 and from a city council constituency in 2013.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Long-term agreements between China and Russia are part of the Iranian policy to build balanced relations with the countries of Eurasia, the official representative of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Abbas Mousavi said today.

For many years, Iran has been pursuing a policy of maintaining friendly and balanced relations with all parties in Eurasia. The planned conclusion of a long-term cooperation agreement between China and Russia, as well as the joint work with India on Chabahar port confirm this," he wrote in Twitter, adding that "the Iranian side intends to continue this policy," TASS reports.
Egypt's health ministry said in a statement on Saturday that 933 coronavirus patients have fully recovered and left isolation hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 32,903 since the detection of the first case on 14 February.

Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said in the statement that the total number of COVID-19 deaths has reached 4,558 nationwide, after registering 40 deaths during the past 24 hours.

The ministry reported 511 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, which brings the total number of confirmed cases nationwide to 91,583.

Egypt has been seeing a significant drop in detected coronavirus cases, registering daily cases lower than 1,000 for the 17th consecutive day.

Despite the reopening of the country late month, the daily figure has stabilised, with the country's record of daily coronavirus cases  1,774 infections recorded on 19 June  kept unbroken to date

Earlier today, Health Minister Hala Zayed visited the ministrys national vaccination centre, VACSERA, to follow up on its readiness to start manufacturing a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Beijing.

According to a separate statement, Zayed inspected the efficiency of VACSERAs infrastructure and equipment.

Last week, during Zayed's meeting with Chinese Ambassador Liao Liqiang, the minister announced that Egypt has been selected by China to serve as a future hub for manufacturing its coronavirus vaccine in Africa.

The meeting discussed means of cooperation between VACSERA and a Chinese company carrying out trials to develop the vaccine to pave the way for manufacturing it in Egypt once it is proven effective, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists and drug-makers around the world are testing existing antiviral drugs and working to come up with drugs that may prove effective against the virus to curb its spread until a vaccine is found.

Earlier this month, Egypt said it was working on developing four local coronavirus vaccines that have been registered by the World Health Organisation among a list of candidate vaccines in global pre-clinical evaluation.

The four vaccines, which have not yet been approved for human clinical trials, include DNA plasmid, inactivated-whole virus, influenza A H1N1 vector, and protein subunit vaccines.

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NEW HAVEN  A man was captured Friday in Maryland in connection with the slaying of a New Haven man earlier this month, police said.

Connecticut state police arrested Rashad A. Hardy, 44, of West Haven, in Princess Anne, Md., New Haven police Capt. Anthony Duff announced.
New Delhi:

Taking a dig at the NDA government, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asked the Centre if it will now call the Supreme Court anti-national, following the apex courts remarks on the demonetisation move.

Will the government call the Supreme Court anti-national now? he said on twitter, questioning the government.

ALSO READ: (Supreme Court says long queues outside banks a 'serious issue'

He also tagged a report of Calcutta High Court telling the government that it has not done its homework and the Supreme court seeing a crisis ahead.

The remarks come at a time when the government is dubbing the Congress leaders questioning its demonetisation move as anti-nationals.

Rahul's remark came a day after the Supreme Court dubbed as a serious issue the long queues outside banks and post offices following Centre's demonetisation move.

The apex court had also expressed its reservation on the Centres plea seeking a direction that no other court in the country should entertain petitions challenging the November 8 notification demonetising Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Bus drivers in London have launched a fundraising appeal for the family of Philippe Monguillot, a 59-year-old driver who was murdered in France after asking passengers to comply with new laws on wearing face masks.

Monguillot was attacked in the French city of Bayonne on July 5. Prosecutors say he was dragged from his bus and kicked repeatedly in the head after he asked four men to wear face coverings to protect passengers from COVID-19. Three days later, he was declared brain-dead. His family made the harrowing decision to switch off life-support.

An outpouring of sympathy followed Monguillots death. In Bayonne, his wife Veronique and their three daughters organised a protest. After word spread on social media, more than 6,000 people filled the streets of the city on July 8, wearing white shirts in the drivers memory.

The protest in Bayonne led by the late Philippe Monguillots wife and three daughters

In Paris, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, and other cities, drivers observed one minutes silence. Monguillots colleagues at the Chronoplus company struck that week demanding greater protection, hitting services across Bayonne, Anglet and Biarritz.

London bus drivers launched the crowdfund for Monguillots family two weeks ago. The text of their appeal explains, This tragic death hit especially hard, considering the fact that Phillipe Monguillot was just doing his duty, trying to comply with local laws and trying to do his job properly for his passengers safety.

It concludes with a call for international class solidarity, This fundraiser is not only personal, but I hope that bus drivers all around the world could unite on this. We can show our support for the family of the late Phillipe Monguillot and how we are in this together.

Wednesdays attack on a bus driver in Bournemouth, in the south of England, shows the common problems facing drivers internationally. The driver was attacked by a passenger who tried to board without a face mask. He hit the driver in the head with a beer can, knocking him to the ground, before fleeing. Luckily, the driver received only minor injuries, but without a conductor or any other assistance, many drivers are fearful.

Anti-social behaviour against drivers has grown in the past decade, fuelled by deepening inequality and social distress, including mental illness and substance abuse. But coronavirus confronts drivers with a far greater threat, as their lives are deliberately sacrificed to protect the profits of the major transport companies. Drivers have been forced to work without basic personal protective equipment (PPE), with no regular testing or contact tracing. In London, as bus workers began dying in record numbers33 were killed in April and MayTransport for London (TfL), the transport companies, and Unite the union blocked vital safety measures and concealed information.

As the Johnson governments return-to-work agenda proceeds, these dangers are growing. The crowdfund appeal for the family of Philippe Monguillot is a sign of the growing resistance of the international working class. The text of the appeal includes a link to the World Socialist Web Site article on the death of Philippe Monguillot that was published in French and English. The WSWS is being read by growing numbers of workers because it provides a global socialist strategy for the working class to fight, breaking through the sectional and national divisions created by capitalism.

The London bus driver who launched the appeal (who wishes to remain anonymous) spoke to WSWS about why he started the appeal.

WSWS: Why did you start a crowdfund appeal for the family of Philippe Monguillot?

RS: When this happened it really hit me. This bus driver was only doing his job, and if this happened to me, I would want people to help my wife to at least pay for a funeral and help my family. I just wanted to start an appeal to help the family through this hard time.

WSWS: In the crowdfund appeal, you wrote that bus drivers around the world are in this together. Could you explain this?

RS: Ive worked in different countries in Europe as a bus driver. For example, some of the companies in Poland try to make the drivers clean up the buses after they have finished their duties, without giving them proper PPE and cleaning stuff. Companies dont care about the drivers and they create a hostile environment for drivers to work in.

In Philippe Monguillots case, they told him that he is responsible for passengers not wearing a face mask. And when the passengers beat him up, they probably would not have faced any consequences, if not for a huge protest in Bayonne following his death. That is a huge problem.

WSWS: Could you explain more about what happened following Philippe Monguillots death?

RS: Two days after he was admitted to hospital, his family raised a protest. They called in their friends and these friends called their friends, and finally a lot of people joined to protest in the streets. It was in front of the police department in Bayonne, a huge protest with people wearing white shirts in memory of Philippe Monguillot. When this went to the media, the police finally began to search for the attackers.

From a Facebook group of Polish bus drivers, I know that news of Philippe being killed for trying to ask passengers to wear a facemask, went off with a huge bang. Some of the drivers in Poland went on strike and were very vocal for the companies to enforce face masks with proper staff. So, his death sparked international outrage.

On the London buses we dont have any help. Transport for London issued a press release about one month ago saying that proper staff, such as transit officers and police officers, would enforce wearing masks. I havent seen them once on my bus. If you go on the buses, sometimes there will be an announcement that TfL and police are checking buses for wearing face masks, but I havent seen them, not even on a really busy route. Its dangerous for us and the passengers.

WSWS: TfL claimed there would be limits on the number of passengers to ensure social distancing. What has happened with that?

RS: They said we cant enforce that. Its impossible for us. Sometimes when I try to enforce passenger capacity, the passengers become angry. Ive been assaulted a few times, luckily only verbally, but TfL doesnt do anything about that. They tell us to report what they call heavy loadings to our bus controllers, but they just say, dont pick up any more passengers. And when you go to the next bus stop because people want to get off, some people just ignore you and will get onto the bus. TfL doesnt bother about passenger capacity, so its only the drivers problem.

WSWS: What is the sentiment among bus drivers about the situation they are being forced to work in?

RS: Most of the drivers are not really happy about whats going on. A lot of us think it is huge BS theyre telling us. One day they are saying, masks are not needed and the next day they are telling us that we should wear masks. There is no consistency. I feel threatened for our safety.

WSWS: Since the resumption of normal rosters, have you heard of any workers who have become ill?

RS: Management is trying to hide this from us, but we know that some workers got sick. The situation is really grim. At Holloway garage, anecdotally we hear there are many drivers off sick. They are checking temperatures for every driver at the entrance of the garage. This has been happening since Monday. If they start doing that, it means something, because Metroline is not known for reacting fast about anything.

I read the WSWS article about the concealment by the company of the deaths at Cricklewood garage [in April and May] and I was really shocked.

WSWS: What is your attitude to the unions?

RS: When I reported to our union representative in April that our buses are not cleaned properly, he told me to just fill out a bus defect card. Even though I reported it, nothing changed. The next day it was messy in the cabin. I had to clean it myself. Now they are leaving disinfectant gel in the cabin and telling us that we only have to spray it once and everything will be okay.

They were telling us that PPE was not required. Every driver knew this was a complete nonsense. Nine out of 10 drivers bought PPE for themselves and some of the drivers were told by managers they shouldnt be wearing facemasks because they strike fear in the passengers. So, theres a huge pandemic going on and they are telling us that we are striking fear in the passengers and not caring about our health, or anything. The union was compliant with this. They said the managers were right about that. Its criminal behaviour.

WSWS: What would you like to say to drivers about why they should donate to the crowdfund campaign?

RS: Basically, everybody could be in the position of Philippe Monguillot. I think it is our responsibility to show that we drivers are one group and we face the same problems every day. Even though our companies try to tell us that Metroline drivers should be against Arriva drivers, Arriva drivers should be against London United, its not like that. Its us versus them. Thats what I want to say to the drivers. Just open your hearts and help the family of Philippe Monguillot.

To donate to the crowdfund appeal please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraise-in-memory-of-philippe-monguillot
Three inmates, 15 correctional officers and one contractor with the Douglas County Department of Corrections have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last few weeks.

Four other inmates tested positive for the virus before being booked into the jail. All who tested positive have been moved to a COVID-19 quarantine unit where they are receiving close medical supervision, according to a press release from the Douglas County Department of Corrections.

All correctional officers who have tested positive are isolating at home.

Mike Myers, corrections director, said in a press release that all staff members are required to wear masks while working, and masks have been provided to all inmates as well.

While our recent jump in cases among staff and incarcerated individuals is concerning, we continue to follow the expert advice of leaders at both Nebraska Medicine and the Douglas County Health Department, Myers said.

More than 80 staff members and about 50 inmates who may have come into contact with the virus are being tested.
The Faridabad police on Saturday arrested seven persons, including five foreign nationals, for allegedly duping people after befriending them on a social networking site.

The suspects would befriend people on Facebook and then convince them to transfer money on the pretext of sending them high-value gifts and foreign currency, said the police.

The police said they believe that with the arrests they have solved more than 100 such fraud cases.

According to the police, they received a complaint from a local resident on July 23 alleging that he has been duped of Rs 35,500.

The Faridabad police commissioner, OP Singh, said that since he took charge he has taken up pending cases and have involved the cyber crime cell.

The gang members created fake social media profiles and befriended people by posing as women. They would tell the victims that they were sending a precious gift as a token of friendship or would propose them for marriage and stage drama that they are stuck at airport and make calls posing as customs officers and duped people on pretext of releasing gifts. They used to ask victims to pay custom duty and processing fees, he said.

The suspects were identified as Williams Michael of Liberia, Promise Ebere Okoli, Halimat Mohammed, Okeke Nnabugo and Kenechukwi Okanta, all four from Nigeria. Besides, two persons from Ballabhgarh -- Anurag Singh and Nishant -- were also arrested.

All the suspects were arrested from a rented house in Faridabad and were taken on four days police remand on Saturday after being produced before the court, said the police.

The police said during questioning they revealed that they used to make fake profiles and contact people across the country.

Singh said Halimat Mohammed, a woman, posing as a London resident expressed her intention to marry the complainant and cheated him with the help of her aides, who posed as a customs official and a finance manager of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

After an investigation by the cyber cell, the police registered an FIR in the matter on July 23 at Faridabad police station.

After chatting online and exchanging phone numbers, the woman suspect told him that she wanted to marry him and they decided to meet in July and sent some gifts through customs.

The suspect told him that she was coming to India in July. In July, he received a call from a man who introduced himself as a customs officer at Mumbai airport. He told the complainant that he was required to pay fees as custom clearance for the woman, following which the victim transferred Rs 35,500 in two transactions to two different bank accounts, Singh said.

After two days, the victim allegedly again received a call from someone posing as an RBI official and asked him to deposit more money. The police said the victim did not buy the story and reported the matter to the police.

Our cyber police team immediately set the numbers on surveillance and their locations were traced following which they were arrested from a house, said Singh.

Hailmats passport had expired, the police said, adding that the four others were holding passports of two countries.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 21:30:30|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's army said on Saturday that one soldier was killed and three others injured during exchange of fire with terrorists in the country's southwestern Balochistan province.

An army statement said that terrorists fired on the security forces during a routine patrol near Pidarak area of Kech district in Balochistan.

The statement from the army's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said that during the exchange of fire, one soldier was killed while three soldiers got injured.

The security forces cordoned off the area to search for terrorists, according to the statement.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Security officials routinely blame Baloch armed groups for such attacks.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's army said that terrorists targeted security personnel in the Panjgur area of Balochistan, killing three security personnel and injuring eight others. Enditem
Hello, Manistee County. I am just so happy to be living in such a beautiful spot in the world. The weather has been beautiful in our neck of the woods and Lake Michigan has been so warm. We could use a little rain, but I am not complaining. I hope you have been enjoying yourself and finding a lot of things to do.

I want to welcome all of the out-of-towners and let them know how much our shops and restaurants really appreciate their business. The last few months have been difficult for a lot of people. I have never worked at a restaurant before, but kudos to everyone who does. I think that would be a very difficult job. We went to dinner, actually went in and ate at Taco 'Bout It last week and we had one of the nicest servers. It was busy, but he was Johnny-on-the-spot and really did a great job. Make sure you tip your server and say thank you for being on the frontlines.

Besides getting tons of food out to our senior community during these difficult times, we have actually resumed some programs at the senior center. Nancy started Sit & Get Fit in the parking lot last Tuesday and Thursday. It was great seeing so many people here that were moving, staying active and social distancing.

This week we have Toe Tapping on Tuesday with the 3Ds. They will be outside in the parking lot, so bring your lawn chair and enjoy some great music. In August we are trying a few more fun things, so pick up your newsletter at one of your favorite stores or give us a call to get one mailed to your home.

I am missing everyone and can't believe it has been four months and no fun events. Don't forget, even though our building is closed to the public, we are still here to help. I have had so many people asking me when we will open. Unfortunately, even when we open, it won't be like it was, but it will be what it is. I try not to dig into too much information about COVID-19, but I read something and it really stuck. Out of the total number of deaths in Michigan which was 6,119 a week or two ago, 5,328 were over 60 years old. This is why senior centers all over the state are still closed. Our population is the most vulnerable to this disease and we want you all to stay safe.

I hope you have a great week, stay safe and remember to try something new.

FOOD BANK

The senior center food bank takes place from 9-11 a.m. on the third Friday of the month. Produce banks are being held once a month as well. Seniors from Manistee County who are 60 years of age and older are eligible to participate. The next produce bank will be Friday, Aug 7 and the next food bank will be on Friday, Aug 21. Monetary and non-perishable food item donations are always appreciated.

EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE

If you are a Manistee County senior and are in need of emergency food assistance, please call the senior center at (231) 723-6477 and speak to a staff member. We are receiving food from the USDA every month to help prevent food insecurity in our senior population during these times.

SENIOR REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM

The MCCOA has a program designed to help seniors remain independent, by reimbursing qualifying expenses. If you are a senior from Manistee County, you could receive reimbursement for payments you have made for house cleaning, yard work, snow removal services. For current clients in the Senior Reimbursement Program, please take note, all receipts must be current, no more than 30 days old. Income requirements apply. New clients must fill out a registration form. Please mail all receipts as the senior center is currently closed to the public. Please call the Senior Center at (231) 723-6477 for more information.

SIT & GET FIT

The MCCOA has resumed Sit & Get Fit exercise classes on Tuesday and Thursday. Classes will be held out of doors at 10 a.m., weather permitting.

UPCOMING EVENTS

 July 28 at 10 a.m. is Sit and Get Fit in the senior center parking lot.

 July 28 at 11 a.m. is Toe Tapping Tuesday with the 3Ds, outside.

 July 30 at 10 a.m. is Sit and Get Fit in the senior center parking lot.

 Aug. 13 at 11 a.m. is Lunch & Music in the Brethren Park. Music by Chaplain Dan of Intelicare Hospice

 Aug. 27 at 11 a.m. is BYO Lunch and Scavenger Hunt at the Wagoner Center. Must reserve space by Aug. 19. Call (231) 723-6477 for more information.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Snow may mix in late. Low 34F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Snow may mix in late. Low 34F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Since the Canadian government is not allowing Rogers Centre to open for games this season, the Toronto Blue Jays have established a new ballpark in the meantime, where they will play the 'majority' of their home games.

Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York will serve as a temporary home for the Jays. The '716' is also the same place where the minor-league team from the Blue Jays, Bisons, play, but they had their season canceled on July 1st. due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Blue Jays To Stage Majority Of 2020 Home Games In Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/BxlV7cgieJ  Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 24, 2020

Toronto explored other options like splitting games with the Orioles and Pirates, at Camden Yards and PNC Park, respectively, but state health officials shut down the plan.

The Blue Jays could be playing as many as 28 of their 30 games in Buffalo. There's no doubt the highlight of the schedule in Western New York will be in September, as they play seven games against the Yankees.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said the teams' arrival will help the community and there's no doubt it will have a positive impact overall.

It is official! The Toronto @BlueJays will be playing their home games at Sahlen Field in downtown Buffalo. We welcome the Blue Jays & @MLB to the City of Good Neighbors!  Byron W. Brown (@MayorByronBrown) July 24, 2020

The 2020 MLB season will consist of 60-games, and conclude with a 16-team expanded postseason.
Protesters marching for Black Lives Matter and police accountability on Friday evening turned a corner in the Mission District and came across an unexpected scene: yellow tape, squad cars and uniformed officers.

At 18th and San Carlos streets, police were in a standoff with a man holding a metal bar, who, police said, refused to drop it and had made threatening statements. The standoff had been going on for hours when the Black Lives Matter marchers arrived.

Their march was supposed to conclude with speeches at Mission High School, but instead, they stopped in their tracks.

They pulled out cell phones to record. They jeered at the line of stoic officers in riot gear. And they waited to see what would happen.

You cant really march for something and then ignore it when you see it happen, said Sam Miller, a 30-year-old San Francisco resident.

It was shortly after 11:30 a.m. when police first responded to a report of a person with a possible weapon, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Officers arrived and talked to the man with the metal bar.

The police hostage and crisis negotiation team arrived and took over negotiating with the man.

The afternoon passed with no progress, and slowly the neighbors, passersby and protesters congregated. They watched and they waited.

The man in distress and police officers dealing with him were not visible from behind the police perimeter, but the crowd could hear blaring siren noises and a law enforcement official speaking through a megaphone.

Please drop the bar, the officer said. Were all are here to help you. All you have to do is drop the bar. Please drop the bar. Please drop the bar. You can do it, I know you can.

Someone in the crowd yelled, Dont kill him, Let him go, and Were all watching. Neighbors poked their heads out from second- and third-floor windows. Please keep our neighbor James safe, a sign in one window read.

Many of them thought about the worst-case scenario of these types of encounters, the outcome that had played out time and time again in San Francisco, the Bay Area, the country. The protesters were proof that the rallies sparked by the May 25 Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd had not yet faded, and that issues of police reform and racial justice still dominated headlines and conversations.

Jaron K. Frost, a 32-year-old San Francisco resident, said he offered to go talk to the distressed man to calm him, but was turned down. Frost didnt know the man or the specifics of the situation, but to him, it felt personal: It can happen to me.

God forbid, if I was in a similar situation, Id want strangers to protect my innocence, he said. If this was to happen to me, Id want the same treatment.

The presence of a crowd put pressure on police to defuse the situation, said R.J. Rabe, a 35-year-old San Franciscan.

We need to move beyond showing up with guns and without proper training, he said, advocating for police reform. This system thats here to protect us is failing, and we need to police them.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Eight hours after law enforcement first arrived, the encounter came to an end with no incident or injury.

Dr. Courtney Thomas, a Department of Public Health clinical psychologist and crisis intervention specialist, approached those gathered around 7:25 p.m. with news: He was going to accompany the man to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.

His DPH partner, he said, had been there for four hours, and he had just arrived. Its unclear what they did to calm him, but it had a welcome effect on the crowd.

We need more of you, someone said. Thank you, doctor, another said. Its crazy that he solved this s without a gun, one man yelled.

They broke into a chant: Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter!

Thomas faced the group, pumped his fist three times to the words of the chant, and turning, walked back to the police.

Anna Bauman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @abauman2
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will provide live coverage of activities leading up to, during, and following the return of the agency's SpaceX Demo-2 test flight with the agency's astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley from the International Space Station.

The duo arrived at the orbiting laboratory on May 31, following a successful launch on May 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 7:34 p.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 1, for undocking of the Dragon "Endeavour" spacecraft from the space station and 2:42 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, for splashdown, which will be the first return of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft carrying astronauts from the space station.

Coverage on NASA TV and the agency's website will begin at 9:10 a.m., Aug. 1, with a short farewell ceremony on station and resume at 5:15 p.m., with departure preparations through splashdown and recovery at one of seven targeted water landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.

All media participation in news conferences and interviews will be remote; no media will be accommodated at any NASA site due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To participate in the briefings by phone or to request a remote interview with the crew members, reporters must contact the newsroom at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston at 281-483-5111 no later than two hours prior to each event.

NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 return coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):

Wednesday, July 29

Approximately 6 p.m. (or one hour after Return Flight Readiness Review completion)  Return Flight Readiness Review briefing at Johnson , with the following participants:

(or one hour after Return Flight Readiness Review completion)  Return Flight Readiness Review briefing at , with the following participants: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine



Steve Stich , manager, NASA's Commercial Crew Program

, manager, NASA's Commercial Crew Program

Joel Montalbano , manager, NASA's International Space Station Program

, manager, NASA's International Space Station Program

Benji Reed , director, crew mission management, SpaceX

A media phone bridge will be available for this event.

Friday, July 31

10:45 a.m.  Crew News Conference from the International Space Station, with the following participants:

 Crew News Conference from the International Space Station, with the following participants: NASA astronaut Bob Behnken



NASA astronaut Doug Hurley



NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy

A media phone bridge will be available for this event.

Saturday, Aug. 1

9:10 a.m.  SpaceX Dragon Demo-2 Farewell Ceremony aboard the International Space Station (ceremony begins about 9:15 a.m. )

 SpaceX Dragon Demo-2 Farewell Ceremony aboard the International Space Station (ceremony begins about ) 5:15 p.m.  NASA TV undocking coverage begins for the 7:34 p.m. undocking (NASA Television will have continuous coverage from undocking to splashdown)

Sunday, Aug. 2

2:42 p.m.  Splashdown

 Splashdown 5 p.m.  Administrator post-splashdown news conference at Johnson , with the following representatives:

 Administrator post-splashdown news conference at , with the following representatives: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine



Commercial Crew Program representative



International Space Station representative



SpaceX representative



NASA Astronaut Office representative

A media phone bridge will be available for this event.

Tuesday, Aug. 4

4:30 p.m.  Demo-2 Crew News Conference from the Johnson Space Center, with the following participants:

 Demo-2 Crew News Conference from the Johnson Space Center, with the following participants: NASA astronaut Bob Behnken



NASA astronaut Doug Hurley

A media phone bridge will be available for this event.

These activities are a part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which has been working with the U.S. aerospace industry to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station for the first time since 2011. This is SpaceX's final test flight and is providing data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, splashdown and recovery operations.

The test flight also is helping NASA certify SpaceX's crew transportation system for regular flights carrying astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX is readying the hardware for the first rotational mission, which would occur following NASA certification.

The goal of NASA's Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station. This could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration, including helping us prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

For more information about splashdown locations, weather criteria and recovery logistics, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/top-10-things-to-know-for-nasa-s-spacex-demo-2-return

For full mission coverage, NASA's commercial crew blog, and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


Teetotal Nicolas Sarkozy has revealed that he nervously downed a glass of gin -believing it was water - to ease his dry throat ahead of meeting the Queen at a Windsor state dinner.

In the first volume of his autobiography Le Temps des Tempetes (The Time of Storms), the former French president recounts his state visit to Britain in 2008 with Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, when he says the Queen left him shaking with fear.

Mr Sarkozy, 65, describes the monarch as 'the iron lady, more even than Margaret Thatcher', adding: 'The Queen is sovereign, figuratively as well as literally.'

During the two-day-stay at Windsor, Mr Sarkozy - who never drinks alcohol - was served a glass of clear liquid and had assumed it was mineral water.

Teetotal Nicolas Sarkozy has revealed that he nervously downed a glass of gin -believing it was water - to ease his dry throat ahead of meeting the Queen at a Windsor state dinner. They are pictured together in 2008 during his two-day-stay in the UK

However after taking a huge gulp the right-wing politician realised that it was gin.

He wrote: 'It was the first time I had ever drunk alcohol in my life. My legs were wobbling and my mouth was on fire.'

He added: 'The Queen didn't notice a thing.'

During the trip - which was his first with Carla Bruni-Sarkozy whom he had married a month earlier - he admits that he was very stressed.

He explained however how a 'convivial' Prince Charles put him at ease and that he spoke 'remarkable French, like all his family'.

He also says that The Duchess of Cornwall was similarly easygoing.

L-R: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, The Queen, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Prince Philip at a dinner during his visit in 2008

Mr Sarkozy, 65, (right) describes the Queen (left) as 'the iron lady, more even than Margaret Thatcher', adding: 'The Queen is sovereign, figuratively as well as literally'

The bombshell autobiography also goes into detail on his thoughts of other European leaders at the time of his first two terms in office, which ran from 2007 to 2012.

He depicts Tony Blair as a 'brilliant leader' who would have made an ideal president of the European Union if it hadn't been for Angela Merkel's fear that he would overshadow its heads of state and government.

At a G8 summit in Germany in June 2007 Mr Sarkozy suggested to Merkel to give him the newly created post of president of the EU council.

According to Mr Sarkozy's account Mrs Merkel was unenthusiastic, saying: 'We must be careful that the future EU president is not too strong and that he is not tempted to place us under his tutelage. That would change the equilibrium in Europe.'

He adds that Blair was 'charismatic and forward-looking' even though he was a member of the Labour Party.

In comparison he says that David Cameron was weak-willed, lacking leadership qualities and unable to stand up to Conservative Party members.
SUDBURY, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 24, 2020 / Supreme Metals Corp. ("Supreme" or the "Company") (CSE:ABJ)(FSE:A68) today announced that its board of directors has approved a corporate name change to "Canadian GoldCamps Corp." and reserved the new ticker symbol "CAMP".

The Company believes that the proposed name change and new ticker symbol better reflects the Company's expanded strategic focus towards precious metals and further affirms its forward-looking plan to build a diversified portfolio of exploration properties in historical gold producing areas of Canada. The Company recently closed a private placement for gross proceeds of $3.25 million with the intention of advancing its existing exploration projects, for working capital purposes, and to seek out additional projects of merit. The Company believes that a diversification strategy underpinned by a strong focus on gold exploration projects will allow it limit exposure to any single commodity price fluctuation.

The proposed Company name and stock trading symbol changes are subject to approval from the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) and receipt of new CUSIP and ISIN numbers. The Company will update the market of the effective date of the name and ticker symbol change once available.

On Behalf of the Board,

"Bob Komarechka"

CEO

About Supreme Metals Corp.

Supreme Metals Corp. (CSE: ABJ)(FSE:A68) is a Canadian based exploration company with a focused approach in the area of green and energy metals in the Western World adjacent to anticipated downstream manufacturing projects that will have a significant need for these metals.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. There is no assurance the private placement, property option, change of board or reinstatement of trading referred to above will close on the terms as stated, or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements.

SOURCE: Supreme Metals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/598910/Supreme-Metals-Announces-Intention-to-Change-Corporate-Name-and-Stock-Ticker-Symbol
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 22:27:22|Editor: huaxia

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File photo of the national flags of China (R) and the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan)



BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Saturday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to U.S. law enforcement officers' forced entry into the Chinese consulate general in Houston.

U.S. law enforcement officers on Friday forcibly entered the premises of the Chinese consulate general in Houston. In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the premises of the Chinese consulate general in Houston are diplomatic and consular premises as well as China's national property.

Based on the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the China-U.S. Consular Convention, the United States must not infringe on the premises of the Chinese consulate general in Houston in any way, he said.

"China has expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to U.S. forced entry into the premises of the Chinese consulate general in Houston, and has lodged solemn representations. China will make a proper and necessary response in this regard," Wang said. 
SWEET HOME  The Oregon Supreme Court has sided with property owners within the Country Lane subdivision west of Sweet Home in their 8-year battle with the Albany & Eastern Railroad.

The issue: The Albany & Eastern Railroad wanted to charge the eight property owners an annual fee to maintain a railroad crossing into their 70-acre housing development that was constructed in the 1950s. The property owners say they have used that crossing since the development was founded, thus making it a public crossing.

Lawsuit participants were Mike and Cindy Martell, John and Elaine Harcrow, Jeffrey and Beverly Kaiser, Joanne Fagan, Ray and Michelle McMullen, Jeremy and Karen Orr, Richard and Jill Hutchins and Laura Mithoug.

The lawsuits have hinged on the principle of adverse use and a prescriptive easement, which means the residents have a right to cross the tracks.

Property owners had to prove that for at least 10 years, they openly used the crossing in a way that was adverse or inconsistent with the property owners use of the property.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court based its decision on the fact the residents openly and notoriously, and in full view of the rightful owner, continuously used the crossing for decades.

The property owners were represented by Dan Armstrong of Corvallis and the railroad was represented by Martin Hansen.

In 2007, Lebanon businessman Rick Franklin purchased the railroad company and in 2012, purchased the underlying 17 miles of tracks.

After reviewing property records, the railroad determined the old easement did not provide deeded access to the Country Lane properties. The railroad also posted signs that the crossing was private and trespassing would be prohibited.

Shortly after, the railroad implemented an annual permit fee program for maintenance and to provide liability insurance coverage.

The Country Lane residents refused to pay the fee and the railroad filed a lawsuit against them.

In January 2016, Linn County Circuit Court Judge David Delsman ruled in favor of the property owners, but the railroad appealed that decision. In June 2019, the Court of Appeals overturned Delsmans ruling.

The Country Lane property owners then appealed the case to the Supreme Court. Oral arguments were held on March 12 and the ruling was issued Thursday.

In a prepared statement, attorney Armstrong said the property owners will seek reimbursement of their attorney fees.

The railroads landlock lawsuit was based on deeds so old they were hard to even read, Armstrong said.

He said the costs and risks of litigation were all stacked against the neighbors.

Armstrong said this is the first rural shortline railroad landlock lawsuit decided in Oregon since statehood.

He said the decision will affect 21 shortline railroads covering 1,274 miles of track.

The decision affects countless acres of rural Oregon residential property potentially landlocked by shortline railroads, Armstrong said.

Property owner Mike Martell said the railroad acted like a bully.

This was the fight of our lives, Martell said in a press release. The railroads position was completely unreasonable throughout. We didnt have the money to pay for a trial, much less up to the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, eight long years of complex legal litigation to the ultimate court. We had no choice but to fight.

Martell added, We vowed wed never pay a penny to the railroad and now we wont.

The story dates back to 1910 when the owner of 75 acres of land divided it into two parcels for his son and daughter (Murray). In 1915, the son sold his property to a man named Sharinghousen.

In 1928, the daughter and Sharinghousen, sold strips of their properties to the predecessor of what is now the Albany & Eastern Railroad Company, so a railroad could be built parallel to what is now Highway 20.

The daughter retained an easement for a private roadway crossing and although Sharinghousen did not have a signed easement, his deed warranted that his property was to be transferred free from all encumbrances.

In 1942, Sharinghousen divided his property into eight lots and Country Lane was formed. Three lots were occupied by 1953 and all lots were occupied by 1963.

The trial court found that beginning in 1942, Country Lane residents had used the crossing and that from at least 1953 the railroad treated the crossing as a public crossing.

Attorneys representing the railroad did not respond to a request for comments.

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A Government decision to change laws to allow pay hikes for ministers of State days before they go on their summer holidays has been branded "disgusting" and "greedy".

The Coalition pushed through the legislative change to allow three ministers of State to get a 16,229 allowance for attending Cabinet meetings.

The move means Fianna Fail TD Jack Chambers, who is the Chief Whip, and Fine Gael's Hildegarde Naughton, who is Minister of State for Transport, will have taxpayer-funded salaries totalling 151,204 a year.

Meanwhile, the third so-called super junior minister, Pippa Hackett, who is a failed Green Party General Election candidate, will receive 123,186 as a senator. All three will receive the top-up after their parties voted for the change of law - one day after the Government announced swiping cuts to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

Furious Opposition TDs branded the allowance as an insult to frontline workers who received an applause rather than pay increase from the Government for their efforts during the Covid health crisis.

Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane said the move was "beyond shameful" and without justification. "Anybody who votes for this can not look a staff nurse in the eye anymore. You are pulling a stroke here. You were quick to clap those frontline workers, but this is a slap in their face. The brass neck of that is galling."

Paul Murphy, the Rise TD, said the move came "at a time when in one in four people in this country is unemployed at a time of great crisis".

"You look at the actions of this Government - cuts to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, a vote to gut a motion in support of the Debenhams workers, and a miserly decision to only extend the eviction ban to August - yet a majority in this Dail will vote through a pay increase for an already very well-paid person," he added.

Sinn Fein Mayo TD Rose Conway Walsh said it was the most devious thing she had witnessed in politics to date. There was a "circle of greed" between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens and it was absolutely shameful.

Meanwhile, Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath claimed he cannot recall his party preventing the last government from changing legislation to give three ministers of State a 16,000 taxpayer-funded top-up.

It comes after Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said he could not remember the Cabinet signing off on the pay hike legislation despite sitting at the meeting only hours earlier.

Mr McGrath tried to dismiss suggestions his party blocked the exact same super junior minister top-up until he was read an official Fianna Fail press statement which specifically said it would stop any law passing through the Dail allowing for the additional allowance.

Asked about Fianna Fail preventing former super junior minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor from receiving the payment, Mr McGrath dismissed the question saying: "It wasn't brought before the Oireachtas the last time."

He also raised questions about the accuracy of media reports which said Fianna Fail was blocking the pay hike by the last government. However, he was then made aware of a Fianna Fail press release saying the party will "block any effort to fund addition super junior position".

"I don't recall that being discussed is the straight answer and it was never put the before the Oireachtas," Mr McGrath added.

Despite his party preventing Ms Mitchell O'Connor from receiving the payment, the minister said it is now "appropriate" that all three ministers of State in his Government should receive the payment.
France's interior minister vowed Saturday to fight "hateful ideology" after far-right extremists posted photos of a protest outside the offices of a Black lawmaker. The lawmaker, Sira Sylla, tweeted a photo of the small demonstration along with the words "You will never affect me." The photo showed five white men holding placards and a banner that read: "Help the French, not the Africans."

The posters and banner all bore the name of a far-right extremist group. The two men holding the banner also waved lit flares. Sylla, a lawyer from the Normandy town of Rouen, where she was born, is a member of French President Emmanuel Macron's Republic on the Move! party.

In her tweet, she said she was "more determined than ever!" Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted his support and described the targeting of Sylla as "vile." He said France won't "cede an iota to the hateful ideology of these extremist groups." The same photo and two others like it were posted on a Telegram channel seemingly set up by a Normandy wing of the anti-immigration far-right group.

A posting on the channel said the militants' protest at the lawmaker's office in the outskirts of Rouen was "to remind her of the need for priorities: help the French!"
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA), held virtually, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 19, 2020. (WHO/Handout via Xinhua)

"WHO will not be distracted by these comments, and we don't want the entire international community also to be distracted."

GENEVA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said here Thursday that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's latest comments on the relations between WHO and China are "untrue and unacceptable, without any foundation."

At a routine briefing, Tedros said the sole focus of WHO is on saving lives, and that "WHO will not be distracted by these comments, and we don't want the entire international community also to be distracted."

Pompeo told some UK lawmakers in London on Tuesday that there was firm intelligence that a deal had been done to get Tedros the job of WHO director-general -- and that this had resulted in the deaths of UK citizens from coronavirus, according to a Bloomberg report.
A mother was left 'screaming hysterically' after finding out her son had been hit and killed by a van fleeing the scene of a street fight where two men were stabbed last night.

Police rushed to Chislehurst in south-east London at around 8.50pm following reports of men fighting near the Gordon Arms pub.

The men were rushed to hospital for treatment after paramedics found they were suffering from stab injuries - although these are not thought to be life-threatening.

Just minutes later, a male pedestrian believed to be in his thirties was killed by a van near Slades Drive half a mile away from the scene.

A woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: 'We saw all these men running. There was between six to nine of them and initially I thought they were play fighting.

A pedestrian has been killed after being run over by a van fleeing the scene of a street fight where two men were stabbed last night

'Then as we drove a bit further we saw some of them had these long bats in their hands.

'We parked up at home and they were running towards us.

'Suddenly a man in a pink top fell over and the van just went for him on the green.

'My mum's mate ran over and gave him CPR as she's first aid trained but sadly she couldn't save him.

'She's in shock as it was so traumatic. He had an awful injury on his neck - it was open with blood pouring out.

'The victim's mum came down with other family and was screaming hysterically when they told her he had died. They were shouting his name Frank.'

Investigators in blue overalls set up a forensics tent on grass near to the scene of the collision and were seen working through the night

Her friend added: 'It seemed like a gang fight. We saw it break out and then watched it carry on from the house. I was just trying to make sure my mum and sister were alright if it spilled out.

'I saw the van go onto the green and then I heard someone go 'oh they've hit him'.

'They parked up by the kerb and all hopped out on the corner.

'There was this huge brawl which started in the corner of the field. Two people were standing over the man on his back hitting him with bats before another four or five people jumped in on him.

'It looked like a huge scuffle but only one guy appeared to be getting the flak.'

Met Police said the van did not stop following the collision, and was found abandoned nearby.

A spokesman said the two incidents are currently being treated as linked, while extensive cordons and road closures are in place. No arrests have been yet made.

Investigators in blue overalls set up a forensics tent on grass near to the scene of the collision and were seen working through the night.

'Police were called at 20:52hrs on Friday, 24 July to Belmont Road in Chislehurst following reports of men fighting,' the spokesman said.

Police rushed to Chislehurst in south-east London at around 8.50pm this evening following reports of men fighting near the Gordon Arms pub. The men were rushed to hospital for treatment after paramedics found stab injuries - though these are life-threatening

'Police and London Ambulance Service attended and found two men with stab injuries. They were taken to hospital and their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

'At 20:54hrs police were alerted to a collision involving a van and a pedestrian near to Slades Drive, Chislehurst.

'The pedestrian, a man believed to be in his thirties, died at the scene. The van did not stop at the scene and was found abandoned nearby.

Met Police continued to search the area for evidence last night as a cordon remained in place

'Enquiries are in their early stages however these incidents are currently being treated as linked.

'Extensive cordons and road closures are in place as enquiries continue. There have been no arrests.'

A post-mortem examination will be held on the man who was hit by the van and formal identification has not taken place, police said. However, his next of kin has been informed.

Just minutes later, a male pedestrian believed to be in his thirties was killed by a van near Slades Drive half a mile down the road. A spokesman for the force said the two incidents are currently being treated as linked, while extensive cordons and road closures are in place

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, said: 'All three men sustained their injuries in a small area close to the Gordon Arms pub.

'I believe that there are people who may have witnessed the fight, and one of the victims being struck by a van, who are yet to speak with us. I would urge them to come forward.

'I would also like to hear from anyone who captured any images on their mobile phones. This could play an important part in our investigation.'

He urged anyone with information about either incident to contact police on 101, quoting CAD 8031 of July 24.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a letter of thanks to Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sefik Dzaferovic.

Dear Mr. Chairman, first, I wish to extend to you my sincere greetings. It is on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan that I express my gratitude for the condolences you offered regarding the loss of life of our military servicemen and a civilian as a result of the sudden and heinous attack by Armenia and your countrys objective position with respect to this recent event, the letter said.

On July 12, 2020, armed forces of Armenia had resorted to military provocation by using artillery in the direction of Tovuz district, along the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border, thus blatantly violating the ceasefire regime, the letter said. Even though the enemys attack was repelled thanks to counter fire and counteroffensive measures, in the following days Armenias military-political leadership carried on with its reckless and aggressive policy and ordered the bombardment of our military and civil installations, and private properties, said the letter.

As you are aware, for nearly 30 years, Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts have remained under Armenian occupation, with over one million Azerbaijanis expelled from their native lands, the letter said. The most recent developments have demonstrated once again that Armenias leadership is duplicitous and the country itself is an aggressor. Therefore, the very attack has been the continuation of Armenias policy of aggression.

The targeting of children, women, and the elderly, along with the military personnel, during the attack is vivid evidence that to this day, the perpetrators of the Khojaly genocide are still represented within Armenias present leadership, the letter said.

Armenias malicious and sordid provocation has been thwarted thanks to Azerbaijans military might and valor of our heroic sons, and that will remain to be the case in the future, the letter said.

I thank you once again for Bosnia and Herzegovinas fair position with regard to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in line with our countrys territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of its borders, and in accordance with the norms and principles of the international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the letter said.

We, in turn, share the grief of the Bosnian people that had gone through the Srebrenica tragedy of 1995 and honor, with profound esteem, the dear memory of the victims of the massacre, the letter said.

I am confident that the relations of friendship and partnership between our countries will continue to expand through our joint efforts for the sake of the prosperity of our peoples. I wish the best of health and success to you, and everlasting peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the letter said.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Textile trader in Elubo (Ghana), a border town from across neighboring Cote dIvoire. I Franck Kuwonu/AR

Wamkele Mene was recently appointed Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat. Because of COVID-19, free trade for countries that have ratified the agreement did not begin, as planned, on 1 July 2020. In this interview with Africa Renewals Kingsley Ighobor, Mr. Mene explains the way forward, how increased intra-African trade can boost economies post-COVID-19 and how digital trade will be next big thing on the continent:

Africa Renewal: You have said that digital trade is the next big thing in Africa. Most of the trade in Africa is informal and is usually carried out by women, especially cross-border trade. How does digital trade fit that picture?

Mr. Mene: First, digital trade is possible through mobile phones. We know, for example, from the experiences of various countries across the African continent, that you can access distant markets using your mobile phone. So, the digital platforms are already there. We also know that Africa has one of the fastest-growing penetrations of mobile subscribers. It is a question of leveraging all those technological innovations and advantages into a common platform for free trade in Africa, under the AfCFTA agreement.

In countries where women are most active and contribute significantly to the economyI am thinking here of Kenya and Nigeria, among othersthere are examples of women who use digital solutions in informal trade. We seek to establish the requisite regulatory environment and architecture, through laws and digital platforms. The other area that is very important is customs authorities. We need to find a way to digitize our customs capabilities such that they are seamless across the continent. It is going to take quite a lot of work, but I believe its possible.

Do you have any plans to capture the imaginations of young people, to bring them on board?

During my appointment and election process, I identified young Africans and women in trade as segments of society that we must bring with us, to benefit from the implementation of this agreement. If it benefits only the big multinational corporations in Africa, it will have failed. We are going to create a platform to engage young Africans, women in trade and small- and medium-sized enterprises in a dialogue to put this vision into practice.

We dont have all the answers. We want to hear from young Africans. We know that if you go to Kigali, you will find young African software engineers at the forefront of innovation. These are the people that we want to bring into the fold of the agreement. We can create the appropriate environment for young Africans to benefit. Our rule will be to establish the conducive environment for young Africans to leverage their ideas. This is especially important. We dont have the answers to innovation, but we can create and establish regulatory frameworks within the context of the AfCFTA.

It appears that many young Africans are not yet aware of some of the lofty goals of the AfCFTA. How do you encourage countries to raise awareness among young people?

Its going to be a joint effort between the Secretariat and individual countries. We take advocacy and awareness-raising seriously. The basic iterate of the agreement is only one month old, but we are already recruiting the best and the brightest Africans to ensure that we reach our mandate. We are going to engage each of the five regions of Africa through regional outreach and advocacy programs. We will work with national governments. And we will complement the efforts of national governments to raise awareness about the benefits of the agreement, as well as the potential risks, and advise African populationsyoung people, women in tradeon how to take advantage of this unprecedented agreement. So, we are going to roll out a robust awareness-raising campaign in the five regions, in a way that complements the efforts of individual governments.

Whats your idea of success in the short and long terms?

In the short term, success is having an institution that is established and functions smoothly. Institution building is never easy. Building a Secretariat of eventually 55 countries is not going to be easy. Its a big challenge. Establishing a dispute settlement mechanism is going to be a particular challenge, because it signals to African investors that they should have confidence in the market. If we can operationalize a credible mechanism, that will be a short-term success.

In the long term, we aim to reach our objectives and action plans in industrial development. We might have value chains in two or three priority sectors, especially in critical areas such as agro-processing and automobiles. These are the areas that have a direct impact on job creation and economic growth in Africa. That, for me, would be a long-term success.

How would you describe the impact of COVID-19 on AfCFTA so far?

Well, the impact has been, as anybody can imagine, extremely negative, starting with just the state of the economy in Africa. According to the African Development Bank , the [African economy] was set to grow between 4% and 5% this year. And so, the dynamism in African economies was there, right up until COVID-19 hit. We know that over 53% of Africas exports go to countries particularly in Europe, but those consumers are now suffering from the pandemic. That has had a subdued effect on our export markets. The services sector in Africa, especially travel and hospitality, is set to fall by between 20% and 30% this year. In general, the virus has had a devastating effect on Africa. We have to find ways to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. But, for now, the primary focus should be on saving peoples lives.

Given the current situation, do you have any idea when free trade for participating countries could begin?

We have made a recommendation to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, which is the body that has the authority to delay or postpone the date originally set for 1 July 2020. We have advised that, given the unprecedented public health crisis that we are in and the fact that there is some unfinished technical work to be completed, we are not in a position to trade on 1 July. We lost about two-and-a-half months of technical work.

So, free trade will not begin until the pandemic is defeated? Or do you have a plan?

Well, we are exploring other ways of continuing the work, but as you can imagine, the trade negotiations are very, very technical. Within the African Union, we negotiate in four languages and across different time zones. Plus, there are requirements for confidentiality. All these things must be considered before we can continue the negotiations, if at all. We are also exploring the use of virtual platforms. We would like to resume our work as soon as possible, as soon as the pandemic contagion is contained. But if, for whatever reason, the pandemic continues, which we hope it will not, we are exploring other ways of advancing our negotiations.

So, right now, you cannot say, for instance, trade can begin in February or April 2021?

Your guess is as good as mine as to when COVID-19 will be defeated to the point we can resume negotiations. We also dont know what precisely the new timelines will be, whether the heads of state will give us new timelines. But I am sure that the heads of state will consider the fact that we are in an unprecedented crisis. They may discuss a delay to free trade. But I stress that it is entirely up to them. We are determined to continue working as soon as the physical conditions allow, or when we find a virtual means of doing so.

In event that the pandemic is protracted, what will you be doing specifically?

We are exploring the possibility of negotiating using virtual means. I must stress that its an exploration at this point, because we are talking about very complicated negotiations with more than 300 people at a time. The technical feasibility question is what we are exploring right now. But, as I said, there are constraints for trade negotiations, even when you are in the same room: the four different languages of the African Union, the confidentiality of the process, the different time zones of the African continent.

You just mentioned that the pandemic has the potential to decimate economies. How do you think you can regain momentum?

There are short- and long-term tools at our disposal. The first short-term tool, from a trade policy standpoint, is that our heads of state agreed to establish trade corridors to enable the transit of what the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention refers to as essential goods, or products that are necessary to combat the pandemic. These goods include soaps and other germ-killing products. The heads of state have agreed that these products must be given priority transit across borders, particularly in the case of landlocked countries. And second, the ministers of trade are exploring the possibility of reducing customs duties on these essential products so that they are more affordable to African populations across the continent. This would be a temporary measure to ensure that we have access to the tools we need to protect public health.

In terms of the long-term tools, it is our view that accelerating Africas industrial development objectives and Africas industrial development action plans is key to reconfiguring our supply chains, establishing regional value chains, and manufacturing the essential goods that we need now. This would also boost Africa to a higher value-added product and manufacturing capacity. The second point is a review of our intellectual property rights. We aim to assess whether our intellectual property regimes enable Africa to have a generic drug industry, which would ensure that we have access to affordable health care. This is also linked to whether a vaccine is found in the next 18 months or so. It goes through to the heart of questions around intellectual property rights. Finally, we are looking at the AfCFTA agreement itself . As you know, many countries in Africa do not have the monetary policy space or the fiscal policy space to provide large bailouts that go in the trillions and trillions of dollars for economic recovery. Therefore, for Africa, the stimulus package is the AfCFTA, the implementation of this agreement. This is what will enable Africa to drive economic growth and economic development post COVID-19, by increasing intra-Africa trade.

The commencement of free trade in Africa trade was expected to increase intra-African trade from 18% to about 50% within a few years. Is that timetable still on?

We aim to reach up to 50% of intra-African trade between now and 2030. So, there is not that much time. COVID-19 aside, whether we can reach 50% of intra-African trade depends on our capacity to accelerate regional value chains in Africas industrial development. Second, the manner and pace with which we implement the agreement, collectively, will also determine whether we increase that number from 18% up to 50%, and hopefully above that. So, it is an objective that we will have to actively work towards, and we will have to vigorously pursue.

Do you think the current crisis will discourage the more than 20 countries that have not ratified the AfCFTA from doing so?

We hope it encourages them to ratify the agreement. As I said, it is desirable for any government or economy to have a stimulus package in a time of an unprecedented crisis like this. You need tools of trade, such as this agreement, to accelerate economic recovery and return to pre-pandemic growth projections. I think that boosting intra-African trade is one of the tools that is available to us. Countries that do not ratify the agreement, of course, will not enjoy the benefits of liberalized trade and will not be able to explore new markets in Africa. So, I hope that they will look at it very, very positively.

Do you have a way of communicating the points you just highlighted to these countries?

I think the countries that have not yet ratified are engaged in the necessary domestic consultations and processes to do so. It is a sovereign decision to enter into an international agreement. There is a standing call from the Assembly of Heads of State and Government that asks all countries to ratify the agreement as soon as possible, or as soon as domestic legal processes allow it. So, I think they are aware of the importance of this agreement. And as youve just suggested, it has now taken on a new dimension, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Are there fears that the pandemic could encourage some countries to adopt protectionist policies?

The AfCFTA, like many other trade agreements around the world, makes provisions for countries to take measures to protect and advance public health in times of crisis. There is a degree of flexibility within trade agreements for countries to take particular measures to protect public health. However, these measures should not be permanent, and it will be up to us, as the Secretariat, to ensure that any measures that create protectionism and do not meet the need of necessity for public health are removed. We will undertake that monitoring function. And I do believe that most countries understand the importance of having an integrated market in Africa. This is why the AfCFTA was the fastest-ratified trade agreement in the African Union, by an initial 28 countries, because they recognized the importance of an integrated market as opposed to isolationism and autarky. I know that the countries that have not yet ratified are considering ratification, in line with their domestic laws.

What is your message to potential investors and traders outside of Africa?

My message is that we have established an agreement that creates a single market in Africa, from Cairo to South Africa, from Senegal to Djibouti. This single market of 1.2 billion people has a combined GDP of over $2.5 trillion, a growing young African population and a growing middle class whose purchasing power is increasing. I think all these things combined send a signal to investors that, once the agreement is fully operationalized, they will be able to do business on a single set of trade and investment rules across the African continent. This is something that will attract investors. Since they will be able to achieve economies of scale, they will overcome the challenges of market fragmentation. And, as I said, they will have the advantage of a market that is dynamic and fast-growing. You may recall that, in 2019, the World Bank said that of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world, six were in Africa . I think, post-COVID-19, if we can implement this agreement, the dynamism of African economic growth will return. We will be able to recover. Its going to take time; its not going to happen overnight. But were going to have to start working on economic recovery as soon as the conditions allow.

Do you have ways of discouraging countries from entering into bilateral trade agreements, even at this stage?

Discouraging countries from entering into trade agreements with third parties is a political goal. Under the agreement, countries can enter into agreements with third parties provided that they give African countries similar or better treatment than they are giving to the third party. So, in terms of AfCFTA law, it is permissible. But, since our political objective is to integrate and consolidate our market first, it is obviously desirable that countries refrain from doing so.

So, you expect, based on solidarity, that countries focus more on the trade area in Africa rather than getting into agreements with third parties?

Yes. And the Assembly of Heads of State and Government has said precisely that. It is a political aspiration.

As you prepare to launch, what is your message to Africans across the continent and in the diaspora?

After my election, I received literally thousands of messages congratulating me and wishing me well in this task. I received these messages from Africans in Africa, from Africans in the diaspora. I think all Africans, including me, see this as an opportunity to turn a new page on Africas economic development and Africa's growth trajectory. This is an opportunity that is unprecedented. In fact, I think that since the end of colonialism, Africa has not had such a big opportunity. I am conscious of the high expectations that that all Africans have of this Secretariat. In all the messages that I have received, the theme is the same: We want Africa to succeed and we want this trade agreement to have a long-term impact. I think people are aware, as much as they have high expectations, that it is not going to happen overnight. In the same way that market integration in Europe happened over 50 years, in Africa it will also take a long time. I think what is being celebrated is the fact that Africa has reached this point where we are moving rapidly towards an integrated market.

We are determined to make it work. When we started negotiating, some said that we would never conclude the negotiations. We concluded the first phase of negotiations in less than four years. Then, they said that the countries would never sign it. Out of 55 countries, 54 signed the agreement. Then, they said it would never be ratified. The agreement was ratified by 28 countries, which enabled it to enter into force. Now, they are saying that we will never be able to implement it. I want to tell the doubting Thomases out there that we will implement it.

This agreement will be a shining example of how a trade agreement is negotiated in a way so it has strong development features and onboards the segments of society that have been historically left behind. Its one of the reasons why there are problems in Europe, and one of the reasons why globalization is being rejected in Europe by some. Segments of society have been left behind. We have learned from the lessons of Europe and other parts of the world. We are determined to ensure that we bring everybody on board as we implement this agreement, that the biggest and the smallest countries in Africa benefit equally from this agreement. That is our determination.

For more information on COVID-19, visit www.un.org/coronavirus
JK Rowling has shared a series of articles on Twitter relating to the transgender debate and warned of a coming scandal she predicted could affect young people.

The Harry Potter author, 54, has been at the centre of a row about trans rights and accused of being transphobic, an allegation she strongly denies.

Rowling previously said in an essay on her website that she was partly motivated to speak out about the issue because of her experience of abuse and sexual assault.

NHS identity clinics have been functioning as if acting outside the ordinary requirement of good medical and psychiatric practice.



Some may dismiss this paper by experienced psychoanalyst @marcusevanspsych, but they do so at their own peril. https://t.co/Ghn6LtK3UB 1/4  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 25, 2020

Writing on Twitter on Saturday, Rowling said she had been contacted by numerous healthcare professionals in support of her recent comments.

She said: Since speaking up about gender identity theory, Ive received thousands of emails  more than Ive ever had on a single subject.

Many have come from professionals working in medicine, education and social work. All are concerned about the effects on vulnerable young people.

Linking to one source, she wrote: The writers of this letter are just two of a growing number of whistleblowers.

The bleak truth is that if and when the scandal does erupt, nobody currently cheering this movement on will be able to credibly claim we couldnt have known.

Since speaking up about gender identity theory, Ive received thousands of emails  more than Ive ever had on a single subject. Many have come from professionals working in medicine, education and social work. All are concerned about the effects on vulnerable young people. 3/4  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 25, 2020

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Rowling also shared a link with her 14.3 million Twitter followers to an article by psychoanalyst Marcus Evans titled Freedom To Think: The Need For Thorough Assessment And Treatment Of Gender Dysphoric Children.

Gender dysphoria is the result of a mismatch between a persons gender identity and their sex assigned at birth.

The paper, hosted on the Cambridge University Press books and journals platform, argues that the understanding of why the number of people referred to gender identity clinics has risen significantly in recent years has been hampered by a politically charged debate.

Rowling commented: Some may dismiss this paper by experienced psychoanalyst @marcusevanspsych, but they do so at their own peril.

The author also shared links to another paper about sex, gender and identity and a 2017 letter written by two former Gender Identity Development Service clinicians who were critical of the bodys approach.

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Actors from the Harry Potter universe, including Daniel Radcliffe, who starred as the boy wizard in film, and Eddie Redmayne, who leads the cast of Fantastic Beasts, have both criticised Rowling for her comments about transgender issues.

Four authors resigned from Rowlings literary agency after claiming the company refused to publish a statement in support of transgender rights while a charity which supports transgender children has urged Rowling to meet some of the young people it works with.
CAMBRIDGE  Is it charity or is it justice? This slogan hung above Cameron Dearloves desk during his tenure as executive director at the Cambridge food bank. It has become a driving philosophy for his most recent venture, Common Cause, a consulting firm for non-profits and charities in the region.

Not-for-profits and charities face a number of challenges, Dearlove said: staff and volunteers burn out quickly; fundraising and donations are on the decline; and resources are not spread equitably across the Region.

Dearlove, a social justice advocate and leader who has worked in the not-for-profit and charitable sector for decades, hopes he can help some of them navigate those challenges.

He appreciates that many get involved in this line of work to make real lasting change in peoples lives. But he believes that many social service organizations need to shift away from working for people to working with people.

He argues that the path forward to real change will require not-for-profits and charities to change the way they deliver services.

Year after year, organizations provide the same service for the same problems. Nothing changes, he said. Groups that offer food security programs, for example need to see themselves as part of a much larger system in order to truly end food insecurity.

Dearlove wants organizations to tackle important questions: What are they willing to give up to achieve their vision? How significant of a change are they willing to make?

Fundraising is a growing challenge for not-for-profits and charities, says Dearlove. There are fewer donors and smaller donations: older donors are donating less ... and younger demographics, who often have lower incomes, arent donating more, according to a recent report published by Canada Helps, a platform for donating and fundraising online.

Dearlove doesnt think people are less generous, but rather that the way people give is changing. There are significant economic differences between generations. Some of the challenges we see are different now.

The pandemic has compounded the problem of shrinking donations, at a time when the need for social services has greatly increased.

In response to these challenges, the Liberal government launched a $350 million Emergency Community Support Fund last May for charities and social service organizations that serve vulnerable populations. More recently, the government also unveiled a $25 million fund for Black-led community organizations.

But applicants for those funds must be registered as a not-for-profit or charity. That requirement prevents many Black-led groups like the African Family Revival Organization in Kitchener from accessing this funding, Dearlove says.

Dearlove wants to see more organizations do advocacy work, which he argues many organizations shy away from. As he moves forward with Common Cause, Dearlove is resolute: meaningful, lasting change involves a lot of work. He also says it boils down to building relationships and trust with communities over time.
The act of vandalism at RTE to promote the show

An act of vandalism provided a fitting promotion for The Young Offenders at RTE yesterday.

Two hooded teens, like Jock and Conor on their bikes, spray-painted areas in the campus, including a phallic drawing in front of the TV centre with abuse for The Young Offenders' fictional adversary. "F**k you Healy," they wrote.

RTE released footage of the "vandalism", saying: "Unfortunately, RTE was subject to vandalism early this morning. We have acquired footage of the incident from our CCTV system. In an attempt to identify the suspects we are sharing the footage on our social media channels."

It later revealed that it was a promotional stunt for the new season's release.

Meanwhile, the programme's stars have said that a "no a**holes on set" policy has contributed to the success of the hit show following the release of season three.

Peter Foott, the programme's writer, is often commended for his ability to introduce a mix of hilarity and emotion to the show, which stemmed from his 2016 movie of the same name.

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The Young Offenders themselves, Alex Murphy and Chris Walley, told the Herald that a big part of the cohesion on set is that everyone gets on.

Speaking previously, Walley, who plays Jock, said that an unwritten rule through the movie and the show is that there are "no a**holes on set".

According to Walley and his co-star Murphy, who plays Conor, the rule remains.

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"It's still the same, there's no a**holes on set. Alex has an ego on him now, but other than that people are all the same. Everyone is so sound," Walley said.

Murphy added: "We wouldn't be long getting rid of them, they'd be kicked off set."

Murphy (22) and Walley (25) lived together for 17 weeks during the filming of season two and season three of the series, which they say they were lucky to film back-to-back before the coronavirus pandemic shut studios across the world.

The two Corkmen said that they never clashed in that time and have become best friends.

"Hundred per cent people are friends off set. That's one of the best things about the show," Murphy said.

"A lot of the crew members from the movie and the cast stayed on the whole way through, which is great, and it just means that all over Ireland we have friends and we're all so close."

The programme returned last night to RTE One. The new series sees the boys having to face more adult scenarios than before, but with the same level of maturity.

Jock's baby Star, with Jennifer Barry's character Siobhan, has added a spanner in the works as the duo continue to get up to no good, along with Shane Casey's criminal character Billy Murphy.
pronab mondal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: Mukul Roy, once second-in-command in Mamata Banerjees Trinamool and now senior BJP leader, is learnt to have rubbished his partys projections that it could pick up as many as 190 of the total 294 Assembly seats in the 2021 Assembly elections, saying it was not grounded in reality.

A report presented at a meeting called by general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya in New Delhi on Thursday to sharpen the partys strategy in Bengal, said the BJP could get 190 seats out of 294, and wresting Bengal from the Trinamool is now a matter of time. Roy refused to accept the assessment, saying it does not reflect the ground-level reality, and suggested the party needs to work hard in many segments to aspire to reach that figure.

"A sharp difference of opinion emerged when others in the meeting did not agree with Roys position, said a senior BJP leader. So, instead of participating is subsequent sessions on the meeting, Roy took a flight back to Kolkata.

The BJP at present has 15 MLAs in the Bengal House, including defectors. The Lok Sabha elections in 2019 threw up a surprise, as the party managed to wrest 18 seats. Yet, a leap from 15 to 190 is way too abbitious at present, Roy felt, claimed sources.

Roy is known to be upset as state BJP president Dilip Ghosh is yet to find work for him. Roy is known for his mastery on the booth-level equations in Bengals political arena. He was not happy when his take on the 2021 polls was not accepted, a leader said.

Within his close circle, Roy expressed displeasure on several occasions as he has not been given any responsibility officially. He is not listed in the partys central or state-level hierarchy. Roy flew to Delhi last month and spent two days to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to share his concern, another leader said. Putting things in perspective, the leader said, Roy was inducted anticipating a Trinamool exodus to the BJP, but it didnt happen. For the record, Roy said he returned to Kolkata for eye treatment.


Seamless coordination ensured that there are just 38 local terrorists active in Kashmir

J&K: Two terrorists gunned down in encounter

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 25: Two terrorists have been killed in an encounter that broke out on the outskirts of Srinagar on Saturday.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive for Coronavirus | Oneindia News

The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Ranbirgarh area on the outskirts of Srinagar, following specific information about the presence of terrorists. The police said that as the forces were conducting a search, the terrorists fired upon them.

Terrorists killed in Kulgam encounter had fabricated IED used in Pulwama attack

The forces retaliated ensuring the encounter. The area where the encounter took place falls in Panzinara on the outskirts of Srinagar city bordering North Kashmir's Baramulla district.
Patna:

The BJP-led NDA on Saturday released a report card on the completion of one year of the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar and said the dispensation has proved to be a big failure on all fronts, especially so on law and order.

Releasing the report card titled Ek Saal, Bura Haal, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi launched a scathing attack on the maha-gathbandhan government saying it has been in news for all wrong reasons in the past one year.

The situation in Bihar has become worse in just one year... We (NDA leaders) have come out with a report card one day in advance, so that the Chief Minister can answer our questions, Modi told reporters here.

The Nitish-led government, in which Lalu Prasads RJD and the Congress are allies, completes a year in office tomorrow and it would also present its report card showcasing its achievements.

The practice of presenting report cards every year was started by Nitish Kumar in 2006 after he became Chief Minister in November 2005.

The Chief Minister should present a report card of one year and not of 11 years as BJP was also the part of the government for around seven-and-half-year when the government earned laurels globally, while now this state government has earned name for all wrong reasons in the past one year, Sushil said.

Union minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister of State and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha, Hindustani Awam Morcha(S) president and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and other senior BJP leaders including state BJP chief Mangal Pandey were also present on the occasion.

Sushil Modi said had the Opposition not objected and raised the issues of bail granted to Shahabuddin, Raj Ballabh Yadav and Rocky Yadav, the state government would not have gone to the Supreme Court against them.

Why is agriculture, health, education and industries missing from the CMs Nischay? he asked, while seeking answers to what happened to the Rs 1.52 lakh crore agriculture roadmap, Mission Manav Vikas, Mahadalit Vikas Mission and Vision Document 2025.

Sushil also termed Kumars students credit card scheme a repackaging of the Centres scheme.

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The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) provided false information to the public about the number of coronavirus cases at a meatpacking plant in May. At a news conference on May 5, the IDPH reported that 221 employees at Tysons pork processing plant in the city of Columbus Junction had tested positive for disease. In early April, an outbreak of the disease in Columbus Junction was the first of several reported in meatpacking plants across the state.

But according to records obtained by the Associated Press, this was less than half of the actual number of cases known to IDPH at the time. Only days prior to the forged May 5 declaration by the IDPH, Tyson Foods management told Iowa workplace safety regulators that 522 out of nearly 1,300 plant employees were infected with COVID-19. Furthermore, nearly a dozen workers in the plant are believed to have been hospitalized with two dead after contracting the disease.

Given that the population of Columbus Junction is only 1,855 people, this means that the equivalent of nearly one-third of the entire town had been infected with coronavirus at the plant by early-May. Meatpacking plants, which have some of the highest rates of infection of all workplaces in the country, have served as nodal points for the spread of the virus to rural areas.

The cover-up by the IDPH took place during the apex of the ruling class back to work campaign and the continued production of the meat industry, the consequences of which have been the massive resurgence of the virus nationwide. While no officials have been directly implicated, it is clear that the real figures would have cut across this bipartisan campaign.

Taking a pro-industry approach, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds declared her intent to manage the outbreaks in Iowa. Reynolds worked with Tyson executives to continue production, despite the rapidly growing number of cases and death. Tyson Foods President Dean Banks said, We plan to increase production at Columbus Junction gradually, with the safety of our team members top of mind.

In a press conference on April 20, less than two weeks before the false IDPH figures were released, Reynolds said that she had no plans to use her emergency powers to temporarily close plants. Noting that Iowa produces nearly one-third of the nations pork supply, she proclaimed that the states most important objective was keeping that food supply chain moving.

In a public statement, she applauded President Donald Trumps order to keep such plants open throughout the country. We will continue to see clusters of positive cases [in the plants], Reynolds said, but these are also essential businesses and an essential workforce. Without them, peoples lives and our food supply will be impacted. So, we must do our part to keep them open in a safe and responsible way.

She then turned over the podium to the health departments deputy director, Sarah Reisetter, who said the Tyson plants in Columbus Junction, Perry, Waterloo and two other workplaces had confirmed outbreaks. Reisetter said the Waterloo plant had 444 positive cases, but county officials said days later it actually had more than 1,000.

After the cover-up at Columbus Junction was exposed, IDPH spokeswoman Amy McCoy claimed that the lesser figure of 221 was all that it could verify from our data systems at the time.

McCoy continued, Keep in mind, we had just established an outbreak definition, and wanted to share the information we had available. Since that initial round of testing back in April, the testing reporting process has significantly improved.

In fact, IDPH never updated the number of confirmed infections in the city of Columbus Junction. The department does not report updates of workplace outbreaks on the states coronavirus website as they do for long-term care facilities.

At the May 5 briefing, Reisetter said that the 221 cases reflected 26 percent of those tested, which would be 850 total tests.

Tyson Foods spokesman Gary Mickelson said, Coordinating facility-wide testing and obtaining results is a complex process that takes time, and that the number of infections announced by the state appeared to reflect only the first round of testing at the plant, further claiming that additional testing had uncovered hundreds more cases.

According to an Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection report, Tyson Foods officials said they learned of the first case in Columbus Junction on April 1, only forcing the idling of the plant on April 5, after 29 workers tested positive for coronavirus.

Reynolds had reportedly sent 1,100 testing kits to the county during a two-week shutdown in the aftermath of production being halted. On April 20 the pork-processing plant reopened with new safety measures. Spokesman Mickelson then stated that the company is not aware of any current infections (at the Columbus Junction processing plant).

Only after two workers at the same plant died after contracting COVID-19 did Iowa OSHA open an inquiry, inspecting the plant ten days later on April 30. Iowa OSHA visited the plant and met with Tyson management. The Iowa OSHA report stated, There were 522 positive COVID-19 cases to the best of the companys knowledge.

In an effort to shift blame for the inhuman practices from Tyson Foods onto the shoulders of the health department, the Columbus Junction plant manager stated that communication between the company and public health officials was not efficient. The report also stated that information about the positive cases was not available for days after testing.

Iowa OSHA did not cite the Tyson Foods plant for any workplace safety violations even after the two deaths, claiming the company was trying to follow the best CDC guidance at the given time.
Strauss' letter came in a case filed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James in hopes of forcing the federal government to once again allow New Yorkers to apply for Trusted Traveler programs.

That case now appears to be moot. Wolf's decision will allow New Yorkers to start applying for, or renewing their memberships in Nexus and Global Entry as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic ebbs and international travel resumes. The U.S.-Canadian border has been closed to nonessential travel since March, and most international air travel has been suspended amid the pandemic.

Nexus application sites remain closed through at least Sept. 8, and as of Friday afternoon, the Customs and Border Protection website continued to say that New Yorkers were not allowed to apply for Trusted Traveler programs.

Buffalo-area business and political leaders portrayed Wolf's decision as a big victory for the local economy, but it's also a victory for Cuomo and James, the state attorney general who filed the lawsuit. Cuomo and James had previously said that other states have laws like the Green Light Law, and that the Trump administration was unfairly singling out New York by barring its residents from Trusted Traveler programs.

Our lawsuit against DHS was always about stopping the presidents irrational, arbitrary and retaliatory rule, which sought to punish New York for enacting its own state laws," James said. "We will continue to defend New Yorks sovereign rights and will fight to protect our states residents anytime the president tries to bully them, because safety and fairness are not mutually exclusive under the law.

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Protesters held a rally noon Friday outside the Bethune Street constituency office of Women and Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef, the MP for Peterborough-Kawartha, to express opposition to the federal governments plan to spend $19 billion for 88 new fighter jets.

Demonstrations were also held at the offices of MPs from all parties including in Victoria, Vancouver, Regina, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.

The rallies were organized by the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, World Beyond War and Peace Brigades International-Canada, supported by dozens of peace groups including the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, Labour Against the Arms Trade, the Ottawa Raging Grannies, Regina Peace Council and the Canadian Peace Congress.

Last year, the federal government launched a competition for a fleet of new fighter jets. This month, the bids are due by the defence contractors. In the competition are Boeings Super Hornet, SAABs Gripen and Lockheed Martins F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter. The federal government stated aims to make a selection by 2022.

The opponents argue the purchase is unnecessary and would harm people and exacerbate the climate change.

Fighter jets emit excessive carbon emissions and will cause the problem of carbon lock-in, which will prevent Canada from decarbonizing and meeting its Paris Agreement commitments, stated Tamara Lorincz, a member of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace.

We need to defund violence and invest in addressing actual threats to the safety and well-being of Canadians, including poverty and climate change, stated Simon Daley, an organizer of the local demonstration.
New Delhi: What's the real problem paralysing India's banking? Trust a former RBI guv to know. Urjit Patel, who walked out of his job rather than buckle under pressure applied by the Union government, says Indian banking's bugbear is the fear of the 3Cs -- CBI, CAG, CVC.

Or at least that's the red herring or exaggeration behind which bankers hide to not do the right thing,h whic is to protect depositors' interest.

Urjit Patel served as the 24th governor of RBI from September 2016 to December 2018. Two years after quitting his job, he has come up with a book, Overdraft: Saving the Indian Saver in which he talks about the banking crisis and tells how he worked out the '9R' strategy during his tenure when the problem of unsustainable bad debts or non-performing assets (NPAs) in the Indian banking sector was at its peak.

The book is not a narrative of what Patel describes as "passing matters" but his way "addressing correctly" some issues of economic policy.

"The dominant owner pre-2014 didn't question risk controls in GBs (government banks) even as it received significant dividends. A number of GBs did not have senior management in place, and governance suffered. This is a perennial shortcoming on account of bureaucratic inertia and political meddling," Patel says in his book, which was released on Friday.

Places on the banks' board of directors had become sinecures to be handed out to political supporters of the ruling party. "Key committees of the board, like the audit committee, have suffered from both inadequate membership, as seats go unfilled, as well as paucity of talent/ domain knowledge to carry out fiduciary responsibilities to the level that is required and expected," he writes.

So how do the 3Cs cow down the bankers? Patel argues that government banks have "argued incessantly over decades... that an important reason for not calling out problem accounts in a timely manner, and hence legitimising their ever-greening, is that the government's vigilance agencies (the 3Cs - the CBI, the CAG and the CVC) would raise questions or initiate investigations and invite a form of retribution regarding why and how were these loans made."

This, he says, is puzzling at two levels.

"GBs aren't shy of designating personal loans and advances to small borrowers as NPAs, and liquidating their security without fuss; and shouldn't GBs be more concerned about queries from the 3Cs when the loan size to struggling corporates is actually getting larger at a time when the latter's debt-servicing capability is obviously declining?"

How can more financing for essentially a restructured account be considered less serious than flagging an account as an NPA early in the life cycle of a loan, he asks.

"It would seem that the fear of the 3Cs is either a red herring or, at the least, an exaggeration behind which bankers take shelter to not do the right thing - that of protecting depositors' interest," he says in the book, published by HarperCollins India.
Where did I put mine? Not in the closet. In the garage? No, under the bed! I dragged it out and unzipped it to add anything else that might fit. A few family photos. A book I published 20 years ago. My laptop computer and a copy of my will. Odds and ends, pieces of my life.

As I packed up all that I could take, I felt painfully aware of all that I had to leave behind: The dining room table where my kids once did their homework. Paintings and photos and keepsakes that could never be replaced. My husbands musical instruments. And more than 30 years of yellowed newspaper clippings of my work.

I grabbed my wedding ring off the bathroom counter, slipped it on my finger and told myself, Take what you can, leave the rest, all that matters is life.

So I picked up my bag and walked out of my house for what I knew might be the last time.

And then, I was given a gift, a finer ending to a story that couldve been a tragedy. While my husband and I and our neighbors were packing up our lives, the firefighters, God bless them, had fought back the blaze.

The tankers were still circling. But the flames were gone. And the smoke was slowly clearing.
A governors powers and role in the state legislatures affairs are back in focus amid the political crisis in Rajasthan. Congress legislators backing Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot staged a five-hour sit-in on Friday asking governor Kalraj Mishra to call a special assembly session for a floor test. They accused Mishra of acting under pressure and not listening to their demand even as Gehlot expressed confidence of winning the trust vote necessitated by his tussle with his former deputy Sachin Pilot.

Is Mishra bound by the advice of the chief minister-led council of ministers when it comes to convening the assembly session and to what extent can the governor exercise his discretion?

Also Read: BJP files complaint against Congress in Rajasthan, says protest violated Epidemic Act

Former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam said normally, as per the Constitution, the advice is binding  but, he added, when there is a dispute about issues such as the number of lawmakers supporting a chief minister, then it is a special case.

The governor can summon MLAs to Raj Bhavan [governors house], make inquiries, and have discussions with MLA groups, etc. The general rule that the governor is bound by aid and advice of the council of ministers might not be relevant here, said Sathasivam, who has also served as Kerala governor.

What does the Constitution say?

The Constitutions Articles 163 and 174 are relevant in the context of the governors powers to convene the state assembly. Article 163 says there shall be a CM-led council of ministers to aid and advise the governor except when he is required, under the Constitution, to exercise functions in his/her discretion. When can a governor exercise discretion disregarding the advice of the council of ministers? Can he do the same when convening assembly?

The answer to this lies in certain Supreme Court judgments and Article 174, which says the governor shall from time to time summon the House of the state...as he thinks fit but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for first sitting in the next session.

Also Read: Rajasthan political drama is back in the Supreme Court, hearing on Monday

Article 174 originates from Article 153 of the draft Constitution. The third clause of Article 153 said the governors power to summon the House should be exercised with discretion. When the article came up for discussion in the Constituent assembly, certain members including B R Ambedkar opposed the clause. Ambedkar sought its deletion stating it was inconsistent with the scheme of a constitutional governor. His resolution won and the clause was deleted. Draft Article 153 eventually became Article 174. Thus, the intention of the Constitution makers was not to vest the governor with the discretion when it comes to convening assembly.

There are judgements that reaffirm this. The 2016 Supreme Court judgment in the Nabam Rebia v Deputy Speaker reaffirmed this interpretation of Article 174 when a five-judge Constitution bench held that the governors power to summon, prorogue and dissolve the House should be on the advice of the council of ministers. In this case, Arunachal Pradesh governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa had summoned the assembly on January 14, 2016. However, at least 20 rebel Congress MLAs joined hands with the BJP and met Rajkhowa expressing their displeasure with speaker Nabam Rebia.

Also Read: You be the judge: Chidambaram digs out SC ruling after Rajasthan court order

Rajkhowa rescheduled the session to December 16, 2015, after meeting the rebel Congress and BJP MLAs. This was done without the aid and advice of the council of ministers. Rebia moved the Supreme Court against Rajkhowas actions. The court held the omission of sub-article (3) of draft Article 153 was a matter of significance for determining the intent underlying Article 174. The inference that can be drawn is the Constitutions framers altered their original intent, and decided not to vest discretion with the governor in the matter of summoning and dissolving the House, it court said. We are satisfied in concluding that the Governor can summon, prorogue and dissolve the House, only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister as the head. And not at his own.

Rajkhowas order of rescheduling the session was held to be in violation of Article 174 and quashed. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan said if the council of ministers has the confidence of the House, there is no question that the governor is bound by its advice in convening the legislature. The Nabam Rebia judgment, however, also held that if the governor has reasons to believe the council of ministers has lost the confidence of the House, he can ask the chief minister to prove the majority.

Also Read: Rajasthan Congress stages demonstrations, protest rallies against autocratic BJP

In ordinary circumstances, during the period when the council of ministers enjoys the confidence of the majority of the House, the power vested with the governor under Article 174 to summon or dissolve the House must be exercised in consonance with its aid and advice. But where the Government in power on the holding of such floor test is seen to have lost the confidence of the majority, it would be open to the Governor to exercise the powers vested with him under Article 174 at his own, and without any aid and advice, the court said in the Nabam Rebia case.

But even there, the governors power is only to call for a floor test to determine the majority -- which would suit Gehlot and his supporters just fine because their urgency in calling for an assembly session is to get a floor test conducted immediately.

Going by these, Mishra can insist on constitutional provisions and established protocol be followed, and also insist on adequate safeguards given the pandemic, but eventually, according to the law, he has to summon the assembly.
Thousands of people joined another night of protests on the streets of Portland, hours after a US judge denied the state of Oregons request to restrict federal agents actions in the city.

Demonstrators, most wearing masks and many donning helmets, stood near the fountain on Salmon Street Springs, one spot where groups have been meeting before marching to the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and the federal agents there.

They chanted and clapped along to the sound of thunderous drums, pausing to listen to speakers.

Various organised groups took part, including Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives and the Wall of Moms.

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By 9.40pm on Friday, crowds of people, pressed shoulder to shoulder, packed the streets chanting Black Lives Matter and Feds go home as they carried signs and marched to the courthouse.

The federal agents, deployed by President Donald Trump to tamp down the unrest, have arrested dozens during nightly demonstrations against racial injustice that often turn violent.

Democratic leaders in Oregon say federal intervention has worsened the two-month crisis, and the state attorney general sued to allege some people had been whisked off the streets in unmarked vehicles.

US District Judge Michael Mosman said the state lacked standing to sue on behalf of protesters because the legal action was a highly unusual one with a particular set of rules.

Oregon was seeking a restraining order on behalf of its residents not for injuries that had already happened but to prevent injuries by federal officers in the future. That combination makes the standard for granting such a motion very narrow, and the state did not prove it had standing in the case, Mr Mosman wrote.

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The clashes in Portland have further inflamed the nations political tensions and triggered a crisis over the limits of federal power as Mr Trump moves to send US officers to other Democratic-led cities to combat crime.

Protesters in Portland have been targeting the federal courthouse, starting fires outside and vandalising the building that US authorities say they have a duty to protect. Federal agents have used tear gas, less-lethal ammunition that left one person critically injured and other force to scatter protesters.

The legal action from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum accused federal agents of arresting protesters without probable cause and using excessive force. She sought a temporary restraining order to immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians.

David Morrell, a lawyer for the US government, called the motion extraordinary and told the judge in a hearing this week that it was based solely on a few threadbare declarations from witnesses and a Twitter video.

Ms Rosenblum said the ramifications of the ruling were extremely troubling.

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She added: While I respect Judge Mosman, I would ask this question: If the state of Oregon does not have standing to prevent this unconstitutional conduct by unidentified federal agents running roughshod over her citizens, who does?

Before the federal intervention, mayor Ted Wheeler and other local leaders had said a small cadre of violent activists were drowning out the message of peaceful protesters. But the Democrat, who was tear-gassed this week as he joined protesters, says the federal presence is exacerbating a tense situation and he has repeatedly told them to leave.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf denied federal agents are inflaming the situation in Portland and said Mr Wheeler legitimised criminality by joining demonstrators, whom Mr Trump has called anarchists and agitators.
To the Editor:

Re Uncomfortable Questions (The America We Need series, Sunday Review, July 5), by Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation:

Mr. Walker has written an excellent article on the need for real changes to our capitalistic system if our democracy is to survive. Our present system, put in place one little brick at a time, ultimately generated a structure that grossly favors the rich over the poor. Mr. Walker points out that the changes necessary to address this inequality will require superrich support even though it will affect their wealth.

However accurate Mr. Walkers analysis may be, I just wonder how many of his superrich brethren will support changes that would affect their wealth. I dont know any superrich people (unlike him, I dont attend $100,000 per table galas), but I have known some rich people. And Ive always been impressed by their deep concern with maintaining, growing and protecting their wealth. The idea that one can ever have enough, that sharing wealth might have societal worth, is anathema to most of them. I suspect that most of the superrich would fall in the same category.

Dennis Taylor

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

To the Editor:

Darren Walker is a brilliant analyst of our world and our nation. But his statement I believe that capitalism is the best means of organizing an economy leaves me fuming. Tell me why!

Its my opinion that the inequality that Mr. Walker cites in his essay is a logical, even necessary outcome of the capitalist system itself, and it cant be reformed out. Americas capitalism at its base flows from nothing but good luck compounded by avarice, then ossified by inheritance. And in 1944 Eric Williams, in his book Capitalism and Slavery, showed that modern capitalism is a direct descendant of industrial slavery. It has sustained itself ever since as a lucky few exploiting the less lucky.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been criticised for acting too slowly in the COVID-19 pandemic, said on Friday there may have been things he could have done differently. He has pledged to hold an inquiry into his handling of the coronavirus crisis but not yet.

"Maybe there were things we could have done differently and of course there will be time to understand what exactly we could have done, or done differently," he told the BBC. Johnson has come under fire from critics over his handling of the pandemic, from the high official death toll of over 45,000 and the slow roll-out of testing to a later lockdown than many other countries.

One member of the government's scientific advisory group said the death toll could have been halved if lockdown had come a week earlier. Johnson said the government had stuck to scientific advice "like glue". Asked whether lockdown came too late, he said: "When you listen to the scientists, the questions that you've just asked are actually very open questions as far as they are concerned."

He said the biggest thing that the government failed to understand in the early part of the pandemic was the extent of asymptomatic transmission between people. "(COVID-19) was something that was new, that we didn't understand in the way that we would have liked in the first few weeks and months," he added.

Also read: No herd immunity for coronavirus yet: WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan
Beirut:

Syrian opposition activists are reporting heavy bombardment of besieged rebel-held neighbourhoods in the northern city of Aleppo saying at least six people have been killed.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian government warplanes and artillery struck more than 20 neighbourhoods in east Aleppo killing six people.

The Aleppo Media Council, an activist collective, said 15 people, including children, were killed in Saturdays violence in the countrys largest city and former commercial centre.

Today was the fourth day of renewed assaults by Syrian warplanes on eastern Aleppo districts, a rebel-held enclave of 275,000 people.

The onslaught began Tuesday, when Syrias ally Russia announced its own offensive on the northern rebel-controlled Idlib province and Homs province in central Syria.

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A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new law prohibiting Seattle cops from using pepper spray and other crowd control tools - just hours after the city's Police Chief blasted the legislation amid fears of weekend riots.

Last month, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a bill - sponsored by far-left councilwoman Kshama Sawant - banning cops from deploying 'kinetic impact projectiles, chemical irritants, acoustic weapons, directed energy weapons, water cannons, disorientation devices, and ultrasonic cannons'.

The law, which was set to go into effect on Sunday, sparked outrage among officers, who claimed they would be unable to protect both peaceful protesters and property if demonstrations turned violent.

Seattle has seen riots play out between police and protesters over the past two months following Black Lives Matter marches.

On Wednesday night, authorities say around 150 people caused 'massive amounts of property damage' in Capitol Hill, with reports of 'looting, fireworks, and arson'

On Friday, Police Chief Carmen Best slammed the City Council for their new law, writing: 'As City Councils legislation goes into effect, it will create even more dangerous circumstances for our officers to intervene using what they have left  riot shields and riot batons.'

Seattle's Police Chief Carmen Best blasted a new law prohibiting officers from using pepper spray and other crowd control tools - just hours before a federal judge temporarily blocked the new legislation amid fears of weekend riots

Hours later, at an emergency hearing, U.S. District Judge James Robart granted a request from the federal government to block the new law.

Robart said the issue needed more discussion between the city and the Justice Department before the change went into effect.

The U.S. Department of Justice has argued that banning the use of crowd control weapons could actually lead police to use more heavy handed tactics as they would only be left with more deadly weapons.

Ruling from the bench, just before 9 p.m., Robart said the temporary restraining order he granted would be 'very temporary'.

On Wednesday night, around 150 people cause 'massive amounts of property damage' in Capitol Hill, with reports of 'looting, fireworks, and arson'. The windows of one Whole Foods were smashed and the store was looted. Clean-up on Thursday is pictured

Last month, a small section of Capitol Hill was occupied by protesters who pushed police out of their precinct and created the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest Zone- known as CHAZ or CHOP. Police arrest a protester on July 1 as they dismantled the area

Police cleared out protesters from CHOP on July 1 and, on July 3, pictured, defended the area

'I urge you all to use it as an occasion to try to find out where it is we are and where it is we're going,' Robart said.

'I can't tell you today if blast balls are a good idea or a bad idea, but I know that sometime a long time ago I approved them.'

Meanwhile, federal agents have been dispatched to Seattle to protect federal property as civil unrest continues.

President Trump has blasted 'radical Left' leaders in the city, and claimed 'domestic terrorists' have taken over.

Last month, a small section of Capitol Hill was occupied by protesters who pushed police out of their precinct and created the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest Zone- known as CHAZ or CHOP.

Demonstrators took over the several block area for about two weeks until authorities returned in force and cleared out the area on July 1 after two fatal shootings.

However, unruly demonstrations have continued.

In addition to the extensive property damage on Wednesday night, 12 officers were left injured during clashes last Sunday.

On that night, activists ransacked shops and set fire to a police precinct.
The Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East Constituency, Hon Mavis Hawa Koomson has been arrested by police in the Central Region following chaos at a registration centre in Kasoa which resulted in the MP firing gunshots.



The Special Development Initiatives Minister justifying her action said that she only fired the gunshots when her life was threatened by some thugs alleged to be affiliated to the opposition NDC.



But in spite of the justification, the act has received massive condemnation from the public, with many calling for her resignation and subsequent prosecution. It later reported that the Member of Parliament has made her statement at the police station.



JoyNews Central Regional correspondent Richard Kwadwo Nyarko who is at the Regional Police Headquarters has filed report that Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson is currently being interrogated by CID investigators.



Meanwhile, some four suspects who were also arrested in connection with the disturbance have been granted bail.



A Cape Coast Circuit Court presided by Dorinda Smith Arthur granted them bail to the tune of 30,000 each with two sureties for which one must be a government worker whose net salary is 2000.





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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"The U.S. Constitution and federal law clearly require a count of the whole number of persons living in the United States, whether citizen or non-citizen," Weiser said. "The administration acted illegally to hurt Colorado, undermine our representation in Congress and deprive us of federal dollars that we are entitled to."
Beanie Feldstein would love to return for the sequel to How To Build a Girl and writer Caitlin Moran is keen to make a Me Too movie in adapting her follow-up novel.

Moran released sequel How To Be Famous in 2018, which is the second part in a planned trilogy of novels about teenager Johanna Morrigan and her career as music journalist Dolly Wilde.

Beanie Feldstein plays Johanna, who was inspired by Morans own upbringing in the West Midlands.

Read more: Moran and Coky Giedroyc on telling a working class story

The writer said she has her fingers crossed that the movie version of How To Build a Girl will do well enough to justify making the sequel.

Beanie Feldstein goes from Johanna to Dolly Wilde in 'How To Build a Girl'. (Credit: Lionsgate)

That's the Me Too movie, she told Yahoo Movies UK. The plot of that is basically about Me Too and, halfway through writing it, the Me Too movement exploded worldwide.

I would love to make the scene where she finally confronts her sexual harasser. I think Beanie would rip the arse out of that.

Read more: Michelle Pfeiffer discusses Me Too moment

Feldstein adopted a Black Country accent to play the role of Johanna, having worked in a Wolverhampton gift shop in order to get it just right.

The 27-year-old actor said she wouldnt allow herself to read the sequel novel until she had finished filming the first movie.

Beanie Feldstein as Johanna Morrigan in 'How To Build a Girl'. (Credit: Lionsgate)

As part of my wrap gift, Caitlin signed a copy for me and I read it on the plane ride home, said the star.

Feldstein added: It is a wild ride, so I would love to put the wig back on, put the accent back on and give her another go.

I love the character so much and she means a lot to me, so it would be a joy for sure.

Read more: Elisabeth Moss on how Invisible Man became a Me Too story

The film also features Alfie Allen, Paddy Considine, Sarah Solemani and cameos from stars including Sharon Horgan, Michael Sheen, Lily Allen and Mel Giedroyc  sister of director Coky Giedroyc.

How To Build a Girl is available via Amazon Prime Video from 24 July.
Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Charlamagne Tha God has hit out at Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden for branding Donald Trump the first racist president.

Mr Biden had criticised Mr Trump for what he called his spread of racism on Wednesday, calling him the first racist to be elected president.

The way he deals with people based on the colour of their skin, their national origin, where theyre from, is absolutely sickening, said Mr Biden. No sitting president has ever done this.

Weve had racists, and theyve existed. Theyve tried to get elected president. Hes the first one that has.

Charlamagne, The Breakfast Club radio host, was quick to rebuke the presidential hopeful in his programme on Thursday, labelling the former vice president donkey of the day for his comments.

I really wish Joe Biden would shut the eff up forever and continue to act like hes starring in the movie A Quiet Place because as soon as he opens his mouth and makes noise, he gets us all killed, OK? the presenter said.

Theres already so many people who are reluctantly only voting for Joe Biden because hes the only option and because Donald J Trump is that trash.

A number of previous presidents owned slaves, including founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Charlamagne accused Mr Biden of perpetrating a revisionist history that relinquishes America of all responsibility of its bigotry.

Donald Trump is not the first and sadly he wont be the last, he said. Hes just more overt with his racism than most presidents weve had in recent times. Thats why when Joe Biden incorrectly refers to Donald Trump as Americas first racist president ... we have to check that immediately.

How are we ever going to atone for Americas original sins if we dont acknowledge them? Charlamagne asked. How the hell can Donald Trump be the first racist president in a country where 12 presidents before him owned slaves?

Americas past, and conspicuous reminders of its less savoury aspects like statues commemorating Confederate leaders, has come under intense scrutiny amid nationwide demonstrations against systemic racism following the death of George Floyd.

Story continues

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A slew of progressive challengers upset entrenched incumbents in the New York Legislature in the recent Democratic primary, cementing their movement's influence in Albany and making it likely that the state government will become one of the most liberal in the nation.

The results, held up for weeks because of delays caused by the coronavirus outbreak, set up potential clashes between an emboldened Legislature eager to push the priorities of the left and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a moderate Democrat who generally favors a get-it-done philosophy.

The most resonant symbol of the new wave was its defeat of Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol of Brooklyn, a Democratic stalwart and chair of the powerful codes committee, who had served 24 terms after first being elected in 1972.

Lentol, 77, conceded Wednesday to Emily Gallagher, 36, a community activist in Greenpoint.

The primary wins have the newcomers and their legislative allies dreaming of passing bills on issues like criminal justice reform, affordable housing and tax increases on the very wealthy.

They also harbor high hopes that they can press for greater power in the annual and all-important budget negotiations, which are usually dominated by Cuomo.

Many will find common ground with a younger and more diverse crop of legislators elected in 2018, when Democrats picked up eight seats in the Senate to capture the majority.

The influence of those progressive lawmakers was first made clear in measures including changes to the criminal justice and campaign finance systems; new gun control laws; new rights for voters, immigrants and victims of violence; and bans on plastic bags, toxic toys and offshore drilling.

Zohran Mamdani, a 29-year-old housing counselor and democratic socialist who defeated Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas of Queens, said in an interview that there was no question that the primary results would "change the nature of the Assembly."

"How much?" he asked. "That is what we're going to show in the next year."

The primary results continued a run of success for insurgent left-wing candidates for legislative and congressional races, including the victory of Jamaal Bowman over Rep. Eliot L. Engel, declared last week.

It also signaled a high-water mark for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), whose candidates won five primary races and firmly established themselves as an electoral force in New York City and inside the Democratic Party.

Their swift rise in the state comes just two years after their most famous standard-bearer, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, stunned the party by defeating Joseph Crowley, the No. 4 House Democrat at the time, in a June primary.

Lentol was actually endorsed by the Working Families Party, a progressive labor-backed organization, and spent more money than any other incumbent facing a challenge. He acknowledged that his district in north Brooklyn, which includes Williamsburg and Greenpoint, had undergone profound changes in the last decade.

"A lot of millennials who moved into the district didn't know who I was," he said, saying he should have done a better job introducing himself to voters, a proposition made more difficult by the coronavirus outbreak.

Lentol played a central role in the passage of a series of changes in criminal procedure in recent years, including the 2017 law that raised the age of criminal responsibility to 18, a major victory for those seeking reforms.

Previously, New York had been just one of two states to treat defendants as young as 16 as adults in criminal court, a system that had been criticized for exposing young offenders to harsh conditions in jails.

"It was a tough race," he said. "I gave it everything I had, and she won."

Gallagher, a democratic socialist who did not receive the DSA's endorsement and had little institutional backing, said she hoped the insurgent wins this cycle would inject more transparency into the way policy is crafted in Albany and encourage legislators to "lean into" more liberal legislation.

"I think that for a long time, the political climate has told us that we had to pretend to be a little bit less radical than we are," she said. "I think there's probably a lot of people already in the Assembly who wanted to enact bigger changes than they were enabled to."

All told, the Assembly could have nearly two dozen new members when the next Legislature is formally seated in January.

Most if not all of the primary wins over incumbents occurred in safely Democratic seats, meaning the primary winner is almost assured of winning a seat in the Legislature in November.

Simotas, 41, the first Greek-American woman elected to the Assembly, was a relative newcomer to Albany, having served almost five terms in a city where some members' tenures date to the 1970s.

After she conceded Wednesday, Mamdani, a Muslim who was born in Uganda, celebrated his victory on Twitter with a two-word summation of his political base:

"Socialism won," he wrote.

The multiple defeats of incumbents also seemed to demonstrate the weakened sway of Carl E. Heastie, speaker of the Assembly, who oversees the overwhelming Democratic majority in Albany's lower chamber and steered hundreds of thousands of dollars into the campaign coffers of the most vulnerable incumbents.

The primary results also marked a significant win for the Working Families Party (WFP), which backed three challengers who unseated incumbents and endorsed 11 candidates who won Democratic primaries for open seats in the Senate and Assembly.

Among those were Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, a Latina community activist who unseated Michael DenDekker, a six-term legislator from Queens. In the Bronx, Amanda Septimo, a labor organizer, clinched the nomination for the Assembly seat of Carmen E. Arroyo, a 26-year incumbent who was knocked off the ballot after a court ruled she submitted fraudulent petitions.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

In Brooklyn, Marcela Mitaynes, a tenant organizer who received a broad swath of left-wing endorsements  including from the DSA, the WFP and Ocasio-Cortez  defeated Felix W. Ortiz, a longtime incumbent who serves as the assistant speaker in the Assembly.

Ortiz, who faced three challengers, said the coronavirus pandemic took him off the campaign trail and probably affected his chances of being reelected.

"I don't think I would have done anything differently, other than, maybe, I should have probably campaigned more," he said. "But that's part of life."

In the 38th Assembly District, which encompasses the Glendale and Woodhaven neighborhoods of Queens, Jenifer Rajkumar, an Indian-American newcomer, defeated Michael G. Miller, who was elected in 2009.

At one point it seemed incumbents would stand to benefit from the disruption created by the pandemic, which froze in-person campaigning and door-knocking operations.

But challengers shifted their approach, investing in digital outreach and phone bank operations.

They harnessed the appetite for change sparked by the recent protests over police brutality.

They also appeared to more successfully target people voting by mail: In many of the races, challengers pulled ahead of incumbents during the absentee ballot count.

Christina Greer, an associate professor of political science at Fordham University, said many incumbents probably depended on a small but reliable base of supporters in their districts.

Meanwhile, challengers tapped into a larger population of eligible voters who may have been marginalized or not as civically engaged in past elections.

"It'll be interesting to see who from the old guard will see the demographics in their district changing, and realize they've got to go a little bit to the left to ward off challengers in the future," she said.

Some of the primary races exposed rifts within the party's left flank, pitting challengers against incumbents that many Democrats considered sufficiently progressive.

Liberal groups were not always aligned behind the same candidates.

In Brooklyn's 57th District, for example, Phara Souffrant Frrest, a nurse and tenant activist backed by the DSA, prevailed over Assemblyman Walter T. Mosley, who was endorsed by the WFP.

The primary wins underscored the generational shift unfolding in Albany.

Lentol, whose father and grandfather were also assemblymen, said he didn't know what he'd do next after nearly a half-century in Albany.

"They're not ringing my phone yet," he said. "But maybe they don't know I'm available."
Getty Images

Dr Anthony Fauci said he and his family have received serious threats in a new interview on Thursday, as Donald Trump's White House reportedly staged an effort to discredit the nations leading infectious disease expert.

As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984, Dr Fauci compared the hate mail he received while working with AIDS activists during the HIV crisis to the threats he now faces as a member of the White House coronavirus response task force while speaking on David Axelrods The Axe Files podcast.

Its really a magnitude different, the epidemiologist said. As much as people inappropriately, I think, make me somewhat of a hero  there are people who get really angry at thinking Im interfering with their life because Im pushing a public health agenda.

Dr Fauci has been at odds with the Trump administration at times over its plans to reopen states still battling a rise in coronavirus infections, with the US surpassing 140,000 total deaths resulting from the pandemic. His strong advocacy for social distancing and self-isolation measures to remain in place have led to serious threats against me, against my family  my daughters, my wife, he said on Thursday, adding: I mean, really? Is this the United States of America?

The threats Dr Fauci has faced amid the Covid-19 outbreak were more aggressive than those he received during the HIV and AIDS crisis, the doctor suggested during the interview, saying: Ive seen a side of society that I guess is understandable but its a little bit disturbing.

Back in the days of HIV when I was being criticized with some hate mail, it was, you know, people calling me a gay-lover and 'what the hell are you wasting a lot of time on that, he continued. Things that you would just push aside as stupid people saying stupid things.

While the president has recently said in public statements that he respects Dr Fauci, Mr Trump and his close allies have reportedly sought to undermine the epidemiologist as having made mistakes throughout the pandemic. White House officials have listed comments Dr Fauci made they claimed were erroneous, with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro going so far as to publish an Op-Ed criticising the NIAID director.

Story continues

In response to the attempts to discredit him, Dr Fauci said at the time that he couldnt figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that.

He added: I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because its only reflecting negatively on them.

Several states that reopened amid the pandemic have since announced returns to phase one, effectively meaning lockdown orders would remain in place as the novel virus continued spreading in both rural and urban parts of the country.

I can understand very well that you have to be careful because of the negative consequences of things like shutting down, Dr Fauci said on Thursday. But the hostility against public health issues is difficult not only to understand, but difficult to even process.

Read more

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An eight-year-old Scottish boy created and performed an impressive glow stick dance routine on July 25, his fifth day of quarantine in an Adelaide, South Australia, hotel room with his family.

Kate Arrow captured footage of her son, Alasdair, performing before posting a video of the family rave on Twitter.

The family were in quarantine in a hotel room after recently arriving in Australia from Scotland.

According to Government of South Australia guidelines, all new arrivals into Australia are being quarantined in their port of arrival in supervised accommodation for 14 days.

Speaking to Storyful, Arrow said, We are not allowed to leave our hotel room on the 10th floor so we have to get inventive with kids activities.

Weve moved here from Dundee, Scotland, to work as doctors, she added. We decided to have a rave to celebrate our first weekend in quarantine. Credit: Kate Arrow via Storyful
SLT, Just in Time, Huawei link up for digital court proceedings View(s):

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and an alarming increase in criminal activities involving prisoners in jails, video conferencing and tele-presence technology in court rooms and prisons will soon become a reality in Sri Lanka.

The Ministry of Justice will be introducing video conferencing solution under a courts prison collaborative entrusting Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) to carry out this task.

According to the initial plan 20 courts will be linked up with the same number of prisons countrywide through video conferencing system which will enable court proceedings to be held without moving inmates, official sources said.

The project is a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Justice, SLT and the judiciary.

Video conferencing solution for Ministry of Justice will be carried out by SLT with Just in Time Technologies Pvt Ltd as the managed service partner (lead partner) by using Huawei products for the solution design.

This decision was taken at the recent meeting on finalising strategic partnerships for the project, an official document revealed.

The total cost for the whole video conferencing system will be in the region of Rs.350 million, according to the costing estimates submitted to the ministry.

Justice Ministry Secretary Ms. S.M. Mohamed told the Business Times that the project is in the pipeline and declined to comment on matters relating to it as no cabinet decision has been taken as yet.

However the Ministry has given consent to the SLT to go ahead with the plan of developing the video conferencing solution partnering with Just in Time Technologies and Huawei Lanka, informed sources said.

Video conferencing solution is aimed at increasing the efficiency of court proceedings by reducing time and costs while offering practical solutions to problems of transporting prisoners.

It will reduce security risks and the potential harm to prisoners and the public creating a more responsive and engaging interaction between legal practitioners and clients.

According to the project concept plan, the main solution deliverables are remote court hearings for extending remand period of inmates, virtual jail visitation for inmates family members, enabling attorneys at law to consult and take instructions from inmates (remote legal consultations during convenient times).

It will also provide remote participation and observation facility for lawyers and remote participation of law enforcement officers.

Future enhancement of the solution includes remote court hearing proceedings, and providing administrative collaboration facility for justice ministry, prisons and judiciary.

(BS)
Dad and I walked a small hill in Guernica, Spain. At 78-years, his hip gave him pain, so a gnarled stick in his right hand served as a cane. We moved slowly. Each step he limped and winced, but he was determined to reach the top.

There, he paused to catch his breath and wipe his bushy brow, and together we saw the tree, Gernikako-Arbola, the Basque oak.

I expected something grander, wider, thicker, the inspiration of a Sequoia or an ancient pinion, a chance to say Wow! But it was a mere sapling enclosed by a wrought iron fence on a patch of grass. It wasnt much larger than any baby oak in any American yard.

What do you think? I asked dad.

Purdy, he said, but dhis not da tree I seen when I a boy.

Dad was right. The sapling was the fourth of its lineage planted in 1986 from an acorn of the tree that dad had seen as a boy.

That earlier tree, third in line, had survived the bombing and burning of Guernica in 1937 by Hitler and Mussolini to support Franco. Thereafter, it offered powerful testimony of freedom, resilience, and an undaunted Basque spirit.

Dad and I wandered the rest of the garden. Not far from the sapling stood a structure of white columns surrounding a gargantuan trunk of what must have been a mighty oak in its day.

Jesus Cristo! said Dad. I chuckled.

Four or five men would have had to clasp hands to surround the trunk. It had been planted in 1742, second in line, and died from fungus 150 years later in 1892. Rarely had I seen a tree with such massive girth as if I were Gulliver, washed up on a Brogdignagian shore where the soil had been blessed with magic waters.

Yet as old and huge as it was, this tree hadnt been the oldest nor the largest of the lineage.

Planted in the 14th century, the original oak grew on the same spot as the sapling and spanned 450 years of life. It thrived alongside the Basque who gathered under it each month to hold public assembly.

Beneath its knotted and ancient branches, the Basque debated the issues of the day and made laws. They swore allegiance to protect the fueras, or freedoms, of the Basque people, long before modern Spain, long before the British Magna Carta, and long before our own Declaration of Independence.

As I watched dad study the tree, the sapling of today and the trunk of yesteryear, he flickered subtle sparks of reverence and pride, real emotion. Ordinarily stoic, he was tough to read, but the feeling was there. Only a son would notice it.

Take one picture, he said, and I snapped a few of him, arm outstretched, touching the trunk between the white columns, and again inside the wrought iron fence next to the sapling.

Dhis mean someting, he said wagging his finger. We sat on a bench overlooking the town. Franco, he try to blow dhis up. He couldnt.

It did indeed mean something. It still does. I hadnt experienced the true potency of a symbol until that moment with dad, or how powerfully a symbol might conjure feelings of pride all the way from the Middle Ages.

Deeply rooted, magnificently grand, tall and invulnerable like a centurion, the oak embodied Basque freedom, the fight for it, and the struggle to keep it whenever interlopers inside or out tried to take it.

The oak stirred a well spring of feeling in dad and other Basque, past and present. Out of pride, they would defend it to an extreme, I thought, just as others might attack and destroy symbols that stir pain and misery.

The sun dipped beyond the noon hour. You ready to head down? I asked.

Dad nodded. I need one nap. He rose from the bench with a hunched back before straightening, his hip screaming.

Did you like that? I asked on the way down.

He paused on his cane-branch, breathing heavy. Dhat my favorite ting, he said, and then he resumed his limping pace down the hill.

Behind him I whispered, Wow.

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NASA's tracking Hawaii-bound Major Hurricane Douglas

Hurricane Douglas is a major hurricane tracking through the Central Pacific Ocean on a forecast track to Hawaii. NASA's Aqua satellite used infrared light to identify strongest storms and coldest cloud top temperatures and found them surrounding the eyewall of the powerful hurricane. In addition, images from NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite were used to generate an animated track of Douglas' movement and intensification over four days.

Infrared Data Reveals Powerful Storms

On July 24 at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 UTC), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite gathered temperature information about Hurricane Douglas' cloud tops. Infrared data provides temperature information, and the strongest thunderstorms that reach high into the atmosphere have the coldest cloud top temperatures.

MODIS found the most powerful thunderstorms were in the eyewall, where temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 Celsius). Cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms with the potential to generate heavy rainfall.

Andrew Latto, hurricane specialist at NOAA's National Hurricane Center noted, "Douglas continues to look impressive in satellite images, with a clear eye and symmetric convection in all quadrants."

NASA Animates Douglas Through Time

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. using the NASA Worldview platform, an animation was created to show Douglas over four days. Using visible imagery from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite, an animation shows the intensification and movement of Hurricane Douglas from July 20 to July 24 in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Douglas was a Category 4 hurricane on July 24.

Infrared Data Reveals Powerful Storms

On July 24 at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 UTC), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite gathered temperature information about Hurricane Douglas' cloud tops. Infrared data provides temperature information, and the strongest thunderstorms that reach high into the atmosphere have the coldest cloud top temperatures.

MODIS found the most powerful thunderstorms were in the eyewall, where temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 Celsius). Cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms with the potential to generate heavy rainfall.

Andrew Latto, hurricane specialist at NOAA's National Hurricane Center noted, "Douglas continues to look impressive in satellite images, with a clear eye and symmetric convection in all quadrants."

Douglas' Status on Friday, July 24, 2020

At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Hurricane Douglas was located near latitude 15.7 degrees north and longitude 140.3 degrees west. That is about 1,010 miles (1,630 km) east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.

Douglas is moving toward the west-northwest near 18 mph (30 kph), and this motion is expected to continue for the next few days with a gradual decrease in forward speed and a slight turn toward the west.

Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph (215 kph) with higher gusts. Douglas is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 954 millibars.

Gradual weakening is expected to begin today, July 24, and continue through the weekend.

NHC Key Messages

The National Hurricane Center's key about Douglas is that the storm is expected to move near or over portions of the Hawaiian Islands this weekend, and there is an increasing chance that strong winds, dangerous surf, and heavy rainfall could affect portions of the state beginning Saturday night or Sunday.

About NASA's Worldview

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now."

Tropical cyclones/hurricanes are the most powerful weather events on Earth. NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

For updated forecasts, visit: http://www. nhc. noaa. gov

By Rob Gutro NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

###

This story has been published on: 2020-07-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Nigerian Army on Saturday released 601 ex-Boko Haram members after undergoing six months de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration (DRR) programme in Gombe State.

The graduation ceremony of the ex-insurgents took place on Saturday at Malam Sidi community in Kwami Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking during the event, Bamidele Shafa, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), said the ex-insurgents were ready to be re-integrated into the society.

Mr Shafa, a major-general, said the graduating batch four clients were admitted in December 2019 and within the six months undertook a comprehensive medical test to ascertain their health status that enabled their proper care.

According to him, out of the 606 clients received into the camp; 601 were graduating, three died, one was withdrawn from the programme while the last one was transferred to the Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Maiduguri.

He explained that the three that died was as a result of the terminal sicknesses they already had before coming to camp, while the one withdrawn was on disciplinary grounds for further investigation.

The OSC coordinator also said that the clients graduating for re-integration into the society comprised 587 Nigerians and 14 foreign nationals from Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic.

He added that the clients had appeared before a quasi-judicial panel, which according to him was a major requirement, before their reintegration into the society.

He stated that the essence of the panel was for the clients to denounce membership of Boko Haram and the Islamic States West Africa Province, confess their past misdeeds and take an oath of allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said that the huge number of clients who willingly surrendered to the Federal Governments programme was a good sign of peace for the country.

In his remarks, the Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin, said the DRR programme was a working strategy complementing the efforts of the Federal Government toward restoring peace in the Northeast.

Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin [PHOTO CREDIT: defencehq.mil.ng/gallery]

Mr Olonisakin, represented by Vincent Okeke, the Director of Education, Defence Headquarters, said the clients acquired different skills and would be provided funds and starter packs to enable them earn a living and start new lives.

The CDS commended the Federal Governments efforts in ensuring peace and called on  Boko Haram and ISWAP members still lurking around in the bush to lay down their arms, embrace peace and join the DRR programme.

Also speaking, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, said the Federal Government was committed to the peace and the development of the Northeast.

Sadiya Umar Farouq [PHOTO CREDIT: @Sadiya_farouq]

Mrs Umar-Farouq represented by her Head of Special Services, Nadia Mohammed, said that the Federal Governments commitment to peace led to the establishment of the Northeast Development Commission.

The commission was established to expedite the rehabilitation and the development of the Northeast, she said.

Also, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno lauded the Federal Governments efforts in the de-radicalisation of ex-insurgents to make them better members of the society.

Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum [PHOTO: @GovBorno]

Mr Zulum represented by his Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Kaka Lawan, said that the Borno Government was ready to welcome those willing to surrender and give peace a chance.

 Those refusing to surrender, I want to assure you that their days are numbered as the armed forces will soon get them, he said.

On behalf of the clients, Babagana Mai-Ramri appreciated the Federal Government and the Borno State Government for efforts towards making ex-insurgents useful to the society.

While promising to be good ambassadors of the country, Mr Mai-Ramri appealed to those still fighting in the bush to denounce their membership of the terrorist group and embrace peace. (NAN)
When the au pair decided to change families, she feared she was taking a major risk.

Since the fall, the Colombian woman in her mid-20s had been working in New York as an au pair, one of about 20,000 young people  mostly women  who come to the United States each year to live with families and take care of their children. Her yearlong contract wasnt set to expire until late 2020, but one morning in mid-June, an argument with her host dad proved to be the breaking point of a tense home environment in quarantine.

I cant take these people anymore, the au pair texted me in Spanish. I want to get out of here today. She reported the situation to her local coordinator and decided to leave, giving her two weeks to find a new family or return to Colombia. She hadnt the slightest clue where she would end up next.

But the womans anxiety turned to surprise a few days later when she checked her email  she already had dozens of families across the country asking for interviews. Normally, the demand for au pairs already in the United States is not nearly as high, but something had changed: On June 22, the Trump administration issued an executive order suspending many foreign work visas at least until the end of this year. The order included the J-1 visa program, under which the au pair program, managed by the State Department, is categorized.

While the coronavirus pandemic had already made international travel difficult for many, the visa restrictions confirmed that new au pairs preparing to come to the United States wouldnt be able to enter the country. The American families expecting them, often with working parents relying on the program as their primary source of child care, have been left scrambling to find replacements.
These are not the best of times for struggling Keystone bank as search light is beaming into the alleged fraudulent acquisition of the bank. To this end, customers are said to have begun vigilante on their deposit.

Following the controversy generated by the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, over the alleged acquisition of the bank and Etisalat by late Alhaji Ismaila Isa Funtua and the CEO of AMCON, Ahmed Kuru, President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly ordered probe into the alleged fraud.

A highly placed source at the headquarters of the Economic and financial crimes Commission, EFCC reported that the President was thoroughly embarrassed with the allegations linking him to the transactions.

According to the source, a discrete panel will be set up soon comprising of the Chairman of the EFCC, representative of the DSS, ICPC, federal ministry of Justice to look into the allegations.

The source further added that, both Isa Funtua, Ahmed Kuru, the governor of the central bank of Nigeria, CBN, Chief Godwin Emefiele and management Staff of the Keystone Bank and 9Mobile will be quizzed by the operatives of the EFCC for some interactions.

Recently, a mindboggling scandal broke out to public knowledge about how Keystone Bank and 9Mobile were acquired in controversial circumstances by the business interests of late Alhaji Isa Funtua, a close friend of President Muhammadu Buhari, via the instrumentality of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

The PDP challenged the federal government to come out clean on what could be a serious dent on its anti-corruption stance, there is indeed no smoke without fire.

The leading opposition party also confirmed fact that the son-in-law of Isa Funtua, Ahmed Kuru, is the current CEO of AMCON.

Before him, the previous CEO, Chike Obi, was a first-class gentleman and technocrat who was strangely removed from office before the expiration of his term and was replaced with Kuru, the son-in-law of Isa Funtua.

Now, let us get into the insider details of how Funtua bought Keystone Bank and 9Mobile in the most bizarre of dealings that circumvent the laws of the land. Keystone Bank was sold by the current CEO of AMCON to his father-in-law, Funtua, without any AMCON Boards approval and with the active connivance of CBN and NDIC at a grossly undervalued price of 25 Billion Naira. To put things in context, let us recall that Enterprise Bank was sold for over 60 Billion Naira and Mainstreet Bank was sold for over 100 Billion Naira under the former CEO of AMCON.

Before the sale of Keystone Bank to Isa Funtua, all bad debts in the books of the Bank were taken over by AMCON. So, it was a clean Bank with all the Assets and no Liabilities that was sold to the Buyers.

The Executive Management of AMCON was coerced into approving the transaction and those who were willing to submit a much higher bid were disqualified under a most opaque, suspicious process that lacks all transparency. The process was just manipulated in favour of the father-in-law of the AMCON CEO.

The Corrupt Payment for Keystone Bank The most disgusting part of the entire sale of Keystone Bank is how the 25 Billion Naira sales price was paid to AMCON.

The Isa Funtua Team paid 5 Billion Naira to AMCON, and then the balance of 20 Billion Naira was later paid through the most criminal and corrupt approach ever perpetrated by AMCON in favour of the Buyer. What happened was that AMCON moved 20 Billion Naira of their own funds as a fixed deposit at GTBank to Heritage Bank. Heritage Bank then paid the 20 Billion Naira on behalf of the Funtua Group to AMCON. In other words, AMCON used their own funds as a collateral for a loan to the Funtua Group for 20 Billion Naira!

When the Funtua Group took over Keystone Bank, they went borrowing immediately at the Interbank Market for 20 Billion Naira to refund AMCONs funds. This has left a hole in Keystone Banks Balance Sheet and makes the Bank one of the most undercapitalized Banks in the Country as at today. The evidence of this highly compromised acquisition process can be obtained from the current and former staff of AMCON, from NDIC, CBN and from the current staff of Keystone Bank itself.

Another suspicious acquisition scandal surrounding the Funtua Group is about the untidy way 9-Mobile, formerly known as Etisalat, was bought. It is Mr. Adrian Wood of Teleology Holdings, a very sound telecoms professional, who collaborated with the Funtua Group for the acquisition of 9-Mobile.

The problem with their bid was the lack of a qualified Operator to support the bid which was one of the minimum conditions of NCC. Adrian Wood alone was not a substitute for an Operator.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) gave several conditions that must be met by the Ultimate Buyer of 9-Mobile to ensure the protection of shareholders value, prevent loss of jobs, protect the telecoms industry from slipping into a crisis and ensure transparency and professionalism in the post-acquisition entity.

The conditions listed by NCC that must be met by the Buyer are Strong Telecoms Operating Experience, Strong Financial Capabilities, Strong Technical Knowledge and Strong Administrative Skills.

The first thing that happened once Teleology was announced as the preferred winner was that the Funtua Group edged Adrian Woods out of Management and turned him to an Insignificant Shareholder.

The second development was that the Funtua Group raided Keystone Bank again and forced the Bank to Pay 50 million Dollars as down payment for the acquisition of 9-Mobile.

The third issue was that Teleology Nigeria replaced Teleology Holdings to remove any influence of Adrian Woods from 9-Mobile totally. The fourth step taken the Funtua Group was to borrow 260 Million Dollars from African Exim Bank.

The fifth thing was to coerce NCC to approve the sale at all cost without meeting 90% of the conditions set up ab-initio by the NCC.

The sixth strange action of the Funtua Group was to force the board of NCC to approve the sale through the influence and pressure from the Presidency. And the seventh Funtua infraction was to use the influence of CBN to force the Banks to the table and waive their own conditions of sale of 9-Mobile to the Teleology Nigeria group.

Efforts to reach the acting Head media and publicity of Economic and financial crimes Commission,EFCC, Mr. Tony Orilade to confirmed the latest developments proved abortive as his lines were not

-daybreak
Patong bomber escapes, re-arrested announce police

PHUKET: One of the four men initially wanted for the Aug 12 bombings in Patong in 2016 has been re-arrested after escaping custody, Phuket Provincial Police have announced.

violencecrimepatongpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 25 July 2020, 02:53PM

The news was delivered at a press conference held at Patong Police Station yesterday (July 24), attended by Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Witoon Kongsudjai, Pol Col Arayaphan Phukbuakhao and public prosecutor Tawan Sukyiran along with the leading officer from the Phuket Public Prosecutors Office, Teerawut Pramhamahan.

The suspect, Abdulsatopa Sulong, 36, was arrested in his home province of Pattani on May 1 this year, but later escaped and was re-apprehended on May 26, it was explained yesterday.

Details of when, where or how Abdulsatopa managed to escape after Phuket police officers were dispatched to Pattani to bring him back to Patong were not provided.

Abdulstopa was one of 11 suspects wanted for their involvement in the spate of bombs that rocked Southern Thailand on Aug 10-12, 2016. He now faces charges for his part in acting collectively to illegally possess explosives, as well as setting fire to other peoples property, and being a member of a secret organisation.

In the aftermath of the bombings, which killed four people and injured 36 others, police in Phuket were issued arrest warrants after DNA from a bomb in Patong matched that of a known insurgent in the Deep South.

In the ensuing investigation, four bombs were found, including one at a clothes and souvenir market at the Paradise Plaza night market on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd in central Patong.

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) bomb detection unit later confirmed that a strange contraption discovered at a busy clothes and souvenir market in central Patong midday on Aug 14, 2016, was indeed a bomb that failed to detonate.

Patong Police were issued warrants for four suspects, the officers explained yesterday.

Of the four Muhammat Muhi and Abdulstopa are in custody, but Ahama Lengha and Yuzo Matimoe are dead , the officers said.

As with Abdulstopas escape, details of the deaths of Ahama and Yuzo were not provided.

All files relating to the bombings in Patong were handed over to Phuket Public Prosecutor on May 1, the officers added.

Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Arayaphan said, This is a case of security. In the past, we have focused on all security cases that have occurred in the area and we continue with follow-up investigations until we find the offenders so they can be prosecuted.

Prosecutor Tawan said, Finally, police have arrested Mr Abdulstopa Sulong, who had escaped. Now, he is facing legal action through the Phuket Provincial Court.
Passengers stand on board the Tui cruise ship 'Mein Schiff 2' during the departure from the port for a three-day trip on the North Sea in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2020. The cruise ship has set sail for the first time since the industry was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, with strict precautions to keep passengers and crew as safe as possible. Passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on Monday.

The German cruise line TUI Cruises has restarted operations with its Mein Schiff 2 sailing for the first time since the industry was shut down because of the coronavirus, with 1,200 people on board.

Mein Schiff 2  My Ship 2 set sail for a weekend cruise in the North Sea on Friday night, the dpa news agency reported.

Occupancy was limited to 60% so passengers can keep their distance. There were 1,200 people on board compared to the ships normal 2,900 capacity. The ship sailed from the port of Hamburg toward Norway, and passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on Monday.

TUI's Instagram account for the ship posted an image on social media ahead of its departure.

"Today it finally starts again," TUI wrote in the caption of the post, translated from German. "Mein Schiff 2 is ready and so are we."

Onboard, passengers and crew are required to stay 5 feet away or wear protective masks and wont serve themselves at the ships buffet. All passengers filled out a health questionnaire before boarding and had temperature checks.

After being shut down for months, German cruise ship companies hope shorter, strictly controlled trips will help restart the business.

In June, TUI Cruises' parent company, TUI Group, announced it would restart some holiday operations during the summer in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. At the time, the company said it expected to operate at 30% of its full capacity. They noted they had "implemented comprehensive health and safety protocols on board" and that TUI Cruises planned to resume operations for three to four-day cruises during the summer in the North and Baltic seas with reduced capacity. They noted that the two other TUI group subsidiary lines, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Marella Cruises, were also expected to resume operations sometime this summer, later announcing Hapag-Lloyd would resume towards the end of July.

Story continues

Like TUI Cruises, German cruise line AIDA, a Carnival Corp. subsidiary, has announced plans to restart operations in August.

"We are taking a measured approach with a few initial ships within our AIDA line in Germany," Roger Frizzell, Carnival Corp. spokesperson, told USA TODAY. "We have been leveraging medical and science advisors, but this will helps us gain additional insight with the initial protocols being put in place."

AIDA's first ship to hit the high seas once again will be its AIDAperla, which will sail from Hamburg on Aug. 5, according to a release shared by Frizzell.

A week after AIDAperla makes her return, AIDAmar will sail from the Baltic port of Warnemunde near Rostock on Aug. 12. AIDAblu will follow on Aug. 16, sailing from Kiel. Bookings for the three sailings were opened to the public on Thursday.

To ensure passengers' onboard safety, AIDA worked with authorities to create new health standards including regional and national government authorities in Germany, that country's public health institute and the World Health Organization, according to Frizzell. The revamped health protocol begins during the booking process, through preparation for cruising, and continues through embarkation, the voyage, disembarkation and the return of passengers to their homes.

"We have been consulting and assembling the best minds in medical science, public health and infectious disease control," Frizzell added.

The AIDA health protocol will be in accordance with the EU Healthy Gateways guidance.

Cruise lines are dropping these ships: Here's what it means for cruisers

CDC seeking public input: On cruising's restart before its 'no-sail' order lifts

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff 2 sails on return voyage with 1,200 people
LifeStyle

The best Lifestyle shows are right here, from Australia and around the world. Catch up with the experts on home design and interiors, food and cooking, the property market, and get fresh ideas with the savviest of renovators. Whether you need inspiration for cooking up a storm, to refresh a tired room, or tips to sell your property, Foxtel Lifestyle will always something new for you to watch. Enjoy your favourite experts like Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker, or Shaynna Blaze and Jamie Oliver live or On Demand.
The wearing of face masks is causing a cacophony of human argument around the world. Here, a selection of voices from the global debate. To the best of my knowledge, the face mask has spread faster and wider than any other item in the history of dress.  Valerie Steele, chief museum curator at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

My own grandmother died from the new coronavirus, and some members of my family also caught it but they survived. I try to wear a face mask so that at least I won't catch it and also to avoid causing trouble for others.  Reyhane Rajaei, a tattoo artist in Tehran.

In the beginning, there was a fear of coronavirus and people were scared and they used to maintain a distance from others. Now people have started taking it easy. They don't wear masks and they say death has to come one day, and when it comes, they will go to God, but they will not live any longer like this.  Wasim Abbas, a Pakistan villager, explaining mask-fatigue.

Young men and women might not be affected much by the virus. But they should think about their parents and older people, the people who are always part of their lives.  Rawad Sarhan, a mask-wearer in Beirut, Lebanon.

Basically, I don't think you have to tell someone to wear a protective mask, with the pandemic and the whole thing going on right now  It is, you know, very important to wear a mask."  Funmilayo Nwosu, a shopper in Lagos, Nigeria.

You want to treat people like you'd want them to treat you. So you've got to wear one."  Moscow resident Vladimir Ignatyev. I am not going to put it on since no one else is wearing it  There is no coronavirus, brother. They're just deceiving people."  Lebanese civil servant Mohammed al-Burji. For me to wear a mask is to deprive myself of oxygen.  Actually, you are just killing yourself."  Kemokoenawamathole Mathole, a mask opponent in Johannesburg, South Africa.

People often don't wear their mask properly  it's the wrong way round or they wear it like this (pulls mask under his chin). That's great but the mask isn't for your chin. People need to be more mindful but it's coming progressively and it's a positive thing."  Eytan Azria, an engineer in Paris.

It's a sacrifice we have to make for the good of the community. Of course we have our personal freedom to do what we want, but we live within a society and, in this case, you have to think about society, not only yourself.  Marcela De La Cerda, a Brazilian student.

Is there no end to this virus hysteria?  Australian mask opponent and commentator Andrew Bolt. If they want to die, so be it.  Michelangelo Privitera, a pro-mask retiree from Italy who lives in Rio de Janeiro. The global tide has surely changed. Well over 95% of the population now lives in countries that require or recommend masks  There has, perhaps, never been such a rapid and dramatic change in global human behavior.  Jeremy Howard, co-founder of #Masks4All, a pro-mask lobbying group.
The new contact tracing mobile app to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 could "potentially" avoid the need for future lockdowns but only if a high number of people download it.

Stop Covid NI will launch towards the end of next week once it has been made available in the Google and Apple app stores, and has been described as a "world first" in terms of how the app can work across borders by one of its designers.

The proximity app will anonymously alert users if they have been in close contact with another user who has tested positive for the virus.

Through Bluetooth, the app will exchange non-identifiable numbers with other smartphones so it can track who has been in contact with who - something which smartphones already do.

Read More

Users are not required to enter any personal information and if someone did receive a positive Covid-19 test, it is solely up to them if they wish to enter that into the app.

If you were in close contact with someone who later enters their unique positive test code, you will receive a notification telling you that you were in close contact with that person and offers advice on what to do.

Northern Ireland will be the first part of the UK to have a contact tracing app, while the Republic of Ireland launched theirs earlier this month. Both apps were designed by Co Waterford company NearForm.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Stephen Shaw from Big Motive, the company that designed the app, explained that there is a "real concern" amongst those involved in its development that the general public may not be aware just how useful the contact tracing service could be.

"You're talking about avoiding potential future lockdowns," he stated. "All of the code, information and everything about the app will be open sourced and public.

Read More

"Anyone that's worried about it tracking them will be able to access everything about the app and see and check that it's not doing anything untoward.

"The Information Commissioner's Office has been through everything. The higher echelons of the UK Government has scrutinised all elements of it too.

"People can be genuinely confident that it's not doing anything dodgy."

The app is compatible with the contact tracing service available in the Republic of Ireland and is expected to work with the app being created by the NHS in Great Britain.

Mr Shaw explained that this is due to a federated server which is currently being developed for the app.

This server will also allow the app to work with other European countries who have a tracing service in the same format, something Mr Shaw called a "world first".

When asked why Northern Ireland will be the first country in the United Kingdom to launch the app, Mr Shaw praised the work of the Department of Health's (DoH) Chief Digital Information Officer, Dan West, and the app's product manager, Dr Eddie O'Neill.

"Dan West is leading the project and he has been super dynamic and extremely good at bringing together all different aspects like the DoH and the Public Health Agency," he said.

"Along with Dr Eddie O'Neill, the pair of them seem to have a great handle on the subtleties of what technology should be used. The two of them have been instrumental."

Meanwhile, Health Minister Robin Swann has asked his cross-border counterpart to consider new laws and data-sharing agreements to help track international travellers arriving on the island.

Mr Swann has written to Stephen Donnelly expressing concern about the "inability" of both jurisdictions to capture and share information about passengers transiting through one part of the island to the other.

In the letter, Mr Swann told Mr Donnelly that his officials were facing "serious impediments" in monitoring travellers who cross the border having landed in the Irish Republic from an at-risk country.

Such passengers are required to self-isolate in Northern Ireland for 14 days.

Mr Swann said the system was reliant on people filling in a passenger locator form within 48 hours of entering Northern Ireland.

He said if they failed to fill in those forms, the authorities north of the border had no way of tracing them.
Jinping Trump (Image: Reuters)

Europes Great Powers barely noticed the shots: notwithstanding the claims of legions of pop-historians, the two epoch-changing .380-calibre pistol rounds fired on a Sarajevo side-street one summer afternoon in 1914, werent heard around the world. Focussed on the conflict in Ireland, Britain showed scant interest in the killings in the Balkans.

Inside its isolationist cocoon, the United States chose to know little and care less. French newspapers much preferred the story of Henriette Cailaux, the wife of a prominent politician, who had just shot dead Le Figaros editor for fear he might publish her intimate correspondence.

Weeks after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir-presumptive to the throne of the Empire of Austro-Hungary, bands cheerfully played on Europes streets, as its young men marched into an abyss that would claim the lives of 10 million soldiers and seven million civilians.

As a New Cold War descends on our world, one lesson of the First World War is more important than others: leaderships are prone to overestimate their ability to anticipate crisis, and to contain them should they break out. If there is a general war, the great Prussian leader Otto von Bismarck prophesied in 1888, it will be over some damn fool thing in the Balkans. No-one had time, though, to worry about damn-fool-things.

In 1914, Europe was more economically integrated at any time in its history; received wisdom held this made war near-impossible. Technology, military thinkers asserted, made long, grinding wars impossible. Ensconced in an elaborate system of continental alliances, Europes leaders thought the balance of power between their blocs was assured. Little imagination is needed to see the New Cold War will shape geopolitics in coming decades. Effective thinking on the consequences of this contestation must begin with liberation from conventional wisdom.

Faced with the realisation that China will not be a benign collaborator in a world order where the United States has primacy  the cherished hope of Presidents since Richard Nixon reached out to Mao Zedong in 1972 Washington has begun to turn to a programme of strategic containment.

Also Read: India needs to count itself lucky its Chabahar project has ended up in an induced coma

The United States 2018 National Defense Strategy asserted that powers like China, which seek to revise the global order, pose the central challenge to US prosperity and security. The countrys goal was to remain the preeminent military power in the world.

From trade to technology, the United States has begun to mount pressure on the emerging Asian superpower to ensure this end  hoping pressure on China will coerce it to comply, in return for continued prosperity.

Growing numbers of nation-states on Chinas peripheries, increasingly worried by Beijings military aggression, are backing the United States efforts. New Delhis pushback against Chinese power is from exceptional. Tokyo is paying companies to pull production out of China, and relocate it elsewhere in Asia. Even Australiafor which China is a critical trade and technology partnerhas seen its relationship with Beijing deteriorate.

Even among the major Asian democraciesAustralia, India and Japanthere is, however, no consensus on what the military backbone of an alliance with the United States might actually look like. As containment moves forward, this issue must be addressed.

First up, there is no way to predict whether China will respond to containment by backing downor escalating. Left a strategic orphan by the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s, China learned baring its claws could deter more powerful geopolitical predators. Beginning in 1965, the Soviet Union began to mount pressure on Chinaeven proposing a joint strike with the United States to cripple its nuclear-weapons programme. From 17 divisions in 1965, Soviet forces facing China in the far-east grew to 27 divisions by 1969. The Chinese estimated that Soviet mechanised forces reach Beijing inside of two weeks.

The threat lead China to engage in the second of its post-split border wars, attacking Soviet border guards on Damansky island on the Ussuri riverthe first-ever skirmish between troops of nuclear powers. The Soviet Union suffered 58 dead to well over 200 Peoples Liberation Army fatalities.

Yet, the border attack was a strategic success. It persuaded the Soviet Union that ill-equipped as the PLA might be, its sheer numerical force could inflict significant losses. Soviet nuclear could annihilate China, but Beijings own rudimentary liquid-fueled nuclear missiles could deliver some devastation tooand victory would yield an ungovernable, continent-sized begging-bowl.

The same calculations had led the United States to avoid war with China in 1950-1953, and again in Vietnam from 1955-1975. For Chinese strategists, the lessons were clear: escalation suited the side with less to lose. Faced with a second period of strategic isolationthis time, by the breakdown of the Sino-United States allianceChina could try and teach the same lesson to the new alliance seeking to contain it.

For India, the potential threats in such a scenario are vast: limited wars in the Himalayas, wars-by-proxy involving Pakistan, escalated insurgencies in the North-East, naval contestations posing threats to Indian energy security. Each of these must be anticipatedand addressed, bearing in mind that the countrys resources are not infinite.

Perhaps as important, no-one knows what the United States would be willing to risk actual wara war potentially involving nuclear weapons. This question haunts all alliances with great powers. France, notably, acquired its own nuclear weapons, uncertain that the United States would risk its cities to protect Europe from attack by the Soviet Union.

For now, the United States has shown no interest in enmeshing itself in Asian conflicts, like those over territorial claims in the South China Seasrestricting itself to largely-symbolic assertions of the right to transit ships through international waters.

This strategic reluctance could grow in a world where the United States means are diminishing. In 2017, the United States National Security Strategy called for overmatcha combination of capabilities in sufficient scale to prevent enemy success and to ensure Americas sons and daughters will never be in a fair fight.

Few experts believe the United States will enjoy overmatch in the foreseeable future. In a thoughtful study of budgetary constraints on the United States military, scholars Eric Gomez and others recently noted that the international order faces many challenges, and these cannot be reversed by attempting to restore US dominance across all domains and in all regions.

For the nation-states engaged in the New Cold War, its important to remember its earlier iteration was regularly punctuated by searing heat. From the Korean war to Vietnam and Afghanistan, the United States and Soviet Union regularly went to war through proxies. Even though nuclear weapons deterred both sides from direct conflictknowing that the inevitable annihilation of their population-centres would render the very idea of victory meaninglessmillions were trampled to death in the course of their contest.

Even though Chinas rise might be leaving powers like India with no option but to join in alliances aimed at its containment, there ought be no illusion that this enterprise will necessarily have bloodshed-free outcomes. As important, the First World War teaches us that our estimations of what such conflicts can look like could be wildly wrong.

Banker and part-time war theorist Jan Bloch, in an 1898 book, had predicted that future wars would end only with the utter wearing out of nations. The future of war, he wrote, is not fighting, but famine, not the slaying of men, but the bankruptcy of nations and the breakup of the whole social organisation.

He was laughed out of court by the experts. In 1910, having studied the Japan-Russia war, Spanish general Manuel Fernandez Silvestre y Patinga concluded future conflicts would be, concluded in one days hard fighting. New technologies like rapid-fire field guns and repeating small arms had raised the prospect armies could become locked in entrenched, positional warfare. For him, like for most contemporaries, the Japanese victory showed elan would overcome the machine:

The General had drawn the wrong lesson: In fact, Russia had been brought to its knees by economic crisis and political revolution. Even at the battle of Mukden, the collapsing Russians inflicted 70,000 casualties while losing 20,000 to the attacking Japanese.

A century after the end of the First World War, the intellectual hubris which underlay these beliefs seems self-evident today. The habits of thought which enabled it remain embedded in the worlds institutions, core among them, the illusion that we can reliably deduce consequences from causes. As the New Cold War gathers pace, Asias future will depend on our ability to think through the unthinkable.
Japanese experts go through disinfection at the Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh Province, June 25, 2020. Photo courtesy of the airport.

The government wants foreign experts coming to Vietnam for work to get Covid-19 tests done three to seven days before they arrive.

They need to get a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and test negative before entering the country. The testing must be done at a government-approved medical center or one recognized by the World Health Organization.

Those who bought tickets and are scheduled to arrive in Vietnam before August 5 are exempt from the requirements, the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control said Friday.

The committee also wants all foreign experts to come with international medical insurance.

An increasing number of foreign experts granted permission to work in the country have been testing positive for Covid-19 in recent times.

Seventeen Russian oil experts who came in a group of 69 to HCMC on July 11 are infected with Covid-19.

A Filipino educational expert who was quarantined upon arrival at Phu Quoc Airport was also infected, as well as two Myanmar sailors coming to the northern Quang Ninh Province on June 23.

They are all receiving treatment in Vietnam.

Vietnam halted entry for foreign nationals on March 22 and suspended international flights on March 25, and only allows in Vietnamese nationals and foreigners who have diplomatic or official passports or are experts or high-skilled workers.

All are quarantined for 14 days and tested at least twice for Covid-19.

Last June the committee had approved a health ministry proposal to exempt foreign experts and investors from furnishing medical certificates proving they tested negative for Covid-19 when entering Vietnam.

Over 93,000 foreign workers are licensed to work in Vietnam but nearly 22,000 of them have been unable to return yet.

On Saturday morning two more Vietnamese returning from Russia were confirmed infected, taking the countrys Covid-19 tally to 415.

The results of a fourth test for a 57-year-old man in the central city of Da Nang after four earlier ones proved positive are awaited.

If confirmed as a Covid-19 patient, he will be Vietnams first since April 16.
As the start of the school year approaches, we are still largely in the dark about the relationship between the coronavirus and children, but there's growing evidence that it may be less dangerous to send younger children back to the classroom than tweens and teenagers.

This isn't definitive, and even if the youngest elementary school children present less risk, outbreaks can still occur, many experts believe.

"Those of us who follow this very closely  I think most of us feel elementary schools are going to be relatively disease-free and outbreak-free," said Dr. George Rutherford, a professor at UCSF and head of the division of infectious disease and global epidemiology. "A lot of that has to do with the receptors the virus attaches to. High school and middle school will be different. Weve seen outbreaks in high schools in Israel, France."

Rutherford is referring to the ACE2 receptors that are the entry point into cells for the coronavirus. The virus sneaks inside these cells and then replicates, taking over the body.

Some experts hypothesize that younger children have fewer of them. With fewer entry points for the virus, Rutherford said, children "may have lower viral loads, which may mean theyre less infectious." Viral load is a measure of virus particles and it can determine the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.

"The evidence for this hypothesis is limited," the New York Times notes. "To establish a link, experts would have to demonstrate it in lab mice and then in large studies of people over time."

A trickle of small studies has supported this idea that children are at lower risk for COVID-19, and a large and more recent study of nearly 65,000 children in South Korea has bolstered it.

The study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that children younger than 10 transmit to others much less often than adults do, while people ages 10 to 19 can spread the virus at least as well as adults do, maybe even more.

The New York Times summarized the study, writing, "The findings suggest that as schools reopen, communities will see clusters of infection take root that include children of all ages, several experts cautioned."

The state of California has in part based its opening requirements on this study. New state guidelines ban in-school instruction in counties on a monitoring list for coronavirus infections, but it includes a waiver provision that could exempt elementary schools.

At a press briefing this week, California's top health official said the decision to allow the waiver was in part based on the South Korea study.

Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly said, the study "showed that the youngest kids dont transmit the disease, aren't vectors of COVID-19 in the same way that adults are, and that older students, older younger people, middle school and above, actually transmit in a way thats not too dissimilar from adults."

Getting deeper into the science, Ghaly noted that the "markers on our cells," the ACE2 receptors, increase and develop over time "becoming portals into COVID-19." Younger children have fewer of these receptors, he noted; teenagers more.

Ghaly said another theory is that the size of younger children and how they breathe and other elements play into why they might not be significant spreaders.

All of this supports what Rutherford has believed could be an issue in the fall with in-class instruction in high schools in particular spurring outbreaks.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.

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 President Trump was maskless in the lobby of his D.C. hotel. The city plans to investigate.

Can you get coronavirus twice? Doctors are unsure even as anecdotal reports mount

Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.
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Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab state president and Member of Parliament (MP) Bhagwant Mann has castigated the Badal family while reacting to the Rashtriya Sawamsevak Sanghs (RSS) Kisan Wing, openly opposing the Farm Ordinances pushed by the Modi Government at the centre.

Taking a swipe at the Badals for their much-hyped rhetoric of making any sacrifice for the cause of the farmers, Mann said now that even the Kisan Wing of the RSS had taken a clear stand against the deadly anti-farmers ordinances, when would their (Badals) conscience wake up?

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Bhagwant MannIn a statement issued from party headquarters in Chandigarh on Saturday, Bhagwant Mann said that it was a significant decision on the RSS-affiliated Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh deciding to oppose the so-called agrarian reforms ordinances pushed by the union government.

Bhagwant Mann said: "Early the Indian Farmers' Union had expressed its doubts about the ordinances brought by the government. Now it has decided to openly protest against them in the larger interests of the farmers and all sections of agriculture associated with it.

Mann said: We have already announced partys support to the farmer, farm labourer organizations in the state and other political party who are ready to raise their voices against the anti-farmers, farm labourers, account-keepers (Munims), transporters, et al. He questioned the stoic silence of the so-called 'Messiah of Punjab farmers - the Badals - saying that when will their conscience wake up.

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Bhagwant MannBhagwant Mann, in his typical satirical style, said that Bibi Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who had reached Delhi from Bathinda only after a majority of people dependent on farm income, had been, instead of fighting for their cause, going the whole hog to save her ministerial berth.

Mann said that the Badals would have to pay a heavy price for the betrayal with the people of state, especially the farmers, in 2022 when they (People) would decidedly teach them lessons for their Himalayan blunders they had committed during their misrule.
An ICU nurse accepted into an evangelical Christian university in Tennessee had his admission revoked because he was gay - as an alumni said he was forced to undergo 'conversion therapy.'

Alex Duron, 38, was optimistic about beginning his three-year nursing program at Union University to become a registered nurse anesthetist - a job desperately needed as COVID-19 cases skyrockets and under-resourced hospitals struggle to treat patients.

But nine days before his graduate program began, Union University rescinded his admissions after investigating Duron's sexual orientation.

'I was caught completely off guard,' Duron told the Jackson Sun this week. 'I have altered my whole life. I had quit my job, sold a lot of my stuff and was ready move.'

In a Facebook post, Duron shared an email from Union University that accused him choosing to 'not adhere to and uphold the values and expectations set by the university.'

Alex Duron, an ICU nurse with hopes of becoming a 'registered nurse anesthetist', had his admission to Union University rescinded because he is gay

'Your request for graduate housing and your social media profile, including your interest to live with your partner, indicates your unwillingness to abide by the commitment you made in signing the statement,' school officials wrote.

The offer was specifically rescinded under a Title IX religious exemption Union University received in 2015 from the U.S. Department of Education because of its affiliation with the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

Title IX are rules regarding sex-based discrimination for any institution receiving federal financial assistance.

There's an ongoing conversation about whether or not discrimination based on sexual orientation is covered by Title IX.

Duron accompanied the post with a message explaining why the the move was not only hurtful to him, but why it was discrimination.

'It turns out that a faith-informed education from Union University is not Gods plan for me, because Union University is not informed enough to not recognized that bigotry masked as religion is not Christian at all,' wrote Duron.

'I am writing to let the public know that this is not ok. There are several words to describe what has occurred: Bigotry, Prejudice, Heterosexism, Homophobia.'

Duron shared a photo of an email he received from Union University rescinding his admissions nine days before he was set to begin school

Despite what Union University said, Duron said he never planed on living with his fiance, who wasn't even planning on moving to Jackson.

A school employee last week asked Duron if he had was engaged or had plans to be married, which would qualify him for Union University's family housing.

But Duron said he never mentioned his sexuality or fiance during the interaction, and he's extremely private about his social life on social media.

Duron, a nurse treating infected COVID-19 patients in San Antonio's University Health System, said he was going to live in a campus dorm with a number of other graduate students.

He added that Union University had never asked him about his sexual orientation and, in fact, school officials reportedly said his interview had 'blown them away.'

Duron told Buzzfeed News that when he interviewed with Union University last August, faculty said he would be a great fit for the institution.

'When I interviewed, they said, "We accept all types of different religious people. You dont have to be Christian to come here,"' said Duron.

'To tell me, "Youre a good fit for this school," and not tell me all this other stuff  that shouldve been laid out in front of me.'

As part of his acceptance, Duron signed the university's community values statements but assumed that just meant he couldn't be open about his sexuality on campus grounds.

The Union University's community values ban students from premarital sex, drinking alcohol and, prohibit being part of the LGBTQ community for both students and faculty.

Union University's decision to revoke Duron's admissions is legal and under a Title IX religious exemption Union University received in 2015 from the US Department of Education

'Union affirms that sexual relationships are designed by God to be expressed solely within a marriage between a man and a woman,' according to the community value statement.

'The Bible condemns all sexual relationships outside of marriage (Matt. 5:27-29; Gal. 5:19). The promotion, advocacy, defense or ongoing practice of a homosexual lifestyle (including same-sex dating behaviors) is also contrary to our community values. Homosexual behaviors, even in the context of a marriage, remain outside Unions community values.'

Something else that stuck out to Duron was that he doesn't know how Union University even found out about his fiance.

The only indication Duron had is that after his phone call with the Union University employee last week, his fiance revealed that a private profile connected to the school had viewed his LinkedIn.

Union University did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication, but did release a statement with Buzzfeed News.

Union University has 'standards of behavior for its faculty, staff, and students that are consistent with biblical teaching and historic, orthodox Christian practice.'

'All students who apply to Union University sign a statement saying they will comply with the universitys values,' they wrote.

'Those students who fail to abide by those values  or who show no intention of attempting to do so  are subject to disciplinary measures that can include dismissal from the university.'

The threat of expulsion and social upheaval reportedly created a culture of fear among LGBTQ students at Union University, who fretted over being outed, losing their education and being ostracized.

Former student Scott McSwain claimed that when he attended Union University between 2006 to 2010, at one point he was given an ultimatum by school officials: attend therapy to address his sexuality or leave.

Scott McSwain (pictured) attended Union University and said the school gave him an ultimatum after people began questioning his sexuality

McSwain told Buzzfeed News that he had already come out to his parents as a teenager, resulting in his first experience with 'conversion therapy.'

He earned a full-ride scholarship to another out-of-state school, but his parents believed they were helping their son by sending him to the Christian university in his hometown.

While at Union University, McSwain dated a girl, but came out to her after deciding it wouldn't be fair to continue the relationship.

Soon, rumors about McSwain's sexuality spread across campus and his fraternity until school administration caught wind of the whispers.

McSwain chose to attend therapy after being given the ultimatum during a meeting with school officials. He says he was groped by one of his counselors.

The experience made McSwaim feel 'dehumanized'. It sparked internal questions over if he could trust friends and rely on teachers to grade him fairly.

The stress caused McSwain to contemplate suicide.

'I know of a lot of people that used my experience as a reason not to tell the administration about their sexuality ever,' said McSwain.

Pictured: Scott McSwain and his husband Alex, who also attended Union University

'It's horrible to have to choose between your safety and your identity.'

Tamarin Huelin, Union University's director of counseling services, told Buzzfeed News that she 'grieved' to hear McSwain's claims of groping.

But Huelin added that neither she, nor the former director, performed conversion therapy with Union University students.

She instead described her work as 'care for students and their mental and spiritual needs.'

'I have served as the Director for Counseling Services since August of 2015, and no one on my staff has attempted conversion therapy with any student during that time,' she said.

Conversion therapy is a scientifically debunked practice that has been repeatedly criticized for being harmful and oppressive to LGBTQ individuals.

At the moment. Tennessee has no law or policy blocking conversion therapy.

McSwain on Wednesday uploaded a video to YouTube titled 'Being Gay at Union University,' in which he urged potential students to reconsider attending the school.

'I am a victim of Union University's bigotry and homophobia, and I'm saying it right now so you don't send your children there,' he said.

Alumnus Nathan Grimm, like McSwain, attended Union University at the request of his parents despite knowing he was gay.

'My parents more or less told me that they werent going to help support my education if I didnt attend Union,' Grimm said.

'I wasn't excited to attend, but was not an out and proud gay man at the time ... I think it's honestly a way for parents to send their children to a place where 'God can cure you..'

Grimm admitted that he'd heard about the 'sessions' during his time at Union University, as well as stories about the school manipulating students to out each other.

For Duron, he feels like he 'dodged a bullet' by not attending the school. Since he's gone public with his story, nursing schools around the country are trying to find ways to admit him for the upcoming fall semester.

'My initial plan was to warn away people in the nursing community from Union if theyre gay or transgender,' he said,

'But it has totally changed now, people are taking it to the next level ... There's a light at the end of the tunnel. I dont know where I'm going to end up, but I've gotten so much support.'

If you or someone you know needs support, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
An MQ-9 Reaper drone flies by during a training mission at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada, on Nov. 17, 2015. (Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

Trump Eases Rules to Boost American Exports of Armed Drones

The Trump administration has relaxed export restrictions for certain types of armed drones, with a State Department official telling reporters on July 24 that the move helps the security interests of both the United States and its allies.

The move, which took the form of a policy determination signed by President Donald Trump, will also help American industry by letting U.S. defense contractors sell more of their unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, to other countries.

The administrations action effectively bypasses part of the 33-year-old Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) agreement, which has the form of an informal political understanding between states and is intended to stop the proliferation of nuclear arms.

Trumps action works by reclassifying some types of drones. Under the revamped rules, drones that fly at speeds below 800 kilometers per hour (497 miles per hour) are no longer subject to the agreements strict export curbs, clearing the way for Americas allies to buy them.

The White House said in a statement on July 24 that the move, possible by invoking national discretion, intends to improve the standards for exporting unmanned aerial systems under the agreement. As it applies to drones, the agreement is in dire need of modernization, the White House stated, adding that it puts American military and industrial capability at a disadvantage.

Not only do these outdated standards give an unfair advantage to countries outside of the MTCR and hurt United States industry, they also hinder our deterrence capability abroad by handicapping our partners and allies with subpar technology, the statement noted.

Assistant Secretary Clarke Cooper, who heads the State Departments Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, told reporters via teleconference on July 24 that while the update makes the MTCR more reflective of the technological realities, it doesnt impact U.S. commitments to nuclear nonproliferation.

The United States remains a committed member of the MTCR, and we hold it as an important nonproliferation tool to curb the spread of high-end missile technologies to countries such as North Korea and Iran. Preventing the use and spread of WMD and their means of delivery remains a Trump administration priority, Cooper said.

He told reporters that several foreign governments have expressed interest in buying U.S.-made drones for purposes including for intelligence and reconnaissance, and to support counterterrorism and border security missions.

It helps our allies, it helps our partnersit helps them all meet their urgent national security and commercial requirements, and it also advances the United States national security and economic interests, Cooper said.

The White House statement noted the move to revise Americas commitment under the agreement as it relates to drones was taken on a unilateral basis, after two years of negotiations with MTCR partners failed to reach a consensus.

Critics of the change say it makes the world more dangerous by increasing the risk that deadly weapons will fall into the wrong hands.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the move a reckless decision that makes it more likely that we will export some of our most deadly weaponry to human rights abusers across the world.

To disregard this policy now is likely to undermine the credibility and influence of the MTCR generally, which also coordinates international controls on the sale and spread of dangerous ballistic missiles and technology around the world, Menendez said in a statement.

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he supports the MTCR agreement, but that its strict export rules have served U.S. adversaries and weakened the U.S. defense industry.

For too long, the restraint of the international community with regard to exports of large unmanned aircraft has created an opportunity for the Chinese military to advance its defense technology and industrial base, and to build new defense relationships around the world, including with traditional U.S. partners, he said in a statement.

The move adds to the list of international treaties that the United States has withdrawn from during Trumps tenure, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Paris climate accord.
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Philippines, Government of

Global Credit Research - 25 Jul 2020

Singapore, July 25, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") reviews all of its ratings periodically in accordance with regulations -- either annually or, in the case of governments and certain EU-based supranational organisations, semi-annually. This periodic review is unrelated to the requirement to specify calendar dates on which EU and certain other sovereign and sub-sovereign rating actions may take place.

Moody's conducts these periodic reviews through portfolio reviews in which Moody's reassesses the appropriateness of each outstanding rating in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. Since 1st January 2019, Moody's issues a press release following each periodic review announcing its completion.

Moody's has now completed the periodic review of a group of issuers that includes Philippines and may include related ratings. The review did not involve a rating committee, and this publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future; credit ratings and/or outlook status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

The credit profile of the Philippines (issuer rating Baa2) is characterized by "a3" economic strength, which balances high average economic growth and large size as compared to peers against low GDP per capita; "baa1" institutions and governance strength that takes into account a long track record of maintaining broad monetary and financial stability, as well as more recent progress in addressing long-standing weakness in revenue generation; "ba1" fiscal strength balances the decade-long trend improvement in debt affordability and lower indebtedness against the acute deterioration in fiscal metrics in 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak; and "baa" susceptibility to event risk driven by domestic political risk, incorporating a low probability of the emergence of political stress that could have a moderate impact on the country's economic and fiscal performance.

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This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period.

The principal methodology used for this review was Sovereign Ratings Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

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Can you name these animals? If so, you might be as cognitively healthy as the president.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment

President Donald Trump has been boasting about his results in a "very hard" cognitive test, saying he "aced" it and claimed that Democratic challenger Joe Biden could not do the same.

But medical experts say any adult without cognitive issues should get a high score, and that Trump's reaction implies he misunderstands what the test is for.

The test Trump took is likely the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which asks people to identify animals based on drawings, draw a clock showing a certain time, and read sentences out loud.

The test's creator said it is "not meant to measure IQ or intellectual skill in any way," but instead to find possible cognitive problems, like memory issues.

Scroll down to take the test yourself.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Over the past week, President Donald Trump has been boasting that he "aced" a "very hard" cognitive test, claiming he performed far better than his Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden ever could.

But medical experts are cautioning that Trump's high performance on a test where any adult who doesn't suffer cognitive issues is expected to pass is not an impressive feat, and that bragging about it misrepresents mental health issues.

The test Trump took is likely the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a 30-question test designed to identify potential problems with a person's thinking or memory.

As The Washington Post noted, Trump said this month that he took the test "very recently," though it's not clear when he actually took it, or if he's referring to his previous performance in the MoCA.

Trump took the test two years ago, in 2018, when Trump's doctor said he got 100%, showing the president was "very sharp," according to the doctor.

Presidential physician Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson answers questions about Trump's health in 2018.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

The test is not diagnostic. It is designed instead to give an indication of cognitive problems by testing things like short-term memory, language, and ability to interpret space and time.

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The exact questions on the test can vary, but they ask the person taking the test to do the same things, like name the animals shown and draw the shape that's on the page.

Physician Ankur Dave shared one version of the test, which asks the person to draw a clock showing the time of 11:10, draw a cube shape, and name a lion, rhinoceros, and camel based on drawings of the animals.

Fox News Sunday aired a different variation of the test during its interview with Trump, which shows different animals to name and a different shape to draw:

Fox News aired a version of the test on Sunday.

Fox News

Other questions include being asked to remember five words immediately and five minutes later, to count back from 100 by seven, and repeating a series of numbers forwards and backwards.

You can also see the full test on the MoCA website.

Fox News host Chris Wallace questioned Trump about the test in an interview aired last Sunday, where Wallace said: "Well, it's not the hardest test. They have a picture and it says 'what's that' and it's an elephant."

Trump countered by calling that a "misrepresentation," to which Wallace countered: "Well, that's what it was on the web."

The president responded: "Because, yes, the first few questions are easy, but I'll bet you couldn't even answer the last five questions. I'll bet you couldn't, they get very hard, the last five questions."

President Donald Trump at his interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace, where Wallace asked about the MoCA test.

Screenshot via Fox News

The last five questions shown on the test are related to language and memory.

They ask the person taking the test to:

Repeat two written sentences out loud: "I only know that John is the one to help today" and "The cat always hid under the couch when dogs were in the room."

To name as many words as they can remember that begin with F in one minute.

To find the similarity between words. For example, saying an apple and a banana are both fruit.

To repeat the words you were asked to remember earlier with no cues.

To identify the day's date, and what place and city they are in.

'Not meant to measure IQ'

Ziad Nasreddine, the neurologist who created the test, said the test is "not meant to measure IQ or intellectual skill in anyway," The Washington Post reported.

"If someone performs well, what it means is they can be ruled out for cognitive impairment that comes with diseases like Alzheimer's, stroke, or multiple sclerosis. That's it."

"The reason most people take the test is they or others start noticing mental decline," he added, giving examples: "They forgot where they parked the car, can't remember what groceries to buy by the time they get to the store. They keep forgetting to take their medication."

During his Fox News Sunday interview, Trump challenged Biden over the test: "Let's take a test right now. Let's go down, Joe and I will take a test. Let him take the same test that I took."

He also suggested that Wallace, the Fox News interviewer, "couldn't answer many of the questions."

Trump at his "Fox News Sunday" interview.

Fox News

But experts caution against Trump's bragging, and say that Trump is misrepresenting cognitive problems.

Dr. Jason Karlawish, a dementia researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, told The New York Times: "The way our president is having a conversation about mental health is not helpful."

"You would think he would understand clearly what the test result was and why the test was done, and not turn it into a competition about mental health."

Read the original article on Business Insider
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 45 and relatively healthy. But about a year ago, I hurt my lower back while working in the yard. I felt a sharp pain and could barely walk. It took about a month to heal. Then about a month ago, I hurt my back again  this time while lifting my young son. The pain does not seem to be getting better. Is there anything I can do to speed the healing process? How can I prevent this from recurring?

ANSWER: Lower back pain episodes are common among adults, with about 80% of adults experiencing lower back pain at some point during their lives. Lower back pain is one of the top five reasons that individuals seek medical care. In many cases, lower back pain resolves on its own. Most people have significant improvement in their pain within 14 days, and symptoms usually resolve in 4 to 6 weeks.

Unfortunately, its not uncommon for lower back pain to recur. The biggest predictor of developing lower back pain is having a history of prior lower back pain episodes. As many as 50% of acute lower back pain sufferers will experience another episode of back pain within a year. However, only a very small percentage of those people go on to develop chronic lower back pain.
I was driving through Georgetown and passed a building that has long intrigued me: 1640 Wisconsin Ave. NW, just below Reservoir Road. It would fit perfectly in London but appears out of sync with other Georgetown houses of its size. It is very early Georgian style, nothing like Federal Georgetown. I wonder if it might have been a Masonic building. It looks like it might have been a very grand private home that lost the land around it as commercial buildings and the widening of Wisconsin Avenue took over.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 24, 2020) - Ridgeline Minerals Corp. ("Ridgeline" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has amended the terms of its previously announced initial public offering of the Company (the "Offering"). Under the amended terms of the Offering, Haywood Securities Inc. (the "Agent") has agreed to sell, on a commercially reasonable efforts basis, a minimum of 6,666,666 units of the Company ("Units") and a maximum of 11,200,000 Units at a price of $0.45 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of a minimum of $3,000,000 and a maximum of $5,040,000. Each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole such warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Share at an exercise price of $0.55 for a period of 30 months from the date of issuance. Following completion of the Offering, if the closing price of the Shares is equal to or greater than $0.85 per Share for a period of twenty (20) consecutive trading days, the Company may elect to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants to a date that is 30 calendar days from the date when written notice of such new expiry date is sent by the Company to the holders of the Warrants.

A preliminary prospectus has been filed with the securities commissions in each of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, containing important information relating to the Units. The preliminary prospectus has not yet become final for the purposes of the sale of securities and the Company anticipates filing a final prospectus with the increased offering size in due course. There will not be any sale or any acceptance of an offer the buy the Units until a receipt for the final prospectus has been issued by the relevant securities commissions in Canada.

Story continues

The Offering is scheduled to close on or about August 17, 2020 the ("Closing Date"), and is subject to certain conditions customary for transactions of this nature, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval, and listing of the Company's shares on the TSX Venture Exchange.

A copy of the preliminary prospectus is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The Units, the underlying Shares and Warrants, and the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the Units may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of Ridgeline in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Ridgeline Minerals Corp.

Ridgeline is a discovery focused gold explorer with a 116 km exploration portfolio across three projects in the highly prospective Carlin and Battle Mountain - Eureka Trends in Nevada, USA. More information about Ridgeline can be found at www.RidgelineMinerals.com.

On behalf of the Board

"Chad Peters"

President & CEO

Further Information:

Chad Peters, P.Geo.

President & CEO

Ridgeline Minerals Corp.

1-866-RDG-NVAU (734-6828) - toll free

info@ridgelineminerals.com

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements with regard to the Offering. Words such as "expects", "anticipates" and "intends" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions and no assurance can be given that the Offering will be completed on the terms described, or at all. Completion of the Offering and the terms thereof are subject to numerous factors, many of which are beyond Ridgeline's control, including, without limitation, failure to satisfy closing conditions and the risk factors and other matters set forth in Ridgeline's preliminary prospectus. Ridgeline undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAWS

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60437
Regis Philbin, the longtime television broadcaster who hosted the talk show "Live With Regis & Kathie Lee!," has died. He was 88.

He died on Friday of natural causes, according to his family.

"His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him  for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about. We thank his fans and admirers for their incredible support over his 60-year career and ask for privacy as we mourn his loss," his family wrote in a statement.

Philbin became an iconic television host in 1988 with the premier of his talk show "Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee," staring alongside Kathie Lee Gifford. The show later became "Live! with Regis and Kelly" in 2001 when Gifford departed and was replaced with Kelly Ripa. Philbin left the show in 2011.

He was also the original host of the widely known game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" from 1999 to 2002. His hosting career also included "Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire," "Million Dollar Password" and the first season of "America's Got Talent."

Philbin won Daytime Emmy Awards in 2001 and 2011 for outstanding talk show host and a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding game show host for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." He also won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008.

Born in 1931, Philbin was raised in the Bronx, New York, and later graduated from the University of Notre Dame. After serving in the Navy, Philbin served as a page for the "Tonight Show" in the 1950s. He gained his first network TV exposure in 1967 as Joey Bishop's sidekick on "The Joey Bishop Show."

Former co-host Kelly Ripa posted a tribute to Philbin on Instagram Saturday, writing that he "was the ultimate class act, bringing his laughter and joy into our homes everyday on Live for more than 23 years. We were beyond lucky to have him as a mentor in our careers and aspire everyday to fill his shoes on the show."

Former Disney CEO Bob Iger tweeted his condolences to Philbin's family on Saturday, saying "Regis graced us with warmth, humor & a self-deprecating wit, always bringing happiness to us all."

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also tweeted that Philbin "brought humor, warmth and wit into so many homes. Many people who never met him feel as though they've lost a personal friend and that's a testament to his character."

President Donald Trump called Philbin "one of the greats in the history of television."
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Tributes were paid to Kargil War hero Major Mariappan Saravanan, who was killed in hand-to-hand combat with intruders in the Batalik area of Kargil Sector on May 29, 1999, along with 33 soldiers and four other officers.

Marking the 21st anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas in Chennai, Headquarter Dakshin Bharat Area paid tributes to officers and personnel who participated in the Kargil War. During the event, tributes were paid to Major Mariappan Saravanan, an officer in the Bihar Regiment of the Indian Army and recipient of Vir Chakra, who died after killing four intruders in hand-to-hand combat.

Son of Lt Colonel Adi Mariappan, who died in a road accident in Bangalore on June 19, 1989 while serving in the Indian Peace Keeping Force during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Major Saravanan joined 1 Bihar unit as a Lieutenant in 1995 after graduating from Officers Training Academy. Born on August 10, 1972 in Rameswaram, the alumunus of Tiruchys St Josephs College was posted at Tamulpur, Cooch Behar and Bhutan before moving to Kargil.

On the night of May 28, 1999, Major Saravanan was assigned the task of capturing a well-fortified Pakistani position at 14,229 feet in the Batalik sector. He and his men launched an attack at 4:00am. Despite intensive firing from the enemy with artillery and automatic weapons, they charged into a volley of bullets. Major Saravanan fired a rocket launcher into the enemy position that killed two enemy soldiers. During the combat, he was hit by shrapnel and was injured but continued fighting.

Unmindful of the enemy fire, he crawled forward to destroy the last remaining enemy position and before being fatally hit by an enemy bullet, killed two more enemy soldiers. Family members and Trustees of Major Saravanan Memorial Trust have constructed a memorial located opposite to the St John Vestry Higher Secondary School, Tiruchy to inspire youngsters and imbibe in them qualities of selfless sacrifice and pure patriotism. It aims to keep alive the ideals for which our brave young soldiers live and die for.

The memorial also serves to motivate the youngsters to join the Army and serve the nation and has become one of the important landmarks of Trichy, said a defence release.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Photo: Getty

British Airways (BA) has had a very eventful week. Over the last couple of days, pilots were urged to take voluntary pay cuts to avert more job losses - while investors mulled a 2.8bn (2.5bn, $3.3bn) stock sale.

BA pilots urged to take pay cuts to limit job cuts

Earlier in the week, BA pilots were asked to accept a package including pay cuts and job losses in a bid to avoid more redundancies.

The package, which was negotiated after nearly three months of negotiations, would protect jobs, The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) said.

Voluntary part-time working, voluntary severances and voluntary external secondments, were some of the proposals put to the pilots.

Measures proposed in the deal would be funded by pilot pay cuts starting at 20% and reducing to 8% over the next two years then reducing toward zero over the longer term.

BALPA said around 300 pilots could be placed in a holding pool on reduced pay, who would be ready to return to flying as demand picks up.

If agreed, the deal could mean that pilot job losses could be limited to around 270 staff, the union said.

Pilots will vote in a ballot, with the result due at the end of the month.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: UK airports predict 4bn in lost revenue this year

BA parent company IAG upsets politicians

BA owner International Airlines Group (IAG.L), was criticised by unions and MPs after it announced in April it had run out of ways to save cash as the coronavirus pandemic battered the airline industry. IAG said it would axe up to 1,255 pilots and up to 12,000 jobs in total.

Protesting the announcement Unite, staged a demonstration in Madrid outside offices of investors of the IAG, in an effort to persuade BA to not axe jobs due to COVID-19.

Unite executive officer Sharon Graham said: Public anger is growing and already over 160 MPs from across the political divide are calling for a review of take-off and landing slots in response to BAs actions.

The campaign is said to have escalated to Spain as a direct result of the behaviour of BAs management this week.

Story continues

The union argued that Boris Johnson needs to be as good as his word and back his constituents.

Last month, Conservative MP James Sunderland said in a Commons debate that BA had behaved disgracefully after taking taxpayers cash under the furlough scheme, designed to protect jobs.

In May, it was revealed that BA received 300m from the Bank of Englands Corporate Covid Financing Facility, while sisters Vueling and Iberia claimed 1bn from a similar scheme in Spain.

Unite is also planning to take action in constituencies of government ministers, including the PMs.

READ MORE: British Airways pilots urged to take pay cuts to limit job losses

BA owner IAG weighs $3.3bn stock sale

IAG (IAG.L) confirmed it was mulling undertaking an equity raise, saying it was evaluating the merits of a rights issue of up to 2.8bn to strengthen its balance sheet.

The move came after IAG announced a partnership with American Express on Friday, netting the operator 750m.

Since the start of the pandemic, the group has lost two-thirds of its share price, and the stock dropped another 4% on Friday afternoon.

The operator, which also owns Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, was hit by the grounding of airplanes during the coronavirus pandemic and reduced passengers on services that are operating, which has hit the global aviation industry.

There has been no decision made yet as to when or whether to proceed with a share issue, IAG said.
Two years ago, during Mike Pompeos first months on the job as US secretary of state, his public mentions of Chinese President Xi Jinping were cordial.

He was honoured to attend a working dinner with Xi in Buenos Aires; he thanked Xi for his role in bringing North Korea to the negotiating table; and he spoke gratefully of a productive meeting with President Xi during a visit to Beijing.

But today, with US-China relations in free fall, not only has the tone of Pompeos public statements regarding Xi soured considerably, his appellation of choice has also changed.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

To top US officials, most notably Pompeo, Xi is now no longer the Chinese president, but the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a sign, say analysts, of efforts by the administration to delegitimise Xis rule, drive a wedge between party and populace and evoke loaded connotations with the Cold War-era.

Xi holds three official titles: head of state (guojia zhuxi, literally state chairman), chairman of the central military commission, and general secretary of the CCP. Though none of those translate directly to president, and despite the fact that official Chinese missives and state media reports almost always lead with Xis party title, the English-speaking world has by and large favoured president.

For 2018 and most of 2019, so did Pompeo. But over the past several weeks he has entirely abandoned that term in favour of general secretary, coinciding with a barrage of actions the Trump administration has taken against Beijing on matters ranging from Xinjiang and Hong Kong to Huawei and the South China Sea.

In a week in which the administration ordered Beijing to close its consulate in Houston, Pompeos declaration on Thursday that General Secretary Xi Jinping is a true believer in a bankrupt totalitarian ideology marked the 15th time he has used the party title this month.

Story continues

Pompeo is not alone in adopting the new appellation. In a month-long, coordinated series of speeches hammering China on all fronts, other top officials  FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General William Barr and National Security Adviser Robert OBrien  have all followed suit.

The administrations shift to using general secretary should be seen as very deliberate, said Alison Szalwinski, vice-president of research at the National Bureau of Asian Research and an expert on US policy toward China. They want to draw a distinction between the leader of a representative government and one that is autocratic and authoritarian.

The State Department did not respond to a request to explain the recent change in US officials descriptions of Xi, saying only in a statement that the Peoples Republic of China is an authoritarian regime run by the Chinese Communist Party and Xi Jinping is the General Secretary of the Party.

A US government official who was not authorised to speak publicly described the shift as an effort to speak plainly about each issue, so that theres no sugarcoating, theres no self-delusional approach towards what the CCP is.

The move by the executive branch gives the highest profile platform yet to a debate over nomenclature that had, until now, taken place largely among academics, foreign policy experts and some US lawmakers.

There comes a point when the simple truth is hes not president in the liberal democracy sense of [a] president who is elected and enjoys the political support of civil society and the population, said Robin Cleveland, chair of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC).

He is an authoritarian dictator that sits atop a self-serving party, she added. So words matter.

Set up by Congress to advise lawmakers on the national security implications of the two countries economic ties, the USCC declared in its last annual report that it would no longer call Xi president but general secretary, which it called the title by which he derives his authority.

The alignment of the USCC and the executive branch on the matter marks just one of the ways that the panel, once considered significantly more hawkish than the mainstream, is now representative of the growing appetite in Washington for a tough response to Xis government.

Im glad that others are reinforcing the authoritarian nature of his leadership, Cleveland said of the administrations linguistic shift.

Among the developments that have fuelled US perceptions of an increasingly hardline rule under Xi were his removal of term limits; the treatment of ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang; the imposition of a sweeping national security law over Hong Kong; and Xis campaign to strengthen party supervision over all elements of civil society, including the news media.

To the extent that you are seeing the partification of every apparatus and every organisation, there is a difference [from previous leaders] in terms of the elevation of his own self-importance, said Cleveland.

As that partification has continued apace, so too have the Trump administrations efforts to portray the will of the CCP as separate from  and counter to  the will of the Chinese people, a strategy that analysts said likely contributed to the decision to frame Xi as head of the party and not a head of state.

It is designed to distinguish China  its history, culture and people  from the Peoples Republic of China and the Communist Party, said Elizabeth Economy, Asia studies director at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.

To the extent possible, the White House would like to deliver the impression that it is supportive of the Chinese people, just not the Communist Party, said Economy.

That strategy was apparent in May, when deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger delivered a speech trumpeting the power of democratic populism to either keep a remote and self-interested governing class in check or throw them overboard. In an unmistakable effort to appeal directly to the Chinese people, Pottinger gave the address in Mandarin.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticised Chinese leadership in his address at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Pompeo sought to further drive the wedge between the governors and the governed on Thursday, declaring during an address on China policy that Communists always lie, but the biggest lie is that the Chinese Communist Party speaks for 1.4 billion people who are surveilled, oppressed and scared to speak out.

That binary approach has been met with criticism from some in the foreign policy community who say the administrations portrayal of the Chinese people as a monolithic, suppressed entity misses important nuance.

China is not a land of innocent captives and evil master trolls, said Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Centres Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.

People there were often frustrated by a government that ignores their wishes, moves too slowly or moves in the wrong direction, he added, but the available evidence is that, as citizens of the PRC, most Chinese people feel proud and enabled, not constrained.

As to the timing of the administrations hardening rhetoric against the CCP and Xi, analysts said it was no coincidence that it has come as doubts grow about Chinas ability to fulfil the terms of a trade deal signed in January.

Although administration officials insist the deal remains intact, Chinas purchases of US goods are currently far below projected targets, and White House trade adviser and vociferous China hawk Peter Navarro said recently that trust between the two countries was now non-existent.

The collapse of the phase one trade deal, which was weak to begin with but is now further undermined by the pandemic, has eroded the standing of pro-China trade advisers and officials in US President Donald Trumps administration, said Szalwinski.

The idea that maybe therell be a purchase agreement that is meaningful  all of that is completely in the background now, said the government official. Thats completely repudiated.

That in turn, the official said, has given more latitude to the side of the administration that says: No, we need to stand up for human rights.

Pompeo, for instance, used the term concentration camps for the first time publicly on Thursday to describe Chinas mass internment facilities in the countrys northwest, becoming the highest ranking US official to adopt the term.

By contrast, in the middle of trade negotiations two years ago, Trump had encouraged Xi to go ahead with the camps, according to an account by former national security adviser John Bolton.

Trumps administration also held off on sanctions against Beijing officials over the facilities  which China describes as vocational training centres  for fear of jeopardising the trade talks, a fact he later openly acknowledged in an interview with Axios.

Though Trump has not yet joined the ranks of officials adopting the term general secretary to describe Xi, he has stopped referring to him as a friend and said recently that he had no interest in speaking with his Chinese counterpart.

Regardless of any personal affinity for Xi, as Trumps polls drop ahead of the November presidential election, China becomes a convenient domestic tool for shifting blame and attention elsewhere, said Szalwinski.

And when it comes to the term general secretary, the White House is betting that it will carry with it negative connotations from the period of the Soviet Union, said Economy.

Regarding its reception in Beijing, however, observers said the new language in itself was not likely to ruffle many feathers, though it would serve as a useful barometer of Washingtons intentions.

I dont think theyre worried about what we call him, said Cleveland, stressing that Beijings primary concerns were about the various punitive measures coinciding with the hardening language.

The name is parallel, she said, with global concerns about Chinas increasing assertion of authority.

Additional reporting by Robert Delaney

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This article US officials now call Xi Jinping general secretary instead of Chinas president  but why? first appeared on South China Morning Post

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Donald Trump was allegedly furious of Secretary of Defence Mark Esper's decision to ban the Confederate flag from being flown on US military bases, according to anonymous sources who claim knowledge of his reaction.

The sources spoke to CNN and said the president  who has not publicly denounced the use of Confederate flags  said Mr Trump was angered by Mr Esper's move.

A White House official told CNN was told their story was incorrect.

"Your story is inaccurate. When the matter was raised to the president, he was not angry," the source said.

Asked about whether he thought the flag was an offensive symbol during a Fox News interview last Sunday, Mr Trump defended its use as a symbol for southern pride.

Recommended Pentagon to ban all Confederate flags on military bases

"It depends on who you're talking about, when you're talking about," Mr Trump said. "When people proudly had their Confederate flags they're not talking about racism. They love their flag, it represents the South. They like the South ... I say it's freedom of many things, but it's freedom of speech."

The flag often referred to as "the Confederate flag"  though not the official flag of the Confederacy  was the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, the main military force of the Confederacy. It is inextricably tied to the US Civil War.

Former Republican Secretary of Defence Colin Powell said the flag does not represent America or Americans and should be left to history.

"It was the Confederate States of America. They were not part of us and this is not the time to keep demonstrating who they were and what they were back then," Mr Powell said. "This is time to move on. Let's get going. We have one flag and only one flag only."

Mr Trump threatened to veto a $740bn national defence authorization bill that included a requirement that all references to the Confederacy or its generals be removed from military bases. Mr Trump's threat to veto was a direct response to the requirement.

The Trump administration called the requirement "part of a sustained effort to erase from the history of the Nation those who do not meet an ever-shifting standard of conduct."

Nevertheless, the House passed the legislation with a veto-proof majority and the Senate overwhelmingly passed the legislation on Thursday by a count of 86 to 14, which would override Mr Trump's presidential veto.

Under the new legislation, bases named for Confederate generals would be renamed by a commission over the next three years.

Mr Trump claimed Thursday on Twitter that he talked to Senate Armed Services Chairman Senator Jim Inhofe, and claimed the senator said "he will NOT be changing the names of our great Military Bases."

In 2015  two days after Mr Trump announced his presidency in the wake of the Dylan Roof's racist mass shooting at a historically black church  Mr Trump said the Confederate flag should be resigned to history.

"I think they should put it in the museum and let it go," Mr Trump said in a response to a question about South Carolina flying the flag at its state capitol.

Since then, Mr Trump has grown increasingly defensive of Confederate iconography and its defenders.

Recommended Trump denies Confederate flag is racist

He said there were "very fine people" on both sides of the "Unite the Right" march in Charlottesville, where protesters clashed with white nationalists who were defending a Confederate statue. Heather Heyer, a protester, was killed at the event when one of the attendees of the march hit her with a car.

In the wake of the George Floyd protests, demonstrators have torn down several statues honouring the Confederacy, prompting Mr Trump to issue an executive order that punishes those who destroy statues, monuments and memorials owned by the federal government with up to 10 years in prison.

Since the order was passed, guidance within the Department of Homeland Security has made protecting monuments a priority and treats protesters who threaten them as national security threats.
The US House of Representatives launched a bipartisan caucus on Friday to focus on ways to increase domestic production of specialised minerals used to make missiles, cell phones and other high-tech equipment.

The Critical Materials Caucus, is the latest effort by officials in Washington to blunt Chinas prowess as the worlds largest producer or processor of rare earths, lithium, titanium and other niche but important minerals.

China hiked its mining quota for rare earth minerals by 6.1% in 2020 to a record annual high.

Representative Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, and Representative Guy Reschenthaler, a Pennsylvania Republican, will chair the group, which was approved by the House Administration Committees leadership.

The Pentagon and a rising number of U.S. tech companies have grown concerned that China could cut off exports of the minerals to the US  which it did to Japan in 2010  if relations between Beijing and Washington deteriorate further.

All of us want to make sure America addresses this national security issue, Swalwell told Reuters.

The US Department of Defense has resumed the funding for two projects to process rare earth minerals for military weapons after a review found the grants are in the best interest of the country. The Pentagon on April 22 awarded Australias Lynas Corp and privately held MP Materials funding for rare earths separation facilities in Texas and California, respectively.

Caucus members plan to initially focus on legislation Swalwell has introduced to permanently fund rare earths research at US Department of Energy laboratories.

China became the top global producer of many of these minerals only in recent decades. The rare earths industry began in the United States during World War Two as part of the Manhattan Project, but the technology gradually moved overseas to China.

It is more important than ever for our nation to work towards achieving critical material independence, said Reschenthaler.

The caucus will start in the House and could potentially expand to the US Senate, staffers said.

By Mining.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reaffirmed the state's rejection of any unilateral action that may compromise Egypts right to Nile water.

El-Sisi made the statement during a phone call with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday as the two heads of state discussed the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

According to Presidency Spokesman Bassam Rady, El-Sisi said Egypt insists on the formulation of a full-fledged legal agreement between the concerned parties regarding the rules of filling and operation of the dam.

Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia have been engaged in online talks sponsored by the African Union (AU), which is currently headed by South Africa, for nearly a month to reach an accord over the mega-dam on the Blue Nile.

Over years of negotiations, Ethiopia has always backtracked on signing a binding deal, including during the talks brokered by Washington that faltered in February when Ethiopia didn't show up at the final round of negotiations, and also during Sudan-brokered talks in June that led to Egypt escalating the matter to the United Nations Security Council.

During a press conference in Addis Ababa on Friday, Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said Ethiopia wants a non-binding agreement on the GERD.

The Ethiopian government does not look for a binding agreement concerning the current talks about GERD, only a guidelines agreement which can be revised at any time, Mufti said.

Ethiopia hopes the massive $4.8 billion dam will allow it to become Africas largest power exporter. On the other hand, Egypt, which relies on the Blue Nile for 95 percent of its freshwater, fears the dam will diminish its water supply, which is already below scarcity level.

Egypt is not the only party that has repeatedly demanded the agreement be legally binding. Sudan has also raised the same concern at the end of the Khartoum-brokered negotiations that reached deadlock last month, and again in its three-page letter to the United Nations Security Council later in June.

Among the disputed legal terms that Sudan mentioned in its letter is the "binding nature of the agreement." It proposed a draft agreement that "ensured that the agreement to be signed will be legally binding and cannot be amended or terminated without the agreement of all three parties."

However, Sudan's letter said Ethiopia proposed a document of "guidelines" that can be revised and in some cases terminated.

On Thursday Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok stated that reaching a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD is a necessity for paving the way for future cooperation on the Nile.

Rady added in the presidency statement that the El-Sisi and Ramaphosa tackled during their phone call the latest developments on GERD within the framework of what was discussed during the mini-African summit held on Tuesday.

The AU issued a statement on Friday on behalf of its chairman Ramaphosa in which it stressed the heads of state and governments agreed on the process of finalising negotiations on the text of a binding agreement on the filling and operation of GERD, which includes a comprehensive agreement on future developments on the Blue River.

The presidential spokesperson added that Ramaphosa expressed during the phone call his aspiration for the continuation of intensive coordination between the two countries on the issue of the $4.8 billion dam to reach a fair and balanced agreement for all parties on this vital issue.

The Egyptian and South African presidents also discussed the latest on Libya, the statement said, as they exchanged viewpoints on how to activate the political settlement negotiations within the framework of the Berlin process and the "Cairo Declaration" initiative in an effort to undermine the dangers of terrorism, extremist militias and external interference that threaten regional security and stability.

The Cairo Declaration is a recent joint political initiative announced last month in Cairo by President El-Sisi, commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar, and Libya's parliament speaker Aguila Saleh to resolve the Libyan crisis and end the armed conflict in the Egypts western neighbour.

The initiative, which was welcomed by various foreign and Arab countries, mandates an intra-Libyan resolution as a basis for resolving the countrys conflict under resolutions by the UN and past efforts in Paris, Rome, Abu Dhabi, and most recently in Berlin.

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Experts say a technology U-turn is needed to help contact tracers in NSW and Victoria because there is "no chance" the COVIDSafe app is going to work as intended with its current settings.

Since April the multimillion-dollar COVIDSafe app has found just six connections in NSW not already identified by contract tracers, while in Victoria, where contact tracers are overwhelmed, it is yet to detect a contact that hadn't already been identified.

Contact tracing apps work by exchanging Bluetooth handshakes with smartphones around them, recording times that users come into contact with potential coronavirus carriers. But the COVIDSafe app is having unintended effects on battery power, other apps, and may not connect with iPhones if the screen is locked.

The COVIDSafe app cost more than $2.5 million to develop but has not identified many cases not found by human contract tracers Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Marc Edwards, founder of app developer Bjango, said there was "no chance" the COVIDSafe app was going to work as intended because it's technically "impossible" to get the app to run continuously while the phone is locked on Apple's software system - iOS.
They were forced to turn on each other and vote one another out of the Big Brother house to try and win the $250,000 grand prize.

But on Friday, Angela Clancy, Marissa Rancan and Allan Liang proved there were no hard feelings when they reunited in Sydney after Wednesday's grand finale.

The trio appeared to be having a ball as they laughed and chatted intimately while catching up over lunch at a restaurant in Sydney's Double Bay.

EXCLUSIVE: No hard feelings! Despite voting each other out in the Big Brother house, stars Angela Clancy (left), Marissa Rancan (centre) and Allan Liang (right) had a ball as they reunited for lunch in Sydney's Double Bay on Friday

Angela, who became known for her sassy attitude, looked sensational in a fitted dress with a white lace bodice and a black skirt.

The 38-year-old from Perth wore her luscious long raven locks in loose curls, which she allowed to cascade over her shoulders, and glamorous makeup with sparkly eye shadow and a berry lip.

She slung a dark blazer over her chair and accessorised with black stilettos with studs on the straps.

Stylish! Angela, who became known for her sassy attitude, looked sensational in a fitted dress with a white lace bodice and a black skirt

Fan favourite: The feisty fan favourite left viewers in stitches when she cheekily referred to Big Brother host Sonya Kruger as 'Tonya' during Wednesday's live finale

Glam: The 38-year-old from Perth wore her luscious long raven locks in loose curls which she allowed to cascade over her shoulders and wore glamorous makeup with sparkly eye shadow and a berry lip

The feisty fan favourite left viewers in stitches when she cheekily referred to Big Brother host Sonya Kruger as 'Tonya' during Wednesday's live finale.

But at lunch, it was Angela who had the last laugh, flashing her pearly whites as she giggled at the table while enjoying her chicken stir fry.

Former aerobics queen Marissa looked effortlessly chic in a casual ensemble, which included a white graphic print T-shirt and white jeans.

Effortless: Former aerobics queen Marissa looked effortlessly chic in a casual ensemble, which included a white graphic print T-shirt and white jeans

Fresh: The 61-year-old wore her long blonde hair out straight and subtle makeup with a soft pink lip

Fri-yay! Marissa appeared to enjoy a glass of rose along with her meal

The 61-year-old wore her long blonde hair out straight and subtle makeup with a soft pink lip.

She accessorised with a dark pair of gold studded sunglasses she kept pushed up on her head throughout the catchup, large hoop earrings and red open-toed heels.

Marissa appeared to enjoy a glass of rose along with her meal.

Remember him? The pair were joined by housemate Allan, who was evicted on the second day of the competition

Rugged up: The corporate salesman, 30, layered up from the winter chill by wearing two dark T-shirts which he covered with a denim jacket and a pair of black jeans

Something got his attention! Despite not spending a long time with his co-stars, Allan seemed to enjoy the catchup, talking animatedly at the table as he enjoyed a glass of wine (right) At one point, something shocking seems to have grabbed Allan's attention as he gaped at it with his mouth wide open (left)

The pair were joined by housemate Allan, who was evicted on the second day of the competition.

The corporate salesman, 30, layered up from the winter chill by wearing two dark T-shirts which he covered with a denim jacket and a pair of black jeans.

He coordinated with a pair of comfy looking white sneakers.

Selfie time: The trio enjoyed each other's company so much they wanted a memento of the outing with Angela handing her iPhone over to the waitress

Say cheese! The group huddled close to have their photo taken

Despite not spending a long time with his co-stars, Allan seemed to enjoy the catchup, talking animatedly at the table as he enjoyed a glass of wine.

At one point, something shocking seems to have grabbed Allan's attention as he gaped at it with his mouth wide open.

The trio enjoyed each other's company so much they wanted a memento of the outing.

Reunion: The group flew into Sydney for the live finale which was filmed on Wednesday night

They huddled close while handing over their iPhones to the waitress to take their picture.

Meanwhile, Chad Hurst was crowned the winner of Big Brother after 40 days in the house, during Wednesday night's live grand finale episode.

The 27-year-old earned the most votes by the Australian public, ahead of girlfriend Sophie Budack and former AFL star Daniel Gorringe.

The male model picked up just $234,656 after fellow housemate Kieran Davidson pocketed over $15,000 from the grand prize in a challenge after his elimination.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to cancel the six per cent tenancy and lease stamp duty recently anno...

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to cancel the six per cent tenancy and lease stamp duty recently announced by the Federal Inland Revenue Service.





Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President said this on Saturday in Abuja.





Wabba said that the Congress was dismayed by the new policy stipulating a six per cent stamp duty for every tenancy and lease agreement in Nigeria.





He said that the Congress condemned the agreement as the new policy came at a time when the socio-economic pressure arising from COVID-19 dislocations was affecting many of Nigerians.





According to him, the NLC rejects this new stamp duty policy on rents and leases as it will worsen the situation faced by Nigerian workers most of whom, unfortunately, are tenants.





It is also alarming that we are having hike in taxes and user access fees when other countries are offering palliatives to their citizens.





We call on the Federal Government and the Federal Inland Revenue Service to rescind this harsh fiscal measure as it is boldly insensitive to the material condition of Nigerians which has been compounded by the Covid-19.





Nobody would want to be a tenant if they had alternative. This means that tenants which this new policy targets are some of the most vulnerable people in our society.





It would be illogical, insensitive and inhuman to churn out laws that make our poor go to bed at night with tears in their eyes, he said.





Wabba noted that the principle of public taxation especially progressive taxation all over the world was that the rich subsidizes for the poor and that every tax policy that would be enforceable must create a safety net for the poor.





Accommodation is a fundamental right guaranteed by Nigerias constitution. It is unimaginable that tenants who are in the most vulnerable group would be expected to pay 6 per cent tax for accommodation when sales tax is 1.5 per cent.





This is indeed a great injustice against the Nigerian poor. Government must take deliberate steps to avoid institutionalising the widespread belief that it is a crime to be poor in Nigeria.





We understand that the government needs money to run the business of governance especially at this time of economic challenges all over the world.





But the answer is not in further exploiting the already exploited. There is no doubt that there are other painless ways of mobilising funds to deal with the exigency of the times, he said.





He therefore said that one of such ways of mobilising funds was to reduce official graft and corruption.





Wabba said that it does not make sense to ask Nigerians to make sacrifices when they are daily regaled of putrid stories of how public officials are accused of swallowing money in billions and making a comic of fainting afterwards.





Second, there are thousands of unoccupied houses in different parts of the Federal Capital Territory and indeed many cities in Nigeria belonging to very affluent members of the society.





As we have always demanded and canvassed, Government should tax such property in order to relieve Nigerias daunting housing deficits and to generate the needed funds to run government business.




A Newfoundland dog who 'absolutely loves water' was disappointed after her new 'doggy pool' turned out to be the size of a water bowl.

As the UK welcomes the warmer months, owner Chelsea Sparks decided it would be a great idea to get her dog Darcy a pool for her to play in and cool down in the heat.

The 28-year-old from Shorne, Kent, UK, said the two-year-old Newfoundland pup loves water, so when Ms Sparks's stepfather spotted a 15 dog pool online, he snapped it up.

Six weeks later, Ms Sparks was shocked after receiving a tiny package in the mail and had no idea what it could be.

Chelsea Sparks, 28, and her stepdad thought it was hysterical and posted photos of Newfoundland dog Darcy standing next to her 'pool' which was the size of a water bowl

When she opened it, she discovered it was the 'dog pool' that her stepfather had bought, which was actually the size of a water bowl, estimated to be around 30cm across.

Lawyer Ms Sparks said: 'Darcy absolutely loves water. Every time we take her to the dog park she gets straight in. So when the weather picked up my stepdad ordered her a pool online.

'He described the pool as a bargain and said we may have to wait a little longer than usual as it was coming from China.

'When it was delivered we didnt know what it was as it was folded up so small.

Despite the advert showing big dogs climbing in and out of the pool with ease, Darcy could wear her new toy as a hat

'When we realised it was the dog pool we thought it was hysterical. We then put the pool next to Darcy and took a photo.'

She said her stepfather had seen the pool advertised on Facebook with pictures of big dogs getting in and out of it with ease.

Both she and her stepfather thought it was hilarious, despite feeling scammed, and posted a picture of Darcy standing next to the pool and wearing it as a hat.

It quickly went viral and racked up nearly 20,000 likes, comments and shares.

Ms Sparks added: 'My stepdad said the pool was advertised on Facebook and it had big dogs getting in and out of it.

'We think it may have been a scam, however we were so entertained we didn't give it much thought.

Ms Sparks then ordered Darcy a family-sized pool from Amazon which was the right size for the Newfoundland dog

'My stepdad isnt very technical so he didnt realise. He hasnt contacted the company yet, I am going to help him with this in the coming days.

'We sent photos to our friends, who all thought it was comical. That is when I decided to post it online to a dog group, as I knew they would find it funny too.

'Darcy seemed disappointed and confused when the miniature pool arrived.

'We ordered her a family sized pool, which arrived from Amazon Prime the next day and it was the right size.

'I expected a few people online to find it funny, but I really didnt expect it go blow up.

'Im glad it has brought a smile to everyones face during the pandemic.'
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Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 18:33 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066945aa4 1 World United-Nations,UNSC,UNSC-non-permanent-seat,presidency,world-peace-forum,cyberattacks,Retno-Marsudi,Foreign-Ministry Free

Indonesia will begin its rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in August amid the coronavirus pandemic that poses challenges to world peace.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said Indonesia would raise the theme of Advancing Sustainable Peace, which is in line with the previous years theme of Investing in Peace. The minister said the advancement of peace needed constant effort and attention.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken up most of our energy and attention, lets not forget to continue advancing peace because peace remains essential to our success in handling the pandemic and accelerating economic recovery, Retno said during a press briefing on Thursday.

Indonesia is scheduled to host three events during its second presidency. The first meeting on Aug. 6 will discuss the UN Secretary Generals inaugural report on combating terrorism and cross-border crime.

The second meeting on Aug. 12 will discuss challenges to achieving sustainable peace and seek to unify efforts to attain it during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the third meeting, scheduled for Aug. 26, will focus on protecting civilians from cyberattacks.

Authorities have recorded an increase in cyberattacks against public facilities, including hospitals and airports, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read also: Indonesia renews call to maintain UN peacekeeping operations during COVID-19

Indonesia will also run at least 14 meetings to discuss peace efforts in various parts of the world, including a strategic report on the Islamic State (IS) as well as the extended mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM)

Retno said Indonesia would strive to issue two documents during the presidency.

The first document will focus on adjusting approaches to handling people allegedly involved with terror groups through the Prosecution, Rehabilitation and Reintegration approach.

The UNSC wont only focus on law enforcement, but also attempts to rehabilitate and reintegrate former terrorists into society, said Retno.

The second document will focus on women peacekeepers, as Indonesia seeks to encourage greater participation of women in peacekeeping efforts as well as the integration of gender perspectives into the UNs peacekeeping missions. (dis)
Two Louisiana teenagers were charged Friday with the murder of an Arizona professor who vanished four months ago, after cops found his remains after searching a landfill site for 48 days.

Junseok Chae was reported missing on March 25 when he didn't return home from work at Arizona State University and his car was found just a week later in Louisiana.

Javian Ezell and Gabrielle Austin, both 18, were charged in connection with his killing Friday after they, and a third unnamed person, were caught driving the professor's vehicle on March 30.

Their statements to police led officers to believe Chae had been murdered and the hunt at the landfill began on May 11.

Yet it was a further 48 days until investigators found his body, following a search costing hundreds of thousands of dollars with an average of 15 people per day sifting through the site.

The body of Arizona State University professor Junseok Chae was found in the Northwest Regional Landfill on July 17 almost 4 months after his disappearance

Javian Ezell (pictured right) and Gabrielle Austin (pictured left), both 18, were extradited to Arizona from Louisiana and booked with his murder on Friday. A motive is not clear

Chae's body was found during a search here at Northwest Regional Landfill in Arizona

Human remains were finally discovered on July 17 in Northwest Regional Landfill and identified as the professor.

A motive for his murder has not been revealed, nor has the manner of his death.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office was first alerted to the teenagers after receiving a call from police in Shreveport, Louisiana, on March 30.

Officers there had responded to a 'suspicious' vehicle call and found the suspects and the third person in what they later discovered was the professor's car.

After speaking to Ezell and Austin, police believed Chae had been killed in Maricopa County and the investigation found 'several items of evidence' there.

Further investigation found he was murdered near Carefree Highway and Seventh Street.

According to ABC News, authorities believed that Chae's body had been placed in a dumpster that was then transferred to the landfill.

Pictured, The Northwest Regional Landfill, which is located in Surprise, Arizona. The remains of the professor were found here four months after he was first reported missing in March

Police mounted a 48-day search of the site that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars

There was an average of 15 people per day working on the search at the landfill

Their suspicions appeared confirmed when they began a hunt for the remains there on May 11 and came across 'related evidence'.

However, it took more than a month more for his body to be found.

According to Arizona Central, the 48-day search of the landfill cost the sheriff's office $304,000.

They had mounted a 15-person search every day, working for about 10 hours.

Junseok Chae was an accomplished academic and held four patents

'I continue to be impressed by the hard work of our deputies,' said Sheriff Penzone in a statement.

'Their perseverance in an extremely complex and demanding case will now allow the victims family closure to what has surely been a difficult period. Investigative efforts to recover a body from a landfill are rarely successful.'

Ezell and Austin were recently extradited from Louisiana to Arizona to face their charges and booked on first-degree murder, armed robbery and vehicle theft on Friday.

Their bail was set at $1million each.

Chae was an accomplished academic and educator.

According to his bio on the university's website, he graduated from Korea University in Seoul in 1998.

He then received two advanced degrees from the University of Michigan before joining ASU as a professor in 2005 at the School of Electrical, Cimpoter and Energy Engineering.

Among his accomplishments, Chae held four patents, had published more than 150 academic papers, and authored a book.

'We are saddened by the loss of ASU community member Junseok Chae,' the university said in a statement.

'Our condolences go out to Professor Chaes family and friends.
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The Chinese consulate in Houston has been raided by U.S. officials, shortly after it officially closed for business.

The consulate, which Donald Trump forced to close on Wednesday, was reportedly a hot bed of spies and was allegedly being used to steal medical and scientific research.

Beijing was told that the consulate must cease operations by Friday.

On Friday afternoon, hours after the consulate officially closed and diplomats left, a group of men who appeared to be U.S. officials were seen forcing open a back door.

The back door of the Chinese consulate in Houston was forced open on Friday afternoon

Teams of what appeared to be U.S. officials barged their way into the empty building

The group of men was seen forcing the doors of the consulate open in Texas, hours after the Chinese employees left

According to a Reuters witness, consulate staff had exited the building shortly after 4pm and left in vehicles. The back door was then forced open.

Chinese authorities have called on Washington to reverse its decision, and said the closure of the diplomatic office was 'breaking down the friendship bridge.'

In response, China has now ordered the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu - also within 72 hours.

The U.S. has an embassy in Beijing and consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Wuhan and Hong Kong.

The Chinese consulate in Houton is one of five in the U.S., not counting the embassy in Washington DC.

The team did not confirm their identity when asked by reporters on the scene, but are thought to be US officials inspecting

A trio of consular vehicles leave the Consulate General of China building late on Friday

The Chinese consulate in Houston closed its doors Friday, after an announcement Wednesday

Small fires were seen being ignited in the courtyard of the building on Tuesday evening

On Tuesday, hours before the Trump administration made public its order to vacate the building, consulate employees were seen starting fires in a courtyard of the Houston building, prompting police officers and firefighters to rush to the area.

Fire crews were prevented from accessing the compound as documents were seen being burned.

Sources on Wednesday told NBC that the consulate was known as being a center for Chinese spying.

Multiple U.S. officials told the network that the Houston consulate has long been used by the Chinese government to steal valuable medical research, and was involved in attempts to infiltrate the oil and natural gas industries.

They said the consulate is well-fortified, was hardened to prevent U.S. surveillance, and was a high-tech communications hub to coordinate and execute various spying operations.

Fire crews arriving on the scene were told they could not enter to put out the blazes

Mark Warner, Democrat senator for Virginia and ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told NBC News's Katy Tur that he would not discuss the specific intelligence behind Wednesday's closure.

'But I can tell you for the last two years, I and other members of the intel committee have been holding classified briefings with business leaders and academic leaders about the concerted efforts of the Chinese communist party to steal our intellectual property, to steal it from companies, to steal it from universities, to be on better guard,' he said.

Warner suggested the action was driven by the FBI and its intelligence.

The State Department said China was directing 'massive illegal spying and influence operations.'

David R. Stilwell, who oversees policy for East Asia and the Pacific at the State Department, told The New York Times that the Houston consulate had a history of engaging in 'subversive behavior'.

Police are seen outside the Chinese consulate in Houston on Friday evening, shortly after the Chinese diplomats vacated it

An official is seen standing guard at the consulate, with his team having broken the doors to force their way in

China has five consulates in the United States. The Houston one, pictured, closed on Friday

He said the consulate was the epicenter of research theft in the United States.

For instance, Stilwell said, said the consul general, the top Chinese official there, and two other diplomats were recently caught using false identification to escort Chinese travelers to the gate area of a charter flight from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Stilwell said that some of China's attempted scientific thefts in the United States had accelerated over the last six months, and could be related to efforts to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus - although he again presented no evidence.

Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State, who has been a leader in aggressively pushing hard-line policies on China, said Wednesday at a news conference in Copenhagen that the Trump administration was 'setting out clear expectations as to how the Chinese Communist Party is going to behave.'

He warned that the United States would 'take actions' to protect its interests.

Moving vans were pictured outside the consulate in Houston on Wednesday

Much of the interest in Houston has focused on the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

In April 2019, three out of five scientists identified by federal authorities as being involved in efforts to steal American research on behalf of China at MD Anderson were ousted by the institution.

A fourth scientist resigned before the conclusion of the investigation, and the fifth was disciplined by the center.

Trump said during a news conference on Wednesday evening that 'it's always possible' his administration would close more Chinese missions.

The consulate closure marks a further breakdown in relations between the world's two largest economies, and is a significant shift from just six months ago, when the countries signed a trade deal and Trump boasted that the U.S.-China relationship 'might be the best it's been in a long, long time.'

Trump said six months ago that the relationship with China was excellent

Now relations between Trump and China's leader, Xi Jinping, are at a low

Now, in addition to closing the consulate, the U.S. is also considering a ban on Chinese-owned mobile apps such as Tik Tok, removing Chinese technology from the electrical grid, and sanctioning Communist Party officials over the internment of Muslims and a security law that effectively ends Hong Kong's independent legal status.

Trump has also cut off additional trade talks and threatened to penalize China because he said 'they could have stopped' the pandemic.

Hua Chunying, foreign ministry spokeswoman, described the reasons given by the US for closing the consulate as 'unbelievably ridiculous'.

She urged the U.S. to reverse its 'erroneous decision', or China would 'react with firm countermeasures'.

'While Chinese diplomats are promoting mutual understanding and friendship, the US embassy in China publicly attacks China's political system,' she said.

'As a result of smears and hatred fanned up by the US government, the Chinese embassy has received bomb and death threats.'
SPRINGFIELD  Republicans on Friday continued to pressure the Illinois Department of Employment Security to resolve issues stemming from record unemployment claims the same day the state reported another 1,532 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Five months after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his first stay-at-home order in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus, unemployment rates in Illinois remain historically high at 14.6% in June, leading to widely reported delays in the Illinois Department of Employment Securitys handling of unemployment claims.

Pritzker has long maintained the state is doing all it can to increase call center capacity, and has said state governments diminished investment in state agencies caused understaffing at the department to begin with, and finding new specialized call center employees often requires several months of training mandated by the federal government.

In light of news that many Illinoisans were experiencing fraud under the federal governments new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, Illinois House Republicans  joined by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville  made another call to the governor to fix the issues facing the department.

What we're asking for now is some hearings, a hearing in particular where we would perhaps have members of IDES, the governor's office and of course I would like to have someone there from Deloitte, Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro said in the virtual news conference.

Deloitte is the private firm enlisted to build the states Pandemic Unemployment Assistance portal to handle claims for those who would otherwise not be eligible for unemployment but now have access to the benefits as part of the federally-funded program passed in response to COVID-19.

The company received no-bid contracts with the state totaling more than $22 million. Once the portal launched, a reported glitch in the system made the personal information of several thousand claimants viewable. Only one person accessed it before it was fixed, according to IDES, which cited viewer logs of the page where the information was viewable.

In an unrelated announcement this week, IDES said several Illinoisans were victims of fraud through the PUA program, which was designed hastily and does not give employers an opportunity to challenge fraudulent claims because the type of workers applying for the benefit do not technically have employers.

According to IDES, the scam involves filing unemployment claims using false identities and then attempting to have the payment method switched from the debit cards that people receive when they qualify for benefits to a direct deposit account to which scammers have access.

On July 6, the FBI reported that, U.S. citizens from several states have been victimized by criminal actors impersonating the victims and using the victims stolen identities to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance claims online.

If anyone receives a debit card or correspondence on the unemployment claims they have not initiated, they are instructed to call IDES immediately at 1-800-814-0513. When prompted, select the English or Spanish language option, then select option 1 for claimants and option, followed by 5 to report identity theft.

But Bryant said callers to that line are experiencing the same issues as other claimants  long delays on the phone lines, which take information through an automated process and schedule a callback for the claimant or person reporting fraud. Often those callbacks dont happen for several days, according to reports.

Multiple readers reached out to Capitol News Illinois reporting delays when they tried to call to rectify fraud or file claims. Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, said his mother-in-law, who recently passed away, received a fraudulent debit card in her name on the day of her funeral.

So as instructed, like every other Illinois citizen, I called the Illinois Department of Employment Security, he said. That was July 13, 2020  11 days ago. I'm still waiting for a call back. I left a message; I left information. I have not heard from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, called for hearings as well.

I want to start with hearings, in public, where we can question agency officials and get to the bottom of the failed response, and the data breach and fraud, and make sure something like this can never happen again in Illinois, Butler said.

Meanwhile, the states seven-day rolling positivity rate for COVID-19 tests remained at 3.4% Friday after four days of increasing. The 1,532 new cases reported were among 44,330 test results reported, making for a one-day positivity rate of 3.5%.

Hospitalizations remained roughly level near their pandemic lows, with 1,471 COVID-19-positive patients in hospital beds, including 325 in intensive care unit beds and 115 on ventilators.

The state announced an additional 19 deaths, bringing the total casualties since the pandemic began to 7,385 among 168,457 confirmed cases. More than 2.4 million tests have been conducted.

10 ways Illinois schools could look different this fall
Israel's military chief of staff visited the country's northern border on Saturday after a tensions in the area between Lebanon and Syria.

Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi was seen in briefings with officers and soldiers in a video from the Israeli military.

The visit comes after the Israeli military said its attack helicopters struck several positions of the Syrian army on Friday in response to unspecified munitions that were fired on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The targets in southern Syria included observation posts and intelligence collection systems, according to a statement from the military.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate for the killing of its fighters in Syria, leading to Israel sending infantry reinforcements to its northern border with Lebanon in recent days.

Also on Friday, the Israeli military said an explosion on the Syrian side of the frontier damaged a building and a vehicle in the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed, but they declined to provide further details.

(Representative Image)
The Rajasthan government has addressed governor Kalraj Mishras queries on the urgent need for holding a special session of the assembly and requested him to convene the House on July 31, Congress functionaries aware of the developments said on Saturday, a day after legislators supporting chief minister Ashok Gehlot staged a five-hour demonstration at Raj Bhavan to push for their demand for a special sitting.

Raising the pitch in the midst of a political crisis, Gehlot told MLAs at a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting that he was ready to knock at the doors of the Presidents House and protest outside the Prime Ministers residence in the national capital to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s conspiracy to topple his government, according to the Congress functionaries who did not want to named.

A letter by the Congress sent to Mishra stressed that the governor had to go by the aid and advice of the council of ministers on convening, proroguing or dissolving the House and that he cannot dictate procedures of the House, which was in the domain of the speaker, said the people aware of the developments.

Mishra was yet to take a final call on convening the session till late Saturday night. Officials in his office, who did not want to be named, said a considered view was being taken on the fresh proposal and a decision will be announced at an appropriate time.

The fresh proposal has been prepared with keeping legalities and provisions in mind, and approved by the cabinet before it was sent to Raj Bhavan, a minister in the Gehlot government said, a day after Mishra sought to know the emergency for summoning the session and its agenda.

Facing protests by legislators backing Gehlot, Mishra, who was in the BJP before becoming the governor, also asked why the chief minister was pushing for a floor test even though no one had put forth such a demand and how the government was planning to protect the MLAs in the backdrop of the Covid-19 outbreak.

We have proposed calling the session from July 31, giving sufficient time for MLAs to reach and attend the assembly. The governor is also informed of the important bills and business to be tabled in house, the minister quoted above said. He added that the Rajasthan Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020, notified in May for strict enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions, also needed to be tabled in the House.

Rajasthan is facing a political crisis due to a rebellion by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and a section of legislators backing him. The Gehlot camp, which is confident of its numbers and feels a floor test may be its best bet to end the political crisis, says the governor is delaying convening a session due to pressure from the BJP-led central government. Mishra denies the charge and says he will follow constitutional norms to convene the House.

He had queries. We have replied to them, a second minister. The proposal has been submitted after consultation with the speaker, he said.

The draft proposal was prepared at a cabinet meeting that began at 10pm on Friday night and stretched to 1am, Congress functionaries said. It was finalised at another cabinet meeting later on Saturday.

According to the law laid down by the Supreme Court, the governor notifies the holding of a session on the recommendation of the council of ministers.

Former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam said normally, as per the Constitution, the advice of the council of ministers is binding on the governor, but when there is a dispute about issues such as the number of lawmakers supporting a chief minister, then it is a special case.

The governor can exercise his discretion. He can then summon MLAs to Raj Bhavan [governors house], make inquiries, and have discussions with various MLA groups, etc. So the general rule that the governor is bound by aid and advice of the council of ministers might not be relevant in the Rajasthan matter, said Sathasivam, who has also served as Kerala governor.

Earlier in the day, a CLP meeting was held at a luxury hotel on the Jaipur-Delhi highway, where MLAs backing Gehlot have been camping since July 13. We will not let the BJP conspiracy to succeed. If required, we will go to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and stage dharna; if necessary, we will protest outside the PMs house, a senior Congress leader quoted CM Gehlot as saying. This fight is to save democracy.

Congress general secretary Avinash Pande said the high command made efforts so that members can freely talk about issues if they had complaints. ...but unfortunately, they became puppet in the hands of BJP and I dont think that there return is possible from there, he said, apparently referring to the Pilot camp.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala praised the unity and collectiveness shown by the MLAs at Fridays demonstration. ...in the future, it will be remembered how 102 people together defeated those who were trying to crush the Constitution, he said.

The BJP denies the Congresss claim that it is behind the Rajasthan turmoil and says the crisis was triggered by an internal feud in the Congress. Pilot, for his part, says he has no plans of joining the BJP.

Gehlot has the support of 101 members (though this does not include speaker CP Joshi). Pilot has 18 other Congress MLAs and three independents in his camp, taking his tally to 22. The BJP and its ally Rashtriya Loktrantrik Party have 75 seats. Bhanwarlal Meghwal, one Congress MLA said to be close to Pilot, is indisposed. If Pilots tally is added to that of the opposition alliance, it takes their number up to 97. A three-member swing from the Gehlot camp to the Pilot camp or to the BJP could lead to the government falling in the event of a floor test.

Meanwhile, a delegation of 15 BJP leaders, including state party president Satish Poonia and MLAs from Jaipur City, met the governor in the evening and expressed displeasure at chief minister Gehlots Friday remarks that the people of the state could gherao Raj Bhavan if the Mishra did not convene a session.

The pressure on the governor to get a decision in their favour is a derogatory attempt to threaten constitutional institutions, they said in a memorandum that was shared with the media.
Jose Felan Jr., left, and his wife Mena Dyaha Yousif, in file photographs. The couple is accused of setting fires in St. Paul, Minn., during riots in the wake of George Floyd's death before going on the lam. (U.S. Marshals Service)

Man Lied to Police to Help Arsonists Evade Arrest: Police

A Texas man was charged after lying to law enforcement to help arsonists evade arrest, according to a criminal complaint.

Jose Felan Jr. and Mena Yousif, a Minnesota couple, are on the lam. Authorities said Felan Jr., a felon, was captured on video setting fires during riots in the Twin Cities in the wake of George Floyds death. Yousif is accused of helping set at least one fire, at a Goodwill, and helping Felan evade police.

Authorities believe the couple traveled south, possibly to Mexico.

Yousif, who appears to be noticeably pregnant, is known to have worn a range of disguises while on the run, including wigs, hair extensions, hats, and the absence of a hijab.

According to the complaint, 29-year-old Leeroy Felan, Felan Jr.s brother, provided false information to federal law enforcement officers to try to stymie the investigation and arrest of his sibling and his sister-in-law.

Felan is also accused of transporting Felan Jr. and Yousif to try to prevent them from being arrested.

Jose Felan Jr. and his wife Mena Dyaha Yousif in file photographs. (U.S. Marshals Service)

Jose Felan Jr. and his wife Mena Dyaha Yousif in file photographs. (U.S. Marshals Service)

Felan was on supervised release stemming from a 2015 conviction of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. He is being held until a preliminary hearing on July 31.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Felan Jr. and Yousif is urged to contact the authorities at 877-926-8332 or through the U.S. Marshals Service reporting application.

The reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspects was increased to $20,000 last month.

These two have evaded law enforcement for a couple weeks now and we are hoping the increased reward will encourage those who know these individuals whereabouts to come forward, said William Henderson, special agent in charge of the St. Paul Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said at the time.

We are pleased to be working in close coordination with the Marshals on this case. Were confident with their help well be able to bring these two to justice.

U.S. Marshal Mona Dohman of the District of Minnesota added: We are calling on anyone with information on the whereabouts of Felan and Yousif to contact us immediately.
Committed to the Cause: Working on the Frontline to End Human Trafficking

 UNODC



Ministry  Labour Inspection

Mauricio Fagundes,

Head of the Division of Inspection for the Eradication of Slave Labour (DETRAE), Brazil

I am a labour inspector and the operational coordinator of the Special Mobile Inspection Group which rescues workers from slave-like conditions and human trafficking throughout Brazil.

We also provide evidence for the prosecution of these crimes and inform relevant partners, including government entities, NGOs and other stakeholders, about modern slavery and human trafficking.

I have worked in public service all my life. In the past six years I have been a labour inspector and have focused on combating forced labour and human trafficking.

My work is very rewarding as it allows me to engage in public service in its purest sense: helping those in need, changing social reality in Brazil, and promoting decent work.

I have been able to give some dignity back to thousands of workers.

I am proud to be part of the Special Mobile Inspection Group, which has been successfully rescuing victims of human rights violations and restoring labour rights for 25 years.

UNODC has supported the Mobile Group since 2018, including through the Global Action Against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (Glo.Act) and now with the Track4TIP initiative which helps transforming alerts into criminal justice responses to combat trafficking.

Despite COVID-19, this year alone we carried out 45 operations and rescued 231 victims of slave labour, many of whom were also victims of human trafficking.
The idea of the customizable blank cabinet came from our fans and we continue to listen to the feedback from our amazing community

iiRcade Inc., the ultimate connected arcade machine that allows gamers of all ages to own and play their favorite retro and modern arcade games at home, is pleased to announce iiRcade Black, the premium edition with a blank customizable black cabinet, is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter.

iiRcade Black will be available in bartop or full-size mode starting at $399 and will feature authentic Sanwa joysticks along with 128GB of memory and a blank customizable black cabinet.

The idea of the customizable blank cabinet came from our fans and we continue to listen to the feedback from our amazing community, said Jong Shin, founder & CEO of iiRcade. I look forward to seeing pictures on social media of how the iiRcade community has customized their own iiRcade Black.

Backers of the iiRcade Black will also receive officially licensed Double Dragon stickers as a free pre-order gift, allowing them to customize their iiRcade however they like.

As a pre-order gift, were including Double Dragon stickers, so gamers can decorate their cabinet as Double Dragon if they want, said Shin.

Originally release as an arcade title in Japan in 1987, Double Dragon is considered to be one of the first successful game of the genre, resulting in the creation of several spinoffs, as well as inspiring other companies in creating their own beat em ups. The series follows martial arts brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee as they battle various rivals and street gangs.

The popular new home arcade system has raised over $485,000 and counting on Kickstarter, with 200 licensed modern and retro games, both online and offline, available in the iiRcade game store at launch.

iiRcade is currently live on Kickstarter with special low pricing available until August 7. The ultimate home arcade machine provides gamers with their favorite officially licensed modern and retro games. Unlike other arcade devices, iiRcade is not limited to a few pre-loaded games, new games can be purchased and downloaded via the online game store and software upgrades will be made available to the platform.

For more information and to pre-order iiRcade, visit iiRcades page on https://www.iircade.com/. Kickstarter.

About iiRcade

iiRcade is the ultimate connected arcade product for your home. Created by gamers for gamers, iiRcade integrates solutions that us gamers have always dreamed of. Immersive arcade gaming for home, legally licensed games with the real arcade experiences that we grew up with, not having to purchase more cabinets every time we want a new arcade game, small enough for homes yet big enough for comfortable game playing, never-before-seen experiences, affordable arcade gaming. iiRcade solves all these problems and provides the ultimate arcade solution that enables anyone to own the entire arcade at home.
Intercepting Iran's Airliner Elicits Questions By Public, Threats By Officials

Radio Farda July 24, 2020

Controversy surrounding reports of an Iranian airliner being intercepted by U.S. fighter jets over Syria on Thursday, 23 July continued on Friday with many questions raised that have yet to be answered.

Some of the questions asked include: Have the Iranians tried to provoke U.S. forces by flying over their base in Tanf at the border with Jordan?

If the Mahan Airline plane headed to Damascus or Beirut was on a routine flight from Tehran why did U.S. forces choose to intercept it? Certainly, Mahan airlines must be conducting other flights, at least to Syria. Why did U.S. forces feel the need to make a visual identification of this particular flight?

Having regard to Mahan Air's background and its links to the Revolutionary Guard, did U.S. forces have possible information that a military or a Hezbollah figure was on board the plane?

Did they suspect the passenger aircraft was carrying weapons and ammunition, as Mahan Air has a track record of doing that?

Hasn't the Beirut airport been closed for some time? Why and how did the aircraft land in that airport?

Why Syria's flight control did not direct the aircraft to land in Damascus where it was possibly supposed to land in the first place? Although there were initial reports by Iranian sources that the plane first landed in Damascus, there has been no official statement about its initial destination or a landing in Damascus.

The pilot of the airliner told Iranian media that he got so scared he suddenly reduced altitude and some passengers were injured. Iranian journalists said to be on board immediately produced films of injured passengers.

An Iranian activist in the Netherlands, Ammar Maleki said in a tweet that the plane was probably carrying weapons or terrorists on board and that is why the pilot panicked as soon as he saw the U.S. jets and maneuvered to land at once.

Why there were Iranian State TV reporters on board, ready to report the incident? Wasn't this a pre-planned provocation to overshadow the case of the downing of a Ukrainian airliner by the IRGC? The case of the Ukraine airliner is once again in media spotlight as its flight voice recorder was read and handed over to Iran which is still silent about the matter while Ukraine's officials say they have access to evidence that proves "interference" with the flight.

On the other side of the story, the U.S. military says it was a routine inspection carried out within a safe distance according to international standards: "The visual inspection occurred to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at Tanf garrison," U.S. Central Command spokesman Bill Urban said. "Once the F-15 pilot identified the aircraft as a Mahan Air passenger plane, the F-15 safely opened distance from the aircraft."

Foreign Policy Analyst Jason Brodsky, who is Policy Director at the United Against Nuclear Iran, highlighted the controversy and conflicting remarks about the cause of the incident in a tweet saying that "Iran says US jet came within 100 meters of the Mahan Air flight, whereas US is saying its jets flew within roughly, 1,000 meters," adding that according to Mehr news agency, Iran is waiting for radar transmission data to come in from Syria.

During the past year, Israel and the United States have accused Mahan Air of shipping weapons and fighters to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran-linked groups in Syria and the region. The United States imposed sanctions on Mahan Air in 2011. But it is not only accusations. In interviews with Iran's state-owned television and IRGC-linked media outlets, Mahan Air pilots at different times have spoken about how they breached passenger airliners' safety standards during flights to Syria and Yemen.

On a recent occasion, a Mahan Air pilot told an IRGC-linked website in Tehran that he once carried seven tons of "prohibited cargo" to Syria in 2013 with former Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani also on board. Amir Assadollahi, the Mahan Air pilot, says he carried the prohibited cargo, most probably weapons and ammunitions on board a passenger aircraft with some 200 people onboard. He added that the pilots hid Soleimani in the cockpit during inspections in Iraq as he was dressed as a flight engineer.

On Friday, Iran lodged a complaint with the Civil Aviation Organization about the case. Iran's UN envoy Takht Ravanchi said the previous day that he would file a complaint with the UN later.

In the meantime, some Iranian officials tweeted threats against foreign leaders. Presidential adviser Hesamoddin Ashna tweeted: "If you like your leaders' you wouldn't play with the lives of our passengers!"

An Iranian twitter user wrote that this is a death threat against Trump or Netanyahu.

Iranian lawmaker Ardeshir Motahhari also threatened that "those who threaten Iranian airliners should wait for Iran's hard revenge where and when we decide."

On the other hand, another Iranian twitter user, posted a map of U.S. bases surrounding Iran and asked: "Where could our airliners fly to avoid U.S. bases?"

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/intercepting- iran-s-airliner-elicits-questions-by-public- threats-by-officials/30745375.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Papi Rob Hanover blazed his way to the $375,000 final of the Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids, establishing a new world record of 1:47.1 for a three-year-old colt on a five-eighths mile track in his $25,000 Adios elimination on Saturday (July 25) at The Meadows. Also winning eliminations were The Greek Freak and Catch The Fire.

Joining the three winners in the Aug. 1 final are Later Dudes, Chief Mate, No Lou Zing, Sweet Truth, Capt Midnight and Elver Hanover. Connections of the elimination winners will choose their post positions Tuesday, with their order of selection determined by random draw. All other post positions will be randomly drawn.

The Adios Day card is a blockbuster, featuring two Grand Circuit stakes in addition to the Adios as well as Pennsylvania Sires Stake and PA Stallion Series action.

The Meadowlands Pace runner-up, Papi Rob Hanover was comfortably in front after quarter-poling to the point for David Miller following Captain Barbossa's unrealistic :25.3 opening panel. The son of Somebeachsomewhere-Panera Hanover reached the half in :53.3 and three-quarters in 1:20.3, but he wasn't done yet, clicking off the final panel in :26.3. More than 10 lengths back was Sweet Truth, second placed third for a pylon violation, while No Lou Zing was elevated to second.

Brett Pelling, who trains Papi Rob Hanover for David McDuffee, said he wasn't concerned that the swift mile might leave him short next week.

"He came out of the Meadowlands Pace great, and he proves he needs to race. He just needs more racing," Pelling said. "Every race has been better than the one before, so he's on the right track.

"Could he bounce off that? He's a big, strong horse. Nothing's ever knocked him around yet, so he'll be fine."

The time knocked a tick from Betting Line's previous world record set in 2016 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. In addition, the mile is the fastest ever paced at The Meadows, lowering Bolt The Duer's former standard of 1:47.4.

Catch The Fire endured a demanding opening panel -- 26.2 while wide -- and held on gamely to score in a career best 1:49.3 for Mike Wilder, trainer John Ackley and owner CT Stables. Capt Midnight was a head back in second, with Elver Hanover third.

"He could have been fourth or fifth in the Meadowlands Pace final, but we got hung up at the top of the lane," Wilder said. "When you're going miles in 1:47, you can't get stopped. Today I wanted to make my own luck. He showed up like he always does."

After a brief skirmish for the lead, The Greek Freak controlled the mile and earned his berth in the final with a 1:49.4 win, fastest of his career and his fourth straight victory. His job was made a touch easier by the break of the pocket-sitting Sandbetweenmytoes as the field straightened for home. Later Dudes was second, beaten half a length, while Chief Mate completed the ticket.

"He's getting better every start," said winning driver Matt Kakaley. "He was really, really good again today. We got an easy second quarter. That's what we wanted to do, save some for next week. I'm really happy with him and looking forward to next week."

Ron Burke conditions the Captaintreacherous-Thirty X gelding for Burke Racing Stable, Piatt Racing, J&T Silva-Purnel&Libby, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.

(MSOA)
In the unclouded months following their fairytale wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex enjoyed blanket adulation.

Everywhere they travelled  from the four corners of the British Isles to Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji  a joyous welcome awaited.

But according to the biography Finding Freedom, basking in such goodwill wasnt sufficient for the Sussexes. To many, what they did want seemed unclear and their goals rather ill-formed.

In the unclouded months following their fairytale wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex enjoyed blanket adulation

Back in mid-2018, when the Queen showed Meghan the Royal ropes on a visit to Cheshire, the mood was still upbeat

Back in mid-2018, when the Queen showed Meghan the Royal ropes on a visit to Cheshire, the mood was still upbeat. Asked by a well-wisher that day how she had found her first month as a married Royal, the Duchess simply declared: Wonderful.

The biography suggests this halcyon phase did not last long.

Increasingly Harry had grown frustrated that he and Meghan often took a back seat to other family members, it suggests. While they both respected the hierarchy of the institution, it was difficult when they wanted to focus on a project and were told that a more senior ranking family member, be it Prince William or Prince Charles, had an initiative or tour being announced at the same time  so they would just have to wait.

Instead of taking this at face value  Harry was after all sixth in line to the throne  the book claims that the couple believed they were being held back, their wings clipped.

Yet hadnt they taken the Royal Family, as the biography suggests, to new heights around the world and made it more relatable to those who had never previously been interested?

In fact, according to the authors of Finding Freedom, the couple mused that they deserved better, that this wasnt a matter of hierarchy, but evidence of darker forces at work.

As their popularity grew, so too did their sense of entitlement. Never mind King-in-waiting Charles or William and Kate, the Sussexes were the biggest stars now, so why werent they getting top billing? This question, posed in the book, perhaps goes to the heart of their sense of grievance, and grievance is never far from the story woven by authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.

Critics will argue that however much they railed against the perceived injustices, Harry and Meghan werent starring in a Hollywood movie or TV drama but a much longer running show called the Monarchy, with its own time-honoured traditions: duty and tradition chief among them.

A strong sense of hierarchy, of course, is also expected.

They would add that soon after marrying, rather than being observant of the Monarchys strictures  knowing their place as some bluntly put it  the couple got above themselves; that they took a holier than thou attitude.

Certainly, according to the book, this was the belief of some senior Palace courtiers, the men in grey suits as Princess Diana had called them. Harry and Meghan are said to have given this old guard a new name: the vipers. The couple could not, say Mr Scobie and Ms Durand, understand why so few inside the Palace were protecting their interests. They were a major draw for the Royal Family but the book claims some courtiers tried to bring them to heel.

The Prince felt that officials simply didnt like Meghan and would stop at nothing to make her life difficult.

Change doesnt happen overnight in the Royal Family. It prefers gentle tinkering to radical modernisation. But Harry and Meghan wanted to move fast.

One way of bypassing protocols and striking back was through their website, sussexroyal.com, which they harnessed as a PR weapon, using it to issue stinging pronouncements both before and after Megxit.

Their statement on their reasons for stepping down caused shockwaves. The aides, including the Queens private secretary, Edward Young, were furious, says the book.

The private offices dont like that type of behaviour, a source familiar with the negotiations said. It is deeply unhealthy and unwelcome.

But it was the Queen and Prince Philips devastated reaction that surprised Harry and Meghan most.

An aide quoted in the book said: The Sussexes were very happy when they sent out the statement. They felt they had got back some sort of control.

Was this what she [Meghan] wanted right from the start? But at what price? They deeply wounded the family.

Even the books authors acknowledge this was a mis-step.

More unsettling, however, was the reaction from the family to the website they had launched, says the biography.

A senior member of the household told the authors: The element of surprise, the blindsiding of the Queen, for the other principals who are all very mindful of this, rightfully, it was deeply upsetting. Elsewhere the book notes: Even sources close to Harry and Meghan had to admit that the way the couple were forced to approach the situation (mainly in the act of keeping the family and their team in the dark about their website) created a lot of ill-will in the household and especially in the family.

A growing sense of what resembled paranoia enhanced the couples sense of isolation. And to the dismay of the Palace, they chose to consult less widely.

Not that they were in any way receptive to advice. A Palace insider told The Mail on Sunday: The idea that anyone could tell the Duke and Duchess of Sussex what to do is just laughable.

They wanted to have all the Royal perks and privileges, yet be able to use that to earn millions of dollars with no oversight. That was never going to be possible.

Now they blame the institution and cry, We were left with no choice, poor us. Its risible.

Before their move abroad, initially to Canada, the couple were emotionally exhausted, according to the book. Such was his sensitivity to criticism, Harry even complained about comments made beneath articles about the couple.

He regretted opening the link to one which said: The world would be a better place without Harry and Meghan in it.

His stomach tied into the same knot every time he saw these sorts of comment, says the book.

But it wasnt just online trolls persecuting Harry. Enemies within the Palace could be just as nasty.

Barely a week went by without an aspect of their internal affairs or matters of private discussions being twisted and leaked to the press, the authors claim. They felt as though there were very few members of the Palace staff they could trust. Before leaving the UK, Harry pressed his case for change to the Queen, his father and a number of key aides.

He felt at once used for their [Harry and Meghans] popularity, hounded by the press because of the publics fascination with this new breed of Royal couple, and disparaged back within the institutions walls for being too sensitive and outspoken, claims the book.

It also reveals that Harry and Meghan had initially wanted to create their own individual household in Windsor, where they lived in Frogmore Cottage, after they separated from Kensington Palace.

But senior officials quickly ruled out that option, saying they had to operate under the Buckingham Palace umbrella.

This led the couple to feel increasingly bitter that they were being forced to take a back seat to senior family members such as Charles and William.

For months the couple tried to air these frustrations but, they claim, the conversations didnt lead anywhere  which is why Harry was so determined to sort the matter once and for all when he and Meghan returned to the UK after their working holiday to Canada after Christmas.

The new biography claims: Everyone had their chance to help but no one did.

To the couple, persecution manifested itself in all sorts of ways. They were offended when they and baby Archie were left out of the family photos displayed during the Queens Speech on Christmas Day.

Palace sources explained that the photos were chosen to represent the line of succession, but this didnt wash with the Sussexes.

The book claims it was another sign that they needed to consider their own path.

Elsewhere the book claims: Harry felt as though he and Meghan had long been sidelined by the institution and were not a fundamental part of its future.

It quotes a source as saying: He feels that there were so many occasions when the institution and his family could have helped them, stood up for them, backed them up, and never did.

Meghan told friends that Harry losing his honorary military appointments was difficult for him

The book, as reported in The Times, addresses reports that Harry was also angered by the suggestion that Meghan was solely responsible for their decision to quit Royal life. It said it was something he had always hankered after but that Meghan simply opened the door for him.

As for his wife, she tearfully told a friend in March: I gave up my entire life for this family. I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. Its very sad.

While she suffered, so too did Harry. For him the most demoralising aspect of the Megxit deal was being stripped of his honorary military appointments.

Once again it was, believe the couple, all so terribly unfair, and they reportedly regarded it as a tough pill to swallow and one that has been most painful for Meghan to witness Harry having to go through.

Its the one that made Harry emotional, said a source.

Speaking about the military appointments, Meghan later told a friend: It was so unnecessary. And its not just taking something away from him  its also that entire military veteran community.

You can see how much he means to them, too. So why? The powers [of the institution] are unfortunately greater than me.

The book goes on: While the hours crept closer to the couples final day as working Royals on March 31, Harry and Meghan continued working. Commitments that had been made long before their January announcement still needed to be carried out, and for both of them, it was important not to let anyone down. Plus, they were at their best when they were busy.

Royalty as an institution has survived by being more than the sum of its parts, by letting actions do the talking.

This week a new ITV television documentary celebrates the 70th birthday of that most unstuffy of royals, Princess Anne. She says: People talk about being trained to become a member of the Royal Family. Im sorry to disappoint you, but there is no such thing, its just learning by experience. But hardly ever does anything go quite according to plan. You have to learn that.

Harry and Meghan would do well to tune in.
The large George Floyd mural painted on plywood in front of Wheelhouse Salon has been donated to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Salon owner Johnny Grimes had Shane B. of Mammoth Murals paint the image of George Floyd and the words Bham Strong on the plywood placed where the stores windows once were.

The store windows were broken out the night of May 31 when protests turned to riots in downtown Birmingham.

The morning of June 1, Grimes told AL.com the items stolen can be replaced. George Floyds life cant.

Its frustrating but I can sympathize with what the African-American community is going through. I just hope something positive comes out if it. I hope it sparks a national conversation, Grimes said.

With that hope in mind, Grimes had the mural donated to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. BCRI officials confirmed the mural had been donated, but have not announced official plans for how the mural will be preserved or displayed.

Grimes said he hopes the mural can be used to create more conversations.

There are two main reasons why we got the mural up. One is because we didnt want the conversation to revolve around rioting and looting. We wanted the conversation to be about the movement, racial reconciliation and racial equality in society. We didnt want it focusing on broken windows and looting. That doesnt represent the movement or Birmingham and the African American community. That was just bad people doing bad things. We need to keep the focus on whats important, Grimes said about why he commissioned the mural.

Since the mural was completed, Grimes said hes had hundreds of meaningful conversations with people on the front steps of his salon.

It was a deeply meaningful experience and a learning experience for us too. It was great to create something that I think is impactful and that as a group gave us an opportunity to sit back and listen and learn, he said.
As the novel coronavirus pandemic reshapes lives and entire economies, historians tell us this is not the first time. The earliest written records of tiny infectious organisms overhauling human societies stretch back as far as the Plague of Justinian in A.D. 541, which is thought to have killed up to 50 million people, or even the earlier Antonine Plague in A.D. 165, which left 5 million dead, a substantial portion of the world then.

Now, paleogenomics - a nascent field that studies DNA in remnants of ancient teeth - is rewriting the first chapter of humanity's entanglement with disease to thousands of years older than originally thought. The growing evidence suggests that these first epidemics forced societies to make epoch-defining transformations.

"In the case of covid-19 [the disease caused by the coronavirus], we see similar processes, but we are watching it unfold in real time," said Anne Stone, regents professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University, whose focus is anthropological genetics. She also has studied evidence of tuberculosis in ancient DNA.

Paleogenomics, which adapts high-end medical tools similar to some now being used to track the coronavirus, has amounted to a "revolution" in understanding disease history, says Maria Spyrou, a microbiologist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany.

"This is one of the things that we can now start saying," said Spyrou, adding that where historical records are lacking, DNA evidence offers the possibility of filling in gaps, sometimes in surprising ways.

"One of them is plague," Spyrou said. "Until 2015, we thought that plague was maybe a 3,000-year-old disease."

Scientists and archaeologists now believe, however, that the plague bacteria, which caused the medieval Black Death that killed up to half of Europe's population, infected humans roughly 5,000 years ago in the Stone Age. The bacteria, after it had entered the bloodstream and likely killed the host, circulated into the pulp chamber of teeth, which kept its DNA insulated from millennia of environmental wear and tear. In the past decade, scientists have been able to extract and analyze that DNA.

The Stone Age plague was, however, an ancestor with a slightly different genetic identity. Tracking how those differences evolve helps infectious-disease biologists better understand what causes disease and how to prepare for current outbreaks. The plague bacteria in the Stone Age, for example, lacked the genes necessary to jump from fleas to humans, which likely spread the Black Death widely.

Without the flea gene, the disease probably used another animal transmitter that came into contact with humans. In 2018, a University of Copenhagen team published the first evidence, based on early data three years before, that the ancient plague bacteria, found in a Swedish settlement, had the power to kill and may have threatened life in the age's "mega-settlements" that could spread diseases quickly.

"It probably was the first pandemic," said Simon Rasmussen, a genomicist at the university and lead researcher on the plague study. In the Stone Age, also called the Neolithic period, humans made unprecedented moves to gather in large settlements with up to 10,000 people in close quarters with animals and virtually no sanitation. "It's the textbook place of where you could have a new pathogen," he said.

Paleogenomics has also allowed archaeologists to fill in one of the biggest silences in the archaeological record: disease. Pathogens rarely leave traces on bones, and populations without writing could die out without any readable record of the cause. With the ability to read traces of DNA preserved in teeth, historians are learning about the organisms inside ancient humans.

Kristian Kristiansen, a University of Copenhagen archaeologist and a co-author of the plague study, believes his group's research illuminates the causes of a Stone Age demographic transformation, called the Neolithic decline, which archaeologists have long studied.

Settlements at the time were disappearing faster than they were appearing, and within a few hundred years, most of the population had been replaced by migrants from the Eurasian Steppe. Researchers had only ever hypothesized that disease may have played a role in crippling the native population before it was overtaken, but now they have evidence, Kristiansen says.

"The steppe migrations would not have succeeded without the plague . . . and [those living in what is now Europe] would not all have spoken Indo-European languages," Kristiansen said. "Later prehistory has been turned upside down to say the least."

In 2018, a paleogenomics team analyzed ancient teeth from Neolithic sites in present-day Germany and discovered the hepatitis B virus stretched back at least 7,000 years. Another study the same year extended our knowledge of the history of parvovirus B19 from a few hundred years to 6,900 years. Parvovirus B19 causes a mild rash in humans and leads to outbreaks in the United States every few years

In February, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published evidence that types of Salmonella bacteria, which sicken about a million people in the United States every year, were afflicting humans 6,500 years ago. Microbiologist Felix Key identified Salmonella DNA in teeth recovered from burial sites near the Volga River in present-day Russia, where archaeological evidence has shown that humans began to abandon foraging for pastoral living. The Salmonella DNA in their teeth is the first evidence, Key says, that the adoption of this lifestyle in close contact with animals may have introduced pathogens to humans.

"This ancient DNA could give us the means to prove or disprove the hypothesis that the Neolithic revolution was the major event for introducing diseases into humans," said Key, who is now at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. "My hunch is that it did facilitate the disease, because humans and animals were co-housed."

Like many paleogenomicists, Key uses dentist tools and dons what looks like a hazmat suit that blocks possible DNA contamination from teeth recovered from settlements thousands of years older than the Roman Empire.

New methods of extracting DNA that were developed for medical purposes have made paleogenomics possible in the past decade. After using dentist tools to recover and pulverize material locked inside a tooth, molecular biologists use a technique called "shotgun sequencing" to extract all genetic material without needing to know what to look for. Decrypting the data then requires that bioinformatic specialists can match the genetic identities to known pathogens. As the disease database grows, it becomes easier to identify signals from noise. Archaeologists then have the task of putting human disease into historical context.

The process is expensive, and it's dominated by labs in Europe with equipment and funding. Conducting a complete survey of teeth can cost upward of $1 million. That depends, still, on a team's good fortune in finding enough ancient teeth that have experienced the right conditions over millennia to preserve pathogen DNA. In the study of the Salmonella bacteria, Key's team analyzed 3,000 samples and found just eight with preserved Salmonella bacteria.

Rasmussen, of the Copenhagen plague study, said that, while he is fairly certain his team's evidence describes the oldest human pandemic, more DNA samples must be found and analyzed. The DNA used in his study come from just one small settlement in the area of modern-day Sweden. To prove a pandemic, Rasmussen said, scientists will need to find DNA evidence in some larger sites - in other parts of Europe.

Even so, Stone said, paleogenomics has shown that humans have been in "an arms race with pathogens" for thousands of years.

"Periodically, pathogens jump into humans," she said, "and it's really easy to become complacent when you don't happen to have a pathogen affecting large segments of your population at the moment. But you let those resources go at your peril, which we're seeing right now."
Chechen Leader Kadyrov Announces 'Sanctions' On U.S. Secretary Of State

By RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service July 24, 2020

GROZNY, Russia -- Ramzan Kadyrov, the authoritarian leader of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, has declared "sanctions" against U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo.

Kadyrov said at a government meeting that was broadcast late on July 23 by Chechnya's major state television channel that he was rescinding an invitation to Pompeo to visit Chechnya, which he had previously announced online.

"I announce that [Pompeo] will be included in all the sanctions that we have in the republic, to the extent of blocking all his accounts. They did the same against me," Kadyrov said at a government meeting that was broadcast late on July 23 by Chechnya's major state television channel.

The announcement comes three days after the United States levied additional targeted sanctions against Kadyrov, his wife, and his two daughters because of "his involvement in gross violations of human rights."

Washington had already imposed multiple layers of sanctions against Kadyrov and some of his associates in Chechnya.

A former Chechen militant who fought against Russian forces in the first Chechen war, Kadyrov has been accused by Russian and international rights activists of numerous human rights violations, including torture, kidnapping, disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and the assassination of personal and political enemies both in Russia and abroad.

On July 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Kadyrov the rank of military major general.

Kremlin critics say Putin has turned a blind eye to the alleged abuses and violations of the country's constitution by Kadyrov because he relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya, the site of two devastating post-Soviet wars and an Islamist insurgency that spread to other mostly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/chechen-leader- kadyrov-announces-sanctions-on-u-s-secretary -of-state/30744999.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Finished bundles of ties sit in boxes as seamstresses work in the workshop of the "E. Marinella" shirt and tie makers familybusiness in Naples

Film star Marcello Mastroianni, John F. Kennedy, even Prince Charles -- all have donned handmade ties from one shop in Naples so famed for its artisanal finery some devotees boast thousands.

The painstaking needlework cannot be rushed, despite demand for E. Marinella ties usually far outstripping production.

In Naples, the tiny shop near the sea remains much as it was when it opened in 1914, with its wood-framed windows, chandelier, and counter where the red, blue, polka dot or diamond-patterned ties are displayed.

Maurizio Marinella, 64, who is the third generation to head up the company, says his family's success in the southern Italian city, which struggles with poverty and unemployment, was "a kind of miracle".

"It all started in 20 square metres in Naples, where everything is a little more difficult than elsewhere," he told AFP.

Maurizio's grandfather Eugenio wanted to create "a little corner of England in Naples" in this city with its view of Mount Vesuvius, offering men's shirts and accessories with fabrics shipped directly across the Channel.

Little by little, however, the tie became Marinella's signature piece.

- 'Maniacal' care for detail -

The silk is still hand-printed in Macclesfield, England, and the ties themselves are sewn by hand in a workshop close to the boutique, which employs 20 seamstresses.

Loyal customer Rudy Girardi has been frequenting the shop since his late teens and now boasts "thousands of Marinella ties", costing from between 130 to 215 euros.

"The tie is fundamental," he says, as a sign of "respect", and he loves Marinella for its "maniacal care for every detail".

He changes his ties several times a day, selecting a colourful one in the morning, something a little more institutional in the afternoon, and an elegant option for upmarket dinners.

Each Marinella tie takes about 45 minutes to make, with ten steps in all, from cutting the silk to doing the stitching, and adding the loop and label.

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"It's precision work, comparable to that of a goldsmith. We work on half-millimetres," says Maria Rosaria Guarino, 60, who has worked for the company for 38 years.

Customers can personalise the length, width or thickness of the ties.

Every day, about 150 ties are produced. But the demand pre-coronavirus crisis was much higher -- as much as double or even triple. And in the three months leading up to Christmas, it could be "as high as 900 ties a day", Marinella said.

The company had ruled out making more, however, saying it would compromise quality. "Each tie is a unique work of art", he says, admitting that "quality is almost an obsession" for him.

Personalities from all over the world have donned the ties, including Chancellor Helmut Kohl -- a "giant for whom we made ties 65 centimetres longer than normal".

- 'Pamper them' -

Almost every day, Sunday included, from 6.30am, Marinella is at the shop to "welcome, pamper the customers, offer them coffee", in the pure Neapolitan tradition.

While the brand had a turnover of 18 million euros in 2019, it is expected to suffer a "significant" drop this year because of the coronavirus epidemic, which forced the shop to close, stopped tourism and saw many formal events cancelled.

The sector has suffered in general, even before the pandemic.

Exports of ties, bow ties and neckties fell by 10 percent between 2015 and 2019, with Chinese products making up 46.5 percent of the market, compared to 13.6 percent for Italy, according to the International Trade Centre (ITC).

Fads are to blame: youngsters have gone off ties, and some big firms and banks have made wearing one optional.

"Fortunately, fashions are cyclical. Lately we've seen a bit of a shift away from street wear to classic fashion, where the tie is the cardinal point," notes 25-year-old Alessandro Marinella, who represents the company's fourth generation.

He wants to shift the house's focus "towards a 'total look', including women's wear", a move begun a few years ago, so that the humble tie now represents less than half the company's turnover -- though all of its reputation.
South Korea on Saturday reported more than 100 new coronavirus cases for the first time in four months while South Africa announced a surge in infections and some U.S. states tightened anti-disease controls.

South Korea's 113 new cases included 36 workers returning from Iraq and 32 crew members of a Russian freighter, the government said. Authorities had warned to expect a spike in cases from abroad and appealed to the public not to be alarmed.

China, which has relaxed most of its anti-disease controls after case numbers dropped off, reported 34 new cases in a new surge of infections. That included 29 that were contracted within the country.

Worldwide, a total of 638,352 deaths and 15,672,841 cases have been reported, according to data compiled from government announcements by Johns Hopkins University.

South Africa, Africa's hardest-hit country, reported more than 13,104 new confirmed cases, raising its total to 408,052. The government has reported 6,093 deaths.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday schools will take a break for a month to protect children. Despite rising infections, restaurant and hospitality workers protested this week, demand a loosening of restrictions on their industries.

India, the country with the third-highest infection total behind the United States and Brazil, reported its death toll rose by 740 to 30,601. The government reported a surge of 49,310 new cases, raising its total to 1,287,945.

The Home Ministry issued an advisory Friday calling for Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 15 to avoid large gatherings.

In the United States, Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi tightened controls on bars to protect young, drunk, careless folks. Bars already were limited to operating at 50% capacity. Now, patrons will have to sit down to order alcohol and sales stop at 11 p.m.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans ordered bars closed and banned restaurants from selling alcoholic drinks to take away. That came after more than 2,000 new cases were reported for the surrounding state of Louisiana, including 103 in New Orleans.

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Arizona reported 89 additional deaths, raising the states fatality total to 3,142. The state reported 3,349 new cases, raising its total to 156,301.

The United States has suffered 145,391 deaths and has 4.1 million confirmed cases.

Millions of Americans who are temporarily out of work face the loss of a $600 weekly supplement to unemployment benefits that is due to end July 31.

Legislators in Washington are negotiating a new relief bill. Democrats in Congress want to renew the $600 supplement. Republicans who control the Senate want to limit benefits to 70% of what people made before the outbreak.

In Australia, Premier Daniel Andrews of the southern state of Victoria announced five deaths and 357 new cases. Victoria, where the death toll has risen to 61, earlier closed its border with neighboring New South Wales.

In Europe, French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced travelers from the United States and 15 other countries where viral circulation is strong must be tested on arrival unless they can show proof of a negative test in the past 72 hours.

Other countries on Frances list range from South Africa, Israel and Qatar to Brazil and Peru.

In Yemen, 97 medical workers have died of the virus, a serious blow to a country with few doctors that is in the midst of a 5-year-old war, the humanitarian group MedGlobal said in a report.

The overwhelming death toll will have immense short-term and long-term health effects, said the reports lead author, Kathleen Fallon.

(AP)
Britons arriving back from Spain will have to quarantine for 14 days - after the government added it to the list of at-risk countries with just a few hours' notice.

It means people arriving back from Spain, the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands from today - and those who have booked a summer holiday there - face the prospect of two weeks in isolation upon returning.

An announcement was made by the Department for Transport on Saturday evening, with the government asking employers to be "understanding" of workers who need to self-isolate.

It may need to follow its own advice after it emerged that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is currently in Spain on holiday. He has said he will stay there for the duration of his break then self-isolate as required.

According to The Sunday Times, Mr Shapps had to dial in from Spain at the weekend to discuss altering the guidance with Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet minister Michael Gove.

The Scottish government lifted its quarantine rules on Spain this week - but says it will now reimpose them.

Northern Ireland and Wales have also followed suit in suspending the so-called "travel corridor".

A UK government spokesperson said: "Following a significant change over the last week in both the level and pace of change in confirmed cases, Spain has been removed from the list of countries where people do not have to self-isolate when arriving into to the UK.

"People currently on holiday in Spain are encouraged to follow the local rules, return home as normal and check the FCO's [The Foreign and Commonwealth Office] travel advice pages on gov.uk for further information."

The spokesperson added: "Protecting public health is our absolute priority and we have taken this decision to limit any potential spread to the UK.

"We've always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country where necessary."

Britons have been advised against all but essential travel to mainland Spain by the FCO.

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Holiday company Tui responded by cancelling all flights to Spain scheduled for Sunday - while British Airways and easyJet said flights would not be immediately affected.

The announcement has caused disappointment among many thousands of holidaymakers.

Chloe Harris, 23, from Kent, booked a last-minute trip to Lanzarote and arrived on the Spanish island on Saturday morning.

She said: "When I heard the news I was quite shocked because I thought they would have given us some warning. Even just some warning that this was something they were going to consider.

"I think a lot of people are going to rush to the airport, but because we are only here for four days, and we only arrived this morning, it doesn't seem worth it."

Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the news would be "deeply concerning for families" currently in Spain or who were planning a trip, and called for ministers to release details explaining how people affected would be supported.

On Friday, Spain logged 922 infections, slightly down from 971 the day before, but officials are tracking more than 280 active outbreaks across the country.

Spain's government has warned it could already be having a "second wave" of the illness, as France, Germany and Belgium all reported steep rises in their number of cases.

But the foreign ministry released a statement following the UK's decision to reimpose quarantine restrictions, saying: "The Spanish government considers that the situation is under control. Outbreaks are localised, isolated and controlled.

"Spain is a safe country. We respect the decisions of the United Kingdom with whose authorities we are in contact."

Spain joins countries such as the US, Portugal, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Iran, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China on England's at-risk list, meaning people returning have to quarantine.

It comes a day after five more countries were added to the list of countries that English holidaymakers could visit without the need to quarantine.

The full list of no-quarantine countries for English holidaymakers is below - while the list of Scottish exemptions can be found here:
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrives in Ayodhya on Saturday (July 25) to review preparations for the 'bhoomi pujan' for the construction of Lord Ram temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi premises.

The Chief Minister offered prayers to Lord Ram at Ram Janmabhoomi site. According to reports, he will today place Laxman, Bharat and Shatrughan on new 'asanas' at the Ram Janambhoomi.

CM Yogi met held meeting with members of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and local administration. He also offered his prayers to Lord Hanuman in Hanuman Garhi.

Ayodhya: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is holding a meeting with the members of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and local administration. pic.twitter.com/WOhbbzSB3v  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 25, 2020

Ayodhya: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offers prayers to Lord Hanuman in Hanuman Garhi. pic.twitter.com/bfhulUdR62  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 25, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5, according to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the president of the temple trust.

For this, five scholars from Varanasi will arrive in Ayodhya, under whose supervision the bhoomi pujan of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple will be performed. The five dignitaries from Varanasi would include three astrologers, two saints.

The scholars will reach Ayodhya on August 4, a day ahead of the bhoomi pujan. They will bring with themselves five silvar 'Bel' leaves, touched by the shivling of Baba Vishwanath, which will have 'Jai Shree Ram' inscribes on it.

The construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya will begin after the ceremony to lay the foundation stone in which CMs of many states, ministers from the union cabinet and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are also likely to participate.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, held its second meeting last week. In March this year, the Ram Lalla idol was shifted to a temporary structure near Manas Bhawan in Ram Janmabhoomi premises till the completion of the construction of Ram temple.

The 'bhoomi poojan' or groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Ram Temple signifies the rightful return of Lord Ram to Janmabhoomi after years of exile.

Ahead of the construction of the Ram Temple, and during 'bhoomi poojan', the plan is to light every temple and house in Ayodhya with diyas and candles to replicate the resemblance of the day Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after spending 14 years in exile.

According to sources not just Ayodhya but an appeal will be made to everyone to light up their households and religious places like temples in their vicinity while taking care to ensure precautions of physical distancing to mark the special occasion.

Sources have also stated that keeping in mind the present situation of COVID-19, around 200 invites are being sent. Senior VHP functionary and secretary-general Milind Parande told ANI that had it not been for COVID-19 spread, the event would have been attended by lakhs and crores of believers.

Priests and saints are set to arrange prayers in respective temples from 10:30 am and the VHP has appealed to people to watch the bhumi pujan ceremony on their respective TV screens, be it auditoriums or halls apart from lighting diyas in their homes in the evening.

According to those who led the fight to restore Ramlalla in its glory and temple as Lord Ram`s birthplace the fight is not years but centuries old. Senior BJP leader LK Advani led a rath yatra in which car sewaks participated to claim the land for Ram temple. It eventually led to destruction of Babri Masjid.

The Supreme Court had on November 9 last year directed the Central Government to hand over the site at Ayodhya for the construction of a Ram temple.

The Prime Minister had on February 5 announced the formation of a trust for construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The 15-member Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has been mandated by the central government to oversee the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
If that isnt a very disturbing, clear signal that we may have a problem, I dont know how much more of a blinking red light you need, he said. Safe, secure, fair, honest elections really is the holy grail of our democracy. If we cant trust that or dont believe in those results, were no better than Russia or China or Venezuela. Were no better than any authoritarian government.

Mr. Trump, who has himself voted by mail before, had no precedent on which to base his remarks about mail-in voting, said Tom Ridge, who served as homeland security secretary in the George W. Bush administration.

I regret that the president would try to undermine the legitimacy and question the outcome of the election based on some hypothetical abuse of absentee ballots with absolutely no basis in history, said Mr. Ridge, a former Republican governor of Pennsylvania and a Trump critic. When you listen to the president, you begin to wonder, is he more  is he worried about the legitimacy of the electoral process, or is he worried about losing?

On Monday, Mr. Biden released one of his sternest warnings to date about foreign interference in the election. He has begun receiving intelligence briefings, he has said, and his advisers are on guard about potential meddling that could unfold in the homestretch of the campaign, as are some congressional Democrats who released a new warning on Monday. This week four years ago, hacked Democratic emails were released into public view. And in July 2018, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton presidential campaign.

I am putting the Kremlin and other foreign governments on notice, Mr. Biden said in the statement. If elected president, I will treat foreign interference in our election as an adversarial act that significantly affects the relationship between the United States and the interfering nations government.

At a fund-raiser that night, he directly linked Mr. Trump to the issue.

He knew full well of Russian involvement in the election in 16, Mr. Biden said, going on to add, Hes done nothing. He sought help. Just like he sought help to get the Ukrainians to say things about me that werent true and got him impeached.

Asked for comment, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, Steve Guest, criticized the Obama administrations record on confronting Russia and said Mr. Biden is making a scurrilous accusation against Mr. Trump.
Armed robbers who attempted to rob a gold buying agent Friday evening at Dompim in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality in the Western Region ended up shooting to death a rubber farmer.

Several others have also been injured in the process.

A source told Citi News this happened when the alleged robbers who were more than five went to a gold buyer at James Town, a suburb of Dompim after 7 pm with the pretence to sell their gold.

Upon reaching her house, the armed robbers then ordered the gold buyer and her household to face down.

One of the hostages, identified as Antobam, in an attempt to escape was shot by the armed robbers.

The gun shot attracted some residents to the scene prompting the escape of the robbers into a nearby forest while they indiscriminately shot to scare away locals from arresting them.

The police came to the crime scene hours later after information reached them. The Tarkwa Nsuaem Divisional Police Commander, ACP Dennis Abade, when contacted told Citi News he was busy with investigations at the crime scene.

---citinewsroom
The paradox is that Oregon is simultaneously begging for federal assistance to address a real threat  the coronavirus pandemic. Brown said she has been pleading for Covid-19 tests and for personal protective equipment, but the federal government has rebuffed the state.

Its appalling to me that they are using federal taxpayer dollars for political theater and making no effort to really keep our communities safe, Brown said.

So lets be real: Trump isnt trying to quell violence in Portland. No, hes provoking it to divert attention from 140,000 Covid-19 deaths in the United States. Once again, hes tear-gassing peaceful protesters to generate a photo op  and hes doing this every night in downtown Portland. This is a reckless campaign tactic to bolster his own narrative as a law-and-order candidate, a replay of Richard Nixons successful 1968 campaign theme.

It is true that some protesters are violent. Some start small trash fires. Others paint graffiti, including kill pigs and kill cops, or hurl water bottles or firecrackers at federal agents. Some protesters point lasers at officers and in one case a man allegedly hit an agent with a hammer.

Such violence is wrong and plays into Trumps narrative. Representative John Lewis, who died earlier this month, showed how much more powerful it is for changemakers to endure violence than to commit it.

But its also true that the vast majority of those in the crowds each evening are peaceful. They sing about racial justice, chant Feds out now and try to protect their city from violent intruders dispatched by Trump.
Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the past week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world.

The rate of cases has been increasing not only in countries like the United States, Brazil and India, which have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks, but in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel, among others.

Many countries, especially those where officials eased earlier social distancing lockdowns, are experiencing a second peak more than a month after recording their first.

"We will not be going back to the 'old normal'. The pandemic has already changed the way we live our lives," World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week. "We're asking everyone to treat the decisions about where they go, what they do and who they meet with as life-and-death decisions  because they are."

The Reuters data, compiled from official reports, shows a steady rise in the number of countries reporting record daily increases in the virus that causes COVID-19 over the past month. At least seven countries recorded such increases three weeks ago, rising to at least 13 countries two weeks ago to at least 20 countries last week and to 37 countries this week.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The true numbers of both cases and deaths are almost certainly underreported, particularly in countries with poorer health care systems, health experts and officials say. For this report, the Reuters data was restricted to countries that provide regular daily numbers.

A surge in cases usually precedes a rise in deaths by a couple of weeks.

The United States remains at the top of the case list, this week passing more than 4 million cases and recording more than 1,000 deaths for four consecutive days. Brazil and India - which epidemiologists say is still likely months from hitting its peak - have also exceeded 1 million cases.

SECOND WAVE

The data reveals a growing number of resurgent cases in countries across all regions.

In Australia, officials enforced a six-week partial lockdown and made face masks mandatory for residents in the country's second-largest city, Melbourne, after a fresh outbreak.

Australia and Japan, which also posted a daily case record this week, both warned of a rise in infections among young people, many of whom celebrated the end of social restrictions at bars and parties.

In Mexico, which also posted a daily record this week and has the fourth-highest death toll of any country, officials warned that a downward trend in case numbers that began in mid-June - about the time the city began relaxing social distancing measures - could reverse.

Based on the rate of hospital admissions over the past week, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said, hospitalisation levels by October could exceed those registered in June, the height of the pandemic.

"It is important to recognise that if we do not change the trend, there could be exponential growth," she said.

In Europe, where the summer vacation season is in full swing, a new daily record figure in Spain is likely to deter tourists from visiting one of the continent's most popular destinations.

In Africa, Kenya recorded a record high daily case number less than two weeks after reopening activity, including domestic passenger flights. President Uhuru Kenyatta, who had announced international flights would resume on Aug. 1, has summoned officials to an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the surge in cases.

In the Middle East, Oman imposed new restrictions that begin on Saturday in addition to a two-week lockdown that will overlap the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha after reporting a record number of cases.
New Delhi: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has recommended to the Union Home Ministry that cinema halls all over the country be allowed to reopen in August.

I&B Secretary Amit Khare indicated this at a close-door industry interaction with the CII Media Committee on Friday. He said his opposite number in the Home Ministry, Ajay Bhalla, will take the final call.

Khare said that he has recommended that cinema halls may be allowed to reopen all over India as early as August 1 - or at the latest, around August 31.

The formula suggested is that alternate seats in the first row and then the next row be kept vacant and proceeding in this fashion throughout.

Khare said that his ministry`s recommendation takes into consideration the two metre social distancing norm, but tweaks it gently to two yards instead. The Home Ministry, however, still has to revert on the recommendation.

Cinema owners, present in the interaction, however, pushed back and said this formula is unwise and merely running films at 25 per cent auditorium capacity is worse than keeping the cinemas shut.

The attendees at the meet included media CEOs like N.P. Singh of Sony, Sam Balsara (Madison), Megha Tata, (Discovery), Gaurav Gandhi (Amazon Prime), Manish Maheshwari (Twitter), S. Sivakumar (Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd), and K. Madhavan, Star & Disney, and also Chairman, CII Media Committee.

The OTT platforms present, including Gandhi of Amazon Prime, did not push back. Some Bollywood producers, notably those of Amitabh Bachchan`s "Gulabo Sitabo", have posted their movies on OTT, rather than live out the lockdown uncertainty.
Wearing bike helmets and yellow T-shirts, America's mothers are confronting federal agents in combat gear to protect anti-racism protesters in Portland and, soon, other US cities where President Donald Trump has vowed to crack down.

Wall Of Moms groups have formed in at least six cities including New York and Chicago on Facebook in the four days since mainly white suburban moms in Portland started making human walls in front of demonstrators.

Carrying signs like "Feds stay clear. Moms are here", and "I'm so disappointed in you - mom", the Oregon women have been shoved and tear-gassed by agents. Some dads have joined too, bringing leaf blowers to blow away tear gas.

The movement seems to have had made an impression on President Trump.

Yesterday he moved to repeal a housing rule that he claimed would lead to the "destruction" of America's suburbs, continuing an aggressive push that coincides with his campaign's attempt to paint Democrats as angry mobs on the brink of upturning peaceful, mostly white neighbourhoods.

Mr Trump had telegraphed the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) move against the Obama administration's rule in recent tweets and comments that made thinly-veiled appeals to a key electoral constituency that has drifted away from him over the past four years: suburban white voters.

Trailing Democrat Joe Biden in the polls just over 100 days before the election, Trump has shed much of the subtlety behind his pitch to sceptical voters.

Increasingly, he is attempting to portray himself as the only barrier between them and chaos.

"The Suburban Housewives of America must read this article," Trump wrote Thursday on Twitter, linking to a 'New York Post' opinion piece by former New York lieutenant governor Betsy McCaughey that said Biden would ruin the country's bedroom communities.

"Biden will destroy your neighbourhood and your American Dream. I will preserve it, and make it even better!"

Political strategists say the overt appeals to racial fear and grievance are politically precarious at a time when much of the country is attempting to reckon with issues such as systemic racism and discrimination.

"There seems to be a complete lack of understanding why he's been getting drubbed in the suburbs," said Brendan Buck, a former top aide to former House speaker Paul Ryan and other Republican officials.

"Educated suburban voters are not interested in - and are actually repelled by - his fearmongering and these racial dog whistles."

Republicans lost control of the House in 2018 as millions of suburban voters repulsed by Trump abandoned the party to vote for Democrats, a trend Trump's re-election campaign has sought to avoid ahead of November by painting opponents as extremists.

That strategy has recently shifted to focus on housing, the latest issue Trump has seized on as he attempts to define Biden as a threat to "the American way of life".

But by promising to defend suburbia and restore a bygone era of suburban homogeneity, Trump may be on a futile mission to recapture the support of long-time Republican voters who say his presidency has driven them away from the party, said Amy Walter, national editor of the 'Cook Political Report'. Amid a deadly pandemic that has devastated the economy and in the wake of mass protests for racial justice, those voters are not likely to be moved by Trump's promises to defend the suburbs from outsiders, said Walter, whose organisation has shifted its predictions for several suburban congressional races toward Democrats in recent weeks.

"These voters have all but closed the door on Donald Trump," she said. "His response to Covid-19 and to the George Floyd protests really pushed them over to the other side.

"And he's not going to win back those suburbs of Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia or Orange County [Calif.] that Republicans lost in 2018."

The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (FFH) rule Trump moved to eliminate Thursday was proposed by president Barack Obama in 2015 in an attempt to fight housing discrimination and segregation by requiring cities and towns to scrutinise their housing patterns for racial bias, publicly report the results and set goals for reducing segregation.

Conservatives criticised the rule as federal over-reach, and Trump's administration largely halted its implementation after he was elected.

The president thrust the largely dormant issue back into the headlines in recent days as he pushed a "law and order" message that critics say is reminiscent of the appeals to racial fear embraced by 1960s presidential candidates Richard Nixon and George Wallace.

During a "tele-town hall" aimed at Wisconsin voters this month, Trump said that Democrats could "eliminate single-family zoning, bringing who knows into your suburbs, so your communities will be unsafe and your housing values will go down."

During a recent White House event, he said: "People have worked all their lives to get into a community and now they're going to watch it go to hell."

Shaun Donovan, Obama's first HUD secretary who is now running for mayor of New York City, said Trump's approach to housing is part of "a very racist appeal" in the months before November.

"Like so many things with Trump, he really is bringing racism to the surface in a way that nobody would," he added.

Defending the Obama-era rule, Donovan said that for decades there were efforts to implement a provision in the 1968 Fair Housing Act that specifically used the phrase "affirmatively further fair housing" to mean that communities receiving federal HUD dollars had to do more than just not discriminate.

They had to take steps to promote integrated neighbourhoods, he said.

"The goal wasn't just racial integration, it wasn't enough to say we need to create diverse neighbourhoods; we needed to create neighbourhoods of opportunity - to really focus it for the first time on race and opportunity," he said.

"Part of this is, if you build more affordable housing in good neighbourhoods, that means the suburbs have to open up." ( The Washington Post)
Five south-east Queensland police stations will have extra domestic violence workers after a rise in domestic violence calls to police during the pandemic.

The Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women, and for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Di Farmer, said this was part of more than $540,000 of funding to respond to domestic violence calls.

Child Safety Minister Di Farmer has brought more funding to help domestic and family violence services to handle the influx of calls for help during the pandemic. Credit:Chris Hyde

"It will greatly increase specialist capacity at these stations to respond to Queenslanders living with violence at home," she said.

"An additional $75,000 will go towards two police stations on the Gold Coast to embed workers for people experiencing domestic and family violence."
Minneapolis City Council Votes to Take Control of Police Department Spokesperson

The Minneapolis City Council this week voted to eliminate the position of police spokesperson and make the citys communications office responsible for the duties of the office, a move that prompted criticism from Police Chief Medaria Arradondo.

I made my position on this matter clear. Today, the City Council opted to go in a different direction, Arradondo said in a statement sent to The Epoch Times by John Elder, public information officer (PIO) for the Minneapolis Police Department.

The position will remain under the control of the department until Sept. 30, when the city will take over the duties.

The PIO gave police the opportunity to get to know community members and the media in great depth and afforded the department an avenue for building stronger relationships and better serving the stakeholders throughout Minneapolis, Arradondo said.

Voting 9-3, most council members supported the move, with several alluding to an initial press release from the police department regarding the death of George Floyd.

That release said officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress before calling an ambulance.

Floyd was held on the ground while one officer knelt on his neck for over seven minutes. The official autopsy showed Floyd, who had drugs in his system, suffered a sudden loss of blood resulting in heart failure while on the ground. An independent autopsy concluded he died from being deprived of oxygen.

Since Floyds death, the City Council has moved to abolish the police department, and the latest action is a way to undercut its power and influence.

Minneapolis Police Public Information Officer John Elder briefs reporters on a shooting in Minneapolis on Feb. 6, 2020. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)

Democrat Councilwoman Lisa Goodman, one of the no votes, cited a letter from the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists that argued against eliminating the police spokesperson position.

Our primary concern is that the citys communications department is not suited to this role. An effective PIO must have the trust both of police officers and journalists, and that takes time24 hours a day, seven days a week. Will a communications liaison be on the scene of late-night shootings? Will he or she give press conferences and return phone calls on weekends and city holidays? the board of the chapter wrote to the City Council before the vote.

Councilman Steve Fletcher, a Democrat, said he spoke to Emma Nelson, the president of the chapter, about the concerns.

I am still convinced that this is a move that can move us forward, rather than backward, he said.

Fletcher stressed the need to report crime honestly and accurately and free of political bias, adding: That means political bias from leadership in both City Hall and MPD.

The city communications staffers are not subject to politicization, he claimed.

Council President Lisa Bender, a Democrat, declined to delay the vote, saying we have to make a decision.

Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey joined the police chief in criticizing the move.

Mayor Frey shares the concerns of Minnesota journalists and government transparency advocates about this decision. Major city departments across the nation employ a public information officer so that they can provide timely information to the public who need it, his office said in a statement.

The councils vote was made in defiance of best practices, it said.
A humble temple with far reaching significance The Kataragama festival will be not open to the publis this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here, V.S. Krishnan and Patrick Harrigan reflect on its significance View(s): View(s):

He who is with form and without form, who has no beginning or end, who manifests as one and as many, who is the reflection of Brahman, the eternal reality, who originated as powerful flame of fire, whose six sacred faces full of grace and compassion whose twelve arms ever extending blessings, who manifested as the brilliant rays of the rising sun, He is Murugan, the Lord whom I worship.

Kachiappa Sivachariyars immortal work Kanda Puranam opens with the above hymn. If devotees worshipping Lord Kataragama would happen to read these lines, they might be excused for assuming that the sage wrote these verses with him specifically in mind.

As the name Su-brahmanya indicates, Murugan is the reflection of Brahman and is normally worshipped with form. However, according to Advaita Vedanta, Brahman, the eternal reality, is without form.

Though Murugan is described variously as Jnana Pandita (Expositor of Wisdom), Lord of Compassion (Karunakara) and as Sovereign Lord (Swaminatha), in truth Murugan is indescribable and indefinable since he is without form, attributes (nirguna), beginning or end. He appears in Kataragama not as an icon or form (murti, sila or vigraha) but as a presence experienced deep within ones heart.

According to Kanda Puranam, Murugan first appeared in the form of a spark from the third eye of his father Siva. Once this spark was discharged at Saravana marsh, rays radiating from the spark illuminated Kataragama as his ultimate goal.

Despite its far-reaching fame, the Kataragama temple is a remarkably humble structure that was until relatively recently situated in the midst of forbidding dry jungle. The main temple, or Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya as it is known locally, is dedicated to God Kataragama, the Lord of infinite beauty, power and compassion.

Within this same small building complex one finds small temples for Ganesa, Visnu and also for Teyvanai and other minor deities. Eight hundred metres to the north is the ancient Buddhist stupa Kiri Vehera which is counted as one of the 16 places in Sri Lanka visited by Lord Buddha.

Two hundred metres south of the main temple complex, there is also the Muslim mosque and shrine immediately beside the Valli Amman Kovil, which indicates how Kataragama is the confluence (sangamam) of all faiths. So important is the mosque that the festival cannot begin or end without the ceremonies of hosting (kotiyetrum) and lowering an Islamic flag. Islamic tradition holds that there is an invisible spring on that very spot associated both with al-Khidr, (the Green Man) and with Valli, who is similarly green and associated with plant life.

Another unique feature of the temple is its link with Mount Kailasa in western Tibet. A North-South meridian line drawn on the map from Mount Kailasa meets Kataragama in the far South. This same North-South axis is also an analogue to the Lords Vel as well as to the sushumna nadi of yogic lore, which also explains Kataragamas designation as Dakshina Kailasa, the Southern Kailasa, so important is this sacred forest in yogic lore since long before maps even existed.

No account of Kataragama would be complete without mention of its well-deserved reputation for mystery and secrecy. Mysteries within mysteries surround Kataragama and its traditions. Devotees from far off places eagerly come here to seek his grace, but when they stand before the sanctum sanctorum, they see only seven tirai or curtains painted with the image of Skanda flanked by Valli and Teyvanai.

The screens prompt the devotee to turn within so that his attention is fixed upon his own self as the reflection of Murugan. The presiding kapurala-priests, Sinhalese Buddhists who openly admit that their parampara has come down to them from the indigenous Veddahs before them, take the offering of the devotees, go inside, offer worship on behalf of the devotee and come back with the Lords prasadam.

The worship is offered to the deity, whose presence is widely believed to reside in a yantra or magical diagram etched upon a metal plate with the Omkara mantra inscribed on it. It is never displayed nor is its existence either confirmed or denied. Even though the devotee finds no image of the deity, he experiences the presence of Murugan within and returns with a great sense of fulfilment and illumination.

Legend of Kataragama

There are different Sri Lankan versions of how Kanthan came to accept Kataragama as his abode. Most versions agree that the Kataragama god first landed by sea in a stone boat, alone or with his associates, and walked to Kataragama following the shoreline. This is the origin of the Kathirkama Karai Yathirai or annual coastal foot pilgrimage.

All the local versions also agree on the purpose of his one-way journey to Kataragama. It was his affection for Valli, the adopted adolescent daughter of the chief of the local Veddah tribe of hunters. Valli, who was alone guarding a crop of millet growing in a jungle clearing, had been aspiring to marry Murugan ever since she had heard of him. Lord Murugan had also learned from sage Narada of both the benign qualities of Valli and her whereabouts.

Presenting the outward appearance of a handsome Veddah youth, the god boldly approached Valli and straightaway proposed to marry her. The girl, not recognizing him, threatened to stone him with her handy sling if he came any closer, so he had to withdraw and try another guise. So begins the timeless tale of the souls yearning to be united with her Lord.

In contrast to the Lords grand celestial wedding to Teyvanai Amman, Vallis wedding was rustic and simple. Strange it may appear that Murugan, the Supreme Lord, who even acted as guru (Swaminatha) to his father Lord Siva, appeared to be infatuated by the poor innocent tribal girl.

It is a classic illustration of who qualifies for Murugans grace. It is only one whose heart is full of devotion, whose thoughts are directed toward no one else but Murugan and whose simple quiet and austere life qualifies them for Murugans grace. The path adopted by Valli is regarded by pundits as Valli Sanmargam. Valli symbolized the qualities of detachment, dispassion, humility and love. She transcended her own individuality without entertaining the notion of a separate I.

Valli Tirumanam is re-enacted today in order to highlight importance of Valli Sanmargam. What is relevant and important is its message that when the individuality or the I notion ceases, the Jivatma is merged in Paramatma.

Kataragama has a long history which dates back several millennia. There are different theories about the origin of the temple. According to the records, it was the Sinhalese King Dutugamunu (161 to 137 BCE) who renovated the temple and its traditions that had already existed long before his time as a mark of gratitude to Murugan for the blessing he received in restoring his kingdom back from invaders.

In most of the temples associated with Kataragama, one finds the Vel (lance) alone worshipped. Rather than an icon of Murugan, it is the Vel, an iconic representation of Skanda-Murugan, that is venerated.

Vel worship constitutes one of the unique features of temples in Sri Lanka, especially in eastern and northern regions where Tamils live in large number. The root word vel comes from velluthal which means victory and Vel symbolizes victory over evil forces. The Vel held by Murugan is also known as Kathir Vel as it radiates brilliant rays of insight (jnanam).

The fortnight-long Adi festival of Kataragama in July is renowned for its rituals, pageantry and processions. During this time, the casket containing the yantra representing the deity, remaining fully cloaked and unseen, is taken out and mounted upon an elephant to go in procession by a winding route pay a brief visit to Valli Amman.

Kathirkama Urvalam or procession

The Kathirkama Urvalam or Perahera moves at the stately pace of the tusker that bears Lord Murugan accompanied by his royal retinue who all remain silent. Except for musical instruments, the entire Perahera is conducted in total silence as onlookers sing and pray.

Devotees in the tens of thousandsmostly Buddhists and Hindus but also Muslims and even Christians strain their eyes to view the invisible Lord of Kataragama as he passes by.

At Valli Ammans nearby residence the unseen presence covertly dismounts and pays a short visit to his beloved Valli for six minutes onlyjust long enough for her to serve him with a cup of refreshing Ceylon teabefore returning straight back to his humble palace nearby, completely unseen by anyone except for the rarest pure-hearted friend and devotee!

During July-August, visitors may enjoy Kataragamas grand Adi festival, a feast for the soul, eyes and ears, with caparisoned elephants, percussion music and nightly processions. Festivals for all faiths take place simultaneously creating a congenial atmosphere of peace and serenity. Kathirkamam remains as an outstanding monument of religious harmony.

The ancient tradition of undertaking foot pilgrimage to Kataragama known as Pada Yatra, sees devotees dressed in simple unstitched garb, walking from Jaffna and other places up to 57 days before the Kataragama Udi festival joined by other pilgrims along the way. Relying upon villagers for their meals along the way, they for walk weeks and weeks, through jungles, sleeping under the stars until they reach Kataragama.
The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) today welcomed a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the dapivirine vaginal ring for use by cisgender women ages 18 and older in developing countries to reduce their risk of HIV-1 infection. The monthly ring is the first long-acting HIV prevention product and is designed to help address women's unmet need for new methods given the persistently high rates of HIV they face, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Today's news opens the door to next steps needed to seek approvals for the ring in countries where the need is most urgent.

"The EMA's opinion is a significant step forward for women, who urgently need and deserve new, discreet options to manage their HIV risk on their own terms," said Dr. Zeda F. Rosenberg, founding chief executive officer of IPM, the nonprofit that developed the dapivirine ring and is the product's regulatory sponsor. "As we celebrate today's news with the many partners around the world involved in the ring's development, we also look ahead to the collective effort still needed to obtain country approvals to make the ring available to women in sub-Saharan Africa."

The EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use reviewed the ring under the Article 58 procedure, which it conducts in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) to facilitate access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries using the same rigorous standards as for products intended for use in the European Union. IPM submitted its Article 58 application in June 2017.

Global partnerships with researchers, trial communities in Africa, Europe and the United States, civil society, governments, industry and donors spanning 16 years of research and development led to today's positive opinion.

This achievement is a testament to what partnerships can accomplish. We applaud the researchers in Africa, Europe and the US who expertly conducted studies that brought the ring to this exciting point--and especially thank the pioneering women who participated in the studies for their commitment to finding new woman-centered options that can fill a critical gap in the HIV prevention portfolio." Dr. Zeda F. Rosenberg, Founding Chief Executive Officer of IPM

Efficacy data, including additional data provided during the EMA's review, showed that IPM's dapivirine ring reduced women's HIV risk by 35% with no safety concerns with long-term use. More recent data from open-label extension (OLE) studies of the product suggested greater HIV risk reduction, although those findings are based on statistical modeling and are therefore limited. The ring was also found to have a favorable safety profile in all clinical trials to date.

IPM submitted to the EMA for its assessment data from a package of studies, including two Phase III studies--The Ring Study led by IPM, and ASPIRE, conducted by IPM's clinical trial partner the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN)--two subsequent OLE studies, and a number of smaller safety studies.

In addition to working closely with the WHO during its review, the EMA's evaluation also included the testimony of two women living in countries in Africa where there is a high burden of HIV.

As the EMA requested, IPM will also conduct additional research among cisgender women ages 18-25 to better understand the ring's efficacy and to collect additional data on safety and potential ARV resistance. Results from the study could also inform strategies to support young women to use the ring consistently.

A potential new option to meet women's needs

As the EMA indicated, the monthly ring could be an important option for women who choose not to or are unable to use the daily oral antiretroviral (ARV) pill known as PrEP (or pre-exposure prophylaxis), now becoming more widely available in Africa. Oral PrEP is highly effective, but not all women are able to use it. In addition, although condoms will be indicated for use with the ring, they are not practical for women who are unable to negotiate their use with male partners or who are at risk of sexual or intimate partner violence.

"Women in Africa have been left behind by progress against HIV for far too long, and today's announcement is a landmark for women's HIV prevention," said Dr. Linda-Gail Bekker, professor of medicine and deputy director of the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, immediate past president of the International AIDS Society and national principal investigator for South Africa on The Ring Study. "Offering women multiple methods like the monthly ring and daily oral PrEP is vital to controlling the epidemic and to ensuring their sexual and reproductive health and rights."

The ring is designed to help reduce women's HIV risk during vaginal sex. Women insert the product themselves and replace it every month. Made of flexible silicone, the ring slowly releases the ARV dapivirine locally to the site of potential infection, with minimal absorption elsewhere in the body.

"Today's announcement brings us closer to a future where every woman has the opportunity to protect herself against HIV," said Paul Stoffels, MD, vice chairman of the executive committee and chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson, which granted IPM the rights to dapivirine and is partnering closely with the nonprofit to plan for the ring's potential rollout. "If we continue investing in the development of innovations like the dapivirine ring--and ensuring that they are accessible to those who need them most--I have no doubt we will see a day when HIV is a disease of the past."

Although new HIV infections are declining overall, biology and gender inequities make women more susceptible to infection than men. Every day, nearly 1,400 women in sub-Saharan Africa acquire HIV.

"Even as HIV/AIDS has increasingly become an epidemic borne by women and girls, the response to it has not kept pace," said Dr. Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the founding executive director of UNAIDS. "As the first long-acting tool for HIV prevention, the dapivirine ring could help change the course of the epidemic for women."

Next steps for potential country approvals and introduction

Given the urgency for women, IPM has been working with partners to shorten the time to potential introduction as much as possible, but rolling out the ring will require a collective effort by a range of global stakeholders, particularly as responding to COVID-19 alongside other priorities continues to challenge health systems. With strong political will and funding, it may be possible to begin making the dapivirine ring available sometime in 2021 in some communities in Africa where the need is urgent, pending several next steps, including:

WHO guidelines and prequalification: WHO will review evidence on the ring as part of its guideline process and consider using an abbreviated review of the product for prequalification, a quality assurance designation for medicines that facilitates access to medicines that meet global standards for quality, safety and efficacy.

WHO will review evidence on the ring as part of its guideline process and consider using an abbreviated review of the product for prequalification, a quality assurance designation for medicines that facilitates access to medicines that meet global standards for quality, safety and efficacy. Regulatory reviews in Africa: In parallel, the ring will be reviewed by regulators in each country where it would be used and, if approved, adopted into national HIV prevention policies. Because the EMA's Article 58 opinion is recognized by many countries in Africa and IPM is submitting to those countries through a process coordinated by the WHO, it may help accelerate national reviews. IPM plans to submit the first applications this year to countries in eastern and southern Africa where the need remains high, studies of the ring took place and where IPM can build on oral PrEP implementation (Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe).

In parallel, the ring will be reviewed by regulators in each country where it would be used and, if approved, adopted into national HIV prevention policies. Because the EMA's Article 58 opinion is recognized by many countries in Africa and IPM is submitting to those countries through a process coordinated by the WHO, it may help accelerate national reviews. IPM plans to submit the first applications this year to countries in eastern and southern Africa where the need remains high, studies of the ring took place and where IPM can build on oral PrEP implementation (Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe). US regulatory review: IPM will also submit to the US Food and Drug Administration in 2020.

IPM will also submit to the US Food and Drug Administration in 2020. Continued market and implementation research: Market and implementation research has been underway with partners for several years to inform demand creation strategies; develop information, education and communications (IEC) materials for women and healthcare providers; create product delivery models; and to map the supply chain networks needed for rollout.

Market and implementation research has been underway with partners for several years to inform demand creation strategies; develop information, education and communications (IEC) materials for women and healthcare providers; create product delivery models; and to map the supply chain networks needed for rollout. Ring rollout: IPM will also continue working with governments, funders and other partners to discuss and plan for ring introduction.

"Women across Africa have been asking and waiting for new tools that put women in charge of their own health, so we welcome today's announcement," said Yvette Raphael, who leads the Advocates for the Prevention of HIV in Africa. "We now look to governments and funders, always in consultation with communities, to make sure the dapivirine ring reaches the women who need it."

IPM is collaborating with MTN to study the monthly ring among adolescent girls, pregnant women and breastfeeding women, who are also at elevated HIV risk. Results from these studies could inform next steps on potentially expanding the indication for the ring to these groups in the future.

Given today's news, IPM will accelerate development of follow-on rings that could help meet women's HIV prevention needs at different times in their lives, including a longer-acting three-month dapivirine ring and a multipurpose prevention ring designed to offer both HIV prevention and contraception. Both products recently completed Phase I safety clinical trials.

IPM is grateful for the generous support of our current donors whose investment in our work has brought us to today's positive opinion: the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the KfW Development Bank, Irish Aid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, UKaid from the Department for International Development, the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In addition, IPM also extends its thanks to donors whose previous support contributed to the ring's development, including: Belgian Development Cooperation; Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); European Commission (EuropeanAID Cooperation Office/AIDCO); Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (BMZ); M.A.C. AIDS Fund; The Government of Flanders; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Spain (AECID); Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sweden; Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID); Rockefeller Foundation; Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SAREC); The World Bank; and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
To detect comorbidity in patients of Covid-19 and their high-risk contacts, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been working with companies that use artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose pre-existing medical conditions and utilise resources effectively.

BMC is working with Radical Health-tech Private Limited, a startup that had participated in an AI innovation challenge organised by Maharashtra government and Niti Aayog in March 2019. Ashwini Bhide, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, said, Some AI entities are working with BMCs health department for early detection of Covid positivity as well as comorbidities in people by analysing chest X-rays, CT scans as well as retinal images using AI tools. Radical Health-tech is among them. They detect comorbidities among high-risk contacts and mildly-symptomatic [Covid-]positive patients using retinal screening.

In June, Radical Health-tech started screening people at 15 locations, including all the patients at the jumbo facility in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Until July 23, Radical Health-tech had screened 3,167 people of whom 1,255 had co-morbidity. Of the 1,255 people, 65% had been unaware that they had comorbidities. The screening led to 259 people being newly detected with glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration; 188 were newly detected with diabetes; 376 with hypertension; and five with other systemic comorbidities like asthma, jaundice, tuberculosis, and kidney stones.

Since those with comorbidities are more vulnerable to contracting a serious case of Covid-19, 88 people or 2.78% were placed in high-risk category; 713 people or 22.51% were in the moderate category; and 2,366 people or 74.71% were in the low-risk category.

On July 24, BMCs public health department sanctioned Radical Health-tech to work with the civic body at jumbo facilities (HT has a copy of the sanction letter).

Co-founder of Radical Health-tech, Rito Maitra said, If you have diabetes or hypertension, blood vessels all over the body will show some sign or another. Changes are seen in hands, in legs, in the brain, in the eyes. They are subtle. However, in the eyes they can be noticed non-invasively. It is the only place in the body that allows this [through retinal imaging]. Reports are immediately given to patients and to the doctors of the facilities.

Radical Health-tech is also working with BMC to ensure patients follow up on their comorbidities after being discharged from Covid care centres (CCCs). Maitra said, All people, but especially those from low-income groups, do not pro-actively do yearly check-ups. Many are not aware of the comorbidities. Many are not even aware of simple facts about human anatomy that we take for granted, for example, the function of the liver. So we are counselling these patients to help them understand what their comorbidities mean and continue treatment with BMC later.

BMC has also been working with the Covid-19 Data Science Consortium since May. The consortium is convened by Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, a non-profit based in Mumbai which uses AI for social good and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai in 2018. It includes volunteers from prestigious organisations like Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, and Stanford University in the United States of America.

Janak Shah, formerly with the office of the chief minister of Maharashtra and now associated with the Wadhwani group, said the institute is backed by international agencies like Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Google. We are helping with future case prediction using machine learning and artificial intelligence, healthcare resource predictions, and human resource predictions, said Shah.
Egypt will reopen nature reserves in two of its governorates  Red Sea and South Sinai  on Sunday 26 July, with the entrance fees reduced by half, the environment ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The statement said that the 50 percent discount will be applied for all individual trips and for daily sea cruises.

Minister of the Environment Yasmin Fouad said in the statement that the decision comes in light of the state's strategy to apply a package of incentives to restore tourism, which has suffered a blow due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Egypt resumed regular international flights on 1 July after more than three months of closure over the coronavirus pandemic. The country is looking to revive its vital tourism industry, a major source of foreign currency that has been hard hit by the pandemic shutdown.

The reopening of the nature reserves will take place under a number of precautions to ensure the safety of tourists and sector workers, Fouad said.

The ministry has recently issued guidelines for safari trips and sea cruises in both governorates regarding activities, interpersonal interaction, and waste handling rules to curb the spread of the virus and preserve the ecosystem, the statement said.

South Sinai protectorates: Ras Mohamed, Nabq, Abu Galum, Taba, and Saint Catherine.

Red Sea protectorates: Northern Islands, Wadi El-Gemal, Elba, and Remote Islands.

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Chinese Researcher Suspected of Visa Fraud Arrested After Trying to Seek Refuge in Consulate

By Jill Li July 24, 2020

A Chinese cancer researcher accused of hiding her ties with the Chinese military on her visa application was taken into U.S. custody overnight in California.

Online records from Sacramento County Main Jail showed that the researcher, Tang Juan, is now in custody without the option of bail.

Lauren Horwood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento, confirmed Tang's arrest with Voice of America.

Tang "was a fugitive from justice until last night," a senior Justice Department official said, but has now been charged in Sacramento and was expected to make an appearance in court later Friday.

Horwood told VOA she's waiting for more information on the case.

Tang is one of four Chinese individuals charged with visa fraud in connection with a scheme to lie about their status as members of the People's Liberation Army. She was interviewed by FBI agents for possible visa fraud on June 20 and fled into the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco afterward. Police arrested her overnight but declined to discuss the circumstances of how she was detained.

Tang, 37, is accused of concealing her membership in China's military in seeking permission to work in a radiation oncology lab at the University of California-Davis.

According to a statement by UC-Davis, Tang's work at the school was based in the research laboratory. It said she left the university at the end of June.

"Tang was a visiting researcher in the Department of Radiation Oncology, funded by the Chinese Scholarship Council, a study-based exchange program affiliated with China's Ministry of Education and Xijing Hospital in China," the statement said.

Three other individuals were also charged Thursday for hiding their ties with the Chinese military to seek research or study opportunities in the U.S.

Wang Xin, who was arrested June 7, was a researcher at the University of California-San Francisco before acknowledging he had made false statements about his ties with the Chinese military during his interview with U.S. customs officials.

The other two individuals, Song Chen, a researcher on a J-1 visa at Stanford University, and Zhao Kaikai, a graduate student at Indiana University majoring in machine learning and artificial intelligence, were both arrested and accused of concealing their ties with the Chinese military in their visa applications.

John Brown, the executive assistant director of the FBI's National Security Branch, said Thursday that the agency had identified visa holders in more than 25 American cities with hidden affiliations with the Chinese military.

Orville Schell, director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society, said that these actions on the U.S. side are all part of a rapidly decaying, spiraling relationship between the U.S. and China, but it's not without cause.

"I think China has been doing some things that finally the United States is reacting against," he said, adding that the consequences were going to be quite serious.

U.S. intelligence officials warn that America's world-class university system has become a soft target in the global espionage war with China, accusing Beijing of deliberately targeting sensitive technologies in the U.S. and using them to modernize China's military to the detriment of U.S. national security.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in late May to cancel visas of Chinese graduate students in the U.S. with ties to the People's Liberation Army.

Monica Xu of VOA's Mandarin service contributed to this report.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 09:18:52|Editor: huaxia

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LOS ANGELES, July 24 (Xinhua) -- California, the new center of COVID-19 crisis in the United States, reported its highest daily rise in deaths on Friday, one day after the state saw a grim new peak in its daily death toll.

There were 159 COVID-19-related deaths in the previous 24 hours, marking back-to-back record days, according to update.covid19.ca.gov, the official website of the California government. On Thursday, the state reported 157 new COVID-19 deaths, a single-day high for the nation's most populous state.

However, California Governor Gavin Newsom did not mention this number neither at his daily online news conference, nor in his twitter message.

"New cases: 9,718, 7-day average: 9,881, Average positivity rate for tests: 7.5%, A lot of numbers that tell us one thing: take this seriously. We can't let up. It takes all of us -- acting TOGETHER -- to slow the spread. WEAR A MASK," Newsom tweeted Friday.

In his daily briefing, Newsom spent much of his time outlining new protection regulation for essential workers including cooks, construction workers, nurses, cashiers, truck drivers, farm workers and many others.

Newsom announced on Wednesday a new contract with China's BYD Company to produce 120 million N95 respirators and 300 million surgical masks, saying "providing front-line workers with the protective equipment they need is critical to our state's response to COVID-19." Enditem
Albany

Saying that racism and imperialism are two sides of the same political coin, a group of activists gathered Saturday to call for unity between the Black Lives Matters movement and Cuba, which has been under a U.S. trade embargo for more than six decades due to its Marxist government.

This horrendous statue behind us reminds us of the arrogance of empire, said Jose Rossy-Millan, of the Albany Cuba Solidarity group.

He was referring to the statue at Albanys Townsend Park commemorating the 1898 Spanish American War which resulted in an independent Cuba. He added that activists like himself often refer to the park as Imperialism Park.

While Cuba became its own country, American victory in the 10-week Spanish American war also led to the U.S. gaining control of the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico. And it marked the end of what had been a centuries-old Spanish Empire that at one time spanned the globe.

The Philippines gained independence after World War II while Guam and Puerto Rico remain U.S. territories.

Relations between Cuba and the U.S. ruptured when Fidel Castro took over the government in 1959, leading to the embargo which critics like Rossy-Millan, see as helping keep down the island nations economy.

A native Puerto Rican who works as a psychologist in Schenectady, Rossy-Milan said he thought this was a good time to work on building ties between Black Lives Matter and Cuban supporters. The racism afflicting the U.S. and the embargo both stem from what he believes is the U.S.s imperialist tendencies.

One of the tactics of empire is to dehumanize those that it wants to oppress, he told the crowd of about 150 people who had gathered by the Townsend Park statue to hear several speakers and listen to conga drumming.

One of the goals, said Rossy-Millan, was to end the embargo and travel restrictions which makes it difficult for Americans to visit Cuba.

In addition to Black Lives Matter and Albany Cuba Solidarity, more than a dozen local peace activist and anti-racism groups were represented as well as the Green and Socialist Workers parties.

Black Lives Matter and Cuba should have a natural affinity, given the island nations reputation for comparatively good race relations following Castros revolution. Like other Caribbean islands, Cuba has a mixed population of Black, white and mixed race people.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Those Cubans stood up for people who look like me, said Cessie Alfonso, an Albany social worker who described herself as an Afro-Cuban-Puerto Rican woman born in America.

Others noted that Cuban doctors have fanned out across Latin America and other countries to help during the COVID-19 epidemic. Even though Cuba remains poor, the country has what is considered to be a good education and health care system.

Rossy-Millan at the start of the rally asked everyone to keep their masks on for safety, which just about everyone who was there, young, middle aged and old, did.

We need everybody to stay healthy, he said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
Credit: Getty.

Racial diversity is "crucial" to the long-term success of companies says the chief operating officer of Global Investment Research at Goldman Sachs (GS), in a special new report.

Gizelle George-Joseph, makes the argument for greater workplace diversity to attract employees and grow a sustainable consumer base.

"The powerful influence of corporations in America provides an opportunity to hire, develop and advance Black professionals in their own organisations, as well as encourage other firms in the US and globally to do so," says George-Joseph in the Investing in Racial Economic Equality report presented to clients by Goldman Sachs.

Her comments are supported by further evidence from the gold standard benchmark McKinsey reports which clearly show diversity is a vital component of financial growth.

Companies in the top quartile for ethnic or cultural diversity in their executive teams are 36% more likely to experience above-average profitability, the McKinsey research has previously demonstrated.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: What to expect as gyms reopen today

The Boston Consulting Group also ran a comparable study which revealed companies with above average diversity on their management teams had innovation revenues 19% higher than firms with below average diversity representation.

George-Joseph concludes that the business case for diversity will only grow in America as the labour force, clients and consumers become increasingly diverse over the coming decades. By 2030 the non-Hispanic white population in the US is expected to decline by 10% making communities more diverse as immigration rises.

But Black Americans continue to experience high levels of labour market discrimination, both in terms of hiring and the lived experience in the workplace, says the Goldmach Sachs report.

Action to address this can be achieved through a range of measures including sponsorship, mentoring, career development programmes, employee dialogue and diversity and inclusion training.

"Embracing diversity is critical to companies' long term success both as it relates to how they are perceived as an employer of choice in a globalised world with an evolving demographic makeup, as well as to their bottom line," adds George-Joseph.
Denpasar: An Australian man walked free from prison on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali on Saturday after serving one year for possession of cocaine in a nightclub.

Former Melbourne nightclub promoter William Cabantog and his fellow Australian David van Iersel were arrested last July in a police raid at the Lost City Club in the islands trendy Canggu neighbourhood with 1.12 grams of cocaine in the pocket of Cabantogs jeans.

Australian man William Cabantog leaves Kerobokan prison in Bali, Indonesia on Saturday. Credit:AP

Police initially said that Cabantog, 37, who was described as a hospitality consultant, was well known for circulating cocaine in Canggu, where the nightclub was managed by Van Iersel, 39.

But during the trial, the two men were able to convince the judges that the cocaine was only for their own use.
An ex flight attendant who created a coconut oil 'body shimmer' while on layovers now makes $140,000 a month selling her four signature products.

Emille Mendoza, from Melbourne, worked as a Virgin Australia hostess from 2013 to 2018, during which time she came up with the idea for her brand Boracay Skin.

It's named after the Filipino island of the same name, which Emille visited on holiday during her stint working in the sky.

'Locals were selling coconut oil there and at the time I didn't know about the benefits of coconut oil for the skin,' the 28-year-old told FEMAIL.

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Emille Mendoza (pictured) worked as a Virgin Australia hostess from 2013 to 2018, during which time she came up with the idea for her brand Boracay Skin

It's named after the Filipino island of the same name, which Emille visited on holiday during her stint of working in the sky (her four products)

'I've been using it religiously ever since and it has helped clear up my eczema and hydrate my skin, especially when I was a flight attendant, as I used to get very dry because of all the flying.'

With a Bachelor of Business majoring in Entrepreneurship behind her, Emille launched the brand in 2015 with 'zero dollars' to her name.

'It was a side business for a while and I would work on it on my layovers and on weekends - basically whenever I had spare time,' she said.

'I took the leap and quit my job as a flight attendant in November 2018 and that's when things really started to take off. Boracay Skin is now my full-time job.'

With a Bachelor of Business majoring in Entrepreneurship behind her, Emille launched the brand in 2015 with 'zero dollars' to her name

She sells four products in her skincare range, but the most popular is the Bronze Shimmering Body Oil ($38.95), which accounts for 80 per cent of her revenue (Emille pictured)

There are four products in her skincare range, but the most popular is the Bronze Shimmering Body Oil ($38.95) which accounts for 80 per cent of the revenue.

It contains sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil and olive fruit to deeply nourish the top layer of the skin, which a slight glistening effect when it's applied.

The shimmering body oil also comes in a gold and rose gold shade if you're looking for a slightly different 'glow' to be left on your skin.

The company's Natural Sun and Body Oil ($33.95) removes the glitter from the ingredients list and instead acts as an all-round moisturiser and tanning oil.

'I want to share the benefits of coconut oil with everyone while ensuring all our cruelty-free and vegan products are made right here in Australia to support the local community,' Emille said.

The company's Natural Sun and Body Oil ($33.95 pictured) removes the glitter from the ingredients list and instead acts as an all-round moisturiser and tanning oil

Her biggest customer base is in the United States, who 'love Aussie-made beauty products'

Her biggest customer base is in the United States, who 'love Aussie-made beauty products'.

'I've had many customers personally let me know that our products have helped with their skin conditions too and it is the most rewarding feeling,' she said.

In June Boracay Skin turned over $140,000 in revenue, as more people than ever are avoiding shopping centres and turning online, but they normally sell 3,500 units a month.

While the coronavirus pandemic clearly hasn't affected the brand detrimentally, there have been some challenges along the way.

While the coronavirus pandemic clearly hasn't affected the brand detrimentally, there have been some challenges along the way

'It's been difficult with shipping as couriers all over the world are facing delays due to limited flights, social distancing in workplaces and border restrictions,' she said.

'We've worked through this challenge by giving different shipping options to our customers so they receive their packages as fast as possible, and having our team work round the clock to get orders out in a timely fashion.'

Emille has plans to launch a new product in the future that 'falls under the self tanning' category, but for now is focused on getting her customers their covid-safe orders as seamlessly as possible.
Amid border tensions with China in eastern Ladakh, Northern Army commander Lieutenant General YK Joshi on Saturday said that disengagement between forward deployed Indian and Chinese soldiers from friction areas along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) was a complex and intricate process that required diligent execution.

Joshi told news channels that the army would continue all efforts to restore status quo ante, referring to the situation as it existed in early April, along the LAC.

India and China have lately failed to make a breakthrough in reducing border tensions despite intense negotiations at the military and diplomatic levels, and the disengagement process at some friction points has virtually stopped.

Also read: The Galwan Valley face-off explained through 17 news reports

Joshis comments came a day after the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs reviewed the situation in the border areas and the disengagement process in the western sector of the LAC.

At the meeting, the two sides agreed that another meeting of corps commanders may be held soon so as to work out further steps to ensure expeditiously complete disengagement and de-escalation along the LAC, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement on Friday.

Another meeting of the corps commanders is expected to be held next week but no dates have been finalised yet.

Joshi said disengagement was initiated after four rounds of talks between senior Indian and Chinese military commanders, and it was being verified on the ground to ensure its veracity and correctness. He said de-escalation of the border conflict would begin after achieving complete disengagement.

Also read | A timeline: India-Chinas deadliest border clash since 1975 explained

The ground situation remains unchanged in the Ladakh sector where both armies have amassed almost 100,000 soldiers in their forward and depth areas.

During a visit to Ladakh on July 17, defence minister Rajnath Singh indicated that the negotiations to resolve military tensions along the LAC were complex. He said progress in negotiations should help resolve the border dispute but added that he couldnt guarantee to what extent the situation will be resolved.

On Wednesday, Singh asked the Indian Air Force to stay prepared for any eventuality,

The disengagement process has barely made progress after the last round of meeting between senior Indian and Chinese commanders on July 14.

...
Degree for change  the key to fighting climate change and protect asset values

Review of energy consumption patterns, commitment to cut carbon emissions, and investments in technology key to fighting climate change

Singapores prime office real estate in the financial district is susceptible to the risks of climate change as sea levels rise, requiring landlords and occupiers alike to take urgent action to protect asset values, according to CBREs latest ViewPoint report titled C for Change (Degree for Change).

Degree for change

Degree for change  the key to fighting climate change and protect asset values

Degree for change report said that the real estate industry plays a pivotal role in Singapores fight against climate change, an effort that calls for a review of energy consumption patterns, commitment to cut carbon emissions and investments in technology to monitor performance.

Degree for change report said Singapore is vulnerable to prolonged heat waves, increased flash floods and rising sea levels as a result of climate change. While the government has adopted several pre-emptive policies to mitigate the impact, the measures do not completely eradicate the risks. Given that approximately 30% of land are already less than 5 metres above sea level, properties in Singapore remain exposed to inland flooding.

Assuming an average global temperature increase of 1.5C, about 20.82 million square feet of office space in 51 buildings are in high flood risk areas in Singapore as of the first quarter of 2020. The core CBD is the most vulnerable, led by the Marina Bay area, which accounts for 45.2 percent of office net lettable area (NLA) exposed to rising sea levels. This is followed by Raffles Place with 31.7 percent, Shenton Way with 11.7 percent and Tanjong Pagar with 11.4 percent.

If global temperatures rise by 4C, an additional 4.03 million square feet of office stock across 13 buildings in the CBD may be under threat, including those in the Marina Centre, Beach Road/City Hall and Orchard areas.

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Mr Desmond Sim, Head of Research, Singapore and Southeast Asia, at CBRE, said, Given that we have already crossed the 1C warming mark, the reality of global temperatures rising by another 0.5C is becoming increasing imminent. We must take counter-measures urgently because the material threat to property values from climate change is very real and hitting close to home.

A collective effort to combat climate change: what this means for landlords, occupiers and investors

To slow the pace of increase in sea levels, the long-term goal is to reduce carbon emissions. Within the real estate sector  which accounts for about one-fifth of Singapores carbon emissions  asset owners and occupiers play a collective role alongside authorities.

Building owners are tapping on incentives to redevelop existing properties or build new developments, while occupiers are incorporating green fit-outs to enhance energy efficiency and monitor usage. These translate to energy savings of at least 25 percent based on the energy modelling framework by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

The commercial sector will continue to see more mixed-use developments which are typically more intensive in energy usage. This will prompt building owners to explore different sources of energy to decarbonise and to reduce consumption and operating costs, such as through the use of solar power.

In addition to a rising number of landlords greening their real estate portfolios, occupiers are incorporating green clauses in their commercial leasing requirements. As the two sides engage in dialogue, cross-share consumption data and monitor performance on waste management, energy and water efficiency, these will help reduce a buildings carbon footprint.

With more real estate companies seeking funds for sustainable real estate development or to refurbish buildings with energy-efficient features, Singapores green financing market is seeing an increase in green loans, green bonds and sustainability-linked loans.

Mr Sim adds, The various incentive schemes under the BCA have encouraged the adoption of environmentally friendly building technologies and designs to boost energy efficiency. This helps to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by the industry, which is key to our efforts to slow the increase in sea levels.

As energy audits for commercial office buildings gain greater prominence, the level of transparency in data and performance reporting will rise, driving further improvements in energy efficiency toward achieving the BCAs Super Low Energy (SLE)1 and Zero Energy Building (ZEB)2 status. The BCA has a goal to improve energy efficiency in buildings by 60 percent to 80 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels, and Singapore is targeting net zero carbon emissions beyond 2050.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the Climate Action Summit 2019 that the consequences of climate change are catastrophic and affect all countries. This include new diseases, more extreme weather events, food shortages, forced migration, and even wars. Like many Small Island States, Singapore is vulnerable, especially to the effects of global warming, and especially the rise of sea-levels. For us, climate change is existential.

Singapore contributes only 0.11 per cent of global emissions. Nevertheless, we have played our part as responsible global citizens to mitigate climate change. We pledged in Paris to peak our carbon emissions in around 2030. We are switching to a cleaner fuel mix, and deploying cleaner energy solutions. Being small and highly urbanised, we are disadvantaged in terms of alternative energy. But we are developing creative solutions within our constraints. For example, we are using solar energy to the maximum extent possible and installing large scale solar panels that float in our reservoirs and off our shorelines in the sea.

We also implemented a carbon tax this year, with the intention of increasing it over the next ten years. And we are greening our physical and transport infrastructure. We are aiming for 80 per cent of buildings in Singapore to be green by 2030. And for 90 per cent of peak hour commuting trips to be via public transport, active mobility or shared transport by 2040. We are also developing our long-term low emissions development strategy, as called for under the Paris Agreement.

The post Degree for change  key to fighting climate change and protect asset values appeared first on iCompareLoan Resources.
Uttarakhand Board of School Education (UBSE) is likely to release the date and time class of Uttarakhand Class 10th and 12th Board Results 2020 on its online portal, ubse.uk.gov.in soon.

The Uttarakhand Board of School Education (UBSE) will probably reveal the release date and time class of Uttarakhand Class 10th and 12th Board Results 2020 on its online portal, ubse.uk.gov.in soon. Although the date and time are yet to be disclosed, it is widely believed that the results will be announced between 25 and 30 July. They will be uploaded on the aforementioned website of the Board. Students have been anticipating about their result since months now and finally, their suspense will meet an end.

Follow the given steps to view UBSE Class 10 and 12 Board Results 2020:

1. Go to the Boards official website, ubse.uk.gov.in.

2. Click/tap on UBSE Results 2020 highlighted link on the landing page.

3. Type in the required credentials.

4. The result will appear on the screen. It may also be downloaded or printed for future reference.

The results were supposed to come out in March this year, but when the exams had to be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the results followed suit. The exams were then held between July 15 and 20, under strict social distancing norms. Some students could not appear for these exams since they were residing in places swarmed by coronavirus cases.

Also read: States have no power to cancel university exams: UGC tells Maharashtra HC

Also read: AIIMS Nagpur develops smart wristband for tracking, monitoring Covid-19 suspects

The results of both classes, 10 and 12, had been released together on 30th May. 2.74 lakh students had sat for the exams. The average pass percentage of Class 10 was 76.43% while that of Class 12 had been 80.13%.

Last year, The highest scorer in class 10 was Anita Saklani with 99% marks while Satakshi Tiwari was the topper in Class 12, gaining 98% marks.

Also read: Tamil Nadu cancels all semester exams, barring final year

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In the second half of this year, about 24,200 units from four existing, and 18 future projects will enter Hanoi's market.- Photo zing news

In the second half of this year, about 24,200 units from four existing, and 18 future projects, will enter the market, with Grade B continuing to lead segment share. Do Thu Hang, Director, Advisory Services, Savills Hanoi, made the statement at Savills Vietnam's press conference on a report on Hanoi's property market in the first half of this year, held on July 21.

Of the 22 projects announced, 68 per cent are under construction with 32 per cent at the foundation level. Leading future suppliers are To Liem district with 45 per cent of stock, Gia Lam with 32 per cent and Hoang Mai with 9 per cent.

"Grade B remains the driver, however, all classes have suffered short term demand pressure. Large supply handed over in 2020 may see rental yields soften. With abundant infrastructure being completed, long term returns remain sound," said Hang.

However, urbanisation, strong population growth and shrinking households all contribute to residential property demand, she said.

In 2020, Vietnam's urbanisation was 37 per cent lower than Southeast Asia (50 per cent) and Asian peers (51 per cent). Lagging urbanisation implies strong future development potential.

A 96-million population in 2019 is expected to surge to 120 million by 2050 with a national urbanisation rate at 57 per cent. The emerging middle class, currently accounting for 13 per cent, is expected to reach 26 per cent of the population by 2026, according to Savills.

Total households increased 1.8 per cent per annum from 2009-19. Of which, each household had an average of 3.5 persons, 0.3 persons fewer than in 2009.

In line with Hanoi's urban expansion, supply is shifting from urban areas to rural districts. In 2016, Hoai Duc and Thanh Tri districts provided 10 per cent of supply. In the second quarter of this year, Gia Lam, Dong Anh, Hoai Duc and Thanh Tri districts together provided a 27 per cent share. Strongly performing Eastern districts in the first half of this year made suburban district sales account for 22 per cent.

Those districts have future large satellite projects, including Xuan Mai Smart City (3,072 ha), Vinhomes Co Loa (299 ha), BRG Smart City (272 ha) and Vinhomes Wonder Park (133 ha). These developments were expected to deliver sustainable solutions to population pressure, traffic congestion and infrastructure shortages.

This Savills quarterly report also said the lockdown lasting just 22 days helped ease downward pressure. In the second quarter of this year, five new and the next phases of seven existing projects provided about 6,200 apartments, up 28 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) but down 6 per cent YoY.

Primary supply increased 5 per cent QoQ but decreased by 6 per cent YoY to 29,200 units. Grade B accounting for 74 per cent remained the largest supplier.

Increased developer and buyer confidence accelerated new project launches and second-quarter performance. There were about 5,400 sales, up 11 per cent QoQ but down 43 per cent YoY.

In the first six months of this year, the market had about 10,300 sales, down 47 per cent YoY with a 30 per cent absorption, decreasing 17 percentage points (ppts) YoY.

Pandemic effects made sales difficult in the first six months but average primary prices remained stable QoQ and moved up 7 per cent YoY to US$1,460 per sq.m.

Meanwhile, Savills saw HCM City market's primary stock in the first half of this year down 52 per cent YoY to over 9,100 apartments, to a five-year low.

The long Tet holiday followed by the pandemic has severely affected developer planning. Supply in the second quarter of this year from four new entries and 10 next phases totaling 2,100 units, plunged 55 per cent QoQ and 74 per cent YoY.

Seven planned launches have been postponed to the second half of this year. Sunshine Horizon launched limited stock pre-lockdown with an upgraded online approach. With foreign customers' lower demand and more cautious investors, Grade A and B launches each provided less than 100 units.

"The pandemic delayed new launches and slowed foreign investors. However, local demand remains steady, particularly for affordable units," said Nguyen Khanh Duy, Savills Residential Sales Director.

Sales in the first half of this year in HCM City fell 55 per cent YoY, to just over 6,800 units, the lowest in five years. Grade C performed best with up to 84 per cent absorption while contributing 64 per cent of all sales in the first half of this year.

The three new Grade C projects each achieved over 80 per cent absorption. Overall demand was positive with 75 per cent absorption slightly easing 4 ppts YoY.
An estimated 6,000-6,500 Pakistani terrorists are in neighbouring Afghanistan, most of them with the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, posing a threat to both the countries, a UN report has said.

The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities said that the terror group al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operates under the Taliban umbrella from Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan.

"The group reportedly has between 150 and 200 members from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan. The current leader of AQIS is Osama Mahmood", who succeeded the late Asim Umar.

"AQIS is reportedly planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its former leader," it said.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a "large terrorist group present in Afghanistan", has claimed responsibility for various high-profile attacks in Pakistan and has facilitated others by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Lahskhar-e-Islam, the report said.

It said that many former TTP militants have joined Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan (ISIL-K) and member states expect that the group and its various splinter groups will align themselves with ISIL-K.

"The total number of Pakistani foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan, posing a threat to both countries, is estimated at between 6,000 and 6,500, most of them with TTP," it said, adding that a number of other terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan, most operating under the umbrella of the Taliban but some aligned with ISIL-K.

The report comes over a fortnight after India at the UN asked Pakistan to introspect as to why it is universally acknowledged as the "international epicentre" of terrorism and the "best safe haven for terrorists", while urging the global community to call upon Islamabad to take sustained, verifiable and irreversible actions against terror outfits operating from its soil.

In June this year, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan publicly acknowledged the presence of up to 40,000 terrorists in Pakistan and that terrorists from there have attacked the neighbouring countries.

According to the member states, al-Qaida is covertly active in 12 Afghan provinces and its leader Aiman al-Zawahiri remains based in the country, the report said.

The monitoring team estimates the total number of al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan at between 400 and 600.

"The leadership maintains close contact with the Haqqani Network. In February 2020, al-Zawahiri met with Yahya Haqqani, the primary Haqqani Network contact with al-Qaida since mid-2009, to discuss the ongoing cooperation," it said.

The monitoring team also estimates the current ISIL-K membership in Afghanistan at 2,200. The leader is sheikh Matiullah Kamahwal, previously the head of ISIL-K in Kunar. The leadership also includes Syrian national Abu Said Mohammad al-Khorasani and sheikh Abdul Tahir.

The team was informed that two senior ISIL commanders, Abu Qutaibah and Abu Hajar al-Iraqi, have arrived in Afghanistan from the Middle East.

The report said that ISIL-K continues to suffer losses in Kunar province, to where it moved from Nangarhar at the end of 2019.

In April and May, the Afghan special forces conducted a series of countrywide operations that led to the arrest of the group's leaders, including Aslam Farooqi (also known as Abdullah Orokzai), the head of ISIL-K, his predecessor Zia ul-Haq (also known as Abu Omar Khorasani) and other senior members.

According to some member states, ISIL-K is seeking to pursue "a global agenda" by implementing the ISIL core's leadership approach, which considers Afghan territory a base for spreading terrorist influence across the wider region.

"Although in territorial retreat, ISIL-K remains capable of carrying out high-profile attacks in various parts of the country, including Kabul," the report said, adding that the group also aims to attract Taliban fighters who oppose the agreement with the US.

In case of further military pressure on ISIL-K in Kunar, the group is expected to retreat to Badakhshan and other northern provinces, it said.

The monitoring team was informed that ISIL-K also works with networks of supporters in the Maldives.

On April, 15 2020, five government speedboats were damaged in an arson attack at Mahibadhoo Harbour on Ariatholhu Dhekunuburi, which ISIL claimed as its first attack in the Maldives.

According to the member state information, the attack was a retaliation against the government investigations into extremism and drug trafficking.

"The attack was covered extensively in ISIL media networks in South Asia, with the al-Naba claim of responsibility also translated into Dhivehi. Member states remain concerned about the radicalisation and recruitment in the Maldives," the report added.
The head of one of the worlds largest aid groups says he expects the coronavirus health crisis will have a major effect on migration for years to come.

Jagan Chapagain leads the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He told the French news agency AFP people will feel compelled to move when borders open because of lost jobs and food insecurity.

There are more than 15.5 million coronavirus infections worldwide, reports Johns Hopkins University in the United States. It adds that more than 633,000 of those infected have died.



The United States continues to lead the world with more than 4 million cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Johns Hopkins reports that Brazil is second, with more than 2 million cases, followed by India with more than 1 million.

The increase in new infections forced many U.S. businesses to close or cut back. There was also a sharp increase in the number of U.S. workers who asked the government for financial aid. The Department of Labor reported that about 1.4 million workers have been hurt by business closures and asked for unemployment assistance.

In a report, the United Nations Development Program proposed that the worlds poorest people be given money to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The report suggested spending $199 billion every month on such a program. The money would go to 2.7 billion people living below or just above the poverty line in 132 developing countries. It would enable them to buy food and pay for health and education expenses, the report said.

Im Susan Shand.

VOA News reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

migration  n. the act of moving from one place or country to another

compel  v. have little choice, something one must do

poverty line  n. the point of income at which one is officially poor
A man was injured after his crashed car was engulfed in flames Friday afternoon on Route 46 in Warren County, New Jersey State Police said.

The crash was reported a little after 3 p.m. Friday near mile-marker 13 on Route 46 East in Liberty Township, said Trooper Alejandro Goez.

Robert Buskirk, 37, Hackettstown, was driving a Toyota Rav4 when the compact SUV struck a guardrail and the vehicle became engulfed in flames, state police said.

Buskirk was able to get out of the vehicle, the trooper said, but suffered serious injuries and was taken by medical helicopter to Morristown Medical Center.

State police did not have an update Saturday on Buskirks condition. A spokeswoman for the hospital said there was no record of him as a patient there Saturday.

The accident is under investigation.

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.
New Delhi/Gilgit, July 25 : As the India-China face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh remains unresolved, Pakistan is carrying out military exercises at its air force base at Qadri in Skardu of occupied Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Top official sources told IANS that Pakistan's Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan visited the base on Friday to hold some important meetings and oversee the military exercises.

His visit comes at a time when China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops remain in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with Indian soldiers along the LAC in Ladakh.

Speculations are rife in Pakistan and China that the two allies may attack from two fronts - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, respectively, and simultaneously to occupy vital parts of Indian territory.

However, Pakistan's state radio claimed that Khan visited PAF Base Qadri at Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday and not Friday. "The Air Chief witnessed various operational activities at the base including rapid deployment of fighter aircraft and combat support elements. He was also briefed about the ongoing development works at the base," Pakistan radio said.

Talking to air force personnel, Khan said that Pakistan was watching the geo-strategic developments in the region. The air chief claimed that India was making massive military procurements.

Pakistan Army has been continually violating ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir for last several months.

Official sources in New Delhi said that India is fully cognizant of Pakistan's military exercises in the occupied Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The top US health body has issued new guidelines on the reopening of schools, clearly weighting its recommendations in favor of having students return to their classrooms in fall.

The updated advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was posted Thursday night, and came a few weeks after President Donald Trump asked the agency to change course.

"We owe it to our nation's children to take personal responsibility to do everything we can to lower the levels of COVID-19, so they can go back to school safely," CDC chief Robert Redfield said Friday.

With the virus still rampant in many parts of the country, a number of cities including Houston and Los Angeles have already announced that schools will reopen virtually.

Others like New York, where the epidemic has receded, are opting for a hybrid model.

Although the CDC says schools must take into consideration local virus transmission rates, it offers no precise guidance on what the cut-off threshold should be.

Asked by a reporter how he would define a hotspot that should not yet reopen its schools, Redfield said: "Right now we're looking where the percent positivity rate within the community is greater than five percent."

Positivity refers to the rate of coronavirus tests that come back positive, and the World Health Organization (WHO) considers a rate of above five percent to indicate rampant community spread.

Officials will be looking at data on the county level, but as a gauge, only 17 states plus the US capital currently fulfill this requirement on a statewide basis.

Redfield however stressed it was "just guidance to consider, to be more cautious."

- Benefits and risks -

The scientific community's position on schools reopening isn't completely clear cut.

On one side, the risk of children becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 is low, while pediatricians emphasize the beneficial role schools play in children's social development and mental health.

Some children have developed what doctors are calling multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) after exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Most have recovered from this post-viral illness, though a handful have died.

The US also has the benefit of being able to draw on other countries' experience.

Some countries which have been able to bring down their epidemics have reopened schools without major problems, while others like Israel saw spikes.

Finally, there are other benefits of in-person learning.

According to the CDC, prolonged school closures could worsen achievement gaps across income levels and racial and ethnic groups.

A study of 800,000 students by researchers at Brown and Harvard universities looking at how an online math program called Zearn was used found that student progress decreased throughout late April, particularly in low-income areas.

- Disease carriers? -

But the issue isn't just about whether children can get seriously ill -- it's whether they can become disease vectors themselves for their families and wider communities.

According to the CDC's latest advice just posted on its website, "the best available evidence" that has emerged so far "suggests that children are unlikely to be major drivers of the spread of the virus."

However, this does not correspond with the latest notable study on the matter which was published last week in the CDC's own journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The study, conducted in South Korea, showed children younger than 10 transmit to others much less often than adults do -- but those between the age 10 and 19 can spread the virus just as well as adults.

"I think we need to start off with a little humility and say, 'We don't know all the answers to that right now,'" Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert said, invoking the study.

Speaking in a video chat hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies, Fauci said more research was needed -- particularly on the question of how easily children get infected compared to adults.

The National Institutes for Health is studying this question and hopes to have results by December, he added.
Bahrain Real Estate Investment Company (Edamah) has appointed Southern Tourism Company as the main operator of Saada Marina, a key component of Saada development located on the Muharraq waterfront in the kingdom.

A mixed-use project, Saada offers unique waterfront hospitality and retail units which are ready for tenants with several new openings to be announced soon.

Saada Marina provides various water and recreational activities with a water taxi service and a recreational Marina Park for tourist boats.

Edamah, the real-estate arm of Mumtalakat, the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, said this appointment marked the official opening of Saada Marina, connecting the mixed-use project with other commercial docks and Bahrains waterfront tourist attractions.

As part of the deal, Southern Tourism Company will offer a number of boat trips from the Marina to Manama reservation area and historical attractions such as Bu Maher Fort and Bahrain National Museum, as well as Bahrain Bay and Hawar Island.

Edamah CEO Amin Alarrayed said: "We are pleased to appoint Southern Tourism Company to operate Saada Marina which is designed to be a major waterfront leisure destination for both locals and tourists alike."

The Saada development is aligned with Edamahs strategy that focuses on developing new projects and updating existing projects in a sustainable manner, and managing them according to the highest international standards and best business practice, he stated.

The Saada project boasts a total area of 13,112 sq m and includes 34 commercial units, parking for 200 cars and marine parking for 36 marine vessels of all sizes. It also includes restaurants and leisure outlets, and soon a pedestrian bridge will link Muharraq Souq to the waterfront, he added.

Southern Tourism Company Acting CEO Captain Abdullah Al Merbati said: "We are delighted to be appointed to operate the Saada Marina. Since its establishment in 2000, the company has played a prominent role in developing the tourism and maritime transport sector in Bahrain."

"With Saada Marina, we will continue our work to enhance the maritime transport and tourism sectors by providing distinguished and high quality marine services," added Al Merbati.-TradeArabia News Service
Britons may need annual boosters like flu to defeat Covid-19, a professor leading vaccine trials has warned, amid fears the virus could remain among us for decades.

Imperial College's Professor Robin Shattock admitted a series of vaccines would likely be required to fully eliminate the disease on a global scale.

It comes as it moves into its second phase of trials, with the jab being given to 200 human volunteers after it proved safe on a group of 92 people.

Britons may need annual boosters like flu to defeat Covid-19, Professor Robin Shattock, pictured, who is leading Imperial College's vaccine trials, has warned

Asked if he agreed with comments that Covid-19 was likely to remain for decades, Prof Shattock told BBC Radio Four's Today Programme: 'It's true, and it's highly likely that we may need vaccinations to be boosted, possibly even on an annual basis, like we do for influenza.

'One of the advantages our particular approach has is that it's a low dose and it can be used as frequently as required.'

Flu vaccination is available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its complications.

The Covid-19 vaccine works by delivering genetic material from the coronavirus into the body to force it to reproduce the spike proteins found on the outside of the virus, triggering the immune system into attack mode.

Pre-clinical studies have shown the vaccine successfully produced antibodies against Covid-19 in mice which were able to neutralise the virus.

People who received the jab in the first round of testing are being monitored by scientists to check for side effects and to see whether it is stimulating the immune system.

Prof Shattock said the first phase had seen 'only very mild side effects, if any' and that the next stage would see the maximum age of volunteers raised from 45 to 75.

However, he admitted that, ultimately, testing will need to be done on tens of thousands, not hundreds.

'We're trying to get enough safety data so by October we can expand to a very large efficacy trial across the UK,' he said.

The vaccine works by delivering genetic material from the coronavirus into the body to force it to reproduce the spike proteins found on the outside of the virus, triggering the immune system into attack mode

'We need a series of vaccines. We often talk about this as a race, but we need as many groups to get past the finishing post as possible.

'When we think of things on a global scale, developing enough vaccine for seven billion people is going to be too big a thing for a single group to do.

'It's a very different challenge to produce enough vaccine for the UK as it is for global supply.

'The vaccine that is produced in the largest quantities, polio vaccine, we make half a billion vials of that every year. So billions have never been made in a single year.

'We don't know [if it eliminates the disease or just reduce the impact] and we are definitely wanting to try for a vaccine that prevents infection, rather than just reduces disease, but until we have that data that proves either of those things, all bets are off.'

Imperial's progress comes after another top candidate, made by the University of Oxford, last week showed promising signs of success in early human trials.

A vaccine is considered crucial for getting out of the coronavirus pandemic because it would be the only way to secure protection against catching it.

They work by triggering an immune response which has long-term memory, so if a person is exposed to the coronavirus in real life, their body knows how to fight it quickly.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma writes in today's Daily Mail how volunteering as a participant in vaccine trials will help the country's collective effort to finally defeat the virus.

He wrote: 'We all know that the best way to defeat this disease once and for all, and really get our economy firing on all cylinders again so we can protect and create jobs, is by finding a safe and effective vaccine.

'Finding a vaccine takes time and there are no guarantees. We must remember that coronavirus is a new disease, which presents new challenges.

'But I know our researchers will rise to this challenge, buoyed by the knowledge that the nation is standing behind them, willing them on to success. Volunteers can play their part by signing up at nhs.uk/researchcontact.

'Every member of the public has a supporting role to play as we await that momentous breakthrough.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-24 20:39:28|Editor: huaxia

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A Mars probe is launched on a Long March-5 rocket from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, July 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

XI'AN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Ground stations of China's deep space monitoring network are tracking the country's Mars probe, which had been sent into the Earth-Mars transfer orbit, sources with Xi'an Satellite Control Center said on Friday.

Operated by the control center, the network consists of three monitoring stations, two in China and one in Argentina. The stations in Kashgar of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and in Jiamusi of northeast Heilongjiang Province were put into use in 2012, while the station overseas began operations in 2017.

A Long March-5 rocket carrying the Mars probe, Tianwen-1, lifted off from China's Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site at 12:41 p.m. (Beijing Time) Thursday.

The Argentina station was the first to track the probe at 1:21 p.m. Thursday. The Jiamusi station and Kashgar station locked the target at 9:37 p.m. Thursday and 1:00 a.m. Friday, respectively.

According to scientists, in the following months, the deep space monitoring network will continue to receive and collect data, providing support for the Mars mission. 
In route news, Alaska Airlines plans more California service, including some from the Bay Area; Qantas brings an end to its 747 era; some U.S.-India service resumes; China Airlines goes through an identity crisis; Customs & Border Protection pushes Global Entry interviews back to September; see the latest updates on international carriers at SFO; Nashvilles airport gets a new concourse; Air Canada starts reopening Maple Leaf lounges; and Virgin moves ahead with construction of a rail line from south Florida to Orlando International.

Last week, we reported on Alaska Airlines plans to add more service out of Los Angeles International this fall as part of its increasing coordination with America Airlines. But Alaska has some new route plans for the Bay Area as well. We learned this week that in addition to its LAX-Tampa service coming this fall, Alaska will kick off transcontinental flights to Tampa from San Francisco International starting Nov. 20. The 737 flights will operate twice a week, with eastbound departures on Fridays and Saturdays, and return flights on Saturdays and Sundays. Alaska will be competing in the market against United, which is due to resume its own SFO-Tampa service in September.

Meanwhile, Alaska also has plans for three routes out of Mineta San Jose in the fall and spring, including daily service to Spokane, Wash., beginning in September, followed by daily service to Redmond/Bend, Ore., and Missola, Mont., both starting in March 2021. All three routes will be operated by Alaskas regional Horizon Air affiliate using 76-seat E175s. In Southern California, Alaska now expects to launch four 737-800 flights a week from San Diego to Cancun from Nov. 20 through April 12, along with 737 service from SAN to Ft. Lauderdale as of Nov. 21 and E175 flights to Missoula effective Mar. 11, 2021.

Just like British Airways did last week, Qantas this week removed the venerable Boeing 747 from its fleet for good. The Australian carriers last remaining 747-400 made its final flight from Sydney to Los Angeles before proceeding on to a permanent parking spot in the Mojave Desert. Qantas has been flying six different models of the 747 since 1971, including the long-range 747SP, which made the first non-stop U.S.-Australia flights possible. Time has overtaken the 747 and we now have a much more fuel efficient aircraft with even better range in our fleet, such as the 787 Dreamliner that we use on Perth-London and hopefully before too long, the Airbus A350 for our Project Sunrise flights non-stop to New York and London, said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce. See the Qantas 'roo flight path below? (This has been one of the longest 747 goodbyes among major airlines  back in December 2019, we said so long to the final Qantas 747 at SFO.)

Flightradar24

India has banned international commercial airline service since March, but this month it agreed to allow a limited number of flights to resume from the United States, France and Germany  just in time for United to operate its San Francisco-Delhi service three times a week as previously announced, as well as Newark-Delhi flights. However, according to media reports from India, the schedules after the end of July are still uncertain, and initial flights are restricted mainly to nationals returning home, with tickets sold on a one-way basis only.

Do you know the difference between China Airlines and Air China? Its like the difference between the Republic of China and the Peoples Republic of China. In both cases, the former is based in Taiwan and the latter in Beijing. Citing possible confusion in the minds of travelers, and a desire for their national airline to be more clearly identified with Taiwan, the parliament of that island has approved a plan to rebrand China Airlines, giving it a new identity and a new name. Exactly what that name will be could take some time to figure out, since rebranding these days involves a lot more than just picking a name out of a hat. So for now, its still China Airlines. The carrier currently flies from Taipei to San Francisco and Los Angeles and plans to resume one weekly flight to New York next week.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which recently scratched its plan to reopen Global Entry enrollment centers in early July, said this week that those centers will now remain closed at least until Sept. 8. Individuals who apply to join the Global Entry trusted traveler program for expedited re-entry to the United States must submit to a personal interview as part of the process, and thats what the enrollment centers are for. CBP said anyone who had scheduled an interview on or before Sept. 7 should reschedule. The agency also extended the amount of time that applicants have to complete the process. They now have 545 days from the date when CBP conditionally approved their membership. In addition, CBP will extend for up to 18 months the program benefits of members who apply for renewal before their current membership expires, the agency said.

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Here are the latest schedule updates from some international carriers: Air New Zealand resumed SFO-Auckland service this week, with three weekly flights  Turkish Airlines is due to resume SFO-Istanbul operations July 26 with three flights a week, increasing to four on Aug. 30  Virgin Atlantic this week started flying again from London Heathrow to Los Angeles and New York JFK, with SFO flights due to restart Aug. 4  Japan Airlines latest schedule extension shows it continuing to offer two flights a week from SFO to Tokyo Narita through September British Airways now shows a daily SFO-LHR flight continuing through September  Philippine Airlines will operate twice-weekly SFO-Manila service during August, increasing to three a week Sept. 7  KLMs extended schedule from Aug. 1 through Oct. 24 shows three weekly SFO-Amsterdam flights continuing through Sept. 27, then increasing to five a week  and low-cost Norwegian Air has pushed back from December to late March its plans to resume flying between San Francisco and London Gatwick. Remember, if you hope to fly overseas, be sure to research entry restrictions and requirements before you book, because you might not be able to go as things stand now.

Virgin Trains

In airport news, Nashville International has cut the ribbon on a new Concourse D after six years of construction. The six-gate facility will be used by Southwest Airlines. Its part of a larger long-term overhaul  due to end in 2023 -- that will give BNA three new parking garages, larger baggage claim and ticketing areas, a renovated lobby, more security checkpoints, additional food and beverage concessions and a hotel.

Air Canada said this week that it has reopened the Maple Leaf Lounge at Toronto Pearson that serves the airports D gates and expects to reopen lounges by early fall for the domestic departure areas at the Vancouver and Montreal airports. The airline said it will use electrostatic spraying to keep the lounges safe, and will introduce new touchless processes, such as the ability to order pre-packaged food directly to your seat from your smartphone.

Virgin is coming to Orlando International  not the airline, but Virgin Trains, which will install an airport station as part of its 170-mile extension of passenger rail service from West Palm Beach. The company is taking advantage of the coronavirus-related passenger slowdown to press ahead with the delicate job of laying more than three miles of track through the busy infrastructure that currently surrounds the airport. The new rail service from South Florida to MCO is expected to start before the end of 2022, after construction is completed on the airports big new $2.7 billion South Terminal. At the same time that all this is under way, the Central Florida Expressway Authority will be rebuilding the key intersection of state roads 436 and 538 at the entrance to the airport, adding more lanes and new flyover bridges.

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A 37-year-old man, Tunde Emiola, who was shot by unidentified officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Oyo/Osun Command is seeking for justice and compensation.

Mr Emiola, a cobbler and father of four, was one of the four people shot by some customs officers in Ibadan when a crisis broke out between them and commercial motorcyclists.

The fight broke out between the two groups at the Oyo/Osun barracks along the Ijokodo-Apete Road in Ibadan on Tuesday, March 10.

The four people, who were plying the road at the time the fight happened, were immediately taken to the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan for medical attention.

Three of them later lost their lives despite the medical intervention, PREMIUM TIMES was informed. They have been buried.

The Public Relations Officer of the Command, Abdullahi Lagos, however, insisted that only one person was shot during the fracas.

Mr Lagos in a statement a day after the incident, also maintained that no one died as a result of the incident.

He said a truck suspected to be carrying some prohibited items hit a commercial motorcyclist along the Apete Road that Tuesday while trying to evade arrest.

He also said the victim was quickly taken to the University College Hospital for treatment.

Survivor laments

But, four months after the incident, one of the victims, Mr Emiola has urged Nigerians including its political leaders to save him from permanent incapacitation due to the wounds he sustained.

Man shot by customs officers in Ibadan

Mr Emiola, who said four bullets were removed from his stomach after two surgical operations at UCH, noted that all efforts to get compensation from the customs Oyo/ Osun command led by area comptroller, Helen Ngozi, were unsuccessful.

He called on Nigerians to prevail on the customs boss, Ahmed Ali, to compensate him accordingly.

Mr Emiola also confirmed the other three who were shot have died and been buried.

Mr, Emiola, who could not recollect the names of the other victims, said one of them was buried at Peace Estate along the Awotan-Akufo Road in Ibadan, one was buried in Apete in Ibadan.

But he could not remember where the third person was buried.

He, however, said the customs service paid N500, 000 as medical fee at UCH, while his family paid another N350,000 when the customs refused to take the responsibility for his medical bill again.

He also said he was shot when he was taking some kids back home after school. He had noticed some people being chased by some customs officers.

I later saw that this side of my stomach is hot and one of the policemen told me to stop that I have been hit by bullets. They told me that it was bullets. I opened my cloth and showed them. They took us to UCH. Four of us were hit by bullets. I dont know their names but I know their people. So, when were taken to UCH, they did not attend to me on time. I immediately called my brothers that I have been hit by bullets.

In the presence of my brothers, they did the first operation on Wednesday, they concluded the operation around 3 a.m. on Wednesday 11th March. Nine days after I could not defecate, I went to toilet and some minutes after the operation broke.

They did the operation twice. It was Dr Ajayi that did the second operation. I was discharged from UCH on 24th March, he said.

The customs paid N500, 000 but after that, when we need money and called them they will say that the customs area comptroller charge of Oyo/ Osun is not around. That there is no money. Later, we called my brothers. They are the ones that brought in money. My family paid N350,000 for the medical fee, he added.

He said he has not been able to do any heavy lifting since he was discharged and is also unable to support his family.

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Since then, if I sleep, it will be as of they open an oven in my stomach, I cannot do any heavy job now, I dont have enough strength again. I have four kids and two wives. I am a cobbler, I have a shop at home in Ijokodo.

I am appealing to President Buhari, Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives and other well-meaning Nigerians to help me get justice. I have been incapacitated. I need compensation, he said.

Matter beyond us now

Meanwhile, Mr Lagos told PREMIUM TIMES the matter is now beyond the command as the victim has taken the matter to the customs headquarters in Abuja.

The spokesperson of the service, Joseph Attah, said he was not aware of Mr Emiolas plight or request.

Mr Attah who spoke with the reporter Friday evening said, I am not aware of the story you are talking about. I am not aware of the incident you are talking about. I am not aware.

It is the command that supposed to brief me on the matter, and not you. So I am not aware of the story.




Five South Korean nationals who were kidnapped by an unidentified armed group in waters off the western African country of Benin have been released, the foreign ministry said Saturday.







The South Koreans were released from southern Nigeria, Friday (local time), about a month after being abducted in waters 111 kilometers south of Cotonou Port in Benin, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.







On June 24, the armed group attacked the 994-ton fishing vessel, the Ghanaian-flagged Panofi Frontier, and kidnapped six of the 30-man crew.







The ministry said the released South Koreans were in good health and are currently in a safe location prepared by its embassy in Nigeria.







The other abductee, a Ghanaian national, was also safely moved to the Ghanaian Embassy in the country.







The South Koreans will be transported to Ghana if they desire, as soon as a flight becomes available, it added. (Yonhap)


WASHINGTON  The shipyard presiding over the renovations on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard when it caught fire July 12 was awarded a $10 million contract modification for their efforts with firefighting and follow-on cleanup.

The contract with General Dynamics NASSCO San Diego was among those announced Wednesday in the U.S. Defense Departments daily roundup.

The work includes USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) emergency firefighting support, dewatering, safety and initial clean-up efforts, the announcement read, and is to be completed by November 2020.

US Navys top officer reveals grim new details of the damage to Bonhomme Richard

The fire, which broke out July 12, began in the lower vehicle storage area amidships and damaged 11 of the Bonhomme Richards 14 decks, according to a letter to all Navy flag officers and master chiefs obtained by Defense News. The Navy said there was no known welding or other hot work taking place at the time of the fire, and it is unclear what caused the blaze.

The Navy is conducting a safety investigation  which are not usually releasable to the public so as to encourage witnesses to speak freely  and a more formal administrative investigation accompanied by accountability recommendations that can be released.

The Navys top officer, Adm. Michael Gilday, told Defense News in a July 16 interview he is committed to transparency in the investigation.

This is a very, very serious incident that I think will force the Navy to stand back and reevaluate itself, Gilday said. Weve got to follow the facts, weve got to be honest with ourselves and weve got to get after it. My intention, once the investigations are done, is to make this available for the public to debate, including what we need to do to get after any systemic problems that we might have.
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Stakeholders in the oil and gas sector have called for proactive fiscal policy in the petroleum industry to fast track investment and infrastructure development in the country.

The stakeholders disclosed this at the Virtual workshop on Leveraging Fiscal Regulations to Attract Investments in the Petroleum sector, on Thursday.

Mr Osten Olorunsola, Chairman, Energy Institute Nigeria, said that the oil and gas sector in Nigeria needed a lot of investment to meet with the current global challenges.

He stated that globally, the industry had witnessed decline in product demand and low price regime, adding that only low cost molecules would be able to make it in the market.

Olorunsola said that the sector in Nigeria needed to transform to meet with current trend as the sector was not buoyant as perceived by many.

He noted that the Nigerian government need to define what energy transformation meant to it and focus to ensure that it delivered on policies that would develop the sector.

We need steady revenue, growth in all spheres of the sector and value-oriented leaders.

We need to speed up with legislation to ensure that oil in the ground does not remain there and also create enabling environment for business to thrive.

All these will give rise to sustained investment,'' he said

Olorunsola further said that fair sharing remained the bone of contention in designing fiscal policy.

He advised that the new policy must ensure that change of government would not affect the sector, and must be simple, transparent, socially inclusive and flexible.

Beyond competitiveness, we must aim at fiscal profitability.

Investment in the sector will be enhanced with good fiscal regulations.

We need more transformation in fiscal policy to achieve the desired result,'' he added.

In her remarks, Mrs Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, President, Nigerian Gas Association (NGA), said that Nigeria need to move as a nation that could generate foreign exchange and create employment.

She said that a lot need to be done to attract investors in the sector adding that Nigeria could take a cue from what Egypt had done in the past five years to develop their oil and gas sector.

The NGA president said that while Nigeria oil and gas sector contributed 9.14 per cent to GDP, other oil nation like Angola and Kuwait contributed 50 and 40 per cents respectively to their nation's GDP.

Like Nigeria, Egypt has 61 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) of gas and 42TCF of gas yet to be discovered. This is small compared to what we have here in Nigeria.

They started importing gas when they saw that domestic production was no longer meeting domestic demand.

Egypt with good policy recognized this and unlocked their economy and had significant discovery and today, they are self sufficient,'' she said

She noted that fiscal policy was significant to investors, adding that the NGA believed that natural gas could help bring about a lot of changes in the industry.

Joe-Ezigbo noted there was need to look at types of resources in the country in creating the fiscal policy and ensure a stand-alone policy for gas.

She advised that government should also create landscape that incentivises gas, look at bottlenecks in contracting among others.

It is imperative to pass fiscal policy, for upstream, downstream and midstream with gas having a stand-alone policy.

The policy must address the dearth of capital and investment and must see gas as economic enabler that should not be over-taxed,'' the NGA president added.

Also speaking, Mr Joe Nwakwe, Chairman, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Nigeria Council, said that government must know that oil and gas also belonged to the next generation and hence good policy was imperative.

He said that the new fiscal policy must capture that to be realistic, adding that issues of Host Community must be critically looked into to ensure safety of workers.

Fiscal policy must strengthen licensing of operations and ensure peaceful production environment.

The host communities must also be happy with the business happening in their area,'' the SPE chairman said.(NAN)
Libraries in County Wexford have been extremely busy in recent times with over 2,500 books being delivered to cocooners and many more ordering and collecting books from their local library.

Since late June libraries have been welcoming back members of the public to browse the shelves in the county's five branches.

The number of customers in each library are strictly limited to better facilitate social distancing, County Librarian Eileen Morrissey said.

Members of the public are being asked to contact their local branch or fill in an online form in advance to reserve a time slot for their visit.

Time slots of 20 minutes duration are being allocated for browsing and selecting books.

'The focus in early days of opening is on book borrowing but limited computer, printing and photocopying services are available.

Self service facilities are in use. Study facilities and some other library services are not yet available and members of the public are being encouraged to visit the website for further details of the booking system and facilities available.'

She said children are very welcome back to their local library when accompanied by their parents to pick their own selection of summer reading.

'As in previous years children are being encouraged to join the Summer Stars Reading Adventure and read as many books as they can over the summer.

This year children can take a chance by picking up a "mystery bag" of books in their local library. There will be many other fun activities in the coming weeks for children to join in with as part of Summer Stars 2020. Online they can find messages from some of your favourite authors, readings by Wexford library staff and much more. There is a story writing competition with the title, 'An Unexpected Adventure' open to children all over Ireland.

Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr Ger Carthy said: 'We are delighted to welcome back members of the public to visit our libraries. We are re-introducing library services in a measured and controlled way with the safety of the public and the staff at the forefront of our minds. A visit to the library is at the top of the list of things that many people have missed while restrictions were in place. We look forward to welcoming all customers old and new to the library in coming weeks. We ask them to help us to protect all customers and staff by adhering to new safety protocols.'
By Ali Kucukgocmen and Daren Butler

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan joined huge crowds on Friday for the first prayers at Hagia Sophia in nine decades, sealing his ambition to restore Muslim worship at an ancient site long revered in both Christianity and Islam.

After the call to prayer rang out from four minarets surrounding the mosque, whose rose-pink walls and huge grey dome have dominated Istanbul since Christian Byzantine times, hundreds knelt in prayer inside the building.

Outside, tens of thousands more prayed in a public square and on sidewalks, squeezing into spaces between cars or in cafes, joining a ceremony which many saw as righting a historic mistake when the mosque was converted to a museum in 1934 by modern Turkey's secularist founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Hagia Sophia was the largest cathedral in the world for 900 years until its capture by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453, after which it was one of Islam's most exalted mosques for nearly another 500 years.

"This is the opening of a place of worship that was conquered by the right of the sword by the holy conqueror," said worshipper Latif Ozer, 42. "This is a source of great pride for us, great excitement."

That excitement has not been universally shared. Church leaders and some Western countries have sharply criticised Turkey's move, saying the shift to exclusive Muslim worship at Hagia Sophia risks deepening religious divisions.

Pope Francis said he was deeply pained by the decision, which came after a Turkish court annulled Hagia Sophia's status as a museum two weeks ago. Erdogan immediately issued a decree converting it once again to a mosque.

In Greece, church bells tolled in mourning on Friday. Most Greeks consider the monument central to their Orthodox Christian religion. Greek criticism of the conversion has been scathing, underscoring the countries' tense relations.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Turkey a "troublemaker", and the Hagia Sophia conversion an "affront to civilization of the 21st century".

Story continues

"HEARTBREAK" IS ENDING

Several hundred invitees joined Erdogan for the ceremony inside the sixth-century building.

The president, his head covered by a white prayer cap, read a Koranic recitation before the head of Turkey's religious directorate Ali Erbas addressed worshippers.

"The longing of our nation, which has turned into a heartbreak, is coming to an end today," Erbas said from the pulpit, holding a sword in his hand - a tradition for preachers in mosques which have been captured in conquest, he later said.

"God willing, we will continue this tradition in the future," Anadolu agency quoted Erbas as saying as he left the mosque.

New white curtains covered an image of Mary and Jesus which would have faced the worshippers, but pictures of angels were still visible on arches supporting the mosque's cavernous dome.

Officials say that glittering mosaics and other art in the main hall will be concealed during prayer time, but will remain uncovered in other parts of the building.

Earlier, crowds formed at checkpoints around the historic heart of Istanbul where massed police maintained security. Once through the checks, worshippers sat apart on prayer mats in secured areas outside the building in Sultanahmet Square.

A large screen and speakers set up in the square broadcast proceedings to a crowd which Erdogan said was 350,000-strong.

CHRISTIAN ICONS CONCEALED

"God is greatest," chanted people in the square. Some held Turkish and Ottoman flags.

During his 17-year rule, Erdogan has championed Islam and religious observance and backed efforts to restore Hagia Sophia's mosque status. He said Muslims should be able to pray there again and raised the issue - popular with many pious AKP-voting Turks - during local elections last year.

Erdogan has reshaped Turkey's modern republic, established nearly a century ago by the secularist Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, lifting a ban on Muslim headscarves in state institutions, promoting religious education and taming Turkey's powerful military, once a bastion of Ataturk's secular values.

After leaving Hagia Sophia, Erdogan went straight to the nearby Fatih (Conqueror) mosque, named after Sultan Mehmet who seized Istanbul for the Ottomans.

"Hagia Sophia will continue to serve all believers as a mosque and will remain a place of cultural heritage for all humanity," Erdogan said, adding he wanted to "visit the tomb of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, the real owner".

(Additional reporting by Mert Ozkan, Ece Toksabay and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Dominic Evans and Andrew Heavens)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 22:36:21|Editor: huaxia

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DALIAN, China, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Fabio Cannavaro said on Saturday that he found himself annoyed as he had kept expecting his striker Wei Shihao to set up.

The Italian's Guangzhou Evergrande beat Shanghai Shenhua 2-0 in the Chinese Super League season opener thanks to a brace from Wei.

Cannavaro, pleased with the Chinese striker's performance, said the 25-year-old still needs to learn to play with more sense.

"I felt annoyed as I repeatedly asked him to improve every day, I criticized him, managed him, all that I did was to help him become better," he said through an interpreter.

"He should learn to play more reasonably. He is rather young and some of his behaviors on the field did not make much sense," Cannavaro said. Enditem
I really see them as Americas first reality stars, Koppel told NPR in 2013. These women who were unknown military wives in the background, married to test pilots, obviously had to be pretty brave to even be married to a man with that kind of high-risk job. But all of a sudden, Americas looking to them as model housewives, and theyre going to have a role throughout the space race of presenting the perfect American family to the rest of the world.
A three-year-old girl from Arkansas has died and her younger sister is currently hospitalized in critical but stable condition after they were both found in a car at their family home in Boonville, authorities said.

The girls mother, 21-year-old Kaylee Petchenik, called local Boonville police at around 2 p.m. on Monday to file a missing child report, telling the department her two daughters are nowhere to be found, Arkansas State Police said in a news release.

I was sitting out of my porch around 11 oclock and my neighbor Kaylee, the mom has came outside and looked concerned and worried and she came up to and asked if I had seen her kids, the young mothers neighbor, Matthew Wood, told KFSM.

Wood said that Petchenik told him she has been working night shifts and needed some rest, so she went to take an afternoon power-nap. She locked the doors before going to sleep, but after she woke up, the door was open and the two girls were missing.

After an Arkansas officer arrived on the scene, the officer and Wood found 3-year-old Laykn Petchenik and her 15-month-old sister Olivia, unconscious and lying on the cars back floorboard, according to the police release.

I was standing next to him when we looked down and saw them in the car, but I kind of froze up at the sight, Wood told KFSM. Im not going to lie. He opened the door, screamed for EMS.

Laykn was rushed to a Booneville hospital were she later died, police said. An autopsy will be performed by the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory to determine the toddlers cause and manner of death.

Her younger sister was transported to a hospital in Little Rock, where she is listed in stable, but critical condition.

Both are the apparent victims of heat, Arkansas State Police officials stated. It is unclear how the children got inside the vehicle.

Special Agents of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division are leading the investigation into the possible circumstances of the incident and will submit a file to prosecutors in due course, a police statement said.

The Logan County prosecuting attorney will evaluate the case and decide whether or not to press charges.

After Laykns death, a GoFundMe page was set up to help the young mother with funeral expenses.

According to KidsAndCars.org, an advocacy group that works to raise public awareness about such incidents, there have been 11 child hot car deaths so far this year.

Jan Null, a San Jose State professor and former meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told SFGate that the temperatures inside vehicles heat up rapidly, with the air rising about 19 degrees above the outside temperature is in the first 10 minutes and rising another 10 degrees in the next 10 minutes.

Whats more, Null said the bodies of small children heat up three to five times faster compared to adults. So, while you and I could be in a car thats, say, 109 degrees, an infant or small child would be to the point of entering heat stroke, he said.

The National Safety Council advises parents and caregivers to stick to a routine and avoid distractions to reduce the risk of forgetting a child. Keep car doors locked so children cannot gain access, and teach them that cars are no play areas.
Four people are dead and one survivor has been taken to hospital after a crash in the Gold Coast hinterland suburb of Advancetown.

Multiple emergency crews, including critical care paramedics, were called to the scene on now-closed Nerang Murwillumbah Road, near Beechmont Road, just before 1pm on Saturday.

The crash at Advancetown, in the Gold Coast hinterland, on Saturday. Credit:QAS

Police believe the driver of one of the vehicles lost control before colliding with an oncoming utility.

The four occupants from the first vehicle died at the scene.
U.S. Senate passes 2021 NDAA, with provisions to support Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

07/24/2020 11:19 AM

Washington, July 23 (CNA) The United States Senate on Thursday passed its version of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including provisions that support the strengthening of Taiwan's military and further cooperation on efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill cleared the Senate floor with a 86-14 vote.

Provisions that included Taiwan were mentioned in sections 1258 and 1259 of the NDAA, which reiterated that the Taiwan Relations Act and the "Six Assurances" provided by the U.S. to Taiwan in July 1982 are "the foundation for United States-Taiwan relations."

The Six Assurances were given by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982 and include pledges not to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan, not to hold prior consultations with China regarding arms sales to Taiwan, and not to play a mediation role between Taiwan and China.

They also include assurances that the U.S. will not revise the TRA or pressure Taiwan to enter into negotiations with China.

Meanwhile, the 2021 NDAA also highlighted U.S. support for the development of Taiwan's military, including through arms sales, exchanges between top defense officials and military exercises.

These exercises could include the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the world's largest maritime warfare exercise, if appropriate, the Act states, although Taiwan has never participated before.

The NDAA also acknowledges China's "increasingly coercive and aggressive behavior" toward Taiwan, which is contrary to the U.S.' expectation of a "peaceful resolution" of Taiwan's future.

Citing the Taiwan Relations Act, the NDAA states that the U.S. will maintain the capacity "to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan, including the capacity of the United States Armed Forces to deny a 'fait accompli' operation by the People's Republic of China to rapidly seize control of Taiwan."

A section of the NDAA also advises the Department of Defense to conduct port calls in Taiwan with two U.S. naval hospital ships -- the USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy.

The port calls would allow "United States personnel to benefit from the expertise of Taiwanese personnel in light of the successful response of Taiwan to COVID-19" and would allow the two sides to continue collaborating on COVID-19 responses, the Act states.

The visits would also further improve cooperation between the two sides in the areas of military medicine, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, it added.

The U.S. House of Representatives on July 21 passed its own version of the national defense act.

The two houses will soon begin negotiations to hammer out the differences in their competing bills before a finalized version can be signed into law by the U.S. President.

(By Chiang Chin-yeh and Ko Lin)

Enditem/AW

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A study claims that hundreds of Chinese vessels known as "dark fleets" have been illegally fishing in North Korean waters. The boats have forced the displacement of local fishers to go to distant waters hazardous vessels and risk their lives, most of which have been dragged by powerful currents to the Japanese coast.

Illegal Chinese fishing operations

According to The Guardian, the report that was published in the Sciences Advances journal titled Global Fishing Watch (GFW), reveals that at least 900 Chinese vessels conducted illegal fishing operations in the region in 2017 and 700 were seen in 2018.

The study estimates the fishing vessels have acquired more than 160,000 metric tons of squid that equates to roughly $440 million.

The agency has stated the two-year illegal fishing operations was most likely a violation of sanctions by the UN that barred North Korea from making foreign currency with the use of providing fishing licenses to international vessels.

A senior data scientist at GFW, Jaeyoon Park, who is also the co-lead author of the study, said that the massive number of Chinese fishing vessels that conducted illegal operations accounted for nearly one-third of China's entire distant-water fishing fleet.

Park said the agency synthesized data that was gathered from multiple satellite sensors which are used to produce a vivid picture of the massive fishing activity in the region.

The activities have caused local fishermen to disappear, and the ones found in Japan's coasts became known as "ghost ships," as reported by CNN.

Also Read: Kim Jong-Un's Alleged Drug Cartel, Human Trafficking Trade: How North Korea's Elites Maintain Luxurious Lifestyles

In 2017, it was found that more than 100 boats were discovered on the Japanese where 35 bodies were located. The numbers run contrary to the previous year where only 66 ships washed up on the shore.

For years, the origins and cause of the ghost ships and dead bodies they brought remained a mystery until the study by GFW, that showed a much more horrific and inhumane realization.

Despite the uncertainty of North Korea making massive finances from fishing operations from its own vessels within its territory, Pyongyang seems to have regained some of its lost cast by selling off the rights to international fishing boats.

A report published by the United Nations in March stated that North Korea earned approximately $120 million in 2018 by selling fishing rights that go in direct violation of the UN's sanctions on the country.

Ghost ships

According to Business Insider, two decapitated bodies were found last year on the Japanese coast in what was suspected to be a fishing boat from North Korea.

Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) or known in English as Japan's Broadcasting Corporation, previously reported that a boat etched with Korean characters washed ashore on the island of Sado last year.

Coast guards discovered seven partially skeletonized remains during an investigation of the vessel. The remains consisted of three bodies and two heads, whose bodies were not found on the boat as well as two bodies that have lost their heads.

The boat was believed to be one of the many ghost ships that have been the result of local North Korean fishermen being forced out of their territorial waters by Chinese fishing vessels.

Related Article: Hong Kong's New Security Law Threatens Political Freedom, Teacher Arrested Over Differing Views

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), earlier this week, questioned civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha about his links with Syed Gautam Nabi Fai, the US based Pakistan bankrolled Kashmiri separatist who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2011 and later sentenced to a two-year term, two people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

Navlakha, currently in prison, was taken into custody by NIA from July 17 till July 22 for interrogation, and was particularly asked about a claim made by US Attorney Neil H MacBride in an affidavit in 2011 on the basis of a FBI investigation that claimed Gautam Navlakha was introduced to an ISI General for recruitment by Fai at the ISIs direction, the officials said.

The agency is also investigating Navlakhas visits to the US on few occasions to attend seminars on Kashmir organized by Fais Kashmiri American Council (KAC). Interestingly, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met Ghulam Nabi Fai in New York during his visit there in September last year.

According to US Department of Justice and FBI documents, Fai, who was arrested in July 2011, received around $3.5 million since 1990 from Pakistan government officials and the ISI. MacBride, in an affidavit dated December 7, 2011 in a court in Virginia, said: For the last 20 years, Mr. Fai secretly took millions of dollars from Pakistani intelligence and lied about it to the U.S. government. As a paid operative of ISI, he did the bidding of his handlers in Pakistan while he met with U.S. elected officials, funded high-profile conferences and promoted the Kashmiri cause to decision-makers in Washington.

HT has reviewed the US Department of Justice and FBI documents. Fai pleaded guilty on all the charges against him after which he was sentenced in 2012 for two years with three more years of supervised release.

NIA, according to officials cited above, has also learnt that after Fais arrest, Navlakha wrote to FBI supporting him. The agency is trying to trace this communication , they added.

This is the first time that agencies have found a Kashmir link to one of the accused in the Bhima-Koregaon incident, for which which Navlakha was arrested.

Bhima Koregaon case is that the speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave on December 31, 2017, which was allegedly funded by Maoists, aggravated the violence near Koregaon Bhima war memorial in Pune district the next day.

Agency officials added that they are also investigating Navlakhas trips to other countries as well to attend different seminars and conferences where Kashmir or other issues were discussed.

The officers added that they have evidence which establishes that Navlakha visited to the jungles of Chhattisgarh to meet the Maoist leadership as well. The agency has recovered some invitation letters from Maoists to him in this regard while his phone, email and travel details are being checked.

Yug Chaudhry, Navlakhas lawyer said: I dont know about his visits to the US but his visits to the jungle are already in the public domain. It was for academic purposes as he was doing a study on Maoism. He has written a book on the visits.
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His lifes mission was to serve mankind at every possible turn

Noel Wijenaike

Noel Wijenaike passed away on July 6. He was only two months away from his 91st birthday. For him, it was not just achieving longevity, although longevity was a hallmark of his generation that grew up without the stress and urgency of technology. More important than the years he lived, was the way he lived, focused on service to mankind at every possible turn.

And in all he did, there was his beloved wife Malini by his side, giving the strength, the encouragement and support he needed to achieve his goals. She was a model life partner who gave her all to make his dreams come true. And her unanticipated demise nine years before him, was an immeasurable loss of love and companionship in his life, and an unfillable void in his lifes work.

Nevertheless, his service to the country led him to be known in different ways  as a former Bribery Commissioner who was unafraid to speak truth to power, as the former Honorary Secretary General and subsequently President of the YMBA, former Chairman of the Anagarika Dharmapala Trust and the Founder and Chairman of the Somawathi Hewavitarne Trust, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Eye Donation Society, to name some of the lofty positions he held, engaging in service to all humankind, and in an endless quest to preserve the Dhamma and to see its global dissemination. His leadership in each role was unquestioned. His vision for each mission was fired by his own commitment to make it happen, and he achieved it all, the way he wished.

In his twilight years, reflecting on his life, he would say with satisfaction, I did it all my way. Yes, indeed he did. He did not do things just to please the world. He cared not for cheap popularity or for the opinions of people who did not matter to him. And in all he did, his main focus was to be fair and just.

Having lost his parents in his tender years, he realized much earlier than most, the inherent greed in people, and understood the need to have his feet planted firmly on the ground in order to stand up for himself and those he loved. He was compelled to be self-reliant, developing immense emotional and mental strength to face a cruel and merciless world. He also understood that the way to meet challenges was to be scrupulously honest in all he did.

As well as on a personal level, he realized how far a society can progress with honest citizens. Therefore, while in public service, he did his utmost to put in place rules and regulations to prevent people from being lured into corrupt living. Unfortunately, his advice, more often than not, fell on deaf ears of authority. Yet, even in the final years of his life, many people, big and small, reached out to him for advice and counsel. This supreme confidence in his vast knowledge, in the precision of his judgment, in his wisdom and foresight, was an unspoken endorsement of his capabilities and unique leadership skills.

Always empathizing with the underdog, he believed in the innate goodness of people, and never turned away anyone who reached out for help. He gave unhesitatingly, with an open heart, with generosity extending in all directions  towards family, towards the poor and helpless, and to the Buddha sasana. He used to say he never turned away from an outstretched hand.

One thing he was able to do, that most cannot today, was to gracefully get up and leave when he came to the end of his serviceable years, and passed on the baton to others who came after, guiding them to follow the path to success. The tragedy is that few had the capacity, ability or inclination to follow. He did not give up, however. He kept trying to do good in an increasingly corrupt society, until the very end of his life.

Leonardo da Vinci said, Life well used brings happy death. Similarly, having lived a life devoted to serving noble causes, Noel Wijenaike passed away peacefully, listening as he did every morning, to bana on the radio. Life could not have designed a more fitting finale for this extraordinary man.

To those who knew him, his passing was the loss of the last anchor that secured them to the principled living of a bygone era. For them, he represented the last of his generation left standing, who believed in honour, honesty, integrity and commitment to principles, as a way of life. He was never ruffled in times of trouble, and was an anchor to the troubled, through thick and thin. And timeless are his words of wisdom, Never be afraid to be on the side of what is right and just. That is the only side to be on.

May the samsaric sojourn of Noel and Malini Wijenaike be short, and may they attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana.

RJ

You left an indelible mark not just on your family

Jean Arasanayagam

Jean Arasanayagam, my mother, passed away one year ago on July 31.She left behind many precious memories especially reflected in her books as well as in the lives of her family, friends and students.

She was one of Sri Lankas most prolific and eminent writers but never lost the common touch. She was essentially a writer, teacher/lecturer and social activist who used her writings to highlight various issues and conflicts both in Sri Lanka and abroad. As a Burgher she was always conscious of the realities and ramifications of colonialism, postcolonialism and hybridity in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural context.

Her love for her country played an important role in her decision to remain in Sri Lanka despite the fact that she and her family were adversely affected by the ethnic disturbances of July 83. Travel however, played a predominant role in her life and she felt that she was representing her country as a writer in many conferences abroad. She was a lecturer and writer-in-residence at the University of Exeter and she once told me that she put Sri Lanka on the map when she lectured on creative writing and Sri Lankan literature to many who came through storms and cataclysms to hear her read her poems in places like Cornwall. She was also basically a historian who analysed the realities of colonialism in our country.

She also reached out to the marginalized and was proud of the fact that she held writers workshops in Bristol jail for prisoners many of whom had committed violent crimes but were being rehabilitated. She felt greatly for the plight of marginalized groups in our country including animals who suffered in captivity.

She was very fond of her students both at St Anthonys College, Katugastota and also the English Teachers Training College in Kandy. Many of her students who passed through her hands occupy pivotal positions both in their careers in Sri Lanka and abroad. My mother reached out to everyone. My mother also enjoyed directing plays and dramas both at St Anthonys and the English Teachers Training College. She was essentially a very simple person who needed only a C.R. exercise book and a pen to write her poems, short stories, novels and prose.

My mother was also our mentor and guide and I remember her going to Kandy to bring us storybooks and novels during our childhood and teen years. She introduced us to British, American and postcolonial literature and would enjoy reading her poems to me on quiet evenings in our house in Kandy, my sister being abroad for many years.

My mother was also a devoted and committed Christian and believer in world religions and would valiantly attend church services in the Methodist church Kandy. She was also a great optimist and always saw the positive side in any situation. As a Christian myself and a believer in other religions too, I believe that my mother and I, including my family will be reunited with her in paradise. She will never be forgotten for the impact she had and role she played in my life. May she be blessed and remembered forever.

Paru Arasanayagam

A well known personality who lived a simple life

Rajendra Tissa Salgado

The passing away of Rajah Salgado does not erase memories, it renews tributes.

Rajah as he preferred to be addressed hailed from one of the wealthiest and most respected families of Panadura as did his partner Swarnamali Amarasuriya. They lived a simple lifestyle attending to their family requirements on their own.

The children were his pride and he took them to school while going to office adjoining the parental home. There were many registered companies, plantation and bakeries such as M.M. Salgado & Sons and Panadura Bakery Company Ltd, as well as charitable organisations administered from there.

He was an excellent community leader overlooking many charitable, elderly and care homes such as the Gothama Boys Home, Aruna Boys Home and King George the Vth Silver Jubilee Home for the Elders in Panadura while attending to the requirements of the sacred Buddhist temples. Among them was the Golden Samadhi Buddha Statue at the Walana Bridge, which was his uncles creation.

The quality of his leadership was that he had followers to attend and administer all his activities with stability. He had an inimitable manner; simple, unhurried, always with a gentle smile, to reward his followers.

He led the Junior Chamber International (JCI) of Panadura with a set of persevering youth. One memorable event was the disaster relief he organised in response to the Trincomalee cyclone where he was lauded with international recognition for having sent relief requirements to reach the affected within 24 hours. He was recognised by the Junior Chamber International with an award and at the age of 40, he was elected a Senator of this organisation.

His well-managed dominion of plantation companies, the Panadura Tea & Rubber Company Ltd which was one of the largest tea and rubber companies in the island was acquired by the Land Reform Commission. Undeterred he joined the State Plantations Corporation and ended his career as a Regional Director covering the Horana territory where he was able to impart his valuable knowledge and expertise. He held this position until his retirement.

I had the privilege of associating with his family for over 65 years being introduced by my father. He earned a lot of merit in this birth and may his merits and blessings protect his family and make him attain Nibbana by making his journey through Sansara short.

Jayampathi D. S.

Exemplary man with a benevolent heart

CLARENCE HEENDENIYA

Clarence Heendeniya or Clarry Uncle was one of the most unassuming and humble people that you could ever meet. As a child, I knew him to be gregarious, jovial and good natured.

As time went by, I realised that he was a licensed surveyor. Most of our friends and relatives survey plans were either drawn by him or re-drawn based on an earlier allotment subsequently partitioned according to law. He had surveyed certain prime Colombo lands which today have High Commissions and embassies built on them. He spent a short stint in the Middle East as well.

By the time he passed away he had surveyed properties for more than half a century. Most of the main allotments of land and partition plans attached to the Deeds would contain the official seal D.D.C Heendeniya Licensed Surveyor.

He knew most of the Mortgage-Legal staff at the private commercial bank where I initially worked because they would always call on him to check on survey plans. I would also bump into him in the District Courts where he would often come to testify at land and partition cases as a witness. We would have a cup of tea together in Huftsdorp, if we were both free after our respective matters before Court.

Surveying of lands and preparing plans had profound effects on people; for some, it was to break away from the main allotment in order to build a new home, a new hope for life. For others, it was the way of ending bitter family feuds and disputes

Clarry Uncle was a staunch Buddhist and one practising good principles. He would never speak ill of anyone, the most he would do is joke about unsavoury situations or people  but never to judge or condemn anyone. He would always try and help vulnerable people by often going out of his way to ensure fairness, equality and access to justice.

Clarry Uncle knew all his measurements from ancient bushels (boosal) to hectares and yards to metres by heart. He successfully navigated through many challenges in life as well as in the country through different political and social epochs, from an era of Fideicommissum to electronic document registrations. In the latter years he acquired more modern measuring equipment for his job like laser demarcations and AutoCad drawing software. One thing he was missing was a measuring instrument to survey the benevolence of his mighty heart.

May you attain the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana and the light of your life remain with Aunty Ranjini, Dishanthi Akki, Niranjan and Dilan and be passed on to the next generation and the next

Nilanka Boteju

Thank you for teaching me more than just English

Shelton A. Wijesinghe

I was five years old when I started learning English from my uncle, Shelton A. Wijesinghe at his institute and he became my favourite teacher. He truly exemplified successful teaching, and he taught me how to have faith in my own abilities.

My uncle was a successful English teacher. His teaching methods were inspirational, and it was the material that really raised the bar. He chose the most brilliant works of English literature for us to read. We never skimmed the surface; he wanted us to delve deep into metaphors, symbolism and context and to apply it to our own lives. He knew that English was not just to teach us how to write well in our future careers. He knew that English could greatly change how we view ourselves and the world.

He was the first teacher to congratulate me for getting selected to the University of Kelaniya for the BSc. Computer Science degree. He would also congratulate me on my music projects; ask me how my days were going and what my future career plans were. He constantly encouraged me to take more risks, and believed in me. If I needed advice in English or in life, I knew that I could turn to him.

My uncle really wanted us to be the best we could be, and because of his encouragement, I became a prize winner at the IWMS award ceremony.

Teachers have such a strong impact on a students life throughout school and beyond, and my uncle taught me much more than just how to write well and speak well in English. He taught me how to be a good citizen. I am forever grateful for all he has done for me.

May he attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana.

Nipuna Rambukkanage
Cllr David Rudd is a member of the Conservative-controlled East Riding of Yorkshire Council (Picture: Getty)

A Tory councillor has been suspended for two months after he sent an email to a town mayor suggesting he had Nazi ancestors.

Cllr David Rudd, a member of the Conservative-controlled East Riding of Yorkshire Council, asked Market Weighton mayor Peter Hemmerman if his family had been members of the fascist organisation.

Rudd, who has previously called for Hemmerman to resign, told Local Democracy Reporting Service: "One night after a couple large glasses of wine I decided to send him a private email.

"I said, 'Dear Peter, I wonder if you could tell me if any of your ancestors were members of the Nazi Party?'"

Cllr David Rudd has been suspended for two months (Picture: council)

Hemmerman, who has German ancestry, welcomed the two-month suspension following his complaint but said the punishment should have been much worse.

He told the BBC: "That doesn't seem like much of a punishment to me.

"I don't think he should be allowed to represent the town anymore."

He said the dispute started when he reported Rudd to the Standards Board after a letter criticising him was published to Facebook.

Market Weighton mayor Peter Hemmerman said the punishment was not enough (Picture: Facebook)

Hemmerman added: "My ancestors were German but they first arrived in London in the 1820s. I think he was trying to imply that I act like a dictator."

Rudd, of Wolds Weighton ward, denied he was a racist but admitted the email was a silly and stupid thing to do.

He described it as a "cheeky dig" and a flippant comment.

Rudd told the Hull Daily Mail: "I do not consider myself a racist, my mother was Armenian. I was having a cheeky dig at him.
The Chesterfield Township Police Department recently announced the retirement of longtime Detective James Gates.

Gates is retiring after 50 years of continuous police service in Chesterfield Township and the city of Detroit. He began his career with the Detroit Police Department in 1970 and retired from the agency as a sergeant in 1999, Chesterfield Township police officials said.

His assignments for the Detroit Police Department included patrol in the St. Jean and Conner Precinct Stations, several years of narcotic enforcement and internal affairs investigations. He also served as the liaison to the Public Corruption Unit of the FBI.

During his 50 years of service, Gates was involved with several major investigations.

In March 2000, soon after being hired in Chesterfield Township and becoming a detective, he initiated a child abandonment investigation that brought national media attention. He responded to a tip from a child caregiver who identified a father who wanted to sell his 9-month-old daughter after his wife left him. Posing as a well-to-do father whose son and daughter-in-law were unable to conceive a child, he and another detective, posing as the son, negotiated over four days for the girls purchase.

After receiving a $10,000 deposit of the agreed $60,000 price, the suspect turned the child over to the buyers and he was arrested. Child Protective Services was waiting to receive the girl and sued to terminate the parental rights of the father and mother.

The media interest surged when the case was dismissed in district court after ruling that no law was violated. The Michigan Legislature passed Samanthas Law afterwards to protect infant children, officials said.

Dozens of people took to the police departments Facebook page to thank Gates for his service and wish him an enjoyable retirement.

Thank you, Jim, for your long and dedicated public service, police department officials said. You will be greatly missed, but we wish you a great, relaxing and long retirement!

Thank you for your service (Detective) Gates! Denise Pizzo said. You helped me recover from a landscaper that stole my deposit. Enjoy your retirement!

Thank you, Detective Gates, for all the years of your continuing service, and you will be difficult to replace, Terrence Scheich added. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement.

 Katelyn Larese, MediaNews Group
Bill Hutchinson / The Chronicle

Vallejo police are vowing to seize vehicles and make arrests to put an end to the steady stream of nighttime high-speed car stunt demonstrations known as sideshows.

Our city will not tolerate the vandalism, violence and disturbance caused by sideshows, said police spokeswoman Brittany Jackson.
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High Throughput Screening Market Size 2019 HTS Industry Analysis, Growth Segments, Leading Manufacturers, Phenomenal Growth and Business Boosting Strategies till 2025

Market Research Future published a research report on High Throughput Screening Market Research Report - Global Forecast till 2025 Market Overview, Segmentation, Progress, Regional analysis, key Trends, Major Players and Forecast to 2025. Global Wearable Sensors Market is likely to value of USD 13,460 million with a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period

Competitive Landscape:

Better integration of diverse plans in the global high throughput screening (hts) market and introduction of several strategic moves that encompasses mergers, acquisitions, tie-ups, and others are expected to inspire growth. Companies impacting the growth in the market are Danaher (US), Aurora Biomed Inc. (Canada), Tecan (Switzerland), PerkinElmer (US), Axxam (Italy), Hamilton (US), Corning (US), Merck Group (Germany), Beckman Coulter, Inc. (US), BioTek (US), Luminex Corporation (US), Agilent Technologies Inc. (US), and Roche (Switzerland).

High Throughput Screening Market Overview

High-throughput screening (HTS) can be defined as a method that includes scientific experimentation needed for various drug discovery and deciding typical moves in the the fields of biology and chemistry. The procedure includes data processing/control software, liquid handling devices, robotics, and sensitive detectors. This allows the system to get into the procedure of conducting tests for millions of chemical, genetic, or pharmacological processes. The process has evolved as necessary to find active compounds, antibodies, or genes that can cover various biomolecular pathway. This process assists in the designing of various market process.

The global market for high throughput screening is getting traction from high technological advancements in HTS and hike in expenditure for research and development. The government funding for the procedure is also providing better scope for growth.

Segmental Analysis

The global market for high throughput screening, by product & service, can be segmented into instruments, reagents & assay kits, consumables & accessories, and software and services. The reagents & assay kits segment can find growth with increasing demand from the diagnostic segment.

By technology, the global market report on high throughput screening can be segmented into cell-based assays, Bioinformatics, 3D cell culture, 2D cell culture, perfusion cell culture, 3D cell culture, Ultra-high-throughput Screening, lab-on-a-chip (LOC), and Label-free Technology. The 3D cell culture segment includes scaffold-based technologies and scaffold-free technologies. The scaffold-based segment comprises hydrogels, inert matrix, and micropatterned surfaces. The scaffold-free technologies segment consists ultra-low binding plates, hanging-drop plates, microplate, and other scaffold-free technologies.

By application, the global market for high throughput screening includes primary and secondary screening, toxicology assessment, target identification & validation, and others. The application segment is showing signs of fastest CAGR owing to its inclusion in the research and development sector.

By end user, the global market for high throughput screening can be segmented into contract research organizations, academic & government institutes, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, and others.

Global High Throughput Screening Market Research Report- https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/high-throughput-screening-market-1280

In October 2019, researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute revealed that they have developed a machine-learning algorithm that would assist in the high throughput screening of epigenetic drugs.

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Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

More than 300 cases of COVID-19 have seeped into jails across the state as inmates at at least one facility revolt over conditions and health officials keep the numbers out of local updates  instead focusing largely on outbreaks at state prisons.

Many detention centers in New Mexico tout strict protocols and their success with treatment as the virus continually spreads within their walls. Attorneys, meanwhile, are fighting to get medically vulnerable clients released.

At the same time, facilities and the New Mexico Department of Health cant seem to see eye to eye on how many cases they have.

For instance, at San Juan County Detention Center, NMDOH reports an explosion of 206 cases among inmates  60% of the population  but county officials say the number is actually 144.

And, at the Metropolitan Detention Center, the Health Department reports only seven cases among inmates, but county officials say a recent spike in July has brought the total to 37.

David Morgan, a Health Department spokesman, couldnt explain the discrepancy, but floated possible causes: reporting delays, case duplications and repeat testing of previous positives.

He said the case totals have not been separated in COVID-19 updates, unlike prison numbers, and are instead rolled into county totals.

With increasing public interest in these numbers, the department will look to having those numbers more readily available for New Mexicans, he said.

The situation in jails has gone on rather quietly compared to outbreaks within the New Mexico Department of Corrections  particularly state and federal facilities in Otero County  which have dominated headlines and the attention of local officials.

Lalita Moskowitz, an ACLU attorney who works with inmates statewide, said the trend in jails is even more concerning but, unfortunately, not surprising.

By nature theres even more people coming in and out of the jails, for a brief amount of time, who have the potential to bring the virus with them, Moskowitz told the Journal. That makes the jail even more problematic in terms of the virus.

Among other detention centers, NMDOH has recorded 62 cases at Dona Ana County, 20 at McKinley County, 19 at Torrance County, seven at Sandoval County, five at Luna County, three at Santa Fe County, two at Lincoln County, and one each at Hidalgo, Otero, Quay, San Miguel and Valencia counties.

All told, the Health Department has recorded at least 336 cases among inmates.

Moskowitz said the facilities are more prone to becoming hotspots with inmates who are on pretrial detention, serving shorter sentences or going to and from court hearings.

There are a few solutions that we have proposed and that can help to prevent more of these outbreaks from happening, Moskowitz said, such as citing people instead of booking them, and releasing people who are eligible.

Creating the perfect storm

Devin Neeley, a spokesperson for San Juan County, said they are aware of 144 cases among inmates and 14 among staff. He said three inmates were hospitalized and 111 inmates have been designated as recovered.

Neeley couldnt account for their case totals differing from NMDOH, but speculated it could be attributed to the transient nature of the facility.

We have intakes and we have releases  we have transfers every single day, he said. Unlike (Department of Corrections), we cant shut off our intakes, we are open 24/7, 365.

He later added, We dont decide who comes and goes, we move people based on court order. That person is released despite their COVID status.

A few weeks ago, inmates set fires and flooded areas of the facility, Neeley said, due to concerns about testing, exposure and not getting enough hot meals.

Sarah Field, a public defender in the area, said those at the facility are at a particular risk coming from San Juan County  one of the regions hit hardest by COVID-19.

Its just creating the perfect storm for a difficult situation. The best case scenario would be not to have people in custody and have them quarantined in their own home, she said.

Field said she has requested release for dozens of her clients, but has secured only one  a woman who was between surgeries, had an open wound and required a walker.

And, Field said, even that release was a battle with the state.

At Dona Ana County Detention Center, the facility with the second-highest case count, Capt. Brian Baker said all but 13 inmates have recovered. Additionally, he said 13 staff members also contracted the virus, but have since recovered.

We have it pretty under control. A large portion of it is were so close to the border and close proximity with El Paso, that both are having significant issues, he said. A lot of our intakes are positive on arrival and they are frequently brought in with several other individuals.

Despite that, Baker said in many cases, the facility exceeds the requirements on isolation, quarantine and testing only to be on the safe side.

Although the Health Department reports a case total in the single digits, officials at the Metropolitan Detention Center say the facility has seen 37 inmates and 12 staff contract the virus.

Julia Rivera, an MDC spokesperson, said they saw their biggest spike this month, with 30 inmates and five staff testing positive. And 22 of those cases came to light in the past 72 hours.

Rivera said they have been using the same protocols since March, but have NMDOH coming out weekly to do testing. She said the testing is voluntary for staff, but many sign up anyway.

We cant force staff to be tested, we encourage them to be tested, she said. Staff are very concerned about their own safety.

Rivera couldnt say if testing had increased in the past months but, since March, the facility had tested 1,057 inmates and 1,196 staff. She said no one has had to be hospitalized.

At this juncture, weve had 100% recovery among inmates and officers, she said.
(CNN)  Six months ago, Prime Minister Boris Johnson celebrated Brexit by describing Britain as the Superman of global trade.

Now, the country risks becoming an also-ran, losing its easy access to the huge EU common market, unable to strike a groundbreaking deal with the United States and on the brink of a trade fight with China.

Trade experts fear this will leave the United Kingdom more isolated than it has been for decades as it fights an unprecedented health and economic crisis. It's already on course for the deepest downturn of any major economy, in part a result of persistent uncertainty tied to Brexit.

Johnson and other proponents of leaving the European Union made much of the ability of a "global Britain," once liberated by Brexit, to strike out and forge lucrative trade agreements on its own terms. However, one year since Johnson took office, such game-changing trade deals haven't materialized  muddying the country's future at a precarious moment.

"You're already weakening your relationship with the EU," said David Henig, a former trade negotiator and director of the UK Trade Policy Project at the European Center for International Political Economy. "If you're weakening [relations] with China and Hong Kong as well, you're putting up extra barriers to trade with quite a lot of your largest trading partners."

EU talks falter

When the United Kingdom left the European Union at the end of January, Johnson expressed confidence that the country was ready to engage in high-stakes talks with trading partners, and he promised major wins.

"We are ready for the great multi-dimensional game of chess in which we engage in more than one negotiation at once," Johnson said on February 3.

Half a year later, talks with the European Union and the United States  Britain's two largest trading partners  are close to breaking down, throwing the UK's economic future into doubt.

The UK government has also failed to replicate many of the third-party trade deals it once enjoyed as an EU member, leaving it to face tariffs and other barriers with at least 19 additional countries or blocs around the world. Together with the EU, this means more than half of Britain's total trade could be disrupted as a result of Brexit.

New agreements worth just 8% of total UK trade have been nailed down so far, including those with Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and South Korea, according to data from the Department for International Trade.

Michel Barnier, chief Brexit negotiator for the European Union, said Thursday that without concessions from the United Kingdom, a deal looks "unlikely."

The UK government has so far been unwilling to budge on access for EU fishing boats to British waters, as well as state aid rules meant to prevent unfair competition. And the role of the European Court of Justice in enforcing an agreement remains a point of contention.

Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at Eurasia Group, a consultancy, still puts the odds slightly in favor of a deal, but he doesn't expect an agreement to take shape until the fall.

"The government needs a win after mismanaging Covid-19," he wrote in a research note Thursday. But it all comes down to Johnson's willingness to compromise, which risks angering some of his base among Brexit supporting communities.

No big US deal

The United Kingdom and the United States have also made little progress on an agreement that was supposed to help compensate for trade barriers erected with the European Union.

The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that senior government figures have concluded that a comprehensive deal isn't likely before the US election in November, as both sides continue to spar over longstanding issues such as food standards.

One problem is that if Britain yields on an issue like food or environmental regulations in discussions with the United States, it risks running afoul of what's been agreed with the European Union. In practice, multi-dimensional chess causes lots of headaches.

"If you sign up to the US approach on food that might constrain what you can get from the EU and vice versa," Henig said.

Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Center for European Reform, thinks Johnson and President Donald Trump could agree to a slimmed-down deal that "can be held up as a political victory on both sides of the Atlantic." But such an agreement won't move the needle from an economic standpoint.

Even a more comprehensive free trade deal with the United States would add just $4.3 billion to the UK economy over the next 15 years, according to estimates from the British government.

At the same time, the United Kingdom's multi-billion-dollar trade and investment relationship with China, its third largest trading partner, has been jeopardized by Britain's recent decision to ban Huawei from its 5G telecom network.

The move provoked an angry response from Beijing, which has warned that it would do everything necessary to protect its interests. China also said the decision would deter future investment by its companies.

Barring Huawei clears a roadblock to striking an agreement with the United States, which had been lobbying for allies to exclude Huawei from its 5G systems, citing national security concerns. Yet the decision isn't without costs.

"It's an interesting time for the UK to be extricating itself from the EU and to go off on its own in a world of warring economic superpowers," Lowe said.

The consequences

The importance of reaching major trade agreements has been amplified by the coronavirus crisis. Britain lags behind Europe in its recovery, and the outlook  even absent trade complications  looks bleak. Hundreds of thousands of layoffs have already been announced, and millions more jobs are at risk.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has predicted that economic output will shrink more in the United Kingdom this year than any other developed country. If there's a second coronavirus wave, it believes UK unemployment could hit nearly 15%.

The pandemic and Britain's response to it bears much of the blame, but uncertainty surrounding the country's trade negotiations are a factor, too.

"The Brexit endgame will likely determine how strong the economic recovery will be," Deutsche Bank economist Sanjay Raja told clients Wednesday.

Negotiations with the European Union remain the primary source of unease on trade.

Andrew Wishart, UK economist at Capital Economics, thinks it will be possible for the United Kingdom to reach a deal for trade in goods by the end of the year while keeping the status quo temporarily intact on trade for services.

However, even this "relatively benign" scenario will weigh on business investment, he said in a research note Thursday.

"Extremely high uncertainty is likely to mean that firms don't want to invest," Wishart said. "Brexit is an extra source of uncertainty that other economies don't have."

This story was first published on CNN.com Boris Johnson's dream of a 'Global Britain' is turning into a nightmare
One of the most iconic characters on the 90s sitcom Seinfeld isnt Jerry, Elaine, George, or Kramer. Its a person who was only featured on one episode of the show. They called him the Soup Nazi.

Besides yada yada, the catchphrase No soup for you! is one of the most popular quotes to come from the comedy. Even people who dont count themselves as super fans somehow know about the curmudgeonly restaurant owner who was unfriendly to customers but kept them coming back by serving delicious soup.

Like most of the observational humor from Seinfeld, the Soup Nazi was based on a real person in New York City. And in a stunning twist, he was allegedly not a fan of the show that poked fun at him. He even let loose on Jerry Seinfeld and the cast after the episode aired in 1995.

Who was the Soup Nazi?

The Soup Nazi | Wren Maloney/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

RELATED: Seinfeld: Theres a Simple Explanation Why Jerry and Elaine Dont End Up Together

Season 7 episode 6, The Soup Nazi, is the 116th installment of Seinfeld. It aired on Nov. 2, 1995, and became an instant hit with fans. The titular character, also called Yev Kessem, was played by actor Larry Thomas.

The descriptor nazi referred to the strict rules the business owner had for customers who were ordering soup, WikiSein reported. In the episode, various cast members screw up these customs and inspire Kessems rage. Elaine even gets banned from the establishment for a year for placing her order incorrectly. On the show, Elaines treachery forces the Soup Nazi to close his shop and return to Argentina.

Thomas did not realize that Kessem was based on a real person and instead studied Omar Sharifs accent in Lawrence of Arabia. He received an Emmy nomination in 1996 for the role.

The real Soup Nazi hated Seinfeld

The character is based on a real person named Al Ali Yeganeh who ran a restaurant in New York City called Soup Kitchen International.

A New Yorker profile quoted Yeganeh as saying, I tell you, I hate to work with the public. They treat me like a slave. My philosophy is: The customer is always wrong and Im always right.

He continued: Whoever follows [my rules] I treat very well. My regular customers dont say anything. They are very intelligent and well educated. They know Im just trying to move the line.

Al Yeganeh | Misha Erwitt/NY Daily News via Getty Images

Episode writer Spike Ferensten came up with the idea after telling Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David about Yeganehs popular soup establishment and his intriguing nickname. David and Seinfeld knew it had to become an episode.

But Yeganeh was not amused. Ferensten later recalled that he, Seinfeld, and the rest of the crew visited Soup Kitchen International after the episode aired and were met with hostility. Apparently, Yeganeh started swearing at them and demanding an apology, claiming Seinfeld had ruined his business.

Ferensten said Seinfeld gave the restaurant owner, the most insincere, sarcastic apology ever given in reply. Yeganeh retaliated by yelling, No soup for you! and throwing them all out without their meal.

The Soup Nazi lives on in pop culture

Even though Yeganeh hated that episode of Seinfeld, fans loved it.

There have been numerous references to the Soup Nazi in pop culture over the decades, including an Acura commercial in 2012 that aired during the Super Bowl and episodes of both Scrubs and Arrested Development.
LANSING -- Vessels hired by Enbridge might be to blame for recent damage to the Line 5 pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac.

The controversial pipeline transports nearly 23 million gallons of oil per day between the Lower and Upper Peninsula. In May and June, the Canadian company revealed damage to the line including spots on the pipeline where protective coating had worn away and bare metal was exposed, and damage to an anchor support on the dual pipeline.

Enbridge conducted an internal investigation and submitted a report to the state and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The state department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said it is reviewing the report and did not have a comment.

Following interviews, inspection of the line, and reviewing vessel data, Enbridge found that a small to moderately sized vessel dragged a cable across the dual pipeline causing the damage, the report said.

The report identified 5 vessels as possible causes of the damage, including four vessels that were contracted by Enbridge.

After Enbridge reported the damage, a judge shut down both lines. The west leg of the line was later allowed to continue operating again, and an Ingham County judge is now waiting to hear from federal regulators about whether the line is safe before deciding if Enbridge can once again use the east leg of the pipeline.

Enbridge maintains the line is safe.

Enbridges comprehensive investigation has confirmed conclusively that there is no safety issue with either the east or west segments of the Line 5 pipeline; both segments are safe to operate, said spokesman Ryan Duffy in a statement.

The state and Enbridge have been in a contentious legal battle over the life of Line 5 for more than a year.

In 2018, Enbridge struck a deal with then-governor Rick Snyder to build a tunnel under the straits, and house a new section of line in the tunnel.

Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit in June 2019 asking that the line be shut down immediately. The lawsuit claims that the continued operation of Line 5 violates the public trust doctrine, is a common law public nuisance, and violates the Michigan Environmental Protection Act because it is likely to cause pollution impairment and destruction of water and other natural resources.

Enbridge has always maintained that the 65-year old line is operating safely and in accordance with its 1953 Easement with the state.

We are committed to protecting the environment and the people who use the waters of the Great Lakes, while keeping energy flowing to those who need it, Duffy said in an email. That is why we continue to pursue our plans to encase the pipelines currently on the floor of the lakebed in a concrete-lined tunnel deep under the Straits.

Meanwhile, the state has repeatedly pressed Enbridge for a written agreement that it has the ability to cover all financial costs if a spill were to occur. Enbridge says it has already made that promise.

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Residents of Kansas City came out on Saturday to support local police and clean up after protesters who vandalized a statue honoring fallen officers outside police headquarters the night before.

The statue, erected in honor of 119 Kansas City police officers who lost their lives serving their city, was marred with spray painted anti-police slogansa discouraging sight for the volunteers who arrived the next day.

I was horrified, Joshua McDonald told ABC. It is hard for me to understand why people want to come through, and they want to desecrate a memorial to officers who have fallen defending them.

Friday night, 150 protesters gathered at the police headquarters and allegedly sprayed words such as No room 4 fascists and Abolish KCPD on the memorial, as well as on the doors of the building.

Several people were arrested for causing property damage and assaulting officers, KCPD stated. The officers suffered minor injuries, while one protester was hurt from tripping while running, according to ABC.

Tracy Meyers-Keeling was also among the volunteers who came to help clean up. Meyers-Keelings father is among the 119 fallen officers memorialized on the statue.

Its heartbreaking and knowing what my dad has to look down on, she shared. It tears me apart. This is just putting us right back to the day I found out my dad was killed.

Statue at Kansas City Missouri Police Department (Screenshot/Google Maps)

The initial protest, as we understood, was meant to be an opposition of Operation Legend, said Kansas City police officer Jake Becchina, referring to the federal initiative to support local and state law enforcement. It involves a few hundred of our federal officers to aid in the violent crime challenges our city is seeing.

Its really unfortunate, too, for the protesters, because many of them want to come out peacefully and have message heard.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who witnessed the protest at police headquarters, said he was saddened by what transpired.

Its causing division, the mayor stated. I dont understand why people would think that this would be the way to address things.

On Saturday, volunteers gathered to show support and quickly set to work washing off the spray paint.

Mayor Lucas, who was also there, weighed in again on the protest.

I think the type of person who comes here and paints a memorial to deceased people who died in the line of duty is the type of person who has no respect for any institution, the mayor said. Theyre not interested in making black lives better in Kansas City.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
This photo taken on May 31, 2019 shows a Uighur woman (C) going through an entrance to a bazaar in Hotan, in China's northwest Xinjiang region. - A recurrence of the Urumqi riots which left nearly 200 people dead a decade ago is hard to imagine in today's Xinjiang, a Chinese region whose Uighur minority is straitjacketed by surveillance and mass detentions. A pervasive security apparatus has subdued the ethnic unrest that has long plagued the region. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP) (Photo credit should read GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

Senator Gardner Urges China to Allow UN to Investigate Persecution of Uyghurs

U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), is urging to the Ambassador of China to the United States Cui Tiankai, to allow the United Nations to investigate the treatment of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghurs Autonomous Region.

An investigation with cameras is not only warranted but necessary so that the world can see the truth in Xinjiang, Gardner wrote in a letter Friday. Therefore, I request that you and your government allow a full UN investigation, including cameras, into the treatment of this vulnerable population.

Gardner, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, called out the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for drone footage contradicting the regimes claim that the Uyghurs enjoy a peaceful existence.

The recent drone footage showing shackled and shaved Uyghur people being led to train cars by armed PRC troops is highly disturbing and contrary to basic human rights, Gardner said.

There is clear evidence that the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] utilizes invasive surveillance techniques to detain Uyghurs. These detentions are arbitrary and have caused grievous harm, continued Gardner.

Even more disturbingly, an investigation by the Associated Press has revealed that many Uyghurs women have undergone forced sterilization procedures and even abortions in a perverted attempt to reduce their population, he added.

Meanwhile Chinas ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, was confronted in mid-July on television with the same leaked drone footage that Gardner referenced in his letter.

Liu did not deny the accuracy of the footage when asked by BBCs reporter Andrew Marr, but instead suggested it could be a simple transfer of prisoners.

Further questioning Liu Xiaoming on the footage, Marr asked: Can I ask you why people are kneeling, blindfolded and shaven, and being led to trains in modern China? What is going on there?

The ambassador replied: I do not know where you get this videotape. Sometimes you have a transfer of prisons, of prisoners, in any country.

There is a host of evidence to suggest that millions of Uyghurs have been sent to re-education camps and used as forced labor.

Former Uyghurs detainees previously told The Epoch Times that they were subjected to torture, forced to denounce their faith, and forced to pledge loyalty to the CCP while held for unknown reasons in often overcrowded facilities. Uyghur women, meanwhile, have been subjected to forced sterilization, forced abortion, and coercive family planning, a recent report revealed.

The Uyghurs are a mostly Muslim Turkic ethnicity who regard themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations. The majority live in Xinjiang, where they number about 11 million.

The Trump Administration has criticized the CCP for the persecution of Uyghurs and on June 17 President Donald Trump signed legislation calling for sanctions against those responsible for the repression of Uyghurs in Chinas Xinjiang province.

The Act holds accountable perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses such as the systematic use of indoctrination camps, forced labor, and intrusive surveillance to eradicate the ethnic identity and religious beliefs of Uyghurs and other minorities in China, Trump said in the statement about the law.
A Church sponsored project in action to track and prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Zambia

As the number of coronavirus infections continues to climb across the African continent, Church leaders are doing their best to encourage the faithful to stay safe and to seek God in this time of trial.

By Vatican News

The Catholic Bishops of Zambia have reached out to their flock inviting them to have faith as God, in His mercy has intervened before in such occasions as these and will intervene again.

They also warned the faithful not to put God to the test and invited them to respect all precautionary measures put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

The Bishops appeal comes as the latest figures show that Covid-19 cases in Africa have climbed to over 787,500, with almost 17,000 deaths. The Southern African region is by far the worst hit.

Signed by Bishop George Lungu, President of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) on Friday, the statement draws attention to the story of Jesus calming the storm, as recounted in the Gospel of Saint Mark (Mk 4: 35-41).

The reading tells of when the boat in which Jesus and His disciples were in was rocked by the storm and in danger of sinking. The disciples exclaimed: Master, dont you care that we are about to die?

Bishop Lungu recalled that Jesus commanded the storm to stop and calmed the anxiety of the disciples, but he warned the people not to put the Lord to the test by asking Him to stop the Covid-19 pandemic if they do not respect anti-Covid regulations.

He said the time has come for the people of Zambia to come together and renew the fight against this common enemy, which is the Coronavirus epidemic.

It is a fight, he explained, to be carried out by seriously adhering to the measures put in place by the authorities to prevent the further spread of the virus, including a ban on travelling unless it is absolutely necessary.

Appeal to government

The Catholic Bishops also called on government and other relevant institutions to prioritize the timely provision of all necessary supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), to health facilities across the nation to guarantee the safety of all frontline workers in their fight against Coronavirus and its devastating effects.

Finally, noting that just as the Catholic Church in Zambia has suspended pastoral engagements in the dioceses, Bishop Lungu said the Conference calls on all to suspend activities that have the potential to fuel the spread of the disease.

Covid-19 Response Fund

In April, the ZCCB set up a Covid-19 Response Fund dedicated to the prevention of the spread of the new coronavirus in Zambia and to support health facilities responding to the pandemic, with special regard for the elderly, for people with mental and physical disabilities, for orphans and the poor in general.
Revellers at the 59th annual ball of the County Louth Society of NY held in Webster Hall on February 13th, 1965

They say a picture can tell a thousand words...

It's a snapshot of a time gone by - an era when the dancehall ruled, and friends and colleagues socialised in vast numbers together.

This incredible photograph was taken at the 1965 County Louth Society's Annual Ball that was held in the Grand Ballroom of Webster Hall, 119 East 11th Street, New York City.

It shows hundreds of smiling faces - the ladies resplendent in their gowns, the gents in their smartest suits - and even the youngest members of the society attended with their elbow-length gloves.

The photograph came into the possession of the Drogheda Independent via two Drogheda sisters - Sharon (Hanna) and Linda Flynn, whose parents Joe & Dympna are present in the shot.

Their father Joe grew up in Bellewstown but joined the US army stationed in Germany first, and met his sweetheart Dympna (nee McLaughlin) at a dance in Drogheda while on leave.

'The dances were the big thing back then and they met a few times before he had to go back to America, so they corresponded by letter for a long time,' says Linda, who was born in America and lived there for 15 years. 'Eventually, Dad's sister sponsored Mum to go over to the States, and he lived in the Bronx and she lived in Queen's until they got married just two months after the photograph was taken.

That particular night was organised by Patricia and Charlie Copas, two very popular Louth people from Drogheda and Dundalk respectively, who had emigrated to America for a time.

Another man who was also in the photo is Drogheda man Seamus Mullen, who recalls his memories of the night.

Originally from the North Road, he emigrated to New York when he was just 23, and says the Louth balls were a highlight of the calendar for anyone from the Wee County.

'This annual occasion was always a time to meet and greet people you know and find out how they're doing, are they working, how is the money, are they hiring and where do they live, consequently, it was always a good idea to bring a notebook for jotting down telephone numbers and addresses of different people,' he recalls from his home in Nyack, a village in New York state. 'I remember I went to the ball that year by myself, as I hadn't yet met my beautiful wife of 54 years Janet.' says the father of four and grandfather of four.

'The music for the occasion was provided by the Johnny Butler Orchestra, who for many years was the resident band at Butlins Holiday Camp in Mosney. I always looked forward to the wonderful renditions of the Irish and American National Anthems sung by our own musical comedy star Margaret Leary Michaelson whose mam originally came out here from Togher.'

Seamus started out as a carpenter, before becoming a teacher, which he did for the rest of his working life.

'In those days I was moving almost every year to a different rooming house and sharing an apartment with other guys from Ireland. Your status when meeting the new people at this venue was always the bottom line. My dad Jimmy Mullen (former chairman of the County Board) always and ever when I was growing up on the North Road reminded me that on occasions like this, to inquire from the older members of the Society if they had to do it all over again would they change anything and could they provide some advice,' says Seamus, whose mother was Nora (nee McHugh).

'The answers time and time again were mostly always school, school and more school. We had outstanding County Officers running the Society during these times in the sixties and I was never interested in running for office.'

Seamus thinks he has spotted himself in the centre of the back of the room, and has identified some other people in the photo.

Some of these outstanding officers on the front row of the photo left to right are: Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Byrne, Ardee. Pauleen McKeever, Ardee. Mike and Patricia Wogan, Sandpit. Bridie Cumiskey, Cooley. Gerard Byrne, Ballagan. Francis Carroll, Lordship. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Duff, Gyles Quay. Stephen and Mary Garvey, Clogherhead. Thomas Keenan, Ardee. I recognise several people in the second, third and fourth rows of the photo, they are Gerry Moore, Dundalk. Bill and Kate Kerrigan, Drogheda. Margaret Leary Michaelson, Long Island. Ken Finn, Dundalk. John Duffy, Dundalk. Josephine Hughes, Ardee. Phyllis Halpenny, Dunleer. Larry Hardy, Dundalk. Ronnie Allen, Ardee. Noreen Agnew, Dundalk. Marie Rice, Drogheda. John McArdle, Dundalk. Jim McGee, Carlingford. Gerry Soraghan, Stabannon. Peter Conlan, Bellingham. Eugene Holgroft, Tullyallen. Pat Hoey, Collon. and John Flanagan, Bogtown. He also spotted Paddy Branigan from Baltray, Roger Healy from Drogheda and Christopher Henry.

'Looking at it brings back happy memories, and I was lucky to have met some amazing people in my time in America, like Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, as well as the actor Rod Steiger,' he recalls. 'I haven't been back to Drogheda since my sister Nuala passed away in 2005, and even then it had changed dramatically.

'But I was most privileged to have a write up of me in the Drogheda Independent issue of March '82 page 19 when I received a teaching award in New York City. When my dad was bedridden before he passed in '85 he had the article in the drawer by his side, and I think by reading it every day it prolonged his life'.

If you would like to add more names to the photo, contact AComyn@drogheda-independent.ie
Pamela McLoughlin who was sexually abused by Kenneth Tracey over a four year period when she was a child

A Blessington man has received a four year sentence, fully suspended, for the sexual abuse of a child over a four-year period during the 1980s.

Kenneth Tracey (48), 60 Oak Drive, Blessington, appeared before Judge Patrick Quinn on the morning of Wednesday, July 15, at Wicklow Circuit Court, sitting in Bray. Judge Quinn had heard the facts of the case the previous week at the sentencing hearing and deferred the sentence.

Tracy carried out the crimes against Pamela McLoughlin when she was aged between four and eight.

'It is disappointing, but it is what I was expecting,' said Ms McLoughlin after court last Wednesday. 'I would still emphasise, it took so long to get to this point. The judge said he had to give some leniency because of the early plea. I still say it was not an early plea,' she said.

'I think the courts and the justice system need to step up a bit. They are putting the victim through more than they need to go through. I could have had this suspended sentence nearly four years ago.'

'I feel really frustrated. You always hear so much encouragement for victims to come forward,' she said. 'And I do encourage anyone to come forward. Even if you're not vindicated through the courts as you expect to be, you can get vindicated for yourself.

'He's not sitting in a jail cell now but everybody knows who he is. Which means hopefully he won't ever get the opportunity to do that to anyone else. He's had to face up to what he's done. He's not facing it in jail but he's facing it in the community,' said Ms McLoughlin.

'I used to feel guilt and shame all the time, even though logically I knew I shouldn't. Now I feel I've taken that shame and placed it onto him.

'It was hard but I do feel like a weight is gone off my shoulders. I couldn't describe how much lighter I feel.

'It's opened up an opportunity for me with regard to advocating for victim's rights and maybe make a change.'

She believes people who come forward to report a sexual crime or crime of a sensitive nature should have an advocate there straight away on their behalf.

Tracey committed the offences between July 1987 and July 1991, when he was aged between 15 and 19. He pleaded guilty to seven sample charges. The court heard that the victim estimates approximately 100 incidences of assault took place over the time period in question.

Their mothers were friends and the abuse occurred when Ms McLoughlin would go to the Tracey home a few doors away for tea.

When she heard an item on the radio about sexual abuse she realised that was what was happening to her, and she told her mother.

Ms McLoughlin said in her statement that she feels re-victimised by the criminal justice system.

Judge Quinn said last Wednesday that a victim impact statement read out the previous week by Ms McLoughlin was 'harrowing and distressing'.

In the statement, spoke about the childhood impact of the abuse, the anger and isolation she felt, the depression and anxiety it caused her, the paranoia she feels about her own son's safety and her severe difficulties with the Irish justice and criminal process.

She spoke about the horrific impact the abuse has had on her family. 'I will be paying for your behaviour for the rest of my life. I am never going to fully get over it,' she told Tracey during the sentencing hearing.'

'I am a victim but I am no longer Kenneth Tracey's victim. He can never hurt me again and I hope he never has the opportunity to hurt anyone else again either,' she said in her victim impact statement.

Judge Quinn said last week that the accused has difficulty with communication, problem solving and in essence has a low IQ, according to reports before the court.

He said that special mitigation must be given to early admission followed by a guilty plea. 'She contests that early plea and normally I would agree,' said Judge Quinn. He said that he accepted that Tracey's professional legal advisers had concerns regarding fitness to plea.

Judge Quinn said that the report was available in November 2017, but the defendant was before the court in 2018 and 2019 before entering the plea. He said that ta plea must provide the complainant with vindication and spare her a long trial.

He said that while the defendant was aged between 15 and 19, he was working and had held down a job as a barman from the age of 16.

The accused's low IQ would diminish rather than remove moral blameworthiness, said the judge.

He said that the accused had not committed further offences since the abuse of Ms McLoughlin, and was considered to be of low risk.

'There is evidence of social integration including family responsibilities and employment. He has led a normal life in the intervening period and his past has now caught up with him, with detrimental effects on him and his family,' said Judge Quinn. He said that the abusive conduct has had a detrimental effect on the victim.

'Her life has improved somewhat but she has suffered from the consequences of his actions.'

The judge said that he believes that Tracey is remorseful. 'He strikes me as a man who realises the enormity of his crime and the devastating effect on his victim,' he said. 'He would be entering prison over 30 years after the offending behaviour ceased.'

He said that reports have outlined difficulties he would have in prison, due to an inability to assess whether he was in a safe social setting.

The judge said that Tracey will 'serve the sentence in the community', suspending the entire four years, with Tracey under the supervision of probation and welfare services. 'As the victim has waived her anonymity, his admission of guilt will be well known in the community.'
The two facades of the National Museum in the Yemeni city of Taez bear testament to the ravages of a war that has consumed the Arabian Peninsula country.

One side has been beautifully restored to its former grandeur, recalling a traditional palace from earlier eras.

The other is pocked with damage, crumbling away to reveal collapsed floors and shattered walls.

The refurbished side is resplendent with curved ornamental mouldings juxtaposed with intricate ochre brickwork, reminiscent of the style of old Sanaa, one of Yemen's four UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Established as an Ottoman palace, then a residence for one of Yemen's last kings, it became a museum in 1967.

It has since been "bombed" and "pillaged" according to its director, Ramzi al-Damini.

Taez, in Yemen's southwest, is under government control but surrounded by Huthi rebel forces.

The renovated wings of the museum were restored in 2019 with assistance from the World Monuments Fund.

Yemen's bloody five-year conflict pits pro-government forces, including a Saudi-led coalition, against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels who have conquered much of the country's north, including the capital Sanaa.

Thousands have died, millions have been displaced, and disease and famine stalk the cities and villages, in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Yemen's rich cultural heritage has not been spared.

Inside the museum in Taez, a city ringed by mountains, ancient cooking utensils and priceless manuscripts lie exposed on wooden tables draped with old cloth.

Antiquities sold online

"The museum is packed with rare antiquities, including manuscripts and stone sculptures, swords and shields," Damini told AFP.

"We've recovered some of it, but significant pieces are still missing," said the director as he stood in a courtyard piled with bricks and steel girders.

He said he was in contact with the authorities and UNESCO to update them about the restoration works, but also to "recover articles smuggled out of the country".

"It's a difficult process," said Mohanad al-Sayani, head of Yemen's General Organisation of Antiquities and Museums (GOAM), which works with UNESCO.

"We have two governments, a country in a state of war -- and the trafficking of antiquities existed long before the conflict."

Though there are no figures for the number of antiquities stolen, the authorities and UNESCO have undertaken inventories at several of Yemen's museums.

Restoration work is also underway at historical sites in Sanaa, Zabid, Shibam and Aden, Sayani said.

The war has "massively affected" archaeological sites, said Yemeni archaeologist Mounir Talal.

He recounted the bombings of old Sanaa, of a museum in Dhamar that used to house thousands of artefacts, and of Taez's Al-Qahira citadel, which blends into the mountainside.

"Palaces which date back to the Ayyubid dynasty (12th and 13th centuries) and the Rasulid dynasty (13th to 15th centuries) were, unfortunately, destroyed inside the citadel," he said.

"We find stolen Yemeni antiquities for sale online or at public auctions," Talal added, giving the example of a grand stone-hewn throne from the Saba kingdom, best known for the Queen of Sheba.

'Great pride'

"How did it get out? We don't know, but it was up for auction in Europe where it might have already been sold," said the archaeologist.

Some Yemeni treasures have resurfaced in private collections in Gulf countries, including Qatar and Kuwait, said Jeremie Schiettecatte, an expert in the archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula at France's National Centre for Scientific Research.

He said he believed the destruction of Yemeni heritage elicited less international outcry than the desecration of artefacts in Syria and Iraq because of the involvement of Saudi Arabia, a major market for Western arms, in Yemen's conflict.

"There's a very strong link between the Yemenis and their heritage -- including pre-Islamic heritage," he said.

"(There is) great pride in the period when southern Arabia (modern-day Yemen) was the most advanced society on the Arabian Peninsula."

At the end of June, a renowned French archaeologist and his husband were charged as part of a sprawling investigation into the trafficking of antiquities from the Middle East, including Yemen.

A world away from the Paris probe, Taez's museum plans to re-open its doors in 2023, by which time it is hoped the conflict will have abated.

"Archaeological sites are being neglected and they are a major part of our appeal to tourists," said Taez resident Hisham Ali Ahmed.

"I'm hoping for a return to a normal life and a state that takes care of antiquities."
By Online Desk

There are very few music composers who have managed to touch the hearts of people across India with their tunes and Oscar winner AR Rahman is one among them.

The music ace has composed for evergreen movies and albums in multiple languages. In a recent interview on Radio Mirchi with RJ Suren, he was asked whether his fans can expect more Hindi films from him in the next ten years compared to the last decade.

"I don't say no to good movies. I think there is a gang, due to a misunderstanding, spreading false rumours," revealed AR Rahman.

The Mozart of Madras has worked in films like Rockstar, Tamasha, Jab Tak Hai Jaan.. and more in the last decade but in the second half there is an absense of big star films.

Rahman said, "When Mukesh Chhabra came to me, I gave him like four songs in two days and he said, 'Sir, how many people said don't go don't go don't go, and they told me stories after stories'. I said yeah ok now I understood why I'm doing less and why the good movies are not coming and I am doing dark movies."

He went on to add, "Because there is a whole gang working against it. People are expecting me to do stuff and there is another gang of people preventing it."

AR Rahman's latest Hindi film is 'Dil Bechara' directed by Mukesh Chhabra starring late actor Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Singh. The death of actor Sushant in June came as a shock to the industry and audience, raising debates on nepotism and favoritism in the Hindi film industry.

The musician is also know for his zen-like personality. With his usual calmness, he added, "It's fine. I always believe in destiny. I believe everything comes from God. So I am making my own movies, I am doing other stuff. But anyone who makes great, beautiful movies is welcome to come."

Recently, Rahman has also ventured into direction and production. He co-wrote and produced the movie '99 songs'. And he is also directing a virtual reality film titled 'Le Musk'.
Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal faced flak on Friday for promoting a brand of papad and claiming it had ingredients which could develop antibodies to combat Covid-19.

In the video, Meghwal, who is the minister of state for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Parliamentary Affairs, is seen holding a packet of the papad while he says My country men, under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign, a papad manufacturer has brought out this brand that helps in developing antibodies needed to fight Covid-19 through food. This papad will be helpful in the fight against Covid-19.

A senior government functionary posting unverified claims on social media evoked a barrage of reactions. Fight against Covid-19 update: US govt: We are developing a vaccine. UK govt: We are on stage 3 of clinical trials. Indian govt: Ye lo Bhabhiji papad. It will help fight Corona, said a user on Twitter.

Another social media user said, Why spend millions of dollars on vaccine development when you can sit at home and eat papad to protect yourself from Covid-19. P.S. The joke is on us 1.3 billlion Indians.

Political opponents and rivals of the government too seized the opportunity to take a dig at Meghwal. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan tweeted: Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has launched a papad brand amid Covid pandemic claiming it contains some ingredients that help develop antibodies against the new coronavirus. Ministers, Ramdev all trying to profit from Covid peddling bogus cures.

The twitter handle of the youth wing of the Congress was also seen hitting out. Breaking News : CORONA vaccine invented . Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has launched a papad , says it can help develop antibodies against Covid-19, said the post.
Dil Bechara

Mumbai: Sushant Singh Rajput's last release, Dil Bechara is now available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar without any cost of admission at all. Despite that, the film was leaked online by Tamilrockers, a piracy website that has been bothering film and television studios for years now.

Dil BecharaAccording to a report, the leaked version is available in an HD quality. The film landed on Tamilrockers, within hours of its official release on the streaming platform.

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Tamilrockers regularly leaks high profile projects. It puts up the content as soon as it is released or aired. The quality is often high definition. They previously leaked movies such as Penguin, Petta, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, Dear Comrade, Saaho and Hindi Medium.

Meanwhile, Dil Bechara has broken a significant record as its IMDb rating climbed to 10 within half an hour of the release. With over 21 thousand votes, the current IMDb rating of Dil Bechara stands at 9.8.

Dil Bechara Dil Bechara's trailer, released on July 6, also became the first film trailer on YouTube to receive more than 10 million likes. Previously, the trailer had broken the record for the most-liked video in 24 hours of release. It has been viewed over 70 million times in less than 10 days.
The growing political divide across the U.S. has inspired a record number of LGBTQ candidates to run for public office, according to a new report.

The report, released Thursday, found that the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials in the U.S. has more than doubled over the last four years, a number that could be boosted by the record number of LGBTQ candidates running for 2020 office, according to data compiled by the Victory Institute.

According to the institute's Out For America 2020 report, the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials in the U.S. rose 21% over the past year as the community continues to bask in the afterglow of key victories in the 2020 primaries, such as Ritchie Torres, the likely winner in the New York Democratic primary for the 15th Congressional District, and Gina Ortiz Jones, who could become the first LGBT member of the House of Representatives from Texas if she wins in November.

MORE: Black Tulsa pastor says he was assaulted at anti-mask protest

"Over the past year, LGBTQ elected officials have been on the frontlines -- leading efforts to end racism, blocking bills targeting the trans community and passing legislation that moves equality forward for our community," Ruben Gonzales, vice president of the LGBTQ Victory Institute, said in a statement Thursday. "Allies are important, but LGBTQ representation in the halls of power is critical to the success of our movement."

Overall, the report found that there are currently 843 openly LGBTQ elected officials across all branches of government nationwide, a 102% increase from June 2016.

PHOTO: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor looks while WWE star Titus O'Neil gives a speech during the 'Love Walk' at Julia B. Lane Park on June 27, 2020 in downtown Tampa, Fla. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

There are currently 850 LGBTQ candidates running for office this year, a record high, including several high-profile candidates with solid chances of being elected to Congress, the civil rights advocacy and research group found.

The number of openly LGBTQ elected officials increased "at a rapid pace" over the past year, despite fewer elections being held in the "off-election" year of 2019, the report showed.

Story continues

MORE: 'No question' COVID-19 a factor in recent violence in Chicago, says Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Specifically, the country saw a 35% annual increase in the number of elected LGBTQ mayors as people like Chicago's Lori Lightfoot and Tampa's Jane Castor gained massive followings, becoming the first openly lesbian mayors of their respective cities.

The transgender community celebrated a win last month when activist Rosemary Ketchum made history and became West Virginia's first openly transgender elected official as a member of the Wheeling City Council, but the transgender community is still severely underrepresented in government.

PHOTO: Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot speaks at a press conference, June 15, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images, FILE)

The report did not show an increase in representation for transgender men, but representation for trans women rose by 40% over the last year, according to the institute.

America also saw a surge in queer elected officials, up 71% nationwide, while the number of elected officials who identify as bisexual rose 53%, the report showed.

Annise Parker, president and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Institute, said she was "pleased" with the results, but she noted there was a long battle ahead as the community remains "severely underrepresented" in U.S. government.

MORE: West Virginia elects first transgender lawmaker

"While LGBTQ people are running for office in historic numbers, we remain severely underrepresented at every level of government -- and that must change," said Parker, who was elected as the first openly lesbian mayor of Huston in 2010. "We know that when LGBTQ people are in elected office and in the halls of power, they change the hearts and minds of their colleagues and it leads to more inclusive legislation."

Parker, who severed as mayor of the country's fourth-largest city until 2016, said the institute hopes to "build a pipeline of LGBTQ leaders who will change our nation for the better," but the community is a long way from equal representation in government.

According to the report, at least 22,544 more LGBTQ candidates must be elected in order to reach equal representation as LGBTQ officials only account for about 0.17% of elected positions in the country.

Record number of LGBTQ candidates running for US office, report finds originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections, as the World Health Organisation warns there is no return to the 'old normal'.

The rate of cases has been rapidly increasing in the United States, Brazil, India, Japan and Australia, among others.

Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan and Ethiopia have also seen rises in cases, according to a Reuters tally.

The data, compiled from official reports, shows a steady rise in the number of countries reporting record daily increases in coronavirus cases across the past month.

Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections this month. Pictured: Total confirmed coronavirus cases in countries with rapidly increasing infection rates

Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel have also seen record single-day rises across the past month, according to Reuters.

Three weeks ago, at least seven countries had reported record increases, which rose to at least 13 countries two weeks ago.

After rising to at least 20 countries last week, the number of countries that have reported record daily increases has now reached 37.

A new daily record figure has been recorded in Spain, which is said to be likely to deter tourists from visiting one of the continent's most popular destinations.

A separate survey has also shown that the world has set a new record for the highest daily increase in coronavirus infections.

More than 280,000 new cases were recorded globally on both Thursday and Friday, the highest daily rises since the virus emerged, according to an AFP count based on official sources.

India is among countries who have reported rapid increases in coronavirus cases this month, as more than 280,000 new cases were recorded globally on both Thursday and Friday

The data, compiled from official reports, shows a steady rise in the number of countries reporting record daily increases in coronavirus cases across the past month, including Brazil

Friday's tally of 282,042 was marginally down on Thursday's single-day record 284,661 but still shows an alarming uptick in the spread of the virus.

This comes after the WHO has warned everyone to treat their behaviour amid the coronavirus pandemic as 'life-and-death decisions'.

'We will not be going back to the 'old normal'. The pandemic has already changed the way we live our lives,' World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week.

'We're asking everyone to treat the decisions about where they go, what they do and who they meet with as life-and-death decisions  because they are.'

A separate report has also showed that governments are quickly losing support for their handling of the pandemic.

A survey, released on Saturday, showed that faith in authorities in dwindling across six nations, as governments worldwide have struggled to contain the virus.

People widely believe that death and infection figures are higher than recorded in France, Germany, Britain, Japan, Sweden and the US widely believed death and infection figures to be higher than recorded, according to a study which polled 1,000 people in each nation.

'In most countries this month, support for national governments is falling,' the report by the Kekst CNC communications consulting group said.

A new daily record figure has been recorded in Spain, which is likely to deter tourists from visiting one of the continent's most popular destinations. Pictured, Barcelona on July 19

Spain was among 37 countries to record a new daily record figure in coronavirus cases this month, according to a Reuters tally

The United States has this week passed more than 4 million cases and recorded more than 1,000 deaths for four consecutive days.

Brazil and India, which epidemiologists say is still likely months away from hitting its peak, have also exceeded one million cases.

In Australia, officials enforced a six-week partial lockdown and made face masks mandatory for residents in the country's second-largest city, Melbourne, after a fresh outbreak.

After Mexico posted a daily record this week, officials warned that a downward trend in case numbers that began in mid-June could reverse.

Based on the rate of hospital admissions over the past week, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said hospitalisation levels by October could exceed those registered in June.

She said: 'It is important to recognise that if we do not change the trend, there could be exponential growth.'

Kenya recorded a high daily case number less than two weeks after reopening domestic passenger flights.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who had announced international flights would resume on August 1, has called officials to an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the surge in cases.

Authorities in China announced that they would introduce a new wave of testing in the city of Dalian (pictured), after fresh infections were detected there

On Saturday, South Korea reported its highest infections figure in nearly four months, and in Vietnam the first locally-transmitted case in nearly 100 days was detected.

This comes after authorities in China said, on Friday, that they would introduce a new wave of testing in the port city of Dalian, home to about six million people, after fresh infections were detected there.

The local government's health commission said the city must 'enter wartime mode' to prevent further any spread.

It also announced on-the-spot nucleic acid tests for people using the subway system and will impose new lockdowns for some communities.

The WHO's European chapter has expressed concern about the rise in cases on the continent in the past two weeks and warned tighter restrictions may be needed.

'The recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases in some countries following the easing of physical distancing measures is certainly cause for concern,' a WHO Europe spokeswoman told AFP.

'If the situation demands, reintroduction of stricter, targeted measures with the full engagement of communities may be needed.'

Nearly a third of the world's 15.8 million infections have been registered since July 1, while the total death toll nears 640,000.
The CDCs new guidance includes resources for elementary and secondary schools and decision-making tools for parents and caregivers. Many of the recommendations sound familiar, such as social distancing, cloth face coverings, proper cleaning and personal hygiene, and cohorting, in which a group of students sticks together throughout the day to minimize exposure. Schools are instructed to be prepared for COVID-19 cases and exposure, and have systems such as contact tracing in place for when that happens.
Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that he was not in favour of complete lifting of the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state only to address the economic concerns.

He said there was a need to strike a balance between the issues related to health and economy considering the challenge posed by the pandemic.

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Uddhav Thackeray"I will never say that the lockdown will be lifted completely. But I have started reopening a few things gradually. Once reopened, it shouldn't be shut again. Hence, I prefer taking steps in phases. You can't just think about economy or health. There needs to be a balance between the two," he said.

The ongoing lockdown in the state will continue till July 31. From June onwards, the government had started lifting the restrictions in phase-wise manner under its 'Mission Begin Again' initiative.

Lockdown"This pandemic is a global war. It has affected the entire world. Those countries which had lifted the lockdown in haste thinking that it was over, were again forced to impose it to curb the spread. In Australia, they had to rope in Army," he said.

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"Many people are opposing lockdown. They say that lockdown is affecting the economy. To such people, I would say that I am ready to lift the lockdown, but if people die due to it, would you take the responsibility?...Even we are concerned about the economy," he said.
It's been another of those weeks in which our old friend Clarity has taken a pounding as debate rages over masks, travel, air bridges and sea bridges.

Advice and guidelines are being tossed around like champagne bottles in the Depp/Heard household.

Seriously. At the end of this week are any of us any the wiser about anything?

Holiday options are now down to a choice between Greenisland and Greenland.

Okay, I exaggerate. Other destinations are available. Sort of.

But how exciting to know that Greenland features on the "green" list of countries you can visit without the need to self-isolate upon return.

Don't all rush.

For information purposes I've checked on Skyscanner how you might get to Nuuk, the country's capital.

If you're quick about it you can catch an easyJet flight this afternoon from Belfast International which will take you to London Luton from where you have to make your way to London Gatwick .

Bit of a wait there before you catch a connecting flight to Copenhagen. Another long wait in the airport. Next up a flight to Kangerlussuaq airport in Greenland. And then a short flight on to Nuuk where you will arrive sometime around noon. On Monday.

All that flying - a snip at 1,224 one-way.

Barbados, The Bahamas, Monaco, Aruba and Fiji are also possible should you have had a lottery win of late.

Uplifting as the thought of a getaway may be, Stormont however wants you to "carefully consider" if you really want to go.

Which is a mere notch down from previous advice (it's hard to keep up) that you only travel abroad if "essential." Define essential. Does "escape from climbing up the walls" count?

To complicate things further there's the lack of cross-border consistency over quarantine rules for arrivals. It's not about where you've flown from. It's where you land.

Only in the self-isolating corridors of power would they not hitherto have spotted that this would provide opportunity for travellers to both parts of this island to get around restrictions.

And now there's the mess about mandatory masking. First it would be necessary. But not until August 20. Then - immediate U-turn - masks won't actually be mandatory even then.

"The initial emphasis will be on education and encouragement," we're informed in one of those stiff statements that sounds like Beijing talking.

So are we also going to be "educated" on best practice re wearing a mask?

Sad statistics this week show a number of workers in one local health trust are deemed to have contracted Covid because their masks weren't being fitted properly. And that's health staff with experience.

The general public aren't always so meticulous. I've seen people taking their masks off and then wearing them up their arm like a bacterial bracelet. I've also seen discarded masks dumped on the ground. How encouraging is that?

Does Stormont truly believe masks should be worn because they're effective - or is it just for effect? The Covid version of virtue signalling - virus signalling.

What's needed is a clear strategy - not all this dithering which is currently about as convoluted as a one way escape route to Greenland.

Stormont needs to find a flight path and stick to it.

The swimming pools are open. (That'll be fun with a face mask). But food-free pubs (or "wet bars" as they've been labelled. What a picture that conjures up) won't be open until August 20.

You can now share a mouthful of refreshing pool water with fellow swimmers but not a wee swally of sanitising alcohol in a bar...

Meanwhile, in other news to take our minds off masks and air bridges, we're told that Boris' plan to build his sea bridge from Larne is still being looked at. Despite coronavirus, money obviously, no object there.

The bridge would link us to Scotland. Maybe we should look about one to Greenland.

Expand Close S.C. Rapper Kanye West AP / Facebook

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Unwell Kanye in need of care, not criticism

When I first heard the news that Kanye West had decided to run for the US Presidency - he was standing for the Birthday Party - like everyone else my reaction was to laugh.

It's a joke. He's taking the proverbial.

Besides if Trump could get into the White House...

More suspicious observers suggested it was some devious plan to help his old mate Donald. He'd garner the black vote, then back out of the race but ask his supporters to vote Trump.

Sadly, nothing so cynical.

Kanye West is very obviously suffering from major mental health problems. At a "rally" this week he broke down sobbing, claiming he and his wife Kim Kardashian came close to aborting their first child.

We use the word "meltdown" casually. This really was a meltdown. Mental illness isn't a sideshow. Kanye West has previously been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.

In his professional life he would seem to have it all. Money, clout, talent, millions of fans. What the man appears to be lacking right now is someone to step in and look after him.

Critics of his outburst say how awful that years from now his little girl North will have to see that video of her father sobbing as he talks about coming close to aborting her.

I think she might be more traumatised by seeing her mentally-ill father in such clear distress. And nobody reaching out to help him.

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Rebekah Vardy v Colleen Rooney WAG war an irrelevant battle

The WAG libel case featuring Rebekah Vardy v Colleen Rooney is now set for court with claim and counter claim about who leaked what story about Colleen's gilded life to the tabloids.

At the time, Ms Rooney's revelation about her forensic search to find who'd been doing the leaking led to her being dubbed Wagatha Christie. It was comical.

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Now, with the country dealing with epic emergency the whole nonsense of this irrelevant spat makes them both look ludicrous.

Who leaked what?

Who cares?

Expand Close As a hand-me-down Princess Beatrice's wedding gown - borrowed from Her Majesty The Queen - was a bit ritzier than most PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp As a hand-me-down Princess Beatrice's wedding gown - borrowed from Her Majesty The Queen - was a bit ritzier than most

As a hand-me-down Princess Beatrice's wedding gown - borrowed from Her Majesty The Queen - was a bit ritzier than most. Who needs Givenchy when you've got Granny? It's touching how the history of a dress can invest it with such importance. This week we've had the story of how Tyrone woman Rachael Finlay discovered her first prom dress in a charity shop and how it brought back poignant memories of her own beloved grandmother. In both cases, it's the love, not the dress that's priceless.




Jehanabad:

A local court on Friday awarded death sentence to one more accused person in a case related to massacre of 34 people by the outlawed MCC in Senari village under Karpi police station area in Bihars then Jehanabad district 17 years ago.

The Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ)-III Ranjit Kumar Singh passed the order convicting an accused Dukhan Ram Kahar to death sentence, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1.80 lakh after finding him guilty in the massacre case.

ALSO READ: (Senari massacre: Bihar court awards death penalty to 10, life sentence to 3)

The court had held Kahars trial separately and 23 witnesses had corroborated his role in the massacre during cross-examination. The charges were framed by the trial court against Kahar on December 5, 2013.

The judge had, vide a November 15 order, awarded death sentence to ten convicts and handed out life sentence to three others in the massacre of 34 people.

According to the prosecution, the MCC ultras had killed 34 persons of a particular caste by slitting their throats with sharp objects after forcing them to gather near Thakurbari in Senari village under Karpi police station area, which was then a part of Jehanabad district and was now under the jurisdiction of Arwal district, on March 18, 1999.

Seven others had sustained injuries in the incident. A woman Chintamani Devi, whose husband and son were among those massacred by the MCC ultras, was complainant in the Senari massacre case.

The police had subsequently lodged an FIR against one Vyas Yadav alias Naresh Yadav and 500 unidentified persons.

The charge sheet was filed against 74 accused persons in 2002 and the trial was held against 56 as 18 others were absconding. The courts later framed charged against 45 accused persons, two of whom died during pendency of the case, while five others went missing.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 06:30 544 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406692d9e4 1 National Papua,West-Papua,Tito-Karnavian,Home-Ministry,Home-Minister,special-autonomy,special-autonomy-fund,mahfud-md,Indonesian-Military,TNI Free

The government may deploy more troops in Papua if it deems the escalation necessary to maintain security, Home Minister Tito Karnavian has said, amid reports of tensions between security forces and armed civilian groups in Indonesias easternmost province.

The state cannot be outdone by anyone who violates the law, including this armed group. If they kill people, we will enforce [the law]. If there are not enough troops, we will add more, the former National Police chief said on Thursday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Tito said the government was paying close attention to development and prosperity in Papua. He called on members of local armed militia groups to unite with the government and play an active role in facilitating development in the restive province.

Those who joined with Indonesia would be guaranteed their welfare, he said, adding that those who had violated the law would still be prosecuted.

Tito said the government was considering extending Papuas special autonomy (Otsus) status, which is slated to end next year, and asked regional heads in Papua to optimize development with the central government funds available until then.

Read also: President's instruction to blame for rights violations, displacement in Nduga: LBH Papua

Please really use [the funds] optimally for development to create jobs. The natural resource potential of Papua is truly extraordinary, as are its human resources, and this [development] will progress quickly, he said.

If everyone has a job like in West Papua then we hope they will be involved in development, rather than in killing other people.

Actually, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data show that the open unemployment rate in West Papua province has remained consistently higher than in Papua province. In August 2014, BPS recorded a 5.02 percent unemployment rate in West Papua and a 3.44 percent rate in Papua. In February 2019, West Papua recorded a 5.28 percent open unemployment and Papua 3.42 percent.

Echoing Titos statement, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said the government still considered the armed groups Indonesians.

I think this country is very open if they want to surrender, to build. Their citizenship has not disappeared, so just go back to being Indonesian citizens, Mahfud said.

Indonesian Military spokesperson Col. Gusti Nyoman Suriastawa said on Thursday that five members of a separatist group had surrendered to the military and rejoined Indonesia because they felt insecure and wanted to live a normal life with their family.

The five former separatists pledged loyalty to the government in front of military personnel and residents on Wednesday, he said. They then participated in an Indonesian flag ceremony and signed a statement. (syk)
Our annual lists for Best CEOs for Diversity and Best Companies for Professional Development continue to shine a spotlight on the companies and leaders who are setting positive examples for others to learn from and model in their own organizations, said Comparably CEO Jason Nazar.

EdCast, the AI-powered Knowledge Cloud for unified discovery, knowledge management and personalized learning, is pleased to announce the company being recognized with 2020 Best Professional Development and Best CEOs for Diversity awards for small-to-mid-size companies by Comparably.com and USA Today.

These Comparably awards are granted after reviewing 10 million ratings from employees at over 50,000 companies. In making these awards, Comparably.com, the compensation, culture and career monitoring website, identified the top 50 large and small companies in terms of their commitment and success in promoting diversity and inclusion as well as fostering professional development, according to company employees.

EdCast was founded in 2014, has grown to 300 employees, and has offices in Silicon Valley, India and the Netherlands. Clients of EdCast include Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Dell EMC, Diageo, Schneider Electric, CHRISTUS Health, ANZ Bank and NASSCOM, among many others. The companys product offerings include its AI-powered Learning Experience Platform (LXP) and Knowledge Cloud, the EdCast Marketplace, MyGuide, and Spark by EdCast.

Our annual lists for Best CEOs for Diversity and Best Companies for Professional Development continue to shine a spotlight on the companies and leaders who are setting positive examples for others to learn from and model in their own organizations in both categories, said Comparably CEO Jason Nazar. It is no surprise to see EdCast and its CEO Karl Mehta on these lists again in 2020.

We are proud to be included on Comparablys and USA Todays lists of Best Companies for Diversity and Best Companies for Professional Development, says Karl Mehta, Founder and CEO of EdCast. Since our founding, EdCast has been completely committed to diversity and inclusion. Additionally, with our core business focus on corporate learning and upskilling, we are equally dedicated to the professional development of our employees as well as our clients' employees.

ABOUT EDCAST

EdCast is the AI-Powered Knowledge Cloud solution for unified discovery, personalized learning and knowledge management across the enterprise, including work teams that are more remote and highly distributed than ever. Its award-winning platform is used internationally by Global 2000 companies and large government organizations, including NASSCOM and World Economic Forum, to solve the discovery and curation problems across all external and internal knowledge sources for all employees, wherever they are located. EdCast's offerings include its Learning Experience Platform (LXP), the EdCast Marketplace, Spark by EdCast, and MyGuide. For additional information, visit http://www.edcast.com or follow us on Twitter @EdCast.

For more information, contact EdCast at PR@edcast.com.
An Australian couple on a five-year trip of a lifetime sailing across the world's oceans are feared dead after their boat sank off the coast of east Africa.

Del and Craig McEwan sent out a distress call on Monday from their Australian-registered catamaran, Ohana-Uli, west of the Seychelles.

The Bribie Island couple, keen sailors who had been travelling the world for five years, encountered stormy seas and begged for help.

Despite rescue efforts in rough seas, the couple have not been found and the search for their boat has been called off.

The Bribie Island couple (pictured) were last heard from on Monday when they issued a distress beacon from a Australian registered catamaran, called Ohana-Uli

The area is located more than 3,000km outside Australia's search and rescue region, according to the Australian Maritime and Safety Authority (AMSA).

An AMSA spokeswoman told the Courier Mail it was 'well outside the range of Australian response assets' and 'all attempts made by the Australian authority to alert Tanzanian rescue teams to the incident were unsuccessful'.

Nearby Seychelles authorities have assumed formal responsibility for a rescue attempt, the spokeswoman said.

'As the beacon was registered to an Australian catamaran, AMSA was made aware of its activation. AMSA identified and contacted the closest and only available merchant ship, the tanker Atlantic Lily, (which) diverted to the location,' she said.

Del and Craig McEwan (pictured), who were experienced sailors, were together for six years before their disappearance on Monday

Craig McEwan (pictured), the partner of Del, was an experienced sailor before the couple's disappearance

'AMSA understands that upon arrival on scene the next morning (by the Atlantic Lily) the ships crew encountered extremely challenging conditions, including rough seas and strong winds in darkness and that attempts to recover survivors were unsuccessful.'

The failed attempt has prompted an outpouring of emotional posts from family and friends online, including friend Sarah Degen.

She said on Facebook it was with a 'heavy heart that after every effort possible has been made we need to inform you that the search for Del and Craig McEwan has been called off with no recovery being made.'

The couple, who were experienced sailors, were together for six years before their disappearance.

'They are now dancing with the waves, moving with the sea, letting the rhythm of the water set their souls free into the arms of the Saviour,' Ms Degen said.
(Newser)  Tired of working remotely? Your employer might feel the same. The Wall Street Journal reports that after an initial burst of work-at-home productivity amid the coronavirus pandemic, "cracks are starting to emerge." Projects drag on; it's harder to hire, train, and integrate new people; some workers seem less engaged, and younger ones develop more slowly. "There's sort of an emerging sense behind the scenes of executives saying, 'This is not going to be sustainable,'" says Laszlo Bock, human resources chief at the startup Humu. Remote work was great at first, he says, but "it was people being terrified of losing their jobs, and that fear-driven productivity is not sustainable." Take San Francisco startup Chef Robotics, which just came in a month late on a product deadline.

story continues below

Company CEO Rajat Bhageria says a problem that normally took an hour to unpack now drags on for a day: "That's just a logistical nightmare," he adds. Some businesses are mixing at-home and in-office work to varying success, and with most office leases set for eight years or more, executives are unlikely to abandon brick-and-mortar altogether. What's more, Global Trade notes that trust and social bonds are established better in person than they are online. But polls show that most workers don't want to return to the office full-time, which leaves company culture where? "It was easier to go remote fast than most people would have ever imagined," says Andy Eichfeld, head of HR at Discover Financial Services. "That doesn't mean it's great." (Read more remote working stories.)
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia

On July 24, 2020 in Silene the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, held a working meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics.

V.Makei and E. Rinkevics discussed topical issues of bilateral political, trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation, the schedule of upcoming bilateral events including contacts at the highest level.

The ministers emphasized the constructive nature of cooperation between two countries during the coronavirus pandemic, agreed on need to develop joint measures to overcome negative economic consequences of quarantine restrictions.

The interlocutors discussed in detail Belarus-EU interaction, prospects of the Eastern partnership initiative, exchanged views on topical issues of regional and global agenda.

V.Makei informed his colleague about the ongoing Presidential campaign in Belarus.

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Toyota sold the iconic SUV, the Land Cruiser as well as the Land Cruiser Prado in India. The company had discontinued both the SUVs owing to BS6 compliance norms. As revealed to the media, Toyota will relaunch the Land Cruiser brand in India with a BS6 compliant engine option. It is believed that the 2021 Land Cruiser will get a new six-cylinder engine.

Back in June, spy images revealed a fleet of new Toyota Land Cruiser facelifts waiting for dispatch at a Japanese port. It is believed that the updated lot, popularly referred to as the ship of the desert, was being shipped to the Gulf market. The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser is likely to be the last update for the current generation model and is expected to be called the Final Edition. The updated model might be introduced in the global market by the end of this year or early next year.

As seen in spy shots, the updated model gets mild cosmetic updates in the form of a redesigned chrome grille, dual-tone front bumper with chrome inserts and twin-pod headlamps. As for the interior, the new model is expected to get an updated touchscreen infotainment system and a digital instrument cluster. The SUV is also expected to get wireless charging and driver assistance system.

Mechanically, the new in-line six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine is expected to replace the 4.5-litre V8 engine. Additionally, the SUV might also be offered with a hybrid engine option.

Source: CaB

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By Rev. Michael Robinson

The internet and social media are a repository of inane memes, commentaries, trending videos, and goofy shenanigans that sometimes goes viral. But the internet and social media are also a repository for vital information, serious political discourse, and a source for legitimate breaking news.

Recently, while reviewing posts across my social media platforms, I came across commentaries about Trump and Betsy DeVos, Secretary  U.S. Department of Education decision to return our kids back to school in the Fall -with no sound comprehensive plans to insure the safety of our kids, teachers and administrators amidst a surging lethal pandemic, with has no vaccine or cure developed.

ran across one particular anonymous meme that was so spot-on in addressing the endangerment of returning our kids to school, it asked the question

How is it that your kid CANT enroll in school if they arent vaccinated for illnesses that arent an immediate threat, but A DEADLY VIRUS WITH NO VACCINE or KNOWN CURE at its height is safe for your child to go back to school?

I get it. The country and the economy needs to slowly get back to some semblance of normalcy. But at what cost? To give you a chilling insight as to how DeVos values your kids, heres a recent excerpt from a July 12, 2020, Washington Post article quoting DeVos:

We know that children get the virus at a far lower rate than any other part of the population, DeVos claimed on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. Theres  there is no  nothing in the data that would suggest that kids being back in school is dangerous to them.

The author of the Washington Post article, James Downie  Digital Opinions Editor, addressed the safety of Americas teachers:

even if children are less vulnerable, someone still needs to teach them. Yet according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 1.5 million teachers  1 in 4  are at greater risk of serious illness if infected with coronavirus. It will surprise no one to hear that DeVos and co. have no plan to keep those teachers safe or to find new ones if they decide to retire rather than risk their health.

Our kids and teachers are not disposable!

Making a unilateral decision to send our kids and teachers back to school in a traditional in-person classroom environment is a dangerous and reckless proposition. Yes, parents need to work and many cant afford to stay home with their kids to home-school or to supervise their kids online learning, this is a real issue for millions of parents. Still, our government, school district and city leaders need to collaborate and figure out the best comprehensive safety plan and alternative school model for the safe return of our kids and teachers, and not some looney toon notion of just throwing them all into a huge petri-dish of an infectious virus that has deadly effect on the general population.

As of July 19, 2020, there were 63,201 new cases of Coronavirus/COVID-19 documented in the United States alone, as reported by the Center for Disease Control, bringing the grand total of cases to 3,761,362 and 140,157 deaths! These numbers may be trivial to Trump and DeVos, but to the millions of concerned parents, students and teachers, these numbers are disturbing and deeply troubling.

In a country deeply divided by those adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols -masking up, social distancing, thorough washing of hands, sheltering in, etc.- there are others who snub such safety protocols and care less about the safety of others.

CNN reported on July 20, 2020 states that are surging in COVID-19 cases because many in those states are gathering in large numbers, are not wearing masks, and ignore social distancing precautions. CNN reported that

* In Florida, at least 50 hospitals are out of ICU space, according to data from Floridas Agency for Healthcare Administration. Miami-Dade County has exceeded its ICU capacity, with 130% occupancy on Monday, according to the Miami-Dade County Covid-19 dashboard.

* Los Angeles County reported its highest number of Covid-19 hospitalizations in a single day, with at least 2,216 people hospitalized Sunday. And more than half of the 2,848 new cases reported Sunday were among people younger than 41.

* Arizona reported its highest number of Covid-19 deaths in a single day  147 on Saturday, according to the Covid Tracking Project and Johns Hopkins University data.

* Georgia and North Carolina had record-high numbers for the most Covid-19 cases reported in a single day. On Saturday, Georgia reported 4,688 new cases, and North Carolina reported 2,522 new cases, according to Johns Hopkins data.

* In Texas, Dallas County and San Antonio have brought in refrigerated trucks because theyre running out of space to hold the bodies of Covid-19 victims.

With such devastating empirical data available that proves large gatherings and exposure to COVID-19 is a recipe for disaster, why do Trump and DeVos feel so cavalier about sending our kids and teachers back to school in mass to potentially expose them to grave illness and death? Their scenario of returning our kids and teachers back to a traditional in-person classroom experience has the cataclysmic potential for exponential spread of the virus resulting in more record shattering new infection cases, swelling hospitalization, and cumulative deaths.

One of my friends shared a list of questions via social media regarding the return of our kids and teachers to a traditional in-personal classroom experience. These are the most profound questions that need sound answers and solutions before our kids and teachers return back to school to an in-person classroom experience:

If a teacher tests positive for COVID-19 are they required to quarantine for 2-3 weeks? Is their sick leave covered, paid?

If that teacher has 5 classes a day with 30 students each, do all 150 of those students need to then stay home and quarantine for 14 days?

Do all 150 of those students now have to get tested? Who pays for those tests? Are they happening at school? How are the parents being notified? Does everyone in each of those kids families need to get tested? Who pays for that?

What if someone who lives in the same house as a teacher tests positive? Does that teacher now need to take 14 days off of work to quarantine? Is that time off covered? Paid?

Where is the district going to find a substitute teacher who will work in a classroom full of exposed, possibly infected students for substitute pay?

Substitutes teach in multiple schools. What if they are diagnosed with COVID-19? Do all the kids in each school now have to quarantine and get tested? Who is going to pay for that?

What if a student in your kids class tests positive? What if your kid tests positive? Does every other student and teacher they have been around quarantine? Do we all get notified who is infected and when? Or because of HIPAA regulations are parents and teachers just going to get mysterious may have been in contact emails all year long?

What is this stress going to do to our teachers? How does it affect their health and well-being? How does it affect their ability to teach? How does it affect the quality of education they are able to provide? What is it going to do to our kids? What are the long-term effects of consistently being stressed out?

How will it affect students and faculty when the first teacher in their school dies from this? The first parent of a student who brought it home? The first kid?

How many more people are going to die, that otherwise would not have if we had stayed home longer? 30% of the teachers in the US are over 50. About 16% of the total deaths in the US are people between the ages of 45-65. We are choosing to put our teachers in danger. Were not paying them more. We arent spending anywhere near the right amount to protect them. And in turn, we are putting ourselves and our kids in danger.

No more needs to be said. Its time for some sound, safe solutions. Americas kids and teachers deserve better!

The Rev. Michael Robinson is a resident of Lansdowne and serves as senior pastor of Greater Enon Missionary Baptist Church in Philadelphia. He is a national award-winning college administrator, and a 2017 recipient of the Industry Icon Award by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea reopened after Japan State of Emergency lifted. This is a Japan Disneyland Tokyo tour of the new Tokyo amusement park and it's social distance, cleaning and sanitation methods.

Japan amusement parks like this one have reopened and are taking measures to protect it's guests. Tokyo has almost reopened in city for the most part, which you can watch in my previous video. Although Tokyo disneysea is not featured in this video, the same practices and rules apply. This Tokyo Disneyland update should provide a lot of information necessary for what it is like going into the Japanese amusement park. Enjoy this full tour of Tokyo disneyland. - Paolo fromTOKYO
Four Bangladeshi fishermen were intercepted by the BSF for straying into the Indian side of the Ganga river at Madanghat in Murshidabad district, the force said in a statement on Saturday. They were handed over to the border guards of the neighbouring country the same day.

According a BSF South Bengal frontier statement, the four fishermen had strayed 600 metres into the Indian waterways on Friday morning and were intercepted by the BSF jawans who were patrolling the waters on a speed boat.

They, along with their motorised boat and fishing equipment, were handed over to the Bangladesh Border Guards the same day as a goodwill gesture after a flag meeting between the two sides, it said.

The BSF statement said that the four fishermen, all residents of Rajshahi district in Bangladesh, did not have any previous reord of trans-border crime.
Dhaka, July 26 : The US has started the process of sending back Rashed Chowdhury, the fugitive self-proclaimed assassin of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to face justice, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr A.K. Abdul Momen said.

Bangladesh, on a number of occasions, urged the US to hand over former army officer Chowdhury, who had been granted political asylum there 15 years ago.

Momen told IANS that he had urged US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller to send Chowdhury back, telling the envoy that the US brings back its convicted fugitives from other countries.

Amid Bangladesh's efforts to get back the fugitive to execute his death sentence, a US media report suggests his US protection could be revoked.

US Attorney General William Barr has set a July 31 deadline for all parties to the response to the petition.

Late last month, the Attorney General quietly reopened the case that spans four decades and two continents, a report on online portal Politico said.

It also said that Chowdhury's legal team maintains that if the US deports him to Bangladesh, he is all but certain to be executed.

"He thought he had asylum. Now, he could face a death sentence - Rashed Chowdhury was a bit player in a years-old coup. His home country wants him back. And now, his fate is in William Barr's hands.

"For almost 15 years, the case was closed. But now, thanks to Barr, it's back. And immigration lawyers say the move sends a chilling message to people who have received asylum in the US. It signals, they argue, that even after years of successful legal battles, any protection could still be revoked out of the blue," said the report, based on exclusive interviews and legal documents reviewed by Politico Momen emphasised that Bangladesh wants to bring back the fugitive self-proclaimed killer who had been convicted by a court under a free trial.

During his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Momen raised the issue of Chowdhury and sought US support to send the killer back to Bangladesh.

Sheikh Mujib, the first President of Bangladesh, was killed along with 18 of his family members, including his wife, sons and brother, and aides on August 15, 1975 at his Dhaka home. Only two family members survived - Sheikh Hasina, the incumbent Prime Minister, and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, as they were in Germany at that time.

The investigation into the deaths was stopped through an Indemnity Ordinance by the then dictator and acting Army Chief Maj General Ziaur Rahman, and this had saved the self-proclaimed killers from facing justice.

The ordinance was, however, abrogated in November 1996 when Sheikh Hasina's Awami League returned to power, paving the way to bringing the killers to justice.

After a lengthy trial, the court convicted 12 and sentenced them to death in 2010. Five were hanged on January 28, 2010, one died of natural causes and six more are absconding. Rashed Chowdhury is in the the US and S.H.M.B. Noor Chowdhury is living in Canada.

With the yearlong birth centenary of Bangabandhu being celebrating from March 17 this year, the government is pushing the US and Canada to send both of the convicts back.

"We are continuing our efforts to bring them back," Momen told IANS, adding the US had earlier deported Mohiuddin Ahmed, another convicted killer of Bangabandhu, to Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, a joint operation by the intelligence agencies of India and Bangladesh led to the arrest of another fugitive - Capt Abdul Majed (retd). Hiding in India, he was arrested in April and his death sentence was carried in the same month.

Momen said it was the biggest gift for Bangladesh from India in this remarkable year. "We were very lucky that India responded to our application with firm and positive action." The government wants to bring back the convicted killers of Bangabandhu to implement the court verdict, the minister stressed.
Patna: The floods in Bihar has wreck havoc by affecting nearly 1 million people in 10 districts and claimed at least 10 lives till Friday (July 24, 2020) as per the state's disaster management department.

Heavy rainfalls caused the rivers to overflow, leading to breach in embankments at more than one place. Parts of Darbhanga district was seen flooded following incessant rainfall in the region. Darbhanga also has the largest number of people hit by the floods, which has affected 3.46 lakh population.

Meanwhile, the state government said repair work would resume only after two-three days, during which the downpour is expected to become less intense.

The state government has also sought the help from the Indian Air Force so that relief material could be dropped for people marooned in places. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team is deployed at several flood-affected areas including East Champaran district

According to the bulletin issued by the state's disaster management department, West Champaran district, situated along the border with Nepal and through which flows the Gandak river, originating in the neighbouring country and currently in full spate, has borne the brunt accounting for seven of the deaths.

Nearly, 93.89 lakh people have been evacuated so far, out of which more than 12,000 have taken shelter at 22 relief camps.

Meanwhile, train services has also been suspended between Sugauli-Narkatiaganj and six trains have been diverted due to incessant rain and flood-like situation in these areas.

(With PTI inputs)
Actor Shatrughan Sinha has said that people speaking against Kangana Ranaut are jealous of her success. Kangana has been speaking about how a certain section in Bollywood gangs up against a few talented outsiders.

Speaking with Republic TV in an interview, Shatrughan said, Most of the people I see, they speak against Kangana because from the inside they are very jealous of Kangana. Without our mercy, without our will, without joining our groups or without any blessings from us, this girl has gone too far and achieved so much without any push of ours. They are irritated and jealous of her success and bravery.

After Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide on June 14, Kangana has been sharing speaking about nepotism and favouritism in the film industry. Shatrughan, whose daughter Sonakshi Sinha was also targeted on social media, has now extended support to Manikarnika star.

Also read: Moothon movie review: Near-perfect Nivin Pauly-starrer is one of the best films of the year

Shatrughan also took a dig at Karan Johars chat show and said, During our era, there was no Koffee with Arjun. These kinds of planned events are what cause controversies. As far as those who are being talked about at the moment are all members of our own society, but film industry doesnt belong to one person that anyone can say, Lets boycott this person or remove this person from the industry.

He added rhetorically, Who are you to say that? How did you enter the industry and what have you done in life?

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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LANSING  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined 22 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to stop the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized regulation, Nondiscrimination in Health and Health Education Programs or Activities (Section 1557 Rule) which rolls back protections put in place in 2016. Section 1557 is an anti-discrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that prohibits discrimination in health care based on gender, race, ethnicity, sex, age or disability.

The lawsuit  filed Monday against HHS, HHS Secretary Alex Azar, and the head of HHSs Office of Civil Rights, Roger Severino  argues that the new rule emboldens providers and insurers to discriminate against communities of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, those with limited English proficiency, and people with disabilities by undermining critical legal protections prohibiting discrimination in in the provision of health care services.

By striking down anti-discrimination protections for women, minorities, LGBTQ individuals and others, this new rule exposes a deliberate and persistent theme of prejudice by our federal government under the Trump administration, and it is something I am obligated to oppose, Nessel said. The original intent behind the Section 1557 provision in the Affordable Care Act is to prevent discrimination in our nations health care system, yet this administrations new rule instead revokes those protections and advances an agenda that welcomes bigotry. At a time when were reminded every day of how barriers to health care threaten the lives of adults and children alike, the federal government continues to show a blatant disregard for those most at risk. My colleagues and I have no other choice but to challenge this rule in court.

Before the rule was finalized, the coalition previously called on the Trump administration to withdraw the rule. The coalition submitted a comment letter to HHS in August, and then sent another letter to HHS in April asking that they not finalize the rule while the nation is in the midst of a public health crisis.

The Obama administrations HHS issued regulations implementing Section 1557 of the ACA in 2016 to stop the ongoing threat of discrimination in the nation's health care system. HHS itself has long noted that discrimination within the health care system contributes to poor coverage and health outcomes, and exacerbates existing health disparities in underserved communities. Individuals who have experienced discrimination in health care often postpone or forgo needed care, resulting in adverse health outcomes.

Specifically, Section 1557 prohibits discrimination by any health care program  including providers and insurers  against individuals on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age. Federal courts have also held that the statutes prohibitions on sex discrimination protect transgender and other LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination, which was confirmed in last months Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. In Bostock, the Supreme Court held that discrimination based on sexual orientation and transgender status are forms of sex discrimination prohibited by federal civil rights law.

Despite numerous failed legislative and legal battles to repeal and dismantle the ACA, the current administrations new rule would now eliminate many of the express protections contained in the Section 1557 regulations, unlawfully exclude many health insurers from Section 1557s scope, and would allow health care providers and health insurers to deny care and insurance coverage. The new rule would also impose unreasonable barriers and impede timely access to health care for Americans, in violation of Section 1557 of the ACA.

In the lawsuit  filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York  the coalition argues that HHS has unlawfully ignored the harms that the new rule will impose on vulnerable populations. The coalition additionally contends that HHS has failed to justify why it abandoned its prior policy, which, among other things, explicitly prohibited discrimination in health care and required health entities to provide meaningful language assistance services to individuals with limited English proficiency, including notifying them of their rights to translation and interpretation services. The lawsuit also alleges that the Trump administration was motivated by animus toward the transgender community in issuing this rule.

The coalition specifically argues that the new rule is arbitrary, capricious and contrary to law under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), and that it violates the equal protection guarantee of the Fifth Amendment.

Nessel joins the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia in filing this lawsuit.
India and China are set to hold a fresh round of high-level military talks next week to work out modalities for withdrawal of Chinese troops from Pangong Tso area in eastern Ladakh, government sources said on Saturday.

So far, senior military commanders of the two armies have held four rounds of talks on disengagement of troops from the friction points in eastern Ladakh with an aim to restore peace and tranquillity in the region.

The sources said the ongoing engagement and dialogue at military and diplomatic levels have resulted in complete disengagement of troops at patrolling point 14, 15 and 17 A in eastern Ladakh.

A meeting between senior military commanders of the two armies is expected in the coming week to further work out modalities of Pangong Tso lake area, said a source.

People familiar with the developments said Chinese military has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward from Finger 5 to Finger 8 in Pangong Tso area as demanded by India.

On Friday, the two sides held another round of diplomatic talks on the border issue. After the talks, the Ministry of External Affairs said both sides agreed that an early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols was essential for overall development of bilateral relations.

The people familiar with the developments said India conveyed a firm message to the Chinese side that it has to implement the disengagement process as agreed to during the four rounds of Corps Commander-level talks between the two militaries.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a nearly two-hour-long telephonic conversation on July 5 to bring down tension in the region. Both sides commenced the disengagement process from July 6 following talks between Doval and Wang who are Special Representatives for the boundary question.

After the fourth round of Corps Commander-level talks, the Army said both sides are committed to complete disengagement of troops, adding the process is intricate and it requires constant verification.

During a visit to eastern Ladakh last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said progress has been made in the ongoing talks with China to find a solution to the border standoff but he cannot guarantee to what extent it would be resolved.

The tension in eastern Ladakh escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.

After the last round of military talks, government sources said the Indian side conveyed a very clear message to the Chinese army that status quo ante must be restored in eastern Ladakh and it will have to follow all mutually agreed protocols for border management to bring back peace and tranquillity.

Government sources said India is keeping a hawk eye vigil on all areas along the LAC in Ladakh and will maintain a high-level of alertness to deal with any eventualities. PTI MPB GSN ZMN
The judge was out to get him, he said. So was that prosecutor in New York, whom he called a dopey loser on a witch hunt. So were his critics, who he said were all liars. Even some of his own underlings had failed him  bad people, it turned out. He said he didnt know them.
Some communities in southern Alberta are under severe thunderstorm warnings while another handful of storm watches were issued on Friday evening.

Environment Canada said it's possible the thunderstorms could produce strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain.

The areas with thunderstorm warnings as of about 9:46 p.m include:

Hanna, Coronation and Oyen.

Earlier in the evening there were watches and warnings for areas near Okotoks, High River, Claresholm, Airdrie, Cochrane, Olds and Sundre along with Calgary and areas near Drumheller.

There were reports of toonie-sized hail in the city's southwest community of Canyon Meadows around 7 p.m.

Hanna, Coronation and Oyen were also under watch for a possible tornado.

Meanwhile, there were reports on social media of a small funnel cloud near Priddis.
Chandigarh: In view of the divergent opinions of the law secretary and the advocate general, the proposed ordinance that provides for 75% reservation in private sector jobs in Haryana has been sent by the state cabinet to governor Satyadeo Narain Arya for approval.

The cabinets nod was taken by way of the circulation of the memorandum of the proposed law.

The law secretary or legal remembrancer (LR) calls for the assent of the President on the proposed legislation, while the advocate general says the proposed law does not require presidential assent.

The proposed law was vetted twice by the law secretary after cabinet deliberations on January 31 and July 6.

THREE OPTIONS BEFORE THE GOVERNOR

Article 213 of the Constitution empowers the governor to promulgate an ordinance with respect to any matter within the legislative competence of the state legislature, if necessary, after obtaining instructions from the President.

The Haryana governor, who has the arduous task of taking a call on the proposed legislation, has primarily three options  to go with the advice of the advocate general and give his assent for promulgation of the ordinance, thus, putting the law into effect; second, to return the proposed law with a message for reconsideration to the cabinet; and third, reserve it for the Presidents consideration.

The proposed law, if reserved for the consideration of the President, will go through the scrutiny of central ministries before the President takes a call.

PRESIDENTIAL ASSENT REQUIRED OR NOT?

Officials say the law secretarys opinion on reserving the proposed law for consideration of the President is primarily based on two counts.

There is a provision in the proposed law that gives it an overriding effect over other laws. Such a broad provision has the potential to be repugnant to an Act of Parliament or an existing law and thereby needs presidential assent. Another provision providing for preference in jobs to local candidates domiciled in Haryana seemingly is also in contravention of Article 14 of the Constitution pertaining to equality before law,: said an official familiar with the developments.

Referring to the advice tendered by him, advocate general BR Mahajan, however, said the proposed Haryana law did not violate any central law. It also does not come in conflict with Article 14 of the Constitution, Mahajan said.

PILOTED BY DUSHYANT, BJP NOT SO KEEN

Haryanas move to introduce reservation for local youngsters in private sector jobs is on the lines of a law enacted by the YS Jaganmohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh that has been challenged on the grounds of constitutional validity in the Andhra Pradesh high court.

The move is piloted by Dushyant Chautalas Jannayak Janta Party, the coalition partner of the BJP in Haryana, which had made a poll commitment to provide 75% quota in private sector jobs to local candidates.

The proposed law has not found much support from the BJP. In fact, chief minister ML Khattar had once sounded non-committal on the prospect of enacting such a law.

The BJP government at the Centre has a different view on the issue. At least two former central ministers answered in the negative to questions in Parliament about the possibility of reservation in appointments in private companies.

The proposed ordinance, Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Ordinance, 2020, provides 75% of the new employment to local candidates for jobs having salary of less than 50,000 a month in private companies, societies, trusts, limited liability partnership firms, partnership firms in the state.

Employers will have the option to recruit local candidates from one district to the extent of only 10%. The proposed law will also contain a bail-out clause for the industry if suitable local candidates are not available for a category of industry.

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The NYPD released a shocking video Thursday showing the moment a father and daughter were set upon by a violent mob in a store in upper Manhattan.

Victor Martinez Medina, 41, a Mexican immigrant who moved to New York 15 years ago, was knocked out cold by the group who were targeting his 22-year-old daughter.

His wife Rosa Santo, 39, watched the savage beating in horror from outside the store before one of the mob stole her phone when she called 911.

Victor Martinez Medina, 41, (pictured on the ground right) was knocked out cold in the attack on himself and his daughter in a Washington Heights bodega on July 7

Police have identified three of the suspects in the vicious one-sided attack that allegedly began because of ongoing tensions between Medina's daughter and another woman in the neighborhood.

Officers wish to speak to Devonte Phillips, 21, Tyquan Dupont, 22, and Tyrone Lawrence, 26 - have as they ask for public assistance in identifying the others seen in the video.

The Medina family were buying food at their local bodega on Amsterdam Ave. near W. 164th St in Washington Heights on July 7 when the group rushed the store and began beating them using beer bottles.

'The truth is it all happened very fast,' Medina told the New York Daily News.

'I just started to feel punches all over. They just grabbed me ... everything is fuzzy. (My wife) says I was thrown on the floor, and I dont even remember that. I just remember them coming and starting to punch and kick me.

'But after that, I dont remember anything.'

His daughter feared he had been left for dead when the chaos finally ended and he was brought to NYC Health and Hospitals in Harlem.

Medina was left with four loose teeth and black and blue gums but counts himself lucky to not have received greater injuries.

'I saw the video today and I told my wife, "I either have a really hard head or hard body, because I got off lucky",' he said.

Devonte Phillips, 21, Tyquan Dupont, 22, and Tyrone Lawrence, 26 have been identified as suspects in the attack and police hope to identify at least five others

'Like every person who comes to this country, I just hoped to create a better quality of life ... but you dont think about all the things you will run into. Im not the first person this has happened to. But I am lucky.'

His daughter was treated for her injuries at the scene.

The video begins with the two women already mid-tussle as Medina tries his best to intervene before the group of other men lunge forward and push him back into a refrigerator.

His daughter is held by the hair by another woman as she is dragged to the other side of the store and Medina helplessly watches on.

Another woman jumps forward and begin to hit his daughter around the head and they are pushed backward out of view of the camera.

Another man suddenly rushes into the store and heads straight for Medina, punching him in the head until he falls to the ground.

Victor Medina was kicked and punched in a savage attack on a Manhattan bodega

The group was targeting his daughter who can be seen being held here in the orange skirt

At one point on the attack, Medina watches on helplessly as his daughter is dragged aside before another man rushed into the store and begins punching him to the ground

It then shows Medina's daughter being dragged back into the frame where the woman holding her opens the refrigerator door and begins smashing beer bottles over her back.

The father and daughter and pushed back behind the counter in the bodega as they tried to escape and the group keeps throwing punches.

Medina is said to have been knocked unconscious and then kicked repeatedly.

The final clip shows a concerned Santos nervously make her way into the door before her phone is whipped out of her hand.

Some of the men in the group are seen recording the attack on their phones.

Later in the video, one of the women attackers takes beer bottles from the refrigerator and begins smashing them over Medina's daughter's back as she tried to escape

Medina and his daughter, whose faces are blurred here in this picture, were set upon because of ongoing tensions between the daughter and another woman in the neighborhood

His wife Rosa Santo, 39, is seen entering the store here before her phone is stolen

The NYPD on Thursday released images of eight suspects and witnesses to the attack, three of whom they have already identified.

All three identified suspects have prior arrests in the last 18 months, according the Daily News.

Dupont was arrested for petit larceny, two counts of criminal possession of stolen property and grand larceny.

Lawrence was arrested for drug possession and aggravated harassment and Phillips on narcotics charges

Police have released images of six further people they wish to speak to

The group were all seen on surveillance video footage of the attack

Only three have been identified so far as the NYPD ask for public assistance

Santos was also left in shock after the attack on her husband just blocks from their home and is now concerned about how her step-daughter will cope knowing the attackers are still at large.

'I was in shock. I thought they had killed him. He was covered in blood. There was broken glass everywhere. Oh Lord, Holy Spirit, I was worried they were going to come back,' she said.

'People started rushing in and I saw the whole bodega filled up with them. I was just thinking, "Whats going to happen? My husband is inside." I was shocked.

'We dont even know them. They could have killed my husband. Im taking care of him how, because hes afraid to leave the house.'

No arrests have been made.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 23:06:37|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

TEHRAN -- Iran on Saturday reported 2,316 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, raising the total number in the country to 288,839, official IRNA news agency reported.

Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said during her daily update that 1,298 of the new cases have been hospitalized.

Since Friday, 195 people died from the viral disease, taking the total fatalities over the virus to 15,484.

- - - -

MINSK -- Belarus reported 156 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking its nationwide count to 67,002, according to the country's health ministry.

There were 337 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 60,092, the ministry added.

- - - -

TBILISI -- Georgia confirmed 13 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking its national tally to 1,117.

Among the new cases, the source of one is still unknown, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) said.

As of Saturday, 917 patients have recovered from COVID-19, while 16 others have died, the center said.

- - - -

LUSAKA -- Zambia has recorded 472 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily increase recorded since the country recorded its first two cases in March, the health ministry said on Saturday.

Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the cases were picked from 1,851 tests conducted, bringing the cumulative cases to 4,328.

The country also recorded three more deaths, bringing the total deaths to 139.

- - - -

URUMQI -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan has emphasized scientific and targeted measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and to safeguard the life and health of people of all ethnic groups.

Sun made the remarks during her investigation and research tour of the region from Thursday to Saturday. In Xinjiang, Sun heard a report on local epidemic prevention and control and visited various facilities to learn about COVID-19 treatment, nucleic acid testing, epidemiological investigations and supply of essentials.

- - - -

BUCHAREST -- An outbreak of 119 COVID-19 infections was detected at a wagon factory in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, southwestern Romania, as the country reported 1,284 new infections on Saturday, the fourth straight day with daily cases over 1,000.

The factory was closed last Friday after the first five cases were confirmed, but 119 cases have been registered so far, including 57 registered in the last 24 hours, according to the Public Health Directorate of Mehedinti County, whose capital city is Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

- - - -

PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia on Saturday confirmed 23 new imported COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 225, said a Health Ministry's statement.

Eight COVID-19 positive cases were detected on four Cambodians and four Indonesians, who arrived in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on July 23 through two different flights, Health Ministry's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said in the statement.

- - - -

BEIJING -- As part of easing restrictions to control the COVID-19 epidemic, Beijing has allowed its buses and subways to operate at full capacity.

The passenger capacity of buses has been raised from 90 percent to 100 percent while that of subway is up from 80 percent to 100 percent, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport. Enditem
The Indian Railways have pushed for promoting Indian vendors and products under the governments Make in India scheme in the procurement process of the national carrier.

The national carrier on Saturday said there is a need to introduce a clause for promoting local content in procurement so that it get more bids from local vendors to give a boost to the governments mission of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. The Railway ministry says it has sought the support of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade to make suitable policy revisions, if required.

In a review meeting held on Saturday for steps to promote Make in India products in procurement process, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal emphasized the need to increase the participation of local vendors in the procurement process.

Also read: Railways earned Rs 430 crore from Shramik Special train fares

Goyal instructed officers to interact with the industry to ensure increased participation of Indian manufacturing.

While reviewing the steps to promote Make in India products in procurement process, it was emphasized to increase the participation of local vendors in procurement process. It was also decided that the local content clause in the procurement should be such that we may get more bids from local vendors/suppliers. This would also give a boost to mission Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Active support of DPIIT was sought to make suitable policy revisions, if required, to facilitate the efforts of Indian Railways in this direction, the ministry said in a statement.

It was felt that encouragement needs to be given to such vendors who can supply higher locally manufactured content. It was also suggested to create a FAQ section and a helpline number so that vendors may get clarity on various issues relating to procurement process, it added.

The review meeting was also attended by Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi, Railway Board members, CEO, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and representatives of DPIIT and Ministry of Commerce. Goyal emphasized the need to do procurement of approximately Rs 70,000 crore on the GeM platform to open up the market to the industry even at remote places and specially MSMEs.

Also read: Amid Covid-19 pandemic, Indian Railways plans to implement QR code-based contactless ticket-checking system

A need for devising strategies for further increasing the participation of Indian service providers and component manufacturers was felt. Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is a highly innovative idea in public procurement, across the globe, the ministry said.

Indian Railways, one of the largest procurement agencies of the Government of India, is integrating its procurement systems with GeM to use GeMs full potential, it added.

The e-marketplace by the Centre is intended to becoming the single point of public procurement portal for all agencies of the government.

This also comes days after the finance ministry amended its public finance rule that barred all government agencies to procure goods and services from bordering countries such as China and Pakistan on the ground of national security.

The Centre amended the General Financial Rules, 2017, imposing restrictions on public procurement from bidders of countries that share a land border with India, citing grounds of defence and national security.

Railways has also scrapped a tender for thermal cameras meant for Covid-19 surveillance after Indian firms alleged that the tender specifications favoured a Chinese company.

Apex traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) earlier this month had also objected to the bid placed by a Chinese joint venture company for a global tender by the railways for manufacturing Vande Bharat trains.

This also comes at a time when India and China are involved in a tense border stand-off along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. A brutal brawl in Galwan Valley on June 15 led to 20 Indian and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers being killed.
Rite Aid Corporation RAD has been contributing to the society in these times by opening various COVID-19 testing locations across the United States in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this regard, the company has now added 161 drive-through locations in California, Washington, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.



These new sites will be open from today and operate from 10 am to 8 pm on the weekdays and from 10 am to 5 pm during weekends. This brings the total number of testing facilities to 258. Also, these testing locations can now perform roughly 94,000 tests each week, which is double the prior figure. The self-swab nasal tests will be monitored by Rite Aid pharmacists.



Moreover, individuals can take online appointments to avail this facility. Keeping in these lines, the company has joined hands with Verily in order to use the latters Baseline COVID-19 Program for the purpose of screening, scheduling and returning of results to patients. In addition, asymptotic adults can also avail the testing facility at these sites. Such patients will be dealt with keeping in mind the guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



Its rivals, CVS Health Corporation CVS, Walgreens WBA and Walmart WMT, also trod the same path. Notably, CVS Health has 1,416 COVID-19 testing sites across more than 30 states and Washington, DC. Walgreens now has 31 testing locations in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Walmart also crossed more than 100 testing sites on May 15.



The companys 21 no-charge testing sites became operational on Jun 11. These sites can perform roughly 47,000 tests each day. Earlier, it announced the opening of 46 more locations that became operational on May 11 with the ability to perform roughly 10,000 tests each day.



Apart from these, it is providing home delivery services to customers with an eligible prescription. Also, the customers will have the benefit of zero delivery fees and pick-up services for prescriptions and over-the-counter products. Customers can use the drive-through option available at more than 50% of its retail locations. Moreover, it is progressing well with the rollout of the Buy Online Pickup In Store initiative, which will offer better drive-through and curbside pickup options. Further, Rite Aid expanded the Instacart delivery facility to more than 2,400 locations and received positive feedback for the same. Moving on, customers who belong to the Rite Aid wellness+ reward program have access to healthcare professionals and pharmacists at 1-800-Rite Aid or via live chat on the website. In this context, the surge in demand for Tele Health in the wake of COVID-19 has led the company to accelerate the launch of Rite Aid Virtual Care.



These efforts have been boosting investors confidence in the stock. In the past three months, shares of this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company have rallied 37.5% compared with the industrys growth of 3.2%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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Business Insider

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

Associated Press

The White House just made a strong argument to rename military bases that honor Confederate leaders in an attempt to justify preserving them.

" The bases are not known for the generals  the bases are known for the heroes within it," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a press conference.

Advocates have suggested several names as replacements, such as US Army Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez, a Medal of Honor recipient who took part in "six hours of hell" during the Vietnam War.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The White House on Friday afternoon accidentally made a compelling case to rename nearly a dozen US military bases that honor Confederate leaders in an attempt to justify preserving them.

"Many soldiers who have lost their lives overseas: The last ground that they saw were these bases, and by changing their names, he believes that it is not appropriate," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a press conference, referring to President Donald Trump.

"The bases are not known for the generals  the bases are known for the heroes within it," McEnany added. "The great Americans: Black, white, Hispanic, and every race who have died on behalf of this great country."

The Trump administration's position on renaming 10 US Army bases has not wavered since advocates have demanded the US military stop honoring Confederate leaders. On Tuesday, Trump threatened to veto a seemingly veto-proof $740 billion defense-spending bill over a provision calling for new names. Trump has argued that the bases are "part of a Great American Heritage."

But McEnany's defense of the Confederate namesakes on Friday inadvertently made a point for new names in remembrance of "great Americans."

US Army Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez.

US Navy.

A bipartisan movement has mounted to rename the bases after Medal of Honor recipients like US Army Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez, a Green Beret who took part in "six hours of hell" in the Vietnam War.

Story continues

In 1968, Benavidez sustained over two dozen gunshot, bayonet, and shrapnel wounds after volunteering for a mission to rescue 12 soldiers.

Benavidez was pronounced dead by the time he arrived back to his base in South Vietnam. After he was placed in a body bag, he signaled he was still alive by spitting at a doctor's face.

Thirteen years later, Benavidez was awarded the Medal of Honor for "fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army."

Benavidez died in 1998.

Calls to rename Fort Hood in Texas  the largest active-duty armored post that honors Confederate Gen. John Hood  in honor of Benavidez, a Texas native of Mexican descent, have grown in light of the military's recent ban on Confederate flags and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement. The names of other military veterans, including women and Black service members, have also been floated by advocates as prudent replacements to the Confederate leaders who fought to preserve the enslavement of Black Americans.

"Do we continue to honor a Texan of convenience who fought ineptly against the United States government in defense of slavery, or choose instead to bestow those garlands on a native-born son," an opinion column published in the Texas Monthly said.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
PARIS (AP)  Frances coronavirus infection rate crept higher Saturday and Spain cracked down on nightlife but German authorities were confident enough to send a cruise ship out to sea with 1,200 passengers for a weekend test of how the cruise industry can begin to resume.

French health authorities said the closely watched R gauge is now up to 1.3, suggesting that infected people are contaminating 1.3 other people on average. That means the virus still has enough victims to keep on going instead of petering out.

France's daily new infections are also rising  up to 1,130 on Friday. Health authorities warned that the country is going backward in its battle against the pandemic, which has already killed at least 30,195 people in the country and that infection indicators now resemble those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

We have thus erased much of the progress that wed achieved in the first weeks of lockdown-easing, health authorities said, adding that the French appear to be letting down their guard during their summer vacations and those testing positive are making less of an effort to self-isolate.

They appealed for a return to collective discipline, asking people to work from home and get tested if they have any suspicions of infection.

In Spain, Catalonia became the latest region to crack down on nightlife, trying to tamp down on new infection clusters. The wealthy northeast region home to Barcelona ordered all nightclubs to close for 15 days and put a midnight curfew on bars in the greater Barcelona area and other towns around Lleida that have become contagion hot zones.

Spain has reported over 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warn that the country that lost over 28,000 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing the start of a second major outbreak.

Despite the concerns, some European countries kept up their gradual reopenings Saturday.

Story continues

Swimming pools and gyms in England were back in business as public health officials extolled the benefits of exercise in fighting COVID-19. Britain announced a fresh attack on obesity as part of the move, hoping that a fitter nation might be able to minimize the impact of future waves of the virus.

A German cruise ship set sail for the first time since the industry was shut down. Mein Schiff 2 sailed from the port of Hamburg toward Norway on Friday night, and passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on Monday. The ship had only 1,200 people on board compared with its normal 2,900 capacity.

But with many other cruise companies now looking toward trips in 2021, interest was sure to be high in how Germany, which has been praised for its handling of the pandemic, can kick off the struggling cruise industry.

In other parts of the world, the pandemic appeared to have the upper hand.

India, which has the world's third-highest infections behind the United States and Brazil, reported its death toll rose by 740 to 30,601. It saw a surge of more than 49,000 new cases, raising its total to over 1.2 million. The Home Ministry issued an advisory calling for Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 15 to avoid large gatherings.

South Africa, Africas hardest-hit country, reported more than 13,000 new cases, raising its total to over 408,000.

South Korea on Saturday reported more than 100 new coronavirus cases for the first time in four months. The 113 new cases included 36 workers returning from Iraq and 32 crew members of a Russian freighter.

Worldwide, more than 15.7 million infections and over 640,000 deaths have been reported, according to data compiled from government announcements by Johns Hopkins University. Experts say all those figures understate the true toll of the pandemic, due to limited testing and other issues.

In the United States, which has the world's worst outbreak, Texas, which has been struggling with the virus, braced for the arrival of Hurricane Hanna, which could make everything more difficult. The storm is heading for Nueces County, one of the state's coronavirus hotspots.

In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves tightened controls on bars to protect young, drunk, careless folks. Bars already were limited to operating at 50% capacity. Now patrons will have to sit down to order alcohol and sales stop at 11 p.m.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered bars closed and banned restaurants from selling alcoholic drinks to take away. That came after more than 2,000 new cases were reported for the surrounding state of Louisiana, including 103 in New Orleans.

The United States has suffered more than 145,000 deaths and has over 4.1 million confirmed cases.

In Australia, Premier Daniel Andrews of the southern state of Victoria announced five deaths and 357 new cases. Victoria, where the death toll has risen to 61, earlier closed its border with neighboring New South Wales.

In Yemen, 97 medical workers have died of the virus, a serious blow to a country with few doctors that is in the midst of a 5-year-old war, the humanitarian group MedGlobal said in a report.

The overwhelming death toll will have immense short-term and long-term health effects, said the reports lead author, Kathleen Fallon.

___

AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Q. My wife's aunt left her $245,000 to be put into a special needs trust and to be administered by her brother. My wife has multiple sclerosis and it is progressing. Her brother received a check over a year ago. As far as we know he took the money and never set up the account. What can be done about this?

 Husband

A. This isnt a simple issue.

If youre accusing your wifes brother of fraud  taking money that rightfully belongs to her  youre going to need to speak to an attorney.

The purpose of a special needs trust is to shelter income and assets that otherwise would jeopardize the ability of a person with disabilities to receive government benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid, which have asset and income limits, said Shirley Whitenack, an estate planning attorney with Schenck, Price, Smith & King in Florham Park.

But if you think your wifes brother is not honoring the terms of the trust, you need to talk to an attorney.

The attorney can address your wifes options, including the initiation of a lawsuit or the filing of a criminal complaint against her brother, Whitenack said.

Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com.

Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter.
Photo taken on Dec. 14, 2019 shows an Airbus A340 of Mahan Air approaching the Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran. (Xinhua)

Iran will lodge a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization over "harassment" of its passenger plane by two U.S. fighter jets over the Syrian airspace.

TEHRAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The Civil Aviation Organization of Iran announced on Friday that it will lodge a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over "harassment" of its passenger plane by two U.S. fighter jets over the Syrian airspace on Thursday.

In a statement, the Civil Aviation Organization of Iran urged the ICAO to immediately address the issue, which, it said, is "a clear violation of the international law and the aviation standards and regulations," Press TV reported.

On Thursday evening, two U.S. fighter jets came close to an Iranian Beirut-bound passenger plane over Syrian airspace, which forced the pilot of Iran's Mahan Air to change altitude to avoid collision, according to Iran's state TV.

The Iranian plane had to dive and make a quick landing at the Beirut airport after U.S. warplanes blocked its passage, it said.

The Mahan Air aircraft, with over 150 passengers on board, was later landed safely in the Lebanese capital, but the incident caused the injury of several passengers, Iran's state TV reported.

The plane flew back to Tehran after refuelling.

Iranian Vice-President for Legal Affairs Laya Joneidi said on Friday that the "harassment of the passenger plane in a third country is a blatant violation of aviation security, and a breach of the freedom of the air for civil flights."

The U.S. government is responsible for the fighter jets' dangerous maneuvering, and Iran can legally pursue the issue at the ICAO and at the International Court of Justice, Joneidi was quoted as saying by Press TV.

Also, Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami described the U.S. jets' move as an "act of terrorism."

"Our passenger plane was moving at the international commercial flight route and corridor, and the American fighter jets' threatening move was unlawful and inhumane," said Eslami.

"The ICAO is expected to issue a statement against this inhumane move by the United States," the Iranian minister said.

Besides, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Iran will "take necessary political and legal measures" over the incident.

The incident is the first of its kind in Syria but it adds to the tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which have soared since 2018 when the U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the landmark Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed unilateral sanctions against the energy and financial sectors of the Islamic republic.
A week after revoking sweeping new restrictions on international students, federal immigration officials on Friday announced that new foreign students will be barred from entering the United States if they plan to take their classes entirely online this fall. In a memo to college officials, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said new students who were not already enrolled as of March 9 will "likely not be able to obtain'' visas if they intend to take courses entirely online. The announcement primarily affects new students hoping to enroll at universities that will provide classes entirely online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

International students who are already in the U.S. or are returning from abroad and already have visas will still be allowed to take classes entirely online, according to the update, even if they begin instruction in-person but their schools move online in the face of a worsening outbreak.

The policy strikes a blow to colleges a week after hundreds united to repel a Trump administration policy that threatened to deport thousands of foreign students. That rule sought to bar all international students in the U.S. from taking classes entirely online this fall, even if their universities were forced to switch to fully online instruction amid an outbreak.

The new order was released Friday as a clarification to earlier guidance from March 9 that suspended existing limits around online education for international students. The March guidance was meant to provide flexibility as schools across the nation closed campuses amid the pandemic, but universities said it was unclear whether it extended to new students.

In its memo, ICE clarified that the flexibility applies only to students "who were actively enrolled at a U.S. school on March 9.'' Officials at some schools _ including Harvard University and the University of Southern California, which are offering classes online this fall _ had feared as much and already told first-year students they could not come from abroad,.

The American Council on Education, a group of university presidents, said it was disappointed by the guidance. "We have been fearing this and preparing for this. We're still disappointed,'' said Brad Farnsworth, vice president of the group. Harvard officials said they're asking Congress to extend the March guidance to new students but don't anticipate any changes by the fall term. New students can take classes online from abroad or defer their enrollment, the school said.

In a message to students Tuesday, Harvard's undergraduate dean, Rakesh Khurana, said the school "abhors'' any policy that forces officials to choose between "our community's health and the education of our international students.'' The rule threatening to deport thousands of foreign students if they took all their classes online was widely seen as part of Trump's recent campaign to pressure the nation's schools and colleges to reopen this fall.

Immigration officials rescinded the policy July 14 after it was challenged by eight federal lawsuits from states and universities. More than 200 schools had signed briefs supporting a suit brought by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The policy was issued as a growing number of colleges make the decision to hold classes entirely or primary online this fall. As virus cases continue to rise, schools including the University of California, Berkeley, and Rutgers University have announced the move this week.

Several education groups issued letters this week urging ICE to allow all international students, including new ones, to enter the country even if their schools were operating entirely online. They said many colleges had already prepared housing for international students, even at universities offering online instruction only.

The Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a coalition of college leaders, said it was disappointed by ICE's decision on new students. It places undue pressure on schools to offer at least some in-person instruction, the group said. But other elements of the guidance took a step in the right direction, the group said, including the clarification that students can remain in the U.S. even if their schools switch to fully online instruction during the semester.

Colleges across the U.S. are already expecting sharp drops in the number of students coming from abroad amid the pandemic and a slowdown in visa processing. It's likely to deliver a financial hit to colleges that rely on revenue from international students, who typically pay higher tuition rates. The nation attracted roughly 1.1 million international students in the 2018-19 school year. The American Council on Education estimates about 250,000 are planning to enter the United States for the coming academic year, either as new or returning students.
An Iranian undercover morality agent spat at teenage girls and asked them 'where's your dirty owner?' after seeing them without a hijab.

In a shocking video, which has been circulating on social media, a man stops his car and gets out before hurling abuse at the youngsters.

During the heated exchange on the side of the road in Kermanshah, Iran, he says to the girls 'I'll f*** your mother' and claims their behaviour is 'immoral' while a police officer appears to do nothing about the incident.

The morality officer gets out of his car at the side of the road and he and his wife start shouting at the teenagers for not wearing hijabs in Kermanshah, Iran

He asked the teenage girls 'where is your dirty owner?' and his wife tells them to apologise to her husband so he does not hit them

Wearing a hijab has been compulsory for women in Iran since the Islamic revolution in 1979, a rule which is enforced by the state's morality police.

The video shows, as tensions between the man and the teenagers grow, the man's wife gets out of the car and says 'apologise to my husband so he won't hit you'.

The woman informs them that her husband is from the intelligence services and could get them arrested.

After the man spits in the girls' faces, another woman wearing a hijab pushes him.

A police car arrives shortly afterwards but the officer watches from afar and the teenagers scream: 'Officer, why aren't you doing anything?'

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist who has been campaigning against the compulsory hijab law, shared the video with her 195,000 followers on Twitter.

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist based in the US, has been campaigning against the compulsory hijab law

The girls sent the video to Alinejad and told her they decided to film the incident after it was clear the police were not going to help them.

The US-based activist started an anti-headscarf campaign - White Wednesdays - encouraging women to post photographs of themselves without headscarves online as a way of opposing the compulsory hijab.

As part of the movement, women have been risking arrest by walking in public and sharing videos online of the harassment they receive from men, using the hashtag #MyCameraIsMyWeapon.

In July last year the semi-official Fars news agency quoted the head of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Mousa Ghazanfarabadi, as saying that 'those who film themselves or others while removing the hijab and send photos to this woman ... will be sentenced to between one and 10 years in prison.'

The struggle against compulsory headscarves first made headlines in December 2017 when a woman climbed on a utility box in Tehran's Revolution Street, waving her hijab on a stick.
A LIMERICK garda is to carry a 30kg rowing machine to the top of Irelands tallest mountain, before rowing over 10km to raise money for a popular city charity.

Champion rower Ken McDonald, who is a garda training instructor at Templemore, is planning the incredible challenge after the Share a Dream centre  which provides unforgettable experiences for kids with life-limiting illnesses  was burgled.

The Ennis Road man will be carrying out the energy-sapping challenge on Saturday, August 8.

Ken will haul the rowing machine he broke a Guinness World Speed Record with last year, up Carrauntoohil in Co Kerry, before rowing almost 10.5km, which is the equivalent of 10 times the height of the mountain.

Ken was moved to do the challenge after seeing the mini garda station he helped build at the Share a Dream centre in Plassey targetted by thieves.

Aiming to raise 25,000, hes already up to 15,000.

Hes already done one warm-up, hailing a 16kg weight up Carrauntoohil.

And in preparation for the main event, he has been training six days a week.

To donate, please visit https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11382942_kenneth-mc-donald-s-page.html
Federal officers in military gear   clouds of tear gas   crowd control munitions  [shots fired]  and locals who want those officers gone. What are you guys protecting? Get the [expletive] out of our city! In just over a week, the chaotic scenes in Portland grabbed the nations attention and raised questions about whether the U.S. government is exceeding its authority and violating civil rights. The officers came because of an executive order signed by President Trump in late June to protect federal property from destruction. If we didnt take a stand in Portland, you know, weve arrested many of these leaders. If we didnt take that stand, right now you would have a problem like  they were going to lose Portland. So whats going on here? And what methods are the officers using to protect federal sites? Crowd: Breonna Taylor! The protests against racism and police brutality, which started in May, had largely been peaceful and were held across Portland. But after federal officers arrived in the city on July 4, demonstrations became centered around this U.S. District courthouse and this building housing federal agencies. Both are property of the U.S. government. The buildings have clearly been vandalized, and the Department of Homeland Security has a mandate to protect them. Thats usually done by officers from the Federal Protective Service. But on the ground in Portland, we have seen a new task force, including U.S. Marshals   BORTAC, a unit of Customs and Border Protection   and a special response team from ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. According to a government memo leaked to The Times, these units are insufficiently trained to perform crowd control. But that hasnt stopped them from trying. Night after night, videos show these officers emerging from the two federal buildings as protesters draw near. Hundreds of videos reviewed by The Times show that although protesters were antagonistic, officers often responded with disproportionate force. [shouting] They blanketed streets with tear gas. Are you OK? They struck protesters with batons   and used flash bangs, pepper balls and other less-lethal munitions to clear the streets. [chanting] Their actions often appeared to escalate rather than de-escalate matters. And in some instances, they attacked when there was no apparent threat. On July 11, protester Donavan La Bella was at the federal courthouse when an officer appears to have fired at his head in retaliation for tossing a spent tear gas canister. [expletive] you! [shot fired] La Bellas mother told local media he suffered skull fractures and needed surgery. Later that night when field medics sought officers help for a wounded protester, they were aggressively cleared away. On July 18, a Navy veteran was batoned and pepper-sprayed in another unprovoked attack. His right hand was broken, and he needs surgery. Sometimes members of the press were hit. He got shot in the back, obviously, and hes wearing press  This photographer, Mathieu Lewis Rolland, told The Times that a volley of 10 projectiles were fired into his back. Ow, ow, ow! In the middle of all this, protesters were detained in ways that alarmed civil rights advocates and former Homeland Security officials. Can your people identify themselves as law enforcement? On July 15, several federal officers were filmed driving in unmarked vehicles in the blocks around the courthouse. How are we supposed to know who you are? How are we supposed to know youre not kidnapping us and youre civilians kidnapping us? One protester was detained at this location nearby. What are you doing? Federal officers wouldnt identify themselves  Use your words!  but patches on the right and left sides of their uniforms match those used by members of BORTAC, the tactical unit from Customs and Border Protection. They drove the protester away in an unmarked car. D.H.S. says federal officers have made 43 arrests since July 4. Agents do have the authority to make arrests if they believe that a federal crime has been committed, like damaging federal property or attacking officers. Crowd: Hey, hey, ho, ho, these racist cops have got to go. In recent days, the controversy mobilized a larger and more diverse crowd of protesters. [chanting] A so-called wall of moms led marches through Portlands streets and to the federal courthouse where officers cleared them away. The federal presence has also inflamed tensions. Some demonstrators damaged paneling on the courthouse and tried to set them alight. Others threw water bottles and fired fireworks toward the building. On Wednesday, July 22, Portlands mayor joined the protests and was caught in a cloud of tear gas. This is a egregious overreaction on the part of the federal officers. This is not a de-escalation strategy. This is flat-out urban warfare. At around the same time, a Customs and Border Protection plane was spotted circling overhead. C.B.P. officials told The Times it was sending a live video feed of the crowd to law enforcement on the ground. Crowd: No justice, no peace! Protesters and local officials say this is all a case of federal overreach. Oregons attorney general has sued the federal government to stop arresting people. Gas! Gas! Gas! The president has doubled down, promising to send more federal officers to cities governed by his political rivals. Because were not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia, Detroit and Baltimore, and all of these  Oakland is a mess  were not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats. The results could look like a national police force acting under presidential orders, able to ignore local demands and arrest residents. In Portland, it has been a recipe for chaos. [explosion]
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 00:45:51|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday declared three days of national mourning following the death of Tanzania's former president Benjamin Mkapa.

Kenyatta has directed that the Kenyan and East African Community flags be flown at half-mast in the country and all Kenya's diplomatic missions abroad from dawn on July 27-29 in memory of the late Mkapa.

"The People of Tanzania have lost a brilliant public servant who dedicated his entire adult life serving his beloved nation with honor, dignity and excellence. The People of Kenya have lost a close friend and brother, who stood with Kenya during some of our darkest hours," Kenyatta said in a presidential proclamation issued in Nairobi.

Mkapa was born on November 12, 1938, and died at a Dar es Salaam Hospital on Friday morning according to a statement issued by President John Pombe Magufuli.

Mkapa led Tanzania from 1995 to 2005 before handing over to Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete.

"East Africa has lost a founding father of the East African Community, and the continent of Africa has lost a dedicated Pan-Africanist who shaped the destiny of the continent as president and even after leaving office," said Kenyatta.

He said Kenyans shall forever be grateful for the pivotal role played by Mkapa in the mediation process that ended the 2007/2008 post-election violence and political impasse that resulted thereafter.

"Our nation's peace, reconciliation and greater unity can be directly linked to the spirited actions, wisdom, mediation and sacrifice of the Late President Mkapa and his colleagues on the Panel of Eminent Persons," said Kenyatta. Enditem
(Natural News) The Black Lives Matter movement may be on its way to becoming a mass movement similar to the French Revolution, Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson said.

In an interview with author and conservative radio show host Eric Metaxas, Hanson cited glaring similarities between the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement and the French Revolutions Jacobin dictatorship, which is known for its reign of terror.

According to Hanson, the similarities between the two become even more apparent once their ideologies get inspected, noting that Black Lives Matter takes after the French Revolutions values of egalitarianism and fraternity, which sought to change every aspect of the citizens life.

Everything is on the table. I never imagined that NPR would be telling listeners to decolonize their library or there would be women to shave their heads so they wouldnt have non-African American hair, or they wouldnt privilege their whiteness, Hanson said, describing the acts as reflective of reeducation camp mentalities.

Thats what we are witnessing now with this movement, Hanson said, echoing statements he made during a prior appearance at Foxs The Ingraham Angle.

Hanson, during his Ingraham Angle appearance, noted that while Black Lives Matter had legitimate concerns regarding African-American issues during the early days following George Floyds death at the hands of a White police officer, the movement has since devolved and become what he called a forum for blanket condemnation of law enforcement and authorities.

All of a sudden people were cutting their hair and saying Im not black. Children were accusing their parents of racism or suddenly it was defund the police or you have to remove books from your bookshelf if they display inordinate attention to white authors, Hanson said, referring to the social justice-related trends that have since emanated from the movement.

Youll never be able to satisfy the iteration as they get more radical, Hanson told host Laura Ingraham.

This, Hanson said, stems in part from globalization and multiculturalism, noting that there are approximately 55 million people in the country who, due to their being born and raised abroad, may not be familiar with traditional American values.

Conservative editor: Black Lives Matter is similar to Chinas Cultural Revolution

Breitbart editor Joel Pollak posited similar sentiments in a column, published on June 8.

In his column, Pollak noted that the Black Lives Matter movement is fast becoming the United States answer to Chinas Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which was a radical, youth-led purge of traditional feudal culture and authority within a one-party state.

The most striking similarity between the two movements, Pollak said, is the ritual humiliation of individuals who are seen to represent the system, citing an incident wherein Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a staunch Democrat, was chased away by a mob after telling a crowd of protesters that he believes the citys police department, instead of being defunded, must undergo structural reforms in order to revamp and get rid of its inherently racist system.

Actions such as these, Pollak said, are warnings that Black Lives Matter has moved far beyond its original grievance, and is instead demanding total obedience.

These events recall the public humiliations of the Cultural Revolution, when intellectuals, dissidents, and Communist Party officials who had fallen out of favor were paraded before jeering crowds and made to wear signs confessing their supposed crimes before being banished from society, Pollak explained.

Revolutions, riots will die out soon  scholar

Hanson, in a column for the Las Vegas Review Journal, warned conservatives that the violence imposed by the Black Lives Matter movement, despite being on the verge of waning, may get a second wind once it gets co-opted by opportunists looking for a vulnerable group to take advantage of.

The present madness will wane like a virus, as it eats its own and terrifies its sympathizers that they may be next  unless, of course, a would-be Napoleon uses a whiff of grapeshot and turns the mob into his personal cult, Hanson said, citing instances such as the rise of Nazism in Germany and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

Despite the seemingly dire straits faced by the nation because of the violence espoused by Black Lives Matter and similar groups such as Antifa, Hanson stressed that such movements will eventually fizzle out in the end  especially once their leaders lose steam.

Once cultural revolutions turn anarchic and eat their own, they lose support. When quiet sympathizers conclude that they too may be targeted, to survive they turn on their former icons, Hanson said.

This, Hanson said, would effectively lead to the movements sputtering into irrelevance.

Revolutionaries are now sowing the wind, but they have little idea of the reactive whirlwind they may soon reap, Hanson said.

Sources include:

WND.com

NPR.org

FoxNews.com

Breitbart.com

TheGuardian.com

ABC7Chicago.com

ReviewJournal.com
STAMFORD  A Stamford student who exhibits any symptoms of COVID-19 inside a school building will be transported to a designated isolation room, where they will be checked out until a parent or guardian arrives to pick them up.

Thats one of many items in the school systems reopening plan, which was submitted to the state this week.

The 45-page document was mandated by the state Department of Education, which required every school system in Connecticut to submit plans for the upcoming school year.

School districts were instructed to include plans for three possible options: a full return to in-class instruction, a hybrid model that includes some in-class teaching mixed with remote learning, and a return to full online instruction.

The decision of which of those models ultimately is chosen will fall on city officials, using guidance from the state.

We all need to be prepared for whatever model is decided as we open school, said Amy Beldotti, associate superintendent for teaching and learning.

Under a proposed hybrid model, students would be split up into two cohorts, with each attending in-person classrooms twice a week.

Parents would still have the option to opt out of in-person classes and continue distance learning.

Kevin McCarthy, facilities manager for the school system, presented a blueprint of Davenport Ridge Elementary School during a Board of Education meeting this week to illustrate how a classroom set-up for social distancing would work.

Using a specific class at Davenport, McCarthy showed how the room could be divided up into a teacher space of roughly 150 square feet, across from a student space of 460 square feet that could fit 12 desks while adhering to a six-foot social distance protocol. McCarthy said if the district preferred to reduce that distance to five feet, 18 desks could be placed in that specific classroom.

Another space in the classroom, of roughly 50 square feet, would be reserved for a sink.

McCarthy said schools would also be required to designate an isolation room, which would have to be different from the nurses office and have a door to the outside of the building so that a parent or guardian could pick up a sick child.

He also said signage would be a part of the plan, informing students and visitors about the proper protection needed to be inside buildings, as well as how to stay safe and minimize the risk of infection.

Schools Superintendent Tamu Lucero said McCarthy was doing the same exercise for every classroom in the system.

Thats very comforting to know that were looking at small classes and looking at every opportunity to socially distance, said Jackie Heftman, a member of the Board of Education.

Lucero responded, So that were all clear, it may not work out because depending on how many families say theyre coming back, theres only limited amount of space.

Depending on how many students come back to school buildings in the fall, additional classroom could be necessary, which is why McCarthy is identifying spaces in the school district that could be converted to classrooms, Lucero said.

Also during the Board of Education meeting, Associate Superintendent for School Development Olympia Della Flora delivered a short presentation on transportation and meals at schools.

She said the school system has identified three ways to deliver food inside school buildings. One would involve having food delivered directly to classrooms and allowing children to eat at their desks. Another would station food carts at various locations in the school for students to pick up meals, while yet another would be the grab-and-go meal program that is currently being offered.

When it comes to dealing with a possible ase of COVID-19 in the school system, Lucero said staff will be receiving training on how to properly handle that.

If we know what that looks like prior to entering school, then it wont be a surprise if and when it happens, she said.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
A workshop will take place in Hanoi on July 30 to discuss cross-border e-commerce with Amazon and opportunities for exports (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Hanoi - A workshop will take place in Hanoi on July 30 to discuss cross-border e-commerce with Amazon and opportunities for exports, according to Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade Tran Thi Phuong Lan.

The event will be hosted by the department in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)s e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency, the Hanoi Small and Medium Enterprises Association, and Amazon Global Selling.

It forms part of Hanois plan on e-commerce development this year, Lan told a press conference on July 24.

COVID-19 has triggered travel restrictions worldwide, creating difficulties for Vietnamese exporters to ship their goods by air or sea. Trading on Amazon, however, would remove barriers and help them boost shipments, Lan said.

According to a report from the WTO, the pandemic has made it clear that e-commerce can be not only an important tool or solution for consumers during a crisis but also an economic driver for both domestic growth and international trade.

Lan added that her department will coordinate with the MoIT to help local producers seek alternative sources of materials overseas and new markets, as well as make the most of new-generation free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA).
A day after leading a dharna at the Raj Bhawan, Rajasthan Chief Minister on Saturday said if necessary Congress MLAs will meet the President and hold a sit-in outside the prime minister's home to settle the crisis in the state.

According to party sources, Gehlot said this while addressing a Congress Legislature Party meeting held at the hotel where MLAs loyal to him are holed up.

He also told the MLAs that they may have to stay put there longer.

"The chief minister asked us to remain prepared to stay longer at the hotel. If required, he said, we would go to meet the President and would also hold a dharna outside the prime minister's residence," a party leader said.

On Friday, Congress MLAs had squatted on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan for several hours, demanding that Governor Kalraj Mishra should summon a session of the Vidhan Sabha so that they can prove their majority.

Gehlot alleged that the Governor was under "pressure from above" not to summon a session, hinting that the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre was involved in the tussle for power in the state.

The BJP condemned the sit-in at Raj Bhawan, and an earlier remark by Gehlot that "we will not be responsible" if the people of the state gherao.



The dharna at the Raj Bhawan was called off Friday night, according to the Congress, after Mishra said he will abide by the Constitution but not act under any pressure.



The Governor asked Gehlot to submit again his recommendation for a session, clarifying six points.



These included queries on free movement of MLAs and the reason the session needs to be called urgently.



The CM was on Saturday expected to submit a redrafted recommendation for a session.



Gehlot's government has been under threat after his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot rebelled.

Eighteen other dissident MLAs have also defied the party whip to attend CLP meetings.



Including the 19 dissidents, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly and the BJP 72.
America is currently experiencing something of a revolutionary mood. The toppling of statues, the "cancelation" of journalists and public figures who stray from the new mainstream in their thought, and the speed with which CEOs and boardrooms have caved to online Twitter mobs indicate that a radical cultural shift is taking place. While much ink has been spilled debating the broader meaning of this moment, the seemingly outlandish suggestion by some that we are witnessing the rise of a quasi-spiritual movement, rather than one that is purely political, needs to be taken seriously, as it may help explain some of the hysterical nature characterizing recent political and social discourse.

The steady decline of religion is one of the most well documented macro-trends occurring in the United States in recent decades. A Pew Research poll from October 2019 reveals the share of the population identifying as atheist, agnostic, or "nothing in particular" increased from 17% in 2009 to 26%. Those identifying as Christians decreased by 12% to 65% over the same period, and of those who still attend religious services, 54% now attend only a few times a year or less. Supporters of this decline have widely assumed that the result would be a secularized society free from the influence and moral constraint of organized religion. Yet the revolutionary spirit we find ourselves in today could suggest that it merely left a void to be filled by something else.

In comes "wokeness" or any other name used to describe the radical political ideology that has rapidly ascended in the past decade to dominate American college campuses and other important institutions like mainstream and social media. It is unflinching in its disdain for the American experiment and, notably, is especially popular among the more secular younger generations. But while religion, especially Christianity, is on its laundry list of oppressive forces needing to be dismantled, its practitioners themselves engage in actions that are strikingly reminiscent of an actual religion.

Most apparent is the demand for acceptance of a particular worldview and obedience to a set of unwritten laws. America is an inherently racist country that must be destroyed along with any principles associated with its founding. The world is nothing but an existential struggle and zero-sum game between oppressors and the oppressed. Climate change will destroy our planet in the coming decades because science says so, but a male can identify as a female because science is a social construct, among others.

Followers of this ideology hold their views not as a set of opinions to be debated based on facts, but as absolute truths not to be questioned. Thus, those who offer up any critique are wrong, but not in the sense that their arguments are not supported by empirical evidence. They are wrong because they are heretics. They are possessors of a morally unconscionable worldview that is not in lockstep with the indisputable truth the practitioners claim to hold.

Other practices of the woke bordering on religious have recently been on full display as celebrities and athletes have taken to social media to denounce their "white privilege" and to acknowledge their need to "educate themselves." Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility has topped book charts for weeks, and it is now fashionable for young, often progressive white people to take a knee out of shame and guilt. Humans are naturally self-centered beings, so to engage in any act of repentance, of rejecting oneself and acknowledging his sin, is not insignificant. For a person to deny himself on the basis of unchangeable flaws, whether it be his inherently sinful nature and his deviation from the ways of God or the color of his own skin and the racist actions of ancestors of the past, is rare and is an indicator that some type of spiritual awakening is occurring.

Conservatives have loudly lamented in recent years the fraying of American public discourse and the lack of wholesome debate on divisive but important issues. Now centrists and even some liberals are increasingly voicing their alarm about the attacks on fundamental liberties like free speech, as evidenced recently by Bari Weiss's high-profile resignation from the New York Times and the publication of the Harper's Magazine letter signed by 153 left-leaning intellectuals and journalists.

But attacks like these are to be expected if you are engaging in a religious or spiritual rather than a political arena. If you view your opponents as blasphemous and morally wrong rather than factually incorrect, debate becomes an illegitimate practice, as it merely provides a platform to spread untruths and dangerous ideas. Free speech becomes threatening, not something to cherish. The result is the "cancel culture" of today, which destroys careers and livelihoods and silences people for uttering thoughts that are not orthodox. It could also be argued that it provoked a backlash that propelled the most blasphemous of all, Donald Trump, to the White House.

Freedom of speech, as one of the bedrocks of this nation, is the exception, not the norm, of prosperous societies throughout history. It is the most effective way of preventing tyranny and ensuring societal progress. The current threat to its existence at the hands of zealous doctrinaires should be called out for what it is and opposed by all.
I had asked for a boat and a forest outpost for Molai Kathoni. Its been years and am still waiting, says Padma Shri environmentalist and forestry worker Jadav Payeng.

Called the 'Forest Man of India', Payeng has dedicated nearly 42 years of his life taking care of the Molai woods  a forested area spread over 550 hectares of land. It is located along a barren sandbar of Majuli, the worlds largest river island in Assam, about 28 kilometres from Jorhat town.

He has been planting saplings since 1979, transforming the wasteland into a heavily wooded landscape -- large enough to see the return of wildlife in the area. But it has been a lot more difficult than he ever imagined. Now, he seeks the help of local communities and the government to preserve his forest.

In the past few weeks, Jadav Payeng has been battling floods to visit the forest even as extensive soil erosion continues to threaten its survival.

His daughter, Munumi Payeng, often helps her father in the forest. The indigenous Mishing family of five lives at the Kokilamukh village, about 5 kms off the Molai Kathoni. More than 50,000 people have been affected in Majuli district with floodwaters of the rain-swollen Brahmaputra gulping down everything in sight.

Things have been worse as several wild deer from the forest have been caught and killed by miscreants for meat. I need forest personnel to man this area and check on humans more than animals. I cannot do this alone anymore, but even the forest department in Majuli is understaffed," says Payeng.

I was informed recently that miscreants killed a deer that had strayed out from my forest and the venison was sold at Teok town of Jorhat district. Some even come from far off places to indulge in such illegal activities. I can only plant trees, but such perils would have to be handled by the state government.

Assam forest officials in Majuli have not confirmed or denied Payengs claims though they unanimously stressed the need to have a forest camp in the Molai Kathoni area.

We cannot confirm the killing of deer as we do not have an office there. Also, if anything of this nature did happen, the locals would have informed us. We feel there can be a camp in that place as rhinos and elephants from Kaziranga do frequent the forest, says Sushil Kumar Thakuria, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Majuli.

Forester-1, Atul Kumar Das points out there are deer present in the southern part of Brahmaputra, and that many swim to the forest area and stray into human habitat during floods. "They do face harassment at the hands of a few. But the area falls in the southern part of Jorhat District though it lies within Majuli," he says, while shedding light on the indequate manpower and infrastructure, or boats, to cross the river frequently, which "makes it difficult to man those areas".

Ever since Payeng began the ground-breaking work of reforestation in Molai forest, he also started planting trees in another sandbar nearby in 2011, which he hoped would turn into another forest in next 10 years. However, his work remains incomplete amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Molai forest with a bamboo understory, covering over 300 hectares, also has several hundred trees and medicinal plants of indigenous origin. The environmentalist now wants his forest to be converted into a Community Reserve, confident that the villagers would support his mission. Community Reserves are Protected Areas that act as buffer zones and migration corridors for national parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Reserved and Protected Forests of India.

I wanted to expand the forest to 2,000 hectares by planting trees that provide fruit and feed for elephants and other wild animals. This would have stopped them from venturing too close to Aruna Chapori and Kartik Chapori villages that have been severely impacted by floods and erosion this year. My forest is only a kilometre away from these villages," says Payeng.

He adds that it is a government land, and if it was converted into a community reserve, it would provide socio economic and livelihood opportunities for the people.

According to a survey carried out in 2019, among the 127 Community Reserves in five Indian states, Meghalaya has 65; Dambuk Allonge Community Reserve (36.6 sq km) being the largest of them all. Assam does not have a single Community Reserve yet.

P Sivakumar, the Director of Kaziranga National Park says the forest can be upgraded into a Community Reserve in Meghalaya, only if the the villagers in Molai Kathoni come forward and donate community owned lands for conservation. "It will become a protected area and their work will be legally recognised by the Government of India. Now, we need to depend on the Golaghat division for monitoring animals that move out of Kaziranga to riverine areas, he adds.

While the forest hosts animals that migrate from Kaziranga National Park every flood season, Payeng wants authorities to also build a highland for wildlife taking shelter inside Molai Kathoni.

During the lockdown, Payeng says they helped forest personnel guide back to Kaziranga a rhinoceros that stayed in the area for two months till March.

"A highland can accommodate more animals during the high flood. The deer stay here for 12 months, but the elephants and rhinos that move out of the national park stay in my forest for 3-4 months. Rhinos come here in December and may keep arriving till April, Payeng explains.

Close to the Molai forest, the Majuli forest division led by Das has also achieved a remarkable feat by planting trees to create a mini-forest spread over 250 hectares in Salmora area of the island. Such initiatives which convert sandbars into forests can go a long way in conservation as the thick woods along the river can function as satellite habitats for Kaziranga. However, Das points out that every area developed along the banks of the Brahmaputra is exposed to the risk of erosion.

The Forester says that reforestation happens by either by natural seeding, or artificial planting of seeds or young trees, and that the river might help create a forest or wash away the lands. "Our mission is successful today, but may face the threat of erosion in future. It is not easy to maintain these mini forests. There is also a herd of about 80 elephants in Salmora and they will be here throughout the year, we have to keep a close vigil, he adds.

Jitu Kalita, a wildlife photographer and freelance journalist from Jorhat District, believes that while Payeng is a simple man and a nature lover, he lacks scientific knowledge. Erosion is a natural phenomenon  if the river has washed away lands, it has also created a thousand hectares more. Some animals have died in floods," Kalita says.

The first to introduce Payeng to the world, the journalist has witnessed the environmentalist's conservation efforts very closely in Majuli but feels the he should be guided in the "right direction".

Payeng, however, lives in constant fear that his forest might someday meet the same fate as his childhood village on the banks of the Brahmaputra.

The place which remains a fond memory to him, was completely washed away, forcing his parents to migrate to Majuli. Recalling how a herd of 115 elephants visited Molai Kathoni in 2008 after 30 years, Jadav Payeng says, I shall continue to visit the forest every morning at 5 am and return home by 3 pm, I shall continue planting more trees. But beyond that, the government needs to shoulder this responsibility of keeping the forest and animals safe - its a peoples forest.
Irans former Queen Farah Pahlavi in a statement, issued on the 40th anniversary of her husbands death, says Iran has turned into a poor, needy and hungry country after forty years of misconduct, mismanagement and corruption by the Islamic Republic.

The last king of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi died in 1980 after being overthrown by revolutionaries in 1979 and going into exile. He was suffering from cancer. He is buried in Cairo, where former Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat was his close friend.

The statement written by the queen is a report by her to her departed husband about Irans current situation.

She writes, You are not here to see what an outwardly religious regime by its own admission has gifted to the Iranian people  unrivaled corruption and policies that have resulted in sanctions, lack of jobs, poverty and hunger.

The queen also says in her statement that most strata of society and specially workers face deep hardships, the Iranian passport and the national currency are worthless in the world, the environment is in ruin and the Islamic Republic violently suppresses all kinds of protests.

Farah Pahlavi calls for saving Iran and rebuilding the country and says that is the duty of the youth. She adds that people of Iran have always risen to rescue the country from dangers.

However, the former queen insists in her statement that change should come only by the efforts of Iranians without intervention by foreigners. She says her son Reza Pahlavi, the last heir to Irans throne, shares her view.

The Islamic Republic insists that Iran had no independence during the monarchy and people suffered economically and politically. However, the mood among anti-regime protesters in recent years shows many people have a positive view of the Pahlavi dynasty that modernized Iran in the 20th century.
With just weeks before learning is slated to resume, some Tucson-area educators and school leaders feel the state has left them to fend for themselves during a global health crisis.

Hoping to gain clarity from Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on school reopening plans, an update issued Thursday, July 23, had the opposite effect.

I think this executive order has actually caused a little bit more confusion, says Pima County Schools Superintendent Dustin Williams. Other local leaders and educators agree with him.

Ducey and Arizona Schools Chief Kathy Hoffman announced Thursday that schools would get full funding for remote learners, who are typically funded at a lower rate, and an additional 5% for each student physically in classrooms as long as schools provide on-site learning opportunities for any student who wants it.

Although the executive order says that schools should prioritize vulnerable students such as those who receive free and reduced lunch, English-language learners, students with special needs and those in foster care, it also says that schools should inform all parents of available options and shall not refuse anyone.

That on-site learning, which must be offered starting Aug. 17, is described by executive order as in-person support services and supervision that may or may not be provided by a teacher or aide while students take part in distance learning.

Those sites are required to open just 10 days after the Arizona Department of Health Services must release public health benchmarks for the safe return of in-person, teacher-led classroom instruction.
China urges US to stop vicious attack on its military-civilian integrated policy

People's Daily Online

(China Military Online) 15:02, July 24, 2020

Spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on July 23rd that China's military-civilian integrated development policy is aimed at effectively integrating military and civilian resources and is aboveboard and blameless. The US should immediately stop deliberate provocations and vicious attacks against China.

When being asked about a recent tweet of the US Department of State, alleging that China is seeking to build the military by so-called exploiting American research institutions, academia, and private firms for their key technologies, Wang Wenbin pointed out, "China has stated its position on this issue repeatedly. Lately the US has been keen on misrepresenting and smearing China's military-civilian integration policy, employing moral hijack, political pressure and even threat of sanctions against Chinese and American businesses and researchers. China deplores and rejects this. "

He expressed that it is a customary international practice to promote integrated military and civilian development. It is no exception for the US, which began such practices dating back to before WWI and has been pursuing all-dimension and all-sector integration at an even faster pace in recent years. The US allegation against China is typical double standards by forbidding others to do what it is doing itself. Its true purpose is to create excuses to justify a high-tech blockage against China. The root of this is the Cold War mentality the US still clings to as it attempts to contain China's development. It goes against the spirit of international cooperation and the trend of the times and will eventually damage the interests of China, the US and the whole world, he added.

At last, he reiterated that China's military-civilian integration policy is aimed at effectively mobilizing military and civilian resources, coordinating socioeconomic growth and national defense development, and benefiting the public with scientific and technological progress. China's scientific progress is achieved with the Chinese people's industry and innovation. US should immediately stop deliberate provocations and malicious denigration against China, and return to the right track of win-win cooperation.

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The Duchess of Sussex believes successful women of colour like her are wrongly labelled demanding or aggressive, the controversial biography claims.

Meghan is said to have thought some of the stories about her were sexist and prejudiced.

A close friend told the authors of Finding Freedom that she was regarded as Duchess Different and that she was not liked by some because she stood out.

The Duchess of Sussex, pictured, was unhappy about the way she was treated because she would routinely get up at 5am to begin work each day and had firm ideas about what she should be doing

The sensational revelations are contained in a book Fighting Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand

It was open season on Meghan, with many looking for anything and everything to criticise, an extract from the book serialised by The Sunday Times says. Duchess Different, a close friend of Meghans said. Thats what people have a problem with. Shes the easiest person in the world to work with. Certain people just dont like the fact she stands out.

Shortly after Harry and Meghans marriage in 2018, reports emerged about how Meghan was wasting no time in putting her stamp on The Firm. The former actress was said to have a formidable work ethic, rising at 5am each morning and issuing a stream of ideas to her key aides about how to shape her role. In their book, however, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand suggest the Duchess was upset at the way her decisive and assertive nature was depicted.

They wrote: Meghan felt as though some of the commentary and tabloid stories were more than a culture clash; they were sexist and prejudiced.

The book has caused a sensation with its behind-the-scenes revelations

If a man got up before dawn to work, he was applauded for his work ethic. If a woman did it, she was deemed difficult or a bitch. The double standard was exacerbated when it came to successful women of colour, often labelled demanding or aggressive. The authors went on to claim that while racism takes a different form in the UK from in America, it remains ingrained here. Mr Scobie, who has a Scottish father and an Iranian mother, reportedly left his first job at Heat magazine after he was racially abused by an executive.

It is claimed that a member of staff at Buckingham Palace once said he was surprised to hear the royal journalist, who went to a public school, speak with received pronunciation.

In their book, the authors state: Racism takes a different form in the UK from in America, but there is no mistaking its existence and how ingrained it is. A major theme of racism in the UK centres on the question of who is authentically British. It can come through in subtle acts of bias, micro-aggressions such as the palace staffer who told the bi-racial co-author of these words, I never expected you to speak the way you do, or the newspaper headline Memo to Meghan: we Brits prefer true royalty to fashion royalty.

While the columnist was criticising Meghan for her Vogue editorials, there was another way to read it, which is that to be British meant to be born and bred in the UK  and be white.
In a setback for international students, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 24 said newly enrolling non-immigrant students will not be allowed to enter the country if their courses have gone fully online.

The ICE directive said "non-immigrant students in new or initial status after March 9 will not be able to enter the U.S. to enroll in a U.S. school as a non-immigrant student for the fall term to pursue a full course of study that is 100 percent online."

This will mainly impact those foreign students enrolling for courses offered by American universities after the March 9 deadline. Additionally, ICE has directed designated school officials to not issue a Form I-20 to a non-immigrant student in "new or initial status" who is outside of the US and plans to take classes at fully-online educational institution.

The latest development comes after the Trump administration withdrew an earlier sweeping order pertaining to international students, amid legal challenges from several universities.

Earlier this month, the US government had said it would not issue visas to foreign students if their classes had been moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic. As per the earlier order, non-immigrant students on F-1 and M-1 visas were barred from remaining in the US or entering the country if their studies had been moved online. The order had drawn widespread criticism and had created panic among foreign students who were faced with a sudden uncertainty.

Many leading universities like Harvard and MIT sued the Trump administration and sought seek a temporary restraining order and preliminary and permanent injunctive relief to bar ICE from enforcing the new guidelines that would force international students to leave the US. Subsequently, the order was rescinded following widespread condemnation of the move and pressure from colleges and major businesses.
Palm Beach, Florida, is soliciting proposals from agencies that can develop a marketing and branding program for the citys public marina, the Town Marina.
The Sinclair Broadcast Group  the largest owner of local television stations in the country  has scrapped an episode of America This Week that featured the controversial virologist whose Plandemic video was taken down by Facebook, YouTube and other major platforms.

In the nixed episode of America This Week, which is hosted by Eric Bolling, Dr. Judy Mikovits shared her theory that immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci  a member of the White Houses coronavirus task force  has for years manufactured coronaviruses and shipped them to Wuhan, China. Though Mikovits, when pressed, stopped short of asserting that Fauci created the coronavirus the caused the current pandemic, the chyron Did Dr. Fauci Create COVID-19? appeared across the bottom of the screen.

More from TVLine

Courtesy of Sinclair Broadcast Group

Criticized for giving the controversial Dr. Mikovits a platform, Sinclair at first shared a series of tweets that said, among other things, At no juncture are we aligning with or endorsing the viewpoints of Dr. Mikovitz or [her lawyer] Mr. Klayman or endorsing the Plandemic documentary, adding: Were a supporter of free speech and a marketplace of ideas and viewpoints, even if incredibly controversial.

But on Saturday afternoon, Sinclair  which owns, operates or has service agreements with 191 television stations in 89 markets  announced its decision to delay the episode entirely. (Update: The episode in question apparently aired on WCHS in Charleston, West Virginia, prior to the decision.)

After further review, we have decided to delay this episodes airing. We will spend the coming days bringing together other viewpoints and provide additional context. All stations have been notified not to air this and will instead be re-airing last weeks episode in its place.



We would also like to clarify that at no point did we air the Plandemic documentary, nor do we have plans to. This documentary has been widely discredited and we as a company do not support the baseless claims that were rebutted during the original segment.



Further, we valiantly support Dr. Fauci and the work he and his team are doing to further prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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This of course is not the first time Sinclair has come under fire for controversial messaging. As Last Week With John Oliver famously documented (in the video below), the broadcast group is known to compel its nationwide network of local news anchors to read, verbatim, scripted editorials that move forward specific political viewpoints.

Best of TVLine
Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, has hinted he could leave the club. Salah joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017 and has won the Premi...

Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, has hinted he could leave the club.





Salah joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017 and has won the Premier League and Champions League in his three years at Anfield.





The Egypt international also won the Golden Boot in 2018 and 2019.





This season, Salah has scored 19 times, as Liverpool won their first title in 30 years.





But Salah has hinted he may not be a part of any future success.





No one knows the future and what will happen. Lets see what will happen.





But at the moment we win the Champions League, we win the Premier League, Im happy.
How does mask order violate rights?

Re: Niagara regional council passes mandatory mask bylaw, July 24

Following a recent vote by Niagara Region council, all citizens across Niagara (young children and those with existing health or breathing issues notwithstanding) will be required to wear masks or face coverings when in indoor, public venues such as stores, restaurants, transit, service centres, etc.

Despite footage of a packed Clifton Hill being shared widely by news outlets, I continue to read on social media a plethora of comments (from do-it-yourself doctors and epidemiologists) that view this emergency decision as a "violation of human rights." Some people have even taken to quoting, albeit haphazardly, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to prove their point.

I understand that adjusting to change can sometimes be difficult. But I am astounded by the idea that some people are actually planning to refuse to enter and support local businesses  many of which are still struggling to survive financially  that obligate its clients to wear masks, as per law. Some individuals are even calling to boycott these locally owned establishments altogether.

I cannot help but wonder how wearing a mask for a few minutes while in enclosed spaces and in extremely close proximity to others during a global pandemic is a fundamental violation of human rights beyond, let's say, wearing pants when in a grocery store. How is the decision to mandate people to wear masks to protect themselves, and one another, deemed discriminatory and oppressive practice? What right, exactly, is the government taking away from its citizens?

What underlying insecurities, prejudices, issues, or deep-rooted fears has this governmental order to wear masks actually unmasked among us? What are some people trying to hide when refusing to do their small part to help protect Niagara region's residents, including its most vulnerable?

Gianluca AgostinelliNiagara Falls

Criticisms of Diodati unfounded

Re: Not my Mayor: Niagara Falls woman to hold demonstration against Diodati, July 18

I was appalled to read the article which said some believe Mayor Jim Diodati has a problem with women, that he doesnt like powerful or outspoken women or women that stand up to him.

Angela Peebles is insinuating the mayor is misogynistic. From my experience I believe this claim is far from true. Over the years my wife and I, in addition to many friends and neighbours, have crossed paths with Diodati at different times. I have never heard or seen anything which would indicate he did not like or respect women in his actions or words.

Its sad when people these days use all the cliches or politically correct terminology to influence, control, intimidate, bully or publicly shame a person. There is no doubt this is politically motivated. In fact, Peebles is psychologically abusing Diodati by making these accusations.

Keep up the good work, Diodati.

Lastly, Ms. Peebles called Niagara Falls council an Old Boys Club. Shes wrong again, because the city councillors are all democratically elected by the citizens of Niagara Falls. All Ms. Peebles comments are unfounded, frivolous, and without merit.

Rich DuffyNiagara Falls

Time to defund the Region

Re: Federal funding announcement greeted with relief at Niagara Region, July 17

My recommendation to deal with our serious municipal financial woes is to "defund the Region."

I acknowledge it was a promising idea to try the current system, but it is not working out thanks to excessive overlap and duplication as well as a top-heavy administrative bureaucracy... contentious and difficult to deal with to what would be better with greater specificity of jurisdiction, as does exist with "headquartered at home or nearer the people" sort of government, as was if not still is entailed by existing municipal governments.

Given our critical "emergency" municipal financial situation, etc., I believe now is the time to acknowledge where things didn't work out as we had perhaps hoped and planned, and, "somewhat" go back to the way things were but for even better facility, by adopting what has been developed by the Region, as much as is needed and available by making such developments ancillary to a/the more transparent as to oversight and supervision... government implicit to the municipalities as they used to be, but even better than it was as to serving inter-municipal affairs, if not what the Region was meant for (The "municipalities" having the money and the veto as to the harmony and integrity of what is needed) the money saved, coming from what is now going to the Region; by doing as much, probably if not logically being more than adequate to, doing the job and supporting any shortfall that has occurred as a consequence of the pandemic of which we have been afflicted with, among other things.

Michael GlavicNiagara Falls

Letters Welcome

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BISHKEK -- Jailed human rights activist Azimjan Askarov has died in custody, according to Kyrgyz Ombudsman Tokon Mamytov and human rights activist Tolekan Ismailova.

The cause of death and whether it was related to the coronavirus pandemic has not yet been determined.

Askarov, a well-known ethnic Uzbek human rights activist sentenced to life in prison on charges rights groups described as trumped-up, had been transferred to a different detention center on July 24 amid reports about an abrupt worsening of his health.

Ismailova, the chairwoman of Kyrgyzstan's One World-Kyrgyzstan human rights organization, told RFE/RL on July 24 that an ambulance brought Askarov to a detention center in Bishkek that was better equipped to administer medical services.

Confirming the death, the Kyrgyz authorities said Askarov had been suffering from preexisting medical conditions and had recently refused to be treated with oxygen.

The human rights office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) expressed "profound sadness" over Askarov's passing.

Askarov spent many years prior to his arrest documenting police abuse and brutality in his native Kyrgyzstan, the office said in a statement.

The OSCE rights office, as well as rights groups Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders, had called for Askarov's release.

Mamytov said he received information about Askarov's death on July 25 from the State Service for the Execution of Punishments.

"We received additional information from the State Penitentiary Service," he said. "Now we must wait for the conclusion of a medical examination about the causes of Askarov's death."

The State Penitentiary Service has not yet released information publicly about Askarov's death.

In recent days, Askarov's lawyer, Valeryan Vakhitov, and the human rights organization Front Line Defenders had raised concerns over Askarov's health, saying the 69-year-old activist was in very poor condition amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Kyrgyzstan.

Vakhitov told RFE/RL that Askarov was very weak with a deteriorating health condition that left him unable to walk without assistance before his transfer.

WATCH: 'He's Innocent': Activist's Wife Reflects On His Decade In Kyrgyz Jail

Askarov, who also contributed to independent news websites, had been behind bars for almost a decade after he was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of creating a mass disturbance and involvement in the murder of a police officer during deadly ethnic clashes between local Uzbeks and Kyrgyz.

In May, Human Rights Watch said Askarov "suffers from cardiac and respiratory conditions and has not received appropriate medical attention in prison." It also warned that he was at high risk of contracting COVID-19, a disease that disproportionately affects older people and individuals with underlying illnesses.

Ismailova said at the time that it was "heartbreaking to see him -- at high risk due to his declining health and having endured torture -- losing hope for a fair trial and release."

More than 450 people, mainly ethnic Uzbeks, were killed and tens of thousands more were displaced during the violence.

The UN Human Rights Committee has found that Askarov was arbitrarily detained, denied a fair trial, and tortured, and ruled the activist should be released immediately and his conviction quashed.

However, Askarov's conviction was upheld after several appeals.
TORONTO, July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WeedMD Inc. (TSX-V:WMD) (OTCQX:WDDMF) (FSE:4WE) (WeedMD or the Company), a federally-licensed producer and distributor of medical-grade cannabis, is pleased to announce the appointment of Bruce Croxon to its board of directors. Mr. Croxon, a prominent Canadian entrepreneur and venture capitalist and co-founder of Lavalife, brings his deep expertise as an investor and advisor in growth stage companies to WeedMD. The appointment was finalized at the Companys annual general meeting of shareholders (AGM) held virtually in Toronto, Ontario on July 24, 2020.



Bruce is a well-respected entrepreneur with an extensive track record for innovating and building successful high-performing businesses and teams, said George Scorsis, Executive Chairman of WeedMD. Were excited to have him on the Board and look forward to his counsel and sharp business acumen as we drive brand and product awareness towards rapid growth in all our markets.

As a long-time proponent of Canadian business and talent, Im looking forward to working with a cannabis company that is considered a gem in the industry, said Mr. Croxon. With its unparalleled cultivation platform, distribution channels and talented leadership team, Im thrilled to be mentoring the team during what is expected to be a period of exponential growth as the Company moves towards profitability and expansion.

All Company matters put forward at the AGM were approved by the Companys shareholders, including the re-election of Angelo Tsebelis, George Scorsis, Gail Paech, G. Edmund King and Dr. Hugh Scully as directors of the Company. The directors will hold office until the next AGM or until successors are duly elected or appointed.

At this time, the Company would like to thank Michael Pesner for his tenure as a director and chair of the audit committee. Additionally, in accordance with the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Companys shareholders approved WeedMDs Omnibus Incentive Plan. The Companys shareholders also re-appointed RSM Canada LLP, as WeedMDs auditor to hold office until the next AGM or until its successor is duly appointed.

Story continues

About Bruce Croxon

Mr. Croxon made his mark as a digital pioneer by co-founding Lavalife and revolutionizing how people connect. Partner, chairman and CEO, Mr. Croxon helped lead the companys growth from four to 600 employees, while achieving revenue of approximately $100 million. Since the sale of Lavalife, Bruce has been active as both an investor and advisor in growth stage companies in the technology sector. As an ex-Dragon on CBCs Dragons Den, he added a broad range of businesses and products to his portfolio that tapped into his passion for digital media, health and marketing. Mr. Croxon currently helms Round13, a company dedicated to investment in growth stage Canadian tech companies. He also co-hosts 'The Disruptors' on BNN and CTV, a weekly show spotlighting Canadian business, and believes Canadian entrepreneurs can hold their own with anyone in the world.

Check here for upcoming corporate events and to access WeedMDs latest Investor Presentation and latest Corporate Update Video.

About WeedMD Inc.

WeedMD Inc. is the publicly-traded parent company of WeedMD RX Inc. and Starseed Medicinal Inc., federally-licensed producers of cannabis products for both the medical and adult-use markets. The Company owns and operates a 158-acre state-of-the-art greenhouse, outdoor and processing facility located in Strathroy, Ontario as well as CX Industries Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary which specializes in cannabis extraction from the Companys fully-licensed 26,000 sq. ft. Aylmer, Ontario processing facility. With the addition of Starseed, a medical-centric operator based in Bowmanville, Ontario, WeedMD has expanded its multi-channeled distribution strategy. Starseeds industry-first, exclusive partnership with LiUNA, the largest construction union in Canada, along with other employers and union groups complements WeedMDs direct sales to medical patients. The Company maintains strategic relationships in the seniors market and supply agreements with Shoppers Drug Mart as well as six provincial distribution agencies where adult-use brands Color Cannabis and Saturday are sold.

Follow WeedMD, Color Cannabis & Starseed:

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/weedmd

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&

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starseedca/

For further information, please contact:

For Investor Enquiries:

Valter Pinto

Managing Director

KCSA Strategic Communications

1-212-896-1254

weedmd@kcsa.com

For Media Enquiries:

Marianella delaBarrera

VP, Communications & Corporate Affairs

416-897-6644

marianella@weedmd.com

Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation which are based upon WeedMD's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs and views of future events. Forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expect", "likely", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", "proposed", "estimate" and other similar words, including negative and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "would" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy.

The forward-looking information in this news release is based upon the expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and views of future events which management believes to be reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking information includes estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, targets, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking information in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to internal expectations, expectations with respect to actual production volumes, expectations for future growing capacity and the completion of any capital project or expansions. Forward-looking information necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the cannabis industry in Canada generally; the ability of WeedMD to implement its business strategies; the COVID-19 pandemic; competition; crop failure; and other risks.

Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, WeedMD does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for WeedMD to predict all such factors. When considering this forward-looking information, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in WeedMD's disclosure documents filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The risk factors and other factors noted in the disclosure documents could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE
- The Fergusons have had a rocky relationship with their fans as scandals have rocked the couple

- Former employees have accused the couple of being mistreated and unfairly dismissed

- However, Mzansi seems to have forgiven and forgotten as they heap praise on the Fergusons for the latest episode of The Queen

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The Fergusons have been dragged recently on social media by former employees who have come forward with complaints at how they were treated, most for unfair dismissal.

Some of the celebs who came forward about alleged mistreatment include Dineo Langa, Mlamli Mangcala, Rami Chuene and Vatiswa Ndara.

However, fans seem to have forgotten all that drama and are singing the couple's praises, thanks to Mzansi's hit show produced by the Fergusons, The Queen.

South Africa seems to have forgiven the Fergusons. Photo credit: @ferguson_films

Source: Instagram

Breifly.co.za learned that the last episode did not disappoint and the 1-hour episode and have fans in anticipation of season 5 which will be released on July 17.

Here are some reactions to the latest episode from fans:

READ ALSO: Malcolm and mam Thembi celebrate 1 million likes with hilarious video

READ ALSO: Dad goals: Video of Siya Kolisi dancing with daughter is a mood

Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that Kenneth Nkosi has joined the stellar cast of Mzansi Magic's hit soapie The Queen. The veteran actor, who has been away from our small screens for a while now, will be playing the role of a new cop that will replace actor Mlamli Mangcala, whose contract recently came to an end.

Mzansi Magic publicist Vuyiswa Dlodlo confirmed to Sunday World that the comedian would be joining the hit telenovela but did not provide details about his role.

In other news, Briefly.co.za reported that Kuli Roberts has taken to social media to give a shout-out to her boss for believing in her. The media personality was recently cast on The Queen and has been gushing about the Fergusons ever since.

There has been much drama about the Fergusons in the last few months and a number of former employees have come out to say that they were exploited by the producer couple. However, Kuli Roberts is singing nothing but praises for Connie Ferguson and her husband.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!

Source: Briefly News
IAF reviews op preparedness and deliberates on its Roadmap for the next decade

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 24 JUL 2020 5:54PM by PIB Delhi

The IAF concluded its three day Air Force Commanders' Conference (AFCC) after a series of discussions and reviews on operational preparedness and strategies for countering security threats envisaged across the entire spectrum. They discussed the current situation and thereafter carried out a thorough review of the IAF's transformation roadmap for the next decade

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General MM Naravane addressed the Conference and interacted with the Commanders as well as the Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) at Air HQ on matters of jointness and integrated war fighting. The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) reviewed the status and issues related to all Commands as well as branches at Air HQ.

In his closing address, the CAS articulated Vision 2030 laying down the milestones for transformation of IAF in the coming decade. He stated that it was important to recognize the nature of emerging threats in a rapidly changing world. He also emphasised on the need for rapid capacity building, increase in serviceability of all assets and dedicated work towards effective integration of new technologies in the shortest timeframes. He reiterated that the IAF's long term goals for sustainable capability mandate the acquisition and employment of niche technologies and development of indigenous platforms and weapons. The Chief stated that since human resource was the most valuable asset of the IAF, recruitment, training and motivation strategies should keep pace with the changing times.

***

IN/BSK



(Release ID: 1640958)

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Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Shiites, who were commemorating the 6th Death Anniversary of sons of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky and others, were dispersed by the Police in Zaria. Kaduna State, weekend.

If you remember on July 25, 2014, there was a Quds demonstration in Zaria which led to the clash between the group and Nigerian Army, it led the death of three sons of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and 32 others.

While the Commemoration of July 25, 2014, Quds Programme was ongoing at Unguwar Bishar Cemetry, Zaria City, then six Hilux Trucks with armed policemen stormed the event.

On arrival, the IMN members started chanting Allahu Akbar (God is Great) while the police fired tear gas and live ammunition at them, Sheikh Abdulhamid Bello, Chairman Shuhada Foundation of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, said



He said the commemoration was an annual event which was usually observed by special prayers, lectures and visiting the tombs of their martyrs.

Bello said the event was aimed at remembering our late members. We dont want to forget our members who died in the unfortunate incidence on July 25, 2014.

For over forty years, the Islamic Movement annually observed the International Quds Day. The day is usually observed by the end of Ramadan and on July 25, 2014, our members were attacked in Zaria during the procession while observing the Day which led to the death of our members. He said.

According to him, the organization used to commemorate the July 25, 2014 incidence at Fudiyya School at Babban Dodo area, Zaria city but this year the police cordoned the place.

He said that the organisation moved the event to Darur-Rahma, Dembo, along Jos Road, Zaria (where the martyrs were buried) similarly Police went and cordoned the area.

We finally moved the event to Unguwar Bishar Cemetery and the Police also moved to the cemetery and started throwing tear gas and live bullets on our people, he alleged.

When contacted ASP Mohammed Jalige, Kaduna state Police Public Relations Officer, said he would reach the Police Area Commander, Zaria and report back to journalists.

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Animal tests of a potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Chinese researchers show it triggers an immune response against the novel coronavirus, offering some promise as it goes into early-stage human trials, according to a peer-reviewed study.

ARCoV is a messenger RNA vaccine which uses technology similar to candidates being developed by Moderna and BioNtech and Pfizer. It is the second potential COVID-19 vaccine that China's military-backed research unit has moved into clinical trials.

Results of trials of ARCoV in mice and monkeys, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Cell on Thursday, show both single and two-dose inoculations induced strong antibody and T-cell responses against several COVID-19-causing virus strains.

However, researchers conducting the trial cautioned they were not yet able to see how long the ARCoV-induced antibodies might last or how strong their protection might be to other strains that cause COVID-19 but were not tested in the study.

ARCoV is stable at 25C (77F) for at least a week, researchers said, which could make it more attractive for potential immunisation campaigns in hard-to-reach populations in places where cold-chain storage and transportation are not always reliable.

While no COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for sale yet, more than 150 are in development globally with an aim to help end the global pandemic that has claimed over 600,000 lives. But whether any will succeed remains far from clear.
President Donald Trumps order on updated export restrictions on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), with the new speed limit of 800 kmph, will not only help its allies in the Middle-East facing the brunt of Chinese armed drones in Libyan theatre but will also help India acquire proven Predator-B armed and Global Hawk surveillance drones from the US. Both the top of line drones have speeds less than 800 kmph.

A statement issued by White House said, The President has decided to invoke our national discretion to treat a carefully selected subset of missile technology control regime category I unmanned aerial systems (UAS), which cannot travel faster than 800 kmph as category II This will increase our national security by improving the capabilities of our partners and increase our economic security by opening the expanding UAV market. This policy change means that the UAVs under 800 kmph will no longer be subjected to the strong presumption of denial of the MTCR.

While the US defence contractors were restricted by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) UAS clause, the Chinese have been supplying Wing Loong armed drones to Pakistan and for use in the Yemen and Libyan civil war. According to intelligence reports, China has already supplied four Wing Loong armed drones to Pakistan for protection of the CPEC and Gwadar port. The drone, which has a limited track record, carries more than 1,000 kilograms of bombs or air-to-surface missiles. Neither China nor Pakistan are members of the MTCR, hence there is no restriction on Beijing to export these systems to Islamabad.

It is the introduction of Wing Loong into the Indian sub-continent which has prompted India to relook the acquisition of Predator-B drone, proven in Afghan and Iraq theatre, for the Indian military. The Predator-B is the armed version of Guardian drone, twenty-two of which have been approved for sale to India by the Trump administration. Predator B can carry four Hell-fire missiles and two 500-pound laser-guided bombs.

By tweaking the MTCR rules for UAS, President Trump has opened doors for India to acquire the armed drones as well as systems to counter them. The armed drones will also be available to US allies like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt who have acquired the Chinese armed drones.

As the cost of a Predator-B drone is no less than a fighter aircraft, the Indian Air Force may have to reduce its limit of manned fighters to create squadrons of armed drones within the present Cabinet sanction of 42 squadrons.

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By Express News Service

KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has recovered around Rs 1 crore in cash and 1kg of gold from lockers of Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh. However, Swapnas counsel stated that she received the money and gold as gifts.The agency, in its remand report filed at the NIA Court on the expiry of the custody of Swapna, Sandeep Nair and Sarith P S on Friday, stated that Swapna had confessed that proceeds of the gold smuggling were kept in bank lockers and invested as deposits in various banks.

Accordingly, Rs 36.5 lakh of Indian currencies kept in the safe deposit locker of Swapna maintained at Federal Banks Statue branch in Thiruvananthapuram, Rs 64 lakh and 982.5 grams of gold ornaments kept in the safe locker maintained at the Thiruvananthapuram City branch of SBI were seized on Thursday. The place and lockers where the other proceeds of the crime have been kept/deposited by the accused are under investigation, the report stated.

However, Swapnas counsel said the money and gold were gifted by a sheikh during her marriage.

The NIA will inform the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department about the seizure of currencies and gold to take necessary action in this regard. The NIA has also arraigned K T Rameez of Malappuram as an accused in the case. Rameez who allegedly masterminded the smuggling was arrested by the Customs. The NIA will seek his custody soon.

The accused have revealed that Rameez had insisted on smuggling gold in large quantities and maximum number of times during the lockdown period. Sandeep has also divulged the suspected unlawful activities of Rameez which adversely affect the nations security. The same is under investigation, the NIA said.

Swapna and Sandeep have revealed the role of some of the associates in the crime. The role of the suspects in the larger conspiracy of the crime is to be investigated. They have also revealed the mode of communication used by them for conversing with the other accused and suspects. The same has to analysed and the accused have to be confronted with the findings, the NIA stated.

The agency sought further custody of the accused as the analysis of the seized digital materials are under way at C-DAC. Swapna and Sandeep were produced at the court on the expiry of their NIA custody for 12 days. Both were remanded to judicial custody till August 21. Swapna told the court that she was facing mental stress. The first accused, Sarith, who was produced at the court in the morning after his week-long custody, was also remanded to judicial custody till August 21. When the bail application filed Swapna was considered, the NIA sought more time stating that the Additional Solicitor General will appear for the agency. The court decided to hear the bail plea on Wednesday.

Customs records arrest of Swapna & Sandeep

Kochi: The Customs on Friday recorded the arrest of Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, the accused in the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case. In the morning, the Customs team visited the NIA office and recorded the duos statement under Section 108 of the Customs Act. Later, it approached the NIA Court for recording their arrest. This was done in the evening, when the duo was produced by NIA before the court. The agency will now approach Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Economic Offence) for a production warrant against the two and seek their custody. Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the money laundering behind the smuggling incident, had recorded the arrest of Sarith, Swapna and Sandeep while they were in NIA custody. The ED had also recorded the arrest of K T Rameez, who is in Customs custody. It will now move the District Principal Sessions Court seeking their custody.

GST Intelligence unearths unaccounted gold sale

Kozhikode: During an inspection led by State GST Intelligence Kozhikode team, unaccounted gold sale worth around Rs 30 crore was detected in a wholesale jewellery shop on Mavoor Road. The jewellery owners paid Rs 98 lakh as fine and tax. Meanwhile, State GST Joint Commissioner Intelligence, Kozhikode, Firoz K said that the raid was a part of routine inspection and was not linked with the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case. The jewellery delivers gold to many gold showrooms in the state.
Probably one of my biggest fears is that short-term strategies to preserve health and safety will become long-term strategies that will take away some of the gains we have made in accessibilities in museums, Ziebarth says when we speak on a recent afternoon. As one colleague at the National Park Service who has worked on accessibility for over 40 years and is blind said, People with disabilities were the last ones in, and we dont want to be the first ones out. 
Anuradha Shukla By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: After imposing restrictions on foreign companies from participating in government projects and procurements, the Centre has stepped up scrutiny of Chinese investments in NGOs and start-ups. That apart, the government also plans to tighten norms for investment directed via Singapore and Hong Kong.

There are reports of direct and indirect Chinese fundings to some NGOs, self-help groups and even think tanks. In the coming few days, we will be closely scanning the latest funding, especially in the last 12-14 months, a senior Finance ministry official told TNIE. On Friday evening, after a series of meetings between officials from the Finance Ministry, Commerce Ministry and Prime Ministers Office, the government has changed rules to enable curbs on bidders from countries that share a land border with India on the grounds of defence and national security.

Officials added the government is also planning to tighten norms and closely scan investments from Chinese firms which are coming via Singapore and Hong Kong.We are keeping a track on FDIs coming from China to prevent their takeover of Indian companies. However, in last 2-3 years many investment have come via their Singapore and Hong Kong subsidiary, which are investing in start-ups and smaller firms. Also, sometimes they are funding companies based in Singapore, which in turn invest in Indian tech companies the official noted.

A large number of Chinese investors, such as electronics goods maker Xiaomi, have entered India via Singapore and other countries, which do not reflect in the official numbers, a point which was highlighted by many since the political tension built up between the two countries.

Elaborating further, the official said that the government has learnt that many blockchain companies are funded by Chinese firms via cryptocurrencies and other virtual currency mode making it very difficult to track, which was already flagged by investigative agencies. Recently, the government tightened its policy on foreign direct investment to require investment from any country that shares a land border with India to go through a government approval process.
One after another, statues recalling slavery in America keep coming down, and night after night demonstrators taunt police in a groundswell of anger over brutality against people of color. Two months after African American George Floyd died when a white policeman kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes, triggering a nationwide and global outcry for justice, the United States is being shaken by an anti-racism surge that, more and more, is dividing its political class. The days of huge, boisterous nightly marches in cities from New York to Los Angeles may be over but things are still happening. Overnight Thursday, two statues of Christopher Columbus -- for many a symbol of colonization and cruelty to native people -- were taken down in Chicago. And that same night protesters in Portland, Oregon again clashed with police in a wave of unrest that is now nearly two months old. With the presidential election 100 days away, this unsettled atmosphere is seen in diametrically opposed ways by the people on either side of it. For Democrats, taking down Confederate-era statues is a way to acknowledge a racist past and stop glorifying white men who played a part in the oppression of African and Native Americans. President Donald Trump, appealing to his white, working class base as he seeks re-election with a strong law and order message, calls this practice an act of vandalism and an insult to the heritage of the American South. As for the protests in Portland, Republicans welcome the administration's sending in federal agents to restore order disrupted by people they label as anarchists. Critics say these agents in military fatigues use excessive force and are just making the demonstrators more angry and violent. The death of Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 was condemned by politicians of all stripes. And as protesters filled the streets every night for weeks, both conservatives and liberals presented ideas for police reform. But Trump quickly changed the debate to focus on violence committed on the sidelines of the largely peaceful marches. As calls mounted for defunding the police -- redirecting resources away from them to people trained to deal with problems like substance abuse and domestic violence -- Trump hammered away at Democrats and even his moderate election rival Joe Biden as symbols of a "radical left" bent on simply dismantling police departments altogether. - 600 dead - Trump felt justified in toughening his rhetoric thanks to a rise in gun violence starting in early July in several large cities run by Democrats, and to send in federal agents to Portland and Chicago, even though local elected officials do not want those agents. His supporters mixed the two problems together -- the wave of protests and the rise in gun violence. "We had that terrible event in Minneapolis, but then we had this extreme reaction that has demonized police and calls for the defunding of police departments," Attorney General Bill Barr said this week. "And what we have seen is a significant increase in violent crime in many cities. And this, this rise, is a direct result of the attack on the police forces and the weakening of police forces," he said. In "50 Days of Democrat Silence on Dangerous 'Defund the Police' Movement," there have been 600 killings in six cities run by Democrats, an association of Republican state attorneys general said Friday. Thomas Abt, a specialist in urban violence at the Council on Criminal Justice, said the rise in homicides is in fact linked to the coronavirus pandemic because it "has placed the individuals who are the highest risk of violence under great pressure, because the coronavirus is disproportionately affecting the people who are disproportionately affected by violence." And while there is a tie between the rising gun violence and the unrest over police racism, it is "not for the reason that Trump says," Abt told the progressive news website Mother Jones. Abt said the death of Floyd triggered a rise in black people's defiance of the police, although in cases of urban violence witnesses and victims of it were less likely to turn to law enforcement. "In addition, in certain cities we are seeing sudden and arbitrary pullbacks in policing activity," said Abt. In Atlanta, for instance, many officers called in sick for at least three days after two officers were charged including one who shot a fleeing black suspect in the back, killing him. This was called "blue flu" for the color of the police uniform. A demonstrator holds up a poster with a rendition of George Floyd on May 30 in Denver President Donald Trump, seen July 20 at the White House, is adopting a tough law and order stance in the face of protests against police violence
BBC iPLAYER, ITV HUB & ALL 4

Fort Salem

Three American teenagers (Ashley Nicole Williams, Taylor Hickson and Jessica Sutton) are off to do their basic training on a prestigious military course. But its not West Point. Its Fort Salem  and this is special forces with spells.

Ashley Nicole Williams, Taylor Hickson and Jessica Sutton (above) star as cadets off to do their basic training. But its not West Point. Its Fort Salem - and this is special forces with spells

Three centuries ago, the American government reached an accord with the witches of Salem and they joined forces. Now witches are an integral part of the US military and respected by the public. People give up seats on planes for them, while thanking them for their service. And witches are essential in the fight against The Spree, a sinister terrorist organisation.

When this ten-episode series first screened some critics were a bit sniffy but viewers loved it. Its a richly imagined and expensively realised world, and very compelling. A second series is planned. BBC iPlayer, full box set available from Sunday, 6am

Nighty Night

Julia Daviss hugely acclaimed black comedy is extremely dark, and isnt always comfortable viewing. It is, however, very clever and tells the twisted story of narcissistic sociopath Jill (Davis), a beauty therapist who, on discovering her long-suffering husband Terry has cancer, prepares for life without him  even though his condition isnt necessarily terminal.

Julia Daviss hugely acclaimed black comedy tells the twisted story of narcissistic sociopath Jill (Davis, above with Mark Gatiss) as she prepares for life after the death of her husband

She begins dating other men, although its her neighbour Don, a womanising doctor, who is the focus for her increasingly obsessive behaviour. Angus Deayton plays him, while Kevin Eldon is Jills other half. Ruth Jones, Mark Gatiss, Felicity Montagu and Miranda Hart also appear. BBC iPlayer, s1-2 box set available now

Eric Andre Does Paris

Andre is hugely popular in his native US, but largely unknown on this side of the Atlantic. That should change after comedy fans stream this special which, as you may surmise from the title, was filmed during a sojourn in the French capital.

Its actually a spin on The Eric Andre Show, a parody of low-budget, local TV chat shows that mixes surrealism, dark comedy and stunts. Expect plenty of all three here. All 4, from Friday

Alan Bennetts Diaries

Anybody whos read Alan Bennetts diaries will tell you theyre a wonderful collection of memories and observations that offer a window into his life. Originally shown in 2016, this documentary, filmed over the course of a year, was recently dusted down by the BBC to tie in with the revamped lockdown versions of Bennetts Talking Heads series.

Anybody whos read Alan Bennetts diaries will tell you theyre a wonderful collection of memories and observations that offer a window into his life

Like the diaries themselves, the programme reveals much of what is important to the playwright, including his work, partner Rupert, his second home in Yorkshire and his local library. BBC iPlayer, until Thursday

Harpers Island

Young Trish Wellington and Henry Dunn cordially invite a bunch of attractive friends to their wedding on picturesque Harpers Island, 37 miles from the coast off Seattle. Just because seven years ago a madman murdered six people on the island, thats no reason to suppose that a deranged serial killer will dispatch the wedding guests one by one in ever more inventive and gruesome ways, is it?

Er, yes, turns out it is. If youre a fan of slasher horror films such as Friday The 13th and Halloween, youll enjoy this 13-part series, which has acquired a cult following. BBC iPlayer, available now

Midsomer Murders

Its 23 years since Caroline Grahams Chief Inspector Barnaby books were first adapted for the small screen by Anthony Horowitz, creator of Alex Rider and Foyles War. Horowitz is no longer involved but the series is still going from strength to strength, despite losing original star John Nettles; he left in 2011 with Neil Dudgeon smoothly taking over as Tom Barnabys younger but no less skilled cousin, John. The 21st series aired in January this year, complete with the shows customary eccentric murders; theres a chance to see all those episodes and many of its predecessors  including those starring Nettles  on ITVs catch-up service. ITV Hub, available now

What We Do In The Shadows

Hilarious off-the-wall mockumentary in which four vampires share a house in contemporary Staten Island. Nandor, Nadja and Laszlo are conventional, hundreds-of-years-old blood-sucking vampires. Colin Robinson is an energy vampire, feeding off the boredom and irritation of his victims.

Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry and Greta Lee (above) are among the cast of this hilarious off-the-wall mockumentary in which four vampires share a house in contemporary Staten Island

The housemates squabble with witches, werewolves and other vampires; they struggle with the internet; they attend a Suberb Owl party (think about it) at the neighbours place. It stars British comedians Natasia Demetriou and Matt Berry as Nadja and Laszlo. BBC iPlayer, available now

SKY, DISNEY+, BRITBOX & ACORN TV

Elizabeth Is Missing

On Friday, Glenda Jackson is up for a second Leading Actress Bafta for her role in this film, only five years after returning to acting after a long career in politics and a mere 48 years after she won her first (for the 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday).

Glenda Jackson is tremendously affecting as Maud, an elderly lady made cantankerous by the frustrations arising from her dementia but determined to find her missing friend

Jackson is tremendously affecting as Maud, an elderly lady made cantankerous by the frustrations arising from her dementia but determined to find her friend who has mysteriously gone missing. The search triggers memories of Mauds older sister Sukey, who disappeared 70 years before.

The film is cleverly put together to reflect Mauds sense of disorientation and will resonate particularly with anyone with a relative or friend who has dementia. If Jackson, 84, doesnt bag the Bafta  which will sit nicely alongside the other one, the two Oscars, the Emmys, the Tony and all the rest  it will be a travesty. Acorn TV, from Friday

Muppets Now

Prepare for some mayhem as The Muppets head back to TV for a series unlike anything theyve attempted before. Since 1955, Jim Hensons creations have been entertaining children (not to mention their parents) across the globe.

This new Muppets series features Miss Piggy and all the familiar old faces and is an unscripted, improvised story featuring celebrity guests including RuPaul and Seth Rogen

This new series features Miss Piggy and all the familiar old faces (if Kermit sounds odd, its probably because a new actor, Matt Vogel, is now providing his voice, taking over from Steve Whitmire after his 26 years in the role), but its Scooter the gofer who takes centre stage.

The unscripted, improvised story follows his adventures as he battles to upload the series to the Disney+ platform. Look out for celebrity guests, including RuPaul and Seth Rogen, during the six-episode run. Disney+, from Friday

Black Is King

Beyonces latest project, described as a visual album, has been criticised for appropriating African culture. Now fans can make up their own minds. Inspired by her album The Lion King: The Gift, it follows the progress of a boy as he deals with betrayal, love and self-identity with help from his ancestors, who guide him towards his destiny.

Beyonce herself has directed the film, while artists who appeared on the album, including Childish Gambino, Pharrell Williams and Kendrick Lamar, as well as her husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy Carter, make guest appearances. Disney+, from Friday

Louis Theroux Collection

Louis Theroux has produced some extraordinary documentaries and more than 40 of them, from the Dark States, Extreme Love, When Louis Met... and Weird Weekends series, are brought together here.

They include the notorious The Most Hated Family In America, about the Westboro Baptist Church, members of which picketed military funerals with homophobic signs; Louis And The Nazis, in which Theroux spent time with white supremacists; and Louis Theroux: Savile, where he looks back at his infamous encounter with the paedophile Jimmy Savile. BritBox, from Thursday

Killer In My Village

Even the sleepiest of British villages can have a shocking murder lurking beneath the surface, as this documentary series shows. This weeks episode heads to the village of Edwinstowe, in Nottinghamshire, and focuses on the murder of Philip Croydon, whose wife Carol stabbed him 22 times with a cheese knife. Series 1 and 2 are also available. Sky/NOW TV, available now

Why is there such a buzz about..? Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (Netflix) This dark, disturbing documentary about Jeffrey Epstein is still high in the streaming charts following the arrest of his right-hand woman Ghislaine Maxwell. As the series reminds us, Epsteins friend Donald Trump once said of him: Ive known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. This dark, disturbing documentary about Jeffrey Epstein is still high in the streaming charts following the arrest of his right-hand woman Ghislaine Maxwell (both above) Epsteins victims, several of whom are interviewed at length here, can attest to his interest in young girls. Some were only 14 when first raped by him. Over four episodes, the series looks at the murky origins of the billionaires fortune, the way in which he built what one lawyer describes as a molestation pyramid scheme by recruiting kids for sex, and then paying them to bring their friends to him, and his eventual downfall. Its not an easy watch. Victims tell of his devastating impact on their lives and of the battle to have their stories taken seriously. Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, is among the contributors. For a long time, Epstein was mysteriously untouchable and had the power to make inconvenient investigations go away. He committed suicide in prison last year, giving conspiracy theorists a field day, while Ghislaine Maxwell, of whom we hear a great deal, is awaiting trial. Some Netflix documentaries really wring their subject dry. This one feels as though its barely scratched the surface. Neil Armstrong Advertisement

NETFLIX

The Hater

When creepy, manipulative Tomasz is kicked out of law school, he is taken on as a social media moderation operator by a dodgy digital consulting outfit. He discovers hes great at smearing people online. Destroying lives and careers is his forte. Getting people cancelled comes easily to him. But at what personal cost? And will his dubious talent impress Gabi, the girl hes besotted with?

This film from the Polish director Jan Komasa won plaudits at this years digital Tribeca Film Festival. Above: Maciej Stuhr as mayoral candidate Pawel Rudnicki

When he starts using his dubious talents to try to take down a liberal politician running for mayor (Maciej Stuhr), things start to get seriously dark. This film from the Polish director Jan Komasa won plaudits at this years digital Tribeca Film Festival and is very of the moment. From Wednesday

Good Girls

Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman are back as unlikely criminal masterminds Beth, Ruby and Annie. Unfortunately, production of the comedy-dramas third series was shut down early due to coronavirus, so there are only 11 episodes to enjoy, although a fourth run has already been commissioned.

Christina Hendricks (above), Retta and Mae Whitman are back as unlikely criminal masterminds Beth, Ruby and Annie in series three of Good Girls

This one begins as the ladies attempt to come to terms with Rios death  thats if he really has met his maker  while launching a new money-laundering venture. From Sunday

The Umbrella Academy

Families come in all shapes and sizes, and can be pretty dysfunctional too. However, few are as weird as the Hargreeves, the siblings at the centre of this comic-book adaptation, which is returning for its second series. They all have superpowers, were raised by an eccentric millionaire and after years apart are now reunited. We left them at the end of the previous run as the apocalypse began, and now theyre travelling to 1963 to change the course of history. Ellen Page, Robert Sheehan and Mary J. Blige are among the cast. From Friday

Warrior Nun

Youre saying some random, formerly dead civilian is out there with an angels halo inside her? says one of the demon-battling ninja nuns in the first episode of this bonkers fantasy drama inspired by a graphic-novel series. Your reaction to that sort of dialogue tells you whether youre going to love or hate this.

This bonkers fantasy drama stars Alba Baptista as a recently deceased, 19-year-old orphan resurrected when an ancient secret order of nuns embeds an angels halo in her back

Its Andalusia, Spain, in the present day. Ava Silva (Alba Baptista) is a recently deceased, 19-year-old quadriplegic orphan resurrected when a member of an ancient secret order of nuns embeds an angels halo in her back to keep it from the bad guys. The series young cast commits to the colourful premise entirely. Available now

Fear City: New York vs The Mafia

In the 1970s and 80s, the mafia had a powerful grip on New York. The Five Families controlled the construction industry, the docks and many of the restaurants, bars and clubs. They even had judges in their pocket. Then the FBI decided to take them on with a huge bugging operation. This three-part documentary features previously unheard surveillance recordings as well as first-hand accounts from former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, FBI agents and former gangsters. From Wednesday

AMAZON PRIME

Avocado Toast The Series

Heidi Lynch and Perrie Voss have created an intergenerational sex comedy in which they also star as thirtysomethings Molly and Elle, who are dealing with the trials of love and life while uncovering some shocking truths. After a lifetime of dating men, Molly comes out as bisexual; Elle, meanwhile, is horrified that her mum and dad are divorcing after her mothers affair with a much younger man. Available now

TrustWHO

The World Health Organization has been hitting the headlines since the pandemic took hold. Although President Trump hasnt been complimentary about the agency, other nations have tried to follow its guidance. However, in this documentary director Lilian Franck challenges the idea that its as impartial and altruistic as weve been led to believe by investigating alleged links between the WHO and major industrial powers. Available now

Fear The Walking Dead

Its five years since this spin-off from the regular Walking Dead series first aired, and it keeps going from strength to strength  there are those who even reckon its better than the original. Look out for a crossover between the two chilling dramas, with the main focus on one of the original shows characters, Morgan Jones (the ever-reliable Lennie James), and Alicia Clarks efforts to lead their fellow zombie-apocalypse survivors to safety. It doesnt start well when one of their number, Luciana, is injured in a plane crash... From Wednesday

Knives Out

Entertaining Christie-style whodunnit with an excellent cast including Daniel Craig having a wild stab at a Southern accent as PI Benoit Blanc. Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Collette are among those who might have murdered crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer).

Entertaining Christie-style whodunnit with an excellent cast including Daniel Craig having a wild stab at a Southern accent as PI Benoit Blanc

Director and writer Rian Johnson pays tribute to, and makes fun of, the tropes of twisty-turny murder mysteries. Craig is to return in a sequel. From Friday
Wearing bike helmets and yellow T-shirts, Americas mothers are confronting federal agents in combat gear to protect anti-racism protesters in Portland and, soon, other US cities where US president Donald Trump has vowed to crackdown.

Trump announced a plan on Wednesday to send federal agents to the Democratic-run cities of Chicago and Albuquerque to crackdown on violent crime in an escalation of his law and order theme heading into the final months before the presidential election.

The controversial program involves deploying federal law enforcement agents to assist local police in combating what the US justice department has described as a surge of violent crime.

Trump hopes his law and order push will resonate with his political base as he trails Democrat Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 presidential election.

But the initiative risks inflaming tensions running high in many cities in the wake of the death in police custody of George Floyd, an African-American.

In opposition, Wall of Moms groups have formed in at least six cities including New York and Chicago in the four days since mainly white suburban moms in Portland started making human walls in front of demonstrators.

Carrying signs like Feds stay clear. Moms are here, and Im so disappointed in you - mom, the Oregon women have been shoved and tear-gassed by agents. Some dads have joined too, bringing leaf blowers to blow away tear gas.

Images of federal agents wearing camouflage whisking away Portland demonstrators in unmarked vehicles last week mobilised the mothers.

Protests against racial injustice have rocked the largely white city for nearly two months since the death of Mr Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

The deployment of federal agents in Portland last week is a flashpoint in a national debate over civil liberties and what demonstrators and local officials see as a political ploy by Trump, who is facing an uphill re-election battle.

This was a call to action. I was honest, and I said that I didnt know how to protest but I knew that something had to be done, said Bev Barnum, a 35-year-old Portland mother of two who used Facebook to organize the groups first demonstration of several dozen moms.

Carrying sunflowers, large peace symbol cut-outs and signs like You need a time out, hundreds of mothers now link arms on the frontline of nightly protests at the citys federal courthouse, braving tear gas and other non-lethal munitions.

A Wall of Moms group in Washington called on mothers to gather at the March Against Trumps Police State on this week. Chicago organiser Katje Sabin said her group had been asked to attend a weekend demonstration.

If we have these groups of moms in yoga pants standing there, people kind of behave a little better, Sabin, 57, said of police who she believes want peaceful protests but get all excited and threatened and scared.

Portlands mothers thought officers from the US department of homeland security and other federal agencies would not use force against them at their first demonstration Sunday at the courthouse. They were wrong.

We got gassed and that was the most heinous, excruciating experience in my entire life, said Barnum.

The Wall of Moms movement carries on a tradition of maternal activism, notably the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires who held weekly vigils for nearly three decades to draw attention to the disappearance of their children under a military dictatorship.

In Portland, Barnum and other organisers are trying to ensure their fame does not eclipse the anti-racism, anti-police brutality messages of protesters they are defending.

Barnum, who is Mexican American, coordinates with local Black protest leaders to support the wider movement.

Still, some activists such as E. Gomez have broken away from the moms, frustrated by what she calls boomer-aged white women and men who do not listen to concerns that they are drowning out the voices of people of color.

Its quickly turning into a #wallofkarens. Its feeling like a lot of optics and photo ops to make these white women feel better about themselves, said Gomez, using a pejorative term to describe entitled, middle-aged white women.

Gomez, a woman of colour, plans to put on black clothing and return to the protests with another mother.

Luna Jane, 27, a Black mother, is glad to have moms creating what she believes is a safer environment that has encouraged more protesters to come onto the streets.

Im fighting for my daughters rights to live in her own home safely, said Jane, using an alias out of fear of doxing and referring to the Louisville police killing of African American emergency medic Breonna Taylor in her apartment.

If I have to get hurt or even lose my life in that process, I will do so.

Trumps announcement to expand Operation Legend followed an alarming night of violence in Chicago which included a drive-by shooting by suspected gang members at a funeral that wounded 15 people and the shooting of a 3-year-old girl, who is expected to survive.

Trump criticised Chicago politicians for what he characterised as deadly soft-on-crime policies and cited the recent spate of violence, including over the July 4 weekend, when 87 people were wounded by gunfire in the city and 17 were killed.

For those people in Chicago and other cities where well be: Help is on its way, Trump said.

The effort in Chicago will include 100 investigators from the FBI, the drug enforcement administration and the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives (ATF), more than 100 members of the US Marshals Service Great Lakes Task Force and some 100 agents from a unit of the US department of homeland security already stationed in Chicago.

Critics say the US administration is seeking to divert attention away from its widely criticised response to the coronavirus pandemic, one of the reasons Trump is trailing Democratic challenger Joe Biden in opinion polls.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a working session on Friday with relevant ministries, agencies and a company that sent 226 Vietnamese workers to Uzbekistan to discuss measures to support and bring the stranded laborers home as soon as possible, the official VGP News reported.

Earlier, the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia received a letter by representatives of 226 Vietnamese employees who are working for China Petroleum Jili Chemical Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd (JCC) in Karshi city, Uzbekistan.

In the letter, the workers said they are facing difficulties in daily activities, working and prevention and control of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and called for help from the embassy to soon return home.

After learning about the information, the Consular Department under the foreign ministry coordinated with the embassy and the company that sent the workers to Uzbekistan to clarify the case.

In related news, the government-run news site reported on Friday Vietnam Airlines is scheduled to send an aircraft to evacuate 219 Vietnamese guest workers, including 120 who are positive with COVID-19, from Equatorial Guinea on July 29.

They are working at Sendje hydropower plant in Equatorial Guinea under labor contracts between Duglas Alliance Ltd of the UK and three Vietnamese companies  Tan Dai Loi, CMVIETNAM and LILAMA 10.

The Hanoi-based National Hospital for Tropical Diseases has made adequate preparations and is ready to receive the patients, the infirmary's director Dr. Pham Ngoc Thach was quoted by VGP News as saying.

Two doctors and two orderlies of the hospital will be on the flight along with two ventilators and other necessary equipment to protect the workers health during the journey.

According to the Ministry of Health, doctors will keep a close watch on 46 out of the 120 COVID-19 positive workers who suffer underlying illnesses such as stomach ulcers, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and bronchitis.

Among the 120 infected, three had recovered while the rest were still positive with the coronavirus as of Friday, according to the Ministry of Health.

Since April 10, 62 flights have been arranged to bring home 15,263 Vietnamese citizens from foreign countries and territories, according to VGP News.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
A study that indicates antibody levels drop rapidly after exposure to COVID-19 is not a major hurdle to making a vaccine, experts say.

But that does not mean making a long-lasting vaccine is easy. While futuristic vaccines lead the race, it may be an ancient technology that provides the best staying power.

Blood samples from coronavirus vaccine trials are handled inside the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute.

Immunity to COVID-19 could be lost in months, fretted one newspaper, after a study by King's College London found antibodies to the virus drop rapidly after a patient recovers. This threatens a vaccine, warned another outlet.

But many immunologists are not concerned by those results. Looking just at antibody levels does not tell the full story, they say.
 Flash

Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday informed the U.S. Embassy in China of its decision to withdraw its consent for the establishment and operation of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu.

China's measure is a "legitimate and necessary response" to unjustified act by the United States, said a statement issued by the ministry.

On July 21, the United States launched a unilateral provocation by abruptly demanding that China close its Consulate General in Houston, representing "unprecedented escalation in its recent actions against China," according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday.

Noting the United States is "responsible for all this," China in the Friday statement once again urged Washington to immediately revoke its wrong decision and create necessary conditions to bring the bilateral relationship back to normal.

Legitimate response to unjustified U.S. move

The U.S. demand of closure of China's Consulate General in Houston seriously violates international law, basic norms governing international relations and the bilateral consular agreement between China and the United States, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"If the United States imposes certain restrictions on us, we will also take certain restrictive measures in the diplomatic field under the same conditions. It is in line with the provisions of international law and is a legitimate and reasonable diplomatic practice," Gao Fei, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told Xinhua in an interview.

Gao stressed that "China does not intend to have such conflicts and is compelled to react."

The U.S. decision to abruptly order the closure of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, like previous U.S. pressure tactics against many other countries, "directly contradicts the values that Washington has been preaching around the world for many years," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

In fact, Chinese diplomatic missions in the United States, including its consulate general in Houston, have been promoting bilateral friendship and cooperation and observing international law and local laws of the United States.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the United States has imposed restrictions on Chinese diplomatic personnel in the United States twice without cause, in October last year and June this year. It opened Chinese diplomatic pouches several times without permission, and seized Chinese items meant for official use.

As the United States flagrantly stigmatizes China and fans hatred against it, Chinese Embassy in the United States recently even received bomb threats against Chinese diplomatic missions and death threats against personnel in the United States. Moreover, the U.S. Embassy in China constantly publishes articles maligning China on its website.

"If we compare the two, it is only too evident which one is engaged in interference, infiltration and confrontation," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday.

"Some personnel of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu engaged in activities incompatible with their status, interfered in China's internal affairs and harmed China's security interests. China has lodged representations many times, and the United States knows it too well," Wang said at a daily press briefing Friday.

Situation not what China desires to see

In the statement on Friday, China stressed that "the current situation in China-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see."

"China's U.S. policy remains unchanged. We are still willing to develop China-U.S. relations with goodwill and sincerity," said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier in July in a speech to a China-U.S. Think Tanks Media Forum.

According to the foreign minister, China never intends to challenge or replace the United States, or have a full confrontation with it. China stands ready to develop a bilateral relationship featuring no conflict and confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation based on coordination, cooperation and stability.

Scholars hold that China and the United States have jointly accomplished many great things to the benefit of not only the two countries but also the world. It is important that both sides have a correct view of the historical experience of China-U.S. relations.

"In fact, some anti-China forces are trying to hijack the relations and reverse the wheel of history," said Ruan Zongze, executive vice president of the China Institute of International Studies.

"Such U.S. actions cannot stop the historical trend and the cooperation between Chinese and American people, nor can they scupper the will of the international community to see a peacefully developing bilateral relationship," said Ruan.

U.S. urged to bring ties back to normal

For some time, the U.S. government has been shifting the blame to China with slander and unwarranted attacks on China's social system, harassing Chinese diplomatic and consular staff in the United States, intimidating and interrogating Chinese students and seizing their personal electronic devices, even detaining them without cause.

Observers say that China-U.S. relations are at a crossroads and faced with the most severe challenge since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979.

Shen Yamei, deputy director of the Department for American Studies of the China Institute of International Studies, said the current U.S. administration should stop being short-sighted, follow the trend of the times, respond to changes, and create more opportunities for progress.

"We still need to have confidence in China-U.S. relations in the future," said Ruan, calling some U.S. politicians' wrongdoings "a short-term phenomenon."

Recently, 191 agricultural organizations sent a joint letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for continued implementation of the phase one trade agreement. Many U.S. universities have openly expressed support for closer China-U.S. educational exchanges.

Moreover, despite the impact of COVID-19, 74 percent of U.S. businesses in China said they plan to increase investment in the country.

"We really have to base our policies on a good perception of the common interests, growing global challenges and how the international community would expect us to act, and not allow suspicion, fear, or even hatred to hijack our foreign policy," said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai in an interview on China-U.S. relations with CNN on July 18.
BEIJING - South Korea on Saturday reported more than 100 new coronavirus cases for the first time in four months, while South Africa announced a surge in infections and some U.S. states tightened anti-disease controls.

South Koreas 113 new cases included 36 workers returning from Iraq and 32 crew members of a Russian freighter, the government said. Authorities had warned of a spike in cases from abroad and appealed to the public not to be alarmed.

China, which has relaxed most of its anti-disease controls after case numbers dropped off, reported 34 new cases in a new surge of infections. That included 29 that were contracted within the country.

Worldwide, more than 15.7 million cases and 640,000 deaths have been reported, according to data compiled from government announcements by Johns Hopkins University.

South Africa, Africas hardest-hit country, reported more than 13,000 new cases, raising its total to over 408,000. The government has reported over 6,000 deaths.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday schools will take a break for a month to protect children. Despite rising infections, restaurant and hospitality workers protested this week, demanding a loosening of restrictions on their industries.

India, the country with the third-highest infection total behind the United States and Brazil, reported its death toll rose by 740 to 30,601. The government reported a surge of more than 49,000 new cases, raising its total to over 1.2 million.

The Home Ministry issued an advisory Friday calling for Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 15 to avoid large gatherings.

In the United States, Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi tightened controls on bars to protect young, drunk, careless folks. Bars already were limited to operating at 50% capacity. Now, patrons will have to sit down to order alcohol and sales stop at 11 p.m.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans ordered bars closed and banned restaurants from selling alcoholic drinks to take away. That came after more than 2,000 new cases were reported for the surrounding state of Louisiana, including 103 in New Orleans.

Arizona reported 89 additional deaths, raising the states fatality total to 3,142. The state reported over 3,300 new cases, raising its total to more than 156,000.

The United States has suffered more than 145,000 deaths and has over 4.1 million confirmed cases.

Millions of Americans who are temporarily out of work face the loss of a $600 weekly supplement to unemployment benefits that is due to end July 31.

Legislators in Washington are negotiating a new relief bill. Democrats in Congress want to renew the $600 supplement. Republicans who control the Senate want to limit benefits to 70% of what people made before the outbreak.

In Australia, Premier Daniel Andrews of the southern state of Victoria announced five deaths and 357 new cases. Victoria, where the death toll has risen to 61, earlier closed its border with neighbouring New South Wales.

In Europe, French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced travellers from the United States and 15 other countries where viral circulation is strong must be tested on arrival unless they can show proof of a negative test in the past 72 hours.

Other countries on Frances list range from South Africa, Israel and Qatar to Brazil and Peru.

In Yemen, 97 medical workers have died of the virus, a serious blow to a country with few doctors that is in the midst of a 5-year-old war, the humanitarian group MedGlobal said in a report.

The overwhelming death toll will have immense short-term and long-term health effects, said the reports lead author, Kathleen Fallon.

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AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.

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Follow APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Responding to Chinese media reports over dealings with Huawei Technologies Co., HSBC Holdings Plc. (HSBA.L, HSBC) denied the reports that it had 'framed' the Chinese telecom giant and played a role in the arrest of the chief financial officer of Huawei.



UK-based HSBC said in a social media post on Saturday that it did not prompt U.S. investigations of the Chinese telecommunications company.



The HSBC statement came after the Chinese media reports accused the bank of 'fabricating' evidence and 'maliciously framing' Meng.



'HSBC does not have any hostility towards Huawei and did not 'frame' Huawei. The information provided by HSBC Group to the DOJ was done so pursuant to formal demand. In response to US DOJ's requests for information, HSBC Group simply presented the objective facts. HSBC did not 'fabricate' evidence or 'hide' facts. And HSBC would never distort the facts or seek to harm any of our clients for our own gain,' HSBC said in a post on its WeChat account on Saturday.



Meng, also the daughter of Huawei's founder, was arrested by Canada in December 2018 at the request of the U.S. during a layover at the Vancouver airport. She is mounting her defence against an extradition to the United States to face US charges.



The U.S. had alleged that Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment in Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It also had said that Meng and Huawei misled American banks about its business dealings in Iran.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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The editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Kweku Baako says MP for Awutu Senya East, Hawa Koomson firing a warning shot at a registration centre was avoidable and inexcusable.

Speaking on Newsfile, he stated that the electoral area has a history of violence, hence, it is surprising that an MP and a Minister of State would approach the hotspot without a security detail.

In a place that is a hotspot, making prior arrangements and going there with your bodyguards and some extra protection if necessary makes sense and nobody can contest that.

But, to assume that in this kind of situation you could go there alone and protect yourself in the name of self-defence is a poor judgement.

Kweku Baako explained that Hawa Koomson should have made sure the area was being policed, according to the law, after she was fed with information that there were some illegalities going on at the centre.

I want to be very blunt. What happened relative to the conduct of a Member of Parliament and Minister of state in my candid opinion was avoidable and an inexcusable gaffe, he stated.

The Member of Parliament for the Awutu Senya East Constituency admitted to firing a gun at a voters registration centre in the constituency on Monday, July 20.

According to the MP, she took the firearm  which she refused to identify  to the registration centre to protect herself.

This follows a misunderstanding at a voters registration centre in Kasoa on Monday, which resulted in the Special Development Initiatives Minister firing a gun.

The Special Development Initiatives Minister told JoyNews that she only fired the gunshots when her life was threatened by some thugs alleged to be affiliated to the opposition NDC.

She was subsequently arrested and her gun and its license were seized by the Central Regional Police Command.

Although many people have a distrust for the security agencies, the actions of the MP in this instance cannot be justified or rationalized, Kweku Baako told Samson Lardy Anyenini, host of Newsfile.

Because you are not alone, whatever you do, however, you do it has an effect on the party you belong to, the administration, the constituency you represent and the country as a whole, he added.

---Myjoyonline
HOUSTON (AP)  Tropical Storm Hanna was upgraded to a hurricane Saturday, moving toward the Texas coast and threatening to bring heavy rain, storm surge and possible tornadoes to a part of the country trying to cope with a surge in coronavirus cases.

The storm, which is the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, was expected to make landfall Saturday afternoon or evening south of Corpus Christi, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was centered about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east-southeast of Corpus Christi and was moving west at 9 mph (15 kph).

Many parts of Texas, including the area where Hanna is expected to come ashore, have been dealing with a spike in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, but local officials said they were prepared for whatever the storm may bring.

And dont feel like since weve been fighting COVID for five months, that were out of energy or were out of gas. Were not, Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb said Friday. We can do these two things together and were going to win both of them.

Corpus Christi is in Nueces County, where health officials made headlines when they revealed that 60 infants tested positive for COVID-19 from July 1 to July 16.

Farther south in Cameron County, which borders Mexico, more than 300 confirmed new cases have been reported almost daily for the past two weeks, according to state health figures. The past week has also been the countys deadliest of the pandemic.

Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, the countys top elected official, said he was awaiting word Friday of whether hotels would be used to house recovering COVID-19 patients in order to free up hospital beds.

If theres any benefit to be gained from this, its that people have to stay at home for a weekend, Trevino said.

Officials reminded residents to wear masks if they needed to get supplies before the storm arrives or if they have to shelter with neighbors because of flooding.

The main hazard from Hanna was expected to be flash flooding, Chris Birchfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Brownsville, said Friday. Forecasters said Hanna could bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain through Sunday night  with isolated totals of 18 inches (46 centimeters)  in addition to coastal swells that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Coastal states scrambled this spring to adjust emergency hurricane plans to account for the virus, and Hanna loomed as the first big test.

South Texas officials plans for any possible rescues, shelters and monitoring of the storm will have the pandemic in mind. Gov. Greg Abbott said various resources to respond to the storm were on standby across the state, including search-and-rescue teams and aircraft.

Trevino said shelters would keep families socially distanced if any need to evacuate their homes.

In the Mexican city of Matamoros, located across the border from Brownsville, volunteers worried whether the tropical storm would affect a makeshift migrant camp near the Rio Grande where about 1,300 asylum seekers, including newborn babies and elderly residents, are waiting under the U.S. immigration policy informally known as Remain in Mexico.

Erin Hughes, a volunteer at the camp who is a civil engineer from Philadelphia, said tropical storms pose a devastating threat since the camp is located on a floodplain, and that she and others were monitoring the rivers water level.

As of Saturday morning, there was a storm surge warning in effect for a stretch of coast south of Corpus Christi from Baffin Bay to Port Mansfield. Storm surge up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) was forecast for that area. People were advised to protect life and property from high water.

Tornadoes were also possible Saturday for parts of the lower to middle Texas coastal plain, forecasters said Friday. A hurricane warning remained in effect for Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay, which is north of Corpus Christi, and a tropical storm warning was in effect from Port Mansfield south to Barra el Mezquital, Mexico, and from Mesquite Bay north to High Island, Texas.

Forecasters said Hanna could bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain through Sunday night  with isolated totals of 18 inches (46 centimeters)  in addition to coastal swells that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Gonzalo was still on track to move across the southern Windward Islands on Saturday afternoon or evening. Gonzalo was moving west near 18 mph (30 kph) with maximum sustained winds at 40 mph (65 kph), the National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning.

Gonzalo is forecast to bring 1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 centimeters) of rain, with isolated totals of 5 inches (13 centimeters). A tropical storm warning was in effect for Tobago and Grenada and its dependencies. The storm was expected to dissipate by Sunday night or Monday, forecasters said.

Gonzalo and Hanna broke the record for the earliest seventh and eighth Atlantic named storms, respectively, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. The previous records were Gert on July 24, 2005, and Harvey on Aug. 3, 2005, Klotzbach said.

Cristobal, Danielle, Edouard and Fay also set records for being the earliest named Atlantic storm for their alphabetic order.

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Associated Press writers Paul J. Weber and Acacia Coronado in Austin contributed to this report.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
London, July 25 : The UK's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have denied contributing to a new book about their life in the Royal Family, it was reported on Saturday.

Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand of the book "Finding Freedom", describe a culture of increasing tension between the Sussexes and other members of the Royal Family, reports the BBC.

It claims that the couple and Cambridges were barely speaking by March.

They authors said that Harry and Meghan felt their complaints were not taken seriously and believed other royal households were leaking stories about them to the press.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Sussexes, who are now based in Los Angeles after having stepped back as senior royals earlier this year, said they had not been interviewed for the book.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom.

"This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting," the BBC quoted the statement as saying.

For their last public appearance as working members of the Royal Family, Harry and Meghan joined the Queen and other senior royals at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9.

They have since begun their new life of personal independence in the US, pursuing charity projects.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
According to a report from a local radio station called Bon Dejeuner! Radio based in Haiti, the young Haitian political leader Werley Nortreus (also known as Prince Werley Nortreus) said the Haitian Revolution must continue so Haiti can become free and independent again.

For the first time, Haiti will exit the United Nations to join the African Union under the upcoming Haitian Government if he ever got elected as President or King in the upcoming months or years.

The Haitian Revolution must continue so Haiti can become free and independent again, said Prince Werley Nortreus, the founder of Haitians Lives Matter, during an interview in 2020.

According to History, Haiti was once discovered in 1942 by Christopher Columbus when he arrived upon a large unknown island in the region of the Western Atlantic Ocean. That island is now known as the Caribbean. Haiti was discovered by Christopher Columbus who passed away in 1506. He claimed the island for the Spanish Crown, then called it La Isla Espanola (The Spanish Island), until the French influence started in 1625. The French used the opportunity and invaded the island then controlled Saint-Domingue in 1660 before the island was separated. From 1697 on, the Western part of the island was French and the Eastern part was Spanish but the Haitian Revolution leaders fought the foreigns who invaded and thats how the island has two parts called Haiti and Saint-Domingue today. The United States started occupying Haiti in 1915 when President Joseph Davilmar Theodore was forced to quit the office in fear of being killed by the U.S. soldiers.

About why Haiti cant prosper these days, Mr. Werley Nortreus, who is a Haitian musician, author, entrepreneur, and politician said a powerful speech that had the attention of thousands of people across the world. He said:

Haitians are being punished for being the first black nation that helped and Taught many countries how to get their freedom. Through the years, Haiti is being punished for the liberation of many slaves around the world. Unfortunately, thats why they dont want Haiti to prosper., said Prince Werley Nortreus, the Haitian political leader and the founder of Vanyan Solda Ayiti and A New Haiti Before 2045 (ANHB 2045), during an interview in 2019 about why Haiti cant prosper.

That speech about why Haiti cant prosper was referred to the foreign countries like the United States and others that dont want to see changes in Haiti.

Back then, Haiti was pretty rich and wealthy in golds, diamonds, oil, natural gas, and other resources until the foreigns came and stole all of its valuable resources then left the land in major misery and poverty. During the French influence in 1625, Haiti became one of the wealthiest of Frances colonies, producing vast quantities of sugar and coffee and depended on a brutal slave system for the necessary labor. In the results of being exploited by the foreigns, Haitian slaves rose up in revolt in 1791 and after decades of struggle, the independent republic of Haiti was officially proclaimed in 1804. Years later after Haiti won its independence in 1804, countries like the United States and others forced Haiti to join the United Nations in 1945. Unfortunately, after years of being exploited by foreign countries like the United States and others, Haiti became one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, even when Haiti joined the United Nations in 1945.

Since when the Haitian Revolution leaders like Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and the others were killed by the foreigns for defending Haiti and other nations against slavery, countries like the United States and others offered Haiti a contract in 1915 so they can run and occupy Haiti and its citizens. The contract was signed and thats how the United States and foreign countries got the power to put whoever they want in power to lead. Unfortunately, the Presidents and Prime Ministers who are or used to be in power these days are and were all added by the United States and other foreign countries.

From 2017 until today, after years of occupation, millions of people across Haiti got to the streets across Haiti to protest against the current Haitian Government and PHTK (Haitian Tet Kale Party) that wasted billions of dollars of PetroCaribe funds and also wasted the 2010 Haiti earthquake funds. The 2018 and 2019 protests leaders wanted the resignation of the current Haitian Government and foreign countries like the United States and the ONGs so the Haitian population can set up its own Haitian Government or kingdom in 2020. The 2018 and 2019 protests leaders wanted to break and burn the occupation contract that Haiti signed with the United States and others in 1915. The protests leaders also wanted Haiti to leave the United Nations to join Venezuela, Russia, African Countries, and other countries that are not the enemies of Haiti. Unfortunately, according to investigations done by Prince Werley Nortreus, the U.S. organizations (also known as the ONGs) across Haiti are also behind the downfall of Haiti because they also wasted billions of dollars that were supposed to develop Haiti, and they will leave along with the United Nations when Haiti elects an honest Government and Kingdom soon.

If you think that I am wrong about my speech, ask yourself why Haiti voted against Venezuela in 2019 to join the United States. I think Haiti voted against Venezuela even when Venezuela gave the Haitian Government money to develop Haiti because the United States and foreign countries are the bosses of Haiti. They owned Haiti, but this mess got to stop soon., said Prince Werley Nortreus about this current situation.

Unfortunately, Haiti will never prosper under the occupation of foreign countries like the U.S. and others because the foreigns are responsible for the misery and poverty that is happening in Haiti in 2020., said Prince Werley Nortreus on a local radio station called Bon Dejeuner! Radio.

If I ever got elected even when I am so young, I will cut off the United Nations and every relationship with those foreign countries that are keeping Haiti in such chaos and poverty to join African countries. Money is not worth more than human lives. Haiti is first to me., said Prince Werley Nortreus on Bon Dejeuner! Radio.
The Shiv Sena on Saturday donated 25 ambulances on the occasion of party chief and chief minister Uddhav Thackerays birthday on July 27. The ambulances donated through two trusts will be used in 12 divisions.

Thackeray inaugurated the ambulances at Bandra-Kurla Complex in the presence of ministers Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Parab, and MP Arvind Sawant.

Thackeray said the relation between Sena and ambulances is a decades-long one as the party has donated and operates several ambulance services. The CM also lauded the efforts of Parab for adding ambulances fitted with latest equipment required for Covid-19 patients, including oxygen supply, etc.

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We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So before you buy or sell Arch Resources, Inc. (NYSE:ARCH), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise'.

View our latest analysis for Arch Resources

Arch Resources Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Director Holly Koeppel for US$196k worth of shares, at about US$89.02 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of US$29.41. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. Notably Holly Koeppel was also the biggest seller.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 6.20k shares worth US$414k. But they sold 1.20k shares for US$91k. Overall, Arch Resources insiders were net buyers during the last year. The average buy price was around US$66.74. I'd consider this a positive as it suggests insiders see value at around the current price. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Story continues

Arch Resources is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Insiders at Arch Resources Have Bought Stock Recently

It's good to see that Arch Resources insiders have made notable investments in the company's shares. Independent Director Robert Hamill spent US$61k on stock, and there wasn't any selling. This could be interpreted as suggesting a positive outlook.

Insider Ownership of Arch Resources

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. From our data, it seems that Arch Resources insiders own 1.3% of the company, worth about US$5.6m. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Arch Resources Tell Us?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchase. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. On this analysis the only slight negative we see is the fairly low (overall) insider ownership; their transactions suggest that they are quite positive on Arch Resources stock. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. You'd be interested to know, that we found 5 warning signs for Arch Resources and we suggest you have a look.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
State health officials reported Friday that four Illinois counties reached a warning level for the spread of COVID-19 as risk indicators increased.

Adams, LaSalle, Peoria and Randolph counties were reported at a warning level because of increases in two or more COVID-19 risk indicators, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently divided the state into 11 regions and said increases in key COVID-19 metrics could result in restrictions, such as closing bars and restaurants.

Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health officials on July 15 established three tiers of mitigation strategies to be used if a region meets the resurgence metrics. As of Friday, no region had reached resurgence level, according to the Illinois Department of Public Healths regional data.

Mitigation strategies in higher-risk settings, such as indoor bars and restaurants, could be considered in regions that meet resurgence criteria, the governors office said earlier this month. State officials also outlined mitigation strategies relating to settings such as retail, fitness, and salons and personal care. Those could be put in place if testing and contact tracing data at the local level show they are needed, according to Illinois Department of Public Health.

In Adams County, the increase in risk indicators was linked to larger social events, health care exposure, travel to hot spots including Missouri and Iowa, places of worship, and youth sports, health officials said.

In LaSalle County, it was linked to large family and social gatherings, increases in cases among people younger than 29, younger people visiting bars and attending larger social events and inconsistencies with masking requirements, according to Illinois Department of Public Health.

In Peoria County, it was the result of increases in cases among those younger than 29, large gatherings including Independence Day parties and people traveling to Florida, Iowa, Texas and Wisconsin, according to Illinois Department of Public Health.

In Randolph County, it was linked to congregate settings, bars failing to comply with social distancing and face-covering requirements, and a party with more than 200 people and among households, according to Illinois Department of Public Health.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said the metrics were intended to be used to help local leaders, businesses, health departments and people make decisions about personal and family gatherings and what activities they participate in.
B Satyanarayana Reddy By

Express News Service

KHAMMAM: A 46-year-old Hindi teacher of the Zilla Parishad High School at Peruvoncha village in Khammam district refuses to sit at home while the Covid-19 pandemic rages on.

Instead, he sets out every day on his nearly two-decade old bicycle to be among the villagers and makes them aware of the disease.

An inspirational figure in Peruvoncha for long now, Gollamandala Suresh Kumar has been spending his holidays with the locals for the past 17 years, unlike others.

Every weekend and on holidays, he leaves home early in the morning, cycles 30-40 km and visits five to seven villages. On his bicycle, he has placed a placard with hand-written slogans like maintain distance from those who are not wearing masks among many more.

So far, Gollamandala Suresh has covered 200 villages in the district and is continuing his services to those living in rural areas who have less awareness about the fatal disease.

During the campaign, he uses a microphone to talk to the villagers and explain about the deadly virus and the measures they have to take to stay safe.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, he said that he was inspired by Mother Teresa and has been doing social work from 2002.

He has also campaigned about HIV, adverse effects of smoking and drinking liquor, need to plant more trees and about environment.

But, it was after Covid outbreak, he decided to go all out among the villagers and educate them on the deadliness of the virus and how to stay safe.
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Via: KISS PR Story International News Distribution





Attachment
As the Trump administration takes its "law and order" show on the road after a dress rehearsal at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., and a soft opening in Portland, Oregon, let me just say I'm disgusted with almost everybody involved.

Let's start with the Portland demonstrators. Contrary to heroic PR efforts from many in the mainstream media, these aren't great people. Oh sure, I have no doubt some, even many, are decent enough on a personal level. But even decent people become ugly when they lend their bodies and voices to mobs and riots. Even if they just watch, they're encouraging rioting and violence.

Then there's the mainstream and left-wing media. When right-wing protesters -- foolishly in my opinion, but also peacefully -- gathered to denounce lockdown orders during the early days of the pandemic, virtually everybody to the left of Fox News insisted it was dangerous, fascistic and scary (which, by the way, is how the media mostly covered tea party rallies a decade ago).

But whether it was peaceful protests in the wake of George Floyd's killing or even rioting and arson, the non-right media covered it all in a spirit of near celebration, with the occasional tsk-tsking for some excesses.

Now let us turn our gaze rightward. To listen to many on the right, in and out of the administration, the goons in Portland are domestic terrorists on par with al-Qaeda or ISIS. Indeed, President Trump said in June he would designate "antifa" -- a loose affiliation of radicals, jackasses and radical jackasses -- a terrorist organization. Characteristically, he hasn't followed through on that threat (though that hasn't stopped antifa sympathizers from pretending he did so they can spin conspiracy theories about how the administration is denying antifa members due process).

The goal is to create a domestic enemy that only Trump can save us from. It's part of the administration's larger effort to re-create the moral panic he fomented in 2016 with his "American carnage" rhetoric, and failed to foment with the immigrant caravan in 2018. Many on the right are only too happy to help with the messaging.

That's the basic context for Trump's decision to send federal agents into Portland and now other cities. This has elevated the ridiculousness on both sides by an order of magnitude. Those on the left insist it's illegal and unconstitutional. It's neither. Democrats and media commentators glibly talk about how this use of a "gestapo" makes us a "police state" no different from China. That's absurd, not least because the law is on the administration's side (so far), but also because China's police state is competent. If the Trump administration wanted to act like China, it would round up (or kill) all of the protesters, violent and peaceful alike.

I have no principled objection to federal agents protecting federal property from rioters and arsonists. What bothers me is that the administration's tactics and motives are all about manufacturing a political narrative that helps Trump's campaign, elevates the status of the rioters and arsonists, and gives critics license to prattle on about dictatorship.

Trump long ago proved he doesn't really want to be a dictator. (That requires too much work.) He wants to be a TV star. What's outrageous isn't that Trump is using federal agents on American soil, or even that he's doing it without an invitation from local politicians. What's outrageous is why he's doing it.

When China crushes protests, it crushes them because that's the goal. Trump has the opposite goal. He wants more protests, more riots, because his campaign thinks it needs to make facts on the ground fit its "law and order" sloganeering and exaggerations.

The idiot mobs of Portland are only too happy to give Trump what he wants, which is why they started focusing their wrath on federal buildings in the first place. Indeed, all the stakeholders (save for the majority of Americans) get what they want. The "resistance"-drunk left-wing media is gleeful to further heighten tensions by downplaying the dark side of the protests to fit their preferred narrative about Trump being an authoritarian. The Trump-besotted right-wing media gets to highlight the mainstream media's cleanup operation to show how the "fake news" is just out to get Trump.

It's a collective action problem, a tragedy of the political commons, in which all actors get to harvest the facts that help their cause, leaving the rest of us wondering how things got so stupid.

Jonah Goldberg writes for the Los Angeles Times.

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The Brinstar Beercade and Grill would have been preparing for its grand opening at the end of this summer if not for the two crises that have fallen on the region.

Delays began when permits and inspections slowed down due to the spread of COVID-19. New health and safety guidelines made Brinstar owners, Belle Fawcett and Scott Nankervis, question if they would ever fully open.

We had inspections to do and plans to get approved. When the City of Midland started working from home, that pretty much put the kibosh on getting approvals for construction and all that, Nankervis said.

Soon after, Midland faced its second crisis when the Sanford and Edenville dams failed the night of May 19.

The main floor in Nankervis house took in around two feet of water. Eight wooden arcade cabinets meant for Brinstar, valued around $1,200 a piece, were damaged or destroyed  along with many more personal possessions.

If we had known what we were up against, I wouldve gotten everything out of here as much as I could, Nankervis said.

This is the reality for many Midland residents who are juggling the effects of two crises at once.

Midland City Manager Brad Kaye said responding to the floods amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic presented unique challenges at the city level.

Our staffing levels had been reduced because of COVID. We had people either on furloughs or work-at-home orders at the time, Kaye said. A number of people werent working from city facilities at the time, it took a switch in our staffing levels just to simply bring them back and have them available for in-person labor.

Many people were told to evacuate their homes when water began flowing over the spill gates of the Edenville Dam. Emergency shelters were set up at school buildings in the area while everyone had to follow health and safety guidelines as best they could.

Rather than doing evacuations, for instance, going door-to-door as we would often do, it was more of an in-vehicle, announcement-style evacuation method," Kaye said. "There were some challenges with that, but we adapted."

After the response, came the recovery. Kaye said documenting damages to property introduced even more challenges. Rather than entering peoples homes, taking photos and talking to residents, in some cases, city workers assessed damages from flood victims' front lawns.

Carol Bogan lives in the easily recognized igloo-house on West Sugnet Drive in Midland. Her home is one of many examples of mid-century architecture that dots the community. With the impact of COVID-19 on top of the floods, Bogan says its just gasoline on the fire.

With the corona(virus), people are keeping a safe distance, theres a notable lack of hugging, Bogan said.

The first floor of the igloo house took in around seven feet of water. This destroyed the drywall, flooring and some mid-century design elements. Even with the damage, Bogan says she loves Midland too much to leave.

Compared to the flooding in 2017, however, Bogan said she knows more people who dont have the resources to restore their homes. They either intend to move to a higher elevation or leave Midland entirely.

 To get slammed again because the dams werent maintained really demoralized a lot of folks, Bogan said.

That isnt the case for Amy Thomas and the rest of her family who live up the street from Bogan. Her husband, Jason, was photographed by The Detroit News as he paddled to their flooded home in a kayak.

Throughout both crises, Thomas had the wellbeing of her three children on her mind. When schools went remote in March, she took a voluntary furlough to stay with them.

It was taking me three hours to help them with their schoolwork a day, Thomas said. When the floods came, I contacted the schools and said, my kids are done for the year.

Their house took in enough water to submerge their basement and first floor. Many of her kids toys and possessions were lost, including school supplies. Thomas said the last few weeks have been hard on them  the floods took away their toys, the virus took away their socialization.

"You want to take your kids out, you want to do fun things with them, you want to take them to the park. You want to go do these things but at the same time, youre so scared to do that, Thomas said.

After being denied flood insurance  and paying for repairs out-of-pocket  Thomas said her family still finds ways to look forward.

I think a lot of it has to do with my husband and I staying positive and telling them things are going to be so much better when all this is done, Thomas said. Were going to have a brand-new home, youre going to have this, youre going to have that. Your Christmas this year is going to be amazing. It will be like starting all over.

Nearly two months after the floods, Midland County (along with the four surrounding counties affected by the floods) were declared a state of emergency by President Donald Trump while ordering federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts.

Because of the pandemic, Midland County Emergency Manager Jennifer Boyer said the physical response from federal programs like the Small Business Administration or the Federal Emergency Management Agency are lacking.

Im nervous about the possible negative impact that would have on our residents getting the services they need, Boyer said. We have a lot of older people in our population that may not be as savvy on a computer or on a smartphone for applying for assistance.

Boyer predicts the federal governments response to the flooding in Mid-Michigan will impact their procedures going forward for other disasters across the nation within the pandemic environment.

Since the May 19 flooding, Midland has seen over 100 new confirmed coronavirus cases, according to state government data.

How could Midland recover after enduring the full-on force of two crises in one summer? Examples so far point to local nonprofits, community organizations or the helping hands of friends and neighbors.

The Brinstar owners were helped by their subcontractor for primary heating and air conditioning. He had worked with his supplier, American Standard, to help give Nankervis and Fawcett a high efficiency furnace for Nankervis home. He also offered a variable speed air conditioner at cost without labor charges.

The co-owners said while the beercade should be open by now, the delay wont stop them from seeing it through. They hope to have Brinstar open by the end of the year.

Weve had adversity before and were pretty hard workers about it. But to be honest, considering all the help from these people, how do you stop? Nankervis said. It (has) really meant a lot to us, and it (has) inspired us to keep moving forward ourselves.
A multi-year investigation by special agents with the Medicaid Fraud Control Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment and arrest of a Pulaski woman on multiple counts, including TennCare fraud, forgery and identity theft.



TBI special agents received information indicating that Cathy Taylor, the then-owner of Five Star Medical Staffing in Franklin, was engaged in billing TennCare, and receiving payments, for personal care services that were not received by clients.

The investigation revealed that from 2011 through 2018, Ms. Taylor submitted forged timesheets and signed individuals names as though they had performed or received the services. Agents also learned she submitted timesheets for services not rendered to clients and forged both employee and client signatures.



On July 13, the Williamson County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Cathy Lynn Taylor (DOB 11/13/1963) with one count of theft over $10,000, seven counts of forgery, 30 counts of identity theft, and one count of TennCare fraud.

On Friday, she was arrested and booked into the Williamson County Jail on a $10,000 bond.
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Linkedin Caroline Giovanie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 25, 2020 17:38 543 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066940a1a 1 Entertainment Viu,Viu-Shorts,short-movie,short-film,students,Movie,myth Free

Sixteen movies from 16 different parts of Indonesia are set to air on the newest season of Viu Shorts! until July 29.

Established in September 2018, the short film festival invites high school and university students from 17 Indonesian cities to enroll in workshops on film production. The independent filmmakers featured in the program will showcase their local cultures to Vius audience in 16 countries.

In its two seasons, Viu Shorts! has enlisted 33 directors and 900 content creators from 33 regions in Indonesia.

A Viu project, Miu Mai by Eka Putra Nggalu, was featured at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and won Best Short Form Content at the 2019 Asian Academy Creative Awards.

We want to globalize local films, said the Tourism Ministrys deputy head of digital economy and creative products, Josua Puji Mulia Simandjuntak, at a press conference on Thursday. We have the means now, and we just need the content.

For the new season, the films were produced from August 2019 to March 2020 with a focus on local myths and cultural practices from regions across Indonesian. The regions include West Javas Majalengka, East Nusa Tenggaras Atambua, Balis Klungkung, Central Javas Kendal, East Kalimantans Sanggata and Central Sulawesis Palu.

One of the filmmakers will also be chosen to receive a scholarship to study at the Art Institute of Jakarta and complete an internship with Viu.

Two of the short films aired on Thursday. Memargi Antar explores the Balinese Hindu practice of mepandes that relieves a person of their sins, while Kalang Obong from Kendal focuses on the ceremony of burning a deceased persons most treasured belongings so their souls can be at peace in the other world.

Mulyani, director of Memargi Antar, said she wished for Balinese culture to be recognized internationally. I hope the film inspires people to create works based on their own culture, said Mulyani, who chose to highlight the cultural practices around her in the film.

Suryo of Kalang Obong said the traditional ceremony was almost extinct, as only a small number of Kendals younger generation were familiar with the practice. He expressed hope the movie could gain appreciation within his own community.

Its okay to be modern, said Suryo of his peers, who are more in touch with global communities than with their own. But dont forget your own culture.

Viu Shorts! movies are available on Vius website as well as on the app. (wng)

------------------------

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.
A woman sheriffs deputies say purposely set a vehicle on fire at a Harrison Township apartment complex before fleeing is behind bars today.

Deputies were called to the San Remo Apartments on Union Lake Road around 8 a.m. Wednesday where a black Jeep was fully engulfed. The only person near the vehicle was Sydney Parham, 26, of Fraser. Subsequent interviews with witnesses led investigators to believe she was responsible for the blaze. A video also confirmed that suspicion, a release from the Sheriffs Office Friday stated.

Parham and the owner of the Jeep know each other. Parham was later arrested with the assistance of the Roseville Police Department. She was checked out for minor cuts and burns while at the Macomb County Jail and was arraigned on a felony charge of third degree arson at 41-B District Court in Clinton Township Friday. Bond was set at $20,000 and she will be back in court Aug. 5 for an 11 a.m. preliminary exam.

 Macomb Daily Staff
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will launch a plasma donation program on July 27, following the Plasma Daan Sankalp Abhiyan for primary screening of recovered Covid-19 patients in Dharavi area of Mumbai.

After Dharavi set an example of controlling the coronavirus spread, MP Rahul Shewale has organised primary screening for the upcoming plasma donation camp at Kamaraj Memorial School in the area.

The program will be launched on the occasion of the state Chief Ministers birthday on July 27.

Shewale said, About 500 Covid-19 recovered patients have shown interest in plasma donation, of which 50 people were primarily screened.

Earlier, the people of Dharavi won the fight of Covid-19 and now they are gearing up to win the hearts of the people of Maharashtra, he added.

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the total number of coronavirus cases in the area stands at 2,519, including 128 active cases and 2,141 have been cured/discharged till Friday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had praised the efforts taken to contain the coronavirus in Mumbais Dharavi while saying that only aggressive action combined with national unity and global solidarity can turn this pandemic around.
China Shutters US Consulate in Chengdu in Retaliation for Houston

By Joyce Huang July 24, 2020

China has ordered the closure of the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu in retaliation for the U.S. decision to close China's consulate in Houston, Texas, by Friday.

There are also calls in Chinese media and in a Twitter poll for Beijing to "punch harder" by shutting the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong as U.S. President Donald Trump hints at closing more Chinese consulates in the U.S.

Two analysts who spoke to VOA say that if the reciprocal closings escalate, the U.S.-China relationship will be on a downward spiral, with the worst yet to come.

A new Cold War

"It is an escalation (of diplomatic tensions). And it is a new cold war that's been launched step by step by the U.S. and China," said Sang Pu, a political commentator in Hong Kong.

"U.S.-China relations have been hitting all-time lows since the [coronavirus] pandemic started or, in particular, Hong Kong's national security law took effect," Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Beijing's Renmin University, told VOA.

"There are still four months ahead of the U.S. presidential election and six months before the next administration takes office in the White House. During that period of time, Trump will no doubt make many other moves to worsen the relationship between both countries," the professor projected.

Election gambit

Shi believes the Houston consulate shutdown is not only designed to provoke China, but a gambit by Trump to turn around his polling decline.

He said China finds accusations made by the U.S. State Department groundless -- although the Trump administration said the closure of the Houston consulate was fully justifiable.

David Stilwell, who overseas policy for East Asia and the Pacific at the State Department, told The New York Times on Wednesday that the Houston consulate had a history of engaging in "subversive behavior" and was the epicenter of research theft in the U.S.

He said Consul General Cai Wei and two other Chinese diplomats were caught using false identification to escort Chinese travelers on May 31 to the gate area of a charter flight from a Houston airport.

Espionage and scientific thefts

Stilwell added that some of China's attempted scientific thefts in the U.S. had accelerated in the past six months and could be related to efforts to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus, according to the Times.

In response, Cai denied the claim in an interview with KTRK-TV in Houston. "Where is the evidence?" he asked. He called the U.S. official a liar.

Cold War-style confrontations

The U.S. has repeatedly clashed with China over trade and intellectual property issues, which Sang in Hong Kong said will not easily end because cold war-style confrontations between the two countries keep emerging.

There is speculation the U.S. may next shut down China's consulate in San Francisco, California, because a Chinese researcher, charged by the FBI for concealing her ties with the Chinese military, has taken refuge inside the facility.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular media briefing that China's Houston consulate has done positive work in the past 40 years, saying "the U.S. claimed that China's Consulate in Houston was engaged in activities incompatible with its status, which is completely malicious slander."

He added the consulate shutdown "severely damages the U.S.-China relations and is breaking down the friendship bridge between both sides."

The CCP's dissolution

Investors in China and Hong Kong are worried the consulate shutdowns could lead to the U.S. cutting official ties with Beijing or an eventual disconnect between the U.S. and Chinese economies, according to Liao Qun, chief economist at China CITIC Bank International Ltd.

The level of uncertainty is spelling bad news for investment, he said.

If tensions escalate, "capitals may exit Hong Kong and China. In addition, the global trade will be hugely affected. If the U.S. cuts ties with China, their phase-one trade pact will be nullified, which will de-stabilize the (global) trade dynamics. So, it all depends on what comes next," Liao said.

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A proposed sole-source contract between the city and an American online payment startup is angering some Toronto tech talent who wonder why they are being shut out of a Toronto modernization project.

Mayor John Torys executive committee on Tuesday recommended that city council tell staff to negotiate a no-contest contract with PayIt, estimated to be worth $13.6 million over three years, with city options to add fourth and fifth years

PayIt lobbied Toronto politicians and city staff to adopt the seven-year-old firms unique technology it says could replace the citys 22 electronic pay systems with one easy-to-use cloud-based online interface.

Torontonians would get a digital wallet to pay property taxes, parking tickets and more, with new payment options for some services, via mobile app or computer.

Instead of licensing platforms, the city would cede to PayIt user fees from some payment options, including 2.35 per cent of total cost for credit card payments, or $94 on a $4,000 property tax bill if somebody chose that option.

The more Torontonians use the system, the bigger the revenue flow to the Kansas City firm. Residents would retain no-charge options including electronic funds transfer.

City staff told executive committee members the contract shouldnt be tendered because PayIt would quickly accelerate Torontos modernization effort with government-tailored tech and no infrastructure costs for taxpayers.

PayIt would start with a handful of bills, including property taxes and parking tickets, and expand if the partnership with the city is successful.

Theyve demonstrated being able to move very quickly, in a matter of weeks, Lawrence Eta, the citys chief technology officer, said of PayIt, which has clients that include Oklahomas government but no cities with Torontos population.

When a Star reporter tweeted the proposal, members of Torontos booming tech sector  championed by Tory as among the worlds best and most innovative  were shocked Toronto wouldnt tap their ideas.

The local tech community employs a lot of people who pay taxes in this city, and I would think that local employment and residential tax revenues would exceed any level of savings the (city) staff identify, said Craig McLellan, chief executive of Etobicoke-based ThinkOn Inc.

This city seems fixated on startups and recruiting large foreign employers and ignores (Toronto) scale-ups, which are the real economic engine.

McLellan said if a traditional request for proposal competition is deemed too slow, the city could run a simpler request for information process to solicit the best ideas from all potential providers.

He also cast doubt on PayIts assurances that Torontonians data will stay on Amazon Web Service servers in Canada, citing provisions in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement complicating data sovereignty efforts.

When we dont get even a chance to respond to a request for proposal, or a request for information at least, once again a Canadian homegrown team player is ignored or missed, McLellan said, adding that city staff look for the shortest path.

Bianca Wylie, an open government advocate who successfully campaigned against the Sidewalk Labs-Waterfront Toronto Quayside partnership, tweeted: Again the City is reacting to tech vendor business pitch rather than designing core infrastructure requirements.

This is fundamentally problematic. Residents want one-click services. Ok. Residents also want thoughtfully designed long-term infrastructure. Not mutually exclusive.

In an interview, Eta said he understands the anger of local tech entrepreneurs but remains convinced PayIt is Torontos best solution.

We do support the local tech community, Eta said, pointing to a city partnership with local firm Ritual to give Toronto businesses an easy way to accept digital orders.

The proposed deal with PayIt does not guarantee exclusivity for the American company, Eta said, adding he wants to help create an online payment ecosystem in which local startups could participate.

Its really about the model for (PayIt) to prove their solution and if it doesnt work theres no downside to the community, he said.

There are going to be many examples where we continuously reach out to the local tech community. We just needed to accelerate; were in a pandemic situation, he said, with online payments more important than ever.

PayIt did not respond to requests for comment.

City council will have final say at its Tuesday-Wednesday meeting.
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur on Saturday shared a research still from his ambitious and shelved project, Paani. He also revealed what the films story is about.

Shekhar wrote on Twitter: Shot 12 years ago. Part of huge bank of #Paani research pics/illustrations. The film script is about a future city where the wealthy take all the water. And then use water as a weapon of political and social control. Its a cautionary tale of whats coming if were not careful.

Shot 12 years ago. Part of huge bank of #Paani research pics/illustrations. The film script is about a future city where the wealthy take all the water. And then use water as a weapon of political and social control. Its a cautionary tale of whats coming if were not careful. pic.twitter.com/KCilzj5DOc  Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 25, 2020

Paani is set in the future when water becomes a scarce commodity and shows how the events lead to a situation of war. The film has been in the making for a very long time. At one time, Hritik Roshan was in talks to play the lead. Speaking about the film in 2010 at Cannes,It is the story of young love caught in the flurry of conflict between two cities, one rich and waterful, the other poor and waterless where water rats are forced to steal the precious liquid.

Also read: Sanjana Sanghi answers Kangana Ranauts claims she responded late to Me Too allegations against Sushant Singh Rajput

After the unfortunate death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Shekhar had shared that he had planned to make the film time with Sushant. Speaking about it, Shekhar said: He was bouncing up and down, so excited that he was going to work with me and do Paani. The great thing about Sushant that I noticed was that acting did not stop with rehearsing the lines or reading the script or doing the movements. His interest went way beyond... Every time I had a meeting with the production designer or the DOP or VFX team, he was there. Paani was reported shelved again after producers Yash Raj Films backed out of the project.

Shekhar had mentioned how Sushant had cried his heart out when the project didnt come through. He had again spoken about Paani earlier this week and said that if the film got made, he would dedicate it to Sushant.

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South Korea's imported virus cases hit a record daily high on Saturday due to an influx of infections coming in from Iraq and Russia, putting more strains on the country's anti-virus fight.



The country added a whopping 86 imported cases, raising the total number of such infections to 2,244, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).



Saturday's daily new imported cases mark the highest-ever since the country reported its first confirmed virus case on Jan. 20.



On Saturday, the country's daily new cases also breached 100 for the first time since April 1.



Imported cases have been rising by double digits for 30 consecutive days.



The record-high number of imported infections came as 36 South Korean workers flown in from Iraq on Friday were confirmed to have contracted the virus.



On Friday, two chartered planes brought back nearly 300 citizens from virus-hit Iraq. Health authorities said nearly 90 passengers had symptoms of the new coronavirus.



The number of COVID-19 cases among the returned workers is likely to rise down the road as the country carries out more tests on them, they added.



The KCDC said 35 more South Korean workers who returned home tested positive for COVID-19 later in the day, raising the total related cases to 71, which will be reflected in Sunday's tally.






The minister of communication and digital economy, Isa Pantami, on Saturday, rejected the proposed increment fees for courier services companies by the Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST}.

Mr Pantami said the new charges were not approved for the agency.

Our attention has been drawn to an increase of licence fee, which was not part of the regulation I earlier APPROVED for you. Mr Pantami wrote on Twitter.

Your Chair and PMG were YESTERDAY contacted to put the implementation on hold and send a report to our ministry by Monday. Best wishes!

Nigerians were outraged after the NIPOST, amidst a raging economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, announced a new license fee for courier service companies.

According to the new charges by NIPOST, companies that provide international courier services are expected to pay N20 million for a new license and N8 million for renewal of services annually.

Logistics companies operating at the national level will pay N10 million for license and N4 million yearly.

The companies operating within regions are expected to pay N5 million for license and N2 million annually.

Meanwhile, for firms operating within states, the cost of procuring a licence is N2 million while renewal costs N800,000. Companies within the Municipal area are expected to pay N1 million for license and N400,000 annually.

Nigerians React

Many Nigerians on Twitter have reacted bitterly to the new license fees for the courier service companies.

How much does the average logistics business make per month with a bike or two? Yet you're requesting them to pay one million naira for a license! How much does the online vendor make per day? You'll stifle many businesses struggling to survive#SayNoToNipostFee  Aproko Doctor (@aproko_doctor) July 25, 2020

By the time we pay rider, service bike, settle council boys, sort greedy LASTMA( theyll make you give them cash btw so no traces), we make absolutely nothing. Our prices are reasonable. We offer same day and express delivery, we dont weigh items. Just easing business o  Kossy O (@akuagwuagwu_) July 25, 2020

One of my dispatch companies has cancelled deliveries since they released this nonsense info. Those ones that won't cancel will definitely increase cost. Customers naturally don't like delivery fees not to talk of when it's high. How do we sell then? God deh.  Abujafabrics(Silk/Crepe/Chiffon/Organza) (@Chayilfabrics) July 25, 2020

They just woke up one day and decided to hike the fees. No proper data obtained, no care for the citizens, no consideration for the fact that we are experiencing a pandemic. Nothing. Just more money from our pockets to them #SayNoToNipostFee  Oby Akana (@justorhbea) July 25, 2020

NIPOST should not be allowed to charge these ridiculous fees, @femigbaja. Thousands of young Nigerians have lost jobs in the last few months. Some turned to courier services. A friend who lost his job bought these from Oride. Please dont let him commit suicide. #SayNoToNipostFee pic.twitter.com/p9j3Jz5BVl  Dr. Dipo Awojide (@OgbeniDipo) July 25, 2020

We lost our jobs to corona, some are battling with depression(i was at some point), we took the courage to start our small businesses, we are not asking for much, if you cannot provide jobs for us, pls don't take our only means of livelihood because of taxes #SayNoToNipostFee pic.twitter.com/KP7MlOY0Xm  Smart Wrist by Classik (@iam_Rashclassik) July 25, 2020

Nigeria has a very high rate of Unemployment and with this Nipost fee, The numbers would double. This is actually very sad, the citizens need to be considered before creating such policies. #SayNoToNipostFee pic.twitter.com/8l6LVRmWvZ  AUNTY ADA (@AuntyAdaa) July 25, 2020

Don't think you're mot affected. You are. We all are. As long as logistic services have to cough up this fee, your delivery prices will increase. Some may even be higher than the item you're buying. #SayNoToNipostFee  Written By (@DamiElebe) July 25, 2020

It doesn't matter if you are not a business owner. Even as a consumer, it would drastically affect the amount you'd pay for goods delivery. That's the ripple effect. Let's all join our voices and speak up against this ridiculous & business-killing fee. #SayNoToNipostFee pic.twitter.com/QLTxQm4lv4  Wale Adetona (@iSlimfit) July 25, 2020

The same country that grants big businesses tax waivers, is here to kill courier and logistics firms, which are mostly new and owned by youths. For a country with unbelievably high unemployment rate, this is both insensitive and unwise. Nigerians deserve better. #SayNoToNipostFee pic.twitter.com/l66faIf8br  Gimba Kakanda (@gimbakakanda) July 25, 2020

Good morning, Honourable Minister @DrIsaPantami. Have you considered the effect of the @NipostNgn Courier Licence requirements on the digital economy, small business and self employment? It appears to go against your vision. I would like to understand the logic please. Thanks.  Dr. Joe Abah (@DrJoeAbah) July 25, 2020
In the last few months of the pandemic, if there has been one clear cut winner when it comes to video calling then that has to be Zoom. People have been loving it connect with others for work or personal talk. Gone are the days when the world used to talk about Skyping or Hangsouting really?As Facebook doesnt like other companies dominating a bit too much in the tech space, therefore the social media giant has brought a new feature in its recently released Messenger Rooms that will now let the user broadcast the Room chat live in Groups, on Pages or your personal profile as well.For those of you who havent used Messenger Room till date, it is a video chat software by Facebook in which you can create a call by inviting up to 50 people through a link. The guests dont even need to have Messanger or a Facebook account.The parent company first launched Rooms at the end of April with an intention to compete with the idea of Houseparty - which was on the hike in the initial days of coronavirus. But as Facebook realized the criticism that Zoom had to face (partly because of a growth in user rate way beyond expectations) they thought of changing the shape of Rooms to a video calling software and a demo of that first came out in June.There are certain complications involved in the new feature of broadcasting the Room sessions which users need to understand. The host will still have the major control of inviting up to 50 people on a call through the link and if required then only he can control when to remove people from the call. However, for further ease of the participants, when the Room goes Live they can still choose to join or leave on their own will as well if they dont want to be a part of the broadcasted session.For now, there are also no clear stats given by Facebook on how many people are using Messenger Rooms to date but the feature is definitely bound to create an incremental engagement in the times to come. Users are already streaming Zoom calls on Facebook Live so why not let Messenger Rooms do the job for you?The feature has been already rolled out in limited parts of the world and will soon go global once Facebook is sure that people are finding it helpful. While this is still a work-in-progress thing, Facebook has also said that they are working on more news features that will arrive soon.Read next: 3.96 Billion People around the World Now Use Social Media Platforms, According to This New Report
MP Biomedicals Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, a diagnostic corporation which has been operating for over 30 years focusing on various infectious disease testing development and manufacturing, today announced the successful development of a rapid antibody test kit for COVID-19, in collaboration with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

MP Biomedicals Diagnostics division's Research and Development team with their ASSURE(R) SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM Rapid Test kits. Two devices shown reflects positive IgG antibodies result (marked, on right) and a negative reading (unmarked, on left) From left: Ivy Teoh; Delynn Xu; Zee Hong Goh (Photo credit: MP Biomedicals)

Named as the ASSURE SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM rapid test, or ASSURE in short, the test kit detects antibodies produced by the human immune system in response to exposure to SARS-CoV-2. It produces accurate results in as little as 15 minutes, and employs a lateral flow format similar to those used in home pregnancy tests. ASSURE was developed and manufactured in Singapore. It can be deployed at or near the point of patient care, and has been distributed to regions such as Europe, Africa and South America. MP Biomedicals intends to file for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US FDA for this product as well.

The test kit detects IgG and IgM antibodies, which are produced by the body to combat SARS-CoV-2, from samples of human blood, plasma or serum. Studies have shown that levels of IgG and IgM appear to be correlated with the severity of COVID-19, thus they are good biomarkers for confirming positive or past infection.

Aligned with the current recommendation by the World Health Organization, point-of-care or rapid serology tests including ASSURE rapid antibody test kit should not be used in the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 infections or in the evaluation of persons with acute respiratory symptoms, especially within the first 14 days of illness. This is to avoid giving patients false reassurance that they do not have the infection, arising from a negative result. However, ASSURE rapid antibody test kit can help to determine whether an individual has been previously exposed to the virus and generated antibodies as a result. This can help identify asymptomatic individuals or those with only mild symptoms who were not subjected to RT-PCR testing.

The technology behind the ASSURE rapid antibody test kit utilizes proprietary synthetic SARS-CoV-2 proteins. These proteins bind to the IgG and IgM antibodies if the antibodies are present in the specimen samples. MP Biomedicals used it to develop the product based on their lateral flow platform. The Diagnostics Development (DxD) Hub, a national platform hosted by A*STAR's commercialization arm, A*ccelerate, co-developed the validation protocols and quality controls. The ASSURE rapid antibody test kit was evaluated by the National University Hospital's (NUH) Department of Laboratory Medicine, and demonstrated good results for both serum and whole blood. The sensitivity of the kit performed well as compared to commercial immunoassays, when tested with convalescent blood from recovered COVID-19 patients in the clinic.

The ASSURE rapid antibody test kit has been granted Provisional Authorization by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for its intended use in Singapore.

The development and manufacture of ASSURE is a successful collaboration between MP Biomedicals and A*STAR through tremendous joint work. We are not the first one in the market but chasing the best performance is always our primary goal. With this rapid antibody test kit, we are proud to contribute to the global fight against COVID-19." Dr Delynn Xu, Senior R&D Manager, MP Biomedicals

"We identified a human monoclonal antibody which binds to SARS-CoV-2, and it proved to be useful during the early development phase of this rapid test kit," said Associate Professor Tan Yee Joo, Joint Senior Principal Investigator, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR, and National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. "IMCB is glad to assist our industry partner in their COVID-19 product development," she added.

It is absolutely critical that we continue to transfer R&D know-how to biotech companies, to scale up and let more labs tap on this diagnostics test kit to screen patients. This rapid serological point-of-care test kit for COVID-19 by MP Biomedicals and A*STAR will complement global efforts to develop more efficient diagnostics, as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve." Dr Sidney Yee, Chief Executive Officer, DxD Hub, A*STAR

Mr Ng Boon Heong, Chief Executive Officer, Temasek Foundation, said: "We seek to actively pilot innovative solutions for community care. This project is an opportunity for us to work together with companies with a local presence, such as MP Biomedicals; R&D institutions such as A*STAR; medical partners such as NUH to enable development and access to point of care rapid serological test kits. These kits help identify segments of our communities that are recovering from or previously infected by SARS-CoV-2 to ensure their safe return back to work. This is one of the cases where we placed an initial commitment to help MP Biomedicals scale up their production locally, and piloted its use in our local community."
New Delhi, July 25 : Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday emphasised the need to increase the participation of local vendors in the procurement process of the railways to promote Make in India products and boost the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

The Minister made the remarks while reviewing the steps to promote 'Make in India' products in the procurement process of the Indian Railways as well as the government of India.

During the meeting, Goyal urged for measures to generate confidence in the industry about corruption-free and transparent procurement process in the railways.

"It was also decided that local content clause in the procurement should be such that the Railways may get more bids from local vendors or suppliers. This will also give a boost to mission Atmanirbhar Bharat," a Railways Ministry statement said.

Active support of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) was sought to make suitable policy revisions, if required, to facilitate the efforts in this direction, it said.

It was felt that encouragement needs to be given to such vendors who can supply higher locally-manufactured material, it said, adding there will be a system to create a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section and a helpline number so that vendors may get clarity on various issues relating to the procurement process.

A detailed presentation was made by Railway Board Member (Materials Management) on boosting 'Make in India' and steps being taken to procure through Government e-Marketplace (GeM) along with the progress made.

The review meeting was attended by Minister of State of Railways Suresh C. Angadi, Railway Board Members, CEO/GeM and representatives of DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce.

A need for devising strategies for further increasing the participation of Indian service providers and component manufacturers was felt. Government e-Marketplace is a highly innovative idea in public procurement across the globe.

Goyal emphasised the need for procurement of goods and services of approximately Rs 70,000 crore by the railways on GeM platform to open up the market to industry even at remote places and especially Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The railways, one of the largest procurement agencies of the government, is integrating its procurement systems with GeM to use its full potential.

The department shared the timelines for integration of the railways' e-Procurement system with GeM. The Railway emphasised the need to have a seamless integration of the two systems eliminating the need for any manual interface.

During the meeting, ways and means to create a corruption-free public procurement environment in India were discussed in which the Ministry of Railways, DPIIT and GeM have extremely important roles to play.

The need for engagement of industry for developing more indigenous vendors to participate in the growth journey of the Indian Railways was emphasised in the deliberations.

During the presentation, it was decided that the railways would work more towards having a user-friendly single-step web-based vendor interface for all its activities.

The website should, transparently, provide every interested vendor a clear idea of how to do business with the Indian Railways. The website should have all relevant information to generate confidence in the corruption-free and transparent environment in the Indian Railways.
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The DONY face mask has 3 layers.

The DONY face mask has 3 layers.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, July 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dony Masks - Premium 3-ply cloth face masks wholesale, bulk and branded (FDA & CE approved) export to Australia: Mask Adelaide, Albury, Ballarat, Bendigo, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Canberra, Coffs Harbour, Cranbourne, Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Mandurah, Melbourne, Newcastle, Nowra, Perth, Rockhampton, Sydney, Toowoomba, Townsville, Wagga Wagga, Wollongong, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz, Salzburg, Vienna, Wiener Neustadt.

The best reasons why DONYs antibacterial face masks exported to US & EU

You get out of your house to get grocery and face mask is the first item in your shopping list. But there are many face mask types and brands on the shelf. Which one should you choose to protect your family members and yourselves? Let have a look at the face mask criteria first then the brand satisfied all those criteria will be the best one for your choice.

How many layers it should have? You love the environment then the face mask can be washed/reusable? Is it comfortable while wearing a long time? Does it keep the micro drop when you sneeze? Let have a look at DONY, the one of the best face mask accepted by the US and 100 000 pcs donated to the US in a pandemic.

The DONY face mask has 3 layers.

 The outer layer is water-resistant. This layer is the first amour and the frontier against air polluted and virus. This layer will get a micro drop from others while talking or the one floating in the air no chance to go further as it is water resistance.

 The middle filtration layer is special as protection against viruses and bacteria, airborne particles, dust, and pollution. It is special to DONY that in this middle layer has 3 layers. It will protect you more and allow you to wash up to 60 times while maintaining the filter function 99.99%. More reusable time, then less waste to the environment. DONY face mask does not only protect you but also protect the environment where you live.

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 The inner layer is touching your face skin all the wearing time. Have you ever facing any inconvenience with the dent on your face after taking off the mask? With a DONY face mask, you dont face it. The inner layer made it comfortable to wear in a long time. But it is not the only reason making DONY face mask best of the bests.





Benefits from wearing Dony antibacterial face masks

As you may know, the demand for antibacterial masks is still high in the countries around the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the shortage of one-time-use medical face mask. Moreover, there are too many kinds of antibacterial cloth face mask out there which we do not know whether they are good or not.





This DONY inner layer prevents bacteria from developing, especially bacteria from your spittle. And by this DONY inner layer, it will be no more bad smell all the time wearing DONY face mask. The micro drop is kept in the inner layer and the bacteria is killed there too. Let imagine how you do contribute to our environment just by wearing DONY face mask.

DONY face mask is named best of the best not only its unique fabrication structure but also the way it is protected. DONY face mask is protected from the moment get in the bag in the production line until the moment you open the bag and wear it.

After fabrication with fabric and thread, the mask is gone under visual inspection to remove any defective mask. In the next step the mask is put in the individual bag then heat sealing. The heat sealing is the first crucial step to make DONY face mask the best quality.

The heat-sealing process isolates the mask from the surrounding environment. There will be no dust, no bacteria can get in the bag. In the next step, the DONY mask is sterilized. After sterilization, there will not be any touch of human hand to the mask until the moment you tear the bag and wear a DONY face mask.

The individual bag is made from environment-friendly resin. It is not looked like other fashionable bag which you see daily in the store. It is rough but it is environment friendly. You will feel it when you touch the bag. The bag protects the DONY face mask until you tear it. And the DONY mask is designed and produced in the way which to allow you use right after tear the bag.

You can wear a DONY mask right after open the bag. You dont need to wash it before first time using, dont need to check if it is fit or not. In DONY, we did it all for you. The loop is made from elastic materials. It can be stretched up to 270% of its original length. The DONY face mask loop will maximize its comfortability and your ear will not feel the pain all the time wearing.

DONY face mask has permission to export to the US, EU market. DONY face mask got the FDA certification to export to US market. We also get the CE certification to export to EU market.

Beside export permit per market, the DONY face mask has the ISO 9001:2015 The Quality Management System for our production processes and quality control. We also got TUV Reach certification, which is firmly confirmed there is no harmful substance or causing the allergy.

DONY face mask got the INTERTEK global certification on water resistance score at 100, the maximum score. Anti-bacteria is over 99,99% from new up to 30 washing times to 60 washing times. UV resistance is scored at 99.95, the excellent product which is equal to the premium sun cream.

Not only the above certifications, but the DONY face mask also got the breathing resistance  mmH2O at 1.8, an excellent score. It means that you can breathe freely and comfortably with DONY face mask.

DONY face mask is the only one type fabric mask that is accepted by US. We got the certification to export to US and EU. And DONY face mask is the only one face mask still keep the protection level up to 99.9% after 60 washing times. None of the face mask on the market can reach to this level yet.

To solve these issues related to choosing face masks from consumers, Dony Mask was released. With good quality, the professional process of producing, Dony Mask is getting more popular with consumers. So what would you get when wearing Dony Mask? Read this article below to find out the answer.

The benefits of wearing Dony 3-layer antibacterial fabric face mask

Dony makes all of these three layers complying with the recommendation of the Ministry of Health, creating a high-class antibacterial fabric face mask that can protect both the users and the community.

Dony has exported tens of millions of Dony Mask anti-drop cloth antibacterial face masks to South Africa, China, African, Los Angeles, USA, Australia, California, Canada, UK, Dubai, Europe, Kenya, Ireland, New York, Arabic, Belgium, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yemen, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Kazakhstan, Greece, Czech Republic, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Belarus, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, KSA, Persian, Brazil, Kypros, Iraq, Israel, Liban, Argentina, Palestine, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Mexico, India, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Panama, Bolivia, Armenia, Austria, etc.

Easily breathe

Dony Mask actually possesses a close fit and breathable design. It helps users feel comfortable, breathe the purest and safest air without any risk or trouble. When wearing Dony Mask for a long time. This is thanks to its soft nose bridge, elastic cord, and outstanding breathing resistance (mmH2O) at 1.8 (an excellent level).

Its strap could extend 270 percent of the original length, which reduces the discomfort for users when wearing the mask for a long time.

UV-resistance for your skin

The UV-resistance level of our face masks is 99.95%, which is equal to that of premium sunscreen lotions. Hence, you are protected from the sun and other UV sources as well.

Ability to reuse

You can reuse a Dony face mask for longer than any model in the present market. It is reusable for up to 60 times without deterioration in performance.

Sterilization

Dony cloth face masks are produced under the closed procedure Packing - Sealing - Sterilization. Therefore, our products meet all of the requirements of the high-quality masks.

Dony Mask is also packed in medical packaging and be sterilized with E.O gas technology used for Medical Supplies. E.O gas has the ability to penetrate the tiniest of pathways and destroy all kinds of bacteria and viruses.

The benefits from a become partner with Dony Mask:

When cooperating with Dony, partners will be offered a variety of benefits in the following part:

Being the only representative of Dony to sell DONY masks on the exclusive territory.

Being offered a preferential policy of best prices and priority production order.

Getting great support of the sales and production team.

Dony transfers all customers related to the area of the agent management representative.

Posting information, photos, ... on the official website of Dony.

Free sample making (logo, label, packaging) according to customers' requirements.

Being supported for papers and certificates at the request of customers

Being under a proprietary protection policy for customers.

Media supported by Dony on domestic and foreign channels.

Become the exclusive agent of Dony Mask to get all the above benefits.



Besides the good policies, Dony certainly ensures its high-quality face masks. If you are interested in the products of Dony, you could contact us as further information:



On the evening of 5th June 2020, Dony Garment Company and other Vietnamese enterprises have donated medical supplies to the US people.

At the ceremony, Mr. Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Ambassador in Vietnam has extended his heartfelt gratitude and confirmed that Operation USA Organization which based in Los Angeles, USA will distribute these medical supplies to needed places such as as California, New York, etc.

Dony Masks exports face masks to all states of Australia such as Adelaide, Albury, Ballarat, Bendigo, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Canberra, Coffs Harbour, Cranbourne, Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Mandurah, Melbourne, Newcastle, Nowra, Perth, Rockhampton, Sydney, Toowoomba, Townsville, Wagga Wagga, Wollongong, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz, Salzburg, Vienna, Wiener Neustadt securely and quickly.

Via: KISS PR Story International News Distribution





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CONTACT: 8462675818 142/4 Bau Cat 2, Phuong 12, Tan Binh, Ho Chi Minh 700000, Vietnam




FILE PHOTO: A palm oil seed is seen at a plantation in Pulau Carey

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Asian palm oil producers, long at loggerheads with the European Union over curbs on imports of the edible oil, have offered to "work together" with the European Commission in drafting rules for the EU's latest 'Farm to Fork' food supply policy.

The EU, a major palm importer, has already decided to phase out palm-based transport fuels from its renewable energy sector by 2030, citing the environmental impact of the oil's production, and is expected to set new limits on food contaminant 3-MCPD esters, found in refined fats and oils.

In a statement late on Thursday, the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), led by top producers Indonesia and Malaysia, said, "The Farm to Fork strategy recently launched by the European Commission offers a major opportunity for us all to work together and further improve sustainability standards."

"We want to be part of this discussion, not mere spectators," it said.

Neighbours Indonesia and Malaysia produce 85% of the world's palm oil, and have been battling criticism of rampant clearing of tropical forests for palm cultivation.

The EU in May announced proposals for a "fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system", raising alarm bells that it could decide to implement its own sustainability standard for palm oil in food.

CPOPC had previous accused the EU of unfairly targeting palm oil and creating trade barriers, and again voiced frustration in its Thursday statement, referring to "constant, exasperating attacks on our industry every day".

Indonesia in December filed a World Trade Organization suit against the EU over its ban on palm-based biofuel, and Malaysia is expected to follow suit.

(Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
Barabanki: An alleged criminal who had 27 cases registered against him was killed in an encounter with police and the special task force (STF) in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district, officials said on Saturday (July 18).

Kamal Kishore alias Tinku Kapala, who was carrying a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh, was injured in the gunfight on Barabanki road in Satrikh police station area on Friday night. He was rushed to the district hospital where he succumbed to injuries, an officer said.

Kapala, 42, was going on a motorcycle with his associate, who managed to escape and a search has been launched to nab him, Superintendent of Police Arvind Chaturvedi said.

Kapala had more than 27 cases registered in his name and police were searching for him for a long time. He had killed two people during a dacoity at a jewellery shop in Krishna Nagar area of Lucknow in 2019, according to the SP.
By far the biggest moment of Milan Fashion Week SS20 came at the end of the Versace show, when Jennifer Lopez strode down the curved catwalk wearing a recreation of the iconic jungle print dress that broke the internet back in 2000, when she wore it to the Grammys (and we didn't even know that breaking the internet was a thing then).

Celebrating 20 years since that iconic moment, La Lopez joined Donatella Versace, who featured the green and blue leaf print heavily throughout the spring/summer collection.

Versace wasn't the only designer brand that delved into the jungle for inspiration this season, however. Dolce and Gabbana's 'Sicilian Jungle' collection was a riot of lush foliage and floral prints, with giant giraffes and prickly pineapples emblazoned on bra tops and strappy dresses.

At Valentino, the forest theme was somewhat more subtle, with stylised bright florals on billowing maxidresses and a smattering of adorable monkey motifs.

With designs this desirable, it's no wonder that jungle motifs have now migrated from the catwalks to the high street - and what better time to add a bit of Amazonian flavour to your wardrobe?

If there's one thing we could use this year it's mood-boosting fashion, plus with lockdown restrictions easing in many areas right now, we've actually got a reason to get dressed up again.

How to wear the jazzy jungle trend? Go the JLo route with a printed frock, completing your look with rope sandals and a basket bag.

Or take your cue from Valentino and D&G by adding a pop of colour with sunset-hued palm prints.

This trend lends itself beautifully to beachwear too, so even if you won't get to enjoy a holiday in the tropics this year, you can elevate your staycation style with a bold printed swimsuit or kaftan.

Here are eight of the best jungle print pieces in the shops right now...

1. Figleaves Bali Palm Beach Shirt, 34.82

2. Dorothy Perkins Multi Colour Tropical Print Frill Dress, 41.60 (was 52); Black Enamel Clasp Box Clutch Bag, 30.40 (was 38)

3. M&Co Birds Of Paradise Tummy Control Swimsuit, 44

4. Sosandar White & Green Palm Print Tie Back Midi Dress, 64.19

5. Joe Browns Jungle Palm Top, 25 (was 42)

6. Roman Yellow Palm Print Wide Leg Trousers, 28 (was 36)

7. Topshop Yellow And Green Palm Print Cami, 16

8. Principles Yellow Jungle Print Midi Skirt, 30.40 (was 38), Debenhams
Amazon is one of the few companies that has been profiting - and in greater measure through the pandemic. But this is likely due in part to new evidence that the company has been reportedly scraping data from third-party sellers to improve its own private label products-a direct violation of its own stated policies. While the allegations against Amazon for abusing its marketplace position have been growing louder in recent years, they are even more troubling now considering the thousands of small businesses struggling  and going out of business in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

That is why Attorney General Josh Shapiro needs to urgently launch an investigation into just how Amazon treats third-party sellers and examine whether the e-commerce giant is unfairly using third-party seller data to help inform their decisions on its own product creation, promotion and pricing.

For small businesses in Pennsylvania, Amazons deceitful practices can be devastating. Pennsylvania is home to among the most Amazon third-party sellers nationwide, with more than 2 percent of US-based sellers, out of the estimated one million across the country. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to batter brick and-mortar small businesses, many may be looking to move even more of their operations online as a way to sustain business.

It is critical that leading platforms like Amazon are not able to abuse their market position and further hurt these struggling small businesses.

Sharing these same concerns, the California Attorney General Xavier Becerra recently launched an investigation into how Amazon treats third-party sellers on its online marketplace, examining how Amazon promotes and sells its own products. While the investigation is just in its beginning stages, the massive scope of the company shows just how important it is to ensure a fair playing field for all businesses.

This inquiry is a step in the right direction towards greater accountability. It ensures that Amazon cannot further solidify an unfair advantage over its competitors and helps foster a more even playing field. And Pennsylvania officials should stand up for businesses across the Keystone State and join in the investigation.

Third-party sellers have warned that Amazon engages in these unfair practices, as their brands are routinely pushed to the bottom of search results pages on the platform. For example, a recent investigation revealed that Amazons private-label products for common consumer goods often are placed in the most lucrative position on the platform  even if these private-label brands fail to hit enough sales that would justify a center stage appearance.

These monopolistic strategies have come to light as Amazon battles antitrust allegations both here in the United States and overseas. Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee later this month. Meanwhile, European Union officials are also preparing antitrust charges against the e-commerce giant on the grounds that it is using third party data to boost its own product offerings.

A formal inquiry launched at the state level is vital in ensuring that all third-party sellers from the Keystone State have a seat at the table and are not stifled by Amazons anti-competitive behavior. Given that Amazons decisions directly impact many Pennsylvania businesses, action is desperately needed.

Amazons dual role in maintaining an online store and selling its own goods means that it must not unfairly leverage data from small businesses to help them achieve a better position in its marketplace.

Attorney General Shapiro should investigate these dishonest practices and guarantee that Amazon is following the law  not merely playing by its own rules.

Robert B. Engel is the chief spokesperson for the Free & Fair Markets Initiative.
Tajikistan has officially informed the Russian side about the decision of the country's government to resume air traffic with the Russian Federation, the information and press department of the country's Foreign Ministry reported.

"We have officially informed the Russian side about the decision of the Tajik government to resume air traffic with the Russian Federation," RIA Novosti cites the message of the department.

The Tajik authorities are currently awaiting a response from their Russian counterparts.
Rajasthan crisis | Concerned about whats happening in Congress: Kapil Sibal

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal spoke on the Rajasthan High Court order. Sibal said that he is concerned about what's happening in the Congress and he has also expressed the same publicly. Rajasthan HC ordered 'status quo' on the disqualification row of Sachin Pilot. Sibal, in conversation with Hindustan Times' Sunetra Choudhury, said he is more upset with this government than with his party. Watch the full video to know more. ...read more
On Wednesday, the Democratic mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, announced that she had reached an agreement with President Donald Trump to send a surge of some 200 federal agents to Chicago. Addressing concerns that this would result in paramilitaries patrolling the streets, the mayor issued a statement maintaining that all resources will be investigatory in nature and be coordinated through the US Attorneys office.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot [Credit: AP Photo/Jim Young, File]

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced an expansion of his plan, dubbed Operation Legend, to deploy federal police to cities across the country, ostensibly to fight gun violence. He said he would send federal agents to Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Albuquerque to support existing law enforcement efforts.

That night, in Portland, Oregon, camouflage-clad members of the Customs and Border Protections Rapid Deployment Force again used tear gas against demonstrators outside the Hatfield Federal Courthouse, including Portlands Democratic mayor Ted Wheeler, who himself had previously ordered police to tear-gas protesters.

On Thursday, Homeland Security sent a similar Special Response Team to Seattle, Washington; it remains on standby and has not yet been deployed.

These deployments are part of the Trump administrations moves towards dictatorial rule. Attorney General William Barr had already sent agents from the FBI, the US Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Agency to beef up state and local law enforcement in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Justice Departments John Lausch, currently US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, is reported to have brokered the deal between Trump and Lightfoot, who initially postured as an opponent of the surge. Crain's reports that Lausch assured her that, despite media reports, the surge would be not unilateral but cooperative, with agents working with the chain of command in their normal unitsthe FBI, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, US Border Patrol, etc.and in coordination with local authorities. Just like it had in other instances in the past.

On Wednesday night, some 1,000 protesters gathered near Lightfoots home in the north side neighborhood of Logan Square. Led by Black Lives Matter and Good Kids Mad City, an anti-gun violence activist organization, protesters opposed the plan to bring hundreds of federal law enforcement agents to Chicago and called for defunding the police.

Illinois Democratic lawmakers have made public statements aimed at assuaging public fears that the federal forces will crack down on anti-police violence protesters in Chicago, just as they have in Portland.

Tensions are escalating as both corporate-controlled parties collaborate in attempting to quell opposition provoked by the catastrophic mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic, the homicidal back-to-work campaign, the cutting off of extended unemployment benefits and the ending of moratoria on evictions.

In an effort to assuage popular anger over the deal to bring federal police into the city, Lightfoot said, If there is any deviation from what has been announced, we will pursue all available legal options to protect Chicagoans.

Illinois senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth issued a joint statement of approval. After needless threats from the president, were relieved the Trump administration says they plan to work with local officials and authorities in Chicago rather than undermine local law enforcement and endanger our civil rights, they wrote.

Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky said legislators were assured on a conference call, were not going to see these agents in the street.

These statements are not expressions of gullibility. Those making them have no genuine concern for civil and democratic rights. Rather, they are worried that the fascistic provocations of the Trump administration will spark an eruption of social opposition that will spiral out of control.

Growing economic desperation has increased already high levels of gang activity in the city.

This, in turn, has resulted in a sharp rise in gun violence and mass shootings this year, centered mainly in the South and West Side neighborhoods, which have been battered by deindustrialization and the austerity policies of successive Democratic mayoral administrations and Republican and Democratic state leaderships.

Conflicts between numerous rival gangs are responsible for the bulk of the more than 330 shooting deaths in Chicago in 2020, nine of which have been of children. The funerals of those killed are being targeted by shooters. Fifteen were shot earlier this week outside of an Auburn Gresham funeral home, where services for a shooting victim had taken place.

Epidemic levels of gun violence in Chicago are a direct consequence of decades of pro-business political rule by the Democratic Party. The closure of hundreds of schools, factories and social service providers since the start of the 21st century has cut a large section of the young working class population out of the formal economy and increased social desperation and misery to such a degree that the majority of young black men under 25 in Chicago are neither in school or working.

While the gang violence is the ostensible target of the Trump-Lightfoot surge, the building up of a police state apparatus in the countrys third largest city is aimed at suppressing the social anger over historic levels of inequality and state violence. The ruling elite and both of its political parties fear the emergence of mass strikes and protests by workers in opposition to the bipartisan back-to-work drive.

The surge in federal law enforcement being jointly implemented by the Trump administration and leading Democrats in Illinois must be taken as a sharp warning to the working class.

The Democrats relentless promotion of race and gender politics is aimed at splitting the working class and concealing the basic class divisions in society and the bankruptcy of the capitalist system. In remarks to the media earlier this week, Lightfoot made the ridiculous suggestion that Trump was sending law enforcement into cities because the mayors are women.

Early Friday morning, Lightfoot issued an order to remove two statues of Christopher Columbus. Grant Parks Columbus statue was the site of recent protests, where teen activist Miracle Boyd had several of her teeth broken when a Chicago police officer assaulted her. The Grant Park statue of Columbus was unpopular from the time of its installation. Erected during the 1933 Worlds Fair, it was lauded in a letter from Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who wrote Italy, rejuvenated by Fascism, is happy to join in the celebration.

Initially having opposed removing the statue, Lightfoot issued a public statement indicating its removal was a public safety and police resource issue: It comes in response to demonstrations that became unsafe for both protesters and police, as well as efforts by individuals to independently pull the Grant Park statue down in an extremely dangerous manner. This step is about an effort to protect public safety and to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our citys symbols. In addition, our public safety resources must be concentrated where they are most needed throughout the city, and particularly in our South and West Side communities.

City Council members representing the Democratic Socialists of America lauded Lightfoots decision to remove the two statues. DSA Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez attempted to portray the bringing down of the statue as a victory, even as Lightfoot embraced Trumps deployment of federal law enforcement to the city. Its coming down because of the activism that has led to this moment, she said. Indigenous, Black and Brown people have been fighting for so long to see this happen. Its also a balancing act; the mayor just accepted Federal Agents from Trump.

No warnings have been issued to the working class of the immense dangers from the Democrats collaboration with Trump by these bourgeois politicians masquerading as socialists, while functioning as an arm of the Democratic Party.
A group of civil society organisations (CSO) has sought Delhi government's urgent intervention against alleged flouting of 'maximum per day charge limit' fixed by the state government for COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals.

Citing at least half a dozen breach of ceiling charges by private hospitals, the groups said that in some cases patients are not being informed about the government rates and are misled to sign false consent papers. They also complained about the lack of transparency in the availability of hospital beds exclusively meant for COVID-19 treatment under government fixed rates.

"Hospitals are not providing information about the exact availability and occupancy of rate capped beds in each category. Therefore, patients are often being admitted to the non-capped beds even when government fixed rate beds are available. Even in hospitals where all of COVID-19 beds are supposed to be provided as per government rates, patients have been charged at the hospital's own rates," the CSO letter to CM Arvind Kejriwal, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chairperson of Delhi Disaster Management Authority stated.

Also read: Delhi HC asks private hospitals to notify stock, supply of PPE kits, N95 masks in 7 days

The groups said the government rates are not being offered to patients with private health insurance coverage. "Several hospitals have unilaterally instituted a policy of billing insured patients as per the agreements with TPAs. Insurance companies on the other hand are unwilling to clear claims beyond the rates fixed by the government, particularly those related to non-medical expenses and consumables such as PPE where hospitals are levying exorbitant charges. Thus insured patients are unable to avail the government rates and are being forced to incur high out of pocket expenditure, even though there is no such exclusion for insured patients in the Delhi Government policy," they point out.

Charging high rates for twin-sharing or single rooms, charging separately for medicines, investigations, PPE etc. were found to be other practices that go against the government order. They also accused hospitals of administering experimental drug therapies without taking informed consent of patients.

False billing of patients for care that was never provided, differential care to patients paying hospital rates versus the government fixed rates, detaining patients until the bill amount is settled by the family, even when the billing is in violation of Delhi government orders, absence of doctors or medical staff in hotel rooms attached to private hospitals and inadequate support and redressal for patients who have contacted individual officials of the Delhi government or filed formal complaints are some of the other complaints raised by the groups.

Also read: Every fifth person in Delhi already had a brush with COVID-19: Study

The civil society groups have sought immediate action on patient complaints and grievances including individual cases cited by them. "The government must conduct an enquiry and ensure that formal action is taken against hospitals in the form of a show cause notice, penalty etc. Since the evidence indicates that the complaints by patients are only a symptom of broader violations in the hospital, the Delhi government must conduct detailed investigations into the practices of each of the hospitals named in the complaints regarding implementation of the government order. The government must also ensure that hospitals return the excess money they have charged from patients, in violation of the order," they said.

The letter called for a formal grievance mechanism, with adequate civil society representation for timely redressal of formal complaints against private hospitals. They also wanted the government to maintain a live database that is publicly available on its website and provides details of complaints filed, including date, name of hospital against whom complaint has been filed, status of the complaint and details of action taken. The formation of an audit committee, to conduct monthly audits of the treatment and bills of all private hospitals providing COVID-19 treatment have also been suggested.

The groups wanted the government to ask private hospitals to prominently display the fixed package rates for COVID-19. Hospitals claiming to have NABH accreditation should display accurate information regarding the accreditation status along with the duration of validity in the same area as where the rates are displayed, they said.

Also read: Gated societies allowed to set up own COVID care facilities; here are the guidelines

Mandatory public reporting requirements for private hospitals, transparency of total hospital bed capacity and government fixed rate beds, regulation of charges for hotel beds attached to hospitals and ensuring quality of care, real time information on number of fixed rate beds, ensuring government fixed rates apply to all ICU beds are the other demands.

The group wanted COVID-19 suspected patients to be eligible for government treatment rates. The government has also been asked to take steps towards controlling the irrational use of experimental therapies for COVID-19 and protect patients from unnecessary, high expenses.

The signatories of the petition include All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) - Delhi and National Alliance for Maternal Health and Human Rights (NAMHHR).

The Delhi government prescribed maximum per day rates for COVID-related treatment in private hospitals on June 20. As per the order, the prescribed maximum rates were to be applicable for various categories of beds - isolation bed, ICU bed without ventilator, ICU bed with ventilator - subject to an upper limit of 60 per cent of the total hospital bed capacity.

Also read: Kerala-based research centre gets marketing approval for coronavirus rapid testing kit
Kylie Jenner has splashed out $200,000 on a pony for her two-year-old daughter Stormi, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The grey pony hunter is named Frozen and arrived in Los Angeles from the Netherlands earlier this week.

Sources with knowledge of the deal said it would have cost between $7,000 and $10,000 to ship the pony to the US on top of the $200,000 sale price.

Breeder Stal Wilten confirmed Kylie picked up the $200,000 pony in an Instagram post on Thursday in which he he referred to the grey pony hunter as 'most famous pony of them all'

Kylie, pictured with her daughter Stormi, is believed to have spent $200,000 on the pony and an extra $7,000 to $10,000 in flying Frozen the Atlantix to her Calabasas home

The 17-year-old gelding is currently in the middle of a 14-day quarantine and will be moved to a barn closer to 22-year-old Kylies Calabasas home when it is complete.

Breeder Stal Wilten confirmed the deal in an Instagram post on Thursday in which he referenced the Kylie Cosmetics mogul and which included a photo of Frozen.

He wrote: #ThrowbackThursday goes to the most famous pony of them all, Frozen. We got news he has landed in LA and is living the life with a sweet little girl named Stormi.

@KylieJenner, in true fashion, made sure her daughter had the most precious pony out there.

We cant wait to see pictures of Stormi and Frozen.

Breeder Stal Wilten tagged Kyle in his post. Kaley Cuoco, Jessica Springsteen and Jennifer Gates are also said to have purchased ponies from the celebrity breeder

A source said Stormi has yet to meet her pony as it needs to undergo a 14-day quarantine

At 12 hands, Frozen is large for a first pony and unusually advanced for a beginners ride. But a source told DailyMail.com that Wilten has previously sent ponies to LA for celebrity riders.

The source said: Lots of celebrities import horses from the Wiltens or have purchased from their bloodlines  Kaley Cuoco, Jessica Springsteen and Jennifer Gates among them.

The insider added: Frozen will stay in quarantine for 14 days now so Stormi most likely doesnt know hes arrived yet. Hes a very famous pony for a very famous little girl.

News of the new arrival comes at the end of a tumultuous week for the Kardashian-Jenner clan, which began on Sunday with Kanye Wests first presidential rally.

During the rally in Charleston, South Carolina, he burst into tears as he told how he and wife Kim Kardashian, 39, had considered aborting eldest daughter North, now seven.

West said: In the Bible, it says, "Thou shall not kill." I remember that my girlfriend called me screaming and crying, and I was just thinking  because at that time I was a rapper I was out there, [had] different girlfriends and everything  and she said, "I'm pregnant." And I said, "Yes!" And then I said, "Uh oh".

Once Frozen has completed quarantine, the pony will move to a barn closer to 22-year-old Kylies Calabasas home to be with Stormi

She was crying and for one month and two months and three months, we talked about her not having this child. She had the pills in her hand.

He then claimed that a vision from God led to them going ahead with the pregnancy. West said: I'm in the apartment where my wife was actually robbed, and I have my laptop up and I have all of my creative ideas, Ive got my shoes, Ive got my next song cover and the screen went black and white.

And God said, 'If you f*** with my vision Im gonna f*** with yours." And I called my wife and she said, "Were gonna have this baby," and I said "Were gonna have this child."

West has been staying at his 4,000-acre ranch just outside the tiny Wyoming town of Cody since Sunday and has been spotted filming a music video on the ranch, as well as taking a trip to Walmart with friend Damon Dash.

But he has also been on a series of Twitter rants, accusing Kim of having an affair with rapper Meek Mill and saying he wanted a divorce.

He used another Tweet to call his mother-in-law Kris Jenner, 64, Kris Jong-Un  a reference to the North Korean dictator.

West also said he wanted Kris and that calmye [sic]  thought to mean her boyfriend Corey Gamble  nowhere near his children and claimed the Kardashian matriarch is refusing to take his calls.

He has also released a succession of cryptic messages insisting that none of his children will appear in Playboy magazine  unlike their mother, who has.

It comes during a busy week for the family. Kanye West, 43, has sparked concern in recent days with a string of erratic social media posts and a bizarre appearance at a rally for his presidential campaign in South Carolina - during which he wept hysterically

Kim, who is reportedly devastated by his comments, eventually released a statement on Wednesday morning, asking for understanding for West and acknowledging his mental illness.

In it, she said her family is powerless to help the brilliant but complicated rapper as he struggles with bi-polar disorder.

The reality star also said 'his words sometimes do not align with his intentions' following Wests claims he has been 'trying to get divorced' from Kim since she met Meek Mill at a hotel.

She said: 'I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions.

He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder.

'Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions.'

She was photographed later the same day filming a segment for Keeping Up With The Kardashians, along with sister Khloe, 35, and her ex-boyfriend Tristan Thompson.

West remains in Wyoming and was due to release a new album called Donda after his late mother on Friday.

He eventually decided to postpone the release after arch nemesis Taylor Swift released a surprise album on Thursday night which went straight to number one on the Billboard 100.
VIRGINIA  After receiving some opposition during Junes Zoning Board of Appeals meeting before it passed on a 5-2 vote, a Cass County solar project proposed by Savion Energy will move ahead.

The county board approved the project July 13.

The board unanimously approved Cass County Solar LLC after a fourth presentation by Savion Energy.

Board Chairman Michael Barnett said the solar project will be a large one for the county.

Were told itll be the third largest solar farm in the country and the largest in the state of Illinois, Barnett said.

Savion is proposing a 150-megawatt project that will cover roughly 1,500 acres or less of farmland near Edgehill Road. The project has a life expectancy of 30 years and would create from two to five permanent jobs.

During a presentation to the Zoning Board of Appeals, Courtney Timmons, project developer for Savion Energy, said the project is expected to cost between $100 million and $150 million and generate from $15 million to $20 million in tax revenue during its life, according to the company.

Timmons said the panels housed on the site would collect light from the sun and any reflected light from the ground, using it to generate electricity that will be transferred onto an existing grid.

Itll generate enough to power 22,000 average homes, Timmons said.

Barnett said from 60% to 65% of the tax revenue generated from the project will go to the Beardstown school district, though Beardstown, Cass County and several other taxing bodies in the county also will get some of the revenue.

Locally, its a great deal of income to numerous generational farm families that are leasing their land, Barnett said. Itll also generate a lot of tax revenue.

Now that the project has been approved by the board, Savion will need to find a utility or other buyer for the project prior to the start of construction.

Once that happens, construction could begin in 2021 with the farm expected to be operational by 2022, Timmons said.

All agreements and permits transfer to the buyer, Timmons said. They will have to abide by any contracts and agreements.
IAG chief Willie Walsh was due to retire in June but delayed his departure when the crisis hit

Aer Lingus owner IAG is looking at raising as much as 2.75bn in a share sale to help strengthen its balance sheet and ride out the coronavirus crisis.

The London-based group, which also owns Spain's Iberia and British Airways, said yesterday that it may opt for a rights issue, though no final decision has been taken.

While airlines worldwide are suffering after the pandemic upended travel, the premium markets on which IAG relies may be among the last to recover as economies stumble and people shun long-haul flights. The company also hasn't received the billions in aid pumped into rivals Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Air France-KLM, with help limited to furlough funds and state-backed loans.

IAG chief Willie Walsh was due to retire in June but delayed his departure when the crisis hit.

Given IAG's market value of about 4.39bn, the amount of money it aims to raise suggests the share count could more than double, leaving investors facing a choice between increasing their exposure or being substantially diluted, said analyst Daniel Roeska.

The course of action is still preferable to seeking a bailout, according to Mr Roeska, who said in a note that "private money rather than a government stake would allow the company to maintain strategic freedom".

IAG shares closed 4.8pc lower in London, extending the decline this year to 68pc.

The fundraising could take place in September, according to a person with knowledge of the group's plans who asked not to be named discussing the matter. Bloomberg reported last month that IAG was working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley on plans to boost liquidity.

High coronavirus infection rates in the US are delaying a recovery in the lucrative North Atlantic market. While IAG had cash and undrawn facilities of 10bn as of April 30, Mr Roeska said the carrier may be concerned about that trend, or that its cash burn could be worse than expected.

IAG also said yesterday it had renewed an air-miles deal with credit card giant American Express, adding 750m (824m) to its coffers. It is also cutting thousands of jobs and retiring older planes to slash maintenance costs.

Bloomberg
Broadcaster John Humphrys has started declaring his political views after three decades working on BBC Radio 4s Today programme (Jeff Overs/BBC)

Former Today programme presenter John Humphrys has revealed he is not a fan of Boris Johnson.

Mr Humphrys was a presenter on BBC Radio 4s flagship programme for more than 30 years until he stood down last year, and has since taken up presenting a weekly show on Classic FM and work as a columnist.

Having had to keep tight-lipped about his personal views for three decades due to the state broadcasters impartiality rules, Mr Humphrys is now free to divulge his true feelings, including about the Prime Minister.

I've not been a fan of Johnson... I can say that now, I couldn't say that a year ago, could I? John Humphrys

During an interview with Times Radio, due to be broadcast on Sunday, Mr Humphrys was asked whether he had voted for the current Number 10 incumbent.

No, I didnt vote for Johnson, said the combative interviewer.

Ive not been a fan of Johnson I can say that now, I couldnt say that a year ago, could I?

I dont trust him. Apart from anything else, I dont trust him and you have to be able to trust politicians.

Theres a lovely old Welsh expression, Im not allowed to use it because this is public broadcasting, but hes full of something; something and wind.

Hes great at the bluster bit but hes not too good when it comes to delivering.

Expand Close Ex-Today presenter John Humprhys said he did not admire the Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Andrew Milligan/PA) / Facebook

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The Mastermind presenter said he could not see that the Conservative Party leader had gained from his upbringing and private school education.

His background is, for somebody like me a working class boy and all that, anathema, he added.

You know, he had all the benefits, all the advantages of going to the finest school in the world, if thats what Eton really is and a wonderful university, all the rest of it.

I cant quite see what he gained from all that. Hes not a man I hugely admire, lets put it like that.

But the Daily Mail columnist said it was complete rubbish that he had a dislike for all politicians.

He added: I mean, they are people and some of them are jolly good people who go into politics to try to make the world a better place.

I voted remain and felt fairly strongly about it John Humphrys

And some of them are tossers, just like the rest of the human race.

Mr Humphrys reiterated during the interview that he voted Remain during the 2016 European referendum, an admission he first made in his autobiography published last year, A Day Like Today.

Despite facing complaints that he was guilty of pro-Brexit bias during his Today tenure, he told Times Radio about how, after growing up in the post-war period, he had become convinced a common market would help sustain peace between nations.

I voted Remain and felt fairly strongly about it, he continued.

But obviously I hope it didnt show. I did my job, I hope, which is to question both sides with equal vim and vigour and all the rest of it.
Liverpool are reportedly ready to turn to La Liga to flesh out their defensive ranks by registering their interest in Real Betis full-back Aissa Mandi.

Reports in Spain suggest the newly crowned Premier League champions are monitoring the situation of the 28-year-old Algeria international.

With the player entering the final year of his contract it would be a 'miracle' if Mandi agrees to stay on with Betis, as report Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo.

Real Betis defender Aissa Mandi is reportedly being monitored by champions Liverpool

Now Liverpool's famed recruitment department are said to have been put on alert as a result, sensing a cut-price deal can be done.

Mandi could be available for as little as 10million as Betis look to raise funds following the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the disruption it has caused.

Jurgen Klopp's side are in the market for defensive reinforcements this summer, as they search for experienced cover for flying full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The 28-year-old, seen challenging Barcelona's Sergio Busquets, has one year left on his deal

Mandi's versatility is believed to be an attractive proposition for the Reds, who also value cover at the centre of defence.

The Merseyside club are set to lose Dejan Lovren this summer, with the Croatian in the processing of finalising his 10.9m move to Zenit St Petersburg.

Steve Bruce's Newcastle are also said to be monitoring the availability of Mandi, who has been at Betis since 2016.

The 28-year-old has 29 La Liga appearances to his name this season, along with one outing in the Copa Del Rey.

Liverpool are looking out for defensive cover for Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold

In February, Mandi featured as centre back for Betis and captained the club in a five-goal thriller against Barcelona.

Betis twice took the lead in the match, though a late Barca rally and a Clement Lenglet header saw the Catalan giants steal a 3-2 victory.

Betis have struggled this season and finished a disappointing 15th in the Spanish top flight, with 41 points from 38 matches played.
Paris, France (PANA) - France has condemned "in the strongest terms" the assassination last Wednesday of five civilians, three of them working for international humanitarian organizations, by an armed group in northeastern Nigeria
French investigative news site Mediapart found the former spy chief hiding in Orleans, about 100km southwest of Paris.

France has opened an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity by a top former Rwandan military official, Aloys Ntiwiragabo, during the countrys 1994 genocide that killed at least 800,000 people.

Prosecutors said on Saturday a preliminary investigation was opened after Ntiwiragabo was found hiding in the suburbs of the city of Orleans, about 100km (62 miles) southwest of Paris.

French investigative news site Mediapart tracked down the former Rwandan spy chief, who was identified by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) as one of the architects of the genocide.

Neither the ICTR, Interpol, France nor Rwanda were actively seeking him now and had dropped arrest warrants years ago.

The revelation of his whereabouts comes barely two months after another suspected genocide architect, Felicien Kabuga, was arrested on the fringes of Paris.

Kabuga, who evaded police in several countries for 25 years, is accused of financing the genocide.

Kabuga had asked for a trial in France, citing frail health and claiming the United Nations court in Africa would be biased against him, and possibly hand him over to Rwandan authorities.

France has long been known as a hiding place for wanted genocide suspects and French investigators currently have dozens of cases under way.

A plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana, from Rwandas Hutu majority, was shot down in Kigali on April 6, 1994, unleashing the killing spree that would leave mainly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus dead.
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Armed troops guard COVID hospitals View(s):

Police, Army and Air Force personnel have now been deployed to work with security staff of hospitals where COVID-19 infected patients are under treatment. Accordingly, 39 officers were deployed at Angodas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) while 40 were assigned to the Welikanda Hospital. Security forces and police have also been deployed at the Mulleriyawa and Negombo Base Hospitals. Meanwhile, police found that the patient who escaped from the NIID on Friday had stolen a bicycle from a house nearby. He had also changed clothes at another house. Police said he would be charged under the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance and the Penal Code. Our picture shows the side entrance of the NIID being guarded by Army soldiers. Pic by M.D. Nissanka
To the editor:

In his July 16 letter to the editor, Michigan Senator Jim Stamas roundly attacked Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for failing to anticipate the effects of her stay-at-home order on Michigan jobs and economy, failing to make sure people who lost jobs received enough help, and failing to protect vulnerable nursing home residents.

Hindsight is so very convenient, especially for a congress that sat on its hands and took potshots during the depths of this crisis. I'm grateful that Gov. Whitmer acted decisively and quickly when Michigan had the third highest rates of COVID-19 in the country. Even while the president was attacking her from Washington, while offering virtually no support. I'm glad she assembled a broad team of medical experts and business leaders and followed the science in her decision-making. I'm really glad she stood up to the armed protesters in Lansing who were demanding their "freedom" not to wear masks and not to stay at home. (I guess masks are a thing now that this president has so decreed.)

Mr. Stamas also grossly mischaracterizes Gov. Whitmer's nursing home order, which, again, was made in the depths of this crisis. Nursing homes weren't "forced" to take COVID-19 patients. If they had a census below 80% and could provide an isolation unit and if the home felt capable of taking its own residents upon release from the hospital, then it must accept the return of that resident. The purpose was to relieve pressure on overcrowded hospitals.

Mr. Stamas's letter is yet another attempt to undermine this governor who has performed admirably under incredibly difficult circumstances. Did she make mistakes? Yes. Is the crisis over? Hardly. The real question is whether this Republican-led Legislature will lay its political animus aside and stop lobbing spitballs from the bleachers and actually work to make our lives better now and in the prolonged recovery period ahead.

Im not holding my breath.

KATE CONVISSOR

Midland
ROCKY RIVER, Ohio

Felonious assault: Yacht Club Drive

On July 19, officers were called to an area near the Cleveland Yachting Club (CYC) to investigate an assault complaint. When officers arrived, they found a woman covered in blood with head and facial injuries.

The woman reported being on a boat -- the Problem Child -- with four other people: two men and two women. She told officers that she decided to leave, as she was not getting along with the group. She said she left the boat, left the CYC, and began walking up Yacht Club Drive.

While calling another friend to request a ride, the two women who had been on the boat with her knocked her to the ground, punched her and slammed her head and face into the pavement. The woman was transported to a local hospital and treated for broken facial bones and a concussion.

Two women were later arrested for felonious assault.

Underage consumption: Riverdale Road

On July 15, officers responded to a noise complaint regarding a house party. As officers began to make contact, people started running from the residence.

The owner of the house was contacted. He said that no one was currently living there and that he had not given permission to anyone to enter the residence.

After further investigation, it was determined that the homeowners son had invited several friends over and was having a party. There were approximately 12 people in attendance, all younger than 21.

Officers discovered several backpacks and a cooler filled with beer, suspected marijuana and suspected marijuana edibles. Several teenagers were charged with underage consumption of alcohol.

Drunken driving: Detroit Road

On July 19, several people reported that a truck had hit a sign and the driver left. He was later reported to be seen at Rocky River Park driving in circles on the grass.

Officers found the truck with the driver driving around the parking lot, then on the path toward the playground. Officers made contact with the driver, later identified as a 46-year-old man from Cleveland.

He was uncooperative with officers and would not answer questions or participate in field sobriety testing. The truck he was driving, a 2014 Ford, had front-end damage. It was determined that he had also been involved in the hit/skip on Detroit Road, where he damaged three separate signs. He was arrested.

Read more news from the West Shore Sun.
- The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has indicated that there will be economic challenges in the year 2020 and beyond

- He explained that the outbreak of the coronavirus has negatively affected businesses and livelihoods worldwide

- The minister passed the comments when he presented the 2020 mid-year budget review in Parliament

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

The year 2020 and beyond will be filled with economic challenges for Ghana, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has predicted

According to him, this is mainly due to the impact of the outbreak of the coronavirus on the economy.

In his view, the coronavirus has negatively affected businesses and livelihoods all over the world and Ghana is no exception.

Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta Source: Pulse.com.gh

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Government is ready to protect jobs and businesses - Ken Ofori-Atta

The minister passed the comments as he presented the mid-year budget review in Parliament on Thursday, July 23, 2020.

An adomonline.com report reveals that he described COVID-19 more than just a health crisis.

He, however, expressed hope that there could be a possible revamp of the economy if the Akufo-Addo-led government is given four more years.

Ofori-Atta added that, given the possible challenges that lie ahead, Ghana would need a courageous and competent government to steer the affairs of the nation.

He further indicated that the present government has proven that since it assumed office almost four years ago.

In other news, Ken Ofori-Atta has also disclosed that Ghanas public debt stock currently stands at GHc255,727.1 billion.

Presenting the 2020 mid-year budget review in Parliament, he indicated that the outbreak of the coronavirus has led to the tightening of global financial conditions.

Notwithstanding, he went on, that Ghanas $3 billion International Capital Market financing was conducted in the first two months of the year 2020.

READ ALSO: Mid-year budget review will not fix the economy overnight - Economist

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Vox Pop: Ghanaians rate the performance of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's administration:

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Source: YEN.com.gh
Coronavirus in Colorado: Live updates for Saturday - D-11 unveils "return to learn plan"; US agency vows steps to address COVID-19 inequalities
By Francesco Guarascio

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is not interested in buying potential COVID-19 vaccines through an initiative co-led by the World Health Organisation as it deems it slow and high-cost, two EU sources told Reuters, noting the bloc was in talks with drugmakers for shots cheaper than $40.

The position shows the EU has only partly embraced a global approach in the race for COVID-19 vaccines as, while it is a top supporter of initiatives for worldwide equitable access, it prefers prioritising supplies for the EU population.

It could also deal a blow to the WHO-led COVAX initiative to secure vaccines for all.

"Using COVAX would lead to higher prices and later supplies," one of the two officials said.

The COVAX mechanism meant to buy vaccines in advance is targeting a $40 price for COVID vaccines for wealthy countries, the official said, adding the EU could buy at cheaper prices with its own scheme for upfront purchases.

A spokeswoman for GAVI, a public-private vaccine alliance which also co-leads the COVAX initiative, declined to comment on the $40 target, saying it was impossible at this stage to predict the exact price of future doses.

"Any pricing structure will need to reflect (the) at-risk investments in R&D and manufacturing necessary, as well as meet expectations that eventual vaccines are made available during the acute phase of the pandemic as a global good," she said.

The WHO had no immediate comment.

On Wednesday, Pfizer <PFE.N> and BioNtech <22UAy.F> said the U.S. government had agreed to pay nearly $2 billion to secure their potential COVID-19 shot which, if successful, would be used to vaccinate 50 million people at a price of about $40 dollar per person.

The EU is currently in talks with several drugmakers to secure in advance their potential vaccines against the coronavirus, officials told Reuters last week.

These possible deals would be financed with about 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) from an EU rainy-day fund known as Emergency Support Instrument (ESI), officials said.

Story continues

The EU also wants to secure vaccines by the end of the year, should they be available. This timetable "is not feasible" for COVAX, one official said.

PARALLEL TRACKS

The European Commission, which is the bloc's executive arm and leads EU talks with drugmakers, has advised EU states to join COVAX if they wish, but not for buying vaccines, the official said. A Commission spokesman declined to comment.

An official said joining the two initiatives may not be legally feasible, as EU states have accepted an exclusivity clause when they backed the EU advance purchase scheme.

Some EU states have expressed interest in joining COVAX but have not yet signed up.

The EU has been a keen supporter of global initiatives to secure vaccines for all. It has promoted two global fund-raising campaigns that have so far raised nearly $19 billion, of which three quarters came from EU states and institutions, to help develop COVID-19 vaccines and ensure equitable access.

However, taken aback by U.S. moves to secure potential vaccines and drugs, the EU has recently taken a more assertive role in the global race.

If COVID-19 vaccines prove effective in trials they are unlikely to be immediately available in large amounts. Buying them for the EU population could thus temporarily deprive poorer countries of doses.

The official said however that the two tracks to buy vaccines remained complementary, but added, "budgets are limited".

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio; Additional reporting by Kate Kelland in London; Editing by Frances Kerry and Hugh Lawson)
The Boston Celtics played their first scrimmage yesterday without Kemba Walker, which was expected, and without Romeo Langford, which was not. Both players returned to practice on Saturday, though, and both fully participated.

Both doing well. Romeo practiced, went full, looked good. Kemba looked great, Brad Stevens told the media in a post-practice video conference. Kemba did everything in practice. We didnt go very long, we only played in the halfcourt, but hes got a burst. His burst is back. He looks good.

That is certainly welcome news for people who have been worrying about Walkers knee since it was revealed that his pain had returned. Walker said earlier this week that the plan in place to strengthen his knee seems to be working, and that apparently continues to be the case. The next question is when Walker can take the floor for a game.

I think hes healthy enough to play, its just a matter of whether the days balance themselves out right according to our training staff and Kemba with regard to getting ready for seeding games, Stevens said.

The Celtics next scrimmage is tomorrow afternoon at 1:30.

Langford missed the first game with a stomach issue, which, considering the situation, immediately causes some concern.

Obviously, antennas go up right now and around here whenever you have that, Stevens said after yestrdays game. We just decided to keep him back. Sounds like hes doing better and that was it.

A source early today confirmed to MassLives Tom Westerholm that Langfords illness was minor and was not related to COVID-19. Langford is one of the players looking to make an impact on the Celtics rotation. The team might use some of these early games to take a look at him with regular rotation guys in case hes needed when Gordon Hayward leaves the team to be with his wife as she gives birth to the familys first son.

For now, the rotation is a work in progress.

Well see. One of the things we will do is I know there are five guys that will play a ton and then beyond that it will be how guys are playing, who brings out the best in those five, and it may also be matchup based, Stevens said. Obviously when you get to the playoffs, but even in some of the seeding games. So I dont know that you can discern a regular rotation from any of these games.

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In a troubling sign of the times, the popular doughnut shop Doughnut Plant announced their decision to close all of their shops, at least through August, this past week. They write, via Instagram:

We are making a difficult but necessary decision today: Our shops will be closed starting tomorrow, Wednesday 7/22, through at least August, to allow us to better understand what is needed to operate in the midst of this pandemic. Weve been working around the clock to keep serving our offerings to our loyal Doughnut Plat customers. We cannot begin to express how grateful we are for all of your support during this time. But with the current circumstances, its time for us to take another pause. We appreciate your understanding. This is not goodbye! We plan to come back stronger and continue delivering deliciousness.

After explaining to multiple commenters how challenging the loss of foot traffic has been at their various locations they also posted a rallying call with another Instagram post, writing:
A friend of PC Andrew Harper has said he is bitterly disappointed by the manslaughter verdict for three teenagers who killed the newlywed officer.

Andy Ledbury, a family friend who employed PC Harper at a roofing business when he was 18, said: 'To say I'm shocked and disappointed would be a huge understatement.'

He further said that the trio 'knew exactly what they were doing' as they dragged the constable to his death.

Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole hugged each other yesterday as they were cleared of murdering the police officer by dragging him to his death behind their car - but were convicted of manslaughter.

The verdict left PC Harper's widow, Lissie, 'immensely disappointed' and sparked fury from his friends and colleagues.

The 28-year-old officer had tried to stop the thieves stealing a quad bike and his ankles were lassoed by the trailing loading strap as the teenagers tried to escape in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August last year.

For over a mile he was towed helplessly behind the Seat Toledo by his feet as the car reached speeds of up to 60mph with driver Long, 19, swerving violently to try and release the stricken officer.

Long and his two friends Bowers and Cole, both 18, were all accused of murder but convicted only of manslaughter and were seen joyfully embracing each other via a videolink from HMP Belmarsh in London.

A jury's decision to clear the three travellers who killed PC Andrew Harper, pictured, has been slammed

Police mugshots of (left to right), driver Henry Long, 19, and his passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18

PC Andrew Harper and his wife Lissie celebrating their wedding at Ardington House in Oxfordshire in summer 2019

Lissie Harper (centre, in white), the widow of PC Harper, outside the Old Bailey in London yesterday. She said she was 'immensely disappointed' that the three teenagers were cleared of murder, describing the crime as 'barbaric'

How jury was protected amid fears of intimidation - and one was dismissed after mouthing 'Bye boys' to the defendants The PC Andrew Harper case was dogged by alleged attempts to 'frustrate' the investigation and fears over jury nobbling, it can now be reported. Detectives quickly tracked down the car which dragged PC Harper to his death in Berkshire to the Four Houses Corner travellers' site. But the investigation was hampered by family and friends of the occupants, who were all said to have close ties to the site. Thames Valley Police Detective Superintendent Stuart Blaik said: 'A decision was taken very early on to arrest all the males on the site that night. While we were frustrated by family and friends, we have been able to work through that and establish exactly what happened and who was involved.' Supporters of the teenagers - Henry Long, 19, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18 - had crowded into the public gallery of the Old Bailey as the case got under way in March. But no sooner had it started, Mr Justice Edis brought the trial to a halt over an alleged potential plot to intimidate jurors. An unidentified person in the public gallery overlooking the courtroom was seen pointing at jurors. Defence barrister Timothy Raggatt QC dismissed the incident as 'a touch oversensitive'. In the absence of the jury, he said: 'In the circumstances, someone could be pointing for all sorts of reasons. Take, for example, there appear to be a lot of ladies in this court.' But Mr Justice Edis ordered extra security measures to protect the jury. Without divulging details, he said police had received information 'that an attempt is being considered by associates of the defendants to intimidate the jury'. The jury was provided with a private room, and anyone entering the public gallery was asked to provide proof of their identity. A third measure was kept secret. On the day the nation went into lockdown, the original jury was discharged. When the case returned for retrial in June, social distancing in court was introduced to combat the risk of Covid-19 and security was further stepped up. Jurors were referred to by number rather than their name to be sworn in. And uniformed police were out in force during a jury visit to rural Berkshire. Officers lined the narrow country roads as the jury viewed the spot where PC Harper was killed. A police drone buzzed overhead as detectives jump-started the defendants' battered old Seat Toledo as the jury moved on. With the end of the retrial in sight, fears for its integrity surfaced on July 20. An overly friendly juror was seen by a prison officer to mouth 'Bye boys' to the defendants in the dock. On being alerted to the incident, Mr Justice Edis said: 'She must have been compelled by some strong motive to have behaved as she did in this court under the observation of so many. It was both overt and covert at the time, which is remarkable behaviour.' The female juror was discharged just a day before the remaining 11 men and women began deliberating on their verdicts. Advertisement

Mr Ledbury told BBC Radio Four's Today Programme: 'For me it was never a question of whether it would be murder or manslaughter it was a question of how many of them would be prosecuted for murder.

'The more evidence you hear, the more it's clear they knew exactly what they were doing and they were just preoccupied with their escape at all costs.'

Despite the verdict, he made clear his view that: 'This was murder and will not in any way take away the pain of what's happened, it's about justice and for those that committed the crime.

'As it stands at the moment it's not showing much in the way of support for our police force which need it now more than ever.

Meanwhile it can now be reported that the jury were given special protection by police because detectives believed associates of the defendants were planning to intimidate them.

PC Harper had married just four weeks before he was flayed alive by the surface of Admoor Lane and the obstacles at the side of it.

Parts of his body including his face were destroyed and the details of the opening of the trial were so terrible that his family took the unprecedented step of asking the media not to report them.

When the body was discovered by his colleagues after he had fallen away from the sling he was completely naked except for his socks.

A snaking trail of blood behind him marked the course of his body down the lane. His widow was joined in court by his parents Phil Harper and Debbie Adlam and his brother Sean.

Long admitted manslaughter but was acquitted of murder. Bowers and Cole were convicted of manslaughter after the jury deliberated for 12 hours and 22 minutes to decide.

Jurors who were visibly shocked by the details of the case had been offered counselling before the trial began.

All the police officers involved in the discovery of his body were also advised to seek help to deal with the trauma of the case.

When he was arrested at the Four Houses Corner travellers site in Ufton Nervet, Berkshire, Long claimed he had been watching a Fast and Furious DVD at the time of the killing.

He complained police were unfairly targeting travellers and said: 'I don't give a f*** about any of this,' when he was charged.

Long, Bowers and Cole, spent most of their time chasing rabbits and hares with their lurcher dogs and scratched a living by burglary and theft.

They had spotted the Honda TRX500 quad bike at the home of Peter Wallis, near Cock Lane, in the village of Bradfield Southend, earlier on August 15 and returned at around 11pm to steal it.

All of them were wearing balaclavas and gloves and they had taped over the car's number plate and disabled the rear lights.

The killers were armed with an axe, crowbars and a length of pipe to use against anyone who tried to stop them.

Mr Wallis called the police saw them taking the bike and hitching the handlebars to the back of the car with the sling.

Long drove off with Bowers in the passenger seat and Cole riding the bike.

PC Harper was in an unmarked BMW with PC Andrew Shaw and was due to finish his shift at 7pm.

The officers were on duty that night in the Reading area and were heading back to their base station at Abingdon when they heard of the incident on the radio and responded to the call.

It was a decision that was to cost PC Harper his life.

When they drove down Admoor Lane they came nose to nose with the Seat going the other way.

The travellers quickly realised it was a police car and Cole unhitched the bike and tried to get to the Seat as it rounded the police car to drive away.

PC Harper jumped out to try and stop Cole getting into the car but he managed to dive in through the passenger side window.

As the car sped away dragging the sling, PC Harper's feet became entangled. Mercifully, he was likely to have been rendered unconscious almost immediately.

PC Shaw had no idea what had happened to his colleague and expected to find him further up the road. But as he reversed up the lane he found PC Harper's shredded and bloodied stab vest lying in the road.

The court was told Long must have known he was dragging the officer and with the music blaring and his friends screaming at him, he tried to free PC Harper by zig zagging along the lane.

By the time the officer fell away from the car at the end of Ufton Lane his body was a 'bloodied mess'.

A police officer who saw the incident thought PC Harper's body was a deer carcass.

Albert Bowers (left) and Jessie Cole (centre) leaving Reading Magistrates' Court on September 19, 2019

Albert Bowers arriving at Reading Magistrates' Court on September 19, 2019 for an appearance over PC Harper's death

The Seat Toledo with tow rope and the police car in a similar position at the site of the meeting of the vehicles during the Old Bailey jury site visit to the scene in Sulhamstead on July 1

The stolen quad bike is pictured during the Old Bailey jury site visit to the scene in Sulhamstead on July 1, 2020

This is the moment Henry Long, one of the teenagers who killed PC Andrew Harper asks a police officer arresting him over the death: 'Does it look like I've done a murder?'

The Seat sped away to the travellers site causing other road users to drive into the verge to avoid a collision.

It was tracked by a police helicopter and the travellers were arrested at the site.

Long, Bowers and Cole all admitted conspiracy to steal a quad bike and Long admitted manslaughter.

They insisted they had no idea that PC Harper was trapped behind the car but a macabre re-enactment of the incident with a mannequin showed they must have known the officer was being dragged to his death.

During the trial Long, Bowers and Cole smirked and laughed as details of PC Harper's horrific death were read to the jury.

It can now be reported that Long had previously threatened to 'ram' a police officer as he chatted with a police community support officer (PCSO).

In the conversation in July 2018, ruled inadmissible during the trial, Long said: 'You can't touch me now 'cos I've passed my driving test and if police try to stop me I will ram them.'

Long and Bowers, both of Mortimer, Reading, and Cole, of Bramley, Hampshire, each denied murder and were acquitted.

They will be sentenced next Friday.

Thomas King, 21, of Bramley, earlier admitted conspiring to steal the quad bike.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  Barrier-related accidents are due to the faulty materials used by motorcycle riders, a government official said Saturday.

Inimbestigahan po namin ang reports ng mga aksidenteng iyan at lumalabas po faulty ang ginamit na barrier ng ilan sa ating kababayan, Department of Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said in a briefing.

[Translation: We investigated reports of accidents involving motorcycle barriers and findings revealed that some of our fellow Filipinos used a faulty barrier.]

Malaya was referring to a viral post showing the damaged barrier of a rider after an accident. The official said the person involved installed a glass barrier, which he pointed out, is wrong. He stressed that transparent plastic shield or something similar should have been used.

The National Task Force Against COVID-19 prescribes two barrier prototypes.

The first design was proposed by Bohol Governor Arthur Yap which uses an acrylic barrier held by a steel frame attached to passenger foot pegs while the second one is the backpack-like design of ride-hailing firm Angkas.

Experts earlier warned that installing barriers could cause accidents as the approved designs are not compatible with all types of motorcycles. They added that shields pose a danger because of its effect on aerodynamics while motorists are on transit.

Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, Inc. said wearing helmets and face masks or balaclava is already an excellent measure in preventing infection.

Authorities allowed back riding for spouses and live-in partners on July 10 due to the clamor, subject to conditions. Couples should place a barrier on their motorcycle, wear face masks and helmet as well as show proof they share the same address at quarantine control points.
Hurricane Douglas, the strongest storm on the planet today, is moving towards Hawaii and is expected to reach the island on Saturday evening or early Sunday morning.

Hurricane Douglas has reached Category 4 on Friday. This made Douglas as the strongest storm on the planet so far. Then it began to weaken as the hours progressed. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu said the hurricane will continue to weaken as it reaches Hawaii.

The weather agency noted that from Category 4, it will likely fall into Category 1 or a strong tropical storm by Saturday evening or early Sunday morning. However, forecasters said the Hawaiian island should continue monitoring the storm.

Even though the hurricane is showing signs to weaken, the weather agency warned that there is an increased chance of strong winds, dangerous surf, and heavy rainfall that could affect some portions of the island on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

Douglas is currently at Category 3 with sustained winds of 115 mph that extends 25 miles from the center of the storm. A hurricane watch has already been issued for Hawaii and for Maui County, which includes the islands of Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, and Lanai.

The weather agency is expecting the storm to reach Hawaii as early as Saturday and will bring between six to 10 inches of rain in some portions of the islands. A maximum of 15 inches of rain or higher is also possible.

Meanwhile, forecasters said Douglas is more likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions for several days. They further noted that most forecast models showed that Douglas will move directly toward the island of Hawaii.

Right now, forecasters said that what is important is not to focus on the center of the forecast track. But they noted that everyone should know that the storm could hit anywhere within the forecast cone issued by the hurricane center.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 22:42:34|Editor: huaxia

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LISBON, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese government announced on Saturday that it will invest 1.8 million euros (2.09 million U.S. dollars) from the European Social Fund to help homeless people.

According to a joint statement from several government agencies, the estimate is "that 660 people without shelter are supported and accompanied."

Seven projects financed by the Lisbon 2020 Regional Operational Program will receive the investment in seven municipalities in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area until the end of July.

It is planned to hire "29 new technicians for the fieldwork, follow-up and monitoring teams" and to develop actions to promote "employability and professional insertion." "Case managers" will also be constituted to ensure "psychosocial support."

Saturday marks the third anniversary of the National Strategy for the Integration of People in Homeless Situations (ENIPSSA), a project that will continue until 2023. Enditem
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Mask up Tamil Nadu or cough up Rs 500

This Tamil Nadu couple to host Hogwarts-themed virtual wedding reception in Metaverse

Tamil Nadu crosses 2 lakh COVID-19 cases mark with 6988 fresh infections

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, July 25: Tamil Nadu on Saturday breached the grim milestone of two lakh Coronavirus cases with the biggest daily spike of 6,988 fresh infections, pushing the tally to 2,06,737. The death toll climbed to 3,409 with 89 fatalities.

The number of those discharged today after recovery was 7,758, taking the recoveries to 1,51,055, a health department bulletin said.

Over 3,000 COVID-19 patients 'untraceable' in Bengaluru, search underway

Continuing with the aggressive testing, health workers tested 64,315 samples,pushing the aggregate to 22,87,334.

Chennai reported 1,329 new cases, and the state capital's tally stood at 93,537.
On the night of April 4, 1968, John Lewis was in Indianapolis, working on Sen. Robert F. Kennedys presidential campaign, when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis.

He listened as Kennedy, standing atop a flatbed truck, broke the news of Kings murder to a predominantly Black audience. It was a remarkable and moving extemporaneous speech that sent the crowd home in stunned and peaceful silence as other cities erupted in violence.

I was thinking, Lewis told me in an interview in 2008, maybe Dr. King was gone, but we still had Bobby Kennedy.

Kennedy was assassinated two months after King.

Lewis had said something similar in articles Id read.

Over the years, whenever a veteran of the civil rights movement passed away  Coretta Scott King, Fred Shuttlesworth, Dorothy Cotton, Joseph Lowery  that comment would come to mind, and Id think, We still have John Lewis. We also had, and still do, the likes of Andrew Young, Diane Nash and Bob Moses.

On the afternoon of July 17, after reading that another civil rights movement giant, C.T. Vivian, died that day, I thought, again, We still have John Lewis.

Until, we didnt, when Lewis died later that night.

He was 80, a remarkable age for a man so often photographed beaten, bruised, bandaged and brought into custody. Find another person whose abuse at the hands of mobs and the billy clubs of police is as prolifically documented on film.

On ExpressNews.com: Popovich recalls John Lewis as leader who tried to make America live up to its promises

Find another American whose wounds and public suffering from Nashville, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., Rock Hill, S.C., and Selma, Ala., mirror the datelines of a movement struggling to correct a nations sins.

John Lewis redemptive suffering was so often on display because his belief in the ideals this nation professed was stronger than his fear of losing his life trying to make the nation live by them.

Reflecting on King, his mentor, and Kennedy, his hope for the nation, Lewis said, Something died in us in 1968 with the deaths of these two young men. Well never get over it. If theyd lived, this country would be much further down the road towards what Dr. King called the Beloved Community and towards a truly interracial democracy.

And yet, were further down the road because Lewis lived to model for us the behavior needed to create the Beloved Community and interracial democracy.

Before that 2008 interview, Id met Lewis twice. The second time was at the San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. March in 2001 when I introduced him as the keynote speaker.

The first time was in August 1984 when I and four other interns from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change gathered at his home with Lewis and his wife, Lillian, a woman as gracious and inspiring as her husband.

At the time, Lewis was an Atlanta city councilman, two years from being elected to Congress. I knew about Lewis, but I didnt know of Lewis. I dont remember much about that nights conversation, but I do remember leaving his house believing he was unlike anyone Id met.

Ive been in the presence, and have known well, people who radiate goodness and live on a higher spiritual plane.

Lewis is the only person Ive encountered with whom I felt I was in the presence of a saint. For years, Ive privately referred to him as a saint. I would hesitate to publicly call him that but for hearing historian Jon Meacham, who has a book on Lewis coming out in October, also use the s word.

Lewis wasnt charismatic or mellifluous, although he was a riveting and moving orator. His power was in his being, his moral presence, and the grace and love he exuded. To call him a saint or saintly isnt to hail him as perfect and deny his flaws (all saints were flawed), but its to recognize his uncommon decency and his extraordinary capacity for forgiveness and forbearance.

John Lewis practiced humanity better than most of us. He embodied Kings definition of nonviolence as love in action, a love for humanity so strong that it refused to cooperate with any form of hatred, violence or indignity that scarred lives and souls, and separated people from justice.

To honor Lewis is to continue his march toward bridging the gap between this nations aspirations of what it can be and what it is.

What Lewis said of King can be said of him: He taught us how to love, he taught us nonviolence. He liberated a nation and is one of the founding fathers of the new America. He started us on the journey towards reconciliation. Were still on that journey.

Cary.Clack@express-news.net
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  The Philippine National Police has set the record straight on whether drivers should wear face masks when theyre alone in a vehicle.

PNP Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac clarified in an online media briefing that a solo driver is still required to wear a mask inside open vehicles such as jeepneys and trucks with windows rolled down.

Kapag nagmamaneho na single at bukas 'yung kanyang cabin, bukas 'yung bintana, free air or open air at walang gamit po na face mask, ay kabilang po yan sa masisita at maaaresto, Banac said.

[Translation: When a person is driving alone and the cabin and windows are open, free air or open air, and hes not wearing a face mask, hes among those who can be apprehended and arrested.]

Banac told CNN Philippines in a text message that the violator will be arrested and penalized based on the ordinance approved by the local government unit where the arrest took place.

The Department of Interior and Local Government is proposing uniform rules nationwide, which include imprisonment of up to 30 days and fine of up to 5,000 for those caught not wearing a face mask or disregarding social distancing.

Meanwhile, motorists driving their closed cars may not wear face masks, but only if theres no other passenger.

Pag may kasama na po sa loob, meron siyang passenger, mandatory po na kailangan talaga may gamit na face mask, Banac said.

[Translation: When theres someone else inside, when theres a passenger, the use of face mask becomes mandatory.]

The government is requiring everyone to wear face masks when leaving their homes to prevent further spread of the coronavirus disease. The viral illness has infected more than 76,000 people across the country.
Kristin Austin, her husband Cerick Austin, daughter Camryn, and sons 9, Callen, 5, and Cerick Jr. 11, at their home in West Chester. Read more

Call them pandemic pods.

Middle-class and affluent parents are pooling resources and gathering small groups of children to learn at home this fall, with school reopening plans a question mark, child-care solutions unclear, and coronavirus cases rising in some areas. Very quickly, a new industry is being born around the Philadelphia region and nationally  along with worries about deepening inequalities.

It could transform the educational landscape.

Kristin Austin and her husband work full time, worry about what in-person school might look like in the age of COVID-19, and want to be prepared for a year that may rely heavily on virtual instruction for their three children. So Austin, a West Chester higher-education administrator, recently posted what felt like an awkward dating ad on Facebook, seeking families to share in the costs of a private tutor.

In just five days, 600 people joined a group she created, and Austin found one compatible family and another potential match.

If our children are going to go to school together in a pod ... thats actually more intimate than traditional school, said Austin, whose post described a series of key details: the super high energy levels of her 5-, 9-, and 11-year-old children, their interests, the familys Christian faith, and their desire to find an antiracist family.

Given her professional background, Austin has access to educators she might hire. The family she and her husband plan to partner with has space at their home suitable for small-group instruction. She tentatively plans on sending her youngest to in-person school, then dropping her older kids off at the partner familys house for learning, probably between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day.

Like some others evaluating pod approaches, Austin acknowledged shes exercising a choice that less fortunate parents wont have the luxury of making. She said she hopes that by keeping her children physically out of school buildings but still enrolled in the public school system, there will be more space in classrooms for children whose parents dont have the same options.

 READ MORE: Phillys school reopening plan is put on hold after an outcry: We should not have to teach students to death

How many families ultimately form learning pods remains to be seen, as does whether they remain enrolled in school districts  or opt out entirely. Many parents are waiting for districts to release fall plans, or anticipating changes as the school year draws closer.

While local districts that have announced or have been discussing plans say they intend to offer at least some in-person instruction, parents considering hiring tutors are looking for help for the days their children would be learning at home under hybrid programs. In some cases, families are planning to not send their children to school, either out of health concerns or in anticipation that buildings may soon be forced to close down.

Pods for child care or socialization, rather than for academics, can be useful without necessarily exacerbating inequality, said Jessica Calarco, an Indiana University sociologist who studies schools and inequality. But parents using them to give their children a higher level of education than public schools are able to provide right now makes her uneasy.

That mind-set, especially in the middle of a pandemic, becomes problematic, Calarco said. We know that this crisis is creating inequities.

Low-income kids, Black students, children with special needs, and English-language learners were hit harder by the sudden shift to emergency remote learning forced by the coronavirus. They were affected by gaps in technology, and more likely to go weeks without instruction, as was the case in Philadelphia this spring.

Dieynaba Diaw, the mother of three children who attend Penn Alexander School in the Philadelphia School District, has no idea how shell manage her childrens schedule in the fall. Both Diaw and her husband work, and are immigrants, with no local family to help out. Pods are a nice idea, she said.

But that wouldnt be an option for me, she said. I couldnt pay for it.

In fact, Diaw, a preschool teacher, is considering quitting her job and providing child care and tutoring to another family if shes able to take her children along, she said.

 READ MORE: We wouldnt shut down: How the Class of 2020 is grappling with what was lost due to coronavirus

Jessica McCollum, another Penn Alexander parent, is not looking to form a pod; shes a Philadelphia School District teacher who could be working outside the home come September, but giving her kids a leg up doesnt feel fair, she said.

The education for kids who dont have resources is already a problem, and this could make it worse, said McCollum. Well just use as much supports as the school can provide.

Elaine Zelley, a college professor who lives in Phoenixville, is watching the trend of coronavirus cases in the region  and considering partnering with other families to hire a tutor for her younger child, an incoming first grader, who might enroll in the districts virtual program.

Im a big supporter of the public school system and we want to stick with it, Zelley said, by opting for the districts virtual program. But when school went remote this spring, she said, her child didnt respond well to learning from her, or by a computer.

She also struggled to get her own work done, given that her son generally wanted attention and to talk about his schoolwork while she was trying to prep and teach classes and grade papers.

Zelley talked to other neighborhood mothers about potentially hiring a tutor, discussing expectations along with what each is willing to spend. She acknowledged that not all families can afford tutoring but suggested a local foundation could play a role connecting families to resources.

That parents are forming pods shows basic problems with poorly funded public education and social support systems, said Tanji Reed Marshall, director of P-12 Practice for the Education Trust, a nonprofit that focuses on achievement gaps.

We wouldnt even be having these conversation if funding was equitable, Reed Marshall said. In the wake of this existing structure, people are making other decisions.

Adrienne Cornwall is concerned about sending her children  rising third and seventh graders  back to school in the New Hope-Solebury district, given that her family is immunocompromised. She had been researching options when she found a national Pandemic Pods Facebook group.

She started a Bucks County chapter, inviting people she knew from her district. The group now has more than 1,300 members, with parents sharing their childrens grade levels, asking questions, and sorting through options.

Are there pods that also include childcare? one woman wrote. Another mother shared her hopes for what a learning arrangement might include  time spent outdoors, learning about social justice. A parent of a sixth grader proposed hiring a personal trainer to play games with a group of similarly aged students and work them out.

When the school closures first happened, families were already talking about bubbling for social interaction for their kids, Cornwall said. She called pods a next step for creative families who have specific needs.

She also acknowledged the potential for inequality to worsen.

I dont think that there is a perfect solution, but there are ways families can be intentional about who theyre including in their pods, Cornwall said. She said she would use the virtual option offered by her district, to avoid affecting its funding.

 READ MORE: Every teacher I know is flipping out: As pandemic back-to-school plans form, educators are wary

Pods also provide an opportunity for those who can offer educational services.

Dana Hurwitz, who before the pandemic had offered in-person tutoring in Bucks County, was in the process of starting a tutoring group when pods became a buzzword this month. Shes since been inundated with requests from parents, including one family who offered her full-time pay and benefits to tutor their two children at home for 16 hours a week.

Hurwitz, who has not yet committed to a family, typically charges $60 to $65 an hour for tutoring, a price she discloses up front. (What tutors are charging varies, in part based on experience; in some places, professionally developed and managed pods can cost thousands of dollars per child per month.)

Most people arent really batting an eyelash. Theyve been really unhappy with the remote learning experience this spring, Hurwitz said, and they need to go back to work.

Among those who see job possibilities with the rise of pods is Nicole Cruz, who had worked in the Hatboro-Horsham School District as a personal care assistant for students with special needs. Cruz, who worked for a company that contracts with the district, said she was laid off this spring when schools closed.

Shes not sure whether shell be offered her job back this fall, and even if she has the choice, shes not sure she wants to return, because of her health issues and fears that the children she typically works with cant keep masks on.

Cruz hasnt chosen a pod family yet  shes waiting to figure out what her eighth-grade sons schooling situation will be like before she commits  but already has offers of work pouring in.

I probably could work 24 hours a day for these people, she said.
The Federal High Court in Lagos, on Friday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release all items seized ...





The Federal High Court in Lagos, on Friday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release all items seized from internet celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha aka Mompha.





The items include five luxury wristwatches, an Apple iPod, an iPhone 8 device, and a pair of sunglasses, which were among other items found on him when he was arrested on October 19, 2019, in Abuja.





Justice Mohammed Liman made the order while ruling on a July 6 application filed by Momphas counsel, Gboyega Oyewole.





EFCCs counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, had told the judge that it had earlier released Momphas Air Pod and sunglasses when the application was filed.

He said the other properties Mompha sought were still with the commission for investigative purposes.





Mompha is standing trial alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd, on an amended twenty two-count charge bordering on cyber fraud and money laundering to the tune of N33 billion.





Proceedings

Ruling on Friday, Justice Liman noted that although the prosecution has the right to seize property during an arrest, likewise a duty to approach the court for an interim order, due process must be observed and failure to do this is considered illegal.





He noted further that the items had been with the EFCC for eight months already.





Mr Liman said, None of these items was listed as an exhibit, none of the items was listed on the charge.





At this stage, there is nothing on record that the items seized are being investigated on. The retention of the property without compliance with due process violates the requirements of Section 29 of the Act.





Failure to release the property is illegal. As of today, no charge has been file regards the items. It is too long to withhold the applicants properties.





Mr Liman, therefore, ordered the release and return of the items to the defendant.




In Belgium are due to the increasing Corona case, new measures entered into force. From this Saturday on markets must be taken, in shopping streets and public buildings as a mask. In addition, in the General description, the contact information of the guests for the 14 days stored. A mask obligation does not apply there, however, if the visitors are sitting at a table.

prior to this Saturday had to be carried because of the Corona pandemic in public transport, in shops and, for example, in houses of worship, cinemas and museums, a mouth-nose protection.

Unchanged the size of the so-called "contact bubble" remains. It determines how many people are allowed to be taken in addition to the members of the own household per week. Currently, up to 15 people are allowed, some virologists and epidemiologists, however, had recommended recently to reduce the "contact bubble" to ten people. Instead, the head of government Sophie Wilmes appealed to the self-responsibility of citizens.

The number of the detected Corona infections has increased in Belgium recently significantly. Thus, in the period between the 15. and 21. July daily around 216 new infections with the Coronavirus counted, compared to the seven days prior to that, an increase of 63 percent. The total number of confirmed cases in Belgium thus amounted to almost of 65,200, and the number of the dead was last specified with 9817.

Updated Date: 25 July 2020, 09:19
Tinku Kapala aka Kamal Kishore, Lucknows most wanted criminal was killed by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force during an encounter in Barabanki on Friday night, HTs Hindi language publication Live Hindustan reported. Kapala had a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head. In 2019, he was reported to have killed two people during a robbery. While his accomplices were caught by the police, he managed to dodge the police. The STF has seized ammunition and cartridges from the spot. His partner is being looked for.

Kapala had over two dozen cases against him including robbery, murder, attempt to murder and other serious charges under the Arms Act. The police and the STF team were looking for him for a long time.

On Friday night, the STF acted on a tip that Kapala will be near the Lucknow-Barabanki border to carry out a major crime. On the said information, the STF laid a trap in Barabanki. Kapala tried to escape but was killed in an encounter with the STF.

According to officials, Tinku Kapala alias Kamal Kishore alias Hemant Kumar alias Sanjay alias Mama used to go underground after committing a big crime. Apart from UP, he was also behind some big robberies in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Several cases were also registered against him in Vadodara, Gujarat and Pune, Maharashtra.
President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with Walter Carrington on his 90th birthday.

Mr Carrington served as the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Senegal and Nigeria.

He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Senegal from 1980 to 1981 and was later appointed by former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, in 1993 as the ambassador to Nigeria, where he remained until 1997.

The diplomat has deep ties with Nigeria. He married into a Nigerian family and had lived in three Nigerian cities since the late 1960s.

In his congratulatory message to Mr Carrington, President Buhari, through a statement signed by Garba Shehu, his spokesperson, said the diplomat supported Nigeria during his reign.

The President wishes to use this opportunity to put on record his personal appreciation and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the extraordinary support of the Ambassador for democratic causes in Nigeria and around the globe.

The President notes in particular, the support of Ambassador Carrington and those of other patriots including the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) for the June 12 political cause in Nigeria. He adds that their efforts impacted on the resolution achieved under this administration with the recognition of Chief MKO Abiolas victory and apology rendered by the nation for the injustice done to him as well as the naming of a federal monument after him, the statement read.

READ ALSO:

Also, the minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola in a piece said: Ambassador Carrington projected the United States as our greatest ally in the quest for democracy, human rights and social justice in a way never seen before and after his departure. No doubt, his place in the history of democratic struggles in Nigeria is assured.

Others

Other messages have streamed in from Nigerians.

Shehu Sani: Walter Carrington May not be known by many young Nigerians;He was the US Ambassador in the 90s who sided with the forces of freedom & democracy during Nigerias era of military rule.A man of courage,principles & conviction.This is to wish him a happy 90th birthday.@USinNigeria

Walter Carrington May not be known by many young Nigerians;He was the US Ambassador in the 90s who sided with the forces of freedom & democracy during Nigerias era of military rule.A man of courage,principles & conviction.This is to wish him a happy 90th birthday.@USinNigeria  Senator Shehu Sani (@ShehuSani) July 24, 2020

Alagba Kenneth: He had loads of Followers back then that fought for democracy & rule of law. Many have derailed today. While some derailed patapata due to undemocratic practices & now finding their voices in the oppressed Masses lane.

Happy Birthday, Pa Walter. God bless your new age.

He had loads of Followers back then that fought for democracy & rule of law. Many have derailed today. While some derailed patapata due to undemocratic practices & now finding their voices in the oppressed Masses lane. Happy Birthday, Pa Walter. God bless your new age.  Alagba Ken (@AlagbaKenneth) July 25, 2020

Trickz Odor: I remember with nostalgia the era of Sir Walter Carrington as US ambassador to Nigeriahbd sir many more fruitful years!

I remember with nostalgia the era of Sir Walter Carrington as US ambassador to Nigeriahbd sir many more fruitful years! https://t.co/4AQTrBVsm3  trickz odor (@trickzomania) July 24, 2020

John Mark: Happy birthday to Ambassador Walter Carrington ma God bless your new age sir

Happy birthday to Ambassador Walter Carrington ma God bless your new age sir  John Mark(Retweet is not an endorsement) (@john_n_mark) July 24, 2020

Adeleke Oluwamuyiwa: Happy Birthday Ambassador Walter Carrington. I remember he married a Nigerian.

Happy Birthday Ambassador Walter Carrington. I remember he married a Nigerian.  Adeleke Olumuyiwa (@muyiwa20082000) July 24, 2020

Chuks Agoma: He made his mark during his time as the US Ambassador to Nigeria. Happy 90th birthday His Excellency Walter Carrington.

He made his mark during his time as the US Ambassador to Nigeria. Happy 90th birthday His Excellency Walter Carrington.  Chuks Agomoh (@Chukscagomoh) July 24, 2020
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 13:23:55|Editor: huaxia

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The Ziyuan III 03 satellite is launched by a Long March-4B rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, July 25, 2020. China sent a new high-resolution mapping satellite into space on Saturday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi. The Ziyuan III 03 satellite was launched by a Long March-4B rocket at 11:13 a.m. Beijing time, according to the center. It was the 341st flight mission by the Long March rocket series. Also on board the rocket were two satellites used for dark matter detection and commercial data acquisition respectively. They were developed by the Shanghai ASES Spaceflight Technology Co. Ltd. All three satellites have entered preset orbits, sources with the Taiyuan center said. (Photo by Zheng Taotao/Xinhua)

TAIYUAN, July 25 (Xinhua) -- China sent a new high-resolution mapping satellite into space on Saturday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi.

The Ziyuan III 03 satellite was launched by a Long March-4B rocket at 11:13 a.m. Beijing time, according to the center. It was the 341st flight mission by the Long March rocket series.

Also on board the rocket were two satellites used for dark matter detection and commercial data acquisition respectively. They were developed by the Shanghai ASES Spaceflight Technology Co. Ltd.

All three satellites have entered preset orbits, sources with the Taiyuan center said.

Ziyuan III 03, developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, will join its predecessor Ziyuan III 02 to form a network and capture high-definition 3D images and multispectral data.

It will provide data for the country's land resources investigation, natural disaster prevention, agriculture development, water resources management, environmental survey and urban planning. Enditem
Housing and Economic Development Secretary Michael Kennealy congratulates Bethany Salvon and Randy Kalp on the COVID-19 Intrapreneur Challenge. PreviousNext

Speakable Adjustable Mask Wins Lever Pitch Challenge



Lever director Jeffrey Thomas, left, speaking during the virtual pitch competition with Economic Development Secretary Michael Keannely. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Speakeasy Travel Supply won the Lever COVID-19 Intrapreneur Challenge Pitch Competition with its adjustable mask.

The Centerville company was awarded the $25,000 prize Friday to help ramp up the production of the mask after a virtual pitch contest in which 11 companies shared their innovative general use face mask designs.

"We are very humbled and we are just so thankful that you guys chose our product," owner Bethany Salvon said. "We can't wait; the whole team is excited."

The competition was a partnership between a startup and innovation accelerator Lever; MassMEP, part of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnerships in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce; and the Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.

The participants shared their designs they hoped would be an improvement over the standard protective mask.

"If you like to feel better about the world this is a good place to be," Lever Executive Director Jeffrey Thomas said. "You will be inspired by these intrapreneurs, you will be inspired by their innovations, and you will be inspired by their desire to help others."

Thomas specified that the competition was not an entrepreneurship competition but an intrapreneurship challenge. Instead of "starting from scratch" intrapreneurs work within an existing company with preexisting resources and capabilities.

"Each of these intrapreneurs is helping their companies pivot to make general use face masks," he said. "They are pivoting to save jobs, others are creating jobs, all of them are supporting the state's response to COVID-19."

Each participant was given five minutes to make their presentation and another five for the three judges to ask questions.

Bethany and her partner Randy Kalp created Speakeasy Travel Supply and initially made a special scarf designed for travel with hidden pockets for passports and other items.

Salvon said they were making typical cotton face masks but wanted to make something better.

"We were tasked with creating a better mask. A problem-solving mask," she said. "I am happy to report that we have done it."

The scarf style mask is loose fitting and allows the user to speak while wearing it without fear of it moving or falling off. Fully adjustable elastic on the top and bottom of the mask allows the user to fit the mask to their face preventing sizing issues. No ear loops required.

With added nose wire, fogging or falling glasses is not a problem

Because it is a scarf-style mask, it can be worn as a scarf or headband so the user doesn't have to actually take the mask off of their person.

Salvon said there are other masks in the form of a neck gator or scarf but the material does not actually keep out the virus. She said their mask is made out of higher quality material that will keep out COVID-19.

The family-run business will firstly market to teachers and students, she said, and then the travel sector  its niche market. She said they will also reach out to the disabled and elderly population who may need a mask that can accommodate hearing aids.

The design and materials can change seasonally with cooler options in the summer and warmer ones for the winter and fall.

Salvon said they plan to sell their masks online like their other products.

The judges heard from 10 companies who pitched different mask designs for different applications. Masks were made out of different materials and focused on higher levels of protection, higher levels of comfort, and different design options and customization.

Others were designed out of technical paper and other high-quality materials designed to be manufactured at lower price points to supply schools and other organizations.

One mask transformed into a scarf and another mask was designed for teachers to allow wearers to speak. One mask was designed for athletes and another with animal themes for kids.

Housing and Economic Development Secretary Michael Kennealy called in to first announce runner up Diana Coluntino of UML Innovation Labs in Lowell, who designed a mask for athletes.

Before announcing the winner, Kennealy gave an overview of the state's efforts to fight COVID-19 including the economic recovery package to help stimulate growth during the pandemic.

He talked about the ramping up of the Manufacturing Emergency Response Team (MERT) that helped drum up personal protective equipment development among state manufacturers. He said this challenge is an extension of the work of the MERT.

"As we see from the research that is emerging masks seem to be the most effective tool in containing the spread of COVID-19," he said. "I want to thank each and every one of you for stepping up to address this crisis putting your talents and innovation into action."

The remote pitch competition started at 1 p.m. with the actual presentations wrapping up around 3. The judges then went to a private Zoom conference to deliberate while Thomas led a general question and answer session with the participants.

The winner was announced around 3:45.

Before closing, Kennealy left all of the participants with a simple request.

"Keep innovating," he said. "This crisis is not over and we need to keep the supply of new ideas and energy and we all have to keep using our masks."
Regina Daniels, a Nollywood actress, has apologised for pushing Sandra, one of her domestic workers, into a swimming pool during an argu...

Regina Daniels, a Nollywood actress, has apologised for pushing Sandra, one of her domestic workers, into a swimming pool during an argument.





The disagreement between the two ladies was brought to light in the latest edition of Our Circle, a documentary-reality show by the actress and Ned Nwoko, her husband.





In the now-viral video, which was filmed during the movie stars baby shower, Daniels could be seen standing near a pool alongside a man while arguing with Sandra over the level of lightning of a place not mentioned.





While the actress insisted there was need for more light, the domestic worker held a contrary opinion.

The development had degenerated into an argument with the actress pushing Sandra into the pool while trying to leave the scene.

Reacting, however, the actress attributed her action to hormonal issues caused by her pregnancy then, adding that such was not deliberate.





She also explained that she gets angry when things are not done the way she envisaged.





I feel really bad for pushing Sandra. That was not intentional. Pregnancy hormones, l get easily angry when things are not done my way, she said.





Daniels welcomed a baby boy with her politician husband in June.





The lovebirds have been subject of controversies over the age difference between them.





Jude Ojeogwu, her father, had earlier opposed the union, also citing the age difference. He, however, accepted Nwoko as his son-in-law during the babys naming ceremony in Abuja.




Mars is the darling of many planetary scientists, who continue to visit it through increasingly advanced robotic explorers. But dont forget that our planetary neighbor is adorned with two moons: puny Phobos, a lumpy mass 17 miles across; and diminutive Deimos, just 9 miles long. Their names in ancient Greek may mean fear and dread, but the aesthetics of these Lilliputian space potatoes inspire anything but.

They dont look anywhere near as interesting as the volcanic or icy-ocean moons of Jupiter and Saturn, nor is their desolation as extreme or diverse as Earths moon. But that hasnt stopped generations of planetary scientists from being eager to get a closer look at the ramshackle duo.

The Soviet Union and, later, Russia have tried three times to reach Phobos, but software errors and launch disasters have doomed every attempt. Scientists in the U.S. have tried and, so far, failed to convince the powers-that-be at NASA that a mission to the two moons will be worthwhile. The next great hope is Japan, which is aiming to launch a heist mission to Phobos in 2024 that will try to steal some of its rocks.

Whats all the fuss about? For many, the desire to visit Phobos and Deimos was galvanized by their deeply mysterious nature. Theyre super weird, confusing and interesting, said Abigail Fraeman, a planetary scientist studying Mars, Phobos and Deimos at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Chandigarh: A 38-year-old man has been arrested in Haryana's Jind district after he confessed to killing his five children in the last four years, including two of them recently.

The man, identified only as Jumma, is a labourer and is a resident of Safidon in Jind. The accused's wife is pregnant with their sixth child. Notably, he kept his wife, who was pregnant with their sixth child, under heavy sedation for the past few days, police said.

The police recovered bodies of two of his daughters, ages 11 and 7, from the Hansi-Butana Link canal near his home in Didwara village on July 20, five days after the accused had lodged a police complaint stating the duo had gone missing.

The police said during interrogation, the accused kept changing his statements which raised suspicion, Jind Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ajit Singh Shekhawat told PTI over the phone. The police presumed that he was under mental stress due to the death of his children and did not subject him to sustained questioning at the moment.

The village panchayat was later involved in the investigation, and the man confessed before them and later, the police, that he killed his five children. Jumma admitted that he drugged his two minor daughters and threw them in the canal a few days ago, the ASP said.

Earlier, the accused's three children, all below 11, had also died mysteriously. At that time, he had told his neighbours that one of his sons died in sleep, a daughter died while playing and another son started vomiting and died.

The police said that he confessed to have killed all his five children, three daughters and two sons. While two of them were strangulated by him, one was administered a poisonous tablet, he revealed to the police.

Meanwhile, the police suspect that the accused had taken the steps under the influence of some 'tantrik' (occultist).

The police will seek the help of a mental health expert in the case to further question the accused and find the exact motive which led him to kill his own children.
TDT | Manama

Bahrains Ministry of Health yesterday announced two more COVID-19 linked deaths yesterday, raising the total number of fatalities to the outbreak in the Kingdom to 136. A Bahraini man aged (66) and an expatriate man aged (61) are the latest casualties. The deaths announced through the Ministrys twitter feed do not release any further information of the deceased.

Ministry officials expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased. There are currently 3,496 active cases in the Kingdom, of which 3,448 patients are in a stable health condition. Some 80 people are undergoing treatment at various COVID-19 centres in the Kingdom, out of which 48 patients are critically ill.

The ministry said it carried out 10,767 tests yesterday, bringing the total number of tests carried out in the Kingdom since the inception of the pandemic here to 771,500. Some 462 new cases are detected yesterday, which includes 226 expatriate workers, 225 contacts of active cases and 11 travel related cases.

By recording 414 new recoveries yesterday, the number of people cured of their infection in the Kingdom now stands at 34,826. Meanwhile, total number of cases in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council has climbed over 604,000. Total death toll has zoomed to over 5,000. Saudi continues as the most affected country in the GCC with it announcing 37 more deaths and 2,378 confirmed cases yesterday.
40th Anniversary of The Open University of Sri Lanka View(s):

The Open University of Sri Lanka turned 40 years on Wednesday , 22 July 2020. As Sri Lankas premier and pioneering Open and Distance Learning institution, OUSL has offered yeoman service to the nation by offering opportunities for higher education and thus transforming the lives thousands of Sri Lankans. While circumstances might have restricted many people from accessing the benefits of higher education, OUSL overcame those obstacles and opened up learning for all.

OUSL is not a cosmopolitan phenomenon but has a wide reach through its 9 Regional Centers and 19 Study Centers in many localities. This makes learning flexible and accessible. The university is one of the pioneers who popularized the mode of online learning and such initiatives played a crucial role in disseminating learning during the current Covid 19 crisis.

OUSL is the first and only university in the Sri Lankan university system which provides UGC- approved degrees programs in the Open and Distance Learning mode. And the university looks forward to enhancing and consolidating this position.

In a ceremony that was restricted due to the Covid 19 pandemic guidelines the highlight of the event was the launching of the special issue of the Open Quarterly magazine featuring the four decades of learning. The first copy was handed over by the Director of the Public Information Division, Dr. Indika Bulankulame to the Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka Professor S. A. Ariadurai.

Two other import events also coincided with this event. The launching of the Code of Practice for Energy Saving formulated through the Center for Sustainable Development was ceremonially launched by the Vice Chancellor Prof. S. A. Araidurai. Mr. Harsha Wickramsinghe Deputy Director General of the Sustainable Environmental Authority was invited as the Guest of Hounour to mark this important milestone for the university.

Further the book Pathways to Open Education practices edited by Prof. Shironica Karananayake and Prof. Som Nidu was also launched on this auspicious day. This is another milestone in Open and Distance Education for the The Open University of Sri Lanka.
Dublin, July 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market (5th Edition), 2020-2030: Focus on Bolus, Basal and Continuous Delivery Devices" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



This report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and the likely future evolution of these self-injection devices, over the next ten years. It specifically lays emphasis on the emergence of patient-centric, convenient, cost-effective and user-friendly wearable drug delivery solutions that are capable of administering large volumes of a drug subcutaneously, in the home-care setting.

One of the key objectives of the report was to estimate the existing market size and potential future growth opportunities for large volume wearable injectors. Based on parameters, such as the number of commercialized devices, number of devices under development, price of the device and the annual adoption rate, we have provided an informed estimate on the likely evolution of the market over the period 2020-2030.

The report also features sales forecasts for the overall large volume wearable injectors market with a detailed market segmentation on the:

[A] type of device (patch pump, injector and infusion pump and injector)

[B] usability (reusable and disposable)

[C] therapeutic area (neurological disorders, cardiovascular disorders, infectious disease, oncological disorders and others)

[D] key geographies (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world)

Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and various types of cancer, are known to be the leading causes of death and disability across the world. The clinical conditions associated with these diseases affect patients' overall quality of life. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 50% of the global population is currently estimated to be suffering from at least one chronic disease.

The past few years have witnessed introduction of several innovative pharmaceutical interventions for the treatment of a number of such diseases. However, majority of the available treatment options require parenteral administration of the drug, frequent dosing, and involve repeated hospital visits.



Treatment administration via the parenteral route is also associated with various concerns, such as dosing errors, risk of microbial contamination and needlestick injuries. These are known to be the primary factors affecting medication adherence and, thereby, have a significant impact on therapeutic outcomes. Over the past few years, a number of companies have developed advanced therapeutic delivery solutions (such as autoinjectors, pen injectors, prefilled syringes) to overcome the challenges associated with the administration of both conventional and novel drug/therapy molecules.

In fact, these drug delivery devices can prove to be potential vehicles for drug administration in disease outbreaks/pandemics (such as the one being faced due to the novel corona virus/COVID-19). Amongst modern drug delivery practices, the concept of self-injection has facilitated the administration of medications outside the clinical setting. Such practices also allow reductions in healthcare costs and enable the optimal usage of healthcare resources.



Specifically, large volume wearable injectors used for subcutaneous drug delivery, have become a preferred choice for administration of drugs in the home-care setting. Variants of these wearable devices have been designed to administer highly viscous drugs (such as biologics) in large volumes (more than 1 mL), offering numerous dosing options (basal, bolus or continuous), integrated safety mechanisms, and an almost negligible risk of needlestick injuries. Such devices have captured the interest of several stakeholders in this industry and are being used for the administration of both insulin and non-insulin drugs.

The field is presently witnessing a lot of innovation, such as the development of integrated mobile applications with smart health monitoring, artificial intelligence algorithms and other interesting features (including provisions for reminders, and the ability to connect to web-based portals for sharing medical data with the concerned healthcare providers), visual/audible drug delivery confirmation notifications, automatic drug reconstitution, and error alerts. We believe that such efforts are likely to drive growth in this market over the coming years.



Amongst other elements, the report includes:

An overview of current market landscape of the large volume wearable injectors available for delivery of insulin and non-insulin drugs, providing information on status of development and device specifications, such as type of device (patch pump/injector and infusion pump/injector), type of dose administered (basal, bolus and others), route of administration (subcutaneous and others), mode of injection (needle, needle/cannula and needle/catheter), storage capacity of the device, actuation mechanism (electromechanical, rotary pump, cell/expanded battery, pressurized gas, osmotic pressure and others), usability (disposable and reusable), availability of prefilled drug reservoir and availability of device connectivity. The report also features additional information on availability of prefilled insulin cartridges, availability of continuous glucose monitoring/blood glucose monitoring (CGM/BGM) systems, availability of Automated Insulin Delivery feature and type of remote control features (control within device/personal diabetes manager (PDM)/smartphone) in the insulin delivery devices.

A detailed competitiveness analysis of large volume wearable injectors based on various relevant parameters, such as supplier power (based on the experience/expertise of the developer) and product specifications (type of device, type of dose, storage capacity of the device, usability, route of administration, connectivity and availability of a continuous glucose monitoring/blood glucose monitoring (CGM/BGM) systems (in case of insulin devices).

Elaborate profiles of the prominent companies that develop large volume wearable injectors. Each company profile features a brief overview of the company, its financial information (if available), information on its product portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook. Additionally, the report includes tabulated profiles of wearable drug device combination products.

An analysis of the partnerships that have been inked by the stakeholders in this domain, during the period between 2015 and 2020, covering acquisitions, product development agreements, product integration agreements, technology integration agreements, distribution and supply agreements, commercialization agreements, clinical trial agreements, licensing agreements, manufacturing agreements, service agreements, and other relevant types of deals.

A detailed analysis on acquisition targets, taking into consideration the historical trend of the activity of the companies that have acquired other firms since 2000, and offering a means for other industry stakeholders to identify potential acquisition targets.

An in-depth analysis of the various patents that have been submitted/filed related to large volume wearable injectors over the last three decades. It also highlights the key parameters associated with the patents, including information on patent type, issuing authority/patent offices involved, Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) symbols, emerging areas (in terms of number of patents filed/granted), company type and leading industry, non-industry and individual patent assignees (in terms of size of intellectual property portfolio).

A list of marketed drugs/therapies and pipeline candidates that are likely to be developed in combination with large volume wearable injectors in the near future, identified on the basis of an in-depth analysis of potential candidates, taking into consideration multiple parameters, such as stage of development, dosage, dose concentration, route of administration, type of dose and drug sales (in case of marketed drugs).

A social media analysis depicting prevalent and emerging trends, and the popularity of large volume wearable injectors, as observed on the social media platform, Twitter. The analysis was based on tweets posted on the platform in the last few years.

A detailed analysis of completed, ongoing and planned clinical trials of various large volume wearable injector products based on the various relevant parameters, such as trial registration year, current trial phase, trial status, study design, study focus, targeted therapeutic area and clinical outcomes.

A case study on the role of contract manufacturing organizations in the overall manufacturing process/supply chain of wearable injectors. It includes information on the services provided by contract service providers for manufacturing of various device components (primary containers), infusion sets, adhesives, closures and injection moldings.

An elaborate discussion on the various guidelines established by major regulatory bodies for medical device approval across North America (the US, Canada and Mexico), Europe (the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific and rest of the world (Australia, Brazil, China, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand). The report also features an insightful multi-dimensional, heat map analysis, featuring a comparison of the contemporary regulatory and reimbursement scenarios in key geographies across the globe.

In order to account for future uncertainties and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three market forecast scenarios namely the conservative, base and optimistic scenarios, which represent different tracks of the industry's evolution.



The opinions and insights presented in this study were influenced by discussions conducted with several stakeholders in this domain. The report features detailed transcripts of interviews held with the following individuals:

Mark Banister (CEO, Medipacs/RxActuator)

Michael Hooven (CEO, Enable Injections)

Jesper Roested (CEO, Subcuject)

Pieter Muntendam (former President and CEO, scPharmaceuticals)

Menachem Zucker (VP and Chief Scientist, Elcam Medical)

Graham Reynolds (VP and GM, Biologics, West Pharmaceutical Services)

Mindy Katz (Director of Product, Sorrel Medical)



Key Questions Answered

Who are the leading large volume wearable device developers?

What are the prevalent trends within the competitive landscape of large volume wearable injectors for delivery of non-insulin drugs?

What are the prevalent trends within the competitive landscape of large volume wearable injectors for delivery of insulin?

What are the types of drug candidates that are suited for delivery via large volume wearable injectors?

Who are the key contract service providers involved in this domain?

What are medical device regulations across different regions?

How is the current and future market opportunity likely to be distributed across key market segments?

Key Topics Covered



1. Preface

2. Executive Summary

3. Introduction

4. Large Volume Wearable Injectors: Current Market Landscape

5. Product Competitiveness Analysis

6. Large Volume Wearable Injectors: Key Players

7. Drug-Device Combinations: Tabulated Profiles

8. Partnerships and Collaborations

9. Key Acquisition Targets

10. Patent Analysis

11. Large Volume Wearable Injectors: Likely Drug Candidates

12. Emerging Trends on Social Media

13. Clinical Trial Analysis

14. Case Study: Role of CMOs in Device Development Supply Chain

15. Regulatory and Reimbursement Landscape for Medical Devices

16. Market Sizing and Opportunity Analysis

17. SWOT Analysis

18. Executive Insights



Companies Mentioned



3M

Abbott

AbbVie

AbGenomics

Ablynx

Acceleron Pharma

Accenture

Actavis Pharma

ADC Therapeutics

Adrenomed

Aduro Biotech

Advaxis

Aeglea BioTherapeutics

Aetna

Affibody

Affimed

Agenus

AgonOx

Akesobio Australia

Alder BioPharmaceuticals

Alector

Alexion Pharmaceuticals

Alkahest

Alkermes

Allakos

Allergan

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

Allozyne

AlphaCore Pharma

Altor BioScience

Ambrx

amcure

Amgen

Amicus Therapeutics

Amphivena Therapeutics

Amplyx Pharmaceuticals

Angiochem

Antares Pharma

Antaros Medical

Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Aprea Therapeutics

Aptevo Therapeutics

argenx

Argos Therapeutics

ArmaGen

ARMO BioSciences

Aronora

Asante Solutions

Ascensia Diabetes Care

Asklepion Pharmaceuticals

Astorg Partners

Astellas Pharma

AstraZeneca

Atridia

Australasian Medical & Scientific

Axon Neuroscience

Baril

Basilea Pharmaceutica

Bastian Solutions

Battelle

Baxter International

Bayer

Bayhill Therapeutics

Becton Dickinson

BeiGene

Beijing Dongfang Biotech

Bespak

Beta Bionics

Bigfoot Biomedical

BioArctic

BIOCAD

Biogen

BioIntegrator

Bioject Medical Technologies

BioMarin Pharmaceutical

Bioniz Therapeutics

BioNTech

Bio-Path Holdings

Biotest Pharmaceuticals

Bio-Thera Solutions

Boehringer Ingelheim

Boston Pharmaceuticals

Bristol Myers Squibb

Bhler Motor

Calando Pharmaceuticals

Calibra Medical

Cam Med

CANbridge Life Sciences

Cancer Advances

Cara Therapeutics

Cardiome Pharma

Care Innovations

Catalyst Biosciences

Celgene

Celldex Therapeutics

CEL-SCI

CeQur

Chimerix

CHO Pharma

Chugai Pharmaceutical

Cleveland BioLabs

Conjupro Biotherapeutics

Consort Medical

ContraFect

ConvaTec

Cordant Group

Cour Pharmaceutical Development

CSL Behring

CStone Pharmaceuticals

CureTech

CytoDyn

Daikyo Seiko

Datwyler

Debiotech

DEKA

Dekkun

Delta-Fly Pharma

Dendreon

Dexcom

Diabeloop

DiaMedica Therapeutics

Diamyd Medical

DreaMed Diabetes

Duke University

E3D Elcam Drug Delivery Devices

European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance)

EG-GILERO

Eisai

Eitan Group

Eli Lilly

Elusys Therapeutics

EMD Serono

Emergent BioSolutions

Enable Injections

Endocyte

EnGeneIC

EOFlow

EpicentRx

Eris Lifesciences

EVER Pharma

Evidation Health

F2G

Fabrico

Ferring Pharmaceuticals

FibroGen

Fitbit

Five Prime Therapeutics

Flex Pharma

Flex

Flowonix Medical

Fresenius Medical Care

Galaxy Biotech

Galena Biopharma

FedEx Supply Chain

Genentech

GENERON

GeneScience Pharmaceuticals

Genexine

Genzyme

Georgia Institute of Technology

Gerresheimer

Gilead Sciences

GlaxoSmithKline

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals

Gliknik

Glooko

Guangzhou Cellprotek Pharmaceutical

HAL Allergy

Halozyme Therapeutics

Hanmi Pharmaceutical

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Haselmeier

HealthPrize Technologies

Helsinn Healthcare

Hemispherx Biopharm

Hoffmann-La Roche

Huabo Biopharm

IBM Watson

International Diabetes Federation

ImClone Systems

Immatics Biotechnologies

Immune Response BioPharma

ImmunGene

Immunocore

ImmunoFrontier

ImmunoGen

Immunomedics

Immunotope

Immunovaccine

Implicit Bioscience

Incuron

Incyte

Innate Pharma

Innovent Biologics

Inovio Pharmaceuticals

Insulet

iNtRON Biotechnology

IO Biotech

Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Ipsen

iSense CGM

ISU ABXIS

Janssen

Jerini

JHL Biotech

Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine

Jiangsu T-Mab Biopharma

Johnson & Johnson

Jounce Therapeutics

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

KaloBios Pharmaceuticals

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals

Kissei Pharmaceutical

Klue

Kura Oncology

Kyowa Hakko Kirin

Labrys Biologics

LEO Pharma

Levicept

Life Science Pharmaceuticals

MabVax Therapeutics

MacroGenics

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MedImmune

Medimop Medical Projects

Medipacs

Medtronic

Medtrum Technologies

Menarini Diagnostics

Menarini Group

Merck

Merck Sharp & Dohme

Mercy Technology Services

Mereo BioPharma

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals

Mersana Therapeutics

Merus

Merz Pharma

Millennium Pharmaceuticals

MiNA Therapeutics

miRagen Therapeutics

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma

Mode AGC (Automated Glucose Control)

Moderna Therapeutics

Molecular Partners

Molecular Templates

MolMed

Montagu Private Equity

MorphoSys

Morphotek

Movi

MTD Micro Molding

mySugr

NanoPass Technologies

NantBioScience

Naurex

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals

Nemera

Neogenix Oncology

Neon Therapeutics

NeuroDerm

New Zealand Medical & Scientific

Noble

Nordic Bioscience

Nordic Infucare

Northern Biologics

Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Novimmune

NOVO Engineering

Novo Nordisk

OBI Pharma

Octapharma

Omeros

Oncology Venture

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals

OncoPep

Oncopeptides

Oncternal Therapeutics

Oncurious

Opthea

Optimer Pharmaceuticals

OSE Immunotherapeutics

Otsuka Pharmaceutical

Owen Mumford

Paion UK

Panacea Biotec

PercuSense

Pfizer

PharmaJet

PharmaMar

PharmaSens

PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals

Phillips-Medisize

Philogen

Phosplatin Therapeutics

Pierre Fabre

Pique Therapeutics

Polaris Group

Polyphor

Prescient Therapeutics

Prestige BioPharma

Promedior

Prometheus Laboratories

Protalix Biotherapeutics

Proven Process Medical Devices

Pulmonary Hypertension Association

Qualcomm

Quest PharmaTech

Quintessence Biosciences

Ratio Drug Delivery

RAUMEDIC

Recro Pharma

Recipharm

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

REM Systems

REMD Biotherapeutics

Resolve Therapeutics

rEVO Biologics

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals

Roche

Roehr pharmaceuticals

R-Pharm

Rubin Medical

RxActuator

Sagentia

Samsung Bioepis

Sandoz

Sanofi

Santarus

Saol Therapeutics

Savient Pharmaceuticals

scPharmaceuticals

Seattle Genetics

Selecta Biosciences

Selexys Pharmaceuticals

Sensile Medical

Serina Therapeutics

SFC Fluidics

Shire

SHL Medical

Singularity University

SMC Global

Smiths Medical

Sonceboz

SOOIL Development

SPARK Strategic Ideas

SQ Innovation

SteadyMed Therapeutics

Stealth BioTherapeutics

Stemline Therapeutics

Stevanato Group

Subcuject

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals

Swissfillon

SymBio Pharmaceuticals

Symphogen

Synectics

Synermore Biologics

Syntimmune

Syros Pharmaceuticals

TaiMed Biologics

Taiwan Liposome Company

Takeda Pharmaceutical

Tandem Diabetes Care

Tanvex BioPharma

Tarveda Therapeutics

Teva Pharmaceutical

TG Therapeutics

Theras Lifetech

Tidepool

Tolero Pharmaceuticals

TRACON Pharmaceuticals

Translational Sciences

Turnstone Biologics

Tyndall National Institute

TypeZero Technologies

Union Chimique Belge (UCB)

United BioPharma

United Therapeutics

University of Arizona

University of Bern

University of Colorado

University of Hertfordshire

University of Virginia

Vaccinex

Vaccinogen

Valtronic

vasopharm BIOTECH

Verily Life Sciences

Vetter Pharma

ViCentra

ViiV Healthcare

Visterra

Vivozon

Weibel CDS

West Pharmaceutical Services

Wockhardt

XBiotech

Xencor

XOMA

Ypsomed

Zafgen

Zealand Pharma

Zollner

Zuellig Pharma

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For years, conservative groups and especially the National Rifle Association have been warning that the government would find a way to confiscate the guns of law-abiding Americans. Many dismissed what they regarded as a scare tactic designed to raise money.

What is happening in St. Louis should awaken us to the fact that those fears are well founded.

The top prosecutor in St. Louis has charged a married couple with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who the media identify as being white, are in their 60s. Both are personal injury attorneys. Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner says their actions risked creating a violent situation during an otherwise peaceful protest last month.

Doesnt Gardner have it backward?

The gun owners, who say protesters had trespassed on their property, claim they were protecting their home from what could have turned into a violent mob, as they no doubt had seen happen on TV in other cities. A case could be made that their display of weapons prevented violence, which is one of the purposes of the Second Amendment. Having a gun for personal protection can be a deterrent without it ever being fired. The McCloskeys did not fire their guns, but only waved them at the protesters while yelling at them.

The McCloskeys have some powerful defenders, including President Trump and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, who has said he will pardon the couple if they are convicted. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, is another supporter. Hawley has asked U.S. Attorney General William Barr to begin an investigation to determine whether the McCloskeys civil rights have been violated.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is also on the side of the McCloskeys. Schmitt has filed a brief with the court that says in part, The right to keep and bear arms is given the highest level of protection in our Constitution and our laws, including the Castle Doctrine. The Castle law was passed in 2017 and provides for stand your ground protection for citizens who feel threatened by others.

Police seized Mark McCloskeys semi-automatic weapon, and Patricia McCloskey later voluntarily surrendered her pistol.

This case is not only important on its own but demonstrates what could happen if Joe Biden wins the presidency. In March, while the COVID-19 virus was beginning to overtake us, Biden said this about Beto ORourke after ORourke dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Biden: Youre going to take care of the gun problem with me. Youre going to be the one who leads this effort. Im counting on you. Im counting on you. He then added, We need you badly, the state needs you, the country needs you. Youre the best.

Last year while still a candidate, ORourke said during a debate carried by ABC News: Hell, yes, we are going to take your AR-15.

And after that, what? Having established a precedent that the government has a right to confiscate a weapon owned by a law-abiding citizen, what other guns would ORourke (and Biden) come for and on what grounds? What would stop them if more liberal judges are named to the courts and they ignore or re-interpret the Second Amendment?

Do any of the shooters in our major cities pay attention to anti-gun laws, or laws against murder? By definition they are lawbreakers, and no one has been able to tell me how passing more laws will suddenly turn them into law-abiders.

By brandishing their weapons, the McCloskeys possibly deterred the marchers outside their home from engaging in actions far worse than their alleged trespassing. If the McCloskeys are convicted, they should be immediately pardoned by the governor. This should be a lesson learned about one of the many dangers of a Joe Biden presidency.

Cal Thomas is a columnist syndicated by the Tribune Content Agency. Email him at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Information links: https://news.yahoo.com/st-louis-couple-charged-pulling-205432913.html https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/couple-points-guns-protesters-castle-doctrine-understanding/63-531cc88c-336d-4bee-ba15-c270a0fd2879 https://nypost.com/2020/03/03/joe-biden-promises-to-put-beto-orourke-in-charge-of-gun-control/ https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=orourke+Hell+yes%252c+we+are+going+to+take+your+AR-15.%25e2%2580%259d&docid=608026949358061935&mid=4DB351B2EB86604B0ACB4DB351B2EB86604B0ACB&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
At last, we have good news and it comes from Delhi. Six weeks ago, you would have found that hard to believe and so, today, if youre sceptical, thats understandable. But the facts speak for themselves and they suggest the dark clouds are parting and we can spot blue skies and sunshine.

Do you remember June 9, when deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said Delhi could have 550,000 Covid-19 cases by the end of July? At the time, Delhi had 31,309 cases. A day later health minister, Satyendra Jain, made a more disturbing pronouncement. With the authorities unable to trace the source of infection in more than 50% cases, he believed community transmission was underway. In other words, there was no real check on the spread of the virus. It was surging through the citys population. Not surprisingly, on June 23, Delhi recorded 3,947 cases in one day.

These grim facts found a disturbing reflection on social media. There were harrowing videos of hospital wards with dead bodies beside patients and distressing accounts of people dying for lack of treatment. Panic started to set in.

The situation is very different today. On Friday, Delhi had 128,389 cases of which 110,931 had recovered. On Monday, the tally increased by 954 cases, less than a quarter of the June 23rd figure. It was 1,025 on Friday. For the last 14 days, the daily increase has been under 2,000; for eight days under 1,500.

The best part is this is not just the surface image. The underlying picture is equally reassuring. On July 1, Delhi had 27,007 active cases. On Friday, that was down to 13,681. On July 1, 5,892 beds in Covid-19 hospitals were occupied. On Friday, that figure stood at 3,210. Much the same is true of Covid-19 patients isolating at home. On July 1, the number was 16,703. On July 24, it halved to 7,778.

The results of a serological survey conducted in late June-early July corroborate this good news. Over 23% of the citys population has been affected by the coronavirus. Theyre asymptomatic and, hopefully, the antibodies they carry will retard the spread of the virus. We dont know how long their immunity will last and theyre way short of the 50/60% levels needed for herd immunity, but its still good news that almost a quarter of the city has been exposed to the virus.

So, has Delhi passed its peak and is the spread of the virus declining? Randeep Guleria, the director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, seems to agree. This is what hes said to The Indian Express: If you look at the data from Delhi, it does suggest we seem to have flattened the curve and, maybe, we are showing a downward trend.

However, theres still a need for caution. The trend discernible in July needs to continue for at least two weeks more i.e, for a full stretch of 28 days. That, as Dr Guleria points out, would be two incubation periods. But if we cross that Rubicon the virus is unlikely to spread further.

Alas, theres another reason for doubt. Delhis testing is largely of the rapid antigen variety rather than the gold-standard RT-PCR. It was 75% on Monday. The problem is such negative results arent reliable. So although Delhi is regularly testing above 20,000 a day  except, bizarrely, on Sundays when the city presumes the virus takes a holiday  and has reached 47,828 tests per million, is the outcome misleading? Of the 363,172 antigen tests done till the 21st, 93% are negative. With 23% sero-positivity can that really be the case?

These doubts cannot be wished away but nor can you dismiss the fact that new cases are about a third of what they were a month ago. For now, lets hold on to that and hope it doesnt change. But we also cant allow confidence to make us complacent. If the black clouds return theyre likely to presage more than monsoon rain.

Karan Thapar is the author of Devils Advocate: The Untold Story

The views expressed are personal

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A phone call between the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier this week stirred unease in New Delhi, which suspected China's hidden hand behind the rare outreach.

Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan called up his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on July 22. A Bangladesh government spokesperson in Dhaka said that Hasina briefed Khan about the Covid-19 pandemic and the flood situation in her country in response to queries from her counterpart.

Read: India inks currency deal with Sri Lanka to checkmate China

However, Islamabad sang a different tune, with Khan's office stating that he also briefed Hasina about Pakistans view about the grave situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Khan purportedly stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute for a safe and prosperous region.

But the readout issued by Bangladesh Prime Minister after the phone call did not have any reference to Jammu and Kashmir. For New Delhi, this was of some cold comfort, even though the fact that Hasina did agree to take the call was not lost on New Delhi.

The next day, the MEA in New Delhi appreciated Bangladeshs consistent stand  that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter of India. He also noted that Indias relations with Bangladesh were time tested and historic.

Also Read: LAC: India, China military commanders to meet again to end stalemate in disengagement of troops

New Delhi suspects that Beijing is trying to play the role of a mediator to bring its all-weather ally Islamabad and Dhaka closer, leaving behind the five-decade long bitterness, which has its origin in Pakistan Armys atrocities in erstwhile East Pakistan during the 1971 liberation war that gave birth to Bangladesh.

A source told DH that the phone call indicated a move by Pakistan to reach out to Dhaka, particularly Hasina, daughter of Mujibur Rahman, who had led the struggle for liberation of East Pakistan.

Dhaka possibly would not have agreed for it unless the push came from Beijing, said the source.

He pointed out that the rare phone-call between Hasina and Khan happened almost three weeks after Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen had a meeting with Islamabads envoy to Dhaka, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, on July 1.

Also Read: Curbs on public procurement from neighbours welcome; India should be ready for aftermath: IEEMA

Islamabad claimed that Siddiqui and Momen agreed to promote bilateral relations with a forward-looking approach. Momen, however, stressed that Pakistan must formally apologize to people of Bangladesh for the atrocities its soldiers committed during the 1971 war.

Bangladesh is the fourth South Asian country after Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives, which China is trying to win over  ostensibly to spread its geo-political influence in the neighbourhood of India.

Even as its Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) was engaged in a stand-off with the Indian Army along the disputed boundary between the two nations, China recently brought into effect a zero-tariff policy for 97% of its imports from Bangladesh, allowing the South Asian nation to export to the communist country an additional 5161 items without paying any customs duty.

Beijing is also understood to be in discussion with Dhaka for granting loans to the tune of $ 6.4 billion for several infrastructure projects across Bangladesh.
The Tema Diocesan Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Rt. Rev Samuel Ofori-Akyea, has admonished Ghanaians to be mindful of what they say on political issues and where they say them during this political period.



He has equally implored on all who work in organisations related to the elections such as the Electoral Commission, Media and the Police to be fair and circumspect before, during and after the elections as required of them by the Constitution of Ghana.



Rt. Rev Ofori-Akyea's advise was contained in his address delivered at the opening of the 23rd Synod of the Diocese held at the St Paul Methodist Cathedral at Tema.



He pointed out that every election year came with tension, especially between the two biggest political parties in Ghana and that is why it is necessary for them to do as such.



"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell," he pointed out.



He noted that the country is recognised for its democratic credentials which has made it to become a beacon of hope in Africa and the world, in general, emphasizing that, it is important that we uphold it.



Rt. Rev Ofori-Akyea also called on members of the church to participate in the on-going voter registration exercise as it gives them as citizens of the country the right to vote.



He urged them to also observe the COVID-19 safety protocols instituted by the Electoral Commission at the various voter registration centres.



He took the opportunity to commend healthcare and frontline workers for their undying commitment in helping the country fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.



The Tema Diocesan Bishop's address also touched on the creation of a new diocese and circuits by the Diocese, review of circuit boundaries for effectiveness in Ministry and the establishment of the Methodist Church Ghana in the Oti Region.



The two-day Synod, which was on the theme: "Discipleship: Teaching everyone to live like Jesus Christ," was supposed to have come off in April this year but had to be postponed because of COVID-19.





It is the first Synod Rt. Rev Ofori-Akyea chaired on his assumption into office as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese in October last year.













Source: graphiconline.com









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The counterintelligence chief for the federal government issued a stark warning about foreign interference in the upcoming 2020 election, echoing similar sentiments from presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Bill Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, shared in a statement that the adversaries had already begun trying to compromise communications between campaigns.

'Today, we see our adversaries seeking to compromise the private communications of U.S. political campaigns, candidates and other political targets,' he said, according to ABC News.

Bill Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, issued the stark warning on Friday

Evanina noted the actions of China, Russia and Iran but noted that 'other nation-states and non-state actors could also do harm to our electoral process'

'Our adversaries also seek to compromise our election infrastructure,' he added, 'and we continue to monitor malicious cyber actors trying to gain access to U.S. state and federal networks, including those responsible for managing elections.'

Evanina specifically highlighted the actions of China, Russia and Iran but noted that 'other nation-states and non-state actors could also do harm to our electoral process.'

Most notably, Evanina mentioned efforts to 'compromise the private communications' of campaigns - echoing similar actions taken by Russia to hack the private emails of John Podesta, a senior campaign advisor for Hillary Clinton.

Evanina did express confidence in the federal government's intelligence and law enforcement agencies to stop those efforts.

He concluded by 'committing to update the American public and other key stakeholders on threats to the election and steps for mitigation.'

Evanina's Friday warning comes a week after former Vice President Joe Biden issued his own during a virtual campaign event

Evanina's Friday warning comes a week after former Vice President Joe Biden issued his own caution during a virtual campaign event.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee wasn't specific and offered no evidence while addressing a virtual fundraiser with more than 200 attendees. But, in the process, he confirmed receiving classified briefings after saying as recently as late last month that he wasn't getting them but might request one about reports of Russian bounties being offered on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

'We know from before, and I guarantee you I know now because now I get briefings again. The Russians are still engaged, trying to de-legitimize our electoral process. Fact,' Biden said. 'China and others are engaged as well in activities designed for us to lose confidence in the outcome.'

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, cast doubt on Evanina's confidence when expressing how much info would be shared

Biden released a condemnation of the activity, putting the Kremlin and other governments 'on notice.'

'If elected president, I will treat foreign interference in our election as an adversarial act that significantly affects the relationship between the United States and the interfering nation's government,' Biden wrote.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, cast doubt on Evanina's confidence when expressing how much info would be shared.

'I don't have that confidence at all,' Schiff told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. 'I have serious concerns about the statement that was just put out  in the warnings that are given, they are so generic, in some ways, as to be meaningless.'

He criticized Trump and his administration's comments for mail-in voting as ways in which the Russians were already succeeding in sowing chaos.

'The Russians will look for any divide they can to sow chaos in the United States. And what better way to amplify false information about how millions of Americans cast their votes?'
Hyflux's Tuaspring power plant. (PHOTO: Hyflux)

By Denise Wee

(Bloomberg) -- Utico FZC, the Middle Eastern suitor of embattled Singaporean water treatment company Hyflux Ltd., said it has submitted a binding offer to restructure the groups debt.

The move caps a prolonged negotiation for one of the highest-profile restructurings in the city-state, after Hyflux said last year that it had received a non-binding letter of intent. The latest binding offer will remain open for acceptance until July 31, according to a filing Friday with the Singapore Exchange.

Hyfluxs collapse has left some 34,000 retail investors in the lurch. Adding to the complexity, Singapore authorities said last month they started an investigation into Hyflux and its current and former directors for suspected false and misleading statements.

Under the terms of Uticos offer, debts owed to unsecured creditors, bondholders and trade creditors will be exchanged into Utico and Hyflux shares. Hyfluxs perpetual and preference shareholders will get cash, and Utico and Hyflux shares in exchange for their debt, according to the filing.

 2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Geneva, July 25 : UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen will convene a new session of the Syrian Constitutional Committee on August 24 in Geneva, an official said.

Addressing reporters here on Friday, Alessandra Vellucci, head of the information office of UN headquarters at Geneva, said that Pederson has told the UN Security Council that he had confirmed the decision with the co-chairs of the committee, reports Xinhua news agency.

Earlier on Thursday, Pedersen briefed the UN Security Council about the latest development of the Syrian situation, saying that he has encouraged all sides to prepare for a productive peace talks.

"I hope that thereafter we will be able to proceed in subsequent sessions in a regular, business-like and substantive manner," he said.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee, which comprises representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition, and civil society, was officially launched in Geneva on October 30, 2019.

It held two sessions in November last year, without making any major progress.

The development comes after parliamentary elections were held in Syria on July 11, the third since the start of the civil war in 2011 and also as President Bashar al-Assad marks 20 years in power.

The President's Baath party and its allied candidates, who contested the election under the "National Unity" list, won 177 seats in the 250-member Parliament.

The Syrian government now controls around 70 per cent of the country's territory while ultra-radical rebels control the Idlib province and the US-backed Kurdish militia of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control areas in northeastern Syria.
Tamika Morales holds a photograph of her son, Ahmad Morales, who was murdered over July 4th weekend, in Philadelphia, July 20th, 2020. Read more

The mother called to talk about her 24-year-old son, Ahmad Morales, shot while walking to a South Philadelphia corner store.

The wife sent a message on Instagram, and attached a gun-violence-prevention video made by her daughters just months after their father, Raheem Stoner, was shot and killed on April 8. Hours before his death, Stoner, 38, had learned that his mother had died of natural causes.

This year in Philadelphia there have been over 150 murders, his 16-year-old daughter, Cinnamon, said into the camera as she held a picture of her father, a carpenter for the city.

My dad was number 99.

The cofounder of a workforce development program emailed to share stories of three  three!  former participants, killed this year within months of one another: Jhaquil Aguilar, on March 29, Zafir Hall on May 6, and Michael Greene on July 8  men all 30 and younger. The program has lost other participants to gun violence. But losing three during a pandemic feels especially cruel.

Its been a lot of loss in a short amount of time, and most of the rituals that we have to process we cant do right now, said Julia Hillengas, cofounder and executive director of PowerCorpsPHL.

On the phone an hour later was a cousin also mourning multiple losses. Two loved ones who died within weeks of each other this summer, Janeka Peace told me when we spoke: Tyreek Perrin, 32, and Shawn Best, 28. These after Peace formed an organization in the name of anther cousin, Rashawn Shawnee Anderson, 18, gunned down in 2011.

And then, a relative of a young mother sent an obituary on the very day she was being buried: Desiree Shaffer left behind five children.

On July 11, I wrote a column that listed the names of the people wed lost to gun violence so far this year  at the time, 196. As of this writing, just two weeks later, it is 210. There will only be more. There always are.

At the very least, I had written, we should know the names of the people who have been gunned down in our city. Deaths that in a normal year are too often barely noted, and whose lives have been rendered even more invisible during a pandemic.

I invited their families and friends to reach out and tell me more. The calls and messages came, and keep coming.

People wanted to share the small details about their loved ones whose lives were cruelly cut short: their laugh, their deep love for their children, the obstacles that some were fighting to overcome, sometimes imperfectly.

From all the conversations, a theme emerged: potential, lost.

Its hard not to really feel what a loss that the greater world has had and what we missed when all these young people are taken from us and how much they could have given back to the world, said Hillengas, the cofounder of the Philadelphia workforce program.

That weighed on Tamika Morales as we spoke.

Above all, she said, her son, Ahmad, was friendly and kind.

Anybody who knew him already knows what kind of person he was, but when I saw his name in the paper I felt it was important for people to know that he was more than just a name in the newspaper of a guy who got murdered.

Ahmad Morales, who was one of 19 people shot, nine fatally, during the July Fourth weekend, was also a natural at cutting hair. Even as he cleaned planes full time at the airport before he died on July 3, that remained his passion.

His murder, like almost half of all homicides last year, remains unsolved.

That will not stand with his mother, who is posting pleas on social media for anyone with information to come forward. She plans to plaster the site of his shooting with flyers, too.

Like so many mothers in Philadelphia, she will not rest until someone answers for killing her son.

You know what Ive been thinking about lately? Morales said as our conversation wound down last week. His children. I always thought that he would be the one to give me a grandchild. We used to joke about that. I think about him growing older and me seeing him with his son or daughter because 

She stopped, but even over the phone I could hear her swallowing her tears.

I think he would have been a really, really great dad.
Disparities Still Exist

In all likelihood, many Americans never considered telehealth an option before COVID-19. But between mid-March and mid-June of 2020, more than 9 million Medicare beneficiaries have used a telehealth service, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).To put that number in context, only about 13,000 beneficiaries would use telehealth services during a given week before the pandemic.One of the first steps CMS took in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency was to temporarily expand the scope of Medicare telehealth to allow Medicare beneficiaries across the country  not just in rural areas  to receive telehealth services from any location, including their homes, wrote CMS Administrator Seema Verma inCMS also added 135 allowable services  [and] ensured that health care providers like physicians were paid for these telehealth services at the same payment rate as they would receive for in-person services.Adam Perzynski, an associate professor of medicine and sociology who works for MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, said the telehealth explosion is unlike anything hes seen in health care.I had a conversation just a couple of months ago with a guy who directs telehealth for one of Ohios largest telehealth systems, Perzynski said. In February, they had done 50 primary care telehealth appointments. By the end of April, they were doing 5,000 a week.Kim Almkuist, a family nurse practitioner in Wilson County Medical Center in North Carolina, treats teachers and kids at two school-based health centers. Because she cant be at both centers during a given day, she began utilizing telehealth about two years ago.Its a lot more efficient than in office, Almkuist said. It takes less time. I can see five or six patients in the amount of time that I can see four in the office.Almkuist works in a very rural county, where residents may have to drive 20 to 30 miles to get to a hospital and potentially wait hours to find out whether theyre sick. As such, telehealth has been a boon to such citizens  not to mention how much it has helped Almkuist, who once had to take off work to drive 45 miles to take her daughter to specialized therapy.I dont have to take off of work to drive her there, Almkuist said. Then I think about the populations who cant take off of work or drive.Before COVID-19, telehealth service had to be done through authorized audiovisual technology to avoid Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations, but after the infection crisis started, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it would waive HIPAA penalties if telehealth was delivered through non-public applications such as Facebook Messenger and Zoom.In other words, care providers are now able to see more of their patients through everyday technology, and vice versa. Almkuist hopes that future policy, particularly in regard to reimbursement, doesnt make telehealth an impossibility for certain patients.The patients are not going to be happy  if we dont offer telehealth after COVID, she said.Moreover, a recent article identified a fear among residents in Tucson, Ariz., that medical insurance organizations might decide to stop covering video and telephone visits.Reimbursement drives everything, sadly, Almkuist observed.Even with todays expanded possibilities for telehealth, not every citizen has the technology to take advantage of telehealth service.Theres an assumption among the medical community that everyone has a device, said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.Siefer pointed out that even someone has access to a device and a suitable application, that doesnt mean they have the digital skills to take advantage of the telehealth option. Siefer believes its the responsibility of everyone  including educators, the health-care system and state local government  to be aware that people may not know how to properly use tech.With digital literacy, the work is never done, she said. You know why? Technology keeps changing. Even if youre telling seniors how to use Facebook and a telehealth app, those will things will change.Another issue is Internet access and quality. Almkuist said although cellphones with data plans allow some of her rural patients to receive telehealth service, the imagery is less clear, and there will be lags.In some cases, families without Internet at home may not be able to get broadband service due to COVID-19.The workarounds dont work anymore, Siefer said. The workarounds were going to the public library, going to businesses like McDonalds  There were ways to get Internet before, but now theyre dangerous because youre exposing yourself [to potential infection].A lack of high-speed Internet in some communities, whether due to cost or poor infrastructure, means that many of MetroHealth Medical Centers patients are forced to receive health service via telephone.The only reason we rolled out a phone system is we have tens of thousands of residents who dont have Internet access in Cleveland, Perzynski explained.Perzynski has been doing research on telephone visits. While he has found that such visits can be effective if theyre treating [a] person who has symptoms or fear of COVID-19, there are other cases where using a phone may not work as well.A pictures worth a thousand words, maybe more so when a doctors looking at a wound, he said.While broadband is a significant issue in rural areas where the infrastructure is simply not where it needs to be, both Siefer and Perzynski believe that urban areas have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to broadband policy and funding.Perzynski said some urban citizens only have access to a measly download speed of 768 kilobits per second.What is the plan for these urban communities that havent really received investments to upgrade [speed] levels  On that policy end, were way down, he said. That would be about the worst grade that you could give.Siefer said the whole broadband discussion has favored rural over urban for years.I do think it has a lot to do with those who are making decisions, she said. Its totally unintentional. Its that unintentional bias. We just think people are like us. We have Internet at home. Dont they? That kind of assumption.Regardless of whether someone lives in a rural or urban area, not all telehealth sessions are created equal. Almkruists organization only provides telehealth service to existing patients in order to ensure quality care. Almkruist said theres a phenomenon that she calls doc in a box telehealth where a $100 visit may last less than a minute and leave the patient feeling utterly dissatisfied.Thats an area that we have to be careful with, she said.
President Donald Trump this week sent a message to The Suburban Housewives of America, and in a single tweet summed up his strategy for shoring up support in communities critical to his re-election chances: Scare them.

Biden will destroy your neighbourhood and your American Dream. I will preserve it, and make it even better! he wrote.

In tweets, campaign ads and new policies, Mr Trump is trying to win over suburbanites by promising to protect their beautiful neighbourhoods from the racial unrest that has gripped some US cities this summer. He's sent federal agents to stem violence in cities, warned of a way of life being obliterated, and raised the prospect of falling property values.

It's a strategy with deep roots in presidential politics, racist overtones and some record of success. But even some GOP strategists and Republican voters note it doesn't account for the rapid demographic changes in the suburbs and may be misreading the top concerns of voters he's trying to retain.

I think he's just throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks, said Linda Abate, an unemployed bartender in a working-class suburb about a 45-minute drive from Philadelphia. Ms Abate says she voted for Mr Trump in 2016 and is likely, but has not decided, to do so again.

But she has more pressing things to worry about than threats of lawlessness in her quiet borough  namely the looming expiration of enhanced federal unemployment benefits.

That $600 (469) runs out this week. I'm more worried about that than looting in Quakertown, she said.

The commuter towns and leafy developments circling Philadelphia and other US cities  areas with increasing racial diversity and a growing number of college-educated voters  have been a clear source of trouble for the president and his party.

Republicans lost more than three dozen suburban House districts in 2018, when suburban voters backed Democrats by an 11-point margin, according to AP VoteCast polling.

Recent polls show Democrats' presumptive nominee, former vice president Joe Biden, holding that edge  with a nine percentage point margin in the recent Washington Post-ABC News poll and an 11 percentage point margin in a recent Fox News poll. Both surveys showed an especially wide advantage for the presumptive Democratic nominee among suburban women.

That's a dire prospect for the president. Republicans have long relied on finding upper-income and white voters in the growing suburbs to build on their base in rural America and win elections. But those voters have been harder to win over in the Trump era, forcing the GOP to move farther away from cities, into less-populated exurbs and shrinking small towns, in search of votes.

In recent weeks, Mr Trump has tried to regain his footing. His campaign launched ads claiming inaccurately that Mr Biden wants to defund the police  a rallying cry for some of the protesters who took to the streets after George Floyd's death in May. He revoked an Obama-era housing policy aimed at ending racial disparities in suburbs, saying it would lead to crime and lower home values. And this week, Mr Trump announced he was activating federal agents to fight crime in Chicago and Albuquerque, after sending agents to Portland, where local officials say their presence has exacerbated tensions between protesters and police.

The Trump campaign believes these moves will resonate with both suburbanites and older voters who may be rattled by the violent images, and turned off by calls to restructure police departments. (One new ad depicted an elderly white woman calling 911 for help with a burglar at the door. The operator doesn't pick up in time.)

There is some evidence to support that tack. The Washington Post-ABC News survey found 58 per cent of suburban voters opposed reducing funding for police and spending the money instead on social services, while 37% supported it.

If we don't have law and order in this country, we don't have a country. It's outrageous to let this stuff go on, said Gloria Doak, a 70-year-old Trump backer in Bucks County, where Democrat Hillary Clinton only narrowly beat Mr Trump four years ago.

But recent polls have also found strong support in the suburbs for the broader push for racial justice and the Black Lives Matter movement  a reminder that suburbs are becoming a more politically complex and diverse battleground.

In 2018, one in four suburban voters identified as nonwhite, according to AP VoteCast.

That includes Robert Jackson, a 39-year-old Black man and a Democrat who moved four years ago to the suburbs from Philadelphia with his family in search of better schools.

He says he saw plenty of Trump signs then around his hometown of Lansdale, in Montgomery County. Now, he thinks many of his neighbours who voted for Mr Trump have buyer's remorse.

Suburbanites took a gamble on him and it didn't pay off, said Mr Jackson.

Back in Quakertown, Alex Whalen, 19, said she thinks Mr Trump will lose just as many suburban voters as he gains with his law-and-order pitch. The Democrat doesn't think voters will recognise the sort of urban chaos he is describing.

Anything that's happened in Quakertown has been peaceful, she said.

Christine Matthews, a GOP pollster and Trump critic, said the president's law and order strategy is based on an outdated idea of suburbia as the overwhelmingly white communities of 50 years ago.

He doesn't have any idea what the suburbs are, she said.

Others linked it directly to Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy, which played on white voters' racism to consolidate Republican control of the South for generations to come.

He's gone to the well, gone to the old playbook, but it's a much different playing field now, said Fletcher McClellan, a political scientist at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania.

Dan Johnson, a 72-year-old retired insurance agent from Brookfield, Wisconsin, outside Milwaukee, also see race politics in Mr Trump's play.

I think there's a lot of hidden racism among people who voted for Donald Trump, said Mr Johnson, who voted for Republicans for president every election since 1980 but supported a third-party candidate in 2016  a decision he now sees as a wasted vote  because he was turned off by Mr Trump but didn't like Ms Clinton. I don't doubt for a minute that he's trying to mine that.

Still, in Texas, where Democrats are trying to flip several suburban House seats, Cynthia Rauzi said it's not far-fetched to think that Mr Trump's dark warnings will resonate with her neighbours in suburban Round Rock, outside Austin.

When she joined a small rally against police brutality outside a private golf course this summer, one driver stopped to lay on the horn and wave a middle finger out his window. Mr Trump won this district on the outskirts of liberal Austin by 13 points in 2016. Just two years later, Republican representative John Carter only narrowly escaped defeat.

Ms Rauzi, a 57-year-old yoga instructor and mother of three, called Mr Trump's tweet directed to The Suburban Housewives of America offensive.

To suggest that suburban housewives are a bunch of pearl-clutchers who are afraid of everything... we're smarter than that, she said.

AP
According to KPS Malhotra, Deputy Director of Operations of the NCB in Chittorgarh, the contraband was being sourced from Chittorgarh and was on its way to Jodhpur.

Chittorgarh (Rajasthan): The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized nearly 234 kilograms of opium from Rajasthan's Chittorgarh on Saturday, making it the largest opium seizure of opium in India this year, the agency said on Friday.

"On Sunday, the Jodhpur Zonal Unit of the NCB raided the residence of R. Lal in the Shadi Village in Begun. A total of 233.976 kilograms of opium was seized. The intelligence we received pointed us to the fact that the consignment belonged to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan based drug traffickers," he said.

"Two persons have been arrested - R. Lal and M. K. Dhakad, resident of Bhilwara. One car has also been seized in connection with the cases. Preliminary investigation revealed that the opium was sourced from an illicit cultivation area of Chittorgarh and was destined to Jodhpur," he added.

Malhotra also said that further investigation of the case is underway with a specific focus on the Drug Trafficking Network involved and the linkages they have in the licit opium production areas.

Cultivation of Opium is carried out in India in selected tracts notified by the Central Government in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Licenses are issued by the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) under the Ministry of Finance to eligible cultivators in the above three States as per the General Conditions relating to Grant of License framed by the Central Government.

According to Malhotra, during seizure and further investigation, it was been learned that some of the legal cultivators, especially those in the districts of Mandsaur, Neemuch, and Ratlam of Madhya Pradesh and Chittorgarh and Jhalawar of Rajasthan, divert it to the illegal channel and sell it to intermediaries for profit.

"These intermediaries traffic this opium to other parts of the country for consumption and conversion to Heroin. The seized Opium, in this case, was also sourced from licit cultivation in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan," Malhotra said.
Md. hospital revises COVID-19 visitor policy after denying patient's request to see priest

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The University of Maryland Medical System has amended its COVID-19 visitor policy to allow clergy visitation after one of its hospitals denied access to a Catholic priest who was asked to administer sacraments to a trauma patient injured in a car accident.

UMMS has revised its visitor policy to adhere to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' guidelines at all 13 hospitals in its medical system, including Prince Georges Hospital Center, which was at the center of a religious discrimination complaint due to its restrictive visitation policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic. CMS guidelines stipulate that hospitals must ensure patients have adequate and lawful access to chaplains or clergy.

The changes come after a complaint was filed with the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.

Sidney and Susanna Marcus were admitted to Prince Georges Hospital Center of the University of Maryland Medical System after a severe car accident in May. Sidney Marcus, who sustained life-threatening injuries, was moved to the intensive care unit as his conditions declined.

His wife, Susanna, requested that a priest provide the Catholic religious sacraments of Holy Communion and Anointing of the Sick for Sidney, the HHS said in a press release. The hospital denied the request, however, which prompted Susana Marcus to file a complaint.

Despite being willing to wear any necessary personal protective equipment, the priest was turned away by the hospital based on a visitor exclusion policy it had adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the HHS said.

After the complaint, Sidney Marcus was allowed to have a priest visit him in the ICU.

The Trump Administration has made it a priority to defend Americans right to practice their faith, at all times and especially during this pandemic, said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. As our work with the University of Maryland Medical System shows, we can deliver healthcare, combat COVID-19, and protect religious freedom all at the same time.

Other patients have also benefited Susanna Marcus' religious discrimination complaint that led the UMMS to amended its visitation policy.

Children at a UMMS hospital can now have two parents or guardians visit during hospital visiting hours, with one adult being allowed to stay overnight. Patients at the end of life can have up to two visitors at the same time, but only for one hour. And patients with disabilities or those being treated for COVID-19 can have two visitors during hospital visiting hours and one overnight visitor.

Too many people have died alone during this crisis, but this resolution shows that hospitals can practice compassion and safety without sacrificing either, said Roger Severino, director of OCR, in repose to UMMS' revised accommodations for patients.

Though restrictions have been loosened at UMMS facilities, visitors must adhere to a list of guidelines, including the wearing of a facemask upon entering the hospital, and additional screening if exhibiting a fever or "flu-like symptoms."
Dileep V Kumar By

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As Covid-19 cases flare up in the state, the health department is examining whether the recovered patients have the chances of reinfection. Though the department says that it is yet to come across such cases except for some suspicious ones, the possibility cant be ruled out as it is not yet clear how long the antibodies provide protection to a recovered person.

There is also a demand to spearhead a study by roping in scientific institutions like Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) and Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) to examine whether the SARS-CoV-2 could strike again like other common human coronaviruses such as the common cold.

Some studies have been done at the international level like the one by Kings College London which states that antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 can peak three weeks after the onset of symptoms but begin to decline after as little as two or three months. If thats the case, then a study on individuals who have been previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the state and whether they become reinfected should be examined, said an epidemiologist of a government medical college.

ALSO READ: Can you get the coronavirus twice? It's unlikely, believe scientists

At the same time, Chennai-based National Institute of Epidemiologys director, Dr Manoj V Murhekar, told TNIE that there is very less chance that a recovered persons would get reinfected. Corroborating the same, Sreekumar E, chief scientific officer of RGCB, said sometimes its the RNA positivity during the recovery period that gets projected as reinfection. According to him, the positivity of viral RNA might be from the dead virus without active viral replications.

Meanwhile, A Sukumaran, former state epidemiologist, said though getting reinfected is very unlikely, there are a few reports of test positivity after one gets recovered. The reasons for the same need to be verified by researchers, he said.

According to Dr Anup Warrier, head of infectious diseases and infection control, Aster DM Healthcare, there has been no incident of reinfection in the state, but other states and GCC countries have reported such cases.

Earlier, in a study carried out by the COCOREC (Collaborative study COvid RECurrences) group and the findings published in the Journal of Infection, it has been stated that patients could experience re-activation or might be reinfected. It also points out that the potential long-term effects of drugs or diseases could hamper the immune response.

The study further recommends studies including genomic comparisons of viral strains involved in both episodes, determination of RNA infectivity by viral culture and others for understanding Covid-19 recurrences.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 13:51:40|Editor: huaxia

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by Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Every country has the right to defend its sovereignty and pursue its own domestic and economic policies, two eminent Bangladeshi political leaders said in a strong rebuke of the White House's China policy.

Dilip Barua, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, condemned the U.S. decision to abruptly close the Chinese Consulate General in Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.

By closing the Chinese consulate, "the U.S. has violated the international law, the Vienna Convention and the terms of China-U.S. (Consular) Convention," he told Xinhua.

In response to the U.S. unilateral provocation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday informed the U.S. Embassy in China of its decision to withdraw its consent for the establishment and operation of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu.

"The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States. It conforms with international law, the basic norms of international relations, and customary diplomatic practices," the ministry said.

China has the right to cease operations by the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu, Barua said, expressing the hope that "in the near future China and the U.S. will take necessary measures to minimize the tension" and work together to eliminate COVID-19 in a proper way.

Hasanul Haq Inu, president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, also an ally of the ruling Grand Alliance, shared Barua's view that Washington should not interfere in China's internal affairs.

As the world's largest economies, the United States and China had better join hands to fight COVID-19, Inu said.

Commenting on the U.S.-China relations that have gone sour over the COVID-19 pandemic with Washington accusing China of mishandling the outbreak, he said such accusations are totally baseless and have no logical ground.

"We believe in the one-China principle. We believe that every country has the right to defend its sovereignty and also to pursue its own domestic and economic policy."

He expressed the hope that the two countries would handle differences at the table and avoid further deteriorating the situation. "Now the priority is to jointly fight COVID-19." Enditem
Controversial former Central African Republic head of state Francois Bozize on Saturday announced he is running in the December presidential election, a high-risk vote in a country ravaged by civil war since his ouster in 2013. Activists of Bozize's Kwa Na Kwa (KNK) party have been meeting in Bangui since Friday and the announcement was widely expected. "The party congress has just designated me candidate of the Kwa Na Kwa for the next presidential election... I solemnly accept the mission you have entrusted me," he said in a speech that was also transmitted live on Facebook. Appealing for unity in a bitterly divided and lawless country where two-thirds of the territory is controlled by militia groups, he asked all political parties to back him, saying he was a candidate "for national reconciliation". He deplored the current "sombre and traumatic scenario" in the country, speaking of an "absence of democracy... the rise of tribalism" and "the total absence of state authority". Bozize returned from exile in Uganda last December. The veteran politician took power following a 2003 coup, before being overthrown himself 10 years later by Michel Djotodia, head of the mainly Muslim Seleka rebellion in the predominantly Christian country. Since then, the poor, landlocked country has spiralled further into bloodshed, marked by vicious intercommunal violence. "The many sufferings of the Central African people, as well as the call of the activists have pushed you to come back to the fold," said the KNK's secretary general, Bertin Bea, addressing Bozize earlier. France intervened militarily in its former colony from 2013 to 2016 to push out the Seleka, winding down the operation after Faustin-Archange Touadera was elected president. Touadera governs today with the support of a large UN peacekeeping operation with more than 13,000 troops and police. The government signed a peace deal in February 2019 with 14 armed groups, who typically claim to defend the interests of specific communities or religions. Violence has since generally receded, but there are still bloody flare-ups, typically sparked by fighting over resources. The fighting has forced nearly a quarter of the country's 4.7 million people to flee their homes. - UN sanctions - Bozize is still under sanctions by the United Nations for his role in the 2013 crisis, during which he is accused of supporting the Christian anti-Balaka militias. At the end of January, he said that "nothing" would prevent him from running as a candidate in the presidential election and that he would ask the UN to consider dropping the sanctions against him. Bozize will very likely run against the incumbent Touadera, whose candidacy has not yet been officially announced, even if observers regard it as a certainty. There have been flare-ups of violence between militias, who often exploit ethnic tensions. UN experts warned in mid-July that the "prospect of elections has provided armed groups with another reason to maintain and increase their territorial control". Their report pointed to an influx of foreign fighters, principally from Sudan, which shares a border with the northeast of the CAR and regularly sees inter-militia fighting. Bozize is still under UN sanctions
New Delhi, July 25 : Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Saturday held a virtual meeting with the Chief Secretaries and Health Secretaries of nine states that are driving the present spurt of the active Covid-19 caseload in the country.

The meeting was part of the coordinated Centre-state strategy for effective containment and management of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has, as on Saturday, reached a tally of over 13 lakh cases in the country.

The nine states that participated in the meeting were Andhra Pradesh (80,858 cases), Bihar (33,926), Telangana (52,466), Odisha (22,693), West Bengal (53,973), Assam (29,921), Karnataka (85,870), Jharkhand (7,493) and Uttar Pradesh (60,771).

The attention of the states was drawn to the fact that early detection and timely clinical management is the key to contain the spread of Covid-19. States were asked to urgently ramp up testing, strictly implement a containment plan, augment health infrastructure and ensure effective clinical management.

As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a graded, proactive, progressive and well coordinated strategy of Covid-19 management between the centre and states or Union Territories (UTs) has resulted in ever-increasing recoveries in the country, with progressively falling case fatality rate. There are, however, some states which have in the recent past shown high rise in daily number of active cases and are emerging as concern areas from COVID management point of view, it said.

Maharashtra has so far recorded 3,57,117 corona cases, of which 13,132 patients lost their lives to the disease, followed by Tamil Nadu with 1,99,749 cases and 3,320 deaths. Delhi has registered 1,28,389 cases and 3,777 casualties.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, Manipur and Mizoram administrations have effectively implemented health safety protocol in the last four months. These places have reported zero deaths so far and the recovery rate is more than 60 per cent.
Chinese military to hold live-fire exercise in western waters of Leizhou Peninsula

PLA Daily

Source: China Military Online

Editor: Xu Yi

2020-07-24 21:13:27

BEIHAI, July 24 -- Unit 95180, a troop unit of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), issued a no-sail notice on July 23, saying that the troop is going to hold live-fire shooting exercise in the west sea waters of China's Leizhou Peninsula from July 25 to August 2.

The notice reads that the live-fire shooting exercise will take place during the following time periods and cover the following sea areas: From July 25 to July 27, in waters marked yellow as shown in the above picture; From July 28 to August 2, in waters marked green.

According to the notice, during the above periods, all maritime navigation and fishery operations in the corresponding sea areas will be prohibited; vessels must stay in the harbors and not go out to sea. Anyone who goes out to sea without authorization shall bear the consequences.

The notice also added that the coverage of this live-fire shooting exercise is extensive and the ammunition is powerful. So, there is a great risk of haphazard injury by accidental bombing when going to sea without authorization. It is truly hoped that the general public in local area will be responsible for the safety of their own lives and property, and do not go to sea without authorization.

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Otis Williams, 14, was shot to death in South L.A. earlier this month. (Family photo)

The evening of July 3, Otis Rayjon Williams left his familys apartment in the Florence-Firestone area, headed for the store on the corner of Central Avenue and Century Boulevard.

His mother presumes that Otis, 14, took a shortcut through an alley, because that was where the police found him, fatally shot in the chest.

Otis was not a gang member, and Los Angeles County sheriffs detectives have yet to identify any suspects or a motive, Lt. Derrick Alfred said last week.

The boy's killing came at the end of a violent week in South Los Angeles. Deshan Lamar Washington, 43, died the same day as Otis, a Friday, shot in the Imperial Courts housing project.

That Wednesday, July 1, Joel Vargas, 43, shot to death his 4- and 6-year-old daughters in Watts before turning the gun on himself.

A day earlier, Derek Wilson, 61, was parked on West 107th Street in Westmont, smoking a cigarette, when a man walked up to his car and shot him to death. Takiem Baxter, 25, was fatally shot the same day in Leimert Park.

Despite the week's bloodshed, homicides in areas under the sheriff's jurisdiction have remained stable: 100 this year compared with 98 at the same time last year. The Los Angeles Police Department has seen a 14% increase in homicides this year, according to department figures.

The killing of a 14-year-old boy, particularly one with no apparent gang ties, is disturbing, Otis' family and residents say. They wonder what, if anything, Otis had said or done to whoever killed him.

It used to be you could say, I dont do that, I dont gang bang, and theyd leave you alone, said his father, who is also named Otis Williams. I guess its not that way anymore.

Otis was tall for his age, having hit a growth spurt when he turned 13. He was growing so fast, his father joked they had threatened to cut off his milk supply. Otis had finished junior high and would have started high school in the fall. He wasnt particularly looking forward to it.

Story continues

He didnt like school, Im not going to tell no lies, his mother, Francine Brazil, said in an interview. Like most kids his age, he chafed at curfews and pushed his parents limits.

If I said, Come home at 10, hed come home at 12, she said.

Otis and his family moved to the Florence-Firestone area about one year ago, to a first-floor apartment in a white stucco building on South Central Avenue. He didnt know too many kids in the area, his mother said, and he often took the Metro to Norwalk, where theyd lived previously, to see his best friend.

Wayne Simpson, 68, lived two doors down from Otis. The boy was always courteous, Simpson said. Hed call Simpsons wife maam, offer to take their trash bins to the curb, and when he was headed to the corner store, hed ask if they wanted a soda, Simpson recalled.

He was a very, very respectful guy, Simpson said. He didn't bother nobody, as far as I know."

Otis was on his way to the store the night he died.

It was a warm night and a short walk, just a couple of blocks, but his mother handed him a thermal on his way out the door.

She put on headphones and turned on Netflix. She never heard the gunshots.

Close to 9 p.m., neighbors knocked on her door. There was a body in an alley, surrounded by police and paramedics, and they had recognized the Nike sneakers that Otis kept bright white.

He was rushed to St. Francis Medical Center. The hospital staff guided his parents to "that little room, with the couches like in the movies," Brazil said, and a surgeon came in to affirm what they already knew.

Alfred, the sheriffs lieutenant, said detectives have recovered video showing Otis walking in an alley between East 98th and East 99th streets, parallel to South Central Avenue. A car pulled up and someone inside it opened fire, he said.

Brazil hopes that someone will come forward with information about who killed her son. People talk, she said. People brag.

The day after Otis died, his mother and father walked to the alley. They cleaned up his blood, picked up the gloves and wrappings the paramedics had discarded, set up some candles and flowers. Then, they gathered up their things and moved in with Otis older sister in Palmdale, an hours drive north of Los Angeles.

Seeing that every day, Brazil said of the alley, I dont think we could ever heal.

The Sheriff's Department has asked anyone with knowledge of Otis' killing to call the homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500.
KHABAROVSK, Russia -- Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the streets of Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk for a third weekend on July 25 to show their anger over the Kremlin's replacement of a popular regional governor.

The sustained demonstrations represent a growing challenge for President Vladimir Putin, who is viewed as having a role in sparking the regional crisis after he fired Sergei Furgal on July 20.

Many called for Putins resignation. Others chanted "Disgrace" and denounced the acting governor that Putin appointed in Khabarovsk.

Municipal authorities in Khabarovsk estimated about 6,500 demonstrators took part in the July 25 protest. Local media put the number at up to 20,000 people.

But protest leaders and independent journalists said there were more than 50,000 people demonstrating in Khabarovsk, which would make it the largest anti-government protest there since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Protesters in Khabarovsk see criminal charges raised against Furgal before his dismissal as unsubstantiated. They are demanding he stand trial at home instead of Moscow, where he has been transferred.

"People are offended," said Dmitry Kachalin, one of the protesters. "I think people are taking to the streets because their vote in the 2018 election was taken away."

Unlike Moscow, where police quickly disperse unsanctioned opposition protests, Russian authorities have not attempted to break up the unauthorized demonstrations in Khabarovsk -- apparently hoping the rallies will dissipate over time.

But daily protests, peaking at the weekends, have been going on for more than two weeks.

They reflect discontent with Putin's rule as well as anger against what local residents see as Moscow's disrespect of their choice to run the region.

Warnings by local officials about the coronavirus have failed to discourage people from taking to the streets and join the protests.

The protests in Khabarovsk, about 6,100 kilometers and seven time zones east of Moscow, have created headaches for the Kremlin as it tries to prevent unrest over the economic impact of coronavirus restrictions.

Furgal was arrested in Khabarovsk on July 9 and transferred to Moscow. He is charged with attempted murder as well as ordering two murders in 2004-05. He denies the charges, saying they are politically motivated.

Furgal, a member of Vladimir Zhirinovsky's nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), was elected as the regions governor nearly two years ago in an upset victory against the longtime incumbent from Putin's ruling United Russia party.

He was officially dismissed by Putin on July 20 and replaced the same day when Putin appointed LDPR member Mikhail Degtyaryov as acting governor.

Degtyaryov has said on Instagram that he is following the protests via surveillance cameras.

He also has used his Instagram account to call on Khabarovsk's residents to maintain social-distancing practices during the rallies and has warned that the authorities could tighten coronavirus restrictions there.

He has said protesters should spend time "properly" with their relatives at their summer houses on the weekend instead of taking to the streets.

He has also charged, without providing evidence, that the ongoing rallies are being organized by unspecified "foreigners," adding that he will not meet with the demonstrators.

On July 21, two local lawmakers in Khabarovsk, Pyotr Yemelyanov and Aleksandr Kayan, quit the LDPR in protest against Furgals dismissal.

With reporting by Current Time, Reuters, and AFP
BANGKOK (AP)  Improved DNA testing has shed new light on the unsolved murder of a female Japanese tourist 13 years ago, suggesting a link to a male of East Asian heritage, Thai officials said Thursday.

Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said the Department of Special Investigation has informed Japanese officials of the finding that might help identify the killer of Tomoko Kawashita. He said a DNA sample found on the clothing of the 25-year-old victim has been identified as belonging to an East Asian man.

A Japanese man who was seen entering Thailand with Kawashita was initially a person of interest to Thai police, but left Thailand soon after the killing. He was not officially named as a suspect.

Kawashitas body was found near the ruins of an ancient temple in the northern province of Sukhothai on May 25, 2007. Police said she was stabbed and her belongings taken. They collected DNA samples from Thai men living in the area who were also interrogated.

After Sukhothai police failed to make any progress in the case, it was transferred in 2013 to the Department of Special Investigation, Thailands version of the FBI. They extended the search for the culprit, interrogating more people and doing more work with DNA.

DNA samples were taken from 379 Thai men in the course of the investigation.

But all of them did not match with the DNA found on the victims pants, therefore, we had to alter our investigative techniques, Somsak said at a news conference.

Wannapong Kocharak, director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, explained that more advanced methods of DNA testing were then utilized.

With the new method, we can pinpoint that the DNA we found on the pants of the victim was not the DNA of Thai men. It matched with men from East Asia in the global genetic database that we can access with the help of Thai geneticists, Wannapong said.

Somsak told reporters that he wants to ask Japanese authorities to collect DNA from the Japanese man who was seen with Kawashita.

At that time, he refused to cooperate in giving tissue samples for lab tests and left Thailand one day after her body was found. We can start with checking his DNA sample in the next phase of the investigation that will be a collaboration between the two countries, Somsak said.

Tomoyuki Fujiyama, a representative of the Japanese Embassy who also spoke at the news conference, said the victims family will be informed of the development and the embassy will cooperate fully with Thai authorities.
Farmer Wants A Wife Australia has resulted in nine marriages and 19 babies.

And now, host Natalie Gruzlewski has revealed the secret to the show's success.

Speaking to The Morning Show on Friday, the 43-year-old TV personality described the show as 'wholesome' and 'heartwarming', compared to other dating shows.

'Everyone is there for the right reasons': Farmer Wants a Wife host Natalie Gruzlewski has revealed why the 'wholesome' show is so successful

'We cast farmers from right around Australia and then we put the call up to the ladies who would like to meet them. They choose the eight ladies who would like to meet them, so there is that initial attraction,' Natalie explained.

She continued: 'Everyone is there for the right reasons and it's good old-fashioned romance and real love stories.

'I think the city girls love the idea of moving to the land and country life, and who doesn't love our Aussie farmers and a good love story?'

Having her say: Speaking to The Morning Show on Friday, the 43-year-old TV personality described the show as 'wholesome' and 'heartwarming', compared to other dating shows

Farmer Wants a Wife hopeful Sarah Gale echoed a similar sentiment, telling The Daily Telegraph last week the rural dating show is a true place to find love.

The 27-year-old claimed that the farmers are 'manly' and genuine.

The personal trainer said: 'I thought with farmer boys they are down to earth, they're manly and they know how to care of a woman'.

Since Farmer Wants A Wife originally debuted in the UK in 2001, the show has gone on to have more than 25 other international versions.

Speaking out: 'I thought with farmer boys they are down to earth, they're manly and they know how to care of a woman,' said Farmer Wants a Wife hopeful Sarah Gale

Worldwide there have been 147 marriages and 280 babies come out of the dating series.

Farmer Wants A Wife first aired in Australia in 2007, and was originally on Channel Nine.

Interestingly, Australia's version of the show has resulted in nine marriages and also 19 babies.

It ran for eight seasons before it was cancelled, before being renewed in 2016 only to be axed again due to disappointing ratings.

Farmer Wants A Wife premieres on Channel Seven on Sunday at 7PM.
A woman and three teenagers have been charged this morning under section 11 of the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 following five people absconding from Hamilton's Distinction Hotel on Friday evening because they wanted to attend a funeral.

Police can confirm a 37-year-old woman, together with three youths aged 18, 17 and 16, have been jointly charged with intentionally failing to comply with an order made under section 11 of the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 by leaving a managed isolation facility.

If convicted they could face up to six months imprisonment or a fine not exceeding $4000.

A 12-year-old who also left the facility has not been charged.

"Requests for exemptions are assessed against a range of criteria, including the level of health risk to the community, the ability to manage that risk, and peoples ability and willingness to comply with the conditions of their release," says Air Commodore Darryn Webb.

"All members of the family that absconded last night are being offered extra support by local iwi.

"Four of the family members have been provided with the opportunity to view the funeral by video link.

"The area where four of the family were found is a green space and does not require cleaning and disinfection."

The family of five arrived from Brisbane on July 21 and were transferred to Distinction Hotel.

The five people who fled from their managed isolation facility in Hamilton last night had returned to the country to attend the funeral of a close family member, which was due to take place today, but had been initially denied permission to go.

Minister Megan Woods and Air Commodore Darryn Webb have held a media conference to discuss the events surrounding the escape.

The group escaped by climbing over a wall at the hotel, which is the same facility that a man fled from two weeks ago.

"Upon arrival they requested an exemption to spend time with a family member and a recently deceased close relative, and attend the funeral. This request was declined as the health risk was deemed too high at that point in time, noting they had not yet conducted a day 3 test.

"A further request was made yesterday to view the body ahead of the funeral, and a detailed plan was being considered to enable this to happen. This involved extensive work, discussion with iwi, Maori wardens, police, and the funeral home itself."

Webb said the family tested negative for Covid-19 after the results from their first test came back mid to late afternoon yesterday.

"At 6.15pm last night the family were contacted by my team and were advised we were actively considering their application, and doing everything we could to support it. They were made aware that the application process was looking positive, and that they would be given a decision by 8pm last night."

Woods said it appeared that a window was forced open, broken off at security latches, and then a six-foot fence was climbed.

"There is a single point of entry with guards on it, it's very clear that you are not meant to leave this [facility], we absolutely understand that coming home in a time of grief is an incredibly difficult situation for anyone to be in, but New Zealanders all over the country through level 4 had to deal with similar circumstances had where they couldn't gather to leave, where they couldn't see dying loved ones.

"This was a sacrifice we all made to protect each other. We're asking that those returning New Zealanders also have that patience while we work through robust proccessess.. so we can protect New Zealanders and the gains that we've made."

At 6.58pm, a police officer saw them climbing over the perimiter fence. The officer and a NZDF member chased after them.

The woman and three of the children were found at a nearby park and detained just before 8pm last night, while a 17-year-old was found at a house in Waitemata - after making his way to Auckland - early this morning.

Webb said the four who were found in the park appeared to have been there for the majority of the time until they were found and apprehended by the police.

He said it would be up to police if anybody who helped the 17-year-old get to Auckland would be charged.

Speaking about security at the facilities, Webb said there had been "ongoing improvements to all aspects", including the onsite presence of police, additional security staff, and additional further fencing.

"In addition to that we've increased the information passed to arrivals, in terms of verbal briefs and written documentation to make it crystal clear of their obligations.

"These facilities are not prisons, and nor should they be - this was a premeditated and planned attempt to break the law and leave this facility."

The group who absconded will be re-tested along with anyone they came into contact with. Webb said the health risk to people they came in contact with had been determined to be low.

Woods said the exemption process was an "incredibly swift and complicated decision making process, that was put in place to have empathy for the family and what they were going through, but putting in place the protections that were required for New Zealanders".

Woods said there did need to be some personal responsibility from these returning New Zealanders, citizens and residents who are coming back to join the team of 5 million

"And that's to keep their fellow New Zealanders safe, and protect the gains we've made. We enjoy the most liberty, socially and economically in the world - we're asking New Zealanders who are returning to rejoin that team.

"We've had over 30,000 through our facilities through this time, we have had a very small number of people who have chosen to not do the right thing, and the rapid response and follow up contact tracing done to date demonstrates that the risks have been low."

She said a range of technologies are being considered to deal with isolation issues, but something like ankle bracelets would not have made a difference last night.

"We had an NZDF personel who followed this family and kept eyes on, until they could be brought back. We knew that someone had got in a car was travelling to Auckland, because monitoring was happening and we were able to follow that up through our police. So that [ankle bracelets] wouldn't have given us any more information than we had."

The National Party said the Hamilton absconders should pay for the extra costs incurred over their escape.

Police said they had committed considerable resource, including the Eagle helicopter for the search.

National's spokesperson for the Covid-19 border response, Gerry Brownlee, said the escape showed the government had failed to secure the border.

He said the absconders had cost police and quarantine officials' hours and helicopter hours, which they should pay for.
In 2020, just who is a TV adaptation of a '90s teen book series actually for?

In a pop culture landscape littered with reboots and remakes  nostalgia-driven TV shows and films aimed at the ageing kids of decades ago  it's a question that could be posed endlessly.

Otto Farrant as Alex Rider. Credit:Amazon Prime Video

For Guy Burt, creator of Amazon's new adaptation of millennial touchstone Alex Rider  British author Anthony Horowitz's bestselling book series about a teen MI6 agent the concern was top of mind while making the show.

"All of us in the production team were very conscious that people who read the books as kids when they first came out are now in their 30s or older! We were also painfully aware that cross-generational shows are one of the toughest needles to thread. Other shows have done it  Stranger Things is an excellent case in point  but goodness it's difficult."
Two rallies to support protesters in Portland, Oregon are planned Saturday in the Bay Area, one in Palo Alto near Stanford University and the other in downtown Oakland.

The rally in Palo Alto is set for 1 p.m. at Embarcadero and El Camino Real, according to the group Wall of Moms Bay Area.

The second event will start at 7:30 p.m. at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza at 14th Street and Broadway in Oakland, according to organizers that include the Wall of Moms Bay Area, Refuse Fascism Bay Area and Vigil for Democracy.

The Wall of Moms group is encouraging participants are encouraged to wear yellow and bring sunflowers. All must wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"Reject secret federal police in our cities, and celebrate our right to gather peacefully and protest," the moms group Facebook page states.

Portland has seen nearly two months of protests since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Federal officers were sent by President Donald Trump to protect federal property in the city, but their presence has escalated tensions and drawn several other groups to the protests.

Wall of Moms groups formed in recent weeks after Trump announced he was sending federal troops to Democratic-led cities.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
A sub-inspector of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) allegedly shot dead his senior on Friday night, before turning the gun on himself at an office of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) in Lodhi Estate.

Police said the two men, who belonged to CRPFs 122 Battalion and were posted at the bungalow, had an argument after which the sub-inspector used his AK-47 rifle to shoot the inspector dead and then kill himself. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the two shared the same office room inside the bungalow.

Police said the incident took place around 10pm. Other staffers heard a gunshot and rushed to the room, to find the inspector shot in the head.

Witnesses said the inspector was having his dinner when he was shot. Less than a minute later, another gunshot was heard, this time from the guard room near the main entrance to the premises. The staffers rushed there to find the sub-inspector lying dead with a gunshot wound to his head. The matter was immediately reported to senior CRPF officers, said a senior police officer, who wished not to be named.

Deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Eish Singhal said the AK-47 rifle used in the shooting was issued to the sub-inspector.

Preliminary probe suggests that two bullets were fired from that rifle. The SI and the inspector shared the same room and were involved in a fight over something; we are yet to ascertain what. We have registered a case of murder and are probing the matter, Singhal said.

Following the incident, a team of forensic experts visited the spot and lifted evidence for examination.

M Dhinakaran, spokesperson, CRPF, said the duo was posted with the 122 Battalion. The fratricidal event is an aberration which seems to have been committed on the spur of the moment. An inquiry has been ordered to establish the facts of the matter and will be taken to its logical end, he said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Heres a look at the top criminal-justice headlines from around the borough over the past week:

MAN, 35, DEAD AFTER WEST BRIGHTON STREET-CORNER SHOOTING

The NYPD responds to a shooting on Castleton Avenue and Barker Street in West Brighton on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Joseph Ostapiuk)

A 35-year-old man was gunned down on a West Brighton corner Wednesday morning.

Barry Moultrie, was fatally shot at about 11:25 a.m. at Castleton Avenue and Barker Street when a verbal disagreement escalated into violence, a source said.

Moultrie was found by officers on the scene with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was initially transported to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton in critical condition but later succumbed to his injuries.

Click here for the full story.

MAN, 25, KILLED IN MARINERS HARBOR DELI SHOOTING

Caution tape remains around the Holland Deli on Richmond Terrace on Thursday, July 23, 2020, a day after Kaseem Scott, 25, was fatally shot at that store. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

A 25-year-old man died after being shot inside a deli on Richmond Terrace in Mariners Harbor Wednesday night, and the suspect remains at large, police said.

Kaseem Scott of Mariners Harbor died at Richmond University Medical Center, according to a statement from the NYPD.

Police responded around 9:30 p.m. to a 911 call of a male shot inside of Holland Deli at 3400 Richmond Terrace, according to the police statement. Officers found Scott suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Click here for the story.

MALE, 18, SHOT IN GROIN EARLY SUNDAY MORNING IN CASTLETON CORNERS

Police responded to a report of a man shot early Sunday morning near the intersection of Westwood Avenue and Todt Hill Road in Castleton Corners. (Google Maps)

An 18-year-old male was shot early Sunday morning in Castleton Corners by an unknown suspect, according to an NYPD spokesman.

The victim, who sustained a gunshot wound to the groin, was transported in stable condition to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, police said.

Police responded to a 911 call just before 4 a.m. for a report of a shooting near the intersection of Westwood Avenue and Todt Hill Road.

Click here for the story.

COPS: WOMAN KILLED TRYING TO CROSS SIE IN HIT-RUN

Police are investigating a crash on the Staten Island Expressway near Richmond Road on Friday morning. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

A 28-year-old woman was struck and killed by a suspected hit-and-run driver while she was trying to cross the Staten Island Expressway early on Friday morning, according to police.

Police responded to a 911 call of a crash involving a pedestrian on the New Jersey-bound expressway in the vicinity of Richmond Road, according to a statement from the NYPD.

The incident was reported at 3:11 a.m.

Click here for the story.

S.I. MAN ALLEGEDLY IMPERSONATED EMS OFFICER

Robert Schnepf, who is facing charges related to impersonating an EMT officer, is pictured in an undated photo. (Courtesy:FDNY)

Officials with the FDNY say a Staten Island man posed as an EMS lieutenant in an effort to swindle local businesses.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro announced last Friday that fire marshals arrested 45-year-old Robert Schnepf for his alleged scheme impersonating Lt. Hart.

Schnepf swindled multiple Staten Island businesses out of money, goods and services while allegedly wearing a fake uniform and flashing a fake badge, according to an FDNY media release.

Click here for more details.

CHARGES UPPED VS. MAN IN CRASH WITH WOMAN ON HOOD

Tierra Eddy, 29, known affectionately as "Tee-Tee," was killed early Sunday morning in what police are calling a vehicular assault following a domestic incident with her boyfriend. (Submitted)

A Brooklyn man was indicted Monday on murder and other charges stemming from the death of his girlfriend who was killed when he allegedly was drunk and crashed his car into a West Brighton home while she was on the vehicles hood.

Jahfare Ford, 26, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in state Supreme Court, St. George, in connection with the March 14 incident that claimed the life of Tierra Eddy, 29.

Eddy was killed two months after she and Ford had held a funeral service for their baby girl who died in the womb, the victims mother previously told the Advance.

Click here for the story.

ELECTRONICS STOLEN IN BURGLARY AT ST. CLARES SCHOOL

Police are seen going inside the Lindenwood Road entrance to St. Clare's School in Great Kills following the report of a burglary on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Maura Grunlund)

Police are investigating a burglary at St. Clares School in Great Kills where four males were seen fleeing in a car.

The burglary occurred between 10:40 and 11:18 p.m. on Monday at the school at 151 Lindenwood Road and the incident was reported on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman for the NYPD.

The four unknown individuals broke the glass panel of a door to enter the location and removed electronics worth about $400, the police spokeswoman said.

Click here for more details.

MAN ACCUSED OF FIRING GUN INSIDE CAR; ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE

A man from Mariners Harbor was trying to commit murder when he fired a gun inside a car in Stapleton, authorities allege.

Destin Burks, of Brabrant Street in the Mariners Harbor Houses, stands accused in the incident that occurred on July 15 at about 2:35 a.m. on the 100 block of Broad Street.

The suspect, with intent to cause the death of another, fired a gun multiple times into an occupied, black Toyota sedan, according to the criminal complaint.

Click here for the full story.
The New Irish Institute of Music and Song, Balbriggan, is pleased to announce enrolments for its 2020 music summer camp for children, which begins on Monday July 20.

The summer camp was founded in 2009 with a view to introducing children to the joys of music, and to offer them the opportunity to collaborate with other children though music and song.

Speaking of this year's summer camp, Michael Dawson of the New Irish Institute of Music and Song, said:

'Normally we do a lot more camps around Fingal, but this year we had to do less camps and we moved them further back, so normally we'd start them earlier but we're only starting them now in July and early August.

'We have reduced class numbers, we're staggering the drop-off and collection times, so we're really really lucky because the campus we have here at the Irish Institute of Music and song at Balbriggan has loads of space.'

Michael added: 'You've got beautiful outdoor spaces, we've got a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre, we've got a nice big room called The Square, and we've got lovely outdoor space throughout the entire campus. So we're able to divide the kids up into age-appropriate groups, so that all the kids aren't together at the one time.'

All COVID-19 guidelines will be strictly adhered to during camps, including reduced camp numbers, outside areas used as much as possible, hand washing scheduled every hour, and parents advised to keep their children home if they are unwell or have a temperature.

Children attending summer camp will have the opportunity to try out different instruments, such as ukulele, violin, clarinet and brass instruments, learn songwriting, and learn how to collaborate musically with other children.

They can also bring along their own instruments, and at the end of a week's camp take part in an outdoor recital for their families.

This year's camps take place on: July 20-24 and July 27-31 at the New Irish Institute of Music and Song in Balbriggan; and on Aug 10-14 at Malahide Rugby Club.

Classes run from Monday to Friday, 9am-2.30pm. New Institute of Music and Song holds Culture Night on September 17 next.

Located on Church St, Balbriggan, the evening will include a public tour of new facilities at the institute, with five live performances taking place throughout the campus.

Phone New Institute of Music and Song, Balbriggan at 083-8505978 for further details on this year's summer camp and Culture Night event.
Gandhinagar, July 25 : In view of the rising COVID-19 cases, the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) has decided to put entry and exit restrictions on visitors to Surat for a period of ten days, satrting from Monday.

Plying of private and government buses from the Diamond City to other parts of the state wil be banned from Monday. However, commuting of goods and other transport vehicles will be allowed during this period, the GSRTC officials said.

Earlier, the Gujarat government had decided to resume the ST bus services in the state, after two-month lockdown period. But, after a surge in COVID-19 cases in the city, the state government reversed its decision.

Surat has been leading the daily corona positive count in the state and has emerged as the new hotspot replacing Ahmedabad.

Apart from Surat, cities like Valsad, Bharuch and Tapi have also been registering large number of cases in the past couple of days, health department said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Katie Schermel opened Caffeineoline Coffee House on East Main Street in downtown Welland three weeks before the pandemic hit and shut her down.

Since reopening her outdoor seating and starting to serve takeout July 1, shes been wearing a mask at all times, and encouraging customers to do the same.

We suggest it, but I wont pick them out for not having one, she said Friday around 1 p.m., a few hours into Niagara entering Stage 3 reopening. One person sat inside her coffee shop earlier in the day, she said, as about four customers sat on chairs along the sidewalk in the afternoon.

Schermel supports the regional governments mandatory mask bylaw, which it approved Thursday to take effect July 31. Asked how she anticipates enforcing the new rules, said she would do her part to make sure everyone is in compliance.

If I have to buy a bunch of masks and hand them out to people who dont have one, Ill do that, she said, seated at a table divided from the one next to it by plexiglass.

Having to close less than a month after opening her business was devastating. But shes glad to see things are improving.

Its been really difficult for us, but its a good thing to be able to move forward, she said.

Downtown Welland BIA executive director Alexis Higginbotham said no one is surprised that the mask bylaw is going through in Niagara.

Local businesses are breathing a general sigh of relief after regional council approved taking this step Thursday night, she said Friday.

Theyre happy to see it happen, and happy to see people protected, said Higginbotham.

She has inquired with Niagara Region and looks forward to hearing more about its plan on how to handle enforcement.

Im sure theres been some groundwork laid out over the last few weeks in anticipation of this, she said.

To this point, merchants have been responsible for making their own decisions whether to allow people without masks through their doors. Higginbotham said the bylaw should take some of the heat off businesses.

Niagara Falls downtown BIA chair Ron Charbonneau said he hopes the regional bylaw will make a difference for businesses in the community.

The worlds in a tricky place right now and everybody doesnt know where theyre going, he said.

Charbonneau said a lot of area business owners have already begun asking customers to wear masks as they enter their shops.

Theyre already implementing it on their own, he said.

But for those businesses, having a bylaw to back up their requests might help stop a lot of disagreeing.

I think itll cause less arguing, because its a bylaw, Charbonneau said, adding if any customers complain about the masks the business owners can blame the Region.

It has been a week since St. Catharines city council made masks mandatory, and so far it has been well received by both business owners and customers, said St. Catharines Downtown Association executive director Tisha Polocko.

Its been a positive thing here, she said.

Our merchants were all in favour, and a lot of them were already asking people to wear masks anyway so this helps do that. Everyone was feeling good that its an official bylaw.

Now that the regional bylaw will come into effect July 31, she said it adds strength to the local initiative.

Meanwhile, Polocko said, the increased comfort level among people visiting downtown shops has also meant a little bit of an increase in sales for shop owners.

Overall, it is making people feel a little more at ease knowing that those businesses are taking it seriously and want to make sure people feel comfortable when they come into their establishment.
Naked Athena. Have you heard of her? Shes the woman who was so christened after she strolled into a recent Portland protest  one that was ostensibly, crucially, about Black lives  stark naked, save a mask (kudos to that) and skullcap. She sat down with her legs wide, and proceeded to do some yoga poses. Some say she was putting herself between protesters and police, that she was turning the cultural sacredness of a white (or at least a white-passing) womans body into a shield against rubber bullets and tear gas.

Naked Athena  whose friend describes her as a light-skinned person of color and outspoken feminist  said nada during her demonstration and hasnt been interviewed, so I cant know her intentions. What I can say with confidence is that what she did was aligned with the weird that Portland espouses in its beloved slogan: Keep Portland Weird. What I can say with reasonable assurance is that, were she a Black woman, she wouldve reaped a different public reaction than the ample awe and admiration Ive seen on social media. And what I must say is that no matter her intentions, for a moment at least, she mightve upstaged the movement, and not in a way I could discern as connected to its stated objectives.

Dont get me wrong, I appreciate Naked Athena, and the white Navy veteran whose passivity exposed the bellicose bent of federal agents. Im thankful for the passion and courage of other white allies during this movement.

But Ive also been musing on the subject of weirdness  how that quality requires freedom, or at least the belief that one possesses it. How the ability to express passion and courage and weirdness is a product of that privilege; how a sense of utopianism of the sort that exists for white people in Portland, my hometown, leads to a certain audacity when it comes to both self-expression and political radicalism; how that audacity can make a city into a tempting target for a federal government thats determined to look tough against a purported paragon of eccentric liberalism.
Rating Action: Moody's revises Energy Harbor Corp.'s outlook to negative; affirms Baa3 rating

Global Credit Research - 24 Jul 2020

New York, July 24, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") revised Energy Harbor Corp.'s (Energy Harbor) rating outlook to negative from stable and affirmed its Baa3 rating.

On Tuesday, 21 July, a criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio by the U.S Attorney that alleges illegal activities were conducted with respect to House Bill 6, legislation that provides financial support for two nuclear power plants in Ohio with a total generating capacity of 2,176 MW.[1] Energy Harbor, along with a former parent holding company, FirstEnergy Corp, are included in the affidavit. Energy Harbor emerged from a 22 month bankruptcy reorganization in February 2020 and previously operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstEnergy called FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.

This event can potentially increase the uncertainty around Energy Harbor's corporate governance structures, and potentially creates a more sustained overhang on the credit profile. We see Energy Harbor as more vulnerable to the investigation than FirstEnergy due to its lack of track record, small size and higher financial exposures to Ohio's nuclear subsidies. Should Ohio repeal HB 6, Energy Harbor will face a negative financial impact because it is the largest beneficiary of the program.

RATINGS RATIONALE

"The Criminal complaint may be a potential sign of higher corporate governance risk. We think the investigation may result in a more lasting negative impact on Energy Harbor's overall credit profile due to its concentration of nuclear assets in Ohio," stated Jairo Chung, Moody's analyst.

Energy Harbor receives approximately $150 million of ZEC revenue, representing approximately 9% of the company's total expected annual revenue. Energy Harbor's owns and operates two nuclear power plants in Ohio, the 908 MW Davis Besse and the 1,268 MW Perry nuclear power plants. Ohio is a deregulated state, where the generation business was separated from the transmission and distribution business. Given the low power prices in the regional markets environment and uncertainty related to the PJM capacity market formation, the absence of the ZEC revenue will put financial pressure and will negatively impact Energy Harbor's EBITDA.

Story continues

The Baa3 rating reflects Energy Harbor's stable cash flow generated from power sales and capacity revenue in PJM as well as the ZEC revenue for its nuclear power plants in Ohio. It also incorporates the Energy Harbor's very low leverage as it emerged out of bankruptcy with only $431 million of tax-exempt secured debt and our expectation that the company's leverage will remain low.

Rating outlook

The negative outlook reflects our view that there is growing uncertainty around Energy Harbor's corporate governance risk, and its lack of track record and small size could pressure on the company's credit profile. We expect Energy Harbor will continue to operate its nuclear power plants with high availability and capacity factors, thereby generating stable cash flow while maintaining low leverage.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING

Factors that could lead to an upgrade

Given Energy Harbor's relatively small generation portfolio, regional and market concentration, and limited track record, a rating upgrade is not likely over the next few years. However, a rating upgrade could be considered if Energy Harbor is able to further improve its cash flow generation visibility through additional legislative-based payments; develops a consistent track record of operating its power plant portfolio, as well as demonstrates financial stability and strong liquidity management over time.

Factors that could lead to a downgrade

A rating downgrade could be considered if Energy Harbor's corporate governance risk is higher than we understood through the ongoing investigation of the criminal complaint filed on 21 July or the company is found to be engaged in illegal activities described, resulting in significant financial pressure. If Energy Harbor's cash flow decreases or if leverage increases significantly such that its CFO pre-WC to debt ratio falls to the low 30% range, or low 20% range on a nuclear fuel adjusted basis; or significant deterioration in its nuclear plant operations, increasing its operating costs, a downgrade could also be considered.

Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, Energy Harbor is an independent power producer in PJM, producing more than 40 TWh of power primarily from its three nuclear power plants: Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse and Perry. It also owns and operates two coal-fired power plants Sammis in Ohio and Pleasants in West Virginia.

The principal methodology used in this rating was Unregulated Utilities and Unregulated Power Companies published in May 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1066389. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The rating has been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent (s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

This rating is solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

REFERENCES/CITATIONS

[1] United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Case No. 1:20-MJ-00526 17-Jul-2020

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Jairo Chung VP-Senior Analyst - Analyst Infrastructure Finance Group Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Michael G. Haggarty Associate Managing Director Infrastructure Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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Bad enough that Doug Ford has become so addicted to emergency powers under cover of COVID-19. Now our all-powerful premier brooks no criticism from within.

This is double dictatorial jeopardy.

Fords rapid-fire firing of PC backbencher Belinda Karahalios, who dared to vote against her own party this week, does more than deprive a majority government of internal feedback. It also sends a chilling public signal to his cowed caucus that theyd best think twice before holding any impure thoughts.

The true test of democracy is dissent  how its heard, how its handled. Heres why Fords view of democracy reeks of hypocrisy:

Campaigning for the Progressive Conservative leadership in early 2018, Ford made a virtue of being vapid with his vow to allow free votes. He had no policy to speak of, so he cast himself as the great listener  respectful of grassroots input, mindful of party democracy.

He promised to run Ontarios First Government For the People. A populist premier, not a power monger.

In his own words, way back then: I believe everyone has the right to vote the way they believe. The only vote Im going to require our team to vote on is the budget, to make sure we vote together on the budget.

Fords leadership rivals aped this empty promise, the better to camouflage their own empty policies. It is the fashion among Tories to cast themselves as fearless free thinkers when they run for power, only to run away from the promise once they win government.

Promise made, promise forgotten.

We live in unusual times, governed by a pandemic parliament at Queens Park. In the rush to rise for the summer  MPPs wont be back until September  Fords government packed a wallop and whipped the vote, demanding caucus compliance.

This is one piece of legislation that is absolutely critical, Ford said this week, explaining why no MPP could be critical of it.

With these words, he attempted to justify going against his word  forcing MPPs to vote against their conscience. The new law enables his majority government  a majority that gives this premier the run of the House  to impose emergency orders such as closing public places or restricting large gatherings without having to declare a formal state of emergency.

It perpetuates emergency laws without a lawful emergency. It empowers the Tories to issue emergency orders to close public places, restrict large gatherings and prohibit personal-care workers from being employed in multiple nursing homes  and could be on the books for years.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association calls it a power grab because the government is trying to extend emergency powers while leaving the label of an emergency behind. The opposition parties, echoed by some ex-PC MPPs also reject it  along with some Tories now too fearful to speak out.

The legislation essentially silences every single Ontario MPP on the most important issue facing our legislature today, Karahalios argued.

Ford countered that hes just not into big government, Im just not  but we have to do it.

Whether this is an anti-democratic overreach or merely a housekeeping matter is debatable. But isnt that why we have democratic debates and legislative votes?

The risk of revolt by caucus members  rebels with a cause  can give a party pause. In this case, Ford was miffed as much by what Karahalios had to say as her mysterious way of doing it.

The Tories only learned of her vote after reading a tweet by my Toronto Star colleague Robert Benzie. They were in the dark because MPPs  mindful of social distancing in mid-pandemic  now vote by filing in to either the government or opposition lobbies, rather than rising in the main chamber for all to see.

Thats not to say Karahalios is necessarily a model of pluralism worthy of political martyrdom. She was a political unknown until stepping in to replace her husband Jim Karahalios at the last minute, after the provincial party disqualified him from running under its banner in the 2018 election; the federal Conservatives ousted him from the 2020 leadership race after he suggested a rival candidates campaign chair backed sharia law.

None of that stopped the premier from appearing alongside her earlier this month, lavishing praise upon the Cambridge MPP as an all-star backbencher. Now she has been defenestrated for disloyalty.

Shes not the only one. This brings to four the number of MPPs who, having won election as PCs, were either kicked out or quit.

But it is the 72 Tories who remain behind as backbenchers that are the true target of this public decapitation. With his commanding majority in the 124-seat house, the premier wants to maintain unchallenged command and control.

Its worth noting that when the votes were counted, the controversial legislation passed by a massive margin of 60 to 28. That Ford still insisted on a vow of silence and show of loyalty for such a debatable emergency law  brooking no debate from party dissidents  speaks volumes about his fidelity to democracy.

It also serves as a timely reminder of his ability to forget his public promises over time.

Read more about:
The parents of a missing 2-year-old California toddler have been arrested on suspicion of murder of their own child, police said Friday.

They were arrested at around seven in the morning at a home at 3300 block of Winter Way in the California City of Madera.

Briseida Sran and Sukhjinder Sran, parents of Thaddeus Sran, were arrested the day after authorities found the remains of a toddler in an agricultural area west of the city, said a report from Fresno Bee.

In a news conference Friday morning, Madera Police Chief Dino Lawson said the remains that they found have yet to be identified as Thaddeus' but said previously that there is a "very strong possibility" that it is indeed the child they are looking for. An autopsy on the remains was scheduled later that day.

Lawson said the remains were found in what he described as a "fire pit" and "were burned", reported Los Angeles Times.

The child went missing July 15 after disappearing from their home at 800 block of South C Street in Madera. His disappearance sparked a widespread search.

According to the parents, the child went missing after being put to bed on Tuesday, July 14.

Metro UK reported that Thaddeus was born premature and needed a tube to be fed. He was also non-verbal and had only learned how to walk recently.

Police, knowing this, grew worried over the safety of the child but tried to keep an open mind. They knew that time the child's condition did not make time on their side.

It could be that the child got out of the house or was abducted. "Everything is on the table. We're looking at everything and we're leaving no stone unturned," Lawson said.

The couple's attorney could not be reach immediately for comment, according to CBS San Francisco.

Parents Did Not Cooperate

The officers did not explain at first what led them to think the boy's parents were behind the disappearance but the police said they "stopped cooperating early on in the investigation."

The police were quoted in a Fox News article saying, "We believe their assistance, in this case, would be helpful." They hoped the parents would continue to work with them in solving the case.

The couple denied their less than cooperative attitude during the early parts of the investigation through a statement released by their lawyer Thursday.

Through their lawyer, the couple claimed that no further effort was made by law enforcers to speak with them about the case. But the police stood by their statement.

Another Child Died in 2015

The couple also had an infant daughter who died in 2015.

"We will continue to work the case but, as of right now, there's some justice for little Thaddeus," Lawson said.

According to neighbors, the Srans just moved a few weeks ago.

The police did not comment on possible motives for the disappearance and alleged slaying and the investigation still remains in progress.

The department said they have reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to ask for assistance on the case.

Want to read more? Check these out!

Missing California Toddler's Remains May Have Been Found, Police Claim

Family in Texas Found Dead Inside SUV

Mother of Frostproof Triple Murder Victim Wants Death Penalty for Son's Killer
Rajasthan political crisis: Congress workers stage protests against BJP across state

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Jaipur, July 25: Several Congress workers on Saturday staged protests at several places in Rajasthan against the BJP, accusing it of "conspiring" to topple the Ashok Gehlot government. On Friday, the Congress had given the call for demonstrations in all district headquarters against the "conspiracy to murder democracy" and to press the governor for convening an Assembly session.

The Congress government is pushing for a session of the Assembly so that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot can prove his majority on the floor of the House after the Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to rebel leader Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

Rajasthan political crisis: Congress MLAs to stage protest against Governor today

In Jaipur, the protest was held at the Youth Congress office. Party leaders addressed the gatherings across the state. "The BJP's intentions will not work out and the Ashok Gehlot government will complete its tenure. It is also disappointing that the Governor is not calling an Assembly session. The session should be called," a party leader said in Bikaner.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tests positive for Coronavirus | Oneindia News

Congress workers took out a rally in Kota and staged a dharna in Jodhpur. Similar protest demonstrations were held elsewhere in the state. Giving the call for demonstrations, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara had on Friday said the programmes would be held following COVID-19 preventive measures such as social distancing.

He said that not more than 50 persons would gather in any place. However, Congress workers gathered for the demonstrations in large numbers in all district headquarters disregarding social distancing norm.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, July 25, 2020, 14:09 [IST]
In a circumstance where the agency has not found the time or resources to change their website to accurately reflect what the status is, it is probably not the greatest degree of reassurance to the plaintiffs [about] a timeline for the decision on the new policy, Grimm said. He added that the inaccurate website information fuels a belief by the plaintiffs that something is underlying this failure to process the claims, and the delays in consideration are being done for an ulterior motive.
Chinese security personnel patrol along the perimeter of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Photo: Thomas Peter/Reuters

China yesterday ordered the United States to close its consulate in the western city of Chengdu, ratcheting up a diplomatic conflict at a time when relations have sunk to their lowest level in decades.

The move was a response to the Trump administration's order for Beijing to close its consulate in Houston after Washington accused Chinese agents of trying to steal medical and other research.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry appealed to Washington to reverse its "wrong decision".

Chinese-US relations have soured amid a mounting array of conflicts over trade, the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, technology, spying accusations, Hong Kong and allegations of abuses against Chinese Muslims.

"The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

"The current situation in Chinese-US relations is not what China desires to see. The United States is responsible for all this.

"We once again urge the United States to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track."

Mr Wang claimed some consulate personnel "interfered in China's internal affairs and harmed China's security interests" but gave no details and insisted had Beijing complained "many times" to Washington about that.

Meanwhile, the US State Department sent out a notice warning Americans in China of a "heightened risk of arbitrary detention".

"US citizens may be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention for reasons related to 'state security,'" the notice said.

Americans may be detained or deported for "sending private electronic messages critical" of the Chinese government, it warned.

The US consulate in Chengdu is responsible for monitoring Tibet and other areas in the southwest inhabited by non-ethnic Chinese minorities that are considered especially sensitive by Beijing.

Asian stock markets, already uneasy about the uncertain pace of recovery from the pandemic, fell yesterday on the news of the closure.

China's market benchmark, the Shanghai Composite Index, lost 3.9pc. Hong Kong's main index declined 2.2pc.

"Alongside the eviction of the Houston Chinese Consulate, the risk of the US-China conflict escalating into a 'cold war' is worrying," Hayaki Narita of Mizuho Bank said.
Ten people have died overnight from COVID-19 in Victoria, after the state recorded an additional 459 cases.

The seven men who died were aged in their 40s to their 70s, while the three women who died were aged in their 70s and 80s.

Seven overnight COVID-19 deaths were related to aged care outbreaks, while three were not related to the aged care sector.

There have been 8881 coronavirus cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic.

Click here to read the full story.
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Indonesia, Government of

Global Credit Research - 25 Jul 2020

Singapore, July 25, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") reviews all of its ratings periodically in accordance with regulations -- either annually or, in the case of governments and certain EU-based supranational organisations, semi-annually. This periodic review is unrelated to the requirement to specify calendar dates on which EU and certain other sovereign and sub-sovereign rating actions may take place.

Moody's conducts these periodic reviews through portfolio reviews in which Moody's reassesses the appropriateness of each outstanding rating in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. Since 1st January 2019, Moody's issues a press release following each periodic review announcing its completion.

Moody's has now completed the periodic review of a group of issuers that includes Indonesia and may include related ratings. The review did not involve a rating committee, and this publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future; credit ratings and/or outlook status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

The credit profile of Indonesia (issuer rating Baa2) is supported by the sovereign's "a2" economic strength, which reflects its large size, healthy and stable growth potential; its "baa3" institutions and governance strength that balance the improvements in the effectiveness of both fiscal and monetary policy against weak strength of civil society and the judiciary; and its "ba1" fiscal strength, which takes into consideration a modest debt burden, but low revenues as a share of GDP, and a substantial share of foreign-currency-denominated financing. Moody's assesses Indonesia's vulnerability to event risks as "a", driven by a combination of external vulnerability risks, political risks, and government Liquidity risks.

Story continues

This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period.

The principal methodology used for this review was Sovereign Ratings Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Anushka Shah Vice President - Senior Analyst Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Marie Diron MD - Sovereign Risk Sovereign Risk Group JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077

 2020 Moody's Corporation, Moody's Investors Service, Inc., Moody's Analytics, Inc. and/or their licensors and affiliates (collectively, "MOODY'S"). All rights reserved.

CREDIT RATINGS ISSUED BY MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. AND/OR ITS CREDIT RATINGS AFFILIATES ARE MOODY'S CURRENT OPINIONS OF THE RELATIVE FUTURE CREDIT RISK OF ENTITIES, CREDIT COMMITMENTS, OR DEBT OR DEBT-LIKE SECURITIES, AND MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND INFORMATION PUBLISHED BY MOODY'S (COLLECTIVELY, "PUBLICATIONS") MAY INCLUDE SUCH CURRENT OPINIONS. MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE DEFINES CREDIT RISK AS THE RISK THAT AN ENTITY MAY NOT MEET ITS CONTRACTUAL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS AS THEY COME DUE AND ANY ESTIMATED FINANCIAL LOSS IN THE EVENT OF DEFAULT OR IMPAIRMENT. SEE MOODY'S RATING SYMBOLS AND DEFINITIONS PUBLICATION FOR INFORMATION ON THE TYPES OF CONTRACTUAL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS ADDRESSED BY MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE CREDIT RATINGS. CREDIT RATINGS DO NOT ADDRESS ANY OTHER RISK, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: LIQUIDITY RISK, MARKET VALUE RISK, OR PRICE VOLATILITY. CREDIT RATINGS, NON-CREDIT ASSESSMENTS ("ASSESSMENTS"), AND OTHER OPINIONS INCLUDED IN MOODY'S PUBLICATIONS ARE NOT STATEMENTS OF CURRENT OR HISTORICAL FACT. MOODY'S PUBLICATIONS MAY ALSO INCLUDE QUANTITATIVE MODEL-BASED ESTIMATES OF CREDIT RISK AND RELATED OPINIONS OR COMMENTARY PUBLISHED BY MOODY'S ANALYTICS, INC. AND/OR ITS AFFILIATES. MOODY'S CREDIT RATINGS, ASSESSMENTS, OTHER OPINIONS AND PUBLICATIONS DO NOT CONSTITUTE OR PROVIDE INVESTMENT OR FINANCIAL ADVICE, AND MOODY'S CREDIT RATINGS, ASSESSMENTS, OTHER OPINIONS AND PUBLICATIONS ARE NOT AND DO NOT PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS TO PURCHASE, SELL, OR HOLD PARTICULAR SECURITIES. MOODY'S CREDIT RATINGS, ASSESSMENTS, OTHER OPINIONS AND PUBLICATIONS DO NOT COMMENT ON THE SUITABILITY OF AN INVESTMENT FOR ANY PARTICULAR INVESTOR. MOODY'S ISSUES ITS CREDIT RATINGS, ASSESSMENTS AND OTHER OPINIONS AND PUBLISHES ITS PUBLICATIONS WITH THE EXPECTATION AND UNDERSTANDING THAT EACH INVESTOR WILL, WITH DUE CARE, MAKE ITS OWN STUDY AND EVALUATION OF EACH SECURITY THAT IS UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR PURCHASE, HOLDING, OR SALE.

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ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS PROTECTED BY LAW, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, COPYRIGHT LAW, AND NONE OF SUCH INFORMATION MAY BE COPIED OR OTHERWISE REPRODUCED, REPACKAGED, FURTHER TRANSMITTED, TRANSFERRED, DISSEMINATED, REDISTRIBUTED OR RESOLD, OR STORED FOR SUBSEQUENT USE FOR ANY SUCH PURPOSE, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN ANY FORM OR MANNER OR BY ANY MEANS WHATSOEVER, BY ANY PERSON WITHOUT MOODY'S PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT.

MOODY'S CREDIT RATINGS,ASSESSMENTS, OTHER OPINIONS AND PUBLICATIONS ARE NOT INTENDED FOR USE BY ANY PERSON AS A BENCHMARK AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED FOR REGULATORY PURPOSES AND MUST NOT BE USED IN ANY WAY THAT COULD RESULT IN THEM BEING CONSIDERED A BENCHMARK.

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Increasing US excursions into South China Sea aim to contain China: expert

Global Times

By Guo Yuandan Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/24 0:50:19

US warship's constant excursions into the South China Sea may increase the possibility for military skirmishes with China, and shows that the US is using every arrow in its quiver to contain China, military experts said after the US enhanced its presence in South China Sea region and colluded with Australia and the UK to back its moves.

The US will continue the pace of "freedom of navigation operations" in the South China Sea, which hit an all-time high in 2019, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Tuesday.

US fighters have also entered the area several times since July 13, media reported.

In early July, two US aircraft carrier battle groups which sailed the South China Sea were nothing more than paper tigers on China's doorsteps, as the region is fully within the grasp of People's Liberation Army (PLA) with specially made weapons that can destroy aircraft carrier, said analysts.

Media reports said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to give a speech Thursday in California about China at a time of escalated tensions between the two countries.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and commentator, told the Global Times that Pompeo is predicted to announce further ring-fencing moves against China in his speech.

Military expert Du Wenlong said that the US intention is to make, expand and use skirmishes to hype the situation in the South China Sea.

Song noted that the US has used the South China Sea and its military operation within the region to enhance its crackdown on China, and treated China as its prime opponent.

"Washington now is using every arrow in its quiver to crackdown China," said Song, who believes tensions in the South China Sea region are more intense than they were four years after the ruling by the Arbitral Tribunal regarding the South China Sea.

The situation is more complicated and has intensified as US has become tougher as it sees China's "overly exploitation" of the region as damaging its core interest there, and the upcoming presidential election has also add fuel to the fire.

The US is also frequently conducting joint military drills with other countries. Indian Navy warships held a joint exercise with the United States Navy in the Indian Ocean on Monday.

A day after the US House of Representatives slammed China's "aggression against India" in the Galwan Valley, US supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan on Tuesday carried out a joint exercise with two QUAD members  Australia and Japan  in the Philippine Sea.

Those moves suggested that the US is intending to collude with other countries, to contain China, said Song, who predicted Japan, Australia and the UK will become important US "accomplices."

Japan may be harboring concerns, but the UK and Australia will firmly support the US because of issues such like Hong Kong, according to Song.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) will definitely take equivalent countermeasures against US constant provocations in the region, adding to the possibility of military skirmishes, said Song.

He noted that the US is only looking to provoke before the presidential election, and has no intention to make a military conflict, which is not doing any good for the US election. "At the same time, the PLA will also keep their hair on."

Previous media reports said that India is favorably considering Australia's keen interest to be part of the next edition of the Malabar naval exercise which is scheduled to be held later this year.

Qian Feng, director of the research department of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing, told the Global Times that even if Australia were to join drills this year, it does not mean that it has officially become a member of Malabar.

Granting Australia membership needs further observation but if the country becomes a member, it will be an unfavorable turn for China, said Qian.

"Once the US manages to pull India, Japan and Australia to form a quadrilateral accord, its goal of containing China becomes more obvious," said Qian.

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Honey dip donuts are pictured at Demet's Donuts in Medford, MA on Feb. 28, 2019.

Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Authorities are investigating an incident caught on a video of a white man using racial slurs against a Black teen after he was offered a doughnut.

According to the Boston Globe, the 14-year-old, Peter Osazuwa, was offering doughnuts to strangers in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Newburyport police are pursuing an investigation into the incident, according to The Newburyport Daily News.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Police are investigating an incident where a Black teen was called offensive racial slurs after offering a white man a doughnut in Newburyport, Massachusetts, according to the Boston Globe.

The 14-year-old, Peter Osazuwa, offered strangers extra doughnuts after he realized there were leftovers from his Dunkin Donuts order, the report said. The incident, which was caught on video, occurred last week, according to local reports.

Osazuwa's mother, Adama Berry, told the Boston Globe that her son was with friends when he was called racial slurs after he offered a white man a doughnut.

"He was asking him, 'Do you want a doughnut?' and he went off," she told the newspaper. "The guy started yelling, using the n-word on him."

Related: What coronavirus stress is doing to your brain and body

According to the Boston Globe, witnesses started to film the incident and able to capture the man shouting on video.

In the video obtained by the newspaper, the white man drove off in his Lexus Sudan, someone asked him "What did you call him?" and the man shouted the slur at the teen, the report says.

Berry said that her son was upset after the incident and told Boston Globe she feared for her and her son's lives.

"I'm scared for my life, I'm scared for my boy's life. I was so angry. Oh my God, I was so upset. But what can you do? You just have to live," she said.

Newburyport authorities are investigating and were able to obtain the footage of the incident. According to The Newburyport Daily News, police were able to identify the man by a glimpse of his license plate in the recorded video.

Story continues

The Newburyport Daily News reported that City Marshal Mike Murray addressed the incident in a press release on Monday.

"We do not tolerate acts of racism or bias in our community, and we will pursue this investigation, wherever the facts take us," Murray said, according to the report

Newburyport Police Department "will consult with the Essex District Attorney's Office on whether the incident meets the standard for a hate crime or bias-motivated crime," the report also said.

Read the original article on Insider
Rahul weighed in on the political developments in Rajasthan after the Congress attacked Governor Kalraj Mishra

New Delhi: Alleging that there was a clear "BJP conspiracy" to topple the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the governor must convene an Assembly session so that the truth comes out before the country.

Rahul weighed in on the political developments in Rajasthan after the Congress attacked Governor Kalraj Mishra for not calling an Assembly session by accusing him of abdicating his constitutional obligation and acting at the behest of the central government.

"The country is ruled by Constitution and law. The governments are made and run by the mandate of the people," the former Congress chief said in a tweet.

"The BJP conspiracy to topple the Rajasthan government is clear. This is an insult to the eight crore people of Rajasthan," Rahul said.

The governor should convene a session of the Legislative Assembly so that the truth comes out before the country, he tweeted with the hashtag ''Arrogant BJP.''.Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel also lashed out at the BJP, saying the saffron party''s government in Manipur manages to convene an Assembly, but the Congress government in Rajasthan cannot .

"Selective application of the Constitution is now rule of law?" he said in a tweet.

Congress MLAs loyal to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday held a five-hour sit-in at the Raj Bhawan to press for an Assembly session, in a dramatic show of strength hours after the Pilot camp secured protection for now from disqualification from the House.

The Congress said it ended the sit-in following an assurance from the governor that he will abide by Article 174 of the Constitution, after getting some clarifications from the chief minister.
25.07.2020 LISTEN

Dr. Morissanda Kouyate has just been named the co-winner of the United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize - 2020 edition. As Executive Director of the Inter-African Committee on Harmful Traditional Practices (IAC), Dr. Kouyate is a leading figure in efforts to end violence against women in Africa, including female genital mutilation (FGM). He spoke with Africa Renewals Franck Kuwonu on, among other issues, what inspired him to take up the fight against FGM, progress he has seen over the years, and what the Prize means to him as he continues in his quest to end FGM:

Dr. Morissanda Kouyate, laureate Mandela Prize 2020

Congratulations, Dr. Morissanda Kouyate! How does it feel to win such an award?

I first learned about it a few days ago through an email from the office of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande. I read it and when I woke up in the morning, I thought it was a dream. I had to read it again after taking a shower to make sure it was true. I felt very honoured.

You are known for your fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa. When did you start this journey?

It begun in 1983 in the Tougue region in the Republic of Guinea.

I understand there was an incident that would change you forever. What happened?

Indeed. It was one evening in 1983 at the hospital in Tougue where I was a young medical director when 12-year-old twin girls were brought in. They had undergone genital mutilation and were bleeding profusely. The parents were distraught and despite the tremendous work we did at the hospital to save their lives, the twins died. I was devastated. It was as if I had lost my own daughters. It was horrible!

How did that incident affect you?

I was so shocked that I actually took three days off. I couldnt work instead I just sat down and wrote a pamphlet against FGM. During those days, FGM was referred to as female circumcision. I wrote a strong-worded pamphlet to say that it was a practice that could lead to tragedies, like the death of the twins. The pamphlet would later land on the table of the World Health Organization (WHO) officials.

Before then, I knew there was FGM in Kouroussa, where I come from, but I had never questioned it myself. The death of the twins changed everything and that's where my journey to fight this vice started.

How long after that experience did you manage to persuade representatives of 16 countries in Africa to agree to set up the Inter-African Committee on Harmful Traditional Practices?

A year later, on 6 February 1984 with the support of WHO and other civil society activists, we created the Inter-African Committee on Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IACW) in Dakar, Senegal.

To honour that date, we proposed to the United Nations to declare 6 February the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. It is the day the Inter-African Committee was initially created and today it has become a great date. A date that reminds all humanity to get rid of FGM.

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (The Maputo Protocol)

Article 5 : Elimination of Harmful Practices

States Parties shall prohibit and condemn all forms of harmful practices which negatively affect the human rights of women and which are contrary to recognised international standards. States Parties shall take all necessary legislative and other measures to eliminate such practices, including:

creation of public awareness in all sectors of society regarding harmful practices through information, formal and informal education and outreach programmes;

prohibition, through legislative measures backed by sanctions, of all forms of female genital mutilation, scarification, medicalisation and para-medicalisation of female genital mutilation and all other practices in order to eradicate them;

provision of necessary support to victims of harmful practices through basic services such as health services, legal and judicial support, emotional and psychological counselling as well as vocational training to make them self-supporting;

protection of women who are at risk of being subjected to harmful practices or all other forms of violence, abuse and intolerance.

Only 16 countries attended the Dakar meeting. Was it difficult to get other countries on board?

In 1984, it was extremely difficult to talk openly about FGM. Therefore, not all countries were on board. Since then, it has been a long and difficult road to mobilize everyone - the international community and the whole world - against the practice. However, today, our organization is represented in 29 African and 19 non-African countries around the world. We are represented in all continents.

We know that social change is slow, very slow. So we must persevere and find ways and means to accelerate them. Lets not complain about the slow pace, but we must accelerate.

Your organization is present in only 29 African countries, out of 54. Does that mean the rest do not have FGM?

Not at all. Today, FGM is present all over the world. With immigration, people are moving with their traditions and practices, so FGM, even though it is more concentrated in Africa, is now everywhere.

It is also important to note that the Inter-African Committee is not only fighting against FGM. It fights to eliminate all traditional practices affecting the health of women and children, including childhood diseases. So, we should be in all African countries and around the world. This is why we are about to expand to all African countries.

You have been in this fight for over three decades. What are the main changes that have taken place on the continent over the years?

First of all, FGM has been totally demystified and is no longer taboo. It may seem trivial, but it is a great achievement knowing where we started from.

Secondly, the African Heads of State and governments, and the African Union have made a strong commitment to this fight against FGM through the Maputo Protocol [SM1] (The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa in effect since 2005).

A few days ago, Sudan, which was initially one of the most difficult countries to convince and which is a member of the Inter-African Committee, strengthened its legislation against FGM. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Sudanese authorities and the Sudanese people for making this possible.

And thirdly, the people themselves have taken ownership of this fight, especially young girls and boys who are now organizing themselves to resist FGM, and all forms of mutilation, as well as child marriage.

For me, the most important achievement is that the survivors are standing up to protect themselves.

And finally, the prevalence rate of FGM is declining across the continent and globally.

Have the lives of women and girls improved as a result?

It is not just about improving the lives of women and girls. If there is no violence against women, if their rights are not violated, they will be able to improve their lives themselves. This is not a gift to be given to them, it is their right, their full right, which everyone must respect.

What setbacks did you encounter along the way?

The setbacks I have encountered in this struggle are many but the biggest obstacle was the resistance of leaders. Political leaders, religious leaders, and even some traditional leaders who, despite knowing the negative consequences of FGM, continue to defend the practice for political, religious or self-promotional purposes. This is the hardest setback for me. It shocks me in more ways than one.

Yet, you haven't given up. What drives you to soldier on?

The Tougue twins. For me, they represent all the girls and women in Africa and around the world who continue to suffer from violence, discrimination and are undervalued. I will never stop until all harmful practices against girls and women are eliminated globally.

According to the WHO, about 3 million girls are still at risk of FGM every year. What are the chances of these numbers dropping to zero and how soon could that happen?

International organizations, including the United Nations, like long-term programmes  15, 20, 30 or even 40 years. Objectives that are set for the long term, which I can understand, but we should avoid applying this to FGM, since this is a physical and psychological aggression.

If we say that we have to end FGM within a generation, I wonder, which generation is that? Is it my generation? Is it my daughters' generation? Is it my granddaughters' generation? The question deserves to be asked.

So, instead of saying we will eliminate FGM in one generation, I propose we set a clear objective. If we all get together, if we work together hand in hand in Africa and throughout the world, in ten years, that is to say by 2030 like with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we must totally eliminate FGM.

Now that youve won the award, what are your plans for the future?

I feel invigorated and more engaged. But most of all, Im very humbled, like the great man that Nelson Mandela was.

I will fight even harder to mobilize more human resources and more material and financial resources to eliminate FGM and any other harmful traditional practice including child marriage.

I would like to thank the United Nations for awarding me this prestigious prize. I will do my utmost best to earn the confidence of the international community in improving the lives of girls and women.

What is your message to those who still strongly defend FGM?

To them, I say: stop defending the indefensible. Attacking girls and women physically and psychologically is neither culturally right nor justifiable on health grounds. It is a pure violation of their rights, and this is unacceptable.

For more information on COVID-19, visit www.un.org/coronavirus
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25

Trend:

Azerbaijanis living in Praque held a rally, with the support of the "Azerbaijani Community in the Czech Republic" organization, against the aggressive policy of Armenia and Armenian armed forces recent provocations made in the Tovuz direction of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, Trend reports on July 25 referring to the State Committee for Work with Diaspora.

According to the organization's head Eldar Valiyev, the Azerbaijanis, being informed about Armenians gathering in front of the Azerbaijani embassy in Czechia, also went there to express support to the Azerbaijani state.

The Azerbaijani participants of the rally chanted slogans in Russian and Czech.

After the end of the rally, the Azerbaijanis held an authorized peaceful procession in the center of Prague.

Following continuous ceasefire violations of Armenia's armed forces, the country launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan on July 12. Grossly violating the ceasefire regime, Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district.

As a result of the appropriate measures, the Armenian armed forces were silenced. The tensions continued on the border, July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, army vehicles.

As a result of the shelling, many houses in the Tovuz district's border villages were damaged.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has facilitated the establishment of the first-of-its-kind mRNA-based vaccine manufacturing platform in India. It has provided seed funding for the development of Gennovas novel self-amplifying mRNA-based vaccine candidate for COVID19.

REUTERS/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

According to the ministry, Gennova has developed an mRNA vaccine candidate (HGCO19) in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, Seattle, USA. The vaccine candidate has demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, neutralization antibody activity in rodent and non-human primate models.

The company is working aggressively to ensure first human injection by the end of the year, subject to Indian regulatory approvals, informed a release from the Ministry of Science & Technology.

The novel mRNA vaccine candidate, HGCO19, has all the necessary arsenal to guide the host cells to make the antigen -spike protein of the virus, reported to interact with host cells receptor, and supported by lipid inorganic nanoparticle (LION) as a delivery vehicle.

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Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company dedicated to the research, development, production, and commercialization of biotherapeutics.

Bold moves are necessary to create globally competitive and sustainable solutions. Gennova appreciates DBT- BIRACs initiative, guidance, and financial support towards the development of mRNA based next-generation vaccine. Our partnership is poised towards creating an eco-system for cutting-edge technology, providing solution towards making a cost-effective vaccine that can reach to the masses in a pandemic situation like COVID-19 Dr Sanjay Singh, CEO of Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, said.

Diseases emanating from unknown and new pathogens require novel ideas for effective mitigation. Gennovas mRNA platform supported by DBT utilizes the advances in nucleic acid vaccine and delivery systems. This vaccine candidate that makes use of nanotechnology has shown promise to be effective in animal models. With the kind of capacities that Gennova has, I am confident that this vaccine candidate can be rapidly scaled up, once proven effective in human clinical trials, Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT and Chairperson, BIRAC, said.

AFP/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

Human trials using the vaccine candidates of two Indian firms, Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila are already underway in the country.

Both BB and Zydus were granted permission for Phase I and II clinical trials and administered the first doses of their vaccine candidates to volunteers on July 15.

BCCL

BBs Covaxin, which is developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), will be tested at 12 hospitals in 12 cities.

Testing of Zyduss candidate, ZyCoV-D, is currently limited to its research centre in Ahmedabad, but will be extended to multiple cities.

Disclaimer: While there have been several different types of treatments being given to COVID-19 patients across the world, there isn't any one drug that has worked as a sure-shot treatment yet. Dont self medicate/stock up and always consult your doctor/medical health professional.


Ministers are set to remove Spain from the Governments list of safe countries to travel to after the European country saw a rise in Covid-19 cases, the PA news agency understands.

The decision means those coming back from Spain will have to self-isolate for two weeks upon their return to England.

A formal announcement is expected to be made by the Department for Transport on Saturday.

In Spain, Catalonia became the latest region to crack down on nightlife, trying to halt new infection clusters.

The wealthy north-east region  home to Barcelona  ordered all nightclubs to close for 15 days and put a midnight curfew on bars in the greater Barcelona area and other towns around Lleida that have become contagion hot zones.

Expand Close Passengers returning to England from holidays in Spain are set to be asked to quarantine (Steve Parsons/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Passengers returning to England from holidays in Spain are set to be asked to quarantine (Steve Parsons/PA)

Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warn the country that lost 28,000 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing the start of a second major outbreak.

The expected announcement about the removal of a so-called air bridge with Spain comes only a day after a further five countries were added to the quarantine-free list for people travelling to England.

Anyone coming from Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadines will not be required to isolate for two weeks on arrival, the Government confirmed on Friday.

Popular holiday destinations including Portugal, Thailand and the United States remain notable absentees.

The Government said people should continue to check the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices travel advice and their insurance policies before embarking on any overseas travel.

Ministers had previously warned that travel corridors could be closed if coronavirus rates escalated in other nations.

Travellers, even those from exempt destinations, are still required to complete a passenger locator form when they arrive in the UK.
Representative Image

Israel and India might strengthen strategic military ties and cooperation, after a talk between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Lt Gen Benjamin Gantz.

"Both the Ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress of strategic cooperation between the two countries and discussed possibilities of further strengthening the defence engagements," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The defence ministers of the two countries discussed the India-China border dispute, says a report by The Economic Times.

Chinese soldiers have withdrawn completely from Patrol Point 15, situated along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the report added. But the disengagement process at the Finger Area along the Pangong Tso lake has been stalled.

Singh apprised Gantz about major reforms initiated by India in the defence manufacturing sector and called for greater participation of Israeli defence firms in joint development of weapons and military hardware with Indian companies, they said.

India has been the largest buyer of Israel's military hardware and the latter has been supplying various weapon systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles over the last few years but the transactions have largely remained behind the curtains.

In a statement, the defence ministry said Singh and Gantz expressed satisfaction at the progress of strategic cooperation between the two countries and discussed possibilities of further strengthening the defence engagements.

"They also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing collaboration in research and development in fighting pandemic COVID-19 which will not only benefit the two countries but also aid the larger humanitarian cause," it said.

The ministry said Singh invited greater participation of Israeli defence companies under new liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) regime in defence manufacturing.

"The two ministers exchanged views on regional developments. Defence minister of Israel responded positively to an invitation from Singh to visit India at the earliest opportunity," it said.
 Readers know that I keep ordering up more popcorn and worrying about a potential popcorn shortage. Well guess what? A reader in the southeast sends along this very worrying news:

You mentioned in one of your recent articles that it is amazing that there isnt an acute popcorn shortage with all the lunacy going on. I am an Independent Distributor for a national company that delivers into retail grocery accounts in the Atlanta area each workday. I have in fact noticed that there is indeed a popcorn shortage! I was in 4 major grocery retail accounts this morning and all 4 were half full at best. These shelves have been bare for several months now. Not surprising given the behavior from some of our elected officials.

And the photos to prove it from two different stores (though our correspondent has similar pics from several others:

I say take no chances: buy popcorn like its toilet paper in March.

Chaser: Were still investigating whether Orville Redenbacher has a nefarious past that will require his eponymous popcorn brand to be canceled, but at least we can report that, contrary to what you may have heard, Capn Crunch was not a slave-trader, and so his breakfast cereal will not be canceled. How do we know? It was created by Quaker Oats. And Quakers were early abolitionists. So the good Capn Crunch is in the clear.

 Who had UFOs on their 2020 Bingo card? From the New York Times today:

No Longer in Shadows, Pentagons U.F.O. Unit Will Make Some Findings Public Despite Pentagon statements that it disbanded a once-covert program to investigate unidentified flying objects, the effort remains underway  renamed and tucked inside the Office of Naval Intelligence, where officials continue to study mystifying encounters between military pilots and unidentified aerial vehicles. . . Mr. Davis, who now works for Aerospace Corporation, a defense contractor, said he gave a classified briefing to a Defense Department agency as recently as March about retrievals from off-world vehicles not made on this earth.

Say wut?

Related, from The Express:

UFO hunters have shared NASA photos they believe show an enormous cubed alien craft exiting from the Sun. After analysis of images shot by US-based space agency NASAs Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite, alien life enthusiasts believe they have spotted a huge UFO near the Sun. What appears to be a solar anomaly close to the Suns surface is claimed by alien life conspiracy theorists to be a UFO of an almost incomprehensible scale.

Well, given the gullibility of the New York Times these days in going in for conspiracy theories like the 1619 Project, it is no wonder that the Times reads like a British tabloid. On the other hand, maybe the late night comics should stop chuckling about Trumps Space Force. Maybe it was a prescient move after all.

 Well whaddyaknow: The Washington Post, following CNNs lead, has reached a settlement with Nick Sandmann, the Kentucky high school student that the Post defamed with its appalling coverage of the incident at the Lincoln memorial a couple years ago. The terms are confidential of course, but reading between the lines (and given that CNN is said to have paid Sandmann millions) it seems likely that the Post shelled out a considerable sum.

Sandmanns camp is jubilant, while this is what you hear about the Post: A spokesperson for The Washington Post told Fox News, We are pleased that we have been able to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of the remaining claims in this lawsuit. If the Post had been confident in their legal position, I think theyd put out a more muscular statement than this.

JOHN adds: If the Post had been confident in its legal position, it wouldnt have paid Sandmann off and bargained for a confidentiality agreement.

The Babylon Bee is already on top of this latest development:
Photo: File photo

The number of people visiting Metro Vancouvers regional parks has increased dramatically this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Across the region, there has been a 40 per cent increase in visits compared to this time last year. Metro parks in the Tri-Cities have have not been spared.

According to data provided by Metro Vancouver, 534,308 people have visited Belcarra Regional Park in the first six months of 2020, a 67 per cent jump over the 320,414 from last year.

The increase in traffic is putting pressure on the community of 643 residents, with Mayor Neil Belenkie calling the area the Florida of Metro Vancouver.

Its a nightmare, he said, of the vehicles and traffic that have accompanied the revellers attending White Pine Beach and the waterfront picnic area by the pier.

Port Moody is also grappling with the overflow parking into its municipality and together with its neighbours will be rolling out an increased presence of bylaw officers and tow trucks this weekend.

Its not just the Belcarra park thats seen an uptick in visitors. Metro Vancouvers regional park system has remained open over the course of the pandemic, even as B.C. and federally-run parks, as well as many municipal park amenities have shut down.

One of the biggest jumps in visitor traffic has been at Colony Farm Regional Park on the border of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.

Visits to Colony Farm are up from 145,894 in 2019 to 270,252 (85 per cent) this year, while Minnekhada has seen a rise from 88,873 to 119,850 (35 per cent).

Pacific Spirit Park, which includes Wreck Beach, has been the most popular park in the regional system, with close to two million visitors this year compared to the 1.2 million last year, an increase of 61 per cent.
Pressure is mounting from politicians and a health union to halt the reintroduction of hospital car parking charges across Northern Ireland.

In March, Health Minister Robin Swann announced car parking charges incurred for all staff within the health and social care sector would be reimbursed for a period of three months - from April 1 to June 30 - to acknowledge the hard work and the long and often anti-social hours they were working during an unprecedented global pandemic.

West Belfast MLA Fra McCann called for it to continue after it emerged that the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust has written to hospital workers informing them of the reintroduction of charges.

"Health care workers having to pay hospital car parking charges is essentially a cut to their pay," Mr McCann said.

"The suspension of parking charges during the pandemic was an important recognition of the pressures put on health workers and their commitment to their work.

"Health care staff have been dealing with huge pressures in the system for years even prior to Covid-19 and they should not have to face what are sometimes considerable daily parking charges just to provide vital frontline services to the public.

"Parking charges not only impact our frontline workers, but also place a considerable burden on the most vulnerable such as those with serious health conditions, illnesses and their carers for who frequently attend hospital for their treatments.

"In particular, these charges place an unfair burden on patients and health workers from rural areas who live considerable distances from hospitals and who have very limited, or no option, to use public transport to get their work."

Mr McCann said he planned to bring forward legislation to abolish hospital car parking charges in Northern Ireland.

Last night Royal College of Nursing chief Pat Cullen described the car park charging plan as "disgraceful".

"The RCN is completely opposed to the re-imposition of car parking charges for nurses and other health and social care staff," she said.

"These charges were, quite rightly, waived a few short months ago.

"It is disgraceful that trusts are reintroducing what is nothing more than a tax on going to work for staff who have been risking their lives in the service of others over the last few months.

"We urge the Department of Health to reverse this decision and demonstrate an appropriate commitment to supporting those who have given so much to the people of NI".

A spokesperson for the Belfast Health and Social Trust said decisions about car parking charges at hospitals were taken by Stormont's Department of Health.

In a statement, the Department of Health said: "The policy on car parking is to recover the cost of providing car parks across the health estate.

"Charging for car parking on hospital sites where space is limited is an effective mechanism in encouraging turnover in the use of spaces, which helps to ensure that spaces are available for patients and visitors.

"In addition, if charging were to stop, the revenue raised to meet the cost of the provision and maintenance of car parking would similarly cease, ultimately reducing the amount of money available to fund patient care."
Deputies and senators, the members of the France-Azerbaijan friendship group sent an appeal to President Emmanuel Macron in connection with the provocations committed by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan, the State Committee of Azerbaijan on Work with Diaspora reports.

The appeal signed by the deputies emphasizes that Armenia has been occupying the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan for nearly 30 years, Trend reports.

Earlier this month, the armed forces of Armenia violated the ceasefire on the state border in the direction of the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan. As a result of the Armenian provocation, 12 servicemen of the Azerbaijani army and one civilian were killed, the appeal reads.

The letter also emphasizes that France, together with Russia and the United States, within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, participates in the negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, while Armenia does not comply with the resolutions adopted by the Security Council and the UN General Assembly on the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the territories of Azerbaijan.

The authors of the appeal called on the international community, including France, to put pressure on Armenia in order to comply with the norms of international law, asked the French President, as the head of one of the co-chairing countries of the Minsk Group and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to take urgent steps to curb the militaristic moods of the Armenian leadership.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is holding a cabinet meeting at his residence. The meeting began at 12.30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to draft a proposal and resend it to the governor to allow the conduct of an assembly session.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has called a meeting of his cabinet ministers at 12.30 p.m. to discuss the objections raised Governer Kalraj Mishra on holding an assembly session. Ashok Gehlot is being opposed by his former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and some other Congress MLAs. In the cabinet meeting, the ministers will work upon the answer they plan to send to the governor to allow them to conduct the assembly session.

As per the reports, the purpose of the meeting is to draft a proposal and send it again to the governor to hold an assembly session. Gehlot and his ministers are expecting the governor to allow them to conduct the session this time. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot discussed the objections raised by Governor Mishra with his ministers on Friday night.

In the meeting that began at 9.30 p.m. on Friday night, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala stated that Ashok Gehlots govt is ready and wants to prove its majority in the house. He went on to say that they want to convene an assembly session to fight against coronavirus and for the people of the Rajasthan. He emphasized on Gehlot having a complete majority.

Also read: PM Modi to inaugurate 3 new ICMR labs on July 27

Also read: Rajasthan Crisis: Cong holds state-wide protests, claims democracy murdered

Rajasthan political crisis began soon after the two leaders, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and Gehlot came out in the open with their differences. Assembly Speaker CP Joshi sent cancellation notices to Pilot and 18 MLAs. Governer Kalraj Mishra has stated that he will only go by the constitution.

Also, the MLAs who are supporting Sachin Pilot approached the High Court of Rajasthan against the disqualification of their notices.

Also read: Andhra Pradesh to spend Rs 1000 crore on Covid care and life-saving drugs

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Singapore/Washington, July 25 : A Singaporean man pleaded guilty to acting under the direction of Chinese intelligence officials to obtain sensitive information from Americans, the US Justice Department said.

Yeo Jun Wei pleaded guilty on Friday in a federal court in Washington D.C. to one count of acting within the US as an illegal foreign agent, the Singapore-based Straits Times quoted the Department as saying.

Court documents said that he used his political consultancy in the US as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence, targeting American military and government employees with security clearances on professional networking social media sites.

Yeo would pay them to write reports which he said were meant for clients in Asia, but which were in reality sent to the Chinese government without their knowledge.

He was recruited in 2015 by China intelligence operatives during a visit to Beijing, where he gave a presentation on the political situation in South-east Asia, according to the documents.

In a " statement of facts" submitted to the court and signed by Yeo, he admitted he was fully aware he was working for Chinese intelligence, meeting agents dozens of times and being given special treatment when he travelled to China, the Straits Times reported.

He received over 400 resumes, 90 per cent of which were from US military and government personnel with security clearances, and passed resumes of interest on to a Chinese intelligence operative.

Yeo eventually moved to Washington D.C. from January to July 2019, where he attended multiple events at think-tanks to network and recruit more people to write reports.

He was arrested when he returned to the US in November that year to try and get a US army officer working at the Pentagon to provide more confidential information.
Israel strikes Syrian army targets after border unrest

Israeli army helicopters struck military targets in southern Syrian on Friday in retaliation for earlier "munitions" fire towards Israel from inside Syria, escalating tensions between the bitter rivals.







An Israeli army self-propelled artillery piece takes part in a military drill in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on June 24, 2020 (AFP Photo/JALAA MAREY)





The strikes came hours after America's top general Mark Milley made an unannounced visit to the Jewish state for talks on regional security including Iran, a key ally of the Syrian government.



Israel said early on Friday "munitions" were fired from the Syrian side of the security fence towards Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, which the Jewish state has occupied since the 1967 Six Day war.



A vehicle and a civilian building were damaged, according to an earlier Israeli army statement.



In response, "attack helicopters struck military targets in southern Syria belonging to the Syrian Armed Forces".



"A number of targets were struck, including SAF observation posts and intelligence collection systems located in SAF bases," the statement said.



Syrian state news agency SANA reported that Israeli missiles hit three targets, leaving two people "lightly wounded" while starting forest fires.



Israel did not directly blame Syrian forces for the munitions fire, but said it held the Damascus government responsible for the incident.



- Border reinforced -



Israel has over the past two days announced a reinforced troop presence on its northern border.



Several Israeli media outlets reported that the moves were made in response to an increased threat from the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which has a significant presence in Syria.



On Monday, five Iran-backed fighters were killed in an Israeli missile strike south of the Syrian capital Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.



Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian regime, said one of its fighters was among the dead.



Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the country's civil war in 2011, but rarely comments on such operations.



Israel announced an initial enhanced troop deployment to the north on Thursday and additional measures on Friday, hours before the air strikes.



The army said that in ordering the redeployment it had "elevated its readiness against various potential enemy actions".



It added that it held the Lebanese government responsible for all actions emanating from Lebanon, without referring to Hezbollah.



Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alternate premier and Defence Minister Benny Gantz and Israel's army chief Aviv Kohavi, during his visit.



Gantz said the trip underscored the close security ties between Washington and the Jewish state and warned Israel was "ready for any scenario and any threat".



"I do not suggest our enemies to test us," Gantz said in a statement.
Chef Ludo Lefebvre, right, works in the open kitchen with Ryan Wong at Trois Mec in 2013 (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

One of the citys most decorated restaurants has announced it will not reopen due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Trois Mec, the Michelin-starred tasting-menu spot owned by chef Ludo Lefebvre, has closed permanently after seven years on Highland Avenue in Hollywood.

Sadly the restaurant is closing for good, Trois Mec partner Krissy Lefebvre confirmed via text.

She cited the financial difficulties of operating a fine-dining restaurant with limited seating during the pandemic as the main factor in the decision.

The reality is that this is not going away any time soon, she said.

After developing a following for his inventive French-inflected cooking during an extended run of roving pop-up dinners, Ludo Lefebvre opened Trois Mec in 2013 in partnership with Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.

The minuscule 26-seat space, a revamped pizzeria that originally offered a five-course tasting menu for $75, was one of the first restaurants in Los Angeles to offer a pre-paid ticketing system for reservations.

Trois Mec quickly emerged as darling of both local and national critics. The restaurant was a regular fixture on The Times 101 Best Restaurants list and was named one of the best restaurants in the country in 2014 by then-Eater national critic Bill Addison. The restaurant also garnered an award for best new restaurant by the James Beard Foundation, and was awarded its first Michelin star in 2019.

Unlike many restaurants across the city, Trois Mec did not reopen for takeout or outdoor dining after initially closing on March 18 due to pandemic restrictions.

Unfortunately Trois Mec is not a to-go experience, Lefebvre said. Outdoor dining requires a significant investment to be Michelin-star dining and it just didnt make sense. The resources are not there and the investment is too risky.

Lefebvre said the Trois Mec space will continue to be used as a resource for World Central Kitchen  the nonprofit organization overseen by chef Jose Andres  for as long as possible.

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Petit Trois, Ludo Lefebvres traditional French bistro next door, will continue to offer takeout for now, though Krissy Lefebvre cautioned the future of that restaurant was still uncertain.

We hope to keep the lights on [at Petit Trois] until the other side of this, but nothing is guaranteed, she said.

Trois Mec is the latest in a string of prominent L.A. restaurants that have been forced to close permanently this year due to severe economic challenges, along with Auburn, Bon Temps, Lucques, and many others.
Employees at the central offices of the Florida Department of Health have written to Gov. Ron DeSantis to express concern that his administration has not done enough to keep them safe from the coronavirus.

The Department is not taking any extra precautions to keep us and our families safe, a letter sent on Friday by health department employees states, describing a lack of safety precautions at FDOHs central offices in the state capital, Tallahassee. Yahoo News obtained the text of the letter, which was signed by Concerned State of Florida Employees.

In recent weeks, Florida has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., reporting about 10,000 new cases on a daily basis. On Friday, the state reported 135 new deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The situation in the Sunshine State has become so grave that President Trump announced on Thursday that he would be canceling the portion of the Republican National Convention that was to take place in Jacksonville, the states largest city.

Citing the flare-up in Florida, Trump said that the timing for this event is not right.

That decision was a blow to DeSantis, who won the governorship largely because of Trumps surprising endorsement. A close ally of the president, he has been sharply criticized for what critics have called an inattentive handling of the coronavirus crisis. A recent poll found that only 38 percent of Floridians approve of his response to the pandemic.

DeSantiss office did not reply to requests for comment from Yahoo News.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

The health department has largely been absent from the response ever since the states surgeon general was removed by a DeSantis aide from a public briefing for urging citizens to partake in social distancing measures. Several weeks after that incident, the department fired Rebekah Jones, a geographer who had created and was managing its well-regarded coronavirus dashboard.

Jones has alleged that the firing was in retaliation for her refusal to manipulate data.

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The letter suggests that a climate of political retribution does indeed prevail at the health department. We are living in fear and feel our lives and our familys lives dont matter, it says, but too afraid to speak up for the fear of being fired. We want to be protected like everyone else!

The letter says that after several health department employees tested positive for the coronavirus, and one family member of an employee died as a result, the state failed to take action.

Management was alerted of the confirmed cases and knew everyone in the office had possibly been exposed, the letter says. Nothing was done by management; our office has not been cleaned or sanitized. We all are still sitting here in cubicles one to two feet apart from each other, in violation of social distancing. No one is following the governors required mask order in the office or in the building for that matter.

An employee at the health department confirmed that mask wearing was sporadic at its central offices. As for updates to employees, there had been none, that person said. This administration has not sent any communications to its employees, the department employee told Yahoo News.

The letter notes that the states Emergency Operations Center requires employees to undergo aggressive screening. That center was closed earlier this week after 12 people there tested positive for the coronavirus. A deep cleaning of those offices followed.

The health department did not immediately respond to a Yahoo News request for comment.

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Read more from Yahoo News:
Sophie Paras was expecting her first year of educational liberation to be all about discovery: new friends, new independence, new environment  plenty of fun.

Her taste of campus freedom lasted three hours: "That night we got the email saying you're not coming to uni for the rest of the semester."

First-year students Madison Chong, Gabby Tabain and Sophia Paras have had a different introduction to campus life than the one they expected. Credit:Joe Armao

"I just thought this year would obviously be completely different [from VCE]. I thought there would be much more freedom than there was at school," says Ms Paras, who is studying architecture at Monash University.

"I would make more friends and learn about so many more things that I was sheltered from by just doing the same routine for six years. I was excited to be in a new environment."
"Our 'Where to Buy' solution helps brands drive more online sales by connecting their online consumers, through a tracked 'Buy Now' button that is placed on the brand's website, or digital asset, instantly to an online retailer to complete their purchase," a company statement said of the deal. (stock photo)

The Irish ecommerce firm Channelsight has struck a deal with the European electronics retailer Euronics to place 'where to buy' buttons for brands in 34 countries.

The three year deal gives the seven-year-old Irish firm a major new customer, as it seeks to expand its analytics and ecommerce services.

It works by connecting a consumer looking at an electronics brand's own website to the Euronics website where products can be bought.

"Our 'Where to Buy' solution helps brands drive more online sales by connecting their online consumers, through a tracked 'Buy Now' button that is placed on the brand's website, or digital asset, instantly to an online retailer to complete their purchase," a company statement said of the deal.

Last year, Channelsight raised almost 9m in a funding round led by the Dutch investor Connected Capital, with participation from Irish venture fund Act and Enterprise Ireland. It previously raised over 3m in 2015.

"Channelsight works with hundreds of global brands to provide intelligence and insight into the consumer journey," said Mr O'Gorman, head of strategic partnerships and a co-founder of Channelsight.

"As one of the largest electronics retailer groups in the world, Euronics is a key partner for us and we're excited to formalise our partnership and build a shared vision for how we can support our mutual brand partners in the years ahead."

John Beckett, who built the first Ryanair website as a student, is also a co-founder of the firm.

"The Channelsight solution helps us ensure the consumer can have the expected retail experience they desire from every brand at Euronics, be it online or in our physical stores," said Hans Carpels, president of Euronics GEIE. "A consumer's search on the brand partner websites will display if the selected product is available at our retail shop nearby. We have to think consumer-first and make it easy for them to find and buy products regardless of online or offline."
Were less than a minute into our chat and Miss Piggy is already berating both me and Kermit the Frog for getting something wrong.

A stormy look has crossed her face and I breathe a sigh of relief that were speaking over Zoom so she cant wallop me. Kermit edges away so that hes almost vanished from the screen.

Ive asked about any diva behaviour from The Muppet Shows many celebrity guests, and Kermit has mistakenly said there was not a diva in the bunch. Now Miss Piggy is looking genuinely thunderous. Present company excepted, stammers Kermit.

The stars certainly seem to be excited to meet Miss Piggy in the new-look Muppets show, which launches this week.

The Muppets are set to return in a new Disney+ show. Pictured: Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang on the new show

As ever, the show will have celebrities interacting with the Muppets such as comedy actor Seth Rogen giving tips to Fozzie Bear on how to be funny and drag queen RuPaul dispensing costume advice.

RuPaul and I exchanged wardrobes, Miss Piggy reveals.

Were the same size, you know, before adding conspiratorially, I have a closet full of clothes I almost never wear because I prefer to work naked. Yikes.

Its great to have them back where they belong, on TV, and Miss Piggy is very excited the new show, Muppets Now, is streaming on Disney+ rather than normal TV. Oh, it is tres au courant, dont you know? she says.

Streaming is different, says Kermit.

Not for you, mutters Miss Piggy. You grew up in a stream.

Kermit sighs. I grew up in a swamp and this is a different thing. It means folks who get Disney+ can watch us anytime they want. Miss Piggy squeals in delight.

They can watch moi whenever they want? she beams. Oh, this is big news!

Disney acquired the Muppets in 2004 for 70m, debuting two films and a grown-up version of the show in 2015. Pictured: Jim Henson and some of his creations

So yes, the Muppets are back on TV. It is, of course, the medium where the puppets created by Jim Henson first found fame with their huge hit The Muppet Show, which ran from 1976 to 1981.

Since Disney acquired the Muppets in 2004 for 70m, the company has been trying to find the right way to utilise them. The 2011 film The Muppets was a box-office hit, but the sequel, Muppets Most Wanted, three years later fared less well.

A primetime series of The Muppets in 2015, billed as a grown-up version of the show  complete with Miss Piggy and Kermit both finding new lovers  was even more poorly received.

Now theyve gone back to basics. Muppets Now is family-friendly and deliciously funny. Miss Piggy still wallops people, the Swedish chef still sets everything on fire and Dr Honeydew and Beakers science experiments still go wrong.

MEET JOE THE LEGAL WEASEL Kermit said new characters in the show include Joe (pictured right, with Kermit), who is a weasel and a lawyer Kermit says therell be some fresh faces diving into the Muppet madness on the new show. At the Muppets weve always believed in welcoming anyone with a dream in their heart... he says with a wistful look on his face. Miss Piggy interjects, looking decidedly less dreamy, ...even if they have no talent whatsoever. Kermit looks quite put out. Everyone has a hidden talent. For instance, one of our new cast members is Joe. Hes a weasel... and a lawyer. What kind of talent is that? Miss Piggy asks. Kermit sighs. He got you out of that deal to sell timeshares on Mars. Miss Piggy nods in recognition. Oh, that Joe, the Legal Weasel! she squeals. Hes fabulous. Youll love him. Advertisement

But the show now has a hi-tech split-screen look not unlike a Zoom call to appeal to todays computer-savvy youngsters.

Muppets Now is something special for us, reveals Kermit. Its the first time the Muppets have ever done an unscripted production.

Its quite something to remain popular for as long as the Muppets have, I suggest.

I think people like us because we love what we do and keep on doing it, says Kermit. As long as the world needs a singing, dancing troupe of frogs, pigs, bears and whatevers, the Muppets will be here.

Although children today are growing up in a very different world to the shows original fans, Kermit is convinced they still enjoy the same sense of humour.

I dont think TV has changed all that much, he says. Viewers still want to be surprised, to laugh, to enjoy themselves. That never changes.

Miss Piggy is sure theres another reason. They want to see which designer Im going to wear and how Im going to be even more fabulously entertaining with each appearance. That never changes either.

All the old favourites are back making lots of noise, dropping things and fighting in the series, which is like a puppet magazine show featuring style, cookery, science, comedy and chat. Poor old Scooter, the stage manager, once again tries to stop pandemonium breaking out.

They couldnt wait to be back, says Kermit. Fozzie, Gonzo, Scooter, the Electric Mayhem, everybody is here. Dr Honeydew and Beaker have a science segment. The Swedish Chef cooks with great chefs, Pepe the King Prawn has a game show...

...And I have a lifestyle show, proclaims Miss Piggy. Where you learn how to live la vida diva.

Of course the real stars remain Miss Piggy and Kermit, who are magically untouched by any signs of age. And fans will be pleased to know we see plenty of them.

(Kermit claims his good skin is down to soaking in pond scum. Good news, you age slowly. Bad news, you turn green.)

We do have chemistry on screen, admits Kermit.

Yes, sighs Piggy, throwing her trotters up in the air. Like Bogart and Bacall, Tracy and Hepburn...

Kermit frowns. I was thinking Laurel and Hardy...

Their relationship has been on and off like a light switch over the years. Despite plans to wed  from Miss Piggy at least  it remains complicated, as it would be between a pig and a frog.

Miss Piggy and Kermit (pictured, in 2011) revealed they're both open to possibilities that come there way

We are currently uncommitted, says Kermit when I ask if they are dating again. Yes. We leave our options open, agrees Miss Piggy.

Right now, were both open to any possibilities that may come our way... adds Kermit, lighting up.

...but willing to entertain interest in each other, if the mood is right, giggles Miss Piggy.

Who knows whats going on between them? I wonder if, after all their years in showbiz, they have any regrets. Typically, they answer in very different ways.

No, insists Miss Piggy. I dont personally have any regrets. I have a publicist and a lawyer who handle them for me.

Kermit adds, I dont believe in regrets either. You go for the best, then keep at it. Keep believing. Keep pretending.

Muppets Now will be on Disney+ (5.99 a month or 59.99 a year at disney.com) from Friday.
The ongoing dispute with Beijing may worsen as Australia made a declaration at the UN that several disputed islands are not Chinese territory.

Australia filed a declaration at the United Nations in New York on Friday night and rejected claims made by China to parts of the South China Sea.

The declaration said China's claims to the Spratly Islands and the Parcel Islands were 'invalid' as they were inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

This move will likely anger Beijing as the relationship between the two countries continues to deteriorate, with China bringing in crippling trade sanctions and threatening consumer boycotts.

Australia filed a declaration at the United Nations in New York on Friday and rejected claims made by China to parts of the South China Sea (pictured, Chinese navy formation, including an aircraft carrier, on January 2, 2017 in the area)

The Woody Island (pictured) in the South China Sea where Beijing station eight warplanes

The declaration said Australia does not accept the assertion made by Beijing, who believes it claim to islands and parts of the South China Sea are recognised by the international community.

Tensions between the nations have escalated since Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an inquiry into the origins of the coronvirus pandemic.

Since then, China has brought in harsh trade tariffs which hit Australian farmers, including an 80 per cent tariff on barley.

'The Australian Government rejects any claims by China that are inconsistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in particular, maritime claims that do not adhere to its rules on baselines, maritime zones and classification of features,' the declaration said.

'There is no legal basis for China to draw straight baselines connecting the outermost points of maritime features or ''island groups'' in the South China Sea, including around the ''Four Sha'' or ''continental'' or ''outlying'' archipelagos.

'Australia rejects any claims to internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf based on such straight baselines.'

Australia said China cannot change the classification of a feature in the South China Sea under UNCLOS.

'There is no legal basis for a maritime feature to generate maritime entitlements beyond those generated under UNCLOS by that feature in its natural state,' it says.

The declaration said China's claims to the Spratly Islands (pictured) and the Parcel Islands were 'invalid' as they were inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

The move comes days before talks between Australia and the US at the annual AUSMIN talks, where it is expected China will be a focal point of discussion.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds are flying to Washington DC on Sunday and will meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper.

'Never has it been more important that we, as allies, sit down together and find every possible way to advance our shared interests,' Senator Payne and Senator Reynolds wrote in The Weekend Australian on Saturday.

'Sweeping and vague ''national security'' legislation imposed on Hong Kong has undermined the rights, freedoms and futures of millions of people.

'Coercive actions in the South China Sea, such as the escalation of disputes and militarisation of disputed features, continue to create tension that destabilise the region.

'Cyber attacks are on the rise, while authoritarian governments imperil hopes for an open, interoperable, reliable and secure internet.'

The ministers foreshadowed Australia-US agreements to target infectious disease and disinformation, and to support regional economic recovery, increase military co-operation and enhance supply chains.

This move will likely anger Beijing as the relationship between the two countries continues to deteriorate, with China bringing in crippling trade sanctions and threatening consumer boycotts (pictured: Prime Minister Scott Morrison)

Tensions in the South China Sea heightened last week when Chinese Navy and Australian warships were engaged in a stand-off.

The Australian vessels were sailing close to the Spratly Islands - which are claimed by Beijing as well as the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam - when the incident happened, the ABC reported.

Australian warships - including HMAS Canberra, HMAS Hobart, HMAS Stuart, HMAS Arunta and HMAS Sirius - are on exercise in the region ahead of military war games off Hawaii with the US and Japan.

'Australia is committed to a secure, open, prosperous and resilient Indo-Pacific region. We routinely work with regional partners to address shared security challenges,' a Defence spokesman said.

'Activities conducted during this routine deployment are part of the Australian Defence Force's regular military-to-military engagements throughout the Indo-Pacific, which are conducted each year.'

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea based on the 'nine-dash line', a vague delineation which dates back to the 1940s.

The Chinese Navy and Australian warships (pictured) were engaged in a stand-off last week after a confrontation in the South China Sea
A Virginia school district announced on Thursday that it would rename Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield for John Lewis, the Georgia congressman and civil rights giant who died last week.

The name change, which is expected to go into effect in September, has been in the works for over a year and a half, according to Tamara Derenak Kaufax, a school board member. Mr. Lewis, who was called the conscience of the Congress by his colleagues, had been on a short list of names since March that also included former President Barack Obama and Cesar Chavez, the farmworker organizer, she added.

We thought, Does the Confederacy represent who we are? Ms. Derenak Kaufax said.

The school district, which is also named after Lee, a Confederate general, did not have policies and regulations in place for a name change, Ms. Derenak Kaufax said. The district also wanted to have a robust conversation about the possible new school name with the community and students, she said.

Kimberly Boateng, 17, last years student body representative on the Fairfax County School Board, said she had rallied her class and lobbied her peers for the name change.
With September looming like a dark cloud, the idea of returning to school during COVID has sparked a wide range of emotions  panic being the main one  in pandemically strained parents.

What happens six weeks from Tuesday will determine not only whether caregivers exhausted by the trials of home schooling will reclaim an approximation of their regular lives, but whether kids in desperate need of socialization can rely on something other than quarrelsome siblings and glitchy Zoom calls.

With several options on the table, and a final decision by the province expected next week, our expert parenting panel  all with school-age kids  minces no words about the challenges ahead.

On tap this week: Kitchener Centre MPP Laura Mae Lindo, Wilfrid Laurier University prof Janet McLaughlin, indie musician Sean Stokholm, business owner Isabel Kuxdorf, graphic designer Chris Steingart.

The general consensus is that last springs experiment in online learning was a colossal failure, so if your kids excelled, please take a bow.

Steingart: It was a disaster. It was super difficult to motivate our five- and seven-year-olds when they discovered that (a) nothing new was being taught and (b) it was basically optional. By the same token, as parents we discovered it was optional and nothing was new, so if the kids put up resistance, we didnt choose education as our hill to die on.

Kuxdorf: I admitted defeat and left the kids to their own devices  literally  and hoped for the best.

McLaughlin: Sadly, no bow here! Balancing working full-time while caring for two young kids with my husband as a health care worker felt like running a circus in which I served as the director, juggler and clown, with all the balls falling to the floor. Absolute chaos. I often felt like taking a bow to myself just for surviving each day.

Laura Mae, Ive seen you on the parenting front: patient, knowledgeable, understanding. Im guessing you aced this.

Lindo: My five-year-old son was given a time out because he couldnt remember the letter T. Thats right  the letter T. After that, I threw in the towel.

Your older two kids adapted well. What happened with junior?

Lindo: He thought it would be cooler to play video games. And I was feeling the pressure of snapping pictures of him doing educational things. And then he couldnt remember the letter E ... or J ... or A. I snapped, Joel, I snapped.

Welcome to the club.

Lindo: This has been a wild ride. Sometimes Mommy dont play.

Sean, as a former high school slacker and parent of two teenagers, you seem more laid back.

Stokholm: Honestly, parents need to relax. If your kid misses out on three months of high school math, do you really think its game over for them? Personally, I slept and slacked through most of Grades 7 through 11, and went on to become a teacher at Wilfrid Laurier University for 10 years. An entire generation of youth stopped their educations to serve in World War II for five years, but managed to return to normal life and become The Greatest Generation.

Pending a final decision, there are three return-to-school options being bandied about by local school boards: a full reopening of classrooms, online learning from home, or a mix of classrooms and home learning. Is there a favourite?

Kuxdorf: The prospect of part-time school and more high-tech learning is appalling. This would be the year to take off with the kids and live on a Greek Island  if only we were permitted to travel.

McLaughlin: For the fifth night in a row, I was up for several hours worrying about school. Theres a meme going around of a Saturday Night Live characters face looking disgusted with each option and I feel exactly like that. The ideal, of course, would be for kids to return safely full-time, but unless significant new funds are invested and ambitious plans are released, I dont see how thats possible.

Stokholm: Id love to know what planet normal in-class learning would be possible on. Hybrid strikes me as an administrative nightmare, both for parents and schools. I think special needs kids should be able to attend in person, and that we should be investing massive resources into providing the best online education for everyone else.

Steingart: I dont envision a scenario where everybody wins. If the kids are still at home, Ill become a night-shift worker, and a zombie during the day trying to help them learn online. If the kids are back at school, I worry about the spread of viruses. Perhaps the solution is to spend less time on a COVID vaccine and more time cloning parents.

An original plan  ambitious too.

Steingart: Then Clone Chris can get all of Real Chriss work done while Real Chris fulfils his obligations being the most engaged and present parent possible.

Isabel, as a working parent who cant get much done while tethered to your kids, you sense a conspiracy?

Kuxdorf: Is this all a ruse to get us back to the so-called nuclear family of the 50s? I guess we have to give up our careers to become modern-day June Cleavers, making sure our children and husbands are well taken care of in the slippers-and- newspaper-at the door-children-quiet-and-clean-and-dinner-on-the-table vein.

Im guessing this isnt your ambition.

Kuxdorf: Well all be prescribed Mothers Little Helper  Valium or the more contemporary Diazepam  to drug us through the malaise.

I hear that. I find myself torn between having my kids return to school full time for social/academic reasons (good parent) and the fact Ill have to go on anxiety meds if they stay home one day past Sept. 7 (bad parent). Safety or sanity? Its a tough call.

McLaughlin: Ha ha. The problem is some of us will also have high anxiety if the school environments are unsafe and illness results. This is a reality for me even in a typical year, as my daughter has viral-induced asthma. Many teachers have told me they dont feel safe going back and that the funding for supplies and PPE (personal protective equipment) is grossly inadequate. That doesnt instil confidence.

Lindo: If my five-year-old is putting toys near his mouth or touching all the things and getting dirty and playing hard  which Im sure he will be since hell be excited to see his friends  wheres the investment in education to make sure we can ramp up the cleaning, from school buses to classrooms? How will school boards be able to handle the additional costs? And if we go through a hybrid model, will there be affordable daycare spots available for families so parents can get to work? Because these systems are deeply intertwined.

What happens when the first kid in class gets a cold?

McLaughlin: Exactly. Then the child needs to stay home and the parents may need to isolate until we know whether or not that cold is in fact COVID. This is going to be a very stressful and unpredictable fall. Rapid testing and tracing will be crucial.

Kuxdorf: Have you ever been to a daycare or school and not seen a runny nose? Its a rite of passage for any toddler and young child to get as many viruses as possible to boost their immunity. So if we have to shut down our daycares and schools at any sight of a COVID-19 symptom that, in fact, can resemble the common cold or seasonal flu, will daycares and schools ever really be open?

Steingart: Every September I get what I call the school cold. Its the result of my wife  a kindergarten teacher  and my kids bringing three classrooms worth of bugs into my home. In the past it was laughable, and inevitable. This year its going to be freaky. We wont send our kids to school if theres a hint of sickness and I hope others do likewise.

Realistically, how likely are kids to follow hygiene and distancing protocols, no matter how strict?

Stokholm: I cant get mine to load the dishwasher properly or walk the dog when promised.

McLaughlin: Theres little chance for my kids. My high-needs autistic son is unfortunately not able to follow guidelines regarding physical distancing. His hands and other objects are constantly in his mouth. And he cant tolerate a mask due to sensory challenges. Im trying to educate my daughter on the principles of public health, but shes just turning six and requires constant reminders. Kids are kids and will keep reverting back to their natural inclinations.

Steingart: The people who want to treat school like some kind of science experiment to see if kids can spread COVID are nuts! Our kids have learned all these new words  social distancing, quarantine, PPE  but that goes out the window when they see their friends and start horsing around

I keep picturing Rodney Dangerfield in the 1986 comedy Back To School and Adam Sandler in 1995s Billy Madison, fully grown adults reliving their lost youth in the classroom. Will this be the legacy of the pandemic generation: having to make things up later on?

Steingart: I think Billy Madison was ahead of its time. Lets roll each grade into two weeks worth of work, then shut down when theres a COVID flare-up and see you next year for two weeks of Grade 3!

Kuxdorf: I like this line of thinking too, although the only place I can run with this is by adding Tommy Lee Goes to College, riding his retro bike like some cheese-eating high school boy.

Stokholm: I thought we already had a talk about you updating your culture references, Grandpa. Ill say it again: parents need to relax and realize that in the face of a global pandemic, their kids will be just fine. Let them learn math by baking bread. Start a family book club. In the immortal words of The Who, The Kids Are Alright.
Three people were wounded when a firearm was accidentally discharged Saturday afternoon as demonstrators gathered in Baxter Park.

The incident occurred just before 1 p.m. as members of a Black armed militia -- the "No F***ing Around Coalition" -- were getting ready for a march to downtown Louisville.

According to the Louisville Metro Police Department, the firearm was discharged by someone participating in the NFAC demonstration. It's unclear what occurred that resulted in the firearm going off.



Louisville firefighters and paramedics arrived, providing assistance to the wounded individuals until they were transported to the University of Louisville Hospital.

Sister station WLKY's chopper showed two individuals being transported by ambulance from the scene.

Officials said all three have non-life threatening injuries.

The scene at the park remained calm as paramedics treated the wounded individuals. Members of the NFAC also took a knee as the wounded were treated.

The crowd of people gathered Saturday afternoon were there in support of NFAC, which made their way to Louisville to demonstrate in support of justice for Breonna Taylor.

Sources tell WLKY that another group, not affiliated with the NFAC, was also at the park.

LMPD said there are no outstanding suspects involved in the accidental shooting.



The group was able to go ahead with their plans for the march after 2 p.m.

Additional details were not released.
Cyberloafing: 60% of workers can't get through their work day without checking social media, according to a study. Photo: Getty

Its mid-afternoon and youre in a post-lunch slump. Youve got dozens of emails to reply to, a Google document containing a dull project in front of you and a meeting coming up. You know you should be getting on with your work, but youre finding it hard to focus. Without thinking about it, you open up Facebook and start scrolling.

Lots of us find ourselves drifting away from our work to check social media, browse ASOS and carry out other personal tasks online. More than a quarter of UK workers are spending three months a year looking at non-work related content online, according to one survey.

Another found 60% of workers cant get through the day without checking their social media, with 86% of respondents agreeing that Facebook is the biggest workplace distraction. This is known as cyberloafing  and it turns out many of us are guilty of it.

Cyberloafing and stress

For a long time, workplace cyberloafing  the personal use of the internet during working hours  was believed to be a problem that can harm businesses and its easy to see why. When were checking our social media feeds, replying to personal emails or chatting on Hangouts, were not getting on with what we should be doing. Not only are we disengaged when were cyberloafing, its a drain on productivity too.

However, More recent research has suggested there may be some benefits to cyberloafing. Last year, a group of researchers published a study that suggested cyberloafing may actually serve as a mini break during the day, allowing employees to recover from work stress.

READ MORE: How modern distractions are preventing us from 'deep thinking'

To test the hypothesis, 258 university students who also worked at least 20 hours a week were asked to fill in an online survey about their job. The participants were asked to rank how much time they spent shopping online and doing other non-work activities, as well as their job satisfaction, desire to quit and whether they have been treated badly at work.

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Unsurprisingly, those who reported more workplace mistreatment had lower levels of job satisfaction and were more likely to want to quit. But the researchers also discovered that cyberloafing boosted job satisfaction among mistreated workers  and made them less likely to want to leave their jobs.

Therefore, we argue that the role of workplace cyberloafing is more complex than previously assumed and posit that cyberloafing may provide employees with a way to cope with workplace stress such as exposure to workplace aggression, the researchers wrote.

Impact of microbreaks

To some extent, using the internet at work to do personal tasks may be similar to taking a short break  which may have a positive effect on the way we feel and work. Microbreaks are based on the theory that being able to disengage with work, even for a short period of time, can help replenish the psychological and physical costs associated with working hard.

READ MORE: How to recognise if you are being 'breadcrumbed' at work

By shifting our focus onto something unrelated to work, it helps us reduce demands that are causing fatigue  and boost happiness, focus and satisfaction.

However, its important to note that while some cyberloafing may be fine in the workplace, too much can be detrimental. According to the study on cyberloafing, stress and negative workplace culture, employees spend around two hours every day using the internet for non-work activities  which costs organisations almost $85bn (67bn) per year in lost productivity.

Restricting social media access

So where does that leave employers? One solution is to restrict social media access, but research suggests this can backfire. Many employees use social media for work, so its also not always practical. Employees are likely to find loopholes using alternative networks, or theyll use their personal phones to go online. Blocking social media and certain websites can also make people feel oppressed and foster a lack of trust, which affects morale, engagement and job satisfaction.

READ MORE: The problem with productivity culture is that we aren't robots

Social media can also be a useful tool for communication among employees too. According to research by Lorenzo Bizzi, an assistant professor of management at the California State University, employees interacting with coworkers on social media tend to be more motivated and come up with innovative ideas.

If staff are spending too long on non-work online activities, its important to find out why so you can tackle any underlying problems. Research from Wisconsin School of Business has suggested cyberloafing may be linked to unhappiness, with people more likely to waste time online if their workplace doesnt treat them fairly. It may be that someone is bored, unfulfilled or disengaged with their work. These are problems that wont be resolved by simply blocking their access to Facebook.
All international flights to the central city of Danang have been ceased after a local man has been tested positive for Covid-19 three times.

Danang International Airport





According to Vo Huy Cuong, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, under the Ministry of Transports instruction, all flights transporting Vietnamese nationals from abroad or foreign experts to Danang International Airport are being temporarily banned.

On Friday afternoon, the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, held a meeting to discuss issues related to flights to repatriate Vietnamese people as well as the pandemic prevention for Danang City.

Earlier, a 58-year-old man in Danangs Lien Chieu District tested positive three times for Covid-19. The test needs to be re-confirmed by the National Institute of Hygiene Epidemiology.

Danang Nang International Airport has received many flights to take Covid-19-affected Vietnamese people to return home.

The municipal Health Department has carried out Covid-19 tests on 102 people who had recent contact with him and all of them proved negative. The department has continued tracing other people who face the infection risk. Dtinews

Nhu Quynh
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 11:15:00|Editor: huaxia

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A media worker reads the open letter by Chinese Consul General in Houston Cai Wei in New York, the United States, July 24, 2020. U.S. unilateral and abrupt request to close Chinese Consulate General in Houston was a deliberate attempt to undermine Sino-U.S. relations, the essence of which is of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, the Chinese consul general in Houston said in an open letter published Friday. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

HOUSTON, July 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. unilateral and abrupt request to close Chinese Consulate General in Houston was a deliberate attempt to undermine Sino-U.S. relations, the essence of which is of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, the Chinese consul general to Houston said in an open letter published Friday.

In the letter addressed to people friendly to China from all walks of life in the southern United State, which was published on the consulate general' official website, Consul General Cai Wei noted that, on July 21, the United States launched a unilateral provocation by abruptly demanding that China close its Consulate General in Houston.

The U.S. move seriously violates international law and the basic norms of international relations, and bilateral consular agreement between the two countries, and deliberately undermines Sino-U.S. relations. China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this, Cai said.

Calling both China and the United States great nations, Cai said that the 41-year history since the two countries established diplomatic ties has shown that cooperation between China and the United States benefits both while confrontation harms each other.

The essence of Sino-U.S. relations is of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, Cai said, adding that both sides should strive for non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation to jointly promote the relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability.

Noting that the Chinese Consulate General in Houston is the first Chinese consulate general set up in the United States after the two countries established diplomatic ties, Cai recalled that the consulate general has been committed to promoting mutual understanding and exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two countries over more than 40 years.

Generations of diplomatic and consular personnel have actively devoted themselves to the lofty cause of promoting Sino-U.S. friendship and won fully recognition and extensive praise from all walks of life in southern United States, he added.

Cai Wei said he has witnessed the friendly, industrious, fearless and pioneering traits of the people in southern United States, which are analogous to those of the Chinese people.

"In the future, no matter where I am, I will continue to support the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the people of China and the southern United States," he said.

The bilateral exchanges between China and the southern United States will not stop, neither will China's service to overseas Chinese, as the Chinese Embassy in the United States will make proper arrangements for China's friendly cooperation with and consular services to the region, the consul general said.

"The friendship between the Chinese and American people will not be interrupted. No one can undermine the bright prospect of Sino-U.S. friendly cooperation," he concluded.
Family, friends and neighbours try in vain to keep the water out of the house

A community is pulling together to help one family recover after a flash flood wrecked havoc in their home.

Sharon and Michael Gethins and their sons Adam and Karl saw their family home near Dromahair become submerged in two feet of water on the night of June 29th as days of relentless rain culminated in the River Bonet and some of its tributaries to overflow and burst their banks.

The result of this was catastrophic for the Gethins family as they watched on in horror as the water flooded in and destroyed much of the ground floor of their detatched home.

The shock of this event came after years of worry for Sharon and Michael, who had witnessed some cases of flooding since they built their house and moved in in 2002.

Although flooding became a "serious issue", this latest occurrence has caused significant damage.

On June 29th - and indeed since that day - community spirit was evident as friends and neighbours flocked to the family's aid by providing pumps, tractors and brushes to help keep the water at a somewhat manageable level.

After 13 hours of toil, the levels began to drop. It was then that the true extent of the damage was revealed.

Speaking to The Sligo Champion, Sharon Gethins outlined how it had come to this point.

"On Monday 29th June 2020, our worst nightmare came through," Ms Gethins said.

"After four days of incessant heavy rainfall, the River Bonet burst its banks along with subsidiaries with water entering through the walls and back door of our home to a depth of two foot."

The River Bonet rises in the Glenade area and flows through Manorhamilton and Dromahir on its way to Lough Gill. For the Gethins family, the sight of water flooding into their home followed on from years of worry at the prospect of such an event happening.

Ms Gethins says that "flooding on the site became a serious issue" in the years after they built their home. The problem became so bad in the area that insurance companies refused to provide cover - which further exacerbated the worry of local home owners should a major flood happen.

"On a number of occasions, the water levels in the River Bonet and the subsidiaries reached the doorstep of our home, with the result that insurance companies no longer covered flooding and they regarded the area as a flood plain.

From then on, we have lived in fear of rising water levels, and that our beautiful home would be destroyed."

With inclement weather and heavy rainfall for a number of days, with thundery downpours particularly prominent in the north west, the River Bonet finally burst its banks on June 29th to the horror of the Gethins family and other local residents.

A major battle ensued around the house with dozens of locals attempting to clear as much water as possible, but it was not enough to prevent significant damage to property. Indeed, Sharon believes it was fortunate that the loss was not even greater.

"The total ground floor was submerged," Ms Gethins explains.

"Our good neighbours and kind community worked tirelessly for 13 hours with water pumps and brushes in an effort to keep the water at a manageable level.

"When the water subsided, the true devastation was laid bare. The floors, all furniture, all equipment destroyed.

"Apart from the personal loss and devastation suffered by the our family, the flood could have caused a loss of life.

"An ambulance, fire brigade, and Gardai were called to the scene of the flood nearby to rescue a lady in terrible distress.

"She was stranded in her car, and she was taken to Sligo University Hospital.

"This has happened on a number of occasions in the past and the community believe that this flooding issue needs to be addressed urgently in order to prevent a tragedy in the future."

The River Bonet area in north Leitrim has become a real worry for all local residents, Ms Gethins says. Action is required, she says, to help alleviate the problems which have been evident for some time.

"This flooding has also had an impact on the lives of many neighbours in the area where traffic has been blocked by rising water," Ms Gethins outlined.

"In an emergency, the access to their houses could be blocked. Livestock and fodder were lost.

"In fact, many carcasses of drowned sheep could be seen in the surrounding area when the water subsided.

"Sadly the Bonet river has not been given the maintenance necessary to prevent an occurrence like this.

"On walking the river bank to where the river enters Lough Gill, one can see serious problems of overgrowth, tree trunks and most disgraceful of all household electrical applicances."

The Gethins family say they have experienced a huge outpouring of support from friends, neighbours and the wider community in the Dromahair area during, and since, the flooding uprooted their lives.

The GoFundMe page, set up in order to help raise funds to repair the damage, raised over 20,000 in a matter of days.

It also appears to have focussed the minds of policy makers in regard to identifying a long-term solution.

"The Gethins family acknowledge the visits and support of councillors, local authority staff, TDs, the OPW officials and many, many others who are engaged in drawing up a plan of measures for the prevention of further flooding in the Dromahair-Bonet catchment area," Ms Gethins said.

"The community looks forward to urgent action in this regard," she added.

"In a time of great pain, hopelessness and distress, the family have been hugely supported by the kindness and generosity of the local community and neighbours.

"This generous community spirit will help us move forward to rebuild our family home and we offer their gratitude and appreciation to our good neighbours, community and friends for their work and financial support."
U.S. dental offices are quickly bouncing back, but it wont be business as usual. Expect social distancing, layers of protective gear and a new approach to some procedures to guard against coronavirus.

Dental offices largely closed, except for emergency care, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in March that they should delay elective procedures like teeth cleaning and filling cavities.

By April, only 3% of dental offices were open for non-emergency care, according to Marko Vujicic, chief economist with the American Dental Associations Health Policy Institute.

Polling data shows about two-thirds were back open in May and Vujicic estimated it reached 97% by the end of June. He estimates that only 1% of dentists will ultimately sell their practices, retire or file for bankruptcy.

They seem to have weathered the storm, Vujicic said.

Dentists say government loans helped some of them survive the shutdown, and demand for their work is pushing them to reopen quickly.

The need for even routine dental care never went away, said Dr. Terri Tiersky, who runs a small practice in Skokie. We needed to get back to our patients  and our staff needed to get back to work, of course.

Tiersky closed her office to all but emergencies in mid-March. She then helped arrange donations of personal protective equipment from the Chicago Dental Society for health workers treating COVID-19 patients.

She opened in early June after buying air purifiers and stocking back up on protective gear.

We are bending over backwards to make sure our offices are ready and safe, said Tiersky, who wears two masks when she sees patients.

Nickolette Karabush was one of Tierskys first patients to return after she cracked a tooth while eating popcorn. The 58-year-old Highwood, Illinois, resident has an autoimmune disorder and had been hunkered down at home since COVID-19 hit.

The thought of having to go to a dentist office really just freaked me out, she said.

Karabush settled down after she saw everyone in Tierskys office wearing masks and no one else in the waiting room.

Everything was very clean, she said. It felt like a very safe environment.

Tiersky and other dentists have taken several precautions like removing waiting room magazines and asking patients about COVID-19 symptoms before they receive care.

Dr. Kirk Norbo has an employee stationed in the foyer of his Purcellville, Virginia, dental office to take visitors temperatures before they enter the waiting room.

Then theres the gear.

More of a Star Wars look with the face shields and the mask and stuff and the gowns that a lot of offices had not used, said Norbo, who remembers not even wearing gloves decades ago in dental school.

Some practices are charging an additional fee to cover the cost of that extra gear. Neither Norbo nor Tiersky say they are doing this.

Dentists also have changed how they practice. Coronavirus is spread from person to person mainly through droplets in the air when someone with an infection coughs, sneezes or talks. Thats why masks and social distancing are encouraged.

Dental work requires close quarters, and can generate a spray of saliva and water. Norbo and other dentists have returned to using hand tools for procedures like a teeth cleaning instead of instruments that may do the job faster, but create more of that spray.

Norbo said a paycheck protection loan of about $250,000 helped him bring back his staff and pay them until the business caught up after his office re-opened in early May.

Practices are climbing out of a big hole as they reopen. Personal spending on dental services dropped 61% in April compared to the same month last year, according to the nonprofit health research firm Altarum. Thats twice the decline experienced by the entire health care sector.

It might take a while for all business to return. Altarum economist Ani Turner noted that a lot of dental care is discretionary and can be postponed, and patients will still be worried about being exposed to the virus.

People may tend to procrastinate on cleanings and maintenance anyway, she said.

Norbo said those who have returned to his practice so far are glad to be back. He thinks the visits help people feel like they are getting back into somewhat of a normal life.

Its way more than just dentistry, he said.
Nancy Pelosi, the only woman ever to serve as House speaker, called it a new dawn when she took the gavel in 2019 to lead a Congress that included a record-breaking number of women lawmakers.

To mark the occasion, many female lawmakers, including the speaker, wore shades of red and brought daughters and granddaughters to the House chamber.

One of the women sworn in that day, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., had an iconic moment of her own Thursday, when she rose to the podium in the House to rebuke a fellow lawmaker, Ted Yoho, R-Fla., who accosted her Monday on the Capitol steps and, as they parted ways, called her a f------ b----, according to a reporter who overheard the comment.

As she spoke about the confrontation Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez said she had been on the receiving end of disrespectful comments from men before, during her tenure in Congress and in past jobs as a waitress and a bartender. But she said she decided to speak out, not because of the one incident involving Yoho, but because of sexist comments directed at women every day.

It is cultural, Ocasio-Cortez said. It is a culture of a lack of impunity, of acceptance of violence and violent language against women, an entire structure of power that supports that.

Read AOC's speech: 'I am someone's daughter too.'

The speech resonated well beyond the Capitol, becoming a viral sensation on social media and sparking a conversation about the role language plays in reinforcing power imbalances between men and women.

Female lawmakers and experts who have studied the rise of women in Congress said that even after the #MeToo movement put a spotlight on sexual harassment of women in media, government and Hollywood, many women are reluctant to speak out about sexist comments and behavior.

What Alexandria did was very powerful, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said in an interview Friday. She could have ignored it.

I think that we can all relate to what she experienced, whether it's in the disparaging remarks people make, that men have made, or the kinds of looks of denigration, said Chu, who was one of several women who stood up on the House floor Thursday to echo Ocasio-Cortezs rebuke of sexism.

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We can all relate to this, Chu told USA TODAY.

Do men simply resent women leaders?

Anne Kaiser, a Maryland state legislator who chairs the powerful Ways and Means Committee in the House of Delegates, praised Ocasio-Cortezs remarks and told USA TODAY that Yohos behavior is emblematic of systemic sexism that still is a part of our society.

Ask any woman leader out there: The fact is that some men simply resent women leaders and, truthfully, so do some women, said Kaiser, who also is a professor of Women in Leadership at the University of Maryland, College Park.

A record 131 women serve in the current U.S. Congress, with 105 in the House when nonvoting members representing territories and the District of Columbia are included, according to the Congressional Research Service. Twenty-six members of the Senate are women.

Karen O'Connor, a professor of political science at American University and founder of the universitys Women and Politics Institute, said there have been clear signs of progress for women, including Pelosis speakership and the fact that women in the House hold a record number of committee chairs.

OConnor said Yohos conduct toward Ocasio-Cortez mirrored behavior by other men in power, including President Donald Trump.

But  and it is a big but  privileged white men, who control the Republican parties in each House, are largely older and believe women such as AOC threaten their power so they continually seek to minimize women, as does the president, who routinely tries to diminish women world leaders, governors and mayors, OConnor said.

Women of color just get a double whammy. When the president insults and belittles women, he gives other white men tacit approval to do so, OConnor added.

Trump has derided female world leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former British Prime Minister Theresa May. He has ridiculed women such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich. The president has called Ocasio-Cortez a whack job and often refers to Pelosi as Crazy Nancy.

Trump also lashes out at plenty of male politicians, including Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y.

An abrupt manner

The Hill newspaper, which was the first to report the confrontation between Ocasio-Cortez and Yoho, said the Florida lawmaker approached Ocasio-Cortez as she was walking up the steps of the Capitol and told her she was disgusting for saying poverty was the driving force behind a rise in crime in New York City.

"You are out of your freaking mind," Yoho told the congresswoman, according to Hill reporter Mike Lillis. Lillis said Ocasio-Cortez told Yoho he was being rude and said he overheard the congressman say "f------ b----" as he walked away.

Yoho denied that his use of profanity had been directed at Ocasio-Cortez but acknowledged an "abrupt manner in his conversation with her.

"Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I'm very cognizant of my language," he said on the House floor Wednesday. "The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues, and if they were construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding."

Ocasio-Cortez said Yohos decision to invoke his wife and daughters was what prompted her to speak up.

"I am someone's daughter too," she said.

"My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yoho's disrespect on the floor of this house towards me on television, and I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men," Ocasio-Cortez added.

US Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, October 22, 2019.

OConnor noted that in the same week that Ocasio-Cortez pushed back on Yohos comments, Rep. Liz Cheney, the chair of the House Republican Conference and the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress, faced attacks from some GOP lawmakers and Trump himself after she questioned his reluctance to wear a mask and some of his foreign policy positions.

Trump retweeted a post that called on Cheney, R-Wyo., to step down from her leadership post in the House "or be removed."

While there is little indication that the backlash against Cheney is significant enough to put her leadership role at risk, OConnor said the attacks on her by Trump and some of his allies in Congress show a belief that she needs to be punished and publicly embarrassed for stepping out of line.

Kelly Dittmar, co-author of a A Seat at the Table, a book based on interviews with dozens of female members of Congress who served between 2015 and 2017, said the women she spoke with described unique challenges they faced in an institution long dominated by men.

Many of them said, 'Look, it was harder (for women than men) to get here. Then it is harder to be here, as it pertains to sexism,' Dittmar said.

But Dittmar, an associate professor of political science at Rutgers University, said Ocasio-Cortezs role as a congresswoman gave her a platform to speak out that many women lack. She said the election of more women to Congress gives them a chance to confront norms and dynamics that have long advantaged men.

In Congress, they do potentially have an avenue for some accountability," Dittmar said, and Ocasio-Cortez "in the most overt way that we've seen a woman do, really leveraged that power by going on the House floor and calling out Rep. Yoho. That's kind of an interesting and important dynamic in how we see institutions change.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Nicholas Wu, John Fritze, Maureen Groppe and Christal Hayes, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AOC speech rebuking Ted Yoho struck a chord well beyond Washington
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday that the government has prepared eight bills for legislation on anti-money laundering and terror financing with a view for Islamabad to move from the Financial Action Task Force's grey list to the white list.

In its third and final plenary held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic in June, the FATF decided to keep Pakistan in the "grey list" as Islamabad failed to check flow of money to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The plenary was held under the Chinese Presidency of Xiangmin Liu.

Read: Pakistan's continuation in FATF grey list vindicates India's position: MEA

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava last month said that Pakistan's continuation on the grey list vindicated India's position that the country had not taken any appropriate action against terror networks operating from its soil.

Paris-based FATF put Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action by the end of 2019 but the deadline was extended later on due to Covid-19.

Also Read: Pakistan removes thousands of names, including 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind, from terrorist watch list: Report

Talking to the media in his home town of Multan, Qureshi said on Saturday that the government was pursuing legislation to fulfill some demands of the Paris-based anti-money laundering group.

"India has been trying to push Pakistan into the FATF's blacklist. If this were to occur, you know better than I, the effects it will have on the economy," he claimed.

Qureshi said that concrete steps were being taken by the government to get Pakistan removed from the grey list.

Earlier, Pakistan had rejected as "fabricated news" the reports about its continuation on the FATF's grey list, saying no "new decision" was taken about it at the virtual plenary of the global terror financing watchdog.

Also Read: India at UN asks Pakistan leadership to stop terror funding, dismantle militant camps

Qureshi said that the government has prepared eight bills for legislation on anti-money laundering and terror financing with a view for Pakistan to move from the FATF's grey list to the white list.

He said a joint meeting of the government and opposition lawmakers would be held on Monday to discuss draft laws concerning the FATF. He said eight bills about the FATF had already been shared with the opposition parties ahead of the meeting.

Also Read: FATF notes Pakistan's failure to meet deadline to curb terror-financing, but decides against putting it on blacklist

He said the proposed new laws were prepared in consultation with the FATF experts.

With Pakistan's continuation in the 'grey list', it will be difficult for the country to get financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, ADB and the European Union, thus further enhancing problems for the nation which is in a precarious financial situation.

If Pakistan fails to comply with the FATF directive by October, there is every possibility that the global body may put the country in the 'Black List' along with North Korea and Iran.

Also Read: Will Pakistan ever learn?

The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

The FATF currently has 39 members including two regional organisations -- the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A fire damaged a rubber membrane roof on top of a Grand Rapids company and briefly sent black smoke into the sky.

The fire was reported about 3 p.m. Friday, July 24 and 12 Grand Rapids fire units responded to the scene.

Grand Rapids Fire Battalion Chief Collin Kelly said the fire damaged about a 200-square-foot section of the roof. It was quickly extinguished.

No one was injured.

Kelly said the cause of the fire was not immediately determined.

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A Shannonside angling group is about to stage one of the biggest weeks of fishing ever seen in this country since the relaxation of Covid 19 Guidelines - and provide a welcome boost to the economy of Roscommon, Longford and Leitrim.

The Lough Ree Angling hub, based in Ballyleague, Lanesboro recently unveiled details of not one but two angling competitions and a collective prize fund of 20,000 for the two events to take place week starting September 7 at six different venues around the Shannonside region.

Also read: Longford journalist Shaunagh Connaire shoots to the top of the podcast charts

Announcing news of the sponsorship of Bord na Mona towards a week long festival, The Chairmen of Roscommon and Longford County Council paid tribute to the Lough Ree Angling hub members who had waited patiently for the relaxation of Covid 19 rules and were rewarded with an outline of the very best and safe way to go ahead with this socially distant sport for seven days in September.

Cllr Laurence Fallon from Roscommon and Councillor Colm Murray from Longford were on hand recently under the bridge at Ballyleague-Lanesboro to launch the Masters Coarse Angling event with a prize fund of 10,000 and the Lough Ree Pike Classic with another prize fund of 10,000.

While entries to the pike event are now closed, entries are still open for the Coarse fishing festival which has already attracted huge interest with 10,000 at stake and large cash prizes every day. To get an entry form please e mail: loughreeanglinghub@gmail.com

"We are really thrilled to be able to go ahead and stage these events in a socially distant format" said Philip Gordon of the Lough Ree Angling hub, We want to thank Roscommon county council, Longford County Council, Waterways Ireland and Inland Fisheries Ireland for their continued support". Philip paid tribute to the Camlin and District Anglers for their professional assistance and guidance.

Also read: Children of Kids Paradise Creche receive special lockdown medal

The festivals will be played under strict Covid 19 protocol with no mass gatherings - even for the draws at any stage.

James Rowan of Bord na Mona was on hand to support the festival and pledged support to the community.

To book a place please call 04333 21734 or e mail loughreeanglinghub@gmail.com
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Iran has complained to the International Civil Aviation Organization after a Mahan Air plane flying from Tehran to Beirut was intercepted by a U.S. fighter jet in Syrian airspace on Thursday morning. The Islamic Republic is demanding an investigation of what it claims was a clear violation of international law. It says passengers were injured as the airliner was forced to drop altitude abruptly to avoid a collision with the American F-15.

A spokesman for U.S. Central Command said the fighter jet conducted a standard visual inspection of the Mahan Air plane, in accordance with international standards, at a safe distance of approximately 1,000 meters. The F-15 had been on a routine mission near al-Tanf in southern Syria, where the U.S. maintains a small military base.

Tehran, predictably, is drawing parallels between the incident and the 1988 downing of Iran Air Flight 655 by USS Vincennes, which mistook the airliner for an Iranian F-14. All 290 lives on board were lost. The more recent tragedy of the Ukrainian airliner brought down by a Iranian missile, killing 176 people, is unlikely to feature in Tehrans rhetoric. That planes black boxes, belatedly delivered to France, are revealing deeply embarrassing details for a regime that initially claimed its air-defense systems were too sophisticated to make a mistake.

We should all be grateful that the Mahan Air flight didnt end in tragedy. Had it done so, the regime in Tehran might have been tempted into a rash retaliation.

Although the exact details of Thursdays encounter may get lost in the fog of the propaganda war between Iran and the U.S., some facts are worth keeping in mind as the story goes through its inevitable spin cycle.

First, Mahan Air is not your typical civilian airline. It does sell tickets and fly ordinary Iranians to foreign destinations, but it also serves the regime as a troop-carrier and weapons-delivery service. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Mahan Air in 2011, for providing financial and other support to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Trump administration, too, has imposed sanctions on the airline and on companies providing services to it. Germany and France have both banned it for ferrying Iranian troops and arms into war zones.

Story continues

Second, the U.S. base at al-Tanf is hardly a secret. It can be found by anybody with a rudimentary knowledge of open-access satellite imagery. Certainly, no civilian airline operating in Middle Eastern skies can be unaware that the base is protected by military jets, not to mention surface-to-air missile batteries. Any sensible pilot obliged to fly over Syria would give al-Tanf a wide berth.

Nor can there be any doubt that Iran and its proxy militias in the region pose a threat to the base. Syrian and Russian forces have menaced it as well. So the appearance of an Iranian aircraft on the radar  even one giving every appearance of being non-threatening  might understandably merit a closer look.

Third, much of Syrian airspace is dangerous, bristling with drones and manned military aircraft of all stripes  American, Russian, Syrian, Turkish and Israeli. The regime of Bashar al-Assad frequently fires off missiles (some of them Iranian) to defend against air attacks, and its batteries are not well-known for accuracy.

As a result, most legitimate airlines avoid flying over Syria. American carriers are expressly forbidden from doing so by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The European Union Aviation Safety Agencys latest bulletin on Syria warns that, with the presence of terrorist organizations and ongoing military operations, there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft. The presence of a wide range of ground-to-ground and dedicated anti-aviation weaponry poses a HIGH risk to operations at all flight altitudes.

There have been even closer shaves than the one experienced by the Mahan Air plane. In February, another airliner from Tehran to Damascus was forced into an emergency landing at the Russian-controlled Hmeimim Air Base to avoid coming under fire from Syrian air defenses. That aircraft belonged to another U.S.-sanctioned airline, Cham Wings, which had the dubious distinction of flying the IRGCs Qassem Soleimani on his final flight to Baghdad  shortly before he was killed by an American drone strike.

Given the perils that lurk in Syrias skies, count it a blessing that such incidents, and the encounter between the Mahan Air plane and the F-15, dont take place more often.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He writes on foreign affairs, with a special focus on the Middle East and the wider Islamic world.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Gun violence is on the forefront of many Staten Islanders minds due to a spree of shootings this week.

Police are continuing their search for suspects in the homicides of Barry Moultrie in West Brighton and Kaseem Scott in Mariners Harbor, who were gunned down in a span of 10 hours on Wednesday.

A shots-fired incident late Thursday night set residents on edge in Mariners Harbor. Although no injuries were reported, spent shell casings were found outside in the vicinity of the Arlington Terrace Apartments on Holland Avenue.

In the wake of Scotts death, the 121st Precinct promoted a $1,000 reward for information leading to any arrest linked to an illegal gun. People with information are encouraged to call 866-486-7867 (GUN-STOP).

We want to alleviate the communitys concerns regarding last nights homicide, said a post on the 121st Precinct Twitter feed. We refuse to continue to allow gun violence to plague our community.

Today Crime Prevention and Community Affairs officers have visited the community members of Mariners Harbor.



We want to alleviate the communitys concerns regarding last nights homicide.



We refuse to continue to allow gun violence to plague our community



1 866 GUN-STOP  pic.twitter.com/D1siydHNrJ  NYPD 121st Precinct (@NYPD121Pct) July 23, 2020

Detectives believe that the killings of Moultrie and Scott were not random. Each man is thought to have known and been targeted by his killer, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

AMAZING DAD KILLED IN WEST BRIGHTON

Moultrie, 35, was shot at about 11:25 a.m. at Castleton Avenue and Barker Street, when a verbal disagreement escalated into violence, a source said.

He suffered a gunshot wound to the torso.

EMS responded and transported the critically-wounded man to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, where he was pronounced dead.

Police previously told the Advance that a Black male wearing white shorts and a red shirt fled the scene in an unknown direction in a green, four-door Acura with Pennsylvania license plates.

Moultrie was a father of five who made sure, no matter what, his kids were taken care of, according to his sister, Jasmin Lawton.

At 9:30 p.m., Scott, 25, of Mariners Harbor, was shot to death around the corner from his home inside the Holland Deli at 3400 Richmond Terrace, police said.

He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, and was pronounced dead at Richmond University.

Detectives believe Scott, who had been released from prison just days prior after serving time in a gun case, was targeted in a long-standing dispute, a source said.

His killer may have been waiting for him to return to the community, the source said.

Im lost for words, one friend said in a tribute on social media. So young with such a HAPPY spirit. You FOREVER HAD THE JOKES & was [an] ALL AROUND COOL PERSON

Anyone with information on either incident is encouraged to contact the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 (TIPS) or for Spanish, 1-888-577-4782 (PISTA). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
It was James Madison, says Time, who explained the reasoning behind this provision in Federalist 43. The language is stilted, but updated it simply means that the national government is to have exclusive power over lands purchased from the states. These would be the same powers extended over the created federal district, later named the District of Columbia. The House legislation would change the name to the Douglass Commonwealth in honor of the abolitionist, Frederick Douglass.

No Taxation Without Representation is the slogan imprinted on the citys license plates. It references a cry that fueled the American Revolution when people protested paying taxes to the English king without having a say in the government, or how the money was spent.

If people knew much history these days it might be a powerful argument, but as noted the Constitution forbids what House Democrats are trying to accomplish. The language and intent of the Founders could not be clearer.
Wage theft of migrant workers View(s):

Thousands of migrant workers are stranded in West Asia; some have lost their jobs, others are not getting their wages while many more are forced to find accommodation and food on their own as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Nepal have been organising repatriation flights for their nationals but the numbers are too high to cope.

In Sri Lankas case, 16,000 people including migrant workers, students and others stranded overseas have returned to the country and been sent to quarantine centres for the compulsory 14-day period. Some of these returnees have been infected with COVID-19, one of the reasons why the Government last week temporarily suspended repatriations since quarantine centres were also getting overcrowded. Another 30,000 or more migrant workers are awaiting repatriation and their stories, many on local television news clips of how they are cramped in rooms with a shortage of food and other necessities, desperately waiting to return home, are pathetic.

While I was assessing the migrant worker crisis, the trio of friends was discussing the same issue during their morning conversation, this time at the gate in the presence of Aldoris, the choon-paan karaya. Buying the daily loaf of bread from Aldoris, the focus was on Kussi Amma Seras relative, a migrant worker who is stranded in Kuwait.

Mage nede-akkata Kuwait raten Lankawata enna be, wediya guwan-gaman den nethi hinda (My cousin has not been able to return from Kuwait as there are not many flights to Colombo), said Kussi Amma Sera, adding that eyage rassawa nethi wela, padith lebila ne (she has lost her job and her due wages have also not been paid).

Mageth e-ratawala inna yaluwanta ema prashnema thiyenawa..mulu padiyama gevala ne (My friends in those countries are also facing the same problem not being paid their full wages), noted Serapina, explaining that the Sri Lankan embassy was also not very helpful. This is particularly in the case of non-registered workers, those who have not registered with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) prior to their departure overseas for employment.

Meka digatama adena prashnayak. Aanduwata avashya egollo evana mudal pamanai. Egollanta karadarayak wunama, embasiya hari himin thama yedenne (This is a continuing problem. The government is only concerned about their remittances. When there is a problem facing migrant workers, the embassy is slow in responding to their needs), said Mabel Rasthiyadu.

While I was listening to their conversation, the phone rang. On the line was Koththamalli Fernando, the Kokatath Thailaya (oil for many ailments) expert who has a remedy for any issue.

I say.. I listened to an interesting webinar (online seminar) on the plight of migrant workers and one term that was used was wage theft. What does this actually mean, he asked.

Wage theft is a kind of denial of wages or giving less wages than the contracted amount owed to an employee, I said. Well, this discussion was very interesting since it dealt with how the ILO and World Bank view these issues particularly when thousands of migrant workers have lost their jobs or are not paid their wages. In some cases, workers are sleeping on the streets, having lost their jobs, he said.

It so happened that I too watched the same webinar organised by the Manila-based Migrant Forum Asia on Tuesday, focusing on the plight of workers vis-a-vis the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the discussion, it was stated that when migrant workers face wage payment issues, the system doesnt work for them and they are tired of complaining without any relief in sight, since litigation is a long process. Often, they are resigned to their fate and return to Sri Lanka without any relief.

While there was consensus over the need for an international mechanism to address migrant worker complaints, the justice system is failing for these workers. One of the panellists, Shahidul Haque, a former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, said that labour-sending countries are often helpless while governance structures are also weak.

Ryszard Cholewinski, a senior ILO migration specialist, said they were trying to draw the attention of labour-receiving countries to the plight of workers not only losing their jobs but also not getting paid.

He said the Philippines, a country that has a strong governance system to protect their workers overseas, has been aggressively working with West Asian labour ministries to ensure their workers are duly paid,

Negotiations depend on the power of embassies/countries since often there is little that can be done in wage disputes between workers and employers, he said.

It is estimated that globally there would be a 20 per cent drop in remittances from overseas migrant workers with last years figure of US$554 billion in remittances falling by about $109 billion in 2020, largely also due to wage theft.

Dr. Dilip Ratha from the World Bank said businesses in West Asia are suffering and cant pay wages or employers simply dont pay. Workers are trapped, since if they raise their voice they can get deported. Furthermore, wage theft is happening via benefits like security packages and insurance which are entitlements for migrant workers, he said, adding that many countries risk falling back into poverty due to lower remittances.

Migrant worker interest groups have urged labour-sending countries to record grievances of returnee migrant workers while they are serving the 14-day quarantine period in their home country, to assess the problems they face and whether there are solutions.

According to the Central Bank, worker remittances fell in May 2020 by 23.2 per cent to $432 million and by 11.9 per cent to $2.4 billion in the January-May period 2020 compared to last year. With many losing their jobs, returning home even before completing their contracts and new workers unable to take up their jobs overseas since there are limited flights being operated, remittance amounts would fall drastically in the next few months.

For the record, worker remittances have been declining over the years. Last year, it fell by 4.3 per cent to $6.7 billion from $7 billion in 2018.

According to migrant worker associations monitoring the crisis in West Asia, at least 42 deaths of Sri Lankan workers have been reported since mid-July. According to one monitor, Community Development Services (CDS), there have been mixed reports about paying compensation to the families of the victims. The SLBFE has said that it will pay a compensation of Rs. 500,000 only to those migrant workers who had registered with the Bureau prior to their departure. We believe this is sad and unfortunate and perhaps a human rights violation too, CDS asserted.

The situation is indeed bleak for struggling Sri Lankan migrant workers overseas, which was aptly described by Kussi Amma Sera, while bringing in my second cup of tea. Aanduwa kalpana karanne kochchara mudal lebenawada kiyala vitharai. Eh gollanta wena prashna wedak ne (The government is concerned only about their earnings; they are not interested in any other issue), she said. Indeed, the government needs to seriously view the crisis befalling Sri Lankan workers in West Asia as a humane problem and address these issues quickly before its too late.
Sinn Fein's Laois / Offaly poll-topping TD Brian Stanley has been appointed as Chair of the powerful Oireachtas Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) which scrutinises how taxpayers money is spent and sometimes wasted by Government departments and other agencies that get public funds.

Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald, TD, herself a previous high-profile member of the committee, announced the appointment.

"I am very pleased to announce that I am appointing Brian Stanley TD as the new Chair of the Public Accounts Committee. This is the first time a Sinn Fein TD has held this important role and is reflective of the change that people voted for in February's election."

She said that the Laois/Offaly TD brings an immense wealth of experience to this position and she has no doubt he will do an 'excellent job' in his new role.

"Brian has held elected office at local and national level for over two decades, represented Laois and Offaly with distinction, and has risen to the challenge of every position he has held.

"The PAC plays a very important role in providing vital oversight of public expenditure. This is more important than ever before, as we face the unprecedented challenges in trying to rebuild the economy in a way which delivers a fair recovery for all at a time of crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The PAC needs to keep an active watch on the public purse, to hold the government to account and to ensure that we see a benefit to society for every single euro of taxpayers money spent.

"I want to wish Brian the very best in his new role," Dep McDonald concluded.

Speaking after his appointment Deputy Stanley said he is looking forward to leading the committee which scrutinises who spending and sometimes the waste of taxpayers money.

The PAC performs a very important role in examining how public money is spent. I will work to ensure the highest possible standards in transparency, accountability and oversight in this regard.

As a left republican party, Sinn Fein wants to see strong investment in public services such as universal healthcare, a top-class education system, childcare and housing. But we also believe it is essential that taxpayers money is spent well and that they get value for that investment.

"Unfortunately, this isnt always the case and in recent years we have seen a number of high-profile cases where public money has been wasted. Examples include the massive overspend on the National Childrens Hospital, the National Broadband Plan and HSE agency staff costs. Many of these issues will remain high on the agenda for PAC in the 33rd Dail.

"We should also be looking at whether there is value for taxpayers money in having 20 Junior Ministers, 3 Super Junior Ministers, and 17 special advisors between the Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Green Party Leader.

"I want PAC to be an active watch on the public purse, to hold the Government to account and to ensure that we see a benefit to society for every single euro of taxpayers money spent.

"I will do my best during my time as Chair of PAC to ensure that this is the case," he said.

More below picture of Brian Stanley celebrating with Sinn Fein supporters after topping the poll in Laois Offaly at the 2020 General Election. Picture: Alf Harvey

The Laois-based TD was first elected to the Dail in 2011 as a TD in the five-seat constituency. He was previously a Laois county councillor and Portlaoise town councillor and commissioner.

He retained his seat when Laois became a three-seat constituency in 2016 and topped the poll when the county was reunited with Offaly at the 2020 General Election.

He was previously Sinn Fein's spokesperson on housing, communications and agriculture but was not appointed to the party's front bench after the 2020 poll.

Dep Stanley has succeeded fellow Laois Offaly TD Sean Fleming as Chairman of the PAC. The Fianna Fail TD was recently appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Finance.

The Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) is a standing committee of Dail Eireann which focuses on ensuring public services are run efficiently and achieve value for money. As chairman Dep Stanley will work closely with the statutory independent watchdog of public spending, the Office of Comptroller and Auditor General. It works with the committee by investigating and reporting on spending which the committee then scrutinises in public by calling in agencies to explain in public spending.

Among those to come before the committee in recent times were former FAI CEO John Delaney and Garda Sergeant Maurice McCabe.

Arguably, the best work done by the committee was when it was chaired by former Fine Gael TD and Minister Jim Mitchell. Under his chairmanship, the committee began examined wide-scale tax evasion in banks regarding Deposit interest retention tax (DIRT). An inquiry revealed that wealthy customers were facilitated in setting up non-resident (off-shore, international) bank accounts to avoid paying DIRT.

Allied Irish Banks was forced to reach a settlement of 90 million with the Revenue Commissioners in respect of DIRT evasion in 2000.

Thousands of tax-evaders were prosecuted with millions repaid to the public purse in the process.
Chandigarh: The Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC) of Punjab Police State Cyber Crime Cell on Saturday (July 25, 2020) warned the citizens not to click on a URL message being circulated via instant messaging services like SMS or WhatsApp which depicts the free COVID-19 relief package of Rs 2,000 given by the Government to each citizen.

An official spokesperson of the Punjab Bureau of Investigation said that these kinds of phishing attacks could permit cybercriminals to assume control of the user's device by logging into keystrokes, or access data and money related information, which could lead to emptying user's bank account.

The DITAC of @PunjabPoliceInd #StateCyberCrimeCell has warned citizens not to click on URL message being circulated via instant messaging services like SMS or WhatsApp which depicts free #Covid relief package of 2,000 given by Government to each citizen.https://t.co/p2XKRdjCH1  Government of Punjab (@PunjabGovtIndia) July 25, 2020

The spokesperson added that the body of the message being circulated in social media is like - "The Government has finally approved and have started giving out free Rs 2,000 Relief Funds to each citizen. Below is how to claim and get yours credit instantly as I have just did now https://covid19-relieffund.com/. You can only claim and get credited once and its also limited so get your now instantly."

He said once the user opens the page after clicking on the URL, it shows the congratulatory message - "Get free Rs 7,000 instantly to your bank account. Please complete the survey to avail free lockdown relief funds."

Along with the congratulatory message, there is a question asking that are you a bonafide Indian citizen? After answering the questions, it is observed that the link actually contains a questionnaire asking about your several other details such as "How much can sustain you throughout their login? What will you use free Rs 7000 for?"

After that, the user will receive a congratulatory message of getting Rs 7,000 along with a link for sharing the message to other groups and contacts.

The Bureau has urged the people to remain extremely cautious in this regard and not to click on suspicious URL links on social media platforms.

"If anyone comes across any such message, through any social media platform, dont forward it to others but delete it immediately. Clicking on such links pose high risks because it could be malware which could redirect you to other fraudulent sites that may lead to financial loss to the user", he cautioned.

The spokesperson also exhorted the public not to forward any news or links without verifying the authenticity and verify whether any official announcement been made about the same on the genuine website.

"Any information in this regard or any other cyber crime can be shared with the State Cyber Crime Investigation Centre on email ID ssp.cyber-pb@nic.in to enable the department to take suitable legal action against the criminals indulging in such fraudulent acts," he added.
HEALTH Minister Stephen Donnelly has admitted that he missed a crucial vote for a new Government colleague to become vice-chair of the Dail.

Fine Gael TD Fergus O'Dowd lost out on the position of Leas Ceann Comhairle of the Dail following a secret ballot last Thursday despite a coalition deal that was supposed to elect him to the role.

The lucrative position which carries a 38,787 allowance on top of the standard TD's salary of 96,189 went to the Galway West TD Catherine Connolly, the first woman to hold the role, who won by 77 votes to 74.

Mr Donnelly told Independent.ie: I got pulled into an urgent healthcare matter, which is no excuse, as I should have been there to vote.

The news that a Fianna Fail Cabinet minister failed to show up for a Fine Gael colleague is likely to put a strain on relations between the Government parties.

Colleagues of Mr ODowd say the Louth TD, who was expected to win the vote, is furious over Mr Donnellys absence. Contacted on Saturday, Mr ODowd said: I dont wish to comment.

However, Mr Donnellys presence is unlikely to have altered the outcome of the vote. The Government whips estimate that between six and 10 coalition TDs did not vote for Mr ODowd.

Fine Gael sources have claimed Fianna Fail TDs - a growing number of whom have become disgruntled with Micheal Martin in recent weeks - were responsible for inflicting the defeat on the Government candidate.

However, a number of Fianna Fail TDs privately identified as likely culprits have insisted they voted for Mr ODowd in the secret ballot.

It has also been suggested that a number of Fine Gael TDs may not have voted for ODowd because of their objections to the party not nominating veteran backbencher Bernard Durkan who lost out on the job by one vote in 2016.

Separately, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has appointed Laois-Offaly TD Brian Stanley as chair of the Dail's powerful Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinises public spending.

The position, which comes with a salary boost of 9,500, is one of the most sought-after in the Dail and traditionally goes to the lead Opposition party.

This is the first time a Sinn Fein TD has held this important role and is reflective of the change that people voted for in February's election, Ms McDonald said on Saturday.

"Brian brings an immense wealth of experience to this position and I have no doubt he will do an excellent job in his new role."

PAC is one of five committees that Sinn Fein is to be allowed chair following the allocation of chairs to political parties at the Dail business committee meeting on Thursday. Sinn Fein TDs will also chair the Enterprise, Children, Health and Irish language committees.

The Government will hold 12 committee chairs with Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Greens TDs chairing the Housing, EU Affairs, Good Friday Agreement, Justice, Finance, Budget Oversight, Education, Climate, Agriculture, Media and Tourism, and Foreign Affairs and Disabilities committees.

The Regional Independent Group, which includes Denis Naughten, Michael Lowry, Verona Murphy and a number of other unaligned TDs, will nominate the chair of the Social Protection and Rural Affairs committee.

Every Oireachtas committee chair is entitled to a salary top-up of 9,500 per year.
By Graham Keeley

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Spanish soldiers have been sent to build a camp for migrant strawberry pickers after a U.N. official criticised authorities for allowing seasonal farm workers to live in "inhumane" conditions, the government said on Saturday.

The U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty and rights, Olivier De Schutter, said in a statement on Friday that urgent action was needed to improve "deplorable conditions" in worker settlements before people died.

Three fires broke out in migrant shanty towns near the southwestern town of Huelva last week, injuring four people, and health officials have warned that the cramped settlements put workers at risk of catching the coronavirus.

Following appeals for help from local officials, a defence ministry spokeswoman said the troops were deployed on Saturday to look for a suitable location to build a camp to house the workers, most of whom are Moroccan.

"An army logistics team has been sent to try to help prevent possible coronavirus outbreaks in settlements which are in precarious conditions after fires," she said.

Often dirty and dangerous, and lacking water, sanitation and electricity, such camps have been used as accommodation for Spain's seasonal fruit-pickers for years.

De Schutter said COVID-19 had worsened the situation.

"This reality of fires and inhumane conditions in the shanty towns cannot be tolerated any longer.

"The situation is deteriorating alarmingly each day, made worse amid the COVID-19 pandemic," his statement said.

On Thursday, the Health Ministry acknowledged that fruit-pickers were especially vulnerable to catching coronavirus due to overcrowded and insanitary living and working conditions.

Spain is one of the European countries hardest-hit by the pandemic with more than 28,400 fatalities.

Since ending a three-month lockdown in June it has registered 281 new isolated outbreaks, over a quarter of which began in workplace environments.

Authorities in Catalonia imposed two localised lockdowns in Segria and Lleida after a spike in coronavirus cases linked to migrant fruit workers living in precarious conditions.

(Reporting by Graham Keeley; Editing by Helen Popper)
Josh Boone breaks down The New Mutant's long and arduous journey to release (Image by 20th Century Fox)

Josh Boone says that he doesnt really care if The New Mutants is put straight onto Disney+, made available on-demand, or if its cinema release is delayed once again.

The X-Men spin-off was originally supposed to be released in April, 2018, but it has now been pushed back several times for a variety of reasons, which have included additional filming, the sale of 20th Century Fox to Disney, and COVID-19.

Read More: The New Mutants To Bring Superhero Horror To Comic-Con@Home, Releases New Action-Packed Clip

At the moment, The New Mutants is still scheduled to be released in cinemas on August 28, but the U.Ss failure to handle the COVID-19 pandemic means that looks increasingly unlikely.

During a recent interview with Comic-Book.com, Boone was asked if he is scared that The New Mutants might be released on-demand or on Disney+ instead of in cinemas. But, at this point, Boone just wants audiences to see it.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Director Josh Boone attends the premiere of A24 and DirecTV's "The Vanishing Of Sidney Hall" at ArcLight Hollywood on February 22, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Well, I mean, I dont really get scared about stuff like that. I just want as many people to see it as possible. And for everybody who wants to see it to be able to see it.

So obviously if we can do it theaters, thats always my first choice. But like Disney came to me and said they were gonna stream it Id be like awesome. Then everybody can watch it. Itd be great.

Read More: Maisie Williams faces her fears in new trailer for X-Men horror spin-off 'The New Mutants'

Boone also revealed that, Disneys purchase of 20th Century Fox, meant he was unable to do any reshoots for The New Mutants, and he had to just use what they shot on set.

So the movie hasn't changed that dramatically between before the merger and after the merger - it's just gotten a little more fine-tuned. And now it has visual effects that are finished, which were sort of the big thing that was missing when the merger happened, that whole aspect of it shut down. So we only got to see kind of finished visual effects this year."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-25 15:26:21|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has undergone a swab test for the COVID-19 and the result showed negative, an official has confirmed.

"The result is good. Thank God, the president is very healthy," Head of the Presidential Secretariat Heru Budi Hartono told media on Saturday.

The Indonesian president had a swab test on Friday afternoon after meeting with Achmad Purnomo, vice mayor of Solo City in Central Java province on Thursday.

Achmad Purnomo told reporters on Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

Hartono said before meeting the vice mayor, the Presidential Palace implemented a strict COVID-19 preventive health protocol that required every guest and visitor to pass a rapid test.

In addition, the head of state and all his staff members, as well as workers in the Presidential Palace, routinely take swab tests. Enditem
Rating Action: Moody's affirms EDP's Baa3 rating; outlook stable

Global Credit Research - 25 Jul 2020

London, 25 July 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has today affirmed the Baa3 senior unsecured ratings, the (P)Baa3 senior unsecured MTN program rating, the Ba2 junior subordinate debt rating and the Prime-3 commercial paper rating of EDP - Energias de Portugal, S.A. ("EDP"). Concurrently, Moody's has affirmed the Baa3 senior unsecured ratings, the (P)Baa3 senior unsecured MTN program rating and the Prime-3 commercial paper rating of EDP Finance B.V.. The outlook on all ratings remains stable.

A full list of affected ratings is provided towards the end of this press release.

RATINGS RATIONALE

The rating action follows the announcement on 15 July [1] by EDP that it entered into an agreement to acquire Viesgo, which owns electricity distribution networks in Spain (with a regulated assed base of EUR1.0 billion), over 500 MW of net renewable capacity in Iberia and two coal-fired power plants to be decommissioned in 2021, for an enterprise value of EUR2.7 billion. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2020. The rating affirmation reflects (1) Moody's view that the acquisition of Viesgo is moderately positive for EDP's business risk profile; and (2) the neutral impact of the transaction on EDP's financial profile given the partial equity funding thereof.

In Moody's view, the acquisition of Viesgo represents a strong industrial and strategic fit with EDP's existing activities in Spain. EDP will combine its existing adjacent Spanish electricity distribution network with those of Viesgo, thus creating a business with an aggregate regulated asset base of EUR1.8 billion. Electricity distribution networks in Spain benefit from revenue visibility until year-end 2025 with an allowed return of 5.58% (nominal, pre-tax). Through the acquisition, EDP also reinforces its position in onshore wind in Iberia. Finally, based on Moody's estimates, the transaction allows EDP to further increase the share of EBITDA stemming from regulated network activities to 30% pro-forma for the transaction from 27% in 2019.

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From the financial risk perspective, Moody's expects the transaction to have a broadly neutral impact on EDP's credit metrics. This is because the company will fund the purchase price with a mix of debt and equity, including a EUR1.02 billion [2] fully underwritten share capital increase and the disposal of a portfolio of thermal assets and supply clients in Spain. In addition, Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, which will own a 24.9% interest in the combined Spanish network business, will contribute EUR0.7 billion in the form of cash equity and debt. Moody's therefore expects that EDP will demonstrate a ratio of funds from operations (FFO)/net debt at or above 15% in 2020 and 2021 when factoring in the expected disposal of certain hydropower assets later this year.

More generally, EDP's Baa3 rating continues to be supported by (1) its position as Portugal's largest utility and diversified business and geographical mix; (2) its high share of regulated and contracted activities (around 80% of EBITDA); (3) the group's track record of rotating assets to alleviate financing needs; and (4) the 21.5% ownership by China Three Gorges Corporation (A1 stable). These positives help offset (1) the earnings volatility stemming from variations in hydro output in Iberia and, to a lesser extent, wind resource globally; (2) the execution risks associated with a significant capital spending over 2019-22; (3) the adverse effects of the coronavirus outbreak on power prices and electricity demand in Brazil and Iberia; and (4) its relatively high dividend payout and leverage, although the latter is declining with the company targeting net debt/ EBITDA (as reported) of 3x by 2022.

RATING OUTLOOK

The stable outlook is based on EDP's delivery of its strategic plan and the resulting expected deleveraging by 2022, so that FFO/net debt rises over time to the midteens and retained cash flow (RCF)/net debt is sustainably in the low double digits (both in percentage terms).

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

The ratings could be upgraded if EDP's progress on the delivery of its strategy were to result in a sustained strengthening of its financial profile, with FFO/net debt around 20% and RCF/net debt in the midteens in percentage terms.

The ratings could be downgraded if EDP's credit metrics appeared likely to remain persistently below the guidance for the Baa3 rating, which includes FFO/net debt in the midteens and RCF/net debt in the low double digits (both in percentage terms).

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Unregulated Utilities and Unregulated Power Companies published in May 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1066389. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

LIST OF AFFECTED RATINGS

Affirmations:

..Issuer: EDP - Energias de Portugal, S.A.

....LT Issuer Rating, Affirmed Baa3

....Junior Subordinated Regular Bond/Debenture, Affirmed Ba2

..Commercial Paper, Affirmed P-3

....Backed Senior Unsecured Medium-Term Note Program, Affirmed (P)Baa3

....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture, Affirmed Baa3

..Issuer: EDP Finance B.V.

....Backed Commercial Paper, Affirmed P-3

....Backed Senior Unsecured MTN Program, Affirmed (P)Baa3

....Backed Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture, Affirmed Baa3

Outlook Actions:

..Issuer: EDP - Energias de Portugal, S.A.

....Outlook, Remains Stable ..Issuer: EDP Finance B.V. ....Outlook, Remains Stable

EDP - Energias de Portugal, S.A. is a vertically integrated utility company. It is Portugal's leading electric utility and generated EUR3.7 billion of EBITDA in 2019.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

REFERENCES/CITATIONS

[1] EDP, Regulatory announcement; 15-Jul-2020 https://web3.cmvm.pt/SDI/emitentes/docs/FR76421.pdf [2] EDP, Regulatory announcement; 16-Jul-2020 https://web3.cmvm.pt/SDI/emitentes/docs/fsd914119.pdf

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Paul Marty Senior Vice President/Manager Infrastructure Finance Group Moody's Investors Service Ltd. One Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5FA United Kingdom JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Neil Griffiths-Lambeth Associate Managing Director Infrastructure Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Ltd. One Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5FA United Kingdom JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454

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It is hard to see how the city of Portland can ever recover from the violence that has been unleashed by Antifa, with the connivance of local officials. One is tempted to say that Portlands voters have brought it on themselves and are getting what they deservegood and hard, as Mencken put it. Unfortunately, they arent the principal victims of the violence.

Federal agents came under vicious attack while trying to protect the federal courthouse in Portland from something like 1,000 rioters. Among other things, criminals pointed lasers into the eyes of the agents. It appears that three agents may have suffered permanent blindness:

Three federal agents who were sent to Portland, Ore., to try to help quell the citys violent protests were likely left permanently blinded from clashes, White House officials said Friday. A federal agents hand was impaled by planted nails, another federal agent was shot with a pellet gun, leaving a wound deep to the bone, and tragically, three federal officers were likely left permanently blinded by the rioters using lasers pointed directly into their eyes, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Friday.

One can only hope that the injuries do not prove so severe, or at least that no agents lost both eyes. But such violence, aided and abetted by Democratic Party politicians, is infuriating. In a just world, the perpetrators would be looking at decades in a penitentiary. In the world in which we live, rioters nearly always go unpunished, often released outright by Soros-funded prosecutors.

Antifa rioters are the Democratic Partys shock troops, playing a role analogous to that of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 19th Century. And, like Klan members in the Deep South, Antifa criminals in Democrat-controlled cities are rarely punished.
Developed by Laboratory 6 in collaboration with Maruishi, Frackers uses a fully recyclable battery to cut 4-6 hours off charging time

TOKYO, JAPAN / ACCESSWIRE / July 25, 2020 / Frackers, the all-purpose e-bike that charges in just 20 minutes, the fastest in the world, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund its commercialization. Produced through a collaboration between Laboratory 6 and Maruishi, Japan's oldest and most trusted bike manufacturer, Frackers represents the future of the family bike. Existing e-bikes, which rely on standard Lithium-ion batteries, take four to six hours to charge.

"In the post COVID world, bikes are more important than ever," said CEO Hiro A. Nishina for Laboratory 6. "People want to avoid public transportation if they can, so an e-bike is a natural solution. Now, with our revolutionary fast charging, e-biking is a truly viable way to get around."

Frackers features a Cambrian battery that is manufactured using patented carbon technology to support quick charging. A 20-minute charges gives the bike a 50km (30 mile) range, with a maximum speed of 24km/h (around 19m/h). Equipped with a 3 speed Shimano gear system, riders can select from a varying degrees of pedaling speed.

The bike has a spacious front basket and rear delivery rack which can carry up to 120KG, there is also an option to install child seats in both the front and rear. A powerful Bafang electric motor provides propulsion. In this sense, the bike is well suited for not only deliveries, but also daily commutes, making grocery rounds, and getting around with family.

The bike also provides environmental benefits. Frackers contains a fully recyclable battery. In contrast, Lithium-ion batteries contain toxic precious metals, which cause environment damage when the battery is discarded. Frackers' carbon-based battery solutions do not contain toxic rare-metals. The bike is also fortified with the "dock and lock" stabilization technology which places the bike in a stable docked position and locks the handlebars for safety unloading goods or passengers.

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"Our patented stabilization technology ensures a smooth ride for everyone on board," Mr Hiro A. Nishina added. "The Bafang motor provides an extra boost that enables the bike to carry up to two extra passengers." Frackers meets all safety standards ensuring a secure ride for everyone.

The company expects that subsidies in EU countries can be applied to Frackers. In most countries, the subsidies can be expected to be between 250-500 EUR. While the price for the bike itself when launched will range from $900 - $1399. Availability of the product is based on a first come first served basis.

Laboratory 6 offers international shipping, recently opening both US and UK branches to serve those respective regions. Laboratory 6 is working directly with the UK Department of International Trade to service UK and the greater EU.

Visit this page for more information about Frackers: https://igg.me/at/Frackers.

Frackers is available to purchase via this link starting July 29th https://www.indiegogo.com/project/preview/77bb397b#/.

IG: @Laboratory6_Inc

Twitter:@EyePJP

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lab6Global/

UK Office:

Laboratory 6 Ltd.

27, Old Gloucester

Street, LONDON, WC1N 3AX, UNITED KINGDOM.

Representative: Inketsu Okina, Chief Intelligence Officer

US Office

Labro 6.Inc

1424 4th St Ste 214, PMB 2895

Santa Monica, CA 90401

Contact Info:

Name: Laboratory 6

Email: Send Email

Organization: Laboratory 6

Address: Global Headquarters, 5 Chome-11-12 Minamiazabu, Minato City, Tokyo 106-0047

Phone: +81 03-6450-4392

Website: https://www.laboratory6.net/

SOURCE: Laboratory 6





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/598921/Laboratory-6-Launches-Frackers-All-Purpose-E-Bike-that-Charges-in-20-Minutes